In their rush to accuse former Sen. Phil Gramm of calling Americans "whiners," the media have conveniently neglected to mention who Gramm, an economic advisor to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, was actually criticizing during his interview with The Washington Times.
"The media is a leading indicator of a downturn and it's a lagging indicator of an upturn because you got a human interest story of people losing their jobs," Gramm said. "Misery sells newspapers."
As my colleague Scott Whitlock pointed out, the media have played a big role in drumming up negativity and pessimism about the economy. Gramm criticized the media for ignoring positive things that are happening with the economy. In fact, he boasted about America and its economy.
"There are still a lot of good things happening in the American economy. We're more competitive internationally. We're in the midst of an export boom in manufacturing," he said.
He also gave international perspective that a lot of media coverage of the U.S. economy has lacked.
"We have been huge beneficiaries of the change which has occurred," Gramm said. "The losers have been countries like India and China and yet you just hear this constant whining, complaining about our loss of our competitiveness, America in decline. We've never been more dominant."
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The really sad part is that
July 11, 2008 - 14:25 ET by motherbeltThe really sad part is that Sen. John McCain didn't come to his defense and emphasize those positive points that Sen. Gramm made.
BTW if I hear one more "journalist" call him Sen. Graham, I'm going to scream! (Hence, I will just read and not listen!) Makes you wonder if they say "tele-graham."
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
MB...
July 11, 2008 - 14:39 ET by connmanthat's why I can't bring myself to vote for McCain. He comes off as such a wuss on any matter that the whinning media throw at him. I can't believe this guy's our candidate.
This town needs an enema! - The Joker
It's way more than sad..
July 11, 2008 - 14:49 ET by SickofLibsMB: you are so right.
If someone told McCain he stepped on an ant, he'd be rushing for the nearest microphone to apologize.
The only clips you see of him anymore is of him in another embarrassing 'senior moment', apologizing for something, or disavowing someone.
He's gonna get his ass kicked bigtime unless he grows some major G-O-N-A-D-S and knocks this crap off.
I'm sure glad the price of
July 11, 2008 - 14:41 ET by goldbarI'm sure glad the price of gas and groceries are all in my head, because if it were real--I'd be pissed!
goldbar, if you were real,
July 11, 2008 - 14:46 ET by bassndudegoldbar, if you were real, I would be pissed! Come on now...lets have some stats and facts. Sense when has the President controled the price of gas? Seems to me that the Congress and Senate has more control over that. Was it not Pelosi that said once the dems were in charge of congress, they would lower gas prices, immidately? She admitted Congress controls gas prices. You need to write her a letter, or better yet, go call her...and do it now please.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Yeah. Congress controls
July 11, 2008 - 14:49 ET by goldbarYeah. Congress controls gas prices. That's a good one bass! Real good!
Who writes and passes laws
July 11, 2008 - 14:56 ET by MassConservWho writes and passes laws governing all things related to drilling for oil and building refineries?
Hint: It isn't the Executive branch of the federal government.
Do you honestly think there
July 11, 2008 - 15:04 ET by goldbarDo you honestly think there is a shortage of oil that's driving the price up?
Gold...what happens when
July 11, 2008 - 15:13 ET by bassndudeGold...what happens when you increase the supply of anything? TV's, DVD players, whatever...What happens when you reduce shipping costs on products?
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
There's a big, hairy olive
July 11, 2008 - 15:56 ET by goldbarThere's a big, hairy olive colored hand that is on the spicket that controls the flow of oil. Therein lies the problem. We could drill up and down every U.S. coast and still not be able to become energy independent. It would take two to three years to build the rigs and do the drilling and altogether take roughly ten years to bring the oil to market, which is not enough to move the price per barrel today. If GE were to bring the EV-1 back into production at a reasonable price for the consumer, the auto industry would be revived, unemployment would drastically drop and the only thing the Middle East would have to export would be figs and dates.
Ignoramus. Try drilling
July 11, 2008 - 16:08 ET by NL207Ignoramus. Try drilling in the Green River Oil shales. There are only about 1.7 Trillion bbls equivalent recoverable reserves there. That's about enough to last 275 years at the current consumption, but there is no oil. Right, Goldbar?
