Talk:Barack Obama/Historical diffs

Criticism / Controversy section:

1. 2 November 2006 Jbpo (→Criticism: John Kass on Obama real estate deals)
2. 12 November 2006 HailFire (→Criticism: section renamed to - →Controversy: sources borrowed from talk page proposal by User:Gzkn, and non notable items deleted)
3. 7 February 2007 Sdedeo (→Controversy: see talk)

Personal life section:

1. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining 10-foot-by-150-foot strip of land have attracted media scrutiny because of financial links with controversial Illinois restaurant and real estate developer Antoin Rezko. (footnote) HailFire 13 May 2007
2. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining 10-foot-by-150-foot strip of land attracted media scrutiny in November 2006 because of financial links with controversial Illinois businessman Antoin Rezko. (footnote) HailFire 3 June 2007
3. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land drew media scrutiny in November 2006 because of financial links with controversial Illinois businessman Antoin Rezko. (footnote) HailFire 24 July 2007
   
   
4. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land drew media scrutiny in November 2006 because of financial links with controversial Illinois businessman Antoin Rezko. Lawrencekhoo 10 November 2007
   
   
5. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land drew media scrutiny in November 2006 because of financial links with Illinois businessman Tony Rezko, who has been indicted on charges of political corruption. Flyboy121 4 March 2008
   
   (article full protection because of edit warring 7 March 2008 – 14 March 2008)
   
   
6. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land drew media scrutiny in November 2006 because of financial links with controversial Illinois businessman Tony Rezko. HailFire 19 March 2008
   
   (article full protection because of edit warring 26 March 2008 – 3 April 2008)
   
   
7. The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land is drawing media scrutiny because of the involvement of controversial Illinois businessman Tony Rezko's wife the real estate deal. Obama has denied that he violated any laws but admitted that the deal was "boneheaded". KVSTamilNadu 4 April 2008
8. The sellers had insisted on the simultaneous sale of an ajacent lot, which was sold to politically connected developer Tony Rezko's wife at the full asking price after Obama gave Rezko a tour of his intended purchase, on which Obama negotiated a lower price than asked. This, and the later sale to Obama of a strip of the Rezko lot, has proved controversial. Obama has denied that he violated any laws but admitted that the latter deal was "boneheaded". Andyvphil 4 April 2008
9. The sellers of the house insisted on the simultaneous sale of an adjacent lot, which was sold to politically-connected developer Tony Rezko's wife at the full asking price after Obama gave Rezko a tour of his intended purchase. The purchases, and the later sale to Obama of a strip of the Rezko lot, has provoked media scrutiny. Obama has not been accused of breaking any laws or making any ethical violations, but he admitted that the latter deal was "boneheaded". Johnpseudo 4 April 2008
10. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer, and Obama supporter Tony Rezko, provoking continued media scrutiny but no official allegations against Obama, even as the political fundraiser was indicted on unrelated charges. Fancy-cats-are-happy-cats (72.0.180.2) 5 April 2008
    
    
11. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer, and Obama supporter Tony Rezko, provoking continued media scrutiny but no official allegations against Obama, even as the political fundraiser was indicted on mostly unrelated charges. Andyvphil 12 April 2008
    
    
12. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer, and Obama supporter, Tony Rezko, provoking continued media scrutiny of Obama and his relationship with Rezko. Bobblehead 1 May 2008
    
    
13. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer and Obama supporter, Tony Rezko. This deal has provoked continued media scrutiny of Obama and his relationship with Rezko, who is currently under indictment for fraud and extortion. Floorsheim 30 May 2008
14. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer and Obama supporter, Tony Rezko. This deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko, who was indicted in October 2006 for fraud and extortion. Scjessey 30 May 2008
15. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer and Obama supporter, Tony Rezko. This deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko, who was convicted in June 2008 for fraud and money laundering. Scjessey 4 June 2008
    
