McCain surrogate: US a 'nation of whiners'

Do you think if all the campaigns just stopped saying anything at all we could finally get a break from all the ridiculous "gaffes" and comments and ridiculous reactions to them? Or would the media start spinning their body language too?

Oh wait, flagpins. Sigh.

So much for electing candidates based even one single relevant issue.

Todd Domke's op-ed in today's Globe is sad but true. American voters are consumers purchasing a brand ("John McCain is brought to you buy Chevron, Viagra, and frost-brewed Coors Light"). Never mind that if we elect McChameleon, in 2 years we'll be at war with Iran and our military will be in ruins. THAT's an inconvenient truth.

Nobody whines louder than a Republican leader complaining about the peasants.

The media is giving McCain a huge break on this one by calling Gramm a surrogate. He is McCain's top economic adviser for god's sake. McCain looks to him for economic advise. This is huge. McCain has said he doesn't know much about the economy. He relies on this guy to help him with policy. The media should be all over this.

Here's some whining: the rising cost of gas is at the highest real price / gallon in the nation's history, basic staple food costs are skyrocketing, commuting times are ridiculous increasing, the professional classes are working more hours than in any other large country in the world while non-professionals have only seen shrinking real salaries, healthcare is horrific and prohibitively expensive for the uninsured, universities are nigh unaffordable, and the present government has been creating an ever-more-regressive tax code. As a result, income distribution and, worse, wealth distribution, mirror that of the gilded age of robber barons.

McCain, meanwhile, thinks the greatest threat facing the US economy is terrorism. Six years into the GWOT, substantial progress has been made. Funny how the economy didn't improve.

McSame is a clown.

Who wants to bet the Republicans flush Democracy and just appoint a different nominee at the end of the summer? I mean they might as well... it's not like they believe in Democracy anyway and McCain is completely unprepared to run for president, much less BE the president.

This guy is totally incompetent. Story of his life.

Seriously... Most. Incompetent. Ever. Version 2.0.

Hmmm 3 liberals posted and they are whining! Gee what a surprise!

I laughed out loud at this msg! It is true - there are to many whiners in this country!
I am a 40 something Female Conservative. Living near Chicago. Not happy that the Democrats are increasing taxes here. True the media is all doom and gloom! The whiners get their news from them! The liberals want a socialist society so they can be taken care of! I see it - I hear it! I have to deal with liberal teachers putting socialistic ideas into my kids head. No apology is needed from GRAMM. He is correct! And tell the Democratic house to stop giving our money to illegal's- that would help.

McCain shouldn't back away from this quote. Gramm's got a point..and a doctorate in economics.

See above comments and one can reasonably conclude there's no bigger bastion of American cry babies than the thumb suckers inside the 495 beltway of Boston.

The right really are out of touch. It's quite obvious... look at the last 8 years people? Whether you're democrat or republican you can't argue against the fact the conservatives are the ones who put us in this position. They controlled the white house and both the senate congress for most of the past 8 years.

What we really are is a nation of idiots. We did re-elect a President who will go down as one of the worst ever.

Paying attention to what Gramm says is extremely important since he might be considered for Sec. of the Treasury if McCain is elected. Both of these men would be a further disaster for the country!

Former Republican Senator Phil Gramm from Texas has been the major advocate of financial deregulation that had been in place since the Depression, making the current banking crisis possible. Now, the Federal Reserve may spend billions bailing out government-sponsored institutions like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks.

Gramm also assumed the vice chairmanship of UBS, recently involved in hiding assets for American clients and now hampered by bad investments linked to risky mortgages.

What a great economic advisor!

A bunch of whiner's? Please... On the street were I live alone there are no less than five homes vacant due to foreclosures. There is a house next door to mine that has been vacant for nearly two years now. I'm not making it up, nor is it all in my head. Although I have managed to keep my home, many around me have not been so lucky... that doesn't make me a whiner, just an honest observer. Just because my own ship hasn’t sunk yet, does not mean I can’t see the ships of other’s around me sinking at alarming rates. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out ones head has to be very firmly planted in the sand to make such idiotic statements. It wasn’t very long ago that McCain too made similar statements claiming he did not feel the economy was in trouble. He now understands it would be political suicide to continue this line of rhetoric he started campaigning with. I believe his “new and improved" position has nothing to do with a new understanding of the problem or an honest commitment to addressing the disaster our economy is facing. It has more to do with knowing that he has no chance of winning the presidency if he continues to openly ignore economic hardships or continues to dismiss the very real financial heartache facing average Americans.

