Michelle Malkin » Maybe McCain does want to win: He finally attacks Obama on Fannie/Freddie

Maybe McCain does want to win: He finally attacks Obama on Fannie/Freddie

By Michelle Malkin • October 6, 2008 02:13 PM

Last week, the McCain campaign said it would be too complicated and politically incorrect to blast Obama for his Fannie/Freddie complicity.

They didn’t want to go there.

Looks like common sense mugged the Maverick.

Better late, than never — via Ed Morrissey, here’s McCain’s prepared text for an event later today:

Our current economic crisis is a good case in point. What was his actual record in the years before the great economic crisis of our lifetimes?

This crisis started in our housing market in the form of subprime loans that were pushed on people who could not afford them. Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was only a matter of time before a contagion of unsustainable debt began to spread. This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress, and abetted by Senator Obama.

Senator Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed. But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.

Senator Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, “a good idea.” Well, Senator Obama, that “good idea” has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

To hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem. The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign. He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them.

Did he ever talk to the executives at Fannie and Freddie about these reckless loans? Did he ever discuss with them the stronger oversight I proposed? If Senator Obama is such a champion of financial regulation, why didn’t he support these regulations that could have prevented this crisis in the first place? He won’t tell you, but you deserve an answer.

Don’t go wobbly now, McCain.

Don’t stop.

Take your own advice: Stand up and fight.

Pass it on:

Posted in: John McCain, Subprime crisis

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#201

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:23 pm, Ron C said:

For those wanting more… here is (I think) the entire text of McCain speaking Albuquerque, NM today:

REMARKS BY JOHN MCCAIN IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM
U.S. Senator John McCain today delivered the following remarks as prepared for delivery at the McCain-Palin 2008 rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico:
In less than a month, the American people will make a choice on where they want this country to go, and who they trust to lead us in a time of war and economic crisis. The time for debating and electioneering is drawing to a close. Soon it will be the time for choosing.
Today we have seen a reminder of the importance of that choice. The action Congress took last week to address our financial crisis was a tourniquet, but not a permanent solution. Today we are seeing the stock market fall, and the credit crisis spread to other parts of the world. Our economy is still hurting — working families are worried about the price of groceries, the price of gas, keeping their jobs and paying their mortgage — further action is needed. We need to restore confidence in our economy and in our government.
Washington is still on the wrong track and we still need change. The status quo is not on the ballot. We are going to see change in Washington. The question is: in what direction will we go? Will our country be a better place under the leadership of the next president — a more secure, prosperous, and just society? Will you be better off, in the jobs you hold now and in the opportunities you hope for? Will your sons and daughters grow up in the kind of country you wish for them, rising in the world and finding in their own lives the best of America? And which candidate’s experience — in government and in life — makes him a more reliable leader for our country and commander in chief for our troops? Who is ready to lead? In a time of trouble and danger for our country, who will put our country first?
I set out on my own campaign for president many months ago. I promised at the beginning to be straight with the American people, knowing that even those who don’t agree with me on everything would expect at least that much. I didn’t just show up out of nowhere, after all — America knows me.
You know my strengths and my faults. You know my story and my convictions. And though familiarity in politics can be both helpful to a candidate, or not so helpful, it does at least fill out the picture and answer the essential questions. You need to know who you’re putting in the White House — where the candidate came from and what he or she believes. And you need to know now, before it is time to choose.
In 21 months, during hundreds of speeches, town halls and debates, I have kept my promise to level with you about my plans to reform Washington and get this country moving again. As a senator, I’ve seen the corrupt ways of Washington in wasteful spending and other abuses of power, and as president I’m going to end them — whatever it takes. I will propose and sign into law reforms to bring tax relief to the middle class and help to businesses so they can create jobs. I will get the rising cost of food and gas under control. I will help families keep their home, and help students struggling to pay for college. I will make health care more accessible and affordable. I will impose a spending freeze on all but the most vital functions of government. I will review every agency of the federal government, improve those that need to be improved and eliminate those that aren’t working for the American people. I will confront the ten trillion-dollar debt that the federal government has run up, and balance the federal budget by the end of my term in office.

