"Chelsea Clinton never acted out during the eight years she came of age as America’s first daughter.
No ditching of her Secret Service detail. No fake IDs for underage tippling. No drug scandal. No court appearance in tank top and toe ring. Not even any dirty dancing.
Despite a tough role as the go-between in the highly public and embarrassing marital contretemps of her parents, Chelsea stayed classy.
So it’s strange to see her acting out in a sense now, joining her parents in cashing in to help feed the rapacious, gaping maw of Clinton Inc.
...As the 34-year-old tries to wean some of the cronies from the Clinton Foundation — which is, like the Clintons themselves, well-intended, wasteful and disorganized — Chelsea is making speeches that go into foundation coffers. She is commanding, as The Times’s Amy Chozickozick reported, up to $75,000 per appearance.
Chozick wrote: “Ms. Clinton’s speeches focus on causes like eradicating waterborne diseases. (‘I’m obsessed with diarrhea’ is a favorite line.)”
There’s something unseemly about it, making one wonder: Why on earth is she worth that much money? Why, given her dabbling in management consulting, hedge-funding and coattail-riding, is an hour of her time valued at an amount that most Americans her age don’t make in a year? (Median household income in the United States is $53,046.)
If she really wants to be altruistic, let her contribute the money to some independent charity not designed to burnish the Clinton name as her mother ramps up to return to the White House and as she herself drops a handkerchief about getting into politics. Or let her speak for free. After all, she is in effect going to candidate school. No need to get paid for it, too.
...The Clintons were fiercely protective of Chelsea when she was a teenager, insisting on respect from the media and getting it. They need to protect their daughter again, this time from their wanton acquisitiveness."
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Chelsea should definitely make speeches for free. I hope Ms. Dowd lead by example in the speech above. And in this one, where the presenter says Dowd will sign books after the speech.
Why is Chelsea Clinton worth that much money per speech? Because people are willing to pay it.
It's not a reach to conclude that the Clinton Foundation is designed mainly for campaign purposes, be it for Hillary or one of her heirs. But hopefully Dowd knows how the game is played and is aware of how soft money is shifted around in vehicles such as think tanks:
Nowadays, many Washington think tanks effectively serve as unregistered lobbyists for corporate donors, and companies strategically contribute to them just as they hire a PR or lobby shop or make campaign donations. And unlike lobbyists and elected officials, think tanks are not subject to financial disclosure requirements, so they reveal their donors only if they choose to. That makes it impossible for the public and lawmakers to know if a think tank is putting out an impartial study or one that’s been shaped by a donor’s political agenda. “If you’re a lobbyist, whatever you say is heavily discounted,” says Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University and an expert on political ethics. “If a think tank is saying it, it obviously sounds a lot better. Maybe think tanks aren’t aware of how useful that makes them to private interests. On the other hand, maybe it’s part of their revenue model.”Money is everywhere, and to begin and end her article concern trolling about Chelsea is just too cute.
30 comments:
"Why, given her dabbling in management consulting, hedge-funding and coattail-riding, is an hour of her time valued at an amount that most Americans her age don’t make in a year?"
Why?
Because Clinton
Because Democrat
Because Media
Because Hype
Because Greed
Have a seat at the Clinton table, or be the meal.
That piece reads like Dowd thinks she's got a chance to take Chelsea under her wing and teach her how to really enjoy cunnilingus.
Why can't the Clinton's and the Bushes and McCain's and the Romney's and the Kennedy's all just go away.
Enough already! It is time for new blood.
Both Democrats and Republicans should join together and force them all out of public life.
I think people should receive any price they can command for their goods or services. But the problem here is that by letter of the law, Hillary and Chelsea are not candidates, eventhough conventional wisdom is that they will be. If they were candidates, then the price they command would be seen as what it probably is, graft.
It's Bear Week in Ptown...grrrr.
Cmon - you have to admit that is a great description of poor wittle dopey Chelsea.
75K for tired bromides, faux charity, and worn out clichés.
If all fees are "contributed" to the Foundation, both mom and daughter and probably dad, are not paying any income taxes on those transactions.
The IRS will not make use of all the expertise gained shaking down the Tea Party in investigating this tax exempt foundation.
Chelsea Clinton never acted out during the eight years she came of age as America’s first daughter.
I seem to recall headlines of her being carried out of many an English pub by her Secret Service detail while at Oxford.
"Chelsea Clinton never acted out during the eight years she came of age..."
Well then that just proves she is some kind of freak - probably an alien or an advanced design Stepford child.
"Chelsea Clinton never acted out"
Sheesh, if the press had it's way we'd never know that Bill ever acted out.
They'd never report on Chelsea. So, we never know if she acted out or not.
That being said, she seems like she lacks imagination. Such privilege. Such opportunity to do pretty much anything in this world. She dedicates her life to making more money for her already wealthy family. Making money isn't inherently bad, of course, I'd like to do more of that. It's just making money in the money making business. Hedge funds. Ludicrous salaries for minimal work. How many people could she help with her wealth and connections? She helps her family.
