RSSBiden’s Comment on Obama’s Email Ad Against McCain, “I thought it was Terrible” … Joe Biden … I was against the Obama email ad, before I was for it.
Joe Biden … I was against the Obama email ad, before I was forced to say I was for it.
The Obama camp knew when they picked Joe Biden to be their VP candidate that he was a loose cannon and prone to off the wall ad lib comments. Biden is a sound bite waiting to happen. First Joe told Barack Obama, “hands off my guns.” Now it appears that Biden during an interview with Katie Couric has commented on Obama’s smear ad against McCain and the fact that he does not use email; “I thought it was terrible”.
Asked about the negative tone of the campaign, and this ad in particular, during an interview broadcast Monday by the “CBS Evening News,” Obama’s running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, said he disapproved of it.
“I thought that was terrible, by the way,” Biden said.
Asked why it was done, he said: “I didn’t know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we’d have never done it.”
VIDEO (go to 4:10 where he says he thought the McCain E-mail ad about his good friend John McCain was “terrible)
What is comical is the fact that SNL performed a skit this past weekend that portrayed John McCain approving political ads whether they were factually correct or not. That skit was supposed to be satire, see VIDEO here. Granted, the skit is funny but check out Obama’s actual campaign and what Biden said during his interview. The reality in the Obama campaign is Biden does not know who was approving their ads. When Couric asks whether Barack Obama did, Biden does not answer. SNL may offer you satire … Obama ads offer a glimpse of reality as to who approves ads. (4:35 point of the interview). It would appear that SNL got the candidates mixed up in their skit, shocker.
Was this a gaffe by Biden or just an honest personal answer to a wrong he saw done to a friend? As Red State discusses, exactly how is a candidate not aware of the political ads that are being released? Whatever the case may be, the Obama camp later that day released a statement as they could not trust Biden to comment and back tracked on Biden’s words toward The Chosen One.
Late Monday, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton issued a statement from Biden. In it, Biden said he “was asked about an ad I’d never seen” and was “reacting merely to press reports.”
Biden said that, as he said in the interview, there was nothing “intentionally personal” in the criticism of McCain’s views.
“Having now reviewed the ad, it is even more clear to me that given the disgraceful tenor of Sen. McCain’s ads and their persistent falsehoods, his campaign is in no position to criticize, especially when they continue to distort Barack’s votes on an issue as personal as keeping kids safe from sexual predators,” Biden said.
Biden Calls Obama Attack Ad “Terrible”
Posted September 23, 2008 by Scared Monkeys Barack Obama, Bizarre, Fun, Gaffe, Humor, John McCain, Joseph Biden, Media Bias, Politics, Presidential Election 2008, WTF | 32 comments |
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32 Responses to “Biden’s Comment on Obama’s Email Ad Against McCain, “I thought it was Terrible” … Joe Biden … I was against the Obama email ad, before I was for it.”
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Pretty interesting….
Bill Clinton suddenly is hitting the circuit (the View, etc.) and talking positively about McCain/Palin. While not disparaging Obama, it is pretty clear that he is attempting to screw Obama over.
Essentially, by his actions, he is stating ‘you screwed us over, now the chickens are com’n home to roost’.
Gonna be an interesting seven weeks to the election.
MD
Especially because both candidates will be trying to make it through without taking a strong stance on the bailout issue.
My guess is that all those who are denouncing the administration now in power for bailing out Wall Street, not Main Street, or something similar will be praying in private that the government comes up with ideas, so that they won’t have to deal with it.
pretty soon, Barry will be saying ” we been hoodwinked, bamboozled ” !!!!!!
should have picked Hillary Barry !!
joe’s about to abondon ship.
Just wait, Joe will be replaced by Hitlary in October after the VP debate.
Gun
There is no safety for National Security with Obama…our enemies are just waiting…they well know he is the weakest link…a community organizer, what a JOKE…!!!!
I think Biden is so sorry he ever accepted the nomination…..!!! doesn’t want the job or the association with Obama!!!
