Lois Lerner's "Surprising" Collusion With the FEC by Bill Brown

 

Lois Lerner’s “Surprising” Collusion With the FEC.

 

In a Townhall Magazine ‘Tipsheet’ article published September 15, 2013, Carol Platt Liebau wrote about revelations from the emails of Lois Lerner while she was actively employed for the IRS:

 

Perhaps one of the most sinister statements in the newly-released Lerner emails is the following: After receiving an article about Democrats complaining about anonymous donors financing attack ads against them, Lerner wrote, ""Perhaps the (Federal Election Commission) will save the day." 

Hm.  So is it a coincidence, as reported here on Townhall, that Lois Lerner colluded with a lawyer from the FEC to try to influence the record before the FEC -- at least twice -- and illegally sharing confidential information?  The answer has always been obvious; now it is increasingly so.

The more the facts in the IRS targeting scandal emerges, the more obvious it becomes that this was a partisan operation, in which law-abiding Americans were discriminated against based only on their political views.

 

The following is an article that appeared in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper Sunday edition August 12, 2013, on its editorial page:

 

IF there was any doubt that IRS officials' recent partisan activities threaten citizens' free-speech rights, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin just eliminated it.

Durbin, D-Ill., is on a witch hunt targeting financial supporters of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group of state legislators across the country who promote free markets, limited government and federalism. Durbin has mailed a letter to those whom he believes financially support ALEC, demanding they reveal whether they support “Stand Your Ground” laws. ALEC helped develop model legislation on that topic that was subsequently adopted by numerous state legislatures. Durbin vows to make those responses public at a congressional hearing later this year.

ALEC doesn't publicly identify its funders. It doesn't have to. American citizens have the right to associate and engage in free speech without government interference. This clearly upsets Durbin. Apparently, free speech is only for those who share his liberal views.

In light of the IRS's recent abuse of conservative groups, Durbin's threats take on added meaning. Officials with the National Organization for Marriage have reported their group's tax records were illegally leaked to help opponents harass donors. Durbin's letter may signal a new effort to do the same thing to other people for the “crime” of engaging in the U.S. political process. The implied message is clear: Exercise your constitutional rights at your peril.

Durbin's efforts could have repercussions in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a free-market think tank, is active in ALEC. Jonathan Small, fiscal policy director for OCPA, serves on ALEC task forces and is a regular contributor to ALEC policy. Numerous state lawmakers participate in ALEC. Gov. Mary Fallin is a former ALEC Legislator of the Year.

If Durbin is successful in intimidating ALEC's backers and suppressing conservative advocacy, what's to stop similar vendettas against Oklahomans who financially support groups like OCPA or even local churches whose teachings oppose abortion?

 

 

Now.  I’m going to make one more attempt to explain the symbiotic relationship between Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Election Commission and Lois Lerner.

In the Illinois Senate election of 1996, challenger Democrat Dick Durbin sought and obtained the assistance of the Federal Election Commission in defeating a well-funded and popular Republican candidate.  Lerner, who headed up the Enforcement Office of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) that investigated allegations of wrongdoing and sought prosecution of those she deemed guilty, at the behest of Dick Durbin began an investigation of his Republican opponent, Al Salvi.  Salvi’s campaign had to answer many lengthy and invasive inquiries and prepare to defend the candidate in court, thereby leaving little time for trivial matters like running a campaign for Senate.  As a result, an election that appeared to favor Salvi became very close, and eventuated in a runaway victory for Durbin.  Salvi was out more than $100,000 in legal fees before a judge dismissed all charges..  He stated he was unable to get his message out to voters because the Chicago newspapers and other media were full of items about the FEC investigation.

There is an excellent article on this event in the May 31, 2013 Illinois Review.

 

So, does it come as a complete surprise to Republican officials that Lerner should be up to her old tricks—that she should have excellent and cooperative contacts at the FEC, willing to launch investigations at her suggestion or direction?

That tactic worked wonderfully well in the Illinois Senate race in 1996 (and I’ll wager in other years and races as well), so why get off a winning horse?.

