share.triangle.com - How well do we really know elected officials? - Comments

If it was between Edwards

jabdo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:41:37 -0400

If it was between Edwards and McCain, I'd still pick Edwards.

McCain married his mistress, people. And he's admitted to not knowing much about the economy and got Foreclosure Phil or all people to advise and help form his economic plan/policy. John Bolton's advising on foreign policy. John Bolton. He has shown very, very poor judgment in picking his advisors, much like Bush did, and that turned out to be a national disaster. I don't want another one.

I don't agree at all with Edward's choices in his personal life, but McCain's not much higher on the scale on that one. Obama's got a great family life; why aren't the "values voters" excited about that? When it comes to the political aspects, McCain's got Bush's philosophies and has made similar bad choices for advisors. Obama has done much better in the personal and political and hasn't gone ballistic over the numerous crazy rumors and accusations as some would.

John McCain's record

NamVetforObama — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:20:31 -0400

I served in Vietnam only a year and a day, a ground-pounder, Army infantry. I was honored to receive the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, Purple Heart and several commendations - yes, some of the same medals as McCain. After 39 years I’m still not right. Compared to McCain’s years in captivity, a huge part of me can’t help but be humble, what he suffered compared to me who got off relatively easy, but a big part is angry, too.

Since 1973 I’ve followed John McCain’s career. I was in DC advocating for POW/MIA families when McCain on the Senate Select Committee for POWs virtually singlehandedly sealed records that could have told the fate of still-unaccounted-for soldiers. It was devastating. I also know his support of military issues is very very poor. There’s good reason the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Assoc gave McCain a “D” on his voting record, and Barack Obama a “B.” Why the Disabled American Vets say McCain votes only 20% favorable for the military, and Obama votes 80% favorable.

I gratefully rely on the VA Hospital in Asheville for weekly care, and for 20+ pills daily for physical and emotional ‘service-connected disability.’ I see brave young soldiers who return, messed up as I was and more. I’m furious they’re often given several month wait to be seen, have long, complicated applications, and are hounded for payment for services and treatment they should get quickly and with no strings. Service at the VA, number of beds, number of doctors and nurses, continue to decline even after the Walter Reed scandal.

Yes, the Congress and Bush (who’s also always claimed to support the military) should all do better for those who put their lives on the line for our country. But my questions for Sen. McCain - Lt. McCain, POW - how can he not have used his tremendous influence better, to help fellow servicepeople? How can he question the patriotism of Barack Obama, who’s been so much more supportive of both veterans and active duty soldiers? McCain’s worked instead for corporate friends. Whatever respect he earned as a POW, and because of it, this is hypocritical and dishonorable. The American people deserve to know, instead of believing the image he projects and the accusations he makes. They should know before they consider giving McCain the right to send more soldiers into war.

Carl R Morrow

Obama

Visitor — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:01:23 -0400

Obama - he is the right choice. Why haven't we seen signs out this election? I can tell you why. People are voting for Obama. Everyone knows he is right person. We do not need a repeat. I vote for the person. I get emails all the time for negative ads. I find the right version and send it to them. I realize there are negative ads on both sides. But, where it be rep. or dem. please have your facts before sending e-mails. Where that person knows it or not it shows their ignorance and they are not voting for the person. The party. Would these people write negative things about people they know? Every e-mail I have received has been a McCain supporter.

S&L

Visitor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:11:10 -0400

It is amazing that the only way to defame McCain is to bring up 30 year-old scandals that he had nothing to do with. If this was such a big factor, while everyone knew about it, why is it that the Georges were voted into office?
Do you believe that with this "bail-out" that is currently going on will not be of greater magnitude? McCain was one of the nay-sayers on Fannie and Freddie years ago. The sub-standard lending practices began, and admittedly so, under the Clinton administration. Is it Bill Clinton's fault? No. It is at the fault of the greedy banks and our Congress.

Ga-Ga this,..frauds

Visitor — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:38:36 -0400

The Bush family and the S&L Scandal

Neil, George Jr., George Sr., and Jeb Bush

The Savings and Loan industry had been experiencing major problems through the late 60s and 70s due to rising inflation and rising interest rates. Because of this there was a move in the 1970s to replace the role of S&L institutions with banks.

In the early 1980s, under Reagan, regulatory changes took place that gave the S&L industry new powers and for the first time in history measures were taken to increase the profitability of S&Ls at the expense of promoting home ownership.

