I like Phil Gramm and would certainly prefer a Gramm for president campaign to, uh, our current situation. I think Gramm as treasury secretary is one of the strongest pro-McCain arguments. I even agree with what I take to be Gramm’s point: some of our economic woes are exaggerated and the very economic dynamism that creates financial instability also makes us better off overall. But it’s politically boneheaded to tell middle- and working-class families whose income growth has stagnated — the very people whose votes McCain needs to win if he is to have a prayer in this election — to stop their whining. That’s fine for columnists, but not a very smart move for someone associated with a presidential campaign that already fails to connect with people’s economic concerns.
