Barack Obama Accepting $400,000 in Wall Street Speech Fee is Depressing

[Mooka]

2 hours ago, No Excuses said:

But I suppose Obama and Team Blue deserve our benefit of the doubt (they don't).

 

Why doesn't Barack Obama get the benefit of the doubt in this case?

 

This man is possibly the best public speaker on the planet and will go down in the history books a great orator in American history. I really see no issue with him getting exorbitant public speaking fees. He's really good at it. 

 

Now I roll my eye's when people pay Hillary Clinton 200k to give a speech because she sucks at it and people don't like her. 

 

I'm sure Obama will donate the 400k, he'll most likely be donating everything besides his book deals. 

[Kosher Ham]

@Sacks 'n' Stuff , We certainly are not fighting ( I am saying your point)

I find it frustrating when grown men can't simply beef and settle an issue without an actual fight. (sometimes, you gotta throw hands)

 

Stack up, addresses point 2. That is what everyone should do. Stop wasting money. Then you make money. 

 

We're cool, was addressed in my first sentence.  

 

Enjoy your movies. Women...you can't trick me that easily. 

 

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

2 minutes ago, Elessar78 said:

Aaaand that 150k votes in the right states would've swung the election.

Yes. As well as the 2 million extra voters that showed up for Trump as opposed to Romney.

[Gamebreaker]

How does any ex-President pay the bills once they are out of office? 

[Elessar78]

15 minutes ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Yes. As well as the 2 million extra voters that showed up for Trump as opposed to Romney.

It only matters to a degree because of electoral college. 2 million more votes for trump but despite that less than 150k would've put the EC vote in our hands.

 

 

[PokerPacker]

1 hour ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Yes. As well as the 2 million extra voters that showed up for Trump as opposed to Romney.

Or did 2 million extra voters show up against Hillary?

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

17 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

Or did 2 million extra voters show up against Hillary?

Six of one and it really doesn't matter. Although Hillary was a flawed candidate, the proof that they don't actually give a **** about any of her legitimate criticisms is evidenced by the fact that they elected a man who is many times worse. So whether it was for Donald or against Hillary, either way they put an inferior candidate and a national disgrace in the oval office, simultaneously killing any hope that was left of the GOP ever getting their **** together.

[PokerPacker]

Whatever, I'm done with this thread.  I have not been able to put together a response to all of this finger-pointing and blanket ad hominem being thrown around at people for not voting for a candidate they despise.  You want to point fingers, point them at the oligarchy that gave the people the choice between Trump and Clinton.

[zoony]

26 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

Whatever, I'm done with this thread.  I have not been able to put together a response to all of this finger-pointing and blanket ad hominem being thrown around at people for not voting for a candidate they despise.  You want to point fingers, point them at the oligarchy that gave the people the choice between Trump and Clinton.

 

The left is gonna lise the next election too.  Completely and utterly tone deaf.  They cant be helped, the temp in their bubble is way too cozy.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

3 minutes ago, zoony said:

The left is gonna lise the next election too.  Completely and utterly tone deaf.  They cant be helped, the temp in their bubble is way too cozy.

The message is loud & clear. Don't be democrat. Obama was nothing but class for 8 years and look where that got him. Nope, nope. You can be a habitual liar with no knowledge  or experience, openly sexist & racist, a known womanizer, insult the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, offer no substance whatsoever, openly slander your predecessor with false accusations, say things like "Not!", etc etc etc etc etc but if you put an -R after your name...

[Burgold]

3 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

It only matters to a degree because of electoral college. 2 million more votes for trump but despite that less than 150k would've put the EC vote in our hands.

 

 

This seems a pretty pathetic and desperate attempt to absolve Trump voters. Sure, more Dems could have voted, but how anyone could vote for Trump is baffling. To try to pin the loss on the Dems is ignoring the horror of what Conservatives, Republicans, and others actually did.

 

Republicans and others voted for an incoherent, clueless, con artist in the midst of a fraud trial that he had to settle for 10's of millions of dollars because it was clear he was guilty who was so deeply in bed with the Russians that his National Security Adviser was forced out, his campaign manager was forced out, etc. The blood is on the hands of every person who chose to vote for Trump. We saw what America was like run by a Clinton. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty damn good. Let's not pretend Hillary would be worse than Trump. Hillary would probably be about as bad or good as George H W Bush or she would have probably been a less charismatic Bill Clinton. Instead, we have someone who understands the Constitution worse than the average second grader whose only goal seems to profiteer off the office.

[twa]

6 hours ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Yes. As well as the 2 million extra voters that showed up for Trump as opposed to Romney.

 

Ya think it might be because they found Obama less objectionable than Hillary? 

 

That Trump is less objectionable should tell ya something.

[Kilmer17]

8 hours ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Neither did the person that they voted for. The Trump base doesn't care about facts or issues. It begins and ends with their warped ideology.

 

And I do have a problem with Hillary's speeches to Wall Street but mostly because of what she said in those speeches.

This is true.  That's the bigger point.  Democrats take hits for stuff like this while GOPers do not.  

