Vice President Joe Biden’s net worth has been estimated to be as low as a quarter-million dollars — chump change by the standards of Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney — but surely that’s enough money in the bank to pick up a decent Trans Am, right?
Joe Biden has calmly and quietly been an incredible Vice President. He was one of the first politicians to publicly embrace gay marriage and may have been personally responsible for President Obama coming out in favor of gay marriage and the subsequent change in the Democratic Party’s platform. He is also a stunningly intelligent politician who understands the nuance of foreign and domestic policy.
A Vice President that incredible needs an incredible car, clearly. Although the second-gen Trans Am has entered the modern lexicon as shorthand for “ridiculous Seventies disco stupidity”, for a few of the years during its over-long stay at dealerships it was the fastest American-made car money could buy in the quarter-mile. The Super Duty 455 could hit a 13.5-second quarter-mile in an era when the Countach ran a 14.6. Variants with the “400” Pontiac V-8 are revered, the Olds “403”-equipped cars are considered second-rate, and the Turbo Trans Am was more successful as an idea than as an actual automobile.
What better way to make a political contribution this election season than to buy a Trans Am for a guy who earns $230K a year? Of course, Republicans are free to buy a Trans Am for Mr. Ryan as well, but speaking as someone who went to school with the guy, he probably doesn’t need the money.
Old, loud, obnoxious, weak in spots, and thoroughly entertaining? Joe Biden IS the 1980 Pontiac Trans Am!
http://www.oldride.com/library/1980_pontiac_trans_am.html
Sam is no uncle of mine,so I don’t feel its my place to comment on American politics.
Now when it comes to Pontiac “F” bodies,thats a different story.
Joe would look good in a 3rd gen Trans Am. Yeah, yeah, yeah,..I know…a Mullet Mobile.
Black,with a gold dead chicken on the hood…perfect.
I loved that series from the Onion. Since I don’t see any mention of the source material, I hope TTAC didn’t just follow Iran and China down the laugh hole.
The link mentions that the idea was inspired by the article. You’re right, I should have noted it here, though.
Joe Biden told Car and Driver while laughing like an insecure hyena, “You think I’d drive a Trans Am? I have been in my bathing suit in my driveway and not only washed my Goodwood-green 1967 Corvette but also simonized it. At least the Onion should have had me washing a Trans Am convertible. I love convertibles.”
I didn’t know you were from Janesville, Jack.
Between Madison and Green Bay, I very much prefer Green Bay. It’s small enough to not be “too big” – I can’t say the same for the Madison area.
Jack and Paul are Miami University alumni.
Ryan keeps mentioning Janesville to try and convince us he comes from earth and not a distant planet dominated by highly advanced, but cruel, reptiles. Amphibians I could abide by but lizards – no vote from me.
Hey probert?
What exactly do you think Obama is? I’d wager, a ‘Visitor’…
I read the “Onion” article….What, there is something wrong with a guy washing his car, and sucking back a couple of brews?
I’ve done the same thing a thousand times. Though, I do keep my shirt on.
“Joe Biden has calmly and quietly been an incredible Vice President.” Huh??? I found that part more confusing than why someone would want to buy him a Trans Am.
Anyway, he’ll need a sleeveless denim or leather jacket, bell-bottomed polyesters and a few gold chains. The mullet would help out as well. Too bad we couldn’t have gotten this together before last night’s debate; he’d a been stylin’! Smokey and the Veep anyone?
How on earth do you spend 35 years in the Senate at about 175K a year inflation adjusted, four years as VP at 230K a year, charge his secret service detail 20K a year to rent a shed in his yard, and still not have any savings to speak of?
Same way you end up with trillion dollar deficits:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BUDGET_DEFICIT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
No insider trading, apparently.
He seems stupid enough to lose all his money trading on inside information.
