Kimberly Strassel profiles Democrat Illinois Senate candidate Alex Giannoulias. You may have heard of him. He is a young (34 years old) scion of a Chicago banking family whose lending programs include loans to (dramatic pause) organized crime. Alexi G is also something of a protege of Barack Obama, whom you may have heard of. Sounds like JournaList needs to conduct a message coordination session! Obama's Other Chicago Problem Mr. Obama continued to swing for Mr. Giannoulias right through the news that the Giannoulias's Broadway Bank had loaned millions to Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a convicted bookmaker, as well as other crime figures. He stuck with him through the news that some of this money had been disbursed when Mr. Giannoulias was the bank's senior loan officer
To paraphrase Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan, time was, if you were alleged to be connected to the mob, you were done in politics. We live in different times, I guess, since the Democratic primary voters heard the mob story and voted for Alexi G anyway.
His primary opponent, David Hoffman, resurrected the mob story line, leading to new details about Mr. Giannoulias's lending history. He's been under fire for mismanaging the state's college savings program. The Blagojevich trial has rekindled interest in the Senate nominee's older brother, Demetris, who was pushed for a state board position by convicted Obama fund-raiser Tony Rezko. Mr. Blagojevich appointed him in 2004, and then reappointed him a year later, 33 days after Mr. Giannoulias's father donated $10,000 to the Blago campaign.
Then in April federal regulators seized Broadway Bank. Records showed the bank's lending profile changed sharply after Mr. Giannoulias came on full-time in 2002. His lending department doubled down on the risky real estate loans that helped shred the housing market; Broadway piled up losses. Mr. Giannoulias prospered.
Boy! Some guys have all the luck! Or all the $$! One or the other will suffice.
The only question I have: what in the world makes Alexi G a Democrat worthy of the attentions of a US Senator and future president of the United States? Is Alexi a committed Green? Doesn't look like it. Is he worried about "social justice?" Not that I can see. Is he an idealistic progressive who wants to make a difference? He's a banker! Maybe he knows how to make the right noises about spreading the wealth around, but doesn't let that interfere with his lifestyle. Certainly he's got the corrupt urban machine wing of the Democrat Party locked down.
Now I'm sure there are plaintive cries out there: "why would Jesus Delano Lincoln be in bed with a banker with ties to the mob? It makes no sense!" Well, I would refer you to David Horowitz's Shadow Party, which looks at the connections between the mob and the Democratic Party via Clinton operative Harold Ickes who made his name and fortune as a labor lawyer for NYC unions. Now, what word comes to mind when you hear the words "NYC Unions?" Ickes had a lot of unsavory clients, and when the time came for Ickes to fund raise for Democratic causes, he happily tapped those unsavory sources. While unions loudly trumpet their support for progressive causes, their mob infiltration and corruption continue unabated (it was only during the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations that saw sustained attacks on union corruption). Sound familiar?
Alexi G is nothing more than a mobbed up Dollarcrat, someone interested in making a buck off of the intersection between Big Government and Big Business. And, his patron was none other than the Progressive Prince himself. Funny that.
