After Phil Gramm called Americans a "nation of whiners" he was quietly and unceremoniously dumped from the McCain campaign. At least, that's what the liars in McCain's camp wanted you to believe...
Lo and behold, Gramm is back:
Phil Gramm didn't stay in the dog house for long. Reports from Aspen, Colo., where McCain was attending an Aspen Institute event today, are that the former Texas senator was in the front row, and says he'll spend today and tomorrow with his pal, the GOP's presumptive nominee for president -- in an "informal" capacity, naturally.
Makes you wonder just who is running the McCain campaign organization, and why the apparent insistence that someone who dislikes everyday Americans as much as Phil Gramm stays involved, right?
Well it shouldn't.... Gramm is a tool of the Bush/Republican energy cartel, plain and simple, so he outranks McCain, and now he's slithering back...
Gramm was partly caught up in the Enron scandal when it emerged that his wife Wendy had in part written an exemption for Enron from federal oversight while she was serving on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She then accepted a directorship at Enron (for 1.85 million dollars). Phil Gramm was personally involved further when it came to light that he had helped to turn the exemption into law as well as push through the deregulation of energy markets that led in part to the Enron scandal. During this period Enron was a major contributor (actually the largest) to his campaigns.[...]Gramm probably has more influence into the mind of McCain's economic thinking than even John McCain. He has been called McCain's "foremost economic guru" whom he brings along to most, if not all of his important economic meetings. McCain has admitted he "doesn't really understand economics."
Apparently John McCain knows who's running his campaign, and it isn't John McCain.
And let's not forget Gramm's involvement in the mortgage crisis that, along with oil companies' high treason at the gas station cash register, has pounded our nation into a recession... From a previous post by Wizbang Blue's Steve Crickmore:
A year after the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act repealed the old regulations, Swiss Bank UBS gobbled up brokerage house Paine Weber. Two years later, Gramm settled in as a vice chairman of UBS's new investment banking arm.Later, he became a major player in its government affairs operation. According to federal lobbying disclosure records, Gramm lobbied Congress, the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department about banking and mortgage issues in 2005 and 2006.
During those years, the mortgage industry pressed Congress to roll back strong state rules that sought to stem the rise of predatory tactics used by lenders and brokers to place homeowners in high-cost mortgages..(Great timing!)
For his work, Gramm and two other lobbyists collected $750,000 in fees from UBS's American subsidiary. In the past year, UBS has written down more then $18 billion in exposure to subprime loans and other risky securities and is considering cutting as many as 8,000 jobs.
Wizbang Blue's Paul Hooson writes:
Likewise, the McCain Campaign has been plagued with resignations with moral hypocrites such as Phil Gramm, a 1970's soft porn movie producer who later claimed support for the Christian Coalition of Ralph Reed.
That's right -- Phil Gramm has had his busy little hands into porn as well.
Gramm first became involved in funding porn in 1973, when his brother-in-law, George Caton, told him about an low-budget soft-core production called "Truck Stop Women." A promo poster for the film boasted of its buxom stars: "No Rig Was Too Big For Them To Handle." Caton, who was in charge of fundraising for the production, asked Gramm to become an investor. To entice his brother-in-law, Caton showed him scenes of Playboy Playmate of the year Claudia Jennings displaying her bare essentials, (she is naked throughout much of the film).These scenes "really got Phil titillated," Caton told journalist John Judis in 1995. [1] Gramm cut Caton a check for $15,000. Because the film was oversold, however, Caton returned his brother-in-law's money, offering him an investment opportunity in an upcoming feature.
The following year, Gramm sent Caton a check for $15,000, this time to finance the production of "Beauty Queens," a soft-core flick about pageant judges having sex with contestants. But at the last moment, the director of "Beauty Queens," Mark Lester, decided to shelve his production to make the sequel to his "Tricia's Wedding," a comedy starring the drag queen troupe, The Cockettes.
