Phil Gramm: Economy Okay, We’re Just “Mental” “Whiners”

July 10th, 2008, 12:17 PM EDT

Phil Gramm, whose deregulatory banking policies led to the economic turmoil we’re now experiencing says what we’re going through is a “mental recession” because we’re “a nation of whiners.”  Gramm is a top economic advisor to John McCain, but the McCain campaign is distancing itself from his comments.

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 economy is fine, according to comments Gramm made to the Washington Times. We’re just ungrateful.

“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.

“We’ve never been more dominant; we’ve never had more natural advantages than we have today,” he said. “We have benefited greatly” from the globalization of the economy in the last 30 years.

It’s not the economy; it’s the media, stupid!

“Misery sells newspapers,” Mr. Gramm said. “Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day.”

Responses to this post...

  1. Mental whining is the step before somebody decides to take real action. In America, I pray that action is civil; but we can’t be sure of what bitter people with Bibles and guns in hand are going to do. Either we are equal or we have a serious problem that must be resolved. Clearly, Phil Gramm isn’t equal and he doesn’t support equal opportunity in America. It’s time for them to leave. Affirmative access is Bush’s legacy and it’s history.

    Posted by Cecil Jones
    July 10th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
  2. Is the McCain campaign being run by anyone? How can a campaign screw up this much…

  3. Ambassador to Bellarussia? He thinks everything is a joke…

  4. We may or may not be in an official recession, but the problem is that there are more people struggling than ever before because of higher prices on everything from milk to gas combined with lower wages or no jobs at all

    Posted by directorpooh
    July 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
  5. Export Boom?? Mr. Gramm am I to understand there are more goods going out of the usa then Imports?

    And while your at it Mr. Gramm,please tell me how globalization has any kind of benefit to the usa ? Is the cost of living(housing,food,ect.) equal to that of the usa dollar all over the globe?

    One more thing…Where is all the “global” effort in this war Mr.Gramm? I can remember Alot of countries showing intrest (by sending troops) all but a few remain in this “Global” effort.

    Posted by Dazed & confused
    July 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
  6. ….Just another republican smearing the American people.

  7. This guy is totally out of touch with reality. Perhaps he thinks that everyone is living on his income?

    I spent some QT with my 17 year old sister yesterday, and explained to her why the gas prices were hurting people so much. That shit shot up in a matter of months, but our incomes basically stayed the same. No one got a cost of living increase to cover the sudden increase in gas, and to cover the increase in food and other goods that are going up bc of the gas.

  8. Well Gramm taught economics at Texas A&M for 12 years, which I guess makes him an academic, so he must know what he’s talking about, right?

    Posted by RC from Smithtown
    July 10th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
  9. “Well Gramm taught economics at Texas A&M for 12 years, which I guess makes him an academic”

    Apparently he’s not very good economics professor.

  10. another old fart out of touch..

  11. Whut ya got here is a littl’ bit of confusion over just what Phil means by “we”.

    He’s a lobbyist for UBS. He lobbies on behalf of predatory lenders. He’s a retired politician and he’s living off a government pension with government supplied healthcare while he lobbies against the best interests of most Americans.

    I WOULD think the world looks just fine from where Phil’s sitting. Why wouldn’t it? “We” are doin’ just fine, thank you.

    Posted by anonymouse
    July 10th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
  12. Who’s Phil Gramm and who gives a fuck what he says ..

  13. for Cripe’s sake Nomad, read the damned article.

    as stated in the first paragraph,

    Phil Gramm, whose deregulatory banking policies led to the economic turmoil we’re now experiencing says what we’re going through is a “mental recession” because we’re “a nation of whiners.” Gramm is a top economic advisor to John McCain, but the McCain campaign is distancing itself from his comments.

  14. “for Cripe’s sake Nomad, read the damned article”

    Is that Jesus Cripes?

  15. I was being sarcastic Cheryl .. Impeach Bush .. Why not put him on the Space Station forever ..

  16. oh. well my bad then, homie.

    fury~ lol, you moron. :-D i feel that “cripes” is more respectful. “thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain” and all that.

  17. Just think Cheryl .. if we didn’t know who he was and we didn’t lesten to him .. I guess we would not be in the shape were in .. huh ??

    That’s our problem .. so many people with too much crap flying out of their big mouths ..

  18. “Apparently he’s not very good economics professor.”

    Crikey! I wouldn’t even know how to judge.

    Posted by RC from Smithtown
    July 11th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
  19. “So many people with too much crap flying out of their big mouths.”

    And what could more human-like than that?

    Posted by RC from Smithtown
    July 11th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
  20. Crikey! I wouldn’t even know how to judge.

    I spoke with my economics professor about this and he graduated with honors from William & Mary and he truly knows a thing about economics.

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