Good thread Grim. I guess I missed the headlines this past week. I new the hammer would come down on him eventually, it was just a question of when. I actually started a thread a while ago when Obama's association with Rezko was in the spotlight, long before this media blackout concerning Obama's questionable associations. Rezko ripped off a bunch of people and he got what he deserved.
Obama and Rezko were pretty good pals. They would spend time together with there wives as well, including vacations and dinners. Rezko "gathered" $250,000 for Obama's campaigning on three separate occasions. It makes you wonder what Obama was doing involved with a gumshoe like Rezko, especially since Rezko had a well known reputation in Chicago as being a "fixer" sort of character:
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"But in a 90-minute interview with Tribune reporters and editors, Obama disclosed that Rezko had raised more for Obama's earlier political campaigns than previously known, gathering as much as $250,000 for the first three offices he sought."
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The friendship between the Obamas and Rezkos included occasional dinners and the Obamas once spending a day at the Rezkos' Lake Geneva retreat. It began in about 1991, when Obama became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review and Rezko offered him a job building affordable homes with his Rezmar Corp. Though Obama declined, a friendship and political alliance began.
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Obama: I trusted Rezko -- Lifestyle and Leisure, Barack Obama, South Side -- chicagotribune.com
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Here's a thread that shows how Obama trusted Rezko:
Obama Says "I Trusted Rezko" - Political Fever
Beides being there for Obama as a friend, Rezko was also available when Obama wanted to talk about strategy. Whatever was the discussed, don't you think Obama would have had the common sense to stay away from someone that was known by locals to engage in criminal activity? After all, Obama was already a lawyer at the time. He should have known that this association would be questionable down the line. But since Rezko helped finance his politcal career, how could Obama say no.
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Rezko helped bankroll Obama in five election runs — for the state Senate, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The savvy businessman with the North Shore mansion could bring in as much as $70,000 from political donors in one night. In the heat of a campaign, Obama said he sometimes talked strategy with Rezko daily.
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Obama acknowledged that Rezko had raised $250,000 for him — about $100,000 more than had previously been disclosed and about five times more than Obama conveyed during a November 2006 question-and-answer exchange with the Sun-Times.
Obama also defended signing a 1998 letter urging the state to fund a low-income housing project developed by Rezko and Obama’s former boss, Allison Davis — both of whom were clients of Obama’s law firm as well as campaign contributors. Obama said he didn’t remember writing the “form letter” until the Sun-Times asked about it last June. This was not one of the Rezko developments that fell into disrepair.
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Is Rezko still a friend?
“Yes,” Obama said, “with the caveat that, obviously, if it turns out the allegations are true, then he’s not who I thought he was. And I’d be very disappointed with that.”
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Obama explains Rezko relationship to Sun-Times :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Barack Obama
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Here's a thread on the Obama and Rezko connection:
Obama explains Rezko relationship - Political Fever
I am looking forward to discussing this further as the election progresses. No matter how many times people will call this smearing, the proof is in the pudding. Looks like the chickens gonna come home to roost on this one
06-04-2008, 07:48 PM
Obama's political pal convicted on 16 counts of corruption
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