Take A Peek Inside the $10 Million Elysian Penthouse: 11 E. Walton in the Gold Coast

The new luxury hotel/condo building, The Elysian at 11 E. Walton in the Gold Coast has been defying the luxury sales downturn as the building has nearly sold out.

11-e-walton-approved.jpg

(It is the tall building on the left.)

Crain’s reported on November 9 that 45 out of 51 units had sold. See the Crain’s story here.

Now, for fun, all of us can get a peek inside the $10 million penthouse duplex.

At 12,000 square feet the 5-bedroom unit occupies both the 56th and 57th floor.

It is a “vanilla box” meaning the buyer would have to build it out.

4 out of the 5 bedrooms are on the second floor. It also has a game room and 4 car parking.

It has 20 foot ceilings and views of the entire downtown.

It came on the market in September and was recently reduced $700,000.

Any guesses on what this sells for?

Pamela Sage at Baird & Warner has the listing. See all the pictures here.

Unit #PH 56-57: 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 12,000 square feet

  • Originally listed in September 2010 for $10.5 million
  • Reduced
  • Currently listed at $9.8 million
  • Assessments of $7,800 a month (includes doorman, pool, clubhouse, exercise room)
  • Taxes are “new”
  • Central Air
  • 4 car parking
  • Bedroom #1: 23×17
  • Bedroom #2: 14×17
  • Bedroom #3: 17×20
  • Bedroom #4: 12×16
  • Bedroom #5: 17×22 (main level)
  • Game room: 14×26

101 Responses to “Take A Peek Inside the $10 Million Elysian Penthouse: 11 E. Walton in the Gold Coast”

  1. This place is quite a bit more than just a “vanilla box”. I was expecting raw space from the ad copy. It really is beautiful and exceptional?

    Beautiful place, but will it fetch $10M, especially since anybody who can buy this is going to want to spend a few million more to build out to taste?

    Given what other really beautiful upper bracket properties are selling for, and how steeply they’re being discounted from Bubble Era prices, would $6M be more like it?

    I’m just curious, since I can’t come near affording it in any case.

    0
    0
  2. Laura, I totally agree with you. I was thinking that a more realistic price would be more around 5 million. However, all you need is someone really rich coming by and falling in love with it and it COULD sell for near asking. Out of curiosity, how much money would you guys need to have to feel comfortable buying this place for 9 million? To me, I would have to have a net worth of at least 30 million to feel comfortable buying a place like this. I don’t know why, but otherwise, I think I would be stressed.

    0
    0
  3. I think you need a net worth higher than that. Maybe a 100 million or so

    0
    0
  4. Anyone buying this would have other homes. A net worth of at least 100 million to start is necessary. Afterall how often would you be in Chicago vs Aspen vs Santa Barbara or Palm Beach?

    Given this is Chicago and not New York- 6 million max

    0
    0
  5. And the build out and furnishing would be 3 million more

    0
    0
  6. It will probably sit around until someone with too much money picks it up for close to the current list. This perspective on the pricing also answers the question about how much money you need to afford this place. Enough so that you don’t care that the place isn’t a value. I think you are in the centimillionaire territory (N.B. I know centi technically means 1/100 but I see this term used all the time) at the very minimum and probably want to be multiples of that.

    0
    0
  7. Compared to Jamie Dimon’s house that went for $6 million this looks very expensive, but the buyer of the place I think got a complete steal.

    0
    0
  8. I suspect that at one time this was two different units that have now been combined to make one awesome unit. It appears that one space was more finished than the other. Perhaps the deal fell through after those finishes had been installed. Note the stripped sink cabinet area in one photo that had been taken away. Now they put it up as one crazy buyer and hope to sell it in one shot. It will be easier to catch one whale then two.

    The place is amazing! Maybe they can get a Hollywood celebrity or sports star to blow 10million on the place. Peerhaps it can become the post White House digs for BOB. If that is the case then they better hurry up and get it finished…..ha ha!

    0
    0
  9. “Peerhaps it can become the post White House digs for BOB.”

    That would be the ultimate example of hypocrisy. A frickin’ socialist looking “down” on all the others from his penthouse. No, he needs to practice what he preaches and live in an average house/condo in an average neighborhood.

    0
    0
  10. “Perhaps it can become the post White House digs for BOB.”

    They don’t have the wealth to afford a property like this. The most they ever earned in one year was, what, like $3 million (when the book was selling big?). Before that, they were essentially upper middle class and only paid off their law loans in the last 10 years.

    In Senate financial filings, they didn’t even list any mutual funds or stocks. So their “assets” were really limited to their condo, which they sold, and then the house they bought on the south side.

    There’s no way they can afford this property- even if their income is $1.5 million a year over the next two years (from books, presidential salary etc.)

