There is a nasty streak of vengeance that runs through the Republican Party. They have been lusting for an opportunity to impeach President Obama since the day that he was inaugurated. It didn’t matter what excuse they drummed up, it could have been over anything from Fast and Furious, to the IRS, to ObamaCare, to immigration, to executive orders, to his birthplace. They even alleged that – and this is all too real – Obama was actually trying to impeach himself.
Having been denied their heart’s deepest desire, an actual reason to impeach Obama, the GOP went after administration stand-ins for the President. One of those was Lois Lerner, who was running the IRS Exempt Organizations Unit during a period when it was alleged that they were improperly targeting conservative applicants. There was never any evidence to prove the allegations, and last week the Justice Department announced that they had closed the investigation and would not be bringing any charges. They said that “We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution.”
In response to the DOJ’s determination, Republicans sought to lash out any convenient victim who might be available. Someone had to suffer their wrath if it wasn’t Lerner. So Jason Chaffetz (R-Wacko), chairman of the House Oversight (Overreach?) Committee, and his Republican Retributionists, have introduced a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. The resolution accuses Koskinen of making false statements under oath and failing to comply with a subpoena.
This a curious persecution considering that Koskinen had nothing to do with the alleged targeting. He didn’t became IRS Commissioner until December of 2013, three years after the Tea Party’s whining about being scrutinized for improper political activity, of which they were clearly guilty. And back in the 2010 time frame, the IRS Commissioner was Douglas Shulman, an appointee of George W. Bush. Nevertheless, Koskinen is the target of opportunity, so the GOP is spewing their venom at him. They have determined that they need a scalp and they aren’t going home without trying at least once more.
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This is just the latest in a string of partisan, expensive, and futile legislature abuse. The Republicans have already proven that they have no aptitude for governing, so they have adopted an agenda of hostility that relies on ludicrous hearings on Benghazi, Planned Parenthood, and now the impeachment of an IRS Commissioner. But make no mistake, all of these actions are thinly disguised swipes at President Obama. It is he that they wish they were impeaching, but they have even less justification for it than the phony scams they have already run. Even uber-conservative Fox News Yoda, Charles Krauthammer, is less than enthused with the GOP’s latest proxy attack on the President:
“This is not going to end well. Republicans in the Congress have shown that they have no ability to conduct successful investigations of this administration. Everything they have touched has failed or backfired, even Benghazi.”
If the Republicans go through with impeachment proceedings against Koskinen they will only embarrass themselves further. There is no case to be made against him, and their transparent animosity will reveal them for the partisan hate mongers that they are. Their visceral disgust for Obama has driven them to extremes that only make them more repugnant to the average American voter. And as much as it would be in their best interests to try to at least pretend to be sane, expect more craziness to come. They obviously can’t help themselves.
When I was in local government I always knew I was doing a good job if a certain section of the electorate was trying to impeach me.
Government does bring out the worst in people.
Most of the private businesses I’ve worked for (quite a few) were so fuktup they made the DMV and USPS seem like efficient, harmonious utopias in comparison. Just sayin’.
I can’t imagine where you worked.
Sounds like you don’t give a shit about “certain sections” of the electorate – you must have been quite a prize.
The Republican Party has been reduced to a rabble of school-yard bullies. Puberty will be so painful for them
There is some truth in your first sentence. It does beg the question – why were they voted into the majority in the house in 2010 and senate in 2014? I don’t think it’s love of the GOP? Could it be disgust with the party in the white house? Mark and the rest of you blind followers keep getting mad at the GOP – and rightly so many times – but you refuse to look at yourselves to see why the population chose these “school-yard bullies” over those you want. And you can keep making excuses about gerrymandering and whatnot – 2008 should have proven that doesn’t really explain the rejection. Before you cast stones, maybe you should tend to your own glass house.
It’s a well-known fact that Democrats tend not to turn out in droves to vote in non-Presidential elections. That’s what happened, steve in york. Hopefully those voters (or non-voters as the case may be) have learned a valuable lesson and will not only vote Democratic in the 2016 election but will hit the polling places in all elections after that.
Keep finding excuses – it’s more than that. Denial Denial Denial.
I hate the GOP probably more that you, but unlike you I deal with reality and don’t make excuses.
Maybe you’re right about the future – but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
It wasn’t an excuse. It was the reason.
Dillusional – go back to sleep.
your wasting your time with Steve. I already explained how in 2010 Rethuglican Governors , state house and senate members gerrymandered districts. Making it impossible for democrats to win for at least 10 years. Over 2 million more democrats voted in 2012, and 3 million more in 2014, than Rethuglicans .
Greg, do you think before writing – if the numbers you provide are true – how/why did the democratic senators get their asses kicked too? Using your rationale, shouldn’t they have prevailed? You can’t gerrymander an entire state. Again – shallow analysis easily debunked – wake up, the democratic party took it on the chin in those elections provided.
bla bla bla. Look for yourself. No matter what anyone writes here, you are always right and everyone else is wrong.
Greg, when you’re wrong, you are wrong – just be a man and admit it. I’ve had to do it a couple times – Mark has the same problem.
