[TheRealThing]

^Nixon doesn't surprize me much. Your point is taken but, the seriousness of our present situation at the federal level should have you cariing about politics a lot right now. Especially if the predictions of doom regarding pensions and retirement savings accounts of all kinds come to pass as a result of the US Senate sitting on their hands and not dealing with the debt ceiling impasse. Which, is the culmanation of trying to run this country for over 800 days now without a budget. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, (the twins of anti-logic), have done more harm to America than the WWII Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan could have hoped to accomplish against the US in their wildest dreams. In 2006 Harry Reid made a statement to the country saying "most Americans understand raising the debt ceiling would do more harm to America" then he turns around this July and says "We must raise the debt ceiling or seniors won't get their checks, and military" I admit he is long way from eloquent but, his meaning and contradiction are clearly set forth in these statements. If a liberal's lips are moving, they're lying.


Here is historical account of Barack Obama's political rise, taken from Widipedia.

Nominating petition challenges

On December 26, 1995—the last day to file challenges (THAT WAY POLITICAL OPPONENTS DIDN"T HAVE TIME TO FILE A REBUTTAL CHALLENGE AGAINST OBAMA) —Barack Obama supporter Ron Davis filed objections to the legitimacy of the nominating petitions of state Sen. Palmer, and to those of Askia, Ewell and Lynch; a week later hearings began to determine whether their names would be on the ballot for the March 19 primary election.[27][28] Also challenging their rivals nominating petitions were: U.S. Senate candidate Dick Durbin,[29] and locally, two-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, nine-term incumbent state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, incumbent 4th Ward Democratic committeeman Toni Preckwinkle, all three 5th Ward Republican committeeman candidates, and three of twelve Cook County Court Fifth Subcircuit judgeship candidates.[27]

The January 10, 1996 Hyde Park Herald reported that after conducting checks the previous week, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners' initial findings indicated that all four would-be opponents of Obama, including incumbent state Sen. Palmer, may not have the required number of valid nominating petition signatures.[30] On January 13, Obama received the endorsement of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO).[31]

On January 17, 1996—thirty days after her surprise announcement that she was running for re-election—Palmer announced she was withdrawing her bid for re-election because she was left with only 561 valid signatures on her nominating petitions, 196 short of the required 757 valid signatures needed to earn a place on the ballot after almost two-thirds of the 1,580 signatures on her nominating petitions were found to be invalid.[28][32]

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners had previously sustained an objection to the nominating petitions of Lynch because of insufficient valid signatures, and subsequently sustained objections to the nominating petitions of Askia—who was left with only 688 valid signatures on his nominating petitions, 69 short of the required 757 valid signatures after almost two-thirds of the 1,899 signatures on his nominating petitions were found to be invalid, and Ewell—who was left with only 671 valid signatures on his nominating petitions, 86 short of the required 757 valid signatures after almost half of the 1,286 signatures on his nominating petitions were found to be invalid.[28][32] Lynch and Ewell, in separate federal lawsuits, unsuccessfully sued the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners seeking to reverse its decision to remove their names from the ballot.[28][33]



Primary and general elections

In the March 19, 1996 primary election, Obama, running unopposed on the ballot, received 16,279 votes in winning the Democratic nomination for state Senator for the 13th District.[34] The citywide turnout of 35% was a then record low for a presidential primary election in Chicago and down from 56% in 1992.[35]



It has been suggested over and over again since his meteoric rise to the White House that Obama used creative methods, with the help of power brokers in Chicago to rise above his political foes. Obviously, the case could be made that his presidency is illegitimate using the above cited facts. It just depends on what side of the argument you want to line up on.