    0
    0
  11. Clio: I would feel comfortable shelling out about 10M If I had a LNW of around $50M, or If I recently sold a property for a few mil and had an annual income (not from appreciation or div from principal assets) of about 2M and a LNW of 15-20M

    0
    0
  12. $5-6 million sounds right.

    0
    0
  13. That is some serious Bruce Wayne $hit.

    DO WANT.

    0
    0
  14. As Borat would say,”where to they keep the pu$$y magnet?”

    0
    0
  15. “In Senate financial filings, they didn’t even list any mutual funds or stocks. So their “assets” were really limited to their condo, which they sold, and then the house they bought on the south side”

    Sabrina, you have to be kidding, right? The potential income for the Obamas is going to be in the millions/year (especially when he leaves). Also, the financial disclosures from the “senate financial filings” are such BS you wouldn’t believe. There are a BILLION ways to hide/under-report money. You can underestimate the value of real estate, keep things in a trust/LLC, have money in your kids/wifes accounts. Please do not tell me you are naiive enough to believe those filings (or naiive enough to believe that in 10 years the obamas will have a net worth of less than 15-20million)

    0
    0
  16. Clio – sure assets can be hidden but do you really think that it is worth it here to do so? With the level of scrutiny he is under I don’t think the prudent choice (and let’s face it despite how anyone feels he is pragmatic) would be to hide any assets. I think we have a pretty accurate picture of who the president is financially.

    The point was that in 2 (or 6) years they probably won’t have it. This does not discount the future earnings potential but remember how many people banked on “someday” in 2007? How did that work out?

    0
    0
  17. “Assessments: $7,800 (Monthly)”
    lol!

    This place is incredible, if only money were no object and I was lucky enough to have ‘independantly wealthy’ as my job title I would love to live in a place just like this

    0
    0
  18. Bob 2 (Not Bob) on November 17th, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Cool digs.

    Also, being the world’s most powerful man has a habit of making you very rich. Look at the Clinton’s… Obama will be worth 50 million soon enough.

    0
    0
  19. spectacular. even empty it is amazing.

    if there is a $10MM place in the heart of Chicago, this will be it.

    0
    0
  20. Ok, I get it — it has some AWESOME views. But no picture of the kitchen space?

    Oh, and where is the helicopter landing pad? =)

    0
    0
  21. i have no clue what this is worth or what it will sell for but have to say OH SHYTE if i am handing over 9mil to someone this is a good reason to do it.

    those windows and that view is atleast 8mil!

    0
    0
  22. “This does not discount the future earnings potential but remember how many people banked on “someday” in 2007? How did that work out?”

    Please tell me you are kidding. Do you really think that the Obamas will have a hard time making money after they leave office?!!! Are you really comparing them to “regular” people who “banked on someday”?!!! God Lord, I am beginning to understand how the country could have elected such morons – it is because of the morons electing them!!! I’m sorry if this comes off as insulting, but, believe me, the Obamas could buy that place in a millisecond (even now) if they wanted. There would be SEVERAL people willing to loan them the money to do almost anything. Their earnings will ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY be in the millions/year once they get kicked out of office.

    0
    0
  23. there were a half dozen Ferraris parked in this buildings courtyard last weekend or the weekend before. maybe they come with the unit?

    0
    0
  24. “There’s no way they can afford this property- even if their income is $1.5 million a year over the next two years (from books, presidential salary etc.)”

    Again, are you frickin’ kidding me?!!!! Do you guys really have ANY understanding about the wealth of the politicians are do you really truly believe that they are worth what they disclose?! I know for a fact (and I am sure others on here can back me up) that most politicians are multi multi multi millionaires and play the “poor card” for sympathy/votes. You must also think that Mayor Daley is not a multimillionaire as well!!! Good Grief!!!!

    0
    0
  25. Didn’t two other smaller units in this building sell for OVER 8 mil a few months ago? I think they were also sold to the same guy. This will definitely sell for close to 10 mil.

    0
    0
  26. “Their earnings will ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY be in the millions/year once they get kicked out of office.”

    Of course they will because they’re to date the best example of a media created celebrity president since JFK.

    0
    0
  27. “there were a half dozen Ferraris parked in this buildings courtyard last weekend or the weekend before. maybe they come with the unit?”

    The owner of Bentley/Lamborghini/Ferrari Gold coast (just around the corner) is very good friends with the developer. I am sure it is a mutually beneficial thing to have those cars displayed there.

    0
    0
  28. “I’m sorry if this comes off as insulting, but, believe me, the Obamas could buy that place in a millisecond (even now) if they wanted.”

    Maybe they could in a hypothetical world where politics doesn’t matter (dunno if there are any ethics restrictions on their ability to take such a loan). You’re certainly right they will make lots of money in the future. I find it hard to believe you’re serious you think they are hiding things on their disclosure forms (or that they would have any significant funds to hide given their employment history).

