Hillary Clinton hinted that she would be rolling out a policy that’s near the top of liberal wish-lists during a fundraiser today in Austin, according to a donor in attendance.

While the Democratic front-runner didn’t go deep into details, she said she wants to unveil a “debt-free” college plan — language that was greeted enthusiastically by liberal activists when her campaign manager used it in a recent television interview. Both Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have talked about their own wishes to make higher education debt-free, and liberal groups like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee have tried to push Clinton toward offering her own plan. She has yet to publicly embrace the idea on the campaign trail, making her private remarks to donors notable as a harbinger of things to come.

In a move which could potentially place pressure on front-runner Hillary Clinton to interact with her field of Democratic rivals sooner than expected, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has made initial inquiries to Democratic campaigns about holding one or more additional debates, beginning as early as this August.

The PCCC, an ardent cheerleader of the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party, is advocating what they’re dubbing an “open debate” format, in which questions would be formulated by voters rather than media figures.

They’ve even begun a dialogue with conservative groups to organize a similar venture among Republican candidates, and are floating the idea of holding an “open debate” for the general election.

The initial test, though, will be whether the liberal group can foster agreement to participate from all camps on the Democratic side.

“Debates are absolutely essential if we want a race to the top with them racing with each other to support big ideas,” PCCC co-founder Adam Green says. “There’s going to be broad support among most progressives for more debates, not less.”

Nothing in the president’s second term has better demonstrated his lame-duck status than his uphill fight for Trade Promotion Authority, a political reality that is being effectively hammered home by his erstwhile allies in the progressive movement who are determined to beat him and are no longer concerned that they could weaken a fellow Democrat in the White House.

“Labor unions and progressives will be around for many election cycles to come. And President Obama won’t be on the ballot anymore,” is the pointed message of Adam Green, one of the most effective and influential progressive leaders in Washington. Green is cofounder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a 950,000-member organization that grew out of MoveOn.org. PCCC is one of several liberal groups that will hold what Green calls “a massive day of action” on the trade fight Wednesday, to include the release of 2 million signatures opposing TPA.