Beth Lindstrom, the former Mitt Romney aide who is now one of three Republican challengers angling for the opportunity to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in November, appears to be mounting a proactive response to Warren’s slate of Massachusetts town hall-style events.
Responding to an “Open House” meeting Warren held with voters in Springfield on Friday, Lindstrom amplified her efforts to paint Warren as divisive leader.
“Senator Warren’s abrasive style of leadership is driving people apart and adding to the polarization of American politics,” Lindstrom said in a prepared statement. “Senator Warren is a self-described ‘rock thrower.’
“She demonizes the opposition and attacks members of her own party who disagree with her.”
Lindstrom’s comments appear to refer to Warren’s recent vocal dissatisfaction with fellow Democrats serving on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs who worked with Republicans to reach a bipartisan agreement on a bill aimed at rolling back several Wall Street regulations enacted under the landmark 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.
“Our bill is an example of how if Democrats and Republicans put partisanship aside and work together, we can reach real compromises that support the country,” North Dakota U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who serves on the committee, said in November.
The Senate is expected to vote on the full measure next week. On Thursday Warren took to the floor of the Senate to speak out against the bill.
“In the next few days, with broad support among Republicans and far too much support among Democrats, the Senate is on the verge of passing a bill that puts American families in danger,” she said at one point during her remarks.
Warren was even more biting when she spoke from the floor Tuesday about the bipartisan deal, reached when “Republicans and Democrats had locked arms to do the bidding of the big banks.”
Meanwhile, she described Friday’s event at Springfield Technical Community College as “terrific.”
We had a terrific day at @S_T_C_C for our open house. We had good discussions about net neutrality, Puerto Rico, voting rights, Wall St, health care, & how to be in this fight — not just every 4 years, but every day. Thanks to the 350 people who joined us for a fun afternoon! pic.twitter.com/5ZYQoohPn1
Lindstrom in her statement, however, claims Warren “has failed to find solutions to the critical issues facing us because her constant lecturing and raging makes her ineffective at her job.”
“The people of Massachusetts deserve a senator who is a bipartisan problem solver who can work with Democrats and Republicans to get things done,” Lindstrom added. “That is the role I hope to play if I am elected to the U.S. Senate.”
Warren will hold another town hall event in Weymouth on Saturday. On Sunday morning, she is scheduled to appear on NBC’s Meet the Press with host Chuck Todd.
