It was a resounding hit! On Monday, more than 10,000 MoveOn members across the country gathered online to watch Senator Elizabeth Warren and acclaimed economist Thomas Piketty discuss income inequality.
If you missed it or want to watch it again, check out the replay here—along with Sen. Warren and Dr. Piketty's shout-out to MoveOn members and Sen. Warren's special message at the end to MoveOn members.
Dr. Piketty and Sen. Warren
Dr. Piketty, who authored Capital in the Twenty-First Century, and Sen. Warren, who authored A Fighting Chance, are two of our leading thinkers on economic inequality today. The pairing of these leaders was a moment whose time had come—and MoveOn members joined the watch party in droves to witness their conversation on our website. Throughout the discussion, Sen. Warren and Dr. Piketty answered questions from MoveOn members to compelling effect.
They included questions like how the costs of climate change will interplay with inequality, submitted by Diane W. in Florida, and how to deal with the growing problem of student loans, submitted by Barbara A. in Arkansas and Robert B. in Oregon.
In all, more than 3,300 members submitted questions, sparking a wide-ranging discussion with quotes like these:
"The problem is rising inequality, the fact that top wealth-holders have been rising three times faster than the size of the economy."—Dr. Piketty
Another very common thread in MoveOn members' questions was what they can do to fight back. As Irma in California asked, "What can I do as an ordinary citizen to make a difference?""The game right now in America is rigged . . . The rules don't get better for America's middle class. The rules are getting better for those who are a thin slice at the top. And that is the profound danger that we see from great inequality."—Sen. Warren
At the end of the interview, Sen. Warren gave this reminder: "[I]t's a set of rules by which we govern ourselves, and here in America, we the people get to decide what the rules are. So I get how hard this is. This is about concentrated money and power on one side, but it's about our values, our voices and our votes on our side. I believe we can fight back. I believe we can win."
This much was also clear from MoveOn members' submitted questions and the enthusiastic response to Sen. Warren and Dr. Piketty's ideas: There is a tremendous hunger and energy to tackle the corrosive causes of—and the challenges posed by—income inequality in America. It's a drive that Sen. Warren recognized at the end of her message to you: "I'm so grateful to everybody at MoveOn. We make each other stronger, so let's get out there."
In the weeks and months ahead, that's exactly what MoveOn members will be doing. As a first step, can you help spread the word and lift up Sen. Warren and Dr. Piketty's ideas?
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilya, Kyle, Justin, Kate, and the rest of the teamP.S. Thanks again to the event host, The Huffington Post; moderator Ryan Grim; and event sponsor the Patriotic Millionaires.
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