Phil Gramm: U.S. Has Become ‘Nation of Whiners’

[Wretched Excess]

this isn't helping.  even if he is actually right.

Gramm: U.S. Has Become ‘Nation of Whiners’

Barack Obama hit a John McCain economic adviser Thursday after the McCain campaign distanced itself from Phil Gramm, who said the U.S. has become a “nation of whiners” suffering from a “mental recession.”

Gramm, who now heads Swiss bank UBS, told The Washington Times the U.S. has benefited from globalization but most Americans are misguided by constant reports that the economy is at its worst in 30 years.

“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” Gramm, a former Texas senator, told the newspaper, adding that the presumptive Republican nominee will face an uphill battle fighting those perceptions.

“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline” despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

Obama, speaking about economic security to a women’s group in Fairfax, Va., said Gramm’s comments show the McCain campaign has no remedy for the nation’s economic woes.

“Senator McCain recently admitted that his energy proposals will have mainly “psychological” benefits. Well, you know, America already has one Dr. Phil.  When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another. … It isn’t whining to ask for more than just psychological relief,” he said.

“America already has one Dr. Phil.  When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another.  Let’s be clear, when people are struggling with the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, when we’ve lost 438,000 jobs over the past six months, when typical families have seen their incomes fall nearly $1,000 since 2000, this economic downturn isn’t in our heads.  It isn’t whining to ask for more than just psychological relief.

Much More

[Chris_]

Well...somebody needs to say it.....

doc

[Chris_]

To liberals, relief=handouts.

[DumbAss Tanker]

I'm with Phil.

[Chris_]

I'm with Phil.

Yes -- liberals can only win when things are Bad. It is in their interest, therefore, to make everything look as Bad As Possible. 

We have 95% employment, the so-called housing crisis has only affected 1/2 to 1% of homeowners and gasoline is still significantly cheaper in the USA than in most of the world. In fact, the raise in prices is starting to have some great positive results: alternatives to oil are becoming feasible and the nation is now paying close attention to the need for energy independence -- something it should have done in the 70s!

Things are good -- but that is NOT the message that can be sent by the MSM, hussein or, apparently, McCain.
 

[Wretched Excess]

mccain bravely defends the whiner's right to whine.

McCain Distances Himself from Gramm

BELLVILLE, Michigan -- Sen. John McCain said flatly today that he does not agree with one of his top economic advisers, saying that former senator Phil Gramm "does not speak for me. I speak for me. I strongly disagree."

Gramm had said the nation's economic problems amount to a "mental recession," and added that, "We have sort of become a nation of whiners," he said. "You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline."

To that, McCain, who is campaigning in the struggling communities of Detroit, said that "the person here in Michigan who just lost his job isn't suffering from a mental recession."

linky

[Chris_]

Heard the question put on the radio today - could have been from Limbaugh:

Is McCain finally going to start taking his campaign to Boядt Osama once he's attacked and distanced himself from everyone who's supposedly part of his "base"?

[Wretched Excess]

gramm called CNN to "clarify his remarks", but didn't back off a millimeter.

Gramm called CNN to clarify his remarks before boarding a flight Thursday.

He said was not speaking for the campaign when he made the remarks.

"I didn't claim to be representing anyone except myself," he said.

Gramm said he was not trying to insult the country's people.

"The whiners are the leaders. Hell, the American people are victims, but it didn't quite come out that way in the story," Gramm said.

 These national and congressional leaders "blame speculators and oil companies for our problems, instead of presenting concrete programs for using energy more efficiently, or leaders who don't think we can compete with Mexico."

"What we need is more leadership and less whining," he added.

But he stood by his assessment that the country was in a "mental recession."

"I said we are in a mental recession. We keep getting the steady drumbeat of bad news ... it's become a mental recession," said Gramm. "We don't have measured negative growth. That's a fact, that's not a commentary."

More

[MrsSmith]

We keep getting the steady drumbeat of bad news ... it's become a mental recession," said Gramm. "We don't have measured negative growth. That's a fact, that's not a commentary."

He is right.  The worst problem with our economy is gas prices...so the nation has dropped it's usage a whopping 2%...because most of us can manage to keep buying gas AND groceries.  If Clinton were in office, the media would be spouting tons of stories about how good the economy still is.

[SemiSpook]

Um, where the hell was Phil all this time? I say the Republicans draft him from the floor in Minneapolis.

[Wretched Excess]

Um, where the hell was Phil all this time? I say the Republicans draft him from the floor in Minneapolis.

I was all jazzed up the year he ran.  then he finished 5th in iowa, and I don't think he even made it
to new hampshire.

[Wretched Excess]

the MSN is all OVER this one.  ABC news led their broadcast with it.  WaPo played it on page one.  if
The BarackStar! had said this, there would have been 50 front page stories conclusively proving our
whining.  they are going to keep what should be a one day ripple alive as long as they can.

oh, and chris matthews apparently dedicated his rancid ass show to the subject last night.  I don't
know for sure, because I flipped after the lead in.  but he definitely led off with it.*

annoying damn story

*I force myself to watch chris matthews during election years, just so I know what the enemy is up to.

[john c calhoun]

We keep getting the steady drumbeat of bad news ... it's become a mental recession," said Gramm. "We don't have measured negative growth. That's a fact, that's not a commentary."

He is right.  The worst problem with our economy is gas prices...so the nation has dropped it's usage a whopping 2%...because most of us can manage to keep buying gas AND groceries.  If Clinton were in office, the media would be spouting tons of stories about how good the economy still is.

the worse thing about our economy is DEBT & one if the reasons for it (loss of domestic production of everything)...

especially credit cards & the way mortgage lending has been done these past few years or so...

but all those problems actually fall right into the GOP's laps....

if I recall correctly, gramm actually spearheaded the banking bullshit 10 years ago & of course, the GOP has had majority for many years & did NOTHING about the price of gas but help to make it rise.,..

[Bluesuiter-Retired]

Well, like they say - THE TRUTH HURTS.

No one wants to be told the truth though.

[Schadenfreude]

Ok. Fine. McCain show us your NUTS and go after Barack and some of his comments. I am still waiting for him to pull off the gloves for Obama's comments regarding embarassment about America because all of our citizens don't speak a foreign language.

Gramm, you need to back off the electorate, the media are the whiners.... go after them. The citizens have every right to be unhappy about 4/gal gas which is completely the fault of an inept govt.

[Red October]

“Senator McCain recently admitted that his energy proposals will have mainly “psychological” benefits. Well, you know, America already has one Dr. Phil.  When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another.

Who knew Barack was a frustrated comic?  Is he going to win over the Iranian mullahs with a series of punchlines, like he has with the voters?  Is that the plan?

Gas is high because the DEMOCRATS and environmentalist whackos.  Someone's voting all these numbskulls in and giving credence to these chicken-little sky-is-falling global-warming prophecies of doom.  So yeah, America has it's fair share of brainless whiners.