Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Case Against Barack Obama-Part 3

How did Barack Obama become a United States senator?
He'll tell you that he networked his way up the political ladder after being a "community organizer," and take credit for things he had absolutely nothing to do with.

In 2003, Obama literally told his mentor, Illinois State Senate President, Emil Jones,

"You can make the next U.S. senator."
"Wow, that's sounds good," replied Jones. "Got anybody in mind?"
"Yes," Obama said. "Me."


Of course, as the Senate President, Jones had the pull to do exactly just that.
As Jones himself put it, Obama was smart enough to succeed but,
"He needed someone who could give him credibility."
But to know how Jones was able to give Obama "credibility," is to know Jones himself, a Chicago Machine politician who is described as Obama's "political godfather."

Jones was yet another product of the patronage system..."when Democratic ward-heels were turning out the entire population of Chicago cemeteries to vote for John F. Kennedy."

Another patron to Chicago Machine was Jones' son, Emil Jones III, who despite having no college degree, was able to procure a $57, 000 a year job with the Department of Commerce.
Jones' step-son, John Sterling, who owns a technology firm called Synch-Solutions received a government contract for $700, 000 in 2007.

In that same year, many people were wondering why Jones was so vigorously backing Commonwealth Edison in its fight against lower electricity rates.
Reporters from the Chicago Sun-times later discovered that Synch Solutions had been on the company payroll of Com-Ed's parent company since 2004.

Now that you've got the partial resume of another typical Chicago Machine politician in Emil Jones, how again did he "make" a U.S. senator out of Barack Obama?
By engaging Obama in what is known in the U.S. and any state legislature as "bill-jacking," by giving him high-profile legislation in its late stages. This was the single-most thing Jones did for his protege (other than giving him the Chair of the Illinois State Health Committee , that placed Obama in charge of legislation that affected the Service Employees International Union. This in turn, would put Obama in the position to, as Obama's biographer, David Mendell put it, "carry SEIU's water.")
As a result, Obama received that union's endorsement in his senate race.

Obama's colleagues at the time expressed bitterness about Jones' habit of taking popular, high-profile, must-pass bills away from their writers and champions in the late stages and giving them to Obama to mange in the Senate. In other words, Obama took other people's projects and took full credit for them.

Obama now often writes and speaks about these bills as if they had been his own. This, according to Mendell, was "a consequence of Jones' patronage."
Obama quickly returned the favour by requesting and receiving $11 million in earmarks for Chicago State University, one of Jones' pet projects.

Obama now rarely, if ever, talks about Palmer, the Strogers, Jones or Daley these days. They simply don't reflect the public image he has created for himself. They do explain why he is where he is today (other than the protection of the media, of course) It certainly hasn't been his judgment of character or moral compass.

He did what he was told and it made him a senator.
He's still doing what he's told.




David Freddoso. "The Case Against Barack Obama: the Unlike Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate." Regenery Publishing. Washington, DC. 2008. p. 27-31, 37.

David Mendell, 180

"Obama's Political Godfather in Illinois." Associated Press. March 31, 2008.

Chris Fusco and Dare McKinney, "Secret Deals Enrich Jones Stepson's Firm; work for gov's budget office aa subcontractor valued at $700, 000," Chicago-Sun-Times. July 9, 2007.

Mike Riopell. "Senate PresidentJones Zaps Efforts to Freeze Electric Rates." Journal Gazette, Times-Courier. April 21, 2008.
http://www.jgtc.com/articles/2007/04/21/news/doc46297e42688d8071464602.txt

Dave McKinney, Carol Marin, Abdon M. Pallasch and Steve Patterson, "Free Loans for Jones: Senate president Emil Jones has taken tens of thousands od dollars from his campaign kitty." Chicago Sun-Times. May 22, 2008.

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