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user-inactivated  ·  2520 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Barack Obama's $400,000 speaking fees reveal what few want to admit

    That's the point. Bush is making millions from his speaking fees, too. You think this shit happens for free?

I was meaning more of the whole being appointed to cushy positions after holding office. I'd also half argue that Bush is kind of four years past being relevant at this point, but then, shit, I dunno.

I think it's interesting that we've had this whole thread and no one has brought up Republicans railing against Hillary for all of her "private Wall Street speeches" or whatever. I mean, I didn't wanna bring it up because I don't want to be the one to say "Well, it's hypocritical of them, but broken clocks and all that shit."

It's just weird, because constantly people talk about getting money out of politics and all, then we have people who formally held political office earning big bucks partially because their former positions gave them cache and insight and a marketable name, and everyone's talking about it like it's alright, because it's part of the system. I don't think I'd draw the line as starkly as OftenBen, but I'm more than comfortable saying that it's kind of fucky, $400,000 for a speaking deal is a bit outrageous, and a $65 Million contract for a book deal is obscene. I would be more than comfortable saying that cushy jobs and payments like these are part of what attracts greedy people to public office at various levels of the government.

Also, I dip my toes into r/politics from time to time just to see what people say. When guys like Chaffetz, McConnell, McCain, Trump, Pai, Trump, Spicer, and on and on and on so much as sneeze, the sensitive libs wilt, the angry libs rage, and the hyperbole flies all over the place. How any of those guys have the energy to keep it up, I don't know.