November 16, 2019

WaPo acknowledges the rise of a new GOP star: "Elise Stefanik emerges in impeachment hearings as key Trump defender — and GOP celebrity."

The piece — by Mike DeBonis — begins with Stefanik's record as a "maverick" — voting against the 2017 tax bill and supporting LGBT rights and DACA. But at the impeachment hearings, we're told she's "a complete team player."
Early in Friday’s hearing with former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Stefanik sought to make a point by speaking up during a period of questioning reserved only for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and his counsel under rules that passed the House on a party-line vote last month.

“The gentlewoman will suspend,” Schiff said. “You are not recognized.”

“What is the interruption for this time?” she shot back in an exchange calculated to underscore Republican objections to a process controlled by Democrats. “This is the fifth time you have interrupted members of Congress, duly elected members of Congress.”...

“This is a matter of constitutional importance, and I’m asking substantive, fact-based questions to the witnesses,” she said [later, in an interview]. “I have one of the top 10 percent most bipartisan records in this House and one of the most independent records. But when it comes to constitutional matters, we should focus on the facts. We should not let this be a partisan attack the way Adam Schiff is conducting himself.”
A woman was testifying, and Stefanik is the only GOP woman on the committee. She's also the youngest GOP woman in the House. (She's 35.) WaPo has a quote from a Democratic woman on the committee, insinuating that Stefanik is being used because she's a woman: "When they are badgering a female witness who is a career Foreign Service officer with an impeccable record, and they want to badger her, I think it’s a better look when a woman is taking the lead on that." And then there's Matthew Dowd who tweeted that Stefanik is "a perfect example of why just electing someone because they are a woman or a millennial doesn’t necessarily get you the leaders we need." That was stupid to say out loud, and he deleted it.

WaPo recognizes a tweet from the Daily Caller that "compared the performance to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s 2017 move to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — an exchange that went viral among Democrats":

ADDED:

71 comments:

rhhardin said...

It's for women viewers. Nobody else wants to hear from a woman.

Francisco D said...

She is not so much defending Trump as she is defending the rule of law over the rule of staged emotion.

M Jordan said...

She’s good.

Btw ... I am not a robot. You ask me that every time. Don’t you believe me?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Team Player? How about - truth teller.

The idea that these "ambassadors" set foreign policy - is Bullshit and the corrupt left know it.

rhhardin said...

If you wanted a well crafted statement about rule of law and confronting your accusers, you'd go with Richard Epstein. He'd give you the reason for the principles without whining about it. Lacking that, some other man.

Women go with feelings. "This isn't fair."

Unknown said...

My God, a smart, attractive and conservative woman.

She Must Be Destroyed.™

Fandor said...

Let's call Congress Representative Elise Stefanik what she really is.
She is true to her sacred sworn oath of office and a defender of the Constitution of the United States.
A Republican embodiment of Democrat Barbara Jordan (since the left wants to reanimate the Watergate hearings).
She is speaking truth to corrupt power.

Limited blogger said...

Democracy may survive!

Wince said...

"WaPo acknowledges the rise of a new GOP star."

I'd say WaPo attempts to label a new GOP star as a "Trump defender".

Unknown said...

I suppose she is the best we can do

She should cry too like Yoyovitch did

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

rhhardin said...
It's for women viewers. Nobody else wants to hear from a woman."

And yet, here you are, commenting on Althouse everyday.

Michael K said...

Yovanovitch was the tear inducing actress.

Powerline has her dead to rights.

Nobody asked her about the two Ukrainian officials whose visas she blocked when they wanted to come to the US to investigate Biden.

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

The George Soro's owned State Dept/CIA State have long run our foreign policy to achieve their ends, which are Chaos and the Russian Boogeyman. That combo requires billions of dollars of US and EU funded Aid that can easily be divvied up in secret among the Deep State players and used to pay for their Destroy America operations. That is why Ukraine is suddenly the center of everything. It was their gang's hide out and operations Hdq. And Trump has directly attacked them there.

The Stefanik lady is a warrior. Interestingly, she lives next to a crucially important Battlefield in winning our Independence: Saratoga.

Quayle said...

"...a career Foreign Service officer with an impeccable record..."

Who ever voted for this career Foreign Service officer?

I know that the Congresswoman has votes behind her.

And the fact the a lot of people in Washington DC and the press don't see the difference, or don't want to admit the difference, tells you how anti-democratic they are. They really think that a degree from Harvard trumps a person with votes from the backwoods of, say, Kentucky.

Bob Smith said...

And it was all going so well until Trump opened his big tweet.

JAORE said...

That was stupid to say out loud,

Is that an Obama quote?

n.n said...

WaPo is stuck in the muck of Water Closet. That said, they hope that judging and labeling her as transpolitical ("maverick") will be sufficient to deem her not viable and that good Republicans will summarily abort her... career.

Bay Area Guy said...

Stefanik is great. I already have a crush on her - unlike Christy Blasey Fordonovitch

chickelit said...

