Hillary ditches "Baby Bond" idea she very recently proposed to the Congressional Black Caucus

[flpoljunkie]

Clinton, the front runner in national and many state polls among Democrats seeking the presidential nomination, caught a lot of flak from former Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and others for the idea, which her campaign is saying was only a concept, not a policy position.

As AP reports today:

… Clinton said she has given up another idea for a savings incentive — giving every baby born in the United States a $5,000 account to one day pay for college or a first home.

She made that suggestion last month before the Congressional Black Caucus, saying it was just an idea and not a policy proposal. The idea was criticized by Republicans, and she told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Tuesday that it's off the table.

This development led to one of those I-wish-I-had-said-that quips from the campaign of John Edwards' campaign. According to AP:

The campaign of her Democratic rival John Edwards suggested it was an example of Clinton setting her positions by polls. "Apparently, new polling data seems to have pressured the Clinton campaign to throw out the baby bond with the bathwater," said Edwards spokesman Chris Kofinis.

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/clinton_ditches_baby_bonds_shi.html

[Colobo]

1. Flip...flop...flip...flop

:)

[rinsd]

2. So is merit pay for teachers a part of Obama's education plan?

Trial balloons happen during campaigns.....unfortunately some are lead zepplins.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Is it a flip-flop, or just pandering on her part?

Hillary only believes in getting herself elected. She will say anything to any audience to get their votes.

[gorekerrydreamticket]

25. Just an off-the-cuff, spur of the moment pander, I think.....

[Lucinda]

18. I have a lot of respect for you Katz

but
a) it's not a flip flop
b) I don't care if I ever hear that phrase again. It suprises me that you'd use it. At least you're using it correctly. It was used to try and make nothing into something.

[seriousstan]

3. Different day a different pander. Today it is $1000 matching 401K funds.

Instead, she said, her plan for what she called "American Retirement Accounts" will provide "universal access to a generous 401(K) for all Americans."

She outlined a program in which the government would provide a "matching refundable tax credit—dollar for dollar—for the first $1,000 of savings done by every married couple making up to $60,000 a year."

Families with incomes of up to $100,000 would receive a smaller tax break to spur them to contribute to a personal 401(K).

"This means tens of millions of middle-class families will get matching tax cuts of up to $500 and $1,000 to help them build a nest egg for retirement," said a fact sheet distributed by the campaign.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8S5TSGG0&show_article=1

I can hardly wait for tommorrow. When she gets to the $$$$$ for lost opportunities and regets, I'm cashin in.

[rinsd]

4. Since when is advocating a goverment program designed to assist people a pander on DU?

OMG a program to encourage retirement savings!

Of all the evil things!

[durrrty libby]

6. I really like the 401 plan. I hope that goes through when she is

president.

I'm sure she will have many more ideas. They won't all be winners,

but she will do many great things for the country and the world.

[rinsd]

13. So do I.

The baby bond plan was easier to attack seemed like a handout(though I was shocked by DUers who attacked the idea) even though I thought it was a good idea.

This is you pay in, you control where the money goes, gov't helps out on your 1st $1K. Don't want it? Don't have to use it.

Simple and to the point and helps alleviate a rarely discussed problem in this country...our pitiful savings rate.

[gateley]

5. You have to have the money to contribute to a 401K. Fewer and fewer people do. nt

[Colobo]

7. Can our government afford to give $1000 per citizen to open one of those?

I mean, I believe government programs ought to be based on economic need.

[durrrty libby]

12. But millions of people could contribute something

[MGKrebs]

8. Somehow the M$M will turn this into a poll boost for Hillary.

I just don't get it. Every time a candidate does something that most of America agrees with, they get a boost in the polls. Polls should be banned under the next campaign reform law so that the candidates have no fucking idea what the hell anybody wants. And PACS and lobbyists too. We want to know what they TRULY feel in their heart, without any interference from anybody. We might even have to ban paid advisors. You only have to look at Joe Trippi to see how detrimental they are to the system.

The more I think about this, the more I like it. Lock them all up in sound proof booths, like an old game show. They can have a computer with a word processor but NO INTERNET. They spit out their policy statements and we can all react to that, but they have no idea what the world is saying. No spin, no focus groups, no backtracking, no flip-flopping. That way, Dennis Kucinich would actually have a chance, and that HAS to be good. All the rest of this campaign crap is just distracting bullshit.

[gateley]

11. Think of how the landscape would look if there were NO polls. Can you imagine? nt

[NoPasaran]

21. Damn those goddamn ignorant fucks!

How DARE people give a candidate a bump in the polls JUST BECAUSE the candidate does something they agree with! How FUCKING DARE THEY! Candidates should promise to WASH their mouths out with LYE SOAP and send them to bed without any supper! That'd TEACH the little BASTARDS!




