Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

You cannot shame the shameless.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

The words do not have to be perfect.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Hot air and ill-informed banter

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

You are here: Home / That Was Money Well Spent

That Was Money Well Spent

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Holy nothingburgers, batman:

Ending one of the longest, costliest and most bitterly partisan congressional investigations in history, the House Select Committee on Benghazi issued its final report on Tuesday, finding no new evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by Hillary Clinton in the 2012 attacks in Libya that left four Americans dead.

The 800-page report, however, included some new details about the night of the attacks, and the context in which it occurred, and it delivered a broad rebuke of government agencies like the Defense Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department — and the officials who led them — for failing to grasp the acute security risks in the Libyan city, and especially for maintaining outposts in Benghazi that they could not protect.

The committee, led by Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, also harshly criticized an internal State Department investigation that it said had allowed officials like Mrs. Clinton, then the secretary of state, to effectively choose who would investigate their actions. In addition, it reiterated Republicans’ complaints that the Obama administration had sought to thwart the investigation by withholding witnesses and evidence.

The report, however, did not dispute that United States military forces stationed in Europe could not have reached Benghazi in time to rescue the personnel who died — a central finding of previous inquiries.

Seven million well spent, you wankers.

Reader Interactions

207Comments

  2. 2.

    JPL

    The committee interviewed Gen Petraeus, but I can find little information about the CIA roll. The democratic report does say he testified that he was still uncertain of what exactly motivated the attackers to storm the diplomatic compound.
    Did I miss the discussion on CIA intelligence about the compound?

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    The RNC Has a Plan: Go After Clinton’s VP Pick
    by Nancy LeTourneau
    June 28, 2016 8:59 AM

    As we watch the fissures within the Republican Party deepen with the candidacy of Donald Trump, Sam Stein reports that the RNC has a plan for the presidential race. It basically comes down to that old schoolyard taunt of saying, “yeah I’m one, but so are you!” In other words, they’ll pretend that the Democratic Party is as ruptured as they are. How quaint is it that they’ve named this effort “Project Pander?”

    In a detailed memo outlining its strategy to combat Clinton’s VP choice, the committee says it will frame the selection as both a cynical play to certain constituencies and as an emotional letdown for voters who backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the Democratic primary.

    The goals, the memo says, are to “drive wedges between these top contenders and either Clinton and/or traditional Democrat constituencies, such as labor, environmentalists, and gun control advocates, and other traditional left-wing constituencies;” and “[w]here applicable, frame the choice as an insult to the large, deep base of Bernie Sanders supporters who are struggling with the notion of supporting Hillary Clinton as the presumptive Democrat nominee.”

    Here’s how it plays out: no matter who Hillary Clinton picks as her running mate, the RNC plans to cast them as an “emotional letdown” to voters who supported Sanders. Apparently they’ve already done their opposition research on the top six contenders. For example:

  4. 4.

    Amir Khalid

    And the whole business only wound up making Hillary look all the more like a President. The joke then was that Bernie Sanders would demand that Trey Gowdy’s committee call him to testify for 11 hours ,so Bernie could have equal time.

  5. 5.

    MattF

    So, it was a scam. And Republicans wonder why their base turned out to be so vulnerable to Trump’s con games. They were carefully taught.

  6. 6.

    Hurling Dervish

    Wait – does this mean Hillary’s not going to be indicted? So now Bernie can never be President?

    (Dejectedly but respectfully folds his Bernie sign and puts it in the blue recycling bin)

  7. 7.

    Hal

    for failing to grasp the acute security risks in the Libyan city, and especially for maintaining outposts in Benghazi that they could not protect.

    So what about every other attack on every other embassy or military base before Benghazi? And how much did all of this cost?

  8. 8.

    Corner Stone

    @Hurling Dervish:

    (Dejectedly but respectfully folds his Bernie sign and puts it in the blue recycling bin)

    Avast there! Avast, I say! We’ve still got the email servers. Don’t lose hope, don’t break faith with the bern!

  10. 10.

    geg6

    This is why they are putting it out this week. In the hope that everyone will forget about the whole thing over the Independence Day weekend.

    Fucking assholes.

  11. 11.

    JenJen

    Meanwhile, over in the news comments sections about the “new” report, the 101st Chairborne are frantically googling flight speeds and distances from Rota, Spain to Benghazi and concluding that there is no reason why the Marines couldn’t have made it on time. It’s Simple Math!! It’s Simple Math!! they are howling.

    It’s just… well… it’s…. I want to punch things.

  12. 12.

    Corner Stone

    I can’t quite place it but Trey Gowdy has some kind of odd whine element to his speaking voice. It breaks in the weirdest places from deep to a high nasal whine. Almost like a quivering, then back to deep. Not a good look for him.

  13. 13.

    bemused

    Just another example that Republicans including the voters don’t really give a rat’s ass how much taxpayer money is blown on Republican priorities. $7 million and crickets from our rightwing neighbors.

    Same goes for Paul Ryan’s tax plan and decades of Republican tax plans which increase debt when they refuse to raise revenue. Debt and foolish spending is always blamed on Dems.

  17. 17.

    catclub

    @Hal:

    So what about every other attack on every other embassy or military base before Benghazi? And how much did all of this cost?

    The Congress had recently turned down the Dept of State’s requests for more funds for security upgrades.

  20. 20.

    Elizabelle

    I realize this looks ridiculous to us, but that was a very inexpensive seven million dollars of taxpayer expenditure to shore up the wingnut base. They will never believe the thing was a sham, and the joke is a bit on us.

    I hope we can make 2016 a Democratic wave election. We have to.

  21. 21.

    DJT

    The buzz about Benghazi alone will cost Hillary points in the polls.

    You misunderstand the point of Hillary scandals. The point is not actual content. The point is to gin up enough fear, uncertainty, and doubt that she loses points in the polls. People tend to think “where there’s smoke, there’s fire”.

    BTW, Trump is quietly reorganizing his team and refocusing for the general. Quietly, but effectively. He’ll soon be rising–and will continue to rise for quite a while.

    Ramp up the white vote in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania to the margins you see in the Deep South and the GOP has an electoral lock motherfuckers!

  22. 22.

    germy

    Nobody on the right is convinced by the findings. They’ll say “Obama’s state department fixed it” or “the democraps are covering up evidence.”

    The whole point of these witch hunts is to throw mud on the democratic candidate.

  23. 23.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    Where have you gone Ken Starr, a party turns its lonely eyes to you…

    That guy would have dug up something, however unrelated to the actual investigation.

  26. 26.

    dmsilev

    @Bill E Pilgrim: Last seen having been forced to resign from his college Presidency due to looking the other way in sexual assault …issues involving the football team.

  28. 28.

    Amir Khalid

    @DJT:
    Yes, he has finally appointed a national communications director — that is, he hired Ted Cruz’s. How long, I wonder, before that person quits out of frustration over Trump ignoring their professional advice?

  32. 32.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @dmsilev: I know, it was a rhetorical question. Or er, lyric paraphrase.

    Starr’s recent history was the most satisfying evidence yet that I’m wrong in not believing in cosmic retribution.

  35. 35.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @germy:

    Is Cole aware?

    You mean in the sense of sentient?

    I suspected him of being a bot from time to time mainly just because some of those tripping and falling stories were too funny to be true.

  36. 36.

    tinare

    But, but, GMA lead with this story this morning all serious and big news and saying that the report found that Benghazi was hotbed of terrorist activity and the President and Secretary of State Clinton knew that there was not adequate security at the consulate.

    Of course, no mention of the effect of budget cuts on consulate security or anything. Nor how many hearings and how long and drawn out this was, or why one, admittedly, tragic instance was subject to this much scrutiny, ’cause it couldn’t be politically motivated or anything, could it? I mean could something have been done better, sure. But I don’t remember this much hand wringing over the response by the government to Katrina and many more Americans died in New Orleans than Benghazi, that is if we want to talk about administrative failures or whatnot.

    But, yes, I was throwing things at my TV this morning, thanks for asking.

  39. 39.

    Cermet

    @DJT: LOL; right! Hiring a single person (who hated him and mocked him these last three months) for a petty communications director is hardly a “big” revamp. Sorry, try again next week after the Rump blows more gas from out of his mouth making Hillary look even more Presidential. Also, he still isn’t raising money so exactly how does he get results? And the time is running on the clock …tic …tic…tic as more people realize that the Benghazi was a non-issue and the email so-called scandal is nothing … tic…tic…tic

  43. 43.

    Amir Khalid

    @Cermet:
    I would only worry about Trump’s new comms directr if they started doing sensible things, like firing that weirdo Katrina Pierson.

  44. 44.

    Chyron HR

    @DJT:

    Keep on “misunderestimating” another Bush…but the gloves are coming off. The Super PAC is setting up nicely for a utter smashing of Trump the likes of which has never been seen before. RTR has been nothing but positive, but that’s about to change.

