A promise broken
posted at 12:15 pm on July 11, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Talking about hope and change is easy; doing something about it is hard work. The residents of Englewood found this out after Barack Obama pledged to help renovate the neighborhood in 2000, including an earmark of $100,000 for a botanic garden and raising an additional million dollars for other efforts to reclaim Englewood from blight. Neither the garden nor the fundraising ever materialized, as the Chicago Sun-Times reports:
As a state senator, Barack Obama gave $100,000 in state money to a campaign volunteer who failed to deliver on a plan to create a botanic garden in one of Chicago’s most blighted neighborhoods.
Obama — who was running for Congress when he announced the project in 2000 — said the green space in Englewood would build ”a sense of neighborhood pride.”
Instead, what was supposed to be a six-block stretch of trees and paths is now a field of unfulfilled dreams, strewn with weeds, garbage and broken pavement.
Obama’s campaign says that the execution of the project was the responsibility of Governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan, and that is true — in part. Legislators who pass bills rely on the state to enforce and execute them. However, Obama’s direction of the state funds to one of his campaign workers gives him additional responsibility to make sure that the funds got used properly and that the work got performed, neither of which appears to be the case at Englewood. Besides a plywood gazebo, the only evidence of a botanical garden is a large variety of wild weeds indigenous to Chicago.
Furthermore, when promising hope and change to Englewood, Obama pledged to remain at the forefront of the effort by raising a lot more money for the renovation. At the time (January 14, 2000), Obama had embarked on his effort to unseat Bobby Rush for his Congressional seat. He promised to add more than a million dollars to the effort in the launch of the project, which the Sun-Times notes was outside his state Senate district but within Rush’s Congressional district. It’s obvious what happened — Obama lost interest in Englewood as soon as Rush beat him in the primaries, and simply reneged on his promise of assistance.
Jim Geraghty recalls Obama’s failure with another big plan to assist a low-income housing project covered by the Boston Globe, and says:
Big promises. Little follow-up. Once again, one of the problems of constantly moving on to the next promotion is that you never get to see the consequences and ramifications of past actions.
For a man with such a thin track record, the number of failures is rather shocking — but that’s not the most significant part of this story. It’s quite obvious that Obama has a pattern of talking about hope and change, and caring less about it when it doesn’t boost him politically. As soon as Englewood stopped being significant to his electoral hopes, he turned his back on the neighborhood. That speaks to character more than competence.
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Perhaps the campaign volunteer used the funds to build an indoor pot farm.
pseudonominus on July 11, 2008 at 12:21 PM
“This is Englewood. Barack Obama pledged $100,000 to this community for a botanical garden in 2000. As you can see, there is no botanical garden here today. Just words, Barack Obama?”
Seixon on July 11, 2008 at 12:22 PM
And now that the far left is no longer significant to his electoral hopes, he has turned his back on them. If he does make it to the White House, who will he turn his back on then?
JeffC_95 on July 11, 2008 at 12:23 PM
It speaks to the liberal mindset that your intentions are more important than your accomplishments. Obama gave $100,000 (of taxpayer money) to help beautify a city neighborhood! Who cares if it actually worked? He cares, unlike those racist Republicans.
Form over function. Style over substance. That’s all liberalism is.
Badger in KC on July 11, 2008 at 12:23 PM
I believe the guy just doesn’t like to work that hard.
bopbottle on July 11, 2008 at 12:23 PM
words…just words
HawaiiLwyr on July 11, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Ahhh, a vision of ‘Post President Obama’ America.
cntrlfrk on July 11, 2008 at 12:27 PM
Exactly.
Buy Danish on July 11, 2008 at 12:32 PM
OFF TOPIC
MARK STEYN HOSTING RUSH LIMBAUGH’S SHOW TODAY! LIVE NOW!
Don’t miss it he is being brilliant. Til 3 PM.
Find a station now.
Dr. Manhattan on July 11, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Now that is liberal leadership…
right2bright on July 11, 2008 at 12:41 PM
America.
rockmom on July 11, 2008 at 12:45 PM
To take this one step further, as soon as the United States stops being significant to his Marxist hopes, he’ll turn his back on it.
His wife already has turned her back on this country, why not him?
