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Elizabeth Warren Opens Debate by Blasting Bloomberg Over Sexist Comments Elizabeth Warren, Criticizing Bloomberg, Sent a Message: She Won’t Be Ignored
(about 3 hours later)
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts took the stage Wednesday night with one task: reassert herself in a race where attention has slipped away from her. And she did not wait to be called on. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts took the stage Wednesday night in Las Vegas with one task: to reassert herself in a race where attention had slipped away from her. And she did not wait to be called on.
From the very first minutes of the debate, when she leapt into an exchange about general-election appeal and went forcefully after Michael R. Bloomberg’s record of sexist comments, Ms. Warren made one thing clear: She would not be ignored. From the first minutes of the Democratic debate, when she leapt into an exchange about general-election appeal and went forcefully after Michael R. Bloomberg’s record of sexist comments, Ms. Warren made two things clear: She would not be ignored, and she would not hide her anger, so often a liability for women in politics.
“I think Warren got the message that she’s got to demand her time,” tweeted Melissa R. Michelson, a political scientist at Menlo College. After the last debate, which helped lift Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota in the New Hampshire primary, “the take-away was kind of, ‘where was Warren?’” said Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at Rutgers University’s Center for American Women and Politics. “Tonight you saw Warren course-correct on that strategy, finding ways from the first question to not only have her hand up but to also speak up in a way that would get the moderators’ attention.”
After Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont answered the opening question — about what it would take to beat President Trump, and why he believed he was better equipped than Mr. Bloomberg to do it — and Mr. Bloomberg responded, Ms. Warren raised her hand and interjected. “I certainly think that was intentional,” Dr. Dittmar said, “so after this debate the same narrative couldn’t be written.”
“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,” she said. “And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.” Ms. Warren spoke the most of all the candidates onstage Wednesday night — a significant increase from the last debate, when she came in fifth. She was the most mentioned candidate on Twitter for the first time, according to a Twitter spokesman, Nick Pacilio. And her campaign said it had raised more than $2.8 million on Wednesday — its best debate day for fund-raising ever — including more than $1 million in the two hours she was onstage.
The tone thus firmly set, Ms. Warren continued: “Democrats are not going to win if we have a nominee who has a history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women, and of supporting racist policies like redlining and stop-and-frisk. Look, I’ll support whoever the Democratic nominee is. But understand this: Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.” Her performance seemed, at least in the immediate aftermath, to shift the narrative surrounding Ms. Warren after she finished third in the Iowa caucuses and fourth in New Hampshire. Despite finishing ahead of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in both contests, and polling higher nationally than former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., she received less news coverage in the past week than either of them.
She went on to criticize the health care plans released by former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. (“It’s not a plan; it’s a PowerPoint”), Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota (“It’s like a Post-it note: ‘Insert plan here’”), and Mr. Sanders (“a good start, but instead of expanding and bringing in more people to help, instead his campaign relentlessly attacks everyone who asks a question or tries to fill in details about how to actually make this work”). She raised her hand and interjected immediately after Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont answered the opening question — about what it would take to beat President Trump, and why he believed he was better equipped than Mr. Bloomberg to do it — and Mr. Bloomberg responded.
And then — the debate still less than half over — Ms. Warren had an exchange with Mr. Bloomberg that seemed likely to be one of the most memorable moments of the night. The subject? The nondisclosure agreements Mr. Bloomberg had some women sign to settle accusations that he had sexually harassed them or discriminated based on gender, and Mr. Bloomberg’s defense that he had hired many women. “I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,” Ms. Warren said. “And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.”
“I hope you heard what his defense was: ‘I’ve been nice to some women,’” Ms. Warren said, as Mr. Bloomberg rolled his eyes. “That just doesn’t cut it.” The tone firmly set, she continued: “Democrats are not going to win if we have a nominee who has a history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women, and of supporting racist policies like redlining and stop-and-frisk. Look, I’ll support whoever the Democratic nominee is. But understand this: Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.”
The exchange continued: She went on to criticize the health care plans released by Mr. Buttigieg (“It’s not a plan; it’s a PowerPoint”), Ms. Klobuchar (“It’s like a Post-it note: ‘Insert plan here’”), and Mr. Sanders (“a good start, but instead of expanding and bringing in more people to help, instead his campaign relentlessly attacks everyone who asks a question or tries to fill in details”).
WARREN: The mayor has to stand on his record. What we need to know is exactly what’s lurking out there. He has gotten some number of women — dozens, who knows — to sign nondisclosure agreements both for sexual harassment and for gender discrimination in the workplace. So, Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story? And then she turned back to Mr. Bloomberg in one of the most memorable moments of the night.
BLOOMBERG: We have very few nondisclosure agreements. The subject was the nondisclosure agreements that employees of Mr. Bloomberg’s company signed following allegations of harassment and discrimination based on gender. Mr. Bloomberg, in response, had pointed to his hiring and promotion of women, and to descriptions of his company as a good place to work.
