Obama's Audacity Gap

As a Presidential candidate, Barack Obama offers a compelling vision of change, promising to "take back our government" and to lead "in the fight for open and honest government". Recently, he boldly stated, "Part of my job in this race is to restore people's sense that you say what you mean and you mean what you say."

When I first heard this "audacious" rhetoric for change during Obama's Senatorial run in 2004, it deeply resonated with me (and not just because I'm another skinny kid with a funny name). After all, if ever there were a State in need of change, it would be Illinois. Currently, our three largest governments -- the State, the City of Chicago and Cook County -- are under federal investigation and among recent highlights are former Governor George Ryan going to prison, one of Mayor Richard Daley's top advisors' conviction for fraud (along with a host of others), and the indictments of current Governor Rod Blagojevich's top fundraisers, Tony Rezko and Chris Kelly. Yet, rather than translating his bold rhetoric of reform into action here within his home and challenging this corrosive culture, Obama has repeatedly acted in ways that reinforce it.

Let's take each Illinois government currently under federal investigation, starting with the Illinois state government and Obama's nearly two-decade relationship with the man who has come to epitomize pay-to-play politics in Illinois, the now-indicted Rezko. As recently as 2005, Obama partnered with Rezko to purchase his million-dollar home, although it was widely reported that Rezko was the target of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation. Under the deal with Rezko, Obama paid $300,000 less than the asking price for his home, while Rezko's wife paid full price for the vacant lot next door, only to turn around and sell Obama part of that lot a few months later. While Obama dismissed the deal as a "boneheaded mistake", this is an odd explanation for someone trumpeting judgment over experience. Even giving Obama the benefit of the doubt on the land deal, he is unable to explain how as a champion of the poor, he remained ignorant for years to the fact that Rezko was one of the largest slumlords in Chicago, including within Obama's own district, and although the law firm for which he was an attorney had helped Rezko secure more than $43 million in government funding for his apartment buildings. Given this questionable history with Rezko, one would hope (there's that word again) that Obama might support the legislation banning pay-to-play politics in Illinois. Such legislation overwhelming passed in the Illinois House, but Obama's self-described "political godfather", Emil Jones, inexplicably refuses to bring the legislation to vote in the Illinois Senate ... and Obama has remained silent.

Next, there is the Cook County government, a $3 billion operation that most taxpayers don't think about but which provides necessary and critical services to the indigent, particularly health care. In 2006, the Cook County Board President, John Stroger, faced near-daily chronicling of the incompetence, scandal, and patronage under his administration. These revelations included not only the typical employment of family members and friends, but more disturbingly what one Chicago newspaper referred to as a "catalogue of horrors" at a County hospital and what another uncovered at the Juvenile Detention Center where staff encouraged fights among the youth in "the gladiator room". Although normally untouchable, challenging Stroger was a formidable reform candidate, Forrest Claypool, who had been endorsed by every major paper in Chicago. This 'machine versus reform' race provided Obama with a seemingly tailored opportunity to demonstrate his new brand of politics and yet, although Claypool was a senior advisor to him during his Senate race, Obama chose not antagonize the machine and remained silent throughout the campaign, even after Stroger suffered a debilitating stroke a week before the election. Following Stroger's victory (52% to 48%), local committeemen selected Stroger's son, Todd, to replace him on the general election ballot, and despite general voter outrage over this cynical act of nepotism, Obama immediately embraced Todd Stroger, calling him a "a good progressive Democrat" who will "lead us into a new era of Cook County government." To no one's surprise, since winning the general election, Todd Stroger has hired a plethora of family members and friends, while slashing essential positions and services, including nurses and law enforcement officials, and proposing massive tax increases. When asked about the situation at the County under Todd Stroger, Obama said he was not following it, something he apparently has the luxury to ignore.

