In an amazing display of investigative journalism, Brett J. Blackledge at AP uncovered the following shocking news about then mayor Sarah Palin:
She gladly accepted gifts from merchants: A free “awesome facial” she raved about in a thank-you note to a spa. The “absolutely gorgeous flowers” she received from a welding supply store. Even fresh salmon to take home.
She also stepped in to help friends or neighbors with City Hall dealings. She asked the City Council to add a friend to the list of speakers at a 2002 meeting — and then the friend got up and asked them to give his radio station advertising business.
They’re kidding, right? This is news. Digging into Obama’s relationship with Rezko, ACORN, Ayers… not a big enough deal for the super sleuths at AP… but a mayor receiving a facial and flowers… ewww, let’s appoint a special prosecutor.
But wait, thre’s more:
Some of her first actions after being elected mayor in 1996 raised possible ethical red flags: She cast the tie-breaking vote to propose a tax exemption on aircraft when her father-in-law owned one, and backed the city’s repeal of all taxes a year later on planes, snow machines and other personal property. She also asked the council to consider looser rules for snow machine races. Palin and her husband, Todd, a champion racer, co-owned a snow machine store at the time.
Oh my goodness, mercy me.
To be fair, Blackledge did include the following…. as the LAST THREE FREAKIN PARAGRAPHS IN THE ARTICE!!!!!
James Svara, professor of public affairs at Arizona State University and author of “The Ethics Primer for Public Administrators in Government and Nonprofit Organizations,” suggested such behavior is part of small-town politics.
“Small towns are first-person politics, and if people are close, it’s hard to separate one’s own personal interest and one’s own personal property from the work of the city,” Svara said. The key questions from an ethics standpoint include whether the politician makes a potential conflict of interest known and removes himself or herself from actions related to it, he added.
“I think in a small town there is a greater likelihood that people will accept that you will pay careful attention to friends and neighbors,” he said, adding that there may be some local gossip about it, but not a lot of public scrutiny. “At the national level, there will be far more people watching, there will be far more pressures to come forward to try to influence the outcome.”
If Palin’s record as a mayor is fair game for MSM like AP, then why isn’t Obama’s partnership with Ayers, his association with ACORN, his relationship with Rezko?
For example, a search on “Rezko” finds 3 AP articles about Sarah Palin, a couple with headlines about the Illinois senate, and one article with the following:
AP – McCain’s ad begins, “Barack Obama: Born of the corrupt Chicago political machine.” That’s an inaccurate statement – Obama wasn’t a machine candidate in the state Senate or in the U.S. Senate primary. However, he has been backed by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and other establishment Democrats since he got the Senate nomination in 2004 and has worked with them since being elected.
The ad goes on to list establishment Democrats and their connection to Obama – some stronger than others.
It is true that Obama’s fundraiser Tony Rezko is a convicted felon. And his political mentor, state Senate President Emil Jones, has an array of relatives with state jobs, arranged for his son to take over his Senate seat next year and has dragged his feet on ethics legislation.
Obama did endorse his fellow Illinois Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich for re-election despite questions about his ethics, but the two are not particularly close. It’s also true that William Daley has been an adviser. But it’s not surprising Obama would seek economic advice from a former Commerce secretary.
The article is about attack ads, barely mentions Rezko, and is essentially written as a defense of Obama.
Why not dig a little deeper into the Rezko-Obama relationship then simply mentioning he is a fundraiser for Obama and a convicted felon:
From Wiki – Starting in 2003, Rezko was one of the people on Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign finance committee, which raised more than $14 million. Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama, which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with seed money for his U.S. Senate race. Obama has since identified over $250,000 in campaign contributions to various Obama campaigns as coming from Rezko or close associates, and has claimed to have donated almost two thirds of that amount to charity.
Also, in 2005 Obama purchased a new home in the Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (which was $300,000 below the asking price but represented the highest offer on the property) on the same day that Rezko’s wife, Rita Rezko, purchased the adjoining empty lot from the same sellers for the full asking price. Obama acknowledged bringing his interest in the property to Rezko’s attention, but denied any coordination of offers. According to Obama, while the properties had originally been a single property, the previous owners decided to sell the land as two separate lots, but made it a condition of the sales that they be closed on the same date. Obama also claimed that the properties had been on the market for months, that his offer was the best of two bids, and that Ms. Rezko’s bid was matched by another offer, also of $625,000, so that she could not have purchased the property for less. Obama’s description of the purchase was later confirmed by the previous owner of the house.