The EV-1 was a total failure. Even with massive Federal and state subsidies, GM couldn't make a profit on those turkeys leasing them at $399 to $549 per month. "GM had determined that the EV1 was not commercially viable"
"Try drilling in the Green
July 11, 2008 - 16:59 ET by goldbar"Try drilling in the Green River Oil shales."
It's the same reason we don't make buggy whips anymore. It's old technology. The idea is, like fearless leader has dictated--get off our addiction to oil. The EV-1 never failed. GM sold off the battery technology to Chevron who refuse to license it to anyone else.
Old technology?
July 11, 2008 - 21:59 ET by CobraMan"It's old technology."
So are wood-framed houses, and concrete for that matter (the Romans used concrete you know), but we still use that technology, don't we? Paint is a technology that is thousands of years old! Should we stop using paint because it’s old technology? How about sandals, aren't they old technology too? That technology has been around for who knows how long! Should we stop wearing sandals because that’s old technology?
Simply because a technology is old, doesn't mean it's no longer useful. You use a fork, don't you? How old is that technology? The oil is there, let's use it.
Don't forget the wheel!
July 12, 2008 - 01:29 ET by zfDon't forget the wheel! Don't get much older than that, yet human beings couldn't exist without it.
Also, if oil is old technology, what are wind turbines? Solar panels have been around since the last 60's and the sun much longer than that. Nuclear power goes back to the 40's. Using alcohol to try to power cars goes back to Henry Ford's days. Biofuels is just a glorified way of throwing logs into a fire to try to make energy, that's not new, cavemen used biofuels. Storing electricity in batteries goes back to the 1700's, maybe even before, ever hear of Ben Franklin or Leyden's Jar?
But what do expect from someone who actually thought you can declare a recession before you even have the evidence of a recession occuring?
"Old technology" might be making a come back...
July 12, 2008 - 01:43 ET by mastersofdeceitIn my own backyard!! Whoo-Hoo Nixon Country baby!
"the city could reap hundreds of thousands or
even millions of dollars a year through royalties for allowing the
drilling on about six acres."
Alright let's go, drilling on six acres and I might get my street re-paved. Of course we'll have to see how the enviro-nazi's handle it. The Fireworks-Nazi's in the hills didn't like it when the city OK'd them for the city and had to get them banned again for the entire city just because they live in the hills. But that's my Democrat run city council for you.
Refusing to license to anyone else?
July 11, 2008 - 22:08 ET by CobraManChevron is refusing to license nickel hydrate battery technology to anyone else? Someone better tell Chevron about this place then.
You want EV? You got 'em!
July 11, 2008 - 22:29 ET by CobraMan"Electric Vehicles For Sale"
You want to buy an EV-1 type car? Maybe you should check out this site.
Tell me again how Chevron is keeping this technology from us?
The EV-1 failed.
July 11, 2008 - 23:59 ET by NL207The EV-1 failed. period. The thing never was able to achieve satisfactory performance and it cost a fortune to manufacture. The phase one cars, which were the first 600 or so, were lead-acid battery. This is their performance. A dismal 78.2 mile range between charges, totally unacceptable. The phase two cars which had the battery you are complaining about were claimed to have a range of 160 miles. This was not ever realized in practice. The actual was more like 115, which is what this tester reported in average driving. On top of this, these cars were an ecological nightmare for disposal. The batteries weighed about 1,200 pounds and are considered hazardous waste. They need replacement at about 100,000 miles in normal use.
Who in California or anywhere else is going to pay $35,000 for a two seat car that can only go 115 miles and then takes about 4 hours to fill its tank afterwards? Do you think for one moment that GM would have sold that patent if they thought it was actually worth anything? GM realized that by the time they could do anything useful with the patent before it would expire. It expires in 2014, a mere 6 years from now.
Lets put this in perspective: the Mercedes Smart Car [yep, its a Mercedes] is two seats and has an unrefueled range of about 425 miles. It also only weighs about 600 pounds more than just the battery of the EV-1. Its 8.7 gallon tank can be filled in a couple of minutes at most filling stations.
Now let's address another liberal lie: The jerks you linked, www.ev1.org, have a bogus documentary that claims all the EV-1's were crushed except a handful placed in museums. This is like most liberal bullsh*t, a lie. GM retained a great many of these cars to be used for test beds on a project it considered eminently more feasible and cost effective than this asinine electric car the Government subsidized it to produce: Fuel Cell cars. GM converted over 100 of the EV-1's into hydrogen powered fuel cell cars and tested them in daily driving in at least three locations in the US.
