From Benghazi, wire tapping the Associated Press to now the IRS targeting the Tea Party,Obama's house of cards are starting to sway.
Very interesting how it takes the second term of a presidency for all hell to break loose. Bill Clinton had to deal with cigar-gate which stained his presidency, I know. I couldn't resist. George Bush had the bad timing of having the sub prime housing bubble blow up nearing the end of his second term which really helped pave the way for Obama winning. So with Obama now into his second term, what could possible be the iceberg laying in his path? Well, it's not an iceberg, it's multiple icebergs actually. Progressives were hoping for Benghazi to either go away or just be discredited as a mere right wing conspiracy against Obama. Much to their dismay, the story is getting more and more coverage every day. Even Obama's gate keepers in the media have turned on him to a point and are now calling him out on his lies about Benghazi. The old saying goes "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Looks like the Chicago Obama/Daley machine didn't know when to take the foot off the gas. The story right now that has managed to eclipse Benghazi is actually another potential scandal involving the IRS. The news has broken wide open about the IRS targeting conservative and tea party groups for almost two years. Any conservative, tea party group or constitutional group who were seeking tax exempt status were unfairly scrutinized by the IRS. That included the IRS requesting private information about the people belong to the groups and their donor lists. That is a major, major no no. With the IRS now in charge of being the revenue collector for Obamacare, people are not going to be very trusting (as if they were before) of giving any information about their health status etc to the IRS. I've been shocked to discover that some liberals are also angry at the IRS for their actions against Tea Party and conservative groups. Maybe some progressives have some decency after all when it comes to fair treatment by government agencies regardless of political ideology. Even the progressive narcissist Jon Stewart made and issue of the IRS and the Obama administration over the brewing scandal including the IRS
posted by Alpha Conservative Male at 11:17 AM
18 Comments:
If this keeps up, Obama will either be impeached or did what Nixon did, resign in disgrace. If Biden takes over, his first executive order, like Gerald Ford, is to pardon his predecessor. If this continues, the whole administration from the VP, the Secretary of State, and down to Attorney General Eric Holder may be impeached.
-Big Pop
Benghazi:
This has gone on long enough. There's nothing there. Silly political show.
Republicans set up the failure by cutting security; funding was requested specifically for Bengahzi, and denied. They are to blame.
60 people were killed in embassy attacks during the Bush years, not 5. I know, I know – Dubya is history and we’re not allowed to talk about history (?!?!?). But while we’re on the topic, I’d sure like to know, at which one of the 37 plus CIA warnings pre 9/11 did GWB and his staff chose to ignore them completely and stopped reading them at all?
AP Wiretaps:
This is a gray area. If the feds can legally tap the phones of any persons suspected of having knowledge of terror activities, why should members of the press get a free pass?
Regardless of my feelings toward the legality of the intrusion of people's privacy, the law is the law, and I don't see how this is illegal. I vividly remember supporters of the Patriot Act declaring, "We have nothing to hide."
Do I think the tap should be legal? No. Is it? Yes. So until otherwise, the authorities should use it to the fullest extent available. And they do. So quit your bitching.
IRS:
I still don't understand how using the search term "Tea Party" when scrutinizing applications for tax exemption is politically motivated. It seems just as logical to me as searching for "Pro-Choice" or "Rainbow." The term "target" is being used here as if there was some sort of liberal bias to this, when, to me, it seems just like the agents used logical search terms any person would have used. And explain to me again why anti-tax, anti-government groups should not get extra scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service when seeking tax-exempt status?
Now the commissioner guy telling Congress that there was no such thing. ... That's a different issue. I don't know if he was under oath or not, but either way, that's definitely wrong and probably/hopefully punishable. He needed to go, and from the backlash that has come from this, so do a few agents in Cincinnati. That doesn't mean I think they were wrong for taking their shortcuts, but sometimes things just need to be cleaned up.
The problem here is, why haven't the Democrats proposed a full-scale review of civil-service laws, which were concocted by President Chester Alan Arthur 130 years ago, when there was only a fraction of the federal workforce that we have now? Such laws certainly hinder effective governance, which the Democrats are supposedly selling.
