Tony Perkins, whom I deem the most splendid of punsters, spammed out the following alarmist report. The intelligent among us will do due diligence:
If you thought giving money to the IRS was frustrating, try handing it your First Amendment rights. . . . The Wall Street Journal is sounding the alarm about the rule, which was made possible (along with who-knows-what else) by the Hill’s debate over the 1,600 page-beast known as the congressional omnibus.
. . . Under the proposal, the IRS would subject lobbying groups like FRC Action, our 501(c)(4) legislative action affiliate, to taxation and reporting on everyday activities like: grassroots lobbying, candidate forums, candidate debates, voter registration, voter guides, and general issue advocacy. Obviously, the goal is to drive these groups out of business by making it too difficult to operate. . . .
Movements like the Tea Party, which was built on the backs of 501(c)(4)s, would be forced to transition into PACs (Political Action Committees), where all donors are reported. This gives the Left the opportunity to harass and intimidate donors to conservative organizations until there is no opposition to their radical policies
And while this isn’t the IRS’s garden-variety political targeting, these guidelines are equally lopsided. As usual, the President looked out for his friends, deciding — not-so-coincidentally — to exempt unions from the rule.