6. brie, i think you’re correct. biden is a loose cannon for the democrats, and his basic honesty keeps leaking out in his statements. i would not be surprised, at the rate obama’s chicago dirty political tricks keep escalating, if biden quit the race and publicly endorsed mccain/palin.
dennisintn
How about they kick Obama out and go with a Biden/Clinton ticket?
Even stevens, White cranky sum-bits w/strong woman VPs running against each other!
the only reason the clinton’s are helping obama at all is because obama has promised to pay about 4million dollars of hillary’s campaign debts.
dennisintn
I’m amazed that you all can sit there talking down on Obama’s dirty tactics while you insist on ignoring the reality that McCain will keep us IN this war WHILE he builds a pipeline and allows off-shore drilling. How much do you think THAT will cost our future generations… while we have the technology to switch from gas to other methods of fueling our vehicles.
Fools!
All of you!
How much money do we and our grandchildren have to spend to support the Southern way of thinking instead of moving on… forward in our progress and avoiding the ‘ever famously wealthy Bush “Trust” fund’
I think I’ll move to Libya and let the U.S. take care of me, while American’s work their asses off for what they call… the American dream.
patti: what’s keeping you from leaving now? another racist remark from a barry supporter. our southern way of thinking ? you been hoodwinked, bamboozled by barrynomics !!!!!!
libya would love to have you .
the problem is that barry is going to leave you as broke as you are now. his promises are shallow and without backbone for sure. he might even move you to the 57th state.
Patti – you are the fool!
Yep. what technology do you speak of? Using corn as fuel? LOL!! HAHAH! How about that new technology is the thing that is will cost more!
Even Democrats are warming to the off-shore drilling? Let me guess, you are worried about the sea gulls and fish in the sea in regards to offshore drilling you tree hugger!
The Democrats with the push of the sub-prime mortage lending practices to even let the poorest of people get affordable housing is one of the main reasons we are in this mess.
Oh yeah and how much of Obama’s raising taxes on the rich will drive us further into debt?
Please move to Libya and sit in Qaddaffi’s house, so the next time we bomb him, you are there and can die with him!
Patti,
Please MOVE to Libya. Please take Lindsey Lohan, Alec Baldwin, Chevy Chase, Rosie O’Donnell, Matt Damon, David Letterman, the whole cast of Saturday Night Live….please, please, please. Would you liberals please live up to your threats and LEAVE!
You do not see conservatives saying ‘if Obama is going to be elected than I am moving to Canada, Europe, or some other country’.
Democrats are not the party they were forty years ago. They have become the party of hatred. Anything related to Bush means they must hate it, obstruct it, and deride it….whether it is good or bad.
Along comes John McCain, who prior to being nominated by the Repulican party was the guy that even a Democrat could vote for because he stood up to Bush and other Republicans, suddenly he is a slimey liar. Think about the hatred you spew when things don’t go your way.
In conclusion, please just leave and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. America is great because it gives everyone freedoms to choose its direction. When Republicans lose, they reflect and regroup for the next election. (While I do not want Obama to win, I understand that the pendulum of our country swings back and forth and this is one of those phases). When Democrats lose, they hate and hate more.
Its sad really……
MD
Patti said: McCain will keep us IN this war WHILE he builds a pipeline and allows off-shore drilling. How much do you think THAT will cost our future generations… while we have the technology to switch from gas to other methods of fueling our vehicles.>>>
Yep Patti, that’s why I’m voting McCain|Palin – I believe in drill here, drill now, I believe in leaving Iraq a strong entity that can stand on its own (though I think it’s time Iraq start paying for our assistance) and I believe McCain when he says that while using our own oil, we will search for alternatives and not transfer any more wealth to other countries.
But what we really need to worry about now is the mother of all bailouts – $700 billion (and a good chance more after that) to one man to decide just which of his cronies he wants to pass it out to.
