Big Republican Problems Today, After Their 11 Hour Fiasco Yesterday

Republicans, today, this morning, don't just have one problem because yesterday's Benghazi interrogation/investigation/committee went badly. They have at least a few.  And they're not small.

The first is this--this poll came out just as yesterday's interrogation went down:

Poll: 3-in-4 say Benghazi panel politically motivated

Second, both Congressmen Trey Gowdy and Jim Jordan, at minimum, came across as attacking, impatient, rude people who then appeared slanted, biased, one-sided, negative and just ugly.

Next, what the media thinks and ends up saying will also make a difference. Last evening, reporter Carl Bernstein, of the Watergate Woodward/Bernstein crew, said last evening on CNN that this investigation of Benghazi today has become as abusive as Joe McCarthy and his McCarthy hearings, all those decades ago.

Fourth, the fact that this interrogation of former Secretary Clinton took 11 full hours yesterday will, I think, hurt the Republicans, since no new material was covered, factually. In fact, Congressman Gowdy said nothing new came from this 11 hours of interrogation, once it was over. All that and nothing new. If that doesn't spell waste of time and energy and, worst of all, money, nothing does.

Then there is the point I made here last evening---

According to PBS NewsHour last evening, there have been 22 individual hearings on Benghazi. For a sharp comparison, there were 21 hearings on the 9/11 tragedy. That's a lot of wasted time. And worse, money. Our government tax money.

Then there's this, for anyone who might think or say this isn't a political witch hunt:

Finally, this may be the most damaging, for the Republicans, of all, out of yesterday's hearings. Instead of hurting Secretary Clinton---

Fox's Ed Henry: Clinton "Did Look Presidential, She Did Look In Command Today, Just Like She Did At That Last Debate"

Besides finding nothing new and instead of hurting former Secretary Clinton/candidate Clinton, it likely, apparently helped, even strengthened her.

Ironically, even wonderfully, the Republicans were nearly immediately being pilloried in the media even during the hearings, let alone after, for this Benghazi grilling, ongoing and ugly as it is.

Followed, this week by last week's inability to even come up with a Speaker of the House quickly and easily, it's obvious, very obvious, the Republican Party is in worse shape internally and externally, both, than they ever imagined possible.

2016 looks better and better, doesn't it?

Great articles in The Star today

The Star hit some balls out of the ballpark today, I think, in their reporting.

Good for them. Good for us.

The first I'll mention is their series on all the people across town who have gotten shot, for whatever reason, in the past and then didn't press charges against their assailants so the police had to abandon their investigations. As I posted yesterday and as the Star so rightly points out in these articles, unless and until people make others responsible for these actions, not only will the shootings and killings not stop but they will likely get worse, as we've seen over the years in town. It has a 2nd part in tomorrow's paper, too.

The other great article--also on the front page of the paper--tells about GSA bonuses given to staff who also happen to be under investigation.

Does that make any sense?

They're under investigation for some kind of possible transgression but they get a bonus anyway?

Anyway, as a side note, it should be pointed out that it was reporter Russ Ptacek, before he left town, who got these investigations started. (I did point it out on Facebook, on Russ Ptacek's page, in an effort to thank him).

So kudos to you today, Star, and thank you.

Now, if maybe more and yet more local reporting across our cities, towns, counties and states of Missouri and Kansas can come from our paper, people will want and even need to subscribe, for fear of missing out on important, local stories. Maybe, maybe that will help save this rag. ("Rag" not meant disparagingly).

Here's hoping.

Have a great week, y'all.

Links: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/02/3639299/special-report-many-bullets-little.html;
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/02/3639310/who-stands-up-for-the-people-getting.html;
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/02/3639313/gang-shootings-create-cycles.html;
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/02/3639290/gsa-is-under-fire-for-bonuses.html

Humor today---from The Kansas City Star

So I started reading the paper today, as I always do, like most people I suspect, on page A1 and went back from there. Unremarkable, right? Then I get to page A4 and see a prominent column by Mike Hendricks called "Public's Prying Is Out of Line", saying we basically have no right, really, to know what happened to Larry Schnackenberg after first his disappearance and now his reappearance in the area. And I don't disagree, per se, with the exception of the public details, having to do with the police searching for Mr. S., and so on. Let him and his family have their privacy--what do I care? But then---and here comes the humor, for me--you keeping turning the pages and 2 flips of paper later, back on page A8 is a nice, big, again, prominent story 6 COLUMNS WIDE, giving all the details the Star has about Mr. Schnackengerg's dis- and re-appearance. I mean, man, is that good? It cracked me up. Thank you, Kansas City Star. It's great to start the day with a good, hearty laugh. Have a great weekend, y'all. Link to original posts: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/29/2117060/we-the-public-arent-owed-all-the.html http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/29/2115918/missing-mans-family-thrilled-hes.html