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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., waves to the crowd after her introduction at the Netroots Nation conference in Detroit Friday. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

 

Cheers for Elizabeth Warren at conference offer peek at Democrats' mindset

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
THE NEW YORK TIMES

DETROIT, MI - Even before Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., entered the grand ballroom of the Cobo Center here Friday for a much-anticipated speech to hundreds of liberal activists, her admirers were handing out plastic boater hats, bumper stickers and lawn signs declaring, "Elizabeth Warren for President."

Warren has said repeatedly that she will not be a candidate in 2016. But her presence here at the annual Netroots Nation conference — and the absence of Hillary Rodham Clinton — offers a peek into the mindset of the Democratic Party's left wing.

Progressives like Clinton (and think she can win.) But they love Warren (even if they are not sure she can.)

On Friday, they let the love flow.

"Run, Liz, run!" the crowd chanted as the senator took the stage. She tried to shush them, waving her arms and admonishing them like the teacher she once was: "Sit down, people. Come on, let's get started." Then she launched into the sort of blistering populist assault on corporations, Republicans, banks, lobbyists and trade deals that has become her trademark.

"They cheated American families, crashed the economy, got bailed out, and now the biggest banks are even bigger than they were when they got too big to fail in 2008!" Warren thundered, in one of her many applause lines. "A kid gets caught with a few ounces of pot and goes to jail, but a big bank launders drug money and no one gets arrested. The game is rigged!"

She went on: "Billionaires pay taxes at lower rates than their secretaries. How does this happen? It happens because they all have lobbyists. Lobbyist and Republican friends in Congress. Lobbyists and Republicans to protect every loophole and every privilege. The game is rigged, and it isn't right!"

The Netroots conference, the nation's largest gathering of liberal activists and organizers, is a natural base for Warren. A nascent group calling itself Ready for Warren — an obvious takeoff on "Ready for Hillary," the political action committee devoted to supporting a potential Clinton White House bid — was behind the hat and bumper sticker effort. It is not yet an official organization.

"We are just getting focused on tapping into the grass-roots momentum," said Erica Sagrans, its spokeswoman, who worked for President Barack Obama's campaign in 2012. She said she and a handful of like-minded Warren admirers had founded the Ready for Warren group after creating a Twitter feed and a Facebook group that attracted a surprisingly large following. The group launched a Ready4Warren website this week.

People here were all too happy to take the hats and the bumper stickers.

"Elizabeth Warren tells it like it is," said Marcia Riquelme, co-chairwoman of the DeForest Area Progressives, a group in her home state of Wisconsin, who sported a "Corporations Are Not People" button on her lapel.

As for Clinton, she said: "I appreciate Hillary. But I know that Elizabeth Warren has a perspective that is probably healthier. She has good economic principles. She has a depth of experience, and she knows how to share her deepest heart."

Speaking before Warren's talk, Alyssa Aguilera, 27, a community organizer in New York, said, "I think Hillary has a better chance of beating a Republican, but I think Elizabeth Warren is a better progressive." After hearing Warren, Aguilera said, "I'm ready for Warren!"

Clinton was invited but declined to attend, organizers said. Democratic analysts said that was no surprise — for her to have attended such a gathering would have been tantamount to announcing a presidential run, which she is not yet ready to do. Warren, as a sitting senator who is campaigning for fellow Democrats this year, had more reason to be here. Vice President Joe Biden addressed the group Thursday.

But while Clinton was absent, Ready for Hillary, the super PAC whose sole purpose is to encourage her to run for the White House in 2016, was hard at work here, trying to expand its ever-growing email list. The group paid $10,000 to co-sponsor the conference, conducted a panel discussion, and planned a party for attendees. Its blue-and-white star-spangled bus was ubiquitous.

"In lieu of having a candidate — for now — we have a bus," said Tracy Sefl, its spokeswoman.
 

 

 
   
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