The first oversight hearings of the Benghazi affair were held two days after the killing of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others at the Iraqi Consulate in September of 2012. The calculated misstatement of fact and intent of the Republican Party was to first disrupt the re-election of Barack Obama then sabotage Hillary Clinton is how Republicans compete. The current minority leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy gave away the game, “…Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's un-trustable…,” McCarthy said.
Next was Hillary Clinton’s emails. Had you listened to the former Secretary of State and presidential nominee’s critics, you would believe she sat in her basement pouring over State secrets and classified information bargaining with foreign powers to subvert American democracy. Of course, both stories were fiction borne of political dirty trickery, but innuendo coupled with social media, conservative rags, and the ‘let’s create a race’ New York Times became reality in today’s catchy meme climate.
Now we have a new bone to bite on, the Ukraine/Hunter Biden distraction. I went down memory lane because Democrats have to be made aware that ignoring the absurd is seen as capitulation by the Republican party. Former President Obama dismissed the notion that he and his advisers sat around the situation room denying military assets with the intent to leave the late Ambassador Stevens defenseless as part of politics’“silly season.” The implicit accusation was that Obama and Clinton were complicit in the murder of the ambassador. Hillary Clinton’s campaign laughed heartily at the idea that the decorated former Secretary was in any way guilty of profiting off state secrets. The explanation was simple and has proven to be true via repeated and extensive FBI investigation, “…using a personal email account was a matter of convenience — as a way to stay in touch with family and friends — given her hectic travel schedule, in hindsight, using two accounts would have been better.”
If there is one lesson we have fallen victim to is that Donald Trump’s repeated lies can be denied by more lying. Saying it loudly and enlisting more liars to bolster your lies work for Republicans. The part that Democrats need to emulate is the constant and repeated words of the candidates repeating the story. The difference would be having Democratic pols and surrogates telling the truth, not lies. Obama should have started every answer about Benghazi with ‘first of all Republicans lie.’ When James Comey retrieved water from the Republican well, before they turned on him, and refilled a bucket he knew held no water, Hillary Clinton should have started every answer with,” first of all Republicans lie.’
Joe Biden has started off with the right idea, “ Trump deserves to be investigated.” I hope Democrats will not make the mistake of thinking that Americans will not get bored with truth and turn to the specter of scandal for entertainment. Pelosi, Schumer, Clyburn, Schiff, Nadler, ‘first of all, Donald Trump needs to be impeached…’
Vote in 2020 for Change.