After the announcement that Sarah Palin would join Glenn Beck for his rally on the Mall in Washington next month, speculation apparently ran rampant among the Left as to how much of the money would go to Palin’s speaking fee.  The rally will benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, but will have to cover its own costs first, as these events are usually structured.  Tommy Christopher reports for Mediaite that the speculation is unfounded, and that neither Palin nor Beck expect to receive any compensation at all for their appearance:

Some critics of Glenn Beck’s 8/28 “Restoring Honor” rally (a group that includes me) have also wondered how much of the estimated $2 million cost of the event might be used to pay Sarah Palin’s speaking fee. While not the main focus of criticism of Beck’s rally, questions about funding for the event have been raised. As it turns out, Palin will not be paid a speaker’s fee, and the charity that’s partnering with Beck on the event does stand to benefit significantly from the event.

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and radio host Bill Press discussed the fundraising effort for the event several weeks ago, specifically noting that Beck is paying for the rally out of funds raised, ostensibly, for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. In an arrangement that is quite commonplace for this kind of event, all donations made through Beck’s rally go to cover the rally’s cost first, and any money left over goes to the charity. To be clear, neither Press nor Olbermann implied that this arrangement was unusual.

In fact, that kind of arrangement is SOP.  While high-profile speakers don’t usually take fees for their charity work, these events require many vendors to put a stage show together, and those people expect to get paid for their work and materials.  Fundraising costs money for that reason.

In this case, neither Palin nor Beck will get paid — and Beck has already donated money to the charity:

A source close to the event has verified to Mediaite that Sarah Palin will not be receiving a fee for her appearance at the rally, and that the funds raised will be used for basic overhead such as audio/video equipment, bathroom facilities, and the like. Beck won’t see any of the cash, and has even made a large personal donation, according to the charity.

In fact, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation says that the “Restoring Honor” rally has already netted the charity “just over $2 million,” which means they’ve more than covered the estimated cost of the rally, with a month and a half to spare.

The charity has already cleared the cost threshold, which means that all future revenue will go directly to their foundation.  That’s impressive, with seven weeks left to go before the actual event.  It speaks to an efficient use of funds and good planning, which one might expect from a group founded by and for Special Operations personnel.

Too bad those who engaged in empty speculation about the finances of this event don’t pay more attention to the wasted trillions in government spending and failed stimulus programs.  This event will actually produce resources for a deserving charity.