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An old saying goes, "The sooner I fall behind in my work, the longer I have to catch up."

Now, starry-eyed believers in the transformative nature of Illinois' junior senator have their own variation: "The sooner I grow disillusioned with Barack Obama, the longer I have to forgive him."

So, let's get started, shall we? 

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There were warning signs: Obama's first dubious endorsement of a lightweight came during the primary season when he cut TV ads plumping for Alexi Giannoulias, then 29, the vice president of his family's bank who decided he'd like to be state treasurer. The endorsement was widely seen as key to Giannoulias' primary victory.

Obama was upfront about why he got involved: Members of the Giannoulias family were early and strong backers of his U.S. Senate campaign and "I think it's important to reciprocate," he told a reporter.

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The stench of same-old-same-old from John Stroger's years of cronyism and bloat hung over the process, and Obama had every excuse to distance himself from it.

Instead came this letter--a body blow to Claypool Democrats and the idealists whose fantasy about Obama is that he will transcend the grubby machinations and tawdry favor-swapping of party politics--followed by word from Obama's office that he will appear on stage at a pro-Stroger rally Monday night.

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Seven years ago, Sen. Barack Obama was on the board of a Chicago charity when his former boss, Allison S. Davis, came looking for money.
At the time, Davis was a developer represented by the law firm where Obama worked, as well as a small contributor to Obama's political campaign funds. He wanted the charity to help fund his plans to build housing for low-income Chicagoans.

Obama agreed. He voted with other directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago to invest $1 million with Neighborhood Rejuvenation Partners L.P., a $17 million partnership that Davis still operates.
It's not clear whether Obama told other board members of his ties to Davis, whose family would go on to donate more than $25,000 to Obama's political campaigns, including his bid to be president of the United States.
"Let me get back to you on that," Obama presidential campaign spokesman Bill Burton said when asked about that two weeks ago. He never did.

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Biden has deep ties to Rezko accomplice
JOSEPH CARI | 30-year friend of VP pick guilty in kickback scheme

When the Delaware senator began contemplating his own 2008 presidential run, he initially was helped by Chicago lawyer Joseph Cari Jr., who also served as Biden's Midwest field director in his failed 1988 bid for president.
In 2005, Cari admitted to taking part in an $850,000 kickback scheme that prosecutors say was part of a larger political fund-raising operation for Gov. Blagojevich overseen by Rezko, who was convicted in June of wide-ranging corruption involving state deals.
On the day Cari's name first surfaced in the federal probe of the state Teachers Retirement System, the former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was to have hosted a Biden fund-raiser in Chicago. Cari was a no-show at that July 25, 2005, event.
Offering Cari a vote of confidence at the time, Biden said, "All I know is Joe Cari is a friend, and he's an honorable guy, but I don't know anything beyond that."

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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.

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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.

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ORIGINAL: housesub4you

Hey dammit, lay off the Chicago politics, everyone gets their fair share of votes based on where you live and who you donate to. 

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ORIGINAL: Thadius

I won't lay off of that topic, for a couple of reasons.  First, most folks around the country think we are joking and exagerating about how corrupt the system is. 

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The alderman of the 11th Ward---Mayor Richard Daley's power base---said Wednesday he would do everything possible to support Robert Sorich and his two other constituents who were convicted in federal court for their roles in the criminal patronage hiring scheme in the mayor's office.

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WASHINGTON -- When Joe Biden's brother and son wanted to buy a hedge fund company two years ago, they turned for financing to a law firm that had lobbied the Delaware senator's office on an important piece of business in Congress -- and in fact had recently benefited from his vote. The firm promised James and Hunter Biden that it would invest $2 million, and quickly delivered half of it.

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In addition to providing financing for the hedge fund deal, SimmonsCooper picked the law firm of another of Biden's sons, Beau, to work with it on dozens of asbestos cases in Delaware. "It was only natural that we worked with my friend Beau Biden and his firm," said Jeffrey Cooper, former managing partner of SimmonsCooper.

And SimmonsCooper employees have donated about $200,000 to Biden's campaign efforts since 2001, making the firm his No. 1 donor. All told, SimmonsCooper employees provided much more money to Biden than to any other senator during that period, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

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For the nuclear workers, attorneys Joe Kusmierczak and Jackalyn Olinger have worked for over three years with a group of grassroots volunteers and representatives from Senator Barack Obama and Congressman John Shimkus’ offices.  

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Four thousand supporters turned out for a rally with Senator Barack Obama in Durham, North Carolina, on Thursday. The Democratic presidential candidate said he would not take any questions, but he relented when a five-year-old girl named Hadassah Jones broke into tears. She was there as a correspondent for brandnewz.com.

According to the Associated Press story, Senator Obama gave the little girl a brief explanation of his plan for universal health insurance coverage and improved education. Then he explained his view that the wealthy should pay the expenses of people who are not wealthy:

"We've got to make sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money," Sen. Obama said. "If you had a whole pizza, and your friend had no pizza, would you give him a slice?"

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

Thadius, if you think any of this is true why hasn't he been investigated? Revko is going to jail but the Republican federal prosecutor has said quite clearly he has no reason to investigate Obama.

As to your repeated 'he's a socialist!" whines I debunked them already so stop repeating them.
http://www.collarchat.com/m_2050251/mpage_2/key_socialist%252Cobama/tm.htm#2052602

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

It's real simple produce the socialist organization Obama is a member of. If you can't, we both know you can't, then calling him a socialist is the equivalent of me calling you a fascist.

As to Rezko, where in that article does it say Obama was in any sort of legal trouble? Rezko's been under investiagtion for a while and the prosecutors have never served a subpoena on Obama. You may wish it to be otherwise but not a single quid pro quo has been found linking Obama to Rezko.

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As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens. The deal included $855,000 in development fees for Rezko and his partner, Allison S. Davis, Obama's former boss, according to records from the project, which was four blocks outside Obama's state Senate district.

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ORIGINAL: Thadius

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ORIGINAL: DomKen

It's real simple produce the socialist organization Obama is a member of. If you can't, we both know you can't, then calling him a socialist is the equivalent of me calling you a fascist.

As to Rezko, where in that article does it say Obama was in any sort of legal trouble? Rezko's been under investiagtion for a while and the prosecutors have never served a subpoena on Obama. You may wish it to be otherwise but not a single quid pro quo has been found linking Obama to Rezko.

It hasn't stopped you or others in the past. 

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I didn't realize one must join a party to be considered a socialist or marxist...  However, you are correct he as far as I know does not belong to the party, he just does speeches for them, their members, and gets advertising in their publications.

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Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about there being no quid pro quo.  Suggesting that there wasn't seems awfully naive from somebody that lives in the city.  Nothing has been charged legally, yet.  However, I think some of the more recently released boxes of papers is going to make for alot of fun.

Yes I know you already told me how Saul was a stand up guy, and not a socialist either...

What is the definition of socialism or socialist again?  You don't think it applies?  Interesting.

Back to the quid pro quo thing for just a minute though...

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/425305,CST-NWS-obama13.article

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As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens. The deal included $855,000 in development fees for Rezko and his partner, Allison S. Davis, Obama's former boss, according to records from the project, which was four blocks outside Obama's state Senate district.

Psst... read back up the topic a bit about a certain board that Obama was on that also provided money to both of these folks...

I know probably just another "boneheaded move".  Seems to be alot of these in the Senator's past, that are finding their way into the public.

Just sayin.