Image
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Jon Stewart that the influence of the wealthy on Washington was so pervasive that many lawmakers had probably stopped noticing.

"The problem we've got is that there is so much money flowing into Washington, so much power (and) so many lobbyists, that it becomes the norm," she said. "I want to say it this way: The wind only blows from one direction - it only blows from the direction of those who have money."

Warren appeared Thursday night on "The Daily Show," where she said the wealthiest Americans had tilted the playing field dramatically in their favor.

"Powerful corporations (and) rich people have figured out that if you can bend the government to help you just a little bit, it's a tremendous payoff," the senator said, "and if you can bend it to help you just a little bit more and a little bit more, the playing field just gets more and more tilted, and the rich and the powerful just do better and better."

The rumored 2016 presidential candidate said their influence went far beyond campaign donations.

"They've invested in Washington in a million other ways," Warren said. "The lobbyists are there every day, every meeting that occurs. They're there in the regulatory agencies, they're all over the town to make sure that the tender fannies of the rich and the powerful are always carefully protected — in every rule that's written, every conversation, in every discussion."