Perhaps he was just harried from his late afternoon arrival from Washington, but Scott Brown made a weak first impression in last night’s Senate debate: stumbling over words, lacking mastery of the facts, and falling back on sound bites.
But over the course of the hour-long debate, the senator got better and it was challenger Elizabeth Warren who deteriorated. As Brown spoke, she was smirking and making faces a la Al Gore. And once the questioning left economics — clearly Warren’s strong suit — she floundered, falling back on her own rehearsed lines (e.g., I’m not a professional politician) and pointedly avoiding Brown’s often sharp attacks on her high salary and work on asbestos.
Comments
Wow, Tom...that's not how I saw it. I thought Brown got flustered and seemed borderline angry throughout. Brown was on the wrong of the Blunt amendment and equal pay for women. And he's ready to let big oil and millionaires feed at the trough. Lehigh and Vennochi seem to agree w me.
I hate to admit it in public, but I'm not sure about that Fair Paycheck Act. The Lilly Ledbetter act is easy to get behind. It's simple and corrects an obvious wrong (extending the statute of limitations at every unfair paycheck, not expiring it at 6 months). Doesn't cost any public money. But the Fair Paycheck bill had a lot of stuff in it requiring employers to prove stuff and allocating money for training women in negotiation, and other extra stuff. I read the bill and can see that Republicans would not like those provisions. Plus, I would like my fellow Democrats to stop quoting that 77 cents on the dollar stat. The pay difference after adjusting for equal job/experience level/hours worked per year other factors is actually about 5%. Of that 5% how much is due to discrimination is not known but economists attribute about 40% to that. We think women have lower expectations and worse negotiating skills than men (maybe conditioning). OK so we are down to a much smaller problem. So to pass a bill that lays these additional requirements on employers during a recession and spends tax money ...it would be great but I question making an issue out of that right now. Go on to the next one.
Don't know what debate Mr. Keane watched. Brown was weak over all, hestitant, unsure of himself, snarky (I did not vote for your boss, like that's why he did not vote to confirm Kagan...really). Can't believe he was so afraid of the debate he tried to whimp out with 'I gotta be in D.C.to do the people's business.' Thanks Harry Reid for telling Scott he had to go to school even if he wasn't ready for the test...leave aside for the moment the fact that he never will be. Nice job Professor Warren, yes Professor Warren not the 'she' Mr. Brown kept referring to. How inarticulare can one be? ...and yes the stakes are much bigger than Brown vs. Warren. If the science deniers and neocons take control of the senate we are screwed and Scott Brown's hand will be on the screw driver...he is the one who decided to be a Republican and all that that stands for today.
Tom, which debate were you watching? Most of the smirks seemed to be on the incumbent's face. Warren steadiness and command throughout was impressive, and Brown's condecension a big mistake.
I think "flounder" is a bit strong. There were a few missed opportunities for her to land solid punches, or deliver in a little more convincing way, but overall she was quite strong. She could be more effective - but maybe I've been watching too much Bill Clinton lately. But picture Clinton up there - and he is the best so it's unfair to expect her to be like that, but still she could borrow a few of his arrows. I think she should explain the American Jobs Act and hold Brown's feet to the fire on why he voted against something that independent bipartisan analysis said was good in every possible way and would add over a million jobs. The Republicans voted that down for one simple reason: it would help Obama look good. So Brown participated in hurting the economy because the Koch-owned coin operated Republican Congress said to. It's shameful. She should hammer away on that.
Tom Keane, if you were a skating judge, you'd be the judge whose score gets tossed. Your opening sentence was an excuse for Brown; it's easy to see where you stand.
Brown seemed a bit dismissive and more than a little condescending.His smirk was as evident as his disdain for sharing the stage.He needs to be careful with how he treats Warren lest he reveal his true nature around women.
How offensive of Brown to say Elizabeth Warren claims to be a "Native American, person of color, but she clearly is not." Mr. Brown should give us a little guide book to help us know a Native American when we see one. What do Native Americans look like, Scott Brown? How about Italians? Jews? Tell us Scott Brown since you seem to know. I hope Elizabeth takes off the gloves next time. He's insulted her and everyone who has ever been humiliated by Scott Brown-style ethnic stereotyping. Elizabeth should explain the asbestos issue.
Elizabeth Warren: "My grandfather had high cheek bones like all the Indians do".
So, WesternSuburbDad, you _are_ going to followup to say that Warren was paraphrasing her great aunt when she said this, right?
Disagree except for your first part, Tom. Come on what is with the birther racist thing..she should show her Harvard app? Get real ... this matters NOT. The woman's creds are EXCELLENT.
And lest I forget he said she clearly is not Cherokee because she DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT???? Is he kidding? What a rude remark. That sounds like Arizona sheriff Arpaio the designer of the papers please law. Brown saying that would be like saying I can't be Jewish because I do not look Jewish. Nasty! I do though. What I do NOT look like is Scottish and we in our family have family lore that says our Ellis Island name was really MacMoore...MacMoore I said to my dad he said yep and guess what? I met another family member at school whom I never knew but she knew that lore and we are friends ever since. We laughed so much about it because as far as I know I am 100% Jewish....Scottish where did that come from? Who cares all people are a lot of things and stupid Scott Brown would have to do a DNA test to find out. Looks tells you nothing!!!
