Senator Joe Biden, the Media and Personal Credit

This story is making me laugh so I simply had to blog about it!

CNN is running a story about Joe Biden which includes a review of some of his work on the Senate Finance Committee and votes in the Senate for laws that would make it more difficult for people to declare bankruptcy. It's also important to note that he was one of 84 Senators that voted for the bill - not a squeaker by any means.

Some 'consumer advocate' - what is that anyway, someone who helps people spend more money consuming more bobbles I suppose - is part of this story and says something to the effect of "by making it harder to declare bankruptcy, he made it harder for people to keep their homes." The issue is that creditors want their money and if you owe it and can't pay, you're presumably forced to liquidate your assets to pay your creditors. Oh, what a horrible consequence...you borrowed too much, you couldn't pay for your debt and you had to sell. Not seeing the problem? Me neither.

If you've ever watched CNN's (and most media outlets) coverage of the credit crisis you will know that people like Lou Dobbs advocate for low-interest loans to the highest risk borrowers - even when they take out a 5th Credit Card. Now these same commentators (is incompetentator a word) turn and wonder why the US economy has suddenly gone in the pooper! Where does personal responsibility over spending and debt come into this whole discussion?

To take it one step further.... Today I heard that John McCain proposes to lower Food prices! hahaha...This poor old man has no clue. Unless he cancels all Ethanol programs to relieve the pressure on grain markets, while also magically inventing a solution to the energy crisis and climate change while also lowering Gas Taxes and eliminating Earmarks, and nationalizes the American Food Supply (how is this Conservative?) he hasn't a chance of lowering food prices. It's preposterous and they just flashed it up on the screen as one of his promises without blowing a hole in it right then and there.

Forget all the petty stuff about Palin. McCain is a populist liar who has now sold his sole to the Republican Party. Any sense of Maverick is gone. You know when Karl Rove says you're going to far, you really have gone to far.

This is a bit of a rambley blog but the point is this: McCain is lying his pants off, about his own plans and about his knowledge of the economy, his relationship to lobbyists, about Palin's experience, about his family's longevity (his father died at 70)...the list goes on - while Biden makes a gaff here and there but has an impeccable record and is a genuinely likeable guy.

So...Senator Biden voted on behalf of the many, many employees of Credit Companies that live in Delaware (doing his job) and voted for American responsibility over personal choice and personal accounatability over budgeting and personal spending and to keep a reasonable amount of credit and spending - a balanced approach.

Unfortunately, Americans somehow still refuse to believe the following: Democratic Presidents have had much better records - at war, at peace, with the economy, with the size of government. Their failures are their ability to win elections and to sound too high-minded and get off their core arguments.