Can the GOP Keep The Obama Scandals Alive?

[Tx4obama]

Can the GOP Keep The Obama Scandals Alive?

The golden roar of the Obama scandals may whimper to an end today. As Congress adjourns for Memorial Day recess, a ten-day break from hearings, hearings, and more hearings threatens to push the various controversies out of the public eye, leaving the GOP with an urgent problem: how to maintain intensity over the scandals without any congressional machinery to do so.

For the past few weeks, Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and owner of one of Twitter’s best avatars, has thrown a wide cast of witnesses before the camera, treating the nation to constant roll of embattled Eric Holder and slippery IRS officials and Lois Lerner invoking some amendment well below the second.

Issa’s hearings have been of mixed usefulness: excruciating in the instance of the already-litigated Benghazi affair, somewhat revelatory in the cases of the IRS and AP stories.

More to the point, they have been crucial in keeping every storyline running. Even when the performances didn’t play out the way Issa intended—as when Eric Holder schooled the room on the decorum—they ensured the news coverage remained focused on the alleged dirty deeds of the Obama Administration as opposed to, say, the rapidly shrinking deficit.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.mediaite.com/online/can-the-gop-keep-the-obama-scandals-alive/

[BlueStreak]

1. Will Obama keep validating them?

[madrchsod]

2. i understand what you are saying and tend to agree but...

sometimes it's best to give the opposition enough rope. the latest bunch of crap was the biggest failure of the house republicans to date. issa and his crew thought they had something but it all blew up in their faces.

the majority of the people in the usa voted for obama to save our country and i think he's starting to understand.

[BlueStreak]

3. Enough rope for what?

The only thing that will harm the GOP is of they decide to go forward with impeachment. That will backfire. But validating all this bullcrap just isn't smart. I know Obama likes to think rope-a-dope is the way to go, but there is no end to this BS and it only makes him look weak to constantly run away from the bullies.

[graham4anything]

4. Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson in the HOF

one doesn't stoop to their level
This "it makes him look weak" is yet another myth and he refuses to play by their wants.
Everybody wanted Jackie Robinson to fight back.
He was stronger than them. He is in the HOF. Where is Ben Chambers or the others today?

The war is won at the end. Not in May.
Barack Obama and the village it took to get him elected (WE the people, his core voters like me) won the revolution in 2008 and are moving forward (and as Jerry Brown showed in California, faster than one thinks with all the faux negativity out there).

It's summer. Sad (sarcasm)boo hoo for those that do not like the President for the next 16 weeks, no one is even listening. (and they haven't been listening to the sad sams and debbie downers. The core voters knew Barack Obama roped the dopes in debate #1 in perfect Ali style, while the sweating Cujo like Mittens (who still thinks he won because the faux media told him so and who might even attempt a rematch) flailed around aimlessly.

There will probably be an overabundance of kitchen sinks they will attempt to toss at him
but they won't even be able to lift them and might just get a hernia attempting to do so.
(Hey, didn't Vin Diesel just get a hernia, it was in the media, and I devoured that much more interest than anything Darrel Isaa ever said).


They also seemed to forget something and that is, President Obama is never running for any other election.
They also seemed to forget 95% of the democratic party stands strong in support of the president, and NOTHING will stop that 95% support.

It's all politics, all dirty tricks, the repubs have played this game for decades, everyone knows it, nobody cares about the faux scandals, all of which have been thoroughly repudiated.

And dang, President Obama will look great at the Jersey Shore on Tuesday standing there in the rebuilt shore, after the horrible devastation of Sandy. And standing next to the
REPUBLICAN Governor of New Jersey who from what they say is for some reason beloved to any and all in New Jersey (personally not though politically) and that is the one and only picture people will take home with them for the rest of the summer.

Me, I am going to spend the summer at the lake and beach grab some fun and play
as will America, and that takes us straight through Labor Day
and guess what, the world will still stand, and the world will stand tall in support of President Obama.

No matter what the fake media (which encompasses ALL the media, real and alt) says.
And no one reads the fake papers 'cept for the sport section and the gossip
(Hey, will Simon Cowell reunite with Paula Abdul on next years American Idol now that they fired 4 judges and the showrunner?)
Did you hear about Amanda Bynes? She tweets from jail that she didn't like her picture they made her pose for and may need some work.

Will they let OJ off?

America has voted, and they voted for Barack Obama, and like him both personally and politically. He's a keeper.
And the talk around town is about Hillary.
Dang if Bill Clinton isn't more popular now than ever. And Hillary is like 10 points even more popular than Bill.

yeah, the fake scandals. Didn't America tire of this in like 1996?
But that is how they play the game.
They are partying like it's 1999 when in fact its 2013

and hide as they try every single great news story and picking up economy, they still don't get it.

but the people do.

