Are there any skeletons in Barack Obama's closet?

[jay gw]

Barack Obama is the focus of more attention than any political figure except George Bush. Are there any rumors about him that could sink a campaign for president?

[Dave1001]

Well Obama did the smart thing someone with skeletons should do, and he aired a bunch of them before he was elected Senator (mostly drug use). If he was smart he aired all of them.

The biggest underreported negative that I'm aware of is that his middle name is "Hussein".:jaw-dropp

[The Central Scrutinizer]

It is possible that his ancestors owned slaves.

[WildCat]

I heard that he sings Liza Minelli songs in the shower. In baritone.

[fuelair]

I heard that he sings Liza Minelli songs in the shower. In baritone. I didn't know she wrote any songs.:)

[Axenos]

Everybody has skeletons in their closet. I'm a regular biomedical supply store.

[WildCat]

Guess what? A skeleton has appeared in Obama's closet, and it's not from the distant past either. It appears Obama was in a cozy land deal w/ Tony Rezko. Rezko is a political fundraiser who is currently facing Federal charges in a pay-to-play scheme for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

To make a long, complicated story short: Obama wanted to buy a house, but apparently couldn't afford the price of the house and the adjoining lot. So Rezko agrees to buy the lot, and they close their respective real estate deals on the same day. The kicker: Obama paid $300,000 less than the $1.95 million asking price, while Rezko paid the full $625,000 asking price for the vacant lot which was appraised at only $245,000. Rezko subsequently sold 1/6 of his land (a 10 foot swath) back to Obama for $104,500 (1/6 of what Rezko paid), $64,000 more than the appraised value. Rezko then paid $14,000 for a fence between the 2 properties. The fence has a gate, and Obama has the key to the gate. Obama pays his landscaping company to mow the lawn and such on Rezko's property. Rezko has never built on the property.

Illegal? Maybe not, but certainly shady. Rezko isn't the type of guy to do favors w/o some sort of quid pro quo... Obama's memory has suddenly got all fuzzy about the how's and why's of the deal.

Story (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0611010273nov01,1,2852476.story?ctrack=1&cset=true).

[steverino]

To make a long, complicated story short: Obama wanted to buy a house, but apparently couldn't afford the price of the house and the adjoining lot. So Rezko agrees to buy the lot, and they close their respective real estate deals on the same day. The kicker: Obama paid $300,000 less than the $1.95 million asking price,

Where the hell did Obama get $1.65 million for a home in the first place? I thought he was a blue collar black/white guy.

[Tony]

I heard that he sings Liza Minelli songs in the shower. In baritone.

Who doesn't?

[Dave1001]

Where the hell did Obama get $1.65 million for a home in the first place? I thought he was a blue collar black/white guy.

Whatever gave you that idea? I'm not even sure his parents grew up blue collar. He's claimed a lot of thing, but I haven't heard that one. And 1.65 million? I think his 1st book sold pretty well, conceivably well enough to earn that kind of dough.

[clarsct]

Guess what? A skeleton has appeared in Obama's closet, and it's not from the distant past either. It appears Obama was in a cozy land deal w/ Tony Rezko. Rezko is a political fundraiser who is currently facing Federal charges in a pay-to-play scheme for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

To make a long, complicated story short: Obama wanted to buy a house, but apparently couldn't afford the price of the house and the adjoining lot. So Rezko agrees to buy the lot, and they close their respective real estate deals on the same day. The kicker: Obama paid $300,000 less than the $1.95 million asking price, while Rezko paid the full $625,000 asking price for the vacant lot which was appraised at only $245,000. Rezko subsequently sold 1/6 of his land (a 10 foot swath) back to Obama for $104,500 (1/6 of what Rezko paid), $64,000 more than the appraised value. Rezko then paid $14,000 for a fence between the 2 properties. The fence has a gate, and Obama has the key to the gate. Obama pays his landscaping company to mow the lawn and such on Rezko's property. Rezko has never built on the property.

Illegal? Maybe not, but certainly shady. Rezko isn't the type of guy to do favors w/o some sort of quid pro quo... Obama's memory has suddenly got all fuzzy about the how's and why's of the deal.

Story (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0611010273nov01,1,2852476.story?ctrack=1&cset=true).

So what was the quid pro quo?

If you can't prove what the return 'favor' was, then all you have is a lot of circumstantial speculation.

[steverino]

So what was the quid pro quo?

If you can't prove what the return 'favor' was, then all you have is a lot of circumstantial speculation.

Perhaps when you are looking at serving time in prison it would help to have a friend (and neighbor) as the senator. As a former Chicagoan, I can tell you anyone in the Tribune referred to as "Tony" in quotes is connected and could use friends in high, legit places. Obama was a lawyer.

