The Erasure of Elizabeth Warren Continues

[BlueMTexpat]

The media is ignoring that Warren beat Joe Biden, the Democratic front-runner, and outperformed her final polling.

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/elizabeth-warren-iowa-caucus/

...
Iowa conventional wisdom says there are only “three tickets out” of the caucuses, and yet coverage has curiously overlooked the woman who got one of them: Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. From the moment cable networks switched from her caucus night rally speech to Biden’s, Warren has been virtually erased. As the fight for first place continued into Thursday, I have watched cable news panels mention Warren only in passing, if at all (MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell had been one exception, featuring an interview with Warren Wednesday night, and then on Thursday night she was hosted by Chris Hayes).

This despite the fact that Warren clearly beat the Democratic front-runner, Biden, and outperformed her numbers in the final Des Moines Register poll (spiked because of one complaint—one—from a Buttigieg supporter who said she wasn’t asked about him by a pollster), which had Warren in second at 18 percent; with 97 percent of the results in, she finished at 20 percent, in third, with Sanders and Buttigieg effectively tied (though Sanders on Thursday declared victory, and he may ultimately be right). Despite being derided as a New England progressive who might not connect with heavily rural and suburban Iowa, she beat two rivals who were said to have the inside track with those voters—Biden and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who came in at a disappointing fifth place.

“From the beginning, all of the women in the race—Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Klobuchar, Warren—have known they were facing erasure,” says former Iowa Democratic Party chair Sue Dvorsky, who switched her support from Harris to Warren after Harris left the race in December. “Elizabeth has known she has to just stay in there and keep fighting and just not quit.”
...
With another strong ground game in New Hampshire, Warren continues to bank on a women-powered campaign, announcing a Sunday get-out-the-vote event in Concord with her all-female team of campaign co-chairs, Representatives Deb Haaland, Katie Porter, and Ayanna Pressley. Her campaign released this video starring Jane Fonda, Ashley Nicole Black, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Ashley Judd, along with Haaland, Porter, and Pressley (plus special male backers like activist Ady Barkan and singer Lance Bass).
...
Still, after the divisiveness of Iowa, “Warren continues to make a cogent case for unity” that may resonate more loudly, Dvorsky says, in the days to come. Meanwhile, she worries about the unexpectedly low turnout at this year’s caucuses, roughly on par with 2016, despite there being at least five competitive candidates and another several with devoted Iowa backers still campaigning in the closing days. “Maybe people were just worn out after a year of campaigning here, but we’re going to need to do better than that to beat Trump in November.”

*********************
Whatever happens in New Hampshire, Elizabeth will continue to persist.

[Mike 03]

1. Yep. Haven't heard this all week:

Despite being derided as a New England progressive who might not connect with heavily rural and suburban Iowa, she beat two rivals who were said to have the inside track with those voters—Biden and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who came in at a disappointing fifth place.

[BlueMTexpat]

4. It's interesting how much our

"librul" media overlook.

They are more interested in fomenting discord and a horse race than actually reporting facts.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

23. Plus there's the ageism/sexism dynamic going on.

Older women are so erased from our society, I’ll bet the reporters don’t know what to do with her.

[zackymilly]

36. Bernie said she can't win. n/t

[KPN]

45. That got her more media coverage than her performance in Iowa by far. She

isn't going to fade away. Her anti-corruption message is going to resonate in the debates and on the campaign trail. She is more on point about that than anyone. I think she's going to do a lot better in SC than people expect. We'll see. I certainly hope so.

[Volaris]

51. In that case, I do suppose theres no reason to keep voting...

[squirecam]

14. This article is crap

Amy overperformed her numbers in Iowa. She didn’t finish a “disappointing” fifth place.

Warren has a bad night. She once was leading in the polls, and was down with Biden and Amy as opposed to battling the % of Pete and Bernie.

[Mike 03]

24. Amy killed it in the satellite caucuses I heard play out on CNN.

She didn't just "win" them, she won them by 10+ points.

