Senator Barack Obama’s campaign said late Friday that it had returned more than $50,000 in donations after learning that the contributors were federal lobbyists, which the campaign had pledged not to accept money from.
Mr. Obama raised $25 million during the first quarter of the fundraising period. A spokesman said Friday that the campaign had returned 49 political contributions totaling $50,566.
“Giving back these donations is part of our best efforts to ensure we stay true to our commitment to not take money from federal lobbyists,” said Bill Burton, a campaign spokesman.
The disclosure came late Friday, two days before first-quarter fundraising reports are due at the Federal Election Commission. The campaign made the announcement to preempt its disclosure report, which will include names of at least some of the lobbyists because their checks were deposited and not caught until a more thorough vetting process occurred.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/14/obama-returns-lobbyists-donations/

Propaganda and pages from the Indoctrination manual.
Thats all you have!

Smoke and Mirrors!

Its not to late sailor. You can still join the winning side!!

Invest in the future!
Dont just keep playing reruns of failed policies!

Come on over to the future! Its yours too!

Throw the Indoctrination manual away!!!

Well no kidding all politicians have been doing it for years. That isn't the point. Though Mccain's PACs and lobbyist money thus far barely makes up 1% of contributions according to OpenSecrets.org: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00006424&cycle=2008

However, Obama is claiming he is above it all, he is the candidate of change. Now he is giving up public financing, something was introduced after WATERGATE.

He has taken lobbyist money in the past, PAC money, participates in pork barrel spending, and has the uber-richies lining up with him as well.

He is also getting major funding from MoveOn.org, which is more powerful and wealthy than most lobbyist and PACs out there. Their chief financier, George Soros, made over 1 billion last year alone. MoveOn.org IS a lobbying GROUP, no different than a lobbyist for they are lobbying their views of how the country should be by spending millions in ads and tossing millions to get him elected.

He is a typical politician.

You just hate moveon.org because they are anti-bush!!

You should love them for that!!

First of all, your quick assumptions show a weak character to judge so quickly based off of no evidence besides how you feel. Second of all, that is not the fact at all. George Soros is a bad rich dude all around. He made billions off of currency deflation and weakening stocks and economies. He bought his way into the Ukraine government among other corrupt people. Third, MoveOn.org is a far left organization founded by an even more far left guy (Soros), and they are a group that resorts to the most vile of smear attacks.

There ya go. Again, you take a tiny piece of what I said, focus on that, and try and change the subject yet again because you're reaching, it is obvious.

Opensecrets.org, the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, is the most authoritative source on campaign finances. Basing its reports on data from the Federal Election Commission, the Center shows that Obama indeed doesn’t take much money from a sector the Center calls “lobbyists.” Through the end of December, Clinton received more than $800,000 and McCain around $400,000 from this group, which the Center says includes people who work for lobbying firms at the local, state, and federal level and their relatives who are not otherwise employed, as well as those who are officially registered as Washington lobbyists. Obama received contributions of about just $86,000 from this group.
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/obamas_lobbyist_line.php


$86,000 and he gave it back!! Amazing.
How much does it say McCain has taken?
$400,000? and that's just the first quarter when they were giving it to people they thought would win!
$800,000 to the corporate lap dog Hillary! Thank God she lost!
And who knows how much Giuliani and Romney received! The one expected to win the Republican nomination. Now it all goes to who?
Yep, you guessed it. McCain!!!

Come on sailor. We'll let you vote for Obama!
You know you want to!!

Just think, when he wins with 70% of the vote congress will be too afraid to oppose his ideas and America can recover everything plus of our greatness that Bush has squandered away!

Why are you now backtracking? I did not say he took money during this campaign but he has in the past and quite significantly. He not only took money, but he actually assisted the lobbyist in getting good results for the COMPANIES they worked for. He has also funneled quite significant pork over the years back into his state to assist COMPANIES.

The TOP personal donations for Obama are coming from Lawyers. Very rich.