This is the agenda I have set before my fellow citizens. And the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent. Even at this late hour in the campaign, there are essential things we don’t know about Senator Obama or the record that he brings to this campaign.
We have all heard what he has said, but it is less clear what he has done or what he will do. What Senator Obama says today and what he has done in the past are often two different things. He has often changed his positions in this campaign, and the best way to determine where he would really take this country is to examine where he has tried to take it in the past.
My opponent has invited serious questioning by announcing a few weeks ago that he would quote — “take off the gloves.” Since then, whenever I have questioned his policies or his record, he has called me a liar.
Rather than answer his critics, Senator Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers the serious and legitimate questions he has been asked. But let me reply in the plainest terms I know. I don’t need lessons about telling the truth to American people. And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn’t seek advice from a Chicago politician.
My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults.
Our current economic crisis is a good case in point. What was his actual record in the years before the great economic crisis of our lifetimes?
This crisis started in our housing market in the form of subprime loans that were pushed on people who could not afford them. Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was only a matter of time before a contagion of unsustainable debt began to spread. This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress, and abetted by Senator Obama.
Senator Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed. But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.
Senator Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, “a good idea.” Well, Senator Obama, that “good idea” has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

To hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem. The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign.
He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them. Did he ever talk to the executives at Fannie and Freddie about these reckless loans? Did he ever discuss with them the stronger oversight I proposed? If Senator Obama is such a champion of financial regulation, why didn’t he support these regulations that could have prevented this crisis in the first place? He won’t tell you, but you deserve an answer.
Even after he refused to lift a finger to prevent this crisis, when the crisis hit, he was missing in action. He didn’t start making calls to round up votes until after the rescue bill failed in the House and the markets crashed. We continue to see the price of delay today as the markets continue to fall. Today the DOW has fallen below 10,000. And yet, members of his own party said they felt no pressure to vote for the bill. Why didn’t Senator Obama work to pass this bill from the start? Why did he let it fail and drag out this crisis for a full week before doing a thing to help pass it?
Again on taxes, we see a difference between what Senator Obama says today, what he said yesterday and what he has actually done. Over the course of this campaign, he has had many different plans to raise your taxes. During the Democratic primary, he promised to double taxes on every American with a dividend or an investment. He promised to raise payroll taxes. He promised higher taxes on electricity. Now, Senator Obama claims he will give 95 percent of Americans tax relief. He actually promised the same thing when he was running for Senate in Illinois, but once elected he never introduced legislation to do so. Instead, he voted for the Democratic budget resolution that promised to raise taxes on people making just 42,000 dollars a year. At the time, he even said his vote was intended to get “our nation’s priorities back on track.” If he’s such a defender of the middle class, why did he vote to raise their taxes? Whatever ha ppened to the tax relief he promised them when he was a candidate for the Senate? And why should middle class Americans trust him to keep promises he has already broken?
Senator Obama and I both have differences with how President Bush has handled the economy. But he thinks taxes are too low, and I think spending is too high. The government’s out of control spending has resulted in a weaker dollar, raising the cost of groceries and gasoline, and killing jobs.
I will veto pork barrel legislation and cut wasteful government spending.
Senator Obama has a different plan. According to third party estimates, he will increase government spending by over 860 billion dollars. He has denied it, but he has refused to tell you how much he does plan to spend. What is the total of his increased spending? Americans deserve to know just how much more of their money Senator Obama intends to spend, and how much more debt he plans to burden them with.
Senator Obama has also criticized earmark spending, those wasteful pork barrel projects stuck in spending bills behind closed doors. And yet, despite his talk on the campaign trail, his actual record is full of requests for earmark projects. In his three short years in the Senate, he has requested nearly a billion dollars in pork projects for his state — a million dollars for every day he’s been in office. Far from fighting earmarks in Congress, Senator Obama has been an eager participant in this corrupt system. In one instance, he sought more than 3 million dollars for a new projector at a planetarium in his hometown. Coincidentally, the chairman of that planetarium pledged to raise more than $200,000 for Senator Obama’s campaign. We don’t know if they ever discussed the money for the planetarium, and no one has asked Senator Obama. But even the appearance of this kind of insider-dealing disgusts Americans. I’m going to put a stop to that, my friends, if I’m President.
I have made every single donor to my campaign publicly available, while Senator Obama has taken in over 200 million dollars from undisclosed sources. We have already seen the potential for fraud because of his refusal to disclose his donors. His campaign had to return $33,000 in illegal foreign funds from Palestinian donors, and this weekend, we found out about another $28,000 in illegal donations. Why has Senator Obama refused to disclose the people who are funding his campaign? Again, the American people deserve answers.

