Did Kevin McCarthy Just Shoot Republicans in the Foot?

BoF · Oct 1, 2015

"Everybody thought Hillary Clinton wasunbeatable, right?" McCarthy said on Fox News. "But we put together aBenghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought."

Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The SituationRoom," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, saidMcCarthy should apologize, saying the California Republican made an"absolutely inappropriate statement."

.....

Privately, Republicans were outraged by the remarks, saying the House majority leader had given Democrats unfounded ammunition toargue that the committee's investigation is squarely being driven by politics.Republicans on the committee had tried for months to keep the focus of theinquiry on the administration's handling of the attacks, avoiding getting into the ins and outs of the various aspects on the email stories.

But in one fell swoop, McCarthy undercut their strategy.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/politics/kevin-mccarthy-benghazi-committee-speaker/index.html

clintl · Oct 1, 2015

He might have shot himself in the foot, too. Not the brightest way to go about trying to win the speakership.

ShaunHorton · Oct 1, 2015

With the exception of those who think the Republicans are God's chosen emissaries, I don't know that they actually have enough of a reputation to hurt anymore.

whistlelock · Oct 1, 2015

Not really. The only people who thought it was a legit investigation were the people who wouldn't vote for her anyway.

rugcat · Oct 1, 2015

It won't matter in the slightest.

Also saw excerpts on a foreign policy speech McCarthy gave which was in part almost incoherent. Literally.

He referenced traveling to Poland and Hungria for one thing. He opined that restrictions on American energy shipments have become “the band on America.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...082056-661d-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html

In his entire time in Congress he has introduced exactly 2 bills of legislation – one to rename a post office in his district (the Buck Owens post office) and the other to rename a research facility, also in his district.

I'm starting to miss John Boehner already. It's chilling to contemplate that this none-to-bright archetypal political hack is now poised to be the most powerful man in Congress and second in line to the presidency behind the vice president.

SomethingOrOther · Oct 1, 2015

Not another mass shooting.

nighttimer · Oct 1, 2015

Goddammit, Kev! STOP SNITCHIN'!!!!! :Ssh:

AnneMarble · Oct 2, 2015

I liked Kevin McCarthy better when he was in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, shouting "They're here already, You're next! You're next!"

In fact, maybe he was more coherent when he was running from pod people...

nighttimer · Oct 7, 2015

It's almost funny to watch a man try to gag back up the shoe he swallowed whole.

After his controversial comments about the Benghazi committee, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday issued a new statement clarifying that the committee was formed to find the facts. His press release came after Hillary Clinton's campaign released an ad Monday night slamming Republicans for using the investigation to attack her politically.

"The mission of the Select Committee on Benghazi is to find the truth -- Period," McCarthy said in the statement. "The integrity of Chairman Gowdy, the Committee and the work they've accomplished is beyond reproach. The serious questions Secretary Clinton faces are due entirely to her own decision to put classified information at risk and endanger our national security."

"It was never my intention to ever imply that this committee was political. Because we all know it is not. And it has one sole purpose, let's find the truth wherever the truth takes us," McCarthy said after his initial comments. "And you know what? Sometimes truth comes out, and other manners, and let's not let politics hold that back."

It's a sure sign a politician is lying when he uses the word "truth" three times in a comment. It's also a pretty neat Jedi mind trick for McCarthy to suggest its Hillary Clinton who made this Benghazi b.s. political.

Hillary appreciates the gift from the Republicans.

nighttimer · Oct 8, 2015

CNN is reporting Kevin McCarthy is dropping out of the race to become Speaker of the House.

Vince524 · Oct 8, 2015

Trey Gowdy, who actually runs the committee, chimed in at some point.

Asked what his first reaction was to McCarthy's interview on Hannity, Gowdy said it was, "Kevin, you're wrong."
"When Speaker Boehner called me, he never mentioned Secretary Clinton's name. In fact, we've had three public hearings, Joe. I've never mentioned her name. If you look at what we've done, the 50-some-odd witnesses we've already interviewed, not a single one has been named Clinton. The 50,000 documents that we have accessed that no other committee has accessed, less than 5 percent have anything to do with her. She was the secretary of state at all relevant times, so of course you have to talk to her. But we didn't start with her, and we're not going to end with her. In fact, I've been pretty patient on when she came before the committee. I still don't have all her emails," he remarked to co-host Joe Scarborough.
The committee has been "dogged" and "didn't let up," Gowdy added, but also "in all candor and a little bit of humility, which is unusual in my profession, the media has done every bit as much work as our committee," he said.
"Because number one, you have better sources than I do, and number two, it's not my job to look into classified information or all aspects of her email. My interest in her email is in making sure that the record as it relates to Libya and Benghazi is complete and full," he went on to say.

RichardGarfinkle · Oct 8, 2015

nighttimer said:
CNN is reporting Kevin McCarthy is dropping out of the race to become Speaker of the House.