SeniorD on July 11, 2008 at 12:46 PM
The
audacityavarice of hope.kirkill on July 11, 2008 at 12:46 PM
“Hello, my name is Barack Hussein Obama. I ah, want to do for America what, uh, I’ve done for south Chicago.”
Akzed on July 11, 2008 at 12:47 PM
How big is the underside of BO’s bus? Can it hold an entire neighborhood?
David in ATL on July 11, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Oh Captain, My Captain! You missed the best part:
Not only does he NOT take responsibility for past failures. His solution is to PROMISE MORE TAX MONEY!
Besides handing out taxpayer money to friends, cronies, and liberal activist groups…what has this man ever done?!
jeanneb on July 11, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Thanks Dr. Manhattan! Forgot about that…darn, forgot to record Monk today too….
kirkill on July 11, 2008 at 12:54 PM
HOPE / CHANGE…
He leaves you hoping for change… what you get is an empty suit.
.
Ya know, I heard his plane had to land suddenly the other day from all the SHIFTING going on….quite dangerous indeed.
shooter on July 11, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Obviously the project needed a Greening Director.
Brat on July 11, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Like the promise to hunt down OBL in Pakistan?
“It is the responsibility of the (fill-in-the-blank).”
Barrak can not be bothered by the detail. He’s given the direction, and since moved onto some other promises.
Sir Napsalot on July 11, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Yeah… and get your vaseline out.
JonRoss on July 11, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Not only is this the definition of a fast-tracker (in any business, at any level), it is also the motivation of the fast-tracker. Get out of the way before the sh*t hits the fan, because you don’t want any of that sh*t on your nice shiny new suit.
What Obambi hasn’t figured out yet is that there isn’t any promotion that will get him out of the Presidency fast enough to avoid getting splattered.
NeighborhoodCatLady on July 11, 2008 at 1:02 PM
“No one has been a stronger supporter of [fill in the blank] than I have been.” BHO is absolutely full of crap.
Cicero43 on July 11, 2008 at 1:03 PM
A fitting poetic metaphor for leftist coercive utopians in general, the empty promises, the barren outcome.
Liberalism fails every time it’s tried.
jeff_from_mpls on July 11, 2008 at 1:04 PM
So, uh, what ever happened to the $100K he handed over to a “campaign worker” to build the garden? That must have been one swanky plywood gazebo.
iurockhead on July 11, 2008 at 1:05 PM
This is the man that is about the throw the whole African-American community under the bus, according the JJ.
WoosterOh on July 11, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Whose $100k for Barrack to hand out, without any strings attached?
Sir Napsalot on July 11, 2008 at 1:07 PM
You think that’s bad?
He let them freeze in 1997.
yo on July 11, 2008 at 1:08 PM
One must wonder if he wishes it was October already. Elections are 150 days away, still a lot more to come out.
WoosterOh on July 11, 2008 at 1:08 PM
Obama In The Straw
As I was a-gwine down the road,
With a tired team and a heavy load,
I crack’d my whip and the leader sprung,
I says day-day to the wagon tongue.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, Marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
Went out to milk, and I didn’t know how,
I milked the goat instead of the cow.
A Progressive sittin’ on a pile of straw,
A-winkin’ at his mother-in-law.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, Marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
Met Mr. Catfish comin’ down stream.
Says Mr. Catfish, “What does you mean?”
Caught Mr. Catfish by the snout,
And turned Mr. Catfish wrong side out.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, Marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
Came to a river and I couldn’t get across,
Paid five dollars for a blind old hoss;
Wouldn’t go ahead, nor he wouldn’t stand still,
So he went up and down like an old saw mill.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, Marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
As I came down the new cut road,
Met Mr. Bullfrog, met Miss Toad
And every time Miss Toad would sing,
Old Bullfrog cut a pigeon wing.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, Marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
Oh I jumped in the seat and I gave a little yell
The horses ran away, broke the wagon all to hell
Sugar in the gourd and honey in the horn
I never been so happy since the day I was born.
Obama in the straw, Obama in the hay,
Marxist in the straw, marxist in the hay,
Roll ‘em up and twist ‘em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ‘em up a tune called Obama in the Straw.
***
Turkey in the Straw, American Folk Tune by notable American Minstrels from the North and South: George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols, or even Dan Emmett.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Can you throw a botanical garden under the bus?