On health care, Senator Obama has been misleading you about my plan to give you more money for health care, and he has been equally misleading about his own plans. He has said his goal is a single payer system where government is in charge of health care and bureaucrats stand between you and your doctor. Under the plan he has proposed, he will fine families that don’t have the kind of health insurance that Senator Obama tells them to purchase. He will fine employers who do not offer the health insurance that he thinks they should offer.
What he doesn’t say, and what nobody has asked, is how big his fines will be. What he doesn’t want you to know is that with a small fine, his plan will encourage companies to just pay the fine, drop existing health care coverage for their employees and leave them with only one real option: government run health care.
Who is the real Senator Obama? Is he the candidate who promises to cut middle class taxes, or the politician who voted to raise middle class taxes? Is he the candidate who talks about regulation or the politician who took money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and turned a blind eye as they ran our economy into a ditch?
Is he the candidate who promises change, or is he the politician who has bought into everything that is wrong with Washington? We can’t change the system with someone who’s never fought the system.
Washington is on the wrong track and I’m going to set it right. The American people know my record. They know I am going to change Washington, because I’ve done it before. They know I’m going to reform our broken institutions in Washington and on Wall Street because I’ve done it before. They know I’m going to deliver relief to the middle class, because that’s what I’ve done.
You don’t have to hope that things will change when you vote for me. You know things will change, because I have been fighting for change in Washington my whole career. I’ve been fighting for you my whole life. That’s what I’m going to do as President of the United States. Fight for you and put the government back on the side of the people.
#202

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:26 pm, AlohaGuy said:

For what it’s worth, I was polled by Rasmussen a few weeks ago on Hawaii’s Primary election day. (Yes, that late). What struck me is that for every question, the Democrats were listed first. (Alphabetical?) And you had to listen to 5 choices being recited for each as in: If you are very likely to vote for Obama, press 1, somewhat likely, press 2… and so on. For Pres and VP (4 people), if you were interested in Palin, you had to wait through a minimum of 15 of those for every question. If there are 20 questions, that’s an awful lot of choices to wait through. What it means in terms of the polls I don’t know, but the opinions for Palin are those of very patient likely voters.
#203

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:29 pm, mistressjustice said:

On October 6th, 2008 at 5:54 pm, love2rumba said:

Interesting post. Thanks
#204

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:34 pm, mistressjustice said:

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:26 pm, AlohaGuy said

That’s strange, because I always thought that Rasmussen is a republican favorite. I think McCain/Palin advertises on their site for donations.(I could be wrong). I have no idea how this election is going to turn out. As a democrat, I have VERY cautious optimism. A lot can happen in one month’s time.
#205

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:42 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

Not bad–a little more vim and vinegar–fighter pilot mode-would be nice. AND DON’T REFER TO BroBama AS MY FRIEND; WILLIAM AYERS AND JERRYBOY WRIGHT ARE BroBama’s FRIENDS.

William Ayers the terrorist and Professor
JerryBoy Wright of God Damn America shame.
And let us not forget Bitter mamaObama.

Polls? I always lie to them.
#206

On October 6th, 2008 at 6:52 pm, mistressjustice said:

Polls? I always lie to them.

I hope folks like you are in the minority, because it’s getting interesting.
Whoa.
#207

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:

That’s strange, because I always thought that Rasmussen is a republican favorite.

Maybe they have some statistical way of factoring it in, but it made the poll seem very long in a way that filling out a form wouldn’t. The other person in the house wouldn’t have that much patience.

People blame the incumbents when the economy is down. It’s that simple. Last week was when McCain need to gain traction by showing leadership on the economy. He let it get away.
#208

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:18 pm, Rob said:

McAmnesty is a tool…

The only hope is the Bradley Effect.

Time to play the reverse race card.
#209

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:21 pm, happyscrapper said:

I still can’t figure out why no one has asked Obama if he had any MODERATE friends going all the way back to high school that could vouch for him. So far, all I’ve heard about is radicals. If he can produce just one moderate friend, I will be surprised! Isn’t it a bit strange that this man has such poor judgement in picking his friends and relationships? Barack Hussein Obama was not properly vetted, to say the least!
#210

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:23 pm, secondsight said:

Sen. John McCain in Albuquerque, NM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4wgwKPQIhI

You MUST watch this video. All of the Democrats are now caught by McCain’s OODA loop.

hat tip Rachel Lucas by way of fivefeetofury

http://rachellucas.com/index.php/2008/10/06/why-is-mccain-being-such-a-sucker/

Reading through their comments there, you can see this hit like ice-9.

ps. Now I’ll go backwards to pages 1 and 2 to see if I am redundant. (Who cares?)
#211

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm, supersean said:

1. I am not an Obama support but McCain’s comments highlight his total lack of comprehension on the root causes of the financial market meltdown.

There is no disagreement that banks lent too much to people in overvalued properties but that is not what caused the monumental meltdown.

The nearly overnight creation of 5-10 trillion dollar Collateralized debt obligations (CDO) market. This market is for the most part unregulated and the Phd in statistics and physics were unable to project the magnitude and quickness of the failure of securities (including high risk mortgages) they protected. The fact that the institutions that offered these were not regulated and did not set aside capital to protect their calls is the main reason that we are in the mess that we are in.

If McCain wants to convince us American’s he is ready to lead, he should know what he is talking about. He warned on Freddie/Fannie but was a strong advocate on removing much of the oversight on the finance industry.

