"The biggest challenge is helping those who really deserve help"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Arthur Delaney
[e-mail] | HuffPost Reporting

Obama: More Aggressive Anti-Foreclosure Efforts Would Help People Who Don't Deserve It

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/28/obama-foreclosure-program-_n_775553.html

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama defended his administration's beleaguered foreclosure-prevention initiatives on Wednesday by arguing that more aggressive steps to assist homeowners might help people who don't deserve to be helped.

Asked if his administration had done enough to stem the foreclosure crisis, Obama opted not to address foreclosure fraud scandal that has forced banks to temporarily halt home repossessions across the country. Instead, he claimed that the government's efforts had stabilized the housing market, and argued that the "biggest challenge" was to make sure speculators and deadbeats didn't take advantage of the government's help.

"The biggest challenge is how do you make sure that you are helping those who really deserve help and if they get some temporary help can get back on their feet, make their payments and move forward and stay in their home versus either people who are speculators, own second homes that they really couldn't afford because they'd gotten a subprime loan, and people who through no fault of their own just can't afford their house anymore because of the change in housing values or their incomes don't support it," Obama said during a roundtable discussion with a handful of progressive bloggers at the White House.

"And we're always trying to find that sweet spot to use as much of the money that we have available to us to help those who can be helped, without wasting that money on folks who don't deserve help," he continued. "And that's a tough balance to strike."

[katandmoon]

1. But he'll give a total pass to the war crimes of the Bush administration.

[treestar]

2. Don't see the problem here

Anyone who owns a second home that's being foreclosed on - it's not a first home. They still have another one.

Speculators might default on a loan too - they are buying and selling real estate to invest.

It's the person with one home that they live in who are most sympathetic here.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. No, no problem, and people who went for subprimes shouldn't get a second chance for the same failure

...but when you go to the HuffPo home page, the headline that links to this story is "IS HE TRYING TO LOSE THE MIDTERMS?"...

...so while the actual words Obama said are well-reasoned...even though they may not be the first thing people in trouble want to hear...they are already being spun into something different.