Don Manzullo: Worst Congressional Questioning Ever (VIDEO)

It's generally not worth reporting on exchanges between backbench committee members and witnesses that occur toward the end of a congressional hearing, because the member often hasn't been at the hearing and merely re-asks questions that have already been posed.

But the exchange at Tuesday's House Financial Services Committee hearing between Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) is of a different sort. The most generous interpretation is that Manzullo is hoping to create footage for a future campaign commercial.

Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, captive extras in his campaign spot, are at a loss as to how to respond -- with Bernanke going so far as to break with the traditional comity that suffocates the hearing structure to tell Manzullo that his question is "poorly posed."

The exchange began before the clip below starts, with Manzullo repeatedly demanding a yes or no answer to a question that neither Geithner, Bernanke or, for that matter, this reporter, can make any sense out of. The inability to answer the question frustrates Manzullo.

"The question is very simple," Manzullo says in one formulation of it. "Maybe I should make a statement: That American people had to bail out AIG so that they could honor their insurance plans with people who bought insurance on their retirement plans. But most Americans still lost 40 to 50 percent of their retirement plans."

It's not quite clear what he wants to know, but Manzullo seems to think that AIG can insure retirement accounts -- he specifically mentions IRAs and 401(k)s -- against downward movements of the stock market. He further seems to think that people with AIG-backed 401(k)s suffered no loss in the stock market thanks to a government bailout. Manzullo's spokesperson didn't return a call, but maybe you can figure out what he's talking about.

WATCH:

Comments

[JXJASON]

09:03 AM on 03/26/2009

IndianaJohn,

Your analogy about the climbers is a good analogy but I have no idea if the world economy would have froze up. We only have Henry Paulson's, Ben Bernacke's and Tim Geithner's word for it.

So, where does the Congress and the Obama administration go from here? 180 Billion spent to buy 80% of AIG and no accountability for how the money was spent. This is OUTRAGEOUS.

I don't have any confidence in anyone in our government to fix these problems.

And I also do not have any confidence in the greedy, well paid, corporate elites ( like John Thain, the former CEO at Merrill) to fix these problems.

Hope won't fix these problems.

So, I have gotten involved.

As an analogy for corporate greed, read my next comment.

[IndianaJohn]

01:01 AM on 03/28/2009

I agree with the lack of confidence in the well paid "elites" to fix the problems. Not only because of greed, but incompetence. If writing contracts so favorable to your customers and so unfavorable to your employer that your company looses more money at a faster rate than any company in history is to be rewarded with millions of dollars in bonuses, let me have the job. I can loose money as well as anybody. Where do I sign up for that gig?

[JXJASON]

08:46 AM on 03/26/2009

IndianaJohn,

Please do not insult me or Congressman Manzullo regarding our knowledge of "financial basics".

There is nothing "basic" about derivatives, credit default swaps, mortgage securitization, collaterilized debt obligations, tranches, or any other terms that we can lump under "financial engineering".

There is nothing basic about FAS 153 and FAS 157 either.

When I was teaching undergraduate courses in Business Administration, Marketing, Retailing Management and a seminar course in Industrial Relations, in 1980-82 at two colleges in CT. none of the above terms were mentioned in any of my classes. These terms were also not used during the two years I spent studying for my MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. I earned my MBA in 1974.

So the question I asked two people who work for Congressman Paul Kanjorski, yesterday afternoon, was " Did AIG pay out taxpayer money, for insurance claims on pension funds, 401K's, mutual funds, retirement funds, etc. who were insured by AIG?" This, in my opinion, is what Congressman Manzullo was trying to discover.

Neither staffer at Congressman Kanjorski's offices knew the answer to my question. Maybe today they will call me back with an answer.

[IndianaJohn]

12:37 AM on 03/28/2009

I doubt you will get an answer to your question, because it doesn't make any sense. "...insurance claims on pension funds, 401k's, mutual funds, retirement funds..." What is that supposed to mean?

The only concern about pension plans was that if AIG went bankrupt, it would have taken down the insurance wing which may have written annuities designed to pay benefits under guaranteed benefit pension plans. However, even though they are written by the insurance division, annuities are not insurance policies.

