Biden fires back at Boehner

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

At an event promoting the economic stimulus this morning, Vice President Biden fired back at House Minority Leader John Boehner's speech today.

Mr. Boehner, after months of promising a look at his party's agenda for his plans for America -- their economic agenda -- he made what was billed this morning as a major economic address. And his chief proposal, when you look at it, was apparently that the president should fire his economic team. Very constructive advice, and we thank the leader for that. (Laughter.)

But let's take a look at the rest of his advice... Let's review a little bit of history here. For eight years before we arrived in the West Wing, Mr. Boehner and his party ran the economy, and the middle class literally into the ground. They took a $237 billion operating surplus, inherited from the Clinton administration, and left us with a $1.3 trillion deficit -- and in the process quadrupled the national debt, all before we literally turned on the lights in the West Wing, before we did one single solitary thing. They gave free rein to the special interests to write their own rules at the expense of everybody else, not just the middle class. And the sum total was the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression -- a crisis that wreaked havoc upon American families and businesses all across this country, a crisis from which we are still digging out.


Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/24/4961833-biden-fires-back-at-boehner

[EFerrari]

1. Go get 'em, Joe!

K&R

[wordpix]

74. now THAT's what I want to hear from our reps! Get 'em Joe!

:applause: :woohoo:

[AndyA]

2. Kick his ass, Joe. This is a big f*cking deal! Don't let them get away with it.

John Boehner, Mr. Orange, Mr. Hot Shot Republican.

Boehner = NO CREDIBILITY.

He handed out "campaign donation" checks ON THE HOUSE FLOOR...from the tobacco industry...




...wait for it...




...moments before a vote on a bill that concerned THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY!

Ethics much, John? :puke:

Why is this crook still in Congress? :shrug:

[Andy823]

5. Yep...

Getting advice on how to "fix" things from the guys that put us in the ditch, and the only advice they have, the only plan they have, is try and get everyone to "FORGET" it was them that got us into this mess!

VP Biden, the democrats in congress, and the president need to hammer this home everyday from now till election. Keep the republicans on the defense and don't give them a chance to turn the tables on them! Make the republicans "explain" their votes against the average person and in favor of big corporations. Make them explain their remarks about the unemployed being lazy, about single mothers, about helping teachers, police and firemen keep their jobs being another "bailout" for a "special" interest group. Make them explain why everything has to be "paid" for that helps the average citizen, but tax cuts for the rich "DON'T" have to be paid for, but if they do have to be paid for they want to "CUT" programs that will help those in need in order to do so! Make them come up with a "plan" not just more stupid wedge issues to keep from discussing the real problems we have!

No mercy, attack, attack, and keep on attacking!

[PinkFloyd]

10. You're right on, especially the first part.

Also, according to Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Every time they implement their Reaganomic ideas we always end up in this mess, everytime. The only thing different about this time is I think they might have F'ed it up so bad that it'll never be fixed again. Sadly, I think this is the "New" America....with lots of outsourcing, little job growth, stagnant wages and soon someone like Madoff will be handling our retirement, if we ever live that long after they keep raising it.

[bulloney]

57. I hope Biden didn't get orange stain on his shoe from kicking Boehner's ass.

[Froward69]

63. that was Cheetos dust

it wiped off easily... :rofl:

come to think of it possibly that's how bohner keeps his complexion... :rofl:

[wordpix]

75. Boehner HAS to wear orange to cover up his ashen smoker's face

The guy looks in worse health every time I see him and WE'RE paying for his health care

[Plucketeer]

3. Boehner

Perfectly suited for the party he leads.

[AlbertCat]

67. Perfectly suited for the party he leads.

Yeah, talk about the DRUNKEN sailor they spend like.....

[Sherman A1]

4. That is what is needed!

Joe in campaign mode until November. I can think of no better plain spoken member of the Democratic team that him.

I disagree with many things that this administration has done or hasn't done, (EFCA, DADT, Iraq, Afghanistan, The Gulf Oil mess, the compromises on HRC) but it was the other guys that got us into this huge mess and it will take time to undo their screw ups.

[Jim__]

6. Tell 'em Joe.

Dems need to fight back and fight back hard on the economy. Bush wrecked it. The American people should know that.