    Mike Murphy has been real patient so far before going negative, but when he gives the green light next week, get ready: it’s HAMMER TIME.

    We’re terrified, really.

  45. 45.

    Corner Stone

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    I suspected him of being a bot from time to time mainly just because some of those tripping and falling stories were too funny to be true.

    I have long held that this entire site is nothing but a psychology experiment put on by Dr. DougJ. One day his memoirs will be published, the maths demand it!

  46. 46.

    gvg

    Where there is smoke, their are liars, conspiracy theorists, marks and ……journalists. partisan agents and projection. What a load of nonsense. Anybody ever think what happens when your fire alarm goes off all the time for false alarms? If we ever have a real scandal again, will we notice?

  47. 47.

    germy

    Holy nothingburgers, batman

    So this whole thing was a Wish Sandwich? Where you get two slices of bread and wish you’d gotten an indictment?

  51. 51.

    Jeffro

    @Hal:

    So what about every other attack on every other embassy or military base before Benghazi?

    Speaking of which…I don’t remember if he made it or simply retweeted it, but Bob Schooley had this great bar graph up on Twitter showing how many congressional committees/investigations were created to look into the following

    1998 Embassy bombing: 0
    Oklahoma City bombing: 0
    Boston Marathon bombing: 1
    September 11th: 2 (!)
    USS Cole: 2
    Khobar Towers bombing: 2
    Benghazi: 8

    8! 8 separate investigations. Diddly/squat.

  52. 52.

    chopper

    as we expected, the whole thing is a load of shit.

    or “Gowdy Doody” if you wish.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    All that flop sweat for nothing.

    Way to go Trey “Draco Malfoy” Gowdy.

  55. 55.

    Mnemosyne

    ATTENTION FRONT PAGERS: the banned troll is back under a new nym (DJT). Kindly to squash again, please.

  56. 56.

    chopper

    @DJT:

    Trump has proven that money is overrated

    LOL, you got that right. have you seen that guy recently?

  57. 57.

    germy

    Gowdy’s barber was called to give testimony: “I did what he told me! Short on the sides, a little off the top, and tapered!”

  58. 58.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @DJT: The delusions continue from they guy who told us all about UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH.

  59. 59.

    Cermet

    @DJT: In this you are correct but not as you think – the Rump overrated his own money (his utter fear to release his tax returns proves this) and has, at best, two or three hundred million if he cashed in all his assets. What a joke, liar and stupid fucker. So very glad he is the thug running against Hillary.

    I’d be more afraid of another bush rather then the rump. So very glad he was talked into it (Bill Clinton really knew what he was doing! Damn!!)

  62. 62.

    catclub

    @Cermet:

    Also, he still isn’t raising money so exactly how does he get results?

    They have SAID Trump has raised $11M in about 3 days. Why do I not believe them?

  63. 63.

    Corner Stone

    Ok, Luke Russert. We get it. The Benghazi committee “discovered” HRC’s “private email server”.

  65. 65.

    Cermet

    Sorry people but a troll that isn’t saying really nasty stuff does not deserve to be banned. Exactly what are we, an echo chamber? Hell, I am saying far nastier things about Trump … at least so far.

  67. 67.

    jl

    i will claim this is not off-topic since it can carry the ‘anti-clown shoes’ tag. I watched some youtube clips of Hillary Clinton and Warren’s campaign appearance. They do very well together. I actually liked HRC schtick when she spoke this time, which was a pleasant change.

    I got no idea if Warren would be best VP pick, but they sure campaign well together. Regardless of Warren’s role, I hope they make a lot of campaign appearances together.

    Then I made the mistake of clicking on a news report, and watched Andrea Mitchell report on the Hillz/Lizzie show with some concern and disdain on her face, and then glowingly and triumphantly (edit: and I thought quite smugly) announce at the end that Tim Kaine was the most likely VP nominee. No object went through the computer screen, and I was surprised my self-discipline.

  68. 68.

    Chyron HR

    @Cermet:

    Sorry people but a troll that changes his name and IP address after being banned for saying really nasty stuff should be allowed to resume posting.

    Interesting point of view, but apparently the guy moderating the site disagrees.

  69. 69.

    Bleeble Blabble

    @Corner Stone: yep, just like Columbus “discovered” America. I bet the (non State Dept.) people who emailed Clinton directly on that server were surprised to find out that they new nothing about the server until Sherlock Gowdy and his crack crew got on the case.

  73. 73.

