We've heard it all before. Here we go again. More of the same. Can't we just move on? Those are the sort of classic liberal pundit one-liners that Clinton apologists used in the former president's tenure in office to respond to fresh scandalous revelations, seeking to guide public opinion to scandal fatigue.
Daily Beast's Eleanor Clift is singing from that song sheet now as she seeks to shield Hillary Clinton in the run-up to her 2016 presidential bid. Here's Clift in her March 13 piece "Sharks are Circling Hillary Clinton," not-so-subtly comparing conservative Clinton critics to terrorists (emphasis mine):
The political world is on tenterhooks waiting for Hillary Clinton, and when there’s even a hint of chum in the water, the sharks come circling.
“Clinton’s Minyon In A Mess,” declared the Republican National Committee. “Another Scandal Emerges From Clinton Land.”
Minyon refers to Minyon Moore, a longtime Democratic activist with ties to the Clintons, who also has alleged ties to Washington businessman Jeffrey Thompson, who just ratted out Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray for allegedly asking him to fund an illegal shadow campaign to help elect Gray.
Is that enough “allegedly” to make your eyes glaze over?
Actually, it’s just convoluted enough to set off the first IED (improvised explosive device) on Clinton’s long and treacherous path to the Democratic presidential nomination. Rule One: Never let an attack go unanswered. American Bridge watchdog group, “Correct the Record,” fired back immediately at The Washington Post, which headlined its story, “Hillary Clinton Adviser Minyon Moore Sought Funds for Illegal Campaign, Court Papers Allege.”
The word “illegal” was strongly contested by Correct the Record’s Burns Strider, who called it “horse sh—t.” The Dewey Square Group, the public affairs firm where Moore works, issued a statement saying Moore “was entirely unaware of any inappropriate activities” and is cooperating with investigators. The public court papers in Thompson’s plea agreement say he told federal prosecutors that Moore asked him to underwrite pro-Clinton efforts in four states and Puerto Rico during the ’08 primaries for a total of $608,750.
Reading that, you can practically hear Clift's eyeballs rolling furiously in their sockets, followed by giddy cheers as she relays the "horse sh*t" response by a fellow Clinton apologist.
In her closing two paragraphs, Clift leaves the reader with her advice for the next two years: blithely tune out new Clinton fundraising scandals as the typical noise you expect from rabid partisans during the "silly season":
Their appetite whetted by these revelations about Moore, hungry operatives are likely to dig more into the activities of Clinton alums, who have settled nicely into the city’s public relations and lobbying infrastructure. Clinton’s people expect many more charges and innuendoes will arise, and this week’s rapid response shows the 2016 virtual war room is up and running.
“Political operatives and reporters grab at anything, that’s the environment we’re in,” says a Democratic activist. “Everybody wants 2016 to happen now. We’ve entered the silly season.”
