Elizabeth Warren urges a Democratic left turn

NY Times -   Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Monday 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,” she said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. “But we can’t win unless we rebuild trust” with the working class.

Her 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: Ms. Warren said on Monday afternoon that President Trump had called her after her speech and they had discussed affordability.

Now 76 and unlikely to run for president again in 2028, Ms. Warren has mostly taken a back seat as younger Democratic politicians jockey for the next presidential contest. She remains a prominent voice on the party’s left, however, and her remarks signaled worry among progressives that they may not have much of a say in Democrats’ future economic message.