The Draft Warren movement: Crashing the gate of the 2016 election
By Erica Sagrans
2/26/15

As the founder of Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas led the movement to “crash the gate” of the political establishment in the mid 2000’s — channeling the energy of the newly formed netroots to completely shake up politics in Washington. Nine years after Moulitsas and Jerome Armstrong published their book, “Crashing the Gate,” we believe it’s time to crash the gate again — this time, by leading a grassroots effort to draft Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to run for president.

So it’s surprising that Moulitsas is now telling this people-powered movement urging Elizabeth Warren to run for president that we should just “pack it in” and go home. Just as the Iraq War did in 2004, today our movement is galvanized by growing income inequality and frustration at Wall Street banks that crashed our economy. It’s the way the system is rigged in favor of those at the very top, with too many Americans working harder than ever while falling behind. No one has spoken out more passionately or intelligently about these problems — and solutions — than Sen. Warren.

We completely agree with Moulitsas when he says that “Warren’s positions on key issues are extremely popular with voters, from student loan relief to breaking up too-big-to-fail banks to expanding Social Security.” Warren has inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the country with the way she’s fighting for progressive values. It’s rare that a leader emerges to meet the moment the way Warren has, and the energy we’re seeing behind Warren and her ideas is real.

Even with Hillary Clinton as the anticipated the front-runner, wouldn’t it be incredible to have two accomplished women out there representing the Democratic Party...

... Voters in Colorado recently surprised well-respected Democratic pollster Peter Hart, whose major takeaway from a bipartisan focus group was that “[people are] looking for someone who will be a voice for their cause. And Elizabeth Warren has broken through.”

Warren may not have the “narcissistic egotism” that Moulitsas believes leads some people to run for president. Warren is the rare leader who is motivated not by political power, but by political outcomes, and the chance to change people’s lives for the better...

...That’s the moment we’re in now: either Warren herself steps up, or nobody does. And as Moulitsas himself points out, Warren was hesitant to run for Senate in 2012 — until progressives changed her mind...

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/233827-the-draft-warren-movement-crashing-the-gate-of-the-2016-election