Posted on 04/21/2006 5:24:08 PM PDT by aculeus
In Washington speculation, Phil Gramm, the former Texas senator, gets increasing attention as a potential successor to Treasury Secretary John Snow. The thinking is that previous secretaries and other candidates have either too much politics and not enough economics or too much economics and not enough politics.
His assets: Credibility on Capitol Hill, strong on substance, good communicator, private sector experience at UBS.
His liabilities: A reputation for being an independent thinker in an administration that wants an implementer rather than a policymaker.
Gramm — who, like Snow, has a Ph.D. in economics — taught economics at Texas A&M University from 1967 to 1978, and was elected to the House from Texas in 1978 as a Democrat. He switched parties in 1983, and was elected to the Senate in 1984. He stepped down in 2002 and to join UBS Warburg, an investment bank. His wife, Wendy Gramm, a former chair of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, was a director of Enron
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
I'd like to see former Sen. Gramm get the nod simply to watch our resident Third-Party-Anyone-But-Bush members go bonkers trying to find something negative to say.
Forgot that Phil has a PhD in Economics - he'd be great to replace John Snow.
YEAH!! Go Phil!
Phil Gramm is a traitor, he likes Mexican food and supports the President. Think he visited Canada a couple of times too!
Hehe. That's what I thought. Phil Gramm was a great senator.
" Gramm is an intelligent, principled, conservative. People like that have been purged from the Bushbot GOP. Get ready for another corporate/socialist."
Agreed ...I met him once in 1995 in New Hampshire when he was testing the waters for a run for the Presidency .
While I cannot say that I agree with Senator Gramm on every issue, I can say that I think that he would be an excellent choice for Secretary of the Treasury and I hope that President Bush gives him strong consideration for this position if it becomes available.
Gee, who also says crap like that?
He is a long , tall Texan for sure , and what a grip !
he'd be awesome
and he wouldnt have appointed a single supreme court justice
I met Phil Gramm at a small political gathering in SugarLand, Tx in the late 90's. Heck of a nice guy. Says what he means and means what he says. His wife and kids are top-notch folks too.
I second the motion!
Besides, I love Phil Gramm.
do you realize how cimpleely out of place your post is?
Gramm is being considered for the treasury sec position and all you can add is that the GOP hates people like Gramm...you cant stand any good news can you?
(In retrospect of the Clinton healthcare plan failing:)
'..in the darkest hour of the health care debate, when it looked like Bill Clinton was about to convince America that it made sense to tear down the greatest health care system the world had ever known to rebuild it in the image of the post office -- when pollsters were saying it was political suicide to take on the Clinton health care bill head-on, when 20 Republican senators had signed on to a big-government compromise that raised taxes, I stood up and said, "The Clinton health care bill is going to pass over my cold, dead political body."
I am happy today to say that my political body is alive, the President's health care bill is deader than Elvis -- and Elvis may be back, but the President's health care bill will not be back. To paraphrase an old country and western song, I was conservative before conservative was cool.'
(in response to escalating federal spending:)
'I will look at every program of the federal government and I will submit it to one simple test......the test is simple. Is this government program worth taking money away from Dicky Flatt's kitchen table? Let me tell you, there aren't many government programs that pass that test.'
'The debate is not about how much money is going to be spent on education or housing or nutrition. The debate is about who ought to do the spending. Bill Clinton and the Democrats want the government to do the spending. I want the family to do the spending. I know the government and I know the family and I know the difference, and so do you.'
(Famous exchange between Gramm and a federal education official during a Capitol Hill hearing:)
Gramm: My education proposals are premised on the fact that I care more about my children than you do.
Lady Who Represents the Education Establishment: No, you don't.
Gramm: Oh? What are their names?
More Phil Gramm HERE
we need more of Dicky Flatt in D.C. - not to mention Gramm's fiscal conservatism (Gramm-Rudman). yes to Phil Gramm!
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