The Return of Foreclosure Phil

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Phil Gramm, booted from the McCain campaign for calling struggling Americans a “nation of whiners” in a “mental recession,” is back in the mix.

Reportedly, Gramm was seated in the front row of a McCain speech at the Aspen Institute. Gramm told the press, “I am a supporter of John McCain. I am helping him with fundraising. We have a fundraiser today and I will be with him today and tomorrow.”

And John McCain responded, “Phil Gramm and I and Wendy (Gramm) and Cindy and I go back many, many years, and I’m always grateful to see my friend, Phil Gramm. Thank you, Phil, for all your friendship and support.”

I think it’s safe to say everyone has kissed and made up. That’s only possible because the media, the McCain campaign, and the American public believed the problem with Gramm was a few intemperate remarks. But that’s not true. Gramm believes in a radical form of economics that bulldozes the concerns, needs, and rights of everyday people in favor of corporate profits. He is, in large part, responsible for the foreclosure crisis facing America.

He doesn’t need to be taking a few weeks off from the campaign. He needs to be taking a few years off from public life altogether.

Keep us relentless, independent, and free to read.

For 50 years, Mother Jones has offered honest, investigative reporting you can rely on:

    • Relentless in the pursuit of truth, unafraid to hold the powerful to account

    • Independent from influence or agenda from oligarchs and corporations

    • Freely accessible to every reader, never behind a paywall

But we can’t do any of this without you. Reader support powers our newsroom to stay nimble and fearless, ready for whatever story comes next. If you can, make a donation today.

Keep us relentless, independent, and free to read.

For 50 years, Mother Jones has offered honest, investigative reporting you can rely on:

    • Relentless in the pursuit of truth, unafraid to hold the powerful to account

    • Independent from influence or agenda from oligarchs and corporations

    • Freely accessible to every reader, never behind a paywall

But we can’t do any of this without you. Reader support powers our newsroom to stay nimble and fearless, ready for whatever story comes next. If you can, make a donation today.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate