Elizabeth Warren has been pulling double shifts as Massachusetts senator and a supremely detailed presidential candidate, dropping progressive proposals while other contenders stand on tables. She may not be splashed all over CNN or Fox News, but she’s doing the work. Last night, Saturday Night Live poked fun at the dearth of media attention given to Warren, with a nod to her unique public persona.
Kate McKinnon reprised her role as Warren on Weekend Update. Alongside Colin Jost, she referenced “the fight,” Warren’s signature stump phrase when discussing socioeconomic equality. And that fight includes her plan for college debt forgiveness, which McKinnon called “essential” — because “I wish I could be forgiven for everything I did in college,” she said, alluding to a rather unfortunate incident with baby squirrels and hot soup. Yuk it up, Warren!
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She also contrasted her media coverage with Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, by “saying what I’m going to do and how I’m going to do it. Whoa, what a crackpot idea!” Despite their popularity, Buttigieg and O'Rourke have been criticized for not presenting fully-formed proposals as part of their campaigns, depending instead on their media darling status to keep them on the news. McKinnon also joked that it’s hard to compete for attention when O’Rourke is doing “parkour at Starbucks” and Buttigieg is “playing piano while speaking fluent Klingon.”
Jokes aside, SNL underscores a very serious point: Warren, an eminently qualified presidential candidate, doesn’t even crack the top five list of Democrats running for the White House (hint: almost all of the people at the top are men). Undoubtedly, her detailed proposals will influence candidates who are still crafting their policies, but she won’t receive nearly as much recognition for her work as her male counterparts. We know this because it is already happening. It’s a sexist tale as old as time, but as long as we keep fighting, we can stick it to the man. You can watch the sketch below.