MyDD :: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin

Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin

by Artificial Intelligence, Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:44:22 PM EST

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is not the only politician to have received campaign finance money from Antoin "Tony" Rezko.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), and Dick Durbin (R-Ill.), who have all endorsed Sen. Obama, also received campaign contributions directly from Obama's political patron "Tony" Rezko.

1996
Sen. Dick Durbin - $1,250

1998
Sen. John F. Kerry - $1,000

1999
Barack Obama - $1,000

2002
Barack Obama - $500

2003
Barack Obama - $10,500

2004
Sen. John F. Kerry - $2,000 for presidential primary
Sen. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. - $2,000

And, yes, there are more recipients, including George W. Bush, but then he's not running for office right now and it's too soon for a presidential pardon.

h/t

Tags: campaign contributions, Barack Obama, John Kerry, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Tony Rezko (all tags)

Permalink :: 26 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, (none / 0)

2003
Barack Obama - $10,500

Serious money.

by TomP on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:45:46 PM EST

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, (none / 0)

And if my memory serves, it was Sen. Obama who mentioned recently that lobbyists, for instance, expect something for something. What did Rezko expect for those bucks?

by Artificial Intelligence on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:47:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmm... (none / 0)

Who's that fella' in the middle?

by Shaun Appleby on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:44:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Taylor Marsh is reporting that the photo was taken at a 1997 fundraiser for Sen. Carol Mosley Braun in Chicago. The Clintons were the guests of honor. Rezko and all the other contributors to Mosley-Braun at the event lined up for an official photo with the Pres and First Lady -- standard at any Presidential event.

The FEC lists Rezko as a $1000 contributor to Mosely-Braun in 1997.

I wonder if the Clintons will come up with a photo of Obama posing with them at the fundraiser that night?

by hwc on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 09:06:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Who knows. At this point the mere mention of the name Rezko seems enough to demolish the career of a loyal and significant Democrat. So be it, if this is the means by which you hope that Hillary defeats him you might be careful what you wish for as the same criteria could probably be used in the hands of any of her opponents, assuming she doesn't get a pre-emptive strike in first.

You are right about one thing though, the kind of electoral hard-ball Hillary plays is devastating and it is curious that any of us assumed that Obama stood a chance against her in the gladiatorial arena where politics is a blood sport. Enjoy the thrill, at the rate this is going Obama will be soon destroyed and we will be left with the meanest contestant as our champion, but that's what you always wanted, wasn't it? Then it's on to nuking the sh*t out of the Republicans and greasing the treads of our tanks with their guts, eh? Then we, hopefully, will destroy each and every one of them as our bitter enemies and rule with an iron hand, Hillary as our exemplar. And let's be sure to eviscerate Dean along the way, the disloyal bastard. We've been waiting for that for a long time, haven't we?

So proud to be a Democrat, let me tell you. Thanks for the year-long education that idealism and virtue is no match for 'take-no-prisoners' ruthlessness and our contemporary political reality.

by Shaun Appleby on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 09:31:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Do any of you guys have any clue what actual dirty politics looks like?

I'm asking this seriously, because if bringing up the name of a guy who's been linked to Obama in like 100 stories in the Chicago press is enough to inspire that kind of speech, I can't even imagine what you'd do if someone landed an actual low blow.

I'm going to make this very simple. The GOP has been sending out press releases following every development in Rezko's criminal case for several months now. If Obama were to win the nomination, you better believe they'd make more of the issue than simply dropping the name at a debate. So if this Rezko stuff is really enough to sink him, which I doubt, then you can either accept you had a fatally flawed candidate who had no chance in the general election, or you can hang his picture in the Hall of Martyrs next to Bill Bradley and Paul Tsongas and start looking for the next actor to cast in that role.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 12:05:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Actually Gary Hart is the example that springs to mind in the context in which you are speaking. Seriously, we have been awash in 'dirty politics' for quite some time. The double-dealing of the Republicans in the Iran hostage drama which totally sank Carter at his moorings would be the most stunning example, but there may be others of which we are not even aware. That was not only effective but treasonous. Now that's dirty politics.

