Describing herself as an "optimistic and modern progressive," Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton yesterday assailed the growing divide between rich and poor.

In a speech that was part history lesson (the fight for fair wages and working conditions at the turn of the 20th century) and part partisan attack (criticizing no-bid contracts with Halliburton and the size of the national deficit), Clinton laid out her vision for a revitalized middle class. Reducing oil and gas subsidies, eliminating tax incentives for companies that move jobs overseas and scrutinizing CEO pay, Clinton said, would help bridge the income gap.

"While productivity and corporate profits are up, the fruits of that success just hasn't reached many of our families," said Clinton, who spoke at the Manchester School of Technology, which trains high school students for careers in various industries, such as construction and culinary arts. "It's like trickle-down economics, without the trickle."

Since President Bush took office, incomes in many American families have declined, despite rising worker productivity, Clinton said. Health care premiums have surged, burdening many families, she said. But the wealthy, Clinton said, have prospered: Money continues to be concentrated in the hands of a small portion of the population, and CEO pay continues to rise.

Clinton deemed Bush's economic vision the "on-your-own society," and she criticized what she described as his willingness to dole out subsidies to corporations and "protect the drug companies from competition." At the same time, Clinton said, the Bush administration has left middle-class Americans to navigate the pitfalls of the new, global economy by themselves.

"It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few and for the few," Clinton said. "Time to reject the idea of an on-your-own society and replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity. I prefer a we're-all-in-it-together society."

Although Clinton's campaign billed yesterday's event as a "major policy address," the speech was more vision than policy. Clinton began by recounting the history of the progressive movement at the turn of the 20th century, when progressives "busted trusts, fought for safe working conditions and fair wages."

Clinton proceeded to muse on today's technology-driven, global economy, which has led some American companies to ship jobs overseas. Globalization could be an asset, she said.

But "the inescapable reality is that globalization, modern technology, economic policy are creating new conditions that threaten our middle-class families and make it harder to attain or maintain a middle-class lifestyle," she said.

Referring to herself as the modern version of the turn-of-the-century progressives, Clinton sounded an optimistic note. "I believe we can grow our economy in the face of global competition and in a way that benefits all Americans," she said.

Many of the themes in yesterday's address have emerged in Clinton's earlier town hall events and speeches. She frequently refers to her middle-class roots, and she denounces Bush for overlooking the economic needs of many Americans.

But vision aside, Clinton yesterday listed a series of proposals that she said would shore up the middle class. In addition to ending subsidies for big corporations and eliminating tax incentives for companies that move jobs out of the country, Clinton called for a balanced federal budget and reduced dependence on foreign lenders. The earned income tax credit for low-income workers should be expanded and simplified, Clinton said. And investing in alternative energy could yield new jobs, she said.

Clinton also stressed the need for affordable college education and for schools that prepare high school students for the workforce, such as the Manchester School of Technology.

"So many people I talk to just want to hit the restart button on the 21st century and redo it the right way," Clinton said.

------ End of article

Single page