By now it's not really news that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is the favorite to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House. He seems to be a favorite of the very far right-wingers of the party who recently have been attacking the tendency of the current leadership (specifically the current Speaker, John Boehner) to look to compromise with Congressional Democrats and their "liberal agenda," as Sen. Ted Cruz put it. He's seen as the necessary leader who will embody conservative values and remain firm to his ideologically right policy in the face of left-wing opposition.
It is also not new to say that the 2012 terrorist attacks on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya has been a blemish on the resume of Democratic Frontrunner Hillary Clinton; an unfortunate event on which the conservative media has very blatantly placed the blame on Clinton (Secretary of State at the time). The extent to which media organizations like Fox News continue to cover, and the continuance of Republican lawmakers to comment on the Benghazi investigation are clearly intended to paint Clinton as the person at fault for the death of four American citizens, and instill in the public this feeling that Hillary is dishonest and untrustworthy. And it seems to have done just that as Clinton's polling numbers appear to be dropping, turning what seemed like an easy win for Clinton into a more competitive primary race than expected, which would in turn makes the race in the general more competitive than expected, giving the Republicans a higher chance of winning.
But if it were exposed that Republicans were "beating this dead horse" as an intentional political tactic to lower Clinton's polling numbers, would it still be as effective?
Tuesday night McCarthy appeared on "Hannity," a Fox News show, and commented on how the forming of a special, select Benghazi committee led directly to a drop in Clinton's polling numbers. These comments pretty much admit to utilizing the situation to smear Clinton, and have been heavily attacked by fellow Republicans, many of whom are supporters of McCarthy for Speaker, for implying that the Benghazi committee is intended for anything other than "providing information and telling the truth" (Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas). But the voicing of disapproval from Republican lawmakers might not be enough to cover up McCarthy's slip-up.
These comments potentially opened the door for the Clinton campaign, and Democrats in general, to sway voters away Republican candidates in the 2016 elections. If the Democrats use this in their favor, they can spin it to imply that Republicans have been exploiting the deaths of four American citizens for political gains (very similarly to how the Benghazi attack as been spun to place blame on Hillary). I look forward to seeing how this plays out; if it has any positive effect on Clinton's numbers or negative effect on those of Republicans up for reelection. But most importantly, I'm looking forward to see if the Benghazi investigation/email scandal, and its coverage, will finally be laid to rest now that more people will be able to see its true intention.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/255653-chaffetz-mccarthy-should-apologize-for-benghazi-remark
http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/kevin-mccarthy-never-intention-benghazi-committee-politics-hillary-clinton/?dcz=
http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/mccarthy-gets-earful-sides-benghazi-remarks/?dcz=
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/255493-clinton-slams-mccarthys-distressing-benghazi-remarks
1 comment:
I'm very excited to see how this situation will play out in the coming months and during the primaries. As you noted, Clinton has an opportunity here to reframe the conversation over Benghazi. It's likely that these comments won't die down quickly because Clinton as well as Democrats have a prime opportunity here to unload some of the blame they have shouldered. But at the same time, Clinton's campaign might not want to get involved. In recent weeks the conversation over Clinton's involvement has died down and although this might put Clinton in a better light it will still bring the focus back to Benghazi. I'm also curious to see if McCarthy's comments will effect Clinton's polling numbers in any way. It might have some influence but I'm not convinced it will be significant. After all, these comments as well as the media coverage of the Benghazi hearings will play at the opinions of moderates. This won't change the opinions of those that were already dead set on Clinton or those that strongly oppose her. Regardless, I don't think the conversation about Benghazi is done and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will play a role in the primaries.
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