Insurance on 401k's? Insurance on mutual funds? Insurance on retirement funds? What? What are you talking about? Do you actually think they sell policies that guarantee rates of investment returns for 401k"s, or mutual funds, or retirement funds? (You see, the question makes no sense.)

And the congressman had plenty of resources to educate him about the topic so he could ask informed questions, not look like a complete idiot.

[highflag]

11:04 AM on 03/25/2009

I had (happily) never heard of Rep. Manzullo until his astounding appearance on Rachel Maddow's show a few weeks ago. He was there to discuss his opposition to the stimulus bill. It was one of the most nonsensical arguments I've ever seen. Rachel's facial expressions alone are worth viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cm0X1vVJSg

I've now heard Mr. Manzullo's opinions twice. He's seriously 0 for 2.

Those folks in Illinois that sent this bozo to Washington must be ever so proud!

[JXJASON]

11:38 AM on 03/25/2009

Rachel said " 400 million dollars spent on family planning and money spent on putting grass on the Washington Mall and shoring up the falling retaining walls will put people back to work." This, in my opinion, is wasteful spending.

Also, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are wasteful spending. Also, the stimulus bill, maybe, will result in my getting a $250.00 check from the Social Security Administration because I am 66 years old.

I would rather give back the $600.00 I already got and the $250.00 I might get if President Obama started bringing our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan today.

[IndianaJohn]

01:09 PM on 03/25/2009

I disagree with on the stimulus, but I'm right there with you on the wars.

[mooph]

03:57 PM on 03/25/2009

Love the part where Manzullo says "I am not demonizing putting grass back to work."

[druidlady42]

10:57 AM on 03/25/2009

Congratulations, Rep. Manzullo! You just won the "Michelle Bachman Award for Stupid, Angry, Nonsensible GOP Rants"!

This wasn't legitimate questioning,----just political grandstanding! This is all the Republicans have left! Their minions in Congress are devoid of new, creative, constructive ideas to help solve our country's severe problems (which your Party bequeathed to the new President), AND, their only mission is to destroy this President so they can return to the Majority and continue the destructive policies which have brought us all to this sorry state of affairs!

What's wrong with these people? Are they totally incapable of accepting ANY blame or shame for what they allowed to happen while "their Guy" was in control?

People of Manzullo's District: if you have ANY pride or love for your country, get rid of this poor representative in the next election!

[TimtheEnchanted]

02:43 PM on 03/25/2009

We tried, but the candidate running against him Robert Abboud, didn't run a agressive campaign. Manzullo should have stayed with his families resturant business. He and we would have been better off.

[Pammy2]

07:42 AM on 03/26/2009

Like Tim says, we've tried. We've run some really good candidates against him, but this district is just so red. The Democratic party doesn't see the seat as winnable, so doesn't put much money into helping the Dem candidates. That's how Manzullo keeps his seat.

We're also represented at the state level by Republicans and they, too, are nothing but seat-warmers. This area of the state gets DIDDLY from either state or federal levels. Any money we do get is because of Dick Durban's efforts. Rockford is the third largest city in the state and I'll bet 90% of the Illinois delegation doesn't even know where it is. And yet the voters will consistently vote against their economic interests election after election after election.

Maybe his next opponent could use this clip in some campaign advertising.

[badtimes]

09:55 AM on 03/25/2009

I have to agree with Mr. Bernanke- awkward phrasing by Mr. Manzullo.

[iameasilyannoyed]

09:48 AM on 03/25/2009

And he was the Chairman of the US-China inter-parliamentary exchange from 1999 to 2006, being feted by the Chinese communist leadership and vice versa.He claimed he did so to engage with the Chinese leaders on their unfair trade practice. Anyone who knows a bit about these groups know that they are just masquerading the wine and dine. And Manzullo claimed he cared about his constituents and the jobs they lost to the Chinese? He thinks his constituents are idiots and don't know anything. I agree with junkgrl48 that let's call Manzulo's office: 202-225-5276

[smalltowninDC]

02:52 PM on 03/25/2009

iameasilyannoyed......you should really do your research, if you had done so, you would have noticed that you didnt put the right phone number up. Typical, "Call his office" blah blah blah. You aren't going to do anything but waste your time and the staff's time. They have better things to do as I'm sure you do as well.

