Patterico's Pontifications

6/30/2015

Chelsea Clinton And Privilege

Filed under: General — Dana @ 8:24 pm



[guest post by Dana]

Yesterday, it was reported that last year Chelsea Clinton left her $10.5 million apartment and schlepped over to the University of Missouri at Kansas City for a speaking engagement supporting the university’s newly opened women’s hall of fame.

The university originally hoped to have Hillary Clinton speak at the event, but with a speaking fee of $275,000 she was just too expensive. Enter Chelsea Clinton:

The university paid $65,000 for Chelsea Clinton’s brief appearance Feb. 24, 2014, a demonstration of the celebrity appeal and marketability that the former and possibly second-time first daughter employs on behalf of her mother’s presidential campaign and family’s global charitable empire.

The schedule she negotiated called for her to speak for 10 minutes, participate in a 20-minute, moderated question-and-answer session and spend a half-hour posing for pictures with VIPs offstage.

And even more amusing:

As with Hillary Clinton’s paid speeches at universities, Chelsea Clinton made no personal income from the appearance, her spokesman said, and directed her fee to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Given that the event was intended to showcase the opening of the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame which is “dedicated to recognizing extraordinary Kansas City women and preserving the history of their accomplishments,” the university sought a substantive, high-profiled woman of success to generate enthusiasm for the project. After crossing Hillary off the list, they considered several other potential speakers. And speakers not just less expensive than Hillary, but also less expensive than Chelsea, as well as being imminently more qualified than her, too:

feminist icon Gloria Steinem ($30,000) and journalists Cokie Roberts ($40,000), Tina Brown ($50,000) and Lesley Stahl ($50,000),

Unfortunately, none of them had the necessary last name.

Chelsea Clinton is 35 years old. She is a wife, mother and most notably, the only child of Bill and Hillary Clinton. She is currently the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, and according to the Clinton Foundation website, she “works to drive the vision and work of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation”.

With that, Chelsea Clinton holds degrees from several elite universities and has a limited work resume, most recently at NBC wherein she earned a whopping annual salary of $600,000. She has lived and breathed privilege from Day One. Her privilege has opened doors for her, enabled her to be seated on the boards of any number of philanthropic and professional organizations, made her a lot of money, and has nicely positioned her to make a run for mayor of NYC or for a seat in the U.S. Senate if she chooses (a notion she would consider).

“Clinton Privilege” – the only privilege endorsed by the entire Clinton family!

–Dana

57 Responses to “Chelsea Clinton And Privilege”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (86e864)

  2. Whose father in law is a convicted felon.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  3. Chelsea is a pretty famous Kansas City woman, so why would she not be chosen to showcase the opening of the Starr Women’s Hall of Fame which is “dedicated to recognizing extraordinary Kansas City women and preserving the history of their accomplishments?”

    Chelsea is the most famous Kansas City woman to ever do something this one time or so and besides getting her mother to speak was too expensive. So, come on, really? What’s the problem?

    The United States is a parody.

    Ag80 (eb6ffa)

  4. It amuses me that the leftists who have been forever b!tching about wealth and privilege are now the wealthy and privileged. I guess W & P are only bad if had by Republicans, conservatives or Christians.

    Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie (f4eb27)

  5. And I am sure that a Women’s Hall of Fame was totally necessary at a taxpayer-supported school like the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

    JVW (8278a3)

  6. JVW,

    I read that the speaker fees were paid with donations – no state money.

    Dana (86e864)

  7. oh please, there is nothing wrong with nepotism –
    as long as one keeps it in the family.

    (i know, i know. very old and very bad joke)

    seeRpea (0cf003)

  8. I read that the speaker fees were paid with donations – no state money.

    I’m thinking more of the entire Hall. UMKC would probably tell us that they have an endowment that pays for the operation of the hall, but seeing as it is on campus it’s kind of hard to believe that no outside campus resources are going to pay for daily operation and maintenance.

    Same thing with young Miss Chelsea. Her fee might have been covered by outside donations but do you suppose the whole tab was picked up, e.g. the extra campus security detail that was no doubt necessary for her visit, the crews employed to set up and clean up before and after the event, etc.? I wouldn’t want to wager that the taxpayer bore no obligation for Her Royal Highness the Princess Regent’s State Visit.

    JVW (8278a3)

  9. TFG stutters for longer than 10 minutes off prompter. He wouldn’t even complete a sentence.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  10. What the hell is wrong with the left that they’d tolerate this type of garbage, this epitome of “limousine liberalism.” After all, I’m still pissed at the Republicans/right for playing footsies with Obama over his lame non-transparent Asian trade bill, and visa versa, so how damn ideologically blind does a person have to be to not respond in a similar fashion to the blatant, pricey huckterism of Chelsea/Hillary/Bill?

