McCain Rips Gramm [Exile Him to Belarus???]

MSNBC First Read ^ | 2008-07-10 | Domenico Montanaro

[rabscuttle385]

McCain slammed economic adviser Phil Gramm for his “mental recession” and “nation of whiners” comment. He said he didn’t agree with him and even proposed a position in a McCain administration -- ambassador to Belarus, “though I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said.

“I don’t agree with Sen. Gramm,” McCain said at a news conference this afternoon. “I believe that the person here in Michigan who just lost their job, isn’t suffering from a ‘mental recession.’ The mother here who is trying to get enough money to feed her children, isn’t ‘whining.’”

“Phil Gramm doesn’t speak for me, I speak for me. I strongly disagree,” McCain continued, speaking of the man who some speculated could be Treasury Secretary in a McCain administration.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Perception is reality.

You seem to have scored some really good acid! Sometimes I miss the 60's.

[Darren McCarty]

Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've read all day. The people outside the ivory tower believe whatever the box in their air-conditioned living rooms tells them to believe. They don't even know what a recession is.

Go out to the swing voters in my neck of the woods and tell them that. They see their jobs leaving. Those with jobs see their paychecks getting smaller and a higher share of their paychecks going to required costs. Gasoline. Food. Etc.

If you think that is dumb, just remember which part of the country decides elections. It's the Midwest.

[Darren McCarty]

The economy doesn’t suck. Here in Tucson, unemployment has just edged up to 4%. Housing prices are about what they were 3 years ago. You can rent an 800 sq ft apartment for $650. Gas is going up - no shock there, since we’ve restricted production for 30 years. Taxes do not need to increase - try voting republican, if you can find a real one

Glad Tuscon's in better shape. Around here, I expect unemployment to hit 10%+ with GM and Ford about to go bankrupt and an idiot governor who I voted against every single time she was up for election.

[Darren McCarty]

And those who perceive that their financial situation is bad in November (about the time the first massive winter heating bills have arrived) will vote for change, not for the status quo

You said it less harshly than I did, but that's exactly the case. Granted, we are a special case of recession here in Michigan going on 7 years, but the whole Midwest has problems right now. That's also where elections are decided.

[SupplySider]

I think McCain agrees with Gramm, but a defining personality characteristic of his is a deep-seated need for the approval of the New York Times and the popular "respectability" they and the rest of liberal media confer.

McCain threw Gramm under the wheels of the Straight Talk Express to prove his fealty to the lords of "malaise". He forgot that his base, infinitely more important to him in the election than liberals who will never vote for him, believes in Reagan style optimism, not Carterism. A major, if predictable, blunder.

[sefarkas]

There is a technical definition of the word “recession” and the current economy does not meet that definition, two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. Higher prices for food and lower prices for housing do not constitute a recession. Personal financial difficulties, or seeing friends in dire straits is sad but not indicative of a nation in recession, a nation of over 300 million in the largest economy of the planet by double. The poorly educated journalists have been repeating the word recession so often you seem to have bought in. Note that even professional economists in large numbers have predicted recession by now, yet meager growth continues. Anyone who says that the U.S. is in recession should be taken to the woodshed. Phil Gramm was right.

[okie01]

[McCain] forgot that his base, infinitely more important to him in the election than liberals who will never vote for him, believes in Reagan style optimism, not Carterism. A major, if predictable, blunder.

Before I pull the lever, I would really, really like for McCain to give me one reason to vote for him. Just one.

With every day that passes, it becomes more obvious McCain is not going to give me that reason.

In retrospect, Bob Dole looks really good.

[okie01]

[McCain] forgot that his base, infinitely more important to him in the election than liberals who will never vote for him, believes in Reagan style optimism, not Carterism. A major, if predictable, blunder.

Before I pull the lever, I would really, really like for McCain to give me one reason to vote for him. Just one. Would that be asking too much?

But, with every day that passes, McCain makes it increasingly obvious that he is not going to give me that reason.

In retrospect, Bob Dole looks really good.

[SupplySider]

With the audacity of hope, I was clinging to Gramm as my one reason. Didn't take McCain long.

