Bill Clinton says Hillary 'not out of touch' on wealth

[webfact]

Bill Clinton says Hillary 'not out of touch' on wealth

DENVER: -- Former US President Bill Clinton said on Tuesday that his wife, Hillary, is "not out of touch," after criticism that she had mishandled media questions about their personal wealth.

Hillary Clinton told ABC News earlier this month that the couple had been "dead broke" after leaving the White House in 2001 and then drew more fire after suggesting to The Guardian last weekend that the Clintons are not "truly well off."

"It is factually true that we were several million dollars in debt," Bill Clinton said Tuesday of the couple's financial situation. He was speaking to NBC News' David Gregory, in an interview that will air on Sunday.

Bill Clinton said his wife, a former secretary of state and likely Democratic presidential contender in 2016, has been working to reduce poverty for as long as he has known her, and that this was reflected in her tenure in the US Senate.

Full story: http://www.theage.com.au/world/bill-clinton-says-hillary-not-out-of-touch-on-wealth-20140625-zskof.html


-- The Age 2014-06-25

[Ulysses G.]

She is worth something like 100 million dollars and claims that she is not "truly well off". She is right up there with Romney who never once pretended to not be “truly well off.” She sounds very out of touch to me.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[JUDAS]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

[ClutchClark]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Oh, come on now, Judas, you know what they say about a politician when his lips are moving.

Especially one with a southern drawl and a nickname like, "Slick Willy".

Says here that Bills net worth is $80 million today:

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-politicians/presidents/bill-clinton-net-worth/

So the fact they went from rags to riches make them eligible to run the country?

All I know is my retirement portfolio doubled during his Administration.

Edited June 25, 2014 by ClutchClark

[NeverSure]

They can't manage money. They just make a lot of money - enough to get well ahead.

Shortly after Clinton left office it was widely reported that he was on a speaking frenzy, charging US$100,000 per speech. (Well, maybe a deal for 11 for a million dollars, LOL.) He was reported to be the most popular speaker in the world.

Then there were the book deals, the corporate board deals, and on and on. It's been about 14 years - long enough to pile it high - both kinds of piles.

Edit: "Since 2001, Clinton has received more of almost every benefit available to former presidents — from his pension to his staff’s salaries and benefits to supplies. His $420,000 phone bill and $3.2 million office rent tab both nearly surpassed the totals rung up for those purposes by Bush, Carter and the late former presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan combined. As a group, they spent $484,000 on telephone service and $3.8 million on rent in the same span." LINK (I said he can't manage money.)

That doesn't include his retirement income which I believe is $400,000 per year. ??

Edited June 25, 2014 by NeverSure

[shirtless]

If Hillarys the best candidate for Americas next president they are truly screwed, They need new blood in the political system, they need intelligent people not the preselected rubbish they already have.

[JUDAS]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Oh, come on now, Judas, you know what they say about a politician when his lips are moving.

Especially one with a southern drawl and a nickname like, "Slick Willy".

Says here that Bills net worth is $80 million today:

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-politicians/presidents/bill-clinton-net-worth/

So the fact they went from rags to riches make them eligible to run the country?

All I know is my retirement portfolio doubled during his Administration.

I actually don't believe they are not net multi millionaires. Maybe Bill is being truthful that they have a few million dollars debt but just not mentioning the the 10's of millions in assets. Still not a clever comment politically.

[JesseFrank]

Bill Clinton said his wife, a former secretary of state and likely Democratic presidential contender in 2016, has been working to reduce poverty for as long as he has known

I guess he was talking about their own poverty.

[impulse]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Yet, when Mr Clinton left office in 2001, the biggest presidential debate was how to spend the budget surplus he left as his legacy.

[ClutchClark]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Oh, come on now, Judas, you know what they say about a politician when his lips are moving.

Especially one with a southern drawl and a nickname like, "Slick Willy".

