Warren’s loss was hardly a defeat for all womankind
To hear some people tell it, a loss for Elizabeth Warren was a loss for womankind. Ever since the Massachusetts senator withdrew her presidential candidacy after finishing third in her home state primary on Super Tuesday, many have described her demise as resulting from dislike and fear of strong women and a victory for the dread patriarchy.
Oddly, nobody says that about Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who’d withdrawn and endorsed Joe Biden only days before. Evidently, some women are more emblematic than others. But hold that thought.
“America Punished Elizabeth Warren for Her Competence,” was the title of a fairly typical example by Megan Garber in The Atlantic. A lively stylist, Garber did a terrific job of analyzing what I thought were Warren’s weaknesses as a candidate while entirely missing her own point. One Democratic woman she saw being interviewed on TV put it this way: “When I hear her talk, I want to slap her, even when I agree with her.” She quotes others describing Warren as “sanctimonious,” “condescending” and “a know-it-all.”
Yet to Garber, it was Warren’s refusal to hide her intellectual brilliance that did her in: “The country still doesn’t know what to make of a woman — in politics, and beyond — who refuses to qualify her success.” She quotes an Ivy League philosophy professor to the effect that “[m]isogyny is the lawenforcement branch of patriarchy.” Sigh.
Here’s the deal: An American presidential election, for better and definitely for worse, is for most voters an extended TV series. And nobody much was keen to watch “The Liz Warren Show.” MSNBC could give her Chris Matthews’ old “Hardball” program, and the ratings would nose-dive.
During Warren’s epic demolition of a smug and bewildered Michael Bloomberg during the Feb. 12 Democratic debate on NBC, I remarked to my wife, “My God, she’s a jerk. She’s destroying him. But she’s hurting herself almost as much as she’s hurting him.”
I actually used an earthier epithet, which shall remain our little secret. A gender-neutral one, I hasten to add. Anyway, Bloomberg probably deserved it. He certainly stepped into the batter’s box without a helmet. But Mother Jones blogger Kevin Drum noticed that Bloomberg crashed, while Joe Biden soared in voter polls from that point forward. Warren steadily declined.
I’ve been instructed to leave Diane’s own somewhat incorrect reaction to Sen. Warren’s demeanor out of this column. Her voice! Her antic arm-waving! Suffice it to say that while Diane and a couple of her girlfriends traveled to New Hampshire to stump for Hillary Clinton in 2016, with one single exception they did not support Warren’s candidacy.
Another friend, an Irish guy from Brooklyn, said she reminded him of the kind of nun who would whack your knuckles with a ruler. And Warren’s not even Catholic.
Catty and subjective enough for you? Good, because that’s how people watch TV. It’s an intensely subjective medium. Warren does very well in one-on-one interviews and town hall settings but falls flat on the big stage. Brilliant woman; failed the screen test.
On Super Tuesday, Warren collected 21% of the Massachusetts vote, compared to 34% for Joe Biden and 27% for Bernie Sanders. She finished a poor third among Massachusetts women, too. In the 2016 general election, by way of comparison, it was Hillary Clinton 60%, Donald Trump 33%.
So don’t blame misogyny. Hillary’s not exactly Miss Congeniality, yet Massachusetts voted for her. Anyway, Elizabeth Warren’s not womankind, she’s one woman who ran a fairly incoherent campaign: notably all over the place about her Medicare-for-all proposal and how to pay for it.
I suspect that Warren’s being a Harvard professor also had something to do with her defeat. Of course, that could be my own anti-academic bias talking. But her professorial manner didn’t help. During the same debate where she eviscerated Bloomberg, she dismissed Klobuchar’s health insurance proposal as a “Post-it note.” The Minnesota senator bristled.
Even on campus, calling people stupid rarely elicits their admiration. On health care, Klobuchar’s a pragmatist, favoring an Obamacare public option that’s politically feasible, while Medicare-forall is certainly not — as you’d think Warren’s floundering on the issue might have taught her.
Or as Klobuchar herself put it, “You don’t put your money on a number that’s not even on the wheel.”