I want an Adam Schiff bobblehead for Christmas. I want to give Adam Schiff bobbleheads for Christmas. Why aren't Adam Schiff bobbleheads being mass produced and sold on Amazon?

Beasts of England said...

She has been impressive in these hearings. I thought she was even better in yesterday’s impromptu press scrum after the hearings. Bright, eloquent, and tough.

MadisonMan said...

I hope Elise Stefanik is aware what happened to Gov. Palin. (I blanked right now on her first name!!)

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

How many ProgLibDem “feminists” were triggered by her fearlessness, independence, and strength?
There's a special place in Hell awaiting.

The Dems are grasping at straws--

...but forgot-- they banned them.

narciso said...

She asked trenchant questions re the unmaskings at the outset i think the treehouse has a file on her.

narciso said...

Earlier this year:


https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/02/01/another-leaked-transcript-bill-priestap-closed-testimony-conflicts-with-james-comey-open-testimony/amp/

Ken B said...

Dowd did not just delete the tweet. He defended it and doubled down, and then got so slammed that he deleted it. He was not repentant, just too cowardly to stick with his real opinion.

rcocean said...

Dowd is an unpaid member of the DNC and ACLU. Just be honest about it. As for Marie yackablob or whatever, She cried for the cameras - and that's the most important thing.

rcocean said...

She left Kiev in May 2019, and had no insight into the July phone call. She was only a witness so she could complain about Giuliani and cry about how meanie Trump fired her - FOR NOT REASON AT ALL.

Mark said...

She was only a witness so she could complain about Giuliani and cry about how meanie Trump fired her

She was also a witness who -- under Stefanik's cross-examination -- divulged that what Trump did -- asking Ukraine to look into the Biden matter -- was nothing more than what the Obama Administration had already determined rightly needed looking into because of suspicions of corruption.

______________________

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked Marie Yavonavitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, about the Obama State Department's coaching, about which Yavonavitch had previously testified.

"The first time you personally became aware of Burisma was actually when you were being prepared by the Obama State Department for your confirmation hearings," Stefanik began. "You testified that in this particular practice Q & A with the Obama State Department, it wasn’t just generally about Burisma and corruption, it was specifically about Hunter Biden and Burisma. Is that correct?"

"Yes it is," Yavonavitch replied.

Breezy said...

I am glad she brought up abuse of power wrt Schiff. So true.

Nichevo said...

Not that it matters, but Stefanik is hot like people wanted to say Gabbard was hot.

Doug said...

Yeah, that "she persisted" photo is worth a peek. Ms. Stefanik had some things going on there.

narciso said...

well it does, and she's an iconoclast, even on silly things like the skydragon, Kristi noem 2.0. whatever happened to the first one,

narciso said...

a more relevant link,


https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/11/elise-stefaniks-stardom-is-born/

Yancey Ward said...

"Gov. Palin. (I blanked right now on her first name!!)"

At least you didn't call her Michael.

Yancey Ward said...

Stefanik first got on my radar during the testimony Narciso linked to above- Comey's testimony from March of 2017. The lady has a good head on her shoulders, and a knack for finding the correct questions to ask (or her staff does- either is ok with me).

She always looks like she is 22 years old, though- even AOC looks older.

Rusty said...

With the right glasses Shiff would look just like Heinrich Himmler.
Yeah. I went there.
The dog and pony show is fraying at the edges. I blame the B-list actors.

narciso said...

note what the memory holers insist on leaving out,


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Marie_Yovanovitch

LA_Bob said...

“The gentlewoman will suspend,” Schiff said. “You are not recognized.”

Hardly a gentle woman, that Stefanik. Good thing.

MayBee said...

I do find it fascinating that people on the right are often described as Trump defenders or lapdogs or bulldogs when they defend the GOP or President. Like nobody on the right can ever just be doing what they believe if they aren't anti-Trump.

tim in vermont said...

Trump actually visited her district in 2016, I think maybe twice, even though NYS and immediately adjacent Vermont were out of reach. Meanwhile, Hillary never went to Wisconsin.

narciso said...

because everyone must denounce trump and affirm progressives, even if it's on matters they should agree on, like aiding Ukraine or fighting corruption,

tim in vermont said...

It’s a shame her future in national politics is limited by her ordinary looks, though youth is always attracive. One district south we had Gillibrand who had nothing but looks going for her and she went pretty far, given her meagre talents.

narciso said...

well but miss rutnik, went with the path of least prog resistance, when can elise go from here,

gilbar said...

Skylark said...
It’s a shame her future in national politics is limited by her ordinary looks...
we had Gillibrand who had nothing but looks going for her


I think your optometrist is calling


narciso said...

the daily caller got the best pic I can see,


https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/on-the-environment-rep-stefanik-moves-to-the-middle

exhelodrvr1 said...

As I commented yesterday, the difference between the Republican representatives and the Democratic representatives is y-u-uge

Matt Sablan said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Marie_Yovanovitch

Wow. That's... That's what Wikipedia's political articles look like, huh? I knew that they weren't the greatest once you stepped far away from history or hard science toward anything somewhat modern, but... Wow.

