Media repeat Limbaugh's baseless charge that claimed Obama got "sweetheart deals" from Rezko without noting rebuttal
SUMMARY: Politico's Ben Smith and Time's Mark Halperin uncritically reported Rush Limbaugh's baseless assertion that Sen. Barack Obama "got all kinds of sweetheart deals with [convicted Chicago businessman Antoin] Rezko" and that "[Sen. John McCain] and his wife did not get a sweetheart deal from a fraud embezzler like Tony Rezko to buy their houses." Smith and Halperin did not note that the sellers of the house Obama bought reportedly said they did not cut their asking price because Rezko bought the adjacent lot, even though they had each previously reported it.
On August 21 Politico senior writer Ben Smith and Time magazine senior political analyst Mark Halperin uncritically reported Rush Limbaugh's baseless assertion that Sen. Barack Obama "got all kinds of sweetheart deals with [convicted Chicago businessman Antoin] Rezko." On the August 21 edition of his radio show, Limbaugh said: "[H]e [Sen. John McCain] and his wife did not get a sweetheart deal from a fraud embezzler like Tony Rezko to buy their houses. But the Messiah did. The Messiah got all kinds of sweetheart deals with Rezko, and who knows who else." In fact, contrary to Limbaugh's claim that the Obamas got a "sweetheart deal" when buying their house, the sellers of the house reportedly said they did not cut their asking price because Rezko bought the adjacent lot.
As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, contrary to Limbaugh's claim that Obama got "a sweetheart deal" from Rezko on his house, according to Bloomberg News: "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."
Smith and Halperin have both previously noted that report. In a February 18 entry on his blog, Smith linked to the Bloomberg article, writing: "The previous owners of Obama's house say there was no Rezko discount, and generally (via his campaign) exonerate him; though Rezko did tour the place with Obama." Similarly, Halperin also linked to the Bloomberg article in a February 19 Page entry titled "Chicago Seller: Obama Bought Home Without Rezko Discount," writing that the "[c]ouple who sold Obama his Illinois home said his $1.65 million bid 'was the best offer.' "
The Obamas subsequently bought a portion of Rezko's lot, but there is no evidence that they received a "sweetheart deal" on that purchase. According to documents posted on the Obama campaign website, Obama paid Rezko $104,166 for the piece of property in question -- above its appraised value of $40,500, as Media Matters has repeatedly noted. 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 Smith's August 21 blog entry:
The RNC just blasted out a memo to that effect, and Rush Limbaugh is running with it:
This business about McCain not knowing how many houses he has. Folks, it turns out that Obama already knows. Obama's got an ad: He's got seven houses. They're worth $13 million. That wouldn't even pay for one of John Kerry's houses.
And the second thing I have to point out to you is that I don't care how many houses McCain has, he and his wife did not get a sweetheart deal from a fraud embezzler like Tony Rezko to buy their houses. But the Messiah did. The Messiah got all kind of sweetheart deals with Rezko, and who knows who else.
(Not sure the "$13 million ain't so much" bit is going to resonate, but expect to hear a lot more of the latter half.)
From Halperin's August 21 entry at The Page:
-Limbaugh: Takes out the brass knuckles on Thursday's show. Listen here.
McCain "and his wife did not get a sweetheart deal from a fraud embezzler like Tony Rezko to buy their houses. But the Messiah did."
The Messiah got all kind of sweetheart deals with Rezko, and who knows who else.
We all know that no wrongdoing on Obama's part has ever been shown with respect to the purchase of this house. Rezco was convictrd for something unrelated. So the facts don't support Limbaugh. However, what's more bothersome is Limbaugh's innuendo that Obama received sweetheart deals from people other than Rezco. Where's the evidence, Oxy-Rush? By the same token one could ask what sweetheart deals the former POW has recived along with the drug-addled, thieving wife of the former POW, Cindy McCain. Maybe we need to take another look at the Keating Five matter...
The former POW and his bride live by different standards than normal Americans do...
You know what I love about a Limbaugh thread? The sudden arrival of many new friends who have strings of numbers for last names and IQs in the sub-average range.
Come lemmings, evil MMfA has insulted your god once again!
o The only complaint I have about this piece is the redundant phrase "baseless charge".- IRONY 101
I have another complaint, although it's from Halperin, and not MMFA;From Halperin's August 21 entry at The Page:-Limbaugh: Takes out the brass knuckles on Thursday's show
It's the media's continued use of phrases like "brass knuckles' and "bullys" and describing wingnut attacks as "tough". They're pussies, across the board, avoiding any confrontation, relying on lies and their little cocoons of propaganda. Sorry, it's just one of the things that bugs me, when some GOP mouthpiece sits in his studio and spews lies and distortions, and is painted as a "tough guy". Cowards, weasels and worms. And a few maggots. I blame some liberals, as much as the media, when they use terms like "unfair" and "vicious". They'r epussies who can't stand up to any opposition, and they love nothing more than being depicted as "dangerous" or "scary".
They're marshmallows.
huh?
I have the numbers 1172 assigned to my user name. Not my choice, MM did it.
I am not sure about 'low IQ' but I am as anti-limbaugh as they come.
Has Limbaugh received sweetheart deals from questionable individuals?
... juuuuust checking
what a scumbag!
I agree.
Jealous? Some more typical class warfare envy?(Ignorance123)
Wait, people are jealous of class warfare? They want the class warfare that others have? That seems sort of stupid.You're getting your reflexive talking points mixed up, try to focus.
