So What's With All This Biden Bashing?

[Steely_Dan]

Why is Biden so roundly disliked on this board. I don't get it. From what I've seen over the past year, he is very articulate and makes a lot of sense. Doesn't mean I'd vote for him...but, come on...What's the problem?

-P

[Clark2008]

1. Because of his vote in favor of the new bankruptcy laws.

People are tired of Dems selling out to corporate interests.

[Steely_Dan]

2. Oooops...Forgot About That

[NYCGirl]

4. But MBNA is the largest employer in Delaware. In voting for that bill,

he was actually serving his constituency. All the other Democrats who voted for it don't have that excuse, though.

[Clark2008]

8. That's probably true.

I wasn't passing judgment, just answering Steely's question.

[Mass]

26. Particularly those of his constituents that needed to file for bankruptcy

I doubt he was serving his constituency, except if you believe that credit card companies were in trouble.

[NYCGirl]

27. I would suspect those would be a tiny portion of the people compared to

those actually employed by the credit card (and banking) industries in Delaware. His vote was understandable, as opposed to all the other Democrats voting for the bill.

[Mass]

28. Actually Carper and Conrad are in the same category, and Dorgan voted NO

I dount that voting no would have affected people working in the banking and credit card industry, but I may be wrong.

[FredScuttle]

31. Oh yeah, his vote was understandable

except for that pesky acquisition of MBNA by Bank of America and the the potential loss of $50 million in taxes when BofA moves MBNA's charter out of state....and, oh yes, the loss of thousands of jobs at what used to be Delaware's largest private employer:

"Bank of America has said it will cut 6,000 jobs between the two companies after the buyout closes. The bank hasn't yet said how many jobs will be lost in Delaware, where MBNA employs about 10,500."

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050911/NEWS01/509110346/1006/NEWS


Biden is a tool and he should be regarded as one regards a screaming lunatic in the park.

[fujiyama]

33. That's a poor excuse though

The people of Deleware really weren't helped by that bill. It's not as though credit card companies were in danger of laying off workers if this bill didn't pass.

Biden was just serving the powerful corporate interests that happen to be in his state and donated thousands of dollars to him. Effectively he hurt the poor and middle class in Deleware just as much as anywhere else.

[FrenchieCat]

35. Yep!

That's how I see that vote of his as well!

Whatever happened to "the Democrats are for the people routine"? Where that go? :shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. He has a strong tendency to say all the right things

then vote with the other side.

"A little consistancy is all I ask!"
Tom Stoppard - Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

[woodsprite]

I was talking to someone tonight and told them he is just all bluster

and then caves. He was saying Biden was like a pit-bull today during the hearings. I said "Yeah, I know that, but when they vote on him, he'll probably roll on his back and want the Pubs to scratch his tummy and say "good doggy"." I said if Biden wants any credibility and a chance at winning, he's gotta stop caving. After all, if the repub voters are little by little changing their tune, won't they count caving to the repubs as a strike against him?

[Reciprocity]

5. Also his staunch support of Bush's war of choice. n/t

[bahrbearian]

6. More Troops!

[Reciprocity]

13. His asking John McCain to be his running mate. n/t

[bahrbearian]

24. Gag me with a spoon! He never considered Joe-momentem?

Of course we really never knew Joe until after 2001. I'll give Gore that. Are those Condi's new shoes?

[Reciprocity]

25. I don't think she has what it takes, to fill my shoes lol. n/t

[arcos]

7. the RAVE Act, among other things...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAVE_Act

[metisnation]

9. Dems speaking out

basically saying that we do not want another demican to run for pres. What we need is a guy like Nelson or Feingold from ol Wis.

[TomInTib]

10. He's a showboater 'wannabe President' who voted for the

bankruptcy law because MBNA is in Delaware. He is loyal to his constituency, but his constituency is the Delaware corporations, set up there to avoid responsiblity for their actions (no liability laws).

How many people do you know who live in Delaware?

How many corporations are based in Delaware?

Delaware is like an off-shore tax-shelter on our shores.

He can talk all of the high-falutin' talk that he wants, but he respresents the Swiss Bank of the US. Listen to what he says, and then watch how he votes.

[Steely_Dan]

12. Got It

[montana500]

11. rave act, bankruptcy bill ,etc.

nm

[BlueJac]

14. Biden...

A main stream Dem with nothing to say...wishy washy...He wants to keep troops in Iraq, he might hang on and be the last one for that as people of conviction take their stands. He thinks he is a leader, but that is in his own mind. He has followed Bush on this Iraq war and can not admit he made a mistake by backing it.....a lot of congressman will have to say they were wrong and bring the troops home now..........the, we have lost some many, that, we must stay, is a confused and mislead way to thinking...how many deaths is too many?

[LittleClarkie]

15. Because the most dangerous place in Washington is between

Joe Biden and a camera.

It's the gloryhound routine that gets me. The story about how he tried to say he was responsible for how Kerry responded to the BinLadin tape, even though Kerry had responded hours before Biden ever got ahold of him (had the reporter sorta sniggering at him for that, actually) that started me on the road to not particularly liking the guy. There's just a level of smarm there that I sense, but can't quite put my finger on.

