Hillary Clinton's Ruthless Quest for a "Legacy"

Under a law signed by President Obama in January 2013, all former U.S. Presidents and First Ladies can receive lifetime Secret Service protection. In 1994, as a cost-saving measure, Congress acted to limit protection for future former Presidents and spouses to just ten years after they left office. The 1994 measure, at first, exempted then-President Bill Clinton and first applied to George W. Bush and all his successors.

But in the post-9/11 world, Congress had decided that former chief executives may still be vulnerable and needed protection. President Obama signed the repeal of HR. 6620 (the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012) which also gives Secret Service protection to former First Ladies. The Secret Service does not divulge the costs of its protective details, but it's believed to be in the range of tens of millions of dollars a year for each former President and First Lady.

Former Presidents are also entitled to a pension ($203,700 a year as of 2015), staff and office allowances, and the best healthcare taxpayers can provide. And former Presidents also get obscenely expensive libraries named after them too. Obama's could cost the taxpayers as much as $1 billion — recession, or no recession.

Hillary Clinton has become world famous and extremely wealthy. She's traveled all over the world. She's been in the company of the most powerful people on Earth. She's already lived in the White House for 8 years. And Air Force One is not a novelty to her either — she's enjoyed many of the perks that comes from being a president, without actually being the president. But she wants it all. She wanted it in 2008 and she wants it now in 2016. She wants the title of POTUS for herself. She's wants her own place in history as "the first female U.S. president". She wants her own "legacy". Hillary Clinton also wants her own presidential library (to be immortal), and she will do whatever it takes to have us build her one — no matter at what cost to the country, or in dollars, or in suffering to the average American worker.

And Clinton's political party, the New Democrats, have rigged the party's rules to ensure that all of Hillary's dreams come true (like keeping Independent voters out of the primaries and allowing superdelegates to vote against the popular vote at the DNC convention). And the Democrat's cable news media arms, MSNBC and CNN, are also working overtime to help Clinton. Many of her political surrogates and superdelegates are hoping that, maybe one day, they too will also have "their turn" by putting party loyalty first — and may the American people and the Independent Senator Bernie Sanders be damned.

"That's what they offered."

Anyone who's been following the Democratic primary probably remembers when CNN host Anderson Cooper had asked Hillary Clinton about her $675,000 in compensation for 3 speeches that she had given to Goldman Sachs after resigning her post as Secretary of State. It happened during the CNN Democratic forum in Derry, N.H. on February 3, 2016 — when Clinton had replied, "That's what they offered."

But just to refresh your memory, below is the 40-second video — because it's relevant to the rest of this post.

At the CNN forum Clinton had told Cooper that she didn't know if she would be running for President while she had been giving those speeches to Goldman Sachs — meaning, she had made that decision sometime between giving her last paid speech on March 19, 2015 — and less than a month later, when she had announced her candidacy on April 12, 2015.

But when Senator Bernie Sanders had asked the former Secretary for the transcripts for those three speeches, it was mostly a symbolic gesture, because Hillary Clinton gave far many more speeches than that — and she also earned more than $225,000 per speech (what Goldman Sachs had paid her). Clinton was paid $335,000 each for two other speeches — and she was paid $400,000 for one speech given to the Jewish United Fund on October 28, 2013 (She also gave a speech to the American Jewish University for $225,000 on June 24, 2013).

As an FYI aside /// It may or may not be relevant, but it is interesting to note: Hillary's daughter Chelsea is married to Marc Mezvinsky, a wealthy hedge fund manager and alumnus of Goldman Sachs; and he is also Jewish. Hillary Clinton had recently received a very warm reception from the lobbing group The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — as did the Republican presidential candidates; while Bernie Sanders (who is Jewish) received a cold shoulder from the group. /// End FYI aside.

In May 2015 the New York Times reported that the Clintons earned $30 million in the prior 16 months, and at that time had earned more than $125 million on the speaking circuit since leaving the White House in 2001 — when Hillary had claimed they were "dead broke" (which Politifact rated as mostly false.) After leaving the White House, the Clintons had bought two mansions — one was for $1.7 million in Chappaqua, New York (so Hillary could claim residency in the State ahead of her 2000 scandal-plagued Senate campaign).

The Washington Post reported that, just since the beginning of 2014, Hillary and Bill Clinton earned in excess of $25 million for delivering 104 speeches — and that Hillary also earned more than $5 million in royalties for her book Hard Choices, where she explains how voting for the Iraq war was "a mistake, plain and simple." (While Secretary of State, she touted Iraq as a potential emerging market for U.S. businesses.)

