Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren, two of the Democratic Party’s most popular figures, held a secret meeting in December.
In December Hillary Clinton invited Elizabeth Warren to a private meeting at the former Secretary of State’s home in Washington, D.C. The two top Democratic leaders discussed policy and ideas, but Mrs. Clinton did not ask Senator Warren for an endorsement. The New York Times, which first reported the news today, called it “a move by the Democrats’ leading contender in 2016 to cultivate the increasingly influential senator and leader of the party’s economic populist movement.”
Mrs. Clinton solicited policy ideas and suggestions from Ms. Warren, according to a Democrat briefed on the meeting, who called it “cordial and productive.†Mrs. Clinton, who has been seeking advice from a range of scholars, advocates and officials, did not ask Ms. Warren to consider endorsing her likely presidential candidacy.
The get-together represented a step toward relationship-building for two women who do not know each other well. And for Mrs. Clinton, it was a signal that she would prefer Ms. Warren’s counsel delivered in person, as a friendly insider, rather than on national television or in opinion articles. And for Ms. Warren, the meeting offered the opportunity to make clear what she believes are the most pressing national issues.
That Mrs. Clinton — who is currently developing her economic platform — reached out to Ms. Warren suggests that she is aware of how much the debate over economic issues has shifted even during the relatively short time she was away from domestic politics while serving as secretary of state.
Senator Warren, who accepted a special advisory seat among Senate Democrats created specifically for her, has repeatedly stated she is not running for president, despite many attempts by progressives to encourage her.
Former Senator Clinton, in a new poll, is still ranked number one among Democrats in early primary states.
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Images via Wikimedia: Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren