« Previous | Main | Next »

Biden Accuses McCain of Waffling on Homeowner Help Plan

Share

October 09, 2008 2:06 PM

ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports: Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden started his 24-hour swing through the Show-Me State Thursday with a swipe at Republican Sen. John McCain for already changing the mortgage buy-up plan that the GOP candidate introduced in Tuesday’s presidential debate in Nashville.

“John said he was going to spend $300 billion of your tax money to buy from banks bad mortgages that they now own. And he was going to buy them, though, at a discount, an authority, meaning he wasn’t going to buy them for what the bank paid for them -- he’s going to buy them for what their market value was," Biden said at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. "And then on Wednesday morning he said, his campaign said, 'No, we made a mistake. We are going to buy them for exactly what the bank paid for them.'

"So, he’s going to spend $300 billion of your money so the banks don’t lose a single penny!" Biden continued. "I’m not making this up. I know it sounds like fiction, but I’m not making this up.

"That’s not bailing out the homeowner," Biden added. "You’re bailing out the bank."

In the first of his four events in Missouri over the next 24 hours, Biden cited the Republican nominee's reaction to the economic crisis as evidence that McCain does not have "a steady hand."

"The McCain campaign continues ... to lurch from one place to another, trying to convince you all that they’re capable of dealing with the incredibly difficult problem because, folks, the primary responsibility for the next president of the United States, in the first eight months to a year of his administration, is going to be dealing with this crisis, this authority we’ve given to the secretary of the Treasury to spend up to $7 billion of your money.

“Ladies and gentlemen, in a matter of months, days, even hours, John McCain has gone from first cutting regulation consumer protections from banks –- that was his initial position, cut those protections -- then ignoring the banks and lenders and not even talking about them, now to talking about banks and lenders, and now he’s gone to the point of actually wanting to reward banks and lenders for their greedy behavior," Biden continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a steady hand, and the latest proposal is not only bad for taxpayers, it’s bad for homeowners and it’s bad for the economy, and everybody seems to be aware of it this morning."

The candidate at the top of Biden's ticket, Sen. Barack Obama, said Wednesday in his interview with ABC News' Charlie Gibson that McCain has been making “some pretty over-the-top attacks” recently, but “wasn’t willing to say it to my face” in their debate; today, Biden echoed that same point.

“All of the things they said about Barack Obama in the TV, on the TV, at their rallies, and now on YouTube, and everything else they're doing before the debate, and all the things they're saying after the debate as recently as this morning, John McCain could not bring himself to look Barack Obama in the eye and say the same things to him. Look, folks, Claire said, Claire said your neighborhood's like mine. Well, in my neighborhood, when you've got something to say to a guy, you look him in the eye and you say it to him."

Biden was introduced by Show-Me State Sen. Claire McCaskill, who warned Missouri voters that they should expect to see the McCain campaign act “petty, small, and personal” these days.

“The oldest trick in their playbook, they’ve gone to it time and time again, the politics of fear and smear,” McCaskill said. “Now they want America to be afraid of this inspirational, smart, strong, humble, patriot, God-loving family man? That’s what they want? I’ll tell you what America should be afraid of. They should be afraid of four more years of Bush economics.”

Biden then followed McCaskill with a podium-pounding speech, promising that he and Obama would fulfill their pledges if elected to the Oval Office.

“We will keep our promises," said the Delaware lawmaker. "We will keep our promise to put the middle class first. We will keep our promise to end this war responsibly. We will keep our promise to bring significant change to this nation and bring it now! Now!" Biden exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the podium.

October 9, 2008 in Biden, Joe, McCain, John, Obama, Barack | Permalink | User Comments (79)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Biden is great - he and Obama will be outstanding in office.

Regarding McCain's smears - I would like to know why the media has been silent on Palin's ongoing association with the Alaskan Independence Party - a group that hates the US so much that their goal is to secede. This is beyond a double standard. Here's the link showing video of her ties.

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/the-palins-imperfect-union/

Posted by: kim | Oct 9, 2008 2:14:09 PM


Had he, God of Nothingness, supported HRC's proposal of targeted economic rescue aimed at the banking and mortgage sectors 12 months ago, had he, Zerobameus, rather than give cash to individuals, which did nothing to the down slide of the economy, and this Phony still uses to buy your votes promising to give you another $1000 if you vote for him, perhaps your retirement accounts would have been 50% better than what you have today.

Do you still support this deceptionist who does nothing, done nothing, and will do nothing, except empty promises that he will change overnight, including taking your constitulational rights of individual privacy? If you do, good luck.

You are all had.

Posted by: d0 | Oct 9, 2008 2:18:36 PM

A tied race in Missouri, what a strange election.

Posted by: bubba | Oct 9, 2008 2:22:04 PM

Go Joe! Tell it like it is!

Posted by: enviro | Oct 9, 2008 2:22:10 PM

McCain will run the American economy like his campaign. He'd hire more Sarah Palin types. He would take weekends off.

Posted by: doug | Oct 9, 2008 2:22:25 PM

God Darn It SAY IT AINT SO JOE!

