Joe Biden: 'Something is wrong' with economy

[Doingto]

Source: CNN

e President Joe Biden warned on Monday that "something is wrong" with the American economy as he launched a Labor Day march here with speculation swirling that he may run for President.

In a highly populist speech that could foreshadow the themes he would highlight on the campaign trail, Biden said workers have been "clobbered" in the modern economy.

"It used to be when productivity went up in America, everybody got to share. The people who caused the productivity increase, they got to share. They got a piece of the action," Biden said before leading a march of an expected 60,000 workers through downtown Pittsburgh. "Something is wrong, folks."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/07/politics/joe-biden-2016-labor-day/

---

Republicans won't necessarily hate these comments by the vice president.

[bigwillq]

1. Yes, eight years of Biden is enough. (nt)

[L0oniX]

2. Is that right ...Joe?

[Le Taz Hot]

84. The results of your jury service:

On Mon Sep 7, 2015, 03:58 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Is that right ...Joe?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1200670

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

Jesus Christ! What an odious post! Biden is Charles Manson? Hide this shit.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Mon Sep 7, 2015, 04:03 PM, and the Jury voted 3-4 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: "Biden is Charles Manson?" Not even close. Leave it.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Odious post.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No one is equating Biden to Manson.
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Loonix should know better, and had better hope this isn't a 7-0 hide, because I doubt that MIRT will be amused.
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Why? Dear Lord why?

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[L0oniX]

87. Sad lack of sense of humor from those that hate Bernie Sanders supporters.

[LiberalElite]

98. There is a

knee jerk reaction to that Manson pic every single time.

[TwilightGardener]

3. If Biden wants to run for President, then carving out his own theme is necessary, even if it

gives Repubs room to criticize Obama. Hillary (inartfully) tried to do it by insulting Obama's foreign policy last year, when she released her book. For what it's worth, I support neither of them.

[Baitball Blogger]

18. "More productivity" could mean just about anything.

He needs to 'splain himself further. Is he after higher wages for workers? That's what he needs to put in black and white.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. While Biden is significantly better than Hillary, Bernie is our best hope for the future.

[TwilightGardener]

53. Agree, between Biden and Bernie, I'll go with Bernie.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

55. Can't see how Bernie loses...unless Elizabeth jumps in. My heart would be torn.

[wordpix]

79. +10000 our best hope to clean off the stink of legal political bribery

I like Biden but I've read he's in bed with Big Finance.

[hobbit709]

4. No shit, Sherlock.

99% of the gains went to 1% of the people.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

101. yup yup, the economy is sick...good thing Dr. Bernie has the cure. Go Bernie!

[bemildred]

5. Ya think? nt

[Demeter]

6. It took him THIS LONG to notice?

Joe, I know you've been grief-stricken, and I know what that's like. I've lost three men in my family in 2 years. But surely it crossed your nose at some point that people were groaning in misery, turning to drink, drugs and crime and/or living in deprivation and poverty due to the lack of jobs or adequate governmental relief?

[merrily]

7. He noticed LONG ago, but remained silent about it until he noticed Bernie's crowds.

[newthinking]

33. This!

[Marty McGraw]

34. Precisely!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

52. True dat! Sorry Joe, take a number, go to the back of line...behind Hillary.

Go Bernie Go!!

[merrily]

56. In fairness,

I think Lincoln Davenport Chafee already has a lock on the end of the line.

Reminds me: I once heard a non-WASP define a WASP as someone who has three names you can put in any order.

(I don't see a thing wrong with having three names you can put in any order. Nonetheless, I truly hope I didn't offend anyone with that quote.)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

60. haha, you certainly didn't offend me.

[merrily]

64. Good. It's not exactly a slur, but you never know these days.

[LiberalElite]

97. Au contraire - LULZ!

[smirkymonkey]

92. I'm afraid you are right.

It's kind of sad, isn't it?

[merrily]

99. I would be sad if there weren't alternatives this go round. But there are!

[merrily]

50. More than a few suicides, too.

[closeupready]

8. I like Joe, but it's insulting to see him condescend

to those of us who aren't experts in finance but who are, at worst, casually aware of economic trends over the last few decades.

