Hillary Clinton’s Speech on Economy

The New School, Manhatten, New York

10:00 am Est

Democratic Front-runner Hillary Clinton put the fight for higher wages for “everyday Americans” at the heart of her economic agenda on Monday, when she gave her first major policy speech in her White House bid at The New School in Manhattan, New York. Clinton stated that ensuring that middle class wages rise steadily will prove the “ defining economic challenge of our time” and would provide the American economy with a strong, fair and long-term growth.

Strong Growth

a) Expand employment opportunities- Full employability intertwined with income raise would foster competition

among cooperation’s which would in turn foster economic growthb) Provide tax relief for small businesses and the middle classc) Enact a comprehensive immigration reform

- “A comprehensive immigration reform would bring millions of Immigrants to the United States and “ strengthen the GDP $ 700 billion over the next ten years”

d) Make America the world’s clean energy superpower- Create millions of jobs- Strengthen Economy- Battle climate change

e) Increase private and public investmentf) Fund breakthrough and scientific and medical research g) Establish infrastructure bank

Collect business taxes and then “invest them into the infrastructure of this nation, into roads, airports and transport”

h) Make College affordable

i) Break down barriers to join the workforce- especially for women- Paid Leave- Child Care- Equal Pay

Fair Growth

a) If you work hard, you should be rewarded- Raise the minimum wage, crack down on exploitation

b) We need to raise middle class incomes and reduce financial inequalityc) Strengthening the Middle Class will lead to long-lasting growthd) Early Education- Help future career/incomee) Profit Sharing- Companies share profits with employeesf) Support Worker Unionsg) Guarantee College Affordabilityh) Invest in Students and Teachersi) Tax wealthy

Long-term Growth

a) Reform capital gains taxes to encourage long term instead of short term investment

b) Plan for the future, not just today- “ Workers are assets, investing into them is highly beneficial”

c) Impose accountability on Wall Streetd) “ Wall Street prioritizes short term profits over long-term growth”

- The proliferation of stock buybacks and dividends- Increase in non-cash compensation- Fixation on non-quarterly earnings- Rise of activist investors

e) Lower health care costs

Significant Quotes:

“ I want to see our economy work for the struggling, striving and the successful”

“ I will empower and appoint regulators who understand that too big too fail is still too big a problem”

“ I am running for President to build an America for tomorrow, not yesterday- where if you do your part you will reap the rewards”

“ We have to break free of the poisonous partisan gridlock and focus on the long-term needs of our country”

“ Let’s get back to making decisions that rely on evidence more than ideology”

Reactions

“The truth is, Hillary, and I’ve always said this, is a bold but practical progressive, I really think that’s the stamp of her vision on this.”

~ Neera Tanden ( President- Center for American Progress)

“The speech showed a clear understanding that our economy is not working for most Americans” and that we need to fundamentally rewrite the rules.”

~ Joseph E. Stiglitz ( Nobel Laureate in Economics)

“In the Obama economy, the typical American household has seen its income decline, Hillary Clinton is proposing the same failed policies that are stagnating growth and making it harder for businesses to hire and the middle class to achieve rising incomes.”

~ Kristy Campbell ( Jeb Bush Campaign Spokeswomen)

“ Clinton is offering antiquated proposals that protect the special interests that want to stifle American ingenuity”

~ Allie Brandenburger (Spokesperson for Jeb Bush)

“Coupled with Senator Bernie Sanders' early 2016 surge, today's speech illustrates the dominant force the Elizabeth Warren Wing is in the Democratic Party and the critical role it has already played in ensuring that income inequality, the moral issue of our time, sits at the very center of the 2016 presidential debate"

~ Jim Dean (Chair of Democracy for America)