Jul 10 2008
McCain Adviser Accuses U.S. of Being a “Nation of Whiners,” McCain and Obama Disapprove: What does it all mean?
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Yes, today Senator John McCain’s economic adviser Phil Gramm told The Washington Times that America is too whiny about it’s economic troubles. Gramm said that Americans are ignoring the positive side of things and need to be a bit more optimistic.
“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” said Gramm. He went on…. We have sort of become a nation of whiners…. 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.”
But with rising costs in fuel and food and a woefully bad housing market, is this any time to gloss over any of these issues? Sure, the U.S. poverty level is not abjectly that of Zimbabwe or the slums of Latin America, but even Senator McCain would not begrudge anyone the right to want to improve a tough situation. It may well be that Mr. Gramm’s being a Swiss banker has disconnected him from those who struggle. Similarly Senator Barack Obama alluded that Gramm’s comments speak to the fact that McCain’s campaign has no real remedy for the economy.
However McCain was quick to remove himself from Gramm’s view saying, “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 the typical family has lost $1,000 in income … since George Bush took office …. This economic downturn is not in your heads…. It isn’t whining to ask government to step in and give families some relief.”
later McCain went on to say, “We are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So I strongly disagree.”
Both Candidates make good points. Should a man with which McCain so adamantly disagrees be his economic adviser? I say emphatically, “no way!” Secondly, as Senator Obama suggested, does McCain’s economic intuition face serious questions because of Gramm’s views? I say, “yes, Sir!” Yet neither candidate has any executive experience in this matter or any other. Who wins this battle? McCain or Obama? Maybe you have an opinion. If so, please wax poetically and let me know.
Stumble It!
This is the first truthful statement by either campaigns…America is a bunch whiners and complainers!