Home Issues Money and Politics Are the Candidates Living up to Transparency
Are the Candidates Living up to Transparency
Written by Yanmei Xie   
Thursday, 20 March 2008 12:00

Mar. 20, Feature - The release of Hillary Clinton's schedule as First Lady shows that on day one at the White House, she began meetings on health care, meeting with people instrumental in the creation of her health care plan. Media reports are reporting that her schedule suggests she was a proponent of, and instrumental in, passing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Journalists and opposing campaigns will be scrubbing through those for days to come. Yanmei Xie takes a look at the candidates shadiness amidst calls for sunshine.

March 20 - Feature
produced by Yanmei Xie
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The National Archive released Hillary Clinton's schedule Wednesday. Obama's campaign says that's far from enough. It's pressing Clinton to release more of the Presidential Records, her earmark requests in the Senate and her taxes returns.

Obama has released his tax information Hillary Clintonfrom last year. Clinton only made a vague promise during an NBC debate last month with moderator Tim Russert.

Clinton:
I will release my tax returns. I have consistently said that.

Russert:
Why not now?

Clinton:
Well, I will do it as others have done it upon becoming the nominee or even earlier.

Not everyone of the "others" wait as long as she does. The 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, for example, released his tax records even before the primaries began. Clinton's chief strategist Mark Penn insists that her records are out in the open.

"I think Senator Obama has only released a single year. She has released twenty years of tax returns plus Senate disclosure forms."

The Clintons did release tax returns for the years Bill Clinton was governor and the President. But they haven't done so since leaving the White House.

Hillary Clinton has promised to disclose all post-White House tax returns around April 15. Obama has said he'll publish more. The presumptive Republican nominee John McCain hasn't disclosed his tax returns, either. The two Democratic candidate are two busy attacking each other for people to notice.

Then there's the question about earmarks, which are funding requests lawmakers make for their home state projects. Obama published all his earmark requests last year.

"I've actively pursued projects that I think are important, but I want to make sure that they are not done in the dark of the night."

Two of his earmarks came into question. One is for the University of Chicago, where his wife used to work. The other for a company that one of his big donors worked for. Clinton has also directed money towards companies that hire her major fundraisers. So far she has refused to fully disclose her earmark requests.

"I'm very proud of the earmarks I've got for New York, because they have served worthy purposes for the people that I represent."

McCain says he has no earmark to disclose.

"I have not asked for nor received a pork-barrel project for my state, and I'm proud of that."

According to media reports, however, McCain pushed for, and got, fourteen million for Arizona's Luke Air Force Base in 2003. In 2006, he secured ten million dollars for the University of Arizona to build an academic center.

 

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