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In the first of a series of speeches on the erosion of Americans鈥� faith in government, Hillary Rodham Clinton laid out a case Monday night in support of the Voting Rights Act.

鈥淎nyone that says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention,鈥� Mrs. Clinton said during the American Bar Association鈥檚 annual gathering in San Francisco.

Any high-profile public appearance by the former secretary of State stokes buzz that she's likely to launch a presidential bid for 2016. But what's notable about Monday night's address is that her comments were plainly political in nature 鈥� and clearly targeted to the Democratic Party base.

When Clinton ran for the White House in 2008 as the presumed front-runner, she found herself in a听sustained primary battle with then-Sen. Barack Obama, and it was Senator Obama, despite his newness to the national scene, who made a love connection with the liberal Democrats who tend to vote in primary contests.

Signaling that she鈥檚 learning from past miscalculations, Clinton is engaging early in that courtship. Her remarks on the Voting Rights Act indicate that she is tending to the party鈥檚 most loyal activists 鈥� in this case, to the minorities who feel disenfranchised by laws they see as designed to keep them away from the polls.听

She is building a campaign without actively campaigning, recasting herself as a champion of those issues about which devoted Democratic partisans care most. And as NBC鈥檚 Mark Murray said this morning on MSNBC, there is no matter that 鈥渇ires up鈥�听party voters more than issue of voting rights.

, Clinton criticized the US Supreme Court for, earlier this year, striking down Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which designates which states must have federal approval of any changes in election laws.

"Unless the hole opened up by the Supreme Court is fixed ... citizens will be disenfranchised, victimized by the law, instead of served by it," Clinton said,听and "that historical progress for a more perfect union will go backwards, instead of forward."

Clinton also targeted Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina for being particularly active in suppressing the vote. In North Carolina on Monday, a law requiring government-issued photo identification at the polls. The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have promised to mount a legal challenge.

As a result, the former first lady, who could face a 2016 primary field of contenders that includes Vice President Joe Biden, among others, suggested that Congress should move on proposals that would make it easier for citizens to get registered. for "fair and uniform" identification standards, same-day registration, and improved security on electronic voting听machines.

鈥淲e do 鈥� let鈥檚 admit it 鈥� have a long history of shutting people out: African-Americans, women, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities,鈥� Clinton said, 鈥淎nd throughout our history, we have found too many ways to divide and exclude people from their ownership of the law and protection from the law.鈥�

Clinton, who left her post at the State Department in February, told her audience that 鈥減hantom鈥� claims of widespread voter fraud prompted 鈥渁 sweeping effort to construct new obstacles to voting鈥� during the 2012 White House campaign. She said more than 80 bills have been introduced in 31 states limiting access to the polls; some require government-issued identification, for example.

Clinton did not mention the 2016 contest, but she doesn鈥檛 have to. Reporters do that for her.

The Los Angeles Times鈥櫶� a continuation of Clinton鈥檚 鈥渓ong, slow flirtation with the 2016 presidential campaign.鈥�

There鈥檚 much more to come from Clinton, who upon leaving her post as head of the State Department initially suggested that she wanted some good rest and relaxation. Her idea of a hiatus from official public life seems to include regular headline-making engagements, however.

In Philadelphia next month, Clinton will tackle 鈥渢he issue of transparency鈥� in US national security policies. And she suggested Monday night that she will make an appearance later this year focused on 鈥淎merican鈥檚 global leadership and our moral standing around the world.鈥�

鈥淥bviously her upcoming speeches, and the topics that she announced, show a consistent seriousness of purpose,鈥� says Tracy Sefl, a Washington-based Democratic consultant.

鈥淣ot that there's anything wrong with a steak fry or a state fair, after all, there's a role for those under the 2016 circus tent," she adds. "But for the tea leaf readers, it's the carefully chosen arc of issues she'll be addressing that says the most about what lies ahead.鈥�

Clinton launched her 2000 US Senate race and 2008 presidential run with , efforts to highlight her accessibility and show she had a human touch. This year, her planned speaking series signals more of a "listen up!" tour.