Report: Obama protection costs $44,000 a day

Well woth it. I wish we had him in office now. Impeach Bush & Cheney for treason.

While I agree with the idea of protection, can someone explain why they need $44,000 per day to provide it?!

He is worth every penny of it.

If the cost of giving secret service protection to Obama is so important that it deserve to be highlighted, then I have a few questions to ask.

1) How much does the same service cost when provided to Hillary Clinton?

2)How much does it cost per day to mainatain one soldier in Iraq to fight a meaningless war that Obama can end like today if elected?

3)How much does it cost to loose one USA solder in Iraq?

4)What is the opportunity cost that the USA business men are incurring world wide every day due to terror threat? A threat that Obama can actually deter.

5)How much does it cost every day to fortify and provide security guards in all Amercan Embassy Missions world wide due to heightened worry of terror striking.

6)psychologically how much does it cost an American citizen to imagine that he/she cannot enjoy a holiday outside his country just because he/she could be a potential target of terror gangsters.

7)How much is it costing American interest every day as a result of deteriorating image globally and how much will it cost to undo the damage and stop China from filling the void.

8)What is the cost of every single American life that is lost every day due to lack of Universal health care.

I could ask more and more questions that relates to relevant costs. however, let me ask the last and the most important

HOW MUCH WILL THE AMERICAN TAX PAYER SAVE PER DAY AFTER ELECTING OBAMA IN NOVEMBER 2008?

That's over $16 million a year, just for the Secret Service. I'm sure the usual local police presence at Obama's campaign appearances will cost millions also.

In American history, I can think of only one assassination attempt against a nominated presidential candidate (in 1912, a crazed leftist tried to kill Teddy Roosevelt) and no attempt against a mere primary candidate.

This tax money could be better spent on other things. Like protecting ordinary citizens, who are in far more danger of getting shot than politicians.

and people wonder why we never have enough money and why taxpayers are not willing to pay more taxes. This should come out of a candidates own money and not be funded by taxpayers. WHy should we have to pay for the security of someone running for president who may not even win his parties nomination? SO if it is $44,000 per day and there are 2 years until the actual election, Obama's security will cost over $30,000,000. You can take the pol out of IL, but you can't take IL out of the pol.

What a bunch of crap. The idiot people running for office should take their chances like all people!!! Why is the taxpayer stuck with tihs ??

Also when do the present office holders like senators do any work they are paid for ??? They run all over the country !!

The presidental campaign should be limited to like five or six months !!

George
Colorado

Good. What's your point? The job of the Secret Service is to protect the will of the people. People can not vote for a dead candidate so they must protect all of them, some are at greater risks than others, so some candidate require more resources to protect. I'm wondering why this is always made such a big deal of? Why not focus on how our tax dollars are being misused, instead of writing about how they are being used as they should? ... for instance what's happening with that investigation into Haliburton over the $2 Billion they've stolen of our tax dollars since the start of this bad war?

What a bunch of crap. The idiot people running for office should take their chances like all people!!! Why is the taxpayer stuck with tihs ??

Also when do the present office holders like senators do any work they are paid for ??? They run all over the country !!

The presidental campaign should be limited to like five or six months !!

George
Colorado

Why in God's name does he need protection. he's going to be a loser regardless, and has his life been threatened where the threat(s) have been determoned to be authentic. IMO this is nothing more than an attempt to make him look more important than he is. If he is in such mortal danger now, will he require protection when he retunrs to the Senate after losing the nomination.
Given the early nature of today's campaigns, no one, save Hillary should have protection. Harry Truman use to walk the streets of D.C. maybe with 2 secret service personnel. We are being duped by maybe one of the better dupers since jackson and Sharpton, and the guy is only half black.

Bruce? Bobby Kennedy?

What presidential candidate has had an assasination attempt? Try Bobby Kennedy moron.

In American history, I can think of only one assassination attempt against a nominated presidential candidate (in 1912, a crazed leftist tried to kill Teddy Roosevelt) and no attempt against a mere primary candidate.
This tax money could be better spent on other things. Like protecting ordinary citizens, who are in far more danger of getting shot than politicians.

Posted by: Bruce | July 2, 2007 9:54 AM

Holy smoke! Bruce, I thought you were a historian. Wasn't Robert Kennedy running for president when he was assassinated? And your next paragraph. Aren't you forgeting wingnut justice? According to many of your heroes, we should be arming ourselves. We should stand up for ourselves, not depend on the inefficient nanny state to protect us.