The Democrat Party does not play fair. Why should they?  There is nobody to stop their unethical, yes, and often illegal practices.  The back-alley media have their own agenda, and it has nothing to do with the protection of conservatives’ rights.

When are the Republicans going to catch on and fight back?

WILL they ever do that?

The IRS targeted 471 conservative groups seeking 501( c )4 status ; those with “Tea Party” or “Vote” or any word that could have a conservative connotation in the title of the applicant.

Three (3) liberal groups were allegedly targeted.  I say “allegedly” because none of these three complained about wrongful treatment.

That, for the Obama Administration, comprises parity—471 to 3.

You see, everybody is equal under the law.  It’s just that some are more equal than others.

 

Allow me to ponder in print whether President Obama and his sidekick Eric Holder, the inestimable Attorney General of the United States, have ever considered the aftermath of an unequal application of the law.  Is either of them intelligent enough to recognize that an unfair application of the law invites defiance of the law?  I am not in any way attempting to encourage such defiance, but the most cursory study of world history would corroborate the accuracy of that statement.

 

This President and his Attorney General see no violation in gun-running to the Mexican Cartels, find absolutely nobody culpable for any part of the Benghazi massacre of four Americans, find no fault with the IRS slow-walking approval for conservative groups seeking to band together in support of conservative causes, and see nothing wrong in the Attorney General lying to a judge to gain his approval of a search warrant for James Rosen’s (a Fox News reporter) telephone records.  But they arrest producer Nakoula Bassely Nakoula, who made a cheap movie critical of Islam and seen by tens—not thousands, or millions—of people, and accused him of being the instigator for the Benghazi terrorist attack.  Almost a year later, Nakoula was still in jail.  Shameful. 

The government of the United States is being run (ruined?) by children.  Is there an adult in the Obama Administration?  Just one? Someone capable of and motivated to making a reasoned decision based upon doing what is right—in the interests of America and its citizens!

Conservatives stand by and allow the progressives to steal elections, build unsustainable debt and rule by executive fiat rather than the rule of law—equally applied. What does that say for the compliant majority which simply follows along and does nothing to end the travesties that this government is foisting upon its citizens?

‘Conservative’ politicians—either make a principled stand for what is moral, ethical, honest and in the interests of our country, or get the hell out of the way so that principled leaders who will at least TRY to accomplish the people’s will CAN be elected!  

 

 

 

 

Conservatives Weaken National Security

During the budget debate, I pleaded with “conservatives” to not accept Boehner Bill #1, #2 or #3.  I was told “we can’t win anyway,” “we don’t control the Senate,” “the GOP will look obstructionist,” and “you’re too extreme.”  Well known tweeter, Ken Gardner, even blocked me last week because HE was one of those who thought it was foolish to fight for Cut, Cap & Balance and now denies that he ever took such a stance.  Some people can’t handle the truth.  And the truth is that me, Rush Limbaugh, Jim DeMint, Erick Erickson, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin were absolutely right.  The Ceiling Cap Compromise is worse than no deal at all.  As I explained in my article “The Lesson of the Tea Party 22,” the Democrats continue to play high stakes poker while Republicans play Candy Land.  And now it is time to measure what that cost us.

Heritage Morning Bell has a terrific and horrifying analysis of exactly what the $1.2 Trillion cut in Defense means to our security.  A summary of what this will mean to us in the next 10 years:

• Smallest ground force since 1940
• Smallest number of ships since 1915
• Smallest Air Force in US history
• Termination of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
• Termination of all helicopter modernization
• Termination of all combat vehicle modernization
• Termination of all European missile defense
• Termination of all unmanned surveillance systems
• Elimination of our intercontinental ICBM capability

And that doesn’t even take into consideration the termination of the next generation submarine and bomber programs as the number of radical Muslim governments and China military power grows.

How could ANY congressperson (let alone a Republican) agree to the possibility of this kind of national security disaster when Obama had ALREADY cut $850 Billion from Defense spending?!

