Sen. Scott Brown (R) and Elizabeth Warren (D) had their penultimate debate in Massachusetts last night, and as Rachel noted on the show last night, the incumbent "did not pull out his magic Scott Brown divining rod to measure Elizabeth Warren's whiteness like he did in previous debates."
That automatically made last night an improvement.
That said, there was one moment in the debate I found rather devastating.
For those who can't watch clips online, here's what Warren had to say about women's health and reproductive rights.
"I have no doubt that Sen. Brown is a good husband and a good father to his daughters. But this is an issue that affects all of our daughters, and our granddaughters. And what matters here is how Sen. Brown votes. So he's gone to Washington, and he's had some good votes. But he's had exactly one chance to vote for equal pay for equal work, and he voted no. He had exactly one chance to vote for insurance coverage for birth control and other preventive services for women. He voted no. And he had exactly one chance to vote for a pro-choice woman -- from Massachusetts -- to the United States Supreme Court, and he voted no. Those are bad votes for women. The women of Massachusetts need a senator they can count on, not some of the time, but all of the time. [...]
"I am a mother of a daughter, and a grandmother of granddaughters, and this is about their future. And I want to be blunt: we should not be fighting about equal pay for equal work and access to birth control in 2012. These issues were resolved years ago -- until the Republicans brought them back."
In terms of style, a candidate doesn't just come up with a takedown this good on the spot, but more important is the substance -- Warren was right about the Republican's voting record and spoke with authority about the underlying issue. Brown is counting enough center-left Massachusetts voters to say, "He's a Republican, but he'll vote the right way sometimes." Warren's response last night was about saying "sometimes" isn't enough.
Greg Sargent urged President Obama and Vice President Biden to not only watch the clip but also to "take careful notes."
Paul Ryan voted against the Lily Ledbetter Act. Romney has said he supports equal pay in principle but has refused to say whether he'd have signed that law. Ryan and Romney supported the Blunt Amendment, which would allow insurers and employers to deny coverage for birth control if they find it morally objectionable. Romney does not oppose birth control, but he would defund Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive health care to millions of women. Romney has vowed to govern as a "pro life president," which would presumably impact his choice of Supreme Court nominees.
Two constituencies that will be absolutely critical are unmarried and blue collar white women. Research suggests that Obama failed at the debate partly because he didn't speak to the economic concerns of unmarried women, a key component of his coalition. Meanwhile, non-college white women -- economically pinched "waitress moms" -- have emerged as key drivers of Obama's leads in the battleground states, and will be critical to Obama's hopes of keeping Romney's share of the white vote below what he needs to win. As Ron Brownstein notes, many of these women view women's health issues as "practical pocketbook concerns." Equal pay and women's health care are economic issues, and if Obama and Biden can successfully drive home the GOP ticket's positions on them in upcoming debates, it could resonate among these critical constituencies.
If this isn't raised tonight and in next week's debate, it'll be an important missed opportunity for the Democratic ticket.
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the more i learn about elizabeth warren, the more i get the idea that reaching the senate just might not be the limit of her destiny.
I hope you are right.
Who thought Obama would be president 8 years ago?
I thought that the first time I saw her, and still think that. Then again, I find it difficult to believe that every Democrat isn't saying exactly what's she's saying. I find it difficult to believe the country is where it is. Hopefully, there's enough common sense remaining in this country to understand she's right.
she has a reverence for modest and humble living. repubes like scotty "snotty" brown worship their pay masters.
WARREN and WASSERMAN-SHULTZ 2016..
Yes!!
G*d help us--the second New England racist in the Senate, then on to the Presidency?? After our first Black President?? This is just too sick.
i find that saying Mr. Romney doesn't oppose birth control to be incorrect.
The republican platform, drafted at the convention contians language supporting a personhood amendment. This amendment would not only ban abortion, but would ban the most effective form of birth control, the IUD (as well as a few other birth control methods). So to say that Mr. Romney doesn't oppose birth control might be true, however the platform he is espousing most certainly opposes birth control. As far as i'm concerned, a candidate is tied to their platform, and as such Mr. Romney is against the most effective form of birth control on the market. (full disclosure: my wife has an IUD, and has since the birth of our youngest son, so this is a very important issue to us and there is no way we could trust Mr. Romney to defend our right to use this contraceptive method when their platform contains an amendment that would put my wife in jail for life due to the contraception we use).
I'm an engineer and the following made my brain hurt really really bad during the debate.
Romney used all four of these talking points, but he intentionally split them up between different responses so it was harder to recognize that he was lying (helps to use a score sheet).
Mathematically impossible.
Money has to come from somewhere. If you don't print it or tax it then you need to borrow it.
Hard to dispute that Romney lied when you see it spelled out nice and neat like this.