We need to call our congress people and let them know. We need to flood McCain with calls and emails and let him know that the taxpayer does not want this giant bailout that we’ll never get out from under.
MAKE THE CALLS!
Call Capitol Hill Switchboard TOLL FREE:
1-877 851-6437
1-800 828-0498
1-800 614-2803
1-866 340-9281
1-866 338-1015
1-866 220-0044
Senate Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Find your individual senators’ phone numbers:
I don’t think that Hillary Clinton will consider being part of ANY party, Republican or Democrat, in this year’s election at this point.
The next administration is going to have a very hard time.
Hillary will wait for four years (well, two years or so before the next campaign starts) … and if the Republicans win, run on the platform of experience.
Same thing if the Democrats win … you could have picked me, you picked Obama, see what a mess he made of things (since these days, everything in the world is automatically blamed on the president, facts be damned), and if you put in an experienced candidate like me, I’ll do better.
after 7 trillion transfered in the war on poverty, what’s another 700 billion or another trillion… come on folks. LOL
Affordable house you say?
That’s code for the Great Society program failed miserably, but we’re not done with you yet and you better get a grip on your pocketbook. The Dems know that no one is going to move in to a housing project again, but the “project” must continue.
The fact here is this entire mess was bound to happen and it was designed to do exactly what it did.
There are those in this country that are currently cooking up the next scheme to separate you from your hard earned money.
You MUST understand that this concept of taking from the middle class to support the lower income bracket is not ever going to go away until all the 60′s liberals are dead.
As Joltin’ Joe Biden said the other day – paying higher taxes is now patriotic. I say it’s idiotic.
No matter how you slice and dice the current economic mess, it was entirely preventable and that’s da fact jack.
Instead of the Great Society programs of the 40′s, we got slammed with the same program in stealth mode. Don’t believe me – when it’s all over count the people forced to own up to the obligation or move. You will see no one moving from the homes you bought.
I have been saying for more than 12 years that Greenspan’s motive for fighting inflation all the while ignoring the cost of borrowing money on the federal level at prime was going to come back to crush this country. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised at all. I am surprised that the damage has not been even greater.
While fighting the inflation index by checking and counter checking the prime over a period of 9 years, Greenspan (and not without help from the IMF and Federal Reserve) put in to motion a plan that was dammed to doom.
Add in the entire “affordable housing” mess where lenders borrow against the prime, and the foundation was shaky to begin with.
Too bad this has become a country of the entitled and not a country of people who still strive to be their best and set their goals high.
We would have been smoked in WW2 with the current mind set.
Another story from the right wing nuts ABC..
Obama on Biden’s Initial Opposition to AIG Bailout: ‘Joe Should Have Waited’
September 23, 2008 9:41 AM
“What has been clear during this entire past ten days is John McCain has not had clarity and a grasp on the situation,” Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told NBC’s Matt Lauer in an interview that ran this morning.
Lauer was talking about how Obama hit Sen. McCain, R-Ariz., for flip-flopping on the AIG bailout — saying he opposed it one day then announced he supported it the next day.
But, as Lauer pointed out, scarcely three minutes after McCain said he opposed the AIG bailout last week, “in an interview with Meredith Vieira, Joe Biden, your running mate was asked the exact same question: ‘should the federal government bail out AIG?’ And he said, ‘No, the federal government should not bail out AIG.’” (As we noted at the time.) “And I think that, in that situation,” Obama said, “I think Joe should have waited, as well.”
“But it’s the kind of thing that drives people crazy about politics,” Lauer said. “It sounds like you were trying to score some political points against John McCain using his words, when your own running mate had used very similar words.”
“No, hold on a second Matt,” Obama said. “I think what drives people crazy about politics is the fact that somebody like John McCain who, for 26 years, has been an advocate for deregulation, for 26 years has said the market is king and then starts going out there suggesting somehow that he’s a populist who’s been railing against Wall Street and regulation — that’s what drives people crazy about politics.”
– jpt
My notes.. what drives them crazy is the bill in 2005 that would’ve prevented this messs, and the Dems voted it down..