Happy Summer!
I got my white shorts and my bathing suit (this year after a year on wellness had to buy new clothes as my suit from last year would fall right off) and I can't wait to jump in.

(of course, this morning its about 40 degrees in New Jersey. but it's summer, gonna have a BBQ rain or shine tonight and have some fun.

I bet Darrell Isaa is the type who goes to the beach in his dark suit and has not sat in the sand in 30 years and just had a little fun.
(Wish I was at the Santa Monica pier, did you see how great the health plan is moving along in Darrell Isaa's state of California.

Jerry Brown roped the dopes again too.
Team Obama is something else.


and go see Before Midnight.All the billion dollar movies, all the political movies see those too, but make sure you see Before Midnight (and catch the first two if you never saw them).
You will laugh you will cry you will think wow

That's life. (cue in Frank Sinatra and let the Summer Party begin!)

[BlueStreak]

9. " The war is won at the end." Are we the collaterol damage?

I am not convinced that there is a long game at play here. For several years I wanted to believe that, but all the evidence suggests this guy talks a good story but isn't interested in any action.

Why is Holder still AG? He is the least effective AG in my lifetime. He is there for exactly one reason. Obama wants it that way.

Reagan prosecuted over 1000 banksters after the S&L crisis. The 2008 meltdown was ten times as large, and there hasn't been a single prosecution.

Obama gave a lovely speech about shutting down Gitmo. But he hasn't done a damn thing in 5 years to accomplish that. Why not? Because he doesn't really give a shit about that. he only gave the speech because the hunger strikes have more people asking questions now. Obama could issue waivers to clear out 80 of the prisoners on Monday morning if he wanted to. It doesn't take any Congressional action. He just has to show a court findings that these prisoners are not guilty of any crimes -- and that is exactly what the investigators found. A good percentage of the prisoners at Gitmo today were captured with no evidence whatsoever -- as a result of $5000 bounties paid for people to turn in their enemies. "That guy over there is a terrorist. Thank you for the $5000."

So please spare me the 3-dimensional chess and long-game vision. I'm not buying it.

[graham4anything]

13. I don't leave a baseball game in the 4th inning, do you?

[BlueStreak]

17. If it looks like the team in intentioanlly throwing the game, yes, I would.

[blkmusclmachine]

5. Obama can work it out w/his buddy Boehner on the golf course next weekend.

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. You guys are such hypocrites. Dennis Kucinich can sit on Ron Paul's advisory....

board, Jane Hamsher can team up with Grover Norquist to kill healthcare reform, and Medea Benjamin can:



But, if Obama so much as speaks to a Republican, he's persona non grata. Get a clue!

[BlueStreak]

10. It isnt the speaking that is the problem. It is the "sharing of mutual political interests"

that is the problem. Brennan should not have been confirmed. When Rand Paul is right, even if for the wrong reasons, he should be supported at least on that position.

Obama SHOULD have an open dialog with Boehner. But many people are concerned that, rather than using this to advance important causes (restoring the economy, slowing climate change, etc) Obama is only really interested in his little "grand bargain. That is the wrong policy at the wrong time and his negotiations invariably suck for us. We can have a debate about whether he is well-intentioned and just a really lousy negotiator, or whether he actually doesn't have the values he talks about in his speeches. Either way, we are screwed.

[Tarheel_Dem]

19. "Many people are concerned"? You mean here at DU, right?

This president was just reelected with a 5 million vote surplus, and currently enjoys a 53% approval rating. I'd say "most" of us trust this president on the issues. Don't try and make this out to be some broadbased "concern" on the part of Democrats. You & blackmuscleman are not "many".

[BlueStreak]

22. There were 90 million who did not vote. Why was that?

There are many reasons, but there are many millions who believe is just doesn't matter. Most of us here well understand that it DOES matter, and that the damage Ryan and Romney would have done by now would be vast. But that doesn't change the fact that Obama is mostly about good speeches and keeping his nose clean so that Barack Obama will have a legacy as a noteworthy President. He just doesn't care very much about the things that used to be known as "core Democratic principles."

I don't really know what point you are trying to make, as these things are self-evident.

[Tarheel_Dem]

23. The point I'm making is your opinion is yours, and ONLY yours. The shit you've made....

up in your head is your truth, and ONLY yours. As for the 90 million who didn't vote, they don't get a say, and I don't particularly give a shit about them, if they're eligible voters. BlueStreak doesn't write the Democratic platform. As a leader, the president, much like Ronald Reagan has shifted the country's focus, at the national level.