Says here that Bills net worth is $80 million today:

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-politicians/presidents/bill-clinton-net-worth/

So the fact they went from rags to riches make them eligible to run the country?

All I know is my retirement portfolio doubled during his Administration.

I actually don't believe they are not net multi millionaires. Maybe Bill is being truthful that they have a few million dollars debt but just not mentioning the the 10's of millions in assets. Still not a clever comment politically.

Judas, I was confident you didn't actually believe a word of it but if the Clintons say something, then there is a "clever" reason behind it.

These two are very accomplished and successful politicians for a reason.

They had a brilliant agenda from the days they met in college and although both quite intelligent, its Hillary that has the discipline of the two.

Edited June 25, 2014 by ClutchClark

[kamahele]

Okay, factually she was correct when she spoke. Due to the huge legal bills from multiple investigations into their finances (they were cleared of any wrong doing) and then due to Bill's blow job, they were broke and in debt when they left the White House. They had debts of I think 12 million dollars and assets of less than 2 million dollars I believe. However, they had huge earning potential which she should have spoken about. They weren't about to collect unemployment or be a door greeter at Walmart to put food on the table.

[Suradit69]

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Actually the economy was in pretty good shape while Bubba was in the White House.

And Hillary probably knows how many houses they own unlike:

Edited June 25, 2014 by Suradit69

[kamahele]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Bill Clinton claiming they are several million dollars in debt then doesn't put him or Hilary in a good position to run for president. If they can't handle their personal finances how can they be expected to manage a nation?

Actually the economy was in pretty good shape while Bubba was in the White House.

And Hillary probably knows how many houses they own unlike:

and since leaving the White House, the Clintons have really cleaned up. They are quite fabulously wealthy now that they are not working for the government.

[spidermike007]

If Hillarys the best candidate for Americas next president they are truly screwed, They need new blood in the political system, they need intelligent people not the preselected rubbish they already have.

Yes, but where will these people come from? It may be that the US is decades past the possibility of a truly noble and capable person running for that office. Just look at the street whores like Blundering Barry, Tiny George II, Romney, Palin, Biden, Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, Kerry, etc. Not a decent one among them. Where will the next one come from? Any why submit yourself to the process? It may be said that Bill Richardson, or Bill Bradley were amongst the last one running, who had some nobility or grace, or integrity in their bones. The system is broken. The country is broken. The political machine is as corrupt as any on the planet. US lobbying is merely institutionalized corruption. Whores. All of them.

[mesquite]

Okay, factually she was correct when she spoke. Due to the huge legal bills from multiple investigations into their finances (they were cleared of any wrong doing) and then due to Bill's blow job, they were broke and in debt when they left the White House. They had debts of I think 12 million dollars and assets of less than 2 million dollars I believe. However, they had huge earning potential which she should have spoken about. They weren't about to collect unemployment or be a door greeter at Walmart to put food on the table.

Actually they were in debt due to the legal bills following his impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. The blow job had nothing to do with it.

[chuckd]

Nonsense that the Clinton's were broke. She must have forgotten this little deal just before he left office.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hillary Received $8 Million in Book Advance Before Leaving White House ‘Broke’ in 2000

By Andrew Johnson

June 9, 2014 5:52 PM

Hillary Clinton may not have been as “dead broke” as she’s claimed her family was upon leaving the White House in 2000. In the final month of her husband’s presidency, Clinton reportedly inked a near-record book advance deal worth millions.

In an interview with Diane Sawyer to air on Monday evening, Clinton explained that she and her husband had to earn millions from speaking engagements because they were so deep in debt. “We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea’s education — it was not easy,” she told Sawyer.

But in a December 2000 article, the New York Times reported that then-senator-elect Clinton sold her memoir, Living History, to Simon & Schuster for $8 million. The newspaper described the effort to nab her book as a “frantic weeklong bidding war” after she held an open auction on the proposal.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/379935/hillary-received-8-million-book-advance-leaving-white-house-broke-2000-andrew-johnson

[triffid]

"Out of touch" - another one of these silly euphemisms. Hypocritical? Politically expedient?

