Hannity, Morris repeat refuted claims about the price of Obama's house
SUMMARY: On his radio show, Sean Hannity asked, "Did Obama know at the time that Rezko was saving him three hundred grand on the purchase of his home?" On Fox News, Dick Morris asserted: "Rezko paid market price for his property. He [Obama] didn't pay market price for his and they came from the same seller. Who is to say that that wasn't a switch?" But Hannity and Morris provided no support for the claim -- which has reportedly been refuted by the seller -- that Antoin Rezko's purchase of the adjacent property enabled Sen. Barack Obama to purchase his house at a discounted price.
On the June 5 edition of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show, Hannity asked, "Did [Sen. Barack] Obama know at the time that [former Obama contributor Antoin "Tony"] Rezko was saving him 300 grand on the purchase of his home?" Additionally, on the June 5 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor Dick Morris asserted: "Rezko paid market price for his property. He [Obama] didn't pay market price for his and they came from the same seller. Who's to say that that wasn't a switch?" But Hannity and Morris provided no support for the claim -- which has reportedly been refuted by the seller -- that Rezko's purchase of the adjacent property enabled Obama to purchase his house at a discounted price. Bloomberg News reported in a February 18 article, "The couple who sold Barack Obama his Chicago home said the Illinois senator's $1.65 million bid 'was the best offer' and they didn't cut their asking price because a campaign donor bought their adjacent land, according to e-mails between Obama's presidential campaign and the seller."
The Chicago Tribune first reported on the purchase of the adjacent properties by the Obamas and Rezko's wife on November 1, 2006. According to documents available on the Obama campaign website, the original price of the house was $1.95 million, and the Obamas paid $1.65 million. On November 5, 2006, the Chicago Sun-Times published a Q&A in which the paper asked Obama: "Why is it that you were able to buy your parcel for $300,000 less than the asking price, and Rita Rezko paid full price? Who negotiated this end of the deal? Did whoever negotiated it have any contact with Rita and Tony Rezko or their Realtor or lawyer?" In a written response, Obama stated:
Our agent negotiated only with the seller's agent. As we understood it, the house had been listed for some time, for months, and our offer was one of two and, as we understood it, it was the best offer. The original listed price was too high for the market at the time, and we understood that the sellers, who were anxious to move, were prepared to sell the house for what they paid for it, which is what they did.
Also during his radio show, Hannity asserted that Obama purchased a portion of the parcel of land adjacent to the house from Rezko for "a cheap price," claiming Obama "really wanted that extra stretch of property, and he got it because the Rezkos parceled it off and sold it to him at a cheap price." However, according to documents posted on the Obama campaign website, Obama paid $104,166 for the piece of property -- well above its appraised value of $40,500.
As Media Matters for America has noted, the "extra stretch of property" -- which is adjacent to Obama's house -- was purchased by Rezko's wife in June 2005 for $625,000, and the Obamas subsequently purchased one-sixth of the property. Obama told the Chicago Tribune in a March 14 interview how the price for the parcel of land was determined: "[T]he appraisal did note that the other parcel, Rezko's remaining parcel, would be fully developable if he sold this to me. And so rather than pay the appraised price, I paid one-sixth of the cost of his property. He agreed to sell that 10-foot strip."
From the June 5 edition of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show:
HANNITY: There's a lot of questions that remain here, and the RNC's [Republican National Committee] trying to get some answer to this. You would think the mainstream, left-wing, MoveOn media would ask, you know, "Did Obama or his office do favors for Tony Rezko?" Senator Obama's ties to, you know, now, Tony Rezko, you know, what favors happened? Rezko had recommended a business associate's son for one of the coveted summer internships in Obama's Senate office, and he made a pitch. Well, what happened? As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens.
Did Obama know at the time that Rezko was saving him 300 grand on the purchase of his home? Did he know that he'd get that extra strip of land, considering they bought it on the same day? Did Obama or could have Obama afforded his home without Rezko's help? Obama originally said he couldn't afford to purchase that parcel of land that Rezko's wife purchased and that the house itself was already a stretch. But yet he really wanted that extra property, and he got it because the Rezkos parceled it off and sold it to him at a cheap price. Obama later said, well, he didn't need help purchasing both or either of the tracts of land involved in the purchase of the home.
