Rep. Gowdy to Gruber: What Did You Mean when You Said Americans Are ‘Too Stupid’?

GOWDY: "Professor Gruber, what did you mean when you said, 'they proposed it and that passed because the American people are too stupid to understand the difference?'"

GRUBER: "When I said that, I was at an economic conference being glib and, quite frankly, trying to make myself seem smart by offending others."

GOWDY: "Are you offering the venue as a defense for saying it or for meaning it?"

GRUBER: "I’m offering it as a defense for using inappropriate and hurtful, inexcusable language to express —"

GOWDY: "Well, what did you mean by 'too stupid to understand the difference?'"

GRUBER: "Congressman, I didn’t mean anything by it."

GOWDY: "Well, you said it. You had to mean it."

GRUBER: "I was once again being glib and trying to make myself seem smarter by reflecting —"

GOWDY: "What did you mean when you said, 'it was a very basic exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the American voter?' What did you mean by that?"

GRUBER: "Once again, it’s another example of my inexcusable arrogance in trying to insult others to make myself seem smarter."

GOWDY: "Well, what did you mean when you said, 'the American people don’t care about the uninsured?'"

GRUBER: "Once again, that was an overstatement of trying to conjecture on political topics on which I’m not an expert."

GOWDY: "You know what, Professor Gruber, I have listened to you all morning talk about your lack of political acumen and that you’re not a politician, so, therefore, you don’t know not to call people stupid. Most of the people watching this morning aren’t politicians and they don’t call people stupid. And I can’t help but note, Professor Gruber, another one of your quotes which I’ll read to you, 'that was politically infeasible.' Do you remember saying that?"

GRUBER: "Yes."

GOWDY: "So, you do like to factor in the politics from time to time, don’t you? And I also happen to note, Professor Gruber, that usually, you insult the American voter, not the American public. So you do factor in politics, don’t you?"