    0
    0
  29. “Maybe they could in a hypothetical world where politics doesn’t matter”

    This is responding to the statement they could buy it “even now”.

    0
    0
  30. If Obama wanted to show he’s truly a man of the people he’d get a place at cabrini just like jane byrne

    0
    0
  31. DZ – they live in a 1.7 million dollar house right now – obviously this isn’t hurting their “polictial ambitions”

    0
    0
  32. “I find it hard to believe you’re serious you think they are hiding things on their disclosure forms”

    Maybe they are not hiding anything, but the more senior politicians, supreme court justices, and the higher ups in government (both democrats and republicans) almost all have/come from a LOT of money. I just thought that everyone knew that – I can’t believe that there are still people out there who think that they are financially the same as you and me!!! In fact, a friend of mine who is in his mid 30s thought that Alexi Giannoulias couldn’t have any money because of his age/work history. So I guess there are morons out there!!!

    0
    0
  33. “If Obama wanted to show he’s truly a man of the people he’d get a place at cabrini just like jane byrne”

    oh gosh forgot all about that, wasnt it like only two months and she had a full security detail too?
    some one google that up and let me know

    0
    0
  34. do you remember “cabrini green where the mayor sleeps” sung to the tune of dirty deeds done dirt cheap?

    0
    0
  35. Clio you can disagree with policy but please don’t call the president of the united states and his wife morons. First, it’s direspectful to your country. Second, if you know anything about their educations you know you are not speaking the truth. Third, it makes you sound childish. Thank you.

    0
    0
  36. Right, right clio. The (mostly moderate to conservative leaning, especially at that time) members of the Harvard Law Review, who are arguably among the smartest (or at least the most competitive) law students in the country, elected Obama to be president of the HLR. And he’s a moron? And his wife, also a Harvard law grad, whom he met while she was practicing at a prominent firm, also a moron, right?

    0
    0
  37. Obamas could buy that place in a millisecond (even now) if they wanted. There would be SEVERAL people willing to loan them the money to do almost anything. Their earnings will ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY be in the millions/year once they get kicked out of office

    I bet that if he called his buddy Tony Rezko, oops I mean inmate #13695842, he could broker the loan tomorrow.

    His ability to earn 200K plus per speech will be in huge demand regardless of his ability to gain a second term. He will be booked at least three times per month. That and a huge book advance for the memoirs will be easy money. Who knows what unofficial lobbying type deals he has struck with leaders around the world on his many tours.

    In fact I think that his speaking net worth will be higher if he is not reelected as he can tell the story of how political in-fighting and a inherited bad economy got in his way to change the direction of the United States. If he is re-elected and does not accomplish all his goals it will devalue his speech fees as people will not be as sympathetic.

    0
    0
  38. Mayor Byrne was famous for coming into her lead walled cabrini unit at 11pm with a police escort and then leaving around 5am for her trip back to I think McClurg Court to get ready for the day ahead.

    I give her full props for creating a police buzz there around the clock. It sure helped to get that spark lit about cleaning up the issues in the area. Sure is a different time today. I’d bet that Daley is not planning a retirement move down to Robert Taylor homes. It would be an easier commute to Sox games and the weekend home in IN/MI.

    0
    0
  39. robert taylors are all gone, no?

    0
    0
  40. My bad…Don’t know my public housing options. What is the area east of the Dan Ryan near US Cell called today? I know some high rises came down but I understand that there are still plenty of public housing options there.

    0
    0
  41. “What is the area east of the Dan Ryan near US Cell called today? I know some high rises came down but I understand that there are still plenty of public housing options there.”

    “Vacant Lots” or “IIT”

    Nothing just east of the Ryan near Sox Park. Some just south of Sox Park–next to the parking–and some east of the Ryan near Cermak (Ida Wells and others).

    0
    0
  42. Just because the Obama’s (or any other person in government for that matter) are good & smart lawyers/businessmen/engineers etc, doesn’t mean they aren’t morons when it comes to politics.

    0
    0
  43. “I give her full props for creating a police buzz there around the clock. It sure helped to get that spark lit about cleaning up the issues in the area. Sure is a different time today.”

    Also helped that that was the time they stated evicting people for rules violations and not letting anyone new move into the complex.

    “I’d bet that Daley is not planning a retirement move down to Robert Taylor homes. It would be an easier commute to Sox games and the weekend home in IN/MI.”

    I doubt that the two miles from his Dearborn Park place makes much difference on either count.

    0
    0
  44. Awesome pad & the possibilities are endless as to how you could build it out but who gives a f*ck whether or not Obama could buy this place. I can think of a million other things to do with the time I’d take to speculate their wealth.

    P.S. I love this website.

