This is why no one should criticize President Obama for making tons of money after leaving office

[Tx4obama]

Excerpt:

In 1997, Congressional legislation became effective limiting Secret Service protection to former presidents for a period of not more than 10 years from the date the former president leaves office.

http://www.secretservice.gov/protection.shtml

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Clinton was the last President to get lifetime Secret Service protection.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013054346AAH9JaU

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So, considering how young President Obama will still be when leaving office it will take TONS of 'personal' money for Barack Obama to hire and pay for personal security protection for him and his family for the rest of his/their life.
In my opinion, I think that it was very wrong that the law was changed in 1997.
I think the law needs to be changed back to what it used to be prior to 1997.
President Obama has received the most threats against a president in U.S. history and he should be protected by the U.S. government as long as the need to protect him is there.

[lib2DaBone]

1. Obama's desk will be at Goldman-Sachs...they use private Blackwater guards...

(snark)

[Divernan]

2. What an interesting topic!

Is this some rationale to justify his policies favoring Big Corporate interests? Are you positing that he HAS to do this in order to protect himself? Or is this your rationale to justify Democrats on DU supporting a democratic president whose policies favor Big Corporate interests? He's only sucking up to Big Fracking (with his latest, pro-fracking-industry stacked commission?) out of fear for his life?

I think we've seen the pattern enough to know that politicians who are friendly to major corporate interests are repaid after they leave office by board and consultancy appointments worth multi millions of dollars. Tom Ridge is one who springs to mind. He's been on multiple boards since he left DHS.

[Hippo_Tron]

3. Obama could've enacted single payer, restored Glass-Stegall, and taxed the rich at 50%...

And still would make millions upon leaving office. Former Presidents get huge sums for their books and for speaking fees, regardless of whose ass they kiss or don't kiss while they are in office.

[Divernan]

4. You're absolutely correct.

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Which makes it all the more confusing why he's so determined to govern from the center

It's not the campaign contributions, either, IMO. He raises so much money from so many different sources that he could easily tell some of them to go fuck themselves and still shatter his fundraising record from the last campaign. I think the guy is really sees it as his calling to create this post-partisan America nonsense. Somebody needs to make him realize that partisan politics, while incredibly ugly, is a basic tenant of democracy. As Churchill said, democracy is the worst form of government except for all of the others.

[Tx4obama]

7. The OP has absolutely nothing to do with what is in your comment.

The OP is about the fact that AFTER Obama leaves office he will HAVE TO make tons of money in order to pay for his security when the 10 year secret service security time frame expires.

I am afraid you read much more into what I was talking about than was there.

[wndycty]

5. I agree, I believe all Presidents should receive lifetime protection. . .

. . .but in the case of Obama losing Secret Service after 10 years I would bet there is some type of threat assessment provision that would provide for an ex-President's protection once the 10 years runs out.

[pam4water]

8. If he drops out of the 2012 race and endorses Bernie Sanders, I promise to never criticize Obama

again :P