Obama and Blago: I fought the machine and the machine won….
By Steve Diamond on December 14, 2008 at 8:30 PM in Barack Obama, Bernardine Dohrn, Chicago, Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Chicago politics, Penny Pritzker, Rahm Emanuel, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., Richard Daley, Rod Blagojevich, Unions, Valerie Jarrett, William Ayers
I am a lawyer, political scientist and law professor. I teach courses and conduct research on the global capital markets, business law, international human rights and labor law. My blog is Global Labor and Politics. You may read my other posts at NoQuarterUSA.net here.
Obama is clearly losing goodwill points every day that Blago-gate drags on. Now it appears that indeed Rahm Emanuel was in touch with Blago and aide Harris about the senate seat though no evidence yet of malfeasance on Emanuel’s part.
The stench of Chicago machine politics now clings to Obama like a cheap cologne.
It did not have to be this way.
Obama started out his career firmly in the reform anti-Daley machine wing of the Chicago Democratic Party. That’s what it meant to be an Alinsky-ite Community Organizer in black south side poor and working class neighborhoods in the 80s (where, by the way, he first got to know the powerful Balanoff family of Tom Balanoff aka “SEIU Official” – the flag pole contact in the Feds affidavit against Blagojevich).
That’s what it meant to fight the Mayor’s office and the powerful school board and the teachers union simultaneously in the push for a school reform bill in 1988 which Obama did alongside his pal Bill Ayers. And Obama did that in opposition to mainstream black organizations like Operation PUSH and The Woodlawn Organization.
That’s what it meant to join again with Ayers in securing and then spending $160 million on education reform AGAINST the desires of Mayor Daley in what were called the Chicago School Wars. That’s what it meant to hold his initial campaign event in the home of his “family friends” Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers. That’s what it meant to step into the shoes of outgoing state rep. and fellow traveler Alice Palmer.
In fact, that’s what it meant if your aspiration in political life, as it was for Obama, was to depose Richard Daley Jr. inspired by Obama’s hero, Harold Washington, the first black mayor of the city who died in office while Obama was a community organizer.
But at some point in the late 90s or so, Obama realized he had higher ambitions and perhaps becoming Chicago Mayor was not enough. At that point he began to establish relationships with the Chicago mainstream, including key business figures like Penny Pritzker and he even began cozying up to the Daley machine itself. These would prove critical in his rise to national prominence
And now he is stuck with them. Instead of taking advantage of his new national ties to the Kennedy family or VP-elect Joe Biden he immediately fell back on the Chicago crowd for his earliest appointments – Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, for example – while only leaving behind Jeremiah Wright and, hopefully, Billy Ayers.
For whatever reason Democratic Presidents seem too heavily dependent on the home team. Carter had his Georgia buddies as Clinton had his Arkansas cronies. Usually, however, it takes a few years for their inadequacies to shine through. Obama hasn’t even moved to Washington yet!
From my blog, Global Labor and Politics.
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CHECK out the Latest from Chicago:
http://hillbuzz.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/attorneys-are-spending-this-weekend-trying-to-convince-blagojevich-to-step-aside-but-not-resign-in-a-compromise-that-will-be-pushed-this-week/
Sing your Heart Out BLAGO.!
Say it ain’t so, Hillbuzz! Fitzgerald needs to go higher that Blagojevich! Go for the big dog, Patrick! If you won’t take down Odrama, at least please take down MEchelle and save us that horror!
Lay down with dogs and come up with fleas.
Steve Diamond
This is a great article and the clinging of “cheap Odrama cologne” analogy is so appropriate!….
Hillary Clinton fought hard against the Obamabots and the DNC’s refusal to vet properly this empty suit with “gonnections” from the Chicago political rat-sewers….
Maybe using the “Jon Favreau” misogynist cologne will bring him more bad luck….What a fraud!
Great to read you post Steve. I’m almost sorry to have been right about BO all along.
[...] Obama and Blago: I fought the machine and the machine won…. : NO … That’s what it meant to fight the Mayor’s office and the powerful school board and the teachers union simultaneously in the push for a school reform bill in 1988 which Obama did alongside his pal Bill Ayers. … [...]
