Is The IRS/Tea Party Affair A False Flag Operation By GOP Operatives?

“This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.” ~ Plato

False Flag

The force of fury that is emanating from Republicans in congress as they mount their crusade to ostensibly “protect” the nation from the wild excesses of a government agency gone mad has roiled the political landscape like a violently swirling tornado of partisan angst. The House Oversight Committee, chaired by ultra-rightist zealot (and recidivist criminal) Darrell Issa , has designated itself as the guardian of America’s virtue and the enemy of fiendish saboteurs in the despised Internal Revenue Service.

But there is something too convenient in the emergence of this curiously timed “scandal” that ought to raise suspicions among wakeful citizens. Think about it. The previous scandal du jour, Benghazi-Gate, was crumbling like a week-old danish. None of the frenzied allegations were panning out and, rather than diminishing the President’s reputation, his approval ratings were rising. Republicans needed a fresh dead horse to beat and suddenly the IRS dropped a gift on the GOP’s doorstep. Coincidence?

Consider further that the meat of the controversy was an astoundingly lame strategy that purported to target conservative non-profit groups for stricter scrutiny of their applications for tax-exempt status. The execution of this plan was so ineptly transparent it seems as if it was designed to be discovered. It would not have been difficult to devise a program that resulted in conservative groups being reviewed without being specific in a manner that gave away a partisan intent. But the supposed conspirators in this case used obvious language like “Tea Party” and “912 Project” to select applications to audit. That makes no sense because, if you’re trying to secretly suppress opposing political players you would try to do it secretly, wouldn’t you. What’s more, you wouldn’t leave a glowing neon paper trail that begged to be followed. Why would Democrats plotting to monkey-wrench a bunch of otherwise feeble Teabaggers, whose popularity was in rapid descent, concoct such a rickety plan?

The answer, of course, is that they wouldn’t. And to be precise, they (the Democrats) didn’t. The most prominent figures named so far in this affair are IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and the director of the tax-exempt organizations division, Lois Lerner. Both are Republicans brought into their government jobs by George W. Bush. Remember, he’s the guy who politicized the IRS by challenging the tax status of the NAACP, Greenpeace, and even liberal churches. He also politicized the Department of Justice by firing nine U.S. Attorneys who were appointed by a Democratic president. [Update: Congressional investigators reveal that the IRS manager who initiated the Tea Party inquiries is a conservative Republican].

When assessing the facts of this plot it can hardly be regarded as insignificant that the lead plotters were Republicans. Furthermore, the first disclosure that something was awry at the IRS was not made by an intrepid investigative journalist tracking down corruption in the system. It was revealed by Lerner, who planted an aide in a public meeting to ask her about the partisan targeting. So it was actually Republicans in the IRS who cooked up the policy and then leaked it to the media via subterfuge. Why would they do such a thing?

In the process of investigating clandestine operations there is a common inquiry designed to lead to the perpetrators: “Cui bono,” or who benefits? Clearly the activities attributed to the IRS have almost no beneficial value to Democrats. After all, not a single one of the groups subjected to review were denied tax-exempt status. And since the law permits non-profits to solicit tax-exempt donations while their applications are in process, no fundraising was hampered. If this were a plot by Democrats to harm political opponents, why would they stop so far short of their goal and openly advertise their misbehavior? It seems more like a scheme to get the Democrats blamed for trying to harm Republicans without resulting in any actual harm. That would be a scenario that benefited the Republicans, who just happened to be in a position to orchestrate it.

So the GOP had motive, opportunity, and all of the available evidence that was provided and exploited came from Republicans intent on disabling a Democratic administration. It was timed to a news cycle that would otherwise have boosted President Obama’s agenda as the economy showed signs of improvement, jobs were on the rise, and major legislative initiatives like immigration, gun safety, and climate change, were gaining momentum. The lead investigator in the House (Issa) is a known crook who was informed of the IRS activities a year ago, but waited until all the pieces were in place to launch his witch hunt.

This affair smells fishy from the get-go. It was made for media consumption. Nobody got wound up in the Benghazi story because there was no easy handle for malicious reporters to grab unto, or for the public to readily grasp. But everybody already hates the IRS, so fabricating an abuse of power fable has built in appeal. That’s how you end up with wild stories about the IRS Commissioner visiting the White House 157 times, with insinuations that he was conspiring with the President. When a legitimate news reporter followed up, there were far fewer visits (perhaps as few as eleven) and they were all to attend meetings, with people other than Obama, related to the implementation of the health care bill.

However, accuracy and honesty were never a part of the brazen hype machine that has been pumping out the lurid allegations and wispy rumor mongering that Republicans have embraced as their replacement for evidence and facts. The truth is merely an obstacle to the fulfillment of the GOP’s agenda. But it is becoming more apparent every day that the truth may have more to do with Republican malfeasance than that of Democrats. And anyone who dismisses the role of Republicans in creating and executing this alleged scheme is willfully blinding themselves to the reality that the GOP had far more to gain by manufacturing this scandal than the Democrats would have had in carrying out something so inept and ineffective.

