...and Obama's history of dirty political tricks and using the political machine go way back to his first entry into politics in Chicago. See
Obama played hardball in first Chicago campaign, May 30, 2008, CNN for an overview. (Yes, CNN of all places! How they have changed in ten short years.). Obama has been using skulduggery for decades. There's no way he could have risen on such a thin resume if he hadn't.
Interesting link
” “It was not something he particularly relished,” Burns said. “It was not something that I thought he was happy about doing.”
“But Obama did it anyway, clearing the field of any real competition.”