Obama donor received a state grant

[truthpusher]

Source: LA Times

Obama donor received a state grant

His letter on behalf of a table tennis company preceded the funding.

By Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

April 27, 2008

WASHINGTON — After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a significant new legal client -- a longtime political supporter.

Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell's firm that eventually totaled $112,000.

A few months after receiving his final payment from EKI, Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-killerspin27apr27,1,7266833.story?track=rss

[truthisfreedom]

1. I'm SHOCKED, I tell you... SHOCKED.

Someone made 5 figures after paying 6 figures?

I am so completely SHOCKED!

Hit piece.

[MidwestTransplant]

18. Is this a joke? If this pas cornyism, these guys suck at it. Bush Cheney got Millions

and gave up Billions (Trillions with the war). This guy lost money.

[FrenchieCat]

2. A 2 page hit piece about nothing.......

While the Clintons and McCain go on about their own peculiar business!

How quaint!


"Any implication that Sen. Obama would risk an ethical breach in order to secure a small grant for a pingpong tournament is nuts," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief political advisor.

Sounds about right to me, once you've gone through the convoluted gibberish that actually tries to lose you while repeating the same issues a couple of times but stretches the piece out to look like something really nefarious.

Funny how Obama is held to such a higher standard....and they always use the excuse that it is because he talks about a new politics. So he must be right, old politics must be extra corrupted!

[aquart]

7. He's not held to any standard. You've completely excused him.

And it is no biggie. Lots of Illinois politicians are just as corrupt.

Oh wait. How does that square with HOPE! and CHANGE!

[CANDO]

25. And you've held Billary to what standards????

We all know they've NEVER been involved in any extra-legal shenanigans!

[BearSquirrel2]

26. You don't get it ...

It's not a payoff scheme since the donor never recovered his investment (if it actually was).

[Benhurst]

3. What's a mere $112, 000 between friends?

I hadn't realized our Illinois state senators were struggling along on a measly $58,000 for their part-time service. I trust the senators are getting mileage for their trips back and forth to Springfield. We wouldn't want them to have to deal with the consequences of the rise in gas prices.

[DeSwiss]

4. And?

It looks to me like Mr. Robert Blackwell Jr. lost money on this deal, if this was supposed to be payback for a political favor. What a pitiful hit piece.

And while we're on the subject of favors, why is it that we still don't know who the donors are to the Clinton Library? Wonder how many favors that's worth???

- They need to stop slimming and conduct themselves with some integrity. Oh, wait...

[msmcghee]

19. You forgot to factor in the year of legal advice . .

. . he received for his $8000 monthly retainer. Political favors can include anything that benefits the recipient.

It's interesting how those who yell and scream about Republican corruption suddenly don't see what the big deal is when their favorite candidate gets caught at it.

[heliarc]

34. I think that the point here is about scale.

We're talking about pretty paltry money here compared to the way oil and defense money brought Bush to the white house and how they get a trillion dollar war for it.

Besides... uh, this sounds like ancient history.

[johnnydrama]

5. is this another one of those...

Is this one of those, Obama is supposed to be pure, so even though Hillary does these type things 50x more than Obama does, shame on Obama?

[Evergreen Emerald]

10. that is likely part of it. The reasons cited for HATING Clinton is

some of her supposed "dealings." When it comes to light that Obama has a pretty shaddy past and some questionable dealings the Obama supporters that HATED Clinton for it, seem to ignore the same type of behavior from Obama.

I guess it is helping to show the reality: that Clinton is not the monster and Obama is not the saint.

You would think a dose of reality would help those Obama supporters who have decided to HATE her for those same issues to re-think reality and get some perspective.

[heliarc]

35. I don't hate Clinton

I'll admit it, but lately she has done a list of things that I won't support.

A) playing kissy face with McCain before the primary was over in order to effectively alienate her democratic opponent...

B) Saying the voters should decide the primary, and then turning and saying the delegates should.

C) Accusing Obama of taking money from lobbyists when his whole fundraising model does nothing of the sort. Individuals donate.

