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POPSMcCain's Chilling Dance With the Dark Side
Now, I'm not saying that it's wrong to ask questions about Obama's relationship, such as it was, with Bill Ayers. Or with Tony Rezko or with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Just as it wouldn't be inappropriate to raise questions about McCain's association with G. Gordon Liddy, the convicted Watergate burglar whose colorful history includes telling listeners to his radio show in 1994 to shoot federal agents in the head. When McCain went on Liddy's radio show in November 2007, he told Liddy, "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family... It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." The candidates' associations with these people, and their responses to questions about them, give you a view into their judgment. But at a time of great economic uncertainty -- so uncertain that the smartest people in the world are scratching their heads about what to do -- whi
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POPSOf Course The Obama-Ayers Connection Is Important Ed goes on to summarize Barone's three major points: * Obama stresses his commonality with the American people. Do most people feel comfortable working closely with unrepentant domestic terrorists who still want to overthrow the capitalist system in America? * Obama presses educational issues as part of his campaign. He spent years working with Ayers on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which pushed efforts to create primary educational organizations that would create political activists for the Left - and which largely failed in any of its intended purposes. * Obama has lied and obfuscated about his relationship with Ayers. Clearly, Ayers was not just “some guy in the neighborhood”, but a political adviser at least on educational issues who provided a key launch for Obama’s political career.
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POPSInvestigator detained by Kenya after learning Obama muslim ties Does anyone know Obama has visited Pakistan, just before being mysteriously flooded with cash for attending expensive universities and purchasing a multi million dollar home? His two college roomates were Pakistani, who are now in charge of raising offshore campaign contributions for him? Michelle Obama's personal advisor is an Iranian. And Rezko arranged for Obama's first job as a lawyer - where is Rezko from? Syria. Beware this Trojan Horse.
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POPSThe real Obama (is not fit for President)
The story of Obama's political career is not a pretty story. He won his first political victory by being the only candidate on the ballot-- after hiring someone skilled at disqualifying the signers of opposing candidates' petitions, on whatever technicality he could come up with. Despite his words today about "change" and "cleaning up the mess in Washington," Obama was not on the side of reformers who were trying to change the status quo of corrupt, machine politics in Chicago and clean up the mess there. Obama came out in favor of the Daley machine and against reform candidates. Senator Obama is running on an image that is directly the opposite of what he has been doing for two decades. His escapes from his past have been as remarkable as the great escapes of Houdini. Why much of the public and the media have been so mesmerized by the words and the image of Obama, and so little interested in learning about the factual reality, was perhaps best explained by an official of the
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POPSThe Obama Sell Off I know that the reason I moved everything I had out of the markets is that if Obama gets in he's going to destroy a minimum of 1/7th of the economy with his medical idiocy. He's also going to destroy investment with his tax increases and who can tell where the next huge failure will come from with that kind of uncertainty. Better to sit on the sidelines and see what happens than try to guess exactly what the Democrats might destroy next.
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POPSSocial Welfare Spending with regulation and tax bills close behind. According to Burnside and Whitehurst, other than social welfare and a bit of government regulation, "Obama devoted very little time to most policy areas." Conventional wisdom has it that John McCain holds a political advantage over Obama on war and foreign policy issues, while Obama is favored to handle the economy. Yet Obama's economic experience is largely limited to social welfare spending. Indeed, precisely because of his penchant for spending, Obama's fingerprints are all over Illinois's burgeoning fiscal crisis. . . . Illinois's fate may foreshadow the nation's. Obama's small and carefully targeted spending bills were expressly designed to win passage by a Republican-controlled state senate. But if Obama takes the presidency with a Democratic Congress at his back, we'll likely see a grand-scale version of the fiscal mayhem Obama and his colleagues brought to Illinois.
