U.S Press Hype for Obama on his Tour

The U.S Press tour with Obama has been very interesting But I started reading German papers last night then noticed all of the responses coming in from Germans and other Europeans weighing in on there thoughts of Obama the election and Obama's tour some papers had up 5,000 responses to Obama articles. I found it very interesting the curiosity they had for Obama and the opinions they had of Him.

interesting that all the Americans who say they don't care what Europe thinks of America (or its presidential candidates) are taking the time to contribute to the website of a European daily! (For what it's worth - and I know you don't care (!!) - I am rooting for McCain).
Paul, Glasgow, UK

Politicians across the globe have their very own marketing strategies... mostly fluff and no stuff... start doing something for your 'own' nation than looking for a Kodak moment in a foreign land... holds good not only for Obama, but all...
Vivek Ganapathy, Bangalore, India

Please everybody...let ' s think about Baracks intention. All he wants is winning the race for presindency in the States. Being fair, Angela Merkel should give the same chance to every political opponent, like Mac Cain.....
Steve , Münster, Germany

The real point that I stress here is that no one needs to use another country's landmarks to further their own personal agenda. Images are strong visual tools. As a American living in Germany, both countries have their pluses. We in the US need substance not photo-ops!
Julienne, Kleinmachnow, Germany
In Germany, you find an "Anti-Bush-Administration-ism", not an "Anti-Americanism", as you said in your article. Most Germans would prefer EITHER of the two US candidates to the current Bush's administration.
Annika, Berlin, Germany

I am a German and I can only say this much. Every American who thinks Obama with his socialistic ideas is the answer, should just live in Germany or France for a year. Socialism, large government and deteriorating work and moral ethics have this country going down the drain. America, be smarter!!
JR, Kassel, Germany

I couldnt care less about Obama visiting Germany.
Chris, Germany,

Europe doesn't appreciate the role the US have played and play in defending Europeans against terrorist threat. Was it not for the US Afghanistan would still be a safe haven for Al-Qaeda. Rather than embracing protectionist demagogue like Obama Europe has to shift towards more principled stance.
Ilya, St. Petersburg, Russia

Actually, European socialists are working in their own interests by trying to get obama elected. He will tax the US economy into oblivion and allow unions/socialism to destroy US industry. Both of these disasters benefit Europe, especially the Germans.
John, Ipswitch, England

"Obama can be a global leader." This article makes me think he wants to be THE global leader. Apparently he wants to visit the UK as well, all before the Presidency is decided. If women start fainting at 'Obamania' in Berlin too, its time to get worried.
Laurence England, Brighton, United Kingdom

Do german peoples care much about when America says things about them? No. So you shoud ask good question why America would want to care what Germans have to say. US stand tall and dont worry, free people of the world stand with you.
Paul R., Poland, Poland

Perhaps Obama should give his speech at Checkpoint Charlie. Getting over the old Berlin wall was a stroll in the park compared to the chances of a an African American getting into the White House.
Paul Goulding, Pangbourne, England

Maybe after they fix the vandalized Hitler wax statue, Obama can cut of his head again! On national TV!
Kelly Van Rijn, Arnhem, Netherlands

It's nice to be liked. But I would rather be respected .
Jim, Tampa, Hillsborough

The man has a massive ego and a messiah complex, but too bad for him, Germans cant vote !
Mike , Edinburgh ,

Bush hasn't got the media circus and the art of spin that both Clinton and Obama enjoy (ed). It is his greatest failure as President that he didn't run the presidency like a reality show - American Idol for White House
Glen, Johannesburg,

People in the UK, It comes down to this.... Obama or McCain. Who is better for the US and who is better for the world. EASY ANSWER. You can talk about speeches, welfare states, etc but we have 2 choices. People in the UK, who would you pick??? I thought so.......
Liam, Norfolk, UK

I was at the speech and was very unimpressed. You could feel the crowd wanted to erupt, but his speech was very very dull. The American press had this guy as a dynamic speaker. At times it appeared as if he was ready to fall asleep.
Martin Hein, Berlin, Germany

