Clinton Calls for Expanding Economic Opportunities

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton weighed in on the debate over income inequality on Friday, calling for policies intended to help the struggling middle class, in a speech that seemed suited to a campaign.

Addressing the New America Foundation, a public policy group, Mrs. Clinton - a former first lady, senator and secretary of state, and a possible 2016 presidential candidate - appealed to the progressive wing of her party, calling for policies that would promote broad-based economic growth and help everyone from the so-called millennial generation to women gain the skills they need to succeed in a global economy.

'The dream of upward mobility that made this country a model for the world feels further and further out of reach,' Mrs. Clinton said, 'and many Americans understandably feel frustrated, even angry.'

She emphasized the importance of education to help close what experts call 'the achievement gap' and talked about ' Too Small to Fail,' a new early childhood initiative she began through the Clinton Global Initiative, the foundation her husband, the former President Bill Clinton, founded. She also called for more skills and work force training programs to help young Americans get and hold jobs.

She added that the Clinton Global Initiative, for its conference in Denver next month, is assembling a network of businesses that are committed to 'expanding hiring, training, mentoring - hopefully to create a virtuous ripple throughout the economy.'

Mrs. Clinton drew on personal accounts as well, talking about the belief of her mother, Dorothy Rodham, in what Mrs. Clinton called 'the basic bargain of America.' Mrs. Clinton described that view as, 'No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you'll have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your family.'

But, she continued: 'Unfortunately, it's no secret that for too many families in America today, that isn't the way it works anymore. Instead of getting ahead, they're finding it harder than ever to get their footing in our changing economy.'

Her speech, which was laced with statistics and details from economic and social studies, seemed to tap into a populist moment in the country, one that has been embraced in different dimensions: on the right by the Tea Party movement that sprang up during the financial crisis, and on the left by the prescriptions of Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City.

Mrs. Clinton said that some are calling the current climate 'a throwback to the Gilded Age of the robber barons.'

Referring to the struggle of a generic single mother - one of 'some 10 million single moms trying hard to make it in America today' - Mrs. Clinton painted a bleak picture: 'Religious and community organizations are weaker, the schools never seem good enough, there are few quality affordable child care options. She doesn't just face ceilings on her aspirations and opportunities. Sometimes it feels as is the floor has collapsed beneath her.

'Now,' she added, 'these are the kinds of daily struggles of millions and millions of Americans, those fighting to get into the middle class and those fighting to stay there.'

But Mrs. Clinton also took a detour to reminisce about the sunnier economic times during the presidency of her husband.

'The 1990s taught us that even in the face of difficult long-term economic trends, it's possible through smart policies and sound investments to enjoy broad-based growth and shared prosperity,' she said.

Turning to a speech Mr. Clinton gave last month at Georgetown University, his undergraduate alma mater, in which he defended his economic legacy, she rattled off what she called his accomplishments: '23 million new jobs were created, raising the minimum wage, doubling the earned-income tax credit.'

'Yes, a rising tide really did lift all boats,' she said.

She briefly praised President Obama for his 'years of painstaking work and strong leadership' to 'get our economy growing again,' and implicitly criticized the administration of the former President George W. Bush, without mentioning his name.

Following her time as first lady, Mrs. Clinton recalled watching from a perch on the Senate Budget Committee, as New York's junior senator, how the 'new administration' made 'different choices' from her husband's.

'The next eight years taught us different lessons about how by policy choices we can turn surpluses into debt, we can return to rising deficits,' she said. 'That's what happens when your only policy prescription is to cut taxes for the wealthy, and then to deal with the aftermath of a terrible terrorist attack and two wars without paying for them.'