Biden Defends Jobs Effect of Stimulus; Points to Al Franken as Example of Job Saved or Created...

Nick Gillespie | July 10, 2009

Well, not exactly. But speaking in Cincinnati recently, Vice President and Economical Misreader Joe Biden basically said the only reason anybody anywhere still has a job is because of the bold leadership of him and Barack Obama:

"When they say we're not saving jobs, count the cop that still has a job, count the teacher that will be showing up in the classroom in September who would not be able to show up but for this... These are all essential services affecting the quality of life of our children and our families."

And the Real Man of Political Genius had this to say about his critics:

"I say to those who are critics who say we shouldn't do this, or in the neighboring congressional district ... I ask the rhetorical question, what would they do?," said Biden. "Ladies and gentlemen, would they do nothing? I hear nothing other than the criticism. I didn't take this job, Barack didn't take this job... to do nothing. We took this job to rebuild America. That's what this job is about."

More here.

That's a nice rhetorical gesture, throwing the ball back into the hands of the punk kid on the court who's challenging the authority of the whistle-clad coach. But you know what? As Harvard's Jeffrey Miron pointed out in Reason recently, "the case for doing nothing," (that is, letting markets work and investors suck up the hit from their own bad choices) when it came to the financial sector is a damn strong one.

But if that's not working for Biden, here's a few things you and the Prez might have done rather than blow out all the stops on several generations of budget deficits, taking over huge swaths of the American economy, and meeting with the Easter Bunny: You might have lowered taxes across the board in a consistent, predictable, and convincing way; you might think about minimizing direct and future costs of hiring workers; you could have reduced deficit spending; and you could actually allow markets, especially in housing, to minimize the growth of asset bubbles and their effects when they pop. Among other things. Watch this video, Turning Japanese: Is the US creating its own "Lost Decade"? for some more pointers. (Go here for embed code, downloadable versions, and more).

Comments

robc|7.10.09 @ 9:03AM|#

Hey Joe - sometimes* nothing is the right fucking thing to do.

*sometimes? Most of the time.

Hugh Akston|7.10.09 @ 9:06AM|#

We took this job to rebuild America. That's what this job is about."

That's what every presidential administration is about: rebuilding America in its own graven image.

Xeones|7.10.09 @ 9:08AM|#

I've said it before, and i'll say it again: Joe Biden is a Goddamn retard.

Kyle Jordan|7.10.09 @ 9:10AM|#

"When they say we're not saving jobs, count the cop that still has a job, count the teacher that will be showing up in the classroom in September who would not be able to show up but for this... These are all essential services affecting the quality of life of our children and our families."

If this is true, which I highly doubt, then at best it shows the failure of the Stimulus. Less monosyllabic mouth breathers who love to lord their position of authority over others and less vapid twits who couldn't teach a dog to bark is a good thing.

God Fearing Atheist|7.10.09 @ 9:19AM|#

Hmmm. I wonder if his examples, police and teachers, both being heavily unionised occupations, was coincidental?

Tricky Prickears|7.10.09 @ 9:36AM|#

Who the hell is writing this guy's speeches? I used to like watching Biden criticize Bush administration foreign policy on the Sunday Talk Shows. So, he can step on the President's toes about economic policy, but God forbid he should step on Ms. Hillary's toes about foreign policy, his actual area of "expertise".

Tricky Prickears|7.10.09 @ 9:38AM|#

Oh, and DAMN YOU! I won't be able to get that fucking song out of my head all day.

|7.10.09 @ 9:41AM|#

"Rebuild" America? These clowns think they're rebuilding this country?

*sighs, bangs head on desk*

Rich|7.10.09 @ 9:44AM|#

"I hear nothing other than the criticism."

A large part of his problem.

Zeb|7.10.09 @ 9:45AM|#

You're damn right I would do nothing.

Xeones|7.10.09 @ 9:55AM|#

These clowns think they're rebuilding this country?

Yeah, because Bush literally destroyed America. Like, with 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina and the recession and stuff.

smartass sob|7.10.09 @ 9:56AM|#

"When they say we're not saving jobs, count the cop that still has a job, count the teacher that will be showing up in the classroom in September who would not be able to show up but for this... These are all essential services affecting the quality of life of our children and our families."

Unfortunately, Joe, those kinds of jobs - government jobs - don't generate the taxes required to pay the costs of their salaries. (Geez, what a moron. And people were worried about having Palin for VP?)

|7.10.09 @ 9:59AM|#

When they say we're not saving jobs, count the cop that still has a job, count the teacher that will be showing up in the classroom in September who would not be able to show up but for this.

I did not realize that the stimulus was paying the salary of every single cop and teacher in the country. Good to know. I suppose I can expect a big cut in my property taxes, which used to go to pay those salaries.

Seriously, though, is even a single nickel of stimulus going to pay cops and teachers? I thought it was going to (a) build infrastructure and (b) provide unemployment benefits.

|7.10.09 @ 10:01AM|#

count the cop that still has a job, count the teacher

Thanks to the stimulus, 13 year old girls are still being strip searched for Advil and dogs are still being gunned down on raids.

I feel so warm and cozy inside.

robc|7.10.09 @ 10:04AM|#

The purpose of the stimulus package was to save 536 specific jobs.

-|7.10.09 @ 10:08AM|#

,i>The purpose of the stimulus package was to save 536 specific jobs.

robc FTW

-|7.10.09 @ 10:09AM|#

damned shift key

Mike Laursen|7.10.09 @ 10:10AM|#

We need to dress up doing nothing so it looks like doing something.

