Strong, but still unwilling/unable to pick lettuce for $50? You can't do it, my friends.
Boomerang!

We have a recession, a housing bubble, a mortgage crisis, and growing deficit, but the fundamentals are still strong: a Republican is in the White House. So, things are still look pretty peachy from my vantage point.

Keep digging that hole, McCainiac.

If it's all about economic fundamentals and workers then why did official unemployment jump up almost 1/3 from 4.7% to 6.1%?

Homer Simpson could have made a better speech.

"America Whooo HOOO!! American workers Whoo HOOOO! Wall St!!! D'oh! America Whooo HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

There is nothing wrong with the economy that opening up drilling and building a wall along the Mexican border can't fix.

Inigo says it to Vizzini, not himself.

You mean Vizzini says it, and Inigo corrects him.

But the fundamentals ARE strong.

Fundamental Christians, that is. The Fundies have never been stronger, and they are very excited about Palin being on the ticket.

I'm sure that's what McSame meant.

Inigo doesn't say "inconceivable"! I think you meant Fazzini.

As far as mccain and his economic future are concerned, his fundamentals are strong so he has no worries. It is really too hard for him to understand the world in which the rest of us live. There does seem to be an inverse relationship between mccain and the American people: the worse the economy, the stronger his poll numbers are.

I agree - American workers are great. Some of my best friends are American workers. If American workers are so great and deserve to be rewarded why are they working longer for less, why are they seeing costs of food, utilities, gas, and higher education going up, why are they being laid off, why are they losing their homes, why are they paying more in taxes and the wealthy elite are paying less?

Why are republicans lying about their own record and policies for the future? Why are they lying about Obama's policies for the future?

after Inigo uses the word "inconceivable" once too many times

Vizzini, not Inigo

This is what the right does ... they define or re-define the language to suit their needs.

They have done this with wars, with regulation, with taxes, with the term 'liberal'; the list goes on.

As long as they define the words they can define the argument.

Wow. What a dork.

See Yglesias.

McCain doesn't respect American workers--he thinks they won't pick lettuce for $50 an hour.

Keep in mind that coal miners make HALF that.

But according to McCain, no American worker would pick lettuce for an entire season for $50 an hour. "You can't do it, my friend."

"My opponents may disagree, but those fundamentals of America are strong,"

Clever trick here. He does not say economic fundamentals, he says American fundamentals. I guess he can do nuance.

Shucks, trane!

You beat me to that. It does seem paradoxical that the American worker is so strong as a fundamental but can't pick lettuce at $50 an hour.

Steve, you should make another John McCain list--except this one be about words he redefines: "fundamentals" and "tax increase" are the only one's I've seen so far, but I'm sure there's others.

(redefining tax increase comes in when he says Barack will increase taxes on middle-class, but McCain's won't, whereas McCain's health plan imposes a $3.4 trillion tax increase over 10 years on workers (and that is from one of your articles.))

Well, maybe there's nothing to worry about here or ever unless it's 100% certain to happen. Here's my humorous take on science and politics, modified from my recent posts to NG alt.fan.rawilson and Backreaction blog:

My subtle quantum psi powers* tell me that the LHC did indeed "destroy the world" last week, but it doesn't matter anyway ...!? "The" world didn't get destroyed because there are so many of them according to the Everett-DeWitt "many worlds" theory of quantum mechanics. In the MW theory, each instance of random possibility branches into entire new universes expressing every option. (Like, whether Schrödinger's cat dies or not at any given moment. BTW don't let decoherence sophists take the mystery away.)

For example, suppose that the chance of LHC experiments to date destroying the Earth is about 99.99%. You're ordinarily inclined to say, "we" probably wouldn't have made it. (That's a unique "we" in one universe, as conventionally imagined.) But suppose E-DW MW is true, and me and readers of this post are just in a multiverse branch that survived! The LHC may have already destroyed most Earths and “we� can’t tell the difference!
("Quantum suicide" [hint - you survive the attempt!]:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortality)
(* inside joke, including the asterisk)

Here's something you can try: arrange a "cat" type arrangement to kill you if McCain/Palin win the election, but leave you fully intact if they lose (put aside recount scandals, heh.) Hence, even if they have a 99% or whatever chance of winning, "you" (well, those versions of you that get through) will survive and be able to enjoy an Obama-Biden administration! Modify for any situation you don't want to put up with, like a big financial meltdown! You can even ensure you win the lottery, etc.! Isn't that cool?!

