Watch how Elizabeth Warren opened tonight's Democratic debate — with an attack on Michael Bloomberg.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 20, 2020
Read more from the most contentious #DemDebate yet. https://t.co/aERVQUyCKY pic.twitter.com/EbH1oMpGXB
Let's not miss her on the next poll, all right?
Sen. Warren's performance against Bloomberg's record (and his seeming lack of preparation to defend it) was pretty damn satisfying for me to watch, but I took notice of a handful of folks on Twitter who were having issues about "tone". "Oh she was mean." All standard disclaimers about politics not being beanbag obviously pertain, with a helping of "and if this were a male candidate?" on the side, obviously, but for crying out loud, this was a demonstration of what Warren wants to do to Trump, that Bloomberg, with his baggage, can't do onstage to someone like Trump (assuming that Trump won't be able to resist debates because it means he'll be on TV), and that Warren is uniquely able to.
I also noticed some people wondering why she didn't go after Sanders. I think it's been strategic. Her support would have to come in part from people who are pretty loyal Sanders supporters if her star was to rise, and she's being cagey about not alienating them (or pissing them right the heck off). Leave that to the other people in the competition.
Anyway, I think there still is a tendency for these debates to more or less reinforce attitudes, rather than change them, and even though I miss some people who are no longer in the race, the fewer people on the stage, the less of a mess the process feels like.
3 comments:
I thought she looked stronger, smarter and more clever than anyone else on the stage.
She would take Trump apart like an OCD kid on a Lego tower. Brick by brick. Lie by lie. Quote by quote.
I was hoping Klobachar would do better, but she looked like she was trying to justify her seat at the Cool Kid's Table. Biden was ignored and almost invisible. Bloomberg looked like a robot plopped down in an environment that didn't match his programming. THIS is the guy we were all worried about?
Bloomberg's ads are pretty good, but himself? I think his ego let him make assumptions that...were not correct.
I think you're exactly right on both points - that Bloomberg's fate last night is a preview of how Liz can deal with the *President given the opportunity (assuming Trump actually does debate, which is iffy IMO), and that her mildness toward Bernie is strategic. I also think she was and is fundamentally outraged by Bloomberg's assumption that extreme wealth makes him qualified to force himself on the electoral process.
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