"Gotcha" Grandstanding: You're A Bunch Of Rude Dudes

The only thing more horrifying than not finding enough raisins in my muffin this morning is watching the House Committee interrogate Geithner and Bernanke as if they were raw meat thrown to wolves. Maybe the only benefit is that the whole world gets to see how what bullies those in positions of power can become — salivating rabid dogs is what I see and they should be put to sleep.

While I'm all for coming clean and getting the dirt on AIG and Goldman Sachs, the behavior of the committee members is all about listening to themselves talk, grandstanding and "gotcha" moments. No wonder we can't fill Cabinet positions. Who would possibly be up for a job that involves verbal waterboarding by people who don't allow you to complete a sentence or think through an answer or take a breath? If the positions were reversed, most of these interrogators would crumble. Just because you pause before you answer doesn't mean you're lying — rather, perhaps, that you're thinking before you open your mouth.

Is this what we've become? Is it all about getting someone caught in a lie and the aha moment when you make someone look like a fool? I, for one, am not good when confronted and asked to defend myself or come back with a quick answer and I've suffered from lack of the agile response because my brain doesn't work that way. I can't imagine the thoughts going through Tim's and Ben's brains but imagine them to be something like, "I need a drink" or "Who needs this job?" especially when stared down by these salivating not necessarily squeaky clean folks.

Do you think bullying is the example we want to set for our kids? All I ask is at the end of the sessions someone roll back the tapes and ask these wizards if their behavior is decent and fair, or, in fact, are they as embarrassed by watching themselves, as I am.

There's no gold medal awarded at the end for the best "gotcha" moment and I'd be careful if you're ever in the hot seat because you could be next. Bullies beware!!

Comments

[riona]

Well, each of those congressmen and women had a limited time to ask questions and really wanted to get short answers so they could ask as many questions as possible. I don't feel sorry for Geithner and Bernanke. They evaded answering directly some serious questions and became condescending in tone. These two have been seriously involved in creating the mess and now are clearly trying to keep zombie banks alive at our expense. It does NOT benefit the American public to have these huge megabanks propped up by our money- when they will die anyway. Does anyone actually believe that the fragile state of Bank of America has anything to do with why banks aren't extending credit? Who benefits from bailouts? A few wealthy investors who otherwise would have lost $ on their gambles and the bank executives. Perhaps the Fed Chairman and Treasury Secretary just cannot envision a world without Goldman Sachs. This is a HUGE power grab, where those who should be kicked to the curb for their mistakes. But that would only happen in a "pure free-market". Not in an environment that protects a few rich people by giving them poor honest taxpayer money after they foolishly throw their own away.

[DannyDanson]

All that outrage would be fine if it was actually rooted in an understanding of the problem, these problems are complicated and nuanced, they require complex solutions, they have complex causes, and ramifications, its not as simple as banks made bad loans to weak borrowers, or that the dems just want to prop up banks for political supports, all those statements ar massive over-simplifications which can serve no purpose in solving this crisis, and yes it is still a crisis! What don't you understand about systemic risk, its like you would rather have the heart attack then a triple bypass surgery rather than just change you diet and excercise, before you have the heart attack thats nearly guaranteed. AIG backs credit default swaps which are still on the books for these major institutions, right now sir, nothing has changed, say AIG goes belly-up it will take hundreds of those institutions with them, which will inturn take even more institutions down with them, the cycle doesn't stop, the power grab occured in 2000 with the CFMA that Sen Grahm wrote and Clinton signed, with his tail between his legs, Sir you missed it altogether, and how doesn't the opinion of a sofa economists translate into insight. President Obama is working for those who elected him middle class Americans. Crisis avoided is invisible, rant if you must.

[whoknowswhat]

What in the world is wrong with these cowards in congress or what ever they are in? Do we need Angela Lansbury (murder she wrote) in our government? or Do all the members in our government need to go through a thorough lie detector screening before getting seated? These individuals are all accessories to a crime including the phonies that are so called latching out towards their partners in crimes that causes our beloved nation to be in this mess. I am pretty sure we all have seen an episode of cops where a driver get pull over and drugs or weapons are in their car. When asked, they claimed I don't know it was in there or who place it there. These congressmen and women remind me of these pull over driver. They are all liars and need to be investigated but by whom? Maybe by a private firm; than again money talk and B.S walk. I remember living in Monrovia,Liberia and right before all hell broke lose I was living with my aunt in the country Side or natives is what they are referred to according to civilized folks. These people might not have had as much as we did in the city but they work with what they had, they respected each other opinions and they also have common sense along the country side. I am very concern about the kids these days that are watching and learning from some of these civilize folks.

