| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"Steve Dufour" |
| Date: |
09 Oct 2007 10:01:30 PM |
| Object: |
GOP hits Hillary's 'baby bonds' |
http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/NATION/110090060/1001
GOP hits Hillary's 'baby bonds'
October 9, 2007
By Ralph Z. Hallow - Republican strategists say Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton's call for giving every newborn $5,000 for education is the
first major mistake in her front-running campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
They say it undermines the centrist image the New York Democrat has
carefully built and, if exploited skillfully, could prove fatal in the
2008 general election.
"I'm shocked that more Republican candidates haven't taken on 'Hillary
Bonds,' " Pennsylvania political consultant Charles Gerow said. "This
is a layup for GOP hopefuls."
Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani is the only top-tier
Republican nomination candidate to have made Mrs. Clinton's proposal
central to his campaign speeches, calling it a "socialist" program
that will cost $20 billion annually in an address to the Americans for
Prosperity conference Friday.
He joked with the anti-spending group that "Hillary Bonds" might come
complete "with Hillary's picture on them" and would cost $20 billion
per year. He compared it to George McGovern's 1972 Democratic campaign
promise of $1,000 to every American.
Spending has turned into a dominant issue among the Republicans, with
the top candidates taking aim at each other's records. But tonight's
Republican presidential debate in Michigan gives them an opportunity
to broaden that attack to include their Democratic counterparts'
profligate spending proposals, particularly on health care.
"Rudy knows there is no better way to communicate with GOP voters than
to take the debate to Hillary," Republican Party presidential campaign
adviser Scott Reed said. "The strategy also masks Giuliani's
deficiencies on abortion, guns and gay-lifestyle issues."
Mrs. Clinton, responding to a question at a Congressional Black Caucus
conference two weeks ago, said she favors creating a program that
gives $5,000 to help every newborn start saving to pay for college.
Mrs. Clinton said the biggest problem for black Americans is access to
wealth and building wealth and that the "baby bond could be a good way
to get them started on a lifetime of saving and growing wealth."
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 27
percent support the concept, with 60 percent of likely voters opposed
to it.
Mrs. Clinton quickly backed down from her initial endorsement of baby
bonds, telling reporters shortly after her speech: "It's just an idea
I threw out," and "I'm looking for a conversation."
The Wall Street Journal reported her advisers were downplaying the
idea as an offhand remark. She made no mention of them in an Iowa
speech yesterday on economic prosperity. The speech was part of her
"Rebuilding the road to the middle class" Iowa tour.
Several Republican Party officials said they are relieved that their
party's presidential hopefuls haven't gone after Mrs. Clinton's bonds
idea now, because doing so would knock her out of the Democratic brawl
for the nomination and give it to Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois or
former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
"I think that almost all Republican voters saw this plan as so
outrageous that we had hoped that Hillary would not be challenged on
this by any of our candidates, as it will be a great talking point
during the general election battle," said Rick Beltram, the Republican
Party chairman in Spartanburg County, S.C.
"We are so hopeful that she will be the Democratic nominee," he said.
At least one Republican Party official thinks Mrs. Clinton is
employing a triangulation strategy that will help her with Democrat-
leaning pro-life Catholics.
"She already has the pro-abortion voters," said Rob Haney, an Arizona
Republican Party committeeman. "She now softens her image with the pro-
lifers, especially the Catholics looking for a reason to assuage the
guilt they might feel by voting for her."
Mr. Haney said many bishops are telling fellow Catholics that
"socialism is good and we need an expansion of welfare, free health
care, more aid for the poor and an illegal immigrant sanctuary
policy."
Republicans who think that one spark for Mrs. Clinton's baby-bonds
idea is letting her say she is encouraging women considering abortion
"to keep their babies by offering them a $5,000 bond."
Other basically pro-life fence sitters in 2008 will think Mrs.
Clinton's baby bonds is a pro-life position and will say, "She isn't
that bad after all, and she is for everything the bishops are for,"
Mr. Haney said.
He thinks that her playing the baby bonds as a pro-life angle makes
her appear "as more of a centrist. I believe she has calculated that
she gains more with the life voter than she loses with the fiscal
voter."
Christina Bellantoni contributed to this report.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: GOP hits Hillary's 'baby bonds' |
10 Oct 2007 01:08:08 PM |
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On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:01:30 -0700, Steve Dufour
<stevejdufour@yahoo.com> wrote:
Here's why this is nonsense
1. Written for the Moonie Times---a proven pissant rag
owned by a Korean Cult leader----staffing rabid
rightwing conservatives still whining about how the
"counter-cultural revolution" whipped them
2 " Republican strategists say .......Needs no
explanation.......
3. "They" (being aforementioned pundits who know the
upcoming elections will be slaughter".... say it
undermines the centrist image
4. "Centrist image" as defined by a rightwinger
destined to become irrelevant needs to be taken with a
grain of salt........
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