A history of the S&L situation can be found here:

http://www.fdic.gov/bank/historical/s&l/

What is important to note about the S&L scandal is that it was the largest theft in the history of the world and US tax payers are who was robbed.

The problems occurred in the Savings and Loan industry as they relate to theft because the industry was deregulated under the Reagan/Bush administration and restrictions were eased on the industry so much that abuse and misuse of funds became easy, rampant, and went unchecked.

Additional facts on the Savings and Loan Scandal can be found here:

http://www.inthe80s.com/sandl.shtml

There are several ways in which the Bush family plays into the Savings and Loan scandal, which involves not only many members of the Bush family but also many other politicians that are still in office and still part of the Bush Jr. administration today. Jeb Bush, George Bush Sr., and his son Neil Bush have all been implicated in the Savings and Loan Scandal, which cost American tax payers over $1.4 TRILLION dollars (note that this is about one quarter of our national debt).

Between 1981 and 1989, when George Bush finally announced that there was a Savings and Loan Crisis to the world, the Reagan/Bush administration worked to cover up Savings and Loan problems by reducing the number and depth of examinations required of S&Ls as well as attacking political opponents who were sounding early alarms about the S&L industry. Industry insiders were aware of significant S&L problems as early 1986 that they felt would require a bailout. This information was kept from the media until after Bush had won the 1988 elections.

Jeb Bush defaulted on a $4.56 million loan from Broward Federal Savings in Sunrise, Florida. After federal regulators closed the S&L, the office building that Jeb used the $4.56 million to finance was reappraised by the regulators at $500,000, which Bush and his partners paid. The taxpayers had to pay back the remaining 4 million plus dollars.

Neil Bush was the most widely targeted member of the Bush family by the press in the S&L scandal. Neil became director of Silverado Savings and Loan at the age of 30 in 1985. Three years later the institution was belly up at a cost of $1.6 billion to tax payers to bail out.

The basic actions of Neil Bush in the S&L scandal are as follows:

Neil received a $100,000 "loan" from Ken Good, of Good International, with no obligation to pay any of the money back.

Good was a large shareholder in JNB Explorations, Neil Bush's oil-exploration company.

Neil failed to disclose this conflict-of-interest when loans were given to Good from Silverado, because the money was to be used in joint venture with his own JNB. This was in essence giving himself a loan from Silverado through a third party.

Neil then helped Silverado S&L approve Good International for a $900,000 line of credit.

Good defaulted on a total $32 million in loans from Silverado.

During this time Neil Bush did not disclose that $3 million of the $32 million that Good was defaulting on was actually for investment in JNB, his own company.

Good subsequently raised Bush's JNB salary from $75,000 to $125,000 and granted him a $22,500 bonus.

Neil Bush maintained that he did not see how this constituted a conflict of interest.

Neil approved $106 million in Silverado loans to another JNB investor, Bill Walters.

Neil also never formally disclosed his relationship with Walters and Walters also defaulted on his loans, all $106 million of them.

Neil Bush was charged with criminal wrongdoing in the case and ended up paying $50,000 to settle out of court. The chief of Silverado S&L was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail for pleading guilty to $8.7 million in theft. (Keep in mind that you can get more jail time for holding up a gas station for $50.)

Today Neil Bush is working on closing a deal in Florida, where his brother Jeb is governor, to sell a software package to schools with his startup company Ignite.

Update 11/28/2003: Some of Neil Bush's business deals have been exposed in his recent divorce case. For more on this see:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/112703A.shtml

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/01/26/neil_bush/index.html

It should also be noted that shortly after news of Neil Bush’s involvement in the S&L scandal hit the press his father, George Bush Sr., announced the Desert Storm campaign in Iraq, which subsequently had the result of making Neil’s name quickly fade from the headlines. In addition, while Neil Bush's divorce proceeding were exposing more backroom Bush dealings, America was once again bombarded with war propaganda for Operation Iraq Freedom.

The S&L scandal is by no means the only incident of questionable, and actually illegal, financial activity that the Bush family has been involved in. The line of questionable, illegal, and unethical businesses practices goes back at least to Prescott Bush Sr., George Bush Sr.’s father. Prescott Bush was a Senator from 1952 – 1963. Previous to his time as a Senator Prescott was a banker and businessman. Prior to the American entry into WWII Prescott Bush was director of Union Banking Corporation. Union Banking Corporation helped to finance Hitler’s regime. The Concentration Camps of Nazi Germany were labor camps that the Nazis used to make products for their regime as well as for sale to raise money. Prescott profited directly from the Auschwitz labor camp.

