McCain Adviser Refers to ‘Nation of Whiners’ (No drilling allowed but whine about gas prices)

NY Times ^ | 7/11/2008 | MICHAEL COOPER

[tobyhill]

BELLEVILLE, Mich. — Senator John McCain has spent the week trying to tell people that he feels their economic pain. So it was more than a little unhelpful when one of his top economic advisers was quoted Thursday as saying that the United States was only in a “mental recession” and that it had become a “nation of whiners.”

The adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, Republican of Texas, sought to clarify his remarks Thursday by saying he had been referring only to some of the nation’s leaders.

But it was too late to keep from complicating things for Mr. McCain, who has been trying to strike a more empathetic tone after sometimes struggling to maintain a balance between displays of optimism about the nation’s future and demonstrating an understanding of Americans’ economic hardships.

[bboop]

hahah, too true. He should have said ‘a Senate-full of whiners,’ tho, to be more specific.

[Dr. Ursus]

DR.PHIL I- save me!!!!!

[traderrob6]

Unhelpful maybe but dead on.

[chrisser]

Unhelpful?

Seems like a smart move to me.

Those who would be offended will likely vote Rat anyway. The rest of us who realize that this is largely true are glad someone is finally saying what we’ve been thinking.

[Cincinatus]

Phil Gramm committed the cardinal sin of American politics — he inadvertently spoke the truth.

[Maverick68]

I agree 100%

[LottieDah]

He’s right. All they do is whine about the price of gasoline and oil. I’ve been to entertainment sites where people use the take line gasoline was $1.46 a gallon when Bush took office. Some jerk even wrote a letter to the editor of the NY Daily News to that effect...yet, they blame Bush but continue to oppose drilling.

[LowTaxesEqualProsperity]

Calling Americans a nation of whiners was incredibly stupid.

Those whiners will vote for Obama because, like BJC, he will claim to identify with them and feel their pain, while GOP looks detached and aloof.

This was a big mistake, and the Dems will run ads with Gramm saying this over and over.

[Dixie Yooper]

I hope this doesn’t turn into another head that has to roll, or body that needs to tossed under the bus. It’s time for John McCain to show off some those leadership by experience skills he has by not bending to MSM leanings.

[alicewonders]

Mental recession - schmental recession.....it still feels like a recession to me. Food and gas prices have never been higher & my income isn’t keeping up.

[Madame Dufarge]

I find all the whining about being called whiners kind of entertaining.

[Wolfie]

Just do what Gramm and his buddies do...dip into the ol’ Trust Fund. Problem solved.

[CatherinePPP]

Well, there are an awful lot of whiners out there, you can’t argue with that.

It was kind of a dumb thing to say though. There are also plenty of honest, hardworking people who are struggling right now to make ends meet and coming across as callous probably isn’t doing McCain any favors. He should talk about ideas to improve things for working people, like lowering their taxes and cutting out government waste or something.

[KC_Conspirator]

Gramm is right, but it makes for bad election year politics.

[Viking2002]

Those whiners would vote for Hussein, regardless. They're publum-puking wussies that have needed a teat since the day they were downloaded, and will probably be buried with one. What Gramm said won't offend anyone who already wasn't a human parasite.

[SoFloFreeper]

I would like to see/hear/read the entire message for context. One can make a case the nation is indeed one of whiners...especially baby boomers, who are supposedly the ones leading the nation.

For those of us who work hard, have a positive outlook, and believe in God, we tend to have a better attitude.

Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago a study reported conservatives have a happier outlook on life?

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

Food and gas prices have never been higher & my income isn’t keeping up.

Let me play Freeper with head in sand.

NO Noo No the economy is good it grew at a .000000000000000000000000006%. If you take out food and gas prices inflation is not a problem.

[Miss Didi]

OBAMA: Former Senator Phil Gramm said that we're -- we're merely in a mental recession. That's what he said. Said we're in a mental recession. He didn't say this, but I guess what he meant was, it's a figment of your imagination, these high gas prices. Senator Gramm then deemed the United States, and I quote, a nation of whiners.

RUSH: Stop the tape a second.

OBAMA: A nation of whiners.

RUSH: Yeah. I'll tell you why it's a nation of whiners, because your party is a bunch of whiners. Your party has a patent on whining. All your party does is whine each and every day, from Harry Reid to Nancy Pelosi, whine and moan and complain and accuse. And you do, too, Senator Obama. You don't care about the high gas price. Here's the rest of this statement.

OBAMA: This comes after Senator McCain recently admitted that his energy proposals, you know, for the gas tax holiday and the drilling will have mainly, quote, psychological benefits. I want all of you to know that America already has one Dr. Phil. We don't need another one when it comes to the economy. We need somebody to actually solve the economy. It's not just a figment of your imagination.

RUSH: What in the -- solve the economy? There is no such thing, sir, as solving the economy. You might be well advised to try to understand the economy, and then you would realize that solving it, it's just another problem, and liberals think they have all the answers.

[chrisser]

I find all the whining about being called whiners kind of entertaining.

LOL!