    0
    0
  45. Anonny,

    I’d like to point out that a certain WWE wrestler and former courter of New York (of “I Love New York” fame) was also a Harvard law grad who practiced at the same prominent firm as Michelle Obama. Just the same, I agree that Michelle Obama is probably brilliant and, hey, even the WWE wrestler was smart enough to relaize practicing law sucks, so maybe I don’t have a point after all.

    0
    0
  46. “who gives a f*ck whether or not Obama could buy this place”

    obama suck ups, and haterz?

    0
    0
  47. Big bad bank, People who are morons at politics generally don’t get elected to the most powerful political position in the world.

    0
    0
  48. Jane Byrne’s a neighbor, of sorts, of Clio’s.

    0
    0
  49. @CH – despite leaning off my chair to the right as I type, I’d say the comment regardless of the person in question.

    0
    0
  50. I’m not picking on Obama, just pointing out that just because someone is good at one job and smart, doesn’t mean they make a good politician. And with enough PR and hype a lot of poor choices are made with regards to politics.

    0
    0
  51. Clio – I am not insulted. I am entertained.

    0
    0
  52. George W. Bush; Jimmy Carter; President Obama?

    Enough said.

    “#ltcaffey on November 17th, 2010 at 11:20 am

    Big bad bank, People who are morons at politics generally don’t get elected to the most powerful political position in the world.”

    0
    0
  53. why would you want obama to come back to chicago anyway

    0
    0
  54. I think you are confusing politcs and governing.

    0
    0
  55. I was positive that Bob would come to my defense regarding the Obamas Harvard education and entrance requirements, etc. but I do not want to start a discussion on affirmative action. It is not doubt that those two are smart people and “moron” was an inappropriate term. I should have just said “hypocritical socialist anarchist” which may have been a better term.

    0
    0
  56. Well clio is right about the American aristocracy in the upper echelons. Of course it isn’t talked about much in the American media in order to keep the proles calm, but it definitely exists.

    Remember Chelsea Clinton? Well she married a Jewish investment banker who works at Goldman Sachs. (Oh yeah and she worked at a strat consulting firm after earning an MA even though they only recruit MBAs, then she worked at a hedge fund and its pretty unheard of for them to hire MAs through regular recruiting too).

    You can deny the aristocracy all you want if it makes you feel better but remember whom our elected officials rushed to the aid to when TSHTF in the fall of 2008. Wall Street is doing quite well these days.

    For much (but not all) of the country you need to fit a very rigid background, personality and bloodline to move up to the upper echelons.

    And don’t think BHO is an outsider: he’s private schooled person of privilege all the way, including getting his first job from Henry Kissinger. You really didn’t think the NWO leaves these things to chance did you?

    0
    0
  57. Uhh Rahm is about as Jewish as they come–he doesn’t need to put on a front at all. Despite being prominent in the civil rights movement Marsha Smulevitz apparently didn’t want _her children_ going to integrated schools, so he attended private schools in elementary then public up on the north shore.

    Remember with these folks its do as they say, not as they do.

    0
    0
  58. Bob, if the point is that people coming out of top office & their children get special privilege, then I accept your point. That’s largely because Americans treat them like royalty, buy their books, clamor to hear them speak ($100,000+ speaking engagements for Clinton), etc.

    But if you’re trying to say that it’s only the “favored” people that get elected, the examples above are bizarre. Neither Obama’s family, Emanuel’s family or Clinton’s family were families of “privilege”. If they each managed to make good connections, go to top schools, etc. & then succeed, that’s the immigrant (or working class) success story & does not, at all, sound like a story of only privileged elites getting elected to high office or working at big investment banks!

    0
    0
  59. “Neither Obama’s family, Emanuel’s family or Clinton’s family were families of “privilege”.”

    Please see Dan’s post above where he did correct me. Again the puppetmasters need/love front-men to do their bidding. And the population loves a story of their leaders coming from inauspicious backgrounds just like them.

    “Neither Obama’s family, Emanuel’s family or Clinton’s family were families of “privilege”.”

    Perhaps not but you cannot deny the opportunities that were handed to BO on a plate. Henry Kissinger ain’t offering any of us CC regulars a job, trust me.

    0
    0
  60. “Nothing just east of the Ryan near Sox Park. Some just south of Sox Park–next to the parking–and some east of the Ryan near Cermak (Ida Wells and others).”

    Ida B. Wells projects are gone.

    0
    0
  61. Sabrina

    Thanks for posting this listing, it was fun to look at, especially the “full size” picture view. So many listings use the word “amazing”, I think this one truly is.

    0
    0
  62. For the longest time this developer (Lagrange) didn’t even bother to cover up the disgusting bright green around or near this level.

    And it appears it has already needed facade work:

    http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2010/08/lucien-in-dali-land-or-limp-building-or.html

    The developer very cleverly covered up the scaffolding sheets in camouflage but that didn’t stop someone from noticing. Buyer beware.