[OldManoftheSea]

It is about time they were forced to explain themselves...granted, the congressmen asking the questions should be grilled in the same manner on a daily basis...we must hold our public servants accountable...especially now with the inexperienced blunders we are forced to live with in this administration..

[DannyDanson]

"specially now with the inexperienced blunders we are forced to live with in this administration.."

Wow, since when does a blunder come 65 days into a job, while the same cynics allowed 4 years of continuous failures to occur with praise and support. This started decades ago, when we lost vision of our actual real economy, you remember the one that pays workers for actual work. Conservatives have effectively starved the working consumer base and Governmnent services by pandering the notion that, less governmnent regulations and less domestic investment in Americans is the key to economic growth, WTF! What exists in reality that can you neglect and not invest in and yet still legitimately expect to grow and prosper, NOTHING!, GM workers don't deserve the 55.00/hr they receive, but AIG execs must honor their contract obligations! WTF! This is conservative logic this is the ultimate classism pandered off as responsible economic theroy, this is the effect of a systemic cause that many people refuse to acknowlegde. The greatness of the country rests on the backs of the working class, we are not expendible everyone who profited off the mortagage ponzi scheme is expendible and should be systemically dispensed with. Why would any institution buy or sell a weak mortagage? DEREGULATION of consumer and investor protections. ( i.e GOP)

[ZackShorty]

Many years ago I was a lower grade Army offficer. Every so often I would be called to be on a promotion board.. i.e. we would interview, question, enlisted personel who were trying to be promoted. There were some real 'bullies' on these boards. Most of the candidates where first class, and more than worthy of promotion. There was this one Major who just got off watching these guys squirm. He would ask them questions he didn't know the answers to, until he looked them up the night before. He was a worthless man and a discredit to the service, but he had the authority, power,
to make better men squirm.

I'm afraid some of our congressmen and senators have the same DNA. 'It' should not be about them, 'It' should be about all of us. Too much power makes some people very weak!

[cam]

With a few notable exceptions, both houses of congress are filled with the same gullible bunch of incompetents that facilitated the whole financial disaster.

Their faux populist posturing is patently sycophantic.

[Dr. Sam]

I am glad for this piece. These Congress people think they are God--aand that they can do and say anything. It is a shell game. In truth, they are trying to cover-up their own mistakes and misdeeds. For decades, they have been in the pocket of big donors from Wall Street and other high places.Now they are embarassed for their failure to negligence, malpractice and corruption. What a game people play. Who needs this kind of drubbing by rude politicians. Even the simple idea of service will not attract the best into government.

[RGray]

Bravo! Nice post.

[KillTheMessenger]

McCarthy's monster is alive...

:-)

[Baltotoast]

thank god, a voice of reason...how about that pandering Barney Frank who put on the wrap of righteous indignation when Bernanke suggested Frank had been in the room during some of these discussions about AIG bonuses.

It would be funny, except all I could think of was the lost time when Geithner and Bernanke could have been doing something productive instead of testifying in front of these grandstanding stooges about something that is a gnat relative to the total problem they need to address.

[2nd-mpj]

Best moment I saw: Ben Bernanke responded to a question about 401(k) losses with something like "It's a poorly worded question." The Rep wanted a yes/no answer on a question that required more than y/n.

Most aggravating moment: Michele Bachman kept trying to imply the Fed and Treasury were acting unconstitutionally. Both Geithner and Bernanke kept explaining to her that the Congress had passed legislation that gave them the powers they were exercising. If she has a problem with their actions and those laws, she needs to challenge the laws in court and get a ruling. Harping during a committee meeting just won't cut it. Does she not understand how her job works?

[Baltotoast]

My best moment - Tim Geithner trying to parse Waters questions and determine if their was any rational thought behind them.

[DannyDanson]

Stupid questions require stupid answers without further clarification, these congressmen and women didn't have half the grasp of the situation as 50% of the bloggers on this site.

Geithner refused to be lead on a wild goose hunt, which wouldn't serve any purpose but to provide cover for a politician who didn't do their homework, you can't fix this with an accounting rule change, or by allowing systemic bank failures, only a layperson or a partisan with an agenda would even suggest it. The Fed and Treasury's job is to protect the public from systemic risks to the system, to follow the political climate of cable chatter, would be a derelection of their responsibility, so what if a Senator from Minnesota doesn't fully understand the complexity of the systemic risk posed by this crisis, that can't change Giethner's responsibility to protect the public based on his expertise, regardless of how you rate that expertise, your not the President, the American people does not support your opinion as much a Pres. Obama's

[alamantra]

No, she doesn't understand her job. The answer she needed to hear for her repeated question was : "See Article 1: Sections 1, 7 and 8 of U.S. Constitution. Next."