:sarcasm: in case you're not clear

[Cha]

9. But the hillary steamroller led by

the pollster mark penn doesn't "pay ANY attention to the polls".

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2007603#2009043

[gateley]

10. Did she give her reason for changing her mind? I heard Giuliani say that the

dollar amount was too high. What an ugly reason, and any R's have balls talking about the amount of money being spent in ANY area.
I hope it was more than the dollar amount that changed her mind - I want to give her the benefit of the doubt.

[flpoljunkie]

14. It did not poll well. Voters rejected baby bond proposal by a 2 to 1 margin.

I expect Mark Penn, her pollster, got the same results, as well.

Voters Reject Clinton Baby Bond Proposal By 2-to-1 Margin
Monday, October 01, 2007

Sixty percent (60%) of America’s Likely Voters oppose giving every child born in the United States a $5,000 savings bond, or “baby bond.” A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 27% support the concept suggested on Friday by Senator Hillary Clinton.

“The baby bonds proposal is one of the few mistakes Hillary Clinton has made in her campaign,” according to University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato. “Should Clinton become the Democratic nominee, she may have handed a powerful issue to the Republican candidate.”

At a Congressional Black Caucus forum, Clinton said, "I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time. So, when that young person turns 18, if they have finished high school, they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to put that down payment on their first home, or go into business."

Clinton’s remarks were reportedly well received by the friendly audience, but Democratic voters nationwide are less enthusiastic—38% support the idea and 47% are opposed. According to Sabato, “It will be interesting to see if any of her Democratic opponents challenges her on this. They may not do so, fearing the idea will sell among the activists that vote in Democratic primaries and caucuses.”

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/voters_reject_clinton_baby_bond_proposal_by_2_to_1_margin

[rinsd]

17. She got killed on the framing.

Though you may yet see that idea, should she become elected.

[MethuenProgressive]

16. "said Edwards spokesman Chris Kofinis."

Now *there's* an objective source!
:rofl:

[madrchsod]

19. who in the hell told her to bring up the" baby bond" and the 401 k plan?

i would have thought she would be more in tune with reality- there was no way in hell either plan will ever go over with the american public. i think she needs to get rid of the advisors told her this crap and start really listening to real people

[MGKrebs]

23. I've never seen a transcript of that comment.

Not sure if it was in response to a question, and if so what question, or just a random comment or what.

[cobalt1999]

20. First time I was disappointed in her campaign.

So far she has been running a very logical and error free campaign, but this idea was stupid and the excuses that followed it were not believable.

[BootinUp]

22. And Edwards is the Rock of Gibraltar

when it comes to policy. LOL! The guy never ceases to amaze me with his lack of shame.

[Nedsdag]

24. You know what they say....

"Once a triangulator, always a triangulator."

[dionysus]

26. that's our windsock.. er.. girl!!

[Maribelle]

27. She didn't propose it to anyone. That's a lie.

Time Magazine recently proposed the $5,000 Baby Bond in their excellent cover story A Time To Serve . Hillary said she liked the idea. It was never a plan of hers. It was never a proposal of hers.

THE PLAN
So what would a plan for universal national service look like? It would be voluntary, not mandatory. Americans don't like to be told what they have to do; many have argued that requiring service drains the gift of its virtue. It would be based on carrots, not sticks — "doing well by doing good," as Benjamin Franklin, the true father of civic engagement, put it. So here is a 10-point plan for universal national service. The ideas here are a mixture of suggestions already made, revised versions of other proposals and a few new wrinkles.

1. Create a National-Service Baby Bond
Every time an American baby is born, the Federal Government would invest $5,000 in that child's name in a 529-type fund — the kind many Americans are already using for college savings. At a rate of return of 7% — the historic return for equities — that money would total roughly $19,000 by the time that baby reaches age 20. That money could be accessed between the ages of 18 and 25 on one condition: that he or she commits to at least one year of national or military service. Like the old GI Bill, the money must be used to fund education, start a business or make a down payment on a home. The bond would preserve the voluntary nature of the service but offer a strong incentive for young people to sign up for it. Says City Year CEO and co-founder Michael Brown: "It's a new kind of government philosophy about reciprocity. If you invest in your country, your country will invest in you."

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1657256_1657317_1657570-2,00.html

[flpoljunkie]

29. You might want to ask the Congressinal Black Caucus if they thought Hillary was making a proposal

[Maribelle]

30. So are you trying to say they lied?

Give it up.

[Nimrod2005]

28. Why? Republicans loved the idea...I am surprised?