Lately, I'm overwhelmed by former NAACP chairman Julian Bond's hypocrisy for praising the IRS for going after the "racist" Tea Party. Yet, years ago he played the race card when the NAACP was being audited back in 2004 under the George W. Bush.
-Big Pop
con wavaesc "Benghazi:
This has gone on long enough. There's nothing there. Silly political show.Republicans set up the failure by cutting security; funding was requested specifically for Bengahzi, and denied. They are to blame."
This is going to be fun I can see now. The state department's budget was never cut, it has never been cut. Every year, the state department's budget has INCREASED, OOPS! A little more knowledge for you. It would have been impossible for the State Department's budget to have been cut, because the congress has yet to pass budget in four years, because the Senate refused to pass their budget in order to reconcile with the one that is passed in the house. All the government's funding has been through "continuous resolutions" not an actual budget. Got anything else? Also, even the Washington Post of all places shot down the "GOP cut the State Department's budget theory".
During hearings into the attack last fall and this month, State Department officials were specifically asked if a lack of financial resources played a role in the attack. The answer was no So strike one.
con wavaesc "60 people were killed in embassy attacks during the Bush years, not 5. I know, I know – Dubya is history and we’re not allowed to talk about history (?!?!?)."
You're the one trying to take attention off of the Benghazi scandal and invoking the vapors of Bush. Bush was a failure in his own right. If you think I'm a grand defender of Bush, all I can say to you is, you really need to read up on who I support and why. Be that as it may. If Bush blamed any embassy attacks on an anti Muslim video while knowing that that attacks were orchestrated terrorists attacks, then he was wrong and should be impeached for lying much like Obama has done.
con wavaesc "But while we’re on the topic, I’d sure like to know, at which one of the 37 plus CIA warnings pre 9/11 did GWB and his staff chose to ignore them completely and stopped reading them at all?"
Please tell me you aren't a 911 truther. If you are, I still have some left over tin foil for you if you like. I rather focus on now more so then 12 year ago. By all means, you can do so if you like.
con wavaesc "This is a gray area. If the feds can legally tap the phones of any persons suspected of having knowledge of terror activities, why should members of the press get a free pass?"
When the government overreaches it's powers, that is when people start to fear the government. Unless the AP was breaking the law, they shouldn't have been bugged period. Furthermore, the bugging of the AP by the Justice Department seems to have more to do with politics then it does to do with about terrorism.
Even more, the process that the DOJ went through to get the subpoenas to wiretap the AP is under intense suspect. The Obama administration can't even say the words "Islamic Terrorists", I seriously doubt care much about Islamic Terrorism, they are more focused on fight those tea party folks.
CB;"I've been shocked to discover that some liberals are also angry at the IRS for their actions against Tea Party and conservative groups".
Shocked....really? The IRS has always served crap sandwiches, which all Americans have been forced to, and have to take a bite, chew and swallow.
Let me be clear...IT'S WRONG FOR THE IRS TO TARGET ANY GROUP BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS. However, many of these newly formed 501(c)4 groups are political election machines.
CB;"With the IRS now in charge of being the revenue collector for Obamacare, people are not going to be very trusting (as if they were before) of giving any information about their health status etc to the IRS".
The IRS is in charge of collecting revenue for the "federal government." Contrary to right-wing propaganda, under Obamacare, the IRS will be responsible for determining whether or not Americans have insurance so that it can use household income data to provide consumers with government subsidies to buy health coverage.
As far as trusting the IRS with information about your health status, perhaps you should have never used, or continue to use an itemized deduction for medical expenses. Better still, if you don't want the government to know "anything" about your health, just go to another country for all your health care treatments and needs!
Big Pop;"Lately, I'm overwhelmed by former NAACP chairman Julian Bond's hypocrisy for praising the IRS for going after the "racist" Tea Party. Yet, years ago he played the race card when the NAACP was being audited back in 2004 under the George W. Bush".