McCain has got my vote because he’s the better of 2 options ( I still wish we had a better write-in option) but that is not saying much when you are going against a guy even his own running mate has said time and time again is not ready to lead the country.
#212

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm, happyscrapper said:

McCain or Palin needs to say, “I finally found out what a community organizer actually does, most specifically a Chicago community organizer.” Then they should go into detail about ACORN, etc. Then they should say, “My opponent will try to spin this and tell you I am lying. But the proof is out there. It is undeniable.” They need to be armed with the specific timeline and results of Obama’s work in Chicago. If it is laid out well, it could come across as a bombshell that could not be “spun”.
#213

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:32 pm, wayiwalk said:

Thanks for the full post of McCains speech, #201….I’ve been waiting, not for the gloves to come off, but the truth to come out.
#214

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:39 pm, DesertLover said:

happyscrapper …

try these on for size …

Obama Housing Article From the Boston Globe

Photos of Obama Housing Projects

WSJ Article on Obama-Ayers Liberal School Project
#215

On October 6th, 2008 at 8:00 pm, ChicagoRobb said:

I wish the McCain camp would play the Muslim faith” gaffe BHO had with Stephanopoulos on Christian radio. Funny,I never forgot my faith in Christ.
#216

On October 6th, 2008 at 8:03 pm, secondsight said:

@supersean #211

I liked this part:

McCain has got my vote

The rest of your arguments need some more work.

PS. Without the cramdown of CRA and the GSE’s there would not be a fiscal crisis. Conforming loans, ie standard mortgages to people that earn a living and don’t buy the sky, were how CDO’s were able to keep the subprime loans concealed. Congress and GSEs kept expanding the subprime until they overwhelmed the conforming loans. Ooops.
Congress encouraged and allowed the GSEs to cut their capital backing to 2.5%. They even let Raines urge only a 2% backing without slapping him down.

Packages of loans that get paid off, aka largely loans to people not in Florida, Nevada and California nor are made in compliance with CRA nor violate the basic banking wisdom of not giving deadbeats money, are still wonderful investments.

It was hardly overnight. It doesn’t take a PHD to understand. (MFA here) The GSEs and CRA were regulated only as much as the Democrats desired.
#217

On October 6th, 2008 at 8:07 pm, Southpaw said:

DesertLover, nice post of pics from Obama Housing Projects (#214). I’d love to see a tv commercial driving through these neighborhoods and showing Obamas’ community organizing results.
#218

On October 6th, 2008 at 8:11 pm, TypicalWhite said:

Here’s a great suggestion for a McCain ad (Byron York at The Corner NRO):

One Car, Two Accelerators, No Brake, and an Approaching Precipice [Byron York]

With all this talk of gloves being taken off and Bill Ayers and all that, I decided to ask an expert what kind of ad he would make to attack Barack Obama, if he were given that assignment today. Alex Castellanos is the widely-acknowledged master of the genre, but he’s not taking part in this presidential campaign. This is the ad he said he’d make:

When this country and this economy are so near the precipice, do we really want to be driving a car with two accelerators and no brake? A Democratic Congress and a Democratic president like Barack Obama? A complete, unrestricted blank check for inexperienced radical leadership in Washington?
#219

On October 6th, 2008 at 8:42 pm, beenthere said:

I want to see what McCain does in the debate. Then I will believe he is starting to fight. And frankly, in this campaign better never than late. If the Republicans can’t nail the democrats on this one, they might as well give up and go home.
#220

On October 6th, 2008 at 10:30 pm, happyscrapper said:

On October 6th, 2008 at 7:39 pm, DesertLover said:
happyscrapper … try these on for size …

Thanks for the links, DesertLover! Quite eyeopening!
#221

On October 6th, 2008 at 11:27 pm, sandyb said:

Need to get to sleep and can’t read all the posts here, so I’m sorry if someone has already mentioned my point: Isn’t it a coincidence that the figure Paulson and Co. came up with for the bailout is the same as the one T-Bone Pickpocket says we spend for energy in countries that hate us?

THERE’S JUAN’S ACE IN THE HOLE for how he’ll handle this idiotic bailout! If he commits to drilling everywhere and anywhere and not keeping us at the mercy of crazy Islamists (like some party I know), that will be a major step toward recouping that money. And, hello, he’s already got the energy veep aboard!

Remind me, what’s Obamoron’s economic strategy again? Oh, that’s right, giving $850 billion annually to Africa for ~~GLOBAL POVERTY~~reparations, ’cause it’s our fault they don’t learn to take care of themselves.
#222

On October 7th, 2008 at 7:26 am, Lindsay said:

Gloves off in October—when it counts.

Perhaps the planners know that memories are short. Timing is everything.McCain is a warrior who knows when to strike.

Keep it up Senator McCain and Gov. Palin! It is time to fight and uncover the truth about Obama.