D) Patronizing Black democratic voters by saying they should simply understand that their states of Louisiana and South Carolina are just drops in a bucket.

E) Saying "as far as I know" when acknowledging that Obama is not a Muslim, and therefore playing into the stupid misconception among uninformed democrats that Obama is a Muslim.


Well, hillary is a democrat "as far as I know" so I will support her if she somehow strangles us into nominating her. In the meantime, I support the candidate who has been far more straightforward, inspiring, and measured in his tactics. That is the kind of keen negotiating skill that I want in a president. Not the Bull in a china shop tactics of the Hillary campaign.

I for one don't imagine that Obama is a saint. After all this isn't the Catholic Church. This is the Democratic Party. We've had quite a few fools lead our party. Hillary just seems to be arguing that you HAVE to be a fool to lead our Party

[indimuse]

6. U no..

Chicago Pay To Play! Coming to your WH soon...

[BearSquirrel2]

27. Two words ...

Pork Futures !!!!

And jeesh, Wal-Mart got TRILLIONS in payoffs on China Trade for putting Mrs. Clinton on their board.

This is WAAAAY out of magnitude to the Clintons. AND, the guy DIDN'T CLEAR A DIME!!!

You Clinton people probably thought Siegleman should have been thrown in solitary for re-appointing a political contributor to an UNPAID board.

[0rganism]

36. Two more words...

President McCain.

That's what these manufactured scandals all add up to, make no mistake.

Oh, and the end of Howard Dean as DNC chair.

And with it, the end of the much-overrated Democratic revival. And the end of any chance of nationwide universal health care, global climate treaties, international peace, or election reform. And replacements for at least two, maybe three, supreme court justices made by an insane warmongering tool.

And in four years, the end of the Democratic congressional majority. And then the shit really hits the fan.

[JTFrog]

8. I'll gladly pay you $112,000 today for $50,000 tomorrow!

Tom Hamburger? Couldn't resist!!






The writers obviously got their degrees from the Hillary School of Primary Math and Logic.

:crazy:

[darue]

9. so how did the tourism promotion go? was it worth it? how many such grants are? n/t

[Gman]

11. Slowly but surely we find out about the corrupt Obama

they're having to pry these little tidbits out one by one on Obama. But make no mistake, Obama will stand naked in November having been stripped by the GOP. People will talk, the real truth on Obama will come out and McCain will be sworn in in January.

[JTFrog]

14. If Obama is standing naked in November you better believe I'll be there supporting him with

bells on. (And nothing else if that's what it takes!)

I'll gladly pay you $112,000 today for $50,000 tomorrow? This is Hugh!1!!!I'm Series!!!1! :eyes:


Now, when Hillary is in court with her husband this November, defending her dirty campaign financing practices, her supporters will no longer be able to deny what the rest of us have known for sometime now.

The Empress Has No Clothes.

But she does have a closet full of baggage.

[Gman]

20. Whatever... but

if Obama is the nominee, McCain wins 40 states. Take THAT to the bank.

[JTFrog]

22. Sorry, all of Hillary's checks come back NSF.

Offer me cash up front and I'll think about it.

[BearSquirrel2]

28. Put the clothes back on!!!

>The Empress Has No Clothes.

Oh god, I hope this isn't true!!!!

[heliarc]

33. Pathetic to say the least.

I'm sure now that this isn't about race or gender at all. It's about class.

Hillary and McCain represent one interest group in this country, and that's the wealthy.

Even though Hillary and Obama have similar platforms, the rhetoric out of both camps is different and so is the money. Hillary talks about how important the voters are until she loses, and then she waits for the money to come in from her corporate sponsors. She'll even endorse McCain in the mean time.

On the other hand Obama talks of bridging the divide between parties. He talks about the bitterness that poverty breeds (And believe me I'm a bitter Latino for Barack)... He speaks truth to the corporate bonanza that the Congress has become, and day after day we see a continuous barrage of these silly trifles... Trumped up, Hyped, Bull turn up in the media that seems just as bent on destroying the candidate who won't take their dirty money.