He is every banker's best friend, so sorry Joe, but if this is true, you will only make it worse.

[swilton]

75. You nailed it so well!

[jtuck004]

9. 7 million families foreclosed on and thrown in the street, tens of millions more moved from

working to being unemployed for the rest of their lives, millions more parents and kids hungry and undernourished, and your boss keeps on a sorry bastard of a republican as treasury secretary who spends the next 6 years making bank$ter/donors richer while fucking over 100,000 million people, leaving them in poverty or nearer poverty to keep the wealth of the rest from falling.

While you sat there.

I love you. Always have.

But don't let the door hit you in the ass.

[Plucketeer]

10. I'm genuinely sorry for your loss Mr. VP

I only wish I felt you are genuinely sorry for ours. Of course, you could buck Obama's wishes and maybe find some comfortable shoes - the kind he could never seem to locate.

Go enjoy your retirement. Spend time with friends and family. But please don't steal someone else's sheet music to entertain with.

[SoapBox]

11. Duh!!!

Sorry Joe...eight years and you are saying this now?

Day late and dollar short.

Time for REAL change!

Go Bernie!

[Kath1]

30. Yes!

Bullshit, Joe!

I'm a Hillary supporter but you are 100% right about this!

[Blasphemer]

12. I hope he runs

However calculated this speech may be, I welcome having 4 major candidates (It would become the leading issue for Biden, Clinton, and Sanders, and Trump is also waving his own version of populist flag) address what the country has been calling for, but which has been systematically ignored, for going on a decade. It also best prepares whoever the Democratic nominee is for the GE. While I have not decided on who I am supporting for the primaries, I am grateful that Sanders stepped up when Warren decided not to run. The conversation would be very different otherwise.

[erronis]

36. Oh, yeah - the more the merrier. However, I'll vote for the candidate that

has a history of doing right.

Joe is a handsome WASP (I'm guessing about the ASP part) with a great smile (same as the Koch's) and he appeals to all of our human-to-human good vibe emotions.

However, I've not recently seen a match-up with how he's voted as a Senator or took initiative as a VP with the core issues that should be what these campaigns are about.

[karynnj]

54. Wrong on "p" -- he is Catholic nt

He has a great smile, but that does not make him have any affinity to the Kochs -- and I have no idea what their smiles are like.

[AzDar]

13. Wasn't Biden instrumental in "reforming" the bankruptcy process during Dumya's reign?

...making it FAR more difficult (if not impossible) for people to qualify for BK relief? Slink on back to your Banker Overlords, Joe...no one is buying your faux-populist schtick.

[cantbeserious]

26. ^^^ This ^^^ - Yes - A Stunning Success for The 1%

eom

[jwirr]

35. Some of our biggest banks are located in Delaware.

Joe has always worked with them.

I hope he does not run. Those banksters do not need someone to represent them. They are doing better than the rest of us.

[closeupready]

14. Yes, we know!! And it's JUST how we want it! HAHAHAHA....

[FlatBaroque]

17. This picture seriously needs a trigger warning

I am not even joking.

[merrily]

61. Has anyone ever seen him and Florida's Governor in the same room at the same time?

I have the same visceral reaction to both of them--that is, if there even are two of them.

[libdem4life]

15. Wonder how his boss took that one...must be a bit tense in the ol' Oval Office?

How many labor rallies did he attend or speak at? Did he bang on PBO's door with ideas to help the job numbers...you know those over $7.50 an hour? He's a nice guy, but a has been.

If I were a better, and I'm not, I'd bet he won't jump in. Too little, too late. And the Hillary crows will go all PUMA on him. (I noticed the typo, but left it anyway...LOL...meant crowd)

[FlatBaroque]

16. WOW, Joe, you caught on?

Too bad you were never in a position to do something about it when something could have been done about it. Oh wait, you have been in that position your whole fuking career.

[SoapBox]

19. Hey Joe...Bernie has already beaten you to the message...

"In a highly populist speech that could foreshadow the themes he would highlight on the campaign trail, Biden said workers have been "clobbered" in the modern economy."

