Gramm calls slowdown 'mental'

[busara]

By MIKE ALLEN | 7/10/08 12:39 PM EST Updated: 7/10/08 12:39 PM EST

Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, referred to the economic slowdown as "a mental recession" and called the United States “a nation of whiners.”

The comments, in an interview with The Washington Times, could hurt the campaign’s efforts to convince working-class Americans that McCain feels their pain.

Democrats immediately condemned the remarks as “callous” and quickly began working to gain widespread attention to them.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton shot back "[T]he American people know that our economic problems aren’t just in their heads. They don’t need psychological relief — they need real relief — and that’s what Barack Obama will provide as president."

The Democratic National Committee issued a statement titled: “Out of Touch Much, Phil.”

A McCain official said: “Phil Gramm’s comments are not representative of John McCain’s views. John McCain travels the country every day talking to Americans who are hurting, feeling pain at the pump and worrying about how they’ll pay their mortgage. That’s why he has a realistic plan to deliver immediate relief at the gas pump, grow our economy and put Americans back to work.”

The Times said Gramm said he expects a McCain administration would inherit an economy “weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.”

The Times quoted him as saying: “You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. … We have sort of become a nation of whiners. …

“You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. … We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today.”

Karen Finney, the Democratic National Committee’s communications director, said: “What John McCain, George Bush, Phil Gramm just don't understand is that the American people aren't whining about the state of the economy, they are suffering under the weight of it — the weight of eight years of Bush-enomics that John McCain and Phil Gramm have vowed to continue.

“How dare john McCain and his advisers so callously dismiss the challenges the American people face? No wonder voters feel john McCain is out of touch. He and his campaign don't even understand the everyday issues Americans are dealing with.”

Gramm calls slowdown 'mental' - Mike Allen - Politico.com

 

[Jeepers]

LOL.... Gramm is an idiot...

 

[AllieBaba]

I think he's more than half right. Working people are living better than ever and making better wages. That pretty much rules out recession. Our unemployment rate is less than it was in the 90s...and anybody who wants a job can get one. How does that spell recession?

 

[busara]

I think he's more than half right. Working people are living better than ever and making better wages. That pretty much rules out recession. Our unemployment rate is less than it was in the 90s...and anybody who wants a job can get one. How does that spell recession?

not true allie
The Juggle - WSJ.com : Are You Better Off Than Your Parents?
U.S. unemployment rate jumps to 5.5% - International Herald Tribune
Notice: Data not available

 

[Chris]

For once I agree with Gramm.

We are a nation of whinners.

It's time to roll up our sleeves.

 

[jreeves]

By MIKE ALLEN | 7/10/08 12:39 PM EST Updated: 7/10/08 12:39 PM EST

Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, referred to the economic slowdown as "a mental recession" and called the United States “a nation of whiners.”

The comments, in an interview with The Washington Times, could hurt the campaign’s efforts to convince working-class Americans that McCain feels their pain.

Democrats immediately condemned the remarks as “callous” and quickly began working to gain widespread attention to them.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton shot back "[T]he American people know that our economic problems aren’t just in their heads. They don’t need psychological relief — they need real relief — and that’s what Barack Obama will provide as president."

The Democratic National Committee issued a statement titled: “Out of Touch Much, Phil.”

A McCain official said: “Phil Gramm’s comments are not representative of John McCain’s views. John McCain travels the country every day talking to Americans who are hurting, feeling pain at the pump and worrying about how they’ll pay their mortgage. That’s why he has a realistic plan to deliver immediate relief at the gas pump, grow our economy and put Americans back to work.”

The Times said Gramm said he expects a McCain administration would inherit an economy “weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.”

The Times quoted him as saying: “You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. … We have sort of become a nation of whiners. …

“You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. … We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today.”

Karen Finney, the Democratic National Committee’s communications director, said: “What John McCain, George Bush, Phil Gramm just don't understand is that the American people aren't whining about the state of the economy, they are suffering under the weight of it — the weight of eight years of Bush-enomics that John McCain and Phil Gramm have vowed to continue.

“How dare john McCain and his advisers so callously dismiss the challenges the American people face? No wonder voters feel john McCain is out of touch. He and his campaign don't even understand the everyday issues Americans are dealing with.”

Gramm calls slowdown 'mental' - Mike Allen - Politico.com

You do realize we he referred to "whiners" he was talking about politicians? Anyways, his statement about the "mental recession" was just plain stupid....

 

[Diuretic]

You do realize we he referred to "whiners" he was talking about politicians? Anyways, his statement about the "mental recession" was just plain stupid....

Nice try but he wasn't talking about politicians. If he was then why would he refer to a "nation of whiners"?

But I think I understand what he means. The economic conditions, when they start to wobble a bit, don't really worry the super-wealthy. Take the housing market. When it takes a hit it takes it in the middle class ownership area. The top end of the market is always protected from the vagaries of the economy. So, yes, for someone on the top of the pile listening to the complaints from those in the middle, it would sound a bit like whining.