Finally, there is the ever-delicate City of Chicago and the Daley administration. While recognized for his accomplishments, Mayor Daley has been hounded for his near two-decade reign by accusations of unethical and illegal behavior within his administration, including hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts to his friends and supporters. These concern were given further validity during Daley's patronage chief's trial, when it became known that an elaborate alternate human resource department was created to reward unqualified Daley campaign workers with taxpayer funded jobs (and pensions) and as a consequence, prevent qualified workers not aligned with Daley from getting jobs. While Obama spoke poetically during his Democratic National Committee speech about people being able to participate in the political process without fear of retribution, he unequivocally endorsed the Mayor, even as the Mayor continued to refuse to admit that his patronage chief did anything wrong. Even more confounding was that Obama made his endorsement early in the race, thereby sweeping the legs out from under two African-American candidates and undermining the hopes of many that the Mayor would finally have to publicly debate his rivals, something he has refused to do for over a decade.

For those of us with the "audacity" to hope for change and reform in Illinois, Obama has been a disappointment. Obama's actions in Illinois, as opposed to his rhetoric, have repeatedly put personal political expediency and partisan politics before change, principle and reform, and audacity seems only appropriate when there is no political risk to him. At the end of the day, it may be unrealistic to think that Obama would challenge the status quo in his home state and his actions may very well be an example of the old adage that "all politics are local." Yet, that thinking reduces Obama's expansive vision to one where change in Washington becomes the panacea for our nation's problems and where Obama only means what he says in a tiny sliver of land on the East Coast, and that doesn't feel like change, unity and certainly not audacity. One thing seems certain -- voters would do well to take a peak at who from Illinois is on Obama's bandwagon to D.C.

Comments

[Florida08]

I love it. Now we have Democrats (according to some of the posts) supporting fraud, collusion and "dirty business" as usual.

Or, could be Republicans. Or could be just insecure people who want to be groupies.

LMAO

[Star123]

Move-On endorsed him today. All this is getting a little breathless for my tastes. A friend of mine and I were trying to remember when we first heard his name--we think September of last year.

[MoNut]

Out of all that scraping and scraping and all that's resulted is the same Tony Rezko deal, of which Obama has never been accused of any wrongdoing?

Musta took, what? An hour to investigate and put together?

That surely leaves plenty of time for Mr. Garg to do the same scraping and scrutiny on his previous employer, the Clintons, right?

Start with the BCCI scandal (oddly similar to the current Sibel Edmonds allegations, who'da thought?)... drug trafficking, money laundering through Mena Airport in Arkansas that eventually financed Bill's '92 campaign... Arms trafficking... the 47 still questionable deaths (at least, and at last count anyway).... three of Bill's pardons linked to and convicted over BCCI that recently gave to Hillary's presidential campaign.... Tony Rezko's campaign fundraising for Bill Clinton...

Start where-ever... "35 years of experience", ya know.... Toughest part should be making sure Huff-Po's server can handle the workload.

------------------------------------

–ª Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates.

–ª Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation.

–ª Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify.

–ª Most number of witnesses to die suddenly.

–ª First president sued for sexual harassment.

–ª First president accused of rape.

–ª First president to be held in contempt of court.

–ª First president to be impeached for personal malfeasance.

–ª First first lady to come under criminal investigation.

–ª Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign-contribution case.

–ª Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions.

–ª Number of Starr-Ray investigation convictions or guilty pleas to date: one governor, one associate attorney general and two Clinton business partners: 14.

–ª Number of Cabinet members who came under criminal investigation: 5.

–ª Number of individuals and businesses associated with the Clinton machine that were convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 47.

–ª Number of these convictions during Clinton"s presidency: 33.

–ª Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61.

–ª Number of congressional witnesses who pleaded the Fifth Amendment, fled the country to avoid testifying, or refused to be interviewed: 122.

[Herrington]

Oh give me a break Garg. Did the Clintons clean up Arkansas before running for national office? If so, where did Huckabee come from, a different dimension? Obama is not perfect. Boohoo.

[Democrab]

The republicans are writing stuff down.