Confirmed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kevin-mccarthy-speaker_56169926e4b0dbb8000d6a1f

I wonder how long Boehner will have to keep the job. I also wonder if he'll realize that he doesn't have to kowtow any longer. He might even consider legislating, you know getting votes from both parties for things that people would actually like to have happen. It could be quite a liberating experience for him.

nighttimer · Oct 8, 2015

The NY Times editorial board chimed in with suggestion of the actual committee should be shut the hell down.

House Republicans may be disinclined to disband the Select Committee on Benghazi with the presidential race heating up. But at the very least they should rename their laughable crusade, which has cost taxpayers $4.6 million, “the Inquisition of Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, a leading candidate to become the next speaker of the House, acknowledged last week that was the point of burrowing into the details of the 2012 attacks on government facilities in eastern Libya that killed the American ambassador and three colleagues.

“Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right?” Mr. McCarthy said in an astonishing moment of candor that was clearly a gaffe, rather than a principled admission. “But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today?”

Lawmakers have long abused their investigative authority for political purposes. But the effort to find Mrs. Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time of the Libya attacks, was personally responsible for the deaths has lost any semblance of credibility. It’s become an insult to the memory of four slain Americans.

The deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and his colleagues have been exhaustively investigated by several other congressional committees and an independent panel of experts commissioned by the Department of State. The reviews found systemic failings at the State Department. But they found no evidence that Mrs. Clinton was directly responsible for the security lapses, which, of course, is the goal of the Republicans who want to derail her presidential bid. The possibility that all those investigators have somehow missed a crucial, damning piece of evidence seems negligible.

Led by Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a former federal prosecutor, the Benghazi committee has trudged on, summoning a seemingly endless list of witnesses who have offered little new substantive information about the attacks. Since it was impaneled in May 2014, the committee has spent more than critical congressional committees, including the House Intelligence and Veterans’ Affairs Committees, which have oversight over bureaucracies with multibillion-dollar budgets.

“There’s nothing to justify the committee’s long duration or expense,” said Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California who sits on the committee and has called for it to be disbanded. “We have nothing to tell the families and nothing to tell the American people.”

Mrs. Clinton is scheduled to testify before the committee on Oct. 22.

The hearing will give Republicans another chance to attack the credibility and trustworthiness of the leading Democratic presidential candidate. It will do nothing to make American embassies abroad safer or help the relatives of the four killed in Libya.

The hearing should be the last salvo for a committee that has accomplished nothing. If the Republicans insist on keeping the process alive, the Democrats should stop participating in this charade.

Bottom line time: McCarthy exposed the dirty little secret of the Republicans. This was never about getting to the bottom of what happened in Benghazi. It was always about getting Hillary Clinton and scuttle her presidential run.

In other words, hardball politics as usual. If I hear one more Republican whining about government spending and screwing over the taxpayers, I'll refer them to the $4 million bucks McCarthy, Gowdy, Boehner and the Republican majority of the House have burned through crazier than a sex maniac in a whorehouse with a credit card.

Stop the sham. Cut the crap. Shut down the Select Committee on Benghazi.

The absence of P&CE's "Let's Get Hillary" crew from this thread is noticeable and their stony silence in the wake of Not-Speaker-of-the-House McCarthy's admission is peculiar.

Vince524 · Oct 8, 2015

Well, I already posted what the head of the committee said, as opposed to a guy who isn't even on the committee.

As rugcat said, this isn't going to change anyone's mind, one way or the other.

BoF · Oct 8, 2015

Vince524 said:
Well, I already posted what the head of the committee said, as opposed to a guy who isn't even on the committee.

As rugcat said, this isn't going to change anyone's mind, one way or the other.

The question isn't about changing minds. It's about McCarthy shooting himself and house Republicans in the foot. McCarthy's stupid remark and subsequent demise will make it harder for an already fractured house to choose a leader.

I love it when Republicans fuck themselves. I'll give McCarthy a grade of "A" for accomplishing that. :hooray:

RichardGarfinkle · Oct 8, 2015

Vince524 said:
Well, I already posted what the head of the committee said, as opposed to a guy who isn't even on the committee.

As rugcat said, this isn't going to change anyone's mind, one way or the other.

Why would the claims of the head of the committee have any greater weight? That's like arguing that one should take the word of a Mafia boss who denies criminality because he would know whether they really are a criminal enterprise.

Also, bear in mimd that McCarthy is Majority Leader he's involved in what every committee in the House does. Continuing the Mafia metaphor. He's a higher ranking boss. In general, claims of guilt from inside an organization are taken more seriously than claims of innocence because members of organizations usually claim innocence no matter what's happening.

In any case, McCarthy's statement seems to have changed enough minds about him becoming Speaker. Current rumor is that Boehner is begging Paul Ryan to take the job.

BoF · Oct 8, 2015

RichardGarfinkle said:
Why would the claims of the head of the committee have any greater weight? That's like arguing that one should take the word of a Mafia boss who denies criminality because he would know whether they really are a criminal enterprise.