“I hope you heard what his defense was: ‘I’ve been nice to some women,’” Ms. Warren replied. Mr. Bloomberg rolled his eyes.
As the exchange went on, it began to sound rather like a prosecution.
WARREN: What we need to know is exactly what’s lurking out there. He has gotten some number of women — dozens, who knows — to sign nondisclosure agreements both for sexual harassment and for gender discrimination in the workplace. So, Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?
BLOOMBERG: We have a very few nondisclosure agreements.
WARREN: How many is that?WARREN: How many is that?
BLOOMBERG: Let me finish.BLOOMBERG: Let me finish.
WARREN: How many is that?WARREN: How many is that?
BLOOMBERG: None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told. These are agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet, and that’s up to them. They signed those agreements and we’ll live with it. BLOOMBERG: None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told. These are agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet, and that’s up to them. They signed those agreements, and we’ll live with it.
WARREN: So wait, when you say it is up to them, I just want to be clear, some is how many? And when you say they signed them and they wanted them, if they wish now to speak out and tell their side of the story about what it is they allege, that’s now OK with you? You’re releasing them on television tonight? Is that right? WARREN: So wait, when you say it is up to them, I just want to be clear: ‘some’ is how many? And when you say they signed them and they wanted them, if they wish now to speak out and tell their side of the story about what it is they allege, that’s now OK with you? You’re releasing them on television tonight? Is that right?
BLOOMBERG: Senator, no. Senator, the company and somebody else in this case — the man or woman, or could be more than — they decided when they made an agreement, they wanted to keep it quiet for everybody’s interests. They signed the agreements, and that’s what we’re going to live with.BLOOMBERG: Senator, no. Senator, the company and somebody else in this case — the man or woman, or could be more than — they decided when they made an agreement, they wanted to keep it quiet for everybody’s interests. They signed the agreements, and that’s what we’re going to live with.
WARREN: I’m sorry. No, the question is: Are the women bound by being muzzled by you? And you could release them from that immediately. Because understand, this is not just a question of the mayor’s character. This is also a question about electability. We are not going to beat Donald Trump with a man who has who knows how many nondisclosure agreements and the drip, drip, drip of stories of women saying they have been harassed and discriminated against. That’s not what we do as Democrats. WARREN: I’m sorry, no, the question is: Are the women bound by being muzzled by you? And you could release them from that immediately. Because understand, this is not just a question of the mayor’s character. This is also a question about electability. We are not going to beat Donald Trump with a man who has who knows how many nondisclosure agreements and the drip, drip, drip of stories of women saying they have been harassed and discriminated against.
After finishing third in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, Ms. Warren is fighting to regain momentum. Even before the debate had ended, some commentators — including the conservative Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin and the actor Ken Olin — were criticizing Ms. Warren as “mean,” “angry” and “nasty.” This was, perhaps, unsurprising, because anger has often been weaponized against women in politics.
Despite finishing ahead of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, and polling higher nationally than Mr. Buttigieg, she has received less news coverage in the past week than either of them. And an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday included hypothetical general-election matchups between Mr. Trump and five Democratic candidates, but not Ms. Warren. “I’ve never seen anything like that on a presidential stage from a woman — it was mind-blowing,” Rebecca Traister, a writer for New York magazine and the author of “Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger,” said in an interview afterward. “Look, I found it exhilarating and historic, but there’s no question that it’s a risk.”
In the days leading up to the debate, she went on the attack against Mr. Bloomberg, saying he had essentially bought his spot onstage and suggesting bitingly that his presence would give the other candidates — herself included — an opportunity to demonstrate how they would take on Mr. Trump in a general election. It is hard, Ms. Traister said, to predict the long-term impact of something that hasn’t happened before.
Two months ago on a debate stage, Ms. Warren directly addressed the idea of anger and force in her rhetoric. In response to a question inviting the candidates to give a “gift” or apologize to someone else onstage — she said she was sorry that “sometimes I get really worked up, and sometimes I get a little hot.”
It was just that she was passionate, she said then, after hearing so many voters’ painful stories.
The question now is, “Is her passion being interpreted in the way that she’s explained it?” Dr. Dittmar said.
“There are certainly people that are going to react negatively to what they will deem as aggression from her, and partly that response will be shaded by gendered expectations about women and aggression,” she said. “But I think she, throughout this campaign and tonight, does walk that line effectively when she can really focus that ‘aggression,’ if you will, on her passion about public policy.”
For some women, it was thrilling to see Ms. Warren express what they said was the same pent-up rage they felt. Even Linda Sarsour, a prominent surrogate for Mr. Sanders’s campaign, tweeted after Ms. Warren’s first attack on Mr. Bloomberg: “Warren already won this debate. MY GOD.”
In the days leading up to the debate, Ms. Warren had already gone on the attack against Mr. Bloomberg, suggesting bitingly that his presence onstage would give the other candidates — herself included — an opportunity to prove something.
“It’s a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate,” she tweeted on Tuesday. “But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire.”