Gramm contributed at least $7500 towards the sequel, a satire of the Nixon White House called "White House Madness" that featured the crazed president wandering around the White House in the nude. Unfortunately Gramm never saw a return on his investment. Shot in ten days on a soundstage crudely modeled after the Oval Office, "White House Madness" made little money. However, Gramm did get an executive producer's credit for the film.
The right wing racists are so damned desperate to keep a black man out of the White House they allow the Republican party to stoop this low, letting Gramm even come near their candidate is a major mistake.
And the non-racists on the right must just not be paying attention. To have Phil Gramm involved in McCain's campaign to start with is idiotic, but to let this clown back in after dumping him, and not challenge it, is just plain dumb.
We lefties are going to make hay over Phil Gramm until the polls close on election day and John McCain must know that -- but as I said before... McCain is clearly outranked.
Note: Wizbang Blue is now closed and our authors have moved on. Paul Hooson can now be found at Wizbang Pop!. Please come see him there!
Comments (10)
Lee, the best thing that can happen to the USA is for McSame to become the president. I know you will argue this point, but:
#1. We are already in a recession, if McSame is President, all those with CDS will not be able to honestly say it was his fault (they will do it anyway).
#2. The recession we are now in will become a depression for the average American citizen, and that is what it's going to take to wake the average American up.
#3. McSame will start another war, so we are/will be fighting on 3 fronts. Where are the troops on the ground going to be coming from? (The draft)?
#4. It's just not the GOP, it's also some of the Demo's that are also to blame. And after McSame is out of office, and a Demo gets in the White House, and pulls the same BS that Bush and then McSame is doing, listen to the outcry of the GOP! But guess what, there is precedent that for 12 years it was ok to do this. That will shut the shrills up (I doubt it) but all any one has to say, it was OK under Bush and McSame, now it isn't?
#5. Last but not least, the average American had better bend over and kiss the butt goodbye, and just maybe, enough average taxpaying citizens will, according to the rights we have under the Constitution, to change the government, by any way necessary.
#6. Why not ask all the regular Wisbang people who is going to pay for the debts that the shrub has rang up? I have never seen than mention here, nor when I did (have in the past) nobody will comment about repaying the debt.
#7. Instead of spouting the Demo line, start questioning every damn thing the GOP tries to use as talking points. They rattled on about Edwards screwing around on his wife, but they don't mention McSame doing it to his wife. WHY haven't you mentioned this?
#8. What makes Edwards different than good old NEWT?
The list can go on for quite awhile, but why continue? It's time for everyone to start worrying/working for a united US. All of your Wisbang Blue/and Wisbang is a bunch of BS. You all try to push your so-called talking points BS on each other. Christ get off the pot and start trying to solve problems, not cause more.
And remember how they (wizbang) blamed every one with BDS. They sure have a case of ODS, don't they? And he isn't in office yet!
1. Posted by Allen | August 14, 2008 10:42 PM
Posted on August 14, 2008 22:42
This John McCain Campaign makes me so mad that I think I'll buy a good Phil Gramm porn movie just to unwind. Oh crap, I bet that's what Phil Gramm's doing right now as well. Darn.
2. Posted by Paul Hooson | August 15, 2008 1:07 AM
Posted on August 15, 2008 01:07
Lee you really are scrapping the bottom of the barrel..."PornKing" ha ha that is funny. TRUCKSTOP WOMAN was a Drive - in movie you silly lib.
3. Posted by michael | August 15, 2008 11:54 AM
Posted on August 15, 2008 11:54
Lots of nudity says "porn" to me. Would you prefer "Pron Prince" - or how about "Republican family-values hypocrite who has John McCain in his back pocket"?
Wikipedia called it porn, which you'd know if you followed the link, so I did as well. Take your apologies over there, Michael.
4. Posted by Lee Ward![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblue.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| August 15, 2008 1:04 PM
Posted on August 15, 2008 13:04
Well if Wikipedia says it, it must be true.
5. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | August 15, 2008 6:16 PM
Posted on August 15, 2008 18:16
According to these search results there are 406 posts on Wizbang that make mention of Wikipedia or use Wikipedia urls in their cite links... a few might be complaining about Wikipedia, but there appear to be 400 posts or so that cite Wikipedia as a source.
Since you two knuckleheads don't whine about Jay and the other goofballs on Wizbang using Wikipedia, I'll take the last two comments as evidence that you have no objection to the post other to than to selectively, in this instance only apparently, suggest that wikipedia is not a valid source...
Why? Because -- hey -- it sucks to have a porn producer as a close adviser to the Republican presidential candidate -- doesn't it?
Thanks for stopping by guys, have a nice weekend.
6. Posted by Lee Ward | August 15, 2008 7:01 PM
Posted on August 15, 2008 19:01
Actually, Lee, I regularly make the point that Wikipedia is not a great source. It can be a good springboard to start, but never the be all, end all citation. Thanks for making a broad generalization without any facts. But it's better than the old days when you simply screamed "LIAR!" at anyone that you disagreed with...
As for lack of rebuttal, all you've done is link a bunch of prev. Wizablue opinions to the new report that Graham is fundraising/campaigning for his party's nominee. From the CBS report that informed the blog post you linked to:
GASP. You make a front row seat sound like he's up on stage or running the show. The term thin gruel comes to mind, thus the tepid response.
Another question: why must you so often resort to names at such slight provocation? It doesn't help your arguements.
7. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | August 16, 2008 1:51 AM
Posted on August 16, 2008 01:51
Hey, stop dumping on Wikipedia. After all, it's the main source for McSame's speechwriting team. LOL
8. Posted by Ryan | August 16, 2008 4:58 AM
Posted on August 16, 2008 04:58
Phil Gramm says we're a nation of "whiners". I guess that's because we don't have enough "Truck stop Women" Woooo! Bring it on Grammy, "no rig was to big for them to handle" Holy shit. Too good to be true, except it is.
9. Posted by Ryan | August 16, 2008 5:05 AM
Posted on August 16, 2008 05:05
"Actually, Lee, I regularly make the point that Wikipedia is not a great source. It can be a good springboard to start, but never the be all, end all citation. Thanks for making a broad generalization without any facts. But it's better than the old days when you simply screamed "LIAR!" at anyone that you disagreed with..."
Perhaps you'd prefer IDIOT! (thanks, Ryan)
The McCain speechwriters 'cited' (ripped off practically word for word) Wikipedia, using it as an authoritative source, but it's not good enough for you.
McCain can use Wikipedia, but I shouldn't? You're in the minority here, Scuzzy.
Porn Producer Gramm's appearance with McCain Friday was a really bad idea. Gramm should have been banished after his remarks.
"Another question: why must you so often resort to names at such slight provocation? It doesn't help your arguements."
For me, "knucklehead" is an affectionate term. I use it to describe morons who do things like complain about the use of wikipedia despite McCain's use of the same source, as well as the common use shown at our sister site Wizbang, for example, because when they do so they expose their trolling behavior is just a meaningless distraction to the subject at hand.
Thanks for asking. Oh, and be sure to click on the McCain/Wikipedia link above. You'll find conservative trolls just like you defending McCain's use of wikpedia as a source.
and then trot over to your favorite blog, Wizbang, and complain to Bill Jempty about his use of the term 'knuckelhead"... after all, you're not just here to troll our comment threads -- these are valid concerns you're expressing, right?
and then don't forget trot on back to your own blog and clean it up -- because you are so offended by the use of street language --
and after that you'll want to come back and complain some more about my rough and tumble style here, ignoring your own post where you wrote:
What is the cattle prod and hammer for, SCSI?
You complain about the fact that I treat idiots like you like the idiots they are...?
thanks again.
10. Posted by Lee Ward | August 16, 2008 11:12 AM
Posted on August 16, 2008 11:12