In an article at the Daily Kos (which is owned by Hillary-supporter Markos Moulitsas), the author makes the argument as to why Hillary Clinton's speeches to the banks probably aren't very relevant — and at worst, might only provide a few embarrassing sound bites for the media — and that there's really no need to see her Goldman Sachs transcripts.

But an article at the Washington Blog makes a counter-argument to that post at the Daily Kos (and questions the author's authenticity) and makes the argument that Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches are relevant, but not because of anything she said in her speeches, but because they indicate pay-offs for services that were either anticipated, or had already been provided — and that she was not paid such huge sums of money for just giving a simple speech. Some of her speeches were only 20 minutes long, and why Bernie Sanders says they must have been great speeches.

Hillary Clinton's Timeline from Secretary of State to Presidential Candidate

This is how Hillary Clinton spent her time between resigning as Secretary of State, and when she first announced her run for the presidency. February 1, 2013 (ABC) Hillary Clinton Steps Down From State Department:

"The Senate quickly confirmed Obama's nominee to replace her -- one of its own, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. The president had chosen him last December to take Clinton's place. Clinton has spent the past couple of months helping Kerry move into the post so she could bow out."

77 days later on April 18, 2013 Hillary Clinton gave a speech to Morgan Stanley for $225,000.

After that, Hillary Clinton went on to make another 90 speeches over the course of the next 2 years, traveling all over the U.S. (She also gave 12 speeches in Canada and one in Mexico). Where did she stay? How did she travel? Did she have a 24/7 Secret Service detail with her all that time? And were the taxpayers on the hook for her food, lodging and travel expenses?

The last speech Hillary Clinton gave before announcing her run for the presidency was on March 19, 2015 to the American Camping Association for $260,000. This revelation first came from the Daily Kos. Remarkably, this was 10% of the organization’s annual budget; so what did they want from Hillary Clinton? The answer turns out to be that their member camps hire young foreign guestworkers as summer counselors under the J-1 visa program. Bloomberg News described it as her last paid speech before she announced she'd be running for President:

"While a camp conference in Atlantic City is an unusual venue for a former secretary of state and likely presidential candidate, it makes more sense considering her host: Jay Jacobs, a camp director and chairman of the Nassau County, Long Island, Democratic Party. Jacobs, who's also on the Democratic National Committee's credentialing committee and has given $5,000 to Ready for Hillary."

FreeBacon reported that both Jay and Mindy Jacobs have been making large political contributions to the Clintons since 1995 — and also were major fundraisers for Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign. They met their fundraising pledge and were thrilled to avoid the embarrassment of not raising enough money. [The Clinton Foundation also has a bio for Jacobs.]

Less than a month later on April 12, 2015 former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2016 election. Clinton proclaimed:

"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion."

Interesting — a real "champion" for the middle-class — someone who's going to "break the barriers" and make America "whole again". She'll be debating Senator Bernie Sanders in New York on April 14 in their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. Lately, the cable news channels (MSNBC and CNN) having been pushing real hard for Hillary Clinton; but millions of Americans will be voting for someone who doesn't give paid speeches. (One can go to Bernie Sanders's website and buy a T-shirt and baseball cap — all union made in the good ole U.S.A.)

The Long Time Line: Clinton's speeches from the day her term as Secretary of State ended until the day she ran for President.
List compiled by Paul Campos, professor of law, University of Colorado

Notes: The list below doesn't include speeches made by Bill Clinton, or any of the speeches Hillary made before joining the State Department — or her speeches while at the State Department, such as at the Clinton Foundation, who also hosted Goldman Sachs' CEO Lloyd Blankfein (FYI: President Obama also attends events every year at the Clinton Foundation, so how could he NOT endorse Hillary Clinton?) Also, it would be very interesting if someone would cross-reference all the event's hosts with campaign contributions and contributions to the Clinton Foundation. One can also Google a company name below, followed by "Hillary Clinton" — and if one digs around, they can find some very interesting stories (i.e. a few had pushed very hard for the Keystone pipeline). Of the 91 speeches Hillary made, 12 speeches were made in Canada and 1 speech was made in Mexico. (NAFTA related?)

