Posted on 06/05/2008 3:39:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Who's Tony Rezko? William Ayers? Few Americans know, but they probably will by Election Day. Rezko is a Chicago businessman, convicted of more than a dozen charges this week. Ayers is a professor - and former member of the radical Weather Underground. Both have ties to Barack Obama and may well show up in anti-Obama ads you'll be seeing before long.
These days, presidential candidates can expect to have every personal relationship, new or ancient, inspected like a crime scene on "CSI." Then, if there's political hay to be made, a version of the details is quickly out.
Republican John McCain has his own potential problem people whom Democrats may try to exploit. In some cases, they have been for years.
For example, there's Charles Keating Jr., a wealthy savings and loan executive from Arizona who was the focus of a congressional ethics investigation in which McCain was ensnared in the 1980s. Rick Davis and Charlie Black, two men in the inner circle of McCain's campaign, are former lobbyists - hardly a crime but still fodder for critics who want to undermine McCain's self-portrayal as a senator fighting to lessen big money's influence on politics.
So both parties will be researching - and putting the worst face on what they find.
It's especially true for Obama, still a newcomer to the national scene. Voters haven't had years to form impressions based on what he has said or the legislation he's passed. Or associates they've heard about forever.
Here are brief descriptions of some people who may show up in ads, debate questions and Internet chatter over the coming months.
JEREMIAH WRIGHT: Wright was Obama's minister for 20 years. He helped Obama embrace Christianity, performed Obama's marriage and baptized Obama and his two daughters.
Most of America knows Wright only through a few snippets from his sermons and a couple of contentious public appearances. They're familiar with him shouting "God damn America" and accusing the government of creating AIDS.
Obama has done his best to distance himself from his former minister, to the point of resigning from the church that Wright once led. But that's unlikely to stop ads that portray Wright as a bigot and ask why Obama would listen to him for so many years.
ANTOIN REZKO: "Tony" Rezko is a businessman who has helped raise campaign money for Obama and many other Illinois politicians. He was convicted Wednesday on 16 of 24 counts involving mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and aiding and abetting bribery.
The charges have no connection to Obama, but Rezko is tied to the Illinois senator in other ways.
Rezko and his family donated at least $21,457 to Obama and helped raise over $200,000 more, though not for his presidential bid. He also advised Obama on the purchase of a new Chicago home and, in his wife's name, purchased a vacant lot next door to the new Obama home when the seller wanted to dispose of both properties at the same time. Rezko then sold a slice of the property to Obama.
Obama has donated Rezko's contributions to charity and says it was a mistake to work with Rezko on buying the house.
WILLIAM AYERS: Today, Ayers is a university professor and a member of Chicago's intellectual establishment. Forty years ago he was a member of the Weather Underground, a radical group that claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.
Ayers was a fugitive for years with his wife, fellow radical Bernadine Dohrn. But after surrendering in 1980, the charges against Ayers were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct.
Obama has a very limited relationship with Ayers, who lives in the same neighborhood. They served together on the board of a Chicago charity, and in the mid-1990s when Obama first ran for office, Ayers hosted a meet-the-candidate session for Obama at his home.
Questioned about Ayers at a debate in April, Obama said, "The notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was eight years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense."
EMIL JONES: Jones, the president of the Illinois Senate, amounts to Obama's political godfather and was an important part of Obama's longshot victory for U.S. Senate in 2004. He helped the little-known politician meet the right people, and he picked Obama to handle high-profile legislation during the two years leading up to the election.
But Jones' political style is very different from Obama's.
Jones is known for steering state money to a few favored institutions, including some that employ his relatives. Several of his relatives have gotten state jobs, and his wife's government salary jumped 60 percent after he became Senate president. He has played an important role in blocking ethics legislation in Illinois.
RASHID KHALIDI: Khalidi is a scholar and author on Middle Eastern affairs who has criticized Israeli policies and was part of a Palestinian advisory panel to peace talks in the early 1990s.
He's also a friend of Obama.
They met while both were teaching at the University of Chicago and living in the same neighborhood. Obama and his wife sometimes had dinner with Khalidi and his wife, Mona. The Khalidis hosted a political fundraiser for Obama in 2000, and the Woods Fund charity gave money to the Arab-American Action Network, run by Mona Khalidi, while Obama served on the charity's board.
Khalidi and Obama have both said they hold very different opinions on Israeli issues, but their friendship has been used to raise questions about Obama's support for Israel - and to generate Internet headlines such as "Meet Obama's Terrorist Friend."
MICHAEL PFLEGER: Pfleger, the white leader of a mostly black Catholic parish in Chicago, has been known as a firebrand for years. He protests everything from gun shops to Jerry Springer. Obama has referred to him as a spiritual adviser.
Recently, he visited Obama's church and preached a sermon in which he mocked Hillary Clinton and accused her of expecting to win the presidential nomination because she was white. Pfleger apologized, but Obama condemned the remarks and resigned from the church.
Obama was not nearly as close to Pfleger as he was to Wright, but now he's likely to face questions about his relationship with both men.