"I am quit sure that if Obama will not win the election that without doubt will be due to his color." And if he does win, then surely that will be due to the colour of his skin also? Over 90% of the black population of America have been voting him. Surely some of that is due to racial bias?
David, Liverpool,

Obama visits Europeans but not his own troops in Germany who are in Rehabilitation from the war zone but that says a lot about someone and his thoughts of the military. Am against the Iraq war but not against the men and women are out there fighting he should of visited troops first before trying to convince us he is the best man to be president we can't vote.
Gordon, Germany

Americans have never been liked by most of the Europeans. Today they may smile and wave at Obama. If he should ever become president he will be put in the same league as Bush. Except Bush never went to Europeans cap in hand and asking to be loved. He still maintained his integrity.
Glen, Johannesburg

If Obama was attempting to appear presidential, he was not convincing. The speech was boring and filled with facts that most of us have read in history textbooks. Not a great orator as has been purported. The notable lines were remarks however that Europeans should remember should he win in November
KBB, Vienna,

German online newspapers are full of sarcastic comments about Obama's speech, due to its simple-mindedness in content and language - this definitely can’t be described as a success…
Anja Mueller, Loerrach/London,
Be careful what you wish for.
Tim, Dewsbury, England

Obama, I think those 200,000 who watched, they liked you this morning, but don't respect you now.
Ferdinand Schneider, Potsdam, Germany

Are there not strict rules about electioneering prior to the US Presidential election? Relevant times and the costs involved.Is he allowed to hold forth like this. He tried to speak at the Brandenberg Gate but Merkel thankfully vetoed it. Are there limits on cash quotas for electioneering now?
james allen, manchester, england

So far he has told everyone what they want to hear. Whether its Europe, Iraq, Palestine, Israel or America. He takes the side that is most convenient. I'd like to see him to have actually done/achieved something in US politics before I'd want him running a country. This is like Tony Blair all over..
Adrian Tysoe, Haslemere, England

Obama will be americas, 21st century, david lloyd george. He will set in motion the legislation that will eventually lead to america being crippled by the welfare state, just like lloyd george did in 1909(ish) with the peoples budget. Not to mention the fact that he will condemn iraq to civil war.will, grimsby, uk


I wish I could of posted all of the responses , I thought it was great tour we learned a lot about Obama Whether you like him or not he is a great speaker and he does make you feel good just like Clinton did but as Americans we must not listen to the media when learning about a candidate we must do our own research. There are two things I look at with a candidate, one is his record on voting and the other is his supporters meaning who would benefit the most from his election, and how would that effect my life. I personally have not been a very happy with the Bush administration regarding Iraq war, they made a lot of mistakes with this war and should of never gone in. but we are there now, and how we get our troops out is important to me. the first Bush made a big mistake by not finishing the first Iraq war. So here we are again and if we are not careful we will be there again doing clean up we should of done previously. I personally cannot vote for someone on a one-issue platform I have to look at everything. This election is very close and it shouldn't be if your listening to what the media is saying about Obama and there push for him to be President. The democrats have a slim majority at this time. Yesterday the Democrats tried to pass a bill that would of raised the Federal Gas Tax to 28.4 cents from 18.4 cents and raised diesel rates from 24.3 cents to 34.3 cents per gallon, the Republicans stopped that bill from going forward by voting against the measure. Nancy Pelosi has already stated that she will wait for the next congress to be sworn in with a new President and try to push this bill forward. Just think about this if the Democrats have a larger majority with a Democrat as President this bill will pass, and now we as Americans will be paying even more for gas, food and a hole host of other things.

Just Think about what happens, when you expand goverment and raise taxes. if you don't understand then look at california, over the past 5 years California has been spending money right and left on expanding Goverment. So now we don't have enough money to cover the new debt so there talking about raising taxes on small Business so they can bring in more revenue thats just the begining.

Obama Tells Teachers Union He Opposes Vouchers

Senator Obama is saying decisively that he does not support private school vouchers, while sticking with his support for incentive pay for teachers based on their students' performance.

