BREAKING - Barack Obama Highest Paid US Senator

[PBS Poll-435]

According to the AP --

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080416/ap_on_el_pr/obama_taxes_2

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
59 minutes ago

PHILADELPHIA - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama reported $4.2 million in income in 2007. The presidential candidate released his tax returns on Wednesday. He said his adjusted gross income was around $4.2 million, with $4 million coming from the profits on his two books — "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope." His Senate salary is $260,735.


:rofl: :rofl:
What is wrong with the media in this country??

Obviously the article is wrong. Does anyone in the media have a clue about what they are writing about before the time comes to write about it?

[msallied]

1. Telecom Act of 1996 is what's wrong with the media.

As for the article itself, i always thought McCain was the highest-paid Senator.

[PBS Poll-435]

5. I think that everyone makes the same amount of money...

Regardless of seniority.

Unless you are a leader.

Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

[MonkeyFunk]

41. What was the '96 telecom bill

have to do with this report?

[depakid]

67. Media deregulation was Reagan's legacy

And I think the fruits of that have been on display for many, many years.

It's actually embarrassing, and people from abroad don't believe it's as sorry as it is until they come here and see (or listen to it) for themselves.

There's nothing like this in Britain or Australia- where news is news and tabloids are tabloids.

[PBS Poll-435]

70. ITA!!!

After visiting our neighbor to the north, I was shocked and awed about how the news is actually news.

Not a missing girl in tropical paradise. Not missing children in a SW Texas hell-hole.

[PBS Poll-435]

85. Nah...

98% of them have the same pay.

[KoKo]

2. I don't believe for one Minute that Obama is Highest Paid US Senator....

He's probably last in the line of the BIG BUCKS....But he's "working on it." :D

[Liberal Gramma]

36. How does 4 mil compare to 109 mil?

If you're going to count total income, not Senate salary, he's got to be one of the poorest paid.

[PBS Poll-435]

39. Right...

4 million dollars in 1 year and he is one of the poorest paid?

Yikes

[MonkeyFunk]

42. Which senator made 109 million in one year?!

[Liberal Gramma]

45. Wasn't that Clinton's income?

Am I mistaken?

[MonkeyFunk]

48. Yes, you're mistaken

She and her husband, combined, made 109 million over 7 years.

[PBS Poll-435]

51. Actually, Eight

The 2007 income was included in the public disclosure.

[Liberal Gramma]

86. My bad. Sorry

[JoFerret]

87. At that rate - Obama makes roughly

the same based on last year.

[JoFerret]

101. Yes. You are.

.

[beyondromantic]

61. If Obama had been president, do you doubt he would have earned as much as Clinton?

I don't. He could have probably earned even more, since his speeches are known for being electrifying, although Clinton was good too.

[PBS Poll-435]

63. Just read the OP word-for-word.

Thanks!

[JoFerret]

91. Quick - send money

...his children are going hungry.

[rucky]

46. He's at least one of the top two highest paid Senators

from Illinois.

[saracat]

3. Why would that be wrong? Who would make more? Kerry doesn't earn more.

and Edwards and Graham are no longer in the Senate nor is Corizine. This is likely correct.

[EFerrari]

So, how do you tie his book sales to his Senate seat?

:eyes:

[PBS Poll-435]

6. Did you read the article?

I guess not.

[EFerrari]

9. There is no link in the OP.

I guess not. :eyes:

[PBS Poll-435]

10. ...

:eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

I guess a link would be polite, but you could be in on the joke too if you had bothered to take 15 seconds to read the 3 line paragraph that I posted.

:eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

[EFerrari]

13. Sorry, I guess I did miss the whole funny part of the joke.

[enki23]

4. it doesn't need to be true to work

that writer might well have an agenda. and as for the ability of the public to figure that out... well. they get mixed reviews.

[PBS Poll-435]

7. I know...

And when they realize what they did, they will correct it and never admit the error or make an official correction.

[Mist]

8. I guess this is part of Obama's "elitism." [sarcasm] nt

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Where is the Clinton's' 2007 return?

Or would that be too embarrassing for them to release? How much did Bill make from speaking fees? How much from their books?

[PBS Poll-435]

16. LOL..

You are too slow to read, too quick to post.

Slow down. Start over.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. No, you need to cut the crap.

I am asking a valid question. They claimed they would be releasing it. And yes, it is obvious that the article is screwed up.

[PBS Poll-435]

19. If they don't release it by 4/22,

Then you can scream it from the mountain tops. That is when they promised to release it.

Until then, YOU need to cut the crap.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. Since the Clinton campaign has started the "Elitist" meme

then it's time for the proof in the pudding.

