Saturday, March 29, 2008

Which Fake Professor Came First: Dan Seals or Barack Obama?

10th Congressional District Dem candidate Dan Seals likes to draw as many comparisons between Barack Obama and himself as possible. Who would have guessed that this goes as far as claiming to be a professor when he is not?

Turns out that our Illinois junior senator was billed as a law professor at University of Chicago when he was actually only a lecturer, according to Obama fan and frequent cheerleader/apologist Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. See her article here. Sweet actually seems to imply that it was U of C's fault, not Obama's, for claiming he was a law professor, when he only taught part-time and clearly never held the title of "professor of law." But, Obama himself has claimed that title in the past, and is only now being held accountable.

In Dem circles, this extravagent bit of puffery is apparently not a news flash, but the Clinton camp has recently seized on it as the ammunition of the day.

So, campers, does this remind you of anyone?

Yes, that's right, Congressman Mark Kirk's Dem opponent.... DAN SEALS, who claimed for months, since at least October, that he was a professor at Northwestern University, despite not ever having spent a minute in an NU classroom teaching a student (and still hasn't). The basis for this claim is that he is scheduled to teach a 10-hour night class beginning this April. Sorry, folks, that does not qualify one to claim the title of "professor" at one of the best schools in the country. TA regulars know all about this blatant bit of resume puffing on the part of the Seal Pup, and how we at Team America feel about it, but for the complete background, see here and here, for starters.

Hmm... seems that Seals wants to emulate his idol Obama in every way possible... perhaps he's going to do it right off the same cliff that Obama may be heading towards...

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

TA, I love that the Dems have nominated an out-of-work liar to be their candidate for the Tenth District. I'm sure our communities will soundly reject this Bob Creamer-inspired political experiment.

And shame on the University of Chicago for its slavish devotion to the House of Obama. As an alum, I am appalled.

Aaron Rester said...

Sweet's article is misleading.

Obama never held the title "Professor of Law," (notice the capitals) but he never claimed to. One can be a professor with out holding the title "Professor."

Please check out the Law School faculty page(http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/index.html) and notice that the people currently holding the title of Senior Lecturer include Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner; while he teaches only a couple of classes a year, you would not be able to find a colleague or a student there who did not refer to him as a "professor," thoungh not as a "Professor."

Anonymous said...

Book Signing and Discussion with Author: "Stand Up Straight! How Progressives Can Win", by Robert Creamer
Saturday April 5th 2008, 2:00pm
Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie.

Robert Creamer, convicted felon who served time for the fleecing of Senior Citizens, the HUSBAND of dear Jan Schakowsky, the mentor to Seals and Lauren Beth Gash. Ah, America, only here can scum bags like Creamer write books and have the moxie to get Barnes and Noble to tout this stuff.

Creamer continues to teach in the 10th Dems 'university' together with his wacky wife. The 'test' will come throughout the campaign. Let's see how effective their coaching and teaching has been on The Pup.

Anonymous said...

Yawn, yawn, yawn.

Lynn Sweet was writing about Barack Obama’s position at the U of C Law School during the 2004 Senate campaign so this is nothing.

Dan Seals, on the other hand, continues to foist his professorial myth on us. Comparing himself to Obama is no more honest than claiming to be a professor at Northwestern. Honesty is not Seals’ strong suit.

When one compares Seals’ positions to Mark Kirk’s voting record since 2006, Kirk actually appears stake out the more progressive positions. Passing himself off as a progressive is Seals’ biggest lie of all.

Anonymous said...

DELETED! Not even a sign that I posted! Then when I reposted, DELETED again!

Ellen Beth Gill seemed upset at my posting in her response to the Kirk Open House that will take place today:

"You forgot to mention that included topics are borderland security and the war. The e-mail invitation I have clearly states this."

Facts are a stubborn thing but making up things does not become you."

Ellen of course claimed that Kirk would duck what she calls serious issues. When called on her clear distortions, she DELETED me!

I guess I'm in good company now!

Louis G. Atsaves

Anonymous said...

OK, Lou, you now get it. FORGET that vicious attack catwoman and her sick excuse for a Blog. I wondered how long it would take her to just remove you once and for all. We know it now! Lou, it's her way or the highway, it's her "facts" or no facts. Her out of control hatred for Mark Kirk will actually be her undoing and that's just fine. She has no credibility, she has no commentors any longer, and she's yesterday's "news" and nothing more. Stay over here on TA with people who really want to have some dialogue. Don't waste your time or your words over there.

Anonymous said...

TA,
When will the media run with this story and shien the light on Seal's dishonest actions??

Anonymous said...

I guess no one should be surprised by the dihonesty in your blog, given your record.