[WheelWalker]

7. Give 'em hell, Joe ! If you wanna dance, you gotta pay the band !

[savalez]

8. Joe should have thrown the "F" bomb in there for emphasis!

[Kingofalldems]

9. K and R for the teabaggers and freepers

[my2sense]

11. I wish they'd let Biden

address some of these asswipes more frequently. It's time to take the gloves off. These bastids (republicans) have done enough damage to the middle class in this country. They need to sit down and STFU.

[Autumn Colors]

12. Uh....

BIDEN: "And his chief proposal, when you look at it, was apparently that the president should fire his economic team. Very constructive advice, and we thank the leader for that."
-------------

Sorry, but I for one wouldn't mind AT ALL if Geithner and Summers got the boot. On that subject, I agree with Boehner (for the first time EVER, if that's what he truly was proposing that Obama do). If that's the only thing he's suggesting, that won't solve anything, but I absolutely agree that Geithner and Summers should be out.

I'm not going to protest getting rid of the investment bankers just because Biden is the one protesting it.

[dotymed]

55. I'm probably wrong

but it seemed that Joe wasn't really arguing the point about about Obamas economic advisers.
It seemed that he was mainly disputing the other suggestions from Boner.....

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kingofalldems]

14. You capitalize republican and not Democrats?

[thetonka]

15. I just type too fast, not intended

[dreamnightwind]

16. You won't make things better with a Republican congress

I agree with every point you made, I'm mad as hell about the policies from our Dems, I expected much more. And I agree with Boner (ewww saying I agree with him on anything really hurts!) about firing Obama's financial team.

However, you want Biden to do something to make things better? He's trying to prevent a Republican majority in Congress after the midterms. I can't think of a single thing Biden can do that would help more than to prevent us from ever having to hear the title "Speaker Boehner".

You don't like the Obama policies now? How do you think you'll like them when he has the cover of a Republican Congress? Less, I assure you. Yes, things can actually be worse than they are now, and if the Repubs get one or both houses of Congress, they will indeed be worse.

[thetonka]

60. You detail the problem quite well

BOTH parties are more interested in elections, power and money than they are in representing, serving and protecting the people.

Partisan politics are destroying this country. Both parties are guilty of it.

The Democrats had a very rare opportunity to enact real change and ensure a bright and prosperous future. This period in time will go down as a monumental amount of lost opportunities.

[emulatorloo]

77. The Democrats still have an opportunity, unless the Republicans get their hands on Congress

Some very good legislation has come out of the Democratic house, where we have a very big majority

It gets RUINED in the Senate where we have a razor thin majority. A majority that includes the likes of Joe Liebermann. There are just too many Republicans there.

More Republicans is not the answer,

[zbdent]

22. Republicans "helping" the economy reminds me of the old story ...

two men on a bicycle built for two come upon a hill ...

after much pedaling and effort, they come to the top of the hill, which initially didn't seem so steep.

At the top, the man in the front, a Dem, says "Wow, that sure was a steep hill to bicycle up!"

The man in the back, a Republican, says "Yes it was. And we might have rolled down it if I hadn't had the brakes on all the way!"

[dreamnightwind]

24. Funny but...

That's a funny joke but I see it more like this:

2 men in separate kayaks, paddling in a competition. One man is a Republican. Roughly 90% of his sponsorship money wants him to paddle to point A. Paddle to point A he does. He utters some transparent B.S. about how point A is best for the benefit of all people, and those point B supporters are really scary, so he gets the continued support of the smaller 10% of his funding base who aren't sure where he should paddle to, they just don't want him to paddle anywhere the scary Democrats would paddle to.

The other is a Democrat. Roughly 67% of his sponsorship money comes from corporations that want him to paddle to point A. They'd just give all of their money to the Republican, who will no doubt go to point A. But the Democrat has 33% (sorry I'm making up numbers, don't know the real ones) of his money from people who want him to paddle to point B. Combined, he has more than enough money to fund his mission at a similar level to the Republican, so with this coalition, he can be competitive, and often he will even win. However, he's in a tricky position. He is paddling toward point A, to satisfy most of his bankroll, but he tacks ever so slightly toward point B, to show the smaller portion of his funding base that he is working for them. He spins it to these people that he's paddling toward point B, it's just too hard, there's a strong crosswind, etc. etc. In the end he paddles to a spot a few feet away from point A, miles from point B. He may actually finish ahead of the Republican, or maybe not. Either way, the place he reaches is nearly the same, but he is able to keep his funding coalition together by publicly arguing that he was trying his damnedest to reach point B, and besides look he's closer to point B than the Republican, while wink winking to his larger sponsors that he will win more races than the Republican so he deserves their continued support.

