Anatomy of a Hillary Clinton pseudo-scandal: How Republicans and their media lackeys are ....

[DonViejo]

Anatomy of a Hillary Clinton pseudo-scandal: How Republicans and their media lackeys are trying to manufacture her downfall

This past weekend, we got a very good look at how Clinton's enemies are trying to destroy her

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON

Many years ago when political blogging was in its infancy, I coined the phrase “Cokie’s Law,” which referred to a specific comment by pundit Cokie Roberts about the Lewinsky scandal that illustrated the precise way the beltway media excused their propensity for cheap gossip and scandalmongering. In discussing whether or not Hillary Clinton had actually blamed her husband’s childhood for his philandering, Roberts said:

“At this point it doesn’t much matter whether she said it or not because it’s become part of the culture. I was at the beauty parlor yesterday and this was all anyone was talking about.”

Cokie’s Law is the axiom that says the press can pass judgement about anything once it’s “out there” regardless of whether or not what’s “out there” is true. This allows them to skip doing boring rebuttals of the facts at hand and instead hold forth at length about how it bears on the subject’s “judgement” and the “appearance” of wrongdoing without ever proving that what they did was wrong.

You see, if the person being discussed were “competent,” it wouldn’t be “out there” in the first place, so even if it is based upon entirely specious speculation, it’s his or her own fault for inspiring people to speculate so speciously. It all goes back to their “character,” which nobody is more equipped to analyze and dissect than celebrity political reporters and pundits.

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/08/24/anatomy_of_a_hillary_clinton_pseudo_scandal_how_republicans_and_their_media_lackeys_are_trying_to_manufacture_her_downfall/

[blm]

1. Digby hit this nail squarely on the head.

Corporate media wants THEIR PREFERRED NARRATIVE to prevail. Little things like facts just don't hold their interest.

[DURHAM D]

2. I wish that citizens could bring a class action lawsuit

against media outlets for lying to the public.

[jeff47]

3. Really? So why is Obama not stopping it?

It's Obama's DNI IG that is complaining about the classified information in her emails.

It's Obama's FBI that is investigating.

If it's so much a pseudo-scandal, how come Obama isn't telling his subordinates to drop it?

[DonViejo]

5. Longing for the days when another President ordered Federal agencies to stop

investigations/investigating members of his cabinet?

[JoePhilly]

7. Its like some folks never took civics.

[jeff47]

11. No, it's like some folks have no idea how the classified information system works

and who has what authority under that system.

[JoePhilly]

15. You claimed Obama should tell the FBI and DOJ what they should or ...

... should not investigate.

Now you are whining about a different topic.

I keep waiting to see the secret information that was leaked because of this server. Where is it?

[jeff47]

21. Nope. I didn't.

Obama is literally the guy who gets to decide what is and what is not classified. Congress punted the job to the Executive branch in 1947.

State says nothing is classified.
DNI IG says things are classified.

If Obama says "State is correct", then the "scandal" is over. The investigations will conclude that nothing was classified.

I keep waiting to see the secret information that was leaked because of this server. Where is it?

Yes, they really need to release classified information to the public to justify this investigation.

So far, the evidence is the DNI IG says there is classified, and some emails released under FOIA are redacted.

[jeff47]

8. No, I'm not one of the people pretending there is no problem.

But I'd like to hear from the people who claim this is just a GOP plot as to why Obama isn't or can't do anything about his own administration advancing this "manufactured" scandal.

Obama literally is the final arbiter of what is and is not classified (Congress punted the job over to the Executive branch in 1947). State says nothing in the emails is classified. The DNI IG says the emails do contained classified information. Obama could stop it instantly by saying "State is correct", and if there really is a difference in opinions it would be good for him to resolve it. Kinda like it's good for the SCOTUS to resolve differences in opinions of federal appeals courts.

So if this really is just a GOP plot, why is he letting it continue, and thus exacerbating Clinton's already low "trust" polling?

[JoePhilly]

16. The President does not / should not ...

... direct or interfere in any specific investigation.

That's not how our government works. Nor should it work that way.

[DonViejo]

17. Obviously, Jeff47 disagrees with us.

[JoePhilly]

18. You'd think ...

... that folks would start to notice that Obama takes being President very seriously.

One tried to tell me that Obama should have had the DOJ and FBI investigate Joe Lieberman to force him to vote for a Public Option. The President should have blackmailed him.

Now, the President should step in to stop an investigation.

[jeff47]

22. Or, you might not understand the subject at hand

and leap to conclusions like "step in and stop an investigation" because of it.

