Maybe I'm not getting this. A black man can't make a good deal on a house in a depressed market...

unless a crime is committed? Or an alleged criminal helps? Is that whats being pushed here?

Even Obama admitted this morning that he should not have done the deal with Rezko.

And you are going to try to spin this as squeaky clean? LOL

for possibly illegal financial activities to buy the two plots of land with him and then buys the second parcel from the man and his wife for a price lower than what they paid, then, yeah, it might raise an eyebrow or two.

It also doesn't help when he later admits it was a "mistake" and a "boneheaded decision".

But nice attempt to inject an unfortunately racial element into the story. :eyes:

The Media is going to have a field day with this.

EDit: after reading a couple other posts here I am going to go look up the specifics.

going to go check the specifics before I post.

1. He bought the house, Mrs. Rezko bought the adjoining lot. BTW, the lot is an undeveloped piece facing a major Chicago street. I'm not in realestate, but I'd bet it'd make a sweet site for some condos.

2. He then bought 1/6 of the lot at 1/6 of the price Mrs. Rezko paid despite an independent appraisal that set a lower price:

To preserve the aesthetic balance, Obama also wanted to put some space between his house and the proposed fence, so he personally asked Tony Rezko if they would sell a portion of their lot without restricting their ability to build in the future.

"I told them if you can spare another 5 or 10 feet, I'd be happy to purchase it from you," Obama said. "They came back and said they could sell us up to 10 feet."

Using a standard formula, Obama's appraiser estimated the 1,500-square-foot portion at a market value of $40,500.

But Obama felt it would be fair to pay the Rezkos $104,500, or a sixth of their original $625,000 purchase price, because he was acquiring a sixth of their land. The sale closed in January 2006.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-06 ...

Two years ago, Obama bought a mansion on the South Side, in the Kenwood neighborhood, from a doctor. On the same day, Rezko's wife, Rita Rezko, bought the vacant lot next door from the same seller. The doctor had listed the properties for sale together. He sold the house to Obama for $300,000 below the asking price. The doctor got his asking price on the lot from Rezko's wife.

Last year, Rita Rezko sold a strip of that vacant lot to Obama for $104,500 -- a deal Obama later apologized for, acknowledging that people might think he got a favor from Rezko. Obama called the episode "boneheaded'' and a "mistake.''

At the time Obama bought that strip of land, it had been reported that Rezko was under federal investigation for influence-peddling involving the administration of Blagojevich, whose campaign also received Rezko's financial support.

Rezko has since been indicted for allegedly demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business under Blagojevich. Rezko's trial has been postponed while investigators sort through his finances.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article

I'm not going to condemn the man for buyin gsome lawn for his girls to play on.

"No wrongdoing was found in connection with that transaction, though Obama has said it was "boneheaded" for him to be involved in it when he knew Rezko was under investigation. Rezko has since been indicted on fraud and other charges. Obama, who returned some contributions from Rezko and his associates long ago, returned another $41,000 over the weekend in an effort to distance himself from the businessman."

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/clinton-obama_slugfest.html

The Clintonites are a joke.

What has race got to do with this at all?

NOTHING.

black cannot get a loan to purchase a house but can some other man or woman that happens to be black get the same loan? That is the question.

This is what is happening in the housing market....Folks were loaning money to folks they knew could not afford the house but gave them the sub prime rates and knowing full well if the rates went up they could not afford it and foreclosures would soon follow, but the mortage companies did not expect this to happen nationwide, but it did....

Now the difference is obama and his wife had great buying jobs and could afford a more expensive home and meeting the notes would be no problem and then you get a sweet heart deal with a low low rate unavailable to others, then you run into whether this was legal or not....

committed? How soon we forget.

Specifically who said that a black man cannot make a good deal on a house in a depressed market? Specific quote? Link?

Or maybe this is simply an inference on your part?

they're looking for anything at all to focus on.