    
16. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer and Obama fundraiser, Tony Rezko. This deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko, a top adviser to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in June 2008 of fraud and money laundering. Although no wrongdoing was alleged in relation to his campaign, Obama has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity. In an interview with CNN host Glenn Beck, Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass stated that Obama had received "around" $300,000 or "maybe $150,000" discount on the purchase and that Rezko's wife had paid $300,000 more. Media Matters for America criticized this statement, citing reports that Obama made the best offer for the property and Rezko's wife paid the $625,000 asking price for the adjacent land and subsequently sold five-sixths of it for $575,000. The group also disputed Mitt Romney's statement to Fox & Friends that Rezko financed Obama's house, citing a $1.32 mortgage Obama and his wife took out with the Northern Trust Company. Wnt 6 June 2008
17. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer and Obama fundraiser, Tony Rezko. This deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko, a top adviser to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in June 2008 of fraud and money laundering. Although no wrongdoing was alleged in relation to his campaign, Obama has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity. Wnt 6 June 2008
    
    
18. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer Tony Rezko, a fundraiser for several prominent Illinois politicians from both major political parties, and the transaction later drew scrutiny by news outlets over Obama's dealings with Rezko. While Obama was never accused of wrongdoing, Rezko was under investigation for and later convicted of unrelated corruption charges, and Obama donated $150,000 in Rezko-linked campaign contributions to charity. Shem 11 June 2008
19. The land adjacent to their house was simultaneously sold to the wife of developer Tony Rezko, a fundraiser for several prominent Illinois politicians from both major political parties, and the transaction later attracted some media scrutiny. Rezko was investigated for unrelated corruption charges, for which he was later convicted. Although Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing, he donated $150,000 in Rezko-linked campaign contributions to charity. Scjessey 24 Jun 2008
    
    

Summary of "Rezko" changes to Criticism / Controversy and Personal life sections:

• March 2004 – November 2006 (2 years, 8 months) Rezko not in article
• November 2006 – February 2007 (4 months) Jbpo: Rezko in Criticism / Controversy section (as a WP:RECENT news story)
• February 2007 – May 2007 (3 months) Sdedeo: Rezko not in article
• May 2007 – November 2007 (6 months) HailFire: Rezko in a single sentence footnote in Personal life section
• November 2007 – April 2008 (5 months) Lawrencekhoo: Rezko in a single sentence (the single sentence former footnote) in Personal life section

→ < 24 hours after 3 Apr 2008 end of full protection for 15 of past 27 days because of edit warring: ←

• April 2008 (1 week) KVSTamilNAdu / Andyvphil / Johnpseudo / Fancycats-are-happy-cats (71.0.180.2):
  • changed: the house purchase and the subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land → the land adjacent to their home was simultaneously sold to
  • added: the wife of
  • changed: controversial Illinois businessman Tony Rezko → well-connected developer and Obama supporter Tony Rezko
  • changed: drew media scrutiny in November 2006 → provoking continued media scrutiny
  • added: but no official allegations about Obama,
  • added: even as the political fundraiser was indicted on unrelated charges
• April 2008 (3 weeks) Andyvphil:
  • changed: was indicted on unrelated charges → was indicted on mostly unrelated charges
• May 2008 (1 month) Bobblehead:
  • changed: provoking continued media scrutiny → provoking continued media scrutiny of Obama and his relationship with Rezko
• June 2008 (1 week) Floorsheim / Scjessey:
  • changed: provoking continued media scrutiny of Obama and his relationship with Rezko → This deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko,
  • added: who was convicted in June 2008 for fraud and money laundering
• June 2008 (5 days) Wnt:
  • changed: well-connected developer and Obama supporter Tony Rezko → developer and Obama fundraiser Tony Rezko
  • added: a top advisor to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich
  • added: although no wrongdoing was alleged in relation to his campaign,
  • added: Obama has donated $150,00 in Rezko-related campaign contributions to charity
• June 2008 (2 weeks) Shem:
  • changed: Obama fundraiser Tony Rezko; a top advisor to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich → a fundraiser for several prominent Illinois politicians from both major political parties
  • changed: this deal provoked media scrutiny of Obama's relationship with Rezko → the transaction later drew scrutiny by news outlets over Obama's dealings with Rezko
  • changed: although no wrongdoing was alleged in relation to his campaign → while Obama was never accused of wrongdoing,
  • added: Rezko was under investigation for and later convicted of unrelated corruption charges
  • changed: Obama has donated $150,00 in Rezko-related campaign contributions to charity → and Obama donated $150,00 in Rezko-related contributions to charity
• June 2008 – (2 weeks) Scjessey:
  • changed: the transaction later drew scrutiny by news outlets over Obama's dealings with Rezko → the transaction later attracted some media scrutiny
  • changed: Rezko was under investigation for and later convicted of unrelated corruption charges → Rezko was investigated for unrelated corruption charges for which he was later convicted
  • changed: while Obama was never accused of wrongdoing → although Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing
  • changed: and Obama donated $150,00 in Rezko-related contributions to charity → he donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity

