In what appears to be a sign of the growing rift in the Democratic Party’s base, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee called on its 1 million supporters to side with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., against President Obama on trade. The progressive group has offered its full support for Warren, and blasted Obama’s actions.
“Obama has tried to belittle Warren with insults — saying she’s just wrong without actually disputing her core points,” PCCC told its members. “President Obama has never attacked Republican Leader Mitch McConnell the way he’s attacking Elizabeth Warren.”
President Obama stirred things up when he called Warren “absolutely wrong” about her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is the Obama administration’s proposed trade deal among 12 nations. Warren has criticized Obama, in turn, for not being forthcoming about the TPP and has argued that it will provide Republicans an easier pathway to undermining liberal financial reforms.
In a speech at the National Press Club earlier today, Warren lashed out against the president’s desired trade agreement and said, “The rich and powerful rigged the game, and now they want it to stay rigged.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took the stage directly after Warren and lauded her leadership. Warren, according to The New York Observer, departed immediately after her remarks and did not listen to de Blasio. The mayor is in town on Monday to promote his “Progressive Agenda,” which he has styled as the liberal version of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract with America.”
De Blasio’s effusive praise of Warren is noteworthy because he has been more reserved regarding his recent comments about Hillary Clinton. The mayor, who ran Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign, has chosen not to endorse Clinton for president on multiple occasions, saying he is “optimistic” but waiting to let things shake out as they will.
Warren has said she does not intend to run for president, but many on the Left appear to be courting her anyway as they seek a progressive who would prioritize a more liberal agenda.