I felt like I was watching a little kid without any money kicking another kid in the shins because he wanted candy that an other bigger kid already has.
How can someone that doesn't know algebra moderate a debate about the economy?
Jim Lehrer finally asked Romney "did you really mean that?" when Obama told him this is impossible after the president used his blank sheet of paper to do the math at his podium. Can you say distracted?
I'm pretty sure an economist with a PhD might be able to explain this a little better than me. I understand Berkley has a good one.
The Daily Show explained how Romney's plan requires the same kinds of leprechauns and wizards used in Ayn Rand fantasy novels about how John Galt saves the world with mysterious little gold tokens and free electricity that comes from magic.
Ayn Rand is Paul Ryan's hero.
Ayn Rand is a communist that migrated to the US from the Soviet Union.
I think that movie comes out soon.
the radical extremist repubers are cousins of the taliban.
Of course, the economics doesn't add up. But we've had 30+ years of people believing the conservative economic religion and bad things tend to happen when faith instead of reason is used. The only way it could even come close to working is to claim massive dynamic effects from tax cuts. Empirically that has been shown not to occur. Working with New Keynesian models, one of Mitt Romney's advisors, Greg Mankiw, has shown in doesn't even occur theoretically with those models. Mitt Romney is simply lying through his teeth.
The problem is that the media is technically incompetent on the topics they cover, yet the media determines the picture of reality that is presented to the country. Most of the media are intellectual mediocrities. They can't deal with the Gish Gallop that Mitt Romney presented to the nation in 38 minutes last week. Actually, nobody can take on each and every lie. Or at least I know of nobody that could do it. Romney-Ryan-Republicans take advantage of this flaw in our society. Understanding that, you know what Obama was up against. Hopefully, they've got a plan to combat it in the remaining "debates."
(Actually, Rand hated Communists. She was an Objectivist, which she created. She didn't like libertarians, either. And her ideas were the incarnation of immorality.)
Reagan and Bush #1 created the Taliban and Au Quida by giving Osama bin Laudin $4 billion to fight communism in Afghanistan.
It was called Charlie Wilson's War.
I believe there was a movie about that.
Osama bin Laudin used that money to fund terrorists that blew up 4 of our embassies in North Africa during the Clinton administration.
Clinton established a CIA team and spy network that was working to eliminate Osama bin Laudin as a threat.
Bush #2 fired that team after saying "we don't talk with terrorists".
911 happened a little over a year later.
Oh.
Forgot.
Republicans in the House of Representatives cut embassy funding for security.
Then our embassy was overrun and an ambassador was killed.
And that is Obama's fault.
How?
The personhood amendment would also outlaw the birth control pill. Google personhood if you don't believe me.
Also visit http://www.drawtheline.org/ and sign...
My grandmother had 9 children.. I'll be dammed if my granddaughters suffer the same fate.
@Crackhead Awards
On your four points about Romney:
There is a 5th option that in theory would make the points work and reduce the deficit without borrowing or printing money. Reduce domestic spending. This would require really harsh cuts but would accomplish the goal. Do I agree with this method? Hell no but it is an option on the table that the republic party plans on taking.
Eric,
Larry Summers just said that won't work.
@Eric, no that would not work. It would be impossible to cut spending to the amount that would cover Romney's plan. First, if you just cut all no essential spending to cover the exact dollar amount you would still come up short by over half the amount of the tax break. That may sound strange, if you need to find 500 Billion in savings per year if you cut $500 billion in spending why would you still be about $250 Billion short? What would happen is that to cut $500 Billion per year would require stopping many defense contracts for future equipment, stopping all welfare, and ending all "entitlement" programs like Vet benefits, MediCare and MedicAid and severely restrict SSN. The effect of this would be to force the government to pay contractually required payments to break procurement contracts, which we would be paying lots of money and getting nothing in return. This would lead to the defense contractors having to lay off tens of thousands of workers. By ending all entitlements, welfare, MediCare/MedicAid, and SSN would create massive choas and panic in the people who depend on those programs. Is it unreasonable to assume that some demonstrating, vandalism and crimes will be committed by these people? That would require massive overime and stress on our police and court systems. This would also lead to many more thousands of jobs lost, because the buying power of these people will all but disappear lowering demand for almost everything. By time you end up paying off all contractors, paying all the new unemployment claims, and having to call up to active duty all reserve troops and National Guard members to help quell the unrest, which would require you to pay them as active duty personnel. The list goes on an on of all the residual increased expenses you would be left with much of the same debt you were trying to get rid of in the first place. After a certain point it gets to where you are costing yourself a dollar or more for every one you cut.
@Eric:
OK Einstein.
Would you like to:
Romney said this is too complicated to explain.
Because you can't explain a lie.
Don't forget our contractual obligation to service the national debt. As the events of last summer demonstrated, even a whiff of a suggestion that we might not honor our commitment can be devastating. Really not doing it would take decades—if ever—to repair.