"wealthy republican" or more specifically "crony capitalist."

First of all I am a handicapped, retired, boomer with a Bachelors & Masters degree in business. I think that 40 years business experience with top Fortune 20, qualifies me to know and understand what economic had times are for the middle class! We are in the beginning of hard times that will get even worse in the next 18-24 months. I truly believe we will experience worldwide economic slowdown that will effect all but the top 10% of US households. Mr. Gramm is suffering from a classic case of inside the belt way rectal vision!

It must be nice to be rich and not have to worry about whether you will have to choose between buying food or heating fuel this winter. I guess the people that will be going hungry or freezing are just whiners.

Gramm is right on, but highly politically incorrect. This is something that Americans needed desperately to hear, but sadly looks to be falling on deaf ears.

This guy talks so loud because he dosen't have to hand his money over to the insurance companies/gangsters every month, or pay for gas because his car is paid for by taxpayers. He is also probably so damn rich that he dosen't work a full schedule, which is obviously easy anyway, by the way he seems to bolster. How about doing your job for whatb the average American gets paid.....then you'll bitch, you old hag

Hamiltonian Republican Party (Federalists) and Jeffersonian Democratic Party (Anti-Federalist) are at it again. Republicans say masses are not intelligent enough to run the country; they should not have the right to know everything about our American society. The Bill of Rights is anti-American. We need a big powerful central government to manage the nation.

Democratic Party says it represents the masses, the small business, farmers, teachers, police, and the common folks. We need to help the common folks, Democrats say.

No, we must protect the rich, allow them to create morsels for the deprived masses (drip down philosophy of economy), say the Republicans.

Why so many rich people are senators? I think it takes money to make money and get elected and be a rich Senator. And, the Federalists are correct, we must not be very smart to elect these people over and over again.

The irony is that Gramm is probably right (no pun intended). So I gotta question the "spin" being put on this "story" by the Obama-loving media.

Funny how the Repubs get blamed for eveything. Dems have controlled the house now for a while and we're getting no further along than before. Left or Right, Repub or Dem, they have to find a way to work TOGETHER and do their jobs as elected officials and serve the public. They take an oath to serve me and you, when is that going to happen? They can help fix gas, health care, illegal immigration, etc. and chose not to. The blame pie has been passed around long enough, it's time for action.

oh please.

these comments here are proof positive of what Gramm was saying in such un-PC fashion.

has anyone here traveled outside the US anytime recently to see what actual poverty looks like or serious racism or rampant cronyism or lack of financial transparency, etc., etc.

americans are living in a insulated bubble with little sense of our relative prosperity compared to the rest of the world. how good things are here on issue after issue after issue - social issues, income, financial, you name it, we are generally better.

are we perfect, no. do we have a lot of work to do to make things better, yes. do we suck as much as the media and people say we do? not a chance. is the US better off than virtually any other country in the world? hell, yes!

Forget and dirty-movie financier Phil Gramm, Obama needs more attention paid to the Jesse Jackson 'nuts" comment. This is his sister souljah moment and shows his separation from the aging boomers schooled in confrontation and fearfully facing irrelevance

Right now, Keith Olbermann is fuming because he's on vacation and can't go on the air tonight and run with this. I'm thankful his madamogate (the opposite of surrogate), Rachel Maddow, is up to the task. Gotta love MSNBC!

Its thinking like yours Grego...that is going to cost your party the White House, going to give the Dems further control in the Senate and House, and end the stranglehold that the right has on the Supreme Court.

Instead of acknowledging your failures and promising changes - you are resolute that you made no mistakes and it is everyone else that needs a wake up call.

The gig is up, and people have had it. Bush is a resolute failure, and the VP and Karl Rove have disgraced the nation and sentenced your party to 8 years (or more) of exile. Enjoy.

