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Hillary Clinton Delivers Major Economic Address At New School In Greenwich Village

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton is in New York City Monday laying out her most concrete vision for the U.S. economy in a pitch to Democrats who are being wooed by Clinton's chief rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and a larger electorate assessing the 2016 presidential field.

The Democratic presidential front-runner outlined the themes of her economic agenda in a speech at The New School in Greenwich Village. Clinton emphasized the need for policies to increase real income of everyday Americans.

"I believe we have to build a growth and fairness economy," Clinton said.

Clinton spoke about tax reform, the need to raise wages and promote profit-sharing, Steve Kastenbaum reported on 1010 WINS.

Clinton Lays Out Economic Vision

Clinton is also used the speech to portray a large field of Republicans as beholden to tax cuts and quick fixes that will fail to jumpstart wages.

She also took a shot at GOP rival former Governor Jeb Bush.

"You may have heard Governor Bush say last week that Americans just need to work longer hours," Clinton said. "Well, he must not have met very many American workers."

Clinton encouraged companies to offer profit-sharing with their employees, and pointed to potential changes in the tax code to help workers benefit, her campaign said Monday.

"That will be good for workers and good for business. Studies show profit-sharing that gives everyone a stake in a company's success can boost productivity and put money directly into employees' pockets. It's a win-win,'' Clinton said in remarks prepared for delivery.

Clinton's high-profile economic speech coincides with a courting of labor groups and Hispanic officials by Clinton, Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Clinton received the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers union on Saturday and both Clinton and Sanders were holding private meetings with labor leaders later in the week.

Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist who has risen in recent Democratic polls, said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation'' on Sunday that he planned to address poverty in the coming weeks and reach out to voters in conservative states in the South.

"I'm going to be going around the country not only to blue states, but to red states, conservative states. We're going to go to Alabama, we're going to go to Mississippi," Sanders said. "I think the message that we have is resonating. People are going to get involved in the political process, we're going to drive turnout up and when we do that we win."

The three Democratic contenders were addressing the National Council of La Raza conference in Kansas City later Monday, appealing to members of the nation's largest Latino advocacy organization.

In her New York address, Clinton pointed to the economic progress during her husband's two terms in the 1990s and more recently under President Barack Obama. But she noted that globalization and technological changes require the next president to take steps to help middle-class Americans participate in economic prosperity.

"She's clearly saying, 'Look, things have changed.' We've gone through financial crises, globalization and technological changes creating inequality,'' said Jacob Hacker, a Yale University political scientist who has advised Clinton's campaign. "We need a robust approach.''

In framing an economic vision, Clinton will is attempting to meet the demands of liberals within her own party who are wary of her willingness to regulate Wall Street. Some of those Democrats have rallied behind Sanders, who has made economic inequality the central focus of his campaign.

Republicans said Clinton was simply offering a prescription for a bigger government role in the economy.

"Every policy she is pursuing will make income inequality worse, not better, crony capitalism even worse, not better,'' said Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina in an interview with ABC's "This Week.'' "And meanwhile, we will continue to crush the businesses that create jobs and middle class families.''

Clinton was expected to assail Republicans for supporting "trickle-down'' economic policies that she contends have led to the wealthiest Americans benefiting the most from the economy.

In recent speeches, Clinton has sought to undermine the entire Republican field, including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, as supporters of "top-down'' economic policies and large tax breaks for the wealthy. Bush has said he would set a goal of 4 percent economic growth, including 19 million jobs, if elected president. But Clinton will say that economic progress should be measured by middle-class incomes rising, not specific rates of growth.

"They're back to the trickle down, cut taxes on the wealthy and everything will be fine,'' Clinton said last week in Iowa. "This will be the biggest economic debate, because they know the only way they can win the White House back is to somehow convince voters that what we have done didn't work.''

 

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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