Early life and career section:

1. 8 April 2007 HailFire (→Early life and career: 3rd ¶: Condensed text and notes; added "Portrait of a Pragmatist" source; reworded Miner, Barnhill & Galland to more closely follow source and focused wikilinks)

   As an associate attorney with Miner, Barnhill & Galland from 1993 to 1996, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and voting rights cases.
   
   (article full protection because of edit warring 7 March 2008 – 14 March 2008)
   (article full protection because of edit warring 26 March 2008 – 3 April 2008)

2. 4 April 2008 Kossack4Truth (Introducing Rezko)

   As an associate attorney with Miner Barnhill & Galland (fka Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, founded by attorney Allison Davis) from 1993 to 2003, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and voting rights cases. While at the firm, Obama also worked on taxpayer-supported building rehabilitation loans for Rezmar Corp. owned by Daniel Mahru and the now-indicted fundraiser Tony Rezko, who has since raised a total of over $250,000 for Obama's various political campaigns over the years.
   
   For more details on this topic, see Tony Rezko.

3. 4 April 2008 Bobblehead (→Early life and private career: Fine, fine. Add para from early life article so six hours of Rezko work doesn't outweigh 9 years of legal work)

   As an associate attorney with Miner Barnhill & Galland (fka Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, founded by attorney Allison Davis) from 1993 to 2003, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and voting rights cases. While Obama never took part in a trial, he worked on teams drawing up briefs, contracts, and other legal documents. This included being part of teams that represented Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now in a successful lawsuit that forced the state of Illinois to implement a federal law that was designed to make it easier for people to register to vote, an appeals brief on behalf of a whistleblower that was suing Cook County Hospital and the Hektoen Institute for Medical Research for wrongful termination, and on another team forced the city of Chicago to redraw ward boundaries that the city council drew up following the 1990 census. Obama also put in six hours working on taxpayer-supported building rehabilitation loans for Rezmar Corp. owned by Daniel Mahru and political fundraiser Tony Rezko, who has raised a total of over $250,000 for Obama's various political campaigns and is now indicted on charges unrelated to his association with Obama.

4. 24 April 2008 Andyvphil (→Early life and career: Supply Obama's description of his legal career as context for fuller description of it)

   Obama worked as an associate attorney with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland from 1993 to 2002. After 1996 Obama worked at the firm only during the summer, when the Illinois Senate was not in session. Obama often refers to "working as a civil rights attorney to make sure that everybody's vote counted", in his appeals for votes. Indeed, Obama worked on cases where the firm represented community organizers, pursued discrimination claims, and on voting rights cases. However, about a third of his time was spent on real estate transactions, filing incorporation papers and defending clients against minor lawsuits. Mostly he drew up briefs, contracts, and other legal documents as a junior associate on legal teams. This included work on a lawsuit by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) that forced the state of Illinois to implement the Motor Voter Act, an appeals brief for a whistleblower who sued Cook County Hospital and the Hektoen Institute for Medical Research for wrongful termination, and a suit that forced the city of Chicago to redraw the ward boundaries that the city council had drawn up following the 1990 census. But it was not all civil rights work—he also appeared in court to defend a developer against charges it was failing to provide heat to tenants and another time to contest a demand that a healthcare corporation pay for baby-sitting (his client paid up).
   
