Walking out on the check
Do we remember the big celebration held in Chicago after the election? You had the Obamas and their supporters partying it up in Grant Park to the tune of $1.74 million that the city paid. Well, Chicago was supposed to be paid back for that celebration but the DNC and President Barry seem content to stick them with the check:
Chicago has yet to recoup the $1.74 million cost of President Obama's victory celebration in Grant Park -- despite a burgeoning $50.5 million budget shortfall that threatens more layoffs and union concessions.
"The Democratic National Committee has not yet paid us,'' Peter Scales, a spokesman for the city's Office of Budget and Management, said Thursday after questions from the Chicago Sun-Times. "We're reaching out to them this week."
Stacie Paxton, a spokeswoman for the Obama-controlled DNC, explained the reimbursement delay by saying, "We are still looking at various costs and bills.'' She would not say whether parts of the bill are disputed.
The city spent $1 million on police protection for the rally. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications racked up more than $120,000 in expenses, including $19,500 paid to police official Neil Sullivan to quarterback election night logistics.
In late October, Mayor Daley assured that the cash-flush Obama campaign would reimburse the city for every penny spent on the rally. "We have a financial crisis," he said at the time. "The City of Chicago could not afford $2 million on this because we're gonna be laying off people, cutting back. That [cost] would really be unfortunate. . . . It's a huge cost to the City of Chicago.
"This is not a presidential visit. . . . This is a political event, and they've agreed to pay for all those services -- all the expenses of that. ... It's costly, but they raised quite a bit of money. There's no [shortage] of money in that campaign."
The day after the Nov. 4 election, Daley was asked again whether the Obama campaign would pay up.
"Yeah. I don't know why you're so negative. ... What is this? He just won for president, and you say, 'He's not gonna pay his bills,' " the mayor said then.
On Dec. 9, the day the Sun-Times disclosed the $1.74 million tab, Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt referred questions to the DNC.
Paxton confirmed then that the rally was a "DNC-sponsored event" and that the party was discussing the itemized bill with the city.
The DNC is stalling as they go over the itemized costs. Mayor Daley is ripping anyone criticizing President Barry's dead-beat ways. It's really pathetic when neither the party, nor the man who is the leader of the party, recognizes that they have a bill they've yet to pay to a city they promised they'd reimburse. This is akin to going to a restaurant, eating a nice meal, and dashing out the door without paying the check .... times 1000. $1.74 million is nothing to sneeze at, and it's not like the city doesn't need it.
Now will that $1.74 million really make a difference to Chicago? City officials claim it will; that the unpaid bill would result in them having to lay-off more city workers. This isn't just the attitude of a dead-beat. It's the attitude of a narcissist. (You really should follow that link and read the piece found by a good friend of mine. The piece is by Dr. Sam Vaknin who is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of narcissism.) President Barry doesn't care that he's stiffing the city of Chicago because it's nothing that concerns him. Being above board with the city doesn't further any goal he has. So he doesn't really give a rat's rear-end about the bill being paid, and even if he does get some city officials complaining to him, he'll just refer them to the DNC. And, of course, the DNC will continue to drag it's feet.
Hope and change? Not so much. Hell, the city of Chicago will be lucky if they're reimbursed by the time the 2012 election rolls around.
Publius II
Chicago has yet to recoup the $1.74 million cost of President Obama's victory celebration in Grant Park -- despite a burgeoning $50.5 million budget shortfall that threatens more layoffs and union concessions.
"The Democratic National Committee has not yet paid us,'' Peter Scales, a spokesman for the city's Office of Budget and Management, said Thursday after questions from the Chicago Sun-Times. "We're reaching out to them this week."
Stacie Paxton, a spokeswoman for the Obama-controlled DNC, explained the reimbursement delay by saying, "We are still looking at various costs and bills.'' She would not say whether parts of the bill are disputed.
The city spent $1 million on police protection for the rally. The Office of Emergency Management and Communications racked up more than $120,000 in expenses, including $19,500 paid to police official Neil Sullivan to quarterback election night logistics.
In late October, Mayor Daley assured that the cash-flush Obama campaign would reimburse the city for every penny spent on the rally. "We have a financial crisis," he said at the time. "The City of Chicago could not afford $2 million on this because we're gonna be laying off people, cutting back. That [cost] would really be unfortunate. . . . It's a huge cost to the City of Chicago.
"This is not a presidential visit. . . . This is a political event, and they've agreed to pay for all those services -- all the expenses of that. ... It's costly, but they raised quite a bit of money. There's no [shortage] of money in that campaign."
The day after the Nov. 4 election, Daley was asked again whether the Obama campaign would pay up.
"Yeah. I don't know why you're so negative. ... What is this? He just won for president, and you say, 'He's not gonna pay his bills,' " the mayor said then.
On Dec. 9, the day the Sun-Times disclosed the $1.74 million tab, Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt referred questions to the DNC.
Paxton confirmed then that the rally was a "DNC-sponsored event" and that the party was discussing the itemized bill with the city.
The DNC is stalling as they go over the itemized costs. Mayor Daley is ripping anyone criticizing President Barry's dead-beat ways. It's really pathetic when neither the party, nor the man who is the leader of the party, recognizes that they have a bill they've yet to pay to a city they promised they'd reimburse. This is akin to going to a restaurant, eating a nice meal, and dashing out the door without paying the check .... times 1000. $1.74 million is nothing to sneeze at, and it's not like the city doesn't need it.
Now will that $1.74 million really make a difference to Chicago? City officials claim it will; that the unpaid bill would result in them having to lay-off more city workers. This isn't just the attitude of a dead-beat. It's the attitude of a narcissist. (You really should follow that link and read the piece found by a good friend of mine. The piece is by Dr. Sam Vaknin who is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of narcissism.) President Barry doesn't care that he's stiffing the city of Chicago because it's nothing that concerns him. Being above board with the city doesn't further any goal he has. So he doesn't really give a rat's rear-end about the bill being paid, and even if he does get some city officials complaining to him, he'll just refer them to the DNC. And, of course, the DNC will continue to drag it's feet.
Hope and change? Not so much. Hell, the city of Chicago will be lucky if they're reimbursed by the time the 2012 election rolls around.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 8:24 AM
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