So I'm afraid that you are still posting crap.

[PBS Poll-435]

29. When did they promise to release it by?

If it is not after that date, you would be the one posting "crap."

[BumRushDaShow]

30. What are they hiding? Their "Elitism"? n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

31. They are not hiding anything.

If they said before 4/22, you will have it before 4/22.

[BumRushDaShow]

37. We're going in circles as usual. Today is "before 4/22"

If the Clinton argument is that somehow, she is not "Elitist", then prove it. Now.

But of course, it will be quite embarrassing when the truth comes out. I wouldn't' be surprised if they filed for an extension.

[PBS Poll-435]

40. Prove that you are not a robot.

Take a knife and slice through the skin on your forearm until you get to the bone. If you say you are not a robot, you should have no problem proving it.

[BumRushDaShow]

43. No answer.

As expected. :eyes:

[PBS Poll-435]

84. I can't stay hooked up to the tubes forever!

Humans need food. And sometimes wine.

And you still can't explain how documents by Obama are somehow going to prove that Hillary Clinton lied about releasing her tax returns.

When they aren't expected until tomorrow....

[TankLV]

94. umm - they released it a WHILE ago - it was all over the news...

it's a non-issue...

BTW - they gave over TEN PERCENT of their income to CHARITY...

not bad for good ol' Bill...

it was something like 102/107 MILLION with over TEN mill to Charity...

nice try - but thanks for playing the obama "gotcha" game...

[Zodiak]

100. Just so we are clear on that 10%

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/05/ST2008040502593.html?hpid=topnews

This is the breakdown....most of it went to the Family Foundation...the Clinton Family Foundation. This money includes money that has actually helped out with this year's campaign, and it went to their former graduate schools, amongst other places. The full break-down is in this article, but it is much longer than a soundbyte.

There is the good, bad, and ugly in this article. I recommend all DUers read it so they understand what the "They gave 10% of their money to charity" soundbyte actually means.

[hfojvt]

12. Did they take this from his tax return?

They probably forgot that he filed a joint return and that some of the income from salary was from Michelle, who worked part of the year.

[PBS Poll-435]

17. Bingo!

And 15 seconds of research could have prevented the error.

Some people might think that he actually was paid that much form the US Gov't. And that might offend them, I guess. :shrug:

[Bucky]

14. Woo-hoo! Rock on Barack!

[NightWatcher]

15. McCain has his loads of Beer Money

[2rth2pwr]

20. What the hell are you talking about? Nowhere in the article does it say he is the highest paid Sen.

Here is the headline- Obama reports income of $4.2 million in 2007 tax returns


Are you posting from the bar again?

[PBS Poll-435]

21. I am not posting from the bar. Yet.

From the article:
His Senate salary is $260,735.

Simply not true. The highest paid Senators are the Majority/Minority Leaders. And they don't make more than $190,000.

[2rth2pwr]

22. linky things?

[PBS Poll-435]

24. Link to what?

[TahitiNut]

76. Senate salaries are $169,300 effective January 1, 2008

This is a matter of legislative FACT, not opinion.

The Senate leadership is paid slightly more ...
Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

The article is total hogwash. Since the tax returns are for 2007, the numbers are even further off.

[PBS Poll-435]

79. The silent storm of sanity

[TahitiNut]

82. I find that opinions have a longer shelf life when heavily salted with facts.

:dunce:

[PBS Poll-435]

83. Salted AND Pickled.

Don't think for a second that you can get ANYWHERE without the pickled vote.

:bounce: OR :eyes:

They are both green!

[rox63]

23. All Senators get the same salary

And there are many other Senators who are much wealthier than Obama.

[PBS Poll-435]

27. No they don't.

[aquart]

57. Do committee heads get extra?

I never thought about it. Do they?

[PBS Poll-435]

62. No.

They do not.

[oviedodem]

25. I suppose it's his fault his book accounts for 95.24% of his income.

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28. I didn't say anything about his book. Not one word.

[aquart]

59. Legal income is not a "fault."

Not for Clinton, not for Obama.

[madrchsod]

32. i noticed this---->

His Senate salary is $260,735.
Charitable contributions were $240,370.

he paid all but 20,365 of his senate pay to charity.....dam he`s a cheapskate

[PBS Poll-435]

33. LOL...

First of all, he donated less than 6% to charity. Less than the Clintons, for sure.

Secondly, the point of the OP was to prove how stupid the media was...

[anonymous171]

34. ^^^HERE******

[MADem]

44. His book earnings aren't factored into your figures, there. NT

[PBS Poll-435]

65. Obviously----

Unless the US Government is going to pay you more as a US Senator for writing a book...

