Comments on: McCain Must Get a Grip on the Economy

By: mwl

mwl — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:39:28 +0000

One thing McCain should do is to point out that if the Democrat-controlled Congress ends its resistance to domestic oil exploration, then hundreds (if not thousands) of American jobs would be created.

By: exDemocrat

exDemocrat — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:54:14 +0000

To McCain’s credit, he WAS going to be on an oil rig today until the tropical storm perked up in the gulf.

That said, I’m giving Carly Fiorina another look-see as veep….I know she had some HP issure but label those as misogyny and we’ll have the Hillary voters.

By: RuleTopia

RuleTopia — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:22:23 +0000

McCain needs to do what liberals have done for years: talk about the benefits of his economic programs. For example, the benefit of choice in healthcare is lower cost and better service. The benefit of lower taxes and less government spending is more pay-raises and promotions for Americans and fewer firings. The benefit of drilling is lower gas prices. The benefit of freetrade is lower prices on products and food.

The difference between McCain and liberals in this regard is that the benefits McCain would promise are actually true.

By: The Recession Is In Our Heads « Tai-Chi Policy

The Recession Is In Our Heads « Tai-Chi Policy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:45:54 +0000

[...] in Capitalism and Economics, Democrats, Politics. trackback Even if McCain’s campaign won’t be able to get that point across. Actually, the sluggishness of the economy and the perceived troubles may be one of the reasons why [...]

By: bncthor

bncthor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:37:20 +0000

…”McCain is a centrist but he is not good as articulating centrist positions.”

Perhaps, Sentor McCain will seek the assistance of his Senate colleague from Idaho to help him articulate these difficult positions.

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:08:34 +0000

The center of American politics has cracked. Obama is a candidate from the left wing of the Dem party. McCain is a centrist but he is not good as articulating centrist positions.
Blacks are going to vote in record numbers and demand policies that will benefit them or at least their leaders at the expense of the white middle class and old folks.
The Green hysteria will doom our weakened economy.

By: reb shlomo

reb shlomo — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:23:08 +0000

McCAIN winning? I believe in miracles. Obama could be struck by lightning! REB SHLOMO

By: B Dubya

B Dubya — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:54:47 +0000

In the democrat dominated (I can’t characterize what is going on there as any form of leadership with which I am familiar)Congress, the Pelosi/Reed team are doing everything they can to tank the economy between now and November, in the course of getting Mr. Hopey Change elected. It is similar to the tactic used when Bill Clinton ran the first time; of course the 5% unemployment that GHWB presented was was a disaster, from the left view, while 3 years later 7.5% unemployment was “full employment” from the same people.
As unfeeling as many of the Republicans appear to be to the left electorate, they don’t generally stoop to sabotage and subversion to get into office. But, let’s forget that and elect the culture of treason one last time.

By: Ten

Ten — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:35:02 +0000

The next realistic economic analysis PJM publishes will be its first:

…income is rising slightly ahead of inflation;

You haven’t even estimated inflation realistically, author, which is in the 5% range and has been for years. The non-core CPI is some thirteen percent! http://themessthatgreenspanmade.blogspot.com/2008/07/non-core-inflation-at-three-year-high.html

housing prices are down,

Housing prices are down forty percent in some markets and the Case-Shiller is going down the backside of this collapse curve in a mirror image for the bubble’s front side, a bubble built by the Fed. This isn’t even close to over.

but the typical house is still worth a third more than in 2000;

Unbelievable. This is because the crash is still going on and the big systemic ARM reset of next Spring isn’t here yet! You’d trumpet an artificial bubble as proof of economic health?

94% of Americans do not have threatened mortgages,

Meaning some 5,000,000 are defaulting by your estimates, and we’re maybe halfway through the collapse? Great news!

and of those who do, most will keep their homes.

Most? Do you really approve of socializing one point six trillion dollars in market losses by way of statist control of the banking system?

Inflation was up in 2007, but this stands out because the 16 previous years were close to inflation-free;

How can you possibly make such an irresponsible statement? June’s annualized rate was 13.2% alone, and that’s using the govt’s bogus CPI manipulations.

Sure, gas prices are up, the dollar is weak and credit is tight — but these are complaints at the margin of a mainly healthy society.

What a spectacular level of denial. Oil prices are doubling annually, author, and the monetary system is in panic.

What am I getting to? This: When the Oval Office changes hands and an overt Socialist takes power, maybe then the “right” side of the political divide will shake off this willful blindness and finally take a look at the simple fact that petty L v R politics isn’t the problem with this country.

Losing control of government is. And what better way to cost us control than by no longer owning our own financial system.

By: cedarford

cedarford — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:31:05 +0000

CaptDMO:
I’m still having trouble with a discord between fury over what Mr. Gramm said, and the adoration bestowed upon “Ask NOT what your country can do for YOU, ask what you can do for your country.”
I guess it’s a progressive thing.

Except that JFK asked people to contribute and sacrifice for The Country
While Gramm called middle and lower class working people upset at 30 years of stagnant wages, half of their jobs menaced in globalisation to fuel the wealth of a small number of Ruling Elites who never had it so good, exploding debt and trade deficits as supply side voodoo has finally been seen to fail, 4.60 a gallon gas, 20-30% inflation in basic food items – as whiners.

People perturbed about failure of Government to work competently in the Presidency or Congress, about unchecked illegal immigration, transportation infrastructure rotting away, growing numbers lacking adequate health care and who have pensions at risk from the old industrial firms now destroyed as competitors by cheap 3rd World labor….as crybabies???

People now saying at a 75% level that they believe their children will not have the standard of living of their parents or grandparents and seeing their vote and wishes ignored by both Parties for the special interests of the Elites – being told to stop complaining because when the money going to the richest 2-3% is averaged in, the average American income is doing quite well, we are not in a recession but good economic times, with plenty of low wage, no benefit menial jobs just begging to be filled.

No, McCain could not have gotten rid of voodoo economics guru Gramm and his Enron Board wife fast enough.

McCain’s problem, though, as Rubin writes, is he has had 6 months to build an economic and domestic reform candidacy – but aside from drilling – McCain has failed to create such a candidacy – preferring instead to talk 80-90% of the time about Iraq and foreign policy. All while voter’s minds are being firmed up by the week since 2006 that Democrats only have plans for working the nations domestic and economic problems.
If McCain thinks he can wait until mid-Fall for his team to come up with a VP pick and a rival platform to challenge the Democrats, that goes beyond smugly and complacently praising and sticking with the Reagan domestic and economic Plan of 30 years ago – he is wrong.
And failing to come out of denial after the 2006 bloodletting showed voters wanted major change and reforms – may have meant it was too late for the old Senator even if he had a coherent post-Reagan Plan offered to the public last spring…