EV-1 & Battery Capacity
July 12, 2008 - 00:06 ET by Free StinkerUntil we get better battery technology, any of these "electric cars" will be unsucessul.
The nano-wire battery, or EEStor's ultra-capacitor might actually make battery powered cars economical, but we still need to make those technologies practical on a large scale.
Free, insteresting that "typical house wiring" won't charge them
July 12, 2008 - 00:41 ET by upcountrywaterMy home has 200 amp service.. or 48 Kw at full power
.. The chargers are 250 Kw..
Yea as if a 4 foot by 8 foot solar panel will run your car! .0200 Kw
Dreaming..oh yea, cha-change the laws of science.
great links BTW
Liberals62%
IranianUranium
Why does goldbar hate children?
July 11, 2008 - 16:57 ET by mastersofdeceit"It would take two to three years to build the rigs and do the drilling and altogether take roughly ten years to bring the oil to market.."
So what? Why can't we "do it for our childrens' future"? Remember that old saw?
How selfish!
For our children's sake,
July 11, 2008 - 17:03 ET by goldbarFor our children's sake, why would we want to tether them to a barrel of oil? It's like crack addicts having babies and seeing nothing wrong with it.
What??? What the hell do
July 11, 2008 - 19:15 ET by RukusWhat???
What the hell do you mean??? Our kids will benifit from more energy sources than what we get now. Crack?? Are you on that now?? We need energy now dumb a$$!! Get one of your brain cells clicking kid!! I'm wasting my time even trying to talk to you. You have no idea! Wake up!
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
Well for one thing Pelosi,
July 11, 2008 - 19:24 ET by BlazerWell for one thing Pelosi, Reed and the rest of the Congressional Democrats are demanding that Bush release oil from the strategic reserves because the extra influx of oil will drive down market prices via supply and demand,...........
..........meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Pelosi, Reed and the rest of the Congressional Democrats say that no way drilling for our own oil and influxing more of it on the free market will drive down the price via supply and demand, hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Dammit, Blaze
July 11, 2008 - 19:39 ET by BlondeDon't confuse the boy with facts....he'll forget all of his talking points.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Well ya' know
July 11, 2008 - 19:47 ET by BlazerWell ya' know Blonde, talking points and toilet paper, two t.p.'s , but the left seems to only like to use plenty of one kind and I'll let you guess which one that is.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Yeah, Blaze
July 11, 2008 - 19:53 ET by BlondeI love your post...poor Popeye, got herself hoist on the horns of her own dilema. (And John McCain's maybe, just maybe going on the offensive and calling Barak "Dr. No" for his non-energy policy).
Now I'm watching Laura I interview that idjit Ellis Helican....who is a proponent of reducing the speed limit.
If the Feds mandate 55 m.p.h. again, I'm going to go ballistic. It's totally idiotic. The impact on the economy is substantial. It takes longer to deliver goods, therefore more transport is required, costing more money.
I hate liberal math. Sorry for the rant, but I am furious.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
Well, I dont' blame ya'
July 11, 2008 - 20:05 ET by BlazerWell, I dont' blame ya' Blonde for being furious, Virginia's own version of Alien Spectral......errr, I mean Arlen Specter, John Warner is also a proponent of the measure. I thought with age came wisdom, nonetheless being a conservative with age came the wisdom of conservatism. But I guess when the demographics and ideaology of your costituency change so does your belief system.
I guess its true what they say about your taste buds denigrating with age because Mr. Warner certainly has the inability to taste poo along with all of the liberal a$$ he's been kissing lately.
At any rate, I guess the only comfort right now I can offer up to you, is take comfort in the fact that where you live right now is where most of us want to vacation.
For what thats worth anyway.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Thanks Blaze,
July 11, 2008 - 20:15 ET by BlondeMust run....to the airport. And I'm going to exceed the speed limit by 15 mph the whole way, too! Put all those horses to good use.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
" Put all those horses to
July 11, 2008 - 20:21 ET by Blazer" Put all those horses to good use. "
Funny you should say that, because I have a company vehicle. One of my favorite sayings as of late, especially with the price of fuel is...:
" I'd ride a horse as long as their payin' for the hay"
Have a nice trip to the airport and take care. : )
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
What's your alternative to oil?