The genuine logical problems for scientific method, expectation issues, etc. in this regard mean that maybe MW is BS after all ...But a man, or woman, can dream; or what's a heaven or multiple worlds for?

If restaurants put their menus on a Teleprompter McCain would starve.

#34 of Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truths: "Words mean things".

""No one can match an American worker. Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth. Our workers have always been the strength of our economy, and they remain the strength of our economy today."

This PUTZ is trying to say that Obama is badmouthing American workers. Yeah, like the Repugs care about regular workers!!

This speech shows McSHAME has NO comprehension of "fundamentals" in regard to the economy.

And Remember: Phill "Americans are whiners"
Graham is McSHAME's economic advisor, and the Senator MOST Responsible for the lax regulation of the current mortgage and oil trading markets.

McSHAME just don't get it when it comes to economics!!

If the American worker is the fundamental of our economy, what say you, Senator McCain, about record high unemployment percentages?

So according to John McCain, the "fundamentals" of the US economy are the workers that he and George W. Bush have been screwing over for the last eight years, and that McCain wants to screw over even worse for the next eight years.

Our jobs have all been exported to other countries and our fundamentals are working cash registers at Wal-Mart. Go us!!

Obama today on fundamentals;

"What’s more fundamental than the ability to find a job that pays the bills and can raise a family? What’s more fundamental than knowing that your life savings is secure, and that you can retire with dignity? What’s more fundamental than knowing that you’ll have a roof over your head at the end of the day? What’s more fundamental than that?"

War is Peace
Truth are Lies
Freedom is Slavery
We've heard it all before. I just bought 1984 and read it again. George Orwell was a few years off but could not have predicted more accurately the evolution of our consumer society.
Next up Idiocracy the Reality

Perhaps the "fundamental" metric he's making vague allusion to is productivity. However, as I understand it, productivity is amount of output per hour of labor. So laying off half your staff and making up for it with unpaid overtime doubles productivity.

Those wonderful American workers! They're so blissfully productive that we can lay off 90% of them and live off the other 10%!

Basically, it seems that what McSame is saying is that 1+1=2, for sufficiently large values of 1.

I really, really, really hope that the American public doesn't buy this crap. But history does not encourage me.

-Z

"No one can match an American worker. Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth. Our workers have always been the strength of our economy, and they remain the strength of our economy today."
---

Yeah, an American worker can't pick lettuce in Yuma, not for $50/hr. "You can't do it my friends!" - McCain

McCain may also be wrong when he says " Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth." Paul Krugman says Germany is the leading exporter.

Also, there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

"...it would have been much smarter of him to walk it back, rather than double down on it."

Walking it back is not an option at this point. The campaign has declared they are 'in it to win it' and the lies, absurd distortions and dishonorable campaigning will be justified by winning the White House. They are 'ALL IN!'

Fun duh mental.

Funny de mental

Fun da meant all.

Now what were we talking about? Oh yeah the fundamentals of our economy is strong. Don't misunderestimate the American worker.
Is our reporters learning yet?

Aaaghgrg! I hate it when I slip into bushspeak.

Or are we mcCainizing when we say the fundamentals of the US economy are strong??

"Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth."

If this is true, then why does almost everything I buy at Target have a "Made in China" label on it? And yes, we're exporting a lot, but that's because the dollar is so weak vs. other currencies.

Great Economy.

McCain is locked into a Reagan-esque fantasy cowboy scene where he imagines himself on a horse in the Old West saying, "Standing tall in the saddle, we ride again!!"

Yee...hah...

We need to boil the economy down to the fundamentals: am I rich? Yes. Am I still rich? Yes. Therefore, the economy is strong for the people who matter, and those who don't need to stop whining about it.

When you're in a hole, keep... drilling!

When he says "our workers," is he talking about his quarter-million-dollar housing staff?

Why should the amerikan public not believe McSame? MSNBC just had a segment and the 'reporter' concluded that McBush must be correct. Treasury Secretary Paulson just said the same thing in a press conference! 'The fundamentals of our economy are in good shape''and it's not the Bush administration's fault'.

And everyone knows that the Bush administration would never lie or mislead the amerikan public...

Well, maybe there's nothing to worry about here or ever unless it's 100% certain to happen. Here's my meaningless contribution to the topic (which isn't funny to anyone but me, and makes as much sense as a guy declaring his love for lamps during a discussion about college football), modified from my recent posts to NG alt.fan.rawilson and Backreaction blog:

fixt.

