"It seems that Rahm and the various folks carrying an “assistant to the president” title make $172,200 while the most-junior staff clock in at $35,000. I will say that one thing I like about Washington is that relative to other major American metro areas, DC is relatively egalitarian in economic terms. The $172,200 that the top White House staff make is good money but it’s hardly enough to put you in the stratosphere of the American economic elite. And yet, these are some of the most important and successful men and women in Washington. Go to New York or LA or Chicago and the biggest of the big shots will be making 10 or 20 times that."
Matthew Yglesias, displaying a shocking naivete that ought to disqualify him from further punditry about Washington or anything else. Yglesias ignores the real power-brokers in Washington—the lawyers and lobbyists and businessmen who profit off the Government. He also ignores how easily the White House staff trade their influence for money. As one commenter notes, “Rahm Emanuel made $15.5M dollars in 3.5 years after leaving the Clinton White House.” Yes, he’ll make only $172,200 this year, but just think of how much he’ll make in the 3.5 years following this second stint in the White House.
