Massachusetts Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Elizabeth Warren appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" Tuesday night, making a forceful case for Washington to advocate more for the middle class.
But first, they discussed the upcoming Super Bowl. Stewart asked her whether Tom Brady of the New England Patriots or Eli Manning of the New York Giants was a better quarterback.
"I hate to tell you this but Tom Brady is...the Pats are going to spank the Giants," said the Harvard Law professor. "I'm sorry, it's just reality."
She then moved to talk about the middle class. "I grew up in an America that was still investing in the middle class. That was the principle function of Washington and how it spent money...that's how kids like me, the daughter of some guy who sold fencing, ended up as a professor."
"You didn't know his name?" interjected Stewart to applause and laughter.
"No, no I know his name," replied Warren.
"What's happened is that Washington now works for those who can hire an army of lobbyists and lawyers," she said, then referencing a report showing that 30 top companies spent more on lobbying than they paid in federal income taxes between 2008 and 2010.
Later on in the show, she made the point that there are major corporations that don't pay anything in taxes while students take on more and more in debt. "The way I see it, that is not a question of economics, not a question of finance. It's a question of values."
Stewart challenged her call for more infrastructure, pointing out the example of Boston's expensive, delayed but ultimately completed "Big Dig" highway project.
She said she agreed with him and that people need to be held accountable.
Stewart ended the interview with an epic close: "I look forward to this being the argument that we have, I look forward to you getting in the Senate so they can suck that life out of you," he said. "I guess what I'm saying is, don't make us believe again--it hurts too much."
Warren raised $5.7 million in the fourth quarter 2011 in her bid to unseat Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and a December poll showed her with a slight lead over the incumbent senator who won the 2010 special election after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.