Republicans Admit Their Failure on Obamacare Hope to Distract Voters With Benghazi

Republicans are openly admitting that they have given up on bashing Obamacare, and are now trying to distract voters with Benghazi.

Buried in a AP story about the Republican pivot away from Obamacare are these nuggets:

Several GOP political strategists said revived inquiries into Benghazi and the IRS will probably do their party more good than harm, provided their lawmakers appear more professional than partisan.

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Undecided voters might not get excited about GOP accusations regarding the IRS and Benghazi, said Dan Schnur, a former Republican consultant who teaches political science at the University of Southern California. But given the administration’s questionable behavior in both areas, he said, “They certainly don’t line up on the other side.”

GOP strategist Terry Holt agrees. The Benghazi assault, he said, was “the phone call Hillary Clinton warned us about in 2008 when she was running against Obama. They both blew it.”

Republicans never learn. Manufactured scandals such as the IRS and Benghazi don’t work. Most people can smell the bull coming a mile away. The fact that Republicans can’t explain what exactly the scandal is in the Benghazi scandal has led the media, and the vast majority of people, to ignore it. The basis for the Republican Benghazi and the IRS allegations is their belief in a White House cover-up.

The right is fond of comparing Benghazi to Watergate, but the problem with this comparison is that the Watergate break-in took place in June 1972. By July 1973, evidence of wrongdoing was growing, and Nixon resigned in August 1974. Benghazi happened in September 2012, and despite seven previous investigations, there is no evidence that the White House did anything wrong.

There is no similarity between Watergate and Benghazi. Watergate was a real scandal. Benghazi is a cooked up sideshow that exists for partisan political gain. If Republicans don’t think that their refusal to discuss jobs and the economy will hurt them in November, they are more delusional than anyone could have imagined.

With Obamacare working, and Democrats feeling empowered, Republicans have nothing to run on. This is why they have revived the widely discredited Benghazi and IRS conspiracy theories. Republicans are all but admitting that Benghazi and the IRS are distraction issues.

The Benghazi gambit has been a total disaster for Republicans. The media and the American people both aren’t buying it. Republicans are admitting defeat on Obamacare, and watching their Benghazi and IRS conspiracies blow up in their faces.

Democrats are gaining confidence because the outlook for November is getting better by the day.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association