Joe Biden: The economy belongs to us, not Bush

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: CBS News

Vice President Joe Biden said in a live interview with Miami public radio station WLRN Thursday that the Obama administration - not the Bush administration - now has ownership of the struggling U.S. economy.

Biden said Americans have "good reason to be upset" because they lost jobs because of the recession, "something they didn't have a thing to do with creating."

"Even though 50-some percent of the American people think the economy tanked because of the last administration, that's not relevant," said the vice president. "What's relevant is we're in charge."

The economic recession began during the final year of the Bush administration, and polls show many Americans continue to blame Mr. Bush - not his successor - for the current economic situation. A CBS News/New York Times poll over the summer found that 26 percent of Americans mostly blame the Bush administration for the state of the economy, while just 8 percent blame the Obama administration.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20113398-503544.html

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Is this a good thing for Biden to say?

:shrug:

[tblue]

2. This administration does not do politics right.

Guess he doesn't know yet we're in a dogfight.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

35. BUSH & CO LEFT LANDMINES ALL OVER

THAT IS WHAT REPUBS ALWAYS DO

[Demeter]

49. And the Obama Administration Is Determined to Find Each One the Hard Way

[Bryan Buchan]

3. Just being Joe

and lettin that jaw just gab away freely

[gateley]

6. Joe being Joe, and just telling the truth. I guess some don't want that. nt

[elleng]

9. Same old Same old, eh, gate?

:hi:

[gateley]

10. Ha! Yep! nt

[PatSeg]

31. I don't think that was a slip

It looks like the administration has decided not to keep blaming Bush for the economy. After almost three years, that is starting to sound a bit wimpy. People will respect the administration more if it takes its share of responsibility.

Of course, right away everybody makes it seem like what he said was a "gaffe". I'm quite certain this was discussed considerably before he said it.

[Bandit]

4. The truth is usually a good thing to say.

The Obama Administration along with a Super Majority of Democrats could have done way more than their very tepid Stimulus package that was about half tax cuts...
Then extending the Bush* tax cuts when everybody and their brother knew what damage was being caused by those very tax cuts.. Yes this is the Obama economy so I hope he can figure a way to deal with it...

[julian09]

24. He got the stimulus deal he could get

and had to include the tax cuts to get the deal done. He extended the tax cuts for the top two percent, because that was the only way to get tax cuts for the other ninety eight percent and unemployment extension. Had he NOT extended the tax cuts, they would be saying tax and spend Democrats until 2012 and beyond. This is the Obama economy thanks to Bush and an obstructionist Gop agenda, to see no improvement, so he fails and no real change is made.
Gop agenda of starve the beast to do away with new deal and other hard fought progressive ideals.
It's time for voters to pay attention to the details of what is going on and why we are where we are. They know the players record on their football and baseball teams but not their representatives records or who they are.
The Gop agenda of tax cuts as the solution to every problem hasn't worked in the Bush years and the extension 9 months old hasn't worked either.
He has to go to the people because Gop house will stand in his way. He should also fight for a more progressive congress.

[No Elephants]

42. You are mistaken. Tax cuts for the middle class were not in danger of non-renewal.

The middle class tax cuts were not due to expire until December 2010. Both Democrats and Republicans were against having them expire. They were not part of the stimulus package.

The stimulus was enacted in 2009, soon after his inauguration and long before the tax cut deal of December 2010.

And while the Democratic Senate Caucus had 60 Senators, enough for cloture of any filibuster.

And the stimulus he got in 2009 was basically the stimulus he requested, not what he "could" get, but what he asked for.

The only thing Obama even pretended to get for tax cuts for the rich was one single extension of unemployment benefits. The Republicans would probably voted for that anyway. They may be evil, but they are not suicidal. However, we can debate that one. The rest is not debatable.

[gateley]

5. Probably not, but it's true. We can't waste time pointing fingers

or trying to prove who's at fault. Even if we convinced every person in the country of it, it wouldn't accomplish anything toward creating jobs or getting the economy back on track. We'd just feel better. :7

On the other hand, maybe it WAS okay to say it since they're always screaming about our blaming Bush for the situation. Now they can't say that anymore.

Who knows? Politics! :eyes:

[dixiegrrrrl]

26. One of the biggest financial scams since the 1930's

and "We can't waste time pointing fingers or trying to prove who's at fault"?????
How do you stop crooks and scam artists if you don't identify them?

