I listened to David Freddoso’s appearance on a WGN radio show hosted by U. of Chicago Sociologist Milt Rosenberg, where Freddoso debated Dan Johnson Weinberger, an Illinois lawyer supporting Obama. Both sides overstated their positions – pro and con Obama - but I didn’t hear much that would justify the Obama campaign's response.
The most heated exchange was over whether Tony Rezko was Obama’s first donor when he first ran for the Illinois Senate in 1995-96. Freddoso said he was; Weinberger said he wasn’t. Freddoso then partially backed down and said that perhaps Rezko was the second donor.
If one limits the analysis to donations, Freddoso was correct the first time: Rezko tied for Obama’s first donor. If one includes loans as well as donations, then Rezko ties for the second donor to Obama’s campaign, though even that earlier loan came from someone who has ties to Rezko.
What the early donation patterns show is that Rezko (and people Rezko has had business ties to) were the primary people launching Obama’s finances in his first campaign. By a few months later, others had donated, including prominent liberals, lawyers from his firm, real estate developers, and the ACORN-linked union, SEIU.
Obama’s fundraising started in July 1995. Before mid-September 1995, he had one loan and three donations:
7/13/1995 LOAN: $5,000 Al Johnson (a Cadillac dealer, “who was trying to get a casino license along with Tony Rezko” at some point)
7/31/1995 DONATION: $1,000 Rezko Foods
7/31/1995 DONATION: $1,000 Lakefront Refreshments (a Rezko company)
7/31/1995 DONATION: $300 Barry Mcnamara (also a Cadillac dealer)
So Barack Obama’s first three actual donations were from two Rezko companies (contributing $2,000) and an individual (contributing $300), though there was an earlier loan from a man who was seeking a casino license with Rezko.
Obama’s first donations from outside Illinois were from a New York individual (Fatema Chandoo, who shares a last name with one of Obama's college buddies) and from the SEIU Local 880 Politcal Fund, 1024 Elysian Field Av, New Orleans, LA 70117-8402, one of the many infamous ACORN-associated organizations.
I mean, are we really citing to Newsmax? Sad.
But what with the stock market losing another 450 points today, the AIG deal, Palin's approval dropping (hint: refusing to deal with subpoenas doesn't help), I could see why it's important who Obama's first donor was.
A normal discussion seems to be out of question.
In fairness to Obama, though, Rezko's shady dealings are only going to bring down Gov. Blagojevich.
Obama didn't do anything criminally wrong in accepting Rezko's donations or having Rezko, in 2005 while Obama knew Rezko was under federal investigation, buy the property next door to his house because the former owner had wanted to sell the house and the vacant lot next door as part of a single deal.
Obama couldn't afford to buy both at the time because he only had one autobiography on the shelves. So Rezko helped out and bought the vacant lot, and Obama was then able to buy the house for $1.5 million. Again, Obama did nothing criminal here.
And, anyway, Obama's helped to pass an ethics bill when he was a state senator and another ethics bill while he's been a U.S. Senator. So Obama is a strong supporter of ethics.
A normal discussion about what?
Why have a "normal" discussion about agenda items of little to no relevance being put forth as part of a political strategy? Remember, this is not a campaign about the issues. (Great. The marketplace of ideas is closed for renovation, but they still have something to sell. Let's have a normal discussion about that.)
You really, really don't understand Obama activists if you think they require top-down activation. Democrats may not be as unified as some would like from a political effectiveness point of view, but that unwillingness to read predetermined talking points seems like something libertarian minded people would appreciate. Obama's support isn't pure grassroots, obviously the campaign adds some fertilizer, but it isn't an army of monoliths, either.
I didn't get the latest Action Alert. Are we supposed to say we're unwilling to read predetermined talking points now?
Nick
Elections are not courts of law. Nobody needs to be proven guilty of a criminal offense to lose an election because of his actions.
That's unfair. Cindy's convicted felon dad had already served his Federal time by the time McCain started dating her, while Rezko's conviction was far in the future while Obama was associated with him.
In the 60s and 70s, Cadillac dealer Al Johnson was one of the three wealthy, self-made black men of his name in Chicago. Even white people would buy Cadillacs from him. The others ran Johnson Publishing (Jet, Ebony, etc.) and Johnson Products (Afro-Sheen, Ultra-Sheen, etc.) Al would be the sort of solid businessman who could be a partner in a c4sino. But, according to the linked Sun-Times article, Obama opposed the Rosemont c4sino Al Johnson and Rezko were supposedly interested in.
According to the wikipedia article on ACORN, it was not associated with SEIU until 2003, long after the 1995 time period discussed here. Does Prof. Lindgren have any evidence that they were linked at the relevant times?