My Adventure in Obamaland (aka Grant Park)

Tuesday night, I decided to venture downtown to see what was going on at the Obama rally in Grant Park. I decided that I would look at the festivities outside the park rather than what was going on inside the park.

I rode in on the train as parking for the event was going to be hard to come by, and expensive. Yes, I'm a bit of a cheapskate. On the train, the groups boarding were mostly young, and diverse in appearence. However, they were not diverse in opinion or goal. I overheard one group discussing the 2000 election and how Gore got the popular vote but not the electoral vote.



Once downtown, I took note of the law enforcement presence. There were Chicago Police Officers, CTA officers, traffic cops, private security, and more. The presence was massive, with as many as a dozen LEOs at each street corner.



I walked along Jackson on my way to Grant Park and took note of the many street vendors. This would be quite common, as I found out, along Michigan Avenue as well.



All sorts of items were being sold. Buttons, T-shirts, banners, posters, etc.



When I got to Michigan, I saw several people playing music on various instruments. Some bands had real instruments, while others were using 5 gallon pastic buckets.



There was also a guy at Michigan and Congress handing out religious material. I took one, and it was non-political, but talked about the need to be reborn. The guy was handing them out to anyone who passed by.



I then went to the east side of Michigan Avenue to see what was to be found. In front of the main entrance to the Obama rally, World Can't Wait was set up with their tables and banners.



They seemed to go all out, enjoying the night.



In addition to the World Can't Wait folks, there were others who demanded to be seen with their signs at the ready. Here's a guy who claimed the election is a distraction. A distraction from what, I have no idea.



There were also a colorful couple, dressed in a pig suit and a skeleton. Each held a sign. Miss Skeleton held an anti-Palin sign, while Mr. Pig had much more class. His sign simply read "Fuck McCain".







Moving on, I took note of a car with Obama and "Punch #1" on it. This is a relic of the punch card days in Cook County when they'd tell you when number on the ballot a specific candidate was to make it easier to him/her.



I also took a look at the crowds waiting to get into the park, standing in a line about two to three blocks long along Michigan Avenue.



They also rode their bikes to the event. Bikes were parked everywhere. Trees, lamp posts, bike racks, where they were by the dozens. These "green" people also left trash in mounds, overflowing the trash cans,a nd in piles on the ground. Randomly on the ground.



I caught a few scenes around the area as I was wandering on the edge of Grant Park. I overheard a guy ask "What state does Biden represent?". An Obama supporter who doesn't know where Biden is from.







I then turned my attention to the Obama stage in Hutchinson Field. Looking across the railroad tracks, I saw what appeared to be a crown of light above the stage. There were several beams, all radiating from the same spot.



I then started on my way back to the train station, and found a most humorous marquee offering drinks for that evening.

When I got back to the train station, I heard a rather large, but not tall lady talking to the air. I realized she was talking to a Bluetooth phone. She was whining about how the "rednecks" couldn't take the election away after Obama was declared to be the winner. Another group, behind me, said "They can't steal this one". However, the train ride home was uneventful, and actually pretty quiet. Quite the change (heh) from the blaring of car horns and shouting along Michigan Avenue.

Why Senator Obama will never be President

Chicgaodudewhotrades keeps the hits coming with this one about why Senator Obama will never be President.


I don't think Obama will be elected president in 2008. In fact, I don't think he will ever be president. I will even go so far to say he will probably only be a 1-term Senator and then lose re-election.

Why do I think this? My reasons are long and varied. But it comes down to the simple fact that the more I learn about him, the less I like him. I have come to regret voting for him in November 2004. Why did I vote for him in the first place? He was running against Alan Keyes. Keyes is a good man, but the only thing he ever talked about during the campaign was abortion. Abortion is a important issue, but being a Senator involves more than abortion issues.

Let me start by talking about the man himself. His supporters say he is smart. Yes, when he gives a prepared speech he can speak quite well. However, when he makes off-the-cuff statements he doesnt do as well. I think when the debates happen, Sen. McCain will roll over him. This is probably why Sen. Obama has gone from wanting debates to seeming to dodge them. When Obama bombs in the debates, even this country's liberal media won't be able to successfully spin it for him (expect to hear plenty of "he had a headache/he was sick/ he was tired" type spin). When the American people see this, they will spot a empty suit begin to realize he isn't ready for the White House.

Here are a few more questions I have about Sen. Obama:

* He was President of the Harvard Law Review (HLR), but can he or anybody point to a single accomplishement of his while he was President of the HLR?

* Have his grades at Harvard ever been released? How about any important papers he wrote when he attended there?

* When he worked in a law firm, did he handle any important litigation or cases?

* What accomplishments can he point to as a Chicago community organizer?