Hillary Clinton, February 3, 2016: "That's what they offered" They indicate pay-offs for services that were either anticipated, or had already been provided.
Date	Event	Location	Fee
April 12, 2015	Hillary Clinton announces her presidential campaign	-	-
March 19, 2015	American Camping Association	Atlantic City, NJ	$260,000.00
March 11, 2015	eBay Inc	San Jose, CA	$315,000.00
February 24, 2015	Watermark Silicon Valley Conference for Women	Santa Clara, CA	$225,500.00
January 22, 2015	Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce	Whistler, Canada	$150,000.00
January 21, 2015	tinePublic Inc.	Winnipeg, Canada	$262,000.00
January 21, 2015	tinePublic Inc.	Saskatoon, Canada	$262,500.00
December 4, 2014	Massachusetts Conference for Women	Boston, MA	$205,500.00
October 14, 2014	Salesforce.com	San Francisco, CA	$225,500.00
October 14, 2014	Qualcomm Incorporated	San Diego, CA	$335,000.00
October 13, 2014	Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers	Colorado Springs, CO	$225,500.00
October 8, 2014	Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed)	Chicago, IL	$265,000.00
October 7, 2014	Deutsche Bank AG	New York, NY	$280,000.00
October 6, 2014	Canada 2020	Ottawa, Canada	$215,500.00
October 2, 2014	Commercial Real Estate Women Network	Miami Beach, FL	$225,500.00
September 15, 2014	Cardiovascular Research Foundation	Washington, DC	$275,000.00
September 4, 2014	Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, LLP	San Diego, CA	$225,500.00
August 28, 2014	Nexenta System, Inc.	San Francisco, CA	$300,000.00
August 28, 2014	Cisco	Las Vegas, NV	$325,000.00
July 29, 2014	Corning, Inc.	Corning, NY	$225,500.00
July 26, 2014	Ameriprise	Boston, MA	$225,500.00
July 22, 2014	Knewton, Inc.	San Francisco, CA	$225,500.00
June 26, 2014	GTCR	Chicago, IL	$280,000.00
June 25, 2014	Biotechnology Industry Organization	San Diego, CA	$335,000.00
June 25, 2014	Innovation Arts and Entertainment	San Francisco, CA	$150,000.00
June 20, 2014	Innovation Arts and Entertainment	Austin, TX	$150,000.00
June 18, 2014	tinePublic Inc.	Toronto, Canada	$150,000.00
June 18, 2014	tinePublic Inc.	Edmonton, Canada	$100,000.00
June 10, 2014	United Fresh Produce Association	Chicago, IL	$225,000.00
June 2, 2014	International Deli-Dairy-Bakery Association	Denver, CO	$225,500.00
June 2, 2014	Let’s Talk Entertainment	Denver, CO	$265,000.00
May 6, 2014	National Council for Behavorial Healthcare	Washington, DC	$225,500.00
April 11, 2014	California Medical Association (via Satellite)	San Diego, CA	$100,000.00
April 10, 2014	Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc.	Las Vegas, NV	$225,500.00
April 10, 2014	Let’s Talk Entertainment	San Jose, CA	$265,000.00
April 8, 2014	Marketo, Inc.	San Francisco, CA	$225,500.00
April 8, 2014	World Affairs Council	Portland, OR	$250,500.00
March 24, 2014	Academic Partnerships	Dallas, TX	$225,500.00
March 18, 2014	Xerox Corporation	New York, NY	$225,000.00
March 18, 2014	Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal	Montreal, Canada	$275,000.00
March 13, 2014	Pharmaceutical Care Management Association	Orlando, FL	$225,500.00
March 13, 2014	Drug Chemical and Associated Technologies	New York, NY	$250,000.00
March 6, 2014	tinePublic Inc.	Calgary, Canada	$225,500.00
March 5, 2014	The Vancouver Board of Trade	Vancouver, Canada	$275,500.00
March 4, 2014	Association of Corporate Counsel – Southern California	Los Angeles, CA	$225,500.00
February 27, 2014	A&E Television Networks	New York, NY	$280,000.00
February 26, 2014	Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society	Orlando, FL	$225,500.00
February 17, 2014	Novo Nordisk A/S	Mexico City, Mexico	$125,000.00
February 6, 2014	Salesforce.com	Las Vegas, NV	$225,500.00
January 27, 2014	National Automobile Dealers Association	New Orleans, LA	$325,500.00
January 27, 2014	Premier Health Alliance	Miami, FL	$225,500.00
January 6, 2014	GE	Boca Raton, FL	$225,500.00
November 21, 2013	U.S. Green Building Council	Philadelphia, PA	$225,000.00
November 18, 2013	CME Group	Naples, FL	$225,000.00
November 18, 2013	Press Ganey	Orlando, FL	$225,000.00
November 14, 2013	CB Richard Ellis, Inc.	New York, NY	$250,000.00
November 13, 2013	Mediacorp Canada, Inc.	Toronto, Canada	$225,000.00
November 9, 2013	National Association of Realtors	San Francisco, CA	$225,000.00
November 7, 2013	Golden Tree Asset Management	New York, NY	$275,000.00
November 6, 2013	Beaumont Health System	Troy, MI	$305,000.00
November 4, 2013	Mase Productions, Inc.	Orlando, FL	$225,000.00
November 4, 2013	London Drugs, Ltd.	Mississauga, ON	$225,000.00
October 29, 2013	The Goldman Sachs Group	Tuscon, AZ	$225,000.00
October 28, 2013	Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan	Chicago	$400,000.00
October 27, 2013	Beth El Synagogue	Minneapolis, MN	$225,000.00
October 24, 2013	Accenture	New York, NY	$225,000.00
October 24, 2013	The Goldman Sachs Group	New York, NY	$225,000.00
October 23, 2013	SAP Global Marketing, Inc.	New York, NY	$225,000.00
October 15, 2013	National Association of Convenience Stores	Atlanta, GA	$265,000.00
October 4, 2013	Long Island Association	Long Island, NY	$225,000.00
September 19, 2013	American Society of Travel Agents, Inc.	Miami, FL	$225,000.00
September 18, 2013	American Society for Clinical Pathology	Chicago, IL	$225,000.00
August 12, 2013	National Association of Chain Drug Stores	Las Vegas, NV	$225,000.00
August 7, 2013	Global Business Travel Association	San Diego, CA	$225,000.00
July 11, 2013	UBS Wealth Management	New York, NY	$225,000.00
June 24, 2013	American Jewish University	University City, CA	$225,000.00
June 24, 2013	Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company, LP	Palos Verdes, CA	$225,000.00
June 20, 2013	Boston Consulting Group, Inc.	Boston, MA	$225,000.00
June 20, 2013	Let’s Talk Entertainment, Inc.	Toronto, Canada	$250,000.00
June 17, 2013	Economic Club of Grand Rapids	Grand Rapids, MI	$225,000.00
June 16, 2013	Society for Human Resource Management	Chicago, IL	$285,000.00
June 6, 2013	Spencer Stuart	New York, NY	$225,000.00
June 4, 2013	The Goldman Sachs Group	Palmetto Bluffs, SC	$225,000.00
May 29, 2013	Sanford C. Bernstein and Co., LLC	New York, NY	$225,000.00
May 21, 2013	Verizon Communications, Inc.	Washington, DC	$225,000.00
May 16, 2013	Itau BBA USA Securities	New York, NY	$225,000.00
May 14, 2013	Apollo Management Holdings, LP	New York, NY	$225,000.00
May 8, 2013	Gap, Inc.	San Francisco, CA	$225,000.00
April 30, 2013	Fidelity Investments	Naples, FL	$225,000.00
April 24, 2013	Deutsche Bank	Washington, DC	$225,000.00
April 24, 2013	National Multi Housing Council	Dallas, TX	$225,000.00
April 18, 2013	Morgan Stanley	Washington, DC	$225,000.00
February 1, 2013	Hillary Clinton leaves State Department	-	-