[steverino]

Antoin "Tony" Rezko (per Trib article)

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Well, a "skeleton" for me was when he stated that Democrats should reach out to Evangelicals and church-goers... But of course, that will just increase his chances for winning :D .

[Demigorgon]

I'm not sure if he does, but the media sure has their collective mouths open and are volunteering to un-zip his pants.

[specious_reasons]

Where the hell did Obama get $1.65 million for a home in the first place? I thought he was a blue collar black/white guy.

From the advance/proceeds of his first book.

[WildCat]

So what was the quid pro quo?

If you can't prove what the return 'favor' was, then all you have is a lot of circumstantial speculation.
After you've been following Illinois politics for 30 years come back and we'll laugh at your naivete. ;)

In all seriousness, Rezko is to up and coming Illinois politicians like a sports agent is to a hot-shot college athlete. He first latched on to Obama ~1990, when Obama gained prominence at Harvard. It will get a lot more interesting as Rezko's trial pans out. If he talks and who he rats out, that's really the issue at hand. Fitzgerald doesn't bring charges unless he's sure he has an air-tight case. Maybe Obama escapes scrutiny, maybe just some other pols will take the hits. At any rate, if he becomes a national candidate you can bet this incident will be at the forefront.

[WildCat]

From the advance/proceeds of his first book.
That's exactly what he used to buy the property. At least, it was at that time he bought it.

[jay gw]

Is a shady land deal something the GOP could use?

Didn't GW Bush receive money from his fathers friends, lost it several times, was given more several times?

[WildCat]

Is a shady land deal something the GOP could use?

Didn't GW Bush receive money from his fathers friends, lost it several times, was given more several times?
Were his father's friends facing federal charges and federal time at that point in time? (IMHO) Rezko will be put on the spot due to overwhelming evidence, and will start talking. Whether or not he implicates Obama in any way, a friend like that won't look good in the Dem primary in a year.

eta: Just to be clear, Rezko is facing charges relating to his fundraising activities for Blagojevich - basically trading state business for campaign contributions. But his full activities are fair game at this point.

[steverino]

I'm not sure if he does, but the media sure has their collective mouths open and are volunteering to un-zip his pants.

Exactly. For the record, I did vote for him, and I do not begrudge him a penny of his book royalties. I just think his "Breath-of-fresh-air" sobriquet uttered ad nauseum by National Public Radio & Co. will span a mile wide and an inch deep should he become president or, say, secretary of state and need to deal with the Ahmadinejad and his ilk.

I hate to say it, but sometimes you need a pit bull, not a golden retriever, to progress any national security agenda, even an alltruistic one.

[clarsct]

After you've been following Illinois politics for 30 years come back and we'll laugh at your naivete. ;)
Only about 15 years. I'm about 30 years old.;)

In all seriousness, Rezko is to up and coming Illinois politicians like a sports agent is to a hot-shot college athlete. He first latched on to Obama ~1990, when Obama gained prominence at Harvard. It will get a lot more interesting as Rezko's trial pans out. If he talks and who he rats out, that's really the issue at hand. Fitzgerald doesn't bring charges unless he's sure he has an air-tight case. Maybe Obama escapes scrutiny, maybe just some other pols will take the hits. At any rate, if he becomes a national candidate you can bet this incident will be at the forefront.

Depends on how well the tracks are covered. If Rezko brings down Obama, he loses everything. Any support he had among IL Dems now counts for approximately a warm pitcher of spit. Which could make for some ...erm....interesting bunkmates in prison. He'd be better off not kicking that particular sleeping dog.

Even the Daly family has an idea that they could rise with Obama...

[BPSCG]

My take is that people don't give a rat's behind about shady land deals. The deals are too complex - deliberately so, 'cuz you can't just give a politician a house and then expect him to sponsor legislation making it illegal for any other paving company to bid against you - and people can't be bothered connecting the dots to reach the conclusion that, "Oh, yeah, I see now where Senator Mudslug was doing favors for Vinnie the Weasel's paving company..."

Exhibit A: Bill and Hillary Clinton. Can anyone here explain how the Whitewater land deal worked without looking it up?

Now, if it turns out Obama was sending suggesting emails to his pages, that's something people can grok.

Prediction: This goes nowhere.

[Raphael]

Prediction: This goes nowhere.


Agreed. The property transaction is more clever than shady.
The negative is being a politician who owes "Tony" a favour.
This won't be enough for Democrats to not vote Obama. It will be a weakness for Republicans to exploit.

