Cashing In: Obama’s Post-Presidency Bonanza

The benefits of being a former US president are limitless. Most former incumbents take full advantage. Obama is using his political celebrity to cash in hugely. He moved into a reported $5.3 million, 8,200-square foot luxury mansion, two miles from the White House. He spent weeks vacationing in Tahiti, including aboard a $300 million yacht. He and wife Michelle got a stunning $65 million book deal, ghost written for them.

He’s already wealthy from earlier book deals. He earned $400,000 annually as US president, $200,000 each year in pension benefits – plus $150,000 a year for two-and-a-half years, then $96,000 annually for life, adjusted for inflation. Nice deal if you can get it. There’s potentially much more, including $400,000 for paid speeches to lots of corporations and groups willing to pay it. He’s getting this amount to keynote a September healthcare conference, organized by Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

The Clintons hugely profited—and continue to do so—from their connection to the inner chambers of the American state. Both are not only crooks but war criminals. And so is Obama.

Hillary was paid over $25 million in speaking fees since January 2014. Husband Bill cashed in the same way. So did former Wall Street-controlled Fed chairmen Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke. Political figures notoriously cash in big while in office and after leaving, Obama taking full advantage like many others. The Los Angeles Times called it “(t)acky but not corrupt.” The NYT said he “balances civic-minded(ness) with the lure of” big bucks.

Concern for America’s poor and disadvantaged was never an Obama attribute. During his Chicago years, he supported ethnic cleansing gentrification. Real estate and other financials interests profited hugely at the expense of ordinary people. His disdain for populism continued as a state and US senator. He consistently promised one thing and delivered another – at the local, state and federal levels, mostly after becoming president. Now a private citizen in his mid-50s, he’s got lots of years to get super-rich – living the good life, anti-progressive in office and since leaving, unaccountable for war crimes in multiple theaters, along with waging war on freedom domestically.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.13.00 AM

STEPHEN LENDMAN lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." ( http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html ) Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: No material by this author or any other author published on this site should be read as a defense of Donald trump and his policies. For us Trump, the GOP and the Democrats are all part of the same malignant threat to world peace, democracy, truth, elementary decency and honesty in government affairs afflicting the US and the rest of the world.

Why contributing to the Greanville Post is urgent and makes sense.

CLICK ON THIS BAR AND FIND OUT

Among the many progressive and left-wing on-line journals that rely on the commitment of its writers, you may wonder what makes TGP especially worth supporting.

The answer is that we pay attention to the entire world, not just to the “me-centered" US.

Our contributors have spent a good portion of their lives among other peoples—roaming the world, or reporting from Beijing, Shenzhen, Rome, Paris, London, Lima, Wroclaw, and other important venues—gaining the kind of insight that can only come from a life-long commitment to understanding ‘the Other’.

Our dispatches are therefore always focused on the other side’s story, and as unprecedented changes come to Washington, and therefrom, across the globe, you will want to know what under-reported or under-analyzed events are driving US policy. You won’t have to wait weeks to read our columnists’ take on what’s going on, by which time, sixteen other major events will have taken place.

Because they have been watching the Big Picture literally for decades, they are able to locate daily events in both time and space, making it easier for you to sort out reality from imperialist fantasy. And the world of difference between our reporting and that of the mainstream media is magnified when it comes to backstories and forecasts.

Learning what is really happening in the world today is no longer an option. Our planet’s very salvation now depends on truth reaching as many people as possible. Get the facts here and pass them on.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

LEGAL DISCLAIMER NOTE. CLICK HERE.

THE GREANVILLE POST

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Greanville Post, a publication of The Voice of Nature Network, Inc., (VNN), a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Greanville Post grants permission to cross-post original The Greanville Post articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of The Greanville Post articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: greanville@gmail.com

THE GREANVILLE POST contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues, and the furtherance of peace and social justice, the defence of our planetary ecosystems, and the prevention and eventual elimination of human abuse, exploitation,.and cruelty toward any and all non-human species The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries contact us at greanville@gmail.com

What will it take to bring America to live according to its own self image?

0 0 votes

Article Rating

Cashing In: Obama’s Post-Presidency Bonanza

Why contributing to the Greanville Post is urgent and makes sense.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Related Articles

How To Keep ‘Public’ And ‘Service’ In Our Public Postal Service

MIDDLE EASTERN SURGEON SPEAKS ABOUT THE ‘ECOLOGY OF WAR’