Clinton's 'fiscal responsibility' a sham, critics say

By Matt Stearns | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Clinton vows that as president, she'd return the country to "fiscal responsibility," but critics charge that her proposals could blow a hole worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the deficit and even would provide a tax cut to some of America's richest people.

The Democratic front-runner says her torrent of promises — which would cost hundreds of billions of dollars — is paid for.

"What Senator Clinton has said throughout the campaign is that she will pay for every single proposal without increasing the deficit," said Brian Deese, a policy analyst with the Clinton campaign. "Focusing on a commitment to pay-as-you-go would be a dramatic change from the Bush administration."

But pledging not to increase the deficit — as opposed to reducing it — isn't real fiscal responsibility, critics say, questioning Clinton's method of payment for her most prominent, most expensive proposals:

Continue reading