Honestly, is there a contest in the House GOP caucus on who can be the biggest dick to government workers during the shutdown? We've already had the likes of Randy Neugebauer yelling at a park ranger for doing her job and Yoho the Yahoo saying furloughed government workers don't deserve back pay. Tough competition indeed. So for Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) to make a play for the title of "Biggest Dick in the House, he has to go all out. (Not a problem, as he's already on record as a Birther.)
So what was Pearce's play? This piece of advice for government workers on furlough and struggling financially through the shutdown:
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) has a suggestion for any of the hundreds of thousands of furloughed government workers worried about being able to pay their bills: take out a loan!
In a post on his personal Facebook page that was later deleted, Pearce urged government workers to call their banks and take out a short-term loan if money is tight.
"If you are a furloughed government employee, we encourage you to reach out to your financial institution as soon as you worry you may miss a paycheck," read the post. "Don't wait until you are behind on a bill; call now and explore your options."
Yep, apparently Pearce watched Mitt Romney's much mocked
"Borrow $10,000 from your parents!" piece of advice and thought, "Hey, what a great policy idea!"
Or maybe not, because once the Facebook post became widespread (thanks to the efforts of local progressive non-profit group ProgressNow New Mexico), it quickly was scrubbed from his page and the backpeddling began. And, of course, it's not his fault:
Pearce spokesman Eric Layer said a staffer, not the congressman, posted the comment. He acknowledged it wasn't the most tactful message, since it's the fault of Congress, not the workers, that the government shut down and paychecks have stopped.
"Yes that post was in error and placed by staff. It was removed because it was wrong," Layer told The Huffington Post. "What the badly worded post should have conveyed is that many financial institutions have said they will not penalize people who have payment issues due to the federal furlough. But the important part is not to wait, but contact your financial institutions now, so they can adjust things."
Yeah, I'd say "wasn't the most tactful message" is an understatement, Layer. That's like saying "the Titanic's last voyage wasn't exactly smooth sailing."
The comment is even more embarassing when you consider that Pearce is one of the 50 richest members of Congress, with a net worth of $8 million. And ProgressNow New Mexico's Patrick Davis was quick to pounce on it and offer Pearce some advice of his own:
“His constituents are among the poorest in the country, so going to the bank to take out a quick signature loan is not an option," Davis said in a statement. "We urge New Mexicans to call Pearce and ask for a loan from him. He’s one of the richest millionaires in Congress. If he thinks private loans are the answer, he should be the first to offer them.”
Needless to say, Pearce has not listened to Davis's advice. Because being a teabagger dickhead means never saying you're sorry. Unless, of course, you can deflect the blame on some nameless staffer.
At this rate, how long until some House GOPer tells government workers to die off so they can decrease the surplus population?