David Corn: The Gramm Gaffe: The Real Problem for McCain

[babylonsister]

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/davidcorn/2008/07/the-gramm-gaffe-the-real-probl.html

The Gramm Gaffe: The Real Problem for McCain

By David Corn | July 11, 2008


I do think we've encountered one of the funniest moments of the 2008 campaign, which so far has not been much of a laugh-fest. And who would have thought that Phil Gramm would be responsible for it?

The gag was set up when Gramm, a McCain campaign adviser and cochairman, set off a to-do by saying that Americans are "whiners" and that the economy is just fine. (He called all the fuss over the current economic woes a "mental recession.") The McCain campaign threw Gramm under the Straight Talk Express, disavowing his remarks.

"Phil Gramm doesn't speak for me," McCain declared on Thursday "I speak for me."

That same day, Gramm was meeting with the Wall Street Journal editorial board. Doing what? Appearing as a McCain campaign surrogate to explain McCain's economic policies. That is, speaking for McCain.

This really is a joke.

The attention Gramm has drawn for his comments is certainly warranted. And, of course, you can judge a candidate by the advisers he keeps by his side. But there's so much more about Gramm (who has been touted as a possible Treasury secretary should McCain win) that deserves scrutiny. He was a crucial force in deregulating financial instruments that helped cause the subprime meltdown and that allowed Enron to run crazy and create the California energy crisis of 2001. And as I noted elsewhere, Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who is a prominent adviser and surrogate for McCain, has suggested that the deregulation that was pushed by Gramm when he was the Republican chairman of the Senate banking committee is partly to blame for today's economic troubles.

So the joke runs deeper than McCain claiming that a man who literally speaks for him doesn't speak for him. It shows there's policy chaos in McCainland. After all, here's a campaign--led by a candidate who once said he didn't know much about the economy--that has one top economic adviser essentially blaming another top economic adviser for economic woes that the second top economic adviser won't acknowledge. Really makes one yearn for a McCain administration, doesn't it?

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Keep talking, Phil. The more you open your stupid yap, the worse

McCain looks.

Isn't it nice when a dummy like Gramm comes around to help?

[NattPang]

2. Me and Corn agree!

[IamyourTVandIownyou]

3. (waiting for media to say ELITISTS!!)

If someone from O's camp said this, ELITIST ELITIST ELITIST would be heard everyday for the next three weeks.

The label ELITIST is the right's achilles heal, and they avoid calling themselves ELITIST on their own TV shows at all costs..

[blue sky at night]

4. I hate to say this........

but if you could possibly be stupid enough to vote for the idiot bu$h, why wouldn't you just love old man johnny??? We are possibly the most ignorant electorate in the world, so why not???

[Overseas]

5. The key trait JSM III team members have in common -- lying with aplomb.

Saying whatever the hell they need to say at any particular time to the regular folks to get the job of the moment done.