Wow. What a two days. First, Jesse Jackson makes his comments about Obama, (says he wants to cut his nuts off cause he's "talking down to black people") and then Phil Gramm, (former Republican senator from Texas) McCain economic advisor, said that our current recession is a mental recession and that Americans are a bunch of whiners.

So who came out better here? Geez. That's like asking who came out better in a gunfight with Sheriff Matt Dylan on Gunsmoke. This could be an election loser for McCain, and the Jesse Jackson thing may actually set up as a benefit to Obama. But if you watch the film of Jackson actually delivering the lines to the Fox News dude, it looks contrived to me. Was it all planned? Who knows. Probably not. But one can't help thinking. I mean, isn't Jesse Jackson smarter than that? To lean over and whisper to a Fox news guy in front of a mic? Um, this guy is not an amateur. Oh well, let's just leave it where it is. But sure seems strange to me.

But the Phil Gramm statement is just mind boggling. It isn't that he can claim that he was misquoted or anything - he said it on video! And while McCain tries to distance himself from those idiotic comments, there are all kinds of videos going around where McCain says that Graham is great. Amd McCain already said a couple months ago that he didn't know that much about the economy. Since that time, the economy has taken an even more severe nosedive. For Gramm to make such statements just shows that he is totally out of touch with regular working people. That's exactly what the Republicans don't need, cause it reinforces old stereotypes.

This is the worst economic conditions in my life. If McCain and the Republicans can't recognize that Bush's policies have resulted in the significant lowering of most everyone's standard of living, then they are doomed. Yet, I don't think they are capable of admitting it. That's a real problem for McCain.

On the other hand, the fact that Obama pissed off Jesse Jackson probably scores a few points with some white people. And the fact is, and believe me, I'm not trying to speak for African-American people, cause I really don't know, but from the church services, and meetings that I have attended where black issues have been paramount in my rural area, I have heard black leaders over and over again talk about personal responsibility. This isn't some revolutionary concept. In the African-American community, I think that the social issues are a given, and their ability to control them are somewhat limited. But that doesn't mean they aren't recognized.

Oh...they are. But what isn't out of control of the local community is individual behavior, or at least so they think. So they focus on it. No different than what Obama did. And not only that, but there is a lot of disagreement with Jesse Jackson with African-Americans out in the rural areas, and I believe they more agree with the Obama message of increased personal responsibility. So, all in all, I don't think this will lose Obama much support in the African-American community, but it may bolster his image as not being a hard core black activist. That would work to his advantage with those "Hillary" voters.

So good two days for Obama - bad bad bad day for McCain.