You, I'm sure, are fully aware of the University of Chicago's statement on this matter, but of course you don't put it on your blog. It makes slaw out of your whole argument.

Here it is.

The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer."

From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined.

http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:04- you flunk. Go to the back of the class. The U of C statement clearly says Obama "served as" a professor, which I believe was discussed in Sweet's article. He wasn't a "P"rofessor, he was a senior lecturer. You go ask the "real" professors at U of C what they think, just like the real professors at NU would doubtless laugh at Seals' claim of being a professor. U of C is defending Obama and trying to have it both ways.

In any event, I notice you don't have a thing to say about Seals' "professor" claim, which is way weeaker than Obama's. At least we can assume that Obama taught a couple of students before he started bragging about the title.

Anonymous said...

Love Clinton and Footlik challenging our guys to make them waste finances, dig up dirt for us-Jeremiah Wright!, and turn independents and soft D's away from them.

Anyone seen jay at the pancake house lately or is he back in d.c. as a lobbyist?

Anonymous said...

TA:

No one reads Ellen Beth Gill anymore.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:14. You hit the nail on the head. I really get nothing out of that blog in terms of information, just attitudes and prejudices most Democrats do not even subscribe to.

When I called for a cease fire on the racism rants, she ramped it up. Oh, well!

She comes from that group of Democrats that attempts to parse every word and phrase to their advantage. So a "lecturer" becomes a "professor." "Is" is redefined. A farmer switches from tomatoes to corn and to her that is an illegal immigrant issue. It probably represents a farmer who understands that corn can be sold and refined into ethanol far easier than tomatoes and at less cost, but facts are stubborn things.

Who is doing the "misleading" around these parts? If Justice Richard Posner is a "senior lecturer" then he is in my eyes a "senior lecturer" when he is on campus. I bet even Justice Rosner would agree with me on this point. He is one of the finest legal minds around these days and has shown little patience in his written decisions with those who attempt to parse words or phrases.

I have a "juris doctorate" degree. I don't stretch it out and claim that I am "Dr. Louis G. Atsaves" when introducing myself to others.

Maybe that is why I am not a Democrat. I prefer reality.

Louis G. Atsaves

Anonymous said...

Anyone notice that Lauren Beth Gash never gave back the money Rezko gave her?!

Anonymous said...

Glad to have you here, full time, Louis, it's where intelligent discourse can be found. TA doesn't delete or twist words. I honestly believe that Ms. Shrill is so over the top in this cycle is proof that she knows her candidate is a real loser. The Pup now has 'baggage' to explain to voters in this district. Hard to explain what he's been doing these past 3 years. Ms. Shrill has never been fair minded or even logically correct when trying to define our congressman. Hers is pure hatred for this man with no holds barred. That's why she has no credibility, no posters, no reason to keep on spewing that kind of vicious and innacurate nonsense. People out here 'get it' and they now know that she is irrelevant, except to that cat. Welcome back, Louis, it's where you belong, full time.

Anonymous said...

Let's all start whispering it together, until a thunderous roar drives the local media to call for it as well:

"Time to release the tax returns Pup..."

Anonymous said...

That's a good point- when or does Seals have to make his tax records public?

Anonymous said...

Anon 5pm,
It has been typical since 1970 for candidates to release their records, but there is usually not any enforcement on these rules.

Anonymous said...

The whole professor-gate issue isn't as big as say a Rev. Wright moment, (hey - didn't Dan Seals supporter Eddie Washington make some religiously insensitive remarks too?) but it is indicative of a larger trend of poor judgment. Whether it is Seals himself or his team making these decisions, the result is the same.

As someone who hangs out with Chicago democrats quite a bit, the current gossip du jour is spot on - Seals didn't make the necessary adjustments this time around to help himself. It's Cegalis all over again. The entitlement mentality just doesn't work.

Pretty soon, they are going to start calling Seals the next Oberweis. A career politician without the career.

Team America said...

Joe, I agree 100% and I had a tough time trying to decide to talk tonight about Professor-gate, or the fact that Seals is one of the only candidates anyone has ever heard of that actually did LESS since the last election to try to bolster his credentials and accomplishments. Besides working for ThePoint.com for a few months and signing up to teach the night course, it's unclear how he's been spending his time, and he's done NOTHING to benefit the 10th District. You will see that Professor-gate won out tonight, but we will definitely revisit this topic soon.

Anonymous said...

Nice blog you got here.
Ah yes, the University pages calls Obama a professor, but in all colleges and universities in the country he would be called a adjunct professors, not a full professor. Kind of nice of them to change the meaning for a presidential contender.
And if anyone thinks that any politician from Chicago is going to change anything for the better, I got a bridge in Brooklyn for you.
Thanks for bringing up the dan Seals fake professor stuff also. Like 2 peas in a pd.