"Republicans Desperately Need a Scandal"

[applegrove]

Republicans Desperately Need a Scandal

by Kevin Drum at Mother Jones

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/11/republicans-desperately-need-scandal?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

"SNIP...........................................



So what's going on here? I can sum it up in two words: scandal envy. Republicans are indescribably frustrated by the fact that Barack Obama, whom they regard as both illegitimate and corrupt, went through an entire term without a major scandal. They tried with "Fast and Furious," but that turned out to be small potatoes. They tried with Solyndra, but that didn't produce the criminality they hoped for either. Obama even managed to dole out three-quarters of a trillion dollars in stimulus money without any graft or double-dealing to be found. Nixon had Watergate, Reagan had Iran-Contra, Clinton had Lewinsky, [and don't forget that Bush had the Plame affair and the Abramaoff scandal! –ed] and Barack Obama has gotten off scott-free. This is making them absolutely livid, and they're going to keep trying to gin up a scandal, even if there's no there there. Benghazi may not be an actual scandal, but it's all they have handy.

Yep. They're just convinced that Obama runs a gang of Chicago thugs who are lying and cheating behind the scenes at every opportunity. It's a foundational story on the tea-party right. Unfortunately, the reality is that whatever else you think of Obama, he's one of the straightest arrows we've had in the White House since....forever. He runs a tight ship organizationally, and on a personal level he's so intolerant of personal peccadilloes that he sometimes seems almost inhuman. It would be astonishing if he could actually avoid a serious scandal for an entire eight-year term, but if anyone can do it, it's probably Obama.

And yes, it's driving Republicans crazy. Even the ones who don't want to impeach him at least want to bring him down to earth a bit. So they latch onto anything they can. It's all starting to seem kind of desperate, but I doubt they're going to let that stop them. After all, it eventually worked against Clinton.


..........................................SNIP"

[BeyondGeography]

1. One of the reasons I supported him from the start

No drama. It's such a relief.

[marybourg]

2. Ever since Nixon, they've been trying to create

a failed Democratic presidency to even things up. They thought they had it with Clinton, but that fell short. They've been frothing at the mouth ever since Obama was first elected, but he's thwarted them at every turn --so far!

[pacalo]

11. That's it in a nutshell.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. I think it was Ron Reagan who said they're desperate to find a name to attach the word "gate" to

Any kind of gate will do.

[Raine]

24. Yup payback for Watergate. 40 year later like the elephant they never forget. nt

[liberal N proud]

3. They will turn over every pebble to try and find one

They are more desperate than when Linada Tripp sent Monica to the White House.

Who knows what lengths they will go to create one.

[kag]

42. Reminds me of one of my favorite jokes from the Lewinsky scandal:

What's the difference between Linda Tripp and Bill Clinton?

Linda Tripp actually DID fuck Monica Lewinsky.

[mick063]

4. In the long term,

this is going to alienate Fox News more than any single story in their past. Even more than arguing in court that it is their constitutional right to deceive viewers.

The reason why is clear.

They are screaming; "Look at how stupid I am", non stop, through a high powered megaphone. This is "The boy who cried Wolf" on steroids.

Fox may be solidifying the nut cases, but it is losing credibility with everyone even mildly unbiased, quicker than an Arctic glacier is losing ice.

[Doc Holliday]

35. Don't misunderestimate Americans.

My ever-cynical Dad, a self-described "JFK Democrat", summed it up thusly: "40% of the population allows Rush and Sean to think for them, 40% of the population allows Ed and Rachel to think for them and the remaining 20% of us that can still think for ourselves are stuck in a dysfunctional system that is leading us all to an unhappy ending."

Sure miss him. (((sigh)))

[reformist2]

5. I actually think Repugs are doing this for themselves, to keep themselves from splintering apart.

It's the "1984" strategy... keep your people always united in their hatred of the enemy. And avoid all discussion of why you keep losing elections...