[TomInTib]

19. Funny! Don't put your finger on anything if you aren't wearing gloves!

[fujiyama]

34. Well said

Or how about what he said in that New Yorker article where he recounts about the "overwight gap toothed woman" saying "You're so strong and Kerry is so weak".

Makes me wanna gag.

[Sperk]

16. I call him "Foaming Joe", he likes to get all foamy in the mouth

liked a crazed pit bull...then does nothing.

Remember the torture photos.....he talked (foamed) about why we need to follow the Geneva Conventions...."because of my son"!!! His son is in the service and he doesn't want him tortured if ever captured (him and all of our soldiers).

Oh, he was extra foamy that day....what was done? Nothing, were still torturing today.

[LittleClarkie]

Pit bull?

Sadly, I've often thought babboon when looking at him mid-foam. Like an angry babboon.

[Skink]

20. Smile and grit your teeth when you lampoon 44...

I'd rather go down gamblin so I'm voting for Joe once our corrupt primary system weeds out all the Howard Deans and John Kerry's.

[LittleClarkie]

21. Yer kidding.

Biden has replaced Hillary at the bottom of my list. I'd rather vote for anyone else: Howard, Kerry, Hillary, anybody. ABB again.

[Skink]

23. Sorry...

Feeble attempt at :sarcasm:

Deaniac on Board

[Bucky]

17. Also, "Biden" is a contraction of "bin Laden"

I've seen him speak extemporaneously on foreign policy and he's really a very high caliber thinker and explainer. He'd be a great candidate, altho not the most liberal in the field. He probably could've beat George Bush in 1988 and we'd be a better, stronger, richer, and more respected country today because of it.

[BillZBubb]

18. During Iran-Contra, it was Biden who sold out the Democrats.

He agreed with Hatch that they would not allow the investigation to reach the Oval Office under any circumstances. Biden gave Reagan a pass and what did the Democrats get in return?????

Biden is worthless to us when the chips are down.

[1932]

22. I think he sold out the Dems on Clarence Thomas too.

He called the vote before witnesses were allowed to present corroborating evidence. Spy Magazine had an article about it when it happened.

[kath]

38. yep, Biden gave us Clarence Thomas.

I cannot forgive him for that.

[SaveElmer]

39. Biden voted against CLarence Thomas...nt

[1932]

41. He called the vote before the corroborating witnesses testified.

He voted no perhaps to cover his tracks and because his vote didn't matter.

But it appears that he cut a deal with Republicans to call the vote before they called in witnesses to say that Thomas did the things Anita Hill said he did.

I remember reading this in Spy Magazine. They had another lawyer, a secretary from the office and maybe one or two other people who were going to say that they heard him say things that Anital Hill said that he said or things that were similar.

Without those witnesses, it was his word against her word, and if you remember, a lot of Senators justified their votes by saying she was lying. Once those witnesses testified, Yes voters would have been put in the position of voting yes on a guy who liked porn a great deal and harassed women in his office. It would have been awkward. Biden, as the chair of the committee, cut the witness list short and called the vote. It was a big favor to anyone who wanted to vote yes.

Remember that David Brock's first book was a hit piece on Anita Hill -- he was giving "intellectual" coverage to Yes voters on Thomas. It was so important to those people that they not be seen to have voted for an office bully/sexual harasser/porno enthusiast that they employed Brock to write a book claiming Hill was a liar with psychological problems.

In some ways, it was Biden who gave room for that to happen by calling the vote without hearing additional witnesses.

Also remember, Bush v Gore: 5 to 4.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. Talking the talk is not walking the walk.

He's self serving.

Period.

Look at his votes?

Can you say Bankruptcy Bill?

Can you say IWR?

[category5]

30. Did'nt Biden vote for the Iraq war?

[FrenchieCat]

32. No guts, no glory......

The man is on TV every Sunday....and I still don't know why? I also don't know why "they" say that he's so strong on National Defense. Like what has he done exactly to give him this experience? Sat in some Senate halls yakking it up?

I started disliking him when he was on Charlie Rose everynight (must have a good press team, that's for shor')during the run up to the war.

He accepted that the war was inevitable, while I was still marching....in fact, even way before the IWR vote! He was resigned to it (the war) and would agree with the opposing side a bit much for me. Must have been Bush's high poll numbers that did it to him.

In essence, he's all mouth but doesn't stand up when it comes time to do what's right.

To conclude, he's a pompous ass, a brown noser and a real show off....and its obvious to anyone with a good BS meter!

[SaveElmer]

36. A decree from DU's Progressive Politburo...

Any deviation from the party line and...off to the gulag with you!

[Selatius]

37. He voted for that horrendous bankruptcy bill

He sold out every hard working American who, through misfortune, has to now seek bankruptcy protection, and because of that bill, it will be even harder for them to do so. He burned his bridge to me with that vote.

He will not get my vote if he found himself running for the Democratic nominee for president, and if he got that far, he will not get my vote in the general election. He attacked those who needed help the most. That cannot be ignored.

[Langis]

40. He is a sell out and not a real Dem

Voting for the Bankruptcy bill was more then enough for me to hate that turn coat.