Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumHow Biden Helped Strip Bankruptcy Protection From Millions Just Before a Recession
How Biden Helped Strip Bankruptcy Protection From Millions Just Before a Recessionhttps://www.gq.com/story/joe-biden-bankruptcy-bill
Unions, consumer protection groups, and the National Organization for Women all opposed the BAPCPA, but it had heavy support from the credit card industry. Delaware is essentially a domestic tax haven for corporations, and as a result financial institutions like credit card companies hold tremendous power in the state. As political writer Alexander Cockburn once wrote, "The first duty of any senator from Delaware is to do the bidding of the banks and large corporations which use the tiny state as a drop box and legal sanctuary. Biden has never failed his masters in this primary task. Find any bill that sticks it to the ordinary folk on behalf of the Money Power and youll likely detect Bidens hand at work."
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Biden at the time stressed that he wasn't acting on behalf of the credit card companies, and as Matt Ygelsias writes at Vox, Biden's camp claims now that BAPCPA was an effort to get some concessions out of a Republican bill that would have been a bigger disaster without his intervention. But to his critics, there were red flags. For example, one of the biggest credit card companies in Delaware, MBNA, hired Joe Biden's son Hunter in 1996. Even after Hunter became a federal lobbyist in 2001, he stayed on at MBNA as a consultant at a fee of $100,000 per year, meaning he was pulling in a six-figure salary at the same time his father was pushing for the industry's top priorities. Biden's interests were so aligned with MBNA's that in 1999 he was forced to defend himself by declaring, "I am not the senator from MBNA." But even without the shadows of impropriety, critics of Biden's support for bankruptcy reform had plenty of fodder.
One of Biden's biggest antagonists was none other than Elizabeth Warren. Back when she was a mere Harvard law professor specializing in bankruptcy law, Warren questioned the entire rationale of bankruptcy reform, telling The Washington Post in 1998, "Those who want to say the way to solve rising consumer bankruptcy is by changing the law are the same people who would have said during a malaria epidemic that the way to cut down on hospital admissions is to lock the door." In the 2003 book she co-wrote with her daughter, The Two-Income Trap, she took special aim at Biden's efforts to make it harder for Americans to declare bankruptcy and framed it as an issue that disproportionally effects women:
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Ferrets are Cool
(21,110 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
WA-03 Democrat
(3,056 posts)BK sucks. It has never been easy.
Joe Biden is a proven Democratic Excutive and Legislative leader.
He will win MI, PA, OH, WI and FL.
His election coattails will allow our democracy to prevail.
Go Joe Go!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
crazytown
(7,277 posts)looks like that time is now. So far Elizabeth Warren has passed on numerous invitations to take it up - even after Tweety showed a clip of her 2005 testimony.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,347 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
progressoid
(50,000 posts)Voters don't care about this anymore because we all have so much money now that the recession is over.
Also credit card companies are super neat and treat us consumers swell.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Autumn
(45,120 posts)Yeah. I might need this.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TidalWave46
(2,061 posts)It actually takes an article that no one will read in order to explain it.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TidalWave46
(2,061 posts)Yes, I say that as someone who really likes Biden. It's just not a quick sell.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)than the GOP and CC wanted...put student loans back and it will be just fine.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TidalWave46
(2,061 posts)But he was representing his state and doing so well. While I think its a big deal I also see a positive side to it. He will do what he feels is in the best interests of the country, mouth breathers be damned. He wont just be representing a small state.
I also think he is different, ideologically. A persons ability to change is a positive. He is far more economically than I am but he is more in-line with the rest of the country than I am.
But there is zero spinning of the bankruptcy bill that will make it look good, or even benign. No Democrat today should even attempt to put a positive spin on it.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)People get bankruptcies all the time both my husband's sis and my sis both did.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,347 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)my sis had a chapter 7 and that was that...my husband's sister ran her cards up and also had one....so please spare me. I would like to see student loans easier to get rid of in bankruptcy and when Biden is president hopefully it will be addressed.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,347 posts)It added a more stringent means test 7.
The new law limited what 13 filers could claim as expenses (no longer claim actual) thereby increasing payback and decreasing money left over to live on.
The new law also changed the way property is valued - causing more people to lose property.
Those are facts. Your anecdotes are irrelevant here. Though Im happy it worked out for your family.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)money. She kept both houses and filed a chapter 7. And 13 is not so bad either...often people pay pennies on the dollar. The idea that the bankruptcy law is so horrible...it is simply not true.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Demsrule86
(68,715 posts)our means...it gets tougher and tougher these days. Hubs and I have been very strict with saving money of late. You have a picture of Biden on your post! What is going on?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PhoenixDem
(581 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
myohmy2
(3,182 posts)"The first duty of any senator from Delaware is to do the bidding of the banks and large corporations which use the tiny state as a drop box and legal sanctuary. Biden has never failed his masters in this primary task. Find any bill that sticks it to the ordinary folk on behalf of the Money Power and youll likely detect Bidens hand at work."
...has Joe ever addressed the concerns some people may have?
...if he hasn't, I think he should...trump ain't going to let this sleeping dog lie...
...oh boy...
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden