4. The Washington outsider. No one can run for national office these days without running against the seat of national political power, even when a member of her own party occupies the White House. At the same McAuliffe rally, she hit on this point as well. “Recently in Washington, unfortunately, we have seen examples of the wrong kind of leadership, when politicians choose scorched earth instead of common ground,” she added. “When they operate in what I call the ‘evidence-free zone,’ with ideology trumping everything else.”

5. Civility. On Wednesday facing a heckler during a speech at the University of Buffalo, Clinton said the future “doesn’t include yelling … it includes sitting down and talking.” She was rewarded with an extended standing ovation. Speaking earlier this month at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, in London, Clinton responded to a question about the National Security Agency’s controversial surveillance programs, calling for a more open discussion of the spying efforts. ”We need to have a sensible adult conversation about what is necessary to be done, and how to do it, in a way that is as transparent as it can be, with as much oversight and citizens’ understanding as there can be,” she said.