But for someone of my years 'dirty politics' looks like Senator Robert F Kennedy laying dying in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in LA after winning the California primary in 1968. 'Nuff said?

by Shaun Appleby on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 12:56:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

This primary has not even been as ugly and negative as 2004, and yet all I hear is moaning and wailing about how the party is supposedly being torn apart.

If you've been around this game long enough to remember RFK, I really feel you have no excuse for hyperventilating over anything that has occurred this year. This is nothing.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 01:16:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Well, yes and no. Things change. Applying historical standards is a pretty standard 'reactionary' response, and I mean no affront with that remark. We are all 'reactionaries' in one way or another. World literacy is improving dramatically, I have more information at my fingertips than ever before, our standards of intellectual integrity seem to be on an upswing, allowing for the bobbing and weaving of trends.

The history of 'revolutions' records many lifetimes, decades, years of struggle before the defining moments. Students of revolution, 'agents of change' understand this. Obama's candidacy is built on Dean's and so forth. Obama is screwed, so it seems. But wait... Not so fast. He has already changed the context of US politics, albeit slightly. The forces of reaction have won, for now.

Hyperventilating? Not so much. We are still here and we have tasted what this could be like. The community of Obama supporters is the community which I want to be part of, not just during this campaign, but the next one too. No-one is going to shoo me out of the party because I don't want to 'feed the Republicans their teeth.' I can see what a coalition of post-partisan citizens looks like, and it arises in the Democratic party, where else? When France fell the partisans arose. Hillary may have destroyed Obama this time around but it won't always be this way. We aren't going anywhere, we're already here. And some of us may stay in touch with the enemy, always looking for an opportunity, finding the chinks in their armour, sniping, acquiring intelligence and getting organised, disrupting their lines of communications. Tell me it hasn't always been this way.

by Shaun Appleby on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 01:53:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Well, maybe somewhere down the road you'll have an opportunity to convince me that it was about the movement and not the man.

Cynic that I am, I see nothing other than a replay of Bill Bradley, another saint who was far, far too good to survive the Clinton/Gore reign of terror.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 04:14:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

Time will tell. I am not a prophet or a pundit but believe that people rise to the rhythms of history rather than the contrary. We'll see. As I have indicated, I accept that Obama's candidacy, barring some miracle, has reached it's dénouement but from a personal perspective, and I believe this is shared among a proportion of his supporters, the belief that such a candidacy, and presidency, is possible has a longer half-life. And it ain't about Obama, any more than any other long term struggle is about any one individual. And I, for one, have been inspired by the idea, which preceded his candidacy and will endure after it has ended, that we can expect decent, inclusive, aspirational leadership is worth working towards. Think about it, there are hundreds of thousands of young people who have tasted, even for a moment, this notion. It's quite patriotic and in alignment with a long tradition of American political history. Sometimes that is all it takes to get things moving, sooner or later. There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come, and for America's sake it cannot be too soon.

by Shaun Appleby on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 04:29:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hmm... (none / 0)

It may come as a shock to you that there are millions of Americans who see each of our candidates as decent, inclusive, and aspirational. Yes, even Hillary the gutter street thug.

John F. Kennedy was a massively inspirational figure. What were his tactics like?

Your notion that everyone who supports Hillary is motivated solely by partisan bloodlust is blown way out of proportion.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 02:44:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, (2.00 / 2)

Serious money? $850,000 is serious money.

Disgraced fund-raiser Norman Hsu did a lot more than just pump $850,000 into Hillary Clinton's campaign bank account: He also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local, state, and federal candidates who have endorsed Clinton or whose support she courted.

A major fund-raiser for Democrats since 2003, Hsu became one of Clinton's biggest bundlers - gathering scores of individual checks and sending them to her campaign. But since revelations last month that Hsu was a fugitive in a 15-year-old California fraud case, Clinton has said she would return the $850,000 she has taken from him and his associates.

by Piuma on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:22:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, (none / 0)

Guess you missed the point ... direct dollars. Just wait for the Rezko trial and then we'll talk about the kind of influence money buys.

by Artificial Intelligence on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:40:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Tip jar. (2.00 / 2)

Just be kind. I report, you read, no abuse please.

by Artificial Intelligence on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:45:48 PM EST

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (none / 0)

