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Stretching with Biden

Obama's running mate gives a twist to McCain's words while stumping in Michigan.

By Emi Kolawole | factcheck.org
Sep 18, 2008 | Updated: 2:27  p.m. ET Sep 18, 2008

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  • Posted By: TruthForward @ 10/22/2008 9:33:51 AM

    RoboHate.

    The McCain/Palin campaign is now combining our analog (or digital, cell) telephones with computers, and has produced RoboHate calls against his opponent, to enliven hatred wherever possible.

    Hate is not good for the country. And McCain/Palin uses hatred too often. However, McCain/Palin stumbles grossly on unity.


    This country needs unity in difficult times. Yes We Can. Obama/Biden is right for this country right now.

  • Posted By: Nowforthetruth @ 10/05/2008 2:46:17 AM


    Where is the article about Biden's long standing relationship to the credit card industry, or the stalled credit card reform bill, passed by house but dead in the Senate, where Biden "works." (And opposed by Bush. Idiot)

  • Posted By: CliffyWorld @ 09/21/2008 10:47:16 AM

    Please read the article titled "Lipstick on a Pig" at http://www.cliffyworld.com/blogs

  • Posted By: Nins @ 09/18/2008 6:32:09 PM

    Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers, AIG and the rest of the failed institutions have failed primarily because of former Senator Phil Gramm. The Gramm-Leach-Biley Act stripped away the regulations separating banking from investment companies, insurance companies and mortgage guaranty companies. Those regulations were added after the Great Depression when it became obvious that allowing banks to be in bed with the stock market was a sure way to rig the system to collapse, as it did in 1929.

    Lo an behold, a few years after the regulations were removed, the sh!t has hit the fan, and the inter-related investment, insurance, mortgage and banking industries are now starting to collapse, and guess what, you, the taxpayer will have to pay to clean it up.

    Phil Gramm is the Senator who brought you the "Enron Loophole" that de-regulated futures trading, causing the prices of oil, gas and food to spiral out of control.

    Senator Phil Gramm was McCain's top economic advisor until recently, when he was forced to step down after he said that there is no problem with our economy other than a "mental recession" on the part of a "nation of whiners." Phil Gramm is the man who McCain said he wants to name Secretary of the Treasury if he becomes President. You have to believe John McCain when he says that he knows little about the economy -- so little that he doesn't even know who to choose as an advisor.

    Barack Obama addressed the Enron Loophole, futures trading, short-selling and Wall Street de-regulation months ago in his economic position papers, which are available on his website. Obama has been saying all along that he is going to put in strict regulations and clean up Wall Street.

    McCain just started saying that he favors regulation in the past couple of weeks. How is it that McCain is going to put in new regulations, when he plans to appoint Phil Gramm, the man who caused the de-regulation, as Secretary of the Treasury? McCain says he would fire Christopher Cox, the SEC Chairman, to solve the problem. However, the problem is caused by lack of regulations on the legislative level, regulations that were removed before Cox was appointed. The SEC can only enforce regulations that actually exist, so making a scapegoat of Cox solves nothing. I would suggest that McCain is guilty of saying what's politically expedient, that he does not actually intend to regulate the banking industry. McCain knows that most Americans are unaware of the details.

    I am a middle-aged white conservative Republican who loves America. I am voting for Barack Obama.

    http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15050.html
    http://www.newsweek.com/id/145011/page/1
    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6007788.html
    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E0D81038F934A25752C0A9649C8B63
    http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5Rzb

    • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 09/19/2008 3:46:15 PM

      Nonsense. They ''failed''due to Democrats helping to kill this device in 2005

      The Federal Housing Enterprise REGULATORY REFORM Act of 2005 [emphasis,mine].

      Who authored this bill Nins?

      Of course,the idea that Obama is the new sheriff to clean up a Wall St. Dodge is a load of hooey,as he has surrounded himself with squadrons of crooked money men and women including FANNIES Johnson,Raines [who has played a lesser role but supports Obama nonetheless], Mudd, SUPERIOR Banks Penny Prizker,and the GLASS-STEGALL-killing Robert Rubin.

      The Chicago Tribune Sept.17,2008:''Obama Sidestepped Reform In Illinois''.

  • Posted By: JohnnyG @ 09/18/2008 3:56:31 PM

    Biden "stretching" the truth? Surprise, Surprise ! If you were writing the same story about John McCain or President Bush, wouldn't the headline use the word, "Lies" ?

    • Posted By: Mimi13 @ 09/19/2008 1:59:42 PM

      Actually, Newsweek tends to use the verb "misrepresents" regarding McCain lies. I've posted to complain about this. Let's call a lie a lie.

  • Posted By: nomoreoil @ 09/19/2008 11:22:01 AM

    McCain ??? Palin and The Oil Industry
    In 2006 , Bp Alaska, Exxon Mobile, Chevron and Conoco Phillips gave over 1.7 Million dollars to AK First Org. Inc. and to Alaska Oil and Gas Association to repeal Measure 2 of the Alaska Constitution. They succeeded with the help of Palin. By spreading the wealth their 1.7 Million dollar Investment created a windfall of profits only rivaled by Mr. Buffet himself.

    With Palin???s help and under the watchful eye of the Bush. Cheney and Mc Cain administration the Oil Emirates will also receive credits against future taxation worth even more billions of dollars. It appears that Palin and the Bush administration are paying the oil companies back all the taxes they have paid since the inception of Measure 2.

