Paid speeches...

[madamesilverspurs]

NEWSFLASH: Hillary Clinton did NOT invent paid speeches. Shocking, yes, but there you go. Her fees might be higher than other female speakers, but they’re lower than what many male speakers are paid.

Anyway, there are many reasons why businesses and organizations and universities pay those fees: to get publicity, to enhance credibility, to gain knowledge, for entertainment, etc. For example, Donald Trump gets $1.5million per speaking engagement at “how to get rich” seminars; it's understood that they pay the fee to garner a bit of his expertise, not to secure his obedience to their agendas.

But, according to the highly suggestive OMG conspiracies making the rounds, Hillary Clinton is apparently paid only in exchange for services rendered, a rather snide and cynical way of suggesting transaction in the world’s oldest profession. Wow. And disgustingly disappointing in Democratic party conversation.

[beam me up scottie]

1. .

[TCJ70]

2. You mention Trump...

...but during the Republican debates he accused his opponents of being bought off by him! He admitted money's influence on politics on a national stage, unabashedly.

[stonecutter357]

3. K&R!

[sadoldgirl]

4. She gave speeches for services rendered or

for services to be rendered?

[juxtaposed]

5. I think Sanders got $174 last year to speak at a VFW in Vermont about the nice weather lately.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. It seems counterintuitive that any organization would pay

a six-figure fee to listen to someone talk for an hour or so without expecting something in return. There are probably plenty of people working in the financial industry who know more about investment banking than Hillary and who would actually provide more useful information, but Goldman Sachs isn't offering them $300K for an hour's talk. That kind of money is used to buy influence, not to buy a speech.

[whatchamacallit]

8. Weathervane logic

Paid speeches can be ethically acceptable

therefore

Any paid speech on any subject, sponsored by any entity, for any fee, is ethically acceptable.