Get Ready for Obamagate!

[Lemur]

As more info emerges about the IRS thing, looks like it's going to be very hard to tie to the White House.

A U.S. Internal Revenue Service manager, who described himself as a conservative Republican, told congressional investigators that he and a local colleague decided to give conservative groups the extra scrutiny that has prompted weeks of political controversy. [...]

The excerpts of interviews with IRS workers released by Cummings indicate that the IRS manager and an underling first decided to contact Washington, D.C. IRS officials for guidance on the cases from groups aligned with the anti-tax Tea Party movement.

They did so to consolidate them, as they might be precedent-setting for future cases, the manager said, according to the interview transcripts.

It was an unidentified Cincinnati IRS worker who reported to the manager, identified as John Shafer by committee aides, who identified the first Tea Party case.

Two interesting notes: (1) None of these groups actually needed permission to assume 501(c)4 status; their request of status from the IRS was voluntary and "on them." All of these political groups could have had their tax-exempt status without any problem by filing for 527 status. The only reason to file for 501(c)4 was to prevent disclosure of their donors.

I'd like to thank Citizens United for making this unholy mess possible!

[Greyblades]

Not surprised. The irs is old news, all the attackers on the Obama administration have moved onto the nsa leak by now with nought but a second thought.

[d'Arthez]

In the good old tradition of politics. Don't play the issues, but play the man. Though if the Republicans played on the issues, they'd have to rewrite history under G.W. as well.

Have Democrats and Republicans agreed on anything since they decided the FAA should get some money? Perhaps a major breakthrough on the kind of biscuits that ought to be served with the tea? And so the unraveling of the country continues.

[Fisherking]

Actually there are a couple with the IRS. Not just the targeting of conservative groups. There is their spending scandal, and who knows what else. They also oversee Obamacare, that will be a mess.

There is the NSA and everyone in congress and the administration want to hang the guy who leaked it, even though everyone says we were already told about it.

Then there is the DOJ and the EPA. And who knows what they will come up with next week.

[drone]

The sex scandal coverup at the State Department might be entertaining.

[Papewaio]

Republican hard core supporter vs tea party?

Night of Long Knives was all internal.

[HopAlongBunny]

The radical jihadists over at Al Jazeera offer a nice concise summation of ObamaGate:

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opi...529477869.html

[Xiahou]

(1) None of these groups actually needed permission to assume 501(c)4 status; their request of status from the IRS was voluntary and "on them."

Why are you so quick to drink the kool-aid? These are the latest librul talking points, but they don't pass muster.
Tell me, how many 501(c)4 groups claim that status without first seeking IRS review? Do you think the IRS would "review" this status when they filed their taxes and take punitive action if they disagreed with the status? Would it make sense for any organization to risk IRS prosecution instead of seeking IRS approval in advance?

I know the left wants this to go away, and maybe it will, but they need to do better than this.

All of these political groups could have had their tax-exempt status without any problem by filing for 527 status. The only reason to file for 501(c)4 was to prevent disclosure of their donors.

Sort of like Move-on.org? There's scads of 501(c)4s that fall on both the liberal and conservative sides of the issues. Why were only conservative ones singled out for additional scrutiny?

I love the "blame the victim" approach that's being employed here. Classy.
I know the left wants this to go away, and maybe it will, but they need to do better than this.

[Lemur]

These are the latest librul talking points, but they don't pass muster.

Ask a lawyer familiar with tax-exempt organizations. Then, inevitably, tell him he's a filthy librul kool-aid drinker.