    Liberalism truly is a mental disorder.

    Mark (a11af2)

  11. Fair points, JVW.

    Dana (86e864)

  12. Clinton privilege apparently is much, much, much better than white privilege.

    jim (a9b7c7)

  13. I read somewhere that the 65k paid to Clinton helped generated 37k in donations, a net 18k loss

    JD (3b5483)

  14. Let’s be honest. This was a pure celebrity appearance to draw attendees and press for the opening of the Women’s Hall of Fame. And it worked. Nobody outside the school would even know the new center existed if Steinem had been the draw. They didn’t give a rip about a “speech” or her accomplishments or care if Chelsea recited Winnie the Pooh or talked about her favorite color to the crowd. It’s the photo ops and buzz they paid for, baby!. Too bad Kim Kardashian wasn’t interested.

    elissa (231818)

  15. That was quite a game at Busch stadium tonight, JD.

    elissa (231818)

  16. Be sure and catch Chelsea Clinton’s new band – Puddle of Failure – before the inevitable tantrum and break-up

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  17. I read somewhere that the 65k paid to Clinton helped generated 37k in donations, a net 18k loss

    Yeah, National Review Online’s story contained that nugget. Of course, if it is true that private donations paid the $65k fee, then the university can claim that the speech brought in $37,000 and was thus a resounding success.

    What’s so funny is that if the Clintons weren’t so addicted to money they would be in the perfect position to say, “Hey, we will gladly speak for free on college campuses as a way of connecting with the millennial generation who are so important to the future of our great country blah blah blah blah.” Imagine the positive PR that Hillary! could bring about if she were to make a free tour of colleges delivering some “the future belongs to those with a college education heavily subsidized by the government” schtick. It would really help her connect with a demographic that was key to Obama’s electoral margins, and maybe young women wouldn’t be so pissed off at being asked to work for free for her campaign. But no, there are mansions to be paid for.

    JVW (8278a3)

  18. Too bad Kim Kardashian wasn’t interested.

    Kim Kardashian probably gets Hillary! money for her appearances, not piddly little Chelsea money.

    JVW (8278a3)

  19. But just think of her accomplishments.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  20. I read somewhere that the 65k paid to Clinton helped generated 37k in donations, a net 18k loss

    JD was told there would be no math.

    Gazzer (be559b)

  21. #ClintonLivesMatter

    elissa (231818)

  22. Elissa – Sale is a beeyotch

    JD (3b5483)

  23. Watching the best pitcher in baseball and the worst team in baseball. That’s my summer so far. The disconnect is hard to process.

    elissa (231818)

  24. JD apparently is a recent public school graduate.

    Jim (a9b7c7)

  25. The real story here is that there are liberals stupid enough to pay this kind of money for mediocrity.

    David Longfellow (8cba7a)

  26. Watching the best pitcher in baseball and the worst team in baseball. That’s my summer so far. The disconnect is hard to process.

    elissa (231818) — 6/30/2015 @ 9:57 pm

    I saw Sandy Koufax pitch… several times.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  27. Some animals are more equal than others.

    The idea anyone would pay 10 cents to hear Chelsea Clinton talk about anything is astounding. That a college that charges students thousands to attend would pay her $65,000 is the definition of criminality.

    Bugg (46ac20)

  28. I know she’s probably as bad as her parents, and more vapid to boot, but I keep coming back to the thought, “Oh, cut her some slack; look what’s she’s had to live with all her life.”

    C. S. P. Schofield (a196fd)

  29. It seems to me that entire family is making an end run on America and the American people for a total grab for money, power and prestige. They make the Medici family look like Ozzie and Harriet.

    Rev. Barack Hussein Hoagie (f4eb27)

  30. 26-Col.
    I was at game 7 – 1965 when Koufax and the dodgers beat the twins 2-0.
    Sat next to my mom who loved baseball.

    mg (31009b)

  31. speaking of money – Greece defaults and Europe is still running, Import&Export Bank charter expires but it is still running.

    seeRpea (0cf003)

  32. chelsea jackson junior

    happyfeet (59dea8)

  33. I wouldn’t call Chelsea an example of privilege, in this instance. I would call her a conduit for Hillary bribe money.

    nk (dbc370)

  34. I saw Sandy Koufax pitch… several times.

    Yes. I was there when he set the season strike-out record. But he wasn’t pitching for the worst team in baseball.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  35. #31

    And the US public debt is unchanged for the last 4 months.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  36. re #35: ??? how can the debt be unchanged for the last 4 days, much less 4 months.

    seeRpea (0cf003)

  37. 34… straw man argument, Kevin M… lol.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  38. 30… sweet memory, mg! Harmon Killebrew Power!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  39. UMKC could have followed Rutgers’ example and hired Snooki for half the cost. They would have heard a speech from a much more accomplished and by far more interesting woman than Chelsea.

