The Corporate Media spent a week attacking Obama for saying some rural voters might be "bitter" over the loss of economic opportunities.
By that measure, it certainly is worth a month of TV time to analyze John McCain's claim that the recession is "psychological,"(*)and the cure is a summer holiday from the $.18 federal gasoline tax.

I’m very concerned about it, Neil. And obviously the way it’s been going up is just terrible. But I think psychologically — and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological — the confidence, trust, the uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home. This might give them a little psychological boost. Let’s have some straight talk, it’s not a huge amount of money.
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According to the latest poll, 90% of Americans think the economy is going south. Did 90% of Americans suddenly lose their minds, or did the economy ... turn south?
The price of food and gas is shooting up. The value of most Americans' primary asset, their homes, is going down. Unemployment is rising. Economic growth is flat. The deficit is out of control.
And this is all psychological?
During a previous era of inflation and economic stagnation, another President offered a psychological diagnosis:

"In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does but by what one owns."
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The pundits of the day jumped all over the speech, which was labeled "Malaise" - a word not even found in the speech.

as historian Douglas Brinkley notes, "it boomeranged on him. The op-ed pieces started spinning out, 'Why don't you fix something? There's nothing wrong with the American people. We're a great people. Maybe the problem's in the White House, maybe we need new leadership to guide us.'"
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Yeah John - there's nothing wrong with our heads, we're fine. The problem is in the White House, and we need new leadership that will change the disastrous course we're on - not(*)a summer vacation from the $.18 gas tax so we can buy coffee and a snack!


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