A progressive activist group urged Hillary Clinton to take a bold stance on economic issues in a video released within hours of the former secretary of state’s campaign announcement.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which backs Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., collected news clips and headlines that called for “a strong economic populist message” from the next Democratic candidate for president.
Hundreds of progressive activists and lawmakers in Iowa and New Hampshire, including former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and New Hampshire Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, joined the PCCC in a petition to pressure Clinton into embracing progressive economic reform.
Sunday’s video touched off a grassroots effort to promote a “Ready for Boldness” campaign designed to compel Clinton toward policy positions that resemble Warren’s.
The montage featured MSNBC host Ed Schultz pressing the next candidate, presumably Clinton, “to adopt a bold, what they call Elizabeth Warren-style agenda.”
It also showed fellow MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell expressing support for a 2016 nominee who campaigns on “big, bold, economic-populist ideas such as expanding Social Security benefits.”
The PCCC pushed for scaling back the influence of “big money” in politics, limiting “too big to fail” financial firms and creating clean-energy jobs, among other policies.
“Hillary Clinton’s campaign launch begins an important stage of the national conversation. On most issues of concern to voters, the debate inside the Clinton campaign and across the nation will not be about going left versus right, but rather going big versus small,” said Adam Green, PCCC’s co-founder.
Warren has resisted efforts to draft her into the 2016 race as an alternative to Clinton, repeatedly denying that she will form a campaign of her own.
The video came amid questions as to the exact positions the nascent Clinton campaign will take. Clinton launched her second White House bid Sunday via the web.