 

[AllieBaba]

not true allie
The Juggle - WSJ.com : Are You Better Off Than Your Parents?
U.S. unemployment rate jumps to 5.5% - International Herald Tribune
Notice: Data not available

I was listening to the head of the Department of Labor last night on CNN and she debunked every one of those claims. She said today our unemployment rate is 5.5%, while in the 90s it was 5.7.

And the plain truth is...we do live better than our parents. The WSJ article actually says this:

"The study also mentions that families with men in their 30s do have more income today than a generation ago."

They took into account that we're doing better because both parents work...but that's still doing better, particularly considering the fact that we worked so long and hard to get women into the work place. You can't hav it both ways and whine that we aren't doing better because the numbers are skewed because women have to or choose to work....and then whine if they don't work as well.


And if you had read the comments to that article, you would see that almost every one of those who commented said they were doing exponentially better than their parents.

We aren't worse off. It's a myth perpetuated by people who want you to think we're in dire straits and only sweeping socialistic reform will save us. It's propaganda, baby.

The other article, which says we've suffered the biggest surge in more than a decade conveniently leaves out (because they don't want you to know) that even with that big surge, we STILL have a lower unemployment rate than we had in the 90s. Even with the surge. Kinda telling.

 

[jreeves]

Nice try but he wasn't talking about politicians. If he was then why would he refer to a "nation of whiners"?

But I think I understand what he means. The economic conditions, when they start to wobble a bit, don't really worry the super-wealthy. Take the housing market. When it takes a hit it takes it in the middle class ownership area. The top end of the market is always protected from the vagaries of the economy. So, yes, for someone on the top of the pile listening to the complaints from those in the middle, it would sound a bit like whining.

Well if politicians are 'supposedly representatives' of the country. Wouldn't that make it a a nation of whiners?

 

[AllieBaba]

I don't think of politicians as representatives in the sense that they are like us. They are representatives in the sense that they represent our best interests to others.

 

[Charles_Main]

while I do not totally agree with him. There is some truth to it. When everyone talks about a resection coming. It usually helps cause it to happen. When people are afraid the economy is going to tank. They get tighter with their money and It helps usher along the Resection.

 

[jreeves]

while I do not totally agree with him. There is some truth to it. When everyone talks about a resection coming. It usually helps cause it to happen. When people are afraid the economy is going to tank. They get tighter with their money and It helps usher along the Resection.

Technically he is correct, he haven't hit 2 consecutive quarters of decline in the GDP. But it was still not the brightest thing to say.

 

[Charles_Main]

Technically he is correct, he haven't hit 2 consecutive quarters of decline in the GDP. But it was still not the brightest thing to say.

Clearly, not bright is an understatement. It was idiotic. He could have explained he meant that worry about a bad economy can cause one, but then he is not the brightest bulb in the bunch it seems.

 

[Diuretic]

Well if politicians are 'supposedly representatives' of the country. Wouldn't that make it a a nation of whiners?

But he didn't use that sort of rationale. He referred to a "nation of whiners". Plain thinking tells me that he was talking about the nation collectively and not its representatives.

 

[jreeves]

But he didn't use that sort of rationale. He referred to a "nation of whiners". Plain thinking tells me that he was talking about the nation collectively and not its representatives.

That was his response.....

Phil Gramm, a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, on Thursday stood by his comment that the country is in a "mental recession," and said he was trying to say the nation's leaders, not its people, were "whiners."

Gramm: We need more leadership, less whining - CNN.com


That being said, his comments about the economy was stupid.

 

[editec]

I think he's more than half right. Working people are living better than ever and making better wages. That pretty much rules out recession. Our unemployment rate is less than it was in the 90s...and anybody who wants a job can get one. How does that spell recession?

You're as misinformed as Gramm is, Allie.

 

[editec]

Nice try but he wasn't talking about politicians. If he was then why would he refer to a "nation of whiners"?

But I think I understand what he means. The economic conditions, when they start to wobble a bit, don't really worry the super-wealthy. Take the housing market. When it takes a hit it takes it in the middle class ownership area. The top end of the market is always protected from the vagaries of the economy. So, yes, for someone on the top of the pile listening to the complaints from those in the middle, it would sound a bit like whining.

Yeah, that's about it.

He inadvertently showed us how indifferent he really is to the average American families' plight.

And he is McCain's adviser on matters of economics, too.

That should be a tip off about how McCain will deal with the problems that Americans are having, but I know that the party faithful either won't get it, or feel confident enough in their own resources that they don't much care what happens to the nation as a whole.

 

[bush lover]

Senator Gramm is absolutely right. I am so sick and tired of the whining crybabies who hate our President, our troops, our freedoms and America. If these whiners hate American so much, then how about the Socialist Paradise of Candana or Swedish? Our next President, John McCain, will cut our taxes more and defend patriotic Americans against the terrorists for 100 years if necessary because he was a heroic POW. And Senator McCain is a self-made man just like our President Bush and Vice President Cheney. They worked their fingers to the bone to get their money. So you envious Socialistic whiners, get a job or two or three. Just keep your Socialist hands out of my pockets.

 

[Jeepers]

Between that and Mac calling for the horrible death of Social Security... his campaign is done..

 

[Manuel]

...self-made man just like our President Bush and Vice President Cheney. They worked their fingers to the bone to get their money...

Yea right.