    Minister Jack X Klompus (62df0f)

  40. If Mitt Romney had never been elected to public office, he would still be a really interesting, accomplished person to listen to. Other people might only be interesting to listen to because they held office, but they did interesting, groundbreaking things in office. (I would love to hear Scott Walker talk about overhauling Wisconsin’s union system, Sarah Palin talk about reforming Alaska’s ethics, or Ted Cruz talk about what it is like to argue before the Supreme Court or filibuster on the Senate floor. It would have even been at least edifying to listen to the late Ted Kennedy, as much as I disagree with the majority of his work.)

    This isn’t even just listening to a politician whose one accomplishment is getting elected; this is listening to a politician’s kid.

    bridget (248d93)

  41. I mean, it’s like paying Steven Hawking’s college roommate or Terry Pratchett’s next-door neighbour to speak.

    bridget (248d93)

  42. Killer could hit some rocket shots, but Tony Oliva was my favorite. Oliva is the only player ever to win the batting crown his first two years, Col.

    mg (31009b)

  43. I agree with bridget, although I might like to hear from Hawking’s roommate because he might actually share some insights. There’s no way Chelsea will say anything of substance about her parents. It will only be PR and fluff.

    DRJ (1dff03)

  44. it”s a sinecure, so they are kept in the future sovereign’s good will, nothing more,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  45. Dana:

    I read that the speaker fees were paid with donations – no state money.

    No, the donations only raised $38,000, but Chelsea’s fee was $65,000. However, university officials told the Washington Post or the New York Daily News (not clear which newspaper was the originalk source) that the event was aimed at boosting attention to the Hall of Fame rather than making money (so getting Chelsea there was worth it for the buzz)

    It was a tough contract, and much was controlled by the Clinton representative. For instance. the fact thaty Chelsea Cllinton was the daughter of President Bill and Hillary Clinton was removed from one news release and the fact she was vice chairman of the Clinton Foundation (at that time) was added. I mean it should look like Chelesea is her own person.

    The speech introducing her, marketing materials, and press rele3ases were also closely edited by Clinton aides.

    The speaking agency stipulated that she would speak for two minutes, answer questions for 20 minutes, and let her picture be taken with peiople for 30 minutes.

    All people attending the event had to be vetted by the Clinton team, with two weeks prior notice for the vetting, and they had final approval over which news outlets would be allowed in.

    She also had to have room temperature water onstage. Not cold water? She prefers lukewarm water?

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  46. Errata: The speaking agency stipulated that she would speak for ten minutes, not two!

    At the time (early 2014) Chelsea had that NBC job, at a salary of $600,000 per year.

    It was not put into the contract that the money would be going to the Clinton Foundation, but Chelsea’s spkeswoman says that is what happened.

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  47. Col. Haiku– The great ones don’t come along very often. Chris Sale is only 26 and is already in Koufax territory. I love his nickname “the Condor”. He’s all long skinny legs and flapping arms when he pitches and he confuses the hell out of batters. He’s going to equal/break a lot of strikeout records if he can stay healthy.

    ST. LOUIS — Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale, perhaps the greatest show in baseball these days, tied a Major League record Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming only the second player in history to strike out at least 10 batters in eight consecutive starts.

    The only man who has ever achieved the feat was Pedro Martinez, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month, who also struck out at least 10 batters in eight starts in 1999.

    Sale, …. struck out 12 batters in eight innings, including every player in the Cardinals’ starting lineup in the White Sox’s 2-1, 11-inning victory at Busch Stadium.

    Sale finished the month of June with a franchise-record 75 strikeouts, the most by any pitcher in a single month since Nolan Ryan struck out 87 in June, 1977, with the Angels. He is one of only four pitchers to strike out at least 75 in history, joining Sandy Koufax (76 in May, 1965), Sam McDowell (76 in May, 1968) and Ryan (five different months).

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/whitesox/2015/06/30/chris-sale-strikeout-record-chicago-white-sox-st-louis-cardinals-pedro-martinez-randy-johnson/29545897/

    elissa (a14152)

  48. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.

