Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's plans for this evening include a high-dollar fundraising event in Baton Rouge hosted by businessman Jim Bernhard. Bernhard was previously CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and when the corporation was bought out two years ago, his severance package totaled some $54 million, including a retirement fund, stock options, and cash.
That kind of money might be par for the course in presidential fundraising, but it stands out as the sort of high executive salary and "golden parachute" Clinton has repeatedly critiqued. This apparent hypocrisy is typical of Clinton's one percent problem: She presents herself as an economic populist but maintains close ties to Wall Street and big business. Clinton herself made nearly $12 million in speech fees in the two years between her State Department tenure and presidential campaign, putting her annual earnings at about 240 times the median American salary of $27,700.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk RoadUnder the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Is academic freedom in peril?Today's Big Question Faculty punishments are on the rise
-
Moldova's pro-West president wins 2nd termSpeed Read Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, despite suspicions of Russia meddling in the election
-
2024 race ends with swing state barnstormingSpeed Read Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held rallies in battlegrounds over the weekend
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in UkraineSpeed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
-
Women take center stage in campaign finaleSpeed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
-
US election: who the billionaires are backingThe Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rollsSpeed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prisonSpeed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacksSpeed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
