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The IRS Scandal and the Future of the Tea Party

With one scandal after another plaguing the halls of Washington these days, it may seem hard to keep track of each riveting controversy while trying to parse what the crises mean for the nation. And as new political outrages come to dominate the 24-hour news cycle, government scandals that at one point seemed like catastrophic disasters quickly start to fade into the background, appearing less and less relevant each day. This at least seems to be the fate of May’s IRS scandal, which at one point looked to be destined to bring down the Obama administration, or at least tarnish the president’s legacy. But now that the fiasco has been obscured by the NSA spying allegations and the resulting national dialogue over the role of whistleblowers, the once threatening IRS outrage slowly appears to be dripping into the history books. With one notable exception: the Tea Party organizations at the center of the ordeal, which look to be making a comeback thanks to the brouhaha.

Peaks and Losses

The Tea Party wave reached its peak in 2010, when voter discontent over the polarizing Obamacare legislation propelled several young, conservative lawmakers backed by the populist party into Congress during that year’s midterm elections. Since then, though, the anti-taxation coalition’s prestige and influence has waned, with less of their candidates earning government seats in the 2012 vote. As pundits proclaimed the end of the era of riled-up conservative activists, it looked like the once powerful Tea Party was doomed to political extinction.

And then the scandal hit. In mid-May, an audit conducted by the US Treasury showed that an IRS office in Cincinnati specifically targeted conservative organizations that had sought tax-exempt status. This revelation led to government inquiries, Congressional hearings and plenty of resignations as investigators and the media tried to figure out who ordered the extra scrutiny and which DC politicians were aware of it. Since then, Tea Party–affiliated groups have seen an uptick not just in media coverage, but in popular support and even funding.

Back on Track

Soon after the scandal hit, some Tea Party groups saw attendance to their meetings increase threefold. Organizers and leaders of the movement attribute this to the spotlight once again being flung at their non-government-intervention ideologies, especially since the debacle gave them a perfect illustration of Big Brother–like government overreach.  Organizers also hope their message will now appeal to more centrist, moderate voters, who they hope are now made aware of the impact big government can have on their everyday lives.

And of course, there’s the money situation. Outrage over the targeting has led conservative donors to pump more cash into local grass-root Tea Party groups, as well as funds from national super PACs. Tea Party groups all over the nation have been more than happy to receive this sudden surge in corporate gifts. With the influx of cash, the Tea Party is looking to once again tackle head-on their big Washington white whale: health care legislation. Websites linked to the group have already popped up trying to link Democratic politicians who voted for Obamacare with the IRS scandal. Because the tax agency will be in charge of enforcing such Obamacare rules as penalties on people who don’t get health insurance under the individual mandate, Tea Party leaders are hoping that associating the seemingly bungling agency with vulnerable politicians will slow down (or maybe even halt) the state-by-state implementation of Obamacare.

Big Changes

The most obvious and talked-about consequences stemming from the IRS scandal is what will happen to the IRS itself. With Tea Party groups long calling for either a change in the agency’s tax policies or its outright abolition, the added scrutiny now being placed on the government service will have to result in some sort of transformation. Influential politicians such as Ohio’s Republican Senator Rob Portman have publicly berated the IRS for targeting groups based on their political beliefs while at the same time acknowledging that system as it currently stands is not working. These politicians have called for a review of policies affecting nonprofit status for political groups, if not the direct elimination of such status. Long-debated practices such as the amount of funds nonprofits can receive from super PACs and how much nonprofits can contribute to political causes will all now be under discussion. And in the end, these are the exact sorts of debates the Tea Party has been pushing for since its inception. So where analysts and pundits may see a scandal, the anti-taxation group has instead seen this fiasco for what it really is: a major political gift.

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Domestic Policies News Technology

Where the NSA Scandal Is Heading

He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been good or bad… mostly by checking your Facebook status updates and by screening your calls. Because these days, it seems that Santa’s working for the National Security Agency. Or at least that’s where public opinion seems to be going, with more alleged revelations appearing of secret programs allowing the government to spy on its own citizens. And though these findings are polarizing the nation—with some finding shades of totalitarian overreach where others see a yawn-worthy media blowup—the true consequences of these allegations remain to be known.

Media Matters

A quick rewind first. Before exploring where this latest scandal is going, we need to know where it began. Mainly: the media. Or rather, media reports of documents leaked by a whistleblower (and more on that in a minute). The ball started rolling June 6 when British newspaper “The Guardian” published the first in a series of major scoops alleging that the NSA—America’s largest intelligence-gathering agency—has been collecting million of phone records from mega communication corporation Verizon’s US customers.  Classified documents then showed that this exchange had been going on for seven years, and that AT&T and Sprint Nextel were also part of the massive observation program. Further reporting from “The Guardian” uncovered the existence of an Internet surveillance system called PRISM, tasked with monitoring private user data from key tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Since then, reports of more alleged government prying have been bubbling over the Internet, with “The Guardian” and other newspapers leading the charge. It’s no wonder that a reader’s first reaction might be to go sell your iPhone 4 or other piece of tech that could serve as a window for the seeming peeping Tom that is the government. But as with any allegation, the back story is only the tip of the iceberg.

Consequences

Now that the charges of creepy Big Brotherism have been publicly levied against the government (with all three branches seemingly in cahoots), the next part of this long saga is figuring out what will happen to all the players, and what policy changes will spring from this. First up on the list is the man who leaked the incriminating documents, 29-year-old former CIA employee Edward Snowden. After publicly outing himself as the secret source behind “The Guardian’s” reports, Snowden fled the country and hid in Hong Kong… which may not have been the smartest first choice, as pundits were quick to find that the Chinese territory’s extradition policies almost always allow for the deportation of wanted criminals. This, of course, would depend on the whistleblower actually being branded a criminal. As of early June, no formal charges have been filed, though the chances are high that a warrant will be issued for Snowden’s arrest under a 1917 anti-espionage law. Snowden himself has acknowledged as much, as has famed informant Daniel Ellsberg—of Pentagon Papers fame—who referred to Snowden as a hero while recognizing his chances of being prosecuted are pretty high.

