A poll of 900 likely 2016 voters conducted July 13–18 by Democracy Corps found that the Roosevelt Institute’s Rewrite the Rules economic narrative outperforms a narrative focused on building on the progress that the Obama administration has achieved. In particular, it does better when pitted against a nationalist message focused on America not “winning” anymore, and generates more enthusiasm among millennials, minorities, and unmarried women.

Groovy.

The pollster came up with three sets of questions, each of which pushed one of three narratives: "rewrite the rules" (a populist, anti-establishment pitch that they likened to Sanders and Elizabeth Warren), "build on progress" (a stay the Obama course pitch that they attributed to Clinton) and a nationalist, Trumpian pitch. The populist pitch did better!

Well then, I guess we picked the wrong person! Stupid neoliberals.

Here's one of the questions in the "rewrite the rules" set:

We need to make our economy work for everyone, not just the rich and well-connected. Too many are wedded to the failed theory of trickle down economics. Too many CEOs move jobs overseas and prioritize short-term stock prices over long-term investments in their workers. Too many wealthy special interests are using lobbyists so the economy works for them. I have a plan to rewrite the rules of the economy so it works for everybody, not just those at the top. We must end the stranglehold of big money on our politics. We cannot allow Wall Street to wreck Main Street again and corporations and the wealthy must pay their fair share of taxes. More employees must be able to join unions. Our trade deals must be good for working families and not encourage American companies to move jobs overseas. And let's provide affordable childcare, paid leave and equal pay for women, make college debt-free, and make large infrastructure investments to create middle class jobs. Because we're stronger together when we grow together.

That's Question #49. It's the one the pollsters chose to represent the difference between the populist message and the boring 'stay the course' message in their polling memo, in fact. So, you know it's the best one.

But, I was curious. Some of those phrases sounded familiar: "We cannot allow Wall Street to wreck Main Street again", for example. Who said that? Clinton said that. Those exact words.

Follow a link or two, see if you can find the exact text in the linked Clinton speech or policy paper. Often you can! Literally, some of these are direct quotes.

The stuff I didn't link is stuff I didn't find a really tight fit for - not that I couldn't have found a good example of the sentiment. For example, this:

Our trade deals must be good for working families and not encourage American companies to move jobs overseas.

Can easily be distilled from this:

Because when companies take taxpayer dollars with one hand and give out pink slips with the other, and ship hundreds of jobs overseas, we’re going to make them pay back those tax benefits. And we’re going to take that money and reinvest it in workers and communities. And we’re going to slap an ‘exit tax’ on companies that move their headquarters overseas to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. And we will defend American jobs and American workers by saying ‘no’ to bad trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and unfair trade practices, like when China dumps cheap steel in our markets or uses weak ‘rules of origin’ to undercut our car makers. I’m going to appoint a trade prosecutor who will report to the President, so we are going to end the abuse of our market, our workers, our people.

(while acknowledging her flip-flopping on TPP)

So, perhaps there is no problem with Clinton's positions. Perhaps the problem is that people won't tell the truth about them - not even her ostensible allies.