What are the GOP doing? Last week America was treated to an insane spectacle, a Benghazi hearing where the GOP proved their House Leader Kevin McCarthy was spot on. He had said the probe was an exercise dressed up in drag to bring down Hillary Clinton’s Presidential poll ratings. The unashamed objective was made even more obvious by the fact that this is the seventh Congress investigation into Hillary, whoops Benghazi, and this one has spent over $4 million dollars already. In addition the session dragged on for 11 hours. (Eight hours longer than the GOP debate that the two GOP front runners, Donald Trump and Ben Carson claimed was too long!).
IT’S NOT BENGHAZI - IT’S BLUMENTHAL’S E MAILS - STUPID
To put the cherry on the top the rude, abusive, intemperate Republican members spent more time discussing e mails from a Clinton friend Sid Blumenthal - who overnight gained national prominence, just in time to advertise a book that he is writing on Lincoln - than they did on the cause celebre - namely Clinton’s alleged incompetence in not thwarting the terrorist attack. Sid Blumenthal being raised to this status brought a wry comment from David Axelrod, Chief advisor to President Obama and the architect of both his campaigns, to the effect that it was amazing to imagine that this “kibitzer”, (busybody), was alleged to be front and central in the Benghazi conspiracy. Axelrod in an earlier discussion with Jake Tapper of CNN confirmed that Obama had nixed Blumenthal’s appointment to the State Department and that Hillary Clinton had ignored the kibitzer's advice. Several insiders have given the scoop on Blumenthal who is a loyal and close friend to the Clintons and their insights belie the notion that he was the Svengali that influenced Hillary not to give the Benghazi Embassy security. This line of pursuit by the Benghazi investigative committee is a stark reflection of their distorted sense of reality.
COMMITTEE IGNORES WHAT DOESN’T SUIT THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA.
If Gowdy’s crew were really doing their due diligence impartially they would have learned that Ambassador Chris Stevens was, to quote Ryan Grimm a Huffington Post journalist, a “cowboy” when it came to security. He took lots of risks and did so knowingly. He would go unprotected into the Benghazi streets so as to let the locals know that he didn’t view them as enemies. He was dedicated to his job and the Libyan people, speaking Arabic. Speaking on the McGlaughlan report Grimm maintained that “when you take risks like that terrible things happen and that’s what happened here”. He concluded that the reason one wasn’t hearing this from Hillary is that it might come across as blaming the victim.
However any impartial weighers of the facts would be investigating what role these well documented behaviors played in this tragedy. In addition the Benghazi installation was a CIA installation and what investigation of the CIA is Gowdy executing? Also this was a war and why weren’t Leon Panetta, Secretary of Defense as well as David Petraeus in the hot seat maintained Eleanor Clift of the Daily Beast. She also argued that Hillary played a “minimal” role compared to the others.
Then to add insult to injury the Chairman of the Benghazi probe,Trey Gowdy, conceded that he had learned nothing new from the marathon hearing and that the investigation had a long way to go and even more would be heard about Mr. Blumenthal! There should be an outcry at the waste of public money that the GOP who, as a rule, are so anxious to protect. If Jay H. Ell was in Congress the first budget he would cut would be that Committee’s. It needs noting that Benghazi hearings have probably exceeded the combined length of Watergate, Iran Contra Scandal. 9/11, and Katrina.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE HATED CLINTONS - KEN STARR DE JAVU
This is all about the Clintons, what they stand for and most tellingly what they are able to get done, whom are hated with a pathological passion. It is all reminiscent of Ken Starr the Special Prosecutor’s investigation into Hillary and Bill Clinton’s Whitewater Land Deal and whether they murdered, yes murdered, an aide Vince Foster. He went on and on and locked people up who wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear to the tune of $70,000,000, yes $70,000,000, till a snitch found him and blurbed what she had been told in confidence, thereby ruining Monica Lewinsky’s life, that Bill Clinton had indulged in incomprehensible childish sexual behavior. Then this distinguished officer of the Court, a learned Judge to boot, entrapped the President on the issue. An action that has been roundly condemned in every legal circle - an impartial Judge setting up a “Sting” was unheard of till then. (But desperate times need desperate actions). So what had started as an investigation of a land deal and a death, which yielded ziltch, morphed into an enquiry as to the President's sexual behavior. Then the latter was set up and allegedly lied.