I had more faith my Chicago Bulls would offer me a spot on their 2012 NBA roster than that the so called Super Committee would ever come up with a plan acceptable to both parties even BEFORE the charlatanscommittee members were named.  Rush Limbaugh had the foresight all along that the Democrats had set this up to blame the Republicans.  I suspect Obama WANTED an impasse to continue his destruction of the American government.
Our Founding Fathers have turned in their graves so often during the past three years I suspect their skeletons are now resting in Seoul.

Who is to blame?  Everyone who compromised for fear of the media, fear of politics and desire for convenience to put the prospect of a “Deal before an Ideal.”  And the Band Captain, Drum Major and Baton Twirlers were John Boehner, Alan West and Paul Ryan.

All of these are good men.  Allen West and Paul Ryan especially have done great things for the conservative movement, which makes their role in this betrayal all the more painful.  It is not just time to say, “Et tu Brute?” but to start asking those who allowed this to happen, what they will do now.

One of the greatest revelations Reagan had was how the Soviets operated.  I don’t feel I’m too far off – or that many of you would disagree – that the modern Democrat party isn’t of a dissimilar mold to that of the Communist Politburo. I wish I could find the exact quote (someone post it in comments if you locate it) but at one point Reagan said something equivalent to, “for years in negotiating with the Soviets, we would propose to cut missiles, they would say no and we would come back the next time with another proposal of even more cuts to which they would also say no to.  This has got to stop.” (Reagan’s 1981 speech of US arms offers here.)

Republicans have continued to  play the ignorant dupe to Reid’s impersonation of Brezhnev.  Regan understood that WHAT THEY SAID was not truly their game plan.  And the GOP had better wise up quick, because Barack Obama is the Gigantor version of Brezhnev.  With not a single move in the direction of the American public majority to cut spending, you have to come to the conclusion Barack Obama DESIRES a complete emasculation of American power.  Forget the admission he ONLY hung out with Marxist radicals in college.  Forget the fact that he has made nearly every move to overburden the country with debt, and refuses to give troops to defend our border while giving Mexican drug lords guns to kill our own border officers.  The fact that he publicly admitted in a

Nuclear Security conference that he was not fully in support of America being a world superpower should send us into ACTION on getting this guy out of office NOW instead of hoping we defeat him in 2012.  Why aren’t the Republicans launching a full scale political war of rhetoric and full legal challenge to this guy being in office?  Doesn’t the admission he is willing to subvert Congress a cause for impeachment?  Certainly if he swore to defend the Constitution which is to ENSURE NATIONAL DEFENSE, this is grounds alone.
In fact, it gives an even great credibility to the idea we should finally engage a full PR prosecution on his lack of eligibility to get EVERY law and policy he has signed and implemented immediately reversed.

I liked Boehner’s tough talk to Obama during the budget debate, but unlike others, I never once truly felt he understood the gravity of the issue.  I am POSITIVE that Paul Ryan and Allen West now do.  And although they have betrayed us once in not fighting more fiercely to stop these automatic defense cuts that will quite literally weaken our country, they now have a chance to speak up and no longer play politics as usual.  NO longer will saying determined and angry things against Obama’s plan but DOING nothing to remove him will do.  How about finally calling this for what it is:

TREASON.

Ryan and West have credibility that Bachmann (unfairly) does not.  Reputations as being smart, serious legislators.  It is time for them to use that to escalate this battle.  In the end, West and Ryan have an opportunity to correct their poorly informed past decision for Boehner and be known as fictional Braveheart version of this:
Or continue to merely play the usual political game and risk being thought of as this:
If you are going to be a Tea Party patriot, you are going to have stand up to your own party at personal and political risk.  Like Sarah Palin did in Alaska, even resigning her position on the oil industry oversight committee risking being called an “extremist” rather than accepting politics as usual.


Where are our Patriots?  Who will love this country as much as our John Hancock and put their reputations on the line to challenge this status quo.
We need you.  Not in 2012.  We need you now.