Holtz-Eakin: Phil Gramm Is No Longer ‘Giving Advice To Senator McCain’
Holtz-Eakin: Phil Gramm Is No Longer ‘Giving Advice To Senator McCain’
Since Thursday, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presidential campaign has been in damage control mode, attempting to distance itself from top economic adviser Phil Gramm’s belief that America is “a nation of whiners” that is only going through a “mental recession.” “Sen. Graham and I, as I said, we have a total disagreement on whether Americans are whiners or not,” McCain told reporters yesterday.
Appearing on PBS’s Nightly Business Report last night, McCain’s senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, claimed that because of the comments, Gramm would no longer be giving McCain advice:
GERSH: Is Senator Gramm still giving advice to Senator McCain?
HOLTZ-EAKIN: No.
GERSH: No.
HOLTZ-EAKIN: At — I haven’t spoken to Senator Gramm since the comments took place, and I’m not expecting to.
Watch it:
Holtz-Eakin’s rejection of Gramm does not correspond completely with what other’s have reported about Gramm’s future with the McCain campaign.
Last night, MSNBC reported that while other economic surrogates would be “driving the policy” for McCain, Gramm would remain a “trusted friend of the campaign.” MSNBC also reported that Gramm, who was until recently thought of as a potential Treasury Secretary under McCain, would not be stripped of his “volunteer designation” as a co chair with the McCain campaign.
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McCain’s senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, claimed that because of the comments, Gramm would no longer be giving McCain advice.
He added, “Don’t worry about the bad economic advice Gramm has already given to McCain. John has already forgotten all of it.”
July 12th, 2008 at 5:36 pmPlease John, surround yourself with these cronies…it will be the most lopsided election in the history of the USA.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:39 pmMaybe not officially, but you can be assured that McHoover is getting advice from Gramm just like he’s getting unofficial advice from KKKarl Rove.
Gramm’s attitude an statement reflect what real conservatives really think about the American public: The rabble can’t be trusted with their own experiences to tell them how the economy is going.
Gramm is the real elite of the country. The part of the country that believes that all you people drowning from the Titanic striking the Iceberg of Economic reality should just stop whining while those that are safe in the few lifeboats of cronyism ride the waves of prosperity.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pmSo the b@sturd won’t be driving the limo, but he will surely be sitting in the back seat, giving directions.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pmIt is interesting to see how quickly McCain threw Gramm under he bus and how long it took McCain to throw Hagee under the bus. Considering that Gramm had no followers and Hagee has a considerable number of followers it is easy to see McCain’s principles.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:59 pmThere ya go, Gramm finally got shoved under The Straight Talk Express.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:02 pmMan overboard and now under the Double Talk Express!
I wonder if it was hard for McBane to leave a commrade behind?
July 12th, 2008 at 6:03 pmGramm’s “whiner” comment had legs. It would have been politically devasatating for the McCAin campaign to associate itself with those comments. Under the Bus was the only place for this .
Now…what about Gramm’s Enron Loophole ?
July 12th, 2008 at 6:08 pmSorry McGeritol, not enough bleach to get that stain out.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:09 pmneither is
karl rove.
uh huh.
*
good luck.
$
July 12th, 2008 at 6:12 pmshoeless Says:
McCain’s senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, claimed that because of the comments, Gramm would no longer be giving McCain advice.
He added, “Don’t worry about the bad economic advice Gramm has already given to McCain. John has already forgotten all of it.”
Priceless :)~
July 12th, 2008 at 6:20 pmWhile Gramm is in the political gulag, maybe he can stay busy by memorizing the defensive linemen of the Pittsburgh Steelers, circa 1967.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:21 pmMcCain’s Office of Former Associates is becoming competitive with his current associates. So far this year he has canned Doug Goodyear, Doug Davenport, Eric Burgeson, Craig Shirley, Thomas Loeffler, Rod Parsley, John Hagee, and now Phil Gramm.
With all the gaffes he himself has made, I wonder why he hasn’t fired himself yet. Maybe I’ll send him one of these.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:44 pmThe Republican convention is going to be a frigging circus.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pmAnd they’ve stopped lying too.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:48 pm.