The Republican Congress then went one better they spent more of the money, that they say the Federal Government waste, on impeachment hearings, yes impeachment hearings, as to whether Clinton had indeed lied under oath about his pathetic affair. So you can have no doubt that Trey Gowdy and his crew will continue. (By the way there was one positive outcome of Starr’s inquisition it kiboshed his inevitable elevation to the Supreme Court and Starr is in relative oblivion wandering around from University to University whose Boards of Trustees share his opinion of the Clintons. So maybe it was worth $70,000,000). All this recalled to show how low GOP functionaries, even Judges, are prepared to go to sink the Clintons.
WHO CAN STOP THEM?
Paul Ryan, in spite of everyone’s support, will not be able to stop Gowdy, as he continues to make a spectacle of the GOP, in the hope that he will find something in Blumenthal’s e - mails, like for example, that places him with Hillary Clinton on the night of the Benghazi tragedy. Then Trey has got her because she then would have lied under oath as she maintained that she was alone on that fateful evening. You know if and when that happens no - one will care. They will have turned off the TV just like Fox News did to the hearings.
The underlying fear of a Hillary Presidency is that she has the skill to compromise and move the country forward. This is against the likes of the inaptly named “Freedom Caucus”. They want to compromise on nothing. As a matter of a fact Jay H. Ell is not sure what they want other than to plunge the country into financial chaos. If You don’t believe Jay H. Ell ask Jeb Bush.
It seems as if, like lunatics, they keep on doing things that don’t work. Bill Clinton’s ratings after his impeachment were the highest of his 8 year Presidency. Today he is the most revered political figure in the country and he will certainly do Hillary’s challenge no harm.
One of the GOP luminaries, Mo Brooks of Alabama has actually given up the ghost on a Republican Presidency and said the moment Hillary is elected she will be impeached.
WHY THIS SELF DESTRUCTIVE PURSUIT?
Why on earth would Gowdy and his ilk want to pursue this counterproductive exercise that everyone conceded made Hillary look Presidential, that raised more money for her campaign than any other single day, that resulted in her netting a 100,000 new donors in the month of October, that embarrassed Fox News, who Eric Wemple in the Washington Post labelled the Benghazi channel, into cutting short their coverage of this supposed public humiliation of Clinton while MSNBC and CNN cheerfully carried on, and which seventy seven percent of Americans have labelled a partisan charade whose intention is to get Hillary. Now seventy seven percent of Americans agree on nothing else. This behavior that Republican commentators concede is giving Hillary the Presidency on a plate continues ad nauseam, shows no signs of abating. Why do the Republicans double down on every losing issue whether it be on the LGBT, immigrant accommodation, women’s reproductive rights or whatever. They are blind to the overall electorate sensibilities.
The reason they do it all is they just don’t care.
This is all happening, in the first place, because the GOP is leaderless and rudderless and because they don’t really exist as a cohesive party. There is no one with enough authority to tell petty ridiculous Mr. Gowdy to cut it out because he is ruining what is left of the brand. The way this would have worked in another era is that a John Boehner or a Reince Priebus or a some one in authority for God sake, would have called Chairman Gowdy and told him to cease and desist. So there is no one who has the power or the will to stop him and his mediocre committee from running amuck. If you don’t believe Jay H. Ell ask Jeb Bush.
Then secondly other than attack Hillary, defund Planned Parenthood, reverse Obamacare, deport 12 million “illegals”, Make America Great Again, close down the Government, renege on America’s debt and stop spending on the poor, disabled and unemployed, there is no cohesive platform that this crew has signed onto. They are all running off in different directions championing their pet hates and doing nothing. If you don’t believe Jay H. Ell ask Jeb Bush.