    0
    0
  63. “Perhaps not but you cannot deny the opportunities that were handed to BO on a plate.”

    I can’t believe I’m bringing Clio into this- but those “opportunities” were because he went to Harvard Law School and was on the law review. If you’re on the law review at any top ten law school, doors pretty much open to you. It doesn’t matter who you are.

    The President and First Lady are the epitome of the American Dream and why people around the world continue to come to our country to live. Neither was born into a family of privilege whatsoever. Michelle’s father was a janitor, wasn’t he? Yet, through hard work and half a brain, they got themselves into the finest schools in the world against enormous competition (as we have already documented many times on various threads on this site- the difficulty of getting into an ivy league undergraduate school.) And they never went to Andover, Choate or wherever else. It’s quite the story.

    0
    0
  64. Sabrina, I completely agree. The Obamas have achieved quite a bit. However, like many others, they HAVE had SIGNIFICANT advantages over many people. My best friend in college was African American and pre-law. The pre-law advisor had given him a book of admissions statistics to law school for minorities (I have never seen such a book at bookstores). The numbers are UNBELIEVABLE!!! For Harvard, Stanford, U. of C. Law schools the average GPA for minorities getting in was 3.2-3.5 whereas the average GPA for non-minorities was 3.8-3.9. Also, he had a friend who was applying to medical school with a 2.9 GPA and 75th percentile MCATS. No way in hell any non-minority with those stats would get into medical school – yet his friend got into several medical schools. My friend (who had a 3.1 GPA and 80th percentile LSATs) ended up getting into NYU, Northwestern, U Penn and U Michigan Law School. Again, the Obamas have achieved quite a bit and absolutely positively are extremely smart, studious people. Whether or not they would have gotten into Harvard had they not been minorities is another story – if you want to admire them (or anyone) look at what they have done, not where they have gone. OK – my rant is done.

    0
    0
  65. “Again, the Obamas have achieved quite a bit and absolutely positively are extremely smart, studious people. Whether or not they would have gotten into Harvard had they not been minorities is another story.”

    You can go on and on about everything in life using this same logic. Would the women applying to Wharton Business School get in if they weren’t women (who make up only like 25% of those going there?) Do you have an advantage if you went to high school in North Dakota when applying to Yale? Does it matter what your SAT score is if you’re JFK’s granddaughter (who just graduated from Harvard)?

    And on and on and on. You take whatever advantage you get in life and you run with it. Because at the end of the day- you still have to sit next to your classmates and do the work. Yes- the President and First Lady had to go to class, take the tests and somehow graduate. Gasp! And the President then had to test onto the Harvard Law Review of which half of the current Supreme Court also tested onto (regardless of race or sex.) And nope, it’s not always fair. I’m sure John F. Kennedy Jr. or Meg Whitman’s son (at Princeton- where she has given million of dollars in donations) took a seat from some other deserving student at their respective schools. Would they have gotten in without THEIR genetics? We don’t know. So it’s stupid to argue about “advantages.” Everyone has them. What are you going to do with yours?

    0
    0
  66. “And they never went to Andover, Choate or wherever else. It’s quite the story.”

    Well, he went to the Punahou School. It’s not Andover, maybe not Choate (not sure), but it’s almost certainly “wherever else”.

    “So it’s stupid to argue about “advantages.” Everyone has them. What are you going to do with yours?”

    Don’t know whether it’s stupid to argue, may well be. But essentially by definition, when it comes to a particular situation (e.g. getting into Harvard Law), not everyone has advantages. Some are advantaged (and advantage come from different sources) and others are disadvantaged. That may or may not be fine or desirable, but it’s certainly true.

    0
    0
  67. “Well, he went to the Punahou School. It’s not Andover, maybe not Choate (not sure), but it’s almost certainly “wherever else”.”

    Michelle Obama grew up in the South Shore and ended up at Whitney Young where she graduated as salutatorian while commuting hours every day to go to school. But maybe that’s because she had “advantages.”

    It’s a great American success story which every parent in this country wishes for their children. It represents everything that is great about America.

    0
    0
  68. “It’s a great American success story which every parent in this country wishes for their children.”

    You really think every parent wishes their children would be President of the United States? Haha sorry to tell you but no. People that believe that power, wealth, beauty, status or fame is the end all be all likely lead very unhappy lives and wise parents know this. Not saying any of these traits apply to the CiC but just that projective parents don’t often produce desired results.

    “If you’re on the law review at any top ten law school, doors pretty much open to you. It doesn’t matter who you are.”

    This is no ordinary population/sample size but still several hundred people. Not to diminish his accomplishments and he is an extraordinary character but regarding his odds as a candidate. That is why Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was caught on audiotape in support of his campaign saying he is a much more saleable candidate because he is a “well spoken ***** with a good story”? You can’t be that naive. Do you remember the Daily Show shortly after the 2006 election where they hailed him as the next great hope for the D party?