    I don’t blame her for grabbing that cash with both fists. I would have. If only I could find someone insane enough to make the offer.

    mojo (a3d457)

  49. 46 – elissa
    He is great. Glad you have him to enjoy.

    mg (31009b)

  50. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that fella, elissa. I don’t follow MLB like I used to.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  51. feminist icon Gloria Steinem ($30,000) and journalists Cokie Roberts ($40,000), Tina Brown ($50,000) and Lesley Stahl ($50,000),

    Women the likes of Sarah Palin, Condi Rice, Megyn Kelly, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali were not considered, even for a moment. You understand, of course…

    IGotBupkis, "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses." (225d0d)

  52. Speaking of privilege.

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-leland-yee-plea-20150701-story.html#page=1

    Gun grabbing, gunrunning Democrat Leland Yee may just have lost his.

    Former California state Sen. Leland Yee pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering in federal court Wednesday, admitting that he “knowingly and intentionally agreed with another person” to take part in a criminal enterprise and commit at least two offenses and affect state commerce.

    Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, told U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer that he admitted his guilt and knew he could face a harsh sentence, which will be handed down on Oct. 21.

    Assistant U.S. Atty. Susan Badger told the court that could include up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines, possible restitution to victims, asset forfeiture and potential deportation if appropriate.

    …Yee was indicted in March 2014 on charges of accepting $62,000 in campaign contributions in return for legislative favors and offering to arrange the sale of machine guns and shoulder-fired missiles to an undercover FBI agent posing as a mob figure.

    Racketeering charges were added later, alleging that he attempted to extort campaign contributions from an NFL team owner and supporters of mixed martial arts.

    If you’re not familiar with Leland Yee, he was a SF liberal Democrat who was big on gun control when he was in the state legislature.

    Yet he had contacts with Muslim terrorist groups in the Philippines and was entirely willing to arrange illegal gun shipments for the right price.

    One could legitimately argue that he was only interested in making legal gun sales as difficult as possible in Kali in order to corner the black market in gun sales. It’s the old “Bootleggers and Baptists” scenario. If you were a moonshiner in the South, the last thing you wanted was for your state or county to legalize liquor sales. So bootleggers would do whatever it took to promote candidates who promised to keep the jurisdiction dry as a whistle. So your hootch was the only game in town.

    Steve57 (4c9797)

  53. Whose father in law is a convicted felon.

    Not convicted.

    Milhouse (a04cc3)

  54. Chelsea’s dad in law is a crook nevertheless:

    per wikipedia–

    In March 2001, Mezvinsky was indicted and later pleaded guilty to 31 of 69 felony charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud.[12] Nearly $10 million was involved in the crimes. Shortly after his indictment, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but the judge at his trial disallowed a mental illness defense.[5] He served his time at Federal Prison Camp, Eglin.[13] Mezvinsky, Federal Bureau of Prisons # 55040-066, was released in April 2008.[14] He remained on federal probation until 2011, and as of 2010 still owed $9.4 million in restitution to his victims.[15]

    elissa (a14152)

  55. Huh?

    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/father-groom-figure-chelsea-clintons-wedding/story?id=9211229

    If Ed Mezvinsky, the disgraced father of Chelsea Clinton’s newly-announced fiancé Marc Mezvinsky, attends his own son’s wedding, he might want to consider ducking out before the reception. Mezvinsky was convicted in 2002 of bilking his associates, friends and family members — even his own late mother-in-law — out of millions of dollars. Despite being released in April 2008 after serving five years in prison, Mezvinsky remains on federal probation and still owes almost $9.4 million in restitution to his victims…

    You don’t spend time in a federal prison unless you’ve been convicted. And you don’t spend five years there unless you’ve been convicted of at least one felony.

    http://nypost.com/2010/07/29/chelsea-clintons-father-in-law-lives-down-criminal-past/

    Mezvinsky, 73, was convicted in 2003 of several acts of fraud. Prosecutors called him a one-man “crime wave” who routinely pulled business scams that netted him $10 million in ill-gotten loot.

    He said that after his 2008 release from federal prison he rebuilt his relationship with Marc and the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

    “I’m remorseful for what happened,” Mezvinsky said. “It was a terrible time, and I was punished for that. And I respect that and accept responsibility for what happened, and now I’m trying to move on and am grateful I have the opportunity for that.”

    Several acts of fraud = plead guilty to 31 of 69 felony counts.

    Steve57 (4c9797)

  56. Sorry, I misread that as “father”, and missed the “-in-law”. Her father-in-law is indeed a convicted felon; her father is an unconvicted felon. (Actually so’s her mother, but her father’s guilt has been officially determined by a judge, and he has not contested it.)

    Milhouse (a04cc3)


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