Hey Greg, if you don’t want people getting on your case over posts – stop writing dumb stuff. I most enjoy showing you leftist morons a bit of truth – especially when you spout off stupidity as you did.
Laugh,…Laugh…Laugh
Mark did you a favor putting more articles up to push this one down to a less prominent location – you don’t need to look dumb in front of your fellow dummies.
So right! Disgust with the GOP is high, but the Dems are dangerous, delusional, and dumb.
They got voted in for many reasons.
Firstly, it’s long been the case that less people turn out for the mid-terms and that low turnouts favor the GOP (on the grounds that the people most likely to turn out tend to vote Republican).
Secondly, yes, some people didn’t like the action and directions of the Obama government for various reasons. Some of those reasons (extension of the Bush tax cuts) were reality-based. Others (Commie, gun-grabber, Benghazi!) were not.
Third, there was a lot of vote caging, people being denied their right to vote. How big an impact that had, I don’t know yet.
Fourth, gerrymandering. Both sides do it whenever they get the chance and it needs to stop. There needs to be some kind of impartial body to draw up districts.
Fifth, a non-stop campaign of pure hatred directed at Obama and his administration, coming from Republicans, that has been going 24/7 since Obama was sworn in. And this is really unprecedented. I was on the radical left during the W years and no, the left was not this bad to W. This level of sheer, naked hatred hasn’t been seen before in my lifetime (I’m pushing forty).
Good comments, Ebon.
Just because it’s not what you want to hear doesn’t make it an excuse. It’s a fact — it’s something about many Democrats that I don’t like or understand — but it is what takes place in non-Presidential elections.
As is typical for most here – your analysis is sooo shallow, you don’t see reality. It’s similar to the lies about how good the economy is – but just below the numbers people normally focus on, the data stinks and is as shitty as it has been for years now. Wake up – until you do, you’ll continue to miss the real lessons that come from what has happened in 2010 and 2014 with respect to congress. It’s like talking to the wall with you people. I don’t claim to know everything, but I know bullshit when I see it – and your analysis is BULLSHIT.
I keep hearing that line from those who keep saying that the “real data” reflects otherwise when the official numbers do not coincide with their beliefs. The right wing have done this often especially with Obamacare.
The one thing that virtually all these accusations on how “numbers aren’t real” have in common? They do not show what the “real numbers” are while claiming that the official numbers lie.
You are doing exactly this here right down to not providing the “real numbers”.
Delu, I think you are clueless. Reality here for you – the economy, since 1971, has been built on debt – people buying everything on debt – cars, houses, gadgets, etc. We are completely leveraged – no more debt is possible for the average person. Therefore, expansion the economy as it has been done for the past 40 years isn’t possible anymore – cheap money or not. and that IS NOT Barack Obama’s fault. The economy is sick and will remain sick because of how it’s currently structured – debt money. Consumption is 70% of the economy – without it there will be no recovery. and without good jobs – that won’t be happening. 5.1% unemployment rate is a lie. The health of the economy is terrible. We don’t make anythign anymore – so guess what – good jobs won’t be coming anytime soon. Wait until the Bank held debt becomes an issue – then all savings, including retirement, will be wiped out to preserve the banks ability to issue money. Face it – you, like all of us, have been taken and no amount of government propaganda will change that.
OK. I think that’s only one factor but it’s a big one. The question is, what do you want to do about it? Because I know what would bring jobs back. That’s not saying I’m special, I’m no genius but I read people who are. The things that would create jobs are things like raising the minimum wage, setting high tariffs for goods that could have been produced in the USA, renegotiating NAFTA and stopping the TPP (which is like NAFTA but far worse). In short, get the US making things again.
The problem is that the Democrats are, say, 75% owned by Wall Street and the Republicans are now just the political arm of Big Business. So the options that get brought up in political circles are options that would make things *worse*. Stuff like abolishing the minimum wage, cutting the top tax rate, kowtowing to the mega-rich, cutting “regulations” (a snarl word for anything that prevents Big Business from decimating the planet and it’s people for a buck), abolishing welfare (thus ensuring people starve in the streets). A couple of outliers aside, no-one is talking about real solutions because real solutions would inconvenience Big Business and they run the show, politics, and all the media (all national media is owned by 6 corporations, they decide what you watch and it will always be pro-corporate).
Hey Terri – I’ll stop trying to open your eyes – so you can have the last word.
I know, Greg, that’s why I ignored his taunt. When he goes off on one of his little tantrums it’s not worth responding to him.
Wise advice. 🙂
Coming from you Mark – you’re right. You’ve been dumbing your readers down for so long, they no longer can see or argue reality. It’s better to just keep their mouths shut vs. arguing party allegiance as you preach.
Party allegience = tribalism, which means “my side, right or wrong, but we’re never wrong.” It is the source of conflict, the polar opposite of intellectual honesty and
the basic philosophy of Western Civilization, among others.
“””””it could have been over anything from Fast and Furious, to the IRS, to ObamaCare, to immigration, to executive orders, to his birthplace.””””
Yea he should have been impeached for any and all, period. This administration will go down in history as the most corrupt and lawless ever. America should give Obama a third term, like in 10 years to life.