Clinton urges candidates to present ‘credible’ economic plan

Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton speaks at the Detroit Manufacturing Systems plant, Friday, March 4, 2016, in Detroit. AP

DETROIT — Hillary Clinton said Friday the nation needs a “new bargain” for the economy and called upon all the presidential candidates to offer a “credible strategy” for raising wages as her primary race against rival Bernie Sanders shifts to a series of Rust Belt contests.

Clinton’s address at Detroit Manufacturing Systems, a manufacturer of instrument panels for cars, offered her the opportunity to contrast herself with both Sanders and business mogul Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate.

“Anyone running for president owes it to you to come up with real ideas, not an ideology, not an old set of talking points but a credible strategy designed for the world we live in now,” Clinton said in remarks pointed at both rivals.

Sanders, who is trying to stage an upset in next week’s Michigan primary, has accused Clinton of supporting trade deals that have had “disastrous” consequences for workers. And he has sought to diminish Clinton’s standing by implying she waffled when she initially called the Trans Pacific Partnership trade as the “gold standard” as secretary of state but later opposed the deal.

Clinton made clear to differentiate with Republicans, saying there were “so many insults” at Thursday night’s Republican debate “it was hard to keep track.” She said the “biggest insult of all was to the American people” and the economy was an “afterthought” during the Republican debate.

Republicans shot back, with the Republican National Committee accusing Clinton of promising a “trillion-dollar tax hike” and “four more years of Obamanomics.”

In the address, Clinton called for a so-called “clawback” of tax benefits for companies that ship jobs overseas, rescinding tax relief and other incentives intended to encourage domestic investment. Revenue raised by this “clawback” would then be used to support investment in the United States.

The Democrats’ focus on manufacturing jobs and trade policy is forming the backdrop for Michigan’s primary and contests on March 15 in Ohio, Illinois and Missouri amid global economic weakness.

President Barack Obama’s decision to rescue the US automakers still reverberates through the nation’s manufacturing belt, but many communities have struggled with the shift of factory jobs to Mexico and Asia.

Trailing Clinton in the chase for delegates, Sanders has ratcheted up his criticism of her past support for trade deals, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and normalizing trade relations with China. Both were signed by President Bill Clinton while she was first lady.

Including superdelegates, Clinton now leads Sanders 1,066 to 432, according to the latest Associated Press delegate count. It takes 2,383 delegates to win.

READ: It’s a Super Tuesday for Clinton and Trump

Responding to Clinton’s speech Friday, Sanders said in a statement that “the American people are sick and tired of establishment politicians who promise to create manufacturing jobs during campaign season, but support trade policies that make it easier to outsource these jobs the day after they get elected.”

Clinton said on trade the next president would need “judgment and experience” and she would not support any deal unless it creates good jobs, raises wages and protects the nation’s security.

She also sought to undercut Sanders’ credentials on the economy, accusing the senator of failing to produce a detailed plan to promote manufacturing and pointed to his past opposition to the federal Export-Import Bank, which makes and guarantees loans to help foreign customers buy US goods.