Sen. Obama accepted money from SBVT donor: NYTimes 3/7/07

[TayTay]

This is not good news. I would hope that Sen. Obama is more careful in the future as to his donors. I would also hope that he finds a way to give this money back. Dancing with the devil is no way to go forward or to make the point that you want a new politics of hope and bipartisanship.

In May 2005, Mr. Abbruzzese, who was vice chairman of Tejas and a principal investor in Skyterra, contributed $10,000 along with his wife to Mr. Obama’s political action committee — a departure from his almost exclusive support of Republicans. Eight months earlier, for instance, he had contributed $5,000 to the Swift Boat group, and he has given $100,000 to the Republican National Committee since 2004.

Whole Article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/us/politics/07obama.html?pagewanted=2&hp

This is NOT GOOD and would affect my vote for Mr. Obama, should he not address what he did and how he plans to make it right.

[ProSense]

1. No it's not good at all!

a departure from his almost exclusive support of Republicans

I smell a set-up! It just proves the point that all who portrayed the current batch of candidates as somehow "untouchable" and "smear-proof" were simply underestimating the extent to which the wingnuts will go. Unlike Bush, the media will not give Dems a pass.

[blm]

2. Since I believe Bushes and Clintons are in cahoots, I would guess that it's a setup

to make Obama look bad.

[TayTay]

3. The stock stuff is a setup

However, the check from this guy either went to Sen. Obama or not. That is on-file at the FEC, after all and is not conjecture.

[ProSense]

5. No, I don't mean it that way.

The fact that this guy diverged from his exclusive support of Repubs indicates that he probably set a trap for Obama, who failed to notice it. Otherwise, why would this person have donated to Obama?

[blm]

6. I meant that the donation itself is a setup. Sorry, I don't trust any of that gang and

don't believe that ANYTHING is beyond them.

[TayTay]

13. Then fix it

Give the money back, have a real blind trust and move on.

It's not rocket science here.

[blm]

17. That's the only way to go, imo.

.

[ray of light]

20. I'm with you on this.

[cadmium]

16. That would be my first imression too. In fact

I assume that this is a set up until there is more to the story. Of course Obama should give it back. I find it much more difficult to believe that Obama would knowingly take money from a swft boat supporter than that this is a set up. The set up theory sounds more likely to me. I also think that the "not black enough" narrative that was making its way around the conservative talk circuit was being circulated by Clinton operatives.

[Mass]

4. Let's wait until we know what happens. Often, people get contributions from people

they do not like. It happened to Kerry too. He gave them back. I want to see what Obama will do.

[whometense]

7. Agreed. But this part seems

kind of fishy:

Mr. Obama has made ethics a signature issue, and his quest for the presidency has benefited from the perception that he is unlike politicians who blend public and private interests. There is no evidence that any of his actions ended up benefiting either company during the roughly eight months that he owned the stocks.

Even so, the stock purchases raise questions about how he could unwittingly come to invest in two relatively obscure companies, whose backers happen to include generous contributors to his political committees. Among those donors was Jared Abbruzzese, a New York businessman now at the center of an F.B.I. inquiry into public corruption in Albany, who had also contributed to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group that sought to undermine John Kerry’s Democratic presidential campaign in 2004.

[ProSense]

9. Agree! n/t

[ProSense]

8. True.

The only difference is those were people who contributed to Democrats. It's a strange coincidence that this guy contributed to the liars and Obama.

[Mass]

10. I agree, but Obama can clear that up by sending the money.

[rox63]

11. If I were Obama, I'd give the money back ASAP

Or perhaps donate it to a worthy cause.

[beachmom]

12. He should give the money back ASAP.

I wonder if the timing of this article is related to the Fox nomination being voted upon on Friday. He'll be called a hypocrite if he votes against the nomination.

As to the stock stuff, well I don't know. It's hard to say. It certainly doesn't look good. But someone needs to walk through what exactly it means before I pass judgment.

Yes, if he keeps the money, it would be difficult to vote for him in the primaries. Given the lateness of the Virginia primary, I was thinking of copying MH, and writing in John Kerry anyway. Then I'll most likely vote for the Democratic nominee in the general.

[cadmium]

18. My new rule of thumb is that if

it looks like a set up it is a set-up.

[wisteria]

14. Yes, he should give it back, no excuses. He doesn't need this "dirty"

money, he can raise more elsewhere.

[Firespirit]

15. Legitimate support from Republicans is fine... BUT

we need standards.

Obama is my second choice for 2008, and my first choice for VP. He seems to have a lot of crossover support from Republicans, which is fine. But SBVT donors are off limits. He should return the money.

[globalvillage]

19. How nice of Senator Obama

To pay my postage so I can write and tell him to GIVE THE MONEY BACK.



I got this in the mail today. Perhaps he can count on me if I can count on him to give the damn money back to that filthy swiftboatliar enabler.

He doesn't need it. I agree that it's probably a setup. Give it back, Senator.

[wisteria]

21. LOL, good one GV! n/t

[jillan]

22. Wonder if the Obama group knows about this?

geez - I was leaning towards supporting him.

[beachmom]

23. I think Obama has given a good response on the stock stuff, but

nothing on the Swifty guy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/us/politics/07cnd-obama.html?hp

TAP had this to say:

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/2007/03/post_3036.html#015785

This still doesn't explain why on earth a Swift Boat funder would back Obama in May 2005 -- the first piece suggesting he should run for president didn't come until the end of that year -- but the mysteries of that crew are legion.

[ProSense]

24. Excellent comment at TAP. n/t