Secretary McMahon, the former Director of the Small Business Administration and a former WWE official, declined Senator Elizabeth Warren‘s invitation to participate in an education forum in relatively polite fashion. The back-and-forth then rapidly degenerates, becoming a battleground of political supporters on both sides, with the responses getting increasingly spicy.
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This statement by McMahon is somewhat very delicate and still carries that steely edge: One doubts such an event could ever be conducive to an honest, constructive dialogue, but there may be a rare one-on-one sit-down between myself and the Senator on the new administration’s education agenda. Classic political talk; at first glance, innocent and polite but snarky enough for the loudmouths in the crowd to know she was not buying what Warren was trying to sell.
And then came the replies: loud and proud. Supporters rallied behind McMahon, with one user calling her a “rockstar” for standing her ground. However, Warren’s detractors took the opportunity to berate her using the controversial nickname of “Pocahontas” or calling the potential forum “worthless political grandstanding.” The nickname barrage was in full swing, doubling down on the cultural appropriation accusations that have haunted Warren for years.
Some were just after chaos. One user suggested that McMahon should enter the forum wielding a 2×4 in one hand and an American flag in the other. I smell a storyline for wrestling. Another compared the whole drama to an actual wrestling match, with McMahon going “off the top rope” for a verbal smackdown. Given McMahon’s wrestling biography, I believe that could not have been said any better.
However, it was not only supporters who praised McMahon. Backlash from administration critics included the argument that Connecticut’s highly-ranked school system proves blue states may do just fine educating their young without federal overreach; one went on to say McMahon had dodged the tough questions during her confirmation hearings and suggested that any discussion with Warren would be nothing but a shouting match.
What was utterly absurd? Some responses missed the mark on education altogether. One user threw out Warren’s net worth, while another vaguely alluded to salad- for what reason. The internet, I say: unpredictable.
At the end of the day, it was far less about policy and a heck-ton more about political theatre. Even while McMahon was chilled out, it was the reactions that were mostly defining—the divide was real when it came to education and just mentioning Warren invited chaos. Whether or not these two will actually sit down for that discourse remains to be seen. If they ever do, someone had better bring popcorn—and probably a steel chair, just in case.
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One lesson we got out of all the brouhaha was that each time a politician throws shade on socials; the responses are the real main event. And, you know what? They came through.
