Posted on 06/24/2012 4:53:36 AM PDT by marktwain
All three journalists invited to the journalists' roundtable on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR Friday played down the Fast and Furious scandal as a loser for Republicans. Jeanne Cummings of Politico wanted Congress to drop it like a hot potato: "to create this big constitutional clash with the White House makes Congress, once again, look like it's just got its eye off the ball. This isn't what people want them to do... we're going nowhere here."
NPR reporter Ari Shapiro recalled how Bush attorney general Alberto Gonzales was dogged by a U.S. Attorney-firing scandal because Republicans were willing to harp on it. But the Democrats are united for Obama, so it somehow cannot be a scandal: "I think it's only when and if we see Democrats turning against Holder, which I don't expect we're going to see, that this will really enter a new phase." How convenient is that reasoning?
Doyle McManus was mildest, sticking to the line that anything that distracts from the economy is somehow a bad idea for Republicans to pursue (without anyone noticing the utter lack of pursuit by "objective" journalists):
McMANUS: It's not a great issue for the president or the White House. They are on the wrong side of this in that, you know, if you want to -- that, initially, when the Justice Department was asked about this program, about the gun -- what's called gun-walking into Mexico, they said, well it's not going on. We don't know anything about it. They've acknowledged that wrongdoing.On the other hand, is this really what Republicans in the House want to be talking about and arguing about on television for months and months? Well, no, actually their agenda is -- of course, is supposed to be to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs. And so they run the risk of looking as if they're pursuing the administration on everything else but jobs.
Substitute host Terence Smith wondered where (if anywhere) this was going:
TERENCE SMITH: Jeanne Cummings, several reason attorneys general have had problems with Congress and been in tight spots with the executive refusing to turn over documents or whatever. What's the political impact to this? And look ahead to the election. Is anybody going to be talking about this?CUMMINGS: No, they aren't going to be. And that's -- I mean, I agree with Doyle that it's not good for either side. But I think, on balance, this is -- Congress has just gotten itself, you know, in a patch where they should probably find their way out. I mean, if you look at any focus group with voters, all they care about is the economy. That's all they care about. And for -- to create this big constitutional clash with the White House makes Congress, once again, look like it's just got its eye off the ball. This isn't what people want them to do.
They are tired of the confrontations in Washington. They're frustrated by it. And they think that Washington doesn't understand their problems and isn't trying to help them. This just gives them one more reason to think that Washington is out of touch. And then, in the end, when you look at what would be the real impact of all of this, if they find them in contempt, that should be -- that contempt citation would be enforced by the U.S. attorney general who works for the Justice Department. So we're going nowhere here.
Then came the listeners with their (liberal) input:
SMITH; I have some emails here, including one rather sharply worded one from David on the subject of the contempt citation. He writes, "It appears that 85 percent of the country holds the Congress in contempt. Therefore, the hearings on Fast and Furious are an attempt to distract from the economic issues that the Congress is not able to handle. Isn't that the fact, Ari Shapiro? -- says David.SHAPIRO: This is a point that Spokesman Jay Carney made at the White House yesterday in the briefing. He said, if Congress wonders why they are the most unpopular of any Congress in recent memory, maybe if they would spend their time working on the economy instead of what Carney called partisan fishing expeditions, they might see their numbers go up. You know what? As you mentioned, many attorneys general recently have been in this kind of trouble with Congress.
And I covered the Justice Department when Bush's Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was under fire for the U.S. attorney dismissals, which ultimately led him to leave the post of attorney general under a cloud. And one big difference between that controversy and this controversy is that when Gonzales was under fire in Congress, there were Republicans and Democrats calling for him to step down. Now, we've seen six Republican senators call for Eric Holder to step down, but the Democrats have been a united front. And I think it's only when and if we see Democrats turning against Holder, which I don't expect we're going to see, that this will really enter a new phase.
About the Author
Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Tim Graham on Twitter.
Well they had better hold onto their hats because it appears the editorial staff of the Post is making noises to that effect.
This is nothing more than the typical Democrap talking points hoping they can sell the narrative. Hope floats only when there is air in it and that balloon has deflated long ago. In another analogy, the only thing floating in the toilet bowl is now spinning in the whirlpool. If they cannot move the narrative forward this week, it is all over with.
the difference? thier are two deaths tied to this scandle, thats the difference, fools
No, because everyone already knows how bad the economy is; they're living right in it. They don't need to be continually reminded.
YES-We want to talk about creating jobs, jobs, jobs instead of this administration arming Mexican cartels...unless we talk about...
giving jobs to illegals...
talking about Obamacare being constitutional...
paying student loans for them...
gay pride...
NPR need to become DOA.
I'll be off the reservation on this one, but I agree. The economy is the number one issue in this campaign and Republican's focus should be on the economy bull's eye.
Obama would like nothing better than for Republicans to pursue other issues which distract from his economic record. Every week, Obama tries to get Republicans to go off topic (gay marriage, contraception, illegal aliens, executive privilege, etc.). Obama can't win if his record is kept front and center, but he can win if the GOP is NOT united on a national front with the goal of placing Obama's abysmal economic record in the glare of the spotlight.
F and F should be pursued as far as it can be, but it won't be the issue that decides the election - the economy will be.
To his credit, Romney is not responding to the chum Obama is throwing out every week.
from lamecherry column 6/24/12.....[what romney should do]....
Barack Hussein Obama issued an executive order denying the Congress of these United States it’s checks and balances concerning a weapons dump by the Obama regime in which over 2000 firearms were handed over to Mexican criminals, and numbers of Americans and Mexican Citizens were murdered due to this criminal act.
Today, I, Mitt Romney, unequivocally state, that when elected and inaugurated on January of 2013, one of the first acts I will direct along with restarting the American economy from this Obama Super Depression and solving these Obama global wars, will be to immediately appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate these Gun Runner and Fast and Furious crimes, with Federal Grand Jury backing in order to bring Justice to the peoples of North America.
This investigation will be mandated to be accomplished in 90 days with either charges filed or Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder exonerated. This will not be dragged out as America will have Justice done and these two will have a fast and speedy trial.
No one will be exempt from this, and if indictments lead to the former Attorney General and the former holder of the Office of President, the Romney Administration will prosecute to the full extent of the law for these crimes.
Be it known, if there has been intimidation of the Congress, the Press and the Justice Department, those crimes will be prosecuted too, and a full accounting will be made concerning this attack on the Second Amendment and the institutions meant to protect the liberty of the People of these United States.
Congress will not be thwarted by executive orders. Contempt of Congress will not be allowed. This is not some 3rd world Kenyan regime and it will not stand.
So help me God, I will bring Justice to the American and Mexican peoples.
Ok Mano Romney, you Jesus denying apostate, that is your statement to release as a border busting Mexican hombre. Make this the issue and make the waves that will roll all through the summer of 2012. Let everyone know for certain that the Obama crimes will be prosecuted and every time they see you or see Obama, they will know for certain that it will be the Grey Bar Hotel for Obama and Holder, which will have the Obama voters flee from them at the ballot box and at Justice.
Get it done Mano, as I got a life to live and can not be running for president.
Just when do Democrats not offer a united front? It's what they're best at. Republicans are not a monolithic party; it's one of their great weaknesses in struggling to accomplish things and why they're so easy to pick off.
In essense, according to NPR, a scandal is only a scandal when Democrats say it is a scandal.
You know the rules democrats are above the law and Obama is the posterchild to prove it.
Al Capone smile
More than 300, in fact.
300 where guns were recovered at the scene. How many more murders were committed with F&F guns but the bad guys left the scene with their guns?
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