OPINION|Chris McCarthy: Warren Working in Washington [VIDEO]

Despite a well-earned reputation as a liberal firebrand, Senator Elizabeth Warren is demonstrating she can work with Republicans to get things done in Congress.

I interviewed the senior Senator from Massachusetts today for the first time on my radio program. I have been following Senator Warren since she first ran against and defeated Sen. Scott Brown in 2012. I didn't vote for the candidate who won that election.

I didn't think there was much I agreed with Senator Warren about, and I didn't look hard to find anything I might agree on with her.

That changed in January, when I read about her work to make hearing aids more affordable in America. She worked with Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, to break up the archaic system that artificially inflates the price of hearing aids and prices many out of hearing. As a radio talk host, it is important for me to have as many ears as available as possible.

I then started regularly checking in on Sen. Warren's website and press releases to see what other ideas and solutions she was working on. Of course, I don't agree with her on illegal immigration, gun control, or President Donald Trump, as well as on lots of other issues. But I did find her ability to work successfully in the Senate with her colleagues impressive and refreshing.

Her work to fix the federal laws on marijuana and return control to the states is a bipartisan effort that has earned the support of President Trump. And her work on investigating problem gambling in our military is another effort undertaken with Republicans in the Senate.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy was also a liberal firebrand who knew how to work with Republicans in the Senate to pass important legislation. I have always thought Ted Kennedy was the most influential member of his family on the direction of the world, because of his work and his years in the U.S. Senate.

I enjoyed speaking with Senator Warren today, and I look forward to more conversations with her on her work in Washington.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.