As polls show the race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren tilting in his favor, the first thing we should do is not flip out. It’s still early, she’s still new and there is plenty of time. Brown really has not been defined yet and I have no doubt the race will enable us to do that.
That said, I think the Warren camp should reconsider its messages and issues going forward. When she got in the race she was gunning to win the primary and needed to show she could raise money. On both counts it made sense to gear her message to the party base, hammer Wall Street and corporate greed, etc… That drove national fundraising which made her viable and in turn, it also drove her primary challengers out of the race.
But now she is essentially in the general and like all candidates needs to adapt her message to speak to independents of which there are of course many here. To some degree, Scott Brown, not facing a primary, was able to do that first, although the Blunt amendment vote begs the question. But Warren has to find those issues, on the economy, that push Brown out of the center. His lack of support for funding that will propel the Massachusetts economy – education, infrastructure, defence. She should talk about how his fiscal policies are bad for the state and will starve it of resources it needs. The Wall Street meme that is so successful in getting national progressive support may not be in appealing to Masssachusetts independents who are as skeptical of government as they are of corporate power. She does not want to be seen as a one-trick pony on economic issues, especially when many in Massachusetts work in financial sector jobs.
There is a question whether a purely economic populist argument can be successful in a race against a guy who comes across as a regular even as he supports plutocracy. I think her argument has to get more approachable and local, i.e. how will Scott Brown’s politics hurt Massachusetts. A relative unknown has to show she get’s what makes Mass tick too. Food for thought.
Polls show that independents are ripe for her message. Heck, there are plenty of registered Rs who are open to it. Sure, make the connection to local and personal issues, but these financial and consumer issues are her strength from which she should not run.
They are not mutually exclusive but it requires building on her main themes of rebuilding the middle class, fighting corporate power and giving it back to the people with a local and real time examples. People always here pols talk about reforming Washington and Warren clearly has a world-class resume in that regard, better than almost anyone’s – but the challenge is to translate that into policies that people can see will have a direct and positive impact on them. I fear some of the Wall Street stuff comes off like an abstraction ultimately and could be made more tangible – as opposed to creating a new consumer bureau talking about how that bureau will make lives better with real world examples.
who cherishes American democratic values, there is, of course, no way I could ever support Scott Brown. In his campaign he promoted military tribunals and torture to deal with suspected terrorists. His ideas were and (AFAIK) still are fundamentally hostile to the values on which our country was founded.
Elizabeth Warren’s web site Issues page on Terrorism unfortunately says nothing about the need to abide by the rule of law in our struggles with the terrorist threat. I hope she will change that.
But I also realize that my ideas may not go over that well in a general election – a sad testimony to our attitudes on justice and freedom.
I think lanugo makes an excellent point. Warren has done a good job winning over the base. Democrats seem more excited about Elizabeth Warren now than they were about Deval Patrick in 2010. That being said she seems to have a problem with Unenrolled’s. They don’t really know her while they know and seem to like Brown. This probably has more to do with Brown’s personality than his positions.
The Blunt amendment was likely a blunder for Brown but I feel (while she is 100% correct) Warren should move on and talk about the economy etc. When September/October comes around lets remind people how Anti-health care Brown is.
Bottom line: A majority of people want to vote FOR someone they like. Not AGAINST someone they don’t like.
Scott Brown has been sending out a barrage of “bipartisan” press releases over the past 3-4 weeks and they are flooding the Western MA newspapers with Scott Brown stories. Elizabeth Warren has been relatively silent in the press during this time. Brown’s increased lead is not surprising when looked at via that lens. Warren does not appear to be campaigning as hard as Brown.
Here’s an example of the Brown/Warren headlines we’ve been seeing on Masslive.com in Western MA. I have tried to bold the ones that appear to be fluff campaign-generated pieces. Brown is slamming Warren in press coverage – by about 10 to 1.