"Even if we convinced every person in the country of it, it wouldn't accomplish anything toward creating jobs "
Actually, stopping the global crime wave WOULD create jobs, by forcing the banks to do things legally,
and getting the economy back on track.
As it is now, MORE jobs are being lost as the crooks continue to plunder their way around the globe.

[gateley]

38. Identify them, but don't let that stand in the way of accomplishing

anything we HAVE to do NOW.

We can name names, we can PROVE what's going on, but until we ACT, nothing will be accomplished.

[newspeak]

47. so is that like move on, we're looking towards the future?

I mean Clinton said the same thing after being elected about investigating BCCI and Iran-Contra. Obama said it after being elected about investigating little boots and his band of greedy cohorts. Oh, and some of the cohorts are still there.

I think that * , now Obama's tax cuts for the top per centers have done more harm, while not creating jobs-and the jobs that some are finding are damn poor shitty jobs. Yes, they put the unemployment extension on the table for extending little boot's damaging tax cuts, but now those tax extensions are running out. The frog is being slowly boiled, but boiled none the less.

[Demeter]

50. There Were THREE Investigations During the First Depression

and the last one, run by Pecora, did the job America needed, punishing the fraud, regulating the hell(literally) out of the banksters, and setting up comsumer safeguards like the FDIC.

[Javaman]

46. just an observation...

the little "rolled eyes" emoticon is located right over the anonymous logo.

kind of funny. ;)

[JonLP24]

14. Good thing for me

I wasn't happy with him as a VP pick largely because of his vote for "bankruptcy reform" so I have issues. Seems like it was a truthful thing to say not that I blame Obama for the economy. It's been a mess for awhile and it doesn't seem like many people(especially Republicans) know what to do to fix it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. It is a good thing that he "almost" said.

Note the phrasing:
"Even though 50-some percent of the American people think the economy tanked because of the last administration, that's not relevant," said the vice president.
Note that he draws attention to the idea that Bush tanked the economy ( which is true, Bush set the stage)
but then Biden goes on to say
"What's relevant is we're in charge."

When to be perfectly honest what he shoulda said was:

"We tanked it even more by QE2 and failure to put a stop to all the theft and fraud, and by borrowing even MORE money than Bush did".

[stockholmer]

21. +100

[INdemo]

18. no..but maybe he wants to return to the private sector

As does Axelrod and who's the other adviser..Oh ya Gibbs ..None of these guys will be hurt by Teabagger administration..none

[jwirr]

33. In an odd way I think it is. All we accomplish by refusing to confront

the issue is making more people lose confidence. This is Harry Truman's the buck stops here statement regarding the present economy. We are in charge and we are the only ones who can do anything about it.

[24601]

37. When is honesty not the right thing? Face it, holding both houses

of Congress 2007-2010 and the White House since 2009 make for responsibility.

[truthisfreedom]

7. It's a subtle way of saying "We're in charge now. The adults are running things."

[stockholmer]

23. 'adults'? me thinks not

[emilyg]

27. Adults? lol

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. "Some kids came in and broke a vase. They're gone - guess it's mine now, got to pay for it"

Not very wise politics. Just Dems being Dems, I guess (argggggh!)

[gateley]

11. As opposed to whining about the kids coming in and breaking it?

SOMEBODY'S gotta pay, and the kids are long gone.

[saras]

34. The kids AREN'T long gone, they're still here and still stealing

...and we COULD, in theory, take our money back.

[NRaleighLiberal]

36. +1. I think Bush, Cheney et al are quite easy to find...and long past time to prosecute

for so many crimes, and many of the GOP who cheered Bush's plans and blocked Obama's are there as well.

Getting a hernia for pushing bipartisanness and "decency and truth" are going to be the end of this country. Why don't Dems fight!

[HughBeaumont]

12. What's RELEVANT would be . . . you know, ending the things that FAILED the economy and the people.

Like, for instance, conducting 2-3 invasions during a recession or rewarding the rich for abject failure or perpetuation of and lending credence to Supply Side Economics, a supreme goddamned FAIL that should have been put out to pasture 10 YEARS ago.

THAT's what's relevant.

