Heheheheheh
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Washington Times – Biden routes campaign cash to family, their firms — Stop the presses. A Democrat funneling money to his friends and family? Who’da thunk it?
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. has paid more than $2 million in campaign cash to his family members, their businesses and employers over the years, a practice that watchdogs criticize as rife with potential conflicts of interest.
The money largely flowed from the coffers of Mr. Bidens failed presidential campaign during the past two years to a company that employs his sister and longtime campaign manager, Valerie Biden Owens, according to campaign disclosure filings.
The senator from Delaware also directed campaign legal work to a Washington lobbying and law firm founded by his son R. Hunter Biden, the disclosures show.
# 61 brendal
Please define how it is unethical. It is common practice in business and government. There are no rules or laws against it and it falls within the standards of practice. So to pretend it is unethical is just plain ignorant of fact.
#62 – J
That’s the standard operation procedure for Miss Lee and her fellow wingnuts. Anything Obama, Biden, or any other person to the left of Ann Coulter does, they call it unethical, immoral, or illegal. She knows nothing about the kin to whom the money was “funneled” to, their qualifications, the amount and quality of the work they did, or anything else about the situation. Because some right-wing cult “newpaper” claims it’s a scandal, it’s a scandal.
Things like Palin’s Abuse Of Power scandal, which is clearly all three (illegal, immoral, and unethical)… well, that’s OK because she didn’t get any jail time for it.
Haw.
This pathetic writeup is the best dirt that someone could find on wild joe.
What a joke.
Here’s the real joke from the Wall Street Journal-
Obama Voted ‘Present’ on Mortgage Reform
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122403045717834693.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
If Sen. Obama were truly looking for a kind of deregulation that might be responsible for the current financial crisis, he need only look back to 1998, when the Clinton administration ruled that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could satisfy their affordable housing obligations by purchasing subprime mortgages. This ultimately made it possible for Fannie and Freddie to add a trillion dollars in junk loans to their balance sheets. This led to their own collapse, and to the development of a market in these mortgages that is the source of the financial crisis we are wrestling with today.
Finally, on the matter of deregulation and the financial crisis, Sen. Obama should consider his own complicity in the failure of Congress to adopt legislation that might have prevented the subprime meltdown.
In the summer of 2005, a bill emerged from the Senate Banking Committee that considerably tightened regulations on Fannie and Freddie, including controls over their capital and their ability to hold portfolios of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. All the Republicans voted for the bill in committee; all the Democrats voted against it. To get the bill to a vote in the Senate, a few Democratic votes were necessary to limit debate. This was a time for the leadership Sen. Obama says he can offer, but neither he nor any other Democrat stepped forward.
Instead, by his own account, Mr. Obama wrote a letter to the Treasury Secretary, allegedly putting himself on record that subprime loans were dangerous and had to be dealt with. This is revealing; if true, it indicates Sen. Obama knew there was a problem with subprime lending — but was unwilling to confront his own party by pressing for legislation to control it. As a demonstration of character and leadership capacity, it bears a strong resemblance to something else in Sen. Obama’s past: voting present.
At first I thought this was a serious story until I saw it was from the Washington Times, the dead tree version of Fox News.
Get out the BS meter.
#63, for someone who thinks the real vote fraud was some Republicans legally voting in the Democrat primary.
Where is the line between having the help of talented and trusted family members and nepotism?
According to the story, Biden’s sister is a well-known, well-respected and talented campaigner who works for a company in that business. Who better for his campaign to hire? The story also goes on to say that another partner in Biden’s son’s law firm had handled Senate campaign legal work for Biden since before that firm was founded, and that Biden’s son received no fiscal benefit from that work.
Nepotism can be bad when it takes jobs away from more qualified applicants, and when it leads to waste, incompetence and other corruption, or even when it leads to resentment among other workers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
KILL HIM !
#30 – “Ninety-six days to go, until we’re on our way back out of this cesspool ” You got that right but you left out the rest:
“and fall straight into the bowels of hell.”
#66 – Lyin’ Mike
>>for someone who thinks the real vote fraud was
>>some Republicans legally voting in the
>>Democrat primary.
Lyin’ Mike, are you taking stupid pills?
