Clinton Crows About Smaller Deficit

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AllPolitics, Oct. 28) -- Campaigning in a St. Louis suburb, President Bill Clinton bragged about last year's cut in the budget deficit, down to $107 billion. The annual deficit was $290 billion when he took office.

In the process, Clinton is also responding to Bob Dole's appeal to America to wake up. "My friends," Clinton said, "America has heard a lot of calls in the last several days. I would say that these results prove that America is awake, and moving in the right direction to the 21st century."

The deficit was an issue that was at the top of the 1992 campaign, in large measure thanks to Ross Perot. Clinton promised to cut it in half and he's taking credit for doing better than that.

What he doesn't mention is that the deficit has come down in part thanks to his controversial $250 billion tax increase in 1993. That measure passed without any Republican support.

It also came at the expense of his 1992 campaign promise to cut middle-class taxes. He abandoned that promise after taking office, citing the higher-than-expected deficit numbers he inherited from the Bush Administration.

Finally, the president doesn't mention the policies of the Federal Reserve that kept interest rates down nor the pressure from the Republican Congress to cut spending. It was only after the Republicans took over Congress in 1995 than Clinton finally introduced a balanced budget.

James Miller, who served as President Ronald Reagan's budget director, says, "I don't think he deserves very much credit. If you go back and look at his proposed budgets, his first budget had deficits at $200 billion as far as the eye could see."

At virtually every stop along the campaign trail, the president is appealing to his core supporters to get out the vote. He is especially targeting women, raising such issues as breast cancer and domestic violence. And, he's targeting African Americans. Polls show both groups support him overwhelmingly.

The president continues to avoid any direct response to Dole by name, leaving that to his aides. Press Secretary Mike McCurry says Dole is currently engaged in "serial flailing," making it less necessary to respond to what McCurry calls Dole's "shrillness and absurdities."

Copyright © 1997 AllPolitics All Rights Reserved
Terms under which this information is provided to you