Clinton gives 10 million to charity, Obama gives 60 grand

[Seeker30]

And $27,000 of that was to Rev Wright.

What a charitable guy.

[grassfed]

1. how much did you give?

[Seeker30]

19. Approximately $23,000, and you?

With an income of $150,000, about 15%, Obama gave .04%?

[Blue-Jay]

29. Baaahahahahaha!

:rofl:

[Forkboy]

42. .....

You've proven yourself to be an upstanding DUer, so I believe you.

[ericgtr]

69. You make that much and still don't understand the benefits of a write off?

Someone is paying you way too much money.

[Seeker30]

80. You think thats a lot? Wait until mommy kicks you out

And you actually have to pay bills.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

73. You gave $23K to charity but can't afford $5 to DU?

[walldude]

81. *crickets*

:toast:

[Forkboy]

82. .....

:kick:

[roguevalley]

88. yawn.

[Texas Hill Country]

56. I gave about 8% of my total salary... Obama gave 0.4%.... That's kind of bullshit...

must have needed the extra cash for the mortgage on the $2,000,000 house.

[QC]

70. Don't forget those student loans!

From all the crying violins, one would think no one else ever had to repay student loans.

[2rth2pwr]

77. And the piano lessons! and keeping the fruit fresh!

[krawhitham]

2. what are the percentages?

hers in 9.5

[Coexist]

7. 10 and 9, respectively. and he gave to his church, not Rev. Wright.

its called tithing.

[AZ Criminal JD]

50. He gave it to Wright

Wright is getting a 1.6 million dollar home from the church. So anything going to that church is going to Wright.

[Coexist]

NO - he gave it to his church - his church decides what to do with it.

if he wanted to give it to Wright, he would stroke Wright a check.

[AZ Criminal JD]

91. Wright runs the church. If he gave directly to Wright he couldn't get a tax deduction.

[4_Legs_Good]

65. LOL! So everything I gave to my church went to Ratzinger?

A terrifying thought!

David

[AZ Criminal JD]

92. You know better than that.

Wright's church is a lone church run by Wright. It is not a complex international organization with millions of members and countless sub-organizations.

[roguevalley]

89. church. not wright. can't you do better than this? God.

[AZ Criminal JD]

93. Wright is the church.

[BlooInBloo]

95. HAHAHAHA!

[AZ Criminal JD]

103. Did Obama teach you how to say that?

[BeyondGeography]

3. I support a full-time focus on charitable causes for the Clintons

[ruggerson]

31. heh

[marshall]

43. The Chelsea Clinton Education Fund?

Could that be one of the charities?
How about the Friends of the Clinton Presidential Library?

[anonymous171]

4. Student loans from Harvard, two children.

Oh, and the 27,000 would be to Trinity United Church of Christ, not Rev. Wright.

[niceypoo]

86. They are both pushing 50...

they should have paid off their student loans 10 years ago.

Thats an excuse you use when you are 27, not 47.

[eyesroll]

100. Law-school loans can last up to 30 years. n/t

I'm 32 and in law school--if I wasn't on a scholarship I'd likely be paying back loans well into my 40s.

[rinsd]

5. That is bullshit. ALL charity is to be commended.

[TheDoorbellRang]

17. Thank you n/t

[Zachstar]

18. Wow. First time I saw a Clinton supporter stand up for the right thing today.

Congrats rinsd!

[tammywammy]

76. Agreed!

[movonne]

6. I think there was a little bit of difference in their incomes...check that out...

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

8. This is a great thread you've started.

I'm sure it will go down in the annals of Presidential history as one of the greatest insights, will be discussed in PoliSci 101 courses for years to come, and make your name a household word. Much like Kleenex.

[polichick]

9. 666 posts - coincidence?? :)

[aquarius dawning]

22. only to nut jobs.

[polichick]

36. A coincidence only to nutjobs?? lol

[ForeignSpectator]

64. Just as stated, LOL!

:rofl:

[Cant trust em]

10. duplicate

[NJSecularist]

11. Hillary is worth an awful lot more than Obama is...

... mostly due to her family's dubious connections to Kazaskstan....

[Cant trust em]

12. Their incomes aren't comparable, so their charitable giving isn't either.

I'm happy that the Clinton's gave what they did, but Obama shouldn't be criticized for his giving.

Also the 27,000 you speak of was to TUCC, not a gift to the Rev. Wright.

[Evergreen Emerald]

15. no...if the roles were reversed, an mere .04% to income would make

Obama supporters pee their pants as they attacked Clinton for giving so little to charity. "see?" They would shout: "she is an evil uncaring person who gives little to charity." Whatever. The double standard is amazing in DU.

Lets see what else they attack Clinton with, while giving Obama a free pass.