Bond is really being stupid with his comments. He's probably playing a "tit-for-tat" game seeing what happened to the NAACP in 2004, now appears to have happened to conservative groups. I read Bond also called the Tea Party the "Taliban wing of the Republican Party." In my opinion, he's stooping just as low as some of the conservatives have.
con wavaesc "RS:
I still don't understand how using the search term "Tea Party" when scrutinizing applications for tax exemption is politically motivated."
The IRS was on the "look out" for conservative sounding names. The job of the IRS is not to be on the look out for any names but to treat every organization applying for tax exempt status the same. You don't get that? Really?
con wavaesc "It seems just as logical to me as searching for "Pro-Choice" or "Rainbow." The term "target" is being used here as if there was some sort of liberal bias to this, when, to me, it seems just like the agents used logical search terms any person would have used. And explain to me again why anti-tax, anti-government groups should not get extra scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service when seeking tax-exempt status? "
Can you tell me how many liberal/progressive groups were applying for tax exempt status were held up? Go right ahead. You are trying foolishly to defend the inexcusable, simply because the scrutiny of the groups that IRS engaged in are groups that go against your ideological leanings.
Why would the Internal Revenue Service ask a pro life organization about the "content of it's prayers
Why did the IRS stalled conservative groups for approval for tax exempt status, but gave speedy approval to Obama foundation?
con wavaesc "Now the commissioner guy telling Congress that there was no such thing. ... That's a different issue. I don't know if he was under oath or not, but either way, that's definitely wrong and probably/hopefully punishable. He needed to go, and from the backlash that has come from this, so do a few agents in Cincinnati. That doesn't mean I think they were wrong for taking their shortcuts, but sometimes things just need to be cleaned up."
The IRS knew what was going on during the election campaign but remained quiet until after the election
Matter of fact, the Obama White House knew about the Tea Party probe by the IRS going back to June of last year
The more you try to explain this away as a mere Republican witch hunt, the more foolish you look doing it. There are even Democrats wanting answers on this. It's legit and it's serious.
p allen "
Let me be clear...IT'S WRONG FOR THE IRS TO TARGET ANY GROUP BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS. However, many of these newly formed 501(c)4 groups are political election machines. "
wow, way to allen. There are few grains of non partisan sand in your hourglass after all. I never would have thought it.. The tea party is not a political election machine as you know. The Tea Party is at war with the GOP establishment, and it's been that way for awhile now.
p allen "The IRS is in charge of collecting revenue for the "federal government." Contrary to right-wing propaganda, under Obamacare, the IRS will be responsible for determining whether or not Americans have insurance so that it can use household income data to provide consumers with government subsidies to buy health coverage."
Right allen, and the IRS once upon a time was responsible for just collecting revenue for the federal government and not using it's power to go after ideological and political non profits for partisan means. We've seen how that has turned out. Keep thinking that the IRS is just going to be only about fulfilling it's role under Obamacare.
p allen "
As far as trusting the IRS with information about your health status, perhaps you should have never used, or continue to use an itemized deduction for medical expenses. Better still, if you don't want the government to know "anything" about your health, just go to another country for all your health care treatments and needs!"
I'm not leaving allen. Can you tell me where in the constitution where it say that the government had the constitution right to administer Obamacare.
CB;"The state department's budget was never cut, it has never been cut. Every year, the state department's budget has INCREASED, OOPS!".
Con wavaesc wrote; "http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/10/10/985191/chaffetz-absolutely-funding-embassy-security/". He didn't even mention the State Dept. Are you (as usual) just taking your right-wing instructions like a good misguided conservative? Even republican congressman, Jason Chaffetz, admitted that he voted to cut embassy security. (no strike there.. that softball was easy to hit!!)
CB;"Also, even the Washington Post of all places shot down the "GOP cut the State Department's budget theory".
Whooaa! Another hit... base's loaded!
Check this article out written in the Washington Post (the same publication you cite) in October of 2011. The article is titled, State Dept. reeling from budget cuts.
"While overall funding for the department and foreign assistance approved by the panels actually increased from this year’s levels, that is only because they both approved the administration’s separate request for $8.7 billion to handle State’s additional expenses in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan".