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[Authors Note: If you got this far I would like to reveal now that I don’t believe for a second that the IRS affair is a false flag operation by the GOP. While all of the facts presented above are true, the conclusion is a farce meant to illustrate how different the crazies on the right are from the crazies on the left.

Conservatives would have jumped on a story with the factual details that this one has and propagated, in all seriousness, the conspiracy theory that I outlined above. Glenn Beck, Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, and even congresspersons like Michele Bachmann and Louie Gohmert would be polishing their tin-foil hats right about now. However, despite the ripeness of these facts, there is no one on the left pushing such a conspiracy theory.

Just a little something to ponder when right-wingers seek to make phony arguments of equivalency whenever they are caught doing or saying something that is monumentally stupid.]

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28 thoughts on “Is The IRS/Tea Party Affair A False Flag Operation By GOP Operatives?

  1. Have all your demons been exorcised now? Do you feel better? That was probably therapeutic for you – all that anger pent up with no where to go.

  2. Yea I was a little worried someone in the office got ahold of some crystal meth and smoked it from their tin foil hat!

  3. Even when Mark has nowhere to go on a given subject, he also subscribes to the Rahm Emmanuel adage never to let a good crisis go to waste. So since he is cornered by the facts, which keep him from putting the blame on Republicans, he writes a farcical article so that he can, at least, have his conservative bash-gasm. The article should have been titled, “They Would’ve if They Could’ve, But Since They Couldn’t, I Did as if They Had“.

    Enjoy the afterglow, Mark.

    • “…cornered by the facts.” ???

      This article is full of facts. It is Issa and the GOP who have no facts.

      And as usual, you can’t rebut substantively anything I wrote so attack the style. That act is really boring, John.

      • It may be boring, but it’s dead on correct. Burying your frustration in any given article is commonplace for you – you’re transparent. Pick a subject – write an article dealing with that subject – throw in insults and claim you are just setting the record straight for the good of liberalism and the country – the same old BS you’ve followed for some time. If you left out the ignorant insults, we would have little on which to comment – so try and learn from your behavior. This time, on this specific subjtect, you have no where to go and you needed an outlet to get your frustration out, it’s just so clear what this article was about.

      • Mark,

        You want me to rebut your parody and farce, which by your own admission, isn’t real. We have now truly entered the Twilight Zone.

        So strong is your addiction to writing something negative about FOX or conservative points of view that you created a false narrative since that was the best you could find. Either you’re getting lazy or you agreed with everything published, broadcast or posted that particular day by those you usually slam.

        As for being boring, your typical template has become very predictable:

        1. Sensationalized title (often à la FoxNation, the target you often criticize for, among other things, sensationalized titles)
        2. Statements filled with vitriolic language, condemning the issue du jour and how they lie (while ignoring similar shortcomings of others with whom you agree)
        3. Declaring yet again that your target is nothing more than a propaganda machine, hellbent on taking over the world to enforce its evil ways on the rest of us
        4. Those who listen/read/watch this filth are morons
        5. Those who agree with you (Mark) are geniuses

        Did I miss anything?

        • Yes, you missed everything.

          Mainly, you miss the fact that I am not representing myself as a “news” network (obviously). It is ludicrous to compare me to Fox News just because I criticize them. We have completely different roles and, while it is entirely appropriate for me (as a critic) to express myself “colorfully,” it is not appropriate for Fox to violate the tenets of journalism and still call themselves journalists. Sheesh – I can’t believe that I have to explain that to anybody.

          Specifically, you missed that everything I wrote in this article is true. You missed that even though I pointed it out explicitly at the end. The only thing that was meant farcically was the conclusion drawn by the facts (that there was a false flag conspiracy theory). Again, sheesh. I wrote that all out above and you still didn’t get it. You may need to brush up your reading comprehension skills.

          • Once again you fall back on the fact that you’re not a journalist and you’re a critic. You forgot to mention that you’re a biased critic. It’s clear you are not a news organization / journalist.

            Your use of the word “colorful” belies your true motive; calling those who challenge you morons isn’t colorful, but rather just ignorant and insulting. It seems so contrary to the Left Wing credo of tolerance.

            The central point (which you choose to ignore in favor of focusing on something less relevant) is that your very predictable template is equally boring. I think I illustrated that pretty clearly, yet you made no comment to “rebut” my assertions with facts or otherwise. Rebuttals based on facts appear to be a big thing with you, since you constantly call upon the term.

            I very well understood the point and purpose of your article. I don’t think you quite understood the point of my comments. You see, I am also a critic. My criticism is not about the minutiae about whether or not your story was all fact except for the conclusion; it was that since you had no new story to twist, you just made something up, lest we forget. Pretty boring, I know.

            • 1) Wow. You figured out that I’m biased. What gave me away? (FYI: All critics are expressing their bias. It’s called criticism).

              2) Why do you come here so often if you think I’m boring.

              3) How do you expect me to rebut your opinion that I’m boring? That’s absurd.

              Despite your claim otherwise, you clearly did not understand this article. You failed utterly to grasp the facts that undermine the right-wing allusions to scandal, as well as the message therein about the tendencies of the right to embrace conspiracy theories.

