Cooperation -- Not!

Mitch McConnell, senior Senator form Kentucky and the Senates minority leader for the Republicans, claimed Sunday, May 19, 2013, that the IRS scandal is proof that the Obama White House is intimidating his political foes.

This is not the first time Mitch has made idle claims against Democrats, especially President Obama. But it seems McConnell is making his claims more outrageous as time goes by. Remember? He wondered aloud why the President doesn't invite the loyal opposition to the White House to discuss their differences? But when those discussions were held, and everyone claims they were nicey-nice, it didn't take much time before Mitch claimed he didn't get what he wanted from the President. And then bad mouths him immediately.

Nice going, Mitch! The way to influence others and win compromise is to bully and beat them to a pulp!  That your strategy?  Doesn't work, does it?

IRS scandal indeed. What scandal? That the IRS has acted outrageously again against those they think badly of them? Or are thumbing noses at IRS rules and regulations?  Since when is this a new trait. 

Just because it is an administrative department doesn't mean the White House or Executive branch has power over the agency. Let’s see. The IRS is a creature of Congress. They imbued the agency with all sorts of powers that no one can tamper with. Least of all politicians seeking favor from the tax man.  And while we are at it, any time the American people have complained about high handed stunts of the IRS and their rule making authority, Congress has had to enter the fray and redraw the authorities they gave the IRS initially.

Don’t think voters remember this, huh Republicans? Since when have you loved the IRS? Since when have you tried to tame it in the name of the American People?  Methinks you complain too much.

And oh by the way (drum roll please!) the acting commissioner of the IRS was appointed by George W. Bush. Douglas Shulman under Bush was supposed to make sure 501(C)(4) organizations were not being abused for tax exempt status by Tea Party and other organizations that improperly use tax exempt status for political purposes. I guess this is the Tea Party blaming Obama for another Bush era choice.

Interesting turn of events. The republicans build a trap to get at their enemies and end up making it look like someone else was guilty of doing what they themselves want to accomplish.  The Tea Party is not an enemy of Obama. It is an enemy of Republican banner carriers. Remember the onset of this odd ‘rump group’?

This is not the time to rewrite history. It is still fresh.

Mitch and Boehner, get a grip of your own party and begin carrying the weight of the governance role the out-of-power party has for the nation. The Democrats are holding up their end of the deal. How about you?

Discipline, gentlemen. Discipline.

May 22, 2013