Excellent post, but then we know that given a reasonable choice to do something different, McCain will double down on a bad bet -- the guy likes to gamble, likes craps especially (the total chance game), Maybe, even though we know policy matters, it all DOES come down to character: one candidate is imaginative, thoughtful, honorable, not a cheater, believes in human potential and hope, and thinks we can change, and the other candidate is a gambler, a liar, a flipflopper, has given up on hope but parrots popular words like "change," and betrays women personally, to their face, and legislatively. Hmmm. Let me think....

Now look at the baseline: are people still making less so I can make more? So, I don't see the problem here.

Coal miners get $25/hour? I wish I could get so much. Note that more and more young workers (and lots of older ones) can only find customer service type jobs and other rubbish paying $9-12/hour. In any case, I hope this is the leverage that finally snaps people out of their dopey Palinized daze and think, hey, I've got to throw Republicans out entirely ...

Think with your blood, not your head people.

"Mein Fuhrer, I can valk!"

Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth.

China outproduces the US.

India outproduces the US.

Japan outproduces the US.

Malaysia outproduces the US.

South Korea outproduces the US.

Maybe McWitless-Wonder can fall back on POW....

Beer sales are strong in Arizona. And football season is here. And we are winning the war. And Sarah, Goddess of Wasilla, is still slaying that BTNW dragon. Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff. Its nasty out there my friends, but I got nasty covered. John S. McCain Jr.

Exporting? Why yes we are exporting From the front page of the NYT yesterday
With White House Push, U.S. Arms Sales Jump
Exports since 2005 increased from 10 Billion to over 30 billion. Take a look at the graphic on page 2 and see where they all went.( The mideast in case you don't have time to go there) The military-Industrial complex rules all Death is big bidness.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/washington/14arms.html?scp=2&sq=eric%20lipton&st=cse

Nice timing, John -- on the day that about 25,000 workers at Lehman Brothers are about to feel the effects of the "mental recession."

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone in the White House again who's actually, you know, gone on a job interview at least once in his life?

likes craps especially (the total chance game)

Small quibble but craps is one of the least bad among the multitude of negative-expected value games in the casino. If you're just in the mood to gamble, and stay away from the bets at the center of the table, picking craps over roulette or slots is a very rational choice.

That said, there's less thought in the play of the game than blackjack, poker, or sports betting (all games that can be beaten if you play well and in the case of blackjack get away with it) so your point about McCain liking to gamble rather than think is still valid.

As one of those "fundamentals" McCaniac is referring to, I have to disagree. I've been watching the real fundamentals, and I'm a nervous wreck.

In a country that voted for Bush twice and is keeping McCain viable in this election it is very easy to believe that a significant number of people will buy McCain's bullshit "fundamentals".

"No one can match an American worker. Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on earth. Our workers have always been the strength of our economy, and they remain the strength of our economy today."

Would someone please ask him to wax thoughtful on the trade deficit then...

Fundamentally, the Dow is down 341 points to 11,088 as of 2:46 ET.

It is interesting how he seems to spin this to say that if Obama makes any criticism of the American economy he is being the typical un-American leftie critizing workers and small businessmen. I think this one is kind of lame.

Although it is always fun to blame Bush-McCain for everything, one of the reasons I chose Obama over Clinton was Clinton's fairly recent attachment Bob Rubin and to the several policy mistakes and unholy bargains made in the last years of the Clinton administration: 1) the "strong" dollar policy; 2) China's admission to WTO while letting them "peg" the dollar and not float their currency; 3) refusal (related to 1) of pricking the stock market bubble when it was starting; 4) going along with the Republican Congress and Phil Gramm to complete the repeal of Glass-Steagall and preventing the CFTC from regulating the energy futures; 5) not objecting on anti-trust grounds to the big energy mergers of the late nineties (most notoriously that of Exon and Mobil); 6) generally drinking the kool-aid on "deregulation."

So... the economy is only in trouble when we get sick? Maybe he does understand the health care mess

*snark off*

McCain is on the record saying he needs more education when it comes to the economy. (the late Tim Russert dug up a 2005 quote).

So, in 3 years, John has basically remained uneducated when it comes to economical issues.

If Alan Greenspan thinks the Bush Tax-cuts are not sustainable, why is John trumpetting their need to be PERMANENT?

I don't think we need to harp on the "just what does a VP do?" quote of Sarah's. We need to switch gears and, fundamentally, ask John what a president does.

Dear Mr. McCain:
Look around you John. Can you in all due honesty say that the US economy is fundamentally sound on this September monday in the year 2008?

