Since the rise of the Tea Party movement in the spring of 2009, the movement has been the target of Democratic politicians and supportive media.
The Tea Party was called un-American and terrorists for showing up at health care town halls and voicing an opinion.
The Department of Homeland security warned of dangers from groups advocating smaller government, and that was taken by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center to justify a politicized attempt to term the Tea Party movement a threat.
The Tea Party movement was called racist without basis, often based on false and misleading videos put out by groups like Think Progress, and even as non-white leaders in the Republican Party rose from and with the support of the Tea Party movement.
MSNBC and particularly Chris Matthews have devoted endless hours to inventing “dog whistles” supposedly blown by the Tea Party movement.
With every violent act in the news, the media search began for a Tea Party connection to confirm the now-failed “eliminationist narrative.” Sometimes the connection was invented out of thin air, and then amplified by the media, as in the cases of the Gabby Giffords and Aurora movie theater shootings.
There has been an unrelenting assault on the Tea Party movement by Democrats and the media. Sometimes establishment Republicans piled on, but they were the tail on the Tea Party-hating Democratic-media dog.
Is it any wonder that “low level” IRS employees took it on themselves to target Tea Party-related groups? And is it any wonder that senior level officials knew about it?
This didn’t happen in a vacuum. This abuse of the Tea Party movement by the IRS was three years in the making.
Those IRS employees simply reaped the hatred of the Tea Party sown by Democrats and the media.
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Yes. And no. The IRS is an executive branch agency, and the president himself boasted that he’d “punish” his “enemies.” Using executive branch agencies to carry out this threat was nothing new: he did the same thing with the DOJ, DHS, NLRB, DOE, and even the EPA.
The culture of all agencies comes from above. Obama is sympathetic to Islam, so all of the agencies in the executive branch must comply. That’s how Nidal Hassan got through, how and why military pastors are forced to perform gay “marriages,” how and why the Army recently issued (and revoked under public pressure) orders that Christianity could not be “pushed” (read: mentioned) in its ranks.
This hatred of the TEA Party and other “patriot” groups didn’t originate in the media or in the Democratic party; it originated and was sown by this WH, this administration. Are the media culpable? Of course they are, but it didn’t start there. And it darned sure better not end there.
The IRS is an executive branch agency, and the president himself boasted that he’d “punish” his “enemies.”
“In jest, there is truth.” ― William Shakespeare
Although with Barry, he wasn’t ‘jesting’..
Unfortunately there is little that is “truthful” about this administration and their claims as to being “transparent” are laughable at best.
We are now experiencing Chicago machine politics and thug rule on a national level. The level of corruption is approaching that of many foreign nations and the descent into third world status is accelerating.
Everything of suspicion leads directly to the White House…
It comes from above. “Jus’ followin’ orders” — the whole fascist troupe of them.
Yes, but the media was quick to pick up on it. Remember the sly comments about Tea-Baggers by not-then-out Anderson at CNN. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/15/anderson-cooper-its-hard_n_187318.html
I think you’re correct in noting that the mood and disposition of federal agencies generally comes from above. The federal workers are keenly sensitive to this; it’s part of their jobs, after all.
That doesn’t excuse them from knowing and following the law. That’s why the IRS employees, “low-level” and “high-level” (up to “highest level”) have to be investigated and prosecuted for this.
If the President, any President, can by his/her mood cause federal employees to violate the law and rights of the citizens without fear of punishment, we’re no longer a democratic republic.
I was explaining to one of my sons the other day that the Collective does no require any kind of conspiratorial collusion to act as they do. I used the example of flocking birds and schooling fish, both of which can change directions in the blink of an eye, using a set of signals both very simple and elegant.
I think the Bill Whittle video imbedded in this piece is worth watching more than once…
http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/05/11/cinco-de-nihilism/
If and to the extent this corruption involved flagging tax returns as opposed to just reviewing applications for exemption, wouldn’t that require modification of IRS computer auditing programs, and in turn wouldn’t that require access by persons with security clearances and orders from above a “low level”?
