Ghanzis and Gates
Just like anything in life, there are degrees of intensity. But, for a scandal, or even a supposed scandal , to be given a "-ghanzi" tag or a "-gate" tail seems to depend on the perceived intensity of the incident. And Tea-partiers and Repukes are more prone to use the "ghanzi" for impact because of the violence , death , and Arab element coloring it.
The Obama era is chock full of “-ghazis”—Solyndraghazi, ObamaPhoneghazi , NewBlackPanthersghazi, Umbrellaghazi , and of course Benghazi—but few “-gates” (Snowdengate and Websitegate, come to mind). A “-gate” doesn’t necessarily require high-profile scalps or big policy change, but it must be widely regarded as a scandal and be treated in the mainstream media as such. “-Ghazis,” on the other hand, are a partisan fixation whose ignominy and importance are self-evident and unquestionable to devotees, but largely ignored by the rest of the world.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/how-to-name-a-scandal-what-is-a-nbsp-gate-and-what-is-a-ghazi/283104/