Re-Birther Of The Monster

Tea Party leaders are playing the aggrieved victim card over the IRS mess even though precisely none of them were denied tax-exempt status, and they are vowing to take revenge on those who wronged them.

“This is the defining moment to say ‘I told you so,’ ” said Katrina Pierson, a Dallas-based tea party leader, who traveled to Washington last week as the three political headaches for President Barack Obama unfolded.

Luke Rogonjich, a tea party leader in Phoenix, called the trio of controversies a powerful confluence that bolsters the GOP’s case against big government. “Suddenly, there are a lot of things pressing on the dam,” said Rogonjich.

It’s unclear whether a movement made up of disparate grassroots groups with no central body can take advantage of the moment and leverage it to grow stronger after a sub-par showing in last fall’s election had called into question the movement’s lasting impact. Republicans and Democrats alike say the tea party runs the risk of going too far in its criticism, which could once again open the door to Democratic efforts to paint it as an extreme arm of the GOP.

“Never underestimate the tea party’s ability to overplay its hand,” said Democratic strategist Mo Elleithee. “Just because there is universal agreement that the IRS went too far, that should not be misread as acceptance of the tea party’s ideology of anger.”

At the very least, furor over the IRS devoting special attention to tea party groups claiming tax-exempt status is giving the tea party more visibility than it has had in months, and it’s providing a new rallying cry for tea party organizers starting to plot how to influence the 2014 congressional elections. The law allows tax-exempt organizations to lobby and dabble in politics as long as their primary purpose is social welfare.

The difference this time around is that the Tea Party isn't new anymore.  They're not fooling anyone about their extremist far-right positions on everything from eliminating women's rights to control their reproductive systems to eliminating affirmative action to slashing social welfare programs.  Voters aren't fooled by claims of "non-partisan" Tea Party groups any more.  We know exactly where they stand, and it's back in the 1950's.

America won't fall for it again, guys.  The people who were going to vote Winger were always going to do so.