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Rich on the Road

by RichardRay from Dallas, TX

Last Post 20 hours Ago


With Friends Like These
Jul 12, 2008 | 3:39 PM
Category: Political
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Right about now John McCain and Barack Obama are praying for deliverance -- from their friends.

 CHICAGO (AP) - Comedian Bernie Mac endured some heckling and a campaign rebuke during a surprise appearance Friday night at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

 

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago, the 50-year-old star of "The Bernie Mac Show" joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language.

Obama told Mac to "clean up his act next time" and his campaign is doing damage control

 "Sen. Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn't condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the event.

John McCain has a "friend problem" of his own -- former Texas Senator Phil Gramm.  Newsweek's Howard Fineman had a good take on that:

This was supposed to be John McCain's week to re-re-launch his campaign, this time with a tightly focused message about the economy and how he plans to fix it. He had a nicely staged debut in Denver, even if the experts quickly demanded to know how he could preserve George Bush's tax cuts, stay in Iraq and yet balance the federal budget by 2013. Details, details! Still, McCain was back in the game.

Then a one-man thundercloud named Phil Gramm rained on McCain's Main Street parade.

In one of the more boneheaded remarks in recent presidential politics (and Gramm has uttered others) the former Texas senator declared that we are in the midst of a "mental recession" and that we have "sort of become a nation of whiners."

Oh, my.

Rich

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Member Comments Total Comments: 13
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TexasTruBlu read my blog view my photos
Jul 12, 2008 | 5:50 PM

Mac is an entertainer and has a stand-up routine that is funny, but pretty "adult". I don't know why the Obama kids were surprised that he would use anything for fodder in his jokes.

Gramm is an economist and never has had good people skills. But give him this, he does know how to read charts and such and he knows very well how an mediocre economy can be plunged into a bad economy or pushed into a good economy by the media. What he offered was some pointed advice. And frankly, I agree. We have become a nation of consumers rather than producers. We think that paying the bill is the same thing as learning the skill. And this is the type of attitude that has created much of the "I deserve the best of everything" mentality fueling the credit crunch.
Marks read my blog view my photos
Jul 12, 2008 | 6:14 PM

I agree with TTB. Gramm speaks Texan, not DC mush.

Bernie is a professional comic. You get what you pay for. If they wanted Mr. Rogers, they could have hired someone with similar skills to the kid-show host.
TexanInfidel read my blog view my photos
Jul 12, 2008 | 7:55 PM

Agreed and agreed. We are being weenies. most of the people "losing their houses" are losing their investment houses. The economy is still growing. Over-inflated markets are suffering (California, east coast, Phoenix) but the rest of us are just fine. If people would quit crying about how bad things are (yet constantly be surprised at how they are not getting worse) things might be different. It is mass-hysteria I tell you!
TexasTruBlu read my blog view my photos
Jul 13, 2008 | 8:13 AM

Infidel: Here's the deal. The MSM has tunnel vision. If things are bad on the west coast or in New York they are bad "everywhere". They don't even recognize that much of this situation was brought about by greed. It's the same reason some people walk away with nothing from Deal or No Deal. There are things happening in the Rust Belt, but much of that is the result of entrenched unions and welfare state mentalities.
scottythecomic read my blog view my photos
Jul 13, 2008 | 9:44 AM

I believe we scrutinize all the wrong things in politics. Here's a novel idea: Let's examine the issues!
Gurkha read my blog
Jul 13, 2008 | 11:29 AM

RR: You are comparing apples to oranges in this case...Bernie Mac is a comedian and like all comedians they say things. Comedians main goal is to get a laugh whereas Phil "The Turtle Face" Gramm is (was??) McFlippers advisor on economic issues. "Turtle Face" clearly tells you the real sentiments from the Repubics/NEOCONS/Right Wingers. As you know, since their party is for "rich, white, men", econ cycle don't matter to them as much as the middle class Americans. McOldie is back tracking but don't forget deep down this is what he believes in as well. Reason why he came out against is because in MI, OH and PA this kind of comments could really hurt him.
OBAMA '08!
Ivyman68 read my blog
Jul 13, 2008 | 12:10 PM

In the 1st quarter of 2008, the Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 1.0 percent, which means the US economy is not in a recession. The current slowing of the economy is a naturally occurring part of the economic cycle. If this was not an election year, the status of the economy would not be a front page newspaper story or a broadcast news lead story.
Kestrel read my blog view my photos
Jul 13, 2008 | 5:27 PM

I believe this could qualify as a Democratic Depression for they never see the glass half full, only half empty.
Ivyman68 read my blog
Jul 13, 2008 | 6:56 PM

Kestrel, I sometimes believe they can't see the glass at all.
TexanInfidel read my blog view my photos
Jul 13, 2008 | 7:14 PM

Ivyman - awesome.
mamatat read my blog view my photos
Jul 14, 2008 | 7:46 AM

Gramm is a-wait-can't say that here.

I still agree with Scotty: what's the real issue here?

I'm so tired of this "us vs them" attitude. Geez. Someone want to analyze both (lousy) candidates' true stance instead of critiquing the subject matter of their fund-raisers?
TexasTruBlu read my blog view my photos
Jul 14, 2008 | 3:19 PM

Wouldn't it be interesting if someone could post a blog discussing and issue without making excuses by creating diversions into other topics? Ivy: Don't you wonder who's buying oil futures and flipping them-someone has to be.
Ivyman68 read my blog
Jul 14, 2008 | 5:09 PM

The question concerned whether our economy is in an actual recession or a "mental recession." In order for our economy to be in an actual recession, there must be two consecutive quarters of negative growth. We have yet to have one quarter of negative growth. Our economy is not in a recession.

Tru: It is legal for anyone to buy and sell oil futures.
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RichardRay

RICH ON THE ROAD I am blessed with a truly remarkable job that for decades now has permitted me to see corners of the world, far and near. When I'm not on the road for Fox4 News in Dallas/Fort Worth, I'm often traveling with my wife Catherine -- occasionally on mission trips in Africa or Latin America with our home church (Prince of Peace Lutheran in Carrollton). My contribution to this page began largely as a Travel-blog -- sharing current and many of my past experiences in traveling America and the globe. I'm tryng, as we go along, to wade into a wider range of topics without getting in too much trouble. Richard Ray

Member Since: 5/29/2006


 

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