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POPSFollow The Money $625,000. Other People's Money. Senator Obama and his wife, Michelle, purchased a $1.65 million Georgian revival mansion in Chicago, where they now reside. While wealthy Syrian-born Chicago slumlord Tony Rezko was already known to be under federal investigation, the senator approached Mr. Rezko about purchasing the two adjoining properties, then toured the home with Mr. Rezko (now a convicted felon on those charges). Soon after Senator Obama bought the mansion for $300,000 less than the asking price. On the same day, Mr. Rezko's wife purchased the adjoining vacant lot for the full asking price of $625,000. $75,000. Other People's Money. Senator Obama served as a paid director to a "progressive" Chicago-area non-profit organization, the Woods Fund, from 1999 until almost 2003. William C. Ayers -- who, despite the senator's protestations to the contrary, is a long-time friend and political ally
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POPSWall Street OWNS Obama Where do you think Obama got all that money?? He's been their boy right from the get-go. They recruited him in college through Tony Rezko, iniated him through Ayers and his wife, introduced him to rich and elite political and international power players, Trained him in Chicago, the toughest political turf in the country. All the time flooding his campaigns with their money. And consider this, despite Paulson's "who could see this coming", we ALL saw this financial desaster coming for YEARS!!! So WHY NOW??? Why now when this economic chaos practically hands the White House over to Obama. Its less than 60 days before the election. WHY NOW????
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POPSSeeing Through Obamanomics
Obama claims his proposal would lower taxes for 95 percent of Americans, but well over 43 million tax returns, one-third of all those filed, already reflect an income tax liability of zero. In fact, Obama says, his plan would eliminate income taxes for an additional 10 million taxpayers. What he is really proposing, therefore, is not tax relief but a bald transfer of cash - $1,000 per family, he pledges - from the wealthiest Americans to everyone else. Just last year, Hillary Clinton suggested that the government start off every new baby with a $5,000 savings account. Voters didn't take the bait when Clinton offered it. Here's betting they won't take it now. Why not? Because you don't have to be rich to be skeptical when a candidate argues that the top 1 percent of taxpayers, who already pay 40 percent of federal income taxes, aren't being taxed enough. Obamanomics may look pretty at first glance. But voters are focusing more closely now, and they can see beyond the lipstick.
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POPSObama’s Shifting Positions on Iraq: A Rezko Connection? Obama was at a party on April 3 — two days before the video– with Nadhmi Auchi, a London-based Iraqi billionaire who attended a Tony Rezko party in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune blog covered Obama’s recollection of the party in depth. Late last week, Sen. Barack Obama said he didn’t recall meeting a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire at a party held at the home of his former friend and fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko, on April 3, 2004, because it was in the midst of his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. But a check on the senator’s calendar showed he had no campaign activities on the day of the Auchi party. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that despite Obama’s inability to recall meeting Mr. Auchi, two sources said the senator was present. http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/obamas_rezkoauchi_recollection.html http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/894559,CST-NWS-rezko15.article
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POPSThou doth protest too much ~"Hillary, despite what you've heard, is not the smartest woman in America. And can anyone dispute that one element of Obama's allure is the potential of his becoming the first African-American president? Palin is, without doubt, in part, a token pick. So what? The appeal of a candidate includes his or her policy position, but also background (that's why we are blessed with the folksy charm of Joe Biden), experience, ability, race and gender. "~
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POPSObama's Evasiveness Chicago politics are nototriously slimy, Obama continues the tradition albeit with a more radical tilt.
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POPSQuids Pros and Quos in Healthcare Services
Cont..Another Obama adviser and close friend, Dr. Eric Whitaker, took over the Urban Health Initiative when he was hired at U. of C. in October 2007. Whitaker previously had been director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Obama has said he recommended Whitaker for the state job, giving his name to Tony Rezko, who helped Gov. Blagojevich assemble his Cabinet. Rezko, a former fund-raiser for Obama and Blagojevich, was convicted in June on federal corruption charges tied to state deals. "I've heard complaints from a handful of constituents, but I've also had calls from people in the health care profession complaining," said Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, whose 4th Ward is just north of the hospital. "The medical professionals who have come to me are accusing the university of dumping patients on its neighboring institutions. ... Whether it's being implemented in the way that's in the best interest of the patient, I can't tell you." Understatement of the Week Award...
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POPSFactCheck debunks Rezko/Obama myths McCain ad "gives an oversimplified and misleading account of how Obama bought his ... house in Chicago" "Obama paid market price for his home." Time to get honest, righties - it's been independently researched, and it's bogus. Here are the facts in summary - see complete analysis at the link.
