The woman who made Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner squirm made Senator Scott Brown sweat.
Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat who is challenging the incumbent Republican, was poised and collected — just as you might expect from a Harvard professor with years of experience testifying in Washington before Geithner and assorted members of Congress.
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Brown was a bit shaky at first after the check-the-box back-and-forth, but overall he had command of the facts and was able to argue the facts and stand on his record. Warren ducked the Cherokee issue again, repeated platitudes and attacked Brown over and over without really scoring any points. He's anti-choice because he didn't vote to confirm Elena Kagan? I am not sure even Warren's supports believe that one. Brown also got to demonstrate his bipartisan credentials by lauding Hillary Clinton's work as Secretary of State. Warren painted herself into a partisan corner. At the end, all she had was her race against Jim Inhoffe. This wasn't even close as far as I could see.
The point about Kagan is that Brown votes with the Republicans on Supreme Court nominations - not a good sign if you care about keeping the SCOTUS from becoming right wing for the rest of our lifetimes. Complimenting Hillary is your definition of a bipartisan credential? Painting herself into a partisan corner? The partisan problem is the obstructionist right. She's painting herself just where she should be - on the side of lowering unemployment, stimulating the economy, and get higher income tax rates back where they used to be before Bush gave away trillions in war time tax cuts. Elizabeth Warren won that debate.
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I used to be for Warren. Now I'm REALLY, REALLY for Warren. Brown is a loathsome bully!
Me too!! I don't think Brown gets th concept of a debate. You discuss the issues??
Warren was the superior debater, no doubt. She was poised, unflappable when attacked, and articulate. However, many of her attacks on Brown appeared unfair, as if she cherry picked and misrepresented his voting record. In that way she forfeited much of her credibility. Brown is not a great debater. He rushed his answers, fumbled some answers, frequently appeared rattled, and smirked when annoyed, as if he thought he was invited to a discussion rather than a debate against a formidable candidate. However, though he proved himself Warren's intellectual inferior, he came across as more credible. Nevertheless, if he is going to pull out this election, he needs a better command of the facts and legislation.
You lost me after sentence 2. I can't think of any "unfair" attacks of hers or any misrepresentation of his voting record. She said he has cast some good votes and never said that he always votes Republican. But he plays a game of fence sitting, waits until he sees which way a vote is likely to go before taking a position. If it is going Democrat he can use that to look "independent". But when it comes down to the big policy issues, he usually votes Republican. For the Keystone pipeline, against Fair Paycheck Act, for repealing ObamaCare, against expiring Bush tax cuts on upper income, against the Dem budget, for the Republican budget, etc. etc. Against Kagan. I mean, he's basically going to be there for the Republicans and the Koch Bros et al. Who cares that he likes women and might be pro choice? He's on the wrong team.
Still Thinkin "against the Dem budget" The Democrats haven't passed a budget under Obama and the last budget Obama sent to the senate failed 99-0. the Republican budget passed by the house never was called for a vote by Reid in the senate. He voted against Kagan? Yeah. Can you specifically name one piece of legislation or bill pushed by the Koch's that Brown has sponsored, voted on? Keystone pipline ? what knee jerk objections do you have for oil that is` going to be mined and exported regardeless of what we do ? go ahead and vote for the poster child of what's wrong with affirmative action. Definition of integrity: how you act when no one is watching.
TOTALLY agree. He seemed EXTRAORDINARILY bullying and nervous..Sweated profusely. He was cocky and
snarky as someone put it saying he would like to talk to her brothers who served...YEAH sure Brown what do you think we are idiots. He never mentioned Romney ONCE...not ONCE...said bipartisan about 1400 times. He's just like Romney. If he gets in he will side with Republicans and if they got the majority Mitch McConnell would get the reins....NO NO NO NO and NO again we cannot do that. Inhofe she was utterly correct would lead the environmental committee a guy who is a right wing extremist who does not believe as now 99.99999% of science does that global climate change is a FACT and man has contributed mightily to it. It is a FACT like gravity is a FACT but Inhofe says no. Who the heck is he to say no. Brown says she is running agianst him BUT NO NO way she is running against an extremist Republican Party and Brown is an insider for the top 2% and do not let him tell you anything else. They lie. So what else is new? Quell surpriese!
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Are you kidding??? Brown did a fantastic job. She stood there nervously nodding in agreement on several occasions. He hit her quite hard on her Harvard salary for teaching one course while comparing it with the high cost of a college education. She did not respond. He is obviously the stronger candidate.
He is tall and handsome.I'll give him that.
topcop1 Repblicans are whining that the rich have EARNED what they have, Warren EARNED what she has and you say it is wrong. It is OK for a CEO to earn enormous salary but not for Warren?? CAN YOU SAY double standard????? BTW Warren does not work at a state school. She works at the most elite PRIVATE school in the country. BIG DIFFERENCE.