To be fair this guy was a political influence chaser so he shared the wealth fairly widely. That's not the issue here is it because fundraisers are getting caught out all the time. It's the nature of the relationship with Obama which was clearly on a different plane than that of most other common or garden fund raisers.

by ottovbvs on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:55:40 PM EST

how'd you forget Bush (none / 0)

rezko gave bush 2003 primary and general

McCain - a serial Opportunist, from marriage to policy positions

by TarHeel on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:56:56 PM EST

Re: how'd you forget Bush (none / 0)

didn't. Mentioned that he received money from Rezko. However, Bush didn't endorse Obama.

by Artificial Intelligence on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 04:59:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: how'd you forget Bush (none / 0)

Rezko also donated to bush in 1999.

by truthteller2007 on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 06:22:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: how'd you forget Bush (none / 0)

Hey, this is your golden moment, isn't it? You've been stealthily waiting for this for months and now your time has come. How come you aren't posting the lead diaries on this? You've been working this beat all along.

by Shaun Appleby on Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 04:34:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (none / 0)

Wow... I'm slow, but I think I'm beginning to see and connect the dots.

I reprint below a comment by a reader of Jake Tapper's Political Punch blog that I read yesterday.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/ 2008/01/rezko-a-rama.html

Lets face it, when in the history of a country a total unknown politician without credentials, real records, or even family history have raise to the top in less than 2 years? That sounds like a good movie plot or a nice story, right? This only can happen when big corporations, corrupt individuals, and opportunistic politicians -some of then sore losers like Dashle, Bradley, Kerry-, and powerful political machine knew they can come with a "fairy tale" and touch the heart of many people and that's wrong. They are playing with all of us including Obama they poured millions of dollars and they created this all of the sudden super-hero, hyped the wave and were ready to claim the prize way to quickly. This power struggle is more than the bickering between Hillary and Obama is the behind scenes real fight between the sore losers that never agreed with Bill Clinton and resented the fact his wife was running for the wife house.

Those are the same machines that crashed Governor Dean's campaign 4 years ago and are trying to crash Edwards campaign now. Those machines don't care about the future of the party, all they care is about their own entrenched interests; they don't care about who they put on the White House -just like the Republicans did with Bush- all they care is to elect a President they can manipulate and serve their interest. I became and Independent 3 years ago; but now I will vote for Edwards.

Posted by: Michael, Atlanta | Jan 24, 2008 12:23:13 PM

Hmmm... I'm slowly beginning to think that there may be some truth to that comment.

by Hurdy Gurdy on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:28:29 PM EST

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (none / 0)

Wife house? Someone's Freudian slip is showing.

by Shaun Appleby on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:35:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (1.50 / 2)

Also Gore.

I guess in America one is able to donate money to candidates they like.

Not sure what problem is. Heck if Hillary hadn't called him out and she ends up with the nomination I'm sure she'd have gotten some of his money too.

Lets face it: the only reason people bring up Rezko is cause they got nothing else on Obama. Its Rezko and a bunch of other lies.

Slash and burn politics baby! Say anything do anything lie cheat steal railroad the opposition into submission: CLINTON FORMULA FOR 2008.

Slash and burn politics baby! Say anything do anything lie cheat steal railroad the opposition into submission: CLINTON FORMULA FOR 2008.

by crackityjones on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:31:44 PM EST

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (1.00 / 1)

Hillary supporters have been posting garbage posts for weeks now. THere must be more than 100 diaries on Rezko alone.

You wan't to play that way? Homey can play that way too.

If you want blood you got it.

Slash and burn politics baby! Say anything do anything lie cheat steal railroad the opposition into submission: CLINTON FORMULA FOR 2008.

by crackityjones on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:33:43 PM EST

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (none / 0)

"Homey" ... "blood" ... I see you've met Obama's "Uncle Pookie".

by Artificial Intelligence on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 05:45:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Rezko dollars: Obama, Kerry, Jackson, Durbin (none / 0)

no man don't you know anything? if you want blood is a killer ac dc tune!!!!!!

Slash and burn politics baby! Say anything do anything lie cheat steal railroad the opposition into submission: CLINTON FORMULA FOR 2008.

by crackityjones on Mon Jan 28, 2008 at 01:31:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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