Whew, clumsy metaphor, but much closer to the way I see the world than what your joke suggests.

[thetonka]

61. Well put!

[PSzymeczek]

26. Because the Greed and Obstruction Party

dig in their heels and won't let the Democrats frakking DO anything! THAT'S why things are still bad.

[thetonka]

62. Why does it have to be one or the other

Why can't it be less about the parties and more about the people? Both parties are guilty of digging in their heals and putting the party and the special interest over the people.

[quakerboy]

28. How is Biden going to fix things?

VP is the presidential understudy. Unless something terrible happens, he is next to powerless, except for his voice, and if it ever came down to it, his tie breaking vote. But seeing as everything gets filibustered, a tie breaking vote is not likely to come our way.


I take exception when people here excuse the president for not fixing everything, asserting that he is powerless. That is blatently crap. He has a signature and a massive bully pulpit and executive orders and various powers of the executive branch at his disposal. If nothing else, he has the ability to pick new people for the justice department, people who will investigate the crooked goings on we all know are sitting on the consciences of so many lawmakers.

But the VP... not so much.

[defendandprotect]

39. And even Democrats have been agast at the Wall Street "team" Obama picked ....

it's been a completely pro-corporate "team" from day one --

Plus, I'll always mention this ... we have Clarence Thomas on the SC because

of Biden and his betrayal of the witnesses who would have doomed Thomas.

In fact, he betrayed the entire legal team support Prof. Anita Hill and with

some very nonsensical footwork took the hearing into the wee hours of the morning

before closing it at 4am with no witnesses against Thomas!!

Interesting book on that sad event -- "Strange Justice" -- probably at your library!

[WheelWalker]

46. How can you know

where you're going with your eyes glued to the rear view mirror?

[geckosfeet]

30. The repukes orchestrated this disaster - and they are pointing fingers at the democrats.

The repukes basically ran congress, the senate and the white house for 8 years.

In the last year there has been improvement and much effort to turn things around. If you think 8+ years of republican dismantling can be repaired in a year think again. Dig in, hold on and keep your eye on the ball.

[girl gone mad]

38. Rubin, Summers and Geithner..

had their hands in it, too.

Let's be honest. Rubin is as much to blame as anyone.

[geckosfeet]

53. Rubin is a holdover, albeit from Clintons time. I will never understand why

Summers and Geithner were appointed.

But the fact remains, the economic collapse was in full swing when shit-for-brains left the white house after the 2008 elections.

Lets start with ending two miserable military deployments. Lets also stop funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to Wall Street. Lets start rebuilding infrastructure and education systems. Let us finally develop viable and sustainable hydrocarbon/petroleum free sources of energy.

[thetonka]

64. Good ideas

When is all that actually going to happen????

[thetonka]

65. Do a little research

It's not entirely about who is in power(and the Republicans did not have complete control of Congress the entire 8 years). You will find, if you look, that many of the really bad ideas out of Congress that built the foundation of the economic disaster we are enjoying today were supported by the Democrats.

Don't blindly follow the party propaganda. They are lying to you, and in the end the things you want them to do will not happen.

[defendandprotect]

37. Well, there's some reality . . ..

[WheelWalker]

47. No surprise from you, either.

[laughingliberal]

41. Although I am no fan of some of today's Democrats, I think there is some clarification needed

<Many of the Democrats who help orchestrate this disaster from Congress are still there.>

Many of the policies that led to the current crisis were put in place long before the Democrats had control of Congress. A lot of today's bunch are far too conservative and corporate friendly for my money but it was the trickle down economic policy and deregulating binge of the last 30 years that got us here and W's tax cut for the wealthy was one of the last nails in the coffin.


<So I have to ask, while the Republicans have a lot to feel guilty about, what have the Democrats done to make things better? From my POV NOTHING!>

Maybe not nothing but, yes, far too little has been done.

<Thanks Biden for spending this time attacking Boner, when you could be working on MAKING THINGS BETTER. Fix the problems, then point fingers!>

Boner absolutely needs to be attacked. Left to him, we would be going right back to more tax cuts for the wealthy and more cuts to social programs. We're not getting what I'd like to see out of the Democrats right now, either, but Boner has no moral authority to be throwing stones. Boner wants more of the same and a lot of it.

[thetonka]

66. The way I see it

The ship in sinking. Our "leaders" should be plugging the holes FIRST, then bail out the water, then lynch the people responsible.