[WildCat]

Only about 15 years. I'm about 30 years old.;)

Depends on how well the tracks are covered. If Rezko brings down Obama, he loses everything. Any support he had among IL Dems now counts for approximately a warm pitcher of spit. Which could make for some ...erm....interesting bunkmates in prison. He'd be better off not kicking that particular sleeping dog.
No one is going to want to be associated w/ Rezko after this, especially if he is convicted. And his alleged crimes aren't minor - they involve millions of dollars in kickbacks from financial companies seeking state business. He could be facing real time, enough time to loosen his lips for a deal w/ Fitzgerald.

[WildCat]

Agreed. The property transaction is more clever than shady.
The negative is being a politician who owes "Tony" a favour.
This won't be enough for Democrats to not vote Obama. It will be a weakness for Republicans to exploit.
More clever than shady? If you had made a financial deal in January that benefitted you to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, do you think you'd remmber the details? Obama has developed a severe memory loss about the whole thing. This isn't about something that happened 10 years in the past like the Clinton deals, it was 10 months or so ago. Rezko never made a bad business deal in his life, claiming foolishness isn't a very believable excuse here.

And I think this will be something Team Hillary will exploit long before and if the Republicans do.

[BPSCG]

And I think this will be something Team Hillary will exploit long before and if the Republicans do.They won't have to. Obama's running for vice-president, not president. HillaryCo figures he has enough likeability to offset her un-likeability.

[WildCat]

They won't have to. Obama's running for vice-president, not president. HillaryCo figures he has enough likeability to offset her un-likeability.
I don't think a VP from Illinois helps the Dem ticket at all. Illinois is a lock for the Dems, they need someone from the west or the south.

[Darth Rotor]

I don't think a VP from Illinois helps the Dem ticket at all. Illinois is a lock for the Dems, they need someone from the west or the south.
I hear Ma Strayhorn will be available. She's from Texas. :D

DR

[specious_reasons]

More clever than shady? If you had made a financial deal in January that benefitted you to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, do you think you'd remmber the details? Obama has developed a severe memory loss about the whole thing. This isn't about something that happened 10 years in the past like the Clinton deals, it was 10 months or so ago. Rezko never made a bad business deal in his life, claiming foolishness isn't a very believable excuse here.

And I think this will be something Team Hillary will exploit long before and if the Republicans do.

Hey, I'm a fan of Obama, and I think that Rezko did this to ingratiate himself with a up-and-coming big time politician. What's not clear to me is:

Obama wanted to buy a house, but apparently couldn't afford the price of the house and the adjoining lot. So Rezko agrees to buy the lot, and they close their respective real estate deals on the same day.

I don't get this. Obama couldn't afford the loan? With the advance in the bank, his Senate salary, and his wife's salary, he couldn't afford the house? I doubt it.

Obama paid $300,000 less than the $1.95 million asking price, while Rezko paid the full $625,000 asking price for the vacant lot which was appraised at only $245,000.

OMG! He paid less than the asking price? I'd be shocked if this didn't happen all of the time on home purchases, even those big exclusive homes. Yeah, it sounds like Rezko got screwed on price, but, hey, he had somebody he wanted to impress. Obviously, he thought it was worth the investment.

Listen, I'm not happy about this, but until we learn that Obama knew Rezko was crooked, or paid him back quid-pro-quo, it's not particularly damning.

[Dave1001]

They won't have to. Obama's running for vice-president, not president. HillaryCo figures he has enough likeability to offset her un-likeability.

That seems very implausible to me -that the democrats would pick Obama would balance out Hillary on a presidential ticket, or vice versa.

[Jocko]

They won't have to. Obama's running for vice-president, not president. HillaryCo figures he has enough likeability to offset her un-likeability.

You seem to think the Clintons and the DNC have the same goals. I'd recheck that premise if I were you. ;)

[BPSCG]

You seem to think the Clintons and the DNC have the same goals. I'd recheck that premise if I were you. ;)I think I oversimplified what I was trying to say to the point of making it sound like nonsense.

Okay, here's the way I see it:

I'm assuming that nobody involved here is a fool, that in fact they are very, very bright, and good at what they do. That includes Hillary and all her people, and Obama and all his.

Hillary is going to get nominated because, really, who else is there? She's not a very good speaker, personally unappealing, and her enemies hate her with a boundless passion. Anyone who thinks that will prevent her from being nominated, let alone elected, should look at the results of the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections.