Had she not withdrawn, I’d have supported Klobuchar, to me the most politically talented Democrat of either gender.
But like most, I ended up voting tactically.
Entertainment venues in and around Chicago are altering plans in response to concerns over exposure to the novel coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19.
◆ Lyric Opera of Chicago has canceled the three full “Ring” cycles, which were set to begin on April 13, with performances through May 3. Additionally, the two performances of “Götterdämmerung” that were scheduled for April 4 and April 11 have been canceled, along with all “Ring” festival programming. Ticket holders are being notified regarding refunds/exchanges.
◆ The Museum of Contemporary Art will be closed through March 29.
◆ Black Ensemble Theater is suspending all performances of “The Healing” effective March 13; performances may resume in 30 days. Ticket holders may exchange their tickets for a future performance date by contacting the box office at (773) 769-4451.
◆ Lookingglass Theatre has canceled all remaining performances of “Her Honor Jane
Byrne.” Ticket holders will be contacted.
◆ Pop star Billie Eilish postponed her North American tour, including a March 24 date at United Center. Tickets will be valid on the new dates, to be announced later.
◆ The 36th Chicago Latino Film Festival scheduled to take place April 16-30 at the AMC River East 21 Theatre has been postponed. The new dates will be announced in the near future.
◆ Broadway in Chicago announced the following (for ticket refunds, contact point of purchase): “The Bachelor Live on Stage” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre scheduled for March 14 has been rescheduled to Oct. 10. The Keane Cause and Effect Tour stop March 20 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre has been canceled. “My Fair Lady” at the Cadillac Palace Theatre scheduled to run March 23-April 12 has been rescheduled to May 10-23, 2021. “What the Constitution Means to Me” has canceled performances March 13-30 at the Broadway Playhouse; the show hopes to resume performances March 31-April 12 at a reduced capacity based.
◆ Drury Lane Theatre has canceled the remaining performances of “An America in Paris” effective March 13. All affected tickets for “Evita” and “Shrek the Musical” will be exchanged for later dates. Ticket holders have been contacted via email; if you did not receive an email, please contact BoxOffice@ DruryLane.com.
◆ Northlight Theatre has suspended all performances of “Intimate Apparel,” effective March 13. Ticket holders will be contacted regarding refunds/exchanges.
◆ Cirque du Soleil has canceled the return engagement of “Alegria,” scheduled for June 5-28 at Soldier Field’s South Lot. Ticket holders who made purchases through the Cirque website or by phone will be contacted/refunded by Cirque. Contact point of purchase for all other refunds. Cirque customer service can be reached at 1-877-9 CIRQUE (1-877-9247783).
◆ The Den Theatre has canceled all performances through April 12. The closure includes The Haven Lounge. Canceled performances include: “Pineapple” (through April 11); Queer Soup Night (March 15); Haven Guest House (March 16 and 22); Vape Naysh, presented by First Floor Theater (Tuesday, March 17 & Wednesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m.); “Blackbird” (March 21 — April 26); Alex Cuba (March 21); Akaash Singh (March 27); Chicago Dance Crash KTF (March 28); Cameron Esposito’s Save Yourself Book Tour (March 29); “Deathscribe” (March 30); “Under The Tree” (April 1-May 3); Kurtis Conner (April 3-4); Erik Griffin (April 10-11). Refunds are being issued; questions should be made via e-mail to boxoffice@thedentheatre.com.
◆ The Harris Theater has canceled all planned events and performances through April 12. Information about potential rescheduling will be made public. The box office will operate during normal hours by phone and online only. If you have questions about ticket donations, exchanges or refunds email info@harristheaterchicago.
◆ The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) announces that all CSOA-presented concerts at Symphony Center scheduled through April 12 are canceled. This includes all associated pre- and post-concert special events. For refunds or exchanges, visit cso.org.
◆ Goodman Theatre is suspending all performances starting March 13 until further notice for “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.” “Molly Sweeney” has been postponed to an April 20 opening. Options for ticket holders include a credit toward a future Goodman production or a tax deduction for the total value.