    MattF

    @catclub:

    They have SAID Trump has raised $11M in about 3 days. Why do I not believe them?

    It’s the burden of having a functioning cerebral cortex.

  75. 75.

    Mnemosyne

    @Cermet:

    A troll who has been repeatedly banned for saying racist and transphobic shit doesn’t deserve to be banned when he uses technology to overcome that ban?

    Sorry, but this troll is far past the point of being given the benefit of the doubt that maybe this time he won’t say racist shit even though he’s done it multiple times before. If you want to read racist and transphobic shit lest you end up in a bubble, go to Red State.

    ETA: And to be 100 percent clear, he didn’t get banned for supporting Republicans. He got banned for saying racist and transphobic shit, and he shows absolutely no signs of not doing it again.

  76. 76.

    jl

    And a small correction to Cole’s post. From summary of GOP House report I heard on the news, it did claim to have conclusively determined that Hillary Clinton is The Devil and did something horrid and bad, whatever it was.

  78. 78.

    Corner Stone

    @jl:

    From summary of GOP House report I heard on the news, it did claim to have conclusively determined that Hillary Clinton is The Devil

    It’s much worse than that. This finding states there is new evidence. But, Gowdy just reports the facts and will let Americans make up their own opinion.
    That spells certain doom for HRC. Can you freakin’ imagine suggesting the average American take “facts” from the final report and “make up their own minds” ?
    The horror. The horror.

  79. 79.

    dmsilev

    @Cermet: This one has a history of saying really nasty things. It tends to be stupid-but-amusing for a while, and then forgets itself and goes hard racist or whatever, gets banned for that. Wait a few days, and it pops up again with a new name and presumably a new IP address.

  80. 80.

    germy

    In a sign that Mr. Gowdy was also facing pressure from the right, two of the committee’s conservative members, Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mike Pompeo of Kansas, wrote a 48-page addendum including somewhat harsher criticism of the Obama administration, its response to the attacks and its subsequent public explanations.

  81. 81.

    Corner Stone

    @Cermet: I’m not a big fan of banning someone just because they are annoying. If people here can’t help themselves then the thread gets what it deserves. If something happens to raise the ire of a front pager then that’s something to consider. This specific commenter has said something on multiple occasions that have put Adam S. in a position where he felt like it needed to happen. Seemingly over and over again.
    WTS, I almost can’t help myself when he uses the term “quietly” more than once in a comment or thread. I fucking love that! I can’t help myself from loving that! I have to love that!
    Don’t judge me.

  85. 85.

    GregB

    Trump’s newest hire coined the phrase that every card carrying anti-Trumpist should repeat often.

    Sleazy Trump.

  86. 86.

    Trollhattan

    @JenJen:
    If only President Horndog had approved the SuperDuperSuperSonic Troop Transporter Jet the Marines had requested, they’d have made it there before anything had even happened. Culpable Clintons! [ ™ because I’m cashing in on this one]

  88. 88.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Cermet:

    Sorry people but a troll that isn’t saying really nasty stuff does not deserve to be banned. Exactly what are we, an echo chamber? Hell, I am saying far nastier things about Trump … at least so far.

    He’s said really nasty stuff in the past (sexist/racist/transphobic), and been banned repeatedly for it; he’s back only because he’s using a different sockpuppet identity, and I don’t think we should reward him for that.

  90. 90.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Corner Stone: Luke Russert is proof positive that in the US, ‘meritocracy’ is fully a function of what uterus you fell out of.

  91. 91.

    Elizabelle

    @AliceBlue:

    [Gowdy] looks like a character from Deliverance who asked a plastic surgeon to make him look like Anderson Cooper.

    That is too good.

  95. 95.

    Trollhattan

    @Corner Stone:
    It’s a wonder Gowdy is willing to let himself be seen in public after Hillary ripped off his arm and beat him over the head with it simply through enduring their frat party of a hearing. Self-awareness, he haz it not.

  97. 97.

    NotMax

    @Matt McIrvin

    Doesn’t quite have the feel of RtR. More like Reggie M.

    The former repeatedly exposed a vile nature in a myriad of ways, but tossing out epithets wasn’t its style.

  98. 98.

    Mike R

    Poor Luke Russert he is too dense and unaware to realize he is a legacy hire and an idiot.

  105. 105.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    Memo to fingers:

    Please attempt listening to brain while typing.

    Ought to read: but tossing out expletives wasn’t its style.

  106. 106.

    Felonius Monk

    @Corner Stone:

    Please don’t, Nina.