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Republicans:

Desperately Seeking (Obama) Scandal!

[tibbiit]

7. The pukes are starting to study Obama techniques

I got that from Gingrich on the Daily show the other night. They will try to emulate the community-organizer-never-hold-a-real-job -uppity-loser chicago-thug's, get out the vote.
The Daily Show and Colbert have had a lot of especially important information lately with Colbert's information on Super Pack money. I urge everyone to watch that episode (mon tues?)
tib

[ancianita]

20. They can't do it. It's not in their political DNA. They are classists. Not for the people.

[Flying Squirrel]

8. I believe it now takes

10 recs to get thee to the Greatest Page?

Here ya go

[applegrove]

9. Thanks. I pick out articles that I think are novel but never know which

will be the most popular. I don't even hazzard to guess.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. EXACTLY!

It's their only game. They're political trolls. Nothing more.

[ffr]

12. RW M$M 24/7 repetition keeps Freepers going

I just let this junk go, no time for their nonsense.

The question posed to me yesterday by four Republicans I know was "How can you insist on voting a straight Democrat ticket?" My answer. That's the great thing about being an independent. I can vote for anyone I want. And who said I voted straight party line? Did you look at my ballot?

But it's things like this, where Reps are rabid for something to pin on Obama that represents the mortar of how firmly I'll stand against Rep smear campaigns and them in general.

[pacalo]

13. More...

What Benghazi Is about: Scandal Envy

Paul Waldman November 15, 2012

If you're looking at the Republican harumphing over Benghazi and asking yourself, "Why are we supposed to be so mad about this again?" you're not alone. Let's review: There was an attack on our consulate that killed four Americans, including our ambassador. Amid confusing and contradictory reports from the ground, President Obama waited too long to utter the magic incantation, "Terrorism, terrorists, terror!" that would have ... well, it would have done something, but it turns out that he did say "terror," so never mind that. But that's not the real scandal! The real scandal is that Susan Rice went on television soon after and amid all kinds of "based on the best information we have"s and "we'll have to see"s, said one thing that turned out not to be the case: that after the protests in Cairo, there was some kind of copycat protest in Benghazi, which was then "hijacked" by extremist elements using heavy weapons to stage an attack.

A sane person might say, OK, she was obviously given some incorrect information at that time, but it's not a particularly meaningful deception. As people have been pointing out for weeks now, it's not as though not using the word "terror" or saying there was a protest before the attack gave the White House some enormous political advantage. If you're going to have a cover-up, there has to be something you're covering up.

http://prospect.org/article/what-benghazi-about-scandal-envy

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Well, Intuition tells me ......

I do not see any major scandal involving a Democrat.

The reason I say this is that the party learned from the Clinton
impeachment, and I see the glowing confidence of Speaker Pelosi
when she mentions her House members, and that says to me that
the party has vetted candidates and acted in a way to run a clean
ship. No Holy Foley scandals.

In addition, the Democrats are not crazy like the GOP candidates.

Democrats are well grounded in reality, no "True Believers, no Birthers".

[defacto7]

15. Squeaky clean!

Obama is squeaky clean!

[Skittles]

16. they know they'll never have the dress stain with Obama

so they grasp at ANYTHING

[defacto7]

17. The flip side is...

that the Republicans have been doing the scandal thing so much, that over the years they have come to believe that it IS politics to lie and deceive, and that everyone has a skeleton in the closet. What are they finding out? They are finding out they are all alone in that assumption. It's a long learned habit of just accepting the false premise that scandal and lies are a way of life, and that it's the definition of politics.

It just ain't so!

[kentuck]

19. It's in their DNA..

They have to have some scandal going on to satisfy their paranoia...

[ancianita]

21. Indulging my Hyde Park smile at the moment.

I still say that Obama should get his own smiley on DU.