Anyone see the recent 24 series? She reminds me of Simone Al-Harazi.
@ PaddyO if the press had it's way we'd never know that Bill ever acted out.
That's not only the thread winner, I give you a Pulitzer for that one. Bingo.
There will be a Running of The Bears through the streets of Ptown-they know how to gore you.
tits.
Chelsea Clinton does not have the maturity to understand that her position in life is simply because she is a member of the lucky sperm club.
Most other young people born into power and wealth realize this at some point, and dedicate a part of their lives to good cause - medicine, or philanthropy, or work in third-world nations, or other endeavors that benefit people who need help.
Chelsea Clinton is a willing participant in the scam that is the Clinton Foundation. Donors, domestic and foreign, believe they are buying access to power. Maybe. But more likely they are endowing a foundation whose primary objective is to build the wealth of the Clinton family.
You don't really believe they'll give the money back if Hillary doesn't run, do you?
"You don't really believe they'll give the money back if Hillary doesn't run, do you?"
Of course not. I read something recently that the whole idea of the Clinton Foundation is to stay in permanent campaign mode because that keeps the money flowing in. That's the reason I said Hillary or one of her heirs...they might be thinking ahead to grandchildren running. Chelsea could get a Senate seat easily enough, I think.
I wonder how much money goes to good works and what they are.
There was an article in either Time or Newsweek shortly after the Clintons first inauguration. There was mention of their parenting skills , where they would harangue little Chelsea to the point of tears,apparently to discipline her to always retain her composure no matter what.
Real Mommy dearest stuff, or would have been if written about someone else. I have a feeling they practice this technique on each other and how they became such exceptional cool expert liars.
Why don't they spend the money on birth control since they are so interested in making nuns pay for it.
I recall that now that you mention it, amp, but not the exact wording. I think it was partially to steel her to the harsh realities of public life.
Trooper, I'll bet they fund birth control overseas.
It is the American way. It really is. There is a large segment of American society that is straight up royalists.
I can never forget as long as I live, once camping out at a played out gold mine high in the Colorado mountains, land bought by an acquaintance long dead. If you can call sleeping in the bunker build for miners camping.
That is, after not being able to forget the thousands of dead flies collected at the windows.
And not being able to forget the guy saying the place is totally cold. It was. Right up there at tree line.
And not being able to forget the marmots running around the rocks, and the beaver dam and hiking and panning for gold in the mountain stream, and the boarded over gold mine itself with its detritus pulled out of it, and the chunk of gold ore containing flecks of real gold, too scant to process that I brought home for souvenir. And the hummingbird that juiced up on sugar water and performed loop-de-loos and barrel rolls, and screaming dives, and the vertigo experienced by gazing out the back window upside down watching the path disappear, So I guess that's a lot of not forgetting but the most memorable thing was the other grown ass men making a fuss about the royal wedding taking place at the same time.
I was a kid.
And the thought of grown ass American men being enthralled had me completely appled
I meant to say appalled. That's what I was, appalled.
Totally appalled. At their being enthralled.
I asked them about it,
"Why are you grown ass men enthralled and not appalled as good solid right-thingking American males must be?"
"Oh the pomp. The circumstance. The fashion. The tradition. The money. Exquisite."
Barf
There is a yearning for royalty. An acceptance of a ruling class. An assumption of a group of people innately better than oneself. Better than one's family. A disturbing misplaced loyalty to party that allows for a full range of sins unacceptable in lesser mortals. It is the thinking of IQ<80 types. It is disgusting and it is a very strong and broad inextricable streak that that runs through human nature and American thinking and American politics.
And there ain't
noth'n
you
can
do
about
it.
per-ee-yud ● full stop.
So I ask myself, Chip, what's the problem? Why do you get so upset? Now that you understand it is the American way, and this broad streak exists. What is your problem exactly?
Resentment.
That's is.
They can do it, and I cannot.
I resent that.
Strongly.
No fairzees.
What an annoying grating voice Dowd has.
That video link is 100% about Obama and from what I can tell, is heading towards apologia on Dowd's part for Obama.
Fuck her and the horse she rode in on and refuses to get off.
Titus #TheBearIsLoose
Money is everywhere, and to begin and end her article concern trolling about Chelsea is just too cute
You are wrong, Deborah. Money is not everywhere. It is not around me. But I am richer in other ways.
Why do people care so much about Chelsea Clinton and LeBron Johnson? I never got that the memo.
Chick, she definiteley has an average East Coast voice (Born in D.C.), but the audio in that speech does her no favors. She looks and sounds better in the other linked speech...she begins speaking at about four minutes in.
Yes, we are far richer than the people with screwy values who prefer to go crazy with ambition.
Titus #ascrewisloose
I will not participate in the running of the bears. They are angry and willing to gore us younger gays without notice or redemption.
And don't even get me started with the otters-those queens r just evil....chump chump.
Younger gays :)
Sucking from the tit of cash that keeps you in patronage.
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