    She’s starting to sound like a rabid dog — I didn’t think she was ever coming up for air. Too bad, she would be a useful ally, but I think her Berniemania is going to keep her on the sidelines.

  107. 107.

    James E Powell

    @dmsilev:

    Last seen having been forced to resign from his college Presidency due to looking the other way in sexual assault …issues involving the football team.

    RW version – “Hounded out of office by a lynch-mob of PC libtards!”

  108. 108.

    Patrick Thompson

    Somebody check on H. A. Goodman. After this I worry he may hurt himself.

  109. 109.

    NotMax

    Trump to British Parliament: “Send money!”

    In-freakin ‘-credible. Not to mention illicit.

    From the FEC web site:

    Foreign nationals are prohibited from making any contributions or expenditures in connection with any election in the U.S. Please note, however, that “green card” holders (i.e., individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.) are not considered foreign nationals and, as a result, may contribute.

  111. 111.

    Corner Stone

    Uh-oh. I am not seeing a teleprompter for this Trump speech. Are they really well hidden?

  112. 112.

    MattF

    @NotMax: I’m guessing that Donald bought contributor email lists from some right-wing scammer. It’s a cruel world.

  113. 113.

    Emma

    @NotMax: I just posted a quick something about it in the story below. I don’t think there’s such a thing as peak Trump. This will get more and more absurd until November.

  114. 114.

    Corner Stone

    Trump is an exceptionally poor orator and speech giver. It may be unprecedented in my lifetime.
    And this crowd is just not into him so far.

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    He must be reading from a teleprompter script because of the off way he is breathing. Every few sentences he sucks in air through his nose. That’s the teleprompter pattern.

  116. 116.

    Poopyman

    @Emma: No it won’t. He won’t be the nominee in November, and quite possibly because of violations of campaign laws. I’m pretty sure the RNC will grasp any excuse, even credible ones!

  120. 120.

    Corner Stone

    @MattF: It’s obvious. He sucks in air at the prompter paragraph break, then he ad-libs, then he continues.
    He’s in bad shape physically, and he is dying in front of this crowd.

  121. 121.

    hueyplong

    @Mnemosyne:

    Not sure this is fair. You can’t “support Republicans” without going racist, misogynist and gay-hating, so RTR faces a conundrum when posting on a left-leaning site protected at times by a ban hammer.

    And with that I move to withdraw as rtr’s board-appointed counsel.

  124. 124.

    catclub

    EU’s most widely use language, English, endangered by Brexit.

    I guess if Scotland stays in they could use some brogue.

  131. 131.

    Corner Stone

    He’s reciting dates and numbers so he is obviously using a prompter. Am going to look for prepared remarks after this. He is clearly ad-libbing every third sentence.

  133. 133.

    PaulWartenberg2016

    And I’ve still got people on my Facebook feed crowing about Benghazi Benghazi Benghazi.

    And that Hillary and Obama are criminals and traitors for letting 4 people die.

    /headdesk

  134. 134.

    Chyron HR

    @Corner Stone:

    Trump is an exceptionally poor orator and speech giver.

    But he’s a bigly huge tweeter and hashtag composer. SCARED YET LIBS?!

  136. 136.

    piratedan

    just clicked over at msn.com the headline, no new evidence of Clinton Wongdoing from the Benghazi report… gee, was they any evidence of any wrong doing? the headline implies that she was already busted for something…

  137. 137.

    Chris

    @JPL:

    The committee interviewed Gen Petraeus, but I can find little information about the CIA roll.

    I think that was the point. The fact that the CIA was involved guaranteed that some things would remain classified forever, which meant the Repubs could always find a reason to say “we’re not being told the whole truth! What are they hiding?”

  140. 140.

    Cat48

    Really bad day for msnbc, Bernie intv & Benghazi. Made my head throb. I blame Bernie Corbyn.

  141. 141.

    Corner Stone

    They are not showing the size of the crowd but when he hits an applause line it sounds like maybe 2 or 3 hundred people clapping unenthusiastically.
    This is something the pundits will cream about but his putative supporters hate. They don’t want this canned shit. They want spectacle, circus, off the cuff crazy shit.

  142. 142.

    Corner Stone

    @Omnes Omnibus: I have no idea who agreed to let him give this speech in front of recycled trash cans but that’s where he is. What optics.
    And he is bombing with this crowd. It’s pathetic.

  143. 143.

    Chris

    @rikyrah:

    In other words, they’ll pretend that the Democratic Party is as ruptured as they are.