I mean, it's -- there's a whole lot to this that has not yet been examined or -- you know, it's just like the Clintons and Whitewater. You know, it's just hard to get to the bottom of this because the media is never going to ask the questions that need to be asked here. But Rezko -- again, their relationship goes back to when he first offered him a job after law school. We know that. We know that Obama and Rezko socialized often with their families. We know that Obama went to their lake house in Wisconsin. We know that Obama has said, "Oh, yeah, we'd have plenty of lunches and breakfast together. We'd talk about politics, we'd talk about family." "Yeah, I've known Rezko for 20 years" -- that's another quote of Obama.
From the June 5 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Now, I want to move on to the issue of the conviction of Tony Rezko, 16 of 24 counts. Father [Michael] Pfleger, he had a 20-year relationship -- a guy who embraces Farrakhan.
MORRIS: Yeah.
HANNITY: Reverend [Jeremiah] Wright, a 20-year relationship.
MORRIS: Yeah.
HANNITY: William Ayers -- this goes back 20 years.
MORRIS: Yeah.
HANNITY: The Rezko relationship goes back 20 years, and they have this --
MORRIS: Yeah.
HANNITY: -- property scheme of theirs together. Is this painting a new picture, a new narrative, or do people just -- is it sort of -- there's one controversy too many, they don't pay attention?
MORRIS: No, no. I think that you and others have done a very good job of projecting the Jeremiah Wright issue and the Ayers and all of that. But that's only half the negatives on Obama. The other half is that he comes from a cesspool. There is nothing dirtier than Chicago politics. The last two governors of Illinois are either in jail or on their way to jail.
HANNITY: Yeah.
MORRIS: And the -- there is nothing filthier than Chicago politics. And he came up in Chicago politics with this guy Rezko. And then they did this real estate deal. And, hey, a losing real estate deal on Whitewater haunted the Clintons for 20 years. This is one where he may have made money.
KIRSTEN POWERS (Fox News political analyst): Dick --
HANNITY: A lot of money.
POWERS: Dick --
HANNITY: And he got a good benefit, yeah.
MORRIS: And it's not clear -- Rezko paid market price for his property. He didn't pay market price for his, and they came from the same seller. Who's to say that that wasn't a switch?
HANNITY: Yeah.
Thank you for admitting that Hannity and Morris are lying, Columbus. The average American should be able to figure out that Obama did nothing wrong, correct? If so, present them with the facts and let them decide.
I appreciate your candor regarding Hannity and Morris.
Ayers and the priest are loose associations at best. McCain's co-chair in Florida was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, but apparently, that's not news anymore. A priest who mocks Hillary seems to be bigger trouble eh? No worries about the lobbyists who were on McCain's staff who lobbied for Burma? Why aren't we hearing about Rick Renzi and his 35-count indictment?
Got any people involved in Obama's campaign with similar rap sheets?
Bottom line for this information is Hannity and Morris are lying!
You can't expect the media to be the peoples window of judgement. IMO, partisan politics, and information spinning on both ends of the actual politicans, is worse than media misinformation.
If anyone can honestly say they watch television, or read an article, or even listen to a politician whether it be Pelosi or Gingrich and believe all the jibber-jabber that spew out of their mouths...then that person deserves to be misinformed.
There is nothing more important than a person who believes in self serving judgement.
I am concerned with associations. That tells alot about a persons character and judgement qualities - regardless which way the media spins it.
I'll bet you have a friend or two who has or has had a substance abuse problem. I bet you have a friend who has stolen something before. I bet you have a friend who has abused their partner verbally or physically. I bet you have done something immoral at least once in your life. I bet you have voted for a person who has done all of the above.
What does this say about you? What types of associations do you have in your life? You need to get some new associates sir. Your present associations might make you look bad.
I am somewhat surprised that for someone who "calls 'em as I see 'em" would make such a blanket statement like 'Obama surrounds himself" with the people you mention.
So Please explain how he "surrounded" himself with them? You know links to pictures and articles where they are part of his (for lack of a better word right now) "posse"?
Because simply SAYING it is so, doesn't make it so.@columbus1492: You are begging the question by believing the right wingnut propaganda. You state "Obama surrounding himself with people like Wright, Pflegler, Rezko, Ayers, etc is damaging him, but we all have to pay the price for the people we surround ourselves with."
