Phil Gramm Resigns From McCain Campaign

NEW YORK — Phil Gramm, a top adviser to presidential candidate John McCain, is resigning from the role as campaign co-chairman after his comments that the United States had become a "nation of whiners" who constantly complain about the state of the economy.

The former U.S. senator from Texas and past presidential candidate made the remarks earlier this month. McCain immediately distanced himself from the comments, but they have been criticized constantly as McCain tries to show he can help steer the country past its current financial troubles.

Gramm had also suggested that the country was facing a "mental recession" instead of real economic problems. Gramm said in a statement late Friday that he is stepping down as a co-chair of the campaign to "end this distraction."

Comments

[firewmn]

02:39 PM on 07/20/2008

*
Headlines should read:

McCain Won't Tolerate an Ounce of Gramm - he has enough trouble as it is..

********

[rollingdivision]

11:13 AM on 07/20/2008

Don't think the average voter even knows who Gramm is.

[BaileyWo]

12:25 AM on 07/21/2008

I live in Texas. I always had the impression that Gramm and his wife both stepped down and ran for shelter from the law when they saw it all coming down around the Republican Party's pointed and corruption covered little ears. But then......... the Democrats did absolutely nothing. No impeachment, no investigations of meaning, no "lets throw the bums from office," nothing. It was only Grace that save us when this little creature of the halitosis infected underworld came crawling back from under his rock to join the McCain Campaign.

Now that he's out again, can someone please removed his name from the dictionary before the Texas Aggies open it looking for "economist" again?

[jarjarbush]

09:40 AM on 07/20/2008

stepping down as a co-chair of the campaign to "end this distraction."

That has all the sincerity and credibility of "to spend more time with my family"

He's compelled to end this distraction to concentrate his mind on the next distraction, on trial for his very freedom.

It's more likely he'll be spending more time with his team of lawyers after being indicted in the UBS global tax evasion scandal. After that hopefully he'll be spending more of his time in federal prison, and his lying wife should join him there.

[marc1antony]

03:00 AM on 07/20/2008

TAX EVADERS - That's the real story behind this.

[jungfan]

01:37 AM on 07/20/2008

When I was a young lad, I remember going to a voting booth with my father and asking him to vote for Gramm for a state seat (I believe) in Texas. Thank God for education!! Now, I bid a fond farewell to one of Washington's Worst.

[econdr]

10:04 PM on 07/19/2008

"Gramm had also suggested that the country was facing a "mental recession" instead of real economic problems."

He didn't SUGGEST it, he stated it explicitly.

[SouthPrairie]

09:02 PM on 07/19/2008

Gramm Sham 5:11; NY 5:23

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Deregulation, their loop-hole elation,
Home-owning security—the new emasculation.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Predatory lending, nepotistic mending,
Way to go! Way to go! Narcissistic spending.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Backroom corruption, Grandma's disruption,
Laughing, yucking, having fun with usury distruction.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Families feel the squeeze, trapped by legalese,
played by highbrow scum, a haughty sort of sleaze.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Then they say "My friend" trying hard to send
A message we should trust their parasitic trend.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Economic advisor? The Enron/housing divisor?
The deeds they do will provide the glue to pull us together much wiser.

Nasty men doing nasty things.

Now you say you are gone, never admitting you’re wrong.
But you’re influence—not for long, unless Obama stays strong.

Nasty men doing nasty things

So let’s say good-bye to these thorns in our sides,
Who have made their career taking Americans for a ride.

Their tree provides their fruit, filling unctuous empty suits
With empathy none from what they have done, stealing Americans' loot.

The friends of the nasty Gramm and all of his nasty shams
Will be gone when we put the presidency in Obama’s hands.

[scouserinlondon]

06:44 AM on 07/20/2008

Clever AND poetic.

[GypsyRose]

05:49 PM on 07/19/2008

Memo to: Volvo, Hume, Dentuso, Kellygrrl, Thunderclap, LiberalBuzz, ErnestineBass, et al: Stop trashing people, just because they don't agree with you. How does that further any dialogue that you so "pretend" to embrace? You're not helping anything, you're destroying it! Why?

Oh yeah, I'll be posting this everywhere and every chance I get. Now, fess up, how many of you are getting paid from HuffPo or from other sources? C'mon, you can tell me....

[evahartselftlanguages]

05:03 PM on 07/19/2008

TO: Senator Phil Gramm July 19, 2008


You whined and dined and now you have others to wine and dine with you. But your drinking the wrong kind of wine though. Your influence has spread. You whined about the homeless that they should not have money. Now it's healthcare.

From the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center website naitonalhomeless.org in Dream Denied it states,"In Pittsburgh,Pa homeless cannot panhandle 25 feet from a place of religious assembly nor 10 feet from a bus stop or food vendor,etc. In Houston,Texas Mayor Laura MIller has suggested that people should be given tickets if they give to homeless since a total ban on panhandling was not effective. In Atlanta, George Mayor Shirley Franklin issued an Executive Order to keep food providers from feeding the homeless. Although this is not legally sanctioned this has deterred many Churches and communities of faith not having food ministries for the poor. All this is terrrible. In Dream Denied and Feeding Intolerance it states,"There is not enough facilities for soup kitchens to feed the people 3 times a day 7 days a week. Food pantries give only one box of food a month. nationalhomeles.org

Eva Hart A Christian In Army from 62-70 670 Eddy St. Sfc 94109

[evahartselftlanguages]

06:04 PM on 07/19/2008

TO: Senator Phil Gramm July 19, 2008 Continued from above post dated July 19, 2008

Let me add some more. In Hawaii they have a total ban on homeless being on public property in whole State. People please check all this out for it is so true. There is rampant crime and scams everywheres. Also in Dream Denied of the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center Reports. Choose Publications,Reports and titles, Full Report. nationalhomeless.org

In Fresno,Ca they have a barbed wire around area called Dunk Tank where they put homeless on public display. All this is of course very cruel and inhuman. People can change and It is a Government of all Americans. Jesus came to SAVE ALL.

