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Hillary Clinton: Take Power Back From Wall Street And The Wealthy

Hillary Clinton – with a potential running mate at her side – filled the Museum Center's rotunda Monday with supporters who were wildly enthusiastic about her message of giving power back to working people.

And Clinton and her partner on the stage, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, spent plenty of time bashing Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, as being unprepared and unable to handle the presidency.

"We must have an economy that works for everyone again, not just those at the top,'' Clinton told a cheering crowd of about 2,600 supporters.

"It shouldn't be that complicated,'' Clinton said, over the cheers of the crowd. "There are too many politicians and corporations who don't get it. But you and I do."

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Standing in front of American flags and a large banner saying "Stronger Together," Clinton was joined by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren – a Democrat who stayed out of the primary contest, but who pledged her support to Clinton once the former secretary of state had clinched the Democratic nomination over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Warren is clearly on the short list of possible running mates for Clinton. That is music to the ears of Cincinnatian Lauren Jones. "I would absolutely love it if the two of them could maybe run together," she said. "Two women on the ticket... that would just be way too much excitement for me."

Warren has been a consistent critic of Wall Street and the financial industry; and Clinton sounded many of the same themes Monday morning – although she has had closer relations with Wall Street over the years.

"Why do the richest Americans get away with manipulating the tax codes to pay less taxes?,'' Clinton asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"This election is a chance for us to make it right,'' Clinton told the crowd. "I got into this race because I wanted to even the odds for people who have had the system stacked against them."

She laid out an ambitious agenda for her first 100 days as president.

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Clinton said she wanted a $10 billion investment in a "Make it in America" plan that will strengthen U.S. manufacturing jobs.

She also said she will:

- Make debt-free college available to all Americans;

- Re-write the rules so that companies share profits with employees;

- Ensure that corporations, the "super rich," and Wall Street pay their fair share in taxes;

- And "put families first by making sure our policies meet the challenges they face in the 21st century economy."

Clinton also promised the largest investment in infrastructure - $275 billion - since President Eisenhower, who built the Interstate highway system.

It was the part about making college affordable that most interested Maria Schade of Cincinnati. "I have two daughters, one who's 12 and one who's 15," she said. "They're heading in that direction so I was really excited about that. And I was really excited that she is also looking out for families."

Clinton did her share of Trump-bashing in her 32-minute speech, but much of the anti-Trump talk was left to Warren, who spoke before Clinton. It was the first time the two of them campaigned together in the campaign.

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Warren, speaking with Clinton at her side, lit into the presumptive nominee, Donald Trump – the way a possible running mate may play the role of attack dog.

"Donald Trump says, 'I'll make America great again,'' Warren said, prompting loud boos at the mention of his name. "He has it stamped on his goofy hat. When he says that, I ask myself, great for who?

"He means making it great for rich guys like Donald Trump,'' Warren said. "Believe me, he will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants."

She lit into Trump for his remarks about Latinos, Muslims, and women, saying "racism and bigotry have no place in our society."

Clinton, on the other hand, has been "the target of right-wing attacks for 25 years now, and she has never backed down."

While Trump was being criticized in Cincinnati, his campaign was announcing the details of his first campaign trip to Ohio since he lost the March 15 Ohio primary to Gov. John Kasich.

Tuesday evening, Trump will attend a rally in St. Clairsville in eastern Ohio at the Ohio University Eastern Campus.
 

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Almost a dozen people turned out to protest as Clinton spoke inside Union Terminal.

About a dozen people stood outside the Clinton event, some carrying signs supporting Trump and others simply protesting against Clinton.

Joe Paulin of Evendale says while he's not completely convinced by Donald Trump, he doesn't find Hillary Clinton trustworthy. "And I don't care for (her) policies. The main thing we need are jobs in this country and just a good feeling about America."

Paulin says he's looking forward to learning more about the presumptive Republican nominee before he backs Trump completely. However, nearby, Dick Hohn of Montgomery says he's in Trump's camp.

"I'm concerned about the job situation in the U.S., the loss of manufacturing, and those types of issues" he said. "I think Trump is one that can address that. He's proven himself in the private sector."

Warren is certainly on the short list of vice presidential running mates for Clinton, but it is probably a stretch to say that this is a dress rehearsal for the Massachusetts Senator as Clinton's choice for the vice presidency.

Warren has had numerous policy differences with Clinton over the years – particularly on international trade agreements. Warren has been a vocal critic. Clinton has supported some agreements and opposed others. Clinton's campaign has had substantial support from the financial industry. Warren has railed against Wall Street since she came to the Senate.

Even though Clinton has had substantial Wall Street backing, she said Monday that she wants to re-write the rules to stop Wall Street from "risking the economy for Wall Street."

But Warren does appeal to many of the same voters who supported Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in the primaries – many of whom have yet to warm up to Clinton.

The Massachusetts senator is apparently on a short list of potential running mates with Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a former governor of that key swing state; and Julian Castro, who is President Obama's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
 

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Connie Redwine of Cincinnati came out to support Clinton and says "competence has no gender."

Former Houston, Texas, Mayor Annise Parker, was at the Clinton rally Monday.

The first openly gay mayor of that Houston city, Parker has been spending time in Ohio, campaigning as a surrogate for Clinton at the behest of the Democratic National Committee. Sunday night, she was the featured speaker at a dinner held by the Warren County Democratic Party.

"We're not going to win in Texas, which is a red state, so I am spending my time in Ohio, a state we can win,'' Parker said. "I've made five stops in Ohio so far for Hillary. And I will keep doing it, wherever they want me to go."

National polls show Clinton with a growing lead over Trump, but, last week, a Quinnipiac University poll of Ohio voters had the presidential contest in Ohio at a dead heat – 40 percent each. The poll of 971 Ohio voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Ironically, the same poll showed that the man Clinton has defeated for the Democratic presidential nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, leads Trump by 10 percentage points – 48 percent to 38 percent.

But among Ohio voters, the Quinnipiac Poll showed that a substantial majority of Ohio voters believe Clinton is better prepared to be president.

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The fire marshal capped the audience at around 2,600 people, leaving roughly 500 to listen on speakers outside the building.

WVXU's Bill Rinehart and Tana Weingartner contributed to this story.

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.