Politics Rezko, Obama and the Republicans
posted by on March 4 at 6:50 AM
In response to an earlier post by Eli questioning why the media hasn’t jumped all over Obama’s connection with indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko, and whether Obama has answered all the questions, a small dose of Illinois politics needs to be added to the conversation. The key question isn’t why the media aren’t digging into this more: it’s why the Republicans haven’t been beating Obama over the head with it. As John Kass put it in a column in the Chicago Tribune Sunday
But the Republicans aren’t swinging. They’re keeping their bats on their shoulders. This should concern Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who will likely face Sen. Obama (D-Rezko/Daley). As most Clinton operatives and Republicans know, Rezko is the indicted political fixer who helped Obama buy his dream house.The sellers split the parcel in two, one a vacant lot and one with a home. Obama got a $300,000 discount on the house. The Rezkos paid the full asking price for the lot next door. Obama, who keeps insisting he’s told us everything, until something new comes out, admitted recently that he toured the home with Tony before that magical sale. So the real estate fairy sprinkles the magic fairy dust on the Obama dream home. Obama becomes the reform candidate for president, to change American politics as we know it — except of course in Chicago, where the Daley Machine runs things.
All this could have been Republican fodder, with Rezko facing unrelated extortion charges for playing politics the Chicago Way: using government muscle to force business owners into funding political campaigns, with extra cash to stuff a few pockets.
With Rezko’s jury being selected, you might think Republicans would feel some excitement running down their legs, the way liberal pundits tingle with Obamamania, or the way teenage girls respond to photographs of Justin Timberlake. Instead the Republicans are subdued. As I’ve warned before, the Rezko trial isn’t about Obama. It is about Rezko and some Democrats, like Gov. Rod “The Unreformer” Blagojevich. But it also involves Rezko and powerful Illinois Republicans with national reach.
What’s on trial is the Illinois Combine.
The key witness is former Republican power broker and alleged cocaine user Stuart Levine, who will testify he stacked state boards that decide which politically connected investment firms get billions of state pension fund dollars to play with.
Confused? Combine Republicans and Democrats put their friends on those government boards, grease each other up with deals and kickbacks, and squeal with delight. We pay for this bipartisan cooperation in higher taxes, the Chicago Way.
The Rs cannot use this against Obama because it would air too much Republican dirty laundry, exposing the bi-partisan Combine of political hacks that loot the Land of Lincoln. If McCain and Company were bringing this up all the time, then the MSM would be all over it, and in Chicago, they are: it’s just the national folks who don’t seem to notice. But as long as McCain leaves it be, so will the boys and girls on the bus.
Am I the only democrat who is thinking to themselves that if this does not end today the GOP wins in November?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2004258752_apobama.html?syndication=rss
Kass doesn't like Obama. Check out some of his other pieces.
But, as a commenter on the actual article pointed out:
"Obama did nothing wrong. The parcel wasn't split. There was no loan. At the very worst, the purchases by Obama and Rita Rezko were coordinated (i.e. Rezkos sit on the vacant lot and keep someone else from developing it until Obama can afford to buy it). It may not even be that.
The Chicago press has covered this one thoroughly and exhaustively.
At least Kass rescues his column by going on to the real story -- the total failure of the Republicans to make any hay of the spectacular failure that is the Blagojevich administration. The Repubilcans have to extricate themselves from the Combine, and fast, or the ossified one-party condition of Chicago politics will spread to the whole state -- only without the technical strengths of Chicago government."
He is right-- the seller, originally anonymous, came out of secrecy to tell the world that Obama received no discount when his third bid was accepted and that there didn't appear to be anything funny about the purchase.
Chicago politics are notoriously messy, so I'll leave that one alone.
One more thing. I was going through some of Kass' January columns and found:
Conservative Republicans shouldn't swing at McCain
"Many conservatives hold grudges against McCain. And though I don't hold a grudge, I've disagreed with him [...]The victim of what? How about the victim of conservatives, of which I count myself as one, at least when it comes to supporting tax cuts, opposing abortion and understanding that McCain is correct when he says we must win in Iraq and never abandon our allies, old and new, in the Middle East. "
This is awesome, like in the wire when that sexy council member is almost winning for mayor and then the pressure builds and he chooses a path as cold-hearted as anyone else's so that he can win. Which thinking of that just reminds me of Omar. Oooooomaaaaaaar. Sigh.
Yawn. According to the sellers Obama was given a discount because they had had the house on the market for six months and received NO offers at their asking price.
Maybe the other reason it isn't getting any traction in the press is that it just isn't a scandal.
So, the best the anti-Obama crowd can come up with so fard is:
1) He bought some land from a scam artist.
2) His Father was a filthy A-Rab.