[JDPriestly]

13. Joe Biden - an honest voice.

He is absolutely right. Obama could have distanced himself from the mess Bush made, but he chose not to. Stupid on Obama's part. Absolutely stupid.

[MissDeeds]

17. +1

Not sure how many years they can use the 'it's not our fault' excuse. Joe is right.

[PatSeg]

32. Especially when Obama

brought back many of the same people who were involved in the crisis. It is certainly reasonable to blame Bush for the lion's share of what happened, but Obama is also responsible for what he has or has not done since then. Owning up to his responsibility, whatever that may be, is the dignified thing to do.

I say this with the knowledge that the president has been given a really heavy burden and has gotten little or no help from GOP lawmakers.

[JDPriestly]

39. Yes. Obama has a heavy burden, and he has gotten little or

no help from GOP lawmakers -- but he hasn't gotten much help from the Geithner/Bernanke contingent either, and he appointed them. So he has to blame mostly himself for the mess we are in. He has not been nearly tough enough on the banks.

[PatSeg]

41. I will give him a lot of credit for what he's done well

especially with the opposition he's had to contend with, but I also have to blame him for making appointments such as Geithner and Bernanke. Obama is an extremely intelligent and competent man, and I think he could end up being an exceptional president, but I do think his inexperience has affected his presidency. Also I think he had some really bad advisers.

[Cool Logic]

16. Well, they directed Geithner to empty the magazine in his $3 trillion TARP/stimulus gun,...

and let Bernanke's all of his QE rockets; thus, Biden is merely stating the obvious.

[Kingofalldems]

19. He posted gleefully.

[Freddie Stubbs]

43. Would care to explain how the post was 'gleefull?'

[DallasNE]

20. Biden Is Technically Correct

It is Obama who has set policy for the last 3 years. The bad news is that the policy retained too much of the Bush policy -- like extending the Bush tax cuts for two full years. Bernanke did all he could to bail out Bush by taking interest rates down to near zero so his hands are tied. All that is left is fiscal policy and Obama must scrap most elements of Bush's fiscal policy or the economy goes nowhere.

[LiberalFighter]

22. What he should had added to that statement

We are not bleeding as much with job losses as we did under Bush. And many families are still hurting.

Until Republicans agree to provide the means to get the economy back on the road Americans will continue to suffer.

[Hoyt]

25. He's right in that Obama Admin is only one who can do anything to improve econ. GOP won't do squat.

This economy is not Obama's fault, but Obama/Biden need to keep cranking up the rhetoric (like they've done lately) and do something that has a chance of working. It's clearly Republicans in Congress and bush administration's fault, but it doesn't get us closer to a solution by continuing to blame them.

[GeorgeGist]

28. Only a third my friend ...

the rest of the economy belongs to the Private sector.

[treestar]

29. He says it is not relevant not that the Obama Admin. is at fault

[Sadie5]

30. I have to disagree somewhat

with what Joe said. From the very minute Bush stepped foot in the white house after he stole the election things went sour. This country seemed doomed with Bush at the helm.

[unkachuck]

40. "What's relevant is we're in charge."

....yep, you own it!

....but I wouldn't go around advertising that fact....I can already see puke ads with soup kitchen lines of the 1930s next to the unemployment lines of today, and you saying, "What's relevant is we're in charge."

....time's a wastin' Joe, you guys had better hurry-up and fine us some jobs, real soon....

[No Elephants]

44. Bush is responsible for a lot of it. Obama is responsible for the second

TARP, because he told Bush to release it and he and the transition team influenced the legislation, and also for the stimulus, which was all his.

Point is, we are where we are almost three years after Bush left office and it ain't fixed.

So, yeah, by all means remember exactly how we got where we were in 2008. Also remember that the economy has not entirely tanked. But, it ain't fixed.

And that is the point where the Obama administration has to take both credit for the good (no tanking) and responsiblity the bad.

[Javaman]

45. Oh joe, you helped rewrite the bankruptcy laws to help the credit card corps.

you silly man.

[Demeter]

48. WhichTeam Is Biden On, Again?

Lieberman's?

[goforit]

51. LOL!! Ya Biden, NOT!!Cheney has been BOSS for almost 12 years now

Obama/Biden are nothing but brainwashed puppets on Cheney's string.

Yada yada yada.....

[Enthusiast]

52. Biden is as inept as Obama.......nt