Why doesn't the Trib post the secret service costs for all candidates running? I am outraged at this blatant partisan reporting.

Such an idiotic waste of my money....Let Osama foot the bill until he actually gets elected.

Its a small price to pay for the hope of America. We need to examine why Mr. Obama is at such risk?

How much taxpayer money is spent every year for Secret Service protection for vice president Cheney? Maybe he should cash in some of those Halliburton stock options that rose over 3000 percent in value since he became VP to pay for this service.

And maybe Dubya can have some of his Republican fund raisers divert some of those millions to pay for his Secret Service personnel.

After all, fair is fair, right folks?

As long as we have a two party system populated by professional politicians who do nothing more than live the high life on taxpayers' money, scenarios like this one will continue. Our so-called "Public Servants" are milking the Treasury dry. Why should Obama be any different? He's a pro just like most of them these days.

Bruce,

I don't know if you're splitting hairs or not, but president-elect FDR survived an assassination attempt in Miami that killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.

Also, I don't think it's a leap in logic to say the reason more candidates haven't been killed is because they have protection. This protection is based on need as determined by a bipartisan panel of Congressional leaders.

"In American history, I can think of only one assassination attempt against a nominated presidential candidate (in 1912, a crazed leftist tried to kill Teddy Roosevelt) and no attempt against a mere primary candidate.
Posted by: Bruce | July 2, 2007 9:54 AM

Hmmm, "Bruce" aka "Former Leftist" aka "JFK Democrat"
ironically uses this forum to express that Mr. Obama should have nothing to fear, and a mere primary candidate has never been assassinated. As usual "Bruce" gets his facts wrong, and shows a shuddering lack of understanding of the state of American affairs.

When I think assassinations in the 20th Century, I think: JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King Jr, all three closely associated with what came to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.

Jack was a sitting President when assassinated, and was closely associated with the Civil Rights movement. The Reverend Dr. King of course was the ideological leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

And Robert Kennedy was a DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO HAD NOT WON THE NOMINATION, also known as, to quote "Bruce," "a mere primary candidate." From Wikipedia: "The evening he was shot, Kennedy had won the June 4, 1968 Democratic Presidential primaries in South Dakota and California, boosting his chances for the Democratic nomination for President during the 1968 presidential election."

Sorry, "Bruce," "mere primary candidates" do get assassinated, and its safe to say that a half-black candidate who is raising big-time grass roots money and has maintained a solid position in early polling would be an obvious target for the kind of bigots and reactionaries who seem to come out of the woodwork at these critical junctures.

Barack is prepared to do what George Walker Bush said he was going to do: unite rather than divide. Unfortunately, there are plenty of crackpots out there who would not want to see this vision materialized. Mr. Obama's security detail is tax-payer money well spent.

In American history, I can think of only one assassination attempt against a nominated presidential candidate (in 1912, a crazed leftist tried to kill Teddy Roosevelt) and no attempt against a mere primary candidate.

Posted by: Bruce | July 2, 2007 9:54 AM

What was Bobby Kennedy when he was assassinated by a Christian with a funny sounding name? You know the guy right wingers assume was Muslim because of his name and skin tone.

Alright Anthony.

I'll play. Please tell me how Obama is going to deter the worldwide terror threat?

The only thing these terrorists hate worse than Christian Conservative Americans (i.e. GWB) are Liberal leaning Americans. Not my words. These guys were attacking us during the Clinton administration and I'm sure it will continue during the next president's reign. You are naive if you think Obama is the savior of this country. No one man can fill those shoes.

George Hale,

If you can figure out a way to Constitutionally limit preseidential campaigns to 5-6 months do it, (and count me in).

As far as providing candidates with Secret Service protection goes, don't you think we've had enough politial assassinations in America?

(Save the sarcastic rebuttals.)

What a joke! Wasting tax payers money. What is even funnier is that people think that Obama can end the war! If he gets in office we are really in trouble.

NuMu,

I'll take a stab at your question:

First off there are 3 shifts in operation for both Senator & Mrs. Obama. Given the crowd size at some of Obama's public events this can add up to a lot of staff.

Then add vehicles (the Secret Service only uses their own with armor, weapons, & communication gear), hotels, meals, air fare.

The aircraft candidates use are paid for by the campaign. Just about every other aspect of Secret Service protection is picked up by we taxpayers.

I think it's money well spent. It is based on need as determined by a bipartisan committee of senior Congressional members.