   Obama also did some work on taxpayer-supported building rehabilitation loans for Rezmar Corp., half-owned by Tony Rezko, who later raised approximately $250,000 for Obama's various political campaigns. In October 2006, Rezko was indicted for political corruption charges and the case was brought to trial in March 2008. Obama has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
   
   (10-fold expansion of "lawyer days" from a single sentence to two paragraphs; from less than 10% to more than 50% of Early life and career section)
   (time as an associate at Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland falsely inflated from 3 years to 9 years)
   (sensationalist, inaccurate and misleading article used as source to misrepresent Obama's legal career)
   (5 hours of legal work for a nonprofit corporation that partnered with Rezmar used as a coatrack to introduce Rezko's corruption trial 15 years later)

5. 27 April 2008 Scjessey (Shorten "lawyer" section to remove excessive detail on both sides of the POV argument)
6. 16 May 2008 Loonymonkey (→Early career: Rezko's later indictment is irrelevant to this section. It seems to be nothing more than an attempt at WP:SYNTHESIS)
7. 20 May 2008 Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters (mention of Rezko as donator elsewhere already)
8. 20 May 2008 Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters (restore mention of Rezko as co-owner of Rezmar in this section (slightly abridged though, since Rezko is mentioned later in more detail))
9. 4 June 2008 Shem (→Early life and career: This is Obama's article, not Rezko's. Rezko is already covered with fair weight in the "personal life" section.)
10. 15 June 2008 Newross (→Early life and career: revise paragraphs on 3 years at Harvard Law School, 1++ years writing first book, 3 years as an associate at Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland)

    In 1993 Obama joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 12-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002.

Summary of "Rezko" changes to Early life and career section:

• March 2004 – April 2008 (4 years, 1 month) Rezko not in Early life and career section

→ < 24 hours after 3 Apr 2008 end of full protection for 15 of past 27 days because of edit warring: ←

• April 2008 – June 2008 (2 months) Kossack4Truth / Andyvphil:
  • added: large Rezko WP:Coatrack to Early life and career section
• June 2008 – (1 month) Rezko not in Early life and career section

Newross (talk) 06:02, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Rezko-linked campaign contributions donated to charity

This misleading, confusing, contentious sentence, which was newly added, without consensus, to the Personal life section just one month ago by Wnt / Shem / Scjessey:

Although Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing, he donated $150,000 in Rezko-linked campaign contributions to charity.

should be removed.

• It is standard practice for political campaigns to donate to charity "tainted" contributions found to be linked to individuals who are indicted or convicted. That does not imply any "wrongdoing" on the part of the political campaigns donating the "tainted" contributions to charity.
• The 2006 donation to charity of Rezko's contributions to Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign was in response to Rezko being indicted, not in response to the news story three weeks later that "Rezko owns vacant lot next to Obama's home."
• The subsequent 2007 and 2008 donations to charity of other Rezko-linked contributions to Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign were in response to Obama's 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign determining that those additional contributions were linked to Rezko.

1. Pearson, Rick; Long, Ray; Mendell, David (October 12, 2006). Top Blagojevich adviser indicted; Charges against Tony Rezko, one of the governor's closest fundraisers, could stir firestorm on eve of election; Governor downplays influence of his friend. Chicago Tribune, p. 1.
   Korecki, Natasha; Fusco, Chris; McKinney, Dave; Warmbir, Steve (October 12, 2006). It's 'pay-to-play . . . on steroids': Gov in spotlight as feds indict top fund-raiser in shakedown scheme. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 6.
   
   
2. Patterson, John (October 13, 2006). Officials shed shady money; Indictment has Democrats feeling charitable. Daily Herald, p. 1:

   Blagojevich, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Secretary of State Jesse White, Comptroller Dan Hynes and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama were among those announcing Thursday they'd make donations to charities equal to what their campaigns had received from Rezko and his affiliated businesses in recent years.
   
