What a ridiculous story splashed on the front page of today’s Globe: “Warren doesn’t talk enough in first press conference, journalists piqued.” The subtext is clear: we helped put you in office, and we can help you back out. A similar admonition was delivered to Governor Patrick under the headlines “Cadillac,” “drapes,” and “wife’s staffer” early in his first term. Brian McGrory lays down the rules in no uncertain terms in an accompanying column: “Here’s what Elizabeth Warren needs to understand — immediately.” Tellingly, a man elected by no one instructs a woman actually elected by 1.67 million MA residents what the “tens of thousands” of people who donated money to her own campaign want. That and $1.25 will get you a Boston Globe.
Journalists certainly aren’t doing their job for the money. These magnificent, opinionated, well-informed treasures of the public square have a voice, and views, and want to be heard. Fair enough: the Fourth Estate is just that, a critical element of our republican system of government. But let’s not pretend (if anyone is) that the cover of today’s newspaper was about keeping the citizenry informed. It was about power politics.
Many expected Warren, freed from the attacks of her tough campaign, might be more expansive in discussing the meaning of her victory and the issues she will face in her new job. Traditionally such postelection press conferences are an opportunity for the triumphant candidate to look forward with relish to the challenges to come and reflect on the lessons of the campaign.
Instead, Warren, looking out on a large press corps eager to hear from the state’s new political star, brushed aside several questions, including ones about how to cope with the looming “fiscal cliff,” a yearend deadline to avoid tax increases and large spending cuts.
I say, let the professor politician get some sleep over the weekend. And, at the same time, a toast to leaders who recognize they are on a public stage and need to play the part, as well as do the work. Apparently, it takes some time. Governor Patrick mastered it. No doubt Senator-elect Warren will too.
SomervilleTom says
As I noted in my online comments (as “BrooklineTom”), this front-page piece was nothing more than childish whining, and Mr. McGrory’s piece is execrable.
Elizabeth Warren provided the Globe (Noah Bierman in particular) ample opportunities to question her about issues during the campaign. Instead, the Globe filled its front page over and over with the “heritage” non-issue and vapid rubbish about families, friends, and pickup trucks.
Elizabeth Warren correctly treated her questioners as hostile witnesses. The Boston Globe embarrassed itself with this front-page garbage.
Mel Warshaw says
The Globe is certainly not the paper it used to be. One only has to read yesterday’s editorial entitled, “Obama should utilize Romney as a special economic adviser.” Even its endorsement of Warren was, in my opinion, surprisingly weak and uninspiring.
oceandreams says
That was just bizarre. Yes, just what the President needs, advice from a guy who wants to return to the policies that got us into the fiscal mess we’re in.
WhiskeyRebellion says
Let’s review Romney’s business qualifications. Bain borrowed money to acquire a controlling share in a company. Then Bain forces the company to borrow huge sums to pay Bain a special dividend. The company then collapses under the weight of ruinous debt. Finally, Bain picks the bones clean and exits the bankrupt company.
Yeah, that experience would really come in handy for governing the US. 🙂
stomv says
Hey McGrory — you want disrespectful. F*#k you. How’s that for disrespectful.
Senator elect Warren doesn’t owe you squat. How dare you attempt to speak for her donors, or for the people in general, less than 48 hours after she won a state-wide popular vote. Good Lord. Who the hell do you think you are?
kirth says
After all, like most newspaper employees, he’s facing a looming unemployment cliff.
Mr. Lynne says
A man with a pen, searching for relevance.
fenway49 says
Funny how Tom Daschle was portrayed on some sort of expert on how to get things done in the Senate. How did that pan out? I don’t recall him achieving anything good for progressives at all before he was sent packing?
I remember the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq resolution and the Patriot Act on his sorry watch.
fenway49 says
was in yesterday’s Globe, in the piece about how Warren shouldn’t try to, you know, accomplish anything.
sabutai says
He sold out. Remember, if Republicans hold out and Democrats cave, it’s compromise. If Republicans hold out and Democrats do, too, it’s wrong.
If Democrats hold out and Republicans cave, it’s fiction.
demeter11 says
The Globe has forgotten how to report news. After wasting countless column inches on the no-real-news story of Warren’s heritage, now they print a headline that sounds like a college sophomore talking about a date with a cheerleader. Not to forget McGrory’s deep disappointment, too.
