Run Warren Run’ Is Over. What Did It Accomplish?

[eridani]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/209121/run-warren-run-over-what-did-it-accomplish

But before Run Warren Run becomes a footnote to the 2016 election saga, it’s important to take stock of what the draft movement has accomplished and the role it has played in Democratic politics. (And, it should be noted, the draft movement isn’t totally over—the organizers of Ready for Warren, a group managed by former Obama campaign staffers, confirmed to The Nation that they will press onwards.)

When the campaign kicked off back in December, nobody was quite sure what kind of campaign Hillary Clinton might run—but progressives were plenty nervous about it, and with good reason. Insider reports indicated that the Clinton camp might frame her candidacy as a fight against “Washington gridlock,” which can fairly be read as rapprochement with Republicans and the big-money interests that regularly gum up the works in DC.

There were also persistent suggestions from anonymous Clinton aides in Beltway publications that Clinton might not even debate during the Democratic primaries. Coming on the heels of a summer book tour where Clinton didn’t speak to a single progressive or left-leaning outlet, many liberal activists worried Clinton simply didn’t care about them or their concerns.

Fast forward to today, where Clinton has unmistakably moved to the left. She voiced support for a $15 minimum wage and has flirted with the idea of debt-free college, two organizing goals of the left. She also backed a constitutional amendment to Citizens United and has frequently talked up the problem of income inequality, starting with her announcement video where she noted that the “deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” a clear echo of Warren’s rigged-game framing. She neglected to endorse the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (though she hasn’t opposed it, either). And her first big campaign speech later this month will be deliberately tied to the legacy of FDR.

There’s still considerable skepticism of Clinton’s desire to become a true populist, particularly among liberal donors, and she hasn’t said much so far about truly taking on and reforming the financial sector. But any plans to run a truly centrist campaign have clearly been abandoned.