Obama says no to special interests, lobbyists | Arthritis Information

And this is why it's not gonna be Hillary -

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-campaign6-2008jun06,0,1180905.story

Obama says DNC won't take money from lobbyists, PACs

Michael Conroy / Associated Press

OBAMA ON LOBBYISTS OR PACS: "They will not fund our campaign, they will not run our party, they will not drown out the voices of the American people."

The candidate seeks to emphasize his differences with McCain. He says the Democratic National Committee's policy will keep 'special interests' from influencing healthcare and other issues.

By Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:19 AM PDT, June 5, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama, campaigning on a platform of bringing change to Washington, announced today that the Democratic National Committee will no longer accept contributions from registered lobbyists or political action committees.

Seeking to underscore a contrast with Republican John McCain, whose campaign has suffered departures by several top advisors because of their ties to lobbying, Obama said that as the Democratic Party's nominee he will make sure that "special interests" are not allowed to derail healthcare reform and other policies initiatives.

"We will not take a dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs," he said. "They will not fund our campaign, they will not run our party, they will not drown out the voices of the American people."

Pledging to reform healthcare, Obama faulted McCain for a plan "to only take care of the healthy and the wealthy." Obama said the McCain approach "won't make healthcare affordable to hard-working Americans and could actually drive up costs."

Obama also blamed drug and insurance companies for blocking healthcare reform, and said his policy of shunning lobbyist contributions will ensure that "this time must be different."

Obama appeared at a town hall meeting in Bristol, Va., with former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, now running for the Senate. Obama said he had had selected southwest Virginia as his first campaign stop since securing the delegates necessary to become his party's nominee because the region is "an example of so much that is good about this country but so many people who have been forgotten by Washington." Virginia, in recent years a reliable Republican state, could also be a battleground state in the general election. Despite Obama's concerted emphasis on a message of change, supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a fixture of Washington politics, continued to press the case for her selection as Obama's running mate.

"I really think from a political point of view, they need each other," said Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), an early Clinton supporter. "She needs to maintain a momentum as a national leader, indeed international. And he can count the figures, where he won and where he didn't win, and see that she could bring all of that in so that we should expect a landslide if they had this dream ticket."

Rangel and the New York congressional delegation held a press conference to congratulate Clinton on her decision to endorse Obama. Many in the delegation had conveyed to Clinton the pressure they were getting from constituents to endorse Obama but felt compelled to stand by the New York senator until she decided to end her campaign.

"She is our fearless leader," said Rangel, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. "We are so proud of her . . . we laud her efforts in what she is about to do."

Saying that Clinton would make "a fantastic partner in government," Rangel said that whatever happens, "she is still a part of our great New York delegation [where there are] no glass ceilings on ambitions or accomplishments."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who will serve as chair of the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, said today that the vice presidential nod should be "the prerogative of the nominee."

Pelosi had previously said that a joint ticket with Obama and Clinton was unlikely, as Clinton said during the campaign that McCain was more qualified as a commander in chief than Obama.

Wait til all the Rezko stuff starts coming out (google Rezko Obama for more info) [QUOTE=JasmineRain]Wait til all the Rezko stuff starts coming out (google Rezko Obama for more info) [/QUOTE]

I would hope voters focus on the candidates positions on healthcare, energy, national security, the economy, global warming, education, foreign policy -- with such critical issues facing our nation, we need to let media know we want information to base our vote on, not tabloid junk news.

And probably another reason Hillary isn't getting the VP-ship.

Doesn't this make you feel hopeful about our politicians being a little less bought than last year?

Pip

Pip,

Obama/Clinton what a mistake that would be, not only would he need a food taster, he would be lucky to make it to swear in on Jan. LOL

Clinton by default, my oh my :)

Politicians and elected offficials must stand up to influential lobbyists and powerful corporations, but voters must also be more discerning -- remember the Harry and Louise ads, paid for by the insurance industry, that undermined health care reform in 93.Guys, I usually stay out of politics on the board. My daughter an I have a disagreement on this. Obama was Here in (Terre Haute Indiana) he charged .00 a person to see him. Myself didn't believe this to be right he is one of our candidates for Pres. H. Clinton came here and didn't charge a thing to see her. Like I told Shelby I remember when Bobby Kennedy came and gave a speech at the Court house he didn't charge! I had thought I was leaning toward Obama now I really don't know, this really irked me. Shelby thinks I am nut's ...... Maybe I am I am a -nutI was born at night, but not last night. If anyone still believes Obama, I'll give them oceanfront property in Arizona. Only slightly less credible than what Obama got from his new prison pen pal. I wonder if he's just waiting on a presidential pardon.

