Has this IRS "scandal" hurt the Democrats chances in the next election?

[kentuck]

Even if "there" is nothing there, will it not energize the Tea Party to get to the polls in 2014?

Since President Obama is not running again, it is the Democrats that are running next year that have the most to lose.

How can the Democrats get ahead of this story? We know that the Republicans have no reason to discontinue their verbal attacks. They have been blessed with a plethora of opportunities to make the Democrats look bad.

I doubt that the President can get the Democrats out of this mess by simply giving speeches. There has to be some action. Democrats should take this controversy (scandal) as a way to push for campaign finance reform. For God's sake! Karl Rove's group is one of these same types of tax exempt groups. Unfortunately, some prominent Democrats have similar 501(c)4's. They are so deep into the cesspool of corruption that they are unable to criticize the Republicans.

But, if they don't do something, they could pay a big price the next election?

[blm]

1. March 2012: Texas judge rules teaparty group a PAC not a nonprofit.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Judge-rules-tea-party-group-a-PAC-not-a-nonprofit-3442532.php#src=fb

A Travis County district court judge ruled this week that a Houston-based tea party group is not a nonprofit corporation as it claims, but an unregistered political action committee that illegally aided the Republican Party through its poll-watching efforts during the 2010 elections.

The summary judgment by Judge John Dietz upheld several Texas campaign finance laws that had been challenged on constitutional grounds by King Street Patriots, a tea party organization known for its "True the Vote" effort to uncover voter fraud.>>>

[brooklynite]

7. Not relevant...

...the fact that ONE Tea Party group was designated as a PAC doesn't make it right to assume that ALL groups that choose to label themselves as "Tea Party" will do the same, and you'll never be able to explain this point to the average voter.

[blm]

8. The ruling itself would give just cause to examine more closely the groups filing as a nonprofit.

Further, 70 tea party groups out of 300 groups being given the closer examination for nonprofit status does not support their claim of being 'singled out'. Sorry you think otherwise.

[brooklynite]

11. Replace "Tea Party" with "Muslim" and "PAC" with "Terrorist"

...and ask yourself if the Government should investigate everyone self-identified as Muslim, because of the actions of a minority.

[blm]

13. Ridiculous reach, brook. TeaParty entered the world of politics deliberately. To pretend they are

group deserving of nonprofit status is LOL. And out of THREE HUNDRED groups receiving closer scrutiny for nonprofit status only 70 were teaparty groups so please show us where tea party was 'singled out' for closer scrutiny?

Fer chrissakes....Why did you buy the GOP storyline on this?

<<<
At the hearing, outgoing acting IRS commissioner Steve Miller repeatedly objected to the use of the word “targeting.” He said the so-called “be on the lookout” (BOLO) list was an “inappropriate” organizational tool or “shortcut” that IRS staff used to find potential political cases. Miller claimed the tea party groups would have be subjected to extra scrutiny regardless of the BOLO list.

“If the targeting wasn’t targeting, if the targeting wasn’t based on philosophy, how come only conservatives got snagged?” Roskam confidently asked.


“They didn’t, sir,” Miller responded. “Organizations of all walks and all persuasions were pulled in. That’s shown by the fact that only 70 of the 300 organizations were tea party organizations, of the ones that were looked at by TIGTA [Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration].”
>>>>

[brooklynite]

14. "Why did you buy the GOP storyline on this? "

for the same reason the President did?

There is no "Republican Line"; there is a fact that the IRS staff chose to more rigorously investigate applications of groups based on their name. "We all know" Tea Party groups are political is not a statutory basis for decision making. Assuming its true, the IRS could investigate their application based on their activities, but that's not what they did.

[blm]

15. They admit doing it mistakenly, but, for EFFICIENCY - same way we ALL research using reference words

Yeah - the president did buy the initial reporting on this, because he just didn't know. Nor should he have known what IRS was doing - no WH should.

He was too quick to buy the spin as he often is when blindsided with massive media reports all singing from the GOP songbook.......see: ACORN/Shirley Sherrod.

I'm not jumping on any bandwagon fullofbullshit just because some Democrats don't wait for the fuller story.

[Capt. Obvious]

2. Yes it will

This will excite their base and give cover to R's that are not significantly pure for the teabags.

Shit, the Turtle is already fundraising off of it.

[uponit7771]

3. No, seeing it was one office in one city...dems NOT making an issue out of 501c can make things hard

...though imho.

GOP and M$M are going to make things up, dems should call them on it

[yourout]

4. Don't think it will have much impact. Loses were likely no matter what.

And the attention span of most of us is shorter than a celebrity marriage.

2014 is still a ways off.

[Sheepshank]

5. Unlikely to hurt. As usual, the Reps blew their wad way too early. n/t

[LAGC]

6. The president's party almost always loses seats during the second midterms.

We have to face the probable likelihood that the Repukes are going to increase their holdings in the House and take back the Senate in 2014. (Probably not a 60-vote super-majority though, in which case the filibuster won't seem like such a bad thing any more...)

The only question is what happens in 2016. Hopefully the other side goes so far overboard that there is a major backlash. But President Obama leaves big shoes to fill (in terms of charisma), so we really need a "dark knight" candidate who has yet to step up to the plate, who can hopefully win Congress back for us as well.

[lame54]

9. I'll tell you what it does do...

It assures that no conservative group will be denied tax exempt status for a long time

[Ganja Ninja]

10. November 2014 is a long way off and most of America is not paying attention ...

most of the time.

[rustydog]

12. The GOP knew about this for a YEAR, it involves a nut-bag fringe group

"Tea Baggers" who want to remake what the GOP does not want remade.
The GOP only addressed this "Scandal" when Benghazi!!!!!! appeared to be a big scandal failure...

[Celldweller]

16. It's a safe bet that the gun bloc and the tea partiers

will be out in force. Combine that with it being a mid term election and that basically means a Repub House for the foreseeable future and a Democratically held but closer Senate.

Prepare for 3.5 years of gridlock and a fight to get the ACA in place. Between defunding threats and States resistance it will be a miracle if it becomes reality.

[1StrongBlackMan]

17. Actually ...

I think the IRS (non)scandal just might help Democrats in 2014.

Here is my thinking ...

As of 2012, the tea-party was all but dead to most everyone, and the gop leadership was trying their damnest to show them the door. With this (non)scandal, the tea-party is back on the front pages, and what they will likely do with their return to the spot-light is what they always do, attempt to primary every goper they perceive as not out-raged enough ... which is 90% of the seating gop.

And in an off year, that can spell real trouble for the gop, as we know what kind of candidate the tea-party pushes. Here's to hoping for 70 O'Donnells, Akins and Angles in the 2014 general elections.