    He made principled votes along the way that resonated with people and I will give him that–that’s part of what got him to where he is. But I think it’s ironic and disgusting the senior leadership in his party (Harry Reid) is caught on tape talking about him like a racist object for their own political gain.

    0
    0
  69. “Again, the Obamas have achieved quite a bit and absolutely positively are extremely smart, studious people. Whether or not they would have gotten into Harvard had they not been minorities is another story – if you want to admire them (or anyone) look at what they have done, not where they have gone.”

    Clio, and everyone else who still ignorantly harbors the view that Obama was in any way a mere AA beneficiary: Get. A. Grip. As I noted above, all you have to do is look at the law review situation.

    First, membership to the law review is limited to a top percentage of second year students (who are in that percentage based on their anonymously taken/graded first year final exams). Second, that elite group then elects certain individuals to various positions on the law review, which they will assume during their third year. At most schools, the top position is the editor-in-chief, but at Harvard it’s called “president.” The highly competitive (many of whom are often quite insufferable) folks to comprise the law review at most schools – let alone Harvard (which is much more conservative that, say Yale, especially in the late 80’s) – typically elect the individual they feel is best suited not only to take the helm of the journal, but to go on to be a major success in the law and reflect well on their class and school (typcially though not always, this individual has scored at or near the very top of the class, again, on mostly blindly graded exams). Obama was that individual at Harvard that year.

    Have any of you ever talked to his professors or classmates from Harvard? I have. In a nutshell: pretty much everyone who encountered Obama at Harvard felt he was a “once in a generation” rising star of the legal world. Were it not for his political ambitions, everyone had him pegged as a future Chief Justice.

    Lastly, conservative, anti-AA nuts: Justice Thomas WAS an AA admissions case at Yale, and WAS an AA appointment to the bench. Obama was not. Your seething envy is thus misplaced.

    0
    0
  70. anonny, this is not about “seething envy” – it is about taking a couple who definitely have achieved great things in life and idolizing them. This is what so many people in the country have done when they elected him. Sure he is a great man who is smart, intelligent, etc. etc. but that doesn’t mean that he is going to be a great leader or is going to be great for the country. THAT is my (and many other people’s) frustration with the situation: people have a hard time separating the man (and his personal accomplishments) with the HUGE job of running the country.

    0
    0
  71. “Lastly, conservative, anti-AA nuts: Justice Thomas WAS an AA admissions case at Yale, and WAS an AA appointment to the bench. Obama was not. Your seething envy is thus misplaced.”

    He is not about perverting the American dream and passing laws that put certain demographics at competitive disadvantages like progressives do.

    In any case one of the unintended consequences of affirmative action is that certain people will always view our president as having gotten there with an asterisk/some extra help. But you don’t know much about unintended consequences do you anonny? In your world government knows best and they implement their statist policy with scalpel like precision.

    Conservatives and liberals both believe in equality in America. Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of outcome.

    0
    0
  72. “Conservatives and liberals both believe in equality in America. Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of outcome”

    Totally agree, Bob!!!

    0
    0
  73. “First, membership to the law review is limited to a top percentage of second year students (who are in that percentage based on their anonymously taken/graded first year final exams).”

    I think (not completely positive) there was an affirmative action component around Obama’s time. I don’t have an opinion on whether Obama got a significant advantage from affirmative action. I do have a black friend who submitted applications to top law schools w/o indicating race.

    0
    0
  74. “I do have a black friend who submitted applications to top law schools w/o indicating race”

    Why would anyone do this?!! While I believe he told you this, I highly doubt that he did indicate race. Why wouldn’t you? Life is hard enough as it is – you need all of the advantages you can get!

    0
    0
  75. meant to say “I highly doubt that he DIDN’T indicate race”

    0
    0
  76. “Why would anyone do this?!! While I believe he told you this, I highly doubt that he did indicate race. Why wouldn’t you? Life is hard enough as it is – you need all of the advantages you can get!”

    He showed a couple of us the applications, sealed them up and we mailed them together. He was pretty confident about getting into schools and correctly so. I think Yale Law would have been the only question mark. He didn’t go there, I can’t remember if he got in. For a number of reasons, he wanted the ability to say he wasn’t an affirmative action beneficiary.

    0
    0
  77. “He showed a couple of us the applications, sealed them up and we mailed them together.”

    Uhhhhh …okaaaaay…. this sounds extremely weird.

    0
    0
  78. “He showed a couple of us the applications, sealed them up and we mailed them together.”

    Did you also hold hands and skip to the mailbox?

    0
    0
  79. At some point the “beneficiaries” of AA or any other race/demographic based structured “advantage” should probably note that it is highly discriminatory.