[certainot]

41. if she wants to spike things up she could lead some protests at the 87 universities that

support 260 of the 600 limbaugh stations that lead 1500 radio stations - the real bully pulpit

if she even mentions talk radio and the need to stop ignoring it, or even says the most frightening wards for republicans - "fairness doctrine", no matter how impossible it is, or respond to some trump lie with "well, that's what limbaugh says, but...."

that will freak out trump and the entire rw media - she will get a lot of attention

[Doremus]

64. I wonder how much Wall St bankers have to do with the big chill.

Remember they threatened to support tRump if she is the nominee:

Wall Street Democratic donors warn the party: We’ll sit out, or back Trump, if you nominate Elizabeth Warren

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/26/wall-street-democratic-donors-may-back-trump-if-warren-is-nominated.html

[bluewater]

2. Warren is setup to campaign hard thru Super Tuesday.

She has campaigns in place in 31 states.

If she can stay in the top three until then she has a chance to break out, especially in California.

The Biden campaign seems to be reeling, it's reported that he doesn't have enough funds to fly to the 14 Super Tuesday states. If his campaign fails, Warren is hoping to pick up a large share of his voters moving forward.

Time will tell how this all shakes out.

But one thing is sure, Warren has the funding to stay in the race longer than Biden does, and that might ultimately make all the difference.

[Laelth]

81. +1 The funding matters at this point. n/t

-Laelth

[democrank]

3. Elizabeth Warren deserves better than she is getting.

I hope she pushes through in spite of the attempted erasure.

[BlueMTexpat]

5. She will certainly persist. eom

[Bettie]

47. Of course she will

that is what she does.

If they tell her she can't do a thing, she keeps moving forward and trying.

She'll keep on going.

I know she can do this and I know she would be a great president.

Of course the media doesn't cover her. They don't generally cover women.

Hillary Clinton got mostly negative coverage. Never a positive word, just "oh, her emails" "Behghazi" every single day.

[mr_lebowski]

53. Nevertheless ;) nt

[no_hypocrisy]

6. I don't get it.

HRC had overwhelming support and enthusiasm four years ago, partially as she was a female candidate and later, nominee.

EW has all this experience in economics and government, and her presence evokes a collective yawn.

I don't get it.

[BlueMTexpat]

7. I'm not sure that I've

seen a "collective yawn." In what way?

What I have seen are eager distortions and "piling on" in a manner that does not happen with male candidates.

But I also saw that with Hillary in 2016. So it's really nothing new.

[bluewater]

13. The piling on Warren is a political strategem

Politics has sharp elbows.

Right now the fight is to see who gets forced out of contention first, Biden or Warren. The survivor of that struggle is probably set to pick up a large share of the other's voters.

So the campaigns, backers, and "neutral" media are all exerting maximum pressure to force one or the other candidate out.
Prior to Iowa, Biden was winning that struggle. Now, Warren is back to beating him and Joe is on the ropes.

Well, that's how I see things.

[Alex4Martinez]

84. The debate last night seemed to exclude her.

The facilitators always have a playbook, pit one candidate against the other, push a particular meme.

It's not how to do a fair and balanced debate, and last night EW was on the losing end of their game plan.

[bluewater]

10. Four years ago it was a 2 person race for all practical purposes.

Very different dynamic in a field with so many candidates. Each candidate seems to have a moment than a decline.

The media attention follows the latest surging candidate. Warren was getting a lot of press for a while as Buttigieg is now.

The question is who will have the next moment and the one after that.

[Fresh_Start]

11. misogyny, bernie, and shining new thing combined explain it

Pete = shiny new thing

Bernie = liz dared to suggest bernie was not a living god plus challenging him on the telling lies about her

misogyny = some voters are closet misogynists and other voters are afraid misogynists are dooming a female POTUS

[Kurt V.]

25. Clinton carried much more political clout going in. warren has to gain it bit by bit.

[FiveGoodMen]

29. HRC was going to keep on keeping the rich people rich

Warren threatens that.

[questionseverything]

71. bingo

[McKim]

8. She is a Candidate of Substance and Truth

She is a candidate of substance and truth. She is being pushed down by others of less stature. This is misogyny. Her platform and ideas are the best compromise between Sanders and Harris and Booker. I want her as president or Vice President to steer the ship towards helping the little guy. The ideas of Sanders and Warren had better be front and center for any Democratic Party candidate.

