Sen. Joe Biden (D-MBNA): It was an outrage in 2005, so why not now?
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Sen. Joe Biden (D-MBNA): It was an outrage in 2005, so why not now?
The New York Times reminds us how Joe Biden (D-MBNA) got his nickname:
The real estate deal was just one facet of a close relationship between Mr. Biden and MBNA, which donated more than $200,000 to his campaigns. The Delaware-based company gave a job to Mr. Biden’s son Hunter; flew Senator Biden and his wife to the Maine coast, where Mr. Biden spoke at a company retreat; and its former chief executive, Charles M. Cawley, donated at least $22,500 to a nonprofit breast cancer fund started by Jill Biden.
MBNA also was an aggressive advocate of bankruptcy reform legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Mr. Biden was a senior member and its former chairman. The legislation would make it harder for consumers to escape credit card debts.
Mr. Wade said there was nothing improper in Mr. Biden’s dealings with Mr. Cochran. He said the sale price was supported by an appraisal for the same amount, and that Mr. Biden never did MBNA any favors in the Senate.
No favors, except, you know, that bankruptcy bill that made life a lot harder for those families at the kitchen table that Biden likes to talk about. There's a lot more in this Times article, including VIP mortgage treatment for Biden -- which isn't illegal or anything but really should be barred by Senate ethics rules -- and evidence that he used money from campaign donors to support his lifestyle, including his commute to work on Amtrak and lawn care at his home. This is exactly the same behavior that I blasted Rick Santorum for in 2006 -- it's just as bad when Biden does it as when Santorum does it.
This a good story that isn't getting the attention it deserves -- liberal bloggers who were so justifiably angry at Biden in 2005 when he was just some Joe Schmoe senator from Delaware won't trumpet an article that hurts the Democrats' chances for the White House, and you probably won't hear so much on the right because it undercuts their storyline that the NYT is in the tank for Obama.
It's bizarre but it's seemed to me that the only thing that doesn't bounce around the media/political echo chamber in 2008 is good journalism.
"It's bizarre but it's seemed to me that the only thing that doesn't bounce around the media/political echo chamber in 2008 is good journalism." This from the guy who made a thread about Sarah Palin's US Weekly cover, while ignoring for months the Chris Dodd/Countrywide scandal. Clean up your own kettle before calling the pot black, Will.— db_cooper- "It's bizarre but it's seemed to me that the only thing that doesn't bounce around this blog is good journalism." Also, believe Mrs Wigglesworth would say poor grammar, Willy. Sentence should read It's bizarre but it seemed to me. IT not IT'S. Again, where is the journalism?— shoeshineboy
- This feels like when Polman was actually criticial of Barry last week...the old "see, I can be critical of Democrats" piece that will fade away. I'd rather talk about how Biden says he was shot at in Iraq...how his helicopter was "forced down"...both lies. If I were a Hillary supporter - I'd be fired up - considering the media help barry win the nomination with the same example of lies/distortions.— rbpeeple
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- "If you are a politicians in Deleware, you are involved with the CC companies. " Yeah, so what if MBNA pays your son $100K a year for a consulting gig while he also works at the same time to start his lobbyist career? Joe's family is entitled, you know, because he's a Senator and IMPORTANT.— db_cooper
- Since when did you care about fair and impartial reporting in the paper. Did your chair slip a little to the right and you forgot what you were all about?— mokey1057
- Since when did you care about fair and impartial reporting in the paper. Did your chair slip a little to the right and you forgot what you were all about?— mokey1057
I think Will must be feeling prematurely secure about an Obama victory because now he's floating out some token criticisms of the Obama campaign in an effort to appear fair.— jmc
LOL, I'm loving the irony in this post following your last one, Will.- kudos will..i hammer you a lot...but thumbs up on this one..goes to show we don't have much offered to us this election year.— OgieOglethorpe
- Atrios linked to the story.— ElBlot
- Can this fishwrap get someone to edit Will's errors? Please see last sentence. Mrs Wigglesworth is getting upset.— shoeshineboy
- Comment removed.
- I could swear, I recall not too long ago a regular right winger here defending Biden from a similar attack by Will on the grounds that he was obligated as a politician to look after his "constituents".
- shoeshineboy, you might want to slow on the grammar a bit. Your suggested sentence "It's bizarre but it seemed to me that the only thing that doesn't bounce around this blog is good journalism." would refer to an opinion some time in the past, not a current opinion. The "it's seemed to me" can be expanded to be "it has seemed to me", as in an opinion held for some time and still currently espoused. Since the "it's" precedes a past-tense vowel, it should not be expanded as "it is".— PassingBy
- i got flamed by some dope named tango yesterday for bringing out just this hypocricy by biden and his clown posse..about time will you joined the truth movement.— OgieOglethorpe
- Will, were you turned down by MBNA at one time for a credit card, so you continue to try to link them to unethical behavior? Of course the companies wanted bankruptcy reform, as did every credit card issuer (and lots of regular people who pay their bills on time). Why should we all pay for the deadbeats that go over their head in debt? (oh that's right, we are doing it again for mortages, aren't we and talking about reform?). As far as his house sale to John Cocharan, is there a story there or just an insinuation that something wasn't right? Beating a dead horse buddy, get a new subject to grind.— jimmymack
- Ezra Klein at the American Prospect also blogged about it. http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=10&year=2008&base_name=the_scandal_that_wasnt— ElBlot
See now we all know what an apparent conflict of interest looks like.— bird11
As a longtime reader of this blog, I recall well that Will attacked Biden more than once over several years for the credit-card connection. Biden is clearly tainted, as is McCain by Keating and perhaps Obama by Renzo and Palin by Troopergate. I somehow recall a Person who asked who was blameless enough to cast the first stone. The question for me is how seriously a politician is stained by the side-effects of practicing politics. There is a considerable distance between, say, Duke Cunningham or William Jefferson and the current crop of presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Actually, to me it is amazing that Obama could emerge from Chicago politics with so little graft tagging after him.- "2008 will be remembered as the year that journalism died" - Sean Hannity— Col. Nathan R. Jessep
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