Yes, the national debt is very big, and so is the interest on it. But before you sub-bridge dwellers jump on it, don't forget that the VAST MAJORITY of the national debt was not incurred by Obama. Reagan doubled or tripled it, Clinton reduced it, Bush doubled it again.
So thank the Republicans for the fact that even if we let children starve, we still have to pay for the Republicans credit card "borrow and spend" policies.
Sen. Scott Brown is a white supremacist.
He's gotta go.
"Tomahawk chop" to disrespect a culture that was a victim of genocide.
What an a$$.
And Willard Mitten's religion is a racist, segregationist, white supremacist religion. It's in their book (Alma, 2Nephi).
Let's take out WM as well. For the same reasons.
angeleno
What you do not think of yourself as a member of one of the Lost Tribes of Israel as the Book of Mormon says?!!! ;-)
Candidates need to prepare for these debates as if they're the Super Bowl. They're comprehensive, and they count more.
They need to know the other guys' plays, the other guys' potential plays, and have defenses in place for each one of them. They should also study the offenses of the likes of Elizabeth Warren (above) and especially Bill Clinton (Bob Dole never had a chance).
With facts and logic on our side, there's no reason that a progressive candidate shouldn't be able to beat the crap out of conservative candidate in any debate...ever.
Incidentally, we need to have our offense on the field as much as possible (notice that Republicans always try to maintain attack mode). If we're on defense about the deficits during the entire debate (their goal), then we lose.
Yes, we can go on offense on that issue too (putting the Bush tax cuts and Pentagon spending on steroids will lead to higher deficits), but we also need to talk about the jobs, women's issues, clean energy, the numerous benefits of the Affordable Care Act, and on and on.
Mitt Romney has fraud and magic on his side.
Re: comment #2.1 (click here).
Who could compete with Romney's economic leprechauns that won the debate for him by making money out of nothing?
"With facts and logic on our side,..." ahem.... the repuber "devoids" do not ascribe to facts and logic nor math and sense and anything real. i mean "real" as in R.E.A.L. i know this sounds crazy but for the repuber dwindlebrains reality is what you make up. literally. i am not kidding here. if you look at their pattern of behavior, relationships, methods and rationale, i believe you will find that the "meaning" of things has no roots in the physical universe nor does it have anything to do with a larger community, sharing, nor sense of equality.
for them, its all about the sensation of power.
.
I use to place great faith in Logic and Reason.
Then I realized the world has little to do with either.
.
How convenient Republican candidates haven't the time necessary to explain their policies or policy proposals! For those of us paying attention, no explanation is necessary - The Republican brand is hostile to free and liberty-minded women in our American society.
A clear, concise pummeling of Republicans on their insistence of returning women to a 2nd class status, their unyielding demand a rape victim carry a rape-produced zygote to term and their tin-ear syndrome when speaking about women issues in general would show the rest of America just how virile Republican emotions are regarding fixed notions about women, and just how impotent Republican intellects are when it comes to understanding the legacy of issues facing American women up to now!
A vote for the Republican brand in November is a vote to continue the War on Women! -Kevo
the republican "brand". and that is the finality of it. their minds find that winning is everything even if it results in the deaths of others. because for them, what you have is what you can take. all they do is take. they are like sharks at a blood fest. its all they do. take. consume. take more. own more. have more. really, the greed doesnt end.
I love Elizabeth and that was amazing. I hope the top of the ticket was taking notes.
Like other commenters, I'd also like to see Elizabeth consider a run for the White House after a few years in the Senate.
First a Racist in the Senate, then in the White House!
No, thank you.
How great it will be when Elizabeth Warren ultimately sits in Ted Kennedy's chair in the Senate. This incredibly intelligent woman has the opportunity to become the voice of the Democratic party in the senate and will force that institution to once again stand for one of the greatest in history. How ironic for the Republicans that their intransigence against her as the highest ranking consumer rights advocate in the US government has resulted in her becoming far more powerful. Ms. Warren's election (which I strongly believe is going to happen in 4 weeks) will be just the start of her service to this nation. May the population of this country return to the nation we need to become again with leaders such as Ms. Warren in positions of power.
I agree, NYKenn! We could not only be the nation we need to become, but the nation we can become with good leadership.
That has to be one of the best moments of this election season. So powerfully stated, and not a word wasted. Powerful.
Wonder if Obama was listening?
Absolutely. She has an ease with words. I'd like to see her in the Senate, and I'd love to see her go on to higher office, too.
When you're female, the issue of equal pay transcends party lines. We can sit and listen politely while it's explained to us over and over and over that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will embolden lawyers, or cost jobs, or whatever. We can listen to guys claim that any difference in pay is due to maternity leave, and not to discrimination. At the end of the day, though, this is what we hear: "Blah blah blah trial lawyers blah blah blah job creators blah blah blah seniority blah blah blah so that's the reason women deserve less money than men."
