General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRepublicans attack Hillary's Comments About Leaving WH In Debt. DU Follows Suit:
The Clintons had to pay for their own lawyers. Both Bill AND Hillary had to pay for lawyers because of the rightwing smear campaign that was carried out over a period of many years while they were in the WH.
I may not like Hillary (she was my Senator), but I'm not stooping to rightwing crap flinging.
"American Rising, the pro-Republican opposition research shop that along with the Republican National Committee, takes the lead in criticizing Clinton, was quick to ping her over her comments aired Monday morning by ABC, saying they "reveal someone who is extremely out-of-touch with financial reality facing Americans."
On their website, America Rising said that the two homes the Clintons purchased after leaving the White House (Chappaqua, New York and Washington DC) combined cost around $4.5 million.
The Clintons departed the White House in debt, thanks to enormous legal fees. By the end of 2000, the Clintons carried debt totaling somewhere between $2.28 million to $10.6 million."
djean111
(14,255 posts)Are we already supposed to endorse everything and anything she says, because she is the Chosen One, with a big D?
enlightenment
(8,830 posts)madinmaryland
(64,920 posts)turdblossom?
Evergreen Emerald
(13,069 posts)into an unrecognizable pretzel just to attack her ala rightwing.
ecstatic
(32,567 posts)foolishness from the right wing. Grown ups with normal or above IQs understood what she was saying.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)I think that if she wants to run for president, she should spend the next year working at a homeless shelter and surviving solely on the pay she gets for that work.
Does Hillary even remember what it is to be middle class?
I'm sorry but her statement about their financial situation when they left the White House was insensitive and reveals her lack of political talent.
Everybody makes mistakes, but Hillary lost to Barack Obama in 2008 for a reason. She has good name recognition and admirers who are willing to forgive her mistakes, but we need a better candidate.
Metric System
(6,048 posts)to say, "poor me" or even "I feel your pain." As other posters have pointed out, being broke is not the same as being poor. At no point did she say they were poor. She was responding to a specific question regarding speech fees. Context is key.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)But talking about your "mortgages" and "houses" in the plural is, I admit, politically tone-deaf.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)Jenoch
(7,720 posts)is that the Clintons never paid a mortgage until after leaving the Whitehouse.
WhiteTara
(29,676 posts)in the gov's mansion in LR. From there to the WH
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)They lived in public housing for most of their marriage until 1997.
FSogol
(45,360 posts)OKNancy
(41,832 posts)In fact the whole interview was really good
onehandle
(51,122 posts)I read it at 'Democratic' Underground.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)But before leaving the WH Hillary had signed a book contract for $8 million. I don't know how much she got in advance but any bank would lend her a ton of $ on the basis of that book deal.
Furthermore, the Clintons didn't need to purchase two ginormous mansions. She needed one to establish NY residency so she could run for the senate. But why one in DC?
During calendar year 2001 there were two significant positive impacts on the Clinton's financial status. Bill "earned" $9.2 million in speaking fees during the year and in August he signed his own book deal worth $10 million.
So, again, they may have nominally been in debt when they left the WH, but they both knew that was a short term situation, and that the mechanics were in place to pay off the debt and put a lot of money in the bank. And it happened pretty much that way. By 2004, the debt had disappeared and the family's net worth was in the 8-figure range.
When somebody makes a statement like the one Ms Clinton made tonight, it makes me think that she believes her listeners aren't smart enough to see through it.
cali
(114,904 posts)so amusing.
I love it. keep up the freak outs. they're fun to watch.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)NYC Liberal
(20,132 posts)Well, their attacks are right in line with those being made by the right-wing. Now what does that say?
ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)The GOP will fuck it up when they try to impeach Obama and do the same thing that was done to the Clintons. And there will be people here who will curse the Republicans said fuck up, not because of the disrespect to Obama, but because it will help Hillary.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)FSogol
(45,360 posts)AnotherMother4Peace
(4,225 posts)the same posters - so much so that they quickly rack up the rec's.
Union Scribe
(7,099 posts)And thanks for the reminder to go rec cali's thread on Clinton's dumb comment.
AnotherMother4Peace
(4,225 posts)And that by "our", you mean there's a group you're associated with that are doing the same thing?
wyldwolf
(43,865 posts)leftstreet
(36,081 posts)ChangeUp106
(549 posts)I don't give a shi* what the right thinks of Hillary. I certainly didn't look it up before posting my thoughts. It was a dumb thing for Hillary to say and it again gives me pause about whether or not she should be the nominee in 2016. I rolled my eyes when Ann Romney said they "chose to live in Mitt's parents' basement" after college and I do the same here.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)by Goldman-Sachs-O-Gold, then the left can no longer point that out.
I think that H. Clinton-Sachs is worth like $13 million and William is worth about $55 million. Not a bad increase in the last 14 years.
elleng
(130,156 posts)bigtree
(85,919 posts). . . republicans charging someone with being out of touch with ordinary Americans.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)(who do you think is after Obama even now?!) .... and had to pay their own legal expenses.
Both Bushes went out and immediately started giving speeches for lots of money, and that family has been rolling in dough for generations. But somehow the Clintons (and Obama) are not supposed to do that themselves once they leave the White House?
Craziness.
betsuni
(25,138 posts)is only bad when someone on or near or in the general vicinity of the Left does it. Then entrepreneurship is suspicious. Like Michael Moore making a profit from his documentaries and books means he's a hypocrite. Somehow H. Clinton speaking about her particular money situation means she doesn't understand the average American. She said she thought getting out there and earning money by giving speeches was better than taking money from one group or company like many people who leave private life do. That part is being ignored.