MICHELLE OBAMA: His wife has been a valuable campaigner for Obama, but she has also stepped into controversy from time to time.
She served on the board of TreeHouse, a food company that did business with Wal-Mart, which Obama has often criticized. She resigned from the paid position, citing a lack of time.
Most significantly, she said at one Obama campaign appearance, "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." She later said she meant she was proud of the way Americans were participating in the political process - not that she had never been proud of America before.
Her comments contributed to Internet broadsides arguing that the Obamas don't love the country and somehow aren't "true" Americans.
I think the most important one was left out:
THE AMERICAN VOTER
PING for Obama’s pals.
It’s not fair to talk about all the scumbags Obama embraces..... he’s just a very tolerant, open-minded guy who empathizes with “diverse” persons and wants to truly understand the minds of terrorists, terrorist-propagandists, racists, America-haters, and other important “leaders” of tomorrow....
Let’s not have any more of this “guilt by association”
/sarcasm
Partial list- looks like who’s who of racists, terrorists, Muslims, Marxists, America haters and thugs of the world:
>William Ayers
(Weatherman Underground bomber, unrepentant domestic terrorist)
>Frank Davis
(Member Communist Party USA, Early mentor to Obama)
>Jeremiah Wright
(Black Liberation militant, racist, and Pastor)
>Tony Rezko
(Corrupt Financier, ties to Terror Financing)
>Louis Farrakhan
(Nation of Islam Leader, racist, anti-American)
>RailaOrdinga
(Fundamental Islamic Candidate, Kenya, Obama’s Cousin- who caused riots that resulted in the deaths of over 1500, including 59 Christians burned to death when their church was burned. OBAMA WENT TO KENYA TO CAMPAIGN FOR ODINGA. GOOGLE ‘OBAMA IS MY COUSIN’.)
>Daniel Ortega
(Marxist Sandinista Leader. Nicarauga)
>Raul Castro
(Hard-line Communist Leader, Cuba)
>Communist Party Illinois
(US Communist Political Party)
>Socialist Party USA
(Marxist Socialist Political Party)
>The New Black Panther Party
(Black Militant Organization, anti-American and racist)
>Hamas Terrorist Organization
(Islamic Terrorist Organisation)
/>More than 80 attorneys for Guantanamo detainees
-who have been offering free-of-charge legal services.
Not surprising that lawyers for Muslim terrorists would support Obama.
>The Communist Party USA
>The Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism
>Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim congressman
> Sam Graham-Felsen, (Obama campaign’s official blogger)
He spent time in France taking part in labor riots, has written for a socialist magazine, hung a communist flag in his home, and was a fan of Marx while at Harvard.
>Kwame Kilpatrick
>MoveOn.org
George Soros’ (slumlord undergoing trial) son, Jonathan Soros, an attorney and financier, recently promoted to deputy manager of Soros Fund Management , is personally involved with MoveOn.org’s activities.
>Muslim Americans for Obama ‘08
>The Muslim American Society
>Obama Supporters for Marijuana Law Reform
>Obama Youth
“Obama Youth” had as its logo the Islamic crescent and stars (until word got out on the net and they had to clean it up)
>President Daniel Ortega
..who statee, “It’s not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S. ... but yes, they are laying the foundations for a revolutionary change.”
>Project Islamic H. O. P. E.
..who displayed Obama as their banner boy until word got out and they had to clean that up.
Obama is no longer there on the site.
>Rev. Al Sharpton
..obviously supports Obama, but obviously advised to keep it quiet.
>Shepard Fairey
Official artist of the Obama posters...remarkable resemblance to Marxist posters
>Tony Rezko
Obama said that he estimated Rezko raised about 50,000 to 60,000 for his political career.
Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle.
>Malaak Shabazz
Daughter of Malcomb X
>The Socialist Party USA
>George Soros
billionaire - Jew hater
My Obama list...
Google each name together with Obama & see what comes up.
Tony Rezko
Nadhmi Auchi
Allison Davis
Raila Odinga
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Abongo “Roy” Obama
Al Bakri Group
Abdulkader al Bakri aka Abdel Qader Bakri
Frank Marshall Davis
Bernardine Dohrn
William Ayers
Saul Alinksy
George Soros
Rep. Jan Schakowsky
Robert Creamer
Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Louis Farrakhan
Mohammar Kaddafy
Bernie Sanders
Mike Kruglik
Democratic Socialists of America
Socialist International
Party of European Socialists
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Saul Mendelson
Khaleel Ahmed
Zubair A. Ahmed
Talat M. Othman
Rashid Khalidi
Cornell West
New Black Panther Party
Malik Zulu Shabazz
Robert Malley
Edward Said
Harold Koh
Reverend James Meeks
General Merrill “Tony” McPeak
Congressman Chaka Fattah
Father Michael Pfleger
Ali Abunimah
Imam Hassan Qazwini
Hatem El-Hady
Ahmed Yousef
Hamas
Alexi Giannoulias
La Raza
ACORN
Najii Ali (alias Ronald Todd Eskew)
Project Islamic H.O.P.E.
The New Party
Carl Davidson
James “Yousef” Yee
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