    Makes sense. The media is already doing everything for them – in the name of the horse race narrative, the entire primary season has been covered as a generic “anti establishment backlash,” holding up Sanders and Trump as equivalent and ignoring the fact that while Trump managed to obliterate the GOP establishment’s candidates and Sanders never came close to doing the same to the Democratic equivalent. All they need to do now is lean into the narrative.

  146. 146.

    Corner Stone

    I think Trump is on meds, or out of oxygen. He’s slurring his punch sound bytes.

  150. 150.

    Corner Stone

    Trump has no idea what the WTO is or how it works.
    This is insane.

    He just cited actual trade laws from 1972 and 1962. Who thinks his voters want to hear this?
    This is specifics, not indiscriminate hate.
    They are hating this in PA.

  151. 151.

    NotMax

    @NotMax

    Stupid fingers. (No edit function.)

    Perhaps the crowd is having difficulty differentiating which pile of trash is Donald.

  152. 152.

    Corner Stone

    Who could listen to this man and possibly entertain the mere idea of voting for him? GWB, at his height was 1/10th as bad as this level of stupidity and just plain nonsense.

  153. 153.

    catclub

    @germy:

    He’s complaining about low wages right now.

    I don’t blame him. You would have to pay me a LOT to give talk from inside a trash compacter.

  154. 154.

    scav

    Do they notice that all the American Steel …… and American Aluminum … and American Workers ……. are being used on American Infrastructure (!!) / Backbone and American Jobs will have to be paid for somehow, Is Mexico going to pay for the bridges as well as the wall? Must be like military money, it appears off-budget. And from out of nowhere.

  155. 155.

    NotMax

    @Corner Stone

    Next up, citing the Chinese Exclusion Act as keeping “them godless commies” out?

    ;)

    Actually, wouldn’t put even something that egregiously erroneous past him.

  156. 156.

    germy

    There was division even among the panel’s seven Republicans. Two of them, Mike Pompeo of Kansas and Jim Jordan of Ohio, wrote what amounts to a dissenting report that is far more scathing toward Clinton and Democrats generally.

    Pompeo called Clinton’s actions in the wake of the attacks “morally reprehensible,” and he and Jordan said her public comments about the attacks differed sharply from her private assessments to members of her family and diplomats from other countries.

    Gowdy said he was not prepared to pass judgment on Clinton and said that opinions about her do not appear in the panel’s report.

    “This is not about one person,” he said.

  158. 158.

    germy

    @Corner Stone:

    Who could listen to this man and possibly entertain the mere idea of voting for him?

    He’s got the “suck it, libtards!” vote sewn up. They’re almost half the country, sadly.

  159. 159.

    germy

    @catclub:

    I don’t blame him. You would have to pay me a LOT to give talk from inside a trash compacter.

    the acoustics are lousy. And the smell? Even worse.

  160. 160.

    Miss Bianca

    @germy: wait, what? Trump’s complaining about low wages? Isnt this the guy who stiffs all his contractors?

  161. 161.

    Corner Stone

    MSNBC is showing the back end to front end view. There may have been 500 people there, total. I would say less than that.

  163. 163.

    germy

    @Miss Bianca: This is why I suspect the pendulum is swinging back to the left… because even RW assholes are using progressive rhetoric. Complaining about elites, complaining about low wages. Of course they have no intention of doing anything about it, but their audience is hearing those words…

  165. 165.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Corner Stone: He’s really stuck between a rock and a hard place–the only way he can avoid saying something completely outrageous is by reading a ‘prompter speech that puts him completely out of his element and ill at ease. But the pundits do give him faint praise for sounding almost normal.

  168. 168.

    Poopyman

    @germy:

    @catclub:

    I don’t blame him. You would have to pay me a LOT to give talk from inside a trash compacter.

    the acoustics are lousy. And the smell? Even worse.

    At least it’ll smell better once he leaves.

  169. 169.

    Chris

    @Matt McIrvin:

    But the pundits do give him faint praise for sounding almost normal.

    If he were a Democrat, it’d be “wooden,” “monotone,” “insincere,” “inauthentic.”

  170. 170.

    Paul in KY

    @Villago Delenda Est: I think Draco actually got a few things done. Found out location of secret room where the training was going on, etc.

    I’m no Draco lover, but he deserves better to be lumped in with ‘Trey’ Freaking Gouty.

