So about Joe Biden (bad credit, buying, school)

[Newyorker2]

Originally Posted by steve1077

Bobo the Chimp.......I'd say you are voting for him!!

Its people like you who put america in the state that it is today!

[Merlander]

Originally Posted by jskirwin

Where we disagree is on who is to blame. I argue that blame resides with both parties, starting with Banking Chair Chris "Friend of Angelo" Dodd.

There is definitely disagreement on who is to blame, depending on who you ask.

Apparently there was a rider attached to an omnibus spending bill years ago by Sen. Phil Gramm (R), that pretty much obliterated regulation on many of the mortgage-instruments (like CDO's) causing the current damage.

Then when the 50 (bi-partisan) US Attorney's General tried to take action against predatory lending practices, the current administration blocked them using the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The amazing part, though, is how the Republicans are now falling all over themselves to re-regulate banking, securities and lending laws.

[jskirwin]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

There is definitely disagreement on who is to blame, depending on who you ask.

The amazing part, though, is how the Republicans are now falling all over themselves to re-regulate banking, securities and lending laws.

Not all of us - and definitely not me. Are there any Democrats who have voiced opposition to the bailouts? I'd like to know because so far I have only found Republicans.

Granted Laissez Faire capitalism is embedded within the Republican DNA more than the Democrats - although you wouldn't know it right now.

The problem is that we are near an election. One party will say the sky is blue and the other will say that the first party are obviously in the pocket of "Big Sky" because everyone knows the sky is green. You're not going to get agreement on anything until after January.

UPDATE:
Oh and let us not forget... Jim Johnson, the former Fannie Mae chairman who had to resign as head of Obama's vice presidential search team after it was revealed he got a sweetheart deal on a mortgage from Countrywide Financial. I forgot about him.

Usually the economy works in the Dems favor (e.g. "It's the economy stupid") but Obama and the Dems ties to "Big Mortgage" could give the GOP plenty of ammunition. My concern as a McCain supporter is that his team won't use it effectively because McCain doesn't have a Karl Rove or James Carville or Lee Atwater who knows how to use it.

[Joe84323]

I met him as a kid, and my mother was his back yard neighbor in the late '50s.

A ton of people I know know him pretty well, and say he is a very nice, down to earth guy. Apparently he tips well, and he goes to St. Ann's Catholic church every Sunday he can make it, and stands in the back. Some people say he is not the same as he was before the anneurisms he had in the '80s, but others totally deny this.

He frequently goes to parish festivals with his family, especially St. Anthony's Italian Festival, and has been very involved with his old community in Claymont up by 495, which fell to crap after the '70s, and had to be torn down after basically turning into a trashy ghetto.

From his financial records, he is not worth a lot of money, but his property in Greenville has to easily top 1.5Mil, if not more. He lives on Barley Mill road. He will say he lives in Wilmington, but he clearly lives in Greenville... but that is splitting hairs, since his mailing address can be either Greenville, DE 19807 or Wilmington, De 19807.

Back in the 70s, he chased a mugger down in Wilmington, and made him drop a woman's purse before he returned it to her. He also is very in-tune with the crime in the area which probably influenced his crime bill he passed in the Senate.

He's very much responsible for Delaware's strong economy, as the Wilmington-Newark Metropolitan area was ranked as the most economically fit metro area in the United States a couple years ago because of the plethora of high-paying jobs as compared to the low cost of living, and low taxes in the area.

From what I've heard, his mother is somewhat senile, so they supervise her on a house on his own property in Greenville. His wife teaches (or taught,) at Deltech Stanton, and is pretty tough on her students.

He's good people.

Although, I saw his son on Jay Leno for the first time the other night, and he seems like quite a dull boy.

Edit:
Everything is pretty much hard fact except for my speculation of his property value, and what people told me about his change after he had his series of anneurisms 20 years ago. I don't believe he's in any poorer condition than he might have been before, besides being 20 years older.

[johnsonkk]

When Biden made remarks about how Hillary should have been chosen over him, some people said it showed his human side.

What kind of person in a "job interview" says to the selection board that they should not be hired -- and they should hire someone else?

[rossc]

Originally Posted by jskirwin

Where we disagree is on who is to blame. I argue that blame resides with both parties,

I agree on this. When the dust settles a politician is a politician, regardless of what colors they are flying. I don't prescribe to any one party. I'm voting democrat this year because I don't think this country needs more republican thinking. I don't know that the Democrats can do any better, but they are the only other choice and they surely can't do any worse. The big question is how do they expect to get the economy moving again? There are two ways to get more money into the economy. (1) Release more from the federal reserve, which sends the value of the dollar into the toilet and (2) Get people back to work.