In 1942, after Hitler declared war on America the United States government seized the Union Banking Corporation under the Trading with the Enemy Act as a front operation that was supporting the Nazis. Much of the profits from the operation were already pocketed by Prescott however, and $1.5 million was put in a trust fund for George Bush Sr.

For more on Prescott Bush's ties to the Nazis see:

What is going to happen?

rhodent — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:43:52 -0400

I'll tell you exactly what will happen when everyone "realizes" that Obama is a Muslim: We will know that the war on drugs has been lost for once and for all, because you have to be on drugs to fall for that particular piece of slander.

NOT BEING QUALIFIED

BUG A BUE!!!!!! — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:48:40 -0400

The people of the United States need to find out something about him before they vote in November. I think the people of the United States are in for a wide awakening. He is not qualified to be President. All this posing for magazines and posters, what other President have you seen doing such as that when they were running for office. The Muslim part will come out at one time or another.

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!

Fools rush in.....

Debrah Correll — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:07:04 -0400

Yes Kevin, I remember your posts as well.

And you are a gullible fool.

Shame on you, John Edwards....

Visitor — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:49:04 -0400

That ABC Nightline interview was one of the smarmiest and sleaziest that Edwards has ever given. Apparently, he was not coached properly nor did he hire a publicist to guide him through this tragedy. I would have to say that we as voters are very lucky that this sorry excuse of a man was never nominated or elected as President. He did all of us a huge favor. Very few in this country believe that the child is "not his". BTW, if Edwards terminated the affair in 2006, why in the world was he on a rendezvous with Rielle in Beverly Hills this summer? I guess that he has to be with such a trashy trollop to make himself feel better. His equals certainly would not put up with him! I do feel sorry for Elizabeth and his children and I am still trying to figure out why she stood by him during his campaign. It helped no one. This goes to show you that because you are smart and have lots of money......does not mean that you had a proper upbringing, manners or class. He is disgusting.

John Edwards

Baka — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:01:07 -0400

John Edwards was and is a phony. The truly sad part is that he was and is a second rate fake compared to Obama.

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me......

While you still have time think about the path Nobama would take if president .....................

Big shocker!

Ron Paul Revolutionary — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:44:00 -0400

Wow...I can't believe it...a sleazy ambulance chaser isn't faithful to his cancer stricken wife and knocks up his piece on the side?!!? Say it ain't so!!!! And for those secularist socialists among you, get off your high horse about private lives not mattering. Give me a break. Integrity isn't something you turn off and on. You either have it or you don't.

Edwards as opposed to Obama

Visitor — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:09:53 -0400

Everyone is going ga ga over Obama just like they did Edwards. What is going to happen when everyone realizes that Obama is a Muslim and gives America to a "Mighty Muslim Power"?

Is it really more important than....

WaltA — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:29:03 -0400

what could potentially be the beginnings of WWIII??

I was amazed that this story took the front page while the Russia - Georgia crisis was unfolding. I know which issue eventually stands to affect me more...and it ain't Edwards having a fling.

I don't care. But as long as all of you are at it, why don't you start hanging these politicians who use your Bible as a shield only when it's convenient to do so... Or do they have to have to do something bigger to get your attention?

Bloggers traveled with Edwards

Visitor — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:44:55 -0400

NCDem Amy is one of the bloggers who traveled with Edwards on his announcement tour. Rretty certain she is from the Trangle area.

Misplaced outrage

KevinP — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:34:51 -0400

Talk about self-indulgent hypocritical idiots... I've read your posts before.

In case you haven't noticed, our economy's in the toilet, our environment is under siege, our Justice Department only works for people with an (R) in front of their name, our FBI is suspect (at best), and we've had yet another piece of concrete evidence that the Bush Administration forged documents and LIED US INTO THIS WAR! And you want to defend the Cheney's at the Edwards' expense?

Absolutely not defending John Edwards' affair, but your last comments are a joke."What would be happening right now if the country had been nutty enough to have given the nomination to Edwards?"

Been napping the past eight years? Unbelievable...

How well do we really know elected officials?

mwilliam — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:38:11 -0400

Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards has admitted having an affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter but denied being the father of her child, ABC News reported.

Edwards, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick have all had their issues with ethics. What does this say about the people we elect? Do they put forth a different image of themselves that we don't see? How well do we really know who they are?

Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards has admitted having an affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter but denied being the father of her child, ABC News…