Let's Really Look at Those Connections

I’ve seen the last couple days a lot of attention focused on Obama’s ties to Tony Rezko. Hillary even brought it up at the last Dem debate trying her hardest to link Obama to some sort of scandal. Yesterday the Chicago Sun-Times ran a list of 8 things people need to know about Obama and Rezko and the day before that the Chicago Tribune ran an article trying to clear the air also about the connection.

Then today I see Matt Yglesias linking to an Illinois blogger running down the articles about Obama and Rezko. So I’m sure this is going to keep spreading and spreading. Not that this is the first time Obama and Rezko have been mentioned together, but I’m sure Hillary accomplished her goal of fanning the flames of a scandal that really leads nowhere. All that is fine, one can’t blame Hillary for slinging mud when she’s covered in it herself. Money talks and bullshit walks, as the saying goes.

What I will highlight though, because from everything I’ve read I’m not seeing this getting mentioned, is that Rezko is a politician’s money maker. Meaning he raised and supported pretty much whoever was in office. During the 90s, Rezko raised money for Illinois’ Republican governor Jim Edgar. And again for the disgraced Republican governor George Ryan, who now sits in federal prison. In 2002 Illinois ushered in an unprecedented Democratic era and Rezko, just like any businessman does, raised money for the new power players.

As Illinois was turning bluer and bluer in 2002, the nation seemed to be going the opposite direction with the Republicans picking up seats in the mid-term elections, solidifying George Bush’s total control of government. So in 2003, Rezko raised millions for George Bush and remained heavily involved in Illinois lobbying for Republicans. And as Illinois’ newly favorite son gained momentum while running for the US Senate in 2004, Rezko wasn’t about to let old pal Obama go without some quick cash.

This is far from the Democratic version of Jack Abramoff, which is what the right wing and probably Hillary want people to believe. Unlike Abramoff, Rezko worked both sides. Raised millions for George Bush in ’03, supported both Republican and Democratic governors in Illinois and was on a Republican lobby list for years as a subcontractor. Surely Republicans don’t want to dig through this old laundry. Hillary, maybe. But not anyone hoping to take some attention away from the past 7 years of GOP scandals.

*Update:

People in glass houses shouldn't...well you know how it goes.



Actually, Hillary's follow up on her Fact Hub blog does make sense about Obama's connections to Rezko. There's no doubt the two in the very least had a semi-professional relationship. But so did everyone in Illinois, including George Bush when he visited the state.