Tension between Obama and Biden?

[Real]

Obama on Biden's Initial Opposition to AIG Bailout: "Joe Should Have Waited"

September 23, 2008 9:41 AM

"What has been clear during this entire past ten days is John McCain has not had clarity and a grasp on the situation," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told NBC's Matt Lauer in an interview that ran this morning.

Lauer was talking about how Obama hit Sen. McCain for flip-flopping on the AIG bailout -- saying he opposed it one day then announce he supported it the next day.

But, as Lauer pointed out, scarcely three minutes after McCain said he opposed the AIG bailout last week, "in an interview with Meredith Vieira, Joe Biden, your running mate was asked the exact same question, 'should the federal government bailout AIG?' And he said, 'No, the federal government should not bailout AIG.'" (As we noted at the time.) "And I think that in that situation," Obama said, "I think Joe should have waited as well."

"But it's the kind of thing that drives people crazy about politics," Lauer said. "It sounds like you were trying to score some political points against John McCain using his words, when your own running mate had used very similar words."

"No, hold on a second Matt," Obama said. "I think what drives people crazy about politics is the fact that somebody like John McCain who for 26 years has been an advocate for deregulation, for 26 years has said the market is king and then starts going out there suggesting somehow that he's a populist who's been railing against Wall Street and regulation -- that's what drives people crazy about politics."

-- jpt

Link

September 22nd, 2008 11:29 PM Eastern
Biden Calls Obama Attack Ad “Terrible”
by Aaron Bruns

WASHINGTON, DC — Another case of Joe being Joe.

The Delaware Senator took issue with an attack ad from his own side in an interview with CBS, telling Katie Couric that the Obama hit on McCain’s ignorance of computers and technology was “terrible.” The ad paints McCain as out of touch — and all but calls him ancient — but doesn’t mention that the Arizona Senator’s war injuries actually prevent him from using computers for an extended period.

Asked whether he’s disappointed with the tone of the campaign, including the ad that Couric characterized as “making fun of John McCain’s inability to use a computer,” Biden said “I thought that was terrible by the way.

“I didn’t know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we would have never done it”

But Biden said he didn’t think there was anything intentionally personal in the ad — and argued that it doesn’t sink to the level the McCain ad accusing Obama of voting to teach kindergarteners about sex. The Obama campaign says the bill would help children avoid predators. “Very different in degree,” Biden said.

Still, the McCain campaign pounced on the VP nominee’s comments.

“While the New York Times and other media outlets were silent in the face of Barack Obama’s shameless and dishonorable attack on John Mccain, even Obama’s own running mate has now condemned the ad as terrible,” said spokesman Brian Rogers in a statement. “Barack Obama has brought the sleazy gutter politics of Chicago to our national stage, exposing his call for a ‘new politics’ as a lie and embarrassing even his own running mate with the low road campaign he’s running.”

But as the moment went viral, hitting the internet traffic engine the Drudge Report, Biden revised and extended his remarks in a statement — saying he hadn’t even seen it when he condemned it.

“Having now reviewed the ad, it is even more clear to me that given the disgraceful tenor of Sen McCain’s ads and their persistent falsehoods, his campaign is in no position to criticize,” he said, “especially when they continue to distort Barack’s votes on an issue as personal as keeping kids safe from sexual predators.”

The interview, which aired on Monday, was filmed in Ohio on Thursday.

Link
[video=youtube;0SKjTqgjq8E]

 

[Real]

I hear Biden might not be feeling too well these days. He might have to drop out after he debates Sarah Palin. Shame. They might have to find someone to replace him.

 

[Dumpy]

McCain's campaign is a joke. It consists solely of outrage, mischaracterization of Obama's past actions and positions, and using scare tactics. So much for the self-described "maverick." He's been taken over by the Republican attack machine. John, talk about the issues. Don't accuse Saturday Night Live of being "sexist." Don't fight about whose ads are sleazier. Tell me why I should vote for you--not why I should vote against the other guy.

 

[Денг Гордон]

I hear Biden might not be feeling too well these days. He might have to drop out after he debates Sarah Palin. Shame. They might have to find someone to replace him.

Well Sarah Palin will look like an idiot in the debate, so if you are implying that Biden will drop out because Palin wins a debate against him, that isn't going to happen.

But if Obama had a chance to turn Biden into Hillary or Bill Richardson, I'm sure he would be giddy.

 

[MikeDC]

McCain's campaign is a joke. It consists solely of outrage, mischaracterization of Obama's past actions and positions, and using scare tactics. So much for the self-described "maverick." He's been taken over by the Republican attack machine. John, talk about the issues. Don't accuse Saturday Night Live of being "sexist." Don't fight about whose ads are sleazier. Tell me why I should vote for you--not why I should vote against the other guy.

