Former Speaker Tip O’Neill was famous for saying: “All politics is local.” Times have changed. The Bengazi Select Committee, headed by Harold Watson “Trey” Gowdy III is grilling Sec. Clinton about her role in the tragedy. Gowdy is a teabagger who has sucked at the government teat his entire professional career, is a former prosecutor. He also has an anger management problem and difficulties with the truth, as do the other Republicans on the committee.
Like all lawyers, he knows not to ask a question for which he doesn’t know the answer; something he adheres to during Hillary’s prosecution. As Ms Clinton is likewise a lawyer, she’s on to him.
I hope she enjoys this because if elected president, this is what she’s in for.
The BackChannel Blog 
You were nice in posting an “OK” photo of Trey Gowdy. In other pics I’ve seen, he looks more like Howdy Doody. What a farce. I think if anyone ends up with egg on their face, it will be Mr. Doody.
Looks like Ryan will become the leader of the House. His conditions are being met. I may be wrong but I think he’s going to be in for a surprise when they get down to business. I wouldn’t trust the members of the Freedom Caucus for anything. Ryan may be stuck with this job for a while and he may run out of time like Biden.
Someone on Balloon Juice suggested that Gowdy looks like a meth defendant who cleaned up for his court date.
I look forward to seeing Hillary’s poll numbers rise after the grilling she’s been subjected to. It’s rare for most Americans to root for the shark, the bank, Mr. Potter.
Thanks, House Republicans, for proving Mrs. Clinton has nerves of steel.
Bev, I thought the photo made him look like the meth defendant 🙂
Now that Biden isn’t running the right is doubling down on Hillary. They have a visceral hatred of all things Clinton. And they can’t hide it.
If there was a smoking gun we’d have heard it by now. The hearing can only help Hillary.
I agree Bev. If Ryan thinks he can believe the Freedom? Caucus he’s not mentally adequate to be Speaker.
Be prepared to see Hillary’s number climb, a lot, she’s done rather well today.
Say what you want, Hillary has been pretty impressive today.
I’m not so sure that she’s been so impressive. It’s more that the Republicans on the committee have been so awful. It’s clear that Kevin McCarthy was right. This is a partisan witch-hunt designed to bring Hillary’s poll numbers down.
This Democrat felt proud at the way to held up against 11 hours of Republican abuse. D, your bias is showing.
I give her credit for not blowing up. No “What difference does it make?” moment. She’s smarter than the repubs so I was hoping she’d make them look like the silly little people that they are.
It’s true I have issues with her. Inauthentic. Hawkish. Untrustworthy. Plays loose with the truth (landing amid live fire in Bosnia. Ha!). Has more baggage than a cruise ship.
The Chafe is gone.
The thing I thought interesting about the hearing yesterday was that Gowdy was all sweaty and Hillary looked cool as a cucumber. Wasn’t it suppose to be the other way around?
Morning Joe, jackass of the predawn, declared yesterday’s hearing a “TKO” for Hillary.
Please proceed, Republicans.
If by some chance Marco Rubio wins the Rep slot for prez, maybe he will name Trey Gowdy as his VP candidate since they both need water. Marco needs it and Trey supplies it.
Good opinion article “Be careful what you wish for, Paul.”
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-ryan-speaker-20151023-13-story.html
Eugene Robinson agrees with the LA Times:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/paul-ryan-is-doomed/2015/10/22/4dce4352-78e9-11e5-bc80-9091021aeb69_story.html
Good grief. The house passed the repeal Obamacare for the 61st time today. They’re setting up a special committee to investigate Planned Parenthood. Haven’t they learned from the hearings on Bengazi?
Lincoln is out.
Ben Carson’s popularity in Iowa shows just how fucking bat shit crazy Evangelicals are!
D, everything you say about Hillary may be true but she’s not a monster as the repugs are trying to point her out to be, there is no difference between the Benghazi hearings and the repugs disgusting attempts at trying to make the Clintons responsible for the death of Vince Foster. Also considering the caliber of the candidates running for prez on the repug side should she get the nomination I will be able to support her enthusiastically.
Agreed Brian. This is Whitewater all over again. They are gonna keep digging until they find something, no matter how trivial. Even after she becomes president. This visceral hatred of all things Clinton means that they will oppose her even when she gives them what they want. While she has the potential to be a good president, because of this irrational opposition it is doubtful she will be an effective president. I hope I’m wrong.
What really bugs me about Hillary is not Hillary but her disciples, and they are legion. They gush that she will do this and she will do that and she will be the best-est president ever!!!!! One thing we know for sure is that we have no clue what she will do. She is a master of ambiguity. David Gergen said it best: “Hillary does not lie, but she is ‘careful’ with the truth.”
If she’s the nominee I’ll vote for her. But the only two presidents I’ve been enthusiastic about voting for are Carter (my first vote) and Obama (my last). IMHO when history is accurately written (unlike Reagan’s history) Carter and Obama will go down as great presidents who faced a lot of adversity.
I don’t think Carter will go down as a great president, not a bad president but not a great one.
Brian, re Carter, three words: “Camp David Accords.” Can you name any other president who’s had such a long lasting peace in the Middle East? Hell, can you name any other president who’s succeeded at any peace in the Middle East? And if we’d listened to his energy policy we’d be a lot better off today. Look at his wiki page and you’ll see a list of impressive accomplishments as long as your arm. Problem is the Republicans rewrote history on him just like the did Reagan.
Had it not been for Ted Kennedy challenging him and the Iranian hostage crisis he’d would’ve got an second term. And no Reagan.