HIS FRIENDS

Let us take a minute to look at Sen. Obama's friends. His friends and big supporters are some unrepentant terrorists and a racist anti-American preacher. Enough said.

HIS FAMILY

I take Michelle Obama at her word when she says she hasn't been proud of America until her husband ran for office. I think those represent her true feelings for the USA. It would be interesting to learn if Michelle recommended Trinity United to her husband, or if the church was recommended to the Obamas by others. If she recommended the church it woulld speak volumes about her and her beliefs.

Is Obama's family in Kenya Muslim? Raila Odinga (who says Barack is a cousin) the current Prime Minister of Keyna wants to bring Sharia to Kenya. I have some personal problems with Islam, I think Islam is imcompatabile with modernity. If Obama is a true 'progressive' as he claims, then why hasn't he ever called out his cousin on this?

HIS PARTY

Folks, I think the Democrats have some serious problems. I think the Dem convention will be a mess. First of all, the convention is short of money. Their kooky hard-left base will be protesting outside and making fools of themselves and the Dems. Seriously, when you have a group called 'recreate '68' coming to town, does anybody think anything good will happen?

Another thing to consider is the fact that technically, Obama is not the offiical Dem party candidate yet. That won't happen until the voting actaully happens on the convention floor. Hillary Clinton only stopped her campaign, she didn't concede or turn her delegates over to Obama. It is a slight chance, but I think she will go Brutus on Obama and pull a fast one against him.

Even if he is the Dem nominee after Denver, I think there are enough upset Hillary supporters who will sit on their hands (or even vote for Sen McCain) on Election Day

HIS POSITIONS

Does he have a single position today that was the same on January 1 2008? Okay, I'm being sarcastic, but not by much. He has flip-floped on Iraq, FISA, federal campaign money, just to name a couple. Plus, I think his and the Dem's 'no drilling for oil, at anytime, anywhere' is going to kill them both in November.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

I think race-hustlers like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Rev. Wright will secretly work against Sen. Obama. Why? Kinda hard for them to make a living race-hustling when a African-American is living at 1600 Pennslyvania Ave. Plus I think there is some resentment of Obama by both Jackson and Sharpton. Obama has had more poliitical success in the last few years then they have had combined over their lifetimes. That has got to hurt deep down. I also don't think they like their positions of leadership in the African-American community being taken over by Obama.

HIS BASE

I think some of the shine is coming off Sen. Obama among even his base. I think they are beginning to realize he is just a politician and not somebody special like he claims to be. He was the anti-war candidate, now that he is trying to back-track on that, and also FISA, in a effort to seem centrist, his base is getting upset with him. Also I don't expect the much talked about 'youth' vote that always gets hyped very four years to you know, actually VOTE for him. They will be busy on election day and not bother to go to the polling place and pull the lever. think I'm joking? Remember 'Obama Girl'? She was the internet video sensation that sang songs about Obama, but on Primary Day in NY/NJ did she vote for him? Nope, she was too busy clubbing that day.

To wrap it up, There are multiple reasons why I think Sen. Obama will not be the next President of the United States of America. Feel free to argue/comment/etc. with me about this. I can be reached at chicagodudewhotrades@gmail.com

Obama, Articulate But Not Squeeky Clean

Yeah, it's been too long since an update or any activity. I fully apologise for that.

Now, down to business.

I've heard reports from various people about how clean and honest Barack Hussein Obama is. I call it a bunch of baloney. Someone somewhere is trying to sell a bridge, and a really big one somewhere. We know all about the Clinton Body Count, and how slick Edwards is (I'll stick to the Democrats as this is their primary), but there seems to be little nationwide knowledge about Antoin "Tony" Rezko and Obama's dealings with him. Obama also seems to avoid questions about why he wants to be president as well. Let's shine a light on a few things, shall we.

Obama closed on a house the day before Rezko purchased a vacant lot next to Obama's house. Let's let the Chicago Tribune tell some more:

In normal circumstances, the two real estate transactions probably wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. There is, after all, nothing illegal or untoward about an aggressive developer buying hot property next door to a rising political star.

Exactly, but there is more to the story. The transactions were anything but normal.

"I told them if you can spare another 5 or 10 feet, I'd be happy to purchase it from you," Obama said. "They came back and said they could sell us up to 10 feet."

Using a standard formula, Obama's appraiser estimated the 1,500-square-foot portion at a market value of $40,500.

But Obama felt it would be fair to pay the Rezkos $104,500, or a sixth of their original $625,000 purchase price, because he was acquiring a sixth of their land. The sale closed in January 2006.

But why did Obama feel the need to pay far more than the land was worth. About $60,000 more?

