How Hillary Clinton is stealing Elizabeth Warren's thunder

(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

published 21 April 2015

The conventional wisdom surrounding the 2016 Democratic primary has long held that Hillary Clinton is vulnerable to a challenge from her left. It's why Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), despite insisting again and again she has zero intention of joining the race, is still considered a dark horse candidate.

So it's no surprise that Clinton has adopted a decidedly progressive tone of late, with her team wanting to prove she "was the original Elizabeth Warren," according to The New York Times.

For anyone who wondered what kind of economic message Mrs. Clinton would deliver in her campaign, the first few days made it clear: She is embracing the ideas trumpeted by Ms. Warren and the populist movement — that the wealthy have been benefiting disproportionately from the economy, while the middle class and the poor have been left behind. [The New York Times]

In an illuminating example, the Times reports that Clinton, while meeting with economists earlier this year, said the economy could use a "toppling" of the top one percent. It's not quite Warren going all in on big banks and Wall Street, but it suggests a more populist platform than many expected from the former secretary of state.

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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.