   Blagojevich's campaign said more than $65,000 in past contributions directly tied to Rezko would be split between charities benefiting juvenile diabetes research and breast cancer research. Madigan's campaign planned to make donations totaling $48,000. Obama's donations would total $11,500. White planned to donate $6,500. Quinn was traveling Thursday and had not tallied his Rezko donations, but state campaign finance reports show he'd collected more than $17,000 from Rezko or his affiliates since 1998.
   
   The key political figure, however, is Blagojevich, who's relied on Rezko, 51, of Wilmette, to help him raise record-setting amounts of campaign cash and pick key members of his administration.
   
   And not all Democrats were willing to part with Rezko's cash.
   
   Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a Chicago Democrat, has no plans to make similar donations, a spokeswoman said Thursday. As recently as April, Jones accepted a $2,000 contribution from a business enterprise co-owned by Rezko.
   
   It was uncertain what House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat and head of the state party, planned to do with past donations.

   Korecki, Natasha; McKinney, Dave (October 13, 2006). Where is he?: Gov's indicted fund-raiser abroad -- maybe. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 6:

   On the political front, Rezko's indictment yielded a red-letter day Thursday for some Illinois charities as Blagojevich, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and others emptied campaign funds of money linked to the discredited Chicago businessman.
   
   Blagojevich moved to give $65,000 tied to Rezko to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, campaign spokeswoman Sheila Nix said.
   
   Obama is divesting his federal campaign fund of $11,500 in donations from Rezko, who hosted a 2003 fund-raiser for the senator, campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
   
   Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she planned to channel $40,500 in Rezko money to charity, and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, a recipient of $25,000 in Rezko-related cash, also is giving the money to charity, as is Todd Stroger, the Democratic Cook County Board president candidate who got $3,500 from Rezko, aides said.

3. Gibson, Ray; Jackson, David (November 1, 2006). Rezko owns vacant lot next to Obama's home. Chicago Tribune, p. 1 (Metro).
   
   
4. Jackson, David (January 20, 2008). Obama giving away funds linked to Rezko; $40,000 more will be donated to charities. Chicago Tribune, p. 1 (Metro):

   Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama said Saturday that his campaign would give charities $40,350 in donations linked to his former friend and fundraiser Tony Rezko, a Chicago businessman who has pleaded not guilty to federal influence-peddling and bank fraud charges.
   
   Obama already has divested more than $44,000 in Rezko-affiliated donations during the last year. But Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said the campaign made a comprehensive review of donations affiliated with Rezko and "found some we'd feel more comfortable not having."
   
   Burton pointed out that other presidential campaigns have disposed of questionable funds, and added, "Our consistent practice in these circumstances is to give the funds to charity out of an abundance of caution."
   
   Obama has not been accused of any wrongdoing and Burton said Obama had no reason to suspect at the time that the donations might be linked to allegations of impropriety. Obama and the campaign have not been questioned by federal agents investigating Rezko, Burton said.
   
   Burton said the new divestments were prompted by a published report Saturday that one $10,000 donation to Obama 's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign came from a fraud scheme that Rezko is accused of devising.
   
   Although details of that donation have been made public -- and Obama divested the $10,000 last year -- the candidate has hoped to put questions behind him as he heads toward the Feb. 5 primaries, when 22 states are set to vote.

5. Novak, Tim; Fusco, Chris; McKinney, Dave; Warmbir, Steve (January 31, 2008). Thanks to taxpayers ... 'Clout cafe' makes money; Park Dist. paying for its gas, garbage pickup. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 7:

   The List: The contributions Obama has donated to charity
   
   Barack Obama has now dumped $157,835 given to his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign that he has linked to indicted businessman Tony Rezko. Obama won't identify the latest contributions he's giving to charity, though he has said they total $72,650. An Obama presidential campaign aide said Wednesday that although that sum includes cash from Rezko's family, Rezko employees and a fund-raiser Rezko hosted, "It would be inappropriate to release the names of any individual donors and subject them to any suspicion of wrongdoing or embarrassment."
   
   A breakdown of the $85,185 Obama previously gave away, which came from Rezko and 16 people tied to him: . . .