3) He gives great speeches.
and 4) He believes in hope.
Uh, ok.
What a barge of bullshit Chicago Fan.
Don't rely on opinion pieces posted by the Stranger - google and read the NEWS youself.
First off Eli's post wasn't about why the media hadn't covered it more. It was a weak attempt to make it look like the Stranger had and was covering the story.
Obama is in bed with this guy who is bed with a thug from Britain that was originally an Iraqi. Auchi is his name I think. They didn't give Rezko bail because of that connection. The money to buy the vacant lot looks to e been passed through the Rezkos to Obama.
The Chicago papers have made it clear that Obama should have known how sleazy Rezko was since his turning off the heat at low cost apartments in O's district during January of 1998. He was fined by the city for doing this and at the same time gave money to O's campaign.
The house deal not withstanding what the seller is now saying stinks. Rezko's wife, someone not in the biz, buys the lot at a time that the Rezko's are more than dead broke. There is a $3.5 million dollar judgement against them at the time from GE credit. One of the real estate agents from the deal later recommended for a state real estate board position by Rezko.
There is no reason for the Republicans to be using this information now. They or their 527 or 526 or whatever number they have now will pour this stuff out later and they won't care about Illinois Republicans.
Rezko was one of Obama's first fo contributors. He was Obama's patron. He gave or collected well over $100,000 that we know of for O's campaigns. O helped with his low cost housing business and O's first law boss went to work with Rezko.
Here's an early article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article
This is a dumb post.
Illinois Republicans aren't digging away at Rezko becuase it puts their own GOP crooks into the spotlight. True.
But national Republicans -- McCain -- would just as soon hold this back and use it in the general election. McCain does not give a shit if Blgojevich goes down or other local GOPsters in Illinois. McCain will fight for his life's ambition against Obama and berat him on this mercilessly.
Obama is living in the house that is the fruit of dirty money from a dirty crook andhis defense is oopsie, I madea mistake? I was unaware of what everyone else in the state knew that Rezko was to be indicted and was engaged in massive purchasing of public offices?
You all were in first grade when it hit the fans big time, but McCain had his own corrupt friend, Charles Keating, Jr. Read about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain#Keating_Five
Well of course the Republicans are holding back on commenting because they want to beat the shit out of Obama with it after the nomination. Duh.
It's hilarious to see Obama supporters conflate Rezko with Keating or Whitewater, as if the later two had not been beaten to death for decades and not already factored into candidate negatives.
A McCain/Obama general election would be every bit as dirty and depressing and "old politics" as a McCain/Clinton general election. Deal with it.
"Obama is in bed with this guy who is bed with a thug from Britain that was originally an Iraqi."
The six degrees of Barack Obama? Come on, McG.
"Obama is living in the house that is the fruit of dirty money from a dirty crook andhis defense is oopsie, I madea mistake?"
UnPC is rarely given credibility around here, and he's not helping himself in this arena. Where's the moral outrage about Peter F. Paul-- Hillary raising illegal money and lying about it, laundering funds, and defrauding the FEC? Nowhere? Good. All politicians know some not-so-nice people.
Your visceral, emotional reactions about Sen. Obama make it appear that you're incapable of a cerebral one.
Meh. If this is the worst dirt that anyone can dig up on Obama--that his primary political sponsor has been--not a robber baron, not a polluter, not a union-buster, but a developer of low-income housing, then I'm feeling pretty good about his chances in the fall. So Rezko didn't always keep the heat on. That's sleazy, for sure, but compared to other Chicago low-income housing (see Cabrini-Green)? It's not the greatest crime of the century.
V - read something besides your internal campaign emails.
Auchi gave money to Rezko who bought the lot door at Obama's closing to help him get his dream house. Part of the money also went to Obama's campaign. This was at a time that Rezko was under court order to pay debts to GE Credit.
One degree of separation at most. Every aspect of Rezko/Obama needs to see sunlight now. No surprises after nomination.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3433485.ece
google rezko obama auchi for more.
May I please have a hit of whatever V and kk are smoking? Thank you in advance.
Pointing at bigger crooks is not the best approach. Compared to Al Capone Rezko is a saint, so what.
KK - read! Rezko took public money for low cost housing that has not worked. He used a phony minority company to get state franchise locations for fast food. He is on trial for extorting money to get on boards that divvy up big public money. And ya I think living in the lap of luxury while leaving poor people in your apartments freezing is a very big deal.
As Michael Kinsley says, it's not what's illegal that is the scandal, it's what's legal. Everyone is beating up Obama for having been associated with a sleazebag. OK, he's now disassociated himself, returned the money and admitted the mistake. What the hell else is he supposed to do? Commit seppuku?