You make me nervous, Joanie! You make me think I had brain freeze or was watching the wrong channel last night. Liz said, "Oh yeah! I am a real Indian because my father said so"! Then she went into high gear when she said "Millionaires and Billionaires" 37 times like a bead on a Hindu prayer wheel. Then she said thousands of jobs would sprout up all over Massashusetts when she got those windmill factories started. Blast of the day was her proclamation that a vote for her was a vote for the "Bam Bam". If you love "our Godfather" you have to vote for me "folks". Yeah, right! Poor Senator Brown was underwhelmed when she forgot to explain how her delivering unto death all those asbestos victims for Aetna Insurance helped them heal. Did she ever explain anything last night. Oh, yeah! She said I am really happy I made it to the top teaching one class at Harvard. It left me plenty of time to kiss The Bam Bam's posterior while I was in D.C. between classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Joan, it seems like you and your fellow Globe writers wrote these opinion pieces a couple of days ago and just filled in the details. Has the Globe sunk THIS low? Anyone with even half a brain saw that Warren is truly a phony and is not in any way in touch with Mass. interests or concerned with their economic problems. This is beginning to look more and more like the Martha Coakley defeat two years ago when the Globe was dancing all over the front page about Martha's victory and wide lead in the polls only to wake up the next morning with egg on it's face.
fadingas Congratulations!! You are the first one to blame the Boston globe today. When Warren wins the debate you have to blame someone else rather than accept the truth.
I thought Elizabeth did a great job in pointing out Scott's inconsistencies regarding what he says and what he votes. I think it was despicable that he brought up her Indian heritage right off the bat. No matter what the trolls are saying, she never used her heritage to get ahead - honestly, it just wasn't done back then! In fact, if you read the Globe article last Sunday, it is clear that many tried to hide their Indian heritage in the 1950's because it was looked down upon. And for Scott to say she claimed she was a "person of color" that is utterly disingenuous.
It is clear Elizabeth Warren will be of huge benefit to Massachusetts and the senate in general. We need someone to take up the reins of Teddy Kennedy and Barney Frank in Washington.
Do you realize the first question Keller asked was about "character"? Brown has it and the Professor doesn`t.
I can't say I give a damn about either candidate, but that Mark VI Selmer bari is to die for.
Whom should we believe? Should we believe Professor Warren's rhetoric when it is now widely known that she has lied about her heritage and received preferential treatment in her job applications? Should we believe Joan Vennochi, recently outted for plagiarism in writing a column. Outted by by a fellow liberal Emily Rooney. Or should we believe Scott Brown, a hard working but most importantly, an honest politician which is hard to come by in Washington, D.C. I'll take Scott Brown anyday of the week. The Globe and its biased reporters can spin the story anyway they want but the voters will return Scott Brown to the Senate on November 6.
Cindyloulou: Ur comment a LOOLOO!
Are u related to Scott Brown?
No, I finally found an honest politician who thinks for himself which is extremely rare in Washington, D.C. these days.
Little has been said about the use of the "Professor" title. What is that supposed to convey?
It gives Brown cover for his less than analytical responses to acknowledge Warren is smarter than he is, because at the same time he is signaling to Joe Sixpack that she is one of them, not us. Apparently he thinks if there's anything Joe Sixpack hates, it's a woman professor.
Shocking that a Globe writer has this opinion. Ms. Warren lacked the passion that I want out of my elected offical. Maybe she was cool and calm, but at not point did she tell me why she wanted to be a US senator.
I support your opion on Warren's lack of passion etc but to your first point, when you consider who authored the opinion, you shouldn't be shocked. Joan is totaly whacked. I read her column only to remind myself how nuts the Globe is for paying her. She needs to go write for one of those freebie rags that are in the red plastic containers on every corner of Harvard Square.
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She got whipped! Bigtime! She is not ready. Don't know what debate you watched last night...
Brown wiped her out. Come on. It was not even close. Who does she exactly relate to? She wasn't even born in this state. Living in Cambridge doesn't apply either. She doesn't have the stones to admit what she did was wrong and she really doesn't have a pltaform other than the one the DNC handed to her a year ago. Say what you want about Brown, but he relates to more people here than Warren does. He comes from a poor background and she comes from a priviliged one. She has been using the DNC class, social, and sex warfare playbook that has divided the country for the past 4 years. Look up Browns record and its not that bad at all.
Referring to Warren as "Professor" is right out of the "class, social, and sex warfare playbook", isn't it?
BecknBuv It is worth noting that "Professor" Warren has not held an elected political office, yet almost have of Massachusetts voters are ready to send her to Washington to represent the state in the US Senate. This is a position held by only 100 people in the country. It is easy to criticize someone's voting record, but she does not have the experience in dealing with people from the wide spectrum of political views in the legislature. Many of the bills voted on in the Senate are fairly complex and making general characterizations on certain votes can be misleading if the reason for the vote is not fully explained. When she is teaching at Harvard, it is easy to talk about how it should be, but life is much more complicated than simple solutions can solve.
Brown was rude and a fraud. It was all Brown could do not to say, "Professor Warren smokem big peace pipe and takem wampum from BIG insurance." He insults us all with his attitude and "ability" to tell who is a native American by looks? He is the Tea Party...make no mistake!
Did we watch the same debate? I swear at the end Warren was about ready to cry. She couldn't even respond beyond her own talking points. Warren tried to wrap Republican dogma around Scott Brown, but she is the one who is 100% wrapped in her own party's ideology.
Joan came back tanned, rested and ready after her two weeks off for plagiarizing Todd Bleepin' Domke.
Joan, were we watching the same debate? Warren was all liberal Democrat talking points. Brown answered all of her criticisms and took her apart. From her fake Indian heritage to her working for Traveler`s she was exposed as the Academic elitist she is. Hey Professor, you`re part of the 1% you say you despise.
Roosevelt was part of that 1 percent, too, and look what he did for the 99 percent.
You make it sound as if the light came on and Brown attacked Warren on the Indian thing. In fact, Jon Keller asked the first question about character. Seems legitimate to ask her to release documents proving she didn't use "minority status" for advantage over other candidates. I watched the whole thing and didn't see Brown either sweat or smirk. Does it bother you that Warren lied about his position on abortion?