[Ulysses G.]

No one complained about it when it was said over and over again about Mitt Romney.

[realenglish1]

This is a shocker. I have been a life long Republican . Voted along party lines and I actually disliked Hillary but you know she is incredible with Foreign policy and has a strong undertstanding of budgetary limitations and what needs to be done. We have had a black president a catholic president It is time to have a female president. I am for Hillary.

She can and will do a better job than anyone else I see in the landscape. This time I am going to vote democrat and Hillary.

She is very very smart and understands the issues. Knows Washington and I feel with bridge the gap with politicians

[Ulysses G.]

I might have been sympathetic at one time, but because of her strong involvement in the Benghazi COVER UP, I don't have good opinion of her. The recent revelations about her defending a child rapist and blaming the 12 year old victim did not help.

[A1Str8]

This Billie boy Clinton and this cute little Hillaryous Clinton are still struggling out there?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed. There is a separate topic running about Benghazi.

[Jingthing]

Romney's problem wasn't wealth per se. It was his callousness about poor people. You can't peg that on the Clintons. Nice try though. Hillary is running and Hillary will win. No, she wouldn't be my first choice politically, but real world, could be a LOT worse.

Of course I supported her against Obama and the way things turned out, it is even more regrettable that she didn't win back then.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

Romney's problem wasn't wealth per se. It was his callousness about poor people.

I don't think that Romney was any more callous about poor people than Hillary. That was dishonest political rhetoric to win an election. He was painted as out of touch because of his wealth and Hillary is right in the same neighborhood when it comes to "unusual" wealth.

[Jingthing]

Romney didn't lie about being dead broke.

Romney assists the poor from his own wallet while the clinton's use taxpayer money.

I see. Did Romney have the money to assist all the poor people in America from his own money if he was president? No? I thought not. Romney is from the party which cuts food stamps, cuts unemployment off in horrible economies (throw them to the streets, they're poor, they don't matter), and is happy to see milions of America die for lack of health care access. Of course Obamacare was modeled after Romneycare, but power lusting Romney flip flopped on that to be one with his anti-poor people party.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Jingthing

[snarky66]

I don't think that Romney was any more callous about poor people than Hillary. That was dishonest political rhetoric to win an election. He was painted as out of touch because of his wealth and Hillary is right in the same neighborhood when it comes to "unusual" wealth.

Probably Hillary was simply trying to avoid paying income tax.

[Jingthing]

I don't care how rich a politician is. I care about their policies. You can't run from the truth. The republicans exist to support the rich elite and make even MORE obscenely rich and powerful, mostly the one percent. The democrats massage them too, but are MUCH more compassionate to the poor. Poor people who vote republican are fools.

The USA is now significantly MORE UNEQUAL than western Europe. The USA and Thailand have a lot in common that way, but at least in Thailand there is very little unemployment and real (but poor) universal health care access for citizens.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

I'm to the left of Hillary but in this election cycle with a perceived leftist (but not really) Obama leaving office rather unpopular, someone positioned to the left of Obama or Hillary doesn't have a chance in the general election though. In the primary, maybe. It will be interesting to see who challenges Hillary.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies deleted. Please stay on topic and reply in a civil manner.

[mesquite]

Romney's problem wasn't wealth per se. It was his callousness about poor people. You can't peg that on the Clintons. Nice try though. Hillary is running and Hillary will win. No, she wouldn't be my first choice politically, but real world, could be a LOT worse.

Of course I supported her against Obama and the way things turned out, it is even more regrettable that she didn't win back then.

You can blame oprah for that. Her endorsement of Obama did Hillary in.

Re her certain win, up until two days ago I would have agreed. But having read about her serious health issues and her defense of a child rapist, I think she has no chance and will not survive a campaign. Doubtful she will run.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited June 25, 2014 by mesquite