Reid Rips Phil Gramm: "He Has A Low View Of The American People"

Harry Reid has just waded into the firestorm over yesterday's claim from McCain adviser Phil Gramm that the economic downturn is "mental" and that Americans are simply "whining."

"Graham has a view of government which is that government is the enemy, not a friend," Reid said in an interview this afternoon with CongressionalVideo.com. "And, obviously from his comments, he now believes the American people are not his friend either, and he has a low view of the American people. Thinks they're a bunch of whiners."

In fact, Reid said, "every segment of our economy is in deep trouble. Deep trouble. We have the housing market, which is falling apart. We have gas prices which are astronomical, people can't even afford to drive to work in many instances."

The Senate Majority Leader saved some of his powder for his colleague from Arizona. "You tie that in with what McCain has said, that he doesn't understand the economy...and he's relying on someone who says that the economy is in good shape and the Americans are a bunch of whiners. We should all worry about the Republican nominee."

Check out the full video here:

Comments

[mabinog]

Of course he does and he is right, we are just whining. We don't have any real reason to complain until we are in a full-blown depression, so just give Gramm and McBush four more years and they will see if they can give us something to really complain about.

[Graywolf48]

I wonder, if one were to research Mr. Reid's votes on Phil Gramm's legislation, what would we find? I wonder how many times Reid opposed Gramm's bills in the Senate? Since he was such an ardent supporter of Bankruptcy Reform, I no longer trust people like Reid when it comes to deregulation and reform that hurts the consumer and favors the financial interests. I wonder just which face old Harry's showing us now?

[lobear00]

Harry is showlng "We the People his "Cowardly Look. The man cowards at the slightest hint of a Republican in the same room, as does most of the other Democrats.
Harry go back to sleep and dream of your "Powder Puffs.

[Budokan]

It's not just Gramm. The GOP has a low view of the American people. That, if nothing else, has been self evident these past 7+ years.

[TheSecularist]

Harry Reid is a flake. He thinks that stating the obvious is going to win some points for him and make up for his disastrous tenure as majority leader. Why doesn't he show high regard for us and step down? Let someone with real leadership skills be majority leader.

[appleknocker]

The mere fact that Republicans win elections justifies a "low view of the American people."

[hypnotoad72]

I'm not keen on Reid, but he's right. Mr. Gramm's comment was somewhat out of line and out of touch.

I ought to see Gramm's video to get the full context, but wow... just wow.

[RoseMerry]

Phil Gramm made a long career in the Senate of supporting welfare for defense contractors and multinationals like his friends in the oil companies and redistributing from from the poor and middle class to the rich. Yet another embarrassment from my state, Texas, Molly Ivins once remarked, after hearing Phil Gramm tried using some Spanish in a speech, "Oh, great, now he is bi-ignorant!". I had hoped we had heard the last from him as we suffer from his bill that deregulated oil futures trading for his friends from Enron and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. That is thought to be responible for about half the run up in the price of oil since 1999.

McCain deserves him. No voting American does.

[truthynesslover]

of course grahm has a low view of the american people look at how many idiots they got to vote for bush! how could anyone have any respect for those people!why should he?

[SILVANUS]

We ARE whiners.

Otherwise, and self-respecting populace which valued critical thinking and was capable of paying attention to any matter other than football, sexual tee-hee-hee, XBox, Travis Tritt, or Britney Spears would have already DONE SOMETHING and kicked these traitors out of the White House and tried them for treason... like Thomas Jefferson said we might have to do from time to time if we really, really valued freedom.

But we don't.

[Alhaji78]

well said

[thedirtman]

Thank you Harry Reid. Any leader should have a positive view of the constituents. This concept is fundamental to good leadership. The Republicans will become extinct very soon if they don't begin to understand.

[paixa3]

Reid's words of low esteme may be correct. How many times have you re-elected all of these clowns in Congress hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[totaldisbelief]

I would hope that the Dems (only because there are only 2 parties in the US) have targeted Graham in the next election.

[Knowbetter]

Phil Gramm no longer holds elected office.

[All57States]

Harry Reid is a clown.

[gladys46]

How can you tell the difference when there's bozo in the WH and more reThug bozos in both houses!!?

[Boboday555]

Mr. Gramm is a republican...of course he has a low view of the American People.

[RobinSeattle]

Gramm and the Republicans have a view of regular people akin to the King Louis XVI character in History of the World Part Two:

Lackey: "Your HIghness, the people are revolting!"
King Louis: "You got that right. They stink on ice! Pull! (a person comes flying across the screen and Louis shoots it out of the air).

Too bad Mel Brooks is so old (if he is still around). He would be great as the lead in a tv movie about G.W. Bush. Well, in Blazing Saddles, the governor of the territory reminds me of Bush. If only Brooks could have known his parody would become reality.