To an extent Mr. Gramm has a great point, underneath the rich, SUV driving, War-on-Terror front that he and his party wear. America HAS become a nation of whiners. We will find any excuse to complain. Guaranteed in every newspaper, you will find the headline "Oil prices rise, as salaries decline", etc. We are one of the wealthiest countries in Natural History. I would love to read a West African newspaper headline.

We all know the saying "The grass is greener on the other side"....What side would we American's rather be on?

Bones,
This is innacurate: "Whether you're democrat or republican you can't argue against the fact the conservatives are the ones who put us in this position. They controlled the white house and both the senate congress for most of the past 8 years."

Fact is Democrats have controlled the House and the Senate since 2004. Also, regarding the ridiculous gas prices, in 1996 Bill Clinton was asked about drilling in Alaska for oil, and he didn't push for it because we would not see the benefits "For 10 years." Imagine if this particular Democrat had a long-term vision...we would be well into tapping our own resources, and perhaps Bin Laden might have been taken out BEFORE 9/11.

I believe that Clinton (D) was the worst President in history, Carter (D) was second, GW Bush (R) is third.

Barrington and Grego, thanks for adding the conservative side of this conversation. It's good to see that there really is still 25% of the country who think we're moving in the right direction. The polls aren't lying. To hell with all the negative economic indicators. Keep up the good work. You're becoming more and more irrelevant every day.

Gramm does not have to worry hes a rich republican out of touch also out of mind. I cant understand hard working americans middle class voting republican.
Its the republicans that are hurting the middle class.with there tax cuts for the rich.
fighting workers rights.voting NO for a living wage. VOTING NO to everything.
NEXT time you working middle class REPUBLICANS cast your vote just think of the tax cuts will help THE RICH.NO LIVING WAGE .Phil gramm wants your vote dont forget HES OUT OF TOUCH.

People who voted for this current administration should be ashamed of themselves.

Yes, many people are losing their homes to foreclosure, but who is really at fault? If your response is anything other than the borrowers themselves, your are sadly mistaken. No one put a gun to their head and made them take those risky loans. No one forced them to CHOOSE to spend their mortgage payments on Starbucks or hair gel or anything else. They should have understood the risk and gamble involved in some of these mtg loans. If they couldn't understand, they shouldn't have owned a parcel of this earth anyway--they don't deserve it. They rolled the dice, and they lost. I can't believe so many naive people are screaming for bail-outs for these slackers. It's not hard to pay your bills. People just need to understand and accept that they might not be able to keep up with Joneses everyday. What happened to personal responsibility? Doesn't anyone know what that means anymore? I agree with some of the previous posters...this is a nation of idiots. it's a nation of people who are either to stupid to understand the difference between democracy and socialism or too naive to realize that some people deserve their situation. We could fix countless problems in this country if everyone would just focus on being a good person, taking personal responsibility, and stop worrying about everyone else's problems.

I agree that no one complains louder than a fat politician with a bank account sized to match, and that as a nation the US is at it's lowest that it's been for decades. But I do agree that we are a nation of Whiners! Instead of complaining and wallowing in self pity, it might help if we actually took positive actions to rectify the situations. i.e. Investing more in alternative fuels, carpooling or hey here's a novel idea.......how about using more public transportation or even bikes to get around our major cities. Our obnoxious attitudes towards each other and the rest of the world, is only matched by our laziness to fix our problems. We've become a nation of "Let someone else do it for me" instead of doing things for ourselves. No one wants to sacrife anymore. Polls indicated that Bush's ratings were at an all time low over the last few weeks. So are we to believe that it really took 8yrs for the American Public to figure out what a joke he really was? Maybe his moronic grin or lack of action for almost 10 minutes in that South Florida school right after the twin towers were hit, didn't register with the
average voters that voted him back in for another term. As someone that travels frequently outside the US, I can tell you that we are truly looked at as a "Nation of Whiners". Oh and by the way, in case anyone was wondering .....we're not getting much sympathy for the $4 a gallon gas when the rest of the world is staring at $9 to $12 a gallon!!

People who were given mortgages that shouldn't have got them because they couldn't afford the balloon payments they knew were coming are whiners...people who bought big gas-guzzling Stupid-Useless-Vehicles and now can't afford to fill 'em up are whiners...people who had more children than they could afford so child number one would have a sister or brother and not be an "only child" are whiners. Yup, we're a nation of whiners.

