The
former Florida governor cashed in big time from his spin through government.
If you’re a presidential aspirant and you have to tell people
you’re a person of integrity, chances are you’re not.
Those odds get worse if you have to hire someone else to attest
to your honor. How intriguing, then, that Kristy Campbell — a spokeswoman for Jeb Bush’s
presidential campaign — felt moved to tell us that “Jeb’s record” is “one of
integrity.”
This testimonial from a paid flack follows the still-evolving
news story that Bush immediately cashed in on his name and state government
contacts after leaving the Florida governor’s office in 2007.
Jeb became a richly paid legislative consultant and board member to major corporations that had received lucrative benefits from his own administration.
With cynical chutzpah, this presidential wannabe now campaigns
as an ethics reformer, piously preaching against the corrupt coziness between
moneyed interests and government officials.
But in the last eight years, this
scion of the Bush dynasty has pocketed at least $18 million in personal payment
from his own quiet spins through the revolving door of
government-corporate corruption.
Only four months out of office, for example, Jeb got a nice
sinecure as a board member for the insurance giant Tenet Healthcare, which ran
several of Florida’s private hospitals under the state Medicare program.
In
2006, Tenet was found to have cheated patients and taxpayers with more than $1
billion in overcharges. To settle this malfeasance, the corporation paid only
$7 million.
Meanwhile, Tenet recently gushed that it benefited greatly from
Bush’s “extensive background in government service” and “his perspectives on
public policy and social issues.” In heartfelt gratitude, this one corporation
alone has put more than $2 million in Bush’s pocket.
OtherWords
columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker.
He’s also the editor of the populist newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown, and a member
of the Public Citizen board. OtherWords.org.