The American Spectator

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Ebenezer Obama

By Shawn Macomber on 4.2.08 @ 9:27AM

Arthur C. Brooks has an interesting bit on Obama's charitable giving, but the last line about the Cheneys in this graph is what really caught my eye:

The Obamas got rich in 2005. Their income increased sevenfold from 2004 to 2005, mostly because of Mr. Obama's book royalties, and stayed very high in 2006 for the same reason. In 2006, another wealthy political couple with significant book royalties was Mr. and Mrs. Cheney, who had a combined income of $8.8 million, largely due to Mrs. Cheney's books and the couple's investment income. Just how much did the Cheneys give to charity from their bonanza? A measly 78 percent of their income, or $6.9 million. (No, that is not a misprint.)

Related: I interviewed Karina Rollins last year about Americans largely unheralded charitable influences here.

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