I actually believe Phil Gramm makes a good point. In order to understand the problems we face at the Macro level of our economy, we first have to understand the Micro level. The truth is that Americans in general make poor decisions with their own personal lives and finances then expect a bailout when they have to deal with their bad decisions. They WHINE when the house they couldn't afford is forclosed on. The mortgage companies WHINE when the bad loan they made is written off. People WHINE when they can't afford the gas to commute themselves long distances back and forth to work. They even WHINE when they treat their bodies awful with cigarrettes, fatty foods, and general overindulgence and then expect the government to pay for their health problems. Its time to take matters into your own hands Americans. We are FREE because we take RESPONSIBILITY for our OWN actions. That is Phil Gramms message and I am glad that some still understand the principles and values this nation was built on.

Gramm is indeed the co-chair of McCain's campaign and a likely Secretary of the Treasury if McCain is elected. It's hard to see how McCain can disavow Gramm's economic opinions.

He's absolutely right. This is an election year journalism recession. Whine on libs!

Tactless, he may be, but Gramm is not entirely off base....

While I disagree that the US has never been more dominant (look at the strength of the dollar...), I do think there is some truth to the "mental recession." I saw a segment on the Today show that drove me nuts... A family was asked to cut their budget in half, and, my God, they managed, but they were really "slumming it," because the wife had to cut her weekly pedicures, the family could only have the cleaner come once every other week, and they had to eat at home 4-5 night a week rather than eat out. Is this what America is complaining about??

I am a grad student, and I do feel the burn with gas prices and increased costs of food. I guess I have little sympathy for people who don't understand frugal living. I buy what I have to buy (food, gas, etc) and budget for what I don't have to buy (pedicures, eating out, etc). I believe there are some people who are suffering due to gas prices, but I suspect most people could just sacrifice some luxuries.

Barrington uses a lot of exclamation points to emphasize poorly worded fragmented sentences. There is nothing more annoying than reading righteous indignation from somebody who doesn't have a firm grasp on basic language usage.

The liberals don't want a socialistic society so they can be taken care of. The liberals want a President who can speak unscripted and without saying "uh" six hundred times a minute. Liberals want to see funding for public schools and better, affordable health care for everybody. Maybe if some of the surplus Clinton left behind had gone there and not into Iraq...well, who knows where we'd be today.

I love the way when McCain's surrogates say crazy stuff there's this big outcry and everyone demands an explanation and accuses him of being out of touch (even though he personally said NOTHING to this effect)...Obama's surrogates say something foolish and the response is "well they don't speak for him!". Such a double standard. Wow. The news media will win Obama this election, BTW - what a racket.

Let's blame Bush & the GOP for the "twin towers," rising gas prices, medical & education costs soaring, bad tomatos, Countrywide giving loans to the homeless,
hurricane Katrina, Ford/GM/Chrysler making crap-boxes, etc, etc, etc.

Let's go for change with Obama and watch gas prices drop to under a buck, and free medical care for all, bring all our fighting men home, let the Mexicans have licenses and be citizens, gays can marry gays or anything living, etc, etc, etc,

Happy days are about to return!!!!!!!!!!!

This guy's supped at the public trough from both sides, barely avoided being locked up, and now squeals about the facts of life!?!

Give us a break.

Now the blame goes to the people who are losing everything they have because of a failed government, a failed system that provides the rich with anything and everything the middle class once worked so hard for. This statement speaks volumns for the total lack of understanding and lack of leadership this once great nation has. Keep talking guys, you'll put Obama in the Whitehouse before November.

This is the same former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm who is vice chairman of UBS Investment Bank and has lobbied Congress on the company's behalf? The one who advised UBS to load -up on CDO's and SVU's and cost UBS billions of dollars in capitalization? He was also the author of the federal regs allowing the deregulation of the mortgage industry. Can you say conflict of interest at best and co-conspirator at worst? And speaking of co-conspirators; wasn't his wife Cindy on the audit committee of Enron? I guess al these whiners are cutting into his ability to realize his next multi-million dollar bonus.McCain should drop this loser and his wife should be in jail.