Well, you've made your position pretty clear that you wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances, so tell me why this isn't just the regurgitation of the Obama talking points by a committed Obama supporter

 

[MikeDC]

The fact that a couple weeks back, the Obama campaign was floating the Eagleton scenario about its opponent and is now doing so about itself shouldn't, in my opinion, require much analysis. It's pretty obviously a mess, and if Obama does it it's an admission of pretty awful judgement on his part.

And as far as Biden making anyone look like an idiot, the list of potentials seems largely down to two.
Barack Obama.
Joe Biden.

That is all.

 

[Dumpy]

Well, you've made your position pretty clear that you wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances, so tell me why this isn't just the regurgitation of the Obama talking points by a committed Obama supporter

I would certainly consider voting for him if he wasn't following eight years of republican administration which has been a horrible mess and claiming that he represented "change." I don't care about "talking points." I want to hear about issues and policies.

 

[Jurassic]

McCain's campaign is a joke. It consists solely of outrage, mischaracterization of Obama's past actions and positions, and using scare tactics. So much for the self-described "maverick." He's been taken over by the Republican attack machine. John, talk about the issues. Don't accuse Saturday Night Live of being "sexist." Don't fight about whose ads are sleazier. Tell me why I should vote for you--not why I should vote against the other guy.

Exactly, who cares about SNL or Obama's middle name being Hussein? It's all irrelevant nonsense when it comes to governing the country.

All of McCain's tactics seem to be things that he picked up during his time as a POW .

 

[Денг Гордон]

Exactly, who cares about SNL or Obama's middle name being Hussein? It's all irrelevant nonsense when it comes to governing the country.

All of McCain's tactics seem to be things that he picked up during his time as a POW .

Yesterday, some guy during a town hall asked Palin something about foreign policy. She said, "Ahh, I'll always let the people play stump the candidate" (while not answering the question and leaving it at that), followed by McCain saying, "On 9/11, her son in the Alaska National Guard and has just gone over to Iraq, by golly, don't tell me she don't know something about foreign policy" (obviously trying to bolster up the Alaskan National Guard as some important military unit of our country, ignoring the fact her son is a member of the US Army, not the Alaska National Guard).

 

[Dumpy]

McCain somewhat reminds me of that Eddie Murphy movie, where a congressman suddenly dies and there has to be a special election. Murphy's character happens to have the same name as the deceased congressman, and he just puts his name on the ballot, doesn't give any speeches or release policy statements, and gets elected due to "name recognition." As far as I can tell, McCain is asking us to vote for him . . . because . . . he is John McCain! He was a POW! He has been in the Senate for 50 years and will bring some unspecified change to Congress! Because the other guy is insulting him!

Where's the beef?

[not thebeef]

Does he think that he will garner votes solely because he is outraged over what people are saying about him? Now there is an effective campaign.

 

[Black Republican]

Lol@ bill clinton. I think democrats are forcin' him to endorse obama.He's not really sayin' anything

 

[MikeDC]

I would certainly consider voting for him if he wasn't following eight years of republican administration which has been a horrible mess and claiming that he represented "change." I don't care about "talking points." I want to hear about issues and policies.

I don't think you do, at least in any sort of realistic, what is possible sort of sense. Further, on every policy issue I've ever seen you pass on, you seem to take a standard Democratic position.

That's not a criticism, you're entitled to believe whatever you want, of course, it's just pointing out what I see. I see a Democrat who believes in the Democratic party's position on things, but you frequently put things as if you're a disaffected Republican or independent who just wants to teach the Republican party a lesson for not following the right policies. But then the policies I see you favor are things that are and always were mainstream Democrat positions and not mainstream Republican positions.

So it amounts to you saying "Gee, I'd support the Republicans if they were Democrats".

I mean, am I missing something here? What sort of traditionally Republican policies do you favor?

 

[Dumpy]

I don't think you do, at least in any sort of realistic, what is possible sort of sense. Further, on every policy issue I've ever seen you pass on, you seem to take a standard Democratic position.

That's not a criticism, you're entitled to believe whatever you want, of course, it's just pointing out what I see. I see a Democrat who believes in the Democratic party's position on things, but you frequently put things as if you're a disaffected Republican or independent who just wants to teach the Republican party a lesson for not following the right policies. But then the policies I see you favor are things that are and always were mainstream Democrat positions and not mainstream Republican positions.

So it amounts to you saying "Gee, I'd support the Republicans if they were Democrats".

I mean, am I missing something here? What sort of traditionally Republican policies do you favor?

I don't support a position because it is the democratic's position on things. I support a position because it is my own viewpoint. It just so happens that my views correspond more closely to the Democratic positions, but
as far as I can tell, the politician that most closely mirrors my personal view on most issues is a republican: Arnold Schwarzenegger.