And then there were five.

kmoney

New member
Hall of Fame
The poor people who got duped into taking mortgages with adjustable rates were told that they could just refinance when the interest rates on their loans went up. They were told that housing prices always went up. And that was a lie. But the people making the loans didn't care. They didn't hold the loans. And there were actually a bunch of people, perversely, who stood to make a lot of money off of the loans defaulting. The originators made their money on the closing fees, not the interest payments. The poor were necessary to the scheme, but they were mostly the dupes.
There is some truth to that but I don't think it's the entire picture. Company A can only take risky mortgages and pass it on if there is a Company B willing to do it. The originating company takes mortgages based on the investor's guidelines. And the originating company isn't completely protected. The investor can find all sorts of ways of putting bad loans back on the seller. Banks on all sides of the transaction took risks thinking they could do it without getting burned. There were some really stupid loan programs. On the flip side, some of those customers had to be really dumb too.
 

rexlunae

New member
There is some truth to that but I don't think it's the entire picture. Company A can only take risky mortgages and pass it on if there is a Company B willing to do it. The originating company takes mortgages based on the investor's guidelines. And the originating company isn't completely protected. The investor can find all sorts of ways of putting bad loans back on the seller. Banks on all sides of the transaction took risks thinking they could do it without getting burned. There were some really stupid loan programs. On the flip side, some of those customers had to be really dumb too.

I'd recommend reading The Big Short. It's not nearly that simple.
 

rexlunae

New member
What simple? I wasn't trying to paint a simple picture. Nor a complete one. :idunno:

The notion that company A can only pass something to company B with that company's agreement. While it's technically true, it's also irrelevant. The ratings agencies were putting out misleadingly favorable ratings for investments.
 

jgarden

BANNED
Banned
In the current head-to-head Presidential polls, Sanders is beating every GOP candidate but Rubio.
Rubio is the one candidate that the Democrats feared - but after being savaged by Christie, a poor showing in the New Hampshire debates and being attacked by Cruz and Trump for the next 5 months, all these candidates will be perceived as "damaged goods" by the time one makes it to the general election.

Given the level of hostility in the Republican primaries, it makes little difference if Trump, Cruz, Rubio or Bush win the nomination - the supporters of the other candidates are already so polarized that many will probably choose to stay home in November!

Clinton or even Sanders could win in a walk, appoint the next chief justice and perhaps win enough seats on their "coattails" to regain control the Senate!
 

rexlunae

New member
Rubio is the one candidate that the Democrats feared - but after being savaged by Christie, a poor showing in the New Hampshire debates and being attacked by Cruz and Trump for the next 5 months, all these candidates will be perceived as "damaged goods" by the time one makes it to the general election.

I'm a little skeptical of the "damaged goods" narratives around candidates. Candidates who have to take opposing positions to win nominations and general elections are fundamentally weak already, either from their own traits, or because of the party that they're running in. A strong candidate should be able to take the same positions when they seek the nomination as they do during the general election, and should be able to move public opinion to do so.
 

kmoney

New member
Hall of Fame
The notion that company A can only pass something to company B with that company's agreement. While it's technically true, it's also irrelevant. The ratings agencies were putting out misleadingly favorable ratings for investments.

My point had nothing to do with ratings agencies so I'm not sure where that came from but I'm not going to worry about it because my point wasn't terribly significant to what you and Chrys were talking about anyway.
 

Husband&Father

New member
A new USA Today poll is showing that ALL Republicans in the race can beat both Clinton and Sanders:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ay-suffolk-poll-whos-more-electable/80452560/
So the "Trump is the only one who can win" argument is false.
They could all win.
Interestingly Sanders puts up more of a fight than Clinton.
Hilliary is finished. I think even she must realize it now. They (Dems) will draft Biden or Kerry or somebody else. It won't be Sanders for the Dems.
 

Husband&Father

New member
Gov N. Haley's endorsement of Rubio is a devastating blow to Jeb. That sound you hear is the sound of one of the final nails being pounded into Jeb's political coffin.
 

Husband&Father

New member
Rubio showed his duplicity during the Gang of Eight debacle but, even so, will be seen as a better alternative to a Democrat if he gets the nomination.

South Carolina looms large.
 

jgarden

BANNED
Banned
Rubio showed his duplicity during the Gang of Eight debacle but, even so, will be seen as a better alternative to a Democrat if he gets the nomination.

South Carolina looms large.
Unfortunately American conservatives lack the maturity to address the problem of immigration and how to effectively deal with "the elephant in the room" - 11 million illegals.

The logistics and costs associated with expelling 11 million people would be horrendous and the loss of any chance of attracting the Latino vote for the forseeable future would have major negative political repercussions for Republican prospects for generations.
 

Eeset

.
LIFETIME MEMBER
Now it is down to 4 plus Carson. I think Carson is hanging around enjoying the travel and social aspects. He has enough funding coming in to keep it up all the way through the convention even though he is effectively a non-candidate at this point.

Bush bailed. I have never seen such a heavily funded superpac so poorly manage its expenses before.
 

Eeset

.
LIFETIME MEMBER
Cruz and Rubio have created no-win situations for themselves. If either drops out their supporters will not flock to the other but rather will go to Trump or sit out the election. Likewise if both stay the course Trump wins with pluralities in primaries where the winner either takes all or most.
 
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