  171. 171.

    hovercraft

    I did not know the GOP had a Nate

    The G.O.P.’s Nate Silver Predicts a 2016 Death Match

    Renowned pollster Frank Luntz explains the Trump phenomenon, reflects on a cycle marred by inaccurate polling, and warns of a general election that makes U.F.C. look tame.
    by Tina Nguyen,

    |June 28, 2016 5:30 am

    From Vanity Fair

  172. 172.

    Paul in KY

    @Cermet: Agree. This pipsqueak doesn’t merit being banned.

    Edit: Not sure this guy (cause these losers are almost always guys) is the same person mnemo commented on above.

  173. 173.

    J R in WV

    The “Scarlet Scumbag with Attached Hair” has reached his peak, and will decline from here on out. I suspect the illegal campaign fund-raising emails to British MPs was intentional, an excuse for the Republican PTBs to free the delegates to nominate someone – anyone – else. Trump is about finished with this project, it isn’t fun anymore.

    When MSNBC is trolling Clinton’s lead increases to 8 points, you know Trump is Done. Whether Donald knows it yet or not.

  175. 175.

    Cacti

    Days taken by the Rogers Commission to issue a report on the space shuttle Challenger disaster: 129

    Days taken by the Trey Gowdy Select Committee to issue a report on the Benghazi attacks: 788

  176. 176.

    The Other Chuck

    @Cermet: This is a place that doesn’t tolerate assholes whose sole unwavering purpose is to annoy other participants and erode their desire to post anything on threads. That’s the ultimate goal: ruin this site.

    Add to the fact that RtR does escalate its rhetoric to bannable-on-sight behavior when it’s not having the desired effect, and is now evading bans, and I’m not only for banning the troll, but widening the ban to place all its IP ranges into auto-moderation by default. I’ll even write the goddam WP plugin to do it if necessary.

  177. 177.

    Eric U.

    yeah, but Nixon was hounded from office for nothing more than a second rate burglary, so it’s perfectly fair

  178. 178.

    The Other Chuck

    @Paul in KY: Eh, whoever replaces the putrescent shitgibbon will inherit a fundraising apparatus that is now worse than nothing: donors are loath to throw good money after bad after all. And it’s not like the poo-flinging howler monkeys who currently back the pusillanimous jizztrumpet will go away quietly rather than burn the place to the ground.

  179. 179.

    Suzanne

    @Corner Stone: I seriously don’t get how anyone looks at Chump and sees someone worth voting for, with Dubya, I could see the appeal. I wasn’t fooled by it, but he did a good job trying to come off as a cheerful, down-to-earth guy. Rump is just the worst. Ugly and belligerent and gross. I cannot see the appeal.

  181. 181.

    Suzanne

    @Paul in KY: Spawn the Elder tells me that there is a significant number of HP fans who ship Harry and Draco. They call it “Drary”. She thinks that Draco is good at heart, but misunderstood, and that it took him time to throw off the racism and classism of his upbringing.

    I think he’s a total dick, but whatever.

  182. 182.

    The Other Chuck

    @hovercraft:

    Renowned pollster Frank Luntz

    Luntz is, or was, a grand master sculptor of bullshit, but I’m not aware he’s any kind of expert in statistics or large-scale polling methodology outside of focus groups. I guess when a party is comprised of those who detest science and the very idea of reason itself, the few intellectuals they have in their “deep bench” have to wear several hats, qualifications or no.

  183. 183.

    dogwood

    @The Other Chuck:
    You mean this is a place that doesn’t tolerate right wing assholes whose sole purpose is to take over threads and discourage people from commenting. Last night I had someone respond to me in a manner I found vulgar and uncalled for. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else, and I left the thread. He was a liberal so it was all good. I accept that’s how it works around here, but I’m not going to claim that there isn’t a double standard.

  184. 184.

    The Other Chuck

    @dogwood: The Berniebros are a temporary phenomenon. Shitstains like RtR have been around here since Cole made his left turn. If this place didn’t tolerate assholes, this place would be a ghost town. The trick is to not make one’s brand of assholery a household name.

  185. 185.

    hovercraft

    @The Other Chuck:
    Oh it gets worse, the first line of the piece begins “Frank Luntz pollster extraordinaire”, the author does basically call him a wordsmith, and lets him get away with lamenting how our public discourse has been degraded. It’s a fluff piece about one of the great thinkers on that side. Like you said that tells you the state of their party.

  186. 186.

    J R in WV

    And regarding the attack on our consulate in Libya, how many attacks on American consulates and embassies were there between 2000 and 2008? And how many were there between 2008 and today? How many diplomats were killed between 2000-2008 and between 2008 and today?