Here is the new slogan for the economic crisis which I heard a few days ago and already used in a couple of posts.
The economic betrayal ofour country by money-hungry sycophants also hand us the solution, herewith…
Socialize losses,
Privatize profits.
And give ‘em a blank check, unlimited parachute and NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
Have fun, boys and girls.
And Patti, move to Libya? Even saying that in jest shows a screw loose up there! Stop crying, grow up and let McCain(or Obama) do the job they were elected to do.
#4,
If Obama ever replaced Biden with Clinton it would just prove to the world what a colossal screw up he is and that he cannot make and stick to a decision to save his life.
The pick of a VP is a presumptive Presidential candidates first chance to show America what type of leader they will be.
McCain proves he is a maverick and risk taker in his choice of Palin.
Obama proved that his talk of change was just that, talk.
R
Another one about Biden..and this one makes me sick.. Can’t imagine what that guy lived through.
How honest is Biden?
In a striking moment in December 2007, he opened his heart to University of Iowa students. “Let me tell you a little story. My wife and three kids were Christmas shopping for a Christmas tree, a tractor trailer, a guy who allegedly, and I never pursued it, drank his lunch instead of eating his lunch, broadsided my family, killed my wife instantly, killed my daughter instantly, and hospitalized my two sons.”
But was the accident really the result of a drunk driver? INSIDE EDITION has learned that some details of the investigation don’t seem to fit with what the Senator has said publicly on occasion.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials investigated the accident. Was the truck driver drunk?
“There was no evidence at the time that was presented to me that the driver of the truck was impaired by alcohol,” Jerome Herlihy says.
INSIDE EDITION spoke with Herlihy, who was a Deputy Delaware Attorney General at the time of the accident. He was called in to oversee the police investigation.
“If there had been any evidence of anything there would have been at least some charges of a violation of a traffic law,” Herlihy says.
No charges were ever filed. Local newspapers covered the results of the state probe with one 1972 headline declaring, “Trucker Cleared in Biden Crash.” Herlihy is also quoted in the 1972 article as saying “…there was absolutely no evidence of drinking.”
In the aftermath of September 11th, Biden gave a speech to University of Delaware students to reassure them. INSIDE EDITION found that speech archived on Biden’s own website in which he told the crowd, “I got one of those phone calls…I got a phone call saying, ‘Your wife’s dead; your daughter’s dead’ … It was an errant driver who stopped to drink instead of drive and hit a tractor trailer, hit my children and my wife and killed them.”
Then again, in December 2007, Biden addressed students at the University of Iowa while campaigning for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
“Let me tell you a little story. My wife and three kids were Christmas shopping for a Christmas tree, a tractor trailer, a guy who allegedly, and I never pursued it, drank his lunch instead of eating his lunch, broadsided my family, killed my wife instantly, killed my daughter instantly, and hospitalized my two sons.”
The truck driver, Curtis Dunn, died in 1999 at age of 74. According to his family he never recovered from the emotional trauma of knowing he was involved in the accident that killed a senator’s wife and child.
The daughter of the truck driver invited INSIDE EDITION to her home for an interview to defend her father’s reputation and emphasize that the accident was not his fault. But in the small, tight knit state of Delaware where Senator Joe Biden is enormously popular, the daughter was distraught and decided she wasn’t comfortable appearing on camera to talk about how deeply hurt she’s been that her father has been falsely portrayed as a drunk driver who killed the Senator’s first wife and daughter.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080829233519AAR5Uf5
#16 Rob,
I think you’re right on. But I would add years of overexpansion and overconsumption. We are in the middle (or beginning) of a large adjustment in the economy for the activity of both business and consumers over the last 20 years.
A few years ago there was building going on everywhere you looked; every town, every neighborhood. Shopping malls, condominiums, large developments of single family homes – and we built too much. Consumers have done the same thing. How many TVs, VCRs, DVD players and other appliances do we all own? What about cars and rec vehicles, or second homes? How many 12 year olds own cell phones now? Americans have been on a binge of unabated spending, mostly on credit, and now its time to pay the bill.