Quite possible. He owns a decent suburban home in DE. Ms Biden works as a english professor at a local college. His sons did college and military service, one a JAG in Iraq. Savings? probably modest investments IRA, TDA etc. or he gifts the max $12,500 or so to each of the kids and grandchildren every year which adds up if he does every year to mid 6-figure numbers.
The same way I ended up with a negative net worth back when I was making $60k a year. You spend roughly as much as you make, so your net worth doesn’t increase.
I suspect that most of the people reading this blog are in a similar situation…
@Dan –
Those jobs come with pensions mere mortals can only dream about.
That’s not what I want to give Biden.
What an ambiguous comment.
I’m guessing that you want to either want to a) give him your vote, b) give him the finger, or c) give him a romantic evening I’d rather not visualize?
No need to answer!
I don’t mind. b is the right answer but ti was intentionally ambiguous.
From today forward I shall refer to Mr. Ryan and Mr. Biden as Smokey and the Bandit.
(I have nothing against either of them, I just think it sounds cool.)
And the young kid in the small town down the road has friends and neighbors having bake sale, fish frys, etc. to help pay for the brain cancer treatments.
Parents confronting financial destitution for life.
Congress altered bankruptcy laws that used to help folks in these predicaments.
Be nice if a nation-wide on-line fundraiser for little kids and families in dire straits was a constant.
Still was able to laugh at the posting and remarks about it at other sites.
Is he living check to check?
Must be something like that.
I’d understand a LITTLE if he had company housing throughout his career, but senators don’t get that perk.
Biden owns his own house, a very nice 8700 sq foot waterfront house on 4 acres in Wilmington, DE that carries a property tax assessment of $953,000 (with a market value of around $1.6 million). He lives next door to some of the Mellon family (yes the BNY Mellons).
He must have lived hard and played hard and racked up some serious debts along the way. Good thing he gets a government pension, because a guy his age without retirement savings is downright scary.
Judging by the wailing by all the Gomers and the democratic headquarters getting shot in Colorado I’d say biden must have done pretty well.
who got shot? was that in the Onion, too?
put down the bottle.
Nomination for vice-president and low net wealth? Sounds like a rerun of Milhous Checkers. Buy Biden a dog. Where is Howard Hughes when we need him?
Why, does Biden have a brother with a failing fast food chain?
Like I said. desperate goobs.
Forget Biden.
Buy ME a Trans Am!
I’ll really appreciate it, and it won’t be Onion fodder.
;^)
Biden has all the skills of a third rate used car salesman. Let him steal the car.
Lyin’ Ryan ought to steal a car. I wouldn’t trust him to guard a henhouse. He’d probably sell off the hens and have the money in a hedge fund by the time the farmer got home.
VP Biden is actually worth millions. The media is merely trying to perpetuate the myth that he’s a common guy. Plus they’re trying to distract from his constant verbal blunders.
The VP doesn’t need a car. He has a 24-hr limo, protected by the Secret Svc.
That’s about 350k more than I am worth. Wish there was a TTAH (houses) web site about 5 years ago.
Why do people want to give these gifts to politicians? The Clinton’s home in NY was a gift. I’ve read that Obama will receive a multi-million dollar mansion in Hawaii when he leaves as POTUS. Any multi-term Congressman or Senator retires as a millionaire with a great pension and then goes to work on K Street at a million/year. What ever happened to the framer’s idea that serving in government was an honor, a privilege and your patriotic duty. Not a career. I’m talking to you Joe Biden, Charlie Rangel and Frank Wolf.
One of the Founding Fathers (Franklin?, Washington?) wanted the job of president to come with NO salary. The other fathers thought that no salary would mean that only “men of means” would want to be president. We know how that went.
Could have been Washington. He was the wealthiest man in America in the late 18th century and would have seen little need to draw a salary for himself, especially given the shoestring budget the federal government was running on back then,
Hell, too bad this viral event hadn’t come around a few years back, I would’ve given him my ’87 Camaro T-Top in exchange for a passport and one-way ticket to Tijuana…..:) or Alberta…..