Great read Professor Diamond.
Question, from reading the Complaint, it appears there were contacts made in Chicago and DC. There were two mentions of contacts with SEIU officials.
Was this the same person?
SEIU Official” – the flag pole contact in the Feds affidavit against Blagojevich
I believe the Feds would have identified SEIU Official differently if there were two such people, as they did with Advisor A and Advisor B.
Please please please if Michellle gets in big trouble she will not be proud of our Country again oh no!
Whatever happens with this is not just relevant for the present and I don’t think Obama knows what is happening to him. The narrative has been set. This will ensure that Obama’s Presidency is tainted from even before it has started.
Alarming Rise in Jihadist Explosives Training Manual Distribution
By Randy Taylor, Independent Analyst
6 December 2008: I’ve been keeping an eye on the Internet forums and chat rooms used by Islamic terrorists for many, many years now and am well aware of certain patterns within these channels of distribution. Patterns are better known as “Chatter,” and specific chatter is what one focuses on when investigating the various channels of distribution of these communiqués.
Notably, in the last five days the amount of materials related to homemade explosives, VBIED’s [Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices], details on blowing up buildings, bridges and various infrastructure are up by about 400% – 500% over normal rate.
Meaning that on any typical day there are several manuals available as an archived or older piece and available for download, but recently there is a huge influx of Explosives, Manufacturing and Training Manuals into the “current” sections of these websites. This means they are the topic of conversations and the files are being downloaded at an alarming rate when compared to the normal flow of these items.
The VBIED files are specifically for “Use of Vehicles against Buildings” and bypassing security barriers designed to stop vehicles. The additional primary manuals showing up through these venues are for sabotaging various infrastructure such as electrical power stations, bridges, telecommunications, etc.
There is no specific mention of any operational plans or targets. There hardly ever are specifics in these channels. The upsurge in manuals and materials however does raise concerns.
We will keep monitoring this.
Be Safe. Stay Vigilant.
Barack Hussein Obama (it’s now okay to use his middle name) never knew or spoke to these people.
Don’t be ridiculous! Why would Obama know about this stuff?
As for Ayers and Alinsky? Those two peaceniks (not) really look out for the little guy. When they’re not planting bombs or advocating the overthrow of the government.
Yes, Obama fought against Daley using Alinsky and Ayers. Except when he didn’t. How’s them schools doing in Chicago? Public housing? Not so good?
Yeah Obama fought. NOT.
Link to Homeland Security article above:
http://homelandsecurityus.com/20081206RT
I agree with candymarl. In my estimation, the only thing BO has fought for is himself. Everything he does is calculated to furthering his career and power. Ethics be damned.
Seems as if the author wishes Obama had remained as virtuous as he was when he, yes, palled around with anti-American terrorist filth such as Ayers and his wife, the couple who attempted to murder scores of military officers and their wives and girlfriends at a dance – and then later bragged about it. There’s no moral distinction between that couple and Tim McVeigh; the later terrorist was just more skilled in the execution.
Nice effort by the author to suggest a metamorphosis. Unfortunately the development of human character doesn’t work that way.
All he really is confirming is that Obama brings it to whatever level he requires to get the job done. Of course he’s the penultimate strategist, but with all the skill in the world (which he does not have) one’s baser instincts evenutally win out.
Obama will get caught in his intricate web, if he hasn’t already.
Sharp post Prof. Diamond. Thank you.
This is turning into a modern Shakespeare play! a movie script is almost ready and PEBO isn’t even in office yet!
I love this! I love every stinking moment of it! I don’t want this to end, I want it to be the end, of an Obama administration that is.
Not even in the White House and already we have Obamagate! Keep digging, keep putting the pressure on, do what you should have done before the election, investigate Obama and his corrupt bunch of cronies!
Obama can twist his words any way he likes, the fact is he was in negotiation with Blago to fill his senate seat, whether it be by phone or by written request via his messenger. So Obama can dance around the subject all he wants, the American people know the truth, especially when its staring them right in the face.
Obama will never change who and what he is, a Chicago thug who will and has done everything in his power to lie, cheat and steal his way to the White House.
