-
Subscribe Today!
-
Get your Badge!
Sep
7
Middle Men and Public Official A
Filed Under Barack Obama, GOP, John McCain, Republican Party | Leave a Comment
We haven’t heard a lot about Chicago and all of the political corruption that the city is famous for lately. It hasn’t been on the national media’s radar screen during the “summer of love.” Could there be a reason for that?
Will Chicago’s politicial culture become a major issue in the fall, maybe brought to the public’s attention via some shadowy 527 group’s ads?
Is that why John McCain brought up the need to fight against political corruption at a California fund raiser? Is that why Sarah Palin with her reputation of fighting against political corruption was brought onto the GOP ticket?
Could Chicago’s culture and history of political corruption have been the reason why Hillary Clinton didn’t want to give up without fighting for every last delegate? Hillary Clinton brought up the Tony Rezko - Obama connections earlier this year in her primary battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
TMLutas wrote earlier this year that maybe the connections between Rezko and Obama aren’t so obvious for a reason.
Could it have just been a coincidence, maybe a bet on someone who had shown political promise in Chicago during a few years from June 1985 until entering law school in 1988 and greatness in law school?
It might have been all of the news about Barack Obama being the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review that captured the attention of many in Chicago and elsewhere. Is that how Tony Rezko came to offer Barack Obama a job — unsolicitied — when Barack Obama was still in law school?
Did those contacts over the years with Tony Rezko influence Barack Obama in any way?
Writes TMLutas:
Rezko isn’t an isolated player but rather part of a corrupt machine. “Public Official A”, Rezko’s major political patron, has now been officially revealed to be Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Smart corrupt officials don’t always do simple cash for favor deals, not in a place like Chicago which is crawling with corruption, not if they want to go national and want to be able to pretend to be honest. Smart corrupt officials use middle men.
Can someone rise through the ranks of Chicago’s political world without being caught up in corruption?
Could Barack Obama have been kept away from the messier side of Chicago’s machine on the hopes that he’d rise to a level where he’d be able to help the Chicago political machine via legitimate ways? Is Barack Obama one of the last clean politicians in a land where there are multiple political corruption investigations being conducted right now?
Until there’s something more, we have to give Barack Obama every benefit of the doubt that he stayed away from all of those interesting characters floating around the political scene in Chicago. After all, Chicago is the place where Alderman Arenda Troutman was caught on a FBI wire saying “most aldermen, most politicians are hoes.”
Having lived in Northwest Indiana for a while — home of one of the most corrupt political machines in the country, according to Robert Kennedy and the place where every so often the FBI carts away government documents from some politicial figure’s office — always makes me wonder. Can someone swim in a sea of political corruption without getting dirty?
Sep
5
Optimism v. Pessimism
Filed Under Democratic Party, Gary Indiana, Republican Party | 2 Comments
Both the DNC and RNC have held their conventions and a good number of Americans tuned in to hear what Barack Obama and John McCain have to say.
The thing that strikes me is not any specific policy idea or goal, it is the difference in outlook between the two major American parties.
The Democratic party continued with its pessimistic themes — much as it has year after year. Spending too much time listening to or reading Democratic party rhetoric is somewhat depressing. People are losing jobs, America’s greatness has past, and the bar keeps on moving so that no matter what an average person does he or she is basically screwed.
Gary, Indiana. Table for One -- Photo by KM Photography
The secondary Democratic party message is that reminds me of over protective parents — the kind that won’t let their kid move out of the house, even though he’s 42. They’ll promise to shelter, protect, and provide everything that anyone might ever need. The problem here is that just like mom wanting to keep her son safe and sound in the basement, the government just can’t fulfil its promises. Look at any major city’s public housing projects for an example. People lining up at the Trustee’s office early in the morning waiting for hours and hours to get government assistance. The whole scene causes anyone witnessing it to feel hopeless about their personal future.
The GOP always does a good job of presenting an optimistic message. A little hard work and some effort can result in rewards. We see the same thing in our own lives in our workplaces and neighborhoods. People who are working hard usually end up doing well. Times might be tough, but we’re going to pull through — just as we have in the past multiple times. America is still great — no matter what some of those other countries say. We still control our futures. We don’t have to fear anything.
When I was younger, the Democrat’s message was inspiring to me. It made me feel safe to know that there was possibly a parentalistic government out there that would take care of me if I failed to find a job. However, behind such thoughts is a pessimism that one is unable to take care of ones own needs and problems. Just as moving back into mom’s basement would provide safety and security, it also limits ones personal growth and opportunities.
Gary's Methodist Church. Photo by KM Photography.
And, the reality of the Democratic promise can be seen in person in many blue cities across the nation. North Lake County has been dominated by the Democratic party for years. The dream has turned into a nightmare for many as businesses and families have moved. Those who stay have been subjected to higher taxes and lack of efficent government services. Complaints abound from trash pick up, to crime, to educational failures.
All of these failures in the urban core lead to the cycle of despair that fuels the Democratic party rhetoric. You need us, the Democrats say, because there are no jobs and criminals are threating your community with drugs and violence. But, no one ever looks to see if the failures of the public educational system, taxation and other governmental policies are to blame for creating conditions in which crime and general hopelessness thrive? No wonder the Democratic message always implies that we’re all screwed. For many in “blue” areas, a harsh life filled with chaos, violence, and a lack of opportunity is a reality.
I’ve seen what the Democrats have done to Lake County. I can see what they’ve done and what they’re doing to Illinois. No thanks, I’ll pass on all of that.
-
- Grab a NWI Blogger badge