[JXJASON]

09:34 AM on 03/25/2009

Congressman Manzullo asked a very good question and did not get a yes or a no answer.

If you do not understand what is going on at AIG then you had better learn.

Ben Bernacke's response to Congressman Manzullo's question was BS.

My pension plan is not insured and I see no reason why I should, as a taxpayer, pay out on someone else's insurance claim.

[Tlalas]

10:03 AM on 03/25/2009

I find your response as confusing as the congressman's question/statement.

[JXJASON]

10:57 AM on 03/25/2009

Your neighbor has Allstate auto insurance and totals his car and Allstate says " We have no money to pay you. We are broke". What does your neighbor do?

You have State Farm and you total your car. State farm pays you because they managed their company better.

Who will pay your neighbor????

[medici]

10:43 AM on 03/25/2009

Now try reading Manzullo's "question". It makes no sense at all.

[wolfmason]

09:14 AM on 03/25/2009

Hehehe, it's kinda hard to answer 2 to 5 part questions with multiple double negatives posed with a single "yes" or "no" answer. Judging by the jumbled nature of Manzullo's questioning and responses, I'd guess he first found out that there was an economic crisis on his way in to the office that morning.

[junkgrl48]

08:41 AM on 03/25/2009

I will be calling his office and letting his staffers know where to see and hear their boss and also the comments. Why don't a few of you also? The toll-free # is 877-851-6437 and ask for Manzullo's office. I think that number still works.

[MsLiz]

09:05 AM on 03/25/2009

Call up and say "No!"

[junkgrl48]

08:26 AM on 03/25/2009

Just in case my first comment doesn't get on. Man-ZERO is my rep. The biggest city in his district of northern IL is Rockford. Rockford has 13.7% unemployment. He is known and called in the GOP newspapers here as "Mr. Manufacturing". He came into congress campaigning on "term limits" in '93 and yet he is still there. Seems he was part of causing this giant mess and trouble in Rockford. Nuff said.

[junkgrl48]

08:16 AM on 03/25/2009

Exactly, he got out the sound bites that he can use next year to show how he "fought" for his constitutents, which happen to be me. I want to know when he has "fought for me" . I will probably be using my mute button next year ad nauseum.

[junkgrl48]

08:08 AM on 03/25/2009

Manzullo is my representative. Some of us call him "Man-ZERO". He was able to get a "Friend of the TAxpayer award"--given out by Grover Norquist. That says so much about him. His letters make no sense, his email makes no sense and when he had 10 minutes to stand up in Congress and justify his position on the Iraq occupation, he spent almost the whole time thanking the rest of the Repug blow hards around him. NOTHING--ZERO.
He is not responsive to his constituents who may disagree in any way. Also, the papers do not publish his votes, so he hides in the weeds. NOW, he is voting NO on everything. He is up next year and I will be working on sending him home to his family restaurant in the tiny speck of Egan, IL. He has never known a Congress where he is the minority so he will be worthless. And, he was head of the SBA committee and it ran out of money for small businesses, but had enough to give multinational behemoths billions. He is known by some as "Mr. Manufacturing" but was part of a Congress that shipped millions of manufacturing OUT of the country. Rockford, the largest city in his district, has 13.7% unemployment--12th highest area in the nation. Mr. Manufacturing indeed.

[Pammy2]

07:52 AM on 03/25/2009

HA! I live in Manzullo's district here in Illinois (extreme Northwest corner) and believe me, we've known for years that he's nothing but a chair-warmer in Congress. And it's the same in our state legislature. But it's so red that we can't get a Democrat elected no matter how much better they would be. It's just like living in Alabama except the accents are different.

[MsLiz]

09:01 AM on 03/25/2009

Whoa! Alabamians have better manners than Manzullo!

[Fremon]

12:20 PM on 03/25/2009

They may have better manners in Alabama, but are they smarter? Hard to tell.

[mamala4]

07:35 AM on 03/25/2009

Yet another id.iot from Illinois.

[MPeter]

07:28 AM on 03/25/2009

That is what you get when you put tired, pathetic Repug starved of publicity before a TV camera. He was more concerned about his antics on air than moving this country hrom the mess he helped Bush create.