"Among the largest House subcommittee reductions was a nearly 20 percent cut in the funds that pay for Foreign Service officers and the civilians who support them".
So in 2011, before the Benghazi attack the Washington Post publishes that State Dept. funding was "cut", but after the attack they publish the funding "was NOT cut"???? Hell, who u' gonna believe??? How about using THE STATE DEPARTMENTS OWN NUMBERS!!!
Go to page 19 and the totals on the line "Protection of Foreign Missions and
Officials".
*FY 2010-2011 = (800)
Go to page 15 Protection of Foreign Missions and Officials.
*FY 2012 = (256)
It appears to me that those numbers (in millions), are significantly lower in 2012 than in 2011.
CB;"All the government's funding has been through "continuous resolutions" not an actual budget".
Actually it's a "Continuing" Resolution, that just continues the funding levels and programs from the prior year. But in the real world it's understood that we have to make account for rising costs and inflation. Thus, continuing the same level of funding from one year (or a number of years) to the next, is effectively a "cut."
In February of 2011 Sec. Clinton Warned of Devastating Foreign Affairs Budget Cuts. However, whatever amount that was removed from the State Dept. budget, it can be assumed that funds were moved around to suit particular needs and/or requests.
GRAND SLAM!!!
Allen-"I read Bond also called the Tea Party the "Taliban wing of the Republican Party." In my opinion, he's stooping just as low as some of the conservatives have."
Can you elaborate which conservatives have stooped low like Julian Bonds?
-Big Pop
Big Po;"Can you elaborate which conservatives have stooped low like Julian Bonds?".
Rush Limbaugh - labeled Sandra Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute" based on her speech before House Democrats.
President Obama has a “deep resentment for this country” basically because he’s black — Rush Limbaugh
Obama looks like “a skinny, ghetto crackhead” - Brent Bozell
The NAACP is no different from the KKK - Tea Party Favorite, Lloyd Marcus
I don't agree with what Bond said, but I can understand why he said it. For some years now the NAACP has been under attack for it's political affiliation with Democrats. It's relationship with the Democrat party is the sole reason you have right-wingers like Marcus and others making the outrageous comparison of the NAACP and the KKK.
Julian Bond is a very smart person. He knows exactly what hes doing when calling the Tea Party the "Taliban." As I said earlier, Bond is playing "tit-for-tat" with conservatives by launching the same type of silly attack. Mind you, in politics both sides play these silly games. The smartest thing to do is to be the "grown-up" in the room. If you just cut through all the political rhetoric, you'll find it easy to what's actually true, versus the partisan BS..
CB;"The tea party is not a political election machine as you know".
Really??? So there's no such thing as a "Tea Party Candidate?" There's no such thing as a "Tea Party Caucus?" No such thing as a "Tea Party Political Platform?"
So you're saying that these groups are just a Hodge-Podge of political buffoons supporting like minded idiots like themselves for public office. Okay, then I agree!
CB;"Please tell me you aren't a 911 truther. If you are, I still have some left over tin foil for you if you like".
Why are you doing this guy like that Tyrone? You know darn well that former CIA director George Tenet testified to the fact, and records show that Tenet briefed Condi Rice on the Al Qaeda threat.
911 Timeline.
"The US administration, CIA and FBI received multiple prior warnings from foreign governments and intelligence services, including France, Germany, the UK, Israel, Jordan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Morocco and Russia".
CB;"If Bush blamed any embassy attacks on an anti Muslim video while knowing that that attacks were orchestrated terrorists attacks, then he was wrong and should be impeached for lying much like Obama has done".
Say whuuuuuddd??? Tyrone you defended Bush's lie's about the Iraq War blindly!!! Now you're claiming Bush should have been impeached for lying???
Moreover, the emails and communications between the White House, the CIA and the State Dept. clearing indicate that they couldn't agree on what to say. If their was a cover-up, it lasted about four days and consisted mostly of Susan Rice on talk shows. Hell, I know of a 15 year old girl that "covered-up" her pregnancy from her parents for 9 months, until she went into labor! Likewise, the administration can be blamed for not paying close enough attention on the anniversary of 911, and not having enough security to thwart such an attack. (for information on "Embassy and Consulate attacks", see the last 30 years from Beirut to Nairobi)
And for all those idiots that are comparing the Benghazi incident to Watergate, you're only showing that you have no idea what Watergate was about,
p allen "
Check this article out written in the Washington Post (the same publication you cite) in October of 2011. The article is titled, State Dept. reeling from budget cuts."
