Can Darrel Issa Use Benghazi to Again Override the Voters?

As Darrel Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, seeks to turn the Benghazi attack into Obama’s Watergate, it would be useful to take a look at Darrel Issa’s history.

 

In 2003, Issa led the recall effort against California Governor Gray Davis, contributing at least $1.7 million of his own money to advertising and collecting signatures.

 

Why?  First, because he could.  Second, because he just didn’t like Gray Davis.  There was no illegal conduct on the part of Davis nor any scandal at all.

 

Issa especially did not like Davis using standard Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove like campaign tactics.  In the 2002 gubernatorial election Gray Davis had no credible primary opponent, so Davis started his general campaign early, taking out ads against his likely challenger Richard Riordan, Mayor of Los Angeles.  When Riordan lost in the Republican primary to Bill Simon, Issa was furious.

 

Davis beat Simon in the general election and Issa took revenge.  He funded the campaign to recall Davis initiated by anti‑tax activist Ted Costa.  Costa had no scandal to rely on, just the standard taxes are evil philosophy.  Issa saw an opportunity, ignored any sense of ethics, and took down an honorable governor just because he could.

 

No statewide official had been ever been recalled before and Davis was only successfully recalled due to Issa and his fellows setting up the recall as just another election.  Polls, prior to the “recall vote” (really a new election), showed that a recall vote would have failed.  However, in a redo election, Arnold Schwarzenegger was just too tempting a candidate for the people to pass up.

 

Now Issa is trying to take down Obama. Why?  First, because he can.  Second, because he just doesn’t like Obama.  . . . And, if he can’t take down Obama, he’ll take out Hillary Clinton.