UBS has been hit hard by the U.S. housing and mortgage meltdowns. The investment banking and mortgage industry has lobbied for less regulation in past years and is worried about potential federal actions to address the housing subprime bust.

so... how many quarters of economic expansion under bush? thats right, alot. Some liberals choose to cherry pick the current situation and they should be honest and recognize the vast majority of W's tenure has been marked by economic expansion and a vibrant economy (recall, he DEFINITIVELY inherited a recision from Slick Willy). Markets are cylical, economys are cylical, don't ignore the expansion becuase now we are in a minor (GDP is still non-recessionary) slowdown. Criminy, the way the media portrays it you would think American's were queuing up for bread and re-starting the Civilian Conservation Corp......

and a nation of whiners is correct- the reason we are in the trouble we are in is primarily because americans spent way above their rational limits... if we are in a period of belt tightening, so be it. All you morons out there crying foul with your oversized SUV's and IO mortgages, whine away. It ain't going to get you anywhere except pandered too by Democrats who want you to have no responsibility for your willful financial idiocy. Me, i will happily sit back and bottom feed with the large cash position I have accumulated over the last 2 years. Can't wait to buy a house!!

Has this man been to a gas station lately? Oh wait, of course not. His driver would be whipping the Corporate credit card out to fill the tinted-window limo's gas tank. Typical nonsense from typical, empty-headed Republicans. Go Obama!

Americans need to start accepting more responsibility for their actions, such as poor planning when choosing variable interest rate mortgages they could not afford, and continuing to buy gas guzzling, bad for the environment, unnecessary automobiles; living off credit and blowing income on items they could not afford or were completely unnecessary. The government also needs to start accepting responsibilty for their pork barrel projects, and fraud laden contracts, or unethical employees. Compared to the inflation of the 80's and unemployment rates over the past 100 years, or those in other developed countries, we are still in good shape. Everyone needs to start looking internally, and stop blaming everyone else.

This will play nicely in the heartland won't it? Who says the GOP is out of touch?!

Let me first say that i am a teacher and a republican. I am middle class.

We ARE a nation of whiners. We ARE raising a nation of whiners. I know, I'm an educator. So are far as what Gramm is saying there, I totally agree.

Concerning the economy, Gramm represents a total disconnect from reality. If McCain is relying on these "cigar-smoking, back-room, out-of-touch morons" i will certainly vote democratic as i did in 1992 and 1996 for Clinton.

It is becoming clear that McCain is not going to be able to communicate any empathy for the middle class economic crisis which is dominated by independent voters and swing voters like me.

Finally, the only thing, in my opinion, that can derail Obama is if he chooses Hillary for VP. I hope that he is beginning to understand (or being taught) about the underlying problems of this economy which can be fixed over the long run (10-20 years) but only sacrificed in the short run,

I think if that woman living near Chicago that laughed out loud at this msg lost her job she would not be such an arrogant fool. Try walking in some one else's shoes. Someone that is working full time and can't still afford to feed their children and buy gas at the same time. This is the type of person that has been running this country for the past 8 years.

It must be nice to be a wealthy Republican, when your only problem in life is that you feel the taxes you pay (for the privilege of living in this great nation!) are too high.

The French had it right back in the day with their own aristocracy - off with their heads!

Heh...whenever a liberal disagrees with or points out a shortcoming in a conservative's argument, the conservative yells "whiner!!" Any disagreement with conservative viewpoints = whining. (e.g. response #6)

Does complaining that that tactic shuts down any chance of reasonable debate count as whining, too?

I remember an episode of Love Boat where Julie and Gopher were constantly complaining about Issac's hair. Yes, we do COMPLAIN. And, btw, Captain Stubbing was always whining about the narrowness of the canals in Mexican ports.

Conclusion: Love Boat Rules!

And who is Elitist?? I think that question had now been answered fully.
McShame and his nursing home cronies.

He can pay my heating oil bill then if this is all in our heads (I live in new England too). Currently it'll cost about $600 per MONTH for heating! And that's before winter prices! Natural Gas and Electric are even more expensive. Poor people are going to freeze to death this winter.

