Hillary Clinton's shift to the left on several key issues reflects a change in the times, but does not mean she's simply trying to win votes as she seeks the presidency, her campaign chairman John Podesta says.
"You know, times change," Podesta said Sunday on
"Meet the Press." "A decade ago I think a lot of people had a different view on marriage equality. Today the country has shifted."
The former secretary of state has been at the forefront of championing same-sex marriage and gay rights in the workplace, he said.
"This isn't 1992. It's not 2008. It's 2015," Podesta said. "She's taking positions that are consistent with a long-term, long-time set of values that have made her a progressive in the best sense of the word."
Moderator Chuck Todd noted that Clinton also has shifted to the left other issues as well, including NAFTA, the Iraq war, Cuba policy and criminal justice reform, suggesting to some progressives she is doing so only win votes.
Podesta said Clinton has always fought for families, ever since her early days at the Children's Defense Fund and hasn't changed.
Todd also challenged Podesta on Clinton's apparent change in position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which she ignored in her first major campaign appearance on Saturday.
Clinton rolled out an exhaustive list of ideas and proposals, but completely ignored TPP, which has sharply divided Democrats, Todd noted. Democrats in Congress late last week defeated the measure that has been touted by President Barack Obama.
"What we've seen the last couple of days is skirmishes around the process for considering that agreement," Podesta said. "The agreement's not final. When it is final, she'll render a judgment about that."
Clinton has stated her concerns that the deal may be bad for American workers, he said, adding that if she does not see protections for workers and the environment, "she thinks the United States should walk away from it."
Todd was skeptical that Clinton would want to "walk away from TPP," noting that she called it an "exciting opportunity" in 2010, a "benchmark for future agreements" in 2011, a "gold standard for trade agreements" in 2012, and said it could "really enhance our relationship with Asia" in 2013.
Todd told Podesta it sounds more like the former secretary of state is trying to please labor now that she is running for president.
Podesta insisted that Clinton has always voiced concerns about worker and environmental protections as well.
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