The Scottsters ads are ridiculous. I don't know whether to break out laughing or just throw up. A lot like his Senate work.

What's to say, really. That "kick around" crowd of old time Democrat honchos want another believer in kennedy's old stall. Olahoma born and bred, Ms Warren doesn't really fit, but any old shoe horn could wedge her into place. Following, not leading will do nicely as she sits behind and out of view. Problem is, Mr. Kerry won't give up his rear, invisible seat, so she'll have to sit in public view. Perhaps they will seat her in that prestigious "Ethics" committee since she is so practiced in the art of deception she will be able to spot perpetrators.

What policy debate? Anyone who really follows politic knows Warren is Obama's lap dog. Whatever Obama support, she will follow. She will never represent MA. Brown has already demonstrated he will cross the party line if he feels something is good for the nation instead of just follow the Republican leadership. We also know that Warren is a person of no honesty and no integrity. American Indian? REALLY.

Let's see, one candidate is forced to finesse his votes and positions because he's caught between a relatively liberal electorate and his extremist right wing party and contributors. The other candidate is only in the race because Congressional Republicans, at the insistance of the same people who are bankrolling candidate one, made sure she would not be appointed to a job that would have kept her busy for years. There is only one candidate who has any need to underplay the issues, but the stale old conventional wisdom is always that "both sides do it" so if one side is doing it, the other must be doing it to, regardless of reality. Come to think of it, "Regardless of Reality" should be the slogan for both the Republican Party and for the "taking sides or even recognizing that there are sides is beneath me" commentators like Dan Payne and the other bloviators quoted in this non-story.

I question how much line-crossing Scott will do with a 6 year term in front of him. The Native American legacy angle is all garbage and you know it. The story in a nutshell is this: her parents told her she had a Native American background. She check a box on a few applications. She got nothing but trouble for it.

Ultimately the electorate is responsible for rewarding this behavior. When third-party candidates start winning by focusing on issues while the major players are pre-occupied with sniping at each other, then maybe, but only maybe, we will see a change in the tone of elections.

What a pleasant surprise in the paper today. Yesterday the paper delivery service left out the funnies, but today you made up for it by starting the funnies on the front page. "Senate race lacking substance, some say" Some say, indeed. Are you channeling Faux Noise now? I half expected you to print some of my best tirades against the Globe's flogging the Native American non-issue. Is Warren's harping on the damage done to the middle-class over the last 30 or so one of the non-substantive issues? Are the kids graduating from college with a mountain of debt and no job prospects a non-substantive issue? I just love it when a newspaper writes about people not hearing the issues in the race as if it weren't an indictment of the newspapers' failure to do its job. Reminds me of a boy in a china shop standing over a broken plate on the floor, and loudly proclaiming, "It wasn't me. I didn't even touch it."

What a pleasant surprise in the paper today. Yesterday the paper delivery service left out the funnies, but today you made up for it by starting the funnies on the front page.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Senate race lacking substance, some say" Some say, indeed. Are you channeling Faux Noise now?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I half expected you to print some of my best tirades against the Globe's flogging the Native American non-issue.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Warren's harping on the damage done to the middle-class over the last 30 or so one of the non-substantive issues? Are the kids graduating from college with a mountain of debt and no job prospects a non-substantive issue?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just love it when a newspaper writes about people not hearing the issues in the race as if it weren't an indictment of the newspapers' failure to do its job.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reminds me of a boy in a china shop standing over a broken plate on the floor, and loudly proclaiming, "It wasn't me. I didn't even touch it."

So Mr. Phillips along with others who espouse yellow journalism throw all sorts of debris into the campaign waters without any real investigation and then asks those who do want to discuss real issues to come over and clean up the mess they made. Elizabeth Warren has put out her take on the national economy along with concrete solutions: Recently she pointed out Jamie Dimonds conflict of interest being on the Federal Reserve board. She also promotes the return of an updated version of Glass-Stegal. She favors public investment in proper government and education. She advocates departure from Afghanistan as soon as possible, even quicker than the time table now in place. She supports this President's policy to sure up state governments as they are bleeding jobs unnecessarily and to invest in infrastructure. Sen Brown thinks cutting more government jobs, cutting programs for the unemployed, and cutting important funding for women's health is the way to go. Mr. Phillips either you have just not been paying attention or have some other motive. Your past writings took the duties of the fourth estate more seriously. Controversy and discussion comes from public knowledge. The press has been derelict in disregarding this role to enlighten their readership. They have allowed Sen Brown to dictate a low level of conversation. The problem is not with both camps but decidedly as usual on the Republican side.

I agree with OETKB. Do some reporting. There was a glimmer of hope here where the article did mention that there is (demonstrably) more detailed information listed on Elizabeth Warren's policy web-site than on Brown's. Someone took a look at the websites and reported what they saw. But the Globe is falling for this "balanced reporting" thing where the basis and value of every argument is given the same weight regardless of how absurd.

I welcome a media focus on real issues. Why the passive voice while reporting the utter failure of the local media to pursue these? The Scott Brown campaign avoids the real issues ("education, the federal debt crisis, the challenge of an emerging China, climate change, and terrorism") because our media outlets like the Globe pursue trivial side-shows instead. The Elizabeth Warren campaign attempts to focus on those issues and is instead asked about those same trivial sideshows. The best way to get a substantive race is for the MEDIA to relentlessly focus its questions on MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE.

Yes, when is the Globe going to focus on policy issues?

For those who've forgotten Warren's biggest qualification, according to her, is that her father was janitor. You want issues - what about Warren's claim to be for the little guy but has made money off of foreclosures?

" Brown and GOP allies have driven hard at Warren's claim to have Native American heritage, saying she has no evidence to back it up." It's not just a matter of them SAYING she has no evidence, she does not. Remember, the Boston Globe had to issue a retraction on the one Geneologist who said she might? Remember, the Cherokee themselves say she's a phony?

I'm sure profox knows by now that Scott Brown is not Massachusetts born and bred. But that is BS. The article is accurate in chastizing the media for not printing any substantial info about the candidates, relying on Warren's heritage and Brown's likability. Again, the media does not do its job of informing and enlightening. There are plenty of issues that Warren and Brown differ on, but the media, specifically the Globe, has let those differences alone. Don't waste a good night's sleep staying awake waiting for a call from the Pulitzer committee.