[GoesTo11]

35. When his campaign took off, so did his book sales.

Hope he kept the movie rights.

[PBS Poll-435]

38. That is fantastic.

Problem is, it has nothing to do with the OP. I was talking about Obama's salary from the US Government.

[Johnny__Motown]

47. Are they including his wife's income?

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60. I don't know...Maybe???

His Senate salary is $260,735.

:shrug::shrug:

[beyondromantic]

49. And he's not even president yet

At this pace He and Michelle will be richer than the Clintons in a few years.

They are elitists, IMO.
Rich people are elitist, remember?

[PBS Poll-435]

55. Nah....

B'B made serious coin as a writer.

But everyone in the US Senate makes the same amount of money, except for the party leaders.

[PA Democrat]

50. If he filed a joint tax return, his wife's salary would be included in that sum.

[PBS Poll-435]

52. DINGDINGDING

You have now been hired by the Associated Press.

How much do you want?

And, when do you want to take your vacation?

[Eurobabe]

53. Good for him, but misleading stupid headline Bethie. n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

56. The headline was provided by proxy by the good folks at the AP.

They wrote the article, after all.

[LTR]

54. Does Herb Kohl or any of the other rich senators know about this?

AFAIK, he's the senator that makes the most money. Or at least the richest.

He's got his retail investments and owns an NBA team.

Hell, Hillary makes more money than Obama.

[PBS Poll-435]

58. Please read the OP, and then post.

That way, you will be in on the joke too!

[LTR]

64. Oh, I know

I meant it as a response to the writer of the AP article.

Which username is she trolling under here? Should I look for the Hillary avatar or the "I'm not bitter" one?

:shrug:

[PBS Poll-435]

66. I love the fake outrage!

The writer has no freaking clue what nasty batch of nouns and verbs she is wiring to the rest of the country.

NO US Senator gets a salary above 190K. It is the law. The AP, trying to be the quick draw, failed again.

[Brundle_Fly]

68. 69 Replies!!!

NO VOTES = EPIC FAIL

[PBS Poll-435]

69. I didn't want votes on this. This is nothing to be proud of...

This was a f-up of enormous proportions on the MSM, aka the AP.

They can't even piece together a freaking stock piece.

[Justitia]

71. That is NOT the headline. (????) -eom

[PBS Poll-435]

73. No...It sure isn't. Care to read the paragraph?

[Justitia]

77. I did and I still don't see whatever you're getting at. -eom

[PBS Poll-435]

78. Well you owe me a credit then!!!

The AbsolutelyhoribleconsolidatedPress said that Obama made like $270K from his job in the Senate.

Every Senator makes the same amount. Less than 170K for 2007.

One exception to that is the party leaders. They make a little more.

The AP messed up trying to be first. They included Michelle's income in their stupid article. Which, at 1:25 CST, nearly 7 hours later, has not been corrected.

[Justitia]

80. oh, okay. I guess I was looking for a bigger screw up . -eom

[PBS Poll-435]

81. Well seek and you shall find...

The AP wrote a ridiculous article, wanting to be first, and they messed up royally. And their subscriber/affiliate STILL has not corrected it.

[PBS Poll-435]

72. 1/2 a day later...and they STILL have not corrected it!

Obama = Scrooge McDuck. He is so smooth that he coerces another 80K out of the Treasury...

As far as the AP knows..

[Levgreee]

74. Hillary got paid 8 million upfront for her first book

[PBS Poll-435]

75. Read, then post a response...

This is how it should work...

[JoFerret]

88. Nonsense. He was born in a manger

and has taken a vow of poverty.

(Truly - is anyone surprised that he has his nose in the trough. It's the American way.)

[Vinca]

89. That's what happens when you write bestselling books. Duh. nt

[PBS Poll-435]

90. Really?

The US Senate increases your paycheck when you write successful books?

[spanone]

92. after the debate we know the fix is in on bacrack....they're taking him down (the media)

[PBS Poll-435]

98. This article was Pre-Debate nt

[olkaz]

93. Wow, now if he pulled that amount for the next 25 years....

He'd have as much as the Clintons made in the last ten!

[PBS Poll-435]

99. ...

:eyes:

[bobbert]

95. Nobody got the joke that somehow his senate salary is $100,000 more than every other senator?

That's why he's the highest paid senator

[PBS Poll-435]

97. LOL, many many didn't.

I was really surprised by that.

[ecstatic]

102. What's funny?

I didn't know the Senate salaries, but even if I did, I still don't think I would get the "joke." :shrug:

[demwing]

96. WAIT!

Who is on first, Whats on second...