[Cant trust em]

21. This report from the Chronicle on Philanthropy shows about 6 percent

http://www.philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=4219

Secondly, please don't try to put other people's arguments on my shoulders. I've never said anything of the sort about the Clintons.

[joshcryer]

35. From your awesome link: During this five-year period their charitable giving represented about 1%...

...total income.

Cute.

[Cant trust em]

44. That was 200-2004, before the release of a few best selling books

"From 2000 through 2004, the Obamas’ total income was much smaller, ranging from $207,647 in 2004 to $275,123 in 2001. During this five-year period their charitable giving represented about 1 percent of their total income."



The more salient detail is his giving in the year 2006, which was approximately 6 percent.

"The data show that the Illinois senator’s giving was higher over the past three years, when he and his wife, Michelle Obama, were making more money and he was beginning to run for president."

"The Obamas gave $60,307 to charitable organizations in 2006, about 6 percent of their $991,296 in total income that year (the most recent year for which his campaign provided tax returns)."


You missed a few details.

[MadBadger]

46. Do you really think that's fair? Obama wasnt even in the senate yet.

[AZ Criminal JD]

97. So you're not supposed to give to charity unless you're in the Senate?

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

33. Check your math there, genius.

$60,000 is .04 percent of $150 million. Obviously Obama didn't make $150 million.

[joshcryer]

37. I was wondering where that number came from. In the last 5 years it's closer to 1%.

Good for them!

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

57. A more fair comparison would be to see how much

the Clintons gave when they were making what the Obama's make.

[MadBadger]

13. I'm not feeding this troll

Have a nice day!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. The Obamas aren't worth $109 million.

And the 27K was to the church, not Rev. Wright personally.

Are you done looking stupid?

[AZ Criminal JD]

98. The percentage here is what is important

Clintons gave about 10%. Obama gave about 1%. Wright ran the church and is the church. Are you done looking stupid?

[algol]

16. Oh please.

[Catherine Vincent]

20. $60 grand is great.

At least they gave. Plus they have two young children.

[BenDavid]

23. Michelle has some explaining to do.......

In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office. And that does not count the money Mrs. Obama receives from serving on corporate boards. She would have been O.K. even without Jack’s magic beans.

Michelle's appointment as the £150,000-a-year vice-president of external affairs at the University of Chicago hospital in 2005. It came only two months after Barack was sworn in as a U.S. senator, and was attacked by critics as a blatant attempt, critics claim, by the hospital's hierarchy to curry favour with her husband, in an era when some politicians want to rein in the vast profits of America's medical system. They questioned why the wife of a committed Democrat would work for a hospital that has been accused of ruthless greed. Michelle's image was further tarnished in May 2006, when it was revealed that the centre - despite earning some £50million a year - had refused to treat a man who could not afford to pay his bill. He died. All of which has led some political veterans to accuse Michelle of the very lack of compassion and moral scruples that her husband has lambasted in his Republican rivals for the White House.

Michelle also is under attack for joining the board of a food company where she allegedly took part in a 2005 decision to close a pickle and relish plant in La Junta, Colorado, putting 150 mostly Hispanic labourers out of work. The small town was devastated. "It totally amazed me when they closed it," said La Junta Mayor

[anonymous171]

24. Is that through the Clinton Foundation or just personal donations?

[ruggerson]

34. Foundations are funded by personal donations

[anonymous171]

38. But not just from the Clintons

[ruggerson]

52. These are deductions they declared on their returns

so it was either personally donated or indirectly through their foundation.

You can't take deductions for funds other people donated to your foundation.

[anonymous171]

53. Ah got it, thanks.

Glad to hear they donate so much to Charity! Better than most rich repugs!

[bhikkhu]

87. Folding capital into a non-profit counts as a charitable donation.

So it is a little more complicated. Whether or when the foundation disburses funds is irrelevant to the IRS, as far as personal taxes, so that 10 million is just funds transferred to the foundation. It is a common type of tax-shelter for the wealthy, and an easy way to manage tax burdens.

How the foundation is managed, how it disburses funds, what its payroll and administrative expenses are, and so forth, are the kinds of questions that need to be answered before admiring the "giving", as there are many ways to game the system. But with that said, a quick look into the Clinton Foundation on Wikipedia gives a pretty impressive list of worthwhile projects. Much more to look at, still.

[Symarip]

25. Ah yes. This thread will be highly productive. (n/t)

[tekisui]

26. Are you calling her Presidential Campaign a charity?

[MADem]

27. Ya know, I support Clinton, but I'm not going to question anyone's charitable contributions overmuch

The more you make, the more, as a percentage of what you make, you can afford to give.