He is getting donations from hedge funders, those uber rich who sit on boards of big companies and have served on major companies in the past.

Obama isn't a man of change, well besides going back to financing PRE-WATERGATE, breaking precedent of public financing that was setup because of Watergate.

When you go in the booth in Nov, no one but you and me will know you voted for Obama sailor!
I'll keep the secret!!

Fanta he's got solid evidence! He found it on the internet, it's got to be true...

VOTE OBAMA in 2008!!

Or, maybe the fact the evidence I posted is from multiple major news media outlets, every source saying the exact same things.

Yes sailor but its all nonsense!

Sailor, I see you're a Realtor. So I know you're a member of the National Association of Realtors. And I know the NAR has their own PAC called RPAC.

A little Googling came up with the following:

1) If a non-member tries to find out from the NAR/RPAC website who RPAC supports and how much was spent on whom, the website restricts access to that information only to members.

2) An mission statement published on the website Political Base for the NAR:

"The NAR aims to help its members become more profitable and more successful through lobbying, research, professional development opportunities, and networking conferences."

(Uh-oh, the dreaded 'L' word!)

3) If one goes to Open Secrets and looks at the "Heavy Hitters" list that says "Here you'll find total contributions for the 100 biggest givers in American politics since 1989--information that exists nowhere else", you'll find that the NAR comes in at 3rd place with $32,336,506.

4)Open Secrets says, of the NAR lobbying efforts: " One of its biggest issues in recent years has been a move toward deregulating the financial services industry." Well, we all know that what that begot (can you say"BearStearns"), and probably the members of the NAR benefitted more than most on cheap and easy subprime mortgages.

5) Also from Open Secrets: "One of the keys to the group’s success: It supports Democrats and Republicans almost equally."


And then there was this:

"FEC COLLECTS $78,000 CIVIL PENALTY
FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS 527 FUND

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission (FEC/ the Commission) announced today that it has reached a settlement with the National Association of Realtors 527 Fund (NAR 527) in connection with violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act/ FECA) during the 2004 election cycle. The fund, which is associated with the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors (NAR) will pay $78,000 to settle charges that NAR 527 failed to register and file disclosure reports as a Federal political committee and accepted contributions in violation of Federal limits and source prohibitions.

During the 2004 election cycle, NAR 527 received $2.9 million from the National Association of Realtors and received no other funds. NAR 527 spent approximately $2.8 million to create and distribute various public communications that clearly identified nine Federal candidates. Almost $2.3 million of that amount financed dozens of direct mail pamphlets and newspaper advertisements. The Commission concluded that certain of these direct mail pamphlets and newspaper advertisements expressly advocated the election of federal candidates and that NAR 527’s spending indicated that its sole purpose was to advocate the election of federal candidates.

If an organization receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of $1,000, and its major purpose is involvement in Federal campaign activity, it must register with the Commission and abide by the contribution restrictions and reporting requirements of the Act. These include limits on the amounts that can be contributed to the group and prohibitions on receipt of funds directly from corporations. NAR 527 registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a “Section 527” organization – a tax exempt group whose function is to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to Federal, State, or local public office or office in a political organization, or the election of Presidential electors. NAR 527 failed to register as a political committee with the FEC even though it met the statutory threshold for political committee status and had Federal campaign activity as its major purpose.

NAR 527 agreed to pay a civil penalty, register as a political committee and disclose its activities to the public in reports filed with the Commission."

You might want to watch where you're throwing that boomerang, Sailor. :)

-Kerry O.

Wow you did some serious research...lol. I knew we had a lobbying effort in Washington, and honestly I have no problems with most lobbyists. These people work with Congress members and people in their administrations.

There are good lobbyists and bad lobbyists. Just like there are good Realtors and bad Realtors. However, there are no good Congressmen, that's the exception...lol jk, there are good ones out there. They are just hard to find.

