President Elizabeth Warren?
President Elizabeth Warren.
Just imagine, for a moment, the fear those three words strike in the heart of every Wall Street hack in America.
For good reason. This past week we saw Sen. Elizabeth Warren demonstrate why she is such an important leader for our country. She built new momentum to stop the nomination of Antonio Weiss, the unqualified investment banker who has been tapped for an important Treasury Department post. She also led the effort to stop the loopholes in financial regulations that were included in the cromnibus government funding bill.
The cromnibus vote is a perfect example of why we need Sen. Warren to join the presidential race. At a pivotal moment in our country’s history, we need a presidential candidate who can bring Americans together to fight against income inequality and make sure our government is more about working families than Wall Street. That’s why our friends at MoveOn are launching a campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren for president — and why we are asking DFA members to potentially join the draft movement.
DFA’s Executive Director Charles Chamberlain makes the case in the email below. But before we move forward, we need the official approval of DFA members. This decision is now in your hands.
Voting starts now and ends on Tuesday, December 16, at 10am ET. You can cast your official ballot by clicking below: Should DFA launch a major campaign to draft Sen. Warren to run for president?
YES, DFA should draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
– Annie
Annie Weinberg, Electoral Director
Democracy for America
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America
Date: Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Subject: VOTE NOW: Should DFA draft Elizabeth Warren for president?
Ralph —
Did you hear the exciting news?
Following the results of Democracy for America’s 2016 Presidential Pulse Poll in November — which showed Sen. Elizabeth Warren taking the top spot by nearly 20 points — our friends at MoveOn just held a membership vote of their own and announced that they will invest at least $1 million in organizing an unprecedented people-powered campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
MoveOn will hire field organizers in early caucus and primary states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, and run a 100% positive campaign that amplifies Warren’s vision for strengthening the middle class and supporting working families. To launch the campaign, MoveOn is releasing an incredible new video telling Sen. Warren’s story — who she is and why she is the right leader for this pivotal moment in our nation’s history (scroll down to watch it).
From the New York Times and Boston Globe to MSNBC and CNN, this news became a game-changing — and potentially historic — day in presidential politics fueled not just by MoveOn’s bold move, but by a potential decision by DFA members as well. As one media outlet wrote:
MoveOn is not the only liberal political group pushing for a Warren run. Democracy for America said Tuesday it would poll its members about joining the “Draft Warren” effort.
“Washington consultants can spout off a dozen reasons why Elizabeth Warren shouldn’t run, but none of that beltway blather means a thing next to this one, simple truth: The Democratic Party and our country desperately need Warren’s voice in the 2016 presidential debate,” said DFA Executive Director Charles Chamberlain. “Senator Warren has deep grassroots support, an unwavering populist progressive vision, and the fearless fighting spirit needed to win the support of Democrats, independents and Republicans. And that’s why we will ask DFA members to support our plans to join the emerging Draft Warren effort.”
With the movement to draft Elizabeth Warren taking off, DFA members now have an opportunity to make history by officially launching a draft campaign of our own in concert with allies like MoveOn, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and grassroots SuperPAC Ready for Warren.But, before we move forward, we need the official approval of DFA members. This decision is now in your hands.
Voting starts now and ends on Tuesday, December 16 at 10am ET. You can cast your official ballot by clicking below: Should DFA launch a major campaign to draft Sen. Warren to run for president?
YES, DFA should draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
(Both voting links above include MoveOn’s compelling 4-minute “Run Warren Run” launch video, which is definitely worth watching no matter how you vote)
No one understands better than DFA members the impact of having the voice of a powerful leader in a presidential primary. That’s because we’ve done this before.
From Howard Dean to Barack Obama, DFA members have supported transformational leaders — against the odds — in the last two multi-candidate presidential primary races. And, in both cases, this support changed politics in America for the better. Forever.
As a Senator, Elizabeth Warren is forcing the Democratic Party to take on income inequality. As a presidential candidate, she could make the fight against income inequality a critical part of the 2016 platform — no matter who wins the nomination. And, as President, no one else would be better prepared to rally the nation to fix the income inequality crisis than Elizabeth Warren.
That’s why the Democratic Party — and the American people — need Sen. Warren’s voice in the 2016 presidential campaign.
As you probably know, Elizabeth Warren has previously said that she “is not” (phrased in the present tense) running for President. But, in a People magazine interview in October, Sen. Warren opened some “amazing doors” — providing a subtly encouraging answer in response to a question about whether or not she should jump in the race:
“If there’s any lesson I’ve learned in the last five years, it’s don’t be so sure about what lies ahead. There are amazing doors that could open.”
Until Sen. Warren definitively declares in a Shermanesque statement that she will not run for president, we owe it to her to build a powerful grassroots movement that maintains the possibility of a presidential run while ensuring that the fight against income inequality will be front and center in the 2016 presidential debate.
Do you agree? Please tell us now. Deadline: Tuesday, December 16, at 10am ET.
YES, DFA should draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
(Both voting links above include MoveOn’s compelling 4-minute “Run Warren Run” launch video, which is definitely worth watching no matter how you vote)
If we take this step, with your approval, our campaign to draft Warren won’t focus only on the presidential race. Why? Because a real grassroots movement starts from the bottom up.
We’ll draft and support the next generation of Elizabeth Warren candidates at all levels of office in all 50 states. We’ll build a broad coalition of candidates for Senate, U.S. House, state and local office who will stand with Warren in the fight against income inequality. We’ll train the campaign staff and grassroots activists who can help Warren Wing candidates achieve victory nationwide.
As DFA members told us time and again in response to our 2016 Presidential Pulse Poll in November, this isn’t just about who will be our next president. It’s about the future of our country.
But first, it’s about you and DFA. Tell us — should we do this together?
YES, DFA should draft Elizabeth Warren to run for president.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
– Charles
Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America