What you've admitted is that those 90 million people, given all the third parties who were also a part of the 2012 election, weren't at all swayed by the bullshit that passes for modern day liberalism. Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, Roseanne Barr, and Gary Johnson were all out there slugging away, and went home embarrassed by their poor showings, as well they should have.

I get that you're trying to minimize at +5 million vote surplus, but consider that it might have been much more had two of the biggest, bluest states in the union had not been devastated by Hurricane Sandy. So go peddle your b.s. elsewhere, as it doesn't work on me.

[BlueStreak]

24. And likewise, your opinion represents exactly one person.

[SunSeeker]

20. Uuuuugh. I had no idea she did that. How could she "Stand with Rand" ??!!

Rand is so anti-woman and so anti-choice he would force women to give birth to their rapist's baby. Uuuuuugh.

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. That's just it. The young people who power these folks don't have a clue.

These Libertarians, who are really just Republicans, are so dangerous and the antithesis to the collective ideology of the progressive movement. I can't help but wonder if Medea has responded to Rand Paul's call for the US Congress to apologize to Apple for what amounts to hiding their assets offshore. That was shameful, and if Medea is an honest broker, as some assume she is (I'm not one), she should publicly distance herself from such a disgusting request.

[SunSeeker]

25. She wrote it on a heart, and wrote "love" on her tweet!

What liberal sends Rand Paul "love" just because of an accidental agreement on a particular issue? Never mind about Apple, she should apologize for gushing over Rand Paul.

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. I couldn't agree more. It's obvious Medea has been off her meds for some time now.

[SunSeeker]

28. Yes, I've been increasingly uncomfortable with her tactics, but that just sealed it for me.

She makes the left and women look bad---feeds right into the "looney left" stereotype and makes it harder for the rest of us to be taken seriously.

[spin]

7. Pushing for impeachment would be an enormous mistake for the GOP. ...

It could cost them the House in the midterms. The better tactic in my opinion for the Republicans to use would be to just use the "scandals" to fire up their base and get them to turn out at the polls. An attempt to impeach Obama would have a severe backlash.

Long term Republicans are not real fond of the Tea Party for good reason but I believe they are caught between a rock and a hard place. In reality they probably were not overly concerned that the ultra right wing of their party was undergoing scrutiny by the IRS. What they may fear right now is the IRS scandal will revive the Tea Party and further threaten their control of their party.

The older leadership of the Republican Party probably wishes the Tea Party would simply disappear and become a little known footnote in political history. The currently elected Tea Party Republicans make it difficult for the more moderate Republicans to compromise and consequently the entire Republican Party is becoming known as the party of No. The established Republicans are more than likely scared that an ultra conservative Tea Party candidate will win the Republican nomination and run in the next Presidential election. That will once again doom their chances of controlling the White House.

To me it is possible that the more important issue will prove to be the investigations launched against the press. While the press has not been as favorable to Obama as Fox News insists, it is not wise to really piss them off which may happen if more investigations are uncovered. The press may not totally support the Second Amendment but they really value the First. It seems that every President develops a dislike of the press during his time in office. Still the press has the responsibility of being a watch dog in our political system even when they limit what a President can accomplish. I fear the day when the freedom of the press is limited as every citizen should. I remember "Tricky Dick" Nixon all too well.

Another major factor in the midterms and the next Presidential election will be the implementation of Obama Care. If all goes well, Democrats will fare well in both elections but if it is indeed a "train wreck" as even some Democrats have suggested the elections may go poorly. Of course the Republicans and the Tea Party will be largely responsible for the difficulty but the voters may not realize this.

Obama has great visions for our nation and he is well liked. Still I would have liked him to show more leadership in the early stages of the creation of our new health care system. With all his oratory skills I feel he could have forced a much better plan through Congress. Still while it may not be all I hoped for, the new health care system is a vast improvement over what we had.

[wandy]

8. The way I see it we have just about three and a half years of this winning to put up with..........

Think of Clinton's second term. One thing after another. It's what republicans DO. It's about all republicans are good for.
After all, isn't making the other guy look bad the fastest way to change you're "Image".
Three and a half more years and then they will start winning about Hillary, or Biden or whoever.

[BlueStreak]

11. But the way Obama deals with it will largely determine our fate in 2016

Last edited Sun May 26, 2013, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1)

By capitulating on these "scandals" without so much as stating the most basic facts, he is not helping himself and he is most certainly not helping the 2016 Dem candidate, who will have to run as the nominee for the Scandal Party.

Obama really doesn't give a shit about any other politicians or what happens after his term. He never raised a finger -- not a single time -- to try to get any Democrats elected to Congress in this last election cycle. And he won't make the slightest effort to get us a Democratic House in 2014. It is unimaginable. Unconscionable.

