Stop your Whining! It’s all in your head!
Think McCain and crew feel your pain?
In an interview with the Washington Times, McCain’s top economic adviser Phil Gramm tells America to suck it up and stop complaining about the economy:
“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. “We may have a recession; we haven’t had one yet.”
“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.
Losing your home? It’s in your head. Can’t afford to fill up your car? Stop whining! Lost your job? Suck it up, you big baby! Now that’s some straight talk!
Tags: 2008 Presidential, John McCain
Gramm thinks a psychotic pill will alleviate America’s woe, when actually a reversal of the Bush tax cuts will do the trick….
This kind of delusional tripe from govenment folks can make someone very “bitter”. 😉
Just another example of the Republican policy of wishing it to be true is good enough.
Remember folks this is the same bill Gramm while in the Senate told the American People that Bill Clinton’s tax bill that passed without one Repuk vote would lead to a Recession or even worst and that was in 1993. After that bill came into effect we got a balanced budget and a surplus. Also go back and look at the price of gasoline and the value of you IRA or 401K’s. Some economic genius the Gramm guy.
Dollar worth less because we deficit spend? It’s in your head!
Gramm’s an idiot, but I think a lot of the henny-penny craziness the media has spoon-fed us over the past year hasn’t helped anything.
The mortgage crisis started a little over a year ago and certain areas of the country started to experience a slowdown in real estate appreciation. That’s not what was reported, though. Every major media outlet ran daily, reports on the ‘crash’ of the real estate market. It was completely shameless sensationalism of a localized problem being reported on a national scale. The only areas that were really being impacted were California, Florida and Michigan. A few other states had seen minor drops, but nothing horrible. Delaware was doing just fine, thank you very much.
The end result was people in places like NCC deciding to hold off on buying a house because irresponsible journalists were making blanket statements that they knew were exaggerations. But, hey, that’s what sells papers and ad time.
It’s the same thing, in part, with the economy. They go on and on about recession – are we in a recession? when will it start? is it here yet? how will it last? what about inflation? omg, don’t forget stagflation! – so people start to cut back their spending, which hurts retailers, which hurts the economy as a whole. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s really quite sickening to bear witness to this kind of market manipulation.
I’m not saying that the economy would be peachy if the media would STFU, but it would be nice if they could stick to the facts and not spend so much time speculating.
So Dom is Phil a nut case or is it the usual Repuke spin “Its the Liberal media’s fault”
I don’t really buy into that whole ‘liberal media’ thing (except for MSNBC), but I think the answer is yes to both. Gramm is a nutcase and the media bears some responsibility for stirring the panic pot.
I don’t really think Gramm was making a statement about the media, though. I think he was making a statement about the American public. He’s such an idiot. I wish McCain would put his sharper, less gaffe-prone surrogates out in front of the cameras. Carly Fiorina and Mitt Romney generally do very well. He should stick with them and maybe Charlie Crist (tho his tan is a bit disconcerting) .
I explained many months ago that using Phil Gramm as an adivsor on economics is about like allowing the fox to guard a hen house. Mr. Enron needs to know that a political economy does not work like a pyramid scheme. Otherwise the shock trickles up. That is exactly what we are seeing now and as long as this model of economics continues the economic doldrums will get worse and the tax base will shrink while foreign financing increases. Boo frickin’ hoo? No way; coming down because of irresponsible, self serving management YES!
and Gramm is on tap to be McCain’s Treasury Secretary in the nightmare scenario of a McCain presidency……
…..so now the media can go crazy….kinda like they did when Obama said that folks were disillusioned about their government & clinging to their religion & guns…..
yeah right.
Or maybe he’ll appoint Carly Fiorina. If he were smart, he’d pick Sarah Palin as his VP, but I have a sneaky suspicion he’ll pick Romney. That would be disappointing, but at least it would be better than someone like Jindal. I know he’s going to have to go with someone young, but I’d like a VP with a modicum of experience.
Isa McCain presidency really a nightmare scenario? I mean, I see GWB as a nightmare. As much as the far-left is spinning McCain as a third Bush term, I don’t see it that way. He’s just pandering to his base right now. Isn’t it funny how Dems instantly move to the center after they get the nomination while Republicans never bite the hands that feed them? This is why Dems are so frequently viewed as being weak on virtually everything except social programs. They simply aren’t willing to stand up for what they believe in.
