Hillary Clinton took another move to the political left on Thursday when her campaign released changes to her tax plan that, among other things, would tax large estates at a level once proposed by her rival in the Democratic primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. She also made an appearance on an offbeat internet comedy series
And those two things aren’t as unrelated as they might seem.
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In a fact sheet available on her campaign website, Clinton said that she agrees with President Obama that the tax on estates -- which Republicans have re-named the “death tax” -- should be returned to the basic parameters that were in place before 2009, with a lower exemption (it is currently $11 million for married couple) and higher rates.
“And she will go further than that for estates valued in the tens and hundreds of millions, with higher rates as values rise, up to a 65 percent rate on estates valued at over $1 billion per couple,” the campaign fact sheet notes.
The 65 percent tax on estates valued at over $1 billion is straight out of the Sanders campaign’s tax plan, and marks the second time in a week that Clinton has leaned on the politics of her former rival. Earlier in the week, she called for stronger oversight of the financial services industry after revelations of wrongdoing at Wells Fargo brought the bank’s CEO before an angry congressional panel.
Clinton called for, among other things, clawing back salary and bonuses paid to executives who oversee illegal or unethical behavior and possibly breaking up financial institutions that become too large to regulate effectively.
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Clinton has been struggling to attract the support of younger voters, many of whom were attracted to Sanders, the self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist who came in second in the race for the nomination, and adopting Sanders-esque policy positions isn’t the only thing she’s doing to try to win them over.
She also taped an appearance on the FunnyorDie.com staple, Between Two Ferns with actor Zach Galifianakis. The show, with its trademark awkward questions and uncomfortable pauses is a favorite with younger Americans. President Obama made a memorable appearance on the show to pitch Obamacare several years ago.
Viewers can decide for themselves whether she’s got the same comedy chops as the outgoing president:
