PrintMarch 14, 2008
Obama releases earmark requests for last three years
I don't know if this revelation will hurt Obama or not. It may just be a one day scandal.
Nevertheless, one of Obama's Earmarks was requested for the Hospital That Employs Michelle Obama.
Nevertheless, one of Obama's Earmarks was requested for the Hospital That Employs Michelle Obama.
Dan Riehl notes, via Amanda Carpenter, that in the list of earmarks he requested, $1 Million was requested for the construction of a new hospital pavilion at the University Of Chicago. The request was put in in 2006 but Congress defeated it.
You know who works for the University of Chicago Hospital? Michelle Obama. She's vice president of community affairs.
As Byron noted, "In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office."
That request was embarrassing for Obama but not a major issue since it wasn't approved. Whatever fallout he might get from that revelation pales in significance to the points he scores for "openness and transparency" in government not to mention putting Hillary Clinton on the defensive because she has yet to release her requested earmarks despite promising to do so.