The irony of the present political campaign is that we would likely be in this mess regardless of who was in control. No one has the guts to say “No” to a public that wants more… and it probably wont make much difference who is in power to get us out of it. We will have to pay, either with cash or hard times. There are some other issues, however, that will make the selection of a president crucial… our country’s safety and security, and preventing destruction from within…
Maggie: “My notes.. what drives them crazy is the bill in 2005 that would’ve prevented this messs, and the Dems voted it down..”
What Bill would that be? HR 1461?
The Republican administration killed that one.
Your partisanship Maggie is unbecoming when it comes to this crisis (which only a few weeks ago you said didn’t exist). BOTH parties inaction on this caused what we are seeing today. But you go ahead and keep drinking the koolaide.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
October 26, 2005
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 1461 ? Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005
(Rep. Baker (R) Louisiana and 19 cosponsors)
The Administration has long called for legislation to create a stronger, more effective regulatory
regime to improve oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks
(”housing government-sponsored enterprises” or “housing GSEs”) and appreciates the
considerable efforts of Chairman Oxley and Chairman Baker in crafting H.R. 1461. However,
H.R. 1461 fails to include key elements that are essential to protect the safety and soundness of
the housing finance system and the broader financial system at large. As a result, the
Administration opposes the bill.
Maggie – Is this the bill you are refering to? The one that passed in the House then stalled in the Republican controlled congress?
Nice try though.
Nope YoYo I mean this one…You say both parties are guilty, yet Obama everyday is saying George Bush and John McCain caused this..
I have been saying all along.. this is why I’ve turned away from the dems.. lately.. on many subjects..
Of course both parties are guilty at some extinct.. but this bill was a clear warning.. These people were in Clintons Adminstration..
Upper management at Fannie/Freddie (Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelick, Jim Johnson, etc.) date to the Clinton administration.
Look their names up if you don’t know who they are…
Sponsor: Sen. Charles Hagel [R-NE]hide cosponsors
Cosponsors [as of 2007-01-08]
Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC]
Sen. John McCain [R-AZ]
Sen. John Sununu [R-NH]
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-190
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190
S190 never made it to the floor. It was killed at the hands of a Republican controlled committee.
Maybe you can explain why McCain didn’t co-sponsor the bill when it was reintroduced in 2007 (S.1100). What did he see differently two years later? Couldn’t be because he was going to run for President could it?
A “maverick” wouldn’t do that, would it?
Keep drinkin’ that koolaide.
Kay Zee:
Where’s your sense of humor? Too much hate from scared monkeys clouding your thinking? I hope not.
About the $35,000 a month Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, was getting from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac:
“The value that he brought to the relationship was the closeness to Senator McCain and the possibility that Senator McCain was going to run for president again,” said Robert McCarson, a former spokesman for Fannie Mae.
Over $2+ million to Mr. Davis for “closeness”.
And, shhhhh keep it on the down low, Rick Davis took $15,000 from Frannie & Freddie just last month for that “closeness”.
Wonder what Fannie & Freddie got in return?
Ain’t nothin’ free in Congress.
Maggie, you must be a politician because only they are pointing fingers (that’s politics).
But normal citizens realize, and Red said it best…It takes a village to f-things up this bad.
Oh, a sense of humor.
Ok, Patticakes, as was once told to me in my younger days…
“Half-wit is better than no wit.”
Thanks for the flip-flop(180).
The big lies sounds more like politicians..and no people outside of Washington are pointing fingers and angry that the ..B$*(&$(&(*@ put to represent us..have done everything but that and it’s coming home to roost.. BTW John McCain made that speech in 2006 not 2005… Greed was what caused it and the really sad part is they want the working middle class now to pay for it and it will be the working middle class hardest hit by it.. Senators, movie stars, politicians, CEO’s will be off on their yachts,,enjoying..
