Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a new ad Wednesday attacking billionaires for their objections to her proposed wealth tax. (Photo: @ewarren/Twitter)
Nov 13, 2019
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was unfazed by billionaire investor Leon Cooperman's objection to her latest ad promoting her proposed wealth tax in which the 2020 Democratic candidate ridiculed Cooperman's and other wealthy public figures' disapproval of the plan.
In a CNBC interview Wednesday, Cooperman called Warren "disgraceful" and accused the Massachusetts Democrat of trying to "demonize wealthy people because there are more poor people than wealthy people."
Warren's campaign team offered a succinct response on Twitter:
\u201cok billionaire\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573687040
Warren struck a similarly sarcastic tone when she posted the ad on Twitter earlier in the day.
"Some billionaires don't like my Two-Cent Wealth Tax? I'm shocked," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote.
Watch the ad:
\u201cSome billionaires don\u2019t like my #TwoCentWealthTax? I\u2019m shocked.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1573686289
The video features several corporate CEOs, investors, and powerful political donors who have taken pains in recent weeks to paint Warren's plan as unjust. Under the senator's proposal, households with over $50 million in assets would pay an annual 2% tax on every dollar above $50 million--a tax Warren says would pay for universal childcare, universal pre-K, student debt cancellation, and other programs.
As Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein says in the ad, "She probably thinks more of cataclysmic change to the economic system as opposed to tinkering"--a statement Warren has made clear she would agree with, with her calls for "big structural change" throughout her campaign.
In the video, Warren accompanies comments from Blankfein, investor Leon Cooperman, and other billionaires with on-screen text showing some of their notable financial activities. Cooperman was "charged with insider trading," while Blankfein "earned $70 million during the financial crash."
The senator also explains the reasoning behind the tax in the video.
"Here's the deal: you hold a great fortune, good for you," she is seen telling an audience at a rally. "I guarantee you built it at least in part using workers all of us helped pay to educate, getting to your goods to market on roads all of us helped pay to build."
"We're Americans--we want to make these investments," she adds. "All we're saying is when you make it big, pitch in two cents so everybody else gets a chance, too."
Also on Wednesday, Warren introduced a new addition to the merchandise available on her campaign website: A mug labeled "Billionaire Tears."
\u201cBy popular demand:\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573693625
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was unfazed by billionaire investor Leon Cooperman's objection to her latest ad promoting her proposed wealth tax in which the 2020 Democratic candidate ridiculed Cooperman's and other wealthy public figures' disapproval of the plan.
In a CNBC interview Wednesday, Cooperman called Warren "disgraceful" and accused the Massachusetts Democrat of trying to "demonize wealthy people because there are more poor people than wealthy people."
Warren's campaign team offered a succinct response on Twitter:
\u201cok billionaire\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573687040
Warren struck a similarly sarcastic tone when she posted the ad on Twitter earlier in the day.
"Some billionaires don't like my Two-Cent Wealth Tax? I'm shocked," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote.
Watch the ad:
\u201cSome billionaires don\u2019t like my #TwoCentWealthTax? I\u2019m shocked.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1573686289
The video features several corporate CEOs, investors, and powerful political donors who have taken pains in recent weeks to paint Warren's plan as unjust. Under the senator's proposal, households with over $50 million in assets would pay an annual 2% tax on every dollar above $50 million--a tax Warren says would pay for universal childcare, universal pre-K, student debt cancellation, and other programs.
As Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein says in the ad, "She probably thinks more of cataclysmic change to the economic system as opposed to tinkering"--a statement Warren has made clear she would agree with, with her calls for "big structural change" throughout her campaign.
In the video, Warren accompanies comments from Blankfein, investor Leon Cooperman, and other billionaires with on-screen text showing some of their notable financial activities. Cooperman was "charged with insider trading," while Blankfein "earned $70 million during the financial crash."
The senator also explains the reasoning behind the tax in the video.
"Here's the deal: you hold a great fortune, good for you," she is seen telling an audience at a rally. "I guarantee you built it at least in part using workers all of us helped pay to educate, getting to your goods to market on roads all of us helped pay to build."
"We're Americans--we want to make these investments," she adds. "All we're saying is when you make it big, pitch in two cents so everybody else gets a chance, too."
Also on Wednesday, Warren introduced a new addition to the merchandise available on her campaign website: A mug labeled "Billionaire Tears."
\u201cBy popular demand:\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573693625
Sen. Elizabeth Warren was unfazed by billionaire investor Leon Cooperman's objection to her latest ad promoting her proposed wealth tax in which the 2020 Democratic candidate ridiculed Cooperman's and other wealthy public figures' disapproval of the plan.
In a CNBC interview Wednesday, Cooperman called Warren "disgraceful" and accused the Massachusetts Democrat of trying to "demonize wealthy people because there are more poor people than wealthy people."
Warren's campaign team offered a succinct response on Twitter:
\u201cok billionaire\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573687040
Warren struck a similarly sarcastic tone when she posted the ad on Twitter earlier in the day.
"Some billionaires don't like my Two-Cent Wealth Tax? I'm shocked," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote.
Watch the ad:
\u201cSome billionaires don\u2019t like my #TwoCentWealthTax? I\u2019m shocked.\u201d— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1573686289
The video features several corporate CEOs, investors, and powerful political donors who have taken pains in recent weeks to paint Warren's plan as unjust. Under the senator's proposal, households with over $50 million in assets would pay an annual 2% tax on every dollar above $50 million--a tax Warren says would pay for universal childcare, universal pre-K, student debt cancellation, and other programs.
As Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein says in the ad, "She probably thinks more of cataclysmic change to the economic system as opposed to tinkering"--a statement Warren has made clear she would agree with, with her calls for "big structural change" throughout her campaign.
In the video, Warren accompanies comments from Blankfein, investor Leon Cooperman, and other billionaires with on-screen text showing some of their notable financial activities. Cooperman was "charged with insider trading," while Blankfein "earned $70 million during the financial crash."
The senator also explains the reasoning behind the tax in the video.
"Here's the deal: you hold a great fortune, good for you," she is seen telling an audience at a rally. "I guarantee you built it at least in part using workers all of us helped pay to educate, getting to your goods to market on roads all of us helped pay to build."
"We're Americans--we want to make these investments," she adds. "All we're saying is when you make it big, pitch in two cents so everybody else gets a chance, too."
Also on Wednesday, Warren introduced a new addition to the merchandise available on her campaign website: A mug labeled "Billionaire Tears."
\u201cBy popular demand:\u201d— Warren Democrats (@Warren Democrats) 1573693625
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.