I saw Obama in Oregon and didn't pay to see him. Joie, you're so right that we need to make decisions about the candidates based on something other than tabloid junk news. That's one of the reasons that I look at all of the news, liberal, conservative, Christian, foreign, and sometimes even the tabloid junk. Lindy The ties to Rezko are quite germane to this topic; Rezko was just found guilty of 16 our of 24 counts in the latest Illinois political scandal. Hopefully our current governor will be headed to prison soon to keep our former governor company. Rezko was a good buddy and a major fundraiser for Obama before the excrement started hitting the fan regarding the business-as-usual pay-to-play politics here in Chicago and Springfield. Wonder who Dub-ya's gonna pardon?

And Mab - you're freakin' me out, quoting Kidd Rock!

So, the coolest thing about this is the DNC is saying 'no to influencing peddling'. I'm pretty much guessing the Republicans aren't going to do that one and this will be the biggest differences in the upcoming election.

Joy - I'm waiting for the new and improved 'Harry and Louise' ads. They're coming.

Pip

According to this - Hillary and the GOP were behind that Rezko 'scandel'

http://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/757340,CST-NWS-watchdog24.article

Pip

I wasn't quoting anybody at least not knowingly. But the scandal of Resko and company was their own doing. LinB, That's even worse ! That shows integrity get them while there down, we just lost 600 hundred jobs from one of our factory's closing down. Let's charge these hick's money they don't know any betterLOL! Blame the Republicans for the Obama/Rezko connection? But I guess when you have the media behind you, anything's possible.So his involvment is either the fault of republicans or it's just tabloid junk and shouldn't be paid any attention to? Wow.

From the Chicago Sun. Have seen the same outline in other publications.

The problem is between the Governor and Rezko. It appears that Obama lacked some judgement in his dealing with Rezko, but when compared to much of what's happend with other politicians this appears to be insignificant, at least to me. I know that some will find it a character flaw and much more significant but then that's what makes it all so interesting. Our different opinions. Lindy

Having a hard time keeping track of the facts? Here are eight things to know:

1. They met in 1990. Obama was a student at Harvard Law School and got an unsolicited job offer from Rezko, then a low-income housing developer in Chicago. Obama turned it down.

2. Obama took a job in 1993 with a small Chicago law firm, Davis Miner Barnhill, that represents developers -- primarily not-for-profit groups -- building low-income housing with government funds.

3. One of the firm's not-for-profit clients -- the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp., co-founded by Obama's then-boss Allison Davis -- was partners with Rezko's company in a 1995 deal to convert an abandoned nursing home at 61st and Drexel into low-income apartments. Altogether, Obama spent 32 hours on the project, according to the firm. Only five hours of that came after Rezko and WPIC became partners, the firm says. The rest of the future senator's time was helping WPIC strike the deal with Rezko. Rezko's company, Rezmar Corp., also partnered with the firm's clients in four later deals -- none of which involved Obama, according to the firm. In each deal, Rezmar "made the decisions for the joint venture," says William Miceli, an attorney with the firm.

4. In 1995, Obama began campaigning for a seat in the Illinois Senate. Among his earliest supporters: Rezko. Two Rezko companies donated a total of ,000. Obama was elected in 1996 -- representing a district that included 11 of Rezko's 30 low-income housing projects.

5. Rezko's low-income housing empire began crumbling in 2001, when his company stopped making mortgage payments on the old nursing home that had been converted into apartments. The state foreclosed on the building -- which was in Obama's Illinois Senate district.

6. In 2003, Obama announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, and Rezko -- a member of his campaign finance committee -- held a lavish fund-raiser June 27, 2003, at his Wilmette mansion.

7. A few months after Obama became a U.S. senator, he and Rezko's wife, Rita, bought adjacent pieces of property from a doctor in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood -- a deal that has dogged Obama the last two years. The doctor sold the mansion to Obama for .65 million -- 0,000 below the asking price. Rezko's wife paid full price -- 5,000 -- for the adjacent vacant lot. The deals closed in June 2005. Six months later, Obama paid Rezko's wife 4,500 for a strip of her land, so he could have a bigger yard. At the time, it had been widely reported that Tony Rezko was under federal investigation. Questioned later about the timing of the Rezko deal, Obama called it "boneheaded" because people might think the Rezkos had done him a favor.