By the way, actually I do see a bit native in her in her eyes...but who cares. NO ONE can tell by looking at many if not most people. We ALL began in Africa after all but no one would call me African American. Who know if I get a DNA test I might be. Brown is petty and like a self loving bully!
"employment records" -- what the heck are those? Are they (perhaps yearly) performance reviews? Do they do that at Harvard for professors? Wouldn't those be owned by Harvard? Wouldn't Harvard have to make the decision to release? Do they talk about how one is hired on these things, year in and year out? Perhaps there are somehow documented discussions amongst those who hired her? Do these people want such things released. Anyway, who cares. Apparently Ms. Warren was good enough for Harvard to keep her.
Yes, Harvard kept her and filed false Federal diversity reports based on her reported Native American heritage. It was a gigantic monkey off their back to be able to say they had a minority law professor .... of course they won't release documents proving they made a big mistake.
Harvard needed Elizabeth Warren's minority status especially an Cherokee one.
Was Tom Keane watching the same debate as the rest of us? The smirking and condescending manner used by Scott Brown was obnoxious. He is a light weight and basically said nothing. Too bad that people like Keane and Brown have a hard time dealing with a woman of substance. I think that Brown is intimidated by smart women. He voted against women's issues. It does not matter how many women he has in his family. He is a Republican who voted with the Republicans about 80% of the time. He waits until the last minute to see which way the wind is blowing and then when he believes it is safe he votes. I'll take Professor Warren before Mr. Brown. I cannnot wait until she goes to Washington. She will do us proud--this woamn of substance.
Boy, the Warren supporters have certainly flooded the comments section on this piece. She could have stammered and stumbled through the whole thing and you supporters would think she was fantastic. Replay the debate. Brown was far superior. Not perfect, or close to it, but he certainly out debated her. I am still waiting for an answer on how she compares herself to the average worker when she makes over $300K to teach one cost. Never did answer how such high salaries might impact the high cost of college education.
" I am still waiting for an answer on how she compares herself to the average worker when she makes over $300K to teach one cost."
Explain to me how this is relevant to anything important. Really, anything at all.
I was really surprised as to how much Brown was stuttering and stammering in his reponses to Warren in many cases. He's not the Senator we need in Congress from Massachusetts, and Warren would be right there on all the issues for what is right for the MAJORITY of citizens of MA, not the few with the most money.
I know a few small business persons who resent Elizabeth Warren and Pres. Obama saying that they didn't build their businesses. Try working 60 to 80hrs a week to start one or mortgage your home etc. How would they understand that concept when they were handed everything by being a minority (indian & black or foreign student). And then Elizabeth Warren receives $375 thousand to teach 1 course @ Harvard and then complains tuitition is too high, maybe she is one of the causes why students are in debt. Both are clueless, because Mitt Romney has made gaffes, but he would never run off to a fund raiser if our consulates were burning and our ambassador & others were murdered.
I like the one where our ships are going to use fuel that costs $26.00 a gallon (green energy) instead of the $4.00 gal kind....they just love to waste money don't they.
Pres. Obama is still apologizing for the video and sending a message costing $70 thousand to the muslims....Still waiting for the apology for the Jesus in a jar of urine or Blessed Mother painted with elephant dung hung in a NY museum ..from the liberals.
Hey Tom-share this w/Scot Lehigh
Sen. Brown said last night that Ms. Warren wasn't running against Sen. Inhofe, the global warming denying troglodyte. He's wrong; she is running against him, and Min. Leader Mitch McConnell ("My number one task is to make sure Pres. Obama is a one term president."), since Sen. Brown will certainly vote to give them control of the Senate and its committees. So, if you like the way the House has been run for the past couple of years under the Republicans, a vote for Brown is the way to go.
This is the senate where democrat Harry Reid has not produced a budget for 3.5 years and as far as a one term president...why didn't Pres. Bush Sr. have a second term...if you think Pres. Obama should have a second term and the republicans should vote for him so he does.
Isn't it the job of the opposite party to get their candidate elected? And especially when the current president is so incompetent. He runs to a fund raiser in Las Vegas when our consulates are burning and our ambassador & others are murdered. You can see where his priorities are and it is only for himself.
So much of Brown's appeal is in his 'good guy' image the the more people see him in debates like this, being snarky and leading off with the non-issue, personal accusations, the worse it's going to be for him.
Tom - It's clear why Brown did not want to dabate - he does not want to be so much as called Republican, and he would never mention McConnel, Inhofe, or certainly the Tea Party! A vote for Brown is a vote for those guys; he only votes with the Dems when McConnel lets him...it's that simple and he does not want to talk about his record because of that!
What box does Scott Brown think she checked when she applied for those academic positions? To begin with, those universities probably invited her to apply by submitting nothing more than a cv. At most universities, especially the most prestigious ones, one does not fill out a job application. So there was no box to be checked and she clearly did not benefit from any claim of native American heritage. The whole thing is stupid and Brown brings it up because he really has nothing substantive to talk about. Certainly the remark that she does not look indian was racist to say the least.