It's just not an issue of what their defense is. There's no excuse. There's just no defense whatsoever. You can let Scott Brown, or Paul Ryan, or Mitt Romney, talk till the cows come home, but there's just no excuse for allowing employers to get away with underpaying women. There's no acceptable reason for voting against the Lilly Ledbetter Act. None. Zip. Nada. Plenty of excuses, but no good reasons.
i wish I lived in Massachusetts so I could vote for Elizabeth Warren! She NEEDS to be a Senator in Washington! Bravo Ms. Warren. You said it perfectly!
As soon as I saw Elizabeth speak at the DNC, my first thought was "Clinton/Warren 2016". I am so happy to see repubs across the country have to finally answer for their votes.
I like the ring of Warren/Clinton 2016 too.
With America leading the world in many sciences, HOW could anyone with a clear and intelligent mind, even consider electing people who would take the USA back 'socially' more than 200 years ?
The "Republican mind" is neither clear nor intelligent. Read Chris Mooney's book.
Her very last sentence was genius. Summed up absolutely everything this race has been about.
I agree, it summed up how the repubs say jobs, jobs, jobs but they are focusing on everything but jobs.
I. Love. This. Woman!
The Dems are starting to look like the true conservatives, they are trying to maintain or return to the most recent status quo whereas the Repubs want to advance a radical agenda that would change everything. In my view Obama is a weak president but I prefer that to Romney's full speed ahead into the abyss just trust me and everything will be fine, and nobody will have to pay for anything, we'll just shut it all down style.
As Richard Hofstadter said of these people 50 years ago:
"The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.'"
Today is the International Day of the Girl-Child - designated to remind us all of the rights of young girls around the world. It is quite fitting that we are considering Elizabeth Warren's words on the rights of women.
We get so few chances to vote FOR someone rather than just against someone. This is one "dude" who proudly will be casting his vote FOR Elizabeth Warren.
Godspeed, Ms. Warren.
I liked that a lot. I have a step niece and a step great niece in Brighton, Massachusetts. I would like to see Elizabeth Warren represent them in the U.S. Senate.
I am for Elizabeth ---- Just like Teddy would have been.
What an astounding person she is!! Wish we had a thousand more of her!
I happened upon the debate last night, and thought Elizabeth did wonderfully well. The Republicans just don/t know where to find the 'Honesty' App.
She inspires that same feeling for me that Obama did and does in me -- that feeling that someone is listening -- that someone cares -- and that someone is fighting for those of us whom can not get their voices heard. Politics today is overwhelmed by special interest and people with lots of money paying their way, towards getting their points of view across. It would of taken me 2+ years salary to have been able to afford to attend the campaign fund-raiser where Mitt Romney spoke his infamous 47% comments. I don't make that kind of money, and my voice gets drowned out 99% of the time. It's people like Mrs.Warren and President Obama whom give my generation hope for the future of this country -- hope that there are still good people fighting for us in Washington. She's an inspiration. I really hope she wins. the women of America need her.
I watched the debate last night. Thought it was clearly Elizabeth's night, and I was very impressed. Just as I was thinking we had gotten past Scott Brown's racist "she doesn't look Native American" attacks (since they weren't mentioned last night), I get this in the mail (from the Massachusetts Republican State Committee) : A mailer that looks like a manila folder with the words "ELIZABETH WARREN: Native American Scandal". And crap like THIS is meant to convince me to vote for Brown? Come on!
The fact that Elizabeth "Cherokee Princess" Warren is a liar, fraudster, and racist is out there. It's not a reason to vote for Brown, but it is a reason to vote against her.
If intelligence is sexy, then Elizabeth Warren is the sexiest woman in America.
I want to have her children.
Christina, the people of America need her.
AARDVARKK
OT but you're moniker is reminding of an old show called Wonderama. There was a segment with a song called Does Anyone Here Have an Aardvark?.
<singing>
Does anyone here have an Aardvark?
Does anyone here have an Aardvark?
Everyone here has a right and left ear
But does anyone here have an aardvark?
Thank you for reminding me of a lovely childhood memory.
This is why debates are so important! Her comments are devastating yet respectful, it is not good enough to be "the good guy" sometimes, if those are your true values, it has to be your stand all the time. God bless that woman for defending all women!
It is absolutely amazing that the region which has always led the country in thought and ideas backs someone as Brown, a party such as GOP. You all do realize that each and every single one of the candidates raised their hand when asked the question about evolution right? Warren has my admiration for saying it like it is. If she is not a natural leader I do not know who is. Yu go Professor! and don NOT let Brown make a mockery of the word. Wear it proud !