Republicans, Democrats take turns in a game of ‘Grubering’

A gaffe, under the oft-cited Michael Kinsley rule, is when somebody in Washington accidentally speaks the truth. But what happens when frankness leads you to say something so monumentally stupid — the verbal equivalent of a pratfall, a face-plant into a mud pit — that “gaffe” doesn’t cover it?

In that case, you have Grubered yourself.

The originator of this maneuver, MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, summoned by House Republicans to explain his caught-on-tape remark that passage of Obamacare, on which he was a prominent consultant, relied on the “stupidity of the American voter.”

The denunciation of his remarks was brutal: “Glib, thoughtless … uninformed … mean and insulting … uncalled for in any contest … demeaning … inexcusable arrogance.”

And those were Gruber’s words. The lawmakers were less charitable.

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa, R-Calif., likened the witness to “Forrest Gump, the ultimate in successful stupid men.”

“Are you stupid?” Issa asked the man behind the namecard reading, “Mr. Gruber, Ph.D.”

“I don’t think so, no,” the bespectacled Gruber, slouched over the witness table, replied.

“Does MIT employ stupid people?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“So you’re a smart man,” Issa continued, “who said … some really stupid things?”

Gruber accepted this characterization. A can of Coke Zero that he had placed on the floor next to his chair had fallen over.

Gruber wasn’t about to get a defense from Democrats. “Stupid — I mean absolutely stupid comments,” the panel’s top Democrat, Elijah Cummings of Maryland, told the witness. “They were irresponsible, incredibly disrespectful and did not reflect reality.”

Nobody in the room seemed to question the stupidity of Gruber’s stupidity remark, or his claim that “this bill was written in a tortured way” to avoid it appearing to be a tax, or that “lack of transparency is a huge political advantage” because people didn’t know that “healthy people pay in and sick people get money.”

Instead, it became a game of Grubering. Republicans tried to Gruber Democrats by asserting that Gruber was a key architect of Obamacare and that his talk about passing the law deceptively was true. Democrats tried to Gruber the Republicans by tying the hapless professor to former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, for whom Gruber also consulted. And Gruber continued to Gruber himself, refusing reasonable demands that he disclose all the government fees he had received. He conferred more than once with his lawyer and dodged questions by saying, “Take that up with my counsel” or “I don’t recall the total” — making it likely the committee will haul him back for another round of Grubering.

It was the last scheduled hearing under Issa’s chairmanship and an appropriately zany coda to a tumultuous tenure.

Issa, who hit his term limit as chairman of the high-profile panel, has been assigned to legislative Siberia: chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee’s intellectual property subcommittee.

For his final act, Issa did his best to Gruber Obama, calling Gruber a “critical player” in Obamacare. Over the administration’s objections, he seated him on a panel next to Marilyn Tavenner, the official overseeing Obamacare, and called them a “perfect pairing.” Other Republicans grilled Gruber on how many times he met with Obama (once) and went to the White House (no clue).

Democrats countered by trying to Gruber the Republicans. Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia quizzed Gruber on his visits to Romney offices (dozens) and meetings with Romney (also one). Cummings read aloud quotes from Romney praising Gruber.

But Democrats could not conceal the damage that Gruber had done to them and Obamacare. Cummings said it was a “public relations gift” to Republicans. “You wrapped it up with a bow.”

Gruber, in a geeky tenor, apologized, profusely and endlessly. No fewer than 14 times, he referred to his “inexcusable” remarks and insisted that he was “not the architect” of Obamacare and had no business offering political opinions.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., asked Gruber to elaborate on his claim that legislation “passed because the American people are too stupid to understand the difference.”

Gruber groveled, saying he was “trying to make myself seem smart by insulting others.”

“So you’re a professor at MIT and you’re worried about not looking smart enough?”

“Yes.”

“Well,” said Gowdy, “you succeeded.”

Dana Milbank is a Washington Post columnist.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.