All I hear is the piano playing as the ship is going down.

[laughingliberal]

79. +1 nt

[newspeak]

58. I find it amusing that you apparently can't or won't connect the dots

Little Boots has one of the worst job creation records since the depression. Do you remember when his administration was fudging job creation numbers and counting burger flippers as manufacturing? There's a chart showing the drop of jobs for his eight years. Also, don't you think Little Boot's administration, deregulation, allowed corporations to police themselves, especially the financial sector had a major cause in the mortgage meltdown? Hell, state's with mortgage regulations apparently were not allowed to reign them in. And, how about Enron? When California deregulated their energy and customers were getting screwed left and right, Gray Davis appealed to Little Boots to allow California to regulate them--no deal.

Reagan one of the most damaging, with his trickle on philosophy, left this country with an increased deficit of about 128%. Little Boots, probably striving for Reagan's record hit 89%.

I knew, there were people on this board who knew, that Little Boot's fabricated war, little oversite on lucrative war contracts, a cut on taxes for the wealthy and unaccounted monies missing from the pentagon (about 1.2 trillion) and the billions shipped to Iraq that was unaccounted for. It was our money that went bye-bye, and allowing the wealthy to gain even more wealth on the backs of the middle class, was going to break this country economically.

The wealthy have gained more wealth, influence, power from these tax cuts, but no jobs created. Remember before Reagan, tax on the wealthy was about 66%, during Eisenhower it was about 88%. And Reagan cut it to 28%.

Now what did Little Boots do? He attempted to break one of the strongest unions in the world-the dockworkers union. A union that also helps our coastline security. He deregulated the hell out of wall street, a major free for all with no oversite. He funneled our money to war profiteering corporations with little or no oversite-privatizing our military while giving them basically shitty service. He argued that allowing the wealthy less tax money they would create jobs--if so, how come he has one of the worst job creations records since the depression?

Your friends must not realize that it took years for his actions to come home to roost. And, we are suffering the consequences with such short sighted thinking. But, there were people on DU who knew that this was going to happen, and that our economy and infrastructure would suffer from their actions!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

68. Relax and watch a movie. I suggest a Western.

Specifically, a very good one starring Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer, whose name escapes me now.

[RoccoR5955]

70. How can they fix problems, when they face so much opposition

from both the RepubliCONs, and DINOs (aka blue dogs)?

There are quite a few congress critters who call themselves Democrats, yet they vote time and again, for the RepubliCONs. You cannot fix things if you do not have support.

[YankeeLeft7x]

17. Another "Economic Policy" Lecture by a Republican

I really cannot take anything Republicans say regarding economic issues quite seriously. Although the GOP think they are "experts" in this area, their votes in the "yes" column all the time during the Bush years cannot be argued against. The Congressional Record is quite clear on the voting history of all these same Republicans during the Bush regime when the USA started its final economic decline in rapid fashion.

I am still waiting for the data which shows that tax cuts actually leads to "job creation." The Republicans are champions at trickle-down economics and that type of economic policy has been a proven failure.

The likes of Mr. Boehner cannot be taken seriously at all and one needs to remind this guy that America is in its present state of economic decline/downturn because of past GOP policies from Reagan-to-Gingrich-to-George W.Bush/Dick Cheney.

[cilla4progress]

19. I agree completely -

I don't know WHY we have to pay ANY attention to these Republican boneheads without an idea in their heads! Oh yah...they are elected. Unfathomable, unless the American electorate is asleep at the wheel.

By the way - WELCOME to DU! :hi:

[YankeeLeft7x]

Thank-You ...

Kindly for your nice words. Have a Very Good Evening!

[NBachers]

31. Welcome to Democraticunderground- I really like what you wrote

I like it better than that other low-count poster. Keep writing, keep coming back, and welcome to the family.

[WheelWalker]

48. Coast to coast, we have an accord... Welcome, friend.

Blessings.

[libodem]

18. Kinda makes you

Want to take the 'eh' out of Bo'eh'ner, don't it? (I know grammar Nazis , I did it on purponse, for effect)

[DimplesinMI]

20. K&R for the truth!!!

Love old Joe B. He tells it like it is.......

