I honestly thought that the era of people throwing money at the Clintons had ended when Hillary lost. I was wrong. They've managed to float the bubble that Chelsea Clinton has a political future.
Here's how successfully they floated it.
Mama Hillary Clinton didn’t make it to the White House, and hubby Marc Mezvinsky has just shuttered his hedge fund.
What’s a girl to do?
Expedia answered that question for Chelsea Clinton Friday by appointing her to its board.
The online travel giant had to increase the number of its directors from 13 to 14 in order to accommodate Clinton, according to securities filings.
But with 54 percent of its voting shares, Expedia’s chairman — billionaire Barry Diller — has the clout to do it.
The most recent Expedia proxy puts that compensation at $295,000, consisting of a $45,000 cash retainer and $250,000 in trade-restricted stock.
Chelsea Clinton is there in her role in the Clinton Foundation. It's possible that like her speaking fees, compensation would be directed to the Foundation, in which case this is really yet another way to funnel money to it. Or it's just a more direct payout.
It might be a case of Expedia being hard up for a celebrity board member. But it seems likely that there are people who believe that Chelsea has a political future worth investing in. The Clintons really are like cockroaches. They are betting that they can survive anything. And there are those willing to take that bet.