McCain Surrogate On Gramm: "Most Americans Are Not Really Focused" On What We Say

WASHINGTON — A top economic surrogate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain doesn't think people are paying much attention to what people like her have to say.

In discussing McCain economic adviser Phil Gramm's remarks about the U.S. becoming a "nation of whiners" and suffering a "mental recession," former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina was dismissive of the source.

"Outside of Washington, where this is an interesting parlor game, I think most Americans are not really focused on what a bunch of surrogates are saying," Fiorina said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "They're focused on what the candidates are saying."

Last March, Fiorina sounded more upbeat about people representing the campaign. While discussing her new role with McCain, she told the Web site Pajamas Media, "I think they're going to see us expand our surrogate program in some interesting ways."

For his part, McCain rejected Gramm's comments shortly after they became public. "Phil Gramm does not speak for me," he said last week. "I speak for me."

Comments

[IowaKid]

As if she was so good for HP. Big laugh. Just another airhead.

[RTIII]

Some large fraction of Americans "aren't home," no matter if they're listening or not! ...I mean as in "the lights are burning but nobody's home." And, Rs in particular, seem to tune out and don't actually listen to anything that challenges what they already believe - and to be fair, I think that may be something of the "human condition", though progressives do seem to listen more.

...In these senses, our speaker is sort of correct.

[GolfingDevil05]

Tom Brokaw's response to her "no one is listening to surrogates" statement revealed how much of a rookie Ms. Fiornia is to the national political scene. He basically said, "You're a surrogate, and people are watching this program to hear what you're saying." If she really thinks that's true, she wasn't paying attention to the primaries. Geraldine Ferraro, Samantha Power... these names ringing a bell?

Surrogates, while not always reflecting the exact wording of the candidate's positions, usually share the same sentiments as the candidate. I thought her attempt to deflect back to the Rev. Wright controversy was a pathetic attempt to make people see Phil Gramm and Rev. Wright as equals in the respective campaigns. The distinction is that Sen. Obama wasn't using Rev. Wright to create central pieces of his policies. Phil Gramm was writing Sen. McCain's economic plan. There's a world of difference there.

[Godfearing]

With Phil Gramm's statement it just shows how far out of touch the McCain campaign is with common ordinary American people. Every time we fill up our cars with gas and pay $20.00 for groceries that was $16.00 not too long ago, we know what is going on. We also know how much money John McCain has wasted over the years on his pet military and anyone with ten houses is not one of us.

Like they say, "we don't know much about Senator Obama", but he has to be far better for the common ordinary person than John McCain.

[ChetHolly]

Fact is that what Carly Fiorina is saying is true! Most of us are not focused on the statements of subordinates, candidates or the elected officials for that matter. How can we be since we are constantly being bombarded with blurry double and triple images. The Media sets up the field of vision by using the taking heads from the left, right and Mars to spin the facts in to mush, ......" sorry just the facts" is not the Medias mantra. The point is not that Mr Graham is out of touch, that's a bit too obvious to debate, the point is what are we going to about the state of our economy, health care, energy policy, foreign policy its time to FIX IT!!!! Being on the right side is not the same a doing the right thing! Stop the madness, demand more from the Media and focus on being progressively pragmatic and productive!

[Canaris]

I loved that response, "Phil Gramm doesn't speak for me. I speak for me".

Isn't a campaign surrogate, by definition, someone that speaks for you?

McCain seems to be getting more and more confused every day.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

I don't know what Americans they are referring to but I know that I am interested in what the surrogates have to say. When I hear P h i l G r a m m spout off about how I am imagining that the price of gas is high it tells me a lot of what the McClunk campaign is all about.

[Lisette]

She is a flake.

[tel8034]

Not to worry McCain - We don't pay much attention to you either, and we always found your surrogates lame and lacking.

But we do pay attention to our next President - Barack Obama

[LTinCali]

What is the point of having her and the other surrogates speaking on behalf of the candidate if no one pays attention to them? She is just as clueless as her candidate.

[MNmommy]

Just felt the need to weigh in on how much I can't stand this woman. She was lame with the talking points today on MTP.

[Heaphy]

Carly Fiorina is an attractive and charismatic woman. Unfortunately for her and McCain, she has a very controversial record as a corporate executive, excelling mainly at laying off workers by the tens of thousands. As a campaign surrogate, she has repeatedly misrepresented McCain's position on women's issues. That explains why she hopes (wrongly) that no one pays much attention to what the surrogates are saying. Her VP hopes are toast.
- Jim Heaphy

[elcojonu]

The only Carly I pay attention to is Carly Simon; she's one hell of a singer.
This one was thrown out at HP because of incompetence; that's what the Repugs have become, a Party of Incompetents; pobrecitos.

[Zzxno]

This from the campaign that released SIXTEEN press releases regarding the comments of Wesley Clarke? Clarke wasn't even a member of the Obama campaign, he was a Clinton supporter to the bitter end! So, when it's someone who could in some way be tied to Obama (no matter how tenous the ties)the American people should be paying attention but campaign advisors for McCain who are supposedly shortlisted for posistions as treasury secratary aren't worth paying attention to.

The fact that anyone still takes the McCain campaign seriously is proof positive that the MSM loves John McCain. Anyone else running a campaign this glaringly incompetent would have been laughed out of the running after this past week.

[karela]

Carly dear, you are so wrong. We listen to every word. You've got to be kidding! McCain's top economic adviser and you think we aren't listening? McCain, by his own admission doesn't know diddly about economics, so he listens to this guy. And this guy thinks that everybody who's been screwed to the wall by Bush/McCain economics is a "whiner"? Whiners have a reputation for being weak victims. We're not weak. And we're through being victims!!! Throw the bums out!!!

[kinnycut]

Fiorina nobody pays any attention to because she is a bore. As far as Gramm is concerned, I didn't know senility was catching.