[stlsaxman]

21. I have a youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6OSgEBlmfA

[KillCapitalism]

23. Way to tell the Orange Boner Joe! n/t

[LawnKorn]

25. Take the fight to the enemy, and then prevail. Way to go Joe.

[CLANG]

27. If only they aired it on Fux, maybe .... well, maybe not....

[pleah]

29. K&R

[muddrunner17]

32. This is why we need to let Biden be Biden!

[WheelWalker]

33. +1 He's a soldier.

[Axle_techie]

34. Boehner

that name makes me giggle

[deacon]

35. Facts is facts. n/t

[defendandprotect]

36. Who are we kidding...? We're now celebrating the crowd who created this mess? You do remember ....

Summers, Geithner, Paulson and the rest of the Goldman Sacks/Wall Street --

and Fed gang???

[slipslidingaway]

40. Yes ...nt

[newspeak]

59. And I agree, that Paulsen shouldn't be there

and there are a lot better economists than Summers. Why they were picked when this country is in such dire straits, I have no idea. I'd take Galbraith over Summers, how about Roubini or even Krugman?

But, I do know that the repukes are the ones that totally screwed us and this country, and their "bootstrap" mentality is definitely not what we need when people are losing their decent jobs. Also, they want to destroy the social safety net--why don't they tell people to just damn starve and die, especially the elderly and the sick.

[defendandprotect]

73. The point is who put us in this immediate postion we're in now -- Obama....

It's Obama who picked and gave us this Wall Street Team -- and kept Paulson on --

and Geithner -- Did we elect a Democratic president so he could put Republicans in

charge of our government?

Summers -- ? Other than being a right winger -- do you recall his anti-female stance

at Harvard? Disgusting!! Why would any Democrat pick any of these people .... ???

And, least of all -- DLC RAHM EMMANUEL!!???


Who put Alan Simpson -- lifelong enemy of Social Security -- in the CHAIR on the

Cat Food Commission --

I think everyone on DU needs their BS-meters set waaaay higher !!


This is an old trick by the corporates who have infiltrated the Democratic Party --

If you go back to the Dem majority under George Mitchell in the Senate, he turned the

Senate over to Bob Dole!! I watched it via C-span -- let me assure you, it happened.

And, things have only gotten worse since then.

If you actually want a pro-corporate presidency, then this won't bother you --

I happen to want an end to corporate infiltration of the Democratic Party.

[Still Waters]

42. Well done, Mr. VP!

Now, will the rest of the Dems keep firing away like this?

[orbitalman]

43. Boe-hner: Roe, toe, so, grow.blow, foe, beau, doe, hoe, Joe, Moe, Poe, Woe:

NOE :applause:

[tclambert]

54. Is that a Doctor Who joke?

If so, "Allons-y!"

[Honeycombe8]

44. It's about time some Democrat leaders started grabbing the bull by the horn and speaking out.

Too many times I hear Repubs on TV spouting off about this or that, denigrating the Democrats, stating false "facts," blaming Democrats for things done by the Republicans, or whatnot, and I see no Democrat anywhere on the shows spouting off about the Republicans' faults, getting the facts straight, honking the Democrats' horn on what they've gotten right.

It's so easy for the public to believe the Repubs, when they're the only ones who are speaking out loudly.

[Historic NY]

45. Go Joe Go....tell them where to go.

[DemocraticPilgrim]

49. The VP is getting into his stride now. Love it when the Biden gets to work.

[JJ]

50. 98 vs 2

ought to be the theme for every Dem ad this cycle, and the next. Mainly because it's true. Though 2 vs 98 would be more accurate.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

51. Joe's a bulldog...

....gotta love him.

[Delphinus]

52. About

freaking time! Hammer them with the truth.

[jeremyfive]

56. Well Done, Joe. . .

The American people don't appreciate how the Dubya Administration took us directly to economic disaster and the depths of depair.

We need to remind them of the facts. Hell, most of them think Obama's a Muslim and they don't know who America fought in the Revolutionary war. . .

Remind, remind, remind. . back up with the facts. Confront tea party ignorance with the facts.

[RoccoR5955]

69. Give Boner the hell he deserves, Joe! n/t

[lark]

71. Love ya, Joe!!

:loveya:

[PatSeg]

72. Now why can't the rest of the administration

talk like that? They need to put Joe out there more often, especially between now and the mid-terms. He really knows how to communicate.

[penndragon69]

76. "JOE" the exterminator Biden!

You da MAN!

[wordpix]

78. maybe we should give Boner this one & get Eliz. Warren & Robt Reich

to replace Geithner and Summers. :shrug:

It would make me happier. :evilgrin: