U.S. Senator Barack Obama–whose Senate salary was bolstered by an almost 2 million dollar book deal advance in 2005–has raised over $600 million dollars in his bid for the presidency. Part of his desire to be president is rooted in his goal to ‘spread the wealth around.’

U.S. Senator Barack Obama has an Aunt who has been living in Public Housing in Boston for at least the past 5 years. ‘Aunti Zeituni’ is not some faceless charity he never got around to writing a check for, she might be his only remaining blood connection to his father.

How did this information appear? Don’t get your hopes up MSM-denizens, it was due to a London newspaper which had the gall to do some reporting.

Does anyone see a problem with those two set of facts? If his positions and ‘desires’ are to be taken at face value, why shouldn’t the above facts raise doubts about the candidate’s sincerity?

One thing it does do, it takes the isolated fact that before his presidential run, the Obama’s donated less than 1% of their earnings to charity and makes it a pattern of a lack of generosity. Which is not a big deal in it of itself, but it does make the ‘caring leader’ facade that much less believable.

It also gives his idea of ‘spreading the wealth around’ a more exact meaning, it clearly does not apply to his wealth. Otherwise, he would have done so outside of the presidential spotlight with charities and within his own family.

All articles referenced are copied in full at end of post.
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Boston Housing Authority ‘flabbergastered’ Barack Obama’s aunt living in Southie

Jessica Fargen By Jessica Fargen
Friday, October 31, 2008 – Updated 16h ago

General Assignment Reporter

A Boston Housing Authority director says Barack Obama’s aunt, a Kenyan woman who has lived in public housing for five years, is an “exemplary resident” and only recently did anyone know of her connection to the presidential contender.

Obama’s campaign spokesman Reid Cherlin confirmed to the Herald yesterday that Zeituni Onyango, 56, who lives on Flaherty Way in South Boston, is Obama’s aunt on his father’s side.

Onyango, a Kenyan native, is believed to be the “Aunti Zeituni” in Obama’s memoir, “Dreams From My Father.”

It wasn’t until recently, when a London newspaper started making inquiries about Onyango, that Deputy Director Bill McGonagle learned of the link.

McGonagle said BHA employees were caught off guard.

“We were as surprised as anyone,” he said. “We were a little bit flabbergasted.”

Onyango has lived in Boston public housing for five years, McGonagle said.

“She has been an exemplary resident,” he said.

She received a small stipend over the past year for working six hours a week as a volunteer resident health advocate in her complex, he said.

Little else is known about her.

Onyango had conversations with several BHA employees in recent days about her blood ties to the senator, McGonagle said. She proudly displays photos of Obama, including some that appear as old as 25 years, inside her first-floor apartment, McGonagle said.

A message left at Onyango’s apartment was not returned.

McGonagle asked that the media respect Onyango’s privacy.

“She is feeling very put upon,” he said.
jfargen@bostonherald.com
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Donation-heavy Obama on track to outspend McCain as campaign winds down
Obama raised $36 million in the first half of October, more evidence that he made the correct decision when he opted out of taking federal funds for the general election campaign.
By Dan Morain

October 24, 2008

Barack Obama disclosed Thursday that he raised $35.9 million in the first 15 days of October, after a jaw-dropping $150 million in September.

Although his fundraising pace slowed, Obama’s September-October surge all but guarantees that he will outspend John McCain and the Republican National Committee in the closing days of the 2008 presidential campaign.

The latest fundraising numbers provide further evidence that Obama made the correct decision when he opted not to take federal funds for the general election campaign, instead relying on his ever-growing donor base of more than 3 million — whose average donation size is $86.

McCain, by contrast, accepted a federal grant of $84.1 million. That money must last from the beginning of September through Nov. 4, although the RNC also can raise money and spend it on his behalf.

Obama and the Democratic National Committee are poised to outspend McCain by as much as a 3-2 margin, the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute concluded.

Obama and the DNC spent $134.1 million in September, far more than the $108.6 million spent by McCain and the RNC.

In the first 15 days of October, Obama and the DNC spent a combined $117.6 million. That compares with $67 million by McCain and the RNC.

Obama had $65.7million in the bank for the final three weeks of the campaign, plus a combined $30 million held by the DNC and a separate committee that Obama and the DNC control.

McCain and the RNC entered the campaign’s final three weeks with a combined $84.4 million in the bank. The RNC raised what was, for it, a record $66 million in September, but failed to maintain that pace in the first half of October, when it raised $27 million.

McCain and Obama continued to use a legal loophole that allowed them to raise money for party committees far in excess of the $4,600 maximum that individual donors can give to their presidential accounts.

The RNC drew $2.6 million in donations of $10,000 or more, including $28,500 from Facundo and Elizabeth Bacardi, the rum producers.

Obama, using a so-called joint fundraising committee, raised more than $9.9 million in donations of $10,000 or more, including $30,800 each from Sam and Tillie Walton of the Wal-Mart fortune. Jerry Yang, head of Yahoo, also donated $30,800.

Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, wife Marilyn and their daughter, Laura, each donated $28,500. Producer Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, also donated $28,500 each.

Obama raised $18,500 from professional poker player Howard Lederer and the same amount from Lederer’s wife, Susan, who listed her occupation as casino pit manager at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Morain is a Times staff writer.

dan.morain@latimes.com
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