President Barack Obama was at my alma mater yesterday and used his first public statements to decry how “special interests dominate the debates in Washington.” Then will now be setting off for his first speech . . . to Wall Street special interests at Cantor Fitzgerald, which will pay him $400,000. This is the same politician who called such banks “fat cats” who exercise undue influence over our leaders.
Cantor Fitzgerald, a bank, has been touting how it is making a killing on health care investments. Now, the man who created the health care program will be receiving almost half a million dollars for a single brief speech. It raises visions of Hillary Clinton who cashed in on Wall Street speeches while denouncing the influence of Wall Street (and later refused to disclose the content of those speeches to the public).
One distinction is that Hillary pulled in only half of what Obama is demanding from Wall Street and powerful interests.
Of course, Obama was criticized for the level of influence of both Wall Street investors and powerful lobbies like the pharmaceutical industry on his policies. He was accused of packing his administration with lobbyists and breaking his promises on limiting the power of lobbies.
What is hilarious about our current system is that we have all of these bribery and influence peddling laws in place. However, if Wall Street or lobbyists give a former president half a million dollars for less than one hour of speaking soon after leaving office, it is entirely acceptable from a legal standpoint. So long as there is no quid pro quo, there is nothing legally wrong with absurd amounts of money going to a president as soon as he leaves office. At this rate, just 100 hours of work will put Obama near the $100 million goal surpassed by the Clintons, who virtually walked around with credit card swipers on their belt to facilitate payments from special interests.
In his speech, Obama encouraged people to work on the community level to influence change. He appears to be starting with the small Wall Street community of influence peddlers in his own quest for social justice.
Like every other politician Obama is two-faced and talks out of both sides of his mouth. Anyone that actually still thinks Obama is a progressive is either naive or does not want to face reality. He never was a progressive. That was all just a ruse to get people to vote for him.
Is it too late to remind Obama zealots that their hero does not walk on water! Is Obama not a professional, self-serving, posturing, elitist? Is he not multifaceted in all forms of duplicity? Is he not haughty to & impervious to law? In short, Obama has played the American people & in so doing hoodwinked the public!
Amen. NOT too late. Keep on talking. The truth always comes out.
I wonder what sort of honorarium people here think WOULD be appropriate in this case, or similar cases? A coach airline ticket and a chit for a hamburger from McDonalds?
As I see it RBB, Robber Baron Bank, having noted that BHO wasn’t back from vacation, invited him to give a talk simply based on the fact that after 8 years as prez BHO was highly knowledgeable about matters of interest to RBB. As an ex-prez his fee ought to be higher than that for an ex-SecState. He accepted. He is rich enough he doesn’t need the money.
The fat cats are simply paying him his well earned fees for 8 years of faithful service to them while President. Obama was the corporate Democrat deluxe as President never failing to bend to the will of Wall Street, Big Oil, Big Pharma and every other industry that helped pay for his campaigns with big fat checks. The idea that his actions ever matched his tepid finger wagging at Wall Street and corporate predators is laughable. He was in their pocket the entire time and now he’s reaping the rewards and laughing at all the suckers who bought into his false hope in “change you can believe in”. He was always the guardian of the status quo and special interests no different than the Bushes, the Clintons or any of the other establishment political leaders in DC.
Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.
I’ve always felt Obama was self-protecting and very much playing it safe. Even when he was my senator, he never took a position on any issue. He was always positioning himself or posing to look good. Now he’s buddying up the the Bush family. He evidently wanted to get into power and he wants to belong to the moneyed class, those who don’t work but live off interest and making speeches. He’s been very successful at it. He has modeled how an underclass man of color behaves when faced with options to line his family’s pockets. Anyone who thought he was the slightest bit progressive was deceived by a master. I think very few public spirited and relatively selfless individuals exist in American public life on the big stage. Sanders is the only one who comes to my mind, but my scope is limited. On the local level however I know people who gladly give so much to their communities and friends asking for and expecting nothing in return except perhaps friendship.
Why are so many lawyers corrupt cowards?
At least Barack and Michelle have surrendered their law licenses.
Add the judges too.
Corruption is a tremendous epidemic in the legal profession.
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it — Albert Einstein
Absolutely right. I am a retired trial lawyer ( in 2010) after 50 years n the business. These 9th circuit judges tearing Trump apart with injunctions are perfect examples of the total corruption of the profession.
What are your thoughts about Trump sending tweets to call them on it?
Obama is just following The Clinton Rule of Public Service —> GMAIPW Guaranteed Massive And Instant Personal Wealth once you leave office. Watch what Obama does with HIS foundation now that the Clinton’s have set the bar.
This is exactly who Obama is. He undermines everything he told the country he stood for for a decade. He lies like the POS he is and always was.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1329006/of-the-mentally-challenged-man-facing-a-blasphemy-charge