The whole point of that scandal is that voting in an opposing party’s primary for the express purpose of queering the votes is ILLEGAL, UNETHICAL, AND IMMORAL.
That’s why it is a scandal.
No wonder you tighty-righties are always getting in trouble. You don’t seem to know right from wrong.
#72: I agree that republicans voting in the democratic primary was shady ethically, but it is definitely not illegal. IMHO it doesn’t really rise to the level of scandal, but then again, this story doesn’t either.
Biden’s sister managed a lot of his early campaign work and so it’s pretty logical that she would continue to support the current campaign. Also, continuing to work with legal representation you’ve been working with for a long time even after they partner with a family member is likewise a non-issue. I REALLY don’t see anything remarkable in this.
The most they could say is that it’s “not completely ethical” but nobody is saying why. The only thing I’ve heard is that it gives the impression of impropriety. We have enough issues with actual impropriety that investing anything into this is just plain silly.
I’m pretty sure the technique being used here is to spin everything they can as scandalous. Then the other campaign can either deny it and hurt their credibility or acknowledge it and look either unashamedly corrupt or like a whiny rationalizer. What sucks is that it might actually work to some extent. It’s certainly not going to make a difference to anyone who is decided, but if you throw enough mud, something will stick with someone who is undecided. It’s nearly impossible to track down the real story for every one of these smears and undecided voters have less incentive to try than someone trying to justify their current decision.
#68 Dallas – ok. When? Where?
Dvorak’s pays his wife to work in his Deli. Where’s the outrage?
#75
You really don’t see the difference between public office and private business ?
Whole discussion is a sad display of hate and fanaticism clouding basic judgment.
Paddy
you’re right. what biden has done is 100% horrible and he should be thrown in jail.
now that we have establish a baseline for what happens when $2m goes wrong, what shall we do with bush/cheney lining haliburton’s pocket to the tune of hundreds of BILLIONS
well, i think that should be the gallows, don’t you?
#77 “you’re right. what biden has done is 100% horrible and he should be thrown in jail.”
Actually, I’m with J. Since he hasn’t been convicted he hasn’t done anything illegal and is 100% innocent. Just like Bush and Cheney. Neither of them have done anything illegal and are innocent.
J really opened my eyes…
Then Mustard, they should change the rules to close the primary.
This happened with Democrats voting for McCain over George Bush in droves in 2000, to the point where it cost Bill Bradley the NH primary.
# 78 Paddy-O
“Just like Bush and Cheney. Neither of them have done anything illegal and are innocent.”
There is a HUGE difference between the two scenarios. There isn’t even ONE PIECE of evidence that Joe Biden has done anything improper or illegal. Nothing but a lot of wishful thinking and smack talking.
Bush and Cheney???? Well there is lets say more than 1000 reasons or pieces of evidence to suspect their guilt in many illegal activities and unethical behavior.
The problem with most Republicans and stupid people is that they can’t see that the world isn’t black and white.
#80 “There is a HUGE difference between the two scenarios. ”
Not according to your earlier posts.
Sorry, you lose. Time for the next contestant on the “Price is Common Sense”
# 81 Paddy-O
“Not according to your earlier posts. ”
You have to learn to read, my paste eating friend.
# 29, gquaglia
I find this very hard to believe. Obama is all about change and he would never have picked someone who could have done such a thing. And Biden is a Democrat. Democrats are fine, upstanding folk that never steal, always have the people’s best interest at heart and are paragons of virtue. This must be some GOP smear story.
Almost. It’s a Washington Times smear story. Close, but no cigar.
#35, bigBoy,
If it’s a negative story about McCain/Palin, you’re all over it like it’s gospel reguardless of source or accuracy.
Yet if it’s an Obama/Biden negative story, it’s a bogus story or an unreliable source.
Ain’t that the truth !!! McCain must be knashing his teeth that they have to invent crap about Obama while it is so evident about McCain and Palin.
#38, brenda,
#10…it’s called nepotism…and it’s unethical.
It is? Nepotism is generally understood as hiring an unqualified or underqualified relative to do a job. Try reading the article first.
#39, cow-Paddy,
“Please point out where he broke the law or ethics standards.”
Well, first the financial records would have to be closely examined … .
