GOP Brags That McCain Will Continue Bush's Economic Legacy

Last week, I appeared on Fox News to discuss the inflammatory comments by Phil Gramm (John McCain's top economic advisor) and how those comments really epitomize the Republican Party's country clubbish, let-them-eat-cake outlook on the economy. Notice about half-way through as the Republican strategist I'm debating actually acknowledges that McCain's major idea for fixing the economy is continuing George W. Bush's tax policies -- and that when she's called out for saying that, she tries to deny what she just said:

The interchange is instructive for two reasons.

First and foremost is the admission: namely, that Republicans still want America to believe that the way to steady the economy is to follow Bush's efforts to slash taxes for millionaires. As I show in the very first chapter of my book, this is a prescription being rejected even in some of the most conservative parts of the country.

Second, there is the denial: When called onto the carpet for wanting to continue the policies of the most unpopular president in history, Republicans start running for cover to the point of claiming they never said what they just said. The denial is a tacit acknowledgment of the power of the populist uprising now boiling throughout the country. The GOP knows the country is very angry at conservatives' free market fundamentalism -- and so will deny and obfuscate to pretend they aren't championing such fundamentalism.

Of course, moments after appearing on Fox, my email in-box was filled with hate mail from conservative viewers. For instance, Dave in Bokeelia, Florida told me "Gramm was abolutely correct" in blaming Americans for the economic downturn, then asked, "Why don't you get and your boyfriend move to Denmark or some other socialist country?" (apparently, he's not aware I'm happily married to my wife, Emily). Then he declared, "Obama has already lost, you moron."

A guy named Charles angrily asked, "When did raising taxes ever stimulate economic growth?" then said "raising taxes will only cause a deeper recession," and added "Do your homework before berating someone on television." Apparently, he forgot that our most recent economic boom during the 1990s came immediately after President Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy.

My favorite was from a guy named Steve who wrote, "hey girlyboy, do you have any idea how pitiful you look to normal folks when you open your sissy moth beging the government to help?" (that is his spelling -- for real).

These comments show how powerful conservative propaganda has been - it has convinced a number (albeit a dwindling one, according to polling data) of people to believe that the real problem in our country is that we have too few royalists running the government - not too many. Though this conservative ideology is clearly on the ropes, the Fox News clip shows that the GOP is going to continue trying to ram it down our throats.

This is an ongoing series from the national tour for THE UPRISING. You can order The Uprising at Amazon.com or through your local independent bookstore.

Comments

[blueinannarbor]

To prove what a nimrod she was, if I'm not mistaken, she raised the name of Milton Friedman in a discussion about fiscal policy. Milton Friedman dealt with monetary policy. A complete non sequitor. It's like talking about great football coaches and introducing Red Auerbach into the discussion as one of them.

[YesWeCanada]

David Sirota kicked some serious rethuglican butt. 2 on one was an unfair fight, FOX Noise should have brought out the rest of there brain dead talking heads.lol We need more people like you beating down the nonsense, and more air time for yourself.

[InfosolutionWiz]

YES HE SURE DID!!!

I LOVE IT!!

[ShamusNYC]

What's the old saying: "not all republicans are stupid people, but all stupid people are republicans".

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

Wow, Dave you the man, you so made her tell the truthiness of it all. I don't believe ;she believed how easily that flowed out..Kudos

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

John John, defiantly feels your pain when he leaving his 7th house and going to his 8th house on his private jet, while you are losng your only house he's feeling you pain...Cindy charges 750K on her cc , while you are having your reprossed at the gas station, but he and his wife feels your pain. Phil feel it too, he was calling you a whiner it was in a good way. All of the decider kings men feel your psychological pain, chin up and be a good opportunist...oops I meant optimist.

[wmg57]

Woo. Nice one.

[blueinannarbor]

The assumption that simply cutting taxes is a sure fire way of stimulating the economy is overly simplistic. Some times it works; some times it doesn't. During the Reagan years, it seemed to work. This time around, clearly, it didn't. The catastrophe of this thinking, however, is the soring budget deficits that cripple future growth by crowding out money that otherwise would be put into development and innovation. One need only look to the Clinton years, when a tax increase on people earning in excess of $200,000 a year early in the administration enabled the Dow to nearly quadruple by in value. I'm not suggesting that is a fool proof method for ensuring economic stability either, but it certainly challenges the notion that tax cuts inevitably lead to economic growth.

[bgregs]

Actually, it failed both times. The difference is that raygun was spending money on projects that were employing people. bush is spending it on a combination war/money grab from big oil!

The thing about taxes is that cutting them is not really a stimulus on the economy, any more than increasing them is a drag on the economy. The only way for the govt to STIMULATE the economy is to spend, since they can DIRECT where the money is going. Just as an example, if we were to all place solar collectors on our roofs, we could cut the coal/oil usage by 15% or more. However, that would take a HUGE amount of spending. If the govt were to BUY those collectors and mandate that they be put on, that would happen. On the other hand, if they simply give you a tax credit for the amount that they estimate that they would spend on them for your house, you could choose to spend it all on hookers. This would not stimulate the economy (something else, for sure....)

[DaOne]

I would weep for this nation but I can't afford tissue paper!

[philistine]

It's a pity that the "host" cut off debate, because you were about to blow Ms. Republican Party out of the water. Hopefully, enough of the Fox News Kool-Aid drinkers out there got the message.

[bmora]

I did not know that you dealt in sissy moths. Just so we are clear, these moths made a lifestyle choice and were not born that way.

[bgregs]

HuffPost's Pick

It wouldn't let me finish, so here's the point. I would MUCH rather have a tax-and-spendocrat than a borrow-but­-still-spe­ndican!

[bgregs]

I was in the gas station the other day, and I couldn't help but get involved in the conversation ahead of me. The woman in front of me was practically yelling at the poor kid behind the counter wearing an Obama pin. She attempted to inform him that the only thing that Obama would do would be to raise taxes, and how that would destroy the country! I had to laugh, when I stepped in and asked her if she knew about the federal debt. She said that she'd heard of it. I asked how much it was. "About $500 billion," was the reply. I had to FIRST inform her that she was talking about the annual DEFICIT.

Then I informed her that we have a $10 TRILLION debt! I then asked her to visualize that much money. She couldn't do it, and I couldn't blame her, since I can't either. So I informed her that it would take the US govt around 300,000 YEARS to pay off the debt at the rate of $1/second, assuming NO additional money was ever borrowed, or added in interest!

[gro]

Good for you speaking some truth on Fox! It's important to present an alternative to the neocon agenda even if it means trash in the inbox.

[Polyjunkie]

David,

Great post!

So calling Senator McCain "McBush" should not be viewed as pejorative then right??