The Great GOP Benghazi Bungle
After suffering one of the worst summers in the history of presidential races, Hillary Clinton just wrapped up one of the best weeks in the history of presidential races. Thanks to the House Benghazi Committee.
Last week she won the Democratic debate. Then Joe Biden decided he couldn’t beat her. Then she did something John Boehner and Kevin McCarthy couldn’t do: stand up to the bully-boys in the House Republican caucus.
No doubt the committee Republicans and Fox News will try to gin up something to salvage Thursday’s 11-hour marathon. But the Republicans lost the TV drama – badly. They apparently forgot about the cameras and thought they were in a courtroom. Though they would have lost in a courtroom, too.
They forgot the most fundamental lesson of political TV going all the way back to the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954: cool, calm and in command beats hot, rude and angry every time. (Greenfield’s Law: Bugs Bunny always beats Daffy Duck.)
The Republicans on the committee forgot that women – and men too – don’t like to see puffed-up men hectoring, interrupting and mansplaining to women.
They forgot that more people would be watching during prime time, when the hearing focused on the very issue that gave Bernie Sanders his best debate moment: “Enough with the damn emails!” One of the frat boys angrily demanded that Hillary tell him – right now! – “what were the search terms?”
“Search terms”? Seriously?
Worst of all, the committee forgot to watch the Democratic debate. They would have learned that Hillary Clinton is good at this. A lot better than they are.
The most telling moment came after the hearing was over (mercifully for the Republicans). A reporter asked Chairman Trey (Howdy Doody) Gowdy a lethally short and simple question: What did you learn new? His face shiny with sweat, Gowdy shifted uncomfortably and finally ventured, “Uh….we’ll have to look at the transcript.”
Game, set and match, Hillary.
The Great GOP Benghazi Bungle
After suffering one of the worst summers in the history of presidential races, Hillary Clinton just wrapped up one of the best weeks in the history of presidential races. Thanks to the House Benghazi Committee.
Last week she won the Democratic debate. Then Joe Biden decided he couldn’t beat her. Then she did something John Boehner and Kevin McCarthy couldn’t do: stand up to the bully-boys in the House Republican caucus.
No doubt the committee Republicans and Fox News will try to gin up something to salvage Thursday’s 11-hour marathon. But the Republicans lost the TV drama – badly. They apparently forgot about the cameras and thought they were in a courtroom. Though they would have lost in a courtroom, too.
They forgot the most fundamental lesson of political TV going all the way back to the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954: cool, calm and in command beats hot, rude and angry every time. (Greenfield’s Law: Bugs Bunny always beats Daffy Duck.)
The Republicans on the committee forgot that women – and men too – don’t like to see puffed-up men hectoring, interrupting and mansplaining to women.
They forgot that more people would be watching during prime time, when the hearing focused on the very issue that gave Bernie Sanders his best debate moment: “Enough with the damn emails!” One of the frat boys angrily demanded that Hillary tell him – right now! – “what were the search terms?”
“Search terms”? Seriously?
Worst of all, the committee forgot to watch the Democratic debate. They would have learned that Hillary Clinton is good at this. A lot better than they are.
The most telling moment came after the hearing was over (mercifully for the Republicans). A reporter asked Chairman Trey (Howdy Doody) Gowdy a lethally short and simple question: What did you learn new? His face shiny with sweat, Gowdy shifted uncomfortably and finally ventured, “Uh….we’ll have to look at the transcript.”
Game, set and match, Hillary.