That Wright thing WILL be back, like gum on a shoe, if BO gets the nom. No need to beat the horse. It's not dead, but it won't start stirring much unless BO gets the nomination. Then, the GOP will be whaling the tar out of it.

Most of that dough the Senator and President got was made by the Senator's HUSBAND.

Hey, if people paid me that much to SPEAK, and meet 'n greet, I'd be running my mouth all the live long day....and I would be much more charitable, too!

[democrattotheend]

28. To his church, not to Reverend Wright

And since Obama has not made 10 million over the past 6 years, it would be hard for him to give that much.

[L0oniX]

30. The DLC is not a charitable organization.

[grassfed]

32. Good Charity for Clinton supporters

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org /
film http://npaid.websys.no/item5/eng/1193308434

Cluster bombs and landmines are particularly terrifying weapons that wreak havoc on communities trying to recover from war. They are fatal impediments to reconstruction and rehabilitation of agricultural land; they destroy valuable livestock; they disable otherwise productive members of society; they maim or kill children trying to salvage them for scrap metal. Over 150 nations have signed the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

In the autumn of 2006, there was a chance to take a step in the right direction: Senate Amendment No. 4882, an amendment to a Pentagon appropriations bill that would have banned the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas. Amendment No. 4882 was an easy one to vote against: Who'd want to risk accusation of "tying the hands of the Pentagon" during a never-ending, global War on Terror? As is so often the case, there was no political cost to doing the wrong thing. And there was no political reward for doing the right thing.
But Senator Obama did the right thing.

Senator Obama of Illinois voted IN FAVOR of the ban.

Senator Clinton of New York voted AGAINST the ban.

Analysts say Clinton did not want to risk appearing "soft on terror," as it would have harmed her electability. Amendment Rejected.

http://www.stopclustermunitions.org /

[2rth2pwr]

39. And Michelle still complains she can barely make it, what with

all the piano lessons and summer camp.

[Blue-Jay]

45. Really? I haven't seen that quote.

When did she say the exact words that you're ascribing to her?

[2rth2pwr]

74. ...

Then, having given thoughtful but boilerplate responses most of the morning, Obama suddenly departed from her script. It was the most animated I saw her on the campaign trail. "You know," she said, "in my household, over the last year we have just shifted to organic for this very reason. I mean, I saw just a moment in my nine-year-old's life--we have a good pediatrician, who is very focussed on childhood obesity, and there was a period where he was, like, `Mmm, she's tipping the scale.' So we started looking through our cabinets. . . . You know, you've got fast food on Saturday, a couple days a week you don't get home. The leftovers, good, not the third day! . . . So that whole notion of cooking on Sunday is out. . . . And the notion of trying to think about a lunch every day! . . . So you grab the Lunchables, right? And the fruit-juice-box thing, and we think--we think--that's juice. And you start reading the labels and you realize there's high-fructose corn syrup in everything we're eating. Every jelly, every juice. Everything that's in a bottle or a package is like poison in a way that most people don't even know. . . . Now we're keeping, like, a bowl of fresh fruit in the house. But you have to go to the fruit stand a couple of times a week to keep that fruit fresh enough that a six-year-old--she's not gonna eat the pruney grape, you know. At that point it's, like, `Eww!' She's not gonna eat the brown banana or the shrivelledy-up things. It's got to be fresh for them to want it. Who's got time to go to the fruit stand? Who can afford it, first of all?"
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/10/080310fa_fact_collins?currentPage=6

Something else that strikes me about the returns is their relation to Michelle Obama's tales of her and her husband's struggle. When I saw Mrs. Obama at an appearance in Zanesville, Ohio last month, she was telling a group of low-income women — the median household income in the county in which Zanesville is located was $37,192 in 2004, well below the state and national medians — about how hard it can be to keep things together. Her talk often touched on money. "I know we're spending — I added it up for the first time — we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we're spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth," she told the women of her own household expenses. "And summer programs. That's the other huge cost. Barack is saying, 'Whyyyyyy are we spending that?' And I'm saying, 'Do you know what summer camp costs?'"
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2ZhODdkMGFhYmEwMDEwM2UwMWMwMzU1ZWZjYTY0OWQ=

[Blue-Jay]

75. I see what you did there.

Not quite what anyone would call "clever".

[2rth2pwr]

78. They can barely afford fresh fruit!

The humanity.

[ampad]

40. Your full of shit

The Obamas did not make as much money. Why don't you tell Clinton to take some of her millions and pay off the freaking vendors she stiffed. Start a post about that.

[TTUBatfan2008]

41. And the Clintons made $109 million for fuck's sake.

The Obamas were still paying for law school up until recently.