As for that claim about Rezko helping Obama buy his house, well, we've dealt with that one before. The gist of the story: In 2005, Barack and Michelle Obama found a house that they wanted to purchase. The property had been divided into two parcels, one containing a house and the other undeveloped land. The owner had listed the properties separately. After considerable haggling, the seller accepted the Obamas' third bid of $1.65 million for the parcel containing the house. Tony Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining lot for $625,000.
When the Obamas wanted to increase the size of their yard, they approached the Rezkos about purchasing a strip of the adjacent parcel. Obama told the Sun-Times that a 10-foot strip of the 60-foot lot appraised for $40,000. The Obamas nevertheless paid Rita $104,500 (or 1/6 of the total purchase price of her lot) for the strip. In 2007, Rita sold the remaining lot for $575,000 (or roughly a $54,500 profit on the overall property).
McCain's ad, however, is worded in a way that could leave a false impression. It says Rezko "helped him buy his million-dollar mansion" by "purchasing part of the property he couldn't afford." That's true, but only because the seller wanted to sell the two parcels as a unit and the Obamas couldn't afford both. Rezko did not make a gift of any property to the Obamas. Furthermore, the fact that his wife sold her lot for more than she paid for it contradicts any suggestion that the Rezkos overpaid for their part of the deal as a way of getting the seller to lower the price to the Obamas for their part.
Source: FactCheck.org - Rezko Reality
Factcheck.org's misson statement: We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
The MSM could really learn a thing or two from a non-profit organization...
Do you agree it would have been more sensible to make your case in your own words first and then cut and paste the evidence?
I read your post and could not make out what you wanted to say, except your opinion at he bottom "The MSM could really learn a thing or two from a non-profit organization".
Thanks.
After considerable haggling, the seller accepted the Obamas' third bid of $1.65 million for the parcel containing the house. Tony Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining lot for $625,000.
Question: WHY? Why would Rita Rezko buy the adjacent lot on the same day and at the same time as Obama bought the lot with the mansion? Coincidence?
Answer: Because without Rita Rezko purchasing the adjacent lot, the Obama’s could not purchase the mansion they wanted because they could not afford both parcels and the sellers were unwilling to sell them separately. In other words…the Rezkos’ enabled the entire deal… no Rezko help, no Obama mansion.
In 2007, Rita sold the remaining lot for $575,000 (or roughly a $54,500 profit on the overall property).
Question: Who did the Rezkos’ sell the remaining lot to?
Answer: Michael Sreenan, who just happens to be one of Rezko’s attorneys (wink, wink). That makes the deal much less than an arms length transaction and begs the question again…why? From an investment standpoint, the meager return on investment ($54,000) on a $625,000 investment (8.64%) is not the type of return an investor is typically looking for in a deal like this. Rezko may do a lot of things but making stupid investments doesn’t seem to fit his MO. Perhaps if you take the $54k and add some Chicago style political influence….???
McCain's ad, however, is worded in a way that could leave a false impression. It says Rezko "helped him buy his million-dollar mansion" by "purchasing part of the property he couldn't afford." That's true, but only because the seller wanted to sell the two parcels as a unit and the Obamas couldn't afford both.
Question: What is the false impression?
Answer: There is none.
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And then there’s this from the L.A. Times …
“It is a rule in politics: Early money is very important,” said Jay Stewart, head of the Better Government Assn., a nonprofit watchdog in Chicago. “Tony Rezko helped put Barack Obama on his political feet. Tony Rezko was consistently a significant contributor.”
In a review of Obama’s donations, the Los Angeles Times has identified as much as $185,000 from Rezko-related donors. Sources familiar with Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign said Rezko’s name was prominently displayed on a white board that totaled the amount his bundlers had raised in the Senate race.
“Rezko was there from the beginning,” said a source who had been close to Obama’s political operation and did not want to be identified for fear of alienating political associates in Illinois where Obama’s support is strong. “He is closer than Obama is putting on. The guy was always raising money.”
And this from The Chicago Sun Times…
Rezko is somebody who collects politicians, doing them favors in hopes of a future return on his investment. His main foot in the door is political fund-raising, but he also looks for a more personal approach, such as steering real estate business to the wife of Gov. Blagojevich.
The only thing that separates Rezko from other insiders who play this game is that he seems to operate under a longer time frame, not necessarily seeking an immediate payback.
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Rezko is a Syrian, politician "collector" and a close associate of Barack Hussein Obama.
CB: What difference does Mr. Rezko's nationality or ethnicity make? Do you somehow see this as a slur and therefore couldn't resist the chance to just toss it in?
No, but apparently you do. I expressed no criticism of anyones nationality or ethnic make. I simply disclosed a fact, like many in this case, that is probably unknown to most people. We are, after all, discussing an issue that has been severely under-reported by the MSM.
Please try to address the topic and stop looking for some unrelated and unjustified "hate" charge to change the subject.
What of the real points of my post...does this all not look at least fishy to you?
That Fox-owned Politico or Mark Halperin would uncritically report/repeat Rush is no surprise.
AS Moonbat indicated, Limbaugh actually is a blasphemer. I was raised a presbyterian but have lapsed and become an atheist, but I still cringe when i here his comparison of Obama to the Messiah. I may not believe in God but his complete lack of respect for those who do is chilling, How can any religious God believing person listen to him?
They assigned me a number - I simply went into preferences and changed it and my password they gave me.
Limbaugh is pathetic - after being caught coming back from the Dominican Republic from a little Republican Boy Fantasty Trip with a load of pills and viagra, it amazes me that anyone listens to this person.
The good news is that in spite of his obesity surgery, he's ballooned back to being as fat and disgusting as he was before - this is not a sign of good health.
Time will take care of him.