Romney's speech income big money for most
Washington (CNN) - Although Mitt Romney said his income from giving speeches is "not very much," speech-related income in the year surrounding the publication of his 2010 book was more than most Americans make in a year.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, earned $374,327.62 in speaking fees between February 2010 and February 2011, according to documents the candidate filed with the Federal Election Commission in October of last year. The first edition of his book was published in March 2010.
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The checks were from nine speeches delivered over the year and paid by a bank, asset management firm, health care company, and college, among others.
The single largest checks were for $68,000, for keynoting the 2011 International Franchise Association annual convention and from Goldentree Asset Management.
The smallest check – $20,000 – was for two speeches in Vero Beach, Florida, when Romney spoke on his book and President Barack Obama amidst the 2010 midterm elections.
On Tuesday, Romney downplayed his income from speaking engagements and said he did not profit from his book as he donated what he made from its publication.
In "the last ten years my income comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past rather than ordinary income or rather than earned annual income," he said. "I got a little bit of income from my book but I gave all of that away. And then I get speakers fees from time to time but not very much."
– CNN Political Research Director Robert Yoon contributed to this report.
Also see:
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What are the speaker fees paid to Bill Clinton since leaving office?
Newt is a frequent speaker- I'll bet that he has made a bundle.
What are the speaker fees of Al Gore?
@ Truth..Are you for or against people earning money? So some people think what B.Clinton has to say is worth a lot of money. Isn't that a good thing?
As far as the Obamas' tax info goes, it has been published every year since he took office. Check it for yourself, we are not here to do your research for you.
What are the speaker fees of Mike Huckabee?
Obviously he has no idea what 'not much' is. How arrogant!! I think he needs a reality check! Would Romney represent the majority of U.S. citizens? I don't believe so.
Come on folks! The way people talk, make us to understand how they think. Romney talking about little money of 360,00 dollars and talking to audience who can not make even half of it, make most of us think he is not one of us and he can never feel at all of our pain.
@Truth and Nothing But the Truth
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Here's some TRUTH for you. The President said "people like him should be paying more taxes." Isn't he the one who has been calling for "shared sacrifice?" I can care less about Willard's current income taxes. I'm more concerned about the tax returns from when he was CEO of Bain.
Truth & Nothing keeps trying to make a point, but as usual fails to see the issue. Bill Clinton never came out & said that $374,000 was "not much". get it yet, Truth? Romney has lived his entire life in a totally different world than most of us. He has no clue what it is like to have to struggle to pay the bills or to make the choice between letting the electricity or the water get turned off. I have a college degree & my husband has a doctorate, we work and yet that is something we face every month..
What does Bill Clinton have to do with this issue? He is making money speaking as the former POTUS. The important question is: Can Mitt Romney relate to and understand the issues facing the average American? In addition to calling $374,000 "not very much" when it is about 10 years of income for the average American, he as joked about being unemployed and talked about worrying about getting a pink slip. What trust fund baby has to worry about a pink slip?
Out of touch Romney is Wrongney for America.
"I got a little bit of income from my book but I gave all of that away. And then I get speakers fees from time to time but not very much."
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It is all relative, and to be fair to Mittens in this instance, when you're worth what, $250MILLION, it makes $300k look like a mere pittance.
Cut the poor multi-millionaire bas$tard some slack. He's trying his best to act like a regular Joe, but he has no perspective to be able to pull that off. It would be like you and I paying cash for a fully loaded McLaren....without our hands shaking.
' Truth And Nothing But"......You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you!!! You are like all the Repubs that have nothing of importance to say so you just give the president a shove!!! Give it up.....we all know which mud puddle you stand in.!!
!!
Big Deal. It's all leagal. Hey, libs...is this all you have?
Romney probably makes 100 times the income of the average American family, yet pays a smaller portion of that income in taxes. Still, he wants to further reduce taxes for himself and his uber-rich peers. This is simply not right. Everyone should pay a similar percantage of their disposable income. Let's define disposable income as income over the poverty level. So, a family making $55,000 would pay about $6,000 in federal taxes if the rate was 20%. A family making $1 million would pay almost $200,000. Then let's reduce the SS tax rate, remove the cap, and phase in needs testing to receive SS. It's not class warfare, it's about fairness.
Mitt Romney will try to release only his latest tax filing which can still be politically manipulated to make them say whatever he wants them to say. Let's demand that he release his tax returns from 2000 forward. That will really show how corrupt the tax system has become in the last 30 years.....since Ronald Reagan invented "trickle-down economics" that benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. What has happened to this country that a good honest days' work is so undervalued while making money off of money without doing anything or inheriting money seems to be so respected? The Republican Party's disdain for the working class is so very evident now that I believe even the rank-and-file Republican voters can clearly see it.
CNN-what is the deal man! Every day it is Romney this and Romney that-YOU do realize there are other Candidates out there – don't you?
This report shows the very reason that Romney would not be the right person for President. We have a nation of people hurting,, lost jobs,, homes gone,,, and nowhere to turn while he shows absolutely NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE OF A DOLLAR...... " NOT VERY MUCH" : he says when he makes thousands of dollars for a speech!!! How can he relate to the millions that are barely making it and are standing in line for every job opening?? HE CAN'T!!!!!!Period!!
Truth and Nothing But the Truth
"Peanuts compared to the MASSIVE amounts Bill Clinton has made"
So be it...But Bill isn't claiming that $374,000 is peanuts. MITT IS!!!! THAT'S OVER I/3 OF A MILLION DOLLARS!!
Some peanuts!!! He's an elitist detached from reality!
It's like when Bush Sr. was amazed at the price scanner in a grocery store. Or, when Marie Antoinette told the rioters w/out bread to "eat cake". Different planets than the peasants.
Does that leave any doubt that he in no way can connect with the middle class in our country?? For those who work 40 hr. weeks and come home extremely tired-this is like a slap in the face I'm sure.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
We're not seeing the best the GOP has to offer as presidential candidates, surely. What we're seeing are the candidates that the GOP power brokers want us to see. They are the puppets, the stooges, the insiders, and the ones who don't mind saying anything, as long as they get what they want. You're being manipulated by both parties, America. You only get a choice of the people who are backed by the rich people. The selection has been made for you, and you have zero input. Don't fool yourself that this is a democracy. It is a process wholey owned by the rich and designed to lull us into believing we have a voice.
@Truth – (1) Bill Clinton's speaking fees are for the former President. (2) Many more people care about what President Clinton has to say than Romney. (3) Most of the President's income comes from his salary as President and from royalties from the books he wrote before he was elected. (4) If you assume his investment is somewhere near his other income, he probably has an effective tax rate over 20%. (5) President Obama will make a fortune from books and speaking fees after he leaves office. (6) No presidents have bloated the government more than Reagan and Bush. (7) Irrational hatred is bad for one's health and makes one very unpleasant.