    It really is a condescending “pat on the head” way of saying – you’re not good enough to normally qualify for this so here’s some help. Another example of “progressives” assuming they are better than everyone else and thus far more capable of helping and protecting the inferior.

    0
    0
  80. ““He showed a couple of us the applications, sealed them up and we mailed them together.”

    Uhhhhh …okaaaaay…. this sounds extremely weird.

    Did you also hold hands and skip to the mailbox?”

    odd i dont even let my friends know where i keep my stamps. and would rather not have my friends watch me lick a envelope. it the same reason we try to avoid straws, there is no human way to drink out of a straw manly.

    0
    0
  81. also, this post will take a wrong turn soon i suggest we turn our minds to other subjects. we are already seeing peoples “racist” and others “white guilt” creep thruogh on each post.

    hey any word on the 310 s. michigan full floor build out that was like 5mil? and why is it taking so long to sell all of six north michigan?

    0
    0
  82. Exactly what did the Obamas actually accomplish before 2008? I can’t think of anything, other than the HLR?? Obama lost to Bobby Rush in an election because Obama couldn’t b.s. the black community into pretending he had any African-American upbringing/background, because he didn’t, he was raised in Hawaii, Indonesia, Columbia, and Harvard (ha ha…some street cred!) Obama did play HS basketball though) Obama lost to Rush because the racists in that district didn’t deem Obama “black enough” to represent them.

    Then Obama wins two Senate elections because both candidates (Hull, Ryan) had to drop out because of “sex scandals”. So, Obama walks into the Congress. At that point, the weirdness/elite/shadow system kicks in…Obama magically gets anointed to speak at the 2004 Dem convention, and then the (what should we call it?) gvt//media/academia complex that pulls the strings all gets on board to push Obama to the top. A man with zero accomplishments. It’s eerily similar to how Rahm will waltz into the mayoral office without any exec experience, residency, knowledge of Chicago, and being unable to even find the men’s room at the City Hall building. We live in a democracy? Odd stuff.

    0
    0
  83. danny (lower case D) on November 18th, 2010 at 10:03 am

    Bob: “Conservatives and liberals both believe in equality in America. Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of outcome”

    Bullsh*t. Neither political party believes in anything other than MY TEAM comes first. It’s essentially the Cubs and the White Sox. Pick a side and cheer. To assign real values to a political party or ideology is just silly.

    0
    0
  84. “We live in a democracy? Odd stuff.”

    Look how much has changed since this month’s election, despite a huge tidal wave against the incumbent party. Same four congressional leaders, just swapping around the titles. If you think government is answerable to the people this was a pretty good example that it largely isn’t.

    0
    0
  85. “To assign real values to a political party or ideology is just silly.”

    Sorry boss but you absolutely can assign real values to an ideology. And while you’re right that neither political party stays 100% true to their ideology what you’ll find is there is a very high correlation between Republicans supporting the ideology of equality of opportunity and Democrats supporting the ideology of equality of outcome.

    Just this past week the “Fair Wage” law was a glaring example of that. Pushed by Democrats because women earn 77c for ever dollar men earn it was going to try to equalize outcomes here, ignoring any other indicators that might not chalk this up to “sexism”. The vote was split straight along party lines. The bill even provided for “negotiating classes” for women involved in these suits. Maybe they’re not as aggressive negotiators in the aggregate–we need to give them classes.

    You can try to be dismissive if you’d like but you really should wake the heck up as to whats going on. The Democrat party has always been trying to push legislation to equalize outcomes because their ideology is equality of outcomes.

    Their core constituencies love the handouts that come along with their legislation as well as they don’t see America as a capitalistic meritocracy that should treat people equally they see America as a power/resource struggle. And they want “more” because they see other people have more and they revert back to their simian tendencies towards “fairness”. I use simian because they have done studies and our closest ancestors have been found to possess an innate sense of “fairness”.

    0
    0
  86. The Democrat party implements class & race division in this country. They codify it into law, even expanding it into gender and sexual proclivity. And then they complain when they don’t see assimilation? How are, for instance, the Hispanics supposed to “assimilate” into Americans when they are a separate class/race from Day 1 as determined by all the laws Dems write and support? Because of all the legal apartheid set-asides for them, they will never be like the Italians or Greeks who didn’t want such things, they wanted to assimilate.

    0
    0
  87. “And then they complain when they don’t see assimilation? ”

    The Democrat party doesn’t complain when they don’t see assimilation–that is lip service. Remember inter-generational poverty/dependence on government and class & race divisions keep core constituencies captive.

    They were sweating quite a bit earlier in this decade when the hispanic vote started to splinter, but they’ve upped the handouts to try to bring them back in line (DREAM Act) and in this latest election more did so.