Fixed it for ya (:
This Obama-inspired and imposed IRS policy/scandal is just another example of how Obama is the far left’s Nixon — with his enemies lists, his pomp-and-circumstances for the WH, his wage freeze/controls, his paranoia.
The only difference is that Nixon was aggressive in foreign affairs and Obama is a wuss and a tool of far left internationalism.
And of course this IRS policy was inspired and directed from the WH — by Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod, with the approval of the Leader-from-Behind. It is naïve to think otherwise.
Anyone who has been exposed to Chicago politics saw this coming many years ago. As he saying goes, a leopard cannot change his spots.
“Diversity” isn’t what it used to be.
“the movement has been the target of Ruling Class Republicans”
Sad but true.
I dispute the premise that “low-level employees” in Cincinnati were doing the targeting. This is like blaming the “horrible, horrible video” for Benghazi. IRS leadership has known about this since 2011 at least and nothing was done. This is just another lie from an administration that does nothing but lie.
Agreed. NO FREAKIN’ WAY “low level” people decided on their own to change the process and target people. Maybe there was no email or memo for a paper trail, but you can bet there were meetings and phone calls – and possibly “gmail” communication a la EPA to avoid scrutiny (illegally), but those drones had their every move approved.
Why do you think there is NO disciplinary action taken, or even being considered? NOT because these were rogue agents perverting their bosses’ wishes, it’s because they were loyal soldiers who fell on their swords to protect their superiors. Not even a one-day suspension or a letter of reprimand?
EVERYONE involved, including everyone in the supervisory chain including the General Counsel and everyone else who knew or was responsible directly for someone who knew MUST be fired and banned forever from federal employment, not to mention prosecuted if they violated the law.
Zero out the IRS budget until it’s done. Shut down the government. Not a brass farthing until the place is disinfected.
“Is it any wonder that “low level” IRS employees took it on themselves to target Tea Party-related groups? And is it any wonder that senior level officials knew about it?”
I’ve noticed that the original AP article yesterday breaking the story that senior IRS officials knew that tea party organizations and the like were being targeted has “vanished” (my link goes to an article altered beyond recognition and unfortunately I didn’t save the original).
Anyway, the wording of the original article seemed to demonstrate more active involvement by senior officials, including a meeting in 2012 where parameters on terminology of group names for targeting was discussed. I wish I had a copy of the first article or know how to get it.
Regardless, why are we accepting that “low level” IRS employees took it upon themselves to do this on their own in the first place? My best friend has been with the IRS for 25 years and believe me, the activities that low level personnel can do on their own is severely restricted.
Naturally, the IRS has been working in conjunction with the corrupt Dept of Injustice to target conservatives. Remember this (From The Blaze, 07AUG2012):
“The casino company owned by Mitt Romney’s wealthiest supporter, Sheldon Adelson, is now in the Department of Justice’s crosshairs. That revelation is making the media rounds today, as someone in the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s office leaked word of a money laundering investigation involving Las Vegas Sands Corp. to the Wall Street Journal.
So now Adelson, a man who claimed he would donate up to $100 million
to ensure Romney wins the upcoming presidential election, could find
out how the wheels of justice really turn under President Obama’s watch.
This revelation is as unsurprising as it is disgraceful.
Government officials will no doubt claim the timing of the probe is coincidental, but that is asking us to believe a lot. The investigation deals with possible money laundering stretching back years ago. So the U.S. Attorney’s Office in LA had to go public with the accusations today? Unless the statute of limitations for these crimes expires Nov. 6 (they don’t), what reason could there be for bringing for these accusations to light right before the political conventions?
To suggest the timing of this had no political motive strains credulity. The timing is indeed everything.”
FYI: ALL CHARGES AGAINST ADELSON WERE DROPPED AFTER THE 2012 CAMPAIGN WAS OVER.
[…] This morning Prof Jacobson observed IRS reaped hatred of Tea Party sown by Democrats and the media. […]
’He has, through his subordinated and agents, endeavored…to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigation to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner,’
— Section 1, Article 2, the impeachment articles of Richard Nixon.
Drafted by House Democrats with Hillary Clinton on staff, btw
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