Also, bear in mimd that McCarthy is Majority Leader he's involved in what every committee in the House does. Continuing the Mafia metaphor. He's a higher ranking boss. In general, claims of guilt from inside an organization are taken more seriously than claims of innocence because members of organizations usually claim innocence no matter what's happening.

In any case, McCarthy's statement seems to have changed enough minds about him becoming Speaker. Current rumor is that Boehner is begging Paul Ryan to take the job.

I'm wondering if McCarthy will be able to hang on to the majority leader's post. As obtuse as he seems, one wonders how he got there so quickly and with very little accomplishments. :Shrug:

Vince524 · Oct 8, 2015

RichardGarfinkle said:
Why would the claims of the head of the committee have any greater weight? That's like arguing that one should take the word of a Mafia boss who denies criminality because he would know whether they really are a criminal enterprise.

I find it interesting you chose the mafia to compare them to. I really don't understand the logic. If there's a police investigation and a cop says something stupid about it, but he's not involved in the investigation, yet all those who are tell a different story? Is there any evidence that they've not been professional?

And I suppose that the fact that even today, the committee still doesn't even have all of Clinton's emails, many of which appeared to have been deleted as personal by her, is no big deal.

But people have made up their minds on Clinton one way or the other, evidence non-withstanding, either way. People chose what to believe in politics.

As far as McCarthy is concerned, he should be out of the running. I'd never really heard about him until he was up for Speaker.

nighttimer · Oct 8, 2015

Vince524 said:
Well, I already posted what the head of the committee said, as opposed to a guy who isn't even on the committee.

That "guy" you're speaking of was poised to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives, third in line in succession to the presidency. That "guy" had a momentary lapse and said out loud what Republicans have known all long: this was a purely partisan witch hunt with Hillary Clinton starring as the witch.

Your guy is heading up the latest in the non-stop 'Get Hillary' witch hunts. What the hell would you expect Trey Gowdy to say? Shhh...be vewy vewy quiet. We're hunting Hillary. Heh-heh-heh.

Vince524 said:
As rugcat said, this isn't going to change anyone's mind, one way or the other.

If the truth isn't going to change anyone's mind, you're absolutely right, and the Republicans are truth-adverse.

BoF said:
The question isn't about changing minds. It's about McCarthy shooting himself and house Republicans in the foot. McCarthy's stupid remark and subsequent demise will make it harder for an already fractured house to choose a leader.

Disagree slightly, BoF.

McCartney didn't shoot himself and the Republicans in the foot. That's far too mild and not nearly painful enough. He broke off a beer bottle and shoved it up their collective asses sideways.

The unforgivable sin of Kevin McCarthy that screwed his bid to replace the Boner was he violated the Number One Rule of politics and its the same rule Don Corleone tried to get through through Sonny's thick skull. Never let them know what you're really thinking.

Do I buy the suggestion McCarthy set himself on fire today because he woke up this morning and decided he didn't want the worst job in Washington? No. Not for one second do I buy that bag of refried bullshit and nobody else should either. Whatever it was McCarthy was snorting, inhaling, digesting, smoking, shooting up or injecting in his nutsack wore off and he realized not only did he not want this shit job, he didn't have the votes to win anyway. Who needed the public humiliation of having to go crawling to the Caveman Caucus for their support?

Not Kevin McCarthy. He dog-legged it over to the nearest gas station, filled a gas can with regular (now under $3 bucks a gallon. Thanks, Obama!), soaked himself down, borrowed Boehner's lighter and set his doomed candidacy afire.

Loser.

Vince524 said:
I find it interesting you chose the mafia to compare them to. I really don't understand the logic. If there's a police investigation and a cop says something stupid about it, but he's not involved in the investigation, yet all those who are tell a different story? Is there any evidence that they've not been professional?

If the police commissioner accidentally blurts out the detectives planted evidence and coerced a confession to bust a suspect, even though the commissioner has nothing to do with the investigation, he's probably blown any chance of a successful prosecution.

Same thing here. Game over, man. :e2shrug:

William Haskins · Oct 8, 2015

did the "let's get hillary" crew ever get here? they usually bring punch and pie.

nighttimer · Oct 8, 2015

William Haskins said:
did the "let's get hillary" crew ever get here? they usually bring punch and pie.

Probably spiking the punch :e2drunk:

to wash down the humble pie. :e2bummed:

raburrell · Oct 8, 2015

Whatever one's partisan lean, one wonders if Kevin McCarthy can appreciate the irony that the Benghazi committee has now taken down more Republicans than Democrats...

RichardGarfinkle · Oct 11, 2015

The obvious solution for the Speakership is for enough Republicans with safe (sufficiently gerrymandered) seats to join with the Democrats in electing Nancy Pelosi. She's already reviled by the extreme right, so no Republican leader will take any new hits, and they can blame her for blocking their plans which couldn't work anyway. She's the perfect compromise candidate.

Did Kevin McCarthy Just Shoot Republicans in the Foot?

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