On July 11, 2008, the Question of the Day at Laura Ingraham’s website (www.lauraingraham.com) was “how damaging are Phil Gramm’s comments to Senator McCain and the two choices were “Very—speak for yourself, Sen. Gramm” and “Not at all—he’s right.”

Senator Gramm was speaking for himself and he had pointed out that the American economy is not in recession and all that whining hurts instead of helps the economy.

A substantial majority of those who voted (including myself) voted for the second option.

I would have preferred a third choice: “Unfortunately, some. He’s right, but Team Obama and its media allies will spin it shamelessly against Sen. McCain.”

The truth is that the liberal Democrats and their media allies have been talking down and whining about the American economy since President Bush took office and, according to the standard set by economists before George W. Bush became President, America is NOT in a recession.

That doesn't mean that America can't be talked into a recession, however, and the attempt to do that is proceeding apace.

America would be much better off if either President Clinton had not vetoed the bill that would have opened ANWAR to drilling or, yes, Senator McCain had supported drilling in ANWAR when it came to a Senate vote during the Bush Administration.

And America also would be better if the Bush tax cuts that promoted the economy had been extended. (Congressional Dems blocked extension, of course.)

McCain is not an economist and he has acknowledged he's more expert on national security and foreign affairs than economics, but compared to inexperienced rookie United States Senator and presumptive 2008 Democrat presidential nominee Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., McCain is brilliant when it comes to economics and his sound tax and spending plans would promote economic prosperity instead of frustrate it and bankrupt America.

Gramm has a PhD in economics and actually knows what he’s talking about when he talks about the state of the American economy.

Yes, Gramm should have made it crystal clear who he meant when he referred to “a nation of whiners.”

But those of us who had been listening to the leading Democrats undercutting the American economy since 2001 knew what he meant.

Especially those of us who lived throught the Carter years.

The big problem is that the Democrats figured that they needed a recession in order to retake the White House and so they went about trying to create one.

They haven’t actually succeeded, but they've come close and their staunch opposition to the energy policies that America needed have done great damage as they selfishly relied on the hope that voters would thoughtlessly vote for “change” instead of scrutinize what’s been happening if there was an economic downturn.

The liberal media has gleefully reported that President Bush’s approval rating is about 30%, but they have refused to give equal emphasis to the Democrat-controlled Congress’s approval rate—less than 10%.

Yes, President Bush’s “abysmal” approval rating is three times that of the Democrat Congress’s approval rating?

What’s the right adjective for THAT approval rating, Senator Majority Leader Reade and Speaker of the House Pelosi?

As President, President Bush has been a cheerleader, as a President is supposed to be.

Tragically, the bulk of the Democrat politicians in Washington, D.C. have been albatrosses around his neck and the necks of the American people.

Social Security reform had to be deferred because Bush is a Republican, not a Democrat, and there were enough Democrats to block it.

Meanwhile, Obama is insisting that America become bilingual and Spanish be the other language: “Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English - they'll learn English - you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish."

Just what America needs—a President who would dictate Spanish as a second-language choose for all children for whom Spanish is not the first language!