With Democrats at a Crossroads, Sen Elizabeth Warren Urges a Left Turn

Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) let fly a wide-ranging attack on business-friendly Democrats and their billionaire supporters, warning that her party risked cozying up too much to corporate interests as it tries to shed perceptions that it has drifted too far to the left. “I understand the temptation—in this moment of national crisis—to sand down our edges to avoid offending anyone, especially the rich and powerful who might finance our candidates,” Sen Warren said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. “But we can’t win unless we rebuild trust” with the working class, she said. Sen Warren's speech sought to stake out a progressive economic vision for the Democratic Party as some of its leaders work to pull the party to the center in an effort to make it more competitive nationally. As an attempt to get attention, it worked in one way: Sen Warren said that President Trump had called her after her speech and they had discussed affordability.