[BlueWI]

73. Well put.

Her high levels of substance and determination are very compelling. But I get the feeling that she won't get any assistance from the media in building a narrative that accentuates her accomplishments.

[Baclava]

9. Persist she will, Dream big! Fight hard! I love her enthusiasm

[chia]

12. The media consistently disappoints,

and their lack of interest in Warren is an excellent illustration of why and how.

[yaesu]

15. I agree plus MSM will give tRump 2,3,4 times the airtime than any of our candidates. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

17. No surprise there. He's the president.

It was the same with Obama in 2012. The harsh reality is that there's always advantages to being the incumbent.

[yaesu]

19. But Obama's "presidential" speeches weren't 100% campaign rhetoric & lies. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

21. No. But any time a president gives a speech in an election year, it's pretty much a campaign speech.

I promise you their speeches are a bit more pointed, a bit more rosy and a bit more campaign-centric than a speech given a year into their presidency.

Even State of the Union speeches in an election year are typically billed as essentially a reelection themed speech.

There's always going to be advantages of incumbency and this is one. As president, you are absolutely going to be elevated to a different level compared to your rivals.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. Agreed that this Iowa vote should mean very little in the long run.

Congratulations to the winner, however, as a member of a minority group, I really think the media should remember that there are 49 other states.

[ehrnst]

18. Indeed. (nt)

[58Sunliner]

20. It should be an outrage. She is wonderful!!!

[Magoo48]

22. As progressives, Liz and Bernie will receive the cold shoulder from the moderate DNC.

My hope is that at some point Liz and Bernie’s forces combine, behind Liz would be my preference, and sweep to victory.

[AverageJoe]

31. I would love to see Warren and Sanders as the ticket

I wouldn’t care which one had the top spot.

[Magoo48]

32. Same here

[JudyM]

42. Same here.

[woundedkarma]

44. I'd be fine with it either way

Sanders probably won't make it through a single term and then we'll have Pres. Warren.

On the other hand, supposing he does make it through the first term... he's far more likely to listen to and work with his running mate than past presidents.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

57. +1

with either at the top.

[druidity33]

70. I doubt it...

if Warren gets the nod Castro will be the VP candidate.

Just my guess...

[Magoo48]

78. I'm all for that. May it be so!

[edhopper]

26. The media has decided that because America overwhelmingly voted for Hillary

they don't want a woman for President, or some other illogical bullshit.

She's too soft spoken and not divisive enough for their reality show.

[Kurt V.]

27. Its still a boys club at the top. the only way to break that glass ceiling is to be first lady

for 8 years, be a u.s. senator and be secretary of state. Even that wasn't enough.

[woundedkarma]

46. I don't really think about it

But when I do, I find it really surprising that a black man became president before a woman made it.

I wonder if the bias against women is stronger than the bias against black people or if it's completely random.

[AverageJoe]

28. Warren would be a great President

I hope she persists to the end. The primaries are a marathon, not a sprint.

[democratisphere]

30. BS and Mayor Pete have the MSM spotlight and attention.

Warren and Biden are being disenfranchised and ignored virtually writing them off. Don't let the MSM choose our Democratic candidate.

[brooklynite]

33. Politics is a zero-sum game...

One person wins; everyone else gets "erased".

Warren had a very strong ground operation in IA, but it didn't turn out commensurate votes.

[patphil]

34. I do believe there is a deliberate attempt to "cull the herd" going on.

We have at least 5 viable candidates for the Democratic nomination for President.
That could result in a convention where no one has a majority of the delegates, and it becomes a brokered convention.
At that point anything can happen, and there are a lot of people with influential roles in the Democratic party that are concerned they may lose control of the process.
These people like nice, predictable candidates, and don't like their power to be diluted by delegates with vastly different allegiances.
It's democracy in action, but also quite unsettling for the power brokers.

Oh, by the way, Rachel Maddow also interviewed Elizabeth Warren in January.

[iluvtennis]

35. Well if we listen to the media, it's only Bernie and Buttigieg. I call BS. Only 1 of 50 states has

had caucus/voted. Enough M$M....let the race play out. If I'm running a 1500 meter race , it's not over after the 1st lap.