Mr. Obama made the remarks yesterday in a telecast speech to the American Federation of Teachers' national convention in Chicago after the union voted overwhelmingly to endorse his presidential bid.

Obama's Voting Record Complicates His Shift to Center (Update1)

July 8 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is trying to claim the political center, following in the footsteps of previous nominees including Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. Yet the Illinois senator has a higher hurdle than most: a consistently liberal voting record.
In recent weeks, Obama said he supports gun-ownership rights, backs legislation giving immunity to telephone companies that participated in an anti-terrorism surveillance program and would consider cutting corporate taxes. On July 3, he said he would ``continue to refine my policies'' on the Iraq War.
Obama built his candidacy on the support of his party's liberal base, which favors restrictions on guns and wiretapping, raising taxes for companies, and pulling U.S. forces from Iraq. As an Illinois state legislator, he voted against a law carving out self-defense exceptions to local handgun bans; as a U.S. senator, he opposed business tax cuts and extending warrantless eavesdropping, and backed tougher gun laws. On Iraq, he has long focused on ending the war and withdrawing troops.
The candidate is now trying to fend off Arizona Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, who needs to try to ``unmask Obama as an old-style liberal in a flashy new costume,'' said Trent Duffy, a former aide to President George W. Bush and a partner at the Washington communications firm HDMK.
`Seeming Authenticity'
At the same time, changing positions may present risks by endangering one of Obama's biggest assets, his ``seeming authenticity,'' said Mark Corallo, a strategist who worked on Republican Fred Thompson's presidential bid.
Obama, 46, rejects the notion that he is trying to move to the center.
``I get tagged as being on the left and when I simply describe what have been my positions consistently, then suddenly people act surprised,'' Obama told reporters in Ohio on July 1. There haven't ``been substantial shifts,'' he said.
Gun control emerged as an issue last month after the Supreme Court struck down Washington's handgun ban. McCain, 71, quickly praised the decision.
Obama was on the defensive because of past support for more restrictive laws. In addition to the 2004 state vote on the self- defense bill, which critics said might eviscerate local handgun bans, Obama in 2005 voted as a U.S. senator to expand the types of banned ammunition and against a measure protecting gun makers and sellers from lawsuits.
`Common-Sense' Restrictions
On June 26, Obama said he has ``always believed'' in gun- ownership rights, though he supports ``common-sense'' restrictions. Washington's law ``overshot the runway,'' he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television that day.
On surveillance, Obama last year voted against expanding the wiretapping program for six months. Now, he backs a bill that would end lawsuits against telephone companies and allow surveillance to continue.
The new bill is a ``compromise'' reflecting the importance of getting ``that program in place,'' Obama said July 1.
Obama also faces questions on taxes. In 2006, he voted against extending write offs for small businesses and Bush's cuts to the capital-gains rates.
Campaigning June 9 in North Carolina, he assailed Bush's ``tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs.'' A week later, he told the Wall Street Journal that corporate tax rates could be reduced after eliminating loopholes.
Rape Case
Some of the Republican charges of flip-flopping are misplaced. Last month, Obama drew fire for denouncing a Supreme Court decision barring the death penalty for child rapists. Yet in his 2006 book, ``The Audacity of Hope,'' he wrote that some crimes are ``so heinous'' that capital punishment is justified.
As examples, Obama cited ``mass murder'' or ``the rape and murder of a child.'' On June 25, he told reporters that ``the rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime.''
In other cases, the criticism may be tougher to deflect. On Iraq, Republicans seized on recent comments by the candidate and his staff as evidence that he might backtrack from his 16-month withdrawal plan. His foreign-policy adviser, Susan Rice, said July 1 on MSNBC that he would ``redeploy our forces responsibly, at a rate that our commanders say is safe and sustainable.''
Last week, Obama said he has consistently called for the U.S. to be as ``careful'' leaving Iraq as it was ``careless'' getting in. Yet his comment about how a trip to Iraq would allow him to ``refine'' his policies were assailed as evidence he was backpedaling.
Iraq War
``The hard-core left is willing to tolerate some of those shifts,'' Duffy said. Any change on Iraq, though, ``is a bridge too far.''
In 2005, his first full year in the U.S. Senate, Obama earned 100 percent ratings from the AFL-CIO labor federation and Americans for Democratic Action, according to Congressional Quarterly. Those ratings were 93 percent and 95 percent in 2006.
Obama also favored restoring habeas corpus rights to suspected terrorists, while opposing the confirmations of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, and a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag burning.
Obama, who has campaigned as a politician who can bridge partisan divides, voted with his party 97 percent of the time last year, 96 percent the year before and 97 percent in 2005, according to Congressional Quarterly. McCain's ``party unity'' scores in the last three years were 90 percent, 76 percent and 84 percent; in 2001, the Republican supported his party just 67 percent of the time.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net

