Send in the Clods
Posted: October 6, 2011 Filed under: Elizabeth Warren Campaign, Women's Rights | Tags: Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown 21 Comments
There was a debate in the Boston area for senate candidates that included Elizabeth Warren. She was one of many candidates but had some fun stand out answers to some lighthearted questions. She got a sizable laugh when asked which super hero she’d like to be when she explained that her choice was Wonder Woman because of the bracelets. Another interesting question was put to her about how she paid for university. She mentioned that it wasn’t by taking her clothes off. That wasn’t the only direct hit she scored on incumbent Scott Brown, however.
“Forbes magazine named Scott Brown Wall Street’s favorite senator. I was thinking, ‘That’s probably not an award that I’m going to get,’ ” said Warren when asked about reforming Wall Street.
“What this is all about and what it’s been about from the beginning for me is America’s middle class. . . . This is what I work on. This is my life’s work.”
The six Democratic candidates vying to unseat Brown faced questions on job creation, campaign viability and even their favorite superhero. Students questioned the candidates for more than 90 minutes as UMass-Lowell Chancellor Martin Meehan moderated before an audience of about 1,000 people in the university’s Durgin Hall, and thousands more viewing the debate’s live-streaming video online at bostonherald.com.
Warren, a Harvard Law professor who quickly became the Democratic front-runner after entering the race two weeks ago, clung to her role as middle-class warrior but struck a more moderate tone in comparison to the other candidates.
When asked if she would encourage her children to join the military, Warren said she already had.
“This isn’t a hard question for me,” said Warren, in contrast to City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, who expressed difficulty when he thought about “my own daughter or son putting their life on the line.”
Warren also rolled with some of the curveball questions, joking that unlike Brown’s centerfold spread in Cosmopolitan magazine, “I kept my clothes on,” and relied on student loans to pay her way through college.
So, what was the snappy come back from Brown? Well, he relied on a sexist retort explaining how relieved he was that she’d kept her clothes on. It was tacky and mean even once you got past the sexism. Doesn’t this imply Warren with a distinguished academic career and record of public service is ugly?
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) doesn’t think anyone should have to see Elizabeth Warren naked.
At Tuesday night’s primary debate, Warren, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination to challenge Brown, used a question about how she paid for tuition to take a jab at the freshman Senator. “I kept my clothes on,” Warren said, referring to Brown’s famed nude Cosmopolitan spread.
Brown could have brushed off the attack, but instead, he decided on the worst possible course of action. According to Boston journalist Joe Battenfield, Brown said “Thank God,” in response to Warren’s jab.
If Brown is expecting to hold on to women voters, he’s going to have to develop a different approach. There’s more than a few journalists that noticed the insult.
@ABWashBureau Rob Blackwell
Macaca moment? RT @NickBaumann @matthewstoller Scott Brown calling Elizabeth Warren ugly is probably not the best idea.Josh Marshall
Not Smart: Sen. Brown says “Thank God” Eliz Warren didn’t take her clothes off 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/scott-… via @TPM
There’s also this one from Slate’s Jessica Grose that has me scratching my head.
When I first heard that Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown had said on a morning radio show, “Thank God” his potential opponent Elizabeth Warren didn’t take her clothes off to pay for college, like he famously did in the pages of Cosmopolitan, I was appalled but not surprised: Attacking older female politicians for the way they look is straight out of the anti-Hillary Clinton playbook. Then I read that what he said was in response to some comments that Warren made at the Senate primary debate about Brown’s Cosmo spread, I wondered if they both deserved some blowback—she shouldn’t be denigrating him for posing nude, just as he shouldn’t be dissing her looks.
This man is the father of daughters who has already proved exactly how shallow he is about women when announcing his daughters were “available”. This came after a reporter found pictures of the two girls on their Facebook pages in bikinis. If I were a woman with a vote in Massachusetts, I sure would want this guy out of office. I just wonder if he’s going to adapt the campaign theme of “boys don’t make passes at girls that wear glasses” next. What a schmuck!!!!
peej
Carissa
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Sky Dancing 
I really wish I lived in MA because I would take so much pleasure in watching EW
Kick. His. Ass.
YUP. We’ll have to do it vicariously.
The article I read (see morning post) said that the debate questioner specifically mentioned Brown’s nude Cosmo spread in asking the question about how Warren paid for college. So her retort was quite appropriate. Jessica Grose (whoever she is) is full of sh*t.
I hadn’t heard about Brown’s “Thank God,” comment, which I find very inappropriate, since Warren never brought up his nude spread in the first place. I happen to think Warren is quite attractive. But what do I know? I’m just a woman.
The Grose take was just confusing. I think she mustn’t have listened to the debate at all and heard the questions. I just referenced the Boston Herald up there and it has the debate video. I couldn’t believe Brown’s comment but then he’s not known for being particular bright.
Here’s the horrible conversation between Brown and a radio host at C&L:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com//scarce/scott-brown-replies-warren-thank-god-she-di
There’s also a fairly good round up of responses to the conversation. The radio hosts response should be heard to be believed. “That’s what I said, can you blame a good looking guy” all with this laughie laughie stuff.
She has my vote in spirit.
Hey, we’ll take that!
She seems genuine – I sent money to Coakley and would like to support Elizabeth but Coakley jumped on board with O as soon as she got on the ticket – ticked me off
I really hope she’s the real deal too. She speaks so plainly and says things I’ve been dying to hear from a public figure. I really hope they can’t shut her up. I hope the 99%ers help her to keep talking.
I hope people see that crack about Warren’s looks for what it is. And then Brown brags about not being smart (didn’t go to Harvard etc.) – goody no class and no brains. Hope that doesn’t fly in Mass.
And Warren is very attractive. She does indeed shine – and THANK GOD for her quick and funny wit.
I think she’s an extremely effective speaker and when the debates between them happens, she will kick him to the ground.
I hope those debates will become available for non-locals to see.
The Boston Herald has the live video of the last debates up at its site so I’m assuming all of them will be posted in the future too.
I really don’t think it will fly with most people, although we do have a minority of tea party people, even in MA.
It always cracks me up when guys who can’t be bothered to construct an augment
revert to pointing out one’s supposed lack of looks.My comeback is : Excuse Mr. Brad Pitt, I didn’t recognize you
roflmao… I didn’t find his spread very attractive back then and he’s not aging well at all, bless his little heart!
and other things. 😆 😆
Dr. Warren needs to be in the Senate. Period. Those of us not living in MA can always send money. My little $10 donation wasn’t much, but if she wins, it was worth it. SD posters – if you live outside of MA, send a few bucks. You have to figure that the big money interests will align against her. I have decided that after all my bills are paid every two months, I’ll send any little thing that I can to deserving candidates (minus of course my regular $5 that I give to Hillary’s campaign debt payoff fund).
Hillary 2012
Please don’t take this post as sanctimonious. You can’t be uppity and broke at the same time!!! 😀
So true Rock. So true. Even Uppity would agree.
I wish there were more Dr Warrens, where i live we could use a few as well (Europe).
Jan
She seems so sincere and that is rare in public figures.