And then there’s the matter of the policies that have caused all these problems. While the president himself has publicly defended them, saying the agencies are not actually reviewing citizen data, public opinion on the subject remains mixed. A recent poll by “The Washington Post” found that 56 percent of Americans believed the NSA’s collection of phone records to be acceptable, while 41 percent saw the practice as unacceptable. Pundits are equally divided, with an odd coalition of Obama-detracting conservatives, freedom-first libertarians and privacy-protecting liberals all raging against the NSA programs. Others (especially long-time Obama supporters and, oddly enough, security minded neoconservatives) have begun their own media campaigns against the scandal, swapping away at Orwellian accusations of a surveillance state and refusing to call Snowden’s actions heroic.

More to Come?

As the more emotional aspects of the fiasco settle, it’ll be up to either Congress or the courts to review what’s perceived as the most troubling aspects of the policies. Individual suits against the telephone companies or the government itself may lead to the further declassification of secret documents, as could any possible congressional inquest resulting from the leaks. Once this treasure trove of information is made public, there’s no knowing what new scandals will erupt, and whose careers will be ruined. Only time—and more transparency—will tell.

Categories
democrats Politics

All Eyes on the Midterm

One very long and drawn-out election season’s already been fitfully left behind, but that hasn’t stopped pundits from casting their gaze on another upcoming ballot battle: next year’s midterm elections.

Though not as popular nationally as presidential elections, midterm votes are seen as powerful referendums on the sitting president’s agenda, as well as a means to decide how power is brokered in the often divided and ideologically warring houses of Congress.

Every retirement, every scandal, and yes, even every death, is seen as a potential Congressional opening by two parties interested in taking full control of the government. And as the tea leaves seem to show, neither party can claim to have an advantageous lead… so far.

Toss-Ups

When citizens cast their midterm votes on November 4, 2014, most eyes will be on the very contentious Senate races. That branch of Congress is currently made up of 53 Democrats, 45 Republicans, and two independents. And though Democrats control the senate by a clear majority, several announced retirements have made the prospects of them maintaining their hold after the elections a little more unclear. So far, six Democratic senators have announced they will not be seeking reelection, compared to just two retiring senators on the Republican side (though one of the expected-to-retire Democrats, New Jersey’s Frank Lautenberg, passed away June 3. New Jersey’s Republican governor, Chris Christie, has scheduled a special election in October to fill the seat).

The early departure of heavily funded incumbents has created unexpected toss-ups in states that were once considered safe. Should Republicans pick up all the seats being vacated by the Democrats while losing as few of theirs as possible, the chances of them taking over the Senate are very high. This would lead to a completely Republican-dominated Congress, as the GOP already has a strong majority in the House: 233 against the Democrats’ 200 seats. Of course, control of the House could shift should Democrats make some unexpected gains. One of the more surprising retirement announcements from that chamber came in May, when Tea Party darling  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann stated she would not be seeking reelection. Strategists thought the Minnesota representative’s exit would clear the way for businessman Jim Graves, her former opponent. However, Graves himself said he would not be running for Bachmann’s post shortly after her announcement. This air of uncertainty has created one of the most visible toss-ups in what was once considered a safe Republican stronghold.

Presidential Stakes

Though the president’s name won’t be on the ballot next year, it’s safe to say many of the issues he has fought for most certainly will. That’s because midterm votes are usually seen as critiques of the job the commander-in-chief has been doing since his election. The midterms of 2006 saw Democrats taking over Congress, which pundits analyzed as voter disapproval of George W. Bush’s war policies. A similar lesson was gleaned from the GOP’s takeover of the House in the 2010 midterms, when young, ultra-conservative congressmen swept that chamber through voter insecurity over Obama’s health-care legislation. As the president wades more deeply into controversial policies, the public’s votes will be seen as a gauge of their approval on issues such as same-sex marriage, immigration reform, overhauls of the education system, foreign policy, and even the specter of “Obamacare,” which remains as polarizing as it was back in 2010.

The chief executive’s daunting task will be to hold on to the Senate while trying to win back the House, all while preserving his legacy and defending his legislative record from Republican attack. To do this, political analysts have suggested Obama and Democrats seek a way to revive the strong coalition of young and minority voters that helped sweep him into power in both past presidential elections. This can prove a major challenge, as midterm elections have always been beset by historically low turnout, especially in those two demographics, according to the Center for Voting and Democracy. The only way to rouse these groups would be through strategies already employed in previous bigger elections, mainly the use of internet tech and social media to build grassroots activist movements. The administration could also tout some of the positive aspects of Obamacare, such as the expanded role it will have for mental health and substance use disorder benefits, a cornerstone of the president’s new policy on the fight against drug and alcohol abuse. By stressing his legislation’s role in tackling the root of alcohol abuse in Minnesota or other states known for their high numbers of alcohol dependence, the president will be able to showcase the practical aspects of his more controversial laws.

Decisions

Despite the lower appeal midterm elections have for most voters, these are the campaign wars that decide which course the government will take for the next few years: whether it be a united Washington under the control of one specific party, or a fractured government beset by constant infighting. Political careers can be made or destroyed at this time, and coalitions formed or disbanded. But no matter the outcome of these bitterly fought seats, at least there will be one clear winner: pundits with more tea leaves to pore over.

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