Eva Hart A Christian

[evahartselftlanguages]

06:35 PM on 07/19/2008

TO: Senator Phil Gramm July 19, 2008 Continued

One final point. The National Coalition for the Homeless confirms my Report of 97 of scarce food,jobs,shelter report which everyone ignored. Mr. Terry Messman of Street Spirit,Oakland,Ca writes we need affordable housing, decent laws. Mr. Terry Messman quotes The National Coalition for the Homeless Report of 280 hate crimes against homeless. These hate crimes range from beheadings,to drownings,to brutal beatings and stabbings. Mr. Terrry Messman states,"These anti-panhandling laws are inhuman and that whenever he sees these anti-panhandling laws of these respected pillars of society he sees blood on their immaculate hands.

Mr. Don Whitehead, Executive Director, of the National Coalition for the Homeless states,"We need to address the root causes of homelessness and have affordable housing, livable wages, healthcare for poor, an Civil Rights protections."

Mr. Phil Gramm this is what you have done and American homeless and others have every right to whine for these cruelties are intolerable. By the way in past I put these scarce food,jobs,shelter resources in US here on Huffington Post and no one contacted me to inquire about these scarce food,jobs conditions nor wrote to me as I gave my address. I mentioned names,witnesses,dates and Court Dockets. Yet no reader or blogger ever responded. These Senator Phil Gramm are your subjects.
Eva Hart A Christian 670 Eddy St. Sfc 94109

[kd1s]

05:05 PM on 07/19/2008

Oh yes, Gramm, the one who gave us the Enron loophole and the shadow banking system that are destroying the economy.

Honestly, it isn't a psychological recession. This is more like a depression. Wages down, employment down, dollar value down, stock market tanking, all clear signs.

[Bushwillresign]

07:13 PM on 07/19/2008

Yes, but you have to think of all the billions that have been made by the repubs that are in a position to cash in on the Enron loophole and the shadow banking system. Some dems probably cashed in too, however they would never have been sent the "Memo", they had to figure it all out by themselves.

[rockyroad]

08:58 PM on 07/19/2008

Sorry for all the typos . . .I truly am a terrible typist. BSG didn't act alone, the royal family of Lichtenstein, a tiny european country, owns its national bank, Swiss banks, banks in the Isle of Man, China and others are also implicated.

Just interesting that Gramm chose to make his outrageous remarks on the day that all of this came to light in America. A USB banker from Lichtenstein is being held in California on charges . . . Gramm's outrageous remarks completely overshadowed reports of his involvement in this huge case of international bank fraud and tax evasion.

Smart move. The dispicable ant overshadowed the horribly diseased elephant in the living room.

Timing is everything. The Bush Administration has know about the list and Gramm's involvement since February '08. . . . knew it was a bomb and waited for the perfect time.

What other bombs do they have up their sleeves, just waiting for a bigger GOP disaster to divert?

[rockyroad]

08:49 PM on 07/19/2008

Smokescreen.

Gramm's about to get busted at VP of BSG, illustrious provider of private client services tha hid 1%ers money in offshore accounts. BSG is under seige after an employee sold a list of names to the German government for 4 million pounds. Germany has since provided the list the the US and Italian governments. Allegedly, Americans on the list failed to report or pay taxes on billions. BSG, Gramm's company, orchestrated the tax fraud. If the US follows the German model, more than 12,000 Americans could get busted.

Think that list will ever see the light of day in America? Doubtful.

Think it could be prosecuted under RICO? More likely, but doubtful.

Think the Bush Admisistration is up to their eyeballs in this bs? Absolutely.

[donaldw6]

04:23 PM on 07/19/2008

With all the financially related scandal so close to him, isn't it becoming very problematic that we still haven't seen all the McBoosh family tax returns? If his advisors have such difficulty exercising restraint, it might be judicious at this point to complete our scrutiny of his finances.

[evahartselftlanguages]

04:07 PM on 07/19/2008

TO: Senator Phil Gramm July 19, 2008

If I am correct when you ran for President in past you whined about the homeless and did not want to give them money. You abandoned the job seeker and need for money to seek employment! You did not even know them personally and judged them to be anything but what they were. You and others keep coming up with excuses to oppress them, flog them, and treat them inhumanely. America watched and did nothing I quit evil jobs and was on GA. In Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff's book 54 Ways to Help the Homeless with foreward by Ex-President Jimmy Carter he states,"Low wage families,veterans,elderly,children, my case and others of making good,moral decision in life and needing Welfare for doing so, some women who are raped, aids people are on Welfare. You did not know what you were talking about. You whined. You wined. But you were wrong.

Eva Hart A Christian In Army from 62-70 670 Eddy St. Sfc 94109

[storeyy]

03:59 PM on 07/19/2008

McCain doesn't get it does he? Do the Republicans believe that we are not paying attention? Everyone knows that Phil Gramm isn't going anywhere. It's just like HRC and Mark Penn.....I don't think they have learned to respect the electorate yet....We must continue to show them that "we the people" are fed up with business as usual.

[emmaspeaks]

03:11 PM on 07/19/2008

I keep noticing the traits of the Clinton campaign. They just can't change their campaign tactics into the next generation of politics....lets not go back, lets move forward.

Obama '08 Lets make some changes in the way we do politics.

[Tommygun264]

03:06 PM on 07/19/2008

No, it's not all in your head, Phil. The people hate you. They really, really HATE you. So long, and thank you for playing "Insulting the Electorate". Buh-bye.