If they hear us, they can't come up with answers that don't make themselves look like idiots. Sorry about the double negative.
Alternate: If they hear us, they come up with answers that make themselves look like idiots.
I think the policy now is to not really answer the question or address the issue, but to try to dazzle the constituency with a lot of words. Obama did that with the woman named Doris who asked about the rise in taxes, and I think the congresspeople are doing the same. A bunch of snake oil salesmen.