Sen. Obama is not "surrounding" himself with Pflegler or Ayers. Those relationships at best are tangenital. Just because Sheer Insannity says it twice a minute doessn't make it true. If that were the case we'd be winning in Iraq...
This is the "typical right-wing smear" in action.
No matter how often it's refuted, proven wrong, shown to be a lie, right-wingers still run with it.
Especially since right-wingers like Hannity and the Toe-Sucker have absolutely NOTHING on Obama, so in their desperation they cling to these already proven to be fake smears.
I think the story just proves Obama's hope theory.
He and Tony become neighbors by buying houses next door to each other on the same day. The properties that they are interested in have the same owner...one who Obama admitted was anxious to sell and move away.
Tony being the slick and experienced financier can negotiate nothing better than the asking price. While Obama, the young shiny faced neophyte is able to negotiate a price $300,000 less than the asking price...I'm beginning to get the hang of this hope thing.
Flush with success and having a great neighbor, Obama inquires about buying a portion of Tony's lot to expand his own holdings. The appraiser's valued it at $40,000 but being a good neighbor OBama pays Tony $104,000...uh oh...maybe there's something about this hope thing that I'm missing.
Now they need a fence and being the good neighbor, Tony, with his windfall profit on the land sale to Obama agrees to spend $14,000 to build the fence...ok...this hope thing is making sense again.
Finally, good neighbor Obama has his lawn service mow Tony's yard...saying he'll bill Tony but he just hasn't gotten around to it.
Horatio Alger has nothing on the Obama/Rezko good neighbor story...yep...you just have to have hope.
Rather than just hang your hat on hope, maybe you should just stick to dealing with facts. Here are some you convientenly decided to leave out, and others you have wrong.
He and Tony become neighbors by buying houses next door to each other on the same day. ---- Acutally, Senator Obama bought a house, Tony's wife purchased a plot of land that doesn't have a house on it. The purchased on the "same day" because that was a condition of sale by the owner that owned both parcels.
Tony being the slick and experienced financier can negotiate nothing better than the asking price. --- Again, it was Tony's wife that bought the plot of land. And that plot of land had other offers on it as well. I'm sure you understand basic economics of supply and demand, right? Since there were multiple offers on the plot of land, it's going to sell for closer to the asking price, maybe even over it.
While Obama, the young shiny faced neophyte is able to negotiate a price $300,000 less than the asking price --- Back to basic economics again, the house, didn't have any other offers on it and had been on the market for some time. If that's the case, and the seller is motivated, it's easy to get them to come down in price.
Also, listening to your bloviation, you'd think that what Senator Obama and what Tony bought were the same. In fact, it wasn't even close. Senator Obama bought a a house for $1.65M (asking price of nearly $2M) and Tony's wife only purchased a plot of land for $625,000.
@Wesley: Negotiating the price of a house on land is a different transaction that negotiating the price of raw land. It is a rule of thumb that a "home" value is roughtly 25% to 33% the value of the land and the balance (75% to 57%) the value of the structure.
Chances are the seller of the home and adjacent vacant parcel knew the best way to be sure to sell both would be to require they both close at the same time.
In a dynamic market, buyers are almost always ahead of sellers in terms of knowing the current value. Sheer Insannity's statement that Sen. Obama purchased the home "below market" is just silly for several obvious reasons. By the way - is this the first example you've seen recently of a home seller reducing the asking price?
the epitome of dead rhetoric. This will become hannity's mantra for the next... well. millenium. No matter the topic, Hannity will bring up wright, ayers rezko like it was a natural part of the discussion. whats the deal with that, when no one really cares anymore. So goes the head of Fox news goes hannity,,,, I hope!
whats the deal with that, when no one really cares anymore.
The facts are Obama hasn't been around the nationwide political spectrum that long, and people really dont know who he is. So are people just supposed to believe what he says, or dive into his personal life including his associations to find out who he really is?
Let me know if I understand this correctly....
Hannity has the derail Clinton thing and now derail Obama thing but when it is mentioned that Sen Mc Bush will just be four more years of Georges' lunacy, Sissy Sean gets his diapers in an uproar and claims that the Dems aren't playing fairly. Sissy Sean that is the first line of correct thinking you've had in many years. You can be sure that ALL Dems will shout from the mountain tops that McBush is Bush. Lying, who gives a DAMN? It is an election you little Sissy, grow up and try to be a man. Not a little spoiled toad behind a microphone who runs away from people like a scared like toddler. And to repeat myself, when Little Dick Morris puts his foot in his mouth, is it considered masturbation?