I wasn't sure whether I was for Hillary or Obama before the primary season, but now I know that Hillary doesn't represent the class of Americans who've been taking it the hardest all these years. She is so far up her own butt that I'm surprised that she can even call herself a democrat anymore.

[BearSquirrel2]

38. They sure are voting for her ...

I don't think Hillary is for the "average Joe". That is, I don't think she is for TODAYS Average Joe. I think the free traders have a vision of a hypothetical Average Joe in an integrated world economy 100 years from now and THAT Joe will be happy.

TODAYS average Joe is getting raped by outsourcing. It's not just Average Joe though. It's Above Average Allen who got his CS degree. It's Festidious Flow who is a paralegal. These folks are seeing THEIR SKILLED POSITIONS outsourced as well. The flow is not reflecting the "your countries best talent" as they told us it would. The money is going to the lowest bidder. That happens to be "I'm destitute because my country is a dictatorship" Wei and "Life is cheap because I have 15 brothers and sisters" Ravi. And these folks will do ANYTHING to escape despearate poverty brought about by the rampant overproduction of people.

And I don't think that the "free global market" ever intended to rectify any cultural issues that keep these folks swimming in too many people and hence ... poverty. All we're doing is making us poorer. When warm bodies are over-abundant, cheap and disposable in India and China, we will never be able to compete on a cost basis.

So ... I think a little over half of the Democratic party have gotten it. I think we've gotten that Free Trade is nothing but a race to the bottom. I think we've gotten that we cannot help anyone if we cannot help ourselves. And I think we know that Hillary won't do a damn thing about Free Trade or Health Care.

I'm not 100% sure about O'Bama. In fact, I have my doubts. But I'm damn sure that that Hillary isn't for you or me. I'm 100% positive that she would be quite at home in the Republican party. I'm positive that the union leaders are duping their membership for the sake of personal gain (in regards to supporting Hillary and pro Free Trade DLCers).

[TomClash]

12. Barack is clearly a rank amateur

at the corruption game. Doing legal work for pay is what every state legislator with a law degree does. MacNugget and Her Royal Highness and Crazy Bill rake in millions from far more serious people for doing - nothing.

[struggle4progress]

31. No shit: Illinois was spending $67 million/year promoting tourism back then:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2001

CHICAGO -- Gov. George H. Ryan today signed into law the $53 billion budget ... The budget also provides $67 million for tourism promotion - the largest targeted state effort in the nation ...

http://www.il.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=3&RecNum=764

[xchrom]

13. recommend

[TexanIndian]

15. I am sure Obamabots will discredit this story

Obamabots would say 50K return for paying out 112K etc., completely ignoring the fact that the 50K award was nothing more than a stepping stone to the total award of >300K.

I am not arguing whether Clintons were worse or better than Saint Obama, but simply stating that he ain't no Saint.

[JTFrog]

16. Well it shows us who the nuts are anyway.

Obama's staff said the senator advocated only for the first year's grant -- which ended up being $20,000, not $50,000. The day after Obama wrote his letter urging the awarding of the state funds, Obama's U.S. Senate campaign received a $1,000 donation from Blackwell.

Obama's presidential campaign rejects any suggestion that there was a connection between the legal work, the campaign contribution and the help with the grant. "Any implication that Sen. Obama would risk an ethical breach in order to secure a small grant for a pingpong tournament is nuts," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief political advisor.

[otohara]

24. The Queen of Pork

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20306341/the_queen_of_pork

[BearSquirrel2]

29. $400 million per heli

Indeed, the Pentagon confirmed in March that the helicopter Hillary made sure would be built at Lockheed's plant in Owego, New York, would, in fact, cost $400 million per unit — more than the modified Boeing 747 used as Air Force One. You heard right: $400 million for a single fucking helicopter.

Nice. I presume she thought she would be riding in it. So why not drop $400 million?

I suppose in the age of terrorism, they think that helicopters need to do more than they did during the cold war.