MarkTheGreat on July 11, 2008 at 1:12 PM
You notice he never accepts responsibility for anything.
ronsfi on July 11, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Well, it’s never-ever his fault, dontcha’ know?
yo on July 11, 2008 at 1:17 PM
What upsets me is not necessarily the man Obama. It’s the selection process and criteria people are using to go ga-ga over him. He has no track record. The record that he has, he clearly oscillates to get the vote, so he has no character. All we have is a guy that reads from a teleprompter that was written by a team of 24 speech writers. This is what upsets me about how America elects the most powerful person in the world. Oh yea… I forgot.. the democrat party will certainly dig up the dead votes to seal the deal.
Sergei on July 11, 2008 at 1:18 PM
like he himself says: “just words, just speeches”
JustTruth101 on July 11, 2008 at 1:18 PM
And don’t forget all the money taken from taxpayers to pay for the promised (but never delivered) garden, money which ends up lining the pockets of the liberal politician’s “friends” (who then do favors for the politician — like helping him buy a mansion, helping him get a jumbo loan at rates unavailable to the rest of us, and helping him get a higher office so he can get more taxpayer money to dole out to his “friends”).
AZCoyote on July 11, 2008 at 1:18 PM
This idiot couldn’t grow a tomato plant much less
manage a city or heaven forbid a country.
The Pied Piper for the ignorant
Texyank on July 11, 2008 at 1:24 PM
You think that matters? Imagine the book advances, the film rights, and the speaking fees around the world for being America’s First Black President. It sure worked for Bill Clinton. Maybe we’ll even see Michelle elected to that Illinois Senate seat and she’ll run for President in 2020.
rockmom on July 11, 2008 at 1:25 PM
Obamarx is a Corrupt Chicago Conman?
Save the shock and awe for the dupes else there be a shortage of consternation alongside fuel and corn.
There is ONE consistent feature that Obama possesses: corruption. Barack-track his entire career from day one if you haven’t yet done your homework. Global business, law practice, professorship and lecturer, politician, Obama has always been a Marxist pawn for corrupt bosses. Doesn’t Pinocchio dance his part admirably well for the teleprompter and camera! Being malleable in the hands of his Marxist lords ensures an abundance of free and good press. To hell with him and with them. To hell with Marx. Marx is Dead.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:25 PM
MarkTheGreat on July 11, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Rezone it into an industrial waste dump.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Barack Obama: Stabbing constituents in the back since 2000tm
TheBigOldDog on July 11, 2008 at 1:29 PM
And that huge flaw needs to remain an open sore. Flaunt Obama’s flaws. Needle him and watch that suave facade CRACK and shatter. Obama has TWO achilles responsibility heels. He never accepts responsibility to begin with, let alone responsibility for what he either did or failed to do.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:31 PM
America, Obama can do for the country what he did for Englewood. Turning it into a field of broken promises, strewn with weeds, garbage and broken pavement.
TheBigOldDog on July 11, 2008 at 1:32 PM
The book on the Messiah-lyah continues to devolve into one of the great works of contemporary fiction. Other than the(warning racist comment ahead)rhetorical promise of Hope and Change and the wholesale marketing of his ability to heal the wounds of manufactured self inflicted racial strife, he offers and stands for nothing. Time to adjust the commonly used acronym associated with the office Obama seeks and make in a bit more accurate; PO
TUSdmann on July 11, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Axelrod’s clients: Big promises. Little follow-up. First Massuchetss with Deval Patrick, next the nation with Barack “It ain’t my fault,” Obama
TheBigOldDog on July 11, 2008 at 1:35 PM
“MARK STEYN HOSTING RUSH LIMBAUGH’S SHOW TODAY! LIVE NOW!
Don’t miss it he is being brilliant. Til 3 PM.”
Ditto. I don’t listen to Rush, but I think he’s smart to have Mark host his show; actually, Mark should have his own show.
Someone needs to knock O’Reilly off the radio dial.
About Obama: surprise surprise! For a moment I wanted to send this to my Obama lovin’ brother. (He says he’s a good judge of character). The urge passed.
