Originally posted by jsobecky
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler
During Joe Biden’s career as a United States Senator he was the only one of his colleagues whose sole source of income was from his duties as
a United States Senator.
This in my humble opinion makes him an honest man.
I wouldn't let that sway you. There's a reason Biden was known as the "Senator from MBNA"
article.nationalreview.com...
The credit cards companies have had him in their back pocket for many years. Ever wonder why so many of them set up shop in Delaware, which is
Biden's home state? And Senators don't come cheap.
[edit on 17-5-2009 by jsobecky]
Thanks for posting the link to the article. I read it and it was a bit troubling. I like to imagine there are a couple people in politics not entirely
corrupt who have some concern about the people. I don't know Joe Biden personally so I can't say for sure just what kind of man that he is, but he
certainly is not a well to do one economically by Senate or even Congressional Standards.
I voted for Mondale in 1984. It was my one and only trip to the polls.
Over the years though in business I have done a lot of business with national politicians (might be why I never went back to the polls) and while I
don't vote for them (might be they don't need me too) I have attented a number of 500.00 and 1000.00 a plate campaign dinners. Not so much because
they need my money to run their campaign but because the U.S. Treasury Department is great about paying their bills right on time with a real official
looking check (just like your tax refund) that my bank loves to cash! It's my way of saying thanks for your office's business and thanks for all
those people who can really unlike me afford 500.00 or 1,000.00 dollars for some rubber chicken, steroid laden mini-filet and that crab leg or shrimp
you look around the table for someone who you can politely say "Do you want this". Chances are after an introduction by the politician or one of his
key backers before the night is through they are going to commit to being my client too.
Simply put I am paying for access. Not for access to the politician, for access to the polticians wealthiest and most influential supporters who make
great clients since they have money and they imagine by extension by the circumstances of the introduction that I am of like political mind or
business mind or both.
Works for me and I always get a nice Thank You Card.
One dinner I was a little steamed to find out I was sitting next to a young man hardly my own age in the official assigned seating arangement. The
politician knew I was not there for the rousing campaign speech. I was dissapointed with the seating arrangements at first glance and had a discrete
word with his cheif of staff who laughed and said "We gave you the best seat in the house as always, be patient you will see."
For the next hour and a half my jaw slowly kept dropping as one middle aged to elderly man or woman dripping their wealth came over to my table and
would practically throw themselves prostate on the ground in front of this young man sitting next to me to engraciate themselves to him.
We had hardly said a word to one another the whole night until after the dinner the politician introduced us personally and assured the young man I
was someone he would enjoy knowing and doing business with.
He opened up like a can of worms then. Unbeknownst to me the young man's grandmother was the patriarch of the family that the county of which the
congressperson represented was named after. It was in fact the filth wealthiest county in America at the time, in which the family still owned the
majority of the undeveloped land, and an impressive chain of majorly acclaimed shopping malls throughout the country, plus no small amount of pumping
oil wells, and oil leases. He was the designated heir and public face of the family for his grandmother that had grown quite reclusive.
Needless to say we became friends and within short order he became a valued client as well.
That's what my attendence at the campaign dinner and fund raiser was all about. In reality that's what just about everyone in attendence presence
was all about. Like me, each had a direct line to the politician for business or political purposes, but like me they all looked for business
associations within that field of people.
Now this young man with a name most of us would enjoy having decided he was interested in Sports Broadcasting. He decided this because even though he
lived on the opposite side of the country Jack Kent Cook frequently would invite him to sit with him in the Owner's Box at RFK Stadium to watch the
Redskins play. I have no idea why Jack Kent Cook favored him in such a way but in reality he did.
Rune Arledge of ABC Sports hired him and gave him quite a nice job to start out with ABC Sports. He had absolutely no experience in Broad Casting, or
promoting or organizing big events, and nothing in his education suggested that this is a guy Rune Arledge would hire for ABC Sports. I have no idea
in fact why Rune Arledge did.
Yet obviously Rune Arledge had his reasons, just like Jack Kent Cook had his reasons, just like everyone at that dinner had their reasons to go up and
grovel before him.
Me, I was the guy who wanted another seat, chastized by the politician's cheif of staff after the politician and his cheif of staff purposefully and
with great forethought wanted to hand me the keys to that kingdom.
I ponied up real big to attend a dinner later that year on the Queen of England's Royal Yacht for some charity her and her husband were promoting as
they happened to plan a sailing trip to the left coast. I have no idea how I got on that mailing list, no doubt someone in Washington was looking out
for me.
I sure have never voted for her either.
Politics is a real strange business. It's a Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club on steroids and lets face it the 100,000 plus laws on record in
Congress, who knows what all they are for or just who they benefit or why they came to pass.
Joe Biden in my oppinion either has the worst gambling problem in the world, or he's a pretty straight shooter, I haven't me him but he seems pretty
straight?
Angel? Nah, but who knows, the way these people groom people to cultivate a certain image, he might have more money than all of them put together
stashed away someplace.
I can see why it would be very good for the State of Deleware to secure MBNA to their tax and economic base. In reality it could even be that the MBNA
guy insisted on Biden's home because of it's history and legacy and the high profile it would give him. It might have even been a concession asked
of Biden to secure all of MBNA in his district. It was a sweat heart deal for sure but who was really on the top who was really on the bottom?
Star on your post too! I enjoyed reading the article. Thanks.
[edit on 18/5/09 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]