Obama is not going to get nominated, and he knows it. But if he wants to run in 2016 (assuming Hillary wins in '08) or 2012 (assuming she loses), he wants to be on the ticket in '08. That's why he's going around the country working for Democratic candidates today instead of doing something actually useful like, say, working on a plan to save Social Security. He gets recognition and builds up brownie points with the Democratic powers that be.

Hillary recognizes he's A Rising Star (Time magazine and the rest of the MSM said so, so it must be true), and recognizes that people like him in a way that they could never like her. He's perceived to be a centrist because he claims to be and because the MSM does him the favor of painting him that way; in fact, his voting record gives him a 100% perfect score in 2005 from liberal activist group Americans for Democratic Action (http://www.adaction.org/ADATodayVR2005.pdf), five points higher than Ted Kennedy (Teddy missed a vote, else he'd doubtless have just as liberal a voting record as Obama and Hillary). Hillary is also perceived as a centrist, for the same reasons, and gets the same 100% ADA score.

So Hillary gets the nomination, makes sure the MSM helps her define herself as a centrist before the bad ol' Repubs define her as a liberal, and casts about for a running mate who is also perceived to be a centrist but who's as liberal as she is, and who will actually appeal to voters.

Bingo. Obama. Who else you gonna pick?

And the DNC will go along with whatever the nominee wants.

[Dave1001]

So Hillary gets the nomination, makes sure the MSM helps her define herself as a centrist before the bad ol' Repubs define her as a liberal, and casts about for a running mate who is also perceived to be a centrist but who's as liberal as she is, and who will actually appeal to voters.

Bingo. Obama. Who else you gonna pick?

And the DNC will go along with whatever the nominee wants.

I think you really, really want a Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama ticket ... for Republicans to run against. So you've created a tortured rationalization for how it could happen. Really, nobody else believes in this except some conservative republicans that salivate at the thought.:p

[BPSCG]

I think you really, really want a Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama ticket ... for Republicans to run against. That's not true. I want a Hillary Clinton/Osama bin Laden ticket, or failing that, a Hillary Clinton/Cynthia McKinney ticket.

The press seems to love Obama, for reasons I can't fathom; they're ready to anoint him the next president if Hillary gets hit by a bus or something. I think he would be a strong running mate, his only significant shortcoming being his lack of experience.

So you've created a tortured rationalization for how it could happen. Really, nobody else believes in this except some conservative republicans that salivate at the thought.:pBut you know what? A similar strategy's been tried before, with some success. In 1956, a first-term senator got his name in the running to be selected as Adlai Stevenson's running mate that November. The Dems' convention chose Estes Kefauver as Stevenson's running mate over that other first-term senator, who was in fact, Stevenson's preference.

Stevenson/Kefauver went on to get crushed by Dwight D. Eisenhower in the general election, but that first-term senator, named Kennedy, had gotten the publicity he wanted, and ran on his own in 1960.


Remember when Dick Army accidentally called Barney Frank, "Barney Fag"?

How long will it be before someone accidentally says "Black Osama"?

[Dave1001]

Remember when Dick Army accidentally called Barney Frank, "Barney Fag"?

How long will it be before someone accidentally says "Black Osama"?


Why bother when they can just accurately call him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama?

[Tony]

That's not true. I want a Hillary Clinton/Osama bin Laden ticket, or failing that, a Hillary Clinton/Cynthia McKinney ticket.


Hillary/Osama? Impossible. Osama is against gay marriage, abortion, feminism, separation of church and state and socialism. He's a conservative republican through and through.

[Dave1001]

Hillary/Osama? Impossible. Osama is against gay marriage, abortion, feminism, separation of church and state and socialism. He's a conservative republican through and through.

Hillary has been against gay marriage most of her political career too (until a couple weeks ago). She doesn't strike me as a strong proponent of separation of church and state, either.

[Tony]

I hate to say it, but sometimes you need a pit bull, not a golden retriever, to progress any national security agenda, even an alltruistic one.

But even a golden retriever is better than the retarded chihuahua we're stuck with right now.

[Tony]

Hillary has been against gay marriage most of her political career too (until a couple weeks ago). She doesn't strike me as a strong proponent of separation of church and state, either.

When has she ever, aside from perhaps grandstanding, advocated a policy that is contrary to the separation of church and state? I'm not a Hillary fan or watcher, so don't know, but judging why what the herds of right-wing sheep say about her, she's Satan, Stalin, The Supreme Abortionist and the gay mafia all rolled into one.

[corplinx]

All I know is, Obama needs to make a run at something like Veep before the Senate kills his political future. Nobody likes seeing their vibrant idealist become a milquetoast tow-the-line senator and thats whats happened so far.

