Of the handful of Hillary Clinton’s VP picks, only one can boast being a household name: none other than Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren has been in the public eye for years now, so you may know a bit about her. You might have heard that she taught at Harvard Law School, or that she is a diehard advocate for the middle class and fierce opponent of money stealing monsters like Goldman Sachs (despite her personal net worth of an estimated 8.75 million). Perhaps you even know about her controversial and questioned Native American heritage, which some say she used to leverage her success.
But here are a few more things to keep in mind about the 67 year-old possible VP pick.
- Genius from a young age. Warren was born in Oklahoma City to a lower-end middle class family. Despite waiting tables at 13 to make ends meet and hesitating before doctor visits because of medical bills, Elizabeth, or simply Liz as she was known then, was quite the child star. She attended George Washington University on a full debate scholarship at the ripe age of 16, but dropped out to marry her high school sweetheart and current ex-husband, Jim Warren. Realizing the importance of education, she continued to the University of Houston, where she obtained her BA and became the first person in her family to graduate from college. Warren went on to attend Rutgers School of Law-Newark and graduated 9 months pregnant, with a 2 year-old child at home.
- She bribed her daughter with M&Ms. Elizabeth Warren has a close relationship with her children. Her daughter Amelia co-wrote two books with the Senator, both of which revolve around the struggles of personal finances. Warren actually has a lot to thank Amelia for–the Senator was able to potty train her daughter in time for daycare so Mom could attend her first day of law school. Warren has credited “two bags of M&Ms and a cooperative child” for her success. She also has a son, who doesn’t share his mother’s political passion, but designed databases for Warren’s research. Nevertheless, her children were rarely spotted during Warren’s Senatorial campaigning, and instead chose to keep their relationships outside of the public eye. Warren is currently married to Harvard Law professor Bruce Mann.
- She dissed Hillary Clinton. In a 2004 NOW interview, the Massachusetts Senator initially praised then First Lady Hillary Clinton for influencing President Bill Clinton to veto a bill on bankruptcy legislation. However, Warren was taken aback when Clinton later became NY Senator and voted in favor of the bill. Warren cited Clinton’s dependence on consumer credit products as reason for the NY Senator’s shift in loyalty. Warren stated, “The credit card companies have been giving money, and they have influence…She has taken money from the groups, and more to the point, she worries about them as a constituency.” Maybe not the best move in hindsight.
- She inspired a Western-themed rap video. In a promotional effort to nominate Elizabeth Warren for the directorship of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, a group called the Main Street Brigade brought the wild wild west to classic rap. The video included lyrics such as “Elizabeth Warren, we got your back. Wall Street, you better watch out. Giddyup, giddyup, giddyup, giddyup. Sheriff Warren is what we need, ya’ll.” Sadly, nobody ‘giddyuped’ to Warren’s rescue and she failed to be nominated.
- And even after all of that, she probably won’t get picked. Despite her fire and a highly decorated career, things aren’t looking too good for the Massachusetts Senator. Just last week, it was announced that Warren is to deliver a prime-time speech on the opening night of the DNC, which is a rare slot for the VP pick to fill. On Friday, Clinton met with Warren, as well as a few other VP choices, at the presidential nominee’s D.C. home. The meeting lasted about an hour. Perhaps this is Clinton’s gentle way of delivering the sad news?
