Comments on Obama's Blind Trust

Or maybe TPM got it right, and you're blowing this completely out of proportion. Just because the NYT is bending over backwards for "balance" doesn't mean you have to take it seriously. It was a blind trust for fuck's sake, and he sold for a loss. Where's the scandal?

It's hard to tell up from down in politics, especially these days. Blind trust or not, Obama's not a political saint.

I'm not impressed with Obama. I think he's the "feel-good" candidate who's chock-full of the happy, politically-correct crap that "liberals" can't get enough of. As nice as it would be to break out of the old-white-man barrier as far as presidents go, I can't see any good reason for voting for Obama...or Clinton.

Maybe all this buying and selling stocks, investments, and the Clinton gate like house buying fiasco or whatever, should all just be fucking legalized. I'm getting sick and tired everytime someone tries to do business in a CAPITALISTIC SOCIETY is held to the fire during election time about where they got there goddamn money. Yeah I know we don't want someone in charge of our country who gets money from the KKK or the mafia, and thats why they have these panick attacks, but jeezus, whats the big deal about Stocks. Maybe we should just require that any money a politician gets should only just come from girls scout cooky sales, it'll be so cute and innocent no one would freakout about bad money anymore. I'm fed up with this crap.

I'm with Mark. Where's the fire? He lost money on it. Where's the scandal? One wonders if people don't understand what "blind trust" means. Of course, the examples of other blind trust holders like Trent Lott who know and control every action in their supposedly "blind" trust makes people skeptical. But shouldn't there be some kind of reason for suspicion before suspicion starts?

People who expect or want "saints" shouldn't be allowed to vote.

People who expect or want "saints" shouldn't be allowed to vote.

No saints, no problem. A little integrity (just a little) would be nice in politics.

Damn. I guess Barack isn't the political savior who's going to lead us to the promised land. But I bet he'll still be a lot better than most of the fuckheads out there.

Is there any evidence that Obama spoke with his managers about the holdings of the trust? I mean, any at all? Even the slightest hint? Until there is, this is just a non-story.

The dude lost money on it. Now he's investing in a mutual funds.

On the other hand, we have the Republicans, who are completely wound up in their corporations, make no secret of it, and are shameless.

Integrity? so every politician needs to wipe their ass with the left hand, because they eat with their right?
Whatever. Integrity is not the word needed. I'm sure they al;l have that anyway. thats how they got where they are in positions of powere to even get voted. Whats needed is common sense from the voters and Lawmakers and quit freaking out over small shit, like money in a Capitalistic Society. Everyone loves George Washington. He was our first president. But he got their on the backs of men who spilled their blood. I'm sure that King George and his men wanted Washington to have some integrity and behave hisself over there in the colonies. Would it make everyone happier if Obama was a bad ass like Washington and was all up in everyones face with his misdeeds and misbehaviors, if there are any. Or is
a little bit of money he made from an investment some crime in this country he has to be held to the fire? IT IS A CAPITOLISTIC SOCIETY where money is the root of all evil. What do expect. I repeat, maybe he should get his donations and investments from the girlscouts. thats so cute isn't it?

Ever see Star Wars, the new ones?
Conservatives remind me of the Emperor the Dark Lord of the Sith, who hid as a friend of the alliance and manipulated policies, and then with his cronies grabbed power by making everyone else look bad(over stupid shit and their own infighting)and had
the storm troopers help him seize control. Oh and that sounds like those other guys from the 'thirties' as well.
Headlines like these, make me feel like were being suckered and manipulated to feel all moral and angry about how someone got their money. I'm glad I'm just a dishwasher
and a student living check to check. Christ no one can do anything to make a buck these days. But the fucking government making the rules sure can.
I wonder if when the high and mighty pass these laws and then go play golf, they ever ponder that they too played against their own rules? Maybe every politician should just go do his job check to check and be broke when they get to election time and there would be no problem? Yeah there would be a problem. Everyone would wonder if the politician doesn't have money, how could he make us some? Why vote at all.

This pretty much seals Obama in as the true successor to Clinton and increases my belief that he'll win (even though I'm a Richardson supporter). He's got a ready made Whitewater scandal waiting for him in office.

eli, please learn the meaning of 'blind trust' before implying that there's a scandal. the times has decided to practice shoddy journalism; you don't need to bolster their mistake.

it's only a "hard blow" if you can't read for context.

So, we should not trust Obama because he listens to his friends and is good at investing? ... right .... uh huh ... NEXT!

Yeah, Eli, what a fuck that Obama is - how dare he lose $13,000 of his own money in a blind trust by selling stock he discovered he shouldn't have had? Especially taking the loss without the whole affair first becoming public! How dare he, I say?!

See, not only is this not an issue because it was a blind trust, it's not an issue because unlike our Republican friends who've had this issue crop up, he sold it BEFORE the public forced him to or even knew about it, and he did so at a personal loss.

I always teach my daughter, integrity is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. Don't be a sucker, Eli.

Well I will be the lone voice of dissent here. I DO see a problem with "listening to friends" that just coincidentally supplied your campaign with $150,000. And while I don't believe Obama is guilty of anything listed in this story I do think that it brings up the larger issue of our corrupt political process.

The problem with letting company's and friends supply funds to political campaigns should be obvious to you all - it creates debt for the political candidate once they have power.

It creates situations like this
"Less than two months after ascending to the United States Senate, Barack Obama bought more than $50,000 worth of stock in two speculative companies whose major investors included some of his biggest political donors.

One of the companies was a biotech concern that was starting to develop a drug to treat avian flu. In March 2005, two weeks after buying about $5,000 of its shares, Mr. Obama took the lead in a legislative push for more federal spending to battle the disease."

Money for campaigns should come directly form the government. The end. If candidates where beholden to no one then maybe we would finally get non biased politicians.
If this were Bush and not Obama all yawl would be all over this story.

no, because we don't need to make up bullshit to bash bush.

When I heard the story I thought to myself, "$50,000--that's about how much Bill Frist earned in HPA dividends each day, isn't it?"

Okay, I'm exaggerating. But it feels like pretty small potatoes. If I was interested in avian flu, I'd both want to invest in treatments for it and lobby for treatment--because I would think that it was a problem.

@16 - yeah, cause the Truth is that the Bushies are so evil they make Satan look like he's not even trying ...