Really? You are now going to be labeled with a "populist" agenda? Not likely!

The only candidate that I would trust, who has a verifiable track record on workers/issues, is Bernie.

It's laughable that Biden and Ms. Inevitable are now supposed to have "populist" agendas...where the fuck have they been for the last 20 years (or more)???

[Nay]

103. "Where the fuck have they been" indeed. I have no idea why people get excited

about folks like Biden, Clinton, etc., when they throw out the populist speeches. When they had a chance to actually DO the stuff, they were hiding in the corner somewhere, doing deals with the 1%.

[DhhD]

20. First wrong never righted: The Bush Tax Code when Democrats controlled both

the House and Senate of the United States. IMO, that disastrous step is owned by every senator and house member who did not take steps or bring a bill before Congress to remove the problem. We the people kept waiting and waiting for members of the Obama Administration to go before the American people, like they did during the 2008 campaign and ask that We demand that our elected representative return to the policies of FDR. Now Biden speaks to the Great Mistake. Now he goes to We the People. He is too late for my consideration. The election results of 2010 reflect that waiting anger. Now there is anger at both the, do little, to do nothing, two political parties. Everyone knows that Sander's, had to, move into the Democratic Party.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Psst..Joe, if THIS is the reaction you are getting HERE......

better think again.

[Kath1]

28. Right on.

Exactly.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

59. Depends on what you want.

I would welcome him to the race to give Hillary more trouble.

[FlatBaroque]

68. Trial balloon

shot down

[Salviati]

22. As long as you define "used to be" as 4 decades ago...

It has not been true literally longer than I've been alive. Joe's a nice guy, but I hope he won't be offended that I don't really trust anyone who's not at least advocating pretty major changes to solve this problem. Fiddling with the knobs on the status quo will not undo 4 decades of corporate greed.

[erronis]

37. Interesting chart. Please give source. eom

[Kelvin Mace]

42. The source looks like Talking Ponits Memo

[merrily]

46. LOL. Ya think?

[Salviati]

47. yeah, that's where I pulled this particular one from.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/40-years-of-workers-left-behind-chart

I've seen similar graphs in a lot of places, just google wages productivity graph and you'll find scores. I like this one because it does show how closely they tracked before the 70's. It's useful to know for how long we've been suffering from this problem.

[merrily]

63. The source was apparent from your first post.

[MyNameGoesHere]

23. I been waiting on the

Biden eats babies thread. I was off by a day.

[Kelvin Mace]

43. no, he doestn't eat babies

He is simply owned body and soul by the banking industry. His other unforgivable sin was the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1994.

[merrily]

65. Geez. No over the top hyperboles on your end, eh?

[MyNameGoesHere]

89. I get it from

reading stuff here, eh.

[merrily]

100. Your choice.

[Hydra]

24. I'm glad Biden is saying it, because it helps the dialogue overall

But I get a hint of "We have to throw a (little) bone to the little people, they are starting to talk about tearing the system down!!"

Tear. It. Down. It's killing all of us.

[Sunlei]

25. Got another year to hammer Congress by name daily, to raise the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Call them out or walk over to each one of them with a reporter and ask each Congressman directly.

[merrily]

66. Sure. Now that both houses are controlled by Republicans, there's no harm or risk in doing that.

[Sunlei]

71. I wish both the President and the VP would call out Congress members daily on that single issue.

They can start with the Ds, a group at a time. Let each Member of Congress state to the people, they 'will or will not' raise the Federal minimum wage for Americas workers.

[Kath1]

27. No shit!

Young people are having a terrible time getting any kind of full-time job.

Christ, I'm for Hillary, and I'll vote for Bernie if he is the nominee, but I think Biden is clueless.

[MADem]

29. Poor Joe. He comes from the credit card state. He should have some idea as to what some of the

issues are.

He's going to have a little trouble if he tries to go populist on this go-round.

No one wanted him the last two times he tried for the brass ring, and then, right in the thick of it, look what's coming out:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/kerry-washington-anita-hill_n_7594876.html


I wouldn't look for Greg Kinnear to paint him sympathetically. I think we'll have a judge/jury/executioner portrayal (Bros before...whatever) and Biden will come off looking like a patronizing, sexist pig who withheld witnesses in order to "go easy" on Clarence Thomas.