“Is a McCain presidency really a nightmare scenario? I mean, I see GWB as a nightmare.”
Dominique,
Let me answer that for you in a word: Yes. It would be the worst possible foreign policy move we have ever had probably in the history of the country. Domestically things would not change much as many of the importabnt ideas that would drive our economy and our development as a people would sit on the shelf. I would frame the question would Obama be better and if so, how?
Well on foreign policy he is more in line with the American tradition of dipolomacy but shows NO sign of lowering our expeditures and wants to increase them over George Bush. McCain wants to increase these expenditures to unrealistically radical propotions that will bankrupt us quickly. They will be an unmitigated disaster.
On Domestic policy, for better or worse, the democrats rule the roost. Their policies are dedicated to the development of our citizens and that would be a breath of fresh air.
But, I’d like to see some answers and thoughts about this and not just partisan ranting.
Isa McCain presidency really a nightmare scenario
With people like Phil Graham in key spots both in the campaign and a potential administration
the answer is a resounding yes
Mitt Romney would be a great pick for us dem’s. Romney has this rep as a great businessman, however ,he has created nothing just downsized the company’s he has taken over.
Sarah Palin is hot !! Pick her you win the female vote. McCain will die before his term is up. He is rather old. There you have it, first female Pres. of the USA. … No?
Dom asks: Is a McCain presidency really a nightmare scenario?
A resounding YES indeed. I second Andy’s declaration. McCain has shown himself to be crazier and more and more conservative month after month. If he can be forgiven for his “pandering”, then why can’t anyone else? Pulease, get over Hillary’s loss. You are not thinking clearly. Eight years of Bush plus four years of McCain will absotootin’lutely ruin us. I will have to resurrect that plan from the 60’s to move to Canada. Fuck Hoover.
the media bears some responsibility for stirring the panic pot.
Dom –
You really are a nut. I wonder how long the traditional media would have been pimping this story with endless commentary on how “out of touch” Obama was if one of his closest campaign advisors said what Grahm said?
Suffice to say that we’d bee talking about this for weeks and not minutes.
CJO let’s cut the talk about dying as i am older than McCain it just doesn’t fit well with my thinking. I just may die if he wins
‘Pulease, get over Hillary’s loss.’
Please give the ‘get over Hillary’ spin a rest. My world doesn’t revolve around Hillary. I know you don’t mean to be insulting, Jen, but it’s kind of dismissive to imply that my feelings/opinions are about Hillary and not about the given subject.
Let me make this perfectly clear to all of you – I am over Hillary’s loss. In fact, I couldn’t be happier. This is the first election where I’m not stressed beyond belief because I don’t really feel like I have a horse in the race. I can just sit back and giggle while you guys wring your hands and suffer unwarranted media attacks. It’s Obama’s comeuppance and it’s really fun to watch. If he wins in the fall, it’s not going to break my heart. I’ll have at least four more years of poking fun at him.
CJO – Exactly! First female president brought to you courtesy of the Republicans. Who’da thunk it?
Sorry, TT. I’m thinking more in terms of him retiring after his first term and golfing happily in Arizona till he’s 99. Sarah could then run against Hillary in 2012.
C’mon, ladies, you have to admit it would be great to have a choice of two great women.
I have always thought that the first black president and the first woman president would be republicans. I am hopeful that I will be wrong about the first black president now.
Dom
Don’t feel sorry for me I have survived the loss like you so not only will I vote Dem but like you I don’t have a dog in this fight so I’ll just sit back and enjoy the show. However you are so much younger than I had pictured you to be.
Al
I agree i think the MSM has blown this housing out of kilt. My neighbor down the block put his house up 3 years ago for 1,2 Million couldn’t get a nibble took it off the market for 6 months . put it back on for 2,3 Million again no takers. Sold it this past November for 3.4 Million to a guy who looked at it when it was 2,3. Go figure. on the other side of the coin a neighbor across the street has hers on the market for 550 thousand and no takers
“Losing your home? It’s in your head. Can’t afford to fill up your car? Stop whining! Lost your job? Suck it up, you big baby! Now that’s some straight talk!”
That sounds a bit like Don Viti’s message to the late Pfc Dwyer.
Ah… but McCain is serious, whereas DV was being deliberately sensational to make a point.