The day after Warren won a remarkable campaign against a well-liked incumbent they run an advice story for her from a collection of has-been’s and never were. So on the third day after the election The Globe has run three negative stories about Elizabeth Warren. ?????????????
Earth to Globe: Get a grip. Those who pay for your execrable (great word courtesy of SomervilleTom) paper expect you to report not judge, not whine, not assume.
whosmindingdemint says
Those over weaned frat boys at the globe think warren owes them – or else what? They’ll run a. Story about indiangate or something?
Fuck them. They want some blather about the people’s seat or barn jackets or some such? Most of those jackasses couldn’t get the scoop on shit with a mouthful. They don’t get it- news doesn’t exist because of them; they exist because of news
Oh and there are other media outlets now. Just sayin
Mark L. Bail says
He did some good work when he was a reporter, but he’s nothing but a douchebag today. He earned my loathing when he went to Ludlow and wrote a piece about how the average people there weren’t upset about Tommy Petrolati like he was.
Some reporters make the transition to columnist (or editor) and excel. Some are just people who have been given more authority and opportunity to voice opinions than their intelligence deserves. McGrory and Larry Harmon are two of those people.
smalltownguy says
I’ve been predicting this for some time. See my posts. By the end of Warren’s first senatorial term, the Boston Globe (at least as a print entity) will be gone. As a Globe reader of 50+ years I have mixed feelings– barely.
bluewatch says
How can somebody ask Elizabeth Warren if she will have diversity in her staff? It’s a really dumb question.
And, how can somebody ask her what committee assignments that she wants? She’s already answered that question, and there’s not much that she can say on that topic.
If they want good answers, they should ask interesting questions that haven’t been asked 100 times before.
methuenprogressive says
this nobody from nowhere named Brian McGrory thinks she should french kiss him? McDouchebag.
Trickle up says
I’m imagining the Globe reacting if Warren HAD provided the kind of red meat they claim would have been “transparent” and responsive.
The story would be how Warren arrive with guns blazing and is clearly unfit to humbly reach across the aisle in Washington.
Or so arrogantly enamored of her own stardom that she tactlessly went public with her quest for plumb committee assignments.
So full of herself that she failed.
It’s really not hard to imagine what the Globe would have said.
oceandreams says
It’s not just the Republican party that seems to be having problems staying relevant this cycle. This Globe hissy fit is as embarrassing as Karl Rove’s railing at arithmetic on Election NIght — except on a smaller scale due to the smaller audience. But symptomatic just the same people who don’t understand that reality is not the same as it was decades ago.
It is simply incredible Globe writers, editors and columnists do not understand that Elizabeth Warren’s main job this week is not to entertain them, nor is it to give them the sound bites they crave for whatever lazy-ass stories they’d already pre-written in their minds for fill-in-the-blank quotes.
What’s sad is that I was actually looking forward to my morning paper today, expecting to see more deconstruction of the election and perhaps even some informed speculation as to what Warren’s election might mean in the US Senate. Perhaps something like this from MIT’s Simon Johnson on nytimes.com.
Oh, what a foolish, foolish citizen I am. What matters isn’t what will happen in Washington. What matters is that the boys from the Globe are given the proper number of words they need in order to write their stories.
OK, perhaps it’s not fair to expect Brian McGrory to be as well informed as an MIT Sloan School professor. But it is fair to expect him to realize that the entire election wasn’t actually about him and his needs.
Fortunately, our candidates and our representatives have other ways of communicating to and connecting with the electorate besides self-styled media gatekeepers. Once again, I give thanks for the Internet.
Donald Green says
Scott Brown is still the Senator and he is the one who is suppose to tackle the main issues brought up in the article, not Senator Elect Warren. She does not start until January. It is more important to see if Sen Independent has learned anything from this election and votes accordingly in the Senate. If he is his usual obstructive self this will be very telling for any easy cooperation and the fate of the Republican Party. It will foretell future elections. It will also doom any chances he has for any other elective office in this state. Republicans will lose as those groups currently on the political outs gain in population and become the majority. I can’t wait.