After it had been reported in 2006 that Rezko was under federal investigation for influence-peddling, Obama purchased a 10 foot (3.0 m) wide strip of Ms. Rezko’s property for $104,500, $60,000 above the assessed value. According to Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Mark Brown, “Rezko definitely did Obama a favor by selling him the 10-foot strip of land, making his own parcel less attractive for development.” Obama acknowledges that the exchange may have created the appearance of impropriety, and stated “I consider this a mistake on my part and I regret it.”
<SNIP>
In June 2007, the Sun-Times published a story about letters Obama had written in 1997 to city and state officials in support of a low-income senior citizen development project headed by Rezko and partner Allison Davis. The project received more than $14 million in taxpayer funds, including $885,000 in development fees for Rezko and Davis. Of Obama’s letters in support of the Cottage View Terrace apartments development, Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, “This wasn’t done as a favor for anyone, it was done in the interests of the people in the community who have benefited from the project. I don’t know that anyone specifically asked him to write this letter nine years ago. There was a consensus in the community about the positive impact the project would make and Obama supported it because it was going to help people in his district.” Rezko’s attorney responded that “Mr. Rezko never spoke with, nor sought a letter from, Senator Obama in connection with that project.
Now I know what you’re thinking… Obama’s relationship to a man convicted on six counts of wire fraud, six counts of mail fraud, two counts of corrupt solicitation, and two counts of money laundering does not reach the level of Palin accepting flowers and a facial, but I just thought you should know anyway.
But seriously… this is what I found on Wikipedia.. don’t you think AP’s time would be well spent digging a bit deeper here? Isn’t this at least as important as Palin supporting the roll-back of taxes on planes when her father-in-law owned a plane or Palin being given some Salmon?
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Another nice piece of research.
You are quickly becoming one of my favorite RCP bloggers.
Oh… and my new blog is at Ning’s Team Sarah… as I am now moving completely to supporting McCain Palin for 2008.
Salmon, facials and flowers for everyone!
Thanks Stray Yeller Dawg
Gonna visit Team Sarah later today… not sure if I’ve visited before.
AP is so in the bag for Obama! I usually visit the Yahoo News site ad read all the AP article listed among others and it’s like Obama is writing the stuff himself!
…it is really unbelievable…the press has reach lows that rival obama camps brown shirts…even during the debate…McCain says that Obama heads a committee and HAS NEVER ONCE CALLED A MEETING….the guy has this ability to go places and in the end DO NOTHING…ie I have never heard of a prof that did not publish a single thing..never…AND THE PRESS gives him a pass on that…McCain mentions that Obama has requested a million a day on average of pork.. A MILLION…and the press does not cover that…if McCain had done either one of those two IT WOULD BE IN ALL THE HEADLINES…
..and they mention flowers and a facial….anyone that has even spent a week in a small town knows they work that way…everybody does everybody little favors…people bring you fish after they go fishing…they take offense if you need to go to the airport and don’t get a ride from one of them…etc…and even if you don’t want the facial or the flowers you would be very rude to not accept them…
..we hear about flowers and never get any follow up or reasonable explanations about corruption and crimes from the other ticket..
..and good old biden has gone into seclusion to prepare for the debate…mr experience needs to prepare for the debate…this means Palin won’t have any more prep time than biden…yet they continue to attack Palin(which no doubt has contributed to her nerves during interviews)
…the press manipulation and slant does work…I just heard that a high school teacher who is conservative was having second thoughts about Palin…he misquoted to me what Palin said in an interview…the man is sharp as can be but he read that in a few different articles and tends not to use the internet
A JOKE…anyhow I still think they will win…too many normal people will eventually figure out that the obama stuff doesn’t add up…
…then it will be President McCain and Vice-President Palin…I will be happy because it is what will be best for the country…
…but I am also going to have a little personal pleasure at watching these crazios reaction
Welcome NYSmike.
Well said Jack… gotta get that HS teacher on the net and send him here or to other McCain/Palin blogs so he can join our little support group
What do you expect….when Oprah owns so much of the media…and the Obamabots threaten radio stations and others who say anything bad (no matter how true) about him. Everyone seems so worried about McCain’s temper and willingness to fight. At least he is legit. Why isn’t anyone looking into all the dirty fighting and cheating of the Obama camp!!!! The media and Oprah are trying to hand this one to “the One”. When will people wake up???? Do you want this nobody, empty suit, cheater as our President?
