Thinking Republicans: Leave the Hillary E-mail Story Alone

Hillary Clinton is said to be going to address the issue of her use of private e-mail while secretary of state later this week.  Needless to say, many Republicans are salivating and ready to rush in and launch endless spittle flecked attacks. Calmer heads - admittedly a rare commodity in today's GOP - are cautioning against doing exactly what the Tea Party crowd and rabid Clinton haters are anxious to do.  A piece in Politico looks at how haste may undo any advantage otherwise flowing to the GOP.  Here are excerpts:

As the unfolding Clinton email story plays out, I have some simple counsel for my friends in Congress, the conservative movement and right-leaning opinion media: Stop talking unless and until you have a plan. Better to go dark than play this game by the Clinton Rules.

Hillary really put a wrench in the media’s plans this week. After eagerly cheerleading Barack Obama for eight years, they stood ready to help break the ultimate glass ceiling and play their role as part of the uncritical chorus of Hillary Clinton’s coronation, first as the Democratic nominee then as President. It’s why they hate this story.

The Clintons know we’re only at the end of the beginning of this story and the national security, legal and political implications for Hillary will get worse. The Clintons are depending on their old skills at manipulating the press and hoping the GOP and conservatives will save her by mishandling their response as badly as she’s mishandling hers.

While the media’s passive “attention span” excuse du jour is real, many in the press are possessed of a boundless ideological desire to change the subject right now. That’s why the press is waiting breathlessly for (and in some cases, actively trolling for) Republicans to blow it. An intemperate remark from Congressman Jackass would fit the bill perfectly. Don’t be the squirrel. Don’t give them a shiny object. Don’t give them an excuse to turn this into “Krazee Republicans Sure Hate Hillary Because She’s a Woman.” 

For God’s sake, candidates, take a deep breath and skip talking about your favorite social issue for just a few days. The media is desperate for another riff on evolution or vaccines or gay marriage or prison sex from a GOP contender so they can turn their undivided attention to the Republicans.

[U]nless GOP elected and opinion leaders are smart and subtle, and execute with the right timing and tone, she wins. Try for once to play the long game and help Hillary Clinton take on water.

It’s vital to have a plan, to execute it with discipline and proceed against Clinton with a measured pace and tone. Speak more in sorrow than in anger. Don’t make it all about Benghazi (they’re expecting that) or the record-keeping laws (boring). Touch on those selectively, but focus instead on the grave national security risks that her amateur-hour email server shenanigan posed and more broadly what this says about the Clinton culture.

Avoid making wild claims about either the substance or political outcomes of investigations. Reduce expectations, rather than raise them. Don’t let one single member of Congress or leader be the only face in the room; the Clintons love to demonize a single target, so vary your portfolio. Be persistent. Be serious. Be smart.

Being smart, of course, is an oxymoron when used in the context of today's GOP.  Will this advice be heeded?  I will not be holding my breath.  The Congressional Republicans' letter to Iran is already a good start for changing the topic.  They truly never learn.