MSNBC took "Morning Joe" from midtown Manhattan to Fenway Park for its 100th anniversary Friday, and invited Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and his Democratic challenger, Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren, to make their pitches in one of the nation's most closely-watched Senate races.
Speaking on the field in a red windbreaker, Warren offered why she was a better pick for the seat than Brown. "I think this is about whose side you stand on. You know, you just kind of look at where the two parties are. Scott Brown got an award from Forbes magazine for being one of Wall Street's favorite senators," she said.
Warren continued, "I don't think I even get nominated for that one. I'm not even like in their top 100 on that. But, you know, that's been where he's gone on this sort of thing. On Dodd-Frank, he was there to move in to try to help the biggest financial institutions."
Brown appeared later in the program, clad in a Red Sox jacket. He pushed back against Warren's charge against him. "Listen, I was the supporter. I worked on that. It never would have passed if it wasn’t for me," he said. "I was tired of having banks and Wall Street act like casinos with our money. But not for me being involved, that never would have passed. I heard what Professor Warren said, oh, I watered it down. With all due respect, it never would have passed, No 1. No. 2, there never would have been a consumer protection bureau that she would have been able to participate."
Democrats did need Scott Brown's vote for the financial reform bill to pass the Senate with 60 votes. He announced his support after winning changes to the bill that allowed banks and financial institutions to wager up to three percent of their own money in hedge funds and alternative investments and quashing a $19 billion tax on big banks and hedge funds that was replaced with a funding mechanism using leftover TARP funds and increased FDIC fees.
"The only reason that we’re getting things done is because I’m there and we’re working hard across the aisle finding people of goodwill to solve problems," he said.
Warren and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) -- part of the parade of Massachusetts politicians appearing on the special -- took shots at Brown over the recently uncovered news that New York Yankees President Randy Levine donated the maximum of $2,500 to his campaign. The conservative-leaning Boston Herald, which reported the donation, went ballistic over the donation with the headline "Scott Brown taps Evil Empire."
"The donation, he tried to move the Sox out of Fenway -- he’s kind of got a problem this week," said Warren.
Kerry went further.
Co-host Willie Geist said he was the only Yankees fan on the set. Kerry interrupted to say, "No, you have Scott Brown there."
Walking it back a bit, Kerry said, "We're just having fun this morning. We're just having fun. I want to announce to the Boston press, that's fun. Only fun."