Why do so many people here give him a free pass on that?

[emulatorloo]

12. "the nominee for the Scandal Party" - if you beleive that, your perceptions are out of whack.

"Obama really doesn't give a shit about any other politicians or what happens after his term."

Obama did town halls in 2010 and DU'ers bitched about it. Continually promoted need for more Democrats in congress over the last several years. Will no doubt do town halls in run up to 2014. That's why he gets a "free pass".

[BlueStreak]

16. I never heard him say that. I heard the opposite.

He occasionally hinted at the need to vote for more Democrats, but I don't recall a single case where he actually SAID that. Instead he said things like "Obstruction isn't governing." "We need to work together better." "We have a poison atmosphere."

What he didn't say is "Ladies and gentlemen, the Republicans have vowed they will oppose EVERYTHING. The only way we can move forward is to vote for people who aren't going to obstruct, and at this point that means the only real solution is to vote for democrats." or anything remotely similar to that.

He was nowhere to be found throughout the crucial Wisconsin battles. He is simply out for himself -- no way around that.

[wandy]

14. I'de like to agree with you. For what it's worth I'de like to see Obama take a ball bat.....

to Darrell Issa. Unfortunately it won't help much. It is important to understand WHY these 'scandals' have come up and will continue to come up. You need consider the audience these scandals are intended to reach. The average republican, I'd go as far as to say most republicans, believe some combination of what they are told to believe and what they WANT to believe.
Obama's presidential eligibility is a good case. After postings from local papers, local interviews and proof of a birth certificate, a large number still believe that Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya. Interestedly Canadian born Ted Cruz has no such difficulty...

Cruz was born in Calgary, and his father is from Cuba. But the Republican senator’s mother is from the first state of Delaware, which appears to settle the issue

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/19/cruz-eligible-presidential-run/
Republicans do not see a problem with this logic. That 'scandal' has done it's job.
Another example is how Obama used the IRS to target the Tea Party. Surely no proof of that, still another 'scandal' has done it's job.
Suddenly, Obama has....
used the IRS to target the Fox News.
used the IRS to target the prayer groups.
http://nation.foxnews.com/irs-targets-pro-life-group/2013/05/17/irs-asked-pro-life-group-include-content-their-prayers
Used the IRS to target Billy Graham Ministry and Other Christian Groups.
http://www.infowars.com/irs-targeted-billy-graham-ministry-and-other-christian-groups/
Naturally if Obama had not misused the power of his office Mitt Romney would have been elected.

There is no question about it now. That's what this is all about. There was a flat-out effort to suppress the conservative vote in this election while everybody was listening to the allegation that conservatives wanted to suppress the black vote or the gay vote, all the attention focused on photo ID, to be able to vote.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/05/24/the_irs_suppressed_the_romney_vote

It makes no difference if these scandals have a grain of truth or no truth at all. Any response will have little or no effect.
Remember the mindset of the intended audience.
Remember some wise words Paul Simon wrote long ago.
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"

[starroute]

15. To some extent, it's just the GOP fighting the last war

Since the 1950s, Republican administrations have been more scandal-plagued than Democratic ones. Since Watergate, the GOP has had a major albatross around its neck in the form of a president who was impeached and forced to resign for major abuses of power.

Democrats, whose impulse is always to forgive and move on, would be willing to see that as ancient history -- but the GOP holds grudges. They feel done to, they're sure the Democrats are as bad as they are, and they're determined to get some of their own back.

This is why they keep obsessively looking for scandals and impeachable offenses. It isn't even a rational political strategy any more -- it's something they do because they can't help themselves. And that would have already destroyed them if it weren't for the media, which constantly pushes "they all do it," "where there's smoke, there's fire," and anything that will pull in viewers.

This suggests to me that where we really need to push back is not against the GOP itself but against false equivalencies in the media -- possibly starting with Jon Stewart, who really ought to know better but keeps falling for any chance to bash the Democrats just to prove his non-partisanship.

[4dsc]

18. Facebook will keep their base active

don't worry about these so called scandals getting a rest with Facebook alive and well. The amount of crap being viewed by the sheeple of the GOP is amazing and remind them of their value to the GOP.

[fredamae]

26. Why Haven't Dems

spilled some beans on the GOP?
There's ONLY one reason Why I wouldn't do that--"self-incrimination".
Do the Dems keep "taking their beatings" from the GOP because there'd be "damning" ties Also implicating Dems in what the GOP is doing or is it because the Dems are Wrong and the GOP is with-out fault? Either way--one could say, simplistically--that this is bad, for Dems.