'We promised more': Elizabeth Warren calls on Democrats to up their game ahead of the midterms

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) on Monday urged her fellow Democrats to stop at nothing to make good on the campaign promises they made to voters in 2020 if they want to avoid a shellacking in November's midterm elections.

"Ahead of the 2020 election, we advanced ideas and plans that we believed would, in ways big and small, make our democracy and our economy work better for all Americans. Across this country, voters agreed with us — and gave us a majority in Washington so that we could deliver on those promises," Warren wrote in a New York Times editorial.

Republicans – aided by conservative Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) and Joe Manchin (West Virginia) – have stopped at nothing to obstruct President Joe Biden's priorities, and "are betting that a stalled Biden agenda won’t give Democrats enough to run on in the midterm elections — and they might be right," she opined.

"Despite pandemic relief, infrastructure investments and the historic Supreme Court confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, we promised more — and voters remember those promises," Warren added.

The disturbing success of the GOP's numerous culture wars has roused its right-wing base, particularly in competitive districts in swing states that were narrowly won by Biden. Coupled with the wave of retirements in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as outside issues such as inflation, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the war in Ukraine, Democrats are extremely vulnerable in this year's cycle.

Warren wrote that the contrasts between the two major political parties could not be more obvious.

"Standing up for the inherent dignity of everyone is a core American value, and Democrats are proud to do that every day," she said, noting that "while Republican politicians peddle lies, fear and division, we should use every single one of the next 200 days or so before the election to deliver meaningful improvements for working people."

To Warren, Democrats have not mounted a strong enough counter-punch to Republican intransigence, and she believes that unless that changes, her party will see its congressional majorities vanish.

"If we fail to use the months remaining before the elections to deliver on more of our agenda, Democrats are headed toward big losses in the midterms," Warren warned.

'Time is running short," she stressed. "We need to finalize a budget reconciliation deal, making giant corporations pay their share to fund vital investments in combating climate change and lowering costs for families, which can advance with only 50 Senate votes. Other priorities can be done with the president’s executive authority. It’s no secret that I believe we should abolish the filibuster. But if Republicans want to use it to block policies that Americans broadly support, we should also force them to take those votes in plain view."

Warren then laid out several key issues that would benefit the American people which Democrats can force Republicans to oppose on the record.

Among them are the fight against prolific corruption, banning lawmakers from owning and trading stocks, stopping corporate-greed-fueled inflation, lowering the costs of prescription drugs, raising taxes on billionaires, protecting the integrity of American elections, and Biden's big, as yet unfulfilled pledge to cancel student loan debt.

"Across America, these are popular plans," Warren said, noting that Democrats have "a big legislative agenda, but it isn’t big enough. We also need to use every tool of the presidency to deliver for working people."

She also called upon Biden to use his executive powers in order to "make massive strides to close gender and racial wealth gaps."

Biden, however, "can do more," the former Democratic presidential candidate continued. "Decisive action on everything from lowering prescription drug prices to ensuring that more workers are eligible for overtime pay can be executed by the president alone, using the authority already given to him by existing laws, without rounding up 50 Senate votes."

Warren further admitted that "like many Americans," she too is "frustrated by our failure to get big things done — things that are both badly needed and very popular."

Warren concluded by ringing the alarm bells about what is truly at stake this upcoming fall.

"Democrats cannot bow to the wisdom of out-of-touch consultants who recommend we simply tout our accomplishments," the Senator said. "Instead, Democrats need to deliver more of the president’s agenda — or else we will not be in the majority much longer."

Warren's full column can be viewed here (subscription required).