Posted by
Mike Bates on Thursday, May 14, 2009 2:36:56 PM
Cook County board president Todd Stroger has an almost $12,000 lien on
his house for unpaid federal taxes. Illinois treasurer Alexi
Giannoulias bought a $26,000 hybrid SUV with money from the state's
college savings program. Former governor Milorad Blagojevich likely
will be parking his hairbrush in a federal facility in the foreseeable
future.
What do these exemplars of devoted public service have in common? Each was endorsed for his office by Barack Obama.
When Stroger ran, Obama and fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin told
voters Todd was "a good progressive Democrat" capable of "lead(ing) us
into a new era of Cook County government."
That he promptly did by giving the county the highest sales tax rate in
the country. Still not satisfied, Stroger kept seeking to bring only
the best and brightest to his regime. Dining at a Ruth's Chris
Steakhouse, he recruited a busboy there for a $48,000 administrative
assistant job. It turned out the guy has a police record as long as
your average Chicago precinct captain's rap sheet. Yes, Todd Stroger
bears the Obama stamp of approval.
So does Alexi Giannoulias, who is now keeping a log of how that SUV is
being used for official business. And all it took was for his purchase
to make the newspaper.
Giannoulias was endorsed by Obama in his party's 2006 primary as well
as in the general election. Alexi comes from a banking family, one that
has loaned millions of dollars to a Chicago crime figure involved in
bookmaking, prostitution and gambling casinos.
Alexi first claimed the loans were made before he became active in the
family business. Then it came out that $12 million of the loans were
serviced by Giannoulias himself. When that made the newspapers, Obama
said, "I'm going to take a look at what's been going on and I'm going
to ask Alexi directly what is happening." Whatever his story was must
have satisfied Barry, whose support was critical to Giannoulias's
subsequent victory.
Then we have Obama's support for Rod Blagojevich. Last July, Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker wrote about Obama in 2002:
"That year, he gained his first high-level experience in a statewide
campaign when he advised the victorious gubernatorial candidate Rod
Blagojevich, another politician with a funny name and a message of
reform. Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Chicago and a friend of
Obama's, told me that he, Obama, David Wilhelm, who was Blagojevich's
campaign co-chair, and another Blagojevich aide were the top
strategists of Blagojevich's victory. He and Obama 'participated in a
small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor,' Emanuel
said. 'We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and
these two.'"
In June of 2002, Obama said on a local-access cable program: " ...right
now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as
Governor. . ."
The talk of scandals and Federal investigations of Blagojevich didn't diminish Obama's enthusiasm for his re-election in 2006:
"We've got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently
on behalf of the people of Illinois and for that reason I am proud to
stand behind him," declared Obama.
Chicago alderman Dorothy Tillman also was endorsed by Obama in her last
election two years ago. For 20 years, Tillman served on the city
council. Known as an avid proponent of slavery reparations, she
developed quite a reputation, one enhanced by a report that she waved a
gun around during a public meeting. She led an assault at the Art
Institute to remove an unflattering picture of Harold Washington.
"Yassuh boss!" she'd shriek at white aldermen. At a banquet at the
Palmer House Hilton, her staff demanded white servers be replaced with
black ones. "It's not personal against anybody, I'm just pro-my
people," she explained.
Barack Obama speaks against racial divisiveness, but he endorsed
Dorothy Tillman. And he told voters to elect Todd Stroger, Alexi
Giannoulias, and Milorad Blagojevich.
Obama's judgment is abysmal. And that's being charitable. Will the mainstream media ever notice? Nossuh boss!