Misc. Notes

Hillary Clinton gave 5 speeches to tinePublic Inc.
She gave 3 speeches to Goldman Sachs (The ones Bernie Sanders mentions)
She gave 2 speeches to Salesforce.com
She gave 2 speeches to Deutsche Bank
She gave 2 speeches to Innovation Arts and Entertainment

• The very tight travel itinerary appears as though it was well planned in advance while Clinton was still at the State Department.
• $225,000 (almost a quarter of million dollars) looks like a standard fee for one speech ("That's what they offered.")
• Many of these fees look like "installments".
• Many speeches were only 20 minutes long.
• If these speeches weren't "pay for play", then these companies sure have a lot of excessive cash to throw around just to have the novelty of having a "celebrity" speaker at their functions.
• Which also begs the question: What is their "effective" corporate tax rate, and are these speeches written off their taxes as "a cost of doing business"?
• On 8 occasions Clinton gave 2 speeches on the same day at 2 different locations (Wow! Ms. Flash Gordon!)

* Many people believe that the only reason Hillary Clinton wants to be President of the United States is, just to be the President of the United States — like a personal trophy or 1st Place Prize, judging by the way she brandishes her votes — not to help the struggling working-class; but so she can hold the highest highest office in the land of the most powerful and richest country on the planet. That's the only reason — because, she not only lusts for a legacy, she psychopathically lusts for the power. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men" — and so it seems, are first woman presidents.