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the Chicago area, I can say at one time payola was a staple of local politics. Haven't lived there for decades, so I don't know the current situation.
But I'd bet Obama has come across this election tactic before Philly.
I'm glad to see his willingness to depart from this deplorable practice. It's not what most of us have in mind when we support grass roots politics.
by Heart of the Rockies on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 09:58:18 AM PDT
Chicago has moved from Street Payola to "Pay-To-Play" politics.
Grease the palms if you want to play the game...
by IndianaDemocrat on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 09:59:58 AM PDT
[ Parent ]
As the entire state. Our Illinois state govt. is very, very corrupt. Our last governor is in prison and our current governor is worse (and well on his way to prison).
Obama is REMARKABLY clean for someone who came through our state govt
by Capt Morgan on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:10:56 AM PDT
Ford Jr.
Jesus ain't comin', go ahead and put the Nukes back now.
by RisingTide on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:18:41 AM PDT
Harold Ford, Jr. expecially with his family and all.
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. Ansel Adams -6.5 -6.75
by Statusquomustgo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:01:59 AM PDT
not that you'd have heard it.
It went something along the lines of "his family's crooked as they come, but he's pretty straight"
by RisingTide on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:05:03 AM PDT
that about him... just knew of his family history.
by Statusquomustgo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:10:56 AM PDT
who worked on his campaign (said they spent a lot of time distracting his family members, so they didn't go and talk to the press corps)
by RisingTide on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:13:51 AM PDT
by Statusquomustgo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:17:42 AM PDT
also has a gift for jeremiad... ;-)
by RisingTide on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:19:06 AM PDT
jeremiad
by Statusquomustgo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:25:02 AM PDT
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
his call for peace after 9-11 was... strong.
by RisingTide on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:33:43 AM PDT
by Statusquomustgo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:42:24 AM PDT
I get that your governor isn't all that popular, but on his way to prison?? What's going on there?
How to debunk the Right's lies on global warming
by BruinKid on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:43:51 AM PDT
standard-issue illinois corruption.
surf putah, your friendly neighborhood central valley samizdat
by wu ming on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:56:16 AM PDT
. . . on the Chicago Sun-Times last week was:
"The Big Guy Knew"
"Despite Gov. Blagojevich's repeated denials that he knew anything about alleged pay-to-play schemes, "the big guy" was told about one plan to squeeze campaign contributions from a firm seeking state business. . ."
"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." -William Morris
by Robespierrette on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:06:38 AM PDT
It's the retirement plan for Illinois politicians.
OEF/OIF vet I've been called a left-wing extremist because I absolutely oppose torture. I can live with that.
by jabbausaf on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:49:22 AM PDT
How's it goin'! Haven't heard from you in a while. Hope everything's good with you. :-)
by BruinKid on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 12:10:08 PM PDT
been keeping busy.
by jabbausaf on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 12:20:15 PM PDT
...isn't always that sinister. Legitimate uses can include buying lunches for your workers in the precincts, gas money for driving voters to the polling place, and things like that. It becomes a problem when the amount of money being requested is clearly more than these incedential costs and is simply a straight cash payout.
by Randall Sherman on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:08:42 AM PDT
This is how "overzealous" street people get "encouraged" to bring out the dead vote.
Box lunches given out at the polls, etc,etc...
And if that particular street-level person wants a "Future" in the Party, he had damn well better deliver.
This is TAMMANY HALL stuff, and it's time has LONG past.
by IndianaDemocrat on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:15:19 AM PDT
How does one distinguish the old machine patronage system from ligitimate expenses? Just say no.
by pamelabrown on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:52:25 AM PDT
by pamelabrown on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:54:35 AM PDT
That way you pay for legitimate expenses.
"...hope can find its way back to the darkest of corners" -- Barack Obama, May 6, 2008
by SnowItch on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:50:34 AM PDT
A lot of the people who count on this money can't afford to pay for it out of their own pocket and then get reimbursed. It only works if you have the money for it in the first place.
There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not? -Robert F. Kennedy
by JSCram3254 on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 03:15:30 PM PDT
They could be given a amount of money and have to show receipts or return the money.
The key thing would be getting the money directly to the people as opposed to the various "leaders" who now distribute it to their favorites, etc.
by SnowItch on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 04:58:56 PM PDT
So instead of paying those guys Obama is going to spend the money on TV ads, forking it over to TV networks who are like arms dealers selling stuff to both sides, but at the end of the day are almost all Republican-controlled. Or get out-of-state volunteers who will come across like scab labor.
I understand the objection to paying canvassers in some places while relying on volunteers in other places but really, it's just a tactical decision, no longer a matter of high principle as soon as there's anybody on the campaign getting paid one cent. One could say it's not all that fair to people who volunteered to canvass. I can't speak for all of them but I've done some volunteer canvassing in the past basically because I could afford to. If folks who can't afford to do it for free collect a few bucks for the work, I'm personally ok with that. There may be another thing going on where a lot of the $$ is going into Cadillacs for the ward bosses, but that's a different matter.
Hawkish on impeachment.
by clyde on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:28:44 AM PDT
Is that it's not about the campaign hiring people to do GOTV. It's about the campaign contracting a corrupt, unaccountable machine to do GOTV for it.
by jlkenney on Sat Apr 12, 2008 at 05:52:35 AM PDT
It's who controls how the money is spent! This is exactly how we wound up with a giant cash sucking machine in Iraq with no accountability. I am confident he'll be sure that folks are taken care of but there's no reason for him to go through the Dem machine if he can control the results of how the money is spent within his own campaign organization. This is brilliant. I can't wait for his inauguration.
Size 7 1/4 Aluminum Picture Hat
by fishhawk on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:38:24 AM PDT
The Harrisburg HQ had plenty of food when I was there a few weeks ago.
by The Bagof Health and Politics on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:58:14 AM PDT
and SC street money.
The definition of insanity is voting the same way and expecting a different result. I'm talking to you FL,OH, KY, WV!
by Shhs on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:10:06 AM PDT
Verry interesting. I had no idea how widespread this practice is. Good on Obama for refusing to take part and bringing it to light.
A word after a word after a word is power. -- Margaret Atwood
by tmo on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:14:06 AM PDT
Even thought I had informed Ben Smith about it and posted this video. Not like Ben Smith is bias or anything : P
by Shhs on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 10:19:52 AM PDT
And it's not limited to statements by Black people -- they think he should take responsibility for statements by Senators who support him -- e.g., Jay Rockefeller. God, those senators don't even take responsibility for their own statements!
If, in our efforts to win, we become as dishonest as our opponents on the right, we don't deserve to triumph.
by Tamar on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:25:17 AM PDT
He's a worthless hack.
by The Bagof Health and Politics on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:59:17 AM PDT
diarist should add this video into his extended entry above.
by neonplaq on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:18:36 AM PDT
This is an old story in the sense that Obama refused the same "walking around money" in South Carolina. I'm sure all you linkalicious folks can support my post. (Sorry for my poor computer skills.)
by pamelabrown on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 11:35:01 AM PDT
wide narrow
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