[brooklynite]

37. Just to review...

The media is unfair to Warren

The media is unfair to Yang

The media is unfair to Sanders

The media is unfair to Biden.

Have I missed anyone?

[ancianita]

38. Lawrence O'Donnell had Liz on on Wednesday after the Senate vote. And Amy. He'll have them again.

The next time she's on, he and she will talk about her plans and how they're paid for.

Stay tuned.

[Liberty Belle]

39. They did the same thing to John Edwards a few years ago --

Before he got in trouble with the mistress issue, he finished high in Iowa, second as I recall, and was treated like a non-contender.

[unc70]

48. Yes, and his polling bounce was ignored

But the campaign reporting was less egregious than reporting on his trial. There was little reporting after he was found not guilty and almost no reporting that the key witness, Edward's aide, had lied repeatedly and had been who had taken all the money from Bunny Mellon. (Not excusing the affair, but Edwards was not misusing campaign funds.)

[sandensea]

49. I remember suspecting that Rove was having the Enquirer follow him

It was no secret that the GOPee expected, in '06/'07, to have to run against Edwards in '08 - more than they did Hillary (whom they considered to have a "fatally flawed personality" ) or Obama (the ultimate dark-horse candidate).

And alas, Edwards gave them his head on a silver platter. What a shame.

History is often written that way, sadly.

[ismnotwasm]

40. I am not surprised

She is articulate, well organized and practical. She is funny. She is a progressive in the newer sense of the term. She should be right up there

She is a woman.

I absolutely despise it when people claim gender has no impact on biases.

[Mr. Ected]

43. Good. Let the GOP and media continue to focus on Biden and their manufactured dirt on him

Let Elizabeth sail under the radar for awhile. It'll take time for their propaganda machine to shift their focus to Warren and that is a plus for the Dems.

[emmaverybo]

56. So give Trump and Republicans Biden--for the good of Dems? No. Fight their propaganda about

our candidates.

It is not good that they ascertained that Biden would be a strong contender for the presidency way before he ran and committed impeachable acts to get rid of him.

It will not be good for Warren if she becomes the front-runner and they use “manufactured dirt” to knee cap her candidacy. Buying more time for Warren at the expense of Biden does nothing good for Dems.

[SunSeeker]

50. K & R

[LisaM]

52. I know. It's baffling.

She does great in debates, she's informed on all the issues, and she was wildly popular with a certain element here back in 2016.

It's really pissing me off.

[UniteFightBack]

54. They are both losing...one more than the other. That's the headline..and also dumps plan worked. nt

[B Stieg]

58. Stevie Smith had it right (1962).

How cruel is the story of Eve
What responsibility
It has in history.
For cruelty.

It is only a legend,
You say? But what
Is the meaning of the legend
If not
To give blame to women most
And most punishment?
This is the meaning of a legend that colours
All human thought; it is not found among animals.

[BlueMTexpat]

62. Thanks for posting that.

I hadn't seen it before.

[B Stieg]

65. It's a great, sadly true poem.

So glad you enjoyed it! I always thought that Hillary had to run against Eve, not just tRump.

[BlueMTexpat]

67. I think that is the case

for all women.

[JudyM]

74. Great poem.

Thanks for posting that.

There’s another great poem by Stevie Smith that my parent have long loved... about projecting our best impulses of humanity onto God. Forgot the name of the poem but just wow.

[B Stieg]

75. I think the book link I've listed below...

is her best collection and is illustrated by the author. All the Poems: Stevie Smith

https://www.amazon.com/All-Poems-Stevie-Smith/dp/0811223809/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3J7TD1E47WAZL&keywords=stevie+smith+poems&qid=1581143237&sprefix=stevie+smith%2Caps%2C289&sr=8-2

[JudyM]

80. Thanks. Here's that poem... it's called "Away, Melancholy."

The next to last stanza gets me.... see what you think...


Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.

Are not the trees green,
The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and the rivers flow?
Away melancholy.

The ant is busy
He carrieth his meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.
Away, melancholy.

Man, too, hurries,
Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.

