TPP/Fast Track: The Politico story about Elizabeth Warren that made me laugh out loud

On Thursday, Politico published a story on the Obama administration, Elizabeth Warren and the Trans-Pacific Partnership that was so flat-out ridiculous it actually made me laugh out loud. Here's what they said:

"Obama has already called Warren 'wrong' on trade. But in private, administration officials fume in much more colorful terms over Warren's attacks, calling them 'baseless' and 'desperate,' with 'no bearing or relation to anything we are doing.' They also suggest the Massachusetts senator knows going after trade deals will only further energize the 'Draft Warren' movement that desperately wants her to run for president."

Seriously?!

We're flattered that people in the administration are paying such close attention to our Run Warren Run grassroots organizing. But let's be real: Elizabeth Warren was the toughest advocate out there for policies that protect working families for a long time before the draft movement existed. It's one of the key reasons we started the Run Warren Run campaign in the first place.

Let's make it clear to the administration that the leadership Warren is showing on the TPP now is exactly the kind of boldness Democrats are going to need to win in 2016 -- and that's why we want her in this race. Will you pitch in $3 to help us take our Run Warren Run organizing to the next level?

It's not surprising that the administration is lashing out at Elizabeth Warren and progressives right now. They genuinely thought that Fast Track for the TPP was a done deal -- that yet another corporate-backed, anti-worker trade deal would be set to sail through Congress without amendments even even before it could be read by regular people like you and me. Now, the White House isn't even certain they can scrape together enough votes to pass Fast Track authority in the Senate, let alone the House.

Elizabeth Warren's voice and leadership have been key to halting this job-killing trade deal and the fast track authority needed to pass it in its tracks. That alone is a great reason to want to see her run in 2016. But taking on powerful interest groups in order to defend people who are just trying to get by isn't new for Warren -- it's a big part of who she is.

She led the fight to get the hugely-successful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau off the ground -- that's why progressive activists drafted her to run for Senate. Since taking office, she's been a leader in the fight for making education affordable, holding Wall Street accountable and protecting consumers from corporate abuses.

Elizabeth Warren doesn't need to use the TPP to "further energize" her supporters, no matter what unnamed White House officials hoping to land a sweet lobbyist gig think. We know a true progressive champion when we see one. We couldn't be more excited to have Senator Warren's back. And we're going to do everything we can to show her that if she runs in 2016, she will have all the support she needs to win.

If you are as excited about the idea of an Elizabeth Warren candidacy as I am, help us build the movement we need to convince her to make the leap -- pitch in $3 now to support our Run Warren Run campaign.

Thanks for helping us support bold progressive leadership,

- Neil

Neil Sroka, Communications Director
Democracy for America