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POPS Epic Fail continued........about his bombings in the 60s is that they didn’t go far enough, who walked all over an American flag in 2001, and who said right before 9/11 that the very idea that America is a fair place “makes me want to puke”. Meanwhile, McCain’s campaign is launching a salvo of its own tonight - an ad reminding us all of just how tight the Obamessiah was with convicted felon and Chicago money man Tony Rezko. Aside from folks like Stanley Kurtz, who is currently running headfirst into an old-school Chicago stonewall over Obama’s work with Ayers in the Windy City... o major network or newspaper had any interest at all in either Rezko or Ayers. But Barack Obama opened up the Rezko story by yakking about John McCain’s houses and he opened up Ayers by questioning his basic character. Housing War http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Nzk0MzhjYzk2NzI2ZjY4YWQ1NmI3N2Q0OWUwODMxY2Q=
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POPSKer-Thump Another One Under The Bus The list of "bumper clinging" supporters, including Bernadine Dorhn and Bill Ayers, the two domestic terrorists that helped jump-start Barack Obama's political career. * Marilyn Katz (former SDS radical, Obama campaign PR professional) * Carl Davidson (former SDS radical, Fidel Castro Fan, webmaster of Progressives for Obama) * half-brother Abongo Obama, a militant Muslim * "Uncle Frank" Frank Marshall Davis, role model/mentor and member of the Communist Party USA, poet who authored "Smash-on, victory-eating Red Army" * Bill Ayers, domestic terrorist and long-time friend * Bernadine Dorhn, Ayer's wife, fellow domestic terrorist, and Manson Family admirer.
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POPSThe Interview With Author David Freddoso "The Case Against Barack Obama" The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate That would have been against the interests of now-convicted developer Tony Rezko, who was tied closely to the Stroger family. He would have upset Mayor Daley, he would have to upset Emil Jones. So he played along like a good machine politician. Obama was denounced by a lot of liberals including some big people who were still big fans of his at the time. Obama’s very much about the old politics, and he’s very much not a reformer. It shouldn’t be a surprise except the only surprise is that he has managed to project this reformer image. MO: Your book references many stories from the Chicago Sun-Times. Why does the national media ignore it? DF: Well, unfortunately, I think the national media -- which resides largely in New York and Washington and perhaps out West in Los Angeles -- doesn’t look at or read the Chicago papers nearly as much as they should.
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POPSMan, this guy smells Barack Obama has made some strange decisions regarding secrecy and records. His state legislative records are missing and may have been thrown out, there are questions about his answers to his application to the state bar (keep in mind the DSCC demanded George Allen release his in 2006), and he released a one-page letter from his doctor summarizing his medical history (contrasted with McCain allowing reporters to examine nearly 1,200 pages of health records). He and his former law firm say Obama only did a few hours of work for nonprofit firms connected to convicted donor Tony Rezko, but no records have been released to confirm that.
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POPSIllinois Sen Obama Constituents Left In Minus10 Degree Housing It was during this exact period that the district's new state senator -- Barack Obama -- received a $1,000 donation from Rezmar. The date was Jan. 14, 1997. Seventeen buildings -- many beset with code violations, including a lack of heat -- ended up in foreclosure. Six buildings are currently boarded up. Hundreds of the apartments are vacant, in need of major repairs. Taxpayers have been stuck with millions in unpaid loans. At least a dozen times, the city of Chicago sued Rezmar for failure to heat buildings. Did State Senator Obama ever complain to anyone -- government officials, Rezmar or Rezko -- about the conditions of Rezmar's buildings? There is apparently no documented evidence that Obama stood up for his constituents. But he did find time to write letters for Rezko; these requests were only recently discovered. photo of Sen. Obama's letter: http://bp1.blogger.com/_orkXxp0bhEA/SHFSX9BTdoI/AAAAAAAAHQI/GzXzGhuUN0U/s1600-h/080706-real-estate-rezko.jpg
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POPS Friends Of Barack obvious conflict of interest. The company's code of conduct required prior approval of such arrangements. Neither Mr. Johnson nor Mr. Raines sought such approval, according to Fannie. One question is whether Messrs. Johnson and Raines were using their position to pad their own incomes that were already fabulous thanks to an implicit taxpayer subsidy. But the bigger issue is whether they steered Fannie policy into giving Mr. Mozilo and Countrywide favorable pricing, which means they helped to facilitate the mortgage boom and bust that Countrywide did so much to promote. A further federal probe would seem to be warranted, and we assume Barney Frank and his fellow mortgage moralists will want to dig into this palm-greasing from Capitol Hill. The irony here is that Mr. Obama has denounced Mr. Mozilo
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POPSObama The Humble Savior Only last week, another of his pals bit the dust, convicted by a Chicago jury of 16 counts of this and that. "This isn't the Tony Rezko I knew," said the senator, in what's becoming a standard formulation. Likewise, this wasn't the Jeremiah Wright he knew. And these are guys he's known for 20 years. "I face this challenge with profound humility and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people … . I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we........ It's a good thing he's facing it with "profound humility," isn't it? Because otherwise who knows what he'd be saying. But mark it in your calendars: June 3, 2008 – the long-awaited day, after 232 years, that America began to provide care for the sick.
