Roasted Nuts

Those silly things that politicians say when they forget the microphone is on...

Posted by Andrew Franklin on July 10, 2008

  You know, when it's an election season, there must be something in the air, because stupid comments are in full bloom this time of year.  I thought, with a few months to go before November, that I'd chronicle a few of my favorites right here.  Just keep in mind that I"m picking the really really ridiculous ones.  Politicians and their views are always being spouted, so I"m trying to get those extra special ones on print.  Let me know your thoughts, ok?

  1)  Phil Gramm. Now, what I find amusing is that as I was pondering commenting on Jesse Jackson's most recent slip (and he's had many, including a particular comment about New York that many are still sore at), and while I still will address Jackson's most recent stupid-ism, Phil Gramm's latest is what motivated this week's blog.  Apparently, according to Gramm, we are in a "mental recession" in this country, and, shortly after our national birthday, he perceived us as a nation not of _____, but rather, a "nation of whiners".  Blaming the media for "overstating" the current bad economy, he noted "Thank God the economy is not as bad as you read in the newspaper every day."  We are, according to him, in a "mental recession".  Well, if you ask me, he's the one who's got a mental recession. 

  2)  Jesse Jackson.  Oh, Jesse, what did you do?  Silly Jesse, whose own son--his namesake--is a respected Illinois Congressman and senior advisor to Obama's campaign, whispered these little nuggets to someone while being interviewed on the Fox News Channel...Obama was "talking down to black people" and that Jackson wanted to "cut his n*ts off." What possible explanation could this once-legendary civil rights great have for wanting to go all Tchaikovsky on Obama?   His explanation?  He thought the microphone was off. 

 This would be a good time to jump to other famous "I thought the mike was off" moments.  Remembering of course, that Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun is not a real person, we are left with less outrageous, but equally offensive moments...for example, how many of us remember the fond days of the 2008 Democratic primary when we had 3 candidates..and two of them (who weren't Obama) were overheard whispering about ways to push Obama out to leave the campaign open for them?

 Then there's our President who was caught about a year ago giving a generous shoulder massage to the German chancellor who, nonresponsively, had to force/shrug Bush's hands off her, as well as muttering the "s-word" in a conversation to Tony Blair about Hezbollah not so long before that. 

Soon:  Is John McCain going to be the first Hispanic president?  (bad spanish, from panama)