LOL, I’m sensing real sour grapes here.
Rezko-investigated. Nothing. The far right’s constant harping on it reminds me of Whitewater, in which the Republicans spent millions trying desperately to link Bill Clinton to something-ANYTHING-illegal and came up bupkis…and turned the country against them. Keep it up with Rezko, that’s exactly what will happen to the new generation of lunatic fringers, too.
The facials and salmon are not the issue. Cow Paddie Palin was presented to the world as a rebel, as someone who doesn’t do politics as usual, who would spit in the face of a fixed parking ticket. Guess what? That’s 100% untrue, and we deserve to know all about it. Great job, AP! It’s not their fault your girl is a vapid, hypocritical, fire-breathing LIAR.
Obama/Biden ‘08.
What does anyone expect when we have educators at all levels indocrinating our kids in socialist idealogy. A socialist media dishing out lies and propaganda. A socialist running for president who uses goon squads to stifle free speech and any critisism of him, and using threats of law suits in Mo. to intimidate voters there.
visit my site valsword.spaces.com
Welcome CW, Lila, Marion.
Lila, I don’t think you are using “sour grapes” correctly here. For this to be sour grapes I would have to be saying I “who cares that the MSM is slanted to Obama instead of Palin, I don’t want the MSM on our side anyway”.. that would be sour grapes.
What I am saying is, I want the MSM to reporting as fairly and accurately as possible, understand it is difficult for any of us to set aside our personal bias on topics such as a presidential election. But at least give it a real try. Many of the AP articles look like Obama press releases.
It is actually quite sad that our MSM has strayed so far away from their role… I’m not talking about the editorial or advocate columns, but the “news” wing is supposed to tell the facts without the spin and that just ain’t happening.
Sour grapes? No… too many bad apples in that bunch though.
Rezko is singing ‘Aida’ to the Feds from MCC on Van Buren Street.
Kid Hope is soiling his Union Suit in worry over the notes being floated in that opera.
However, Obama’s attempt at humor -’McCain Never once mentioned the middle class’ is a can of worms that will gnaw like Herod’s Tripes from now until Columbus Day.
Never call the tune unless you intend to pay the piper – because the Piper is one bad ass!
http://hickeysite.blogspot.com/2008/09/mccainpalin-obamas-dreams-of-class.html
Thanks for the welcome Thinkingboutstuff. I am a 67 yo disabled Navy cryptologist, service from 1958-1967..and with 9 years experience gathering intelligence on the Socialists, I know one when I see one and Obama is a Socialist.
Dear Lila Snow,
Your deceitful messiah is the one who has represented himself as someone he is not! Some other kind of politician? Hardly… he has lied and cheated his way to all his positions. He first got elected in Illinois by having ALL the other candidates thrown off the ballot! He has dirty, sleazy connections both in his campaign and his personal life. The only change he has shown is empty words and flip-flopping on everything he said in the primaries. So, he is the big liar! He is a dirty politician!!! But has the audacity to say he is not. He is all about himself. He wants the title of President, but doesn’t realize you cannot vote “present” in that role…you actually have to make decisions.
So, don’t talk about misrepresentation and needing to get to know someone! The media just believes all the BS in Obambis books and refuses to investigate anything. Sarah Palin’s past has been looked over more in the past weeks than Obama’s has since he’s been running!!!
Got NOPE? NOBAMA! Love of Country vs Love of Self!! Wake up media and do your job!
Marion.. welcome does not even come close… thank you for your service to our country. And thank you for honoring me by visiting.
Don’t hold back CW.. say what you really feel
Just kidding.. welcome your passion and appreciate everyone who has been keeping it clean and civil.
Thinkingbout stuff….look into Obama’s Mentor (Obama wrote in his book, theat he sat a Frank’s feet for hours listening to his poetry and stories) He was talking about Frank Marshal Davis a known Communist under investigation . ( I read the file on the Davis investigatin in 1963) Davis fled to Hawaii and was Obama’s mentor form the time Obama was 12 yrs old till Obama left hawaii
So many scandals, so little time
I am convinced that Obamabots have a collective IQ of about 70…