House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Republican Obama Derange Syndrome Lead Investigator Darrell Issa has a problem: Thanks to House GOP rules, he's limited to serving six years as chairman of the committee that he's made synonymous with every Fox News conspiracy theory about President Obama on the planet—and this is his sixth year.
Issa wants to extend the term limits so he can continue harassing the Obama administration for another two years, but Politico reports Republicans aren't likely to grant him his wish. Instead, another player has emerged as the likely winner of the intense battle to succeed Issa as the House GOP's lead conspiracy theorist: Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah.
And the reasons why Chaffetz appears likely are exactly what you'd expect from a party whose main interest in investigating the president is to fuel right-wing paranoia and troll the media:
His district is extremely conservative, so constant tossing of red meat isn’t a political risk for him. The former Brigham Young University placekicker is also a constant presence on television, appearing on everything from MSNBC to Fox News.
Plus, Chaffetz has been an aggressive fundraiser for Republicans across the country, which helps his cause in two ways. First, it earns him favors to redeem. Second, it helps Republicans raise the money they need to retain the House. That's doubly important, because if Politico's report is right, the only real thing standing between Chaffetz and the gavel are the voters in November.