Christine on July 11, 2008 at 1:36 PM
I’ve never been to Chicago, but the “plywood gazebo and broken pavement” sure sounds like the pictures from Soweto and J-burg slums that used to appear in anti-apartheid TV ads.
innominatus on July 11, 2008 at 1:37 PM
and taxing the country up the wazoo to do it. Somebody should get some video of Obama’s “garden” and make a commercial out of this. American voters need to know what a load of B.S. they’ll be buying into if they vote for this tool.
AZCoyote on July 11, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Yeah, the folks in Massachusetts have already seen this movie.
rockmom on July 11, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Man how we ever. That’s why this State went Hillary.
TheBigOldDog on July 11, 2008 at 1:39 PM
and TV for that matter!
Have you seen his most recent “poll” question which asks his viewers if The Messiah-lyah will appear on The Factor. Bill must be taking cues from Olberdouche, he is getting desperate.
dmann on July 11, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Obamarx ‘08!
He thinks he can ignore public backlash while his overlords bulldoze with Tiananmen Square tank tactics. You want to see Obamarx Commander in Chief against Americans who disagree with Marx?
Give me McCain over Obamarx! Whenever there is a public outcry for government requirements be established by record, McCain documents everything according to the rule of law. McCain is NOT a Marxist puppet and Obama is. Obama won’t even begin the record on solid legal grounds by HIMSELF fulfilling the Constitutional requirement to provide valid, unaltered certified proof of his own documented birth according to the rules for EVERY POTUS candidate. Obama’s a fraud from the inside out, unwilling to conform to our Constitutional Rule of Law of which he presumes to be an authority. He’s a bastard to divide America as he does.
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:48 PM
RE: Comrade Obama
* Believe none of what he says and half of what You see!
* He will lie at convenience when the truth does not fit his Agenda!
old trooper on July 11, 2008 at 1:49 PM
I’d watch that on YouTube. Good shot!
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:51 PM
“MARK STEYN HOSTING RUSH LIMBAUGH’S SHOW TODAY! LIVE NOW!
Christine,
Thanks for the reminder!’til later…
maverick muse on July 11, 2008 at 1:53 PM
TheBigOldDog on July 11, 2008 at 1:39 PM
I’ve lived in Massa-2-shitts for most of my life and Cadillac Duval Patrick (Messiah-lite) takes the (yellow) cake as the most ineffectual, pandering crap weasle evah elected to that office, all show and no go!
dmann on July 11, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Well, you know, talking about hope and change is cheap and actually doing something about is expensive. Barack Obama is not about to cost the taxpayers any more money than he absolutely must. To do any less would be fiscally irresponsible.
Lily on July 11, 2008 at 2:08 PM
If BHO is elected all we’ll have left is hope that things will change.
Mojave Mark on July 11, 2008 at 2:09 PM
Barry, barry quite contrary… has a better ring to it ;)
Grafted on July 11, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Just doin’ a Rezko.. Whatever sleaze he can get away with.
JimK on July 11, 2008 at 2:17 PM
…aaaand Obama deftly picks up the environmental vote for restoring native plants to the area!
MB007 on July 11, 2008 at 2:20 PM
Typical Democrat approach to problems: throw taxpayer money at them, without bothering to solve them. That gives them an excuse to ask for more taxpayer money. They talk about unfunded mandates and give away unmandated funds.
Senator No Earmarks McCain should visit a Home Depot or Lowe’s and make an ad saying how many plywood gazebos can be bought for $100K (at least a few dozen), and compare that to the one that Obama bought, and ask the voters whom they trust with their money?
Soon, Obama’s campaign will be in his gazebo–out in the weeds.
Steve Z on July 11, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Politics as usual? Or take the money and run?
Kini on July 11, 2008 at 2:57 PM
Obama Gardening 101 ….
Rake in the money, then shovel BS.
fogw on July 11, 2008 at 3:04 PM
That’s great, he just handed over $100,000 to someone to plant a garden in the middle of a slum. Why? Do gardens cause people to start caring, become responsible and make them get jobs????! WTH!
4shoes on July 11, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Study this well. What you are seeing are the fingerprints of how Obama’s “White guilt program” will probably be run.