The only reason I jumped on Obama is because the Obama side think they are bad, so I just used that to my advantage. However, the thing is these same side loves environmentalists, and have you ever heard of the Sierra Club? That is just one of the many environmental groups that have HUGE lobbying power in Washington.

Washington needs lobbyists. A country with such huge territory, businesses, people, and infrastructure need very informed and dedicated people lobbying their causes. And, people lobbying opposition as well is done. That is fine and dandy, it is when the Congressman or woman gets a kickback, money directly into their state that is a bit shady, and so on that there is a real issue.


As to lobbying, right now there is a huge effort in my state for property tax reform. It will benefit us realtors, but it will save a market crippled here by very high taxes. Homeowners and home buyers are being hit really really hard.

Lobbyists are what is wrong with Politics in this country!

Thanks KerryO,
That explains a lot about the Shady Mortgage loans that drove all these homeowners into foreclosures!

I saw on the news the other day where they arrested hundreds of people for shady loan deals related to the mortgage crisis. They had a whole list of Realtors and Loan Companies they were still investigating.

FBI Arrests Hundreds In Mortgage Fraud Case
Losses Total About $1 Billion

POSTED: 10:10 am EDT June 19, 2008
UPDATED: 4:31 pm EDT June 19, 2008


The FBI said Thursday that it has arrested more than 400 real estate brokers since March -- including dozens over the last two days -- in its crackdown on incidents of mortgage fraud that have contributed to the country's housing crisis.

One law enforcement official put the losses to homeowners and other borrowers who were victims in the schemes at more than $1 billion.

The Justice Department and FBI announced the recent arrests at a news conference Thursday afternoon in Washington. Apprehensions were made in Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and suburban Maryland.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/money/16652452/detail.html

You know this almost deserves a thread of its very own!!

In Houston, Tex!

Houston Arrests

A group of Houstonians are accused of defrauding banks and stealing $24 million in a fraudulent mortgage scam, KPRC-TV in Houston reported.

Six defendants are suspected of recruiting people with good credit to act as buyers in fraudulent mortgage deals, prosecutors said.

Federal agents began making arrests early Wednesday morning, delivering defendants to the federal courthouse who are alleged to have operated the massive mortgage fraud ring.

Officials said they were identified as mortgage loan officers or straw buyers who defrauded lenders of $24 million. The defendants were charged with conspiracy, fraud and money laundering.

Named in the indictment were Latasha Bellow, Frankthea Williams, Ishmael Laryea, Charles Joseph Deshawn Wilson, Kristen Way and Robert Stanley.

The indictment alleges phony buyers were recruited to apply for loans to buy pricey condominiums in Houston and surrounding suburbs. The loan applications allegedly used fraudulent information to obtain millions of dollars that the defendants then pocketed, the indictment said.

Attorney Ed O'Suji represents Williams.
================================================================
(This Part Kills me)

"She's not guilty. She's been in real estate for the last five to six years. This is something she makes a living off of like any other real estate agent or broker," O'Suji said.
================================================================
Williams and two other defendants made federal court appearances Wednesday. Their bond was set at $50,000.

The remaining three were scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

I say Fry them!!!
Maybe they should have paid more Lobbying money!!

The King pin (a Realtor) is facing up to 600 years IF convicted.
Mr. Farrington (thats the king pin) is also the former husband of Sheila Farrington Hill, who is now married to former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill. In a separate case, Mr. Hill and Ms. Farrington Hill are facing charges in an alleged bribery conspiracy involving kickbacks from developers. A trial in that case is set for next year.


They are still investigating and expect more arrests. The case, just this one, involves everyone from developers to Realtors and charges them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.


In a 51-count indictment, the eight men and three other defendants stand accused of profiting by obtaining mortgages based on inflated sales prices.

Prosecutors alleged that the defendants recruited straw buyers to purchase the homes, then let the loans go into foreclosure after making just a few payments.

What a bunch of crooks!!!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/061908dnbizmortgagefraud.169e45b6.html