[onehandle]

17. This kind of story can be pinned on any of the the candidates. Democratic and Republican.

Business as usual. It won't have legs.

[Pharlo]

21. In politics, perception is everything.

Regardless of how this transpired, it can be perceived as a political favor for money. The fact that return on investment was negligible could be seen as incompetence. However, the fact that it occurred and the fact that Obama is rallying around slogans of 'Hope' 'Change' and 'Not politics as usual' shows him to be a hypocrite in this instance.

[madrchsod]

23. TABLETENNISGATE ! OBAMA IS FINISHED!

HERE IS THE PROOF--READ THIS----http://server2.usatt.org/events/2004usopen/letter_obama.pdf

EVEN MORE PROOF my tax dollars lined the pockets of corrupt individuals linked to obama..not to mention obama himself.

READ THESE DAMMING FACTS on what a huge waste of our taxes were

"X-treme it certainly was – this unique Table Tennis extravaganza, featuring World and Olympic Champions all under the Dec. 28, 2002 Saturday night roof of Chicago’s elaborate UIC Pavilion. Historic, too. For no one in the 70-year history of our Sport has ever shown the entrepreneurship Robert Blackwell, Jr. has to make an event, a gala production, like this happen.

The total cooperation of the City of Chicago, Department of Tourism, and the State of Illinois – as witnessed by State Senator Barack Obama’s Honorary Proclamation for these Championships (“Whereas the State of Illinois is a beacon to international travelers, business persons, students and athletes….Whereas today Illinois boasts strong relations with that <“Ping-Pong Diplomacy”> nation – China – and is home to tens of thousands of her daughters and sons…”).

It is 2002, is the 30th anniversary of “Ping-Pong Diplomacy,” specifically that time in ’72 when the Chinese paid their reciprocal visit to the U.S., played in a Tour of U.S. cities, and met with President Nixon in the Rose Garden. Robert and the Chinese wanted to take advantage of this breakthrough in “statecraft and sport”(one breakthrough opens the door to another). So, with the help of Penny Kendall, Illinois Director of International Relations, visiting dignitaries from China were honored at a Friday Hilton Hotel luncheon. Among them were: China’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yang Jiechi; China’s Consul General Xu Jinzhong (who later hosted a reception of his own); China’s Cultural Consul Yang Song; and of course “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” veterans – ITTF Hall of Famer Li Furong, China’s Vice Minister of Sports; former World Men’s and Mixed Doubles Champion Zhang Xielin; and former World Women’s Doubles Champion Zheng Minzhi with whom I, as a former “Ping-Pong diplomat” myself, shamelessly cheek-to-cheek hammed it up for media photographers.

Sponsors coming together to help make this Killerspin Championship memorable were United Airlines, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, and the consulting firm of Electronic Knowledge Interchange. Offering enthusiastic appreciation were officials prominent in the ITTF, Sheri Pittman of USATT and Alan Ransome of the English TTA.

http://www.usatt.org/news/killerspin_extreme_02.shtml
2002 Killerspin Extreme Championships



THAT IS IT!!! i`m starting a campaign in illinois to recall obama on the fact that he is a corrupt politician who used his position to line the pockets of his "friends" and himself with our hard earned money......

[skids]

30. The increasingly petty nature of these slams...

...is making me more and more confident that the Republicans have absolutely nothing with any meat on it to attack Obama with in the general. Obama's probably the cleanest candidate they have had to face in decades, so it will all be aspersions and concern trolling -- two tactics which are running out of gas with the general population as they slowly wise up.

Things are looking good for November, as long as we remember "always run as if you were 5 points down."

[hedgehog]

32. You may find these links of interest:

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?last=congel&first=robert

http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-regional/6042324-1.html

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/young/story/9447183p-9358614c.html

[cayuga]

37. This is the best they can do? tsk tsk tsk

Paying the 'swiftboaters' millions and millions of dollars and this is all they can get on him? They are desperate I tell ya....desperate. I can't wait until Fox runs 24/7 the bombshell that Obama didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.