Will the Liberal CPAC Kick Off the 2020 Race? – New Republic

A number of participants are people who are considered to be 2020 presidential contenders: Senators Kirsten Gilibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Chris Murphy will all address the conference, as will Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Montana Governor Steve Bullock, who won a state Trump won by 20 points, will also address the conference, as will Obamas National Security Advisor Susan Rice, who has been accused of several offenses by the sitting president.

We should keep in mind that were in month four of the Trump administration, Tanden said about the shadow Trump will cast on the conference. Its reasonable for people to be focused on his actions because theyre such an assault on vulnerable people, on progressive values, on other Americans. There is a lot to criticize. But our expectation is that people will provide an alternative vision and that our speakers, whether theyre senators or governors or even a mayor, will provide a positive alternative as well.

No one who has already run for president was invited to speak at the conference, underscoring its goal of highlighting progressive rising stars. Our focus is really on trying to highlight people who other people dont see every day, Tanden said. People who are fighting and have positive ideas about how the country can move forward.

Unlike CPAC, the Ideas Conference will be much more focusedit has only one stage and lasts for only one day, unlike CPAC, which goes on for four. Like CPAC, the Ideas Conference aims to bring together grassroots and established organizationsTanden highlighted Indivisible, Swing Left, Town Hall Project, Digital Democracy, Democracy Lab, and Our Revolution, as well as Planned Parenthood and the ACLUwith political leaders. But the more modest scope also means, however, that the grassroots groups wont have the kind of prominence that they have at CPAC. Its panel on the resistance features Indivisibles Leah Greenberg, civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas, and immigration activist and DREAMer Astrid Silva, but the majority of the other talks are more dominated by politicians.

Asked about the influence of the grassroots, Tanden highlighted the resistance panel and a training session CAP will be hosting for groups and activists attending the conference. But she also stressed that the Ideas Conference is trying to fill a leadership void on the progressive side. We wanted to have a mix of politicians and grassroots leaders, Tanden said. We really hear the deep demand for leaders and we definitely wanted to showcase them. We wanted to highlight the resistance. Youll feel that throughout the day. People are anxious for leaders to step up up right now.

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Will the Liberal CPAC Kick Off the 2020 Race? - New Republic