“Jonathan Gruber, an economist and a professor at MIT, sparked a firestorm last month when a number of videos surfaced in which he called the American voters “stupid”. He can also be heard suggesting that a “lack of transparency” in the Affordable Care Act contributed to passage of the law.
“On Tuesday, however, he apologized for his “glib” and “thoughtless” comments about the political process behind the Affordable Care Act.
“Gruber stated: “in some cases, I made uninformed and glib comments about the political process behind health care reform. I am not an expert on politics and my tone implied that I was, which is wrong. It is never appropriate to try to make oneself seem smarter or more important by demeaning others. I know better. I knew better. I am embarrassed and I am sorry”, he told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“It’s interesting that a number of Republican committee members asked Gruber about the exact amount he was paid for his work as a consultant, which he initially declined to answer. He even avoided the question at several points by stating that his attorney had counseled him that financial documents already submitted to the committee had met the disclosure requirements.
However, as Republicans can generally be annoyingly persistent, an answer was finally squeezed out of Gruber. And what an answer it was.
Clearly agitated by the committee’s relentless attempts to get a satisfying answer on the matter, Gruber burst out: “you know what?! I could tell you, but it wouldn’t matter just the same. During my time in this chair, I’ve come to realize that not a single member of this idiotic committee is smart enough to read what’s in front of you. You’re all idiots and stupid when it comes to math, not to mention that you ladies and gentlemen are so bright that you wouldn’t be able to find sand on a beach!”
Well, anyone can say what they want, but at least the man is consistent.