Who is the real Obama after the Primaries

Now that Obama is in the General Election his move to center has left the Left wing of his party a little confuessed, But Obama must move to the center where most of America are in order to win the Election. When looking at Obama's voting record it doesn't give you warm feeling on how he will lead and work with Republicans




By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ and CHRISTOPHER DREW
New Times
Published: December 20, 2007
Correction Appended
In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.
In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator.
Sometimes the “present’ votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.
The record has become an issue on the presidential campaign trail, as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, has seized on the present votes he cast on a series of anti-abortion bills to portray Mr. Obama as a “talker” rather than a “doer.”
Although a present vote is not unusual in Illinois, Mr. Obama’s use of it is being raised as he tries to distinguish himself as a leader who will take on the tough issues, even if it means telling people the “hard truths” they do not want to hear.
Mr. Obama’s aides and some allies dispute the characterization that a present vote is tantamount to ducking an issue. They said Mr. Obama cast 4,000 votes in the Illinois Senate and used the present vote to protest bills that he believed had been drafted unconstitutionally or as part of a broader legislative strategy.
“No politically motivated attacks in the 11th hour of a closely contested campaign can erase a record of leadership and courage,” said Bill Burton, Mr. Obama’s spokesman.
An examination of Illinois records shows at least 36 times when Mr. Obama was either the only state senator to vote present or was part of a group of six or fewer to vote that way.
In more than 50 votes, he seemed to be acting in concert with other Democrats as part of a strategy.
For a juvenile-justice bill, lobbyists and fellow lawmakers say, a political calculus could have been behind Mr. Obama’s present vote. On other measures like the anti-abortion bills, which Republicans proposed, Mr. Obama voted present to help more vulnerable Democrats under pressure to cast “no” votes.
In other cases, Mr. Obama’s present votes stood out among widespread support as he tried to use them to register legal and other objections to parts of the bills.
In Illinois, political experts say voting present is a relatively common way for lawmakers to express disapproval of a measure. It can at times help avoid running the risks of voting no, they add.
“If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.”
The vote on the juvenile-justice bill appears to be a case when Mr. Obama, who represented a racially mixed district on the South Side of Chicago, faced pressure. It also occurred about six months before he announced an ultimately unsuccessful campaign against a popular black congressman, Bobby L. Rush.
State Senator Christine Radogno, a Republican, was a co-sponsor of the bill to let children as young as 15 be prosecuted as adults if charged with committing a crime with a firearm on or near school grounds.
The measure passed both houses overwhelmingly. In explaining his present vote on the floor of the Senate, Mr. Obama said there was no proof that increasing penalties for young offenders reduced crime, though he acknowledged that the bill had fairly unanimous support.
“Voting present was a way to satisfy those two competing interests,” Ms. Radogno said in a telephone interview.
Thom Mannard, director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, said political calculation could have figured in that vote.
“If he voted a flat-out no,” Mr. Mannard said, “somebody down the road could say Obama took this vote and was soft on crime.”