 

It doesn't make it right. But that's what happens. 

5 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

It only matters to a degree because of electoral college. 2 million more votes for trump but despite that less than 150k would've put the EC vote in our hands.

 

 

And 150k more for Trump in certain areas would have made his EC majority close to 100 and brought along a couple more Senators and Reps. 

 

[Gamebreaker]

I'm still waiting to hear what an ex-president is supposed to do after they leave office? I suspect they all charge money to speak in certain forums. It keeps the lights on. 

 

Furthermore, if Obama takes this money and then in his speech he rails against how Wall Street does business, are some of you still going to be up in arms about it? 

[Burgold]

30 minutes ago, Gamebreaker said:

I'm still waiting to hear what an ex-president is supposed to do after they leave office? I suspect they all charge money to speak in certain forums. It keeps the lights on. 

 

Furthermore, if Obama takes this money and then in his speech he rails against how Wall Street does business, are some of you still going to be up in arms about it? 

I'm with ya. To me, this is similar to the flag pin scandal. OMG, he's not wearing the US flag on his lapel! He hates America! He's disrespecting our troops. The right wing media milked that for months.

[justice98]

12 hours ago, twa said:

The man has a family to feed.....move along.

 

Coming from somebody like Obama, that would be the equivalent of the Latrell Sprewell argument.  

 

But I don't really care, either way.  The optics of it I understand though. 

[Hersh]

Amazingly this thread was actually better when there was complaining about Obama giving a speech. 

[gbear]

I am curious.  Does a figurehead on the left who is a great orator have a bigger impact talking to the already left or to those with power on the right side of our political spectrum?

 

At some point, we need to get out of our own echo chambers.  This thread reads like Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" where all those who never left the cave are angry at the one who did.  Yes, in this case we are angry the one who went outside got paid to do so.  However, maybe we need to make more efforts to tell those around the fire that there are some chained people in the cave who shouldn't be forgotten just because they are poor or don't look like us or are sick or...stuck to the walls of a cave out of sight by anyone of society's chains.  They have been left alone in the cave for so long to it is hard for them to imagine much less experience the great freedoms of our country. 

 

I can't remember who first suggested if the left really wants to change gun laws, they all need to join the NRA.  Flood its membership until you can change the way it lobbies...Yet this approach is seen as horribly taboo.  How dare a liberal icon talk to them?  and take money for doing so?  Oh, cry for humanity that we should fall so low!

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

2 hours ago, twa said:

That Trump is less objectionable should tell ya something.

It tells me a lot. It speaks volumes.

[codeorama]

1 minute ago, gbear said:

I am curious.  Does a figurehead on the left who is a great orator have a bigger impact talking to the already left or to those with power on the right side of our political spectrum?

 

At some point, we need to get out of our own echo chambers.  This thread reads like Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" where all those who never left the cave are angry at the one who did.  Yes, in this case we are angry the one who went outside got paid to do so.  However, maybe we need to make more efforts to tell those around the fire that there are some chained people in the cave who shouldn't be forgotten just because they are poor or don't look like us or are sick or...stuck to the walls of a cave out of sight by anyone of society's chains.  They have been left alone in the cave for so long to it is hard for them to imagine much less experience the great freedoms of our country. 

 

I can't remember who first suggested if the left really wants to change gun laws, they all need to join the NRA.  Flood its membership until you can change the way it lobbies...Yet this approach is seen as horribly taboo.  How dare a liberal icon talk to them?  and take money for doing so?  Oh, cry for humanity that we should fall so low!

 

 

This is a good post.  You can't just surround yourself with only those who already agree with you. You are not gaining any ground if you really want to make change.

[Bang]

the notion this is something to be upset about is absurd.

Wall Street paid 400k for him to speak, so it stands to reason they are very interested in what he would have to say.

 

Pessimist; oh no! He's talking to THEM and accepting a lot of money for it!

Optimist: hey,, he's talking to them, and they paid him a lot of money to hear what he has to say.

 

Which are you?

~Bang

[Dan T.]

1 hour ago, Gamebreaker said:

I'm still waiting to hear what an ex-president is supposed to do after they leave office? I suspect they all charge money to speak in certain forums. It keeps the lights on. 

 

Furthermore, if Obama takes this money and then in his speech he rails against how Wall Street does business, are some of you still going to be up in arms about it? 

 

Former Presidents receive a taxable pension equivalent to the salary of the head of an executive department (Executive Level I), which in 2015 was $203,700 per year.  An ex-President's spouse receives a lifetime pension of $20,000 per year if they relinquish all other statutory pension.

 

In addition, ex-Presidents get an annual stipend of around $96,000 for office staff payroll.  They also get free postage for life.

 

 

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

7 minutes ago, Dan T. said:

They also get free postage for life.

Really? That's an interesting little nugget.

[Kilmer17]

4 minutes ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

Really? That's an interesting little nugget.

Strangely, the SITTING President does NOT get that privilege.  But the VP does.

 

Additionally, all former first ladies have it as well.

 

[Bang]

Nifty,, something new has been learned today.

check!

 

~Bang