The
former president said during an interview with NBC News' David Gregory
at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting that his family's
personal wealth was the "wrong debate" and the focus should be on how
political leaders address "the central challenge of our time, which is
the demise of the American dream."
The
former first lady, who is considering a 2016 presidential campaign,
told ABC News earlier this month that her family was saddled with legal
bills and "dead broke" when they left the White House in early 2001.
Republicans have pointed to the millions of dollars the family has
earned since Clinton left the presidency and suggested that Mrs. Clinton
was out of touch with the daily demands of most working Americans.
With
the gap between the rich and poor on the minds of many Americans, Bill
Clinton said most Americans do not resent someone doing well
financially. "I think they resent it if they're not getting a fair
deal," he said.
He also said
the couple visits their local grocery store on weekends like anyone
else. "We talk to people in our town. We know what's going on."
Clinton's comments came on the opening day of the annual
Clinton summit, which was focusing on economic issues like youth
employment and child literacy.
If
she runs for president, Republicans say Mrs. Clinton could be
vulnerable to charges of being a Washington insider insulated by private
jets and six-figure speaking fees at a time when many Americans
struggle.
The tactic could
represent a payback of sorts after Democrats portrayed Republican Mitt
Romney as a plutocrat during the 2012 presidential campaign.
Hillary
Clinton did not address the debate over the family's wealth at the
meeting but announced projects to create job opportunities for young
people. The initiatives by companies like The Gap, JPMorgan Chase and
Marriott to train and hire young people.
The
project, called "Job One," aimed to help young people age 16-24 who are
out of school and unemployed. Students preparing for the workforce in
the aftermath of the recession have faced persistently high unemployment
levels at rates about twice the national average.
"For
those who don't get a college education or even high school, most doors
just won't open, no matter how hard they knock," the former first lady
said. A longtime child advocate, Clinton also announced projects aimed
at promoting brain development and literacy for babies and toddlers.
The
event took on the air of a Clinton alumni association, with several
former members of Clinton's White House team in attendance, including
former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and former Clinton economic
adviser Gene Sperling. An afternoon news conference put Mr. Clinton
alongside longtime labor allies such as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers
union.
Yet even in a room
full of Clinton admirers, the debate got spirited at times. During a
panel discussion on economic justice, Mr. Clinton and former Hewlett
Packard CEO Carly Fiorina — an ex-adviser to Romney — tangled over the
merits of raising the minimum wage and the role of government in the
economy.
When Fiorina
suggested the Obama administration was crushing the coal industry in
West Virginia, Clinton interjected. "Who had the smallest government
workforce since Eisenhower? Me." Fiorina responded, "That's right. You
declared the era of big government over."
"Yeah,
but I didn't declare the era of weak government that had nobody at home
at the SEC before the financial crisis," Clinton said to roars of
approval, referencing complaints that the Securities and Exchange
Commission failed to effectively police Wall Street.
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