McCain Campaign Pulls Plug on Gramm - WaPo

[WillyT]

<snip>

Sen. John McCain is definitely done trotting his friend and former Senate colleague Phil Gramm out on the campaign trail, and he is minimizing the Texan's role among his team of advisers.

Gramm had played an important part in crafting McCain's economic plan, and he occasionally appeared at rallies or spoke to editorial boards on the presumptive GOP nominee's behalf. But no longer, according to two key McCain advisers, after Gramm told the Washington Times that the country was filled with "whiners" and the United States is merely in a "mental recession."

On Friday McCain's domestic policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin told Darren Gersh, a PBS "Nightly Business Report" correspondent, that Gramm is no longer giving advice to McCain or his aides on the economy. "I haven't spoken to Senator Gramm since the comments took place, and I'm not expecting to," Holtz-Eakin said.

Today, McCain economics adviser Carly Fiorina chimed in on NBC's "Meet the Press": "I think John McCain has been real clear that Phil Gramm wasn't speaking for him and in fact John McCain has said now for many months that he believes the economy is in a recession. ... I don't think Senator Gramm will any longer be speaking for John McCain. I think John McCain was crystal clear about that this week."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in an e-mail that the campaign has "no announcement to make on role as a volunteer with the campaign, other than to say his remarks were regrettable and are completely inconsistent with the message and mission of John McCain's economic plan."

<snip>

Link: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/07/13/mccain_campaign_pulls_plug_on.html?hpid=topnews

:shrug:

[TomInTib]

1. Fiorina said "John McCain" four times within three sentences.

My friends, that takes true talent.

[WillyT]

2. LOL !!!

LOVE your sig line!

:hi:

[TomInTib]

9. Hey, WillyT, long time, man.

I came up with that sig line, late one night after being grossly over-served.

Over-served at my own house, no less.

I was drinking with the Late, Great Tom Snyder, when Tom said, "You know, Tom, I am beginning to actually hate Bush".

And I said, "Hell, Tom, I hated the bastard before hating him was cool".

Tom

[Demit]

5. John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life

I think that's the effect she's going for. Voters rocking sideways as they slowly make their way to the polling places, murmuring "John McCain...John McCain..."

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Gramm is still McCains boy, don't think he isn't.

They are cut from the same bolt of cloth.

[WillyT]

4. Oh Yeah...

He'll just be advising from "deep background" now.

:shrug:

[CTyankee]

6. uh, huh.

n/t

[Tutonic]

7. I've mailed his campaign headquarters an old copy of "How to

Win Friends and Influence People." One of the first chapters deals with loyalty--don't toss your "friends" off the straight talk express and steamroll em. Chapter two is all about saying one thing and sticking to it.

[AllentownJake]

8. Another person

Kind of sort of fired but not really fired but not really as influencial but still not fired but can't look the candidate directly in the eyes for two weeks sort of thing?

[burythehatchet]

10. The title of your OP is going to give me nightmares.

[4themind]

11. Hmm I haven't heard McCain use the "R" word before, but if you say so fiorina...

[retread]

12. The thousands of HP and Compaq employees laid off during Ms. Fiorina's

term at HP and the millions of stockholders who lost equity during her term certainly qualify her as a McCain adviser. Her failure netted her a $21 million severance package not to mention the generous compensation she enjoyed while destroying families. I'm sensing a common thread running through McSame's economic team.

[Piperay]

13. I hope that the Obama campaign will

make this more well known. The voters should know what kind of people are giving McSAME economic advice. x(

Edit: typo