[Dave1001]

When has she ever, aside from perhaps grandstanding, advocated a policy that is contrary to the separation of church and state? I'm not a Hillary fan or watcher, so don't know, but judging why what the herds of right-wing sheep say about her, she's Satan, Stalin, The Supreme Abortionist and the gay mafia all rolled into one.

She's certainly a member of the publicly pious, unlike many moderate, economic, or libertarian Republicans.

[Bill Thompson]

Barack Obama is the focus of more attention than any political figure except George Bush. Are there any rumors about him that could sink a campaign for president?

I think nothing can be worse that Hillary's closet. With her, it is not the skeletons so much as if there is a closet big enough to contain them. These skeletons include Whitewater, The White House redecoration scam, her surprise or pretended surprise about Monica ("vast right-wing conspiracy"), Vince Foster, the prison scandal with Michael Galster, her choosing to ignore Harold Ickes advice to get the Paula Jones case settled out of court and all the other stuff I have heard but not yet looked into. These include the work she did in the Watergate investigation and something about her taking all the silverware out of the Whitehouse upon leaving.

If any of this has water or not does not change the fact that they are unsavory and would make a Hillary nomination unsavory.

I would like to see Barack Obama get the Democratic Nomination because I do not think being new and inexperienced is a bad thing. It could mean that he has less baggage.

We suffer from long-term memory loss. We also are too forgiving of Democrats, I think. Does anyone remember her embracing Yasser Arafat’s wife?

[schplurg]

Why bother when they can just accurately call him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama?
Exactly. His name is his "skeleton".

Prediction: As stupid and unfair and ignorant as it may sound, and as drunk as I may currently be...no way in hell will the USA elect a president, or vice president named Barack Hussein Obama.

The end.

[Tony]

She's certainly a member of the publicly pious, unlike many moderate, economic, or libertarian Republicans.

???

[gnome]

Exactly. His name is his "skeleton".

Prediction: As stupid and unfair and ignorant as it may sound, and as drunk as I may currently be...no way in hell will the USA elect a president, or vice president named Barack Hussein Obama.

The end.

It's a complete trifecta on the name...

Barack=Sounds like Barak, former PM of Israel, presumed by many to have offered too much to Arafat.

Hussein=Saddam Hussein.

Obama=Sounds like Osama.

Such an unfortunate name for such a promising candidate. I'd love to see him win an election, just to be able to be happy that Americans aren't that juvenile. But I'm not holding my breath.

[steverino]

Exactly. His name is his "skeleton".

Prediction: As stupid and unfair and ignorant as it may sound, and as drunk as I may currently be...no way in hell will the USA elect a president, or vice president named Barack Hussein Obama.

The end.

Just to get a visual, are you drunk in your stricp club? What a life, I swear.

[specious_reasons]

Stole this from Abdul:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/124189,obama05.article

Q: The seller of your house appears to be a doctor at the University of Chicago . Do you or your wife know him? If so, did either of you ever talk to him about subdividing the property? If you ever did discuss the property with him, when were those conversations?

A: We did not know him personally, though my wife worked in the same University hospital. The property was subdivided and two lots were separately listed when we first learned of it. We did not discuss the property with the owners; the sale was negotiated for us by our agent.

Q: Did you approach Rezko or his wife about the property, or did they approach you?

A: To the best of my recollection, I told him about the property, and he developed an interest, knowing both the location and, as I recall, the developer who had previously purchased it.

Q: How do you explain the fact your family purchased your home the same day as Rita Rezko bought the property adjacent to yours? Was this a coordinated purchase?

A: The sellers required the closing of both properties at the same time. As they were moving out of town, they wished to conclude the sale of both properties simultaneously. The lot was purchased first; with the purchase of the house on the adjacent lot, the closings could proceed and did, on the same day, pursuant to the condition set by the sellers.

Q: Why is it that you were able to buy your parcel for $300,000 less than the asking price, and Rita Rezko paid full price? Who negotiated this end of the deal? Did whoever negotiated it have any contact with Rita and Tony Rezko or their Realtor or lawyer?

A: Our agent negotiated only with the seller’s agent. As we understood it, the house had been listed for some time, for months, and our offer was one of two and, as we understood it, it was the best offer. The original listed price was too high for the market at the time, and we understood that the sellers, who were anxious to move, were prepared to sell the house for what they paid for it, which is what they did.

We were not involved in the Rezko negotiation of the price for the adjacent lot. It was our understanding that the owners had received, from another buyer, an offer for $625,000 and that therefore the Rezkos could not have offered or purchased that lot for less.

Besides the fact that he probably used poor judgement in dealing with Rezko when he knew he was in trouble, this just doesn't seem much of anything.