A private protective curtain was pulled aside today revealing (some of) the candidates’ income and assets, thanks to the government’s Federal Election rules.
There can be no doubt that money links directly to moral, as well as net, worth, so let’s see what grabs our attention.
First we need to discount Hilary Clinton (D), John McCain (R), and Mitt Romney (R) who pleaded for more time. They were given 45 day extensions – so more about them later.
We learn that Rudolph Giuliani (R), ex mayor of New York City, charges up to $300,000 for a single speaking fee – in the year ending February ’07 he billed $11.39 million for speaking up. He must have amazing stories to tell of the heroism he observed during the 9/11 attacks. Apart from more millions earned in other ways, he received $496 in residuals for his appearances on Saturday Night Live, and a movie “The Out-of-Towners”.
Senator John Edwards’ (D) speaking engagements are more modest, earning him from $12,000 to $55,000 a time. But his investments are noteworthy, $29 million in assets, not including his home, this year netting him $5.9 million of investment income.
To understand Edwards, one should bear in mind that he was trained to be a trial attorney. He should reveal the names of the cases and the clients he represented in court which earned him his treasure. I would love to read transcripts of his arguments which led to his success. They would uniquely reveal the scope of his moral compass, more so than whatever he may wish to communicate to our ears these days. For more on this subject, read an opinion piece from the L.A. Times here.
And for more detail on all of the worthies from the Associated Press, check this out.
June 14 update
Hilary’s announced her wealth, and because their spouse’s is brought in too under the disclosure rules, we learn that Bill was paid 10 million in speaking fees last year, including one in London for $450,000 – which beats them all! news report