IF THE CANDIDATES CAN RAISE MILLIONS FOR CAMPAIGNING THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN SECURITY. AND THAT GOES FOR ALL OF THEM, NOT ONLY OBAMA. ONE DAY TAXPAYERS WILL HAVE TO START PROTECTING FUTURE PRESIDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL!

Why didn't you mention the cost to protect any other candidate, or any other person being protected at the expense of the tax payers? I think the cost of Secret Service Protection is outrageous, but if that is what it costs to protect a future candidate, then we have no control over that cost! The money is being used for a great cause!!! I would rather Obama be protected, than unprotected! Move on to something that we care about, and stop trying to create negative publicity for Obama!!!

$44,000 per day?
For how many "guys?"
Four hundred and forty.
If it's for six "guys" (round the clock) plus two car(s) that's a job I want to have.
That's a great daily salary.
Save your money Obama.
We want you as Prez now, so nobody will (pray go God) will ever harm you!!!!!

..."In American history, I can think of only one assassination attempt against a nominated presidential candidate (in 1912, a crazed leftist tried to kill Teddy Roosevelt) and no attempt against a mere primary candidate.
This tax money could be better spent on other things. Like protecting ordinary citizens, who are in far more danger of getting shot than politicians.

Posted by: Bruce | July 2, 2007 9:54 AM"...

...wouldn't the attack on George Wallace during the 72 campaign count also?...

I just returned from Iowa
where I canvassed for Obama.
Your story reflects the fact that you may possess a bias against his candidacy.

The "good" Doug Zook is alive and well here!

I agree, do we really need a 2-year run for the presidency? Do we need ALL the primaries now to be done by the end of Feb. (slight exaggeration) and than nearly 9 months of campaigning by the apparent nominees?
I know some of this media because they have time to fill and pages to sell, but the election season keeps getting longer and longer and longer.

And, while I question the total cost, unfortunately protection of candidates and politicians is necessary. Let's keep them all safe.

If anyone out there is angry about spending $44K to protect Obama who is at least some hope for a lot of americans, think about how much tax payers money is spent on Dick Chaney's protection a day??? and what kind of hope does he kindle in peoples heart????

If someone wants to run for the presidency, is is a risk they have to take. If they are afraid, use the money they raise for protection. Why are we spending money on these candidates when we have more pressing issues? I would vote for the candidates that use the least of our tax payers money.

George Wallace was also shot running for President. I think if a candidate can raise $32.5 million in a quarter they can provide their own security too. They aren't shy about raising money, let them put it to some good use. I for one have had enough exposure to campaign commercials.

It is money well spent. Although I don't believe that's how much it actually costs - I'd like to see a breakdown. I was offered a chance to work for the secret service last year and was surprised to see that I make almost twice as much working for a public company (seeing that I'm not putting my ass on the line). Its kind of like that $600 toilet seat for the air force. Anybody but a republican in 2008!

"This tax money could be better spent on other things. Like protecting ordinary citizens, who are in far more danger of getting shot than politicians."

False dichotomy, and strawman ("politicians", in general, are not getting special protection).

$44,000/day? Why, that's costing me as a taxpayer nearly a dime per year! I'm outraged! (If I'm stupid.)

And I guess no one here has read the original article, which also notes that "The agency is planning to hire and train 103 agents to protect President Bush when he leaves office Jan. 20, 2009."

What's that going to cost us, eh? And will 103 be enough?

Int interesting comments. Much as I expected from Illinois and Crook County !

Glad I got out of there back in the mid 1950's. All the free loaders and liberals !!! Spend - spend-spend--spend and also TAX __ TAX__!!

How many of you writers have ever read the US Constitution ???

Thanks! It was fun.

First time I got involved in this exercise in wasting time. Free loading liberals cna not understand there is NO FREE LUNCH-YOU STEAL IT FROM SOMEONE ELSE !!

George
Colorado

All you people sound like a bunch of little school kids that think arguing to someone you've never met will do something. Go study up on some material and learn something before commenting next time.

I want Obama to win the election so however much money it takes for him to servive thats ok.

I want Obama to win the election so however much money it takes for him to servive thats ok.

That's it? I think we should be providing more to all the candidates. There is no one more vulnerable than Obama right now--just look at JFK, RFK, and MLK progressive, intelligent politicians are targets. I want to see Barack live a full life and do not want another national tragedy that could be prevented. Barack, Hillary, and McCain you have my deepest respect. You are all great Americans who have served your country proudly and I hope you are all safe and will have the adequate protection from violent nuts out there.