For nearly anyone, the idea of being paid $250,000 for one speech is unimaginable. For many people, that amount is more than they will make in their entire lives. But even for those who are in the political sphere, a $250,000 speech can still be quite the hefty bonus.
In the Democratic primary race, there has been a great deal of controversy over who is making what money and where the money is coming from and what sort of promises are attached to that money.
Both candidates say that they want to repeal Citizens United and get money out of politics, but only one of those candidates is actively walking the walk in that talk.
Many argue that what Hillary Clinton said in her speeches to Goldman Sachs and others doesn’t matter, but as Bernie Sanders pointed out this week, the amount of money Clinton got for those speeches was more than Sanders, a sitting U.S. Senator, made for the entire year.
What you’ll find in my tax returns is that I made less in one year as a U.S. Senator than Sec. Clinton did in one speech to Wall Street.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 18, 2016
That sort of price tag makes many wonder what sort of bang the big banks got for their buck. Clinton’s refusal to release the transcripts only fans the flames of doubt even more.