3/5: Sen. Scott Brown draws criticism on gay rights record ahead of fundraiser with Gov. Chris Christie
3/4: Poll: Sen. Scott Brown’s job approval rating remains high in Massachusetts
3/4: Poll: Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren hold comparable support in Western Massachusetts
3/4: Poll: Sen. Scott Brown retains female support in Massachusetts despite stance on Blunt Amendment
3/4: Scott Brown leads Elizabeth Warren in latest poll by Western New England University, The Republican and MassLive.com
3/4: Scott Brown defends defeated Blunt Amendment health care bill
3/1: Human Rights Campaign endorses Elizabeth Warren for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts
3/1: Rasmussen and Mass Insight polls show Scott Brown leading over Elizabeth Warren
2/29: The Stanley Cup visits Washington D.C. (Scott Brown posing with it)
2/29: Mass. GOP takes aim at Elizabeth Warren in new video criticizing her upcoming Hollywood fundraiser
2/29: Massachusetts Congressional delegation welcomes Stanley Cup to Washington D.C. (again, Scott Brown posing)
2/27: Sen. Scott Brown wrestles with Ted Kennedy’s legacy over health care conscience exemption
2/26: Patrick Kennedy asks Sen. Scott Brown to stop invoking his late father’s name in campaign ads
2/25: Sen. Scott Brown grilled over contraception stance during campaign stop in Dracut
2/24: Sen. Scott Brown’s contraception stance draws criticism from female Democrats
2/24: Massachusetts senate candidates Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren collected over $5 million in out-of-state contributions in 2011
2/23: Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren debate contraception coverage in new radio ads
2/23: Elizabeth Warren’s California contributors [database]
2/23: Touch of green: California contributors to Elizabeth Warren’s senate campaign include Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, “Simpsons” producer James L. Brooks
2/22: Sen. Scott Brown pushes to allow women to serve on front-lines in military combat
2/21: U.S. Sen. Scott Brown renews call for full implementation of Secure Communities program following stabbing by alleged illegal immigrant
2/20: Sen. Scott Brown backing bill to boost housing market by speeding up short sales
2/20: Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren collect double the amount of signatures necessary to run
2/20: Scott Brown’s decision to side with conservatives on conscience exemption issue could mean political gain or disaster
2/19: U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts shaped by turbulent and painful past
2/19: Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren still building recognition on campaign trail
2/19: Elizabeth Warren: Images from her youth and Massachusetts candidacy for U.S. Senate
2/18: Elizabeth Warren stumps in Springfield, Palmer, Ware and Amherst
2/17: Scott Brown: Images from his youth, Senate candidacy, and Senate career
2/17: ‘A booze cruise is a booze cruise’: Sen. Scott Brown blasts NOAA purchase of luxury boat
2/17: Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign consulted with third party on ban of ads by outside groups
2/17: Suffolk University poll shows Sen. Scott Brown ahead of Elizabeth Warren by 9 points
2/15: Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren wage war of words over Obama’s contraception policy
2/14: Sen. Scott Brown’s daughter Ayla was inspired by Whitney Houston
2/14: Sen. Scott Brown joins GOP push against Obama’s revised birth control policy
2/14: Poll: Elizabeth Warren in a tight race with Scott Brown in Massachusetts U.S. Senate race
2/13: Sen. Scott Brown calls for fiscal discipline in Washington after 2013 budget released
2/11: Elizabeth Warren draws criticism from Democratic contenders for missing public forums
2/10: Elizabeth Warren lands endorsement of Service Employees International Union
2/10: Sen. Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren spar over earmarks
2/9: Massachusetts political parties, Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren campaigns trade jabs over ‘questionable’ tweets
2/9: Following foreclosure-abuse settlement with states, Elizabeth Warren calls for further investigation
2/9: Massachusetts teachers union endorses Elizabeth Warren for U.S. Senate
2/9: U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren focusing on Scott Brown, not the Democratic primary
2/8: Sen. Scott Brown’s Irish immigration bill could move forward soon
2/8: Sen. Scott Brown pushes for Senate vote on bill to sell underused federal properties after House passes its version
2/8: United Auto Workers union endorses Elizabeth Warren for U.S. Senate
2/7: College Democrats promote voter registration and Elizabeth Warren across Massachusetts
2/6: Anti-Scott Brown Rethink PAC backed by Massachusetts teachers & service workers unions
2/6: Elizabeth Warren calls for job creation while touring New Bedford small businesses
2/6: Elizabeth Warren tours New Bedford businesses
2/6: Elizabeth Warren gets nod of support from Rep. Barney Frank during New Bedford campaign stop
2/4: Sen. Scott Brown meets workers and robots at growing Eastern Mass. robotics manufacturer Symbotic LLC
2/3: Sen. Scott Brown’s crowdfunding bill has potential to change investment system in U.S.
