George W. Bush racks up $15 million in speaking fees

[joeybee12]

How much would you pay to get President George W. Bush to speak at your event?

Almost immediately after leaving office, Bush withdrew from the broader bully pulpit that other former presidents, such as Jimmy Carter, have used to weigh in on matters of public import. But he also joined the storied ranks of former politicians who are now making money on the speaking circuit-- and it's paying off.

Bush spokesman David Sherzer tells iWatch News that Bush has earned at least $15 million for nearly 140 paid speeches since he left office in Jan. 2009. That's an average of about $110,000 per speech. (iWatch News reports that his average fee is pegged between $100,000 and $150,000.)

IWatch News reports that after declining to visit Ground Zero May 5 with Barack Obama following the death of Osama bin Laden, Bush gave three paid speeches that week--one to "hedge fund executives, a Swiss bank sanctioned for keeping secret bank accounts, and a pro golf event underwritten by the accounting firm involved in the Tyco International financial scandal."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/george-w-bush-racks-15-million-speaking-fees-192157129.html

Bold is mine...let's have a little perspective on all this...and I'm sure Georgie's fees ALL went to his foundation.

[VanillaRhapsody]

1. Yet no one cares...

[arcane1]

2. Paid for speaking? For SPEAKING??????

[randys1]

5. I know, how phucking messed up is that

[LisaLynne]

9. Yeah, I guess comedy is getting more and more expensive ...

[randys1]

3. Well, he does belong in prison, of course. So ... ... ...

this is where I scream because he is NOT in prison and Don Siegelman is and thousands more guilty of being the wrong color or smoking a joint.

[Wounded Bear]

4. Well, I wouldn't charge him more than $10-12 k to sit through one of his "talks"...nt

[joeybee12]

6. I'd have to double that...

Maybe triple...oh hell, there's not enough money to get me to sit through that.

[MADem]

7. Perspective? Here?

You think this is a site that supports DEMOCRATS for public office, eh?

I see more bashing of Dems here than I do the GOP....

And I wish I could say that was



but sadly, I can't.

[onehandle]

8. Horrible News! Not a chance in Hell that President Obama and Michelle will speak for money.

Only people with the name Bush and Clinton will do this.

Heh.

Bookmark this thread.

[WillowTree]

19. Well, that's not exactly what I was going to say......but since you did.......

Hey, like it or not, the guy's a former president and people pay former presidents to speak. Just the way it works.

[gratuitous]

10. Well, he had to replenish the old coffers

It was a big blow financially for Bush to take that big pay cut as president. Don't you libruls have any heart? Oh, the penury of it all!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/03/usa.edpilkington

The man was worth barely $20 million in 2007 thanks to his ruinous economic policies. Since then, though, the DJIA has done a little better than when he was in office:

DJIA on 1/22/01 when Bush took office: 10,578.24
DJIA on 9/4/07 the date of the Guardian article: 13,448.86
DJIA on 1/20/09 when Obama took office: 7,949.09
DJIA today: 17,138.20

I have no idea why the Big Money Boyz on Wall Street are so opposed to Democratic presidents.

[Delmette]

11. I like the contrast with Hillary's fees.

Mrs. Clinton can pull in $250,000 for each event, but George can only get $150,000? Does that speak to how little he is in demand or that the conservative groups are cheap?

[madamesilverspurs]

12. Shouldn't that be "MISspeaking"?

Other than that, I'm not the one paying him, so no biggie. That said, the fact that there are those who willingly pay to hear him, we should be worried for them.

[Solly Mack]

13. Sick, sick, sick.

[msongs]

14. Obama should make way more than that after he's out of office. will DU criticize him for it?

[bluedigger]

15. He needs art supplies.

[Uncle Joe]

16. Bush would have to pay me and then allow me to smack the shit out him afterwards.

Thanks for the thread, joeybee.

[eppur_se_muova]

17. Wow, that's like $50 per malaprop ... nt

[TheKentuckian]

18. Getting paid millions to speak when you can barely talk and no one cares about what you have to say

is fucking dazzling!

This dude was not born on third base, he wasn't born on home plate, he wasn't even born in the post walk off celebration.

This motherfucker George Bush was born shitfaced at the after party in the wee hours after winning the World Series.

[Blue Owl]

20. The ultimate example of the Peter Principle in action

n/t