In Mass. debate, Scott Brown said Elizabeth Warren is "obsessed with raising taxes"

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., left, shakes hands with his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, right, on the set before their first debate as moderator Jon Keller, center, looks on, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Boston. / AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., left, shakes hands with his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, right, on the set before their first debate as moderator Jon Keller, center, looks on, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in Boston.

/ AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

(CBS News) In the first debate between the Massachusetts Senate candidates, challenger Elizabeth Warren attempted to paint incumbent Sen. Scott Brown as a corporate shill in lock-step with his Republican colleagues concerned about protecting the wealthy, while the senator framed Warren as liberal intent on raising taxes.

"She's obsessed with raising taxes," Brown said during Thursday night's debate in Boston, adding that "there's a spending problem in Washington, D.C." and that Warren would continue to fuel the fire.

"She would have raised taxes on you," he said, pointing to the camera, in defense of voting against a bill in the Senate that would have reduced the interest rates of student loans by raising taxes on high-income earners. "I am on the taxpayers' side."

Repeating the position of national Democrats, Warren said Washington needs to take "a balanced approach" to reducing the deficit by cutting spending and raising revenue. She also said that Brown has "rigged the playing field" by voting to extend subsidies for oil companies.

Brown painted himself as a moderate Republican who has worked on issues important to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, including preventing wind farms off the coast of Nantucket, and has voted with Democrats. He said numerous times that he is the "second most bipartisan senator in the Senate."

He used the line when Warren, a Harvard professor, said control of the Senate could hang on the Massachusetts Senate race. She said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who believes global warming is a hoax, could lead the committee that overseas environmental policy if Republicans take control of the Senate.

"You're not running against Jim Inhofe, professor, your running against me," Brown said.

In the first debate of one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country, which has been tight for many months, both Warren and Brown lobbed attacks while playing defense much of the one-hour face-off.

"Sen. Brown can say all he wants but he has voted," Warren said, continuously pointing to votes Brown has taken in the Senate.

"Women need someone they can depend on, not some of the time but all of the time," she added, charging Brown with voting against a bill that would require women make equal amounts of money as their male counterparts and co-sponsoring a measure, known as the Blunt amendment after the Missouri senator, that would have gutted President Obama's mandate that employers provide free contraception health coverage. 

"You should stop scarring women," Brown shot back, adding that both he and Warren are both pro-choice and that he's been "fighting for women's rights" since he was a child as his mother was abused by his step-father.

The debate debate opened with both candidates on the attack. Brown said Warren should release her personal files from Harvard, where she listed her ethnicity as Native American, to prove that she did not receive an advantage for being a minority.

"The only way to get this straight is for you to release your personnel records," he said, saying it "speaks volumes" that she has not done so.

Brown also said the cost of higher education has skyrocketed, in part, because of administrative costs, pointing to Warren's several-hundred thousand dollar salary there "in addition the housing and other perks," he said. "No wonder the costs are high."

Meantime, Warren said Brown would "hold the other 98 percent of families hostage if there is not tax breaks for the top."

Brown did not utter the words of the Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the former governor of the state, who has no chance of winning the liberal state in November.

Warren invoked President Obama's name, however, when the debate turned to foreign policy, an issue in which polls show voters approve of the president's handling.

"I support President Obama," she said, arguing that the president has "done a first-rate job" in using sanctions and diplomacy and leaving all options of the table to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "I'm still working to have President Obama be the commander-in-chief, not Mitt Romney."

Emphasizing his independence from the Republican Party, Brown praised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as "a bright star in that administration," but said the president started strong but has gotten weak on Iran, adding that "we cannot have a nuanced approach."

[IDMacrae]

As I read the article, Scott Brown is basically saying let's go to war with Iran. That's what Romney has said, or at least very strongly implied, he would do, too.

So, the more Republicans we elect, the more likely it will be that we bomb Iran. Let's go for it! Bomb, bomb, bomb, think of all the jobs building more bombs!

[marychgo]

Here's hoping that Massachusetts voters understand that there's a REASON Wall Street is funding Scott Brown's campaign. Go, Liz!

[unclebernies]

Why does Mass. need a fake progressive in Scott Brown when they can get the real deal with Ms Warren.

[ThatSkepticGuy]

Mass. has had more than it's fill of regressive authoritarian nannystatists.

[aldrich617]

Brown is the plutocrat's choice and he just might win the election
by wrapping himself in Red Sox socks. He will surely need to use his super fan status to try to disguise his extreme polical agenda from
the Middle Class loser voters who believe he is on their team, and hope that the Bozo Dead Sox finish the year with a flourish.

[tsigili]

Ya can't do hand outs, unless you raise taxes. Warren advocates hand outs, and socialism, so of course, she wants to raise taxes on everyone else.

[sjc_1]

You keep talking about "hand outs" but all the food stamps do not even total 1/10th the Pentagon budget. You do a LOT more good for a LOT more people with food stamps then hogs to the trough defense contractors.

[nfission]

Scott Brown is a delusional low-life, all Republican politicians are pathological liars. They believe their own delusions and twisted warped ideaologies. Where are all the whackos? living in a mind-warped Republican world.

[venusvegasvada]

"She's obsessed with raising taxes," Brown said.

Just who does this idiot work for anyway?

The American people or Grover Norquist?

Elizabeth Warren is spot on.

[flower41748]

Elizabeth Warren should get a "handle" on the issues of 2012.
Her platform seems to be comprised of the fact that she is "middle class",daughter of a custodian,and will "fight" for the middle class.
Re:Middle Class fight
First of all,America is comprised of "all classes" of wealth.Since when is the middle class,or any class, more important than other citizens?Anyone in the Senate needs to be equally interested in all Americans.
Re:daughter of a custodian
I,too,was born in the 40's.There are very few of our age group(including Elizabeth) who weren't born to an immigrant or blue collar worker.Most of us had parents who grew up during the Great Depression if they were in the USA then. Does that history give someone enough of a "platform" to be qualified for the Senate? I believe a history and any information of "what she has been fighting for" would give us a better reason to vote or not vote for her.All I have heard is information about her poor background and that she will fight. Fight for what,Elizabeth?

[venusvegasvada]

Probably because you have been watching Fox news too much. Go watch her DNC convention speech. How could you have missed that?

[Tobi86]

Ms Warren has a "handle" on the issue. The issue is the Republicans took control of Washington with a purse bulging with money left to them by Mr Clinton but with their war crazy "weapons of mass destruction" myth Mr Obama was left with a wallet full of holes. Oh, I forgot the Republicans did leave with us with a gift...to the wealth, no taxes. What the Democrats are saying is a person born (note I said born)into mediocure or poverty has complete different oppinions of the word necessitis compared to a child born of wealth has complete differing opinions of what is necessity. Health,food,housing,clothing,safety,maybe school and if lucky school supplies. The wealthy child envisions, beautiful landscaped homes,fashionable clothing, college,vacations,parties,etc. Two completely different languages.

[sjc_1]

Brown will try any dirty trick he can to win, but I hope to God Elizabeth wins for the sake of this country. Brown is a rubber stamping "yes" candidate that carries the water for Wall Street and the rich. We don't need any more of those.

[cubscout09]

Scott Brown so did not want to debate Elizabeth Warren that he tried to play hooky, claiming that he had important votes at the Senate.

"It's obvious to me what's going on, I've been to a few of these rodeos. It is obvious there is a big stall taking place. One of the senators who had a debate tonight doesn't want to debate. Well, he can't use the Senate as an excuse. There will be no more votes today."

Harry Reid - Dismissing Senator Brown so that he could catch his 4:30 flight to Massachusetts.