Ep 2. Elizabeth Warren
- March 2, 2019
In season 2, episode 2 of The Axe Files with David Axelrod, political strategist and CNN Senior Political Commentator, David Axelrod interviews Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, about her personal and political journey.
The episode begins with Axelrod setting the stage for Warren's background as a former Harvard Law School professor with an expertise in bankruptcy law, who later became the architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, after the economic crash of 2008. He delves deep into her early life, discussing Warren's humble beginnings and her father's struggle with heart attacks and financial instability that led her to learn about struggles faced by working-class families from a young age.
Axelrod explores Warren's journey as she moved from Oklahoma to Texas where she attended the University of Houston, eventually earning a law degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Warren divulges how opposition and discrimination at her state university challenged her to speak out and take a stand against the wrongs she witnessed, setting her on her eventual path towards political activism.
The conversation continues to cover Warren's experience working with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for five years, where she fought against Wall Street and big banks for the sake of American taxpayers. She discusses the challenges she faced in this role, including the strong opposition from the banking and financial industries.
The episode also delves into Warren's views on education, including her advocacy for college affordability and student debt relief in the United States. She breaks down her plan to offer free college education to students from working-class families, a proposal that has garnered significant attention in her bid for the 2019 Democratic presidential nomination.
Axelrod challenges Warren on her liberal position in a discussion about the divide between progressives and moderates in the Democratic party. She defends her progressive stance, arguing that it is necessary to address the issues of income inequality and environmental protection, and to combat a system that places the needs of corporations above those of the people.
Overall, the episode shines a light on Elizabeth Warren's history and views, providing insight into the life of one of the key candidates hoping to earn the Democratic nomination for presidency in the United States. Axe Files with David Axelrod sets the stage for an insightful discussion on the broader issues shaping the political landscape of the United States, with Warren's candidacy serving as one of the focal points of the conversation.