For all the use of the word “elitist” over the past few months, perhaps it’s time we focused the elitism where it belongs… on some of the Republicans.  How dare former Senator Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to John McCain suggest that the recession, or near recession, is a “mental recession” and that we are ”a nation of whiners.”  Oh, hell yeah, we whine from time to time, but on the present economic issues, there is no whining… it is reality for all of us except elitist Republicans such as Gramm and McCain.

In responseto Gramm’s words

 The Democratic National Committee issued a statement titled: “Out of Touch Much, Phil.”

So what did Gramm say in the interview with the Washington Times?

The Times said Gramm said he expects a McCain administration would inherit an economy “weighed down above all by the conviction of many Americans that economic conditions are the worst in two or three decades and that America is in decline.”

The Times quoted him as saying: “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. … We have sort of become a nation of whiners. …

“You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline. … We’ve never been more dominant; we’ve never had more natural advantages than we have today.”

Gramm is one of McCain’s top economic advisers.  Yet, McCain is trying to distance himself from the comments, just like he tried to distance himself from Charlie Black’s comments.  The truth seems to be that McCain is trying to show us one face while he is surrounding himself with people who show another.  As my mother used to say, “You are judged by the company you keep.”  In this case, Gramm is one of McCain’s advisers.  That’s a little closer than “the company you keep.”  Gramm is the voice whispering in McCain’s ear… when Lieberman isn’t there.

A McCain official said: “Phil Gramm’s comments are not representative of John McCain’s views. John McCain travels the country every day talking to Americans who are hurting, feeling pain at the pump and worrying about how they’ll pay their mortgage. That’s why he has a realistic plan to deliver immediate relief at the gas pump, grow our economy and put Americans back to work.”

I suppose Jesse Jackson really doesn’t want to cut Barack Obama’s nuts out.  Right?  Charlie Black doesn’t really think an attack would help McCain’s campaign?  These people, be it Gramm, Black, Jackson, and whoever speaks out of turn next, are telling us what they really believe.  We can rest assured if McCain disagreed with him, Gramm wouldn’t be a top adviser.

Gramm is still a top economic adviser for McCain today.  So why keep him on the campaign if Gramm’s comments are “not representative?”  The same reason McCain kept Black around after Black said an attack on America would help McCain’s campaign?  Well, maybe Black was a little right.  Fear may be the only thing that can help McCain at this point.

From the DNC, it is pointed out that some of the Republicans are totally out of touch.

Karen Finney, the Democratic National Committee’s communications director, said: “What John McCain, George Bush, Phil Gramm just don’t understand is that the American people aren’t whining about the state of the economy, they are suffering under the weight of it — the weight of eight years of Bush-enomics that John McCain and Phil Gramm have vowed to continue.

“How dare john McCain and his advisers so callously dismiss the challenges the American people face? No wonder voters feel john McCain is out of touch. He and his campaign don’t even understand the everyday issues Americans are dealing with.”

Perhaps, the elitist shoe wears better on the right foot.