McCain thinks that by becoming a nattering nabob of negativism, he will impress the effete corps of impudent snobs. They'll never support him against a leftist. His only hope is to really turn out the conservatives. He seems not to grasp that.

[Yankereb]

I know. Dole looks downright charismatic in comparison to McCain. I look at John, and it’s like phenobarbitol. I want to nod off. I’ve seen corpses with more life in them.God, please help us.

[exit82]

How about just exiling McNuttcase to Belarus?

Can this guy be any more politically tone deaf?

Oh, wait. La Raza’s speech is next week. Hold that thought.

[Darren McCarty]

I didn't buy into what the journalist said. I live it every single day. Even by the technical definition of recession, my state has been in one for seven years. The political definition of recession is a bad economy period. That's what the people call a recession. That's the one that matters in November.

It's not the journalists that "duped" the people. You can call the economic conditions whatever you want, but the people are all experiencing their own personal recession right now. You can deny it. You can use technicalities. You can browbeat them. However, these people are going to vote their pocketbooks. I've already made my decision. I'll be voting for McCain kicking and screaming because of the Supreme Court, but I'm not the person we need to convince.

[Darren McCarty]

Supreme Court is my reason I’m voting for McCain. After the 5-4 Heller decision, I can not risk Obama appointing the replacements for Ginsburg, Souter, Stevens, or Scalia.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Gramm used the term recession, I didn’t. He said we had a mental recession, and americans were whiners.

House values down 20%. Stock prices down 20%. Milk, gas twice as expensive. Costs a thousand dollars to fly up and down the east coast. Unemployment up by 1%. GM possibly going bankrupt. Almost a million people out of work.

For the most part, people are not whiners. And this is not in our mind. It’s not a recession, although I wouldn’t discount the possibility that we have one in the next 6 months or so.

Things are not that bad, but they are not good either. I’m sure they are good for Gramm, with his cushy Senate retirement.

Gramm had a valid point to make about how the economy is strong, how the setbacks are relative to large gains, how gas prices are the Democrat’s fault.

Instead, he blamed the American people for making up their hardship, and for whining about it.

Because of Gramm, we will have at least two days when the story won’t be Obama being an idiot, or the Democrats messing around NOT doing anything about gas prices. Instead, it will be about how out-of-touch Republicans still are.

The quicker he disappears, the better. Worse, because of what he said, I’ve had to listen to Gingrich disagreeing with him. Which almost, but not quite, makes me want to agree with Gramm.

[no dems]

PHIL GRAMM: WHAT AN IDIOT!!!

The GOP can no longer throw into the face of B. Hussein, his statement about rural Americans clinging to God and guns with McCain’s advisors making stupid statements like this.

Let me say it again: WHAT AN IDIOT!!!

[mysterio]

May we presume you prefer Obama? Because barring hell freezing over, that’s the only other choice.

No, you may not assume that. You may assume I prefer whoever I punch the ballot for. There are many choices.

[Grunthor]

Phil Gramm is an idiot, true. Then again, McCain hired him so that speaks volumes about his level of wisdom.

[SupplySider]

His timing may have been bad on this remark, but he's one of the last remaining proponents of Reaganomics in national life, and, as far as I can see, the only supply side advisor anywhere near McCain.

When thing were a lot worse than now, the Gipper was talking morning in America.

[TomGuy]

You seem to have scored some really good acid! Sometimes
I miss the 60's.

You reached the extent of your capacity for discourse?

[rabscuttle385]

I live it every single day. Even by the technical definition of recession, my state has been in one for seven years. The political definition of recession is a bad economy period.

Folks, the technical and correct definition of a recession is two or more quarters of negative change in GDP. From the current official figures, there is no recession at the national level, though I have my suspicions that the official figures are doctored. However, Darren, I'll agree with you, per an earlier post of mine: at a a regional and state level, Michigan appears to be in a localized recession. There may be other states like this (Ohio comes to mind, too). Where I live (Virginia) the economy is still chugging along, so we're not in any sort of recession.