Sen. Elizabeth Warren and her demands for an aggressive agenda are hanging over Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate as three massive progressive groups are demanding that Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and two others address “Warren wing” issues and concerns tonight in Las Vegas.
Warren, who toyed with her own presidential bid and who has already huddled with Vice President Joe Biden as he considers jumping in, has already jumbled the race, forcing Clinton to the left on issues to catch up with the Democratic Socialist Sanders.
Now, under pressure from MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, the three leading Democrats and two others — former Sens. Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee — are being pushed to address issues Warren has raised including college debt, the Black Lives Matter movement, Wall Street greed and expanded Social Security.
In a letter to all three, followed with calls, the groups said, “big ideas include some of the top economic populist priorities of the modern progressive movement – ones that TV moderators are still learning about and often overlook. Because these issues are important to millions of families and are key to motivating voters, we urge a special pro active approach to elevating them in the debate.”
They also urged the five Democrats to aggressively address other key issues that Warren has also been a leader on. “It is likely that other important issues will come up that are currently front and center in the news – such as gun safety, the attacks on Planned Parenthood, big money influence in our politics, the Trans Pacific Partnership, and Iran and Syria. We hope that you and others give detailed answers in favor of strong gun laws, firmly supporting women’s health, firmly supporting campaign finance reform, firmly opposing a TPP written by and for big corporations, and for diplomacy instead of wars of choice,” they wrote in the letters.
“The topics you pro actively elevate, and your substantive answers to questions, will impact which issues dominate the 2016 election. Millions of people are looking for your leadership in these areas,” it concluded.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
