# Warren forms Exploratory Committee **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 31, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983 "2018-12-31T14:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/341 "2019-02-08T18:05:28Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The real problem with Elizabeth Warren is that she is an authoritarian scold. As **andro** s and **CarnalK** have already noted, this is a pretty sexist slur. I’d add that it’s substance-free both in its apparent meaning and in the lack of evidence marshaled in its support. > [@](#): > > She’s also old. She’d be roughly the same age in January 2021 as Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump were when they took office. > [@](#): > > The picture of her on the right is that of a woman who advocated for affirmative action, then used a tiny fraction of minority ancestry to take advantage of that system by falsely claiming to be something she’s not - perhaps at the expense of an actual member of that minority. I’m not seeing a link to a picture containing evidence. ETA: Oh wait, you’re not talking about a photo containing evidence, but the image that Fox News has created of her in its viewers’ minds. Not gonna worry about that: Dems aren’t going to win their votes anyway. > [@](#): > > By ‘her opponents’, the first ones are going to be other Democrats in the primaries. So the attacks are going to be friendly fire. The Republicans get to sit back and watch the Democrats set the tone for the attacks. If only the Democrats were able to set the tone for the GOP attacks! It would be a much better world than the one we’re in. Unfortunately, a party that has become almost totally unmoored from policy, with its base’s main motivation being ‘owning the libs,’ can only engage in smears and cheap shots, rather than engaging in a meaningful debate over policy. > [@](#): > > Warren is simply not electable. She’s a policy wonk with no personality and no executive experience, even aside from all her other issues. > > At this point in time, I have to say Joe Biden is probably the most electable candidate, but there are lots of new faces in the race, and we haven’t really seen them perform under the lights yet. Maybe there’s another Bill Clinton waiting in the wings, ready to wow everyone. ‘Electability’ and ‘electable’ are easy words to throw around, but who knows what they actually mean? I’ve got my own theories, and those theories and a coupla bucks will get me a cup of joe. Why should I believe yours are any more meaningful? ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/342 "2019-02-08T18:15:57Z")
I have a question about the latest “American Indian” debacle. Previously, she had admitted to listing herself as Native American in some directory because she wanted to meet others like her. Is that the same thing as the form for the State Bar that just surfaced, or is it an entirely separate incident? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/343 "2019-02-08T18:16:24Z")
You can believe anything you want. Go ahead and run Warren. I’ll get the popcorn ready. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/344 "2019-02-08T18:19:06Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Does Warren ever have any sense of humor when she talks? Not a rhetorical question - I’ve seen many clips of her talking, but can’t remember any kind of humor. If the answer is no, that’s not a good thing. Ah yes, the old “which candidate would you like to have a beer with” test. Myself, I’m an aficionado of the “which candidates are up to the job, and will fight to implement the changes I believe America needs?” test. And let’s not forget that Richard Nixon didn’t need a sense of humor to win the Presidency. Jimmy Carter certainly didn’t have much of one, nor did Bush the Elder. Shrubby had a sort of sense of humor, but it was mostly of the schoolboy ‘punch down and be an asshole to people’ sort of humor. Trump has the ‘punch down and be an asshole to people’ part; does he have a sense of humor? AFAICT, you can get elected President without much of a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/345 "2019-02-08T18:22:18Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > You can believe anything you want. Go ahead and run Warren. I’ll get the popcorn ready. You’re the one who’s dealing in _beliefs_ here. Witnessing goes in GD. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/346 "2019-02-08T18:23:07Z")
Oh, and for those wearing the ‘I see sexism everywhere’ lenses, I also called Jeff Sessions an authoritarian scold. In fact, if you hear the word ‘scold’ and your first thought is that I must be talking about a woman, perhaps a good look in the mirror is in order. As the saying goes, ‘If you keep hearing dog whistles, you may be the dog.’ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/347 "2019-02-08T18:35:13Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Oh, and for those wearing the ‘I see sexism everywhere’ lenses, I also called Jeff Sessions an authoritarian scold. Yes, people call men ‘scolds’ too, and it’s generally interpreted as being, in part, a questioning of their masculinity and ability to impose their will. > [@](#): > > In fact, if you hear the word ‘scold’ and your first thought is that I must be talking about a woman, perhaps a good look in the mirror is in order. Um, who are you talking about here? > [@](#): > > As the saying goes, ‘If you keep hearing dog whistles, you may be the dog.’ Whatever, dude. The reason why scolding has largely been something women do, is it’s often the most you can do if you have no real power. Historically, women have had little if any authority over the men they’ve interacted with, while men had genuine power over the women. Men could simply make women obey; they didn’t need to scold. Giving a man an earful while she had the chance was often the most a woman could do. So yes, it’s a very gendered word, and your calling Jeff Sessions a scold doesn’t undo that history. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/348 "2019-02-08T18:44:16Z")
> [@Monocracy](#): > > I have a question about the latest “American Indian” debacle. > > Previously, she had admitted to listing herself as Native American in some directory because she wanted to meet others like her. Is that the same thing as the form for the State Bar that just surfaced, or is it an entirely separate incident? This is a separate incident. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/349 "2019-02-08T18:44:48Z")
> [@Monocracy](#): > > I have a question about the latest “American Indian” debacle. > > Previously, she had admitted to listing herself as Native American in some directory because she wanted to meet others like her. Is that the same thing as the form for the State Bar that just surfaced, or is it an entirely separate incident? It’s a new one, afaik. The other documented times she claimed Native ancestry were two different faculty registries and the cookbook. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/350 "2019-02-08T18:47:32Z")