8. Eight months later -- in October 2006 -- Rezko was indicted on charges he solicited kickbacks from companies seeking state pension business under his friend Gov. Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors maintain that ,000 from the alleged kickback scheme was donated to Obama's run for the U.S. Senate. Obama has given the money to charity.

[QUOTE=Linncn]So his involvment is either the fault of republicans or it's just tabloid junk and shouldn't be paid any attention to? Wow.[/QUOTE]

Involvement in what? Obama has not been accused of any wrongdoing or of anything criminal. This history with Rezko has been public knowledge for a while now, how much longer do we have to keep hearing about it, how much of the news must it dominate -- time that could be spent discussing the issues. Until something new comes up, this story is done.

I'd like to know more about the issues, but issues are complex, and require more thought than the sensational tabloid junk that the media tries to pass off as relevant news and which seems to dominate peoples attention. I've heard this Rezko story over and over, and I imagine it will keep coming up, but what I would really like to know more about is McCain's health proposal -- anyone? Clinton's gone now, no need for any more pantsuit jokes, so how about it, just how does McCain plan to fix health care?

On the health care thing, the one thing that needs to get fixed is that the people need to take responsibility for their health care. That's what we do here. I have not seen anything particularly attractive about most things that the federal government does. Does anyone here really believe that a president can actually change the health care system in this country any time within a four or eight year time cycle that would be implemented in that time frame?

Even if someone did accomplish that magical feat, we still need to do the same thing we are doing now. I have more expectations of progress in medical advancements than anything that goes on in the government.

either Obama has very poor skills for chosing friends or... he lies..

Rezko isn't the Rezko he knew....

the pastor wasn't that way when he "knew" him...

please...

this is quite a disappointment to me about Obama... but I don't believe his back peddaling.

I agree mab52 about healthcare... nothing can be completed in the 4 or 8...

[QUOTE=Linncn]So his involvment is either the fault of republicans or it's just tabloid junk and shouldn't be paid any attention to? Wow.[/QUOTE]

tabloid junk in the Wall Street Journal..?

I don't think so...

[QUOTE=Joie][QUOTE=JasmineRain]Wait til all the Rezko stuff starts coming out (google Rezko Obama for more info) [/QUOTE]

[/QUOTE]

Hope all you want, but his past associations, including his mentors advisors business associates, and political contributors all come into play ( For McCain Too !! ). Supposdly Rezco Funded his Senate race and I beleive WED he was convicted on all sorts of charges. You would think Obabma would be Very careful after the Rev Wright mess. So who does he pick to run his search for a VP. Eric Holder. remember Marc Rich the man that renounced his US citizenship and ran to Switzerland to avoid his prosecution? Ya know the guy that Illegaly traded with Iran, Owed 48 Million in taxes ( you pay yours right? ) wire fraud etc. He ( Holder )the archchetect of that Pardon by William The Impeached. More to follow.

[QUOTE=apeanut]Guys, I usually stay out of politics on the board. My daughter an I have a disagreement on this. Obama was Here in (Terre Haute Indiana) he charged .00 a person to see him. Myself didn't believe this to be right he is one of our candidates for Pres. H. Clinton came here and didn't charge a thing to see her. Like I told Shelby I remember when Bobby Kennedy came and gave a speech at the Court house he didn't charge! I had thought I was leaning toward Obama now I really don't know, this really irked me. Shelby thinks I am nut's ...... Maybe I am I am a -nut[/QUOTE]

You are gonna pay a whole lot more then 15 bucks if he makes it to the White House. Kiss your tax breaks goodbye!

I agree with Babs. Completely.

Jan

Babs...to clarify, I was not calling it tabloid junk, I was quoting another post. The one 6t5 quoted two posts above this one. I was questioning how this news could be so easily dismissed as tabloid junk, that's all.

[QUOTE=babs10][QUOTE=Linncn]So his involvment is either the fault of republicans or it's just tabloid junk and shouldn't be paid any attention to? Wow.[/QUOTE]

tabloid junk in the Wall Street Journal..?

I don't think so...

[/QUOTE]

After how the media was manipulated and used to sell going to war in Iraq, I do not hold any of them in very high esteem.

If Obama is to be judged for his "poor judgement" in associating with Rezko, of which up to this point has not violated any laws, one has to also acknowledge his judgement in speaking out against going to war in Iraq, at a time when few did.