Tomcat1066|7.10.09 @ 10:24AM|#

I still want some kind of damn proof that jobs are being "saved". Sorry, but just because someone is paid right now out of stimulus money, it doesn't mean that their job was "saved" by the stimulus.

As for the cop and teacher still having that job, that's pretty impressive since building bridges and roads (supposedly the "shovel ready" projects were infrastructure) aren't jobs that cops and teachers usually do. Real damn impressive. I mean, you got those cops and teachers to get construction jobs as their second incomes (many in both fields take on second jobs after all). Maybe you DID save the economy!!!!!!!

OK, I couldn't type that with a straight face to save my life.

|7.10.09 @ 10:29AM|#

"Saved of created" is the most disgusting piece of Newspeak, trumped only by the even more disgusting term, "misremembered".

Michael|7.10.09 @ 10:31AM|#

I hear nothing other than the criticism.

What's that, Joe? I can't hear you......there's a banana in my ear.

|7.10.09 @ 10:39AM|#

I've still got a job, so it must have been saved! Praise the Messiah! And Joe Biden too!

BTW Gillespie, just let the Easter Bunny incident go. It's not worth it, man.

|7.10.09 @ 11:00AM|#

Joe is a moron. But, lets be honest, is the stuff he says any dumber than the crap BO puts out? At least no one pretends that Biden is anything but a buffoon. Better honest buffonery than an Orwellian press pretending that the buffoon is some kind of a genius like they do with BO

|7.10.09 @ 11:11AM|#

"Rebuild" America? These clowns think they're rebuilding this country?

That's right, P Brooks, that's right. They're rebuilding it on ROCK AND ROLL.

|7.10.09 @ 11:14AM|#

We need to dress up doing nothing so it looks like doing something.

Isn't that the basis of the entire Obama administration so far?

|7.10.09 @ 11:15AM|#

I sometimes think Joe Biden must be an idiot, but sometimes I wonder if thinks we're the idiots.

In either case, he's an ass.

|7.10.09 @ 11:17AM|#

JW, no way. The Obama administration is all about doing something and letting us know about it. Else how would we know what to put in front of our Hosannas?

hmm|7.10.09 @ 11:19AM|#

Economist question:

I know Keynes agreed with intervention by the government, but didn't he disagree with creating a large deficit or adding to a deficit to do it. Or didn't he at least warn against increasing deficits and attempting to pay through taxation to get an economy moving? (I'm too lazy to go back and look it all up today.)

We will not have any more crashes in our time.

The rhetoric for this administration is some artful shit. Every argument is a win win for them and a lose lose for the other side on the surface, and unfortunately people do not look past the surface.

OneTinySpark|7.10.09 @ 11:23AM|#

I love how these guys only ask "Well what would you do?" as a rhetorical question during speeches where there's nobody there who can answer.

They scream it at nobody in particular and then attack or ignore any specific person who dares to say there's a better way.

|7.10.09 @ 11:27AM|#

"Every argument is a win win for them and a lose lose for the other side on the surface, and unfortunately people do not look past the surface."


Therein lies the power in politics today for a smooth talker. I still think Bill Clinton was the best at understanding and taking advantage of this. Obama is not as smooth yet but is able to do much bigger things thanks to an even shallower voter pool and a stumbling economy.

|7.10.09 @ 11:33AM|#

JW, no way. The Obama administration is all about doing something and letting us know about it. Else how would we know what to put in front of our Hosannas?

Well, in reality it's *accomplishing* nothing, but making it look like they're trying really, really hard at doing something.

As for Hosannas, don't bother. Joe Biden is living proof that there is no God, or at least if there is one, it's one with one sicked and twisted sense of humor.

creech|7.10.09 @ 11:40AM|#

Three words to chill one's blood: President Joe Biden.

|7.10.09 @ 11:48AM|#

When I hear the "do nothing" complaint, I think of a doctor who desperately wants to perform emergency open heart surgery on a patient with a broken ankle.

Meaning, I *do* think doing nothing is a better option than what the geniuses have planned.

alan|7.10.09 @ 12:54PM|#

Neighbor#1: These are my new doggies, Biden and Obama.

Neighbor#2: They don't look very special.

Neighbor#1: On the contrary, they are very special. They guard against lions and tigers.

Neighbor#2: There are no free range lions or tigers in North America.

Neighbor#1: And why is that? That just goes to show how good they are at their job.

alan|7.10.09 @ 1:00PM|#

I've still got a job, so it must have been saved! Praise the Messiah! And Joe Biden too!

BTW Gillespie, just let the Easter Bunny incident go. It's not worth it, man.

I'm sitting roughly half the contracts and half the work load of where I was this time last Summer, but thank Biden, it would be zilch if McCain of Barr was elected in his and Obama's stead.

hmm|7.10.09 @ 1:49PM|#

I'm sitting roughly half the contracts and half the work load of where I was this time last Summer, but thank Biden, it would be zilch if McCain of Barr was elected in his and Obama's stead.

Dare I say that maybe if your business can't survive the business cycle, all be it a cycle exacerbated by governments fuck ups, it shouldn't be in business.

ChrisO|7.10.09 @ 2:17PM|#

Who the hell is writing this guy's speeches?

Good question, now that Neil Kinnock is no longer on the scene. I have a feeling that Biden does a lot of ad-libbing, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

alan|7.10.09 @ 2:42PM|#

hmm,

I'm like the cockroaches, throw a nuke my way, I'll adjust.

Doing fine, just not really fine.