July 11, 2008 - 21:35 ET by CobraMan"For our children's sake, why would we want to tether them to a barrel of oil?"
It's for the children's sake that we NEED OIL! What's your alternative to oil? Tell me, I'm curious as to how we replace oil to power our kid’s future.
How do we replace gas and diesel derived from oil? Biodiesel that uses our food for energy? Ethanol that does the same? Our kids need to eat, you know. Hydrogen fuel cell technology isn’t the answer. It takes more energy to produce the hydrogen than we can get back in return. It’s a negative sum equation. Where is all that energy going to come from? Oil, on the other hand, is a positive sum equation as we get far more energy out of oil than we use to collect and process it. What alternative do we have for that?
Then there are the electrical power requirements our kids will face. How do we replace fossil fuels as a power source? Should we switch to solar energy that only works when the sun is up? Or wind power that doesn't work on calm days? How about a combination of the two? Will that provide us with power 24/7. or are we at the mercy the weather? Should we switch to nuclear power for all our electoral needs? I thought that was a BAD idea? At least that's what the environmentalists have been telling me since the 70's. Where's your alternative to fossil fuels to power the world our kids must live in?
Also, oil is used for more than providing gas, you know. Most plastics come from oil, including the plastics used in medical devices. There is NO alternative for that source of medical plastic, biodegradable "plastics" made from soy, for example, DEGRADE within the body and they cause allergic reactions. They can’t be used for medical purposes. How will you replace oil for the production of necessary medical devices our children will depend upon to live a full and productive life? For the sake of our children, we NEED oil, now and in the future.
CobraMan, here is Redbar's alternative to oil.
July 11, 2008 - 21:44 ET by R D HelmCobraMan, here is Redbar's alternative to oil.
The truth is insensitive. - Neal Boortz
And/or this. 45
July 11, 2008 - 21:50 ET by Clear thinkerAnd/or this.
45 Communist Goals for America http://www.nationmakers.com/com_goals.htm
....or this, irony with
July 11, 2008 - 22:04 ET by Blazer....or this, irony with the symbol in upper right corner of photograph not intended.
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefbVHnhIvaAAYUajzbkF/SIG=11ve7f4bt/EXP=1215918165/**http%3A//pages.cthome.net/india2/RICKSHAW.jpg
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
" The Cake is a lie."
Ct, lol.
July 11, 2008 - 22:23 ET by R D HelmYeah, but the horse flatulence would be a big turn-off for the libs.Their objections would be on two fronts:
1) The contribution that the gaseous discharges would make toward "Global Warming."
2) The fact that they, the "anointed elites," would be expected by us mere peons to actually ride in the darn things and have the aforesaid flatulence discharged right in their faces. :-O
LMAO-Which is why I hope they all get stuck riding in them!
The truth is insensitive. - Neal Boortz
LOL
July 11, 2008 - 22:11 ET by CobraManLOL! But isn't that "old technology?"
CobraMan,
July 11, 2008 - 22:26 ET by R D HelmBut isn't that "old technology?"
LOL-That is exactly my point. That is what many of the libs want for the rest of us.
The truth is insensitive. - Neal Boortz
Goldbar
July 11, 2008 - 20:56 ET by the strugglerYou need to go back to your Lite Brite.This seems to be too hard for you to understand.
Well, if it's not a
July 11, 2008 - 15:31 ET by motherbeltWell, if it's not a shortage of oil then why the hell doesn't Her Speakerness step up to the plate with her "commonsense plan" and DO something about it!!!
“Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas
prices by cracking down on price gouging, rolling back the billions of
dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks and royalty relief given to
big oil and gas companies, and increasing production of alternative
fuels.”
She's had 18 months to show us this "plan." Where is it?
Even proposed legislation to clamp down on all those evil oil companies? Anyone? Anyone?
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
2.4 Billion Chinese and
July 11, 2008 - 16:12 ET by NL2072.4 Billion Chinese and Indians are tired of using Rickshaws for taxis and water buffalo for tractors. They are using their new found affluence to buy oil. They are competing for resources. Economic competition. Bidders bidding at auction. I am sure these concepts are alien to you.
Congress most certainly
July 11, 2008 - 16:17 ET by NL207Congress most certainly controls domestic supplies by limiting refining and prohibiting production.
Go, Bass!