Millions of jobs have been lost to overseas manufacturing with more and more disappearing every day. With the cheaper labor costs and the big business mentality of profits over providing jobs, there is no way those jobs will be coming back to the US. All I can say is someone must have a magic wand that can materialize jobs from thin air.

[tkhk3746]

Blue/Red/Green/Purple/Orange??? Who cares! We're all missing the point. Obama doesn't have any new concepts or idea just a speech or two about change...EVERYONE knows there needs to be changes...that is nothing knew. Bush has let the republicans down.
McCain was ripped apart by Bush and his cronies...so the liberal talking heads are just repeating mantra from "Oh Great One"...(As Mrs. Oh Great One" said on The View....Yes, I know my husband is admired greatly by both men and women...but I don't drink the "koolaide"...I know he's not perfect.) Some revelation...eh? Does anyone else smell Jim Jones all over again???

All the liberals line up....okay..ready....repeat after me..."O Whatta Goo Syam"...keep repeating and that will take care of the effects of the Koolaide."

Bush represented the far right...and poorly I might add....Obama and his PelosReed mob represent the far left...even worse...let's get rid of both extremes...so who's left?

Seems that many of the moderate democrats are finally coming around to McCain because they realize he doesn't TRULY represent the conservative right...yet he definitely doesn't represent the liberal left...he's a moderate...that's what we need...

REmember...the best balance of anything in life is "moderation"....

Let the games begin!

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by tkhk3746

Blue/Red/Green/Purple/Orange??? Who cares! We're all missing the point. Obama doesn't have any new concepts or idea just a speech or two about change...EVERYONE knows there needs to be changes...that is nothing knew. Bush has let the republicans down.
McCain was ripped apart by Bush and his cronies...so the liberal talking heads are just repeating mantra from "Oh Great One"...(As Mrs. Oh Great One" said on The View....Yes, I know my husband is admired greatly by both men and women...but I don't drink the "koolaide"...I know he's not perfect.) Some revelation...eh? Does anyone else smell Jim Jones all over again???

All the liberals line up....okay..ready....repeat after me..."O Whatta Goo Syam"...keep repeating and that will take care of the effects of the Koolaide."

Bush represented the far right...and poorly I might add....Obama and his PelosReed mob represent the far left...even worse...let's get rid of both extremes...so who's left?

Seems that many of the moderate democrats are finally coming around to McCain because they realize he doesn't TRULY represent the conservative right...yet he definitely doesn't represent the liberal left...he's a moderate...that's what we need...

REmember...the best balance of anything in life is "moderation"....

Let the games begin!

Bush let the American people down....Big time. These past eight years were the worst I ever remember.

McCain was beaten up badly by Bush and the bushies but McCain caved. I acually like the man until he showed support for Bush. Everyone knew it was for political reasons. He sold his soul in other words.

"""All the liberals line up....okay..ready....repeat after me..."O Whatta Goo Syam"...keep repeating and that will take care of the effects of the Koolaide.""""
This line is just typical when the republicans want to put down the democrats. Same could apply to the other side as well.

I do agree we need a more moderate leader. The extremes are what is causing the problem. But as I see it.......The republican ideas are for the wealthiest americans and the Democrats are for taking care of Americans and their needs instead of Big oil and drug companies.

Obama has some great ideas and. He is calm, cool and collected and would be great for diplomatic relation with our allies. There are a ton of fences that need mending thanks to the cowhand ranch way of speaking.

Obama's pick for Veep shows his good judgement. Biden is an expert in foreign affairs along with having honor and integrity. He is good people.

[kat196]

"I do agree we need a more moderate leader. The extremes are what is causing the problem. But as I see it.......The republican ideas are for the wealthiest americans and the Democrats are for taking care of Americans and their needs instead of Big oil and drug companies.

Obama has some great ideas and. He is calm, cool and collected and would be great for diplomatic relation with our allies."

Elizamary, I totally agree with the above statements.......

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jskirwin

Considering my family donates more to charity than Joe Biden - on a fraction of his income - then I have one more reason not to vote for him. There's plenty of other reasons though - not that my Republican vote matters in this solidly Blue state...

For the lazy Joe averages $369/year in charity donations according to USA Today. He could have at least spread some of the money he got from the Banks for his bankruptcy "reform" bill of '05.

We live almost solely on SS plus some investments and a few other things and we give more to our church alone than Biden gives to all charities together: we give to other charities as well (btw) no we do not tithe and are not right wing religious conservatives: right wing, borderline on that one. Thank goodness we live in a state where our vote will help...

NIta