In a speech today in New York City, Hillary Rodham Clinton gave the first economic speech of her presidential campaign. She spoke about a number of topics including: raising wages for the middle class, reigning in Wall Street bankers, and creating a stronger economy for everyone. Clinton’s can best be outlined in three categories:
- Strong Growth. Growing the economy by expanding employment opportunities, tax relief for small businesses and middle class Americans, comprehensive immigration reform, investing in clean energy, increase funding for scientific and medial research, establish an infrastructure bank, and make college more affordable. She also called for equal pay for women, affordable health care, paid sick and family leave, and affordable child care.
- Fair Growth. Clinton’s strongest argument was that if you work hard, you have a right to expect something in return. She called for raising the minimum wage, reduce health care costs, supporting labor unions, tax reform, expanding early childhood learning, and encouraging businesses to share their profits with employees.
- Long-Term Growth. In the long term, she called for reforming the capital gains tax, increasing benefits and training for workers, focusing on long term investments, imposing stricter accountability for Wall Street, and planning for the future.
In addition to outlining her her economic plan, Clinton criticized her Republican rivals for the failed trickle down economics strategy saying, “For 35 years, Republicans have argued that if we give more wealth to those at the top by cutting their taxes and letting big corporations write their own rules, it will trickle down — it will trickle down to everyone else.”
Today’s speech, held at The New School, was the result of several hundred meetings between Clinton’s team and economic advisers, including Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Clinton’s speech was applauded by many Democrats and liberals as many of her policies appear to have been inspired by Senator Elizabeth Warren, someone who has been pushed to run for president by many. Senator Warren and Clinton have met and discussed economic policy.
A video of the full video of the speech is above. You may also read the full transcript by CLICKING HERE.
Video Source: YouTube
News Source: CNN, The Wall Street Journal
Hillary Clinton Speeches 