[blazerboy30]

Link

Obama is so full of crap with his "change" and "a different kind of politics".

It is the same old garbage, he just lies about it even more than most politicians.

[Xericx]

but he represents change!!!!!!

[barfo]

So Obama hired someone who had previously gotten a mortgage from Countrywide and knows the CEO there. Earthshattering. I guess I'll have to vote for Bob Barr.

barfo

[maxiep]

Originally Posted by barfo

So Obama hired someone who had previously gotten a mortgage from Countrywide and knows the CEO there. Earthshattering. I guess I'll have to vote for Bob Barr.

barfo

Really? That's your stance? I suggest you look more closely. Have you heard how Sen. Obama has excoriated Countrywide? That firm has been his personal pincushion to highlight the excesses of the mortgage industry.

Jim Johnson received a mortgage below market rates--given his position within the mortgage industry, and especially as a former CEO of Fannie, it could be viewed as a bribe. Nothing is given for free in that industry, and loan servicing is a huge part of the business.

I suspect that we'll see Mr. Johnson be shown the door with Sen. Obama commenting, "This is not the Jim Johnson I knew."

[barfo]

Originally Posted by maxiep

Jim Johnson received a mortgage below market rates--given his position within the mortgage industry, and especially as a former CEO of Fannie, it could be viewed as a bribe.

It could be viewed that way, yes. But that's different than saying it was a bribe. And the evidence that it was below market rates is a bit shaky, it appears, which makes the whole story on par with the McCain is having an affair with a lobbyist article.

It's hard to see how loans to a wealthy man are part of the mortgage crisis. Were they subprime? Did he default on the loans?

I suspect that we'll see Mr. Johnson be shown the door with Sen. Obama commenting, "This is not the Jim Johnson I knew."

I doubt it. Jim Johnson was hired not because he's an old buddy of Obama's, but because he has experience vetting veep candidates, having done it for prior Democratic candidates.

Pretty soon we'll see a headline "Campaign in crisis: Obama shakes hand of voter in Alabama who was arrested in 1973 for marijuana possession".

barfo

[blazerboy30]

Originally Posted by barfo

So Obama hired someone who had previously gotten a mortgage from Countrywide and knows the CEO there. Earthshattering. I guess I'll have to vote for Bob Barr.

barfo

I don't think it is a huge deal. But it is another little thing adding to the case that Obama is full of it, just as much as any other politician. He just lies about it even more.

[Talkhard]

Originally Posted by maxiep

I suspect that we'll see Mr. Johnson be shown the door with Sen. Obama commenting, "This is not the Jim Johnson I knew."

I used to think the election cycle was too long, but now I'm starting to see the wisdom of it. The more we learn about Obama, the more phoney and hypocritical he looks. By the time November rolls around the entire country may be revulsed by this slick huckster named Barack Hussein Obama.

[maxiep]

Originally Posted by barfo

It could be viewed that way, yes. But that's different than saying it was a bribe. And the evidence that it was below market rates is a bit shaky, it appears, which makes the whole story on par with the McCain is having an affair with a lobbyist article.

There are plenty of ways to bribe someone. A below-market rate mortgage is one of them. What happened was that after he signed the mortgate docs the rates dropped, thereby making it look not as bad. However I look to intent, and the intent was to give Mr. Johnson money at a lower interest rate that he could get in the open market. And lending money below-market is just like giving someone money.

The difference between this issue and Sen. McCain's alleged affair with a lobbyist is that there's paperwork showing there was a loan given at a below-market rate. Both Sen. McCain and this lobbyist have denied any impropriety and there's no evidence proving it. That's a pretty big difference.

Originally Posted by barfo

It's hard to see how loans to a wealthy man are part of the mortgage crisis. Were they subprime? Did he default on the loans?

Come on. I've read your posts and you're not this stupid. Countrywide is in the loan servicing business as well as in the primary mortgage business. Jim Johnson is one of the most powerful men in the mortgage industry, with the power to steer millions of dollars worth of servicing business to firms like Countrywide. He was also in a position to buy billions of dollars of mortgages from firms like Countrywide. These conforming mortgages are basically indistinguishable from one another, so how do you get someone to buy your loans to securitize them? Gee, perhaps you give someone a below-market rate loan?

If you can't see the conflict, then you're just not looking hard enough. I can't help but think if this were someone on McCain's staff, your view would be different.

Originally Posted by barfo

I doubt it. Jim Johnson was hired not because he's an old buddy of Obama's, but because he has experience vetting veep candidates, having done it for prior Democratic candidates.

Mostly, I was making a joke at the typical comments Sen. Obama uses when he distances himself from an associate. The real issue is that he's been hammering Countrywide for its supposedly illicit practices for months on the campaign trail, now he puts a guy in a prominent position on his campaign staff that was a beneficiary of those illicit practices.

Originally Posted by barfo

Pretty soon we'll see a headline "Campaign in crisis: Obama shakes hand of voter in Alabama who was arrested in 1973 for marijuana possession".

barfo

It's amazing that you still don't see the issue. Obama stands for NOTHING specific. He's asking us to elect him based on his personality and his judgment. With little if any record to run on, these association issues are magnified.

[barfo]

Originally Posted by maxiep

Obama stands for NOTHING specific.

Originally Posted by maxiep

Come on. I've read your posts and you're not this stupid.

barfo

[maxiep]

Barfo, if you disagree with my contention, please detail for me that for which Sen. Obama stands. I've looked and there doesn't appear to be a there there.

Also, you've shown yourself to be quite intelligent. You may believe of me what you wish, but there's no way I can believe that you don't see the real issue with Johnson and Countrywide. It's inside baseball at its worst.

[It's_GO_Time]

Originally Posted by maxiep

Barfo, if you disagree with my contention, please detail for me that for which Sen. Obama stands. I've looked and there doesn't appear to be a there there.

Also, you've shown yourself to be quite intelligent. You may believe of me what you wish, but there's no way I can believe that you don't see the real issue with Johnson and Countrywide. It's inside baseball at its worst.

I guess if this is such a big issue as you say, why hasn't the media pounded Obama for it? Is it coming?

The media attention with the pastor shows the press will call Obama to the mat on this stuff. Maybe the media has called him on it and the public doesn't seem to be giving it much significance. For whatever reason this doesn't seem like an issue that is going sway votes.

Also it is clear that Obama stands for a lot of specifics (if you want one example it's not hard to figure his specific plan about the war) . . . I get you not believing him, but he does take a definte postion on many topics . . . surprised you don't see that.

[HB]

Lol and when I say what about Mccain? You say your an independent. I never hear about Mccain's associates being under scrutiny.

This man in question is not getting paid by Obama, he wont be in any shape or form involved with Obama's administration, he is helping vet whoever is going to become his Vice president. Its a volunteer position, I dont see how this makes him a friend. I watched Fox News yesterday for the first time in ages, and this crap reminded me why I dont watch that channel. They try to make a big deal out of nothing and turn a blind side to Mccain's wrong doings. Why haven't they talked about all the lobbyists involved with Mccain's campaign. How about Charlie Black who has worked for dictators all around the world, who are very much anti-America, heck if you want to go into the whole mortgage crises issue here's a nice tidbit for you

It’s the height of hypocrisy for the McCain campaign to try and make (the loans) an issue when John Green, one of John McCain’s top advisors, lobbied for Ameriquest, which was one of the nation’s largest subprime lenders and a key player in the mortgage crisis,” responded the Obama campaign, which described the media scrutiny of the loans as “overblown and irrelevant.

Still I think Mccain and his camp are playing a dangerous game, after all the Keating 5 can be brought up at any time

[HB]