    What do we know about Palin? Not much according to the Media. We do know Governor Palin is the Public Member for the Alaska Oil and Natural Gas Conservation Commission. What you should know is that the mission of Alaska Oil and Natural Gas Conservation Commission is to work hand in hand with the oil industry to help maximize production, improve resource recovery and to reduce the rights of land owners through its correlative rights mandate. They are task with overseeing the disposal of all toxic waste produced by companies such as Alaska Oil, Chevron, Exxon and BP Alaska.

    According to the ??? Inlet Keeper??? these companies are ???legally??? pumping 2 Billion Gallons of toxic waste into the fisheries of Cook Inlet annually. Governor Pain is one of three controlling members of this group comprised of One Geologist, One Petroleum Engineer and one public member, ie Palin.

    Wow! its no wonder they picked her for VP. The media chooses to ignore or not care about these facts. Just as with the mis-information they brought us with Iraq they have again been bought and paid for by special interest. Yes afraid of going against the powerful political machine of the Bush administrative and detrimental to the public of the United States and rest of the world; our news media is again not reporting the facts! Surprised; no I???m not but you should be!

    The oil companies are once again putting their own candidate into office. They are selling us a Miss America candidate with her cute little smile in a business suit. A candidate who is in charge of and has been responsible for saving oil companies billions by letting them pump two billion gallons of toxic waste into the Cook Inlet and Ice Fields of Alaska annually . You wonder why the Ice is melting maybe it???s the Billions of Gallons of toxic waste compliments of our own greed and unwillingness to reduce our dependence on oil!

    Vote for Real Change vote against the Emirates of Alaska and their Palin Pawn, the Mavericks and Cowboys of Arizona, Texas and beyond!

    Vote Obama! Make history Make a Difference!

    http://groups.google.com/group/mccain-palin-and-the-oil-industry
    Fact Check This!

  • Posted By: sieg6529 @ 09/19/2008 10:53:44 AM

    The fundamental thing to remember is that capitalism isn't perfect. It is the best thing going, do doubt about it, but it isn't perfect. If it were, monopolies would not be possible. So because it isn't perfect, it needs some regulation. Not much, but a little (more than we've had over the last decade).

  • Posted By: katharine9 @ 09/18/2008 3:04:29 PM

    How do you know McCain didn't say it was too generous? He was in the senate with McCain, you weren't. You cannot account for every word he said. I would trust Biden's talk over McCain's any day. He may butcher a quote, but he has the right overall interpretation. McCain lies right out and then claims he didn't

    • Posted By: Face180 @ 09/18/2008 9:39:49 PM

      Why don,t you just drink the kool-aide now and save me from ever having to read one of your posts again.

  • Posted By: keeptrying10 @ 09/18/2008 8:51:32 PM

    Who is John Galt?

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 09/18/2008 5:19:14 PM

    Heres one tailormade for FACTCHECK.

    ABC NEWS and POLITICO have caught the Obama campaign using lies and out-of-context quotes in his campaigns new ad ''Immigrants''. In it,the campaign twists and rearranges wording by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh creating stand-alone sentances that he never used in this context. Was not referring to ''Mexicans''at all,but NAFTA. The Washington Post for the fourth time in less than one week,has allowed their reports on the campaigns to go unvetted,including the new Obama ad where they take the information therein at face value. A hatip to POLITICO and ABC NEWS for exposing this.

  • Posted By: Mike in Sac @ 09/18/2008 4:17:40 PM

    Hmm... Let's see this same kind of analysis done on McCain's adds and Palin's speeches. Biden seems to be giving his take on what the other candidates are saying and, yes, that may be a stretch. There may be some spin involved, but the level of spin and stretch here is minute compared to the other campaign.

    For this to come across as credible journalism it should be comparison of the two campaigns and how distortions and lies measure up to each other. Otherwise this reader, and I am sure many others, will see this as just more of the media love-fest for McCain.

  • Posted By: JohnnyG @ 09/18/2008 3:58:49 PM

    Biden "stretching the truth" ? Surprise, Surprise ! Biden "can't handle the Truth" ! I'm sure if the article was about McCain or President Bush you would use the word, "Lies" !

  • Posted By: PulSamsara @ 09/18/2008 3:39:49 PM

    Why would America REWARD complete Republican failure ?

    We wont.

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 09/18/2008 3:30:58 PM

    You are correct Biden.There IS a differance.


    Do you want to display your lobbyist pals and financial backer MBNAs credit card rates to users or should I?

    ABC NEWS July,18,2008:''Should Biden Share Blame For Foreclosure Crisis? Experts: Americans Lost Homes Due To Bill Biden Championed''.

    REUTERS Aug.06,2008: ''Hedge Fund Manager Sues Son And Brother Of US Sen. Joe Biden''.

    The Associated Press Aug.03,2008:''MBNA Paid Biden Son At Critical Time For Bill''.

    The Center For Responsive Politics ''The Money Behind Joe Biden'' www.opensecrets.org

    DAILY KOS Mar.13,2005:''Joe Bidens Pathetic Letter To The LA Times''

    Seems that Plaegerizing Joe has some explaining to do.

  • Posted By: zyxwvuts @ 09/18/2008 3:18:15 PM

    Dear Emi Kolawole, I'm sorry but your expose' is disapointingly unconvincing. Its as though you are attempting to stretch the 'stretch' itself. Very poorly done and downright insulting to my intellectual integrity.

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