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POPSWaiting For The Shoe To Drop: UPDate Only ugly ambition would expose someone’s personal life like that. But Obama skated to win in a US Senate seat Illinois as the GOP tried to transport in a candidate from Maryland in the form of Alan Keyes. Barack may have quit his church but his religious problems are not over. Barack Obama has a Nation of Islam problem that will receive more attention in the coming days. Before Barack came on the scene, THE MAN in his political district was Louis Farrakhan. No one could take Alice Palmer’s seat without Farrakhan’s blessing. No one. I do not fault Barack Obama for seeking out the blessing of Farrakhan, but the story of what was done behind the scenes to get rid of Barack’s predecessor—Alice Palmer—has not been told. A knowledgeable source tells me that Tony Rezko played a direct role in this feat. And Rezko has been tight with Farrakhan.
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POPS New RNC ad: Obama’s Money Man Rezko raised $250,000 for Obama during the course of his political career. Rezko’s criminal convictions reflect his lawbreaking in part through his fundraising activities for other Democrats, notably Rod Blagojevich, who may not be Governor for very much longer as a result of this conviction. As Stephen Spruiell makes clear, part of Rezko’s illegal activities put at least $10,000 into Obama’s coffers. He also details how Obama helped Rezko package one of the deals in which Rezko bought property to qualify for public funds while working as an attorney in a Chicago law firm. Rezko wasn’t just some guy on the cocktail-circuit for Obama or a campaign donor. Rezko was a close associate on several levels. Assuming that Barack Obama knew nothing of Rezko’s criminal business practices, how adept could Obama be?
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POPSFather Pfleger's Support For Farrakhan No wonder Barack Obama has not problem with the prospect of going on a "Great Haters of America" tour of the world. He appears to have no problem empathizing with their views of America-or Israel for that matter. Much more about Pfleger by David Kopel at Volokh Conspiracy and our own Rosslyn Smith.
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POPSThe Illusion That Is Barack Obama For all his Camelot-like rhetoric, Obama is a product, in significant measure, of the political culture that Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass described as "The Chicago Way" At no point did Obama, the would-be saviour of US politics, challenge this corruption, except for face-saving gestures as a legislator. Emil Jones, the machine-made president of the Senate, allowed him to sponsor a minor ethics bill. In return, Obama made sure to send plenty of pork to Jones's district. When asked about pork-barrel spending, Jones famously replied: "Some call it pork; I call it steak." Obama repaid the generosity. When he had a chance to back clean Democratic candidates for president of the Cook County board of supervisors and Illinois governor, he stayed with the allies of the Outfit. In the Illinois Senate, he made a specialty of voting present. Obama is such a down-the-line partisan that, in the past two years he has voted with the Democrats more often than did the party's majority lea
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POPSRezko, Wright, And Ayers If you are looking for the audio and transcripts of Pastor Wright's two sermons, they are here. In an effort to provide "context" I will try and obtain and play the entire audio of his NAACP speech from yesterday on today's program. (Michelle Malkin has a round-up on this astonishing speech.) If time permits, I'll replay the sermons as well, even though I played all the audio out there from both on Friday's program. They are the "primary documents" of the controversy, and deserve a wide audience. I suspect the pastor will make more news at the National Press Club, and I'll play that audio as well.
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POPSWhy Obama should drop out Gotta go get some more popcorn. Oh ya, I just couldn't help clipping that book cover. The sub-title 'Chronicles of a Collapsing Party' was just too ironic to pass up.
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