Opinion by: Saagar Enjeti
I can’t believe they’ve actually done it, but the New York Times is going to make me defend Joe Biden with a new ridiculous story about how elitist critics of Elizabeth Warren are “sexist.”
The Times once again has shoehorned a poorly argued opinion story into their news section with this ridiculous headline quote:
“Biden’s attacks on Warren turn personal, drawing some complaints of sexism.” Obvious questions begin to arise, of course, complaints from whom? What accusations exactly? They go on to explain that Biden’s use of the term “Condescending, angry, or elitist” is somehow adopting a gendered trope. This is patently insane. Maybe Biden’s use of the terms condescending, angry, or elitist come from the fact that Elizabeth Warren is actually quite condescending and elitist.
Luckily I don’t need to hash that out. Warren’s extraordinarily evident condescension or elitism because friend of the show Zaid Jilani did it very well last week. Let’s take a listen:
The focus here should not just be on Warren’s conduct, however, it should be on the paper of record once again being used as an opposition research firm for candidates that share its politics. Remember that headline said complaints of sexism? Well who exactly do those complaints come from. I’ll save you the trouble, the first person that they quote is Elizabeth Warren, the next person is an Elizabeth Warren supporter, and then the person after that is also an Elizabeth Warren supporter.
They didn’t even do what they usually do, which is go get quotes from some women’s organization that is obviously in the tank for Elizabeth Warren and dress it up as expert analysis. They just quoted the candidate and her supporters. That does sound like strong journalism to you? It sounds like a press release.
Elizabeth Warren’s pathetic defense and the enlisting of the New York Times to write this ridiculous story should offend all of us. Gaslighting the American public into thinking that all criticism of Elizabeth Warren is sexist does an actual disservice to future events when sexist attacks against her are actually launched against her.
And here’s the thing.
Warren isn’t the only candidate that is pulling this card. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also basically called sexism on the fact that she and some other female senators have been eclipsed by Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the stage during a CNN interview. Let’s take a listen:
This would make a lot more sense if the leading person in the Democratic primary right now was not….Oh let me check my notes, oh yes one Senator Elizabeth Warren. Or you know, if the Democratic nominee for president last cycle wasn’t named…Uh Hillary Rodham Clinton. And you know what maybe Senator Klobuchar? Maybe Pete Buttigieg would be doing a lot worse in the polls if there was a story about him eating a salad with a comb and being one of the most verbally abusive bosses on Capitol Hill. Just a thought.
Also, I seem to remember a very upstart woman of color and former bartender who beat an incumbent Democratic member of Congress who went on to completely change American political discourse and got more earned media than any other democrat in modern memory. My bet is if she was old enough and could run for president, she’d lap Amy Klobuchar ten times over, what would exactly would she blame then?
You all I’m sure remember when Klobuchar’s opponent and Senate colleague Kamala Harris tried this recently, while blaming voters for being too sexist or too racist to accept her candidacy. What? This should drive us all crazy about these things is the complete denial of a lack of agency for these candidates and lack of general trust in the motivations of the Democratic primary electorate, who I’m going to go ahead and assume here they actually share most of the same gender and racial values these senators purport to have.
Attacking a former law professor in both Warren and Barack Obama’s case is not sexist, it’s actually pretty accurate. Blaming your failing campaign for sexism or racism when you’re a bad candidate is lazy, and it’s even worse when it gets lapped up by the mainstream media who are desperate to prove their woke bonafides to all of their friends.
I don’t know how many times I have to say it. If you have interesting ideas and you’re a good candidate, then you’re going to do pretty well in the primary. Amy Klobuchar is not doing well because voters don’t trust that she can either A, beat Donald Trump or B, doesn’t have a positive vision of the country that aligns with them in a way they would like to see. That’s it, that’s really all there is too it. Candidates and the media would do well to learn it too if they want to maintain credibility with their voters.
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