I guess you could be bitter In all fairness, at least mccain disagreed, but what does he know about economics *rimshot* Former Sen. Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, referred to the economic slowdown as "a mental recession" and called the United States “a nation of whiners.” The comments, in an interview with The Washington Times, could hurt the campaign’s efforts to convince working-class Americans that McCain feels their pain. McCain strongly disavowed the comments today , saying Phil Gramm "does not speak for me — I speak for me." "So I strongly disagree," McCain told reporters gathered for a press conference. Democrats immediately condemned the remarks as “callous” and quickly began working to divert widespread attention to them. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton shot back: "[T]he American people know that our economic problems aren’t just in their heads. They don’t need psychological relief, they need real relief. And that’s what Barack Obama will provide as president." The Democratic National Committee issued a statement titled, “Out of Touch Much, Phil.” 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 Times said Gramm said he expects a McCain administration would inherit an economy “weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.” The Times quoted him as saying: “You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. ... We have sort of become a nation of whiners." “You just hear this constant whining, complaining, about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. ... We've never been more dominant; we've never had more natural advantages than we have today.” Karen Finney, the Democratic National Committee’s communications director, said: “What John McCain, George Bush, Phil Gramm just don't understand is that the American people aren't whining about the state of the economy; they are suffering under the weight of it — the weight of eight years of Bush-enomics that John McCain and Phil Gramm have vowed to continue. “How dare john McCain and his advisers so callously dismiss the challenges the American people face? No wonder voters feel John McCain is out of touch. He and his campaign don't even understand the everyday issues Americans are dealing with.”
Totally stupid. While I agree Americans will just have to tighten their belts and improve their spending habits, this is not a "mental recession" by any stretch of the imagination. There is nothing wrong with being pessimistic when things are going badly- maybe it can spur us to finally change.
There is simply no question that the left has a vested political interest in the economy doing poorly. Their comments on the economy over the past several years reflect that. It hurts consumer confidence, which in part impacts the economy. If you were to provide a secret ballot to the liberals, a majority of them would vote for disaster in Iraq and poor economic performance leading up to November. Hard to dispute that really, based on their actions and their words.
Actually it seems rather easy to dispute. Please provide an example. Just one, so I know that you're not completely full of ****.
You have a bad habit of ignoring the topic. The topic is not the left, but Gramm's comments that America is a nation of whiners. And the economic hard times are just part of people's imagination. Do you agree or not? What are your thoughts on what Gramm said. Please stay on topic, if you'd like to start your own topic about the left wanting things to go poorly in Iraq then do so. But please be respectful of fellow posters and stay on topic.
All these wall street whiners with their 20% drop in the dow whine whine whine. 20% drops are nothing. Until it gets to 50 you're a p***y
jorge and phil represent how elitist republicans feel about most americans. in a sad way its actually very inline with the thread topic
You should watch Washington and Jefferson have it out (acutally happens behind closed doors) in John Adams.
It's the lefties that are the whiners, which was the entire premise of my post. I expect you to apologize in short order.
its also a symbol of the small little world these guys live in, they're doing well financially, so everything must be swell for everyone.
then please enlighten us with your comments about the state of the economy--insofar as jobs, cost of gasoline, the health of the mortgage / housing market, over the past 7.5 years ?
Per Gramm's comments, I do think there is a thread of truth in what he says, as I work on the front lines of the mortgage crisis for one of the major mortgage companies. That said, there is a lot of hurt out there, it is tough times for a lot of people. However, getting out of a home you could barely afford and renting something cheaper is something a lot of people don't like to hear, but would really do them a world of good. And then there are people who have never missed a payment who call in and want me to lower their payments because the economy is bad. We'll go over their budget and they'll have a 1K monthly surplus. These are a lot of the whiners I hear. But you definitely can't attach a blanket, "everybody's whining" label on it.
Son, you've been warned in two threads already about your inability to stay on topic. Please don't make the moderators settle this. Dr. Phil didn't call the lefties whiners he called America a nation of whiners. Do you agree with McCain's chief economic adviser or not? Please stay on topic.
Are you going to trap him and say if you call American's whiners than you are a traitor. Because we've seen how awesome that argument is before.
To a certain point I agree with Phil Gramm as so much of our economy is mental. What else is the measure of consumer confidence is that but a measure of how people feel about the economy? I think Phil Gramm could've phrased it much better but also just because something is mental doesn't mean it isn't real. The fact that our economy is driven by the mental outlook of consumers and investors means that there is a real affect due to consumers state of mind.
via ThinkProgress -- 10 Reasons Why Your Economic Pain Isn’t ‘Mental HOUSING FORECLOSURES INCREASING: As a result of the subprime lending crisis, “housing foreclosures nationwide were up 50% in June compared with the same month in 2007.” In California alone, foreclosures have reached an average of 500 per day. HOMELESSNESS INCREASING: The number of homeless over the age of 50 are “steadily increasing.” HEALTHCARE COSTS RISING: According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, “health-care costs are growing much faster than the economy.” Costs are rising so significantly, some Americans are delaying retirement. GAS PRICES RISING: The national average gas price is $4.09, up 33% from this time last year. Gas prices are now expected to hit “$4.25 by the fall and then stay at more than $4 a gallon until the end of 2009.” JOB LOSSES INCREASING: In the first six months of this year, a total of 438,000 jobs have been lost, bringing unemployment to 5.5%. The CEO of Bank of America commented, if unemployment continues to rise, “all bets are off.” FOOD COSTS RISING: “U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007″ making it the fastest rise in 17 years and, as a result, food stamps have considerably less buying power. HEATING AND ELECTRICITY COSTS RISING: Heating oil costs across the north are expected to be “up 60 percent from last year” and utilities across the country are “raising power prices up to 29%.” REAL WAGES DECLINING: “Slower wage growth and faster inflation has led to falling real hourly and weekly earnings for most workers.” LEISURE SPENDING DECLINING: As a result of the rising cost of living, Americans are “tightening their belts and thinking twice about spending extra bucks on entertainment and leisure products.” VALUE OF DOLLAR DECLINING: The dollar “has been declining steadily for six years against other major currencies, undercutting its role as the leading international banking currency.” http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/11/economy-not-mental/
Certainly consumer confidence is important, but I think that is staying on the surface. There are reasons why consumer confidence can be shaken or bolstered, and those reasons are very real, and not mental, as Dr. Phil would have us believe.
If you believe that gas prices are driven by speculation that is an example of a mindset that is having an actual affect on the economy. In turn because speculators drive up fuel prices airlines raise prices and fewer people want to fly causing them to lose more money and lay off employees. Because we are a market driven economy much of the success or failure depends on the willingness of people to spend money in the market. The confidence or lack of confidence on where people spend money on has a lot to do with mental outlook. A bull market can be driven by the belief that there is a bull market the same as a bear market can be driven by the belief there is one.