Man of all creatures
Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of good
Calling, good, God.
Away melancholy, let it go.

Speak not to me of tears,
Tyranny, pox, wars,
Saying, Can God
Stone of man's thoughts, be good?
Say rather it is enough
That the stuffed
Stone of man's good, growing,
By man's called God.
Away, melancholy, let it go.

Man aspires
To good,
To love
Sighs;

Beaten, corrupted, dying
In his own blood lying
Yet heaves up an eye above
Cries, Love, love.
It is his virtue needs explaining,
Not his failing.

Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go

[B Stieg]

82. Thanks for sharing this!

She's different from Plath, but she still explores the downside of life very poignantly.
Yeah. I know what my next book purchase will be!

[krissey]

59. Seeing the attacks on Warren yesterday, being used as a weapon, disgusted me.

Pitting black women against white women. We have seen it thru out the history of feminism. It was a tool. At the time of NV issue coming out Warren was in a townhall once again being asked to acknowledge the difference in black woman's experience with privileged white woman's experience. I have been a participant in the conversation for two decades of my life. And gays experience differing from hetero experience. It is acknowledged. It is valid. It is growth.

Women are often for a lifetime pitted against each other. By men. They skate free. We have Sanders that has discrimination, pay inequality and harassment. We have Joe being Joe.

And Warren, the woman, dealing with the sexism/misogyny inherent in the culture is having to continually address her "own" sexism/misogyny toward women of color. As she says, she has listened, she has grown, and she continues to. Warren values the voice, it makes her better and she is up for the challenge.

Yet, this is what was used against her in Nv.

As the story broke, she put out an excellent answer to a woman asking her a question about this, again. As soon as she heard about NV she owned it. Took responsibility. Flat out. Showing her character and integrity and strength.

And still, this is being used as a weapon against her.

[BlueMTexpat]

63. Damned when she does;

damned when she doesn't.

We've all lived it, I'm afraid. And I for one am sick of it.

But she WILL persist. And I will persist right along with her.

[KSNY]

60. Excellent point! maybe issues matter...

If you add Warren's and Sanders' supporters, you get the ideas most voters support...

[Steven Maurer]

61. I'm for Pete, but this is absolutely correct

Warren is getting the short end of the stick in the media for some reason. Not sure why.

In an ideal world, she and Pete would be the two major contenders, with Amy a backup third.

[Blue Owl]

69. My sentiments exactly

[Mike Nelson]

66. I think she will persist...

... I don't understand why she "lost" in that exchange with Bernie around the last debate. Warren has been considered "out" before, but she has rebounded. She's in my top three and could go higher...

[BlueMTexpat]

68. I think that

you are absolutely correct in that she WILL persist!

[Awsi Dooger]

72. Everything is great about Elizabeth Warren except national electability in 2020

She needed to run in an incredibly favorable cycle like 2008, when the opposing party already served 2 consecutive terms and the outgoing president had a sustained low approval rating post-Katrina in 2005.

I realize Warren wasn't senator and wasn't viable in 2008. That doesn't remove the point. Many politicians never get the favorable cycle and others don't recognize favorable scenario from unfavorable scenario. In particular, there is always a stupid desperation to run against an incumbent. I have never understood that. It is frankly laughable. Just because you hate the incumbent and members of your party hate the incumbent doesn't remove the simple fact that the incumbent is in a commanding position.

John Kerry threw away his one opportunity when someone he didn't realize that 2004 was a negative cycle. Mitt Romney ran in two negative cycles -- 2008, 2012 -- while braindead Trump somehow contested a favorable cycle like 2016. I'm convinced it was more age reality and coincidence than anything else.

Rick Scott is the perfect example of someone who never could have been elected Florida governor without jumping in to an incredibly favorable national tailwind for his party in 2010.

[Scotch-Irish]

76. This article is so spot on! She is awesome, and they are ignoring her.

In my opinion, she's the candidate that can go toe to toe with tRump.

[PandoraAwakened]

77. K&R! n/t

[Lucky Luciano]

79. This is sad. Warren is one of the good ones.

[tritsofme]

83. "Erasure?" Sounds more like a nonsense excuse for campaign disappointment.