Some Left-side blogs - A “man of the people” he is not - are looking to make a big deal out of this Daily News story on the speaking fees of Rudy Giuliani.
In addition to his $100,000 speaking fee, the former mayor insists that he be shuttled to and from any event by a private plane - and not just any plane, mind you!
They might want to do some homework first. Former President Bill Clinton has sometimes taken in close to a million dollars for just two actual engagements and one can only imagine the menu he requires.
Clinton's speaking tour in 2005 included 43 speeches in 14 countries. He began in February and averaged about four speeches a month, usually charging about $150,000 per event. On occasion, the price was much steeper.
On October 18, 2005, for example, he addressed about 8,500 business executives at a "Power Within" motivational speaking conference in Toronto, Ontario, for a price of $350,000.
The next day he addressed a similar group at a "Power Within" conference in Calgary, Alberta, for $300,000.
When factoring in his $125,000 fee for remarks to a different business group delivered via video-conference before the Toronto event, the former president's total two-day haul was $775,000.
In comparison, Clinton earned $800,000 during an entire four-year term as president.
Clinton earned $300,000 for a speech to the Abu Dhabi World Leadership Summit with British billionaire Richard Branson in November. He made the same fee for addressing the German media conglomerate Hubert Burda in December.
Clinton also gave paid speeches in the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Spain and Russia.
If those were Canadian dollars, it comes out to about $42.67.
Posted by: Bleepless | Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 09:17 PM
Lets see, one led America for 8 years and one sounds like Elmer Fudd. Hmmm.
Posted by: BobInStamford | Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 09:40 PM
Don't be so hard on Willy, Bob
Posted by: Dan Riehl | Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 09:52 PM
"hard on" being the operative.
Posted by: Cindi | Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 10:39 PM
The 1990s were a decade of greed as evidenced by the $9.2 million dollars Bill Clinton received in speaking fees in his second year out of office. Evil capitalist!
Posted by: w3 | Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 11:07 PM
Come to think of it Bob... yer right!
Slick Willlie (Bill of the Deviated Septum) Clinton *does* sound a *lot* like Elmer Fudd.
For once, ye are spot on!
Posted by: seekeronos | Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 01:08 AM
He(Clinton) sure as hell didn't "lead" the country for eight years, but indulged himself and his friends to the max. On second thought, that is leadership to a liberal.
Posted by: templar knight | Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 09:19 AM
vicious unfounded internet rumor has it that bubba was "willing to bite the head off'n a live chicken during the speech" for an extra hundred thousand, or, as he put it, "if y'all kin git me laid. ah'm moan need a buckit uh chicken, too." you know them rednecks: they likes their chicken. methadone, too.
still, since no one's ever actually *filmed* him performing at a south-of-the-border donkey show, the clinton legacy remains pure and safe, at least among idiot democrats.
Posted by: bloodrage bob | Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 02:27 PM