Obama's gives $240,000 to charity in 2007, more than 9 previous years combined

[PerfectSage]

So much for the Obama is a skinflint meme/posts.

By Nedra Pickler
ASSOCIATED PRESS

6:52 p.m. March 25, 2008

WASHINGTON – Democrat Barack Obama gave nearly a quarter of a million dollars to charity last year as he entered the presidential race, significantly more than during the nine previous years combined.
The Illinois senator has yet to release his 2007 tax return. His campaign said Tuesday it will be made public by Tax Day, April 15, while at the same time disclosing that Obama gave $240,000 to charity last year.

From 1998 through 2006, Obama donated a total of $150,892 to charity.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20080325-1852-obama-charity.html

[MidwestTransplant]

1. And his salary was much higher in the last couple of years too.

[Muttocracy]

2. that blurb sounds as though it's due to the pres race; more to do with book income

Isn't that when the income from his two books poured in, they could pay off student loans, and then give more to charity?

[hayu_lol]

4. Could have been the donated Rezco donations making the difference...

He still hasn't returned/donated all of that money as yet.

[Muttocracy]

6. are you talking about personal income or his campaign? nt

[madrchsod]

7. rezko gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars

of course it`s been all "under the table". don`t worry this will all come out in the next few days during the rezko trial. i think he will have an indictment handed to him with in the month

[Cant trust em]

8. Didn't that money come from the campaign, not his personal assets?

I heard that Obama was returning campaign donations.

[theboss]

3. He started making Oprah money over the last two years

So, this makes sense.

[islandmkl]

5. i'm sure this means that he is just trying to make himself look good....

this should receive some interesting spin from hillscamp...

unless they have learned to not approach certain subjects...

[Cant trust em]

9. Wait until the "he donated for political purposes" meme starts

Which people might have a point on if he didn't have any history of charitable giving before hand.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

10. Wow. He's making more money now, and he gave more to charity.

Real scoop you have there. :eyes:

[Rageneau]

11. What's worse here - - BO's parsimony or his hypocrisy?

I can't figure which of Obama's many character failings is the more prominent here.

Is it his penury -- his cheapness, his selfishness -- that shows he gave less than one percent of his shy-high earnings to charity for a period of many years?

Or is it his hypocrisy -- soon, no doubt, to be lauded by his supporters -- which allows him to think that he can make up (in the public eye) for years of not giving, by suddenly giving more in one year than in the six previous years COMBINED.

Those who care about the less fortunate (such as the Clintons) ought to be doubly offended by Obama. First, for being such an uncharitable piker all those years. Second, for hypocrritically trying to make it look -- at the last minute -- as if he WEREN'T a piker all those years.

Oh SURE, he donated decently last year. But that was only because he knew he would be running for president THIS year, and this issue was sure to come up. So now he's trying to muddy the waters so his adoring press won't report the real facts.

Which has worked pretty well for him so far this campaign.

[BeyondGeography]

15. Hypocrisy? I say we make a campaign out of it

[FrenchieCat]

16. Actually, if you would have bothered to look at his tax returns

THAT ARE AVAILABLE (unlike other people we know that are running for President), you will see that his charity giving has risen with his income. Doh!

"Hopefully", we'll have a chance to see how much everyone gave relative to their income.....one day, I wish. :eyes:

[PerfectSage]

12. kick

[JCMach1]

13. Mitt Romneys miracle conversion to lifetime NRA member comes to mind...

However (I kid and speak the truth as a Hillary supporter), he had more money to throw around after the book... this is a non-issue.

[PerfectSage]

14. Kickity Kickity Kick

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