Well…
I guess Phil Gramm is REALLY whinning now…
.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:51 pmcue the media to move on with this Gramm fiasco…
now if Obama had an economic adviser who declared Americans would be whining…
July 12th, 2008 at 6:53 pm(R)after the name stands for repugnant liar.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:56 pmOT but a scoop to sleep on: From tomorrows NT Times…
The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago.
Although no decision has been made, by the time President Bush leaves office on Jan. 20, at least one and as many as three of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn or at least scheduled for withdrawal, the officials said.
The timing of this ?? Blatantly political? Maybe a trial baloon. Maybe a move to pressure the Malaki Govt.
In any case, any step out of Iraq is Good News.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:02 pmBadger. It kinda makes one wonder when they are going to announce a “surge” in Afghanistan.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:33 pmSomebody’s club membership being cancelled?
July 12th, 2008 at 8:49 pm“Sen. Graham and I, as I said, we have a total disagreement on whether Americans are whiners or not,” McCain told reporters yesterday.
that is hilarious!
“but what about economic policy, sir? do you agree with sen.graham about economic policy?”
“oh, sure, sure.”
July 12th, 2008 at 8:53 pmbadger - “out of the frying pan (iraq), into the fire (iran)”
July 12th, 2008 at 8:58 pmwould be my guess…
Pete,
The reason Bin Laden is making video tapes instead of on trial … or hung, is the De-Surge in Afghanistan. Bush pulled crucial Troops and resources out of Afghanistan to launch the Attack of Iraq. Our victory and our moral high ground after 911 was thus squandered.
Afghanistan is very unstable, and could explode into the headlines. Because resources were denied, and corruption is rampant…the Afghani people are reluctant to support the Govt.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the NY Times will say about this Tomorrow, but Afghanistan must definately figure into the equation.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:59 pmKaty,
You may be right about Iran. Especially in light of this startling development ;)
BREAKING! Iran Has New Plane that Can Strike Anywhere!
http://dailykos.com/ storyonly/ 2008/ 7/ 12/ 125135/ 424/ 630/ 550586
July 12th, 2008 at 9:22 pmbadger - OH NO!!! NOT I.F.O.’s!!!
July 12th, 2008 at 10:02 pmMcCain need not worry about the loss of Phil Gramm — he’s still got Douglas Holtz-Eakin to give him plenty of stupid economic advice.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:45 pmPhil Graham is a bigger headache to John McCain than Rev. Wright was to Barack Obama.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:29 pmI’m sorely tempted to make a U-Tube video where I am shown whining about losing my job, getting divorced, my dog biting me while I clean my guns and read my bible.
July 13th, 2008 at 1:33 amMcCain managed to reveal his denial of hardship across the country even without Gramm. Note his attempt to sound empathic:
I believe the mother here in Michigan and around America who is trying to get enough money to educate their children isn’t whining,
There’s something strange about the fact that he couldn’t properly use the word “mother” in the plural, as in “the mothers around America.” Maybe the thought that there was more than one mother struggling in America was too much for him to articulate.
But then, he compounded that error by talking about their trying to get enough money to–educate their children?? is sending your kids to private school the only parental burden he can relate to? What about mothers trying to get enough money to feed their chidren, pay the rent, take them to the doctor and dentist, pay for childcare, have enough money to drive to the grocery store? –His obliviousness is no less offensive than Gramm’s, and much scarier, given the relative power he wields whether or not he were to get elected president.
July 13th, 2008 at 3:43 pmI haven’t spoken to him, but I know in my heart of hearts that he won’t be giving advice ??????????
July 13th, 2008 at 5:28 pmoff-topic breaking news:
Attack on US base in Afghanistan kills 9 Americans
By JASON STRAZIUSO (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
July 13, 2008 8:48 PM EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan - A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base close to the Pakistan border killed nine American soldiers and wounded 15 Sunday in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years, officials said.
————–
Badger, that NYTimes story says the main reason for drawdown in Iraq is need for more combat troops in Afghanistan.
July 13th, 2008 at 10:39 pm