Static Ping said...

As far as the Democrats concerned, no matter what the Republicans do they are wrong. If you do not provide a reason why the ambassador was sacked, that's wrong. If you do provide a reason why the ambassador was sacked, that's wrong. If you have a man question the female witness, that's wrong. If you have a woman question the female witness, that's wrong. If you run a white man for a political office, that's wrong. If you run a woman or a black man or anything other than a white man for a political office, that's wrong. Tautologies do make life easier.

Of course Stefanik was chosen to question the former ambassador because she was a woman. Exposing hypocrisy on national television does provide clarity to the voters that you can reach. It does help that the congresswoman is competent and is an excellent choice for this role regardless.

rehajm said...

It gets the quotes in the record just like she says, and she was efficient and effective in doing it.

Men like gotchas, too. rhhardin's shtick doesn't fit this time...

rehajm said...

That was stupid to say out loud

It was stupid before it left his head.

Matt said...

Lost me at 'supports LGBT "rights"'.

Everyone gets their panties in a bunch over the homos and weirdos. How much longer do we have to listen to our elites celebrating degeneracy? I know, i know.

Forever.

tim in vermont said...

This whole piece appears to be written by leftist "tripe peddler". Filled with bias and leftist slant. Twistop (talk) 21:58, 15 November 2019 (UTC)

That comment is evergreen with Wikipedia.

tim in vermont said...

"I think your optometrist is calling”

Gillibrand was good looking when she was young. It was her sole qualification. I like Elise. Her campaign signs have always cheered me up. But sorry, she has normal looks. That’s not an insult to her, its an insult to voters.

gilbar said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gilbar said...

But sorry, she has normal looks

will you stipulate that she's (either) eons (or parsecs) better looking that any members of 'the jihad squad'?

I'm not sure what astronomical measurement you use to describe the more attractiveness of republican women over progressive women

Amy K? looks like she eats with a comb

walter said...

From Michael's Powerline link:
"For me the clock struck 13 when she associated herself with the hostages taken by Iran in 1979 — by acolytes of the regime that Obama’s State Department appeased, humored, empowered, and paid off — gratuitous. I found her association of herself with the heroes of Benghazi — the victims of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s negligence and incompetence — sickening.

As a student of rhetoric, I appreciated Yovanovitch’s use of anaphora. Yovanovitch put it to work on her own behalf toward the end of her statement:

We are the fifty-two Americans who forty years ago this month began 444 days of deprivation, torture and captivity in Teheran.

We are the dozens of Americans stationed at our embassy in Cuba and consulates in China, who mysteriously and dangerously—and in some cases perhaps permanently—were injured in attacks from unknown sources several years ago.

And we are Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Patrick Smith, Ty Woods, and Glen Doherty—people rightly called heroes for their ultimate sacrifice to this nation’s foreign policy interests in Libya, eight years ago.

We honor these individuals. They represent each one of you here—and every American. These courageous individuals were attacked because they symbolized America."
--
No sniper fire at her exiting plane?
That she was viewed as a problem by both presidents (per transcript) should not get in the way of such a splendid career of sacrifice. The sacrifice continues as she remains at the strictly non-partisan State Dept in USA/Georgetown Uni delving into Climate Change impacts. That Obama removed all Bush appointed ambassadors should be viewed as SOP housecleaning, not partisan by any measure.

tim in vermont said...

Here is the original of a photo that was rudely photoshopped and is up on her opponents twitter feed right now.

https://twitter.com/aaronjschaffer/status/1195797281250926593

I will be truly amazed, since, you know, I often have coffee in a coffeeshop and eat in small restaurants in Elise’s district, if a Democrat going all in on impeachment is what is going to carry the day for him to win that seat next November.

narciso said...


https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1195801395984764930?s=20

walter said...

If that pic were real, she would have man hands.

walter said...

nttawwt, of course....my bad for using gendered pronouns.

narciso said...

that was he responding to that fat troll, George Conway,

stevew said...

Smart, ruthless in her pursuit of truth, young, and gorgeous. The Democrats will soon, if they haven't already, train their sights on her.

Michael said...

Is Schiff allowed within 1000 feet of an elementary school?

narciso said...

I think I saw him fighting Katniss Everdeen, in the tunnels under the Capitol, or perhaps under the ruins of Avengers headquarters,

Browndog said...

narciso said...


https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1195801395984764930?s=20


The Blue Checkmark Brigade is well represented.

Wow.

Michael K said...

The Democrats will soon, if they haven't already, train their sights on her.

11/16/19, 4:11 PM


There was apparently a photoshopped picture of her giving the finger on Twitter. It will get worse.

Browndog said...

She reminds me of Molly Hemingway.

Skeptical Voter said...

Schiff and the way he runs his committee is the sort of thing that gives tin pot dictators a bad name.

tim in vermont said...

Supposedly they have raised $500K to come and convince rural Upstate New York that they need to dump their new star for not wanting to impeach Trump. I hope it mostly gets spent there.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

I love watching strong women feed Adam Schitt his very own lies and schitt.

You go grrrl!