The timing of the Fast and Furious investigation may be cause for GOP concern.
The other night, on Sean Hannity’s Great American Panel, two respected political analysts, Democrat Joe Trippi and Fortune Magazine Washington Bureau Chief Nina Easton, warned that the Fast and Furious investigation might be hurting the GOP brand at the worst possible time. Their point is that American voters want their elected officials to focus on jobs and the economy, not what may be perceived in the hinterlands as hyper-partisan politics as usual.
Trippi: “Every minute we’re talking about {Eric Holder and the gun-running scandal} and not the economy, it’s bad for Mitt Romney.”
In a week that saw two ostensibly good things happen for President Obama, the SCOTUS rulings on Arizona’s SB1070 and the upholding of Obamacare’s individual mandate, I found myself worrying more about the event that was supposed to look bad for this administration—the Congressional contempt vote against Attorney General Holder.
Make no mistake; I’ve got no use for Holder. In my Renew America column “A Shark In The Water” I explain that though I always give any new president a chance even when I didn’t vote for him, it was Holder’s intent to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a Manhattan courthouse that first had me feeling that this administration had made like Fonzie from Happy Days and jumped the shark.
My concern about the Fast and Furious investigation is about timing. It was a horrible, misguided plan, nobody denies that, which cost the lives of scores of Mexicans and an American Border Patrol agent. You have to respect Hannity’s question to the panel regarding the message being sent by the U.S Representative Darryl Issa and the GOP on Holder, “So, do you just abandon your core principals?”
The only response I could formulate was, no, but you’ve got to prioritize your battles from the standpoint of timing. By invoking Executive Privilege in this matter the president has booted a third down field goal which probably ensures that no resolution will be forthcoming on Fast and Furious till after the election. Trippi and Easton suggest that any action by the GOP on this issue now will only contribute to the sense that what matters most to Congressional Republicans is a partisan gang tackle.
When complaining about how Barack Obama has been treated since winning the election Democrats routinely skip past the scathing treatment George W. Bush received, the constant ridicule, the unending calls for war crimes trials. That leftist abuse continues to this day, generally with the perpetual shelf life of the blame game and specifically with the former president’s head stuck on a stake in one of HBO’s made-for-cable programs.
Now, with a Democrat in office, Republicans are giving as good as they got. Turnabout is fair play, but I think it’s worth considering whether this largely partisan (some Democrats voted for contempt) attempt to take down an attorney general I agree has questionable priorities might garner enough politically fed-up Independent sympathy votes to make a difference in what most agree will one of the closest elections in history.
Americans want answers, they want solutions, and they want jobs. Yes, Fast and Furious needs to be thoroughly investigated. But as much as politically engaged right-leaning Beltway watchers may be enjoying Eric Holder’s latest twist in the wind, there is justifiable concern that the specter of scorched earth partisanship may actually help President Obama come fall.
AP Photo
AG Holder has been an embarrassment for far too long. At some point, someone with a little bit of backbone, and enough power, needs to say enough is enough. Few in Congress have either. A fair minded person must be able to discern that this gun running issue is only one of many obvious problems that permeate the Justice Dept. Obama’s attempt to shield Holder from his contempt further confirms that the fiber of this administration is simply unworthy of America’s respect or support. Good men don’t sit on the sidelines and cower when they see evil… even if it… Read more »
Lucas, the GMPM, to their credit, is reaching out and asking for diverse perspectives; I’m sure they’ll note your disapproval. Beyond that, maybe a good man sees something which might be a problem for his political party and weighs in.
Pursuit, lots of folks have abandoned adherence to the two-party paradigm. That’s a personal choice, not for me, I’m sticking with my team.
Liam, I checked out your link, but remain unconvinced there is no there here.
“My concern about the Fast and Furious investigation is about timing. It was a horrible, misguided plan, nobody denies that, which cost the lives of scores of Mexicans and an American Border Patrol agent.” Mark you should read Forbes’ rather lengthy expose on how the Fast and the Furious became a scandal in the first place. The Forbes reporter would not only deny that the Fast and the Furious was a horrible, misguided plan, but that it even occurred in the first place. http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/ I think, in hindsight, when the final autopsy’s are done, the Fast and the Furious scandal… Read more »
The Republican party is as dead as the old America. Both of them just don’t know it yet. The liberals are achieving just what they want…Europe West…And just before that happens the Democratic party will split. I wonder if they will hate each other as much as the current parties do.
Sorry – but what does this have to do with being a good man? The article is clearly partisan, ending with the idea that it would be a bad thing if the outcome of this investigation were to help President Obama this fall – don’t you think partisan articles on unrelated topics can only serve to pull this community apart? I recognize that there are a plurality of political viewpoints that visit the site regularly, and that’s probably a good thing – so why scare some of them off when the article isn’t even about how to be good or… Read more »