Warren prods 2016 Dems to hire liberal policy advisers

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called upon the Democratic field of presidential candidates Friday to surround themselves with liberal advisers who would push policies to hold Wall Street’s feet to the fire.

“Anyone who wants to be president should appoint only people who have already demonstrated they are independent, who have already demonstrated that they can hold giant banks accountable,” Warren said at the annual Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix. “It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. Personnel is policy.”

Though she didn’t mention any one specific candidate by name, the remarks come as many speculate about how Warren’s popularity with the left is impacting Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Her comments came after an economic adviser for the Clinton campaign said earlier this week that Clinton would not be pushing to re-instate anti-big bank policy that Warren aggressively supports and is popular with the liberal base.

Alan Blinder, a former Federal Reserve official, told Retuers on Monday that Clinton had no plans to push for reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act, the Depression-era banking law that divided investment and commercial banking that President Bill Clinton repealed in 1999.

“It’s time to stop pretending and really end too big to fail with rules like the Glass-Steagall Act,” Warren said.

She once again criticized Citigroup for its employees utilizing a so-called “revolving door” between working for the financial institution and the government.

“The only way that candidates for president — or for any office — will slow down the revolving door, the only way candidates will say ‘enough is enough’ is if you — you — demand that they say it,” Warren said.

Many progressives had hoped that Warren herself would run for president. At one point, the crowd broke out into shouts chanting, “Run.”

Warren quieted the crowd.

“Let’s not get carried away here,” she said and continued on with her speech.