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Senator McCain, It’s Time to Dump Phil Gramm Before He Sinks You

July 11th, 2008
By DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, Assistant Editor, TMV Columnist

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Phil Gramm of Texas is not known as a man of developed intellect nor steady statesmanship. He’s known for pork-barreling, for speaking in crude ways, for blurting out unseemly epithets at American citizens, and for jeering at the unfortunate.

His words this week are not the first time this privileged, pampered and wealthy man has frothed with scorn at the poor, the jobless, the uninsured, the homeless, the foreclosed upon, the working class, and the unprotected. The times he’s done this are legion, year after year, decade after decade.

It worked for him once. But no more. Except he seems to have not caught on yet that his days of goring and glory came long ago, and his time in the sun and scrum is now long, long gone. He won’t regain his position. Not ever again… for Gramm has nothing to offer that a guy sitting at his computer in his boxers, spewing sarcasm and screed over the internet, can’t do too, and with ten times more finesse.

By virtue of Gramm’s worn-out ideas and his seeming nostalgia for a zeitgeist made of back-room ‘bar and cigar’ deals in the old log-rolling style of politics, Gramm is a remnant of the old ingrown politicians of his time 40 years ago.

He is a relic and by dint of his mindset, an irrelevant anachronism… as out of date as the old bathrobe over-coated Communists of Brandt’s time are irrelevant in the new economy, struggles, and spirit in a united Germany today

That Gramm is held out as McCain’s “highest economic adviser” is like saying Sylvester the Cat is going to be advising the Senator on the care and treatment of canaries.

Gramm will sink Senator McCain if he is allowed to continue in ‘highest economic advisory’ capacity. McCain has a certain dignity that Gramm will splat on, over and over again.

If Barack’s “crazy uncle” is the Reverend Wright who spoke whatever he felt like speaking after the Moyers interview, disregarding how his speech would negatively affect public perception of his friend running for POTUS, then for certain Gramm is Senator McCain’s crazy uncle … with exactly the same M.O…. complete disregard for how his foolish and churlish speech will negatively affect Senator McCain.

Gramm, before he left the Federal legislature ‘to spend more time with his family’ in the midst of a supposedly successful career, was known for saying deeply insightful things about economics and commerce. Here are some quotes from Gramm:

“Half the world does not know the joys of wearing cotton underwear.” (promoting US exports, as quoted in Time)”

“I’m carrying so much pork [home to Texas] I’m beginning to get trichinosis.”

“If I bought groceries the way I buy health insurance, I’d eat a lot better - and so would my dog”

“I have the most reliable friend you can have in American politics, and that is ready money.”

_________________
CODA
Tomorrow: Gramm’s reprehensible treatment of impoverished, ill, and laid-off American mining families, a class of people whom Gramm also taunted as ‘whiners.’



This entry was posted on Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 2:40 am and is filed under Newsweek Blogitics, Phil Gramm, Republican Party, Poverty, Senate, John McCain. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 7 Comments

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    Economic realities change with the times. Phil Gramm was very helpful in bringing together Ronald Reagans economic plan in the 80's that was successful in bringing in massive amounts of capitol to the coffers while reducing the taxes that had essentially become oppressive.

    However as with all things. Realities change. What makes this type of Government funding viable is an expanding economy. A growing economy. An economy that is perpetually getting larger and larger.

    What fuels that. IMMIGRATION is a very big part of it. The flood of immigrants into this country continues to fuel and expansion so that the government can continue to spend in exorbitant ways always promising us that NEXT YEAR things will be better and that next year we can balance the budget.

    Cutting taxes under Reagan was a very important needed thing in America. Under Democratic leadership for the last 50 years taxes had gotten to the point of being oppressive. However Taxes have been cut. Enough already. You cant just keep cutting taxes unless you plan to replace that revenue somewhere else.

    So why are the Republicans so keen on Immigration. You got it. Its the only way they can continue to promise to cut taxes and not bankrupt the country. Growing the number of tax payers increases taxes. So while the GOP continues to want to cut taxes their plan is to confuse the public and let in more and more Immigrants to pay for services. The GOP has not interest in stopping Immigration. However since 911 the Republicans were caught with their pants down and a base of voters who always believe in strength, and security caught the party leadership unprepared. Suddenly the GOP faithful wanted to kick out all these illegals because they did not understand what their own party was doing with their tax and spend policies.

    Democrats are pumping their fist in the air and saying........hell yeah.............when were in office not only can we raise taxes, get more immigrants and thus more money but we can have more welfare, raise those taxes back again and dance around the totem pole in glee. The economy wont crash because we continue to allow a flood of immigrants to pay for all our social programs.

    The government is a self perpetuating beast. Both parties have their amazingly selfish interests for immigration and tax reform and it has nothing to do with helping the masses. It has everything to do with feeding the beast that has become our government. It must eat. It must feed. It must grown......Long live the beast.

    Our Representatives will never balance the budget and if they do it will be like Bush and the GOP. Only took about 1 year to go off budget and continue to run up huge deficits. But we all know. The Beast must be fed.
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    Gramms sentiments are not atypical of those shared by many politicians (more often than not, republicans) - who are not only out of touch with (and insulated from) the realities faced by average working class Americans, but seemingly don't really care (except when these people are needed by the military). McCain was smart to distance himself from Gramms most recent ignorant comment.
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    The hyper-reaction to Gramm's comments is the most noteworthy event here.

    And are there no workhouses?
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    I have no doubt there are about 10% of Americans who would agree with you. Here's the appropriate reaction:

    "Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I'm not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that." ~ John McCain

    Gramm, of all people, should have learned by now the advantages of switching on the thinkolater before engaging the talkolater.
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    I was kidding about the workhouses. Too bad some don't understand what should be obvious. Bah! Humbug.

    Also, Gramm is not an anachronism. The Republicans in Washington have been much like the Democrats and more rejection of this behavior and a reduction in the size, scope, and the expectations we have (particularly childish demands) of government remains in need today. Or as someone else said, the Beast still needs to be fed, and it continues to grow, and diet and shrinkage are necessary.

    As for the tardy grasp for a quite by McCain (other than the "does not speak for me" that would be much more suitable here), I already addressed that. Why not send Gramm to Iraq or to Iran?
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    "So why are the Republicans so keen on Immigration. You got it. "

    Many are like the majority of the US public instead, who wants control and reform, not amnesty and massive numbers of new Democratic (legal) voters.

    The Republicans aren't after "replacement migration" to mitigate future labor shortages and to prop up the taxpayer force to retard the future large rises in the dependency ratio (with aging of population). Those who want the immigrants are just being friendly to the business community, that's all. Many businesses don't care if employees are here illegally, and have frequently exploited these people.
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    "Gramm, of all people, should have learned by now the advantages of switching on the thinkolater before engaging the talkolater."

    LOL
 
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