Grassley doesn't actually want mass suicides at AIG
Come on, you didn鈥檛 expect AIG employees to put on black Nikes and start chanting about the return of Hale-Bopp, did you?
But the company is acting wounded in response to a comment Iowa Senator Charles Grassley made Monday in response to news that the organization rewarded executives with $165 million in bonuses after receiving a $173 billion bailout from American taxpayers.
Hara-kiri
Grassley, speaking on an Iowa radio station yesterday, took it a little further than most when voicing his disgust over bonuses paid out to executives of American International Group.
One of the options he said they should consider is, GULP, ending it all!
鈥淭he first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they鈥檇 follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I鈥檓 sorry, and then either do one of two things 鈥� resign, or go commit suicide.鈥�
Rhetoric
Grassley appeared on and backed off a bit from his statement calling it rhetoric. (video below)
鈥淲hat I鈥檝e been expressing 鈥� is that we need to have that deep bow 鈥� with some sort of apology,鈥� Grassley said, adding that the company needs to show 鈥渞emorsefulness, contrition.鈥�
So he didn鈥檛 mean the remark?
鈥淚 hope you recognize rhetoric,鈥� Grassley told MSNBC鈥檚 David Shuster, 鈥渁nd I shouldn鈥檛 even have to answer that question鈥�.鈥�
Take that, David!
Clarify
A spokesman told the same thing 鈥� it was not a literal call. He is not calling for mass suicides. And likely not introducing legislation for it.
No matter. AIG is hurt.
鈥淭he remark is very disappointing, but AIG鈥檚 employees continue to work with poise and professionalism to take care of policyholders and repay taxpayers,鈥� AIG said .
Mad
AIG might be hurt from Grassley鈥檚 comments, but others are angry. Really angry 鈥� in what might be the first real show of bipartisanship all year. Republicans and Democrats are steaming mad.
鈥淎mericans are angry, I am angry: 4.5 million Americans have lost their jobs, and these people are getting bonuses, multi-million-dollar bonuses,鈥� said Senate Finance Committee chairman , a Democrat.
鈥淚 think this is outrageous, and I think the American people are rightly outraged that their tax money is going to pay bonuses to the very people that got this company in trouble,鈥� said House Minority Leader John Boehner.
In a with Senator John McCain this morning, ABC鈥檚 George Stephanopoulos asked the former presidential candidate if a 鈥淧resident McCain would break bonus contracts鈥� to get the money back or stop the bonuses from being paid.
鈥淚 would have never bailed out AIG, the real scandal is billions to foreign banks,鈥� McCain said.
But would he break the contracts?
鈥淚 would explore every option. I repeat, we wouldn鈥檛 have this problem if we hadn鈥檛 bailed them out,鈥� McCain said.
Word is that House Republicans will be introducing legislation directing Treasury to get the bonuses back.
鈥斺赌�
You don鈥檛 have to ask Treasury to . Come on, we鈥檙e brand new. !