Let's delve a bit deeper. It turns out that Obama's ex-boss is one of Rezko's partners. This is from the Chicago Sun-Times:

When Barack Obama took a job at a small Chicago law firm in 1993, the first name on the door of the firm was Allison S. Davis.

Five years later, having left his Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland firm, Davis invested in Antoin "Tony'' Rezko's final government-subsidized, low-income housing project, state records show, in a deal handled by Davis' former law firm.

Davis and Rezko also went into business together, building upscale homes in the booming Kenwood neighborhood where Davis lives. The legal work on those deals was also done by Davis' former law firm, where Obama was working.

And Obama was working at Davis's law firm at the time, and knew very well who Rezko was. And there's another connection to the Illinois Politicial Mafia (maybe that's derogatory toward the mafia):

Four years ago, Blagojevich appointed Davis to the Illinois State Board of Investment, which controls state pension funds -- one of a series of appointments the governor made at Rezko's request.

Wait a minute, appointments made by Blago at Rezko's request? Hold the phone! Blago's already suspected to be "Official A" for his own corruption in the state.

A court document filed by federal prosecutors just before Christmas claims Blagojevich boasted to a key government witness about awarding contracts and other work to boost campaign fundraising.

The document was filed in the criminal case of Antoin “Tony” Rezko, one Blagojevich’s top fundraisers, who is scheduled to go on trial in February. Rezko is charged in a fraud scheme that included shaking down companies that wanted state business.

Blagojevich isn’t named in the document, which refers to “Public Official A.” Attorneys who have asked not to be quoted by name due to grand jury secrecy have said Blagojevich was Public Official A.

-Bloomington Normal Pantagraph

Patrick Fitgerald has been very careful in his attempts to corner the Blago administration and indict the guilty. The guilty, which I feel, extends to the governor, Mayor Daley, Alexi Giannoulias(state tresurer), and many more. Rezko was one of Blago's top fundrasiers, as well as involved in dealings with Obama. So, how well did Obama know Rezko? Newsmax.com gives us a hint of it:

Sixteen years ago, Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko tried to hire bright young Harvard law student Barack Obama to work in his real estate development company.

Obama said no, but it was the start of a political friendship.

Rezko contributed thousands of dollars and raised thousands more as Obama ran for the Illinois legislature, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. He was even involved in Obama's purchase of a family home.

So did Obama keep his distance from Rezko?

While Obama turned down Rezko's offer of a job back in 1991, he ended up in a group of real estate deals involving the developer anyway.

The answer is a resounding no.

In Illinois, nothing seems to happen without being connected to something else. To be honest, Blago, Daley, Todd Stroger, William Beavers, and Obama are all Chicago Democrats. Being as such, they come from the same politicial machine, that famous Chicago Democratic Machine. They practice typical Machine politics as well, with all the bells, whistles, and corruption that goes with it. So why would the Machine decide they want a candidate for president? After all, they have their own fiefdom in Cook County and now across the state of Illinois. Why the presidency as well?

The answer does not lie in what they can do for America or even the White House. It lies in what they can get rid of in Illinois. Patrick Fitzgerald, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the Federal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of the Chicago Machine and its corruption. They have sent former Illinois governor George Ryan to prison for his own kickback scheme, Licenses for Bribes. And they have indicted people involved in the Daley admninstration in Operation Silver Shovel. Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed US Attorney by President George Bush at the suggestion of former Senator Peter Fitzgerald (no relation). The same Peter Fitzgerald who was pushed out by the Republican Party in Illinois.

So what can Obama do as president to Fitzgerald and the FBI? He can fire Fitzgerald as the US Attorney and put a stop to the investigation by the FBI. Removing Fitzgerald from the equation removes a major thorn in the side of the Machine. With Fitzgerald and the FBI gone, they would be free to continue their corruption and free to manipulate the vote in Illinois. They could also cover their tracks better and make the trail of corruption harder for the next prosecutors to follow.

That is why Obama is running for president. It's not the fame, it's not the foreign policy, it's not even for change as he so proudly exclaims. It's all for his politicial buddies and allies in the Chicago Democratic Machine and taking the federal heat off them.

The Sharks are Circling, and They Smell Blood in Springfield

The Feds are investigating some of Patti Blagojevich's real estate deals in a three-year probe of Blago's corruption.

Patricia Blagojevich's real estate deals with power brokers close to her husband first came under scrutiny in 2005 when the Tribune disclosed her eight-year business relationship with Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a Chicago developer who became one of the governor's top fundraisers and a member of his kitchen cabinet.

Tony Rezko was indicted last year on federal charges of soliciting kickbacks from firms involved in state contracts. He is involved in a shady real estate deal with presidential candidate Barak Obama.