2/2: Unlike GOP brethren, Sen. Scott Brown embraces Obama in
Mass. Senate race
2/1: Alec Baldwin unhappy with Elizabeth Warren’s response to invitation
1/31: Elizabeth Warren sees future of manufacturing at Lenox Tools in East Longmeadow
1/31: Elizabeth Warren at The White Hut
1/31: Elizabeth Warren talks STOCK Act, defends Travelers Insurance consulting gig during West Springfield visit
1/30: Senate moving forward with Sen. Scott Brown’s bill banning insider trading
1/29: Congress, led by Sen. Scott Brown, tries to police itself on insider trading
1/26: Revised STOCK Act, co-authored by US Sen. Scott Brown, to receive Senate vote
1/26: Study: Scott Brown 2nd-most bipartisan senator in 2011
1/26: Elizabeth Warren stands up for LGBT youth, films ‘It Gets Better’ video
1/26: Elizabeth Warren’s appearances as a financial expert on TV talk shows helped launch her political career
1/25: Elizabeth Warren lauds middle class in Daily Show appearance
1/24: Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown push as DirecTV deal threatens Super Bowl access for 200,000 Boston subscribers
1/23: U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern endorses Elizabeth Warren for Senate
I know that’s a lot, but when you look at all these stories together, Brown is using the press to his advantage. He is in the media every single day, appearing just like he wants, as a “bipartisan” senator who is concerned with everyday hometown issues such as the Super Bowl on DirectTV.
Warren’s press has mainly been about who is endorsing her. While that may play to the base, it does not win the independents.
I don’t think Elizabeth Warren is not working hard at all. No doubt she is meeting folks all over the state and spending a lot of time dialing for dollars. She has to. I also don’t mind if she keeps out of the press glare to some degree. You can build a network slowly and surely and the press can be a curse. Brown does have the advantage of incumbency and he and his folks are being really skillful at selecting issues that are totally popular (save for Blunt amendment), are gonna move and make it look like he is actually doing something, even when he really had little hard lifting on the matter. The STOCK ACT is a good example. Where was he on the issue before 60 Minutes broke the story? I never heard him say boo about it. But once it was out there he lurched forward. He does this as he quietly supports his party on the policies they really care about – protecting the rich from tax hikes, cutting the safety net, etc..
I think Warren could usefully open up a wider range of issues and work to broaden her appeal – all the while fitting it into her protecting the middle class agenda. I think military base closings would be a good issue for her to jump on. 1) Its not an issue many associate with a Harvard liberal law professor 2) These are middle class jobs and communities we are talking about 3) The bases are in areas outside usual suspect liberal towns she’ll win 4) It could help her make the case that the right-wing Republican starvation diet for government will hurt Massachusetts and allow her to call Brown out on that. Why not put him on the defensive on something he takes for granted as his issue. She can talk about her respect for the military, her brother’s service in Vietnam, etc…
Transportation could be another one to use. The Congress is making a complete hash of the transportation bill. The Blunt amendment was debated on the transportation bill. The MBTA price hikes and cuts are big news, as are gas prices. She could call Brown out for focusing on the culture war while commuters are getting slammed at the pump and people are losing their access to alternatives to the car. Go out to commuter rail stops and talk about the need to fund transportation infrastructure and how the Republican extreme is against this and Brown is doing squat beyond filing contraception amendments. Its local, its real time and it appeals to people in all those commuter belt towns Warren needs to contest.
Warren needs a positive agenda that allows her to make a case against Brown. It has to go beyond the broken Washington around lobbyists and corporate power argument to bring that home – showing how Brown has done nothing to improve the way that place works and that he is hurting Mass by backing Mitch McConnell, with the Senate at stake. She should commend Olympia Snowe and say she really worries about a GOP takeover of the Senate now that moderates are gone from that party and how Massachusetts is in greater jeopardy than ever because of that.
I guess all I am saying is that she can build on her protect the middle class argument with some skillful issue and message selection.
… so far about her campaign has been the apparent relative lack of visibility. Now surely some of this is the Media, but I sincerely hope they have a plan to turn this impression around.
by not having an actual campaign office, a phone number, and by not answering emails. This shut out many Democrats and certainly the independents and even the Republicans who might have supported her. Such a shame really. I tried explaining to people that it was not her, but the campaign that was making these decisions, but it didn’t fly at all. I had to drop out of actively promoting her candidacy. Too late now. The impression is set.
Maybe she’s taking a nap.