Then thirdly they don’t give a hoot that America’s demographics have changed. They are not interested. The only constituency they are interested in is their own gerrymandered district that ensures a Republican majority. Top priority is not to get out righted in a Primary. They want to be reelected, just to be reelected, and presumably carry on their negativity as there is no real program that has been put forward to take America into the twenty - first century. If you don’t believe Jay H. Ell ask Jeb Bush.
So they are not thinking any further than getting themselves back to Washington. So everything that transpires is to that end. They are appealing to the Tea Party base that has hijacked the GOP as only they vote in the Primaries in full force. Everyone else in the moribund Grand Old Party, with the accent on “Old”, either doesn’t care or is too disgusted to attempt to take their party back. Many of the old faithfuls are in denial as to what is happening. The GOP, be it only in name, control both the Senate and the House so what is there to worry? As far as the Presidential race is concerned - “this always happens” - any minute now Jeb will takeover, forgetting that if he does or doesn’t - it is irrelevant as they are doing nothing to change the narrative to stop Hillary from winning. Also the Senate control looks dicey. They can introduce voter suppression but they cannot gerrymander the State borders. Jay H. Ell believes that is why Jeb Bush Ell has threatened to take his ball back and go home to mommy and daddy.
ANY HOPE? YES HERE COMES MR RYAN RIDING IN ON A WHITE HORSE.
Well the Republican members of Congress have finally agreed on a nominee as Speaker of the House. Ostensibly Paul Ryan will meld this motley crew into a close-knit unit. But the only issues that they have publicly agreed upon is to vote for him - at the end of the day they have to vote for someone and its not going to be Nancy Pelosi - and that he can have time off to visit his family in Wisconsin.Touching! The support was far from unanimous and those that are on board have cautioned that it id not unconditional.
First order of day for Mr. Ryan is to persuade these noodniks to stop with their investigation which he won’t do so he can last to the second day. Unless John Boehner can get him off the hook by settling the outstanding governmental issues, on the second day he needs to persuade them that it is no one’s interests to shut down the government and if he makes that hurdle on day three he has to impress on the caucus that America cannot really declare bankruptcy by reneging on its debt. Then the next order of business should be that maybe they should grow up and realize that banning Planned Parenthood, which the overwhelming majority of the country is against, is not the top priority. Even if Boehner does settle the urgent matters of government Paul Ryan may find these guys more angry than ever as once again they have been sold down the river with the help of the Democrats. Jay H. Ell is not convinced that Ryan is the sharpest tool in the shed. Remember he was the guy that divided the Americans up into “the givers” and “the takers”.
One, however, has to live in hope that Ryan agreeing to head is a sign that his caucus has finally agreed to govern. There has been much sighing of relief at Ryan’s decision and optimism that he will become a great figure when he works with the next Republican President to get their agenda through. What agenda? What Republican President? And that would require dealing with at least the Senate, even if it is still not Republican, not to stop the legislation. And to effect all this the Tea Party caucuses, that are gumming up the works now, will have had change of heart all because Paul is a good family man.
WHERE IS ALL THIS GOING?
It is hard to believe that the American legislative process has become this dysfunctional. The Founding Fathers created this elaborate check and balance system in the belief that participants would be acting in good faith, cooperating and compromising as they did in setting it all up. Instead the process has been distorted to hold up the day to day workings of government unless some or other narrow ideological demand is being met - the priority de jour is to stop paying society’s share of health care costs of 3,000,000 women who either have no insurance or poor insurance, i.e. Planned Parenthood. Or there are committees that are entrusted to investigate tragedies that are manipulated for blatant political purposes with no legal accountability.
The Founding Fathers are beginning to look naive and must be wondering whether they should have introduced the Westminster model, after all, with its winner take all narrative.
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