The take away? All of the shitty Supreme Court decisions that Thomas participated in? Thanks a LOT, Joe. YOU gave him to us. If you'd held a fair hearing, he wouldn't have been elected dog catcher.

Even Obama says he would NOT have voted to confirm Clarence Thomas.

[erronis]

41. Oooh - Can't wait for this to hit Clarence Thomas's neighborhood theaters!

I'm looking for the obligatory cameo by Biden.

So, Joe. Are you just another republican in liberal cloth? The religious right showed us all how easy it was to pack the feral government with true believers.

[MADem]

45. No cameo--Greg Kinnear is PLAYING Biden. He will be the "star" of the piece.

As will Wendell Pierce, who I am quite sure will hit it out of the park as Clarence. And we already know Ms. Washington can bring it home--she's going to kick it as Anita.

This is going to be "must see TV."

Greg Kinnear is a rather astounding actor, he doesn't get credit, but he isn't afraid of difficult or icky roles-- he played "Hogan" (of Hogan's Heroes) in the rather dark film about Bob Crane and his sex-addicted, tons of videos life that kind of put an EWWWWWWWW on the reruns of that program after he was murdered. The guy can act and he's pretty fearless. Can't wait to see the make up--I'm betting he'll nail the performance.

[Tarheel_Dem]

78. The future attacks on a candidate Biden just write themselves. I realized that over the weekend....

while watching MHP on MSNBC. The young lady (forgot her name) just rattled off all the ads & attacks that will make it nearly impossible for Joe to mount a credible campaign. That's very concerning, because he was my #2.

[MADem]

80. Everyone forgets the Neil Kinnock thing--I was amazed that he survived that.

It's still on the internet.

It's not like people won't look, and see, and remember. Once reminded, it's a problem, one of many.

Biden survived because he had the cover of Obama, who would say "Well, I differ with Joe on blahblah, and I'm the POTUS candidate, not him."

[Tarheel_Dem]

90. Dear God, it's almost verbatim. I never even knew about this before now. I have no doubt that.....

Joe's heart is in the right place, but his mouth oftentimes blurs that fact. This is disappointing. All the Anita Hill stuff comes back with JB, as well as the credit card stuff. I know his son's wish was for him to run, but I have my doubts now. He'll be eaten alive by the M$M.

[MADem]

91. I was amazed that he recovered from that. nt

[840high]

31. No shit Joe?

[Phlem]

38. Something Wrong?

JFC,

Well I guess if the economy were doing good there would be one less issue to rile up the unwashed with. So things must stay the way they are, right?

Unfortunately, this is issue comes up every presidential election. Wonder why?

[Kelvin Mace]

39. Really? You just figuring it out?

One thing wrong with the economy is politicians doing the bidding of the big banks. You know, like you did while you were in the senate and pushed through "bankruptcy reform" that made billions for banks but utterly screwed over the poor and middle class.

[closeupready]

49. +1000. Bankruptcy "reform" made federal protections for consumers

who are financially stressed much MORE difficult to access, by instituting a statutory means test for Chapter 7 filings ("fresh start" bankruptcies) where previously, no means test existed.

Textbook example of elitism, really.

[Kelvin Mace]

58. While not reforming the law

For corporations, meaning folks like Donald Trump could continue to benefit from the law.

[CharlotteVale]

62. Exactly. He showed just whose side he's on and it isn't ours.

[Gregorian]

40. Bernie gets it. Another 8 years and the middle class will be gone completely.

I love you Joe, but just go home and rest.

[coyote]

44. Who is he trying to be...Bernie Lite

Go away Joe...the economy has been fucked for the plebes for decades.

[merrily]

67. There seems to be a lot of that going around.

Bernie Lite, Bernie Fake, Bernie Trump, whatever. Even Jeb has attempted a bit of Bernie.

I'm going with the real deal.

[Metric System]

48. Awkward.

[grahamhgreen]

57. "Something wrong"??? That's all he's got? How bout the TPP, Joe?