Mr. Obama’s aides said he was more concerned about whether the bill would be effective rather than with its political consequences. They did not explain why he did not just vote no.
Lawmakers and other Illinois officials said the present vote was devised to enable lawmakers to recuse themselves from voting on bills that present personal conflicts. It can also be used in the routine day-to-day wrangling in the legislature.
In at least 45 instances, Mr. Obama voted with large numbers of fellow Democrats as part of the tactical skirmishing with Republicans over the budget.
Seven other times, he voted that way as part of a broad strategy devised by abortion rights advocates to counter anti-abortion bills.
Pam Sutherland, president of Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, said Mr. Obama was one of the senators with a strong stand for abortion rights whom the organization approached about using the strategy. Ms. Sutherland said the Republicans were trying to force Democrats from conservative districts to register politically controversial no votes.
Ms. Sutherland said Mr. Obama had initially resisted the strategy because he wanted to vote against the anti-abortion measures.
“He said, ‘I’m opposed to this,’” she recalled.
But the organization argued that a present vote would be difficult for Republicans to use in campaign literature against Democrats from moderate and conservative districts who favored abortion rights.
Lisa Madigan, the Illinois attorney general who was in the Illinois Senate with Mr. Obama from 1998 through 2002, said she and Mr. Obama voted present on the anti-abortion bills.
“It’s just plain wrong to imply that voting present reflected a lack of leadership,” Ms. Madigan said. “In fact, it was the exact opposite.”
In other present votes, Mr. Obama, who also taught law at the University of Chicago while in the State Senate, said he had concerns about the constitutionality or effectiveness of some provisions.
Among those, Mr. Obama did not vote yes or no on a bill that would allow certain victims of sexual crimes to petition judges to seal court records relating to their cases. He also voted present on a bill to impose stricter standards for evidence a judge is permitted to consider in imposing a criminal sentence.
On the sex crime bill, Mr. Obama cast the lone present vote in a 58-to-0 vote.
Mr. Obama’s campaign said he believed that the bill violated the First Amendment. The bill passed 112-0-0 in the House and 58-0-1 in the Senate.
In 2000, Mr. Obama was one of two senators who voted present on a bill on whether facts not presented to a jury could later be the basis for increasing an offender’s sentence beyond the ordinary maximum.
State Representative Jim Durkin, a Republican who was a co-sponsor of the bill, said it was intended to bring state law in line with a United States Supreme Court decision that nullified a practice of introducing new evidence to a judge in the sentencing phase of the trial, after a jury conviction on other charges.
The bill sailed through both chambers. Out of 174 votes cast in the House and Senate, two were against and two were present, including Mr. Obama’s.
“I don’t understand why you would oppose it,” Mr. Durkin said. “But I am more confused by a present vote.”
Mr. Obama’s campaign said he voted present to register his dissatisfaction with how the bill was put together. He believed, the campaign said, that the bill was rushed to the floor and that lawmakers were deprived of time to consider it.
Mr. Obama was also the sole present vote on a bill that easily passed the Senate that would require teaching respect for others in schools. He also voted present on a measure to prohibit sex-related shops from opening near schools or places of worship, which ultimately did not pass the Senate.
In both of those cases, his campaign said, he was trying to avoid mandates on local authorities.

