Nation of ‘Whiners,’ Sister Souljah Moment

11 July 2008 |permalink | email article

At week’s end, John McCain, ignorant about economics, bombed; Barack Obama, while disappointing the left, scored.

Asked by a young woman at a town-hall forum if she is likely to receive Social Security benefits someday, McCain said it was unlikely “unless we fix it.”

Calling Social Security a “disgrace,” McCain said today’s retirees are being paid by the taxes of young workers. He’ll lose seniors. 

“If that payment system was a disgrace, it has been one since Social Security was created during the Great Depression,” said The Washington Post.

Former Texas U.S. Sen. Phil Graham, McCain’s chief economic adviser, told The Washington Times: “You have heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession. We may have a recession; we haven’t had one yet.”

Graham went on: “We have sort of become a nation of whiners” – a comment that made Obama’s campaign gaffe about “bitter” voters seem mild.

A furious McCain said, “Phil Gramm doesn’t speak for me, I speak for me. I strongly disagree.”

Hinting at his angry black humor McCain added, “I think Sen. Graham would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, though I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that.”

McCain also lashed out at Obama’s mock criticism of Gramm, who called him a “Dr. Phil” that’s not needed for this economy. About Obama, McCain said, “He’s Dr. No. He’s Dr. No on energy.”

Jesse Jackson’s crude comment – and quick apology – about Obama’s speeches to the African-American community on fatherhood was accepted without anger.

Wrote the Washington Post’s Dan Balz:

“Barack Obama leads a charmed life. He finally had his Sister Souljah moment and didn’t even have to show up. Jesse Jackson did it for him solo.

“Obama did not have to rebuke an important constituency himself to define himself as different from the Jackson-Sharpton wing of the Democratic Party. Being attacked by Jackson was more than enough to get across the point.

‘If Obama were looking for a way to endear himself more to those white, working class voters who were resistant to his appeals in the Democratic primaries, nothing is likely to help more than a condemnation from Jesse Jackson.”

126