The Chicago Obama Way

Among the many advantages Barack Obama enjoys heading into the 2012 elections is the fact that he has so far managed to avoid any major political damage from scandals.  However, given that he was trained in the Chicago school of corrupt politics, the phrase “it’s just a matter of time” comes to mind.
It looks as though that time may be closer than you think.

Scandal #1.  First, there’s the matter of Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturing company that recently went bankrupt.  Solyndra received a taxpayer-guaranteed loan of $500 million in 2010.  Obama made a special appearance at their plant to tout the success of his “green” agenda.  A year later, taxpayers are on the hook for another half a billion dollars.

The Bush administration had previously rejected Solyndra’s loan application because of concerns over the company's finances.  Government accountants had warned the Obama White House about the company’s problems.  Despite those warnings, Obama & Co. approved the loan.  Why?  One of the major shareholders of Solyndra is also a major fundraiser for Obama.  This fundraiser made several visits to the White House in the months just before the Obama administration approved Solyndra’s loan.

The FBI and a House Committee are now investigating Solyndra, and the evidence is piling up.  The political backscrubbing has become so undeniable that even the major networks are covering it.




Scandal #2.  A four-star Air Force general said he was pressured by the Obama White House to alter histestimony to a House committee investigating the company Lightsquared.  Lightsquared is a satellite broadband company that has proposed a project for the military.  The Pentagon has expressed concerns over the company’s technology, and its effect on GPS systems.

General William Shelton was scheduled to present prepared testimony to the House committee. Such testimony is usually vetted to make sure of accuracy.  According to officials familiar with the situation, Shelton’s prepared testimony was leaked in advance to the company.  According to General Shelton, the White House asked him to alter his testimony to reflect more favorably on Lightsquared, its technology, and the project.  General Shelton was understandably miffed at this, both by the political interference (since when do we let the subject of an inquiry influence expert testimony?) and the prospect of compromising military effectiveness.

Lightsquared’s majority owner is an investment fund run by – you guessed it – a big Democrat donor.

Obama managed to avoid major political damage when he took Chrysler away from legitimate stockholders and gave it to his buddies in the autoworkers union.  We’ll see if his luck holds out against these two newest scandals.