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Editorial: 3 themes for Clinton's speech

 
As Hillary Clinton addresses the nation tonight, there are three questions she should address for voters anxious about the future and tired of Washington gridlock.
As Hillary Clinton addresses the nation tonight, there are three questions she should address for voters anxious about the future and tired of Washington gridlock.
Published July 27, 2016

Hillary Clinton is poised to make history tonight as she becomes the first woman to accept a major political party's nomination for president. The Democratic National Convention had a bumpy start, with the resignation of the DNC chair and many convention delegates pledged to Bernie Sanders still reluctant to embrace her. But Sanders has been unequivocal in his support for Clinton, and there have been plenty of highlights such as first lady Michelle Obama's stirring opening night speech and Bill Clinton's endearing stories about his wife's lifelong efforts to change lives for the better.

As Clinton addresses the nation, here are three questions she should address for voters anxious about the future and tired of Washington gridlock:

1. How would she help Americans left behind by the economic recovery, who feel their jobs are threatened by foreign trade agreements and immigrants — and are so desperate for change they are prepared to vote for Donald Trump?

Clinton's incremental approach to change is not enough for Sanders supporters on the left or Trump supporters on the right. Investing in early childhood education is a smart long-term move. Raising the minimum wage and tax cuts for the middle class will help, but they are not going to change the lives of factory workers whose jobs are outsourced, residents of dying small towns or high school graduates who did not go to college.

There is a danger that Clinton can get too wonky. But she has to avoid being labeled as the status quo and offer a vision that shows she understands those struggles. She needs to offer a bold, practical agenda that would provide immediate help and renewed hope for the future. Immediate access to job training and a significant investment in public works projects would be a start.

2. What will be America's role in a dangerous world plagued by terrorism?

As secretary of state, Clinton was often more hawkish than President Barack Obama. She would have sent more troops to Afghanistan and kept more troops in Iraq. She wanted to create a no-fly zone and arm rebels in Syria, which Obama rejected. Last month, she talked of a more aggressive air operation in Iraq and Syria while pushing allies in the Middle East to do more and to stop aiding terrorists.

Perhaps most importantly, Clinton has talked of beefing up intelligence efforts at home and abroad to thwart terrorists. She should explain how these efforts will make Americans safer and how working with NATO allies and engaging in the world is smarter than Trump's isolationist approach.

Clinton's view of the world is more nuanced and sophisticated than Trump's — and that makes it harder to explain. A more muscular approach to fighting terrorism will have a human and financial cost, and she needs to be frank about the risks versus the potential rewards.

3. How can she work with Congress to accomplish anything?

With Republicans controlling Congress and with Obama in the White House, nothing much has gotten done in Washington. Democrats may take control of the Senate, but Clinton would have to develop better relationships with Republicans than Obama has managed in order to break the stalemate.

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Clinton should describe how she intends to work with Congress rather than fight with it. She could point to potential areas of common ground. There should be ways to agree on increasing public spending on infrastructure to create jobs. There finally may be a path to immigration reform. Since a Clinton presidency would guarantee Republicans could not repeal the Affordable Care Act, there could be a consensus on how to improve it in some sort of grand compromise.

Americans want change, and it's hard to imagine Clinton as a change agent even as her husband made a reasonable case Tuesday night that she has successfully pushed for change throughout her life. As she accepts the Democratic nomination for president tonight, she has an opportunity to outline how she would build on the successes of the Obama administration with a positive outlook that both recognizes Americans' angst and charts a brighter future.