Hillary Clinton sets out to galvanise Democratic party's grassroots

Giving a leg-up to struggling families. Working with Congress to cut through Washington's paralysing dysfunction. Putting forward policies to increase wages, reduce economic inequality and expand opportunities for households on middle and low incomes.

As Hillary Clinton takes to the campaign trail in her second quest for the presidency, her long-awaited vision of middle-class economics will finally take centre stage. Whether she can galvanise the Democratic party's grassroots while sidestepping the acrimonious politics of class warfare will rank among her stiffest challenges.

As in 2008, Mrs Clinton's many advisers have spent months honing her economic agenda for the gruelling campaign ahead. Tack too far to the centre, be seen as too soft on tackling inequality and corporate excess, and Mrs Clinton risks alienating the passionate, liberal wing of the party that has called for her to champion the kind of progressive ideals espoused by Elizabeth Warren, the firebrand first-term senator from Massachusetts.

But moving too far to the left has its own risks, given Mrs Clinton's long-term ties to Wall Street, the huge speaking fees she has charged, and her close involvement with the family's charitable organisation, the Clinton Foundation, which continues to court billionaires and large companies for donations.

In the video launching her campaign on Sunday, it was clear where her team ended up. She said that although people had fought back from difficult economic times "the deck is still stacked in favour of those at the top".

"Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion," she said.

The pressure on Mrs Clinton to outline a more detailed policy framework early on in her campaign reflects what has been one of the biggest puzzles surrounding her candidacy.

While the former secretary of state and former senator from New York is one of the most widely known, widely written about political figures of her generation, she had given few clues on what the tenets of her economic and foreign policy messages would be.

The economic landscape has shifted since the last time she was a presidential candidate. In June 2008, when she conceded to Barack Obama, a collapse in the housing market and the subprime mortgage crisis had sent the US spiralling into recession. Unemployment peaked as high as 10 per cent in October 2009, less than year into Mr Obama's first term.

Five and a half years later, the economic outlook has improved markedly. The US has rebounded more strongly than most of its global rivals, with unemployment falling back to 5.5 per cent and its stock markets rallying. Last year was the best year for jobs growth since 1999.

But persistently sluggish wage growth means that many households are still not feeling the benefits of that recovery. Voters across the ideological spectrum are angry about inequality, and what they see as a widening gap between the rich and the poor. While most families are treading water, upper-income households now have a median net worth that is nearly 70 times that of the country's lower-income families, a record high, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center.

One of the quandaries facing Mrs Clinton is how to acknowledge the success of Mr Obama's stewardship of the economy over the past six years, while putting forward a policy framework aimed squarely at helping those families that still feel left behind.

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By explicitly referring to the deck being "stacked" in favour of the wealthy, Mrs Clinton has signalled that she will push for policies that result in a broader distribution of income and wealth.

The message of the video she released on Sunday? That a Clinton campaign will be focused on helping ordinary people to "get ahead, and stay ahead".

"Because when families are strong, America is strong," Mrs Clinton said. "So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote. Because it's your time, and I hope you'll join me on this journey."

But she will be far from alone in putting her vision of middle-class economics at the centre of her campaign. Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who tops early polling for the Republican nomination, has signalled that tackling poverty and income inequality will be core to his own message.

In a video released on Sunday before Mrs Clinton made her announcement, Mr Bush said that the American dream felt "out of reach" for too many families. "It's time for our leaders to focus on creating the opportunities needed for people to rise up and prosper."

Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin who is also close to formalising his campaign, has similarly championed his middle-class roots, noting while on the campaign trail that he wears a $1 sweater from local department store Kohl's.

Let the battle for the everyday American begin.

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