    If the hispanic vote does indeed splinter it could be the end of the Democrat party as we know it. That is if the Republicans wouldn’t act like power hungry spendthrift imbeciles in office, which is a dream.

    0
    0
  88. clio: God Lord, I am beginning to understand how the country could have elected such morons – it is because of the morons electing them!!! I’m sorry if this comes off as insulting,

    You’re are sorry. Indeed, you’re incredibly sorry, and your comments do come off as insulting.

    Bob: Remember Chelsea Clinton? Well she married a Jewish investment banker who works at Goldman Sachs. (Oh yeah and she worked at a strat consulting firm after earning an MA even though they only recruit MBAs, then she worked at a hedge fund and its pretty unheard of for them to hire MAs through regular recruiting too).

    What does her husband being Jewish have to do with anything? Also, she had a master’s degree when she was hired at McKinsey.

    And I’m starting to wonder if some of y’all have ever even been to Chicago. The Robert Taylor Homes, Ida B Wells Homes, Henry Horner Homes, and Cabrini Green are all gone.

    0
    0
  89. “What does her husband being Jewish have to do with anything? Also, she had a master’s degree when she was hired at McKinsey.”

    Did you read my post? McK doesn’t recruit MA’s: she got an MBA level strat consulting job. Other MAs don’t get that opportunity.

    Her husband’s ethnicity has a lot to do with his industry–there is a very high correlation.

    Keep burying your head in the sand and believe the world works the way the media tells you it does if you’d like. The reality of the situation is much closer to what clio wrote.

    0
    0
  90. “and Cabrini Green are all gone.”

    You know nothing and its obvious your views are shaped by the media. Cabrini Green is far from gone. Just because you don’t see the towers from your brown line commute doesn’t mean it’s gone. Ask the owner of Munchie’s whether Cabrini Green is gone…oh wait you can’t. Cabrini youf murdered him last month.

    0
    0
  91. There’s the Bob we know and love….

    0
    0
  92. Sabrina – Sorry that I turned the thought of BOB buying his “10 million dollar deluxe apartment in the sky” into this crazy ass thread. Groove made a valiant attempt to turn the corner back to real estate but it failed. I think that it is time to seal off this thread for a day and give everyone a time out.

    After the break perhaps we can all come back to CRIB Chatter. Remember CC? It’s that blog about real estate in Chicago? Anyone remember it?

    0
    0
  93. jp3, maybe it’s time to wipe your nose off! (although I agree that this is not the most appropriate forum to discuss race, education and politics – although it is quite entertaining).

    0
    0
  94. Apparently there is a need for a new blog, who’s going to start PoliticalCribChatter.com

    0
    0
  95. “Ida B. Wells projects are gone.”

    Indeed. For whatever reason, I always have mixed Ida B and Ickes, which are still there, as are the Dearborn Homes. Neither of which provide meaningful locational advantage for a Sox fan over Dearborn Park (ie, they’re both still a quite long walk).

    0
    0
  96. “Apparently there is a need for a new blog, who’s going to start PoliticalCribChatter.com”

    well its not like any of us can afford this awesome property, so lets talk about other unimportant stuff I guess?

    0
    0
  97. “well its not like any of us can afford this awesome property”

    BS Sonies – I’m buying it just to block BOB from having that awesome pad and view. He can have that place we discussed today in Hyde Park. With his lifetime security detail that place is an amazing house and becomes a GREAT value. If you or I had a free 24/7 posse with guns following us around it would be worth considering it for 30 seconds.

    I’m buying this penthouse as soon as I hit the lotto. Should be any day now….

    Does it seem like the windows are centered on the Trump building? Maybe The Donald should buy it so that he could stare off at Trump Chicago all day and wonder why he had such poor timing on that building.

    0
    0
  98. Oh true, *cough* I mean I am an astronaut pornstar billionaire (on the internets) and will likely pick this property up this weekend since it seems to get the seal of approval from everyone here.

    0
    0
  99. Take a look at the article below and tell me about politicians wealth:
    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Members-of-US-Congress-Get-cnbc-1255923366.html?x=0

    0
    0
  100. Well OF COURSE our current President and First Lady will command – and get – big bucks for their activities after leaving the White House! After all there are two college educations and two weddings to pay for over the next couple decades.

    And maybe that’s why Bush Junior has rushed out his own memoirs in time for holiday gifting. He’s one-down-one-to-go in the wedding department himself.

    Wonder what the Queen will hock to cover the cost of her grandson’s bash.
    Remember, she recently announced that she’s too poor to throw a holiday party for the help at Buck Hose this year.

    Yeah, times are tough all over…

    0
    0
  101. Lovely home, great views and location.
    Whoever mentioned PRESIDENT Obama is an idiot for many reasons. This place won’t be on the market when President Obama finishes his second term, plus they already have a very nice home.

    0
    0

Leave a Reply