    I believe the answers to these simple questions would make the House Committee look pretty stupid for not including these details in their report…

    Lessee, Google fu, I am the computer…

    Bush administration appears to have had 9 attacks with fatalities, mostly of security forces of the nation where the diplomatic outpost was located, and three with no fatalities.

    Obama administration seems to have had 6 attacks with casualties, but for two of those attacks, the only casualties were attackers, so in my book, only 4 attack that count.

    Hmmm, looks like the Republicans didn’t manage our diplomatic outposts as well as the Democrats have, so far. Granted, there are many ways to slice and dice this set of data (courtesy Wikipedia).

    Why isn’t this information in the House Special Committee report?

  187. 187.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Suzanne: That’s true. There’s a good YA novel by Rainbow Rowell called “Fangirl” which is about a fanfic writer producing what is plainly Draco/Harry romance, though Rowell uses different names. I used to write Tolkien fanfic and Rowell is on the nose about a lot of what that experience is like.

  188. 188.

    Mnemosyne

    @dogwood:

    One of the quirks of this place is that commenters can pretty much fight among themselves as long as certain trigger words (like the ones that start with N and C) don’t get thrown around. I did get banhammered once for calling someone “a raging dry drunk.”

    IIRC, RtR’s original bannable crime was linking to stories on racist websites, so the threshold is lower than usual for him.

    I’ve also noticed some old-timers coming back like TZ, and I think that’s who you ran afoul of? He was being pretty dickish not only to you but to a couple of other people as well.

  189. 189.

    Mnemosyne

    @hovercraft:

    Though I like to think it gave Luntz a bit of a twinge to be compared to someone 30 years younger. Luntz invented push polling, so where’s the fucking respect, amirite?!?

  190. 190.

    Emma

    @Suzanne: Probably the biggest ship and with some actually good writers. My favorite HP writer is A.J. Hall, and her stuff is actually Draco/Neville, and hysterically funny. Someday if I go back to school for that Masters in Liberal Studies (meaning whatever the hell I want to look into) fanfiction has a top place on the list.

  191. 191.

    The Other Chuck

    @Mnemosyne: I’m fairly sure push polling is as old as political polling itself. Luntz can be credited with refining it for the modern age though.

    ISTR a “human interest” piece on Luntz once, hilighting the life of a materially successful but very isolated and lonely man. I can’t help but wonder if he would be one of the good guys if he just felt more loved.

  192. 192.

    dogwood

    @The Other Chuck:
    I have no idea if he is or isn’t a Berniebro, but the exchange had nothing to do with Sanders. As I said, I’m a big girl and I know how bullies get the last word. What I won’t acquiesce to is the idea that it is some temporary thing brought on by the Sanders campaign. Sanders didn’t create these aggressive guys, they’ve been around forever.

  193. 193.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    I’ve also noticed some old-timers coming back like TZ, and I think that’s who you ran afoul of? He was being pretty dickish not only to you but to a couple of other people as well.

    @Mnemosyne: It’s what he does. I was surprised, figured he was dead as he hasn’t been here in a year or so at least.

  194. 194.

    Mnemosyne

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Speaking of YA, G read “Goodbye Stranger” for his book group and now he wants me to read it, too. He liked it, but he’s not sure how idealized it is since he was never a girl.

  196. 196.

    Mnemosyne

    @dogwood:

    Sometimes assholes are just assholes. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s best to just disengage and ignore.

  198. 198.

    Mnemosyne

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    One of the people in his book group is a huge YA fan, so usually around the 5th or 6th book they read is YA. As with any genre, he likes some of them and dislikes others.

  200. 200.

    catclub

    @Suzanne:

    Rump is just the worst. Ugly and belligerent and gross. I cannot see the appeal.

    These are people that think Rush Limbaugh is an attractive human being.

  202. 202.

    geg6

    @Corner Stone:

    Seriously??? Did they bus in the white people? Because that is not even close to a majority white community. It’s certainly a depressed old steel town, but it’s not a white area. At all. Now, out in the boondocks around it….

  203. 203.

    debbie

    @Hal:

    I wish there was a way to figure out the Congressional hearings cost per victim for Benghazi compared to the same for the victims of 9/11. You, the event caused by Bush’s negligence and inattention?

    (Can’t figure out a better way to word that).

  205. 205.

    Paul in KY

    @The Other Chuck: A more ‘normal’ candidate, though, will probably be able to ginn the ‘normal’ fund raising apparatus back up. Will have lost some months, of course, but will have the people in place that know how to actually run a campaign (I assume & fear).

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