The bottom line is Warren has little-to-no cross-over appeal to moderates, and they will not be as willing to forgive the Indian heritage error as Liberals and Progressives. The right candidate will appeal to moderates of both parties - that will be the winning formula. The goal is to get Trump outta there, not try to make a point. Warren is a smart legislator with a proven track record and has positions that align with mine, but she will not be electable as President. IMHO, she should stay in the Senate and continue her work there - she will be a much more effective and potent legislator under a Dem President. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/351 "2019-02-08T18:50:17Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Oh, and for those wearing the ‘I see sexism everywhere’ lenses, I also called Jeff Sessions an authoritarian scold. In fact, if you hear the word ‘scold’ and your first thought is that I must be talking about a woman, perhaps a good look in the mirror is in order. > > As the saying goes, ‘If you keep hearing dog whistles, you may be the dog.’ From the [Oxford English dictionary](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/scold) > [@](#): > > US > archaic > > ``` > A person, in particular a woman, who nags or grumbles constantly. > ‘his mother was the village scold’ > ‘the fiscal scolds insist that reform will make everything even worse’ > > ``` > > Synonyms: > nag, nagger, shrew, fishwife, harpy, termagant, harridan So it’s not so much a dog whistle as the definition of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/352 "2019-02-08T19:12:40Z")
Interestingly, other dictionaries don’t even mention gender, Some do, some don’t. [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com) says: “a person who is constantly scolding, often with loud and abusive speech.” Merriam-Webster: 1a : one who scolds habitually or persistently b dated, now sometimes offensive : a woman who disturbs the public peace by noisy and quarrelsome or abusive behavior So the version that refers to a woman is dated. Also, did you notice your own example from the Oxford dictionary? "the fiscal scolds who insist that reform will make everything worse’. Unless ‘fiscal scolds’ are all women, this use of the word is exactly the way I used it. In any event, if your first instinct when you see a post is to jump on a commonly-used word to engage in a backhanded ad-hominem attack on someone, the problem is with you. You are, in fact, a scold. Regardless of your gender. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/353 "2019-02-08T19:22:49Z")
All the hip youngsters like yourself don’t realize the gendered origin of the word? Ok, you get a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/354 "2019-02-08T19:29:19Z")
I don’t give a good God damn about the ‘gendered’ use of the word. I am sick and tired of people trying to police language with a micrometer, or to use it as a weapon against their opponents. I know exactly what I meant by the word, and I’m not sexist, and therefore I quite frankly don’t care in the slightest what you think about it. I’m not into playing silly word games. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/355 "2019-02-08T19:29:33Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Ah yes, the old “which candidate would you like to have a beer with” test. > > Myself, I’m an aficionado of the “which candidates are up to the job, and will fight to implement the changes I believe America needs?” test. This is a marketing campaign. Think about this the way Don Draper would think about it. The candidate is not really selling policies. The candidate is selling the candidate. > [@](#): > > Trump has the ‘punch down and be an asshole to people’ part; does he have a sense of humor? Yes he does. It’s a mean spirited brand of humor but frankly one that a lot of people share. And I don’t just mean a lot of conservatives. Almost everyone mocks and ridicules people they don’t like behind closed doors. Trump is just doing it out in the open. Trump had crowds _howling_ with laughter, something I have never seen in politics in my 32 years of life. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/356 "2019-02-08T19:37:18Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Trump had crowds _howling_ with laughter, something I have never seen in politics in my 32 years of life. Yes, intolerance can be a real hoot, if you aren’t sick and tired of people trying to police language with a micrometer, or use it as a weapon against the deplorables in the audience. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/357 "2019-02-08T19:42:47Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I don’t give a good God damn about the ‘gendered’ use of the word. The thing about reality is that it’s there, whether or not you give a good God damn about it. > [@](#): > > I am sick and tired of people trying to police language with a micrometer, or to use it as a weapon against their opponents. What I’m experiencing is that I’m trying to fight your ignorance, and you’re having none of it. As Cecil says, it’s taking longer than we thought. > [@](#): > > I’m not sexist Congratulations! That would make one of us. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/358 "2019-02-08T19:47:56Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Almost everyone mocks and ridicules people they don’t like Suppose someone punched Trump in the face, and I laughed. Would that be evidence that I had a sense of humor? > [@](#): > > behind closed doors. Trump is just doing it out in the open. In childhood and adolescence, it’s out in the open more often than not. At least IME; YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/359 "2019-02-08T19:55:09Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I don’t give a good God damn about the ‘gendered’ use of the word. I am sick and tired of people trying to police language with a micrometer, or to use it as a weapon against their opponents. > > I know exactly what I meant by the word, and I’m not sexist, and therefore I quite frankly don’t care in the slightest what you think about it. I’m not into playing silly word games. FWIW, I don’t think you meant it in a misogynist manner. I was just pushing back on the idea that it didn’t have gender connotations. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983/360 "2019-02-08T20:08:13Z")
I was speaking more about Chronos, who implied it in a backhanded fashion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-forms-exploratory-committee/826983.md?page=19)