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Billionaire Tosses Obama Streaker A Bone
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 14, 2010
Modified Oct 14, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 14, 2010
Modified Oct 14, 2010
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He thought he would get a million dollars, but the man who degraded himself to promote a billionaire's website will only get some rent money and help for his sister's hospital bills. Filthy rich website owner Alki David has decided that Staten Island's Juan Rodriguez failed to qualify for the million dollar prize because he didn't get within earshot of President Obama at a Philadelphia rally on Sunday. But "despite the failed attempt," David is going to pay Rodriguez's rent for one year, cover his sister's hospital bills, and give him an undisclosed but supposedly "generous" amount of cash. And all Rodriguez had to do was humiliate himself before the world and get arrested. Who says the economy's dead?
Rodriguez hasn't said whether he thinks this is a raw deal, but he has apologized to the President. Yesterday the Secret Service paid him a visit, and afterward he issued a statement saying, "Mr. Obama, if you feel I disrespected you in any way, I'm very sorry for that." But it's been four days since the rally, and the ever-aloof Obama has yet to comment on the incident. Is this Obama's Katrina?
Tagged
alki david
JUAN RODRIGUEZ
obama streaker
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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