Joe Walsh Meltdown: Screams At Constituents, 'Don't Blame Banks' (VIDEO)

Story updated with response from Joe Walsh

U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) met with some constituents in the Chicago suburb of Gurnee Sunday -- and apparently didn't like what some of them had to say about the role of big banks in the financial collapse.

The "Cup of Joe with Joe Walsh" event was held at an UNO Bar & Grill in the northern suburb, and "a number of topics were discussed," according to Round Lake Area News. But, as ThinkProgress reported Tuesday, Walsh did not like when the conversation turned to big banks and their power within government.

(Watch the full video taken by District116 here)

After one attendee grilled Walsh about the lack of regulation which ultimately allowed banks to bet against their own customers, another pointed out the presence of bank lobbyists in Congress and other financial regulatory agencies.

Walsh cut off the man, and screamed at him: "Don't blame the banks ... that pisses me off" before telling the calm constituent that he was going to ask him to leave if he didn't stop talking.

"I don't want government meddling in the marketplace," Walsh said. "Yeah, they move from Goldman Sachs to the White House, I understand all of that. But you gotta’ be consistent. And it’s not the private marketplace that created this mess. What created mess was your government, which has demanded for years that everybody be in a home. And we’ve made it easy as possible for people to be in homes."

Walsh, a Tea Party Favorite, then suggested that the federal government stop funding the U.S. Postal Service.

"If the Postal Service can't compete in the marketplace," Walsh shouted. "I am tired of propping it up."

The Capitol Fax Blog questioned Walsh about the outburst Wednesday:

... I am very passionate at these events as well as at my town halls. This was no different except I was working on an empty stomach and had a quicker fuse than normal.

The woman I had the heated exchange with was great and she appreciated how open and unusual these events are. I apologized to her for getting a bit to passionate and she smiled and didn’t mind at all.

Regarding the substance rich of what I was trying to say - I’m no pal of the big banks and I wouldn’t have voted to bail any of them out.

Read his full response here.

See the exchange with constituents here via District 116:

Comments

[Slybuck]

04:29 PM on 11/21/2011

Can you imagine if the woman he was lambasting were Michele Bachmann?

All you would have heard would be "Yes dear, uhuh, yes dear..."

[Slybuck]

04:25 PM on 11/21/2011

Imagine him being in control.

what would be the difference between him and say Gaddafi, or Sadam, or even Kim Jong-il...from a dictatorial point of view of course...

[BluzySuzy]

12:26 PM on 11/21/2011

What a JERK! Why can't he carry that way of thinking just one more step to see that the banks are playing by the government rules that were lobbied for by...(drum roll please....) the banks!

[NoBlueDogs]

03:09 PM on 11/21/2011

That man dared step in that woman's face like he was trying to intimidate her. Wow. Unbelievable.

[BluzySuzy]

08:47 AM on 11/22/2011

This seems to be this guy's MO. I think he should not hold the office any longer.

[Shannon Talton]

12:05 PM on 11/21/2011

I've had to change my opinions based on factual evidence before. Why don't tea partiers? I guess facts don't matter when you have ideology. As for his kids... I guess it's ok for the government to pay for their upbringing.

[pgobrien]

11:18 AM on 11/21/2011

"Do you want more regulation? Do you want Dodd-Frank? Is that what you want?"

In a word. Yes. And even stronger.

[KadejaLatefah]

09:06 AM on 11/20/2011

you should get a loan at a big bank and pay your back child support!!

[tman418]

06:47 PM on 11/16/2011

Glad to see he'll work to provide for his campaign donors, but not for his children!

[itsjules]

01:03 AM on 11/14/2011

Well HE'S a charmer.

Yeesh.

[melissa rakestraw]

12:46 AM on 11/14/2011

It's too bad this story hasn't been updated to reflect the fact that Joe Walsh never apologized to me. I'm the woman that he was screaming at like a lunatic. I said to him, "stop screaming at me, I'm not screaming at you." I did mind him being in my face and I thought saying that was a clear indicator. Mr. Walsh didn't respect my boundaries and it was highly offensive. It's also offensive to me for him to issue a press release telling everyone how I felt about it. He has no clue because he never said, "I'm sorry," and he didn't care that I didn't like it. I was smiling at Mr. Walsh throughout the entire meeting because I thought that 99% of what he was saying was laughable.

[dblshell]

10:26 PM on 11/14/2011

I am only sorry I could not be the first to 'Fan" you but by the looks of things, I will be the first to "Fave" You.

Melissa, what you did took courage.

Joe is a zealot that does not understand that it is HE who needs to listen to his CONSTITUENTS and NOT the OTHER WAY AROUND!

Unfortunately, he may have to learn his lesson the hard way...

and by so,

I mean the ballot box!

Great questions...

and doubly great suggestion that we get Joe a decaf!!!

Melissa, you were brilliant!!!

Fanned...

And very gladly fav'e'd as well!

[melissa rakestraw]

10:50 PM on 11/14/2011

Thanks, so much.

[teapot90]

09:30 AM on 11/19/2011

Fanned you also. It's a shame to have representatives misbehaving this way toward anyone. Supporters or protesters alike, deserve better than being screamed at. This country is going nowhere as long as we have representatives who refuse to listen, and have terrible manners..

[watchtime07]

11:12 PM on 11/13/2011

Same BULLY he was in Elementary and High school!

[KadejaLatefah]

09:11 AM on 11/20/2011

wow - but not a surprise!! what kind of grades did he get?

[Michael Geheren]

09:04 PM on 11/13/2011

We did a follow up piece at his most recent town hall since the "meltdown" last week. He joked quite a bit about it! http://huntleyvoice.com/2011/11/13/congressman-joe-walsh-r-il-visits-huntley/

[ColinZeal2]

07:37 PM on 11/12/2011

So did this scum start providing for his kids already?

[teapot90]

09:32 AM on 11/19/2011

Nope, he's still pretending he was never a deadbeat dad.

[KadejaLatefah]

09:12 AM on 11/20/2011

he is a deadbeat alright

[irishradical]

04:31 PM on 11/12/2011

Now you know why the wife departed, probably screamed at her too.

[Tom Joad]

04:05 PM on 11/12/2011

MEMO
To: Rep. Walsh
From: The U.S. Constitution
Re: Postal Service

...a 'strict Constitutionalist' should know the postal service is mandated in the U.S. Constitution...

[KevinOConnor]

04:04 AM on 11/12/2011

The United States Postal Service is an independent regulatory agency. They create their own revenue when people purchase postage! Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only funding they receive from the federal government is for USO delivery service. If Joe Walsh wants to keep a check on the subsidies the USPS gets for our servicemen, maybe he should reconsider his past support for a troop surge in Afghanistan....

[KadejaLatefah]

09:15 AM on 11/20/2011

he is an i d i o t. everyone (if they are smart, can read, or go ogle) knows this about the USPS. and we pay for delivery of USO packages to the APO and from their it is shipped to foreign bases.