[elehhhhna]

55. No joke. What % of each's income would be a fair Q, almost.

[Skip Intro]

47. Another example of the difference between WORDS and ACTIONS.

Some people talk, some people DO.

Thank you, Bill and Hillary!

[anonymous171]

48. Hillary "didn't support" NAFTA but helped get it passed anyway.

She voted for the Iraq war but hoped that it wouldn't pass. She voted for the Kyle-lieberman amendment. Those are some actions you can judge her on.

[Skip Intro]

58. You mean the Iraq war that Obama was against before he was for before he was against again?

The vote about which Obama said he didn't know how he would have voted? The vote that Obama said there was room for disagreement on? The war that Obama excused those remarks about because he made them for political reasons? The vote for which Edwards and Kerry voted yes? That vote?

Or the Kyle/Lieberman amendment that Obama claimed he objected to because it tied US troop presence in Iraq to offsetting an Iranian threat, yet made statements in which he argued that troop presence in Iraq needed to be sufficient to blunt an Iranian threat? That amendment?

And the spin on Nafta - which Hillary was against, is just that, spin based on innuendo. About all you guys got, it would seem.

Still, as far as the tax returns go, and the charitable contributions, the nubmers don't lie. And again, it is the difference between uttering gretting card slogans and actually doing someething.

Hello. Goodbye.

[anonymous171]

60. Hillary supported NAFTA pubicly even if she was against it privately.

Actions over words.

[Lerkfish]

49. is he worth 109 million?

just askin

[redqueen]

51. The exponential increase in blatant desperation...

makes me happy!

Oh so happy!

[TomBall Democrat]

54. Again, more sticks and stones ...

still bored....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[MethuenProgressive]

59. $10,060,000.00 is a fantastic amount to give to charity!

God bless them both for giving what they could afford!
Peace!

[4_Legs_Good]

66. Agreed! I'd love to give that much!!!

But right now I'm focused on getting myself and my family out of debt so that some day I WILL be able to give a much larger percentage.

For now, though, I'm cheap as hell.

David

[cliffordu]

61. She made 33 TIMES what Obama made.....

[Evergreen Emerald]

94. Its about percentages

[knixphan]

62. Clinton Library Donors?

just sayin'.

[azmouse]

63. Continue grasping at straws.

Hillary doesn't have the nomination.

[book_worm]

67. He didn't have to give one penny.

I don't care. I'm glad they both give. Two things to remember 1) Clinton's made a lot more money than Obama. 2) The Obama's are younger and still have a growing family. Clinton's daughter is all grown and on her own. They also had a lot more expenses they were paying off.

[DemsUnited]

68. INCORRECT. Obamas gave $240,000 in 2007

This was widely reported a few weeks ago including here on DU in such threads as:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5265655

Because the Obama's 2007 return isn't yet released, this is not included in their charitable totals for 2000 - 2007.

Of course, their 2007 income isn't included in their totals either.

[TheWraith]

71. The Clintons made $109 million dollars in the last 8 years. Obama's worth less than 1 million.

But please, keep trying to find some bullshit spin to put on her tax returns.

[sudopod]

72. People with more income

can afford to give a greater percentage of that income.

That's the whole idea behind progressive taxation. Not exactly a newsflash. :p

[cooolandrew]

79. Erm HELLO, Clinton is a multi millionaire Barack only just made his 1st million from his book.

[JoFerret]

83. He gave $27,000 to Wright?

Is that true?


Crikey.

[bhikkhu]

84. I believe that is total contributions to the church.

[RBInMaine]

85. NO, that was $ to THE CHURCH which does WONDERFUL charity and social work.

Are you sure you're not a Republican. Also, the Clinton made MUCH more $.

[Duder]

90. Inflated biographies

'In 1998, then-vice president Al Gore reported a total of $353 in charitable donations. After being duly criticized, the Gores in 1999 donated $15,197 to charities, and these days he has become a major benefactor of the environment, contributing all the profits from his DVD, all of his Nobel Prize money and a substantial part of the million he made as an investor in Google. And Bill and Hillary Clinton, who by 1999 contributed almost $162,000 to charity, also had their lean years: The former president once claimed a $75 deduction for donating a suit with ripped pants to the Salvation Army, as well as $2 for a pair of used underwear and $9 for six pairs of used socks.'

http://www.forward.com/articles/13060/

[BlooInBloo]

96. Well if he gave it to Wright, then Wright would have to declare it on HIS taxes...

... unless you're just making shit up like a craven prevaricator, of course.

[Orsino]

99. The old "percentage" framing, clumsily hidden. n/t

[mkultra]

101. every dime of the money they gave

went to the Clinton foundation.


On that logic, i gave 87% of my income to charity.

[FlaGranny]

102. What a stupid thread! n/t