Posted at 1:57 AM on 9/24/2008 by Michael Goldfarb
A Partisan Paper of Record
Today the New York Times launched its latest attack on this campaign in its capacity as an Obama advocacy organization. Let us be clear about what this story alleges: The New York Times charges that McCain-Palin 2008 campaign manager Rick Davis was paid by Freddie Mac until last month, contrary to previous reporting, as well as statements by this campaign and by Mr. Davis himself.
In fact, the allegation is demonstrably false. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis separated from his consulting firm, Davis Manafort, in 2006. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual — since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006.
Further, and missing from the Times’ reporting, Mr. Davis has never — never — been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mr. Davis has not served as a registered lobbyist since 2005.
Though these facts are a matter of public record, the New York Times, in what can only be explained as a willful disregard of the truth, failed to research this story or present any semblance of a fairminded treatment of the facts closely at hand. The paper did manage to report one interesting but irrelevant fact: Mr. Davis did participate in a roundtable discussion on the political scene with…Paul Begala.
Again, let us be clear: The New York Times — in the absence of any supporting evidence — has insinuated some kind of impropriety on the part of Senator McCain and Rick Davis. But entirely missing from the story is any significant mention of Senator McCain’s long advocacy for, and co-sponsorship of legislation to enact, stricter oversight and regulation of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — dating back to 2006. Please see the attached floor statement on this issue by Senator McCain from 2006.
To the central point our campaign has made in the last 48 hours: The New York Times has never published a single investigative piece, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Obama campaign chief strategist David Axelrod, his consulting and lobbying clients, and Senator Obama. Likewise, the New York Times never published an investigative report, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson and Senator Obama, who appointed Johnson head of his VP search committee, until the writing was on the wall and Johnson was under fire following reports from actual news organizations that he had received preferential loans from predatory mortgage lender Countrywide.
Therefore this “report” from the New York Times must be evaluated in the context of its intent and purpose. It is a partisan attack falsely labeled as objective news. And its most serious allegations are based entirely on the claims of anonymous sources, a familiar yet regretful tactic for the paper.
We all understand that partisan attacks are part of the political process in this country. The debate that stems from these grand and sometimes unruly conversations is what makes this country so exceptional. Indeed, our nation has a long and proud tradition of news organizations that are ideological and partisan in nature, the Huffington Post and the New York Times being two such publications. We celebrate their contribution to the political fabric of America. But while the Huffington Post is utterly transparent, the New York Times obscures its true intentions — to undermine the candidacy of John McCain and boost the candidacy of Barack Obama — under the cloak of objective journalism.
The New York Times is trying to fill an ideological niche. It is a business decision, and one made under economic duress, as the New York Times is a failing business. But the paper’s reporting on Senator McCain, his campaign, and his staff should be clearly understood by the American people for what it is: a partisan assault aimed at promoting that paper’s preferred candidate, Barack Obama.
Statement by Senator John McCain, May 25, 2006:
Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae’s regulator reported that the company’s quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were “illusions deliberately and systematically created” by the company’s senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s former chief executive officer, OFHEO’s report shows that over half of Mr. Raines’ compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.
The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator’s examination of the company’s accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.
For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs–and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO’s report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO’s report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.
I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.
I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation
http://www.johnmccain.com/mccainreport/Read.aspx?guid=74063c9d-7cb5-47c9-acf6-53c0c2d88376
John McCain made that speech in 2006. not 2005. Elizabeth Dole tried 3 times to get people to deal with this mess.. I think the first time was 2003.. Politicians aren’t the only ones pointing fingers.. People outside of Washington are pointing fingers at the B$&*#(#(( put in place to represent us and do business for us, were merely serving themselves.. This started back in Clinton’s era.. everyone should own a house..bad credit or none.. Don’t worry the politicans will all go home to their million dollar homes, and bank accounts along with the CEO’s and Hollywood, while the working middle class spend the next 20 years digging out of it.. If the inside Washington experts could screw us up this bad.. a new fresh face not inside Washington’s bs sounds good to me. No thank to being a politician..I put that on the same level as a lawyer.. 98% of them give the others bad names..