Oh I did allen.
WP "While overall funding for the department and foreign assistance approved by the panels actually increased from this year’s levels". Sequester wasn't an issue, because that didn't take place until a few months ago. Let this sink in allen. in testimon before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Charlene Lamb, a deputy assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, was asked
“Was there any budget consideration and lack of budget which led you not to increase the number of people in the security force there?”
Lamb responded, “No, sir.”
No Sir!
p allen "Really??? So there's no such thing as a "Tea Party Candidate?" There's no such thing as a "Tea Party Caucus?" No such thing as a "Tea Party Political Platform?"
No allen, the tea party isn't an official third party. Yes, there is a tea party caucus. On the flip side,there is a Congressional Black Caucus, does that make them members of a black party allen? Who was the Tea Party candidate who ran for president last year allen? Can you name any tea party delegates?
p allen "Why are you doing this guy like that Tyrone? You know darn well that former CIA director George Tenet testified to the fact, and records show that Tenet briefed Condi Rice on the Al Qaeda threat"
I "did him like that", because the only reason he brought up 911 was to try and take the attention off of what I was saying about Benghazi and I wasn't going to let him get away with it.
p allen "Rush Limbaugh - labeled Sandra Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute" based on her speech before House Democrats."
Provide the exact quote allen. Limbaugh did not call Sandra Fluke a slut.
P allen "President Obama has a “deep resentment for this country” basically because he’s black — Rush Limbaugh"
Again, I'm calling you out allen. Provide the link to the quote.
p allen "Say whuuuuuddd??? Tyrone you defended Bush's lie's about the Iraq War blindly!!! Now you're claiming Bush should have been impeached for lying???"
You are very loose with wording I see allen. When did I say Bush was lying? I thought sure I said that "If he was proven to be lying" then he should be impeached. Being wrong about something isn't proof of lying.
CB;"Being wrong about something isn't proof of lying".
Really??? It's total irony that you would say such a thing, because that's exactly what President Obama has been saying about the Benghazi mess.
Putting aside politics on both Benghazi and 911, both were obvious failures by those who are paid and assigned to prevent or thwart such attacks. Hell, the first thing the Bush administration did was to issue orders to his cabinet to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement. It wasn't until surveillance video of the Saudi hijackers boarding the planes that Bush confirmed publicly that Al Qaeda was responsible for the attack.
Benghazi is different in a few ways. First off, the Obama administration has a bad record of "jumping the gun." In this instance they clearly didn't gather all the facts, then bungled how the information about the attack was decimated, and basically got caught with their foot in their mouths.
However, the idea of a White House cover-up is totally ridiculous. Frankly, WHAT IS THERE TO COVER-UP?? President Obama got all of his information from the CIA. And the idea that the president concocted the story of a spontaneous riot to protect his election chances is just plain dumb. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest he concocted, instructed or told anyone anything that wasn't told to him. Furthermore, the fact that it was a planned AL Qaeda attack was well known almost 2 months before the election. (remember Romney's, "you didn't call it a terrorist attack" exchange with the president during the debate?)
Both 911 and Benghazi have spawned "truther" movements based on conspiracy theories, but for the most part, just plain stupidity. I posted a link (above) to the emails that the White House released to the press. It's over 100 pages, but I browsed through some, and I couldn't find anything from the White house, or mentions that the White House want's to cover-up anything about the attack.
Looks like President Infanticide won't finish his term.
The stuff I see to me, looks like worse than Nixon did but many people say they won't impeach the first black prez. but I think his presidency could become severely crippled. Heck, and the first black Miss America I think got her title taken from her as well.
The IRS targeted conservatives!?! OUTRAGEOUS!!!
http://youtu.be/f3jSYXhtzy4
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