[7] To make the plans more easily comparable, the Solutions Initiative program required that they be developed from a common starting point based upon the Congressional Budget Office's long-term projections.

The Peterson Foundation also asked the Tax Policy Center and Barry Anderson (former acting director at CBO) to serve as independent scorekeepers, reviewing the plans and applying consistent analytical techniques to all of the proposals.

"[16] The campaign featured nationally broadcast television ads starring satirical presidential candidate named Hugh Jidette, (a play on "Huge Debt").

[citation needed] William Greider, writing in The Nation, accused Peterson of using "fiscal responsibility" as a cover for an ulterior motive, namely cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits.

The group is quoted as saying that "The Peter G. Peterson Institute, which is ostensibly concerned about the U.S. fiscal imbalance, has come out against provisions in [a Senate bill] that would prevent multinational corporations from abusing foreign tax credits ... .

"[22] Jeffrey Faux, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, criticized Peterson for making his fortune at Blackstone while paying the relatively low 15 percent private equity tax.

Faux is quoted as saying that "Pete Peterson has been writing books and funding think tanks, calling on people to make sacrifices ... for him to have any credibility at all he should be the first one to say we ought to be paying more taxes on these tremendously profitable arrangements.