Hillary Clinton makes a stir by telling a Congressional Black Caucus forum that every child born in the country should receive a $5,000 baby bond to help pay the costs of college or buying a home. However, it is not the first time she has made this proposal. It was also part of the American Dream Initiative that she put forward at a DLC convention last year, though the figure she was talking about then was $1,000 on the installment plan–$500 at birth, followed by $500 at age 10. Campaign spokesman Phil Singer says it is “not a firm policy proposal, but an idea under consideration.” (And also worth mentioning, it’s an idea that our esteemed managing editor proposed recently, though Rick Stengel would tie it to national service.)
Republicans do not immediately rush to endorse the idea, and it gives Drudge another screaming Hillary headline. Rudy Giuliani, on Sean Hannity’s radio show, says not every kid needs the money: “This is a campaign based on pandering to the point where I think they think the American people are stupid.”