More on Obama’s “Housing Problem”
[Guest post by DRJ]
NK, our resident Chicago expert on Obama, brought to my attention these January 2008 MSNBC and MyDD stories on why Barack Obama’s land deal with Tony Rezko may be a problem.
Here’s a link from MyDD along with a January 28, 2008, MSNBC video that makes the issues easier to understand if you are a visual person like me.
[NOTE: The video embed doesn’t work here so please click on the MyDD link to see the MSNBC video or use the link in NK’s comment 2 below.]
There’s related speculation at this MyDD link regarding potential real estate tax issues.
— DRJ
Doesn’t seem to work at MyDD either.
Kevin Murphy (0b2493) — 3/8/2008 @ 3:10 pmTry this.
nk (7b0075) — 3/8/2008 @ 3:25 pmThanks again, NK. Kevin, you may want to try the MyDD link again. It seems to be working now but it’s apparently a sporadic link.
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/8/2008 @ 3:52 pmThe money quote from the MyDD link:
I have to agree. The purchase may be entirely legal, but it does call Senator Obama’s judgement into question, and makes me wonder what other unusual “judgements” we yet don’t know about.
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 4:08 pmWow. Just saw nk’s link in the other thread: Rezko In Debt $50 Million; How Did He Afford Obama Lot?
Like I said: Wow.
Wonder if she got an adjustable-rate mortgage? đ
Thought I’d add it over here since this post is specifically about the Obama-Rezko property.
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 4:17 pmSince this is a breaking scandal: Rezkorama.
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 4:24 pmGood additions, Paul. Thanks.
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/8/2008 @ 4:28 pmNo problem, DRJ. Happy to help!
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 4:32 pmHow did Mrs. Rezko afford a $625,000 vacant (as in not “income producing”) lot on $37,500 annual salary and no other assets? Here’s how:, first the background on how it came to light:
So who’s Nadhmi Auchi? Well besides Rezko’s “partner,” he’s an Iraqi convicted felon, with ties to the Oil-for-Food scandal under Saddam Hussein…and he has a history of bribing public officials. Read the rest of the American thinker article linked and quoted above.
capitano (03e5ec) — 3/8/2008 @ 5:50 pmBoy, you aren’t kidding, capitano. Here’s the spicy parts from your link:
If half of this is true, the money quote from the MyDD link becomes even more important:
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 6:46 pmIf Obama’s great qualification is his judgment, we’re going to see a media-frenzy soon. They’re already starting to turn on him and between this, the info in that FARC computer down in South America, and the statements coming from his campaign staff (including his wife), it’s going to be too juicy for the media to resist.
Kind of like sharks who go after one of their own injured during a feeding-frenzy. Great time to be in the MSM I guess… they have a “target-rich environment”.
Stashiu3 (460dc1) — 3/8/2008 @ 7:02 pmThis is a tidbit that a more cynical man might suggest as a reason Senator Obama was so against going to war…
Scott Jacobs (d3a6ec) — 3/8/2008 @ 7:35 pmTo quote Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive: “Cosmo, this guy’s dirty.”
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 7:52 pmThese comments were the best and most interesting part of this post. Everyone made a good point in a clear and succinct manner with supporting links. The comments flowed from one point to the next, culminating in a powerful conclusion and a great Tommy Lee Jones’ quote.
Well done, guys.
DRJ (a431ca) — 3/8/2008 @ 8:34 pmWell done, guys.
Amazing how smoothly a thread flows when there’s no troll infestation!
Paul (d4926e) — 3/8/2008 @ 9:58 pmI don’t know if you previously linked to this site (called Right Wing Nuthouse) that puts the RE deal into perspective of the cess pool called Chicago politics, which as all of us know is as corrupt as any politburo or Sodom and Gomorrah reference. The post is called “The Chicago Way” and the writer, Moran, has a terrific news reporting bio. The deal looks bad but so did Whitewater, but like Whitewater, the deal is so twisted and convoluted that the public will shine it.
Howard (cc8b85) — 3/9/2008 @ 10:34 amHoward, Rick Moran’s been linked here numerous times, plus he’s commented here on occasion.
Paul (d4926e) — 3/9/2008 @ 11:25 amI’ll quote this again:
to which I responded:
In that light, here’s Chicago Tribune story dug up by Little Green Footballs: The not-so-simple story of Barack Obama’s youth. Apparently he’s been embellishing his life stories.
Meanwhile, Howard’s Rick Moran link makes this whole Rezko story even juicier:
Moran writes and quotes all this after establishing how Obama got his first senate seat by elimination quoting the Chicago Tribune:
Love this part…
…in light of this part:
“Cosmo, this guy’s dirty.”
Paul (d4926e) — 3/9/2008 @ 12:00 pmPatterico, I have viewed the video, which I can’t access any longer, a number of times. It appears that the driveway to Obama’s home comes from the side street, on the left side of the video with the Obama home sitting on the right. The fence down the property line seems to end at the driveway. And there is another property fence at the back of the house that shows where the property line would be in the back.
Now, I would assume the driveway was built by the original owner who owned both pieces of property so it would not have violated any property codes. But once the property was split into two sections, as it was, there would have to be easements given to Obama or he would not have been able to access his home from the driveway. Granting an easement, in most cases, is a very simple procedure. Since the driveway would have been questionable by splitting the property at sale time, there still has to be some favors going on here.
It is not unusal for homes to sit on two lots. And in most cases, both lots are sold to the same buyer when the property changes hands. But Barack could not afford the reported $2.2 mil the owner was asking so Rezko stepped in and solved the problem. If he did give Obama an easement to the home, then that is considered a “favor” and simple title searches should reveal that information as all easements are given on propety titles.
I don’t understand Obama purchasing the 10 foot strip right down the center of the property except for the fact that from what I can see on the video, it would have put the property line right next to his home’s outside wall. If he wanted to purchase a ten foot strip, he could have purchased the land the driveway sat on, giving him legal access without an easement. Instead, he chose to purchase from front to back, not right to left in the back.
retire05 (0a371b) — 3/9/2008 @ 3:05 pmI managed to review the video again. There is clearly a fence around the entire property that has been there for a long time. There is a gap in the fence in the back on the portion that Obama purchased that allows the SUV to park horizonical to the house. The driveway can be seen clearly. It is the part that has no snow on it and appears as a dark strip behind the Rezko lot.
The two properties were clearly treated as one by the original owner. And yes, this was a sweetheart deal.
retire05 (0a371b) — 3/9/2008 @ 3:22 pm