Posted by: angie | Oct 9, 2008 2:22:25 PM

Love a good zinger from Joey B. McCain again didn't think this through before he threw it over the fence, so now he's trying not to step in it.

Posted by: Biden is good | Oct 9, 2008 2:25:14 PM

Thank you and your cronies Joe for the Fannie and Freddie debacle. We should trust you dummies to fix the mess that you created.

Posted by: Mack | Oct 9, 2008 2:25:46 PM

Tell us what else is new please.He changes his mind on every subject and not one will do us any good.......

Posted by: NH voter | Oct 9, 2008 2:28:14 PM

Mack, are you realy goning to trust the Republicans?

Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Oct 9, 2008 2:28:17 PM

So the guy who voted for the bailout for Billionaires wants to know why we can't tax our way to save Wall St. speculation in the subprime morgage mess. Joe, priniting money devalues the currency. Ok. So by printing money and flushing Wall St. with cash you are CAUSING inflation and DAMAGING the purchasing power of those on fixeed incomes and the working poor. But your compassionate, give me a BREAK!

Posted by: hmn | Oct 9, 2008 2:35:20 PM

d0,

Thank you for that accurate description of John was-against-bush-tax-cuts-then-for-em McCain!

BTW, whatcha-gonna-do when John McCain get's his way and your health insurance company reincorporates in a friendly state that HAS NO CONSUMER PROTECTIONS WHATSOEVER, one that doesn't require mamograms or other common sense precautions, AND ALL DISPUTES go to a industry sponsored arbitration that just happens to rule for the insurance companies 100% of the time?

Posted by: John | Oct 9, 2008 2:35:45 PM

McCain/Palin are both such an embarrasment to the American people. McCain with his 'My Friend' and Palin with her 'You betcha!'--she doesn't even use proper language--we teach our children proper language and she stands before you running for the V.Pres. of the United States using language like this! McCain is Too Old and acts and looks it-to be our Leader and Palin needs to take care of her own family--a big disappointment-son, that enlisted to stay our of jail and a drug user, a 17 year old daughter pregnant and flaunting it at the Convention-and the other 3-including a special needs child that you cannot tell me she takes care of like it should be-how can there be any sort of bonding there--Obama and Biden are two men who we can look up to and respect and be proud to call our Leaders!

Posted by: Lola | Oct 9, 2008 2:37:01 PM

All fellow bloggers,

Mack is on every story just to stir up what he cannot change.

He's been p****** in the wind since Hillary Clinton and after being drenched, he has nothing but dufus rhetoric.

Smell you later Mack. The winners will be Obama/Biden and America.

POTUS OBAMA - IT'S A LOCK!!

Posted by: Nat Turner | Oct 9, 2008 2:37:31 PM

I love this campaign, and the positive way they go about things, I know they are not perfect but they sure are not as stupid and dumb as Mccain and Palin are.
Mccain changes his mind every other day and Palin just has no mind of her own, yeah we are showing you our maverickness, even we do not know were we stand on the issues, lets get mavericky!!!

Posted by: DB | Oct 9, 2008 2:39:13 PM


Democrats are the illusion NOT the
solution.........

The best choice is :
McCAIN/PALIN '08

Posted by: Nicholas | Oct 9, 2008 2:39:29 PM

Well, when the media don't question what Obama says - it's easy for his campaign. Did he waffle Jake? Did he really cut consumer protections a few months ago? FactCheck.Org says Obama is lying about the deregulation thing. Finally, why on Earth haven't you guys asked Obama for his plan? He's the savior of the "middle-class," yet he doesn't have a homeowners plan. They are just trashing McCain because he beat them to it and they have no alternative. But the media want to call Palin a racist instead of investigate Obama's lack of specifics for homeowners.

Posted by: Angry Black Democrat | Oct 9, 2008 2:41:28 PM

Smear campaigns are only smears, when the accusations are false. Such as Todd Palin committing incest with his daughters. Trig Palin really being the son of Bristol, and not Sarah. etc..

The truth is, at least 3 of Obama's campaign workers in high positions, have given three different versions of Obama's relationship with Ayres..who really exists, and who REALLY was , or is a terrorist. I say is, because last year in a BBC radio interview, he still said he had no remorse for what he did.

Biden should start worrying less about McCain, and more on the letter Russia has from him, from 1979, and his comments that he doesn't care about human rigths, (Refuseniks) and only said he did, to calm is constituents. Yet told the Soviets, quite the opposite. Hmmmm

More socialist connections, comrades.

Posted by: Jeanie | Oct 9, 2008 2:42:16 PM

McCain wants us to get out of Iraq in victory — AT ALL COSTS.

He also wants to pursue home ownership/ retention — AT ALL COSTS.

Senator, we are insatiable but resources are limited so we have to choose. This is Economics 101.

Posted by: chris | Oct 9, 2008 2:42:53 PM

I'm sick and tired of McCAIN'S SOCIALIST policies

Posted by: Oh, the irony | Oct 9, 2008 2:43:42 PM

Post a comment