You say we're not supposed to compare to other pols, but I haven't seen Jesus or Buddha jump into the race to provide us a sin-free alternative. So I guess I'm left with seeing who has the fewest sins.
Forget the long list of sleazy, illegal stuff; as a corporate lawyer, Hillary Clinton was proudly on the board of directors of one of the world's most vicious union-busting, town-wrecking, Chinese-poisoned-shit-importing corporations (Wal-Mart, for those who haven't heard of it) for six long years, but she gets a pass.
I'll take Obama & Rezko v. Clinton & Wal-Mart any day.
Meh.
It's not like the PM of Canada phoned up Obama's campaign aide and bugged him about NAFTA.
Oh, wait, that's what the Canadian Embassy actually admitted in a press release.
Hmmmm ... maybe the press is trying to get us another President they like to eat donuts with and share BBQ with ... right, Sen McCain?
KK - right she was on the board until 1992 - Obama had his bagman buy 1/4 of his compound in 2005.
After a $40 million investigation the Clintons were charged with what crimes?
There is so much more material with Obama/Rezko then there was with Whitewater - wait until this has been gone through.
There's a simpler explanation.
Unlike Democrats -- who eagerly hammered Giuliani out of the race before he became the nominee they could have hammered into defeat with the same material -- Republicans know enough to keep their dog files padlocked until they know who the target is ... and then destroy him/her.
I can't say I know if it's true, and I can't say I know it will stick, but I am aware of material they'll throw at Obama if and when he becomes the nominee, and not before.
We've seen plenty of the old shit on Hillary, but we should never assume they'll confine their attacks to old familiar shit if and when she becomes the nominee, and not before.
Never attribute to elaborate strategy what can be explained by Republicans' grasp of elementary strategy ... or Democrats lack of same.
I'm surprised by how outraged you are by this, McG. I'm not part of the Obama campaign (besides having caucused), but I do read the news. I love investigative journalism, which is why I've posted links to articles with interviews and detailed figures and dates in another Slog post about Rezko.
The article you suggest from the Times is fascinating, but doesn't say much about Obama at all. We've heard this. The author says that Auchi lent Rezko money just before Rezko's wife put $125,000 down on the $625,000 lot, as they both had major debt. It then proceeds to say: The Rezkos say the loan was not used to buy the land. Obama says he's never done any favors for the Rezkos, and none are apparent. Obama and Auchi both say they've never met (though a source says they once met at a "dinner attended by the Governor").
The links that appear when I search "obama rezko auchi" are:
MyDD--asking questions rather than making accusations
Fausta blog--the line "that probaly why he didn't vote for the war because he had ties with Saddam and Auchi" says it all
rightvoices.com
...et cetera, all citing the Times story exclusively.
Though it may not really matter to you, the Times is a moderate-conservative Murdoch paper. The headlines sometimes bely this.
The goal is not to be vetted. It is to be vetted and found clean. This is in progress, but we know what the Republican party is capable of when it comes to creating scandal. Luckily, we also know that the American people are tolerant of quite a bit of muck at this point. I'll defend the Democratic nominee (who very well be Sen. Obama) with all the logic and objective reasoning I've got.
Sven, all I've got for you is a smile and some goodwill. It's going to be a long, hard slog.
Obama-->Rezko-->Auchi-->Saddam Hussein & Muammar al-Gadaffi
EXCUSE ME:
Obama got his money from Rezko who got his 3.5 million from Auchi:
Where's the media?
-Nadhmi Auchi is an Iraqi-born billionaire who was charged along with Saddam Hussein for conspiring to assassinate Prime minister (president) Abdul Karim Qasim and stood trial in 1959. (Auchi gave fellow Baath Party members machine guns from his home for Saddam Hussein.)
-Auchi protected secret money for Saddam Hussein AND Muammar al-Gadaffi.
(Remember, Obama's Trinity church Pastor Wright went with Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan in 1993 to visit Libyan socialist leader Gadaffi.)
-Auchi also financially backed Saddam Hussein's plan for a pipeline from Iraq to Saudi Arabia.
-Rezko was also a business partner with Nation of Islam Founder's son: Jabir Herbert Muhammad.
Why isn't the media talking about all of Barack Obama's scary friends who have ties to the worst people in history?
*Don't forget William (Bill) Ayers and Bernadine Dorhn of the Weather Underground.
*Obama's cousin Raila Odinga who just became co-President of Kenya this week (after 1,000 people were killed) whom Obama is said to be close to...who signed a secret pact with Muslim jihadists who were to ethnically cleanse people?
And why does Raila Odinga use Obama's exact same campaign slogan: CHANGE....Vote for CHANGE: Look at his website:
http://www.raila07.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/nov/16/iraq.politicalcolumnists
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