Phil Gramm hit the nail right on the head! The country is full of whiners. Do you ever read good news in the newspaper? Why should I bail out people who took out bad mortgages? Obama is a joker. If he even thinks of taxing big oil, he's in for a big mistake. They'll pass the tax right down to the consumer. He is an empty suit. I can't wait to write in W's name in November. I'm better off than I was 8 years ago. And 10 years from now, W will be appreciated in a Harry Truman sort of way.

Phil Gramm hit the nail right on the head! The country is full of whiners. Do you ever read good news in the newspaper? Why should I bail out people who took out bad mortgages? Obama is a joker. If he even thinks of taxing big oil, he's in for a big mistake. They'll pass the tax right down to the consumer. He is an empty suit. I can't wait to write in W's name in November. I'm better off than I was 8 years ago. And 10 years from now, W will be appreciated in a Harry Truman sort of way.

Gramm's calling people who can't afford to purchase things like food and health insurance 'whiners' is right up there with 'let them eat cake!'

Keep it up Phil!

So professor Gramm wants the rabble to stop whining. This from a man who has never held a private sector job until he left the senate. He was a economics professor and wasn't even held in high regard by others in his department. Yeah, that's the guy I want running the US Treasury, Mr Reaganomics.

1. don't buy a house if you cant afford it... ARM mortgages are easy to understand. you know what you are getting into when you sign the documents (twice)
2. sit down and understand your finances instead of living on credit and worrying about keeping up with the neighbors
3. save money for gas each money instead of buying the ultra premium channel package from your cable company
4. don't forget that Bush inherited an economy in the year 2000 in MUCH worse shape than it is now after the tech bubble burst AND the country also has had to contend with that recession then the worst terrorist attack in the nation's history along with 2 major wars in that time span... at the end of the day we are still the leading world economy... i think that says a lot about the people who have steered the ship
5. the left will spin things their way, just like they always do, don't worry about it... misery loves company
etc....

Where is the uproar over the 60 year old woman who was holding a sign on public property that said McCain=Bush, and was approached by the Secret Service and police and told to remove the sign, violating her First Amendment right.

That Phil Gramm is more than a "leading John McCain supporter" should be reiterated -- he is McCain's top economic adviser and, yes, a potential treasury secretary. To have this fact glossed over in this kind of story is disgraceful, and indicative of the free pass that John McCain continues to receive from the mainstream media.

Regarding MSNBC -- Keith Olbermann's show is the one place on television where one can get something close to a progressive point of view. So, of course, Comcast in my area is moving it from ch 53 to ch 251 (which means a Comcast cable box will be required to view it). Fox News, CNN, CNN-Headline-News all get to keep their low channel numbers. Wonder why?

Barrington- I highly doubt you even know what socialism is.

You criticize the first three posters for what you deem as "whining", then you proceed to bitch about the media, liberals and your child's teacher. Who's the whiner again?

Bunch of whiner's? Tell my parents that. 80 and 77 years old. Oh yeah they had the "American Dream" and have now all but lost it. They busted their butts for 50 years to get to this. My Dad brought his Mom and sibblings through the depresion to get to this 60 years later. Sometimes I thank God he doesn't really know what
is going on in George W's America. I'll quit whining when George and Barbara have to feel what my parents are feeling.

Gramm is more than McCain's top economic adviser. He is also a fool.

When looking for one name to blame for the economic pain we are in today, the easy choice is Greenspan. I believe the more reasoned choice is Phil Gramm. What we are seeing today is the collapse of the hack ideas he turned into government economic policy in the late nineties.

Even more loathsome is that this little ideologue turtle-face has sucked from the government's teat since the day he was born at a government hospital, through his public education, to his entire career of taking our tax dollars as his salary and benefits. When he finally left he became a pimp (introducing clients to GOP congresscritters). These entitlement babies calling anyone Whiners or calling Social Security an "absolute disgrace" is pathetic.

The truth hurts. Lets all blame Bush for not giving us everything we need. The Republicans want to remove democracy???? Try again. All you socialsts should move to North Korea or Cuba and let me know how the gas prices are. Or, how the "FREE" health care is. Good luck getting your teeth pulled with no anasthesia. Why is it when a man says we are whiners he is wrong? We are a country fat, spoiled, narrow minded drones who do whatever MTV tells us.

is there a reason why you didn't post my comment?