Karma is going to bite Obama in the ass, and I am just waiting for it to happen, and it will happen.
I actually do not like every stinking moment of it. Karma might be a bitch, but we are going to suffer for it.
Every time that Obama says “let me be clear” of “as I have always said”..some lie is going to come out of his mouth.
There was nothing wrong with admitting that the admin representative talked to the Governor. Blago is the Gov of Ill. Who else are they going to talk to? I have no clue how Obama thinks he is so smart that other people don’t know or can’t find out who talked to who. You think he would have learned his lesson after the NAFTA/Canada deception. But no, his need to keep his manufactured image is more important than just telling the truth. Unfortunately, even though there might be nothing from this whole exchange..the stage has been set again. The shadow has been cast. Obama has fallen into his own self made deception. Now we have to count on this guy to lead the country and tackle the multiple and serious challenges facing our country and the world.
The only upside to this whole thing is that the media isn’t focused on that demon,Hillary Clinton. I am waiting for someone to say this is her fault also.
One of my law professors warned us about judges who use “clearly” to gloss over points that are far from clear.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/112006/Gallup-Daily-Confidence-Obama.aspx
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/obama_approval_index_history
It’s certainly possible that this could hurt Obama’s approval, but there is no evidence, clear or otherwise, that it has so far.
That is why everytime PEBO says “let me be clear” I know that what will follow will be less than clear.
Of course Obama is still popular in the polls. So was Bush until recently and the media felt it was safe to turn on him.
But polls don’t pay the bills, fix the economy, pay your mortgage, or save your job.
Welcome to the American Idol Century. You don’t have to do anything and you can be associated with all of these corrupt people. But that’s okay. As long as you’re popular! Like in high school!
Sad but true.
Interesting article, Steve, thanks! I read everything you post here.
Obama is such a reformer of the Chicago machine that Bill Daley, the mayor’s brother, was his campaign advisor.
Obama in a way was the dream of the machine. Chicagoans knew that Richie Daley would never have what it took as a politician on a national scale to move beyond the mayor’s post and broaden his influence. Obama was Richie’s back door way of gaining entrance to the White House. Big surprise that Valerie Jarrett and Rahm Emanuel are some of Obama’s closest aides. Valerie Jarrett, as we know, was formerly an aide to Richie Daley. So, Richie had the machine, and Obama had the speaking skills, the youth and the racial profile to grab voter attention. A perfect match. But what happens now that Richie’s machine is imploded by the wonder boy Blagojevich? Who will Obama cling to for circulating his party directives? Will they heed his rule? We know that the Kennedys are in there and the Clintons–sort of–will those establishment people take orders from the upstart Obama? And when the dirt starts to fall out on the Obama team’s upper echelons, who will be in there to provide backing?
ttj,
You’ve hit the nail on the head! Wasn’t it amazing how quickly the obama camp moved his transition team to Chicago? I’m sure it was to give Richie full access and control of the money and to give his approval of those obama chose to be in his cabinent.
I’m certain the obama camp is relying on the majority of the country not being up-to-date on chicago politics and how it works. First and foremost, obama would NEVER have risen as far and as fast politically, if he weren’t literally in the pocket of Richie Daley. No one rises in political power in Chicago without the approval of Daley, period. obama sold his soul a long time ago to Daley. It was reported that they met behind closed doors not long before obama’s decided to run for the presidency. After that meeting, Daley “quietly” gave his endorsement of obama. This may also explain why Teddy Kennedy so quickly and vigorously endorsed obama’s candidacy. Remember, it was Richie’s daddy who rigged the election results in Chicago so that Teddy’s brother could win the presidency in 1960.
obama is nothing new in politics. He’s the absolute worst that politics has to offer because he’s the kind of politician that can make people believe that he is who they want him to be, and the truth be damned.
obama is like a cult. The definition of a cult is when someone asks you not to think for yourself but to believe everything they say, without question.
That is what makes obama so dangerous to our democracy because without dissent, there is no democracy.
[...] we are republishing relevant past articles. (See Bud White’s post earlier today.) This story by law professor Stephen Diamond was originally published on December 14, 2008. David Alinsky will reminisce about his [...]