Posted at 1:57 AM on 9/24/2008 by Michael Goldfarb
A Partisan Paper of Record
Today the New York Times launched its latest attack on this campaign in its capacity as an Obama advocacy organization. Let us be clear about what this story alleges: The New York Times charges that McCain-Palin 2008 campaign manager Rick Davis was paid by Freddie Mac until last month, contrary to previous reporting, as well as statements by this campaign and by Mr. Davis himself.
In fact, the allegation is demonstrably false. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis separated from his consulting firm, Davis Manafort, in 2006. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual — since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006.
Further, and missing from the Times’ reporting, Mr. Davis has never — never — been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mr. Davis has not served as a registered lobbyist since 2005.
Though these facts are a matter of public record, the New York Times, in what can only be explained as a willful disregard of the truth, failed to research this story or present any semblance of a fairminded treatment of the facts closely at hand. The paper did manage to report one interesting but irrelevant fact: Mr. Davis did participate in a roundtable discussion on the political scene with…Paul Begala.
Again, let us be clear: The New York Times — in the absence of any supporting evidence — has insinuated some kind of impropriety on the part of Senator McCain and Rick Davis. But entirely missing from the story is any significant mention of Senator McCain’s long advocacy for, and co-sponsorship of legislation to enact, stricter oversight and regulation of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — dating back to 2006. Please see the attached floor statement on this issue by Senator McCain from 2006.
To the central point our campaign has made in the last 48 hours: The New York Times has never published a single investigative piece, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Obama campaign chief strategist David Axelrod, his consulting and lobbying clients, and Senator Obama. Likewise, the New York Times never published an investigative report, factually correct or otherwise, examining the relationship between Former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson and Senator Obama, who appointed Johnson head of his VP search committee, until the writing was on the wall and Johnson was under fire following reports from actual news organizations that he had received preferential loans from predatory mortgage lender Countrywide.
Therefore this “report” from the New York Times must be evaluated in the context of its intent and purpose. It is a partisan attack falsely labeled as objective news. And its most serious allegations are based entirely on the claims of anonymous sources, a familiar yet regretful tactic for the paper.
We all understand that partisan attacks are part of the political process in this country. The debate that stems from these grand and sometimes unruly conversations is what makes this country so exceptional. Indeed, our nation has a long and proud tradition of news organizations that are ideological and partisan in nature, the Huffington Post and the New York Times being two such publications. We celebrate their contribution to the political fabric of America. But while the Huffington Post is utterly transparent, the New York Times obscures its true intentions — to undermine the candidacy of John McCain and boost the candidacy of Barack Obama — under the cloak of objective journalism.
The New York Times is trying to fill an ideological niche. It is a business decision, and one made under economic duress, as the New York Times is a failing business. But the paper’s reporting on Senator McCain, his campaign, and his staff should be clearly understood by the American people for what it is: a partisan assault aimed at promoting that paper’s preferred candidate, Barack Obama.
Statement by Senator John McCain, May 25, 2006:
Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae’s regulator reported that the company’s quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were “illusions deliberately and systematically created” by the company’s senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s former chief executive officer, OFHEO’s report shows that over half of Mr. Raines’ compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.
The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator’s examination of the company’s accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.
For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs–and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO’s report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO’s report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.
I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.
I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation
http://www.johnmccain.com/mccainreport/Read.aspx?guid=74063c9d-7cb5-47c9-acf6-53c0c2d88376
btw Elizabeth Dole said today,,she tried to get people to get on this in 2003, 2005, and 2007..because of what was going on.
yoyo..The Democrats killed this measure in Committee preventing the full Senate Vote.(2005) I believe.. ?
Fannie Mae CEO calling Obama and the Dems the “Family” and “Conscience” of Fannie Mae 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvG-s_Ssb0