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. Question of the day. n/t

[randome]

9. But they aren't investigating Clinton.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[jeff47]

10. Better let the DNI and FBI know that.

They are not criminally investigating Clinton. They are investigating if her server contained classified information.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Knowing this, she recklessly accommodates them by providing ammunition. <nt>

[seabeyond]

34. that muslim communist obama. dared to provide the middle name hussein.

[AtomicKitten]

36. that's a nonsensical comment <nt>

[seabeyond]

37. makes as much sense and for the same reasoning, as this manufactured outrage of email

[AtomicKitten]

38. oh please, Clinton has always known the GOP

... has been keen on nailing her. So what does she do? She defies protocol and conducts herself in such a manner the FBI is looking into whether she violated more than one Federal law. That's not manufactured, that's self-imposed.

[seabeyond]

39. oh please, all of the democratic party has known since 90's that the gop manufactures their outrage,

and yet.... too many sanders players are bathing themselves in it

[AtomicKitten]

40. Nonsense. She has nobody to blame but herself. <nt>

[seabeyond]

41. it is all nonsense. we agree. i see you do choose to be one of those sanders supporters.

[AtomicKitten]

42. ... and you one of the *those* Clinton supporters. <nt>

[seabeyond]

43. did a memo go out about assigning me a candidate?

[AtomicKitten]

44. LOL (pssst: you're not fooling anyone) <nt>

[seabeyond]

45. not my job to

[FlatBaroque]

12. So whatever criminal activity is uncovered

we should brush it aside because it is also the "media narrative". Jeezus...Joan Walsh must have taken a day off as fluffer.

[seabeyond]

33. benghazi, no no, white water, no.... foster. !!!!

[HFRN]

13. dismiss it all you want. but it's not going away

'drip drip drip'?

[seabeyond]

32. you really want to be one of those sanders supporters?

[RiverLover]

14. "Did Clinton commit a felony?" (MSNBC)

http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/did-clinton-commit-a-felony--511919683967


....OR is it a "pseudo-scandal"?

hmmm

[mcar]

19. Cannot rec this enough

People should google "The Clinton Rules" if they want more detail. Or read anything on the subject by two great journalists Joe Conason and Gene Lyons.

[L0oniX]

20. "if the person being discussed were “competent,” it wouldn’t be “out there” in the first place"

[seabeyond]

31. birth certificate. damn OBAMA and his incompetence. !!!!

[dogknob]

23. Thanks to the emails, we know she backed the 2009 right-wing coup in Honduras

...but everybody backs right-wing puppets in Central/South America, so it's OK, right?

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/32471-the-honduran-coup-s-ugly-aftermath

[Motown_Johnny]

24. Her trustworthy numbers speak for themselves.

A clear majority of Americans don't trust her. You can go ahead and let her play the victim if you want, it doesn't matter.

She can't defend herself against attacks because people don't trust her and the email problem just feeds into it. What happens when the real attacks start? This one is just a self inflicted wound that the (R)s never planned on. I think it is clear that she will never be able to defend herself against any RW attacks. Her campaign has shown itself to be sorely lacking in this respect.

It is better that her campaign collapses now than a year from now. Our party can avoid making the mistake of nominating her.

[Cosmocat]

28. Sure

So the gop/media can cut the head off of the next primary democratic nominee ...

I am sure you will be just as eager to see bernie drop out when he is getting chewed up in HAIR GATE, only a villianous commie would have white hair like he has!

[seabeyond]

30. yes... lets reward the dishonest, you know rw smear... witha smear. brilliant

[Motown_Johnny]

46. Are you saying that quoting a poll is some type of a smear?

In fact, every poll I have seen has a majority of Americans finding her untrustworthy.

In their eyes, you are rewarding her dishonesty by believing any claim she makes without question.

[Cha]

25. Thanks Don

[still_one]

26. No question about it, and I suspect they are very concerned about running against Hillary

[eridani]

27. Fully agree that this email thing is total bullshit n/t

[seabeyond]

29. "How Republicans and their media lackeys" and sander supporters..... lets finish that sentence.

just look at the posts made and by whom

ok. not ALL sanders supporters. i believe there are a handful of sanders supporters much smarter and honest about not promoting bullshit. kinda along with sanders himself. he sure has excelled at calling the email shit out as bullshit.

[seabeyond]

35. gore created the nets, kerry shot self in foot.. dean SCREAMED, omg.

planned parenthood sells baby parts, acorn... who knows but is gone, black panthers thuggin' at the doors