McCain Hurries to Disavow Gramm's "Mental Recession" Remarks

It's not good when one of your presidential campaign's advisers says the economy is all fine, claiming people have a "mental recession" and have become "a nation of whiners"--which is what Phil Gramm, former senator and friend of John McCain, said to the Washington Times. So McCain tried to remind voters he did not stand behind the remarks and even joked Gramm is in "serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus." Barack Obama took the time to blast Gramm, saying, "You know, America already has one Dr. Phil. When it comes to the economy, we don’t need another.”

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By Jen Chung in News on July 11, 2008 10:08 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Here's Senator Gramm appearing on Pat Robertson's 700 Club in 1987 extolling the virtues of free trade and deficit reduction at a time of skyrocketing Reagan Administration deficits and handouts and subsidies to sugar cane growers in Florida who bankrolled the republicans there since the days of Moses. Then here's Phil Gramm voting against extending unemployment benefits to recession-plagued americans after his Savings and Loan cronies in Texas blew up every bank in the state and sent those assets into RTC auctions, a socialist enterprise designed to mop up the messes of rich republicans with federal dollars. Now here's Phil Gramm blaming ordinary americans for worrying that they are sinking ever further...because they are sinking ever further. The man is trash.

hungryghoast

Dirk nailed it.

This is the douchebag related to the sub-prime metldown and Enron and he has the fucking gall to spit this bullshit out.

I know three people who have lost their homes.

I know more people who have lost their jobs or can't find work.

I wonder how many people like this Mr. Gramm knows.

Kevin Walsh

Well, we are a nation of whiners, but it's not the best thing to say in an election year.

www.forgotten-ny.com

smacky

Old, rich, out of touch, has beens not sympathic to the fact that some of us in America under Republican "rule" are suffering. Glad he can afford to keep Euros stashed in his home

Colochita

Apparently the Belarussian-American vote is worthless...

whantmoore

I hope he can tell all the people who are losing there jobs on a daily bases that its a mental thing. We see massive layoffs from major corporations but I guess all of those people are just whining about not having jobs.

Dirk

Phil Gramm is a greedy bastard who helped bring about the sub-prime meltdown. And let's not forget that Phil's wife Wendy was on the board of directors at... Enron!

yomama

Definitely elitist and out of touch. Wasn't that what they were saying about Obama with all that manufactured outrage over his "bitter" remark? I mean Gramm created the Enron loophole and is Mccain's main economic advisor fer Christ's saker!

Gothamist_Cynic

Gotta love republicans. Pretend there's nothing wrong while ripping off citizens.

Rocknrope

This is how all rich white men think.

And TKaisen, I hope you don't agree that the economy is in a good state and we're all in a "mental recession."

TKaisen

Er... what did he say that was wrong? We are a nation of whiners.

TK

Phil must not be getting that UBS research

zodak

it's just 1 part of The Week That Should Have Ended McCain's Presidential Hopes.

JRod5417

The irony is that it is really Gramm who is suffering from mental recession. Being so out of touch with reality must be a sign of mental illness.