Obama Wanted Earmarks For Wife's Hospital, Fundraiser's Firm

Media outlets have begun digging into Barack Obama's 2005 and 2006 earmark requests. Obama released them yesterday, and challenged Hillary Clinton to do the same. The New York Times reports:

His campaign's list said the senator had secured $1.3 million of an $8 million request in 2006 for a high-explosive technology program for the Army's Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The list said the program was overseen by General Dynamics.

One of Mr. Obama's top supporters, James S. Crown, serves on the board of General Dynamics, a military contractor. Mr. Crown is a member of Mr. Obama's national finance committee.

Mr. Obama also secured $750,000 of a $3 million request for renovation of a space center named for Mr. Crown's grandfather, Henry Crown, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

In addition to the University of Illinois, Mr. Obama secured several million dollars for a project at Chicago State University. Emil Jones Jr., the president of the Illinois State Senate and an early and powerful political benefactor of Mr. Obama's, has been a dogged champion of Chicago State, and one of Senator Obama's closest friends. A Chicago businessman, James Reynolds, sits on its board.

But Bill Burton, a spokesman for Mr. Obama, said these requests had all been considered worthwhile by the senator's staff, and that Mr. Obama never discussed any of them with Mr. Crown, Mr. Jones or Mr. Reynolds.

Also: "In among them was a request for $1 million in federal funding in 2006 for a new pavilion at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where his wife, Michelle Obama, was a vice president at the time. The request was not ultimately included when Congress passed spending legislation that year, according to the Obama campaign."

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Read a HuffPost blog by Barack Obama

Comments

[coonce]

So what? Are you making some point here?

[KDH]

Isn't Obama supposed to represent a new kind of politics? Just because he released his earmark requests, and Hillary hasn't, doesn't change the fact that he made some questionable requests. The General dynamics request, and a new addition to the hospital where his wife is a VP, are the most questionable.

[aftershock]

And that's for the voters to decide, hence his idea of transparency changing govt. If govt. is more transparent, people are more aware of when their representatives aren't representing them, but representing the interests of their big money donors. That way, the voters can make INFORMED decisions on who they want to elect. Get it now?

[snowcat]

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure more than $340 million worth of special projects for her home state of New York in last year's spending bills, according to a new study by a government watchdog group.

The figure places her among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, said the group, Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Working in nearly every case with New York colleagues, Clinton supported almost four times as much spending on earmarked projects as her rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, whose $91 million total placed him in the bottom quarter of senators who seek earmarks, the study showed.

[jrterrier]

That is so terrible for Hillary Clinton, the Senator from NY to treat NYers as a special interest. Wow. That should disqualify her from being president. She probably would do the same as President and treat Americans as a special interest group.

Have you folks lost it?

[snowcat]

Since taking office in 2001, Clinton has delivered $500 million worth of earmarks that have specifically benefited 59 corporations. About 64% of those corporations provided funds to her campaigns through donations made by employees, executives, board members or lobbyists, a review by the Los Angeles Times shows.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/10/hillary-clinton-lands-ear_n_76048.html

[robXdion]

But can you imagine what would be in those Clinton earmarks and tax returns they're hiding and stalling on??? WOW!

[kissmygrits]

Read the NY Times article this links to... this headline is totally slanted. The article reveals the wide variety of programs and institutions Senator Obama attempted to support in Illinois, and it also reveals the very worthwhile purpose of the $1 million he sought to give to the UC hospital. Huff Post is trying to be scandalous to get readers - nothing more.

[snowcat]

maybe this explains all of Hillary's military backing:

Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has secured more earmarks in the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill than any other Democrat except for panel Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).

The bill contains about $5.4 billion in earmarks, or projects not requested by the Pentagon. With their slim majority, the Democrats on the panel claimed two-thirds of that sum. Clinton is among their more junior members.

Clinton’s beneficiaries include defense giant Northrop Grumman, which secured $6 million for the AN/SPQ-9B radar; New York-based Telephonics, which won $5 million for a standardized aircraft wireless intercom system for the National Guard Black Hawk helicopter fleet; Plug Power Inc., another New York state company, which got $3 million for fuel cell power technology; and Alliant Tech Systems (ATK), which won $3.5 million for the X-51 B robust scramjet research.

[williamina]

Ah oh

[derekw007]

Firstly - how do you "dig" into something that has been freely provided? The use of the verb there is suspect. Wouldn't the sentence "media outlets have been reviewing.­.." been more accurate?

Additionally, you've buried the money shot "The request was not ultimately included when Congress passed spending legislation that year, according to the Obama campaign."

So he requested the money at first, but them recinded the request? How is THAT a story? What's next - he was THINKING about doing something but then decided NOT TO? Is that a story?

I don't mind the examination of his record - in fact the earmarks to the christian faith-based programs may ring out nicely in PA and NC - but let's make sure we're not trying to find a story where none exists.

BTW - I've looked on HuffPo and I don't see the CLINTON FAILS TO RELEASE EARMARKS blog post yet? Is that coming later today?

[ntmessage]

Did anyone really believe that he is not just another politician like the rest of them? I do not criticize him for this on the face of the report here. Nevertheless, all this change and inspiration stuff is backed by special interests.

[kissmygrits]

Read the NY Times article. This post is about 1% of the story, which indicates that Senator Obama did what Illinois put him there to do - get money for worthwhile programs in the state.

[sadcitizen]

Ask the people in New york if they are happy with the earmarks Hillary got for them. I hear they think those are just as valid as the ones for Ill.Earmar­ks are already available for public vtew.Obama cries wolf often.

[Tariqahmed]

This hospital treats the POOREST- and money for homless elderly treated free of cost.
Is this bad. Is this money is for prostitution.

OBAMA works for the needy. Not The Lobby.

[Ramirez]

How can a hospital - which treats the poorest- afford to pay a yearly salary of 300K to a "vice president of community affairs"?

[snowcat]

Obama adheres to a policy of using them only to support public entities.

[sadcitizen]

A little hypocrosy here on the part of Obama maybe?

[MarkieBee]

Perhaps, and you're welcome on Obama's behalf for being able to make that decision on his character. Now, go look at Clinton's earmarks and her tax returns...­what? They're not available? Hmmm...won­der why? She's already been rated as giving out the second most earmarks of ANY U.S. Senator...­but I'd like to "dig" into that list and see where it goes. She's already in the gutter, I guess the list will take me down the drain along with her sorry-ass campaign.

[6louis9]

Earmarks are public info. Look them up yourself stupid.

[waynepj3]

Obama is clearly a different politician because HE RELEASED HIS EARMARKS. DO you know why we arent talking about Hill's earmarks. SHE KEEPS THEM SECRET. Wont turn them over. Obama is promoting transparency in government not just by his words but also by his actions. Transparency will increase accountability which is severely lacking in government today.