Hillary Clinton Has A Plan For Wall Street

Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination for the presidency, and on, Thursday, she officially accepted the nominee title on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. In doing so, she pitched her candidacy and her platform to the lively audience of Democratic voters in attendance, and she outlined the downfalls of her opponent's candidacy and platform. Creating a stark contrast to Donald Trump, Clinton described her plans for Wall Street at the DNC — and they sound a lot like an appeal to reluctant voters within her own party.

In many ways, Clinton's DNC speech was a more glamorous version of her tried and true stump speech. She used phrases that supporters and opponents alike have come to expect from her, including references to the "woman card." (In case you missed it, she would like someone to "deal her in.") She hit on every issue that the convention was meant to highlight, from national security and gun violence to health care and debt.

On the topic of debt, in particular, Clinton seemed to make an appeal to some of the DNC's marginalized voices — the Bernie Sanders supporters who tried to make their voices heard throughout the week. Throughout his campaign, Sanders championed the idea of reigning in Wall Street's exorbitant wealth, while simultaneously criticizing Clinton for being a friend to Wall Street. On stage at the DNC, Clinton found an opportunity to set the record straight.

Clinton promised to help Americans get out of debt, to make child care more affordable, to make paid family leave a more robust part of American jobs, and to make college less expensive. (That last one in particular probably had many Sanders supporters' ears ringing.) Then, she explained how she'd pay for all of her proposed programs:

Wall Street, corporations, and the super rich are going to start paying their fair share of taxes. Not because we resent success. Because when more than 90 percent of the gains have gone to the top 1 percent, that's where the money is. And if companies take tax breaks and then ship jobs overseas, we'll make them pay us back. And we'll put that money to work where it belongs … creating jobs here at home!

In proposing higher taxes for Wall Street, Clinton said, "We're going to follow the money." That's certainly where the money is — there's no doubt about it. But that's where Sanders used to say Clinton was, too, making money off of speeches to big Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs. Thursday's speech wasn't for money, but it may have been for the appeal of Sanders' supporters. Pro-Bernie factions within the Democratic Party protested loudly throughout this week's convention, despite the former candidate himself calling for unity.

Clinton even acknowledged the need for Sanders' ideas more directly at one point in her speech. "Our country needs your ideas, energy, and passion," Clinton said. "That is the only way we can turn our progressive platform into real change for America." In other words, expect to hear more about Wall Street from Clinton as the general election revs up.