It's been It's been remarked upon before that Hillary Clinton's speeches are energetic, smooth, and detailed performances. Here in Ottumwa, in front of an all-ages crowd of almost 1,000 people, Clinton has spent a significant amount of time talking about domestic policies that her front-running rivals aren't mentioning in their stump speeches, or don't speak about in equal depth. Just to be clear, Edwards and Obama have proposed many of these same policies, but aren't focusing on them in Iowa. Here they are: Disability rights. Clinton talks about her post-law school work at the Children's Defense Fund, where she worked on legislation to guarantee that every disabled child would have access to an accessible, public education. Military issues. Like Clinton, Edwards and Obama want to pass a new G.I. Bill. But Clinton talks about two specific policy successes she's already had caring for soldiers and veterans: First, Clinton co-sponsored legislation, which passed, that required that National Guardsmen and women and their families be offered health insurance, against the wishes of the Pentagon and White House. She also passed a bill disallowing the Pentagon from retracting the signing bonuses of wounded soldiers. "Fiscal responsibility." All the candidates talk about rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. But only Clinton uses this particular language. This is a comfortable talking point for her, since her own husband balanced the budget. It's something she touts at every appearance. Job training. Hillary gets big applause when she promises to make college affordable. But then she continues by talking about the invisible class of young Americans who don't attend college, using construction workers as an example. "I don't think we're showing them enough respect," she says. "We need to do more with job training and apprenticeship programs. Any young person in America who is willing to work hard should have a chance at a middle class lifestyle and a job that's secure in the global economy." --Dana Goldstein
