redundancy, who vs. that, who vs. whom, subject-verb agreement

When Sen. John McCain talked with Katie Couric about Congress’ $700 billion bailout package yesterday, he seemed determined to stress the gravity of the situation.

“The financial crisis is on the verge of a very, very serious, most serious crisis since the end of World War II,” he said. When you strip the many adjectives from this statement, you’re left with a strange remark: “The crisis is on the verge of a crisis.”

But the adjectives, of course, are problematic. Crisis is a dramatic word, meaning “critical phase” and “crucial time.” It does not need to be intensified any further. To call it a “very, very serious, most serious” crisis is not only redundant, it’s silly. We get the point, John!

The senator proceeded to say, “This crisis is of such enormous proportions that it has the possibility…could have the possibility of wrecking the economy in ways that we’ve never contemplated.” Here’s the deal. Possibility is the condition of being possible. It’s potential or prospective value. The possibility of wrecking our economy already exists. That’s why McCain proposed a suspension of his debate with Barack Obama; he felt it is THAT dire a situation. Use the word possibility with caution. Often the possibility already exists and the reality remains within grasp.

McCain made a few other slip-ups. He talked about “people that we respect and admire from both parties” when he should’ve said “people who we respect…” Who is used for people and named animals, like Sadie the golden lab. That is used for unnamed animals and objects. Not a good way to show respect and admiration.

The exact cost of the bailout package is unclear, McCain said. It’s “a trillion dollars or $700 billion, depending on who you talk to…” The problem? It depends on whom you talk to. Use who when describing a subject, the actor of a sentence. It’s a substitute for I, you, he, she, we, they, who, whoever. Use whom when describing an object, the person acted upon, which can substitute for me, you, him, her, us, them.

Later in the interview, the weary 72-year-old said, “Well, I think the purposes of campaigns are to present myself.” A strange blending of plural — multiple campaigns with multiple purposes — and singular, presenting one man. Hmm…

McCain also told Couric, “I think that people want to know where $700 billion, or a trillion dolllars, is gonna go.” With many dollars (be they $700 billion or a trillion), we need a plural verb, where they are gonna go. It is correct to ask, “Where is the money gonna go?” because money operates as a single unit. That common wording may guided McCain’s word choice. Still, we had to point it out.

What a worrisome time…so many financial and rhetorical woes!