Obama Got Discount on Home Loan

Campaign Defends Lower Rate as Lender Competition for Business

By Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 2, 2008;

Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.
The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a "super super jumbo." Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.
Compared with the average terms offered at the time in Chicago, Obama's rate could have saved him more than $300 per month.
Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said the rate was adjusted to account for a competing offer from another lender and other factors. "The Obamas have since had as much as $3 million invested through Northern Trust," he said in a statement.
Modest adjustments in mortgage rates are common among financial institutions as they compete for business or develop relationships with wealthy families. But amid a national housing crisis, news of discounts offered to Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the banking committee, and Kent Conrad (D-N.D) by another lender, Countrywide Financial, has brought new scrutiny to the practice and has resulted in a preliminary Senate ethics committee inquiry into the Dodd and Conrad loans.
Within Obama's presidential campaign organization, former Fannie Mae chief executive James A. Johnson resigned abruptly as head of the vice presidential search committee after his favorable Countrywide loan became public.
Driving the recent debate is concern that public officials, knowingly or unknowingly, may receive special treatment from lenders and that the discounts could constitute gifts that are prohibited by law.
"The real question is: Were congressmen getting unique treatment that others weren't getting?" associate law professor Adam J. Levitin, a credit specialist at Georgetown University Law Center, said about the Countrywide loans. "Do they do business like that for people who are not congressmen? If they don't, that's a problem."
Under financial disclosure rules, members of Congress are not obliged to disclose debts owed to financial institutions for personal residences. Names of lenders and rates paid on mortgages sometimes can be determined by scrutinizing property transaction records. In March, in response to media questions, Obama posted on his campaign Web site records related to his house purchase.
Last week, during debate on a bill to help homeowners caught in the foreclosure crisis, some members of the Senate ethics committee proposed an amendment to require that lawmakers disclose their mortgage lenders and loan terms in annual financial forms starting next year.
In Obama's case, he received a lower rate than the average offered at the time in Chicago for similarly structured jumbo loans. He secured his final mortgage commitment on June 8, 2005, and during that week, rates on similar loans for which information is available averaged 5.93 percent, according to HSH Associates, which surveys lenders. Another survey firm, Bankrate.com, placed the average at 6 percent.
"It's certainly safe to say that this borrower did better than average," said Keith Gumbinger, an HSH vice president, noting that consumer rates vary widely. "It's a good deal."
The Obama campaign called the rate "consistent with Northern Trust policies, and it reflected the base rate set for that period discounted to address the competition for the account and other opportunities, such as personal financial services, that the relationship would bring to Northern Trust."
When the Obamas secured the loan, their income had risen dramatically. Obama assumed his Senate seat in January 2005, with an annual salary of $162,100. That same month, Random House agreed to reissue an Obama memoir, for which it originally paid $40,000, as part of a $2.27 million deal that included two future nonfiction books and a children's book.
Around the same time, the University of Chicago Hospitals promoted Michelle Obama to a vice president and more than doubled her pay, to $317,000.
The couple wanted to step up from their $415,000 condo. They chose a house with six bedrooms, four fireplaces, a four-car garage and 5 1/2 baths, including a double steam shower and a marble powder room. It had a wine cellar, a music room, a library, a solarium, beveled glass doors and a granite-floored kitchen.
The Obamas had no prior relationship with Northern Trust when they applied for the loan. They received an oral commitment on Feb. 4, 2005, and locked in the rate of 5.625 percent, the campaign said. On that date, HSH data show, the average rate in Chicago for a 30-year fixed-rate jumbo loan with no points was about 5.94 percent.
Jumbo loans are for amounts up to $650,000, but the Obamas' $1.32 million loan was so large that few comparables are available. Mortgage specialists say that many high-end buyers pay cash.
Obama's Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, has no mortgages on properties he owns with his wife, Cindy, who is a multimillionaire.
Unlike Countrywide, where leaked internal e-mails documented a special discount program for friends of chief executive Angelo Mozilo, Northern Trust says it has no formal program to provide discounts to public officials. Loan officers may consider a borrower's occupation when establishing an interest rate, the bank said.
"A person's occupation and salary are two factors; I would expect those are two things we would take into consideration," said Northern Trust Vice President John O'Connell. "That would apply to anyone seeking to get a mortgage at Northern Trust." He added that the rates offered to Obama were "consistent with internal Northern Trust rates at that time."
"The bottom line is, this was a business proposition for us," he said. "Our business model is to service and pursue successful individuals, families and institutions."
O'Connell referred additional questions to the campaign.
Since 1990, Northern Trust employees have donated more than $739,000 to federal campaigns, including $71,000 to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Obama's house purchase has been a source of controversy. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that on the day of the closing, the wife of Obama's longtime friend and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko closed on an adjoining lot that had been the estate's side yard.
The Obamas bought the house for $300,000 less than the asking price of $1.95 million, while Rezko's wife, Rita, bought the neighboring lot for the full asking price of $625,000. Rita Rezko later sold a portion of the undeveloped lot to the Obamas, enlarging the senator's yard.
Tony Rezko already had been linked to a grand jury investigation involving public corruption. Last month, he was convicted of 16 counts in an influence-peddling scheme that reached the highest levels of Illinois state government.