[Volaris]

22. Everything they have done since Obama got elected...

has been done in an attempt to show that Obama is as bad a President as Bush Jr. was. It's their only hope of getting a Republican elected to the White House for a generation....
"SEE? it's not just REPUBLICAN Presidents who are liars, and cheats and CRIMINALS? See? See? Don't you all SEE? WHY DON'T YOU SEE???????

Because there is NO THERE there, you lying, cheating, criminal, deceiving, Rush-believing Morans, and the people are starting to wake up. Jeb will NEVER be President, and the only thing President OBAMA has to do to forge that into reality, is exactly what he is doing NOW...which is to say "Being a better President than Bush" (which, by the way, is why we elected him in the first place...we didn't care that he was Black, we cared that he was SMART(er than a washed-up, silver-spoon-fed, Texas-ranchand-wannabee-fratboy cokehead boozer that had Daddy isues).

[FredStembottom]

23. +1000

This will go on and on and on.
They will sift his waste baskets, question his grade school friends, spy at him through binoculars and, finally, just make stuff up. For 4 straight years.

And all aimed at a man and his family that appear to be the real life embodiment of every conservative's ideal of family (except that skin thing, of course).

Finally, some American elites that aren't duplicitous fucks in private and the Righties will tear them apart if they can.

May they rot in Hell for their efforts.

[Raine]

25. Obama is squeaky clean, they will keep trying to dirty him but

it will never stick.

[libodem]

26. It is all the have

Sniff, sniff, tear. Yeah, oh, boo hoo. Grow up, Reprehensible-pubs.

[sadbear]

27. George W. Bush's entire 8 years was a scandal

Kevin Drum left that part out.

[nc4bo]

28. Don't they run the risk of exposing themselves as they go witch hunting this President?

I don't pretend to know the extent of the Patraeus scandal. It just seems like really risky behavior on their part.

Might as well jump the shark and say perhaps their going full throat Benghazi impeachment because of what might be lurking in the Patraeus scandal.



Republicans just don't seem to be very smart in their effort to seek revenge.

[tanyev]

30. Blowback happens.

[Initech]

29. That's what separates Obama from the rest: no bullshit.

We haven't had to deal with a Terri Schaivo, or pro lifers, or treasonous assholes like Oliver North, or Iran Contra... isn't it great? And it's making their heads explode!

[bluestate10]

31. Those tough Chicago thugs. Guys that wear Khakis, medium starched shirts, knit socks and soft shoes.

WTF?

[Scurrilous]

32. K & R

[KansDem]

33. "Desperately Seeking Scandal" Now on sale at Amazon!

Oh, wait...I was thinking of another similar-sounding title.

[Doctor_J]

34. DOn't worry. Big Media will make one for them

[ballaratocker]

36. However how much I am disappointed with Obama on occasions.

I will always defend his personal integrity. I think his need to be perceived as a saint has lead to weak policy but it has kept him out of scandal territory.

[The Wizard]

37. Republicans have been a

toxic death cult for quite a while. They should change their symbol from an elephant to lemmings or Marshall Applewhite.

[BumRushDaShow]

38. "if anyone can do it, it's probably Obama."

Because he's black. Blacks are not allowed to fail and if they do, not only is the book thrown at them, they are thrown under the jail and the key is throw away. A black child and a white child will turn in identical papers in school. The black child will get a "C" and the white child will get an "A".

Welcome to AmeriKKKa.

[lonestarnot]

39. They definitely need something.

[Rincewind]

40. To any republicans reading this:

I have lived my entire life (58 years) in Illinois, been involved with unions, and Democratic politics, so I know things. I have conclusive, verifiable, proof the Barack H. Obama has fathered two, that's TWO, black children. For only $750,000.00, I will give you the proof. Cash only, you can't be too careful these days.

[blackdiamond62]

41. You're not asking enough

for your "black children" scandal and conclusive proof. The laugh your post gave me was worth one million dollars. I especially liked the "cash only" part.

[Coyotl]

43. No, they need a pretend one right now to stem the flood of supporters to Obama