July 11, 2008 - 15:05 ET by SickofLibsThe President, of course, has a red phone on his desk that he uses to call the oil companies and OPEC to initiate his daily oil price increase.
Pelosi: keep up your partisan, commie no-drilling anywhere BS and the idiot masses will turn on you when gas hits 8 or 9, and then you can begin writing your memoirs.
When no one can afford gas anymore, there will be no more Dems or Repubs, just one big freaking angry mob calling for your head. Bush will be redfishing, so he won't give a crap. And you'll be standing there, culpable, like a possum in the headlights. Cheers!
SOL..If Obama is in office,
July 11, 2008 - 15:11 ET by bassndudeSOL..If Obama is in office, he and his vice will resign and leave Pelosi holding the bag. Pelosi will, of course, offer to have the goverment subsidize the gas and lower it down to $1.00 a gallon at the pump. On the other end, she will have to raise taxes some 150% across the board...of course, we will still lynch her. Otherwise that bonfire on the WH lawn would have been a waste.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Git me bowl o' wh'ever 'tis
July 11, 2008 - 17:37 ET by goldbarGit me bowl o' wh'ever 'tis yer smokin'!
Maybe we DO need another Dr. Phil
July 11, 2008 - 14:42 ET by SickofLibs60-some-odd-percent of Americans say, yeah, Phil's right, we're whiners.
95% of the MSM ARE the biggest whiners, but they all would deny it if surveyed.
If whining were outlawed in the media, they'd all be looking for work in some other field. 'Journalists' with a minor in shilling.
Frankly, I'd love to see
July 11, 2008 - 15:38 ET by motherbeltFrankly, I'd love to see Her Speakerness across from Dr. Phil.
Pelosi: The price of gas keeps going up!! Oil companies are gouging!! Too many tax breaks!! It's all President Bush's fault, and his oil friends!!
Dr. Phil: You had a plan to stop the gouging, repeal the tax breaks and subsidies etc...
How's that workin' for you?
Pelosi: uh....er....um.....
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
The elite media actually
July 11, 2008 - 16:51 ET by kgThe elite media actually think they are regular people and the majority think as they do.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
Here's what the House is
July 11, 2008 - 15:39 ET by goldbarHere's what the House is doing about the price of gas.
Oh, sorry goldbar, I stand
July 11, 2008 - 15:50 ET by motherbeltOh, sorry goldbar, I stand corrected.
Yessir, I sure am glad those Democrats are in control!! Getting things done!!
One bill after 18 months of inaction. Talk about working at warp speed!
Hey, let's re-elect them all...In June of 2010 they'll do something else!!
Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson
What BS. And you defend
July 11, 2008 - 15:55 ET by NL207What BS. And you defend this garbage?
The only thing that will move gas prices downward is a reduction in demand or an increase in supply. This bill does neither. It criminalizes the sale of gasoline under certain conditions at fair market prices. This can only serve to reduce availability of existing supplies.
They did NOTHING!
July 11, 2008 - 21:13 ET by CobraMan"Its weakness is that it can only be triggered if the president declares a federal emergency."
This is a show bill, plain and simple. Just how will THIS lower the price of gas? If the President declares an emergency, that means that the supply of oil has been seriously interrupted and he would immediately release oil from the Strategic Reserves to compensate for that interruption, correct? After all, that's what it is for. The supply of oil is not being seriously interrupted; it’s just getting more expensive. Therefore no emergency will be declared and this bill would not take effect. So, this is a bill that makes it look like something is being done while nothing really is being done. It’s an election year sham, nothing more and nothing less.
It sounds like the media is
July 11, 2008 - 16:14 ET by Chris NormanIt sounds like the media is not only deliberately misinterpreting Gramm's remarks, they are adding to them to maximumize all the damage they can get out of them.
Where are the nuanced interpretations and careful listening they demanded of Rev. Wright's and other liberals statements?
McNotObama '08
So what really happened here
July 11, 2008 - 19:14 ET by dscottSo what really happened here is the MSM helped Obama with a cheap shot by misquoting Gramm. McCain owes Gramm an apology for being a dupe of Obama and the MSM. If McCann is going to fall for these setups then he is going to loose the election. He needs to gather his facts before he engages his mouth.
Now I'm still not happy with Gramm for his support of illegal immigration amnesty but we are talking about both of these guys who made that mistake.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.