It was a bit disheartening, though I can't say surprising, to come away so disappointed by Obama's handpicked candidate for his Illinois Senate seat, Alexi Giannoulias, after listening to him and his opponent Republican Mark Kirk on 'Meet the Press' on Sunday. I had been aware for over a year that Obama had been working closely with his banker friend and basketball buddy to get him the Senate seat.
Yet Giannoulias' reputation precedes him, and it's not a good one. His family bank, of which he was senior loan officer, went bankrupt, and it has been accused of knowingly making loans to organized crime figures. It's all a very corrupt part of the often corrupt Chicago scene, of which Obama was more a part than many people realize.
Mark Kirk, a moderate Republican, on the other hand has a stellar background, with degrees from all the best places, a 20 year career in the Navy, and a number of years in the Congress.
Frankly, I hope Kirk wins. Obama could have done much better, but he blew it. Frankly, that kind of cronyism gives me the creeps.
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