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Liberals Slam Obama for Taking $400K From Wall Street

Former President Barack Obama / Getty Images
April 26, 2017

Some notable liberals are not happy with former President Barack Obama's decision to give a speech at a Wall Street conference.

Obama will be paid $400,000 to give a speech at Cantor Fitzgerald's healthcare conference this September, according to Fox Business. Some of Obama's supporters are upset with the former president who often railed against income inequality and the business practices of Wall Street.

The Washington Post gave four reasons why Obama's $400,000 speech is a bad idea. One of the reasons the article cites is that in President Obama's 2006 book The Audacity of Hope he called arrangements like this a corrupting influence.

Some liberals expressed their frustration and anger with Obama's decision on Twitter.

Vox reporter Matthew Yglesias wrote an article titled, "Obama's $400,000 Wall Street speaking fee will undermine everything he believes in." Yglesias argues that Obama should have turned down the speech.

Obama would be suggesting that for an economically comfortable high-ranking former government official to be out there doing paid speaking gigs would be corrupt, sleazy, or both. He'd be looking down his nose at the other corrupt, sleazy former high-ranking government officials and making enemies.

Which is exactly why he should have turned down the gig.

Fellow liberals agreed with Yglesias's assessment.

Barstool Sports noted that Obama's $400,000 payout is double of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Published under: President Obama