Try learning how to use a computer. Get so you're adept at using email and surfing the world wide web. It's one way billions of folks on the planet educate themselves about the world around them, including the fundamentals of economic theory.

Yours falsely (since you like mendacity so much),
The American Worker

John McCain, putting the "duh" back in funduhmentals!

it would have been much smarter of him to walk it back, rather than double down on it.

From experience taking care of my grandmother, people with alzheimers can be in denial about their diminishing capacity, and frequently that manifests in a refusal to ever admit they're wrong regardless of how nonsensical their statements are.

My new theory is that Hon. Sen. McCain's advisors believe that he'll most likely lose, so they're trying to see just how ridiculous a script has to be before he'll refuse to read it on national television, then defend it later.

Here's a quote from the Jeffrey Goldberg article in this month's Atlantic that I think says it all.
The Wars of John McCain

I pointed out that McCain has changed many of his positions during his candidacy in order, it seems, to better conform to Republican orthodoxy. Kissinger replied: “Under the pressure of a presidential campaign, it’s possible that he will make adjustments. He may deviate from his positions, but he will not like himself for it.�

In my conversations with McCain, however, he never appeared greatly troubled by his shifts and reversals. It’s not difficult to understand why: tax policy, or health care, or even off-shore oil drilling are for him all matters of mere politics, and politics calls for ideological plasticity. It is only in the realm of national defense, and of American honor—two notions that for McCain are thoroughly entwined—that he becomes truly unbending.

McCain isn't interested in dumb stuff like the economy or health care. He's got as many houses as he needs, and goes to his doctor frequently. The important thing is to win in Vietnam. I mean Iraq.

Listen up folks...

McCain didn't say we MADE more goods than anyone else.
We SELL more than anyone. Remember, we buy more imports than just about anyone and every importer has to SELL it to SOMEONE, right?

We sell imported stuff to each other like no one else!

If that's not what he means, I'm as befuddled as the rest of you!

Even if I am following him right, how he interprets this economic circle jerk as a recipe for prosperity still eludes me

John McCain telling American workers they're not tough enough to pick lettuce for $50 an hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_jMmiiWsdQ

Again, it's part of this supposed psychological recession we're in as claimed by Phil Gramm's. Obviously McCain believes this still.

By turning it back on the American worker, McCain is essentially saying if, IF, there's anything wrong, then it is something wrong with you, the individual, and not the larger forces at work. It's a play on the cognitive dissonance between the larger American belief (and reality) that workers work hard, and the individual experience that things aren't going so well.

By asserting the fundamentals are sound, and defining the fundamentals as the American worker, it forces the individual to second guess his experience and blame himself for any failing. And if you, as an individual American worker, stick your head up to challenge the fundamentals as defined by McCain, this ubiquitous collective American Worker can dismiss you as lazy or ineffectual.

How does McCain define American Worker? Does he qualify? He has never earned a dollar in the private sector. All of his personal earnings have been from the U.S. Government, in one form or another. Cindy's $ is not John's earnings, except in the whore category. His father and grandfather were Navy welfare recipients. JMC's education was paid for by the U.S. taxpayers. His career in the Navy was paid for by taxpayers; as was his health coverage; his senatorial career has been paid for by the taxpayers. He receives a disability, 100% disabled, payment from the U.S. taxpayers. How many jobs, if any, has he had that were not the result of Federal Welfare, in one form or another? And he talks about Social Security being a disaster? Mr. McCain is a disaster. Listen to Dr. Phillip Butler, a former Annapolis grad and POW longer than McCain, who is now appearing in some ads for Obama. The Truth is emerging and it is ugly.

I am committed to Oneness through Justice and Transformation
peace,
st john

John McCain isn't offering any solutions to the mortgage crisis, the withering unions, the lack of health care, the increasing number of people losing their jobs, the cities being washed away by hurricanes, the cities facing bankruptcy because of health care insurance costs, the high gasoline price or the lack of a National Guard to help people in crisis or any other serious problems.

John McCain isn't the person we need to be President in 2009.

McCain admitted he knows nothing about economics and yet he still tries to fool the American voters. What an idiot this guy is. We need to go back and start electing presidents with some brains.

Obama, in his interview with Bill O'Riley on Fox news, (and the video is available just look it up) said "the economy under the Bush administration has shown growth."

My question is how can the "funamentals" of our economy "not" be good if, in Obama's words, the economy has grown???