Axelrod won't rule out Biden being dropped from the ticket

[J. J.]

I doubt if it will happen, but Biden is a drag on the ticket overall.

He helps Obama in three states, DE, PA and NJ, basically the three in the Philadelphia Media Market.  Much like Ryan this time, Biden is a good choice, but not the best choice.  To remove him now would make Obama look desperate.

[J. J.]

If they had pulled a Nelson Rockefeller, and Biden had announced that he wouldn't be running again, it might have worked out well.  Doing it now would be a disaster, minus some extenuating circumstance.

[J. J.]

The narrative on the VP this week was about dropping Biden, when the Democrats hoped it would be about attacks on Ryan.  Some of came from the author a new book on the Obama Administration:  http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2012_08/so_much_easier_to_spin_in_fact039297.php

Supposedly, Hillary! turned down an offer two weeks ago.

The only thing worse than keeping Biden on the ticket is dropping him at this point.  

A week ago, Democrats were slobbering at the prospect of attacking Ryan.  This week, they are on the defensive for Biden.  A week is an eternity in politics.

[J. J.]

Obama dealt with the worst recession since the Great Depression. The '91 Recession was nowhere near as bad.
You do realize that African-Americans age differently than Caucasians right? Our hair gets peppered.

You do realize that the 1979-80 Recession was much worse than 1991 (and today) and the saying is "Black don't crack," don't you? 

[J. J.]

Forgot about that. And the 79-80 Recession was based almost entirely around interest rates and inflation. It was actually quite simple. The 2008 Crisis was more of 2 or 3 Recession in one.
1. The Housing Bubble Popped
2. Lehman Brothers Collapsed
3. International Financial Crisis
Those three things made it 26 x worse than 79-80. Beet could explain it better than me.

Actually, no.  Unemployment was about a point lower, but inflation and lack of real growth were the problems.  In terms of the misery index, it was substantially worse.  In 1979-80, you had an oil shock, one brokerage house collapse, gigantic inflation and a the metals market going insane.

[J. J.]

This thread is plumbing new depths of idiocy.

No, we have Biden for that. 

It won't happen, largely because it would make Obama look weak, and desperate.

It does change the story.  This was suppose to be the week that Ryan would be torn apart and it the week of how bad Biden is.  And now, Biden has a time out in Delaware. 

[J. J.]

The 1980 recession was one of choice. The Federal Reserve deliberately tipped the economy into recession. In light of the inflation rate at the time, I believe it was the correct decision, even though, as I have said, Volcker tried to manipulate the timing for political purposes. Meanwhile, the 'recovery' was an illusion-- it was built on unprecedented and rapidly growing debts-- consumer, banking, and government-- as well as a rise in trade deficits, all of which continued each cycle until 2008.

The inflation was not by choice.  Likewise, the recovery was quite strong, extending beyond the end of Reagan's second term.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

TARP, as you just pointed out, was not an Obama program.  It was the 2009 "stimulus" that failed miserably, that was an Obama program.  2008, was a crisis, that was handled in 2008, abet with some lasting effects.  The stimulus did not repair those lasting effects.  We are not better off than we were four years ago last November.