It is a mistake to believe that the public will be treated to a series of humiliating questions and stumbling answers about the alleged stupidity of the American people, rather there will be a facile apology by the professor who is more intelligent and more glib than any member of the committee leaving the committee members either to overreach and berate a contrite and humiliated individual one after the other on television or move away and go to a debate about Obamacare.
The problem is, the Republicans have already won the issue of Dr. Gruber's arrogance and have effectively extrapolated that arrogance onto Obamacare and even onto the whole of the Obama administration. There is virtually nothing to be gained relitigating this victory and much will be put at risk.
There is nothing to be gained by a series of congressman who are poorly briefed debating the man who is the architect of the law and who has lived it for years. He has every statistic at his fingertips while the congressman have only a talking point. They will lose this debate-the relative merits or demerits of Obamacare make no difference. He will appear authoritative, knowledgeable, and he will simply run circles around Republican inquisitors.
The congressman are not prepared capable or willing willing to act coherently as united front. Instead, each congressman will play to the camera and the whole affair will end up only annoying viewers. This is no opportunity to expose the arrogance of Gruber and Obama, this will be exploited by backbench Congressman to have their 15 min. of fame. If it were otherwise they would donate their 15 min. in favor of a professional litigator who would question the witness according to a plan. While each Republican is grooming for the cameras, the Democrats will appear in between and undo any good the last Republican questioner might inadvertently have done.
Finally, Chairman Darrell Isis has a lamentable record of just falling short.
The upside has already been obtained, there is only downside. The hearings will at best come off as a draw on the substantive issue involved, the merits of Obamacare. Quit while you are ahead.
