red states rule
10-11-2007, 05:55 AM
I hope you were not counting on your $5000 Hillary Bond. The Red Queen was taking to much heat for her ridiculous and expensive idea, so she dropped it
Hillary abandons 'baby bonds' plan
By Christina Bellantoni
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's quick backtracking from an off-the-cuff "baby bonds" proposal demonstrates her campaign's ability to jump on damage control.
It's been less than two weeks since the New York Democrat casually said, "I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time."
The campaign swiftly amended the remarks to say it wasn't a policy position, but just an "idea," even though members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whom she was addressing seemed to like what they heard.
As The Washington Times reported Tuesday, Republicans immediately ridiculed the idea, and some operatives said it was Mrs. Clinton's first mistake of the 2008 campaign. Polls proved it was unpopular, so it was locked away and never mentioned again, baffling some of her Democratic rivals but illustrating a broader theme of the Clinton campaign — discipline and dominance.
"I'm intrigued by the way it came out, almost everything that we have heard from Senator Clinton has been scripted or carefully thought out ahead of time," said pollster Scott Rasmussen, whose firm did a poll showing voters opposed baby bonds 2-to-1.
Brushing aside questions on the topic, her campaign this week pointed reporters instead to a Wall Street Journal blog post titled "Clinton Has a New Bus, but No 'Baby Bonds,' " and touted her proposal to create a "401(k) plan for all Americans."
A spokesman yesterday, in a one-word e-mail, confirmed the idea is "off" the table for future policy. Asked to elaborate, he responded: "It was never a firm policy proposal."
Voters probably don't care that Mrs. Clinton holds fewer press conferences and media availabilities than the other candidates, but on her latest swing through Iowa, the front-runner took few questions from her caucus-going audience.
for the complete article
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/NATION/110110086/1001
Hillary abandons 'baby bonds' plan
By Christina Bellantoni
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's quick backtracking from an off-the-cuff "baby bonds" proposal demonstrates her campaign's ability to jump on damage control.
It's been less than two weeks since the New York Democrat casually said, "I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time."
The campaign swiftly amended the remarks to say it wasn't a policy position, but just an "idea," even though members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whom she was addressing seemed to like what they heard.
As The Washington Times reported Tuesday, Republicans immediately ridiculed the idea, and some operatives said it was Mrs. Clinton's first mistake of the 2008 campaign. Polls proved it was unpopular, so it was locked away and never mentioned again, baffling some of her Democratic rivals but illustrating a broader theme of the Clinton campaign — discipline and dominance.
"I'm intrigued by the way it came out, almost everything that we have heard from Senator Clinton has been scripted or carefully thought out ahead of time," said pollster Scott Rasmussen, whose firm did a poll showing voters opposed baby bonds 2-to-1.
Brushing aside questions on the topic, her campaign this week pointed reporters instead to a Wall Street Journal blog post titled "Clinton Has a New Bus, but No 'Baby Bonds,' " and touted her proposal to create a "401(k) plan for all Americans."
A spokesman yesterday, in a one-word e-mail, confirmed the idea is "off" the table for future policy. Asked to elaborate, he responded: "It was never a firm policy proposal."
Voters probably don't care that Mrs. Clinton holds fewer press conferences and media availabilities than the other candidates, but on her latest swing through Iowa, the front-runner took few questions from her caucus-going audience.
for the complete article
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/NATION/110110086/1001