This new program, as envisioned by the Rev Wright and danced around by the Revs Jackson and Sharpton imagines Reparations monies to be given to the Black community through bogus grants and what have you’s, versus giving it directly to Blacks–which honky cracker whites would be against.(just a little race baiting to keep pace with the revs)
Why do I have a feeling that Obama suddenly out of nowhere, flipped and embraced Bush’s long standing, often mocked, outreach program to churches. Hmmm. That was no flip. All the Revs in question pretend to have Churches! Lord have mercy!
Can I get an Amen…..
patrick neid on July 11, 2008 at 3:37 PM
This is change, we can count on.
Kini on July 11, 2008 at 3:40 PM
“I got you the money, now please just go away. I need to focus on running for President…”
I smell an RNC campaign commercial with before-and-after images of the area.
CliffHanger on July 11, 2008 at 3:56 PM
Another distraction?
Kini on July 11, 2008 at 4:15 PM
This is a little off subject but I was wondering if this is indeed from Thomas Sowell and therefore likely true. I aalmost hate to check…..
CAN OBAMA LEGALLY BE PRESIDENT?
It seems that Barack Obama is not qualified to be
president after all for the following reason:
Barack Obama is not legally a U.S. natural-born
citizen according to the law on the books at the time
of his birth, which falls between “December 24, 1952
to November 13, 1986.
>>>
Presidential office requires a natural-born citizen if
the child was not born to two U.S. citizen parents,
which of course is what exempts John McCain though he
was born in the Panama Canal, U.S. law very clearly
stipulates: “If only one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of
your birth, that parent must have resided in the
United States for at least ten years, at least five of
which had to be after the age of 16.”
Barack Obama’s father was not a U.S. citizen and
Obama’a mother was only 18 when Obama was born, which
means though she had been a U.S. citizen for 10
years,(or citizen perhaps because of Hawaii being a
territory) the mother fails the test for being so for
at least 5 years **prior to** Barack Obama’s birth,
but *after* age 16. It doesn’t matter *after*…
In essence, she was not old enough to qualify her son
for automatic U.S. citizenship. At most, there were
only 2 years elapsed since his mother turned 16 at the
time of Barack Obama’s birht when she was 18 in Hawaii.
His mother would have needed to have been 16+5= 21
years old, at the time of Barack Obama’s birth for him
to have been a natural-born citizen.
As aforementioned, she was a young college student at
the time and was not. Barack Obama was already 3 years old
at that time his mother would have needed to have waited to
have him as the only U.S. citizen parent.
Obama instead should have been naturalized, but even
then, that would still disqualify him from holding the
office of President of the U.S.
***Naturalized citizens are ineligible to hol d the
office of President.***
Though Barack Obam a was sent back to Hawaii at age 10,
all the other info does not matter because his mother
is the one who needed to have been a U.S. citizen for
10years prior to his birth on August 4, 1961, with 5
of those years being after age 16.
Futhere, Obama may have had to have remained in the
country for some time to protect any citizenship he
would have had, rather than living in Indonesia.
Now you can see why Obama’s aides stopped his speech
about how we technically have more than 50 states,
because it would have led to this discovery.
This is very clear cut and a blaring violation of U.S.
election law.
I think the Gov. of California would be very
interested knowing this if Obama were elected
President without being a natural born U.S. citizen,
and it would set precedence.
Stay tuned to your TV sets because I suspect some of
this information will be leaking through over the next
several days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas Sowell
Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow
The Hoover Institution
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305
conservativecaveman on July 11, 2008 at 4:50 PM
Don’t tell me words don’t matter!
drjohn on July 11, 2008 at 4:59 PM
It is not from Sowell, you can check this out on Snopes…
right2bright on July 11, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Sowell isn’t like that anyway. Sowell should be the first black president though.
kirkill on July 11, 2008 at 5:16 PM
What a feast! Carve me ‘nother slice of dat Obama.
The details are delicious.
T J Green on July 11, 2008 at 5:18 PM
No wonder the price of arugula is so high!
profitsbeard on July 11, 2008 at 8:28 PM
Once is horrible.
But don’t forget about Altgelt and Rosewood as well.
Three strikes and you are out!
Unless of course you live in Obamarxia where there is no rule of law upheld other than graft, greed, and injustice for all concerned who refuse to be players in that game.
maverick muse on July 12, 2008 at 8:36 AM
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