[Iwanttruth]

Inaction is just as bad as bad action.
Obama sat on the sidelines on Daley, Stroger and let us not forget, he did not sign on to Barbara Boxer's challenge to the 2004 Ohio election results. That was the state that successfully disenfranchised thousands of African Americans. He was the last vote that could have taken her challenge to the floor of the Senate where it would have the challenge would have then been on the record.
He sat on the sidelines!! His reason he says? Kerry had already conceeded the election.
WHAAT??? He refused to take a stand for disenfranchised voters!?? If for no other reason than to make the political statement challenging Ohio and he would not even do that.
Now THAT makes me wonder...though I like him, it really makes me wonder about his judgment.

[dmac]

Were I to find a presidential candidate, campaigner for any office, or even head of a corporation without muddy shoes, I would be deeply shocked.

This isn't dismissing 'politics as usual' as if that is perfectly acceptable; it's dealing with who we have as candidates now.

What the heck, how about concentrating on their plans and policies, recognize their past mistakes, and try to determine if such dirty tricks are ocassional pitfalls or SOP?

"Yeah, well, your candidate's dirty, too" helps the Democratic Party......how?

[belltor]

Until we have true campaign finance reform we will
not be rid of pay for play politics.

I am so tired of having to settle for candidates that are the lesser of all evils.

We have a broken, corrupt political system. I am tired of media controlled debates. Where are the debates that used to be sponsored and run by the League of Women Voters?

I was a John Edwards supporter. I was upset by his dropping out of the race and I am struggling with whom to vote for this super Tuesday.

Once again I feel I have had to settle.

[AnninCA]

I can tell that Obama is a player. Good blog with some substantive information that people should think about.

[1dogs2]

What did the Clintons learn from the Whitewater non-scandal? Apparently not that the old politics of innuendo and smear is an evil to be irradicated from our public discourse; no, they seem to have learned to get into the gutter with the neo-cons. Like Whitewater, there is no "there" here and the Clintons know it. Shame on them and on all of the Clintonistas who are only too happy to do a Ken Starr on Obama, who has repeatedly acknowledged that the Rezko deal was a "bone-headed" mistake because of the possible appearance of impropriety. There was nothing illegal or unethical about the deal, as the more than year-long investigations of the Chicago news media have repeatedly acknowledged.

Given that the millions of dollars that have found their way into Clinton's foundation from extremely dubious sources have not yet been vetted, the Clintons would do well to look to their own fund-raising criteria and prepare themselves for the onslaught of the GOP muckrakers that will begin the instant that Hilary gets the nomination -- if she does.

[theuniversal]

Mr. Garg, you worked in the Clinton White House. How about disclosing that to readers?

[tcbwriter]

This is hysterical! All the Obama supporters that have been screaming that Hillary is a liar! A cheat! Sleazy! etc. etc. all have their panties in a bunch defending him. What's funniest is that they are excusing this by saying "all politicians do this stuff". Reminds me of all the Nixon defenders!

Thanks, I needed a good laugh tonight!

[Semper]

Its funny how most Americans can't make a good decision anymore. They have been poisoned so long that they don't recognize the path of enlightenment. Boy it must be scary to be confused , scared and worried. Yep, thats what living in a world of entitlement does for you. You lose your instincts, judgment and you sit in the dark. So here is a news flash for you. Vote for Obama.

[dcazal01]

Do this explain what they were both so nice to each other at the debate?

2 birds of the same plumage. Better than the reps nevertheless

[homovivens]

Who is Sunil Garg?

(June 11, 1999) " "The [Clinton] White House announced today the selection of 16 individuals for the 1999-2000 White House Fellowship program....Sunil Garg."

Blogspot: (04/01/06) Titled: "Clinton reformer rips Obama" -- "Garg also was a White House Fellow during the last year of the Clinton Administration, working as a senior adviser to the deputy director of the White House OMB."

Hum?

Garg says, "all politics is local" unless it isn't and your tentacles reach straight back to Clinton's 90's Washington.

The fact that Obama successfully navigated through Scylla and Charybdis, the harrowing narrows of Chicago politics known as the many-headed Mayor Daley and the toothy, sucking Chicago machine, demonstrates that Obama's odyssey is for real. Garg piles all of Illinois' problems onto Barack's back mistaking him for the mayor or the governor.

But Garg doesn't have a horse in this race. No, of course not.