   Secter, Bob; Jackson, David (January 31, 2008). Funds tough to figure for Rezko aid; Calculations of Obama cash vary. Chicago Tribune, p. 19:

   As Barack Obama is finding out, it's not as easy to dump politically toxic campaign donations as it might seem.
   
   For the third time in more than a year, Obama 's presidential campaign announced this week it was shedding more donations tied to indicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko.
   
   Calculations by the media and Obama's own staff of Rezko's financial impact on his past political campaigns have been all over the map and shifting. The reason: The numbers depend on assumptions made about why a donor gave in the first place.
   
   In total, Obama has promised to give to charity more than $150,000 he collected through Rezko. His campaign said the latest installment of $72,650 was raised for his 2004 U.S. Senate race at an elegant dinner at Rezko's 8,500-square-foot Wilmette mansion.
   
   It remains unclear whether Obama's campaign has dragged out the process of shedding Rezko money because it was having a difficult time determining the nature of those donations, or if the campaign was reluctant to look hard for them.
   
   Connecting the dots between a political fundraiser and any specific donation, though, is not always simple. Experts say it is more art than science, and precision can be elusive.
   
   Obama's campaign still has not offered a clear explanation of how it determines Rezko-linked donations or why he has dealt with them piecemeal, apparently in reaction to bad publicity.
   
   On Wednesday, campaign spokesman Bill Burton signaled the latest divestment would be the last.
   
   "Our campaign directed a thorough review of these contributions and did our best to identify any received as a result of the June 2003 fundraising event hosted by Tony Rezko," Burton said in a statement. "By refunding these donations, the campaign has returned any and all funds that could be reasonably credited to Mr. Rezko's political support."
   
   Various media outlets have reported much larger numbers, though they haven't clearly explained their methodology. The New York Times has pegged Rezko political cash for Obama at $150,000, the Sun-Times at $168,000 and the Los Angeles Times at $200,000. Last weekend, a report by ABCNews.com suggested more than $185,000.
   
   The ABCNews.com review was accompanied by some detail, and that demonstrates the difficulties of assigning motive to donors . . .

   Timing of the Friday, June 27, 2003 Obama fundraising event at Rezko's house in Wilmette, Illinois (12 months into Obama's 21-month Illinois 2004 U.S. Senate Democratic primary campaign -- in which Obama won a landslide victory in the most expensive Senate primary in U.S history):
   1. Neal, Steve (July 3, 2002). Obama could add drama to Senate race; Poll shows Fitzgerald's polar opposite strikes right chord with voters. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 41:

      He could win it all. State Sen. Barack Obama (D-Chicago), the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Chicago, is hoping to be the 2004 Democratic nominee against Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.
      
      Earlier this week, Obama launched a campaign committee to challenge Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald in 2004.

   2. Fornek, Scott (June 24, 2003). Dem Senate hopeful starts earliest Illinois TV blitz ever; Hull's $40 million effort launched nine months before primary. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 16.
   3. Fornek, Scott (June 26, 2003). Deal me in, says candidate Hull; Millionaire blackjack winner, CBOE trader enters race for Senate. Chicago Sun-Times, p. 20.
   4. Gibson, Ray; Pearson, Rick (July 16, 2003). Candidate Hull spends at record pace; Investor kicks in $6 million already. Chicago Tribune, p. 1 (Metro):

      Multimillionaire investor Blair Hull, who has said he is willing to spend as much as $40 million to win the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, already has pumped nearly $6 million of his own funds into his bid for the Democratic nomination, campaign reports released Tuesday show.
      
      In the Democratic fundraising derby, Chico raised $2.25 million in outside donations--more than any other challenger--and reported having $1.3 million on hand at the end of June.
      
      Mather said Hynes would report raising about $1.8 million in the first half of the year. More than $1.5 million of that is unspent and in the bank, Mather said.
      
      Another Democratic contender, state Sen. Barack Obama, reported raising $1.4 million and spending about $400,000.

Newross (talk) 06:12, 9 July 2008 (UTC)