OBAMA AND THE CHICAGO MACHINE
By Divine Democrat on September 16, 2008 at 5:43 PM in Current Affairs, Emil Jones, Obama
Reading the commentary written by Dennis Byrne in today’s Chicago Tribune, Obama Sidesteps Reform in Illinois, might give you some perspective on how the political machine works in Chicago. Obama has been bamboozling his supporters from the day he said he would never consider running for President, but those of us who have seen this guy in action, KNEW he was lying through his wide smile.
This so called “change agent” is a master at hiding his true colors and the main stream media (i.e. MSNBC, ABC, and CNN) do all they can to be sure it stays hidden. In his article, Dennis Byrne started his commentary,
“For those of you who still cling to the fantasy that Barack Obama is “about change,” you should note how he, or his minions, want nothing to do with reforming politics in Illinois, perhaps the most corrupt state in the Union.”
He goes on to tell about how Obama was asked to step in and help get his political mentor, State Senator Emil Jones (D-Chicago), to get off the dime and move state legislation regarding ethics toward passage.
If you remember, I mentioned in a past post that I wrote, The Making of a Messiah, that Senator Emil Jones was the one who decided to make Obama a U.S. Senator when Obama was nothing more than a mere Illinois junior state senator who couldn’t get anyone to even look at his legislation, let alone take it seriously. He was quoted as saying to Cliff Kelley, a former Chicago alderman who is now the host of the city’s most popular black call-in radio program:
“Cliff, I’m gonna make me a U.S. Senator.”
“Oh, you are? Who might that be?”
“Barack Obama.”
Fast forward to the present, Senator Emil Jones–Obama’s kingmaker– is standing in the way of reform legislation, refusing to allow it to come to a vote before it finally dies. Jones is buddy-buddy with the corrupt Governor Rod Blagojevich (you might remember Rod’s name coming up in the Rezko trial), and it was Rod Blagojevich who used his veto power to change the legislation after it passed both houses. This gave Emil Jones the opportunity to kill it. The last thing Emil Jones and Rod Blagojevich want is reform and Obama is cut from the same cloth. The legislation we are talking about is simple and as Dennis Byrne pointed out, it would make illegal the widespread abuse called pay-to-play politics. Companies that do business with the state contribute to the state official in charge of ladling out contracts would be made illegal. Common sense ethics, right? The new law wouldn’t let you do it if you have more than $50,000 in state contracts. That alone leaves a huge loophole, but it’s better than nothing.
Why is this necessary? Because Rod Blagojevich made tons of money from state contractors. He would be the one most hurt by this new legislations which is why he vetoed it in the first place.
Cindi Canary, who is the director of Illinois Campaign for Political Reform actually believed that when Obama spoke about “change we can believe in”. She thought, who else would be better to ask for help than Barack Hussein Obama, aka Change Agent, to step in with a simple phone call to his friend and mentor, Senator Emil Jones, to get this bill back into session to get this law passed. That’s it…a 30 second phone call. Surely, Barack Obama will have time for that. He could do it when he’s sneaking off for a smoke or eating his waffles.
The answer Cindi Canary received from Barack Obama’s campaign…his usual double talk and flowery words about how he’s all for change and everyone needs to get on that unity train. Oh yes, if only Cindi Canary could just hold hands with Emil Jones and Rod Blagojevich and sing Kumbaya, the world will be a better place. In other words….”NO”, Barack Obama will not help.
How could this be, you may ask? It’s easy. He’s part of the Chicago machine and he wants to keep it that way. If he is elected President, the Chicago machine will go National. If you think Washington politics is dirty now…just wait, it’s going to get a lot dirtier. If Obama loses his bid in the election and has to go back to Illinois, he wants to make sure the Chicago machine will be there to greet him with open arms and plenty of cash for his next run at the Presidency.
Dennis said it better and nicer than I could, “Agent of change, my foot.”
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