May 31, 2008 07:03PM GMT
Question
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Politics - Other
"Did you know how Obama won his first race for office?"?
As a community organizer Obama, helped register thousands of voters.But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers.
In his first race for office, seeking a state Senate seat on Chicago's gritty South Side in 1996, Obama effectively used election rules to eliminate his Democratic competition.
As a community organizer, he had helped register thousands of voters. But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers.
Obama's past battles See how Barack Obama has used election rules to his advantage during his political career
The move denied each of them, including incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist, a place on the ballot. It cleared the way for Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.
"That was Chicago politics," said John Kass, a veteran Chicago Tribune columnist. "Knock out your opposition, challenge their petitions, destroy your enemy, right?
It is how Barack Obama destroyed his enemies back in 1996 that conflicts with his message today. He may have gotten his start registering thousands of voters. But in that first race, he made sure voters had just one choice."
Watch how Obama shut out challengers in his first race ยป
Obama's challenge was perfectly legal, said Jay Stewart of the Chicago's Better Government Association. Although records of the challenges are no longer on file for review with the election board, Stewart said Obama is not the only politician to resort to petition challenges to eliminate the competition.
"He came from Chicago politics," Stewart said. "Politics ain't beanbag, as they say in Chicago. You play with your elbows up, and you're pretty tough and ruthless when you have to be. Sen. Obama felt that's what was necessary at the time, that's what he did.
To read the whole story go to http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/29/obamas.first.campaign/...
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Answered Undecided
He may have played by the rules but I agree with his opponent for state Senate, Askia who said, he was dismayed Obama would use such tactics.
"It wasn't honorable," he said. "I wouldn't have done it."
He said the Obama team challenged every single one of his petitions on "technicalities."
If names were printed instead of signed in cursive writing they were declared invalid. If signatures were good but the person gathering the signatures wasn't properly registered, those petitions also were thrown out.
Askia came up 69 signatures short of the required number to be on the ballot.
Kass, the Chicago Tribune columnist, said the national media are naive when it comes to Chicago politics, which is a serious business.
He said they have bought into a narrative that Obama is strictly a reformer.
The truth, Kass says, is that Obama is a bare-knuckled politician. And using the rules to win his first office is part of who Obama is.
"It's not the tactics of 'let's all people come together and put your best ideas forward and the best ideas win,' " Kass said.
"That's the spin; that's in the Kool-Aid. You can have some. Any flavor. But the real deal was, get rid of Alice Palmer. And all competition by any means.
Not a person I want for my President.
Answered Yes
He was a deceptive and manipulative politician during his first race and hasn't changed except now he wears sheeps clothing to hide the wolf from the mindless sheeple following him.