Speaking of Whiners, I wonder where the whiners would be if you abolished the Federal Reserve, and IRS, who are unconstitutional and are frauds. A person should order the video "America Freedom to Fascism, by Aaron Russo.

Yes, there are plenty of whiners in the country. There are plenty of whiners in the world, and plenty of whiners in history. But as someone of the CEO Class (who, on average, earn 400 times what a ground-floor employee would), Gramm is just glib to be saying that of the general population to justify his view of the economy and society.

Nice talk from a guy who helped to tank UBS. How many companies and families did he send down the tubes with that rousing achievement? He may have all the degrees for an economic position in the government, but he certainly doesn't have any interest in public service.

Wealthy conservatives hate giving back to the general populace, which is funny, because it's the general populace that keeps the nation running so that they can accrue such wealth. Why should you rich folk give the most to social programs? Because the poor folk build your homes, deliver the food you buy, and press the suits you wear. Spare me your "why me" whining. Spend 160K to be an underpaid biomedical scientist, and THEN tell me you feel the pinch.

We are a nation of idiots, not whiners. Correct. The people who lost their homes did not lose them because of the poor economy, they lost it to bad choices. We make bad choices and then complain things are bad. That is why we seem like whiners. Gramm made a good point, but it was a "bad choice" to say it. The problem with politics is the bi-partisan system. Instead of being "solution-based" we choose to just blame the other party for all of our country's problems. All of our concerns have merit. Instead of holding steadfast to party loyalty and how to please our biggest supporters, politicians need to cut party lines and come up with SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. Not platforms to win elections with. Who cares what their platform is. Both of these guys will do both good and harm if in office. Terrorism IS a HUGE concern, so is the economy. If we as a people were not so stupid when it comes to life planning and practicality we wouldnt be in this mess. The whole mortgage crisis was caused by people making deals for their homes going into debt more than 10 times their entire net worth, and then extracting equity out of it like it was an atm machine, and assuming that home prices would just keep rising.....it was an impossible assumption, and so now people are screwed. Schools need to start teaching how to live instead of being flooded with history and literature and algebra....that stuff is important too, but it needs to be mixed in. We are getting dumber and dumber as a nation on a daily basis.

I agree with Gramm, and I am a Democrat. As a Floridian I see all my neighbors and local businessmen use and benefit from the services of cheap illegal foreign labor. These neighbors whine that they don't speak english, that they do a bad job, that they have to pay them, that they have to stand in line with them at the local grocery. They wonder why these people can't simply work all night for free when we don't have to see them, then go home to Mexico for the day. Whiners indeed.

That Gramm thinks that if he and his millionaires friends are doing ok, everybody else should be as good as them. If they are not that good, and the complain, they are whiners. wow! this guy is the definition of 'out of touch'. And he is advising McCain? What happened to all those tax breaks for the wealthy from Bush? The reason for those was to give incentives to the wealthy and promote hiring and creating of more work places. If the US is having more unemployment, that means that a tax break without any kind of regulation doesn't work. There should be tax incentives only if you hire people. Tax breaks if you create a new company.

What else would we expect from a man who has all the perks of being a former Senator and now works for a huge Swiss bank? Life is great for Gramm and those he pals around with; it must be great for everyone else too. I'm waiting for the reality show where they take someone like Gramm and put him into a retail job where he makes about $17,000 a year for himself and his two kids. Would love to see what was all in his mind then. Not holding my breath though.

Mr. Gramm claimed that he was only referring to the country's leaders when he said we are becoming "a nation of whiners." Does this mean, in his view, that everyday folk who are not the country's leaders are not part of our nation? Why am I not surprised that the GOP does not know the rest of us exist?

What else would you expect from the man who helped push the enron loophole into law allowing speculators on the commodities dark markets to artificially inflate oil and gas prices by 40% & who's wife ended up making millions on the board of directors for Enron six weeks after the loophole went into place and just in time for the CA electricity crisis which resulted in rolling black outs and staggering price increases because Enron managed to gain a monopoly on CA electricity? This is the man McCain calls his economic adviser. These are the people he's surrounded himself with for advice, they're all lobbyists for big business, for heavens sakes USB is what remains of Enron and Gramm still has his hand in that pocket!! Press the trade commission to right the regs that stop speculators!!