Clinton Stimulates.

In California today, Sen. Hillary Clinton unveils a smorgasboard of spending proposals to ward off a recession.

Clinton would rebate $40M to lower and middle class families, spend $10B to strengthen unemployment insurance, accellerate spending to "jumpstart green collar growth," spend $25B in home heating assistance grants (to shore up LiHEAP) and establish a $30B emergency housing crisis fund. Total cost: $70B. (Alex Conant at the RNC -- did you get that?)

If we accept HRC's prose/poetry dichotomy, where Obama is Byron and she is Hannah Arendt, then as the "prose" candidate, all of her numbers for her big spending proposals ought to add up. So where does the money come from? We'll see...

(Update: Neera Tanden calls to point out that stimulus packages aren't supposed to be revenue neutral and that this expenditure would be for one year only.)

(Update: Alex Conant of the RNC e-mails:

Senator Clinton cannot be trusted to be honest and upfront about her reckless fiscal proposals. Clinton says she wants to ‘put money in people’s hands,’ but her plans require massive tax increases on hardworking families. Clinton’s campaign says that every spending proposal ‘must be paid for,’ but she can’t tell the American people how she will finance nearly $800 billion in new government spending. Hillary Clinton’s misguided rhetoric concerning our economy is not believable or credible.”)

Last December, Edwards, too, would "accelerate" investment in clean energy, spend to ensure that unemployment insurance is available in the wake of massive job layoffs, increase the federal contribution to Medicaid, and create a "Home Rescue Fund."

Speaking of stimulus packages: John Edwards needs one for his campaign, and to that end, campaign manager David Bonior sent an e-mail to the campaign list today selling tee shirts and buttons, A twenty dollar tee shirt, he says, can bring in 40 dollars with of resources.