Does THIS look like the IRS targeted the Tea Party? Uh YEAH.

  And now we discover the real motivation for the IRS's recent confession and apology.
  A more detailed report will be released some time in the next weeks revealing the results of a year long investigation of the IRS since Obama was elected.
  A very bad report that is going to be worse than what we've heard in Friday's document dump. 
  Who were the targets?
  Any liberal groups?
  Uh. No.
  Tea Parties. Groups with the name "patriot."
  And those whose goal is teaching the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. 
  Groups like Beck's 9/12 project.
  And this has been known for at least 2 years.You know, since the middle of Obama's first term.
  The Ohio Liberty Coalition--who sent out agonized emails at the time decrying IRS abuse and who eventually refused to comply--wants to know why other conservative groups were targeted, even though they did not have the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their names.
  They also want to know:

2. Why did agents tell TEA Party Leaders that these applications were being held up on orders from their superiors...

3. Why did Al Franken and Chuckie Schumer release a letter demanding that certain (not specified as conservative but broadly indicated) 501c4's be investigated to be sure they were participating in social welfare issues like the ACORN group?

4. ....why was the IRS asking for things like donor lists, membership lists, lists of attendees at non-political events, lists of speakers with full transcripts of what they said – none of which has anything to do with political activity or qualification for tax exempt status? 

5. Pending the demands of the IRS, a number of groups closed. OLC wants to know "Where did the information go that was provided? If it was put into a database, who had access to that database? What was the purpose of these questions, which clearly had nothing to do with tax exempt status or even political activity?"

  The onerous demands of the IRS [link fixed...sorry. Wrong link.] to the Liberty Township Tea Party can be seen here.
  In case you were thinking all the fuss the Tea Partiers are making over the IRS is a bit overdone because, what, the IRS was just checking to make sure the targeted groups were qualified, take a look at the demands the IRS presented to these groups. Ask yourself if ACORN was ever subjected to this sort of thing.
  Look at some of the many open ended questions, all the "explains," and "provides" and "indicates." Taken directly from the IRS demands of, in this case, the Liberty Township Tea Party, demanded under the penalty of perjury dated March 1, 2011 and due 3 weeks later (I believe..it's difficult to see on the letter). Individuals were personally targeted.
  Anyway here are some sample questions:

4. Submit the following information relating to your past and present directors, officers, and key employees:

1. a. provide a resume for each.
2. b. Indicate the number of hours per month each individual has provided or is providing services to you.
3. c. Provide a description of all the services each individual provides and has provided for you.
4. d. Indicate the total compensation to each individual.
5. e. Describe how each compensation package was determined.
6. f. Indicate if any of your current and former officers, directors and key employees are related to each other (include family and business relationships) and describe the nature of the relationship.

5. List each past or present board member, officer, key employee and members of their families who:

1. a. has served on the board of another organization.
2. b. Was, is or plans to be a candidate for public office. Indicate the nature of each candidacy.
3. c. Has previously conducted similar actives for another entity.
4. d. Has previously submitted an application for tax exempt status.

7. Regarding your fundraising:

1. a. Provide copies of all solicitations the organization has made regarding fundraising.
2. b. Provide copies of all documents related to the organizations fundraising events, including pamphlets, flyers, brochures, webpage solicitations.
3. c. Provide a listing and details regarding all fundraising expenses.

8. Please provide the following regarding your merchandise sales:

1. a. A vendor list. Indicate if the vendor is a related party.
2. b. A list of items sold.
3. c. Your cost for each item.
4. d. The selling price of each item.

9. Provide actual financial information for 2011 and a budget for 2012. Provide details regarding each item listed.

10. Regarding your current and planned employees:

1. a. How many employees do you have?
2. b. Indicate the total of full time, part time and seasonal employees.
3. c. If employees are part time, when did/do they work?
4. d. If employees are seasonal, during what season (months) did/do they work?
5. e. How many employees are/were devoted to each activity of the organization throughout the year?

11. Regarding your current and planned volunteers:

1. a. How many volunteers do you have?
2. b. How many volunteers are/were devoted to each activity of the organization throughout the year?
3. c. How many and what sort of resources re devoted to volunteer activities?

12. You will educate the public and work in concert with other citizens to bring about public policy changes. You will have monthly meetings, operate a website, conduct candidate forums, organize your community, operate on social network sites, conduct a youth program and operate other programs. To help us gain a better understanding of your organization, please provide the following estimates:

1. a. Provide a listing of all of your past activities. Indicate the percentage of your time spent conducting the activity (total of all activities should equal 100:) and the percentage of your funds spent conducting the activity (total of all activities should equal 100%)
2. b. Provide a listing of all of you rplanned activities. Indicate the percentage of your time spend conducting the activity (total of all activities should equal 100%) and the percentage of your funds you will spend conducting the activity (total of all activities should equal 100%)

13. Fully describe your youth outreach program with the local school district.

14.  Provide information regarding the Butler County Teen Age Republicans and your relationship.

15. You are a membership organization. Provide details regarding all members' fees and benefits.

16. Provide a list of all issues that are important to your organization. Indicate your position regarding each issue.

17. Do you publish or distribute materials or conduct other communications that are prepared by or reviewed by another organization? If yes, explain and provide a copy of such materials or communications.

[SNIP]

20. You have conducted polls of your membership to determine which candidates and issues they are supporting. Provide details this process ([sic]. Indicate how many such polls you have conducted and what you have done with the poll results.

21. An attachment to the Form 1023 indicated you will not endorse candidates or issues. Is this still accurate? If not, explain and answer the following:

1. a. Provide your endorsement criteria.
2. b. Once a candidate is endorsed, how does your organization handle the endorsement?
3. c. Provide a list of all candidates you have endorsed.
4. d. Does your organization notify the candidate of the endorsement? If yes, explain.
5. e. Do you provide any materials to candidates, which they may use to promote their candidacy? If so, please describe and provide copies of those materials.

[SNIP]

34. Has your organization engaged in any activities with the news media? If so, please describe those activities in further details and, if available, provide copies of articles printed or transcripts of items aired because of that activity. News media activity may include the following:

1. a. Newspaper advertisements
2. b. Press releases
3. c. Interviews with news media
4. d. Letters to the editor
5. e. Op-ed pieces

 And yet we are to believe these behaviors are not politically motivated.
  We can add this lie to the long list of other lies this administration has perpetrated on the American public.

• The key words we targeted for new groups were "Tea Party" and "Patriot" but there was absolutely nothing political about it.
• It was an absolutely awful video which we had nothing to do with that inspired a mob (with rocket launchers) to invade the embassy.
• There's nothing political about this. 
• [Somebody else] Bush? did it. 
• We made only one minor change in the talking points.
• If you like your doctor, you can keep him.
• Government health care will be CHEAPER; it's all paid for! And it'll be better than what we have now.
• The attack was about a video, not terrorism.