President Now Backing Away From Middle Class Tax Cut Campaign Promise

In 1993.

Bailout? Ask Ex-Presidents For A Loan

As the world ponders the merits and effectiveness of a $800 Billion bailout plan, and investors large and small wonder if a Great Depression 2.0 is on its way, it seems timely to discuss how much money our living former presidents are making. I don't mean making like how regular citizens make money, but making from the United States government. That means from taxpayers.

Their retirement allotment comes to $191,000 a year. But they are also entitled to much, much more in the form of payments for a wide array of services. Things like postage, office supplies, travel, office rent, etc. Which doesn't really sound that nefarious on the surface. Until, that is, you see what those presidential telephones are costing us.

George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton spent $904,000 on telephone service, and $7 million on rent. During that time, Bill Clinton received the lion share in those categories, asking for $420,000 for telephone and $3.2 million for office rent.

In all, the price tag since 2001 for the three living presidents is $17.5 million dollars. Jimmy Carter cost $4 million, George Bush cost $5.5 million, and Bill Clinton cost $8 million. This, despite the fact that all are millionaires.

So as politicians and citizens alike ponder the Main Street vs. Wall Street debate, and wonder why the government is giving hundreds of billions of dollars to huge banks, perhaps we could also discuss why we're giving our ex-presidents such a substantial bail out of their own.

Was The "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" Actually, Well, Right?

During the Clinton scandals of the late 90's Hillary Clinton offered a now famous quote attacking her attackers. She said it was all part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" out to get her and her husband. The accusations of sexual misconduct turned out, of course, to be correct. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Republican ire towards the Clintons. By the time President Clinton's term ended, he had become such a lightening rod that Al Gore purposely distanced himself from him during Gore's presidential campaign in 2000. It's likely that as Vice President, Gore's inability to use his president's incumbency on the campaign trail played a large part in his defeat.

Now Hillary is running for president. Much of the Clinton animosity has dissipated since Bill was in office, and he has been able to be much more involved in Hillary's campaign than he was in Gore's. The results have been interesting.

Democrats are now saying the same things about the Clintons that Republicans were saying about them throughout the 90's.

The NY Times recently published an article highlighting a somewhat shady business deal involving the Clintons and a foreign country. When responding to the Clinton's attacks on his record, Clinton's primary opponent was quoted as saying, "It's important to maintain some -- you know, level of honesty." A post on a local Democratic blog contained a comment from an Obama supporter saying, "now I know how Republicans feel." The NY Times' blog has a post about the Clinton's increasingly emotional and desperate antics. And, finally, an Obama supporter I have had some interaction with became so disgusted with the Clinton campaign he vowed not to vote at all if Hillary gained the nomination over Obama.

The "right wing" of the Republican Party has taken a lot of flak in the years since Clinton left office, while at the same time President Clinton's legacy began to strengthen as the animosity and angst of his presidency faded over the years.

But now they're back, and so are the same old criticisms. Only this time, it's the Democrats who are leveling them.

This Day In History

Jan. 26, 1998: Denying he had an affair with a White House intern, President Bill Clinton tells reporters: “I want you to listen to me. I’m going to say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

Jan. 27, 1998: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appears on NBC’s “Today” show and claims that a “vast right-wing conspiracy” is behind the allegations against her husband.