  4. Mark’s next post: “Ummm…err…ummm…SQUIRREL!”

    • Issa’s next hearing: “Ummm…err…ummm…SCANDAL!”
      ftfy.

      • I wish I could “like” this comment.
        Thank you Mark, this article was gold.

  5. Mark, you forgot to point out that this “Scandal” was originally revealed to congress last JULY, but at that time they were all so sure that President Obama was on the way out, it was a non-issue for them. Now that he has four more years, suddenly this is a “breaking story” this isn’t news, it’s Olds. Second point, the IRS was essentially doing their JOB identifying and reviewing applications for 501(c)4 status, without any clear directions from congress as to WHAT they should be looking for. Third point, Liberal groups were also targeted by name for additional scrutiny, in both 2011 and 2012, and one of them even had their application denied. Last point, as was aptly pointed out on the Colbert Report, it is not a requirement for a non profit to even REQUEST 501(c)4 status from the IRS. the burden of proof is on the IRS to prove your organization is not complying with the law when you file tax forms every year. These “Small Government” conservative groups were making more government work when they didn’t have to. There is the real false flag. filing a form you know will cause a ruckus, when you don’t even have to file it. So there you have it, a tempest in a tea-party, about news that’s a year old, over actions that were never necessary, ordered by people who were appointed by, and are affiliated with the former administration, and we are going to hang it all on the current president. WHY? because we still can’t repeal Obamacare, our approval rating is lower than a snakes belly, and we have to find SOMETHING to do to keep from actually doing our jobs and legislating. -mikedrop-

    • Excuses, excuses – just admit it was a screw up and move on. Constantly trying to justify bad/wrong behavior just prolongs the agony. You (libs in general) keep trying to explain it away but it just won’t go away – something wrong happened and instead of just confessing – we go down this road of deny, deny, deny anything is wrong. Your precious big, fabulous government did exactly what is in its nature – abuse its power against groups it does not agree with – accept it – come to the light and all will be better.

      • Something wrong happened? What was that? The IRS scrutinized a historically anti-taxes entity? (Taxed Enough Already being one of their recent catchphrases if you don’t follow historic pedigree) Ones that filed as social organizations instead of political groups?

        If I start a pro-meth, underage drinking, and grenades group, I’d fully expect the ATF and DEA to investigate me.

        I don’t think the IRS did anything wrong other than allowing these political groups to receive tax exempt status.

        No abuse of power. Exact use of power.

        • I missed a lot here – I’m sure we’re past any useful discussion, but what the hell.
          Are you – dopaz – so brain dead and/or blind to reality that none of this behavior offends you even a little bit? Maybe one day when it’s you in the cross hairs you’ll care a bit more. We can’t fix stupid.

        • “Dopaz” apparently is something that this guy smokes.

  6. Nicely done Mark!

    And like so many of the conspiracy theories that go in and out of fashion on the Right (actually, any good conspiracy theory regardless of ideology), it’s got just enough surface-level plausibility that if you don’t think too deeply about it, and if you are already predisposed to suspect nefarious intentions, you can find yourself going “hmmm, sounds like there’s something to that!”

    • See Mark, you got your pat on the back, just like you wanted. If your goal was to surround yourself with sycophants, you got it.

      • No, my goal is to be surrounded by morons who are incapable of conducting a coherent dialogue. Thus proving my theory that wingnuts are intellectually vacant.

        By the way, have I thanked you lately, Steve?

        • “…My goal is to be surrounded by morons who are incapable of conducting a coherent dialogue…”

          That means that Mark is talking to himself.

          • Ah, the classic “nuh-uh! You are” comeback.
            Scott is apparently posting this during recess.

      • So appreciating something that someone has written is necessarily being sycophantic? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would I be sucking up to somebody who I don’t know and with whom I have no connection whatsoever? Have a lovely day.

  7. You should’ve used the words ‘Doesn’t feel right’ or ‘Yea, that’s what they’re saying, but we know what’s really going on’. Something along those lines. You still didn’t get it right (the comparison of batshit that is) because you used facts as they are real and not exclusively gut feelings or what god told you. As prove by our precious trolls here everyday, conservative batshits operate and count on irrational distrust. They see/hear ‘government agency + scandal’, whether it’s real or just political theater, and they instantly become absolved of looking any further or thinking any deeper.

  8. The clock is winding down on this DO NOTHING CONGRESS.They can’t even pass gas because of their heads’ so far up their ass causing blockage. Only agreement is their hate of President Obama. Spending all this time trying to manufacture a scandal or scandals to make the majority of Americans hate Obama instead of doing your damn job Legislating. Voting to repeal Obama-Care 37 times is not symbolic it’s stupid no it’s severely stupid. Fast and Furious-Gate,Benghazi-Gate,IRS-Gate,Hell I’m sure I left out a Gate or two hard to keep up but who cares in few months these will die and there will be new Gates just as sure as another season of American Idol.

  9. Could you convey to me just what the primary snake is, my brother thinks it is a boa constrictor.

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