[mhatrw]

69. Joe Biden = The Establishment's Bernie Sanders

They need somebody to say some of the words without actually meaning them.

Triangulation for the status quo!

[Attorney in Texas]

82. Who's saying "we need someone like Clinton but a white guy or someone like Sanders but a centrist"?

No one.

[mhatrw]

86. npr, for one

The corporate media want to have a safe personality-based horserace to "report" on.

[Attorney in Texas]

88. The MSM would love to report a Democratic race that went to the convention for a brokered resolution

but it's not going to happen. Biden won't run, and if he does, he's too centrist to take much support from Sanders and too late to the game to beat Clinton on campaign infrastructure, endorsements, and fundraising so cannot overtake her either.

I think he's Bradley '08, but -- as a sitting VP -- he generates more news stories about "the Democratic Party in crisis." Biden won't get the nomination, but his candidacy makes a Sanders upset victory less likely while making Clinton a weaker candidate in the general election if she wins. Pretty much a lose-lose-lose.

[mhatrw]

95. Yeah, I agree. His entry into the race would be a boon

only for the corporate media and Republicans.

[Igel]

70. The post-industrial economy doesn't work like the industrial one that preceded it.

The industrial economy didn't work like the one that preceded it.

The one that followed the industrial revolution in the early 1800s didn't work like the one that preceded it.

The capitalist one that resulted in the post-mercantilist era didn't work like the one that preceded it.

Productivity is concentrated. Some sectors have productivity increases because of smarter organization and not worker efficiency per se. Or because some machine has made a skilled worker into a vastly more productive semi-skilled worker--with the productivity attributable not to the worker but to the machine designer and purchaser.

Moreover, the industrial side has seen vast increases in productivity but other sectors have seen smaller or virtual no gains. I'm not sure burger flippers are more productive now than 30 years ago; if so, much of that will be not because they can produce more burgers but because of things around them that are designed differently or because supply changes reduce the cost per burger.

[Blue State Bandit]

72. He sounds more Bernie than Hillary up there. What are the rules on 3rd term VP's?

We seem to have broken the mold on VP's since Cheney, so what's to stop a Sanders/Biden ticket? For one, he has the Foreign Policy chops/relationships, and a good chunk of Obama's POC voting block on legacy. It would also be a good exercise in party unity that will be needed in the General.

Just a thought... wondering if this might be Joe's play.

[Attorney in Texas]

73. Dear Vice President Biden: Thanks for all of your great service, but please don't run. If you want

to help the party, please do one or both of the following:

(1) make a speech on income equality in which you acknowledge that Sen. Sanders has made this a theme of both his entire career and his current presidential campaign; help Sanders bring his message to a larger audience;

(2) make a speech on the blatant hypocrisy of the right-wing media for manufacturing a private-email-server attack on Clinton when Bush-Cheney did the same, John Ellis "Jeb" Bush did the same, Scott Walker did the same, Marko Rubio did the same, Chris Christie did the same, Rick Perry did the same, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal did the same, etc.

If you want to help the party and honor your worthy legacy, help the party by bolstering its excellent candidates (Martin O'Malley could use a shout out, too) but don't put yourself in the spoiler position of Bradley '00 or Kennedy '80. Don't go out as a spoiler.

[swilton]

76. Really?? Joe, what gave you your first clue?!

[AuntPatsy]

77. Thanks for noticing

[wordpix]

81. if this is a test-the-waters comment, it's a bit mild, Joe

"Something is wrong" doesn't begin to say it. If you want to run with Eliz. Warren, get her out there to state the obvious.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

83. I thought he was the Vice President or still is?

[Dont call me Shirley]

85. Gee, ya think?!

[d_legendary1]

93. Uncle Joe's been saying this for years

Too bad he can't talk our president out of TPP and every free trade agreement he signed.

[Skittles]

94. is he just now noticing?

or has he been too busy whoring for the financial industry?

[Helen Borg]

96. Yeah, cannot really put my finger on it...

What could be wrong?

[Doingto]

102. CNN changed the title

Inexplicably.