Obama David Wilhelm pay to play politics history, Wilhelm Obama Blagojevich Clinton ties, Obama and Wilhelm played and escaped prosecution

“Why has David Wilhelm supported and protected Obama?”…Citizen Wells
“Why was Turning Point Solar, David Wilhelm’s venture, given federal loan guarantees?”…Citizen Wells
“Why were David Wilhelm and Barack Obama not prosecuted for their Operation Board Games involvement?…Citizen Wells

Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and David Wilhelm. Two occupants of the White House and a DNC chairman. That tells the tale. It seems that if you are high enough in the Democrat party you can get away with anything. We now have confirmation from Hollywood Producer Bettina Viviano that Bill Clinton knew in 2008 that Obama was not eligible. And Obama and Wilhelm have the goods on each other, have avoided prosecution and continue to be rewarded for pay to play politics.

Here is some background on David Wilhelm.

From Jake Tapper, ABC News, December 9, 2008.

“And, it should be pointed out, Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary that year, then-state sen. Obama endorsed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. But after Blagojevich won, Obama came around enthusiastically. At the same time, meanwhile, Axelrod had such serious concerns about whether Blagojevich was ready for governing he refused to work for his one-time client.

According to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Mr. Obama’s incoming White House chief of staff, Emanuel, then-state senator Obama, a third Blagojevich aide, and Blagojevich’s campaign co-chair, David Wilhelm, were the top strategists of Blagojevich’s 2002 gubernatorial victory.

Emanuel told the New Yorker earlier this year that he and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor. We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.”

Wilhelm said that Emanuel had overstated Obama’s role. “There was an advisory council that was inclusive of Rahm and Barack but not limited to them,” Wilhelm said, and he disputed the notion that Obama was “an architect or one of the principal strategists.”

(An Obama Transition Team aide emails to note that Emanuel later changed his recollection of this story to Rich Miller’s “CAPITOL FAX,” saying, “David [Wilhelm] and I have worked together on campaigns for decades. Like always, he’s right and I’m wrong.”)”

“On the Chicago TV show “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz” on June 27, 2002, state Sen. Obama said, “Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor, we…”

“You working hard for Rod?” interrupted Berkowitz.

“You betcha,” said Obama.

“Hot Rod?” asked the host.

“That’s exactly right,” Obama said.

In 2004, then-Gov. Blagojevich enthusiastically endorsed Obama for the Senate seat after he won the nomination, and Obama endorsed Blagojevich for his 2006 re-election race in early 2005.

In the Summer of 2006, then-U.S. Sen. Obama backed Blagojevich even though there were serious questions at the time about Blago’s hiring practices.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/12/questions-arise/

From USA Today February 13, 2012.

“The man who served as national manager of former President Clinton’s 1992 campaign endorsed Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday.
David Wilhelm, who led the campaign and later became chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Obama had the unique ability to encourage cooperation as a 65-percent president after the divisive years of a 51-percent majority. He was referring to the notion that Obama could govern the country with the support of a large coalition, as opposed to more polarized support for President Bush.

Wilhelm is a superdelegate who was previously uncommitted in the race. His endorsement helps Obama in the delegate race, in which he pulled ahead after Tuesday’s sweeps of primaries in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Clinton remains considerably ahead in superdelegates, which are party officials, elected officials and others who can vote however they choose at the nominating convention.

If the race for pledged delegates based on outcomes in caucuses and primaries across the country remains tight, superdelegates could decide the nomination.

Obama leads the delegate race with 1,275 to 1,220 to Clinton, according to the latest count by The Associated Press.

Persuading superdelegates to back Obama will be a crucial role for Wilhelm in the Obama campaign, he said.

“The only reason this race appears to be closer than it actually is is the number of superdelegates that bought into Senator Clinton’s inevitability early — too early, it seems,” Wilhelm said.

The Clinton campaign predicted Wednesday it would be in a virtual tie with Obama in delegates after March 4 primaries in Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island, separated by no more than 25 delegates.

Wilhelm said the Democrats could never win a contest about experience over Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, but could win — with Obama — an election that was framed around change.”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-02-13-obama-endorsement_N.htm

From the Chicago Tribune November 17, 2010.

“Secrecy shrouds some pension investments in Illinois”
“The Tribune was able to identify some assets underlying these investments only by reviewing thousands of pages of pension fund documents and scouring industry newsletters and Web sites.

“Private equity and real estate are the dark side,” said Jeremy Gold, a national pension expert formerly of the Wharton School’s Pension Research Council. “I say dark side because nobody really knows what real estate is worth until someone wants to buy it. Good luck figuring out what private equity is really worth.”

These issues come into play when analyzing the results achieved by Chicago-based Hopewell Ventures, a private equity investment firm that, according to the Tribune’s review of pension fund documents, is among the firms losing the most value in terms of percentage for city pension funds.

Hopewell’s co-founder is David Wilhelm, a native Chicagoan who has managed campaigns for Mayor Richard Daley and brought the 1996 Democratic National Convention to Chicago as national party chairman. He was also a campaign adviser for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and an informal adviser to President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

In 2004, the municipal and laborers pension funds each invested about $5 million in Hopewell, whose holdings include a Minnesota printing company that filed for bankruptcy three years after the firm invested $2 million as well as an Illinois company that produces pasteurized eggs.

According to the Tribune’s analysis of pension fund documents, the funds’ investment of $10.2 million is now worth nearly $6 million less — for an annualized return of negative 9 percent. The funds also paid the firm $1.7 million in fees.”

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-17/news/ct-met-pension-transparency-20101117_1_national-pension-expert-pension-fund-pension-investments

From The Cleveland Plain Dealer October 5, 2010.

“Huge solar panel farm coming to southeast Ohio”

“The field will be built and owned by Turning Point Solar LLC, a joint venture of New Harvest Ventures of Ohio and Agile Energy LLC of California.

The cost of the solar field will be about $250 million, said David Wilhelm, a principal in New Harvest. The project will depend on state and federal tax credits, federal loan guarantees and a state advanced energy grant.

“All of these things are in motion,” Wilhelm said. “None of them are certain, but we are confident on all scores.”
Wilhelm, of Logan, was head of the Democratic National Committee in the 1990s but today is a venture capitalist, supporting sustainability, the concept of companies that “do well by doing good.””

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/huge_solar_panel_farm_coming_t.html

All of the above is interesting and certainly begins connecting the dots between David Wilhelm and Barack Obama, but as you have probably guessed, there is more.