Yesterday, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pushed to a vote a bill that would stop AIG from using taxpayer money to pay out its executives’ bonuses.
Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) then took to the floor for three minutes to ask Representative Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH) why she voted against the measure.
Rep. Kilroy couldn't explain why she voted against stopping the AIG bonuses.
H/T RedState.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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9 comments:
Well this is just an example of SOP for Democrat politicians in particular and most politicians in general (no offense Maggie. When asked a direct question there can be no direct answer. The common practice is to quickly bring in irrelevant issues/factoids and generally to avoid answering the question.
The outrage over the bonus compensation is IMO manufactured by Congress & the Executive.
Had I been Representative Kilroy my answer would have been simple. You vote against the bill because it is meddling in the business of AIG when no one in Congress has any experience running a business. You vote against the bill because it attempts to break valid, legal contracts because it made some people mad. You vote against the bill because it is most likely creating a bill of attainder, which is a specifically prohibited by the US Constitution that all members swore to protect, defend and uphold.
This farce is just a distraction from the real travesty that is government interference in the private sector in the first place.
so true - 2Bn11FA - and if they hadn't done any bailouts to begin with, none of this would be an issue taking up their time (and ours)...
As much as I've heard about this fiasco in the general media, no one has seen fit to mention that these bonuses are going to get paid for the same reason the janitor collects his paycheck. It's payroll, pure and simple. The company wanted to hire someone and after the wining, dining, hand shaking and back slapping someone pulled out a ball point pen and the smiles got that strained look - generally the kind of look you get when the rest of the players at the table are waiting to see if you're going to raise, fold or consult the bumps on your head. Numbers got written and the paper was signed in lawyer's blood, and in essence it is agreed that for a huge amount of money and the promise of more, you'll give us your best efforts for a certain length of time, or we take both houses, your Big Toy and your mistress or boy toy.
Am I pissed off at the way this whole thing was handled? Absolutely. But this is NOT the way to handle a bankrupt insurance company.
Maggie,
Had Rep. Kilroy had a bit of knowledge and logic at her disposal, she might have said that she voted against it because she believed that it violated the Constitution in at least two ways.
Of course, that would presuppose that she had any familiarity with a document that appears to be seldom read in Washington these days.
The Dems had plenty of opportunity to fix the bonus gaff but, instead enabled it to happen...only to feign outrage and surprise later. When you follow the money trail, it's obvious why the dems had such an interest in feeding AIG so much cash.
There's a reason they are called Rethuglicans. You've just seen it. The voters have threw Rethuglicans out in 2006 and 2008. Expect more of them to be sent home in 2010. Rep Foxx is just using parliamentary tricks -- no one likes a bully.
Sue - it's too bad you're so into disparaging Republicans that you miss the FACT that Mary Jo Kilroy couldn't answer the question.
The Democrat couldn't explain her vote and also used parliamentary procedure to hide behind giving an answer to the question.
The question was a simple one. Failure to answer it resulted in the exchange.
Why aren't you equally upset that Kilroy didn't answer???
Maggie, you must not have seen the same event that I saw. "Why aren't you equally upset that Kilroy didn't answer???" Rep Kilroy was not given the opportunity to respond to Rep Foxx. Each time she started to talk, Rep Foxx interrupted her using parliamentary procedures, ie. "reclaiming her time." Rep Cantor has a list of 42 new Democratic Representatives and each time one approaches the podium, he sends out one of these specially prepared thugs to interrupt and badger them.
Good try, Maggie.
Sue - try to subvert what happened all you want, but the video is clear.
Kilroy was NOT answering the question - she was, as you criticize Foxx for doing, using parliamentary procedures to try and use up as much time as possible.
It's all a game - played by both sides.
But the FACT remains that Kilroy couldn't - or wouldn't - answer the question.
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