The Republicans can't seem to win an election on the merits. Once again the are trying to win by lies not on facts. The Obama house purchase is another one of thsoe oldies but goodies. Only an idiot would not be on to the Hannitys and Dick Morrises. Before you comment on issues it wouldn't hurt to google it.
Below you will find a link to the Chicago Tribune's 92 minute discussion with 3 DOZEN Tribune journalists in which Obama answered every ? that was presented to him. The Tribune Editorial Board concluded that " the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him." Too bad we can't say the same about Hannity and Morris.
You will also find a letter from the previous owners that state the conditions of the sale in a link on the same page as the article about the Chicago Tribune's about the Obama interview.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0316edit1mar16,0,2616801.story
Thanx for the info...But what we must all remember is that Mr. Morris has already designated Chicago as one of the most corrupt places in the world. And the Sissy Boy, agrees with him. Do you think Mr. Morris would strut his stuff in Chicago without a microphone in front of him. That would be a pay-per-view special....$49.95..Dick Morris and his Sissy Boy walk through Chicago with a big sign.."CHICAGO IS AS BAD AS IRAQ AND NORTH KOREA". The result would be that everybody moves up two spots on the Faux stupid meter.
I sort of like the Sissy Boy tag. Let us "STOP THE SISSY BOY EXPRESS".
Actually, Rezko's purchase of the vacant lot DID allow Obama to buy the house at a discounted price, because the seller wanted BOTH parcels sold. Obama could not have negotiated the house sale without Rezko's help.
For those of you who think Obama has been transparent, I assure you he has not. For more than a year the Chicago Tribune repeatedly asked Obama to explain the real estate deal. Initially Obama said he didn't remember how he met Rezko, didn't remember how they had come to purchase adjacent properties and close on the same day, etc ... but little by little, with pressure from the Tribune, he revealed more details. Turns out he and Rezko visited the property TOGETHER just prior to the purchase. And Rezko had been one of Obama's MAJOR political contributors for his state senate campaign. Reagan had a good excuse fo massive memory lapses, Obama does not. Smells like a cover up to me.
Just like the Wright debacle ... is Obama really expecting any of us to believe that in the TWENTY YEARS that he sat in the pews at the Trinity church he did not witness the kind of anti-white racist circuses that have occurred there recently ?
If Clinton had purchased property with Rezko, who was just CONVICTED of 16 counts of fraud btw, you know nobody would have suggested that it was a non-issue. Only because it's Obama does anyone make this claim. The golden boy, Mr. Hope-and-Change. (barf)
Fact: No one has yet been able to point to anything Wright has said that was racist, much less anti-white. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Therefore, there was no racism for Obama to ignore.
Wright isn't someone I admire, but I still hate to see blatant lies about him go unchallenged.
If Clinton had purchased property with Rezko, who was just CONVICTED of 16 counts of fraud btw, you know nobody would have suggested that it was a non-issue.
Atheist,
I tend to agree with you on this point. But until or IF someone digs up some sinister connection between Obama & Rezko [and trust me the Republicans will try] then it is simply another issue that diverts the media's attention from the more important problems this nation faces.
I personally don't want to see a President Obama dogged the way the way President Clinton was...with constant alleged scandals & investigations. It's a wonder Clinton was able to govern & accomplish anything.
Politicians tend to meet a variety of folks along the way. Some of these associations end up coming back to bite them. Fair or not, they are often judged by the company they keep. In this case, I'm going to give Obama the benefit of the doubt.
Yer logic(?) wears army boots. Your intelect and ability to comunicate share the same qualities.
You'd save a little time and effort if you just chanted 4 MORE YEARS a couple times. The effect would be marginally better also.
How much is Sean A. Hannity paying Dick Morris to be on his shows? I bet it's enough that Dick can retire after the elections. Sean A. Hannity has lost alot of his clout and people do not believe anything that comes out of his mouth anymore.
Hannity and Morris should take their show on the road as a comedy act. Is it just me or does insanity Hannity get more and more ridiculous as time goes by? And Morris has no credibilty at all.
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