In other words, you can’t demonstrate anywhere that Biden did something wrong.
#60, Lyin’ Mike,
The Democrats would have kept control of Congress in 2002, …
Geeze you are a moran.
#64, Brock,
to 1998, when the Clinton administration ruled that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could satisfy their affordable housing obligations by purchasing subprime mortgages. This ultimately made it possible for Fannie and Freddie to add a trillion dollars in junk loans to their balance sheets. This led to their own collapse, and to the development of a market in these mortgages that is the source of the financial crisis we are wrestling with today.
More Republican bullshit. There is no evidence that subprime mortgages to the poor are responsible for the current credit crises. The problem is that financial institutions levered these loans over and over, without oversight, until they could not sustain the normal amount of foreclosure. Then when the influx of unemployed caused by the Bush Administration grew, the rate of foreclosures grew. As more foreclosed homes came on the market, their value dropped, devaluing all property and mortgages.
In the summer of 2005, a bill emerged from the Senate Banking Committee that considerably tightened regulations on Fannie and Freddie, including controls over their capital and their ability to hold portfolios of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities.
More bullshit. That bill would have put the Fannie and Freddie under the oversight and regulations of Treasury (White House). Too many people recognized this for the gift it was and said no. If the Republicans really wanted to pass it they could have with their majorities in the Senate, House, and White House.
#75, stopher,
Dvorak’s pays his wife to work in his Deli. Where’s the outrage?
Hey no problem. People pay to eat there.
>The Democrats would have kept control of Congress in 2002, …
Geeze you are a moran
No, I’m not related to Terry Moran, and I wasn’t aware that he was saying the same things.
It was a fact that McAuliffe’s father in law was campaign finance chair for the Florida Gov race, where the Democrats focused so much energy.
#76 I was mostly joking but this isn’t public money and even if it was as long as their doing an actual job at competative rates I’m ok with it. This isn’t a Delay’s wife sitting at home collecting 100k kind of situation.
@Paddy
okay, biden’s innocent.
let’s move on.
#85, stopher,
Yes, I apologize if my comment back didn’t continue in the same vein.
I was talking to #76, #85. =)
More bullshit. That bill would have put the Fannie and Freddie under the oversight and regulations of Treasury (White House). Too many people recognized this for the gift it was and said no.
Who usually handles the oversight? The committee who said they were financially secure? Perhaps we should revisit that arrangement.
If the Republicans really wanted to pass it they could have with their majorities in the Senate, House, and White House.
Like Pelosi did on the bailout? Everybody knows both sides were waiting in the food line for their pulled pork plates.
#78 – O’Pinocchio\
>Just like Bush and Cheney. Neither of them
>>have done anything illegal and are innocent.
O, O’Pinocchio.
You are truly a simpleton. Bush and Cheney have done more unethical, illegal, and immoral things than you can shake a stick at.
They just say “We’re above the law”; don’t respond to subpoenas if they don’t feel like it; Cheney claims he’s “not part of the Executive Branch”, ad nauseum.
And of course scum suckers like A-Gon (disgraced AT Alberto Gonzalez) bend over and spread their cheeks for Dumbya and his Puppet-master.
Short of sending in the Armed Forces to put them in the hoosegow, there’s not much that can be done.
But to say that they have not “done anything illegal and are innocent” is so far beyond the pale of intelligent discourse I can’t believe you even utter such a thing.
But of course, you’re Paddy O’Pinocchio, so nothing’s out of the question.
#90, Show me the court records where they were convicted.
One single link is all I ask.
#91 LibertyLover,
J already confirmed that Bush, Cheney and the others are 100% innocent because they haven’t been charged, much less convicted. See his 1st few posts in this thread.
#91 – Liberty Loser
>>Show me the court records where they were
>>convicted. One single link is all I ask.
Didn’t you read my post, LL? I clearly stated that they feel they are above the law, don’t respond to subpeonas, refuse to testify under oath, and generally disregard the laws of the land with reckless abandon.
If I could get away with that, I could murder, rape, pillage, lie, cheat, steal, and start wars at will, secure in the knowledge that I was untouchable.
The only recourse America has is to vote them out and vote out their tainted bretheren.
Take a look at the polls to see how that’s going.
HAW!