I said yesterday the gaffes and apologies keep coming this election season. Only in today’s case, there is no apology – the culprit chooses not to “retract any of it.” Yes I’m talking of Sen. John McCain’s top economic advisor, Phil Gramm saying and I quote “we’ve sort of become a nation of whiners . . . just like you have mental depression, this is a mental recession.” Wow! I’m learning twisted words in this administration and election season than ever before. If it is not enhanced interrogation (torture), it is now a mental recession on the part of Americans experiencing tough times. Gramm says it’s all in our heads.
Seriously! This is what we get when a politician has lived in a bubble of his posh lifestyle in Washington for so long, he gets out of touch with the state of the people – the people the Politician is supposed to serve.
As I watched this story unfold yesterday, I couldn’t help but remember the severe misstep by the former President George H. Bush in 1992’s election season when he had no clue electronic scanners existed in the grocery store. But his opponent, trying to get to the office for the first time, former President Bill Clinton knew the price of milk (at the time) on a whim making him seem connected to the plight of the American people while his rival who was the sitting President was clueless. After all, it was during that time we got that iconic phrase from Bubba’s campaign: It’s the economy, stupid!
But not to Gramm, a person called an “economic guru” who was supposed to help McCain. who admitted some months ago not knowing much about the economy appear credible. Not anymore! In less than 24 hours, McCain has kicked his longtime friend off the “straight talk express” to the curb saying, “he doesn’t speak for me, I speak for me.” Gramm chose not to back down on his videotaped comments but only to say he didn’t make his comments about the people but the leaders. Ok, when did a “nation” as he mentioned consists of only the leaders? These folks must really think we are stupid.
Anyway, allow me to give Gramm a proper send-off and live up to the “whiners” we are: It’s not in our heads we are paying almost $5 at the gas pump, more than 100 percent a few years ago when our incomes are not making the corresponding jump. It’s not in our heads when the price of groceries also is making the same over 100 percent hike. It’s not in our heads that our homes are losing their value and our neighbors are foreclosing theirs left and right. And it’s not in heads that your administration miniscule stimulus checks didn’t stimulate us to treat ourselves but to pay everyday bills and past days debts. It’s on our over-extended credit and debit cards and our decreasing bank balances.
Tags: Phil Gramm, Mental recession
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