When Jebby was asked who his favorite superhero was (kind of a dumb question in a political forum) he said: “Supergirl. She’s kind of hot!” The actress who plays Supergirl is 27 years old. His own daughter Noelle is 37. Kinda skevvy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2015/10/23/sketches-from-the-benghazi-hearing/?postshare=5011445709375436
Bernie Sanders should hire these guys:
http://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2015/10/24
Jeb missed Politics #1 class.
Are you aware that the lodes howler monkey’s have the smallest balls? Just a small change from politics.
Maybe that’s why they howl 😉
Trump says that Jebby ran to “mommy and daddy.” He should know that aristocratic blue-bloods like the Bush’s never refer to their parents as “mommy and daddy.”
And so now Jeb says that he’s got way cooler things to do than be president. I suppose that’s what Bar and Poppy told him to say during their meeting.
And now Marco Rubio says he hates being in the Senate so now he wants to be president. Well to be fair, that’s how Pres. Obama and Sec. Clinton felt too. They were just classy to complain about it.
Geez, Carson is creepy, evil too, and I rarely use that word.
He would call you a Nazi for saying that. Don’t be offended; he knows lots of Jews who love Hitler analogies.
I bet you could fit all his jewish friends on the head of a pin!
Because of his remarkable dynamism I bet he’s pals with the Pep Boys.
“Budget deal divides Hill Republicans” and the vote for Ryan hasn’t even taken place.
I’m certainly glad I didn’t have co-joined twins. Maybe Carson was a good neurosurgeon, but it I had known then what I know now about him, I would have looked for a second opinion.
So I turned on the tv this morning and Morning Joe was on. As I was reaching for the remote I heard Trump talking about Carson. He said Carson has a lot of problems with his record, including going back in his past. I had a Scooby Do moment. Isn’t your record always about your past? You don’t have a record about the present or the future. He’s sounding more and more like Sarah Palin. Couldn’t change channels fast enough.
https://www.influenster.com/article/americas-favorite-halloween-candy-state-by-state
Favorites?
I’m for the top two (T & C) deciding that since they’ve both reached the top polling point, they are tired of this stupid game they’re playing and exiting Brian’s clown car. I know I’m not the brightest bulb in a string of lights, but I can’t believe how dumb people are that are falling for their shit. Almost as dumb as Paul Ryan falling for the speaker line.
CNBC’s raving right-wing loon Rick Santelli will be one of those asking questions at tonight’s debate. Lets see, clown car debate or World Series, clown car debate or World Series. Definitely going with the World Series.
Good choice
It’s a beautiful fall day in Boulder. Students at CU are pissed. The debate venue seats 10,000 but there are only 1,000 tickets and of that only 150 going to students and faculty. I guess the RNC wants a friendly crowd. There won’t be one outside the venue. I think there are three protests planned.
Traffic on campus and surrounding the campus is all bollixed up. What’s really got the students in an outrage is that they commandeered a lot of student parking spaces for the debate.
Tonight’s drinking game is take a drink every time you hear “Hillary.” Double if Ben Carlson makes a Nazi analogy.
We’ll all be passed out drunk by the time they finish the intros!
I clicked on the kids table debate. Good thing I’m drinking coffee…
Latino voter registration rally at Farrend field (a few minutes from the debates). Twice as many attendees than at the debate. Oops.
Food fight!
4-1 Royals. Bottom of the 6th.
The one bit of the big-boy debates I saw last night when Becky Quick asked Fiorina about how she drove HP into the ground. She came back with her stock answer about how she did such a great job and that one of the board members who ousted her now says it was a mistake and that he thinks she’d be a great president. When Quick pointed out that this guy also thinks rich people should get more votes, Fiorina shot her a look. At that point I knew that for Halloween Fiorina should be the wicked witch of the west.
I saw a couple of clips that I thought interesting. Cruz thinks it’s great that the 1% are growing faster than everybody else and that we should go back to the gold standard. Rubio said that 100% of his mother’s income came from social security. I though jeeze, you make a good salary; can’t you give ‘ol mom a few bucks so she doesn’t have to eat cat food?
I watched the first 40 minutes or so, after the pissing match between the two idiots from Florida I decided to watch Big Bang Theories reruns
Only watched about six minutes of the debate, but it was the Fiorina moment dnd mentioned. Was asked about former HP board member Tom Perkins, the guy who thought millionaires should get a million votes. Fiorina said that was why they didn’t get along in the boardroom. Hope some in the audience still wondered, yeah, but if Perkins thinks that, why is Fiorina his candidate? Does not compute. (And she is an awful person and blatant liar.)
None of them are up to the task. They never will be.
That was the case with W too. He was no more prepared to be (a good) president the day he left office. It’s merciful we hear so little from him.
All of the candidates, Rince Prebus and some of the talking heads were critical of the CNBC moderators. That can only mean they did a good job. I heard the candidates complain that they weren’t asked substantive questions. That can only mean they weren’t asked what they had prepped for and asked questions they weren’t prepared for.
I saw the intros and then took D’s advice and watched the game and various reruns. I haven’t seen any news of dropouts yet but I think Jeb! should seriously think about it and take his momma’s advice. Huckabee and Fiorina should definitely join him. Still think Kasich and Paul make sense on some issues. I’ll take Trump over Carson – he’s creepy.
Dog – didn’t want to put this on FB. Enjoy your manhattan. I’m envious. I still remember the wonderful taste and after affects. It used to be my favorite drink, until I overdid and spent 1 1/2 hours over the porcelain bathroom appliance and had to be carried down the stairs to the car..
Just another typical day at the office
The hawks should be happy – boots on the ground in Syria.
New thread – What Was He Thinking?