NEW EMAILS: IRS Targeted Donors

Bombshell new emails reveal that the Obama administration’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) used donor lists of nonprofit groups to target donors, and specifically vowed to target the conservative U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The emails, obtained by Judicial Watch, show that Obama’s IRS conspired to revive the “gift tax” — a tax on 501(c)(4) donors that had not been enforced since 1982 following a Supreme Court ruling that effectively invalidated it. Emails between IRS officials show that the agency referred to Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS while discussing how to enforce their new gift tax on donors.

On April 20, 2011, IRS lawyer Lorraine Garder emailed a donor list for a nonprofit group to James Hogan, a manager in the IRS’ Chief Counsel’s office. Judicial Watch noted that the disclosure of the redacted group’s donor list occurred during the period in which officials were discussing Crossroads GPS.

“Does Bob have information about any of the donors [to the group in question]?” Gardner wrote in an email to IRS Estate Gift and Policy Manager Lisa Piehl.

Weeks later, on May 13, 2011 an IRS official whose name was redacted in the documents released to Judicial Watch emailed Gardner and made one of the most stunning admissions of the existence of the IRS conservative targeting program.

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) organization and may find itself under high scrutiny,” the official wrote. “One can only hope.”

Via: Daily Caller

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Karl Rove: Only Way To Stop The Violence Is To Repeal Second Amendment

Republican strategist Karl Rove said on “Fox News Sunday” the only way to stop gun-related violence, like the Wednesday massacre at Emmanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston S.C., was to repeal American citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

What do you think?

When Chris Wallace asked Rove how we can, “stop the violence,” the long-time gun-rights advocate stated that we have made great strides as a nation in empathizing with the victims of these types of shootings, but the only way to guarantee they will stop is to “remove guns from society.”

What do you think?

WALLACE: How do we stop the violence?

What do you think?

ROVE: I wish I had an easy answer for that, but I don’t think there’s an easy answer

What do you think?

We saw an act of evil. Racist, bigoted evil, and to me the amazing thing is that it was met with grief and love. Think about how far we’ve come since 1963. The whole weight of the government throughout the South was to impede finding and holding and bringing to justice the men who perpetrated the [Birmingham] bombing.

What do you think?

And here, we saw an entire state, an entire community, an entire nation come together, grieving as one and united in the belief that this was an evil act, so we’ve come a long way.

What do you think?

Now maybe there’s some magic law that will keep us from having more of these. I mean basically the only way to guarantee that we will dramatically reduce acts of violence involving guns is to basically remove guns from society, and until somebody gets enough “oomph” to repeal the Second Amendment, that’s not going to happen.

Via: Daily Caller

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The Cover Oregon Cover-Up

The key measure for an effective ad campaign is an affirmative response to a simple question: “Do viewers remember the ad?” In the case of Oregon and their effort to drive people to the state’s Obamacare exchange, officials are doing everything in their power to make people forget the awful campaign, including, allegedly, deleting emails and documents pertaining to what has become an every-growing story of corruption and criminality.

Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber made his name in politics as an advocate of health care reform. He was a champion of Obamacare and other government-spending schemes. When the federal spending spigot opened for states to establish their own health care exchanges, Kitzhaber and his crew were eager to be among the first in line. The Obama administration in turn was happy to rain $200 million of federal funds into Oregon to establish a model program that other states would emulate.

Trouble in paradise started when Cover Oregon began running ads touting the exchange. The ads looked like they were designed by a hippie at Woodstock who was still suffering the after-effects of a decades long acid-trip. They were emblazed in people’s minds, but not in the way state officials wanted, and instead became fodder for incessant mockery from comedians and late night talk show hosts.

There was a greater problem, however. No one signed up. No one. The web experienced problems similar to those of the federal government, but according to insiders who are now speaking to federal criminal investigators the problems were fixable with some more time. The problem wasn’t the technology; it was the people who were in charge of the operation — Kitzhaber’s political operators.

When trouble started, Kitzhaber apparently violated state law prohibiting governmental decisions from being made for political purposes. He tasked his chief political advisor, his Karl Rove in a dress and state’s self-proclaimed “Princess of Darkness,” Patricia McCaig to oversee Cover Oregon.

Via: Human Events

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Karl Rove's Political Predictions For 2014

The penalty for ignoring ObamaCare's individual mandate will be lifted.

It's time to see how well I did with my predictions for 2013 and to offer a set of 2014 forecasts.
I got 10 predictions for this year right. President Obama's job approval rating did drop—from 53% at year's start to 40% this week. There was a new administration scandal, the most significant being the IRS targeting of conservative groups. And ObamaCare's implementation was indeed "ragged and ugly" and "a continuing political advantage to Republicans" as forecast.

There was no grand budget bargain with entitlement reform. Venezuela's Hugo Chávez did die. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie won handily and the Virginia gubernatorial race was closer (2.6%) than many experts predicted. House Judiciary Committee Republicans are working on immigration reform while the comprehensive Senate bill backed by Mr. Obama is stalled. Hillary Clinton is now the front-runner in 2016 polls while the Obama girls got a new puppy.

Four predictions were wrong: unemployment hit 7% instead of 8%; Syria's Bashar Assad remains in power; Fidel Castro is still alive and President and Mrs. George W. Bush got a granddaughter, not a grandson. In one instance, the results were half-right. The debt ceiling was raised, but Mr. Obama wasn't forced to make spending cuts in return.

So what does my crystal ball say for 2014? Mr. Obama's Gallup disapproval rating will end higher than this week's 53%. Republicans will keep the House with a modest pickup of 4-6 seats. The GOP will most likely end up with 50 or 51 Senate seats (in the former case, keeping Vice President Joe Biden fully occupied for two years presiding over the chamber). Control of the Senate may not be decided until December's Louisiana runoff. Propelled by union contributions, Democrats will outspend Republicans overall in House and Senate races.

Republicans will lose a net of one or two of their 30 governorships. They'll add to their numbers in statewide offices and state legislatures and see more Latino, Asian-American, African-American and women Republicans elected up and down the ballot.

Every Republican senator and virtually every representative challenged in a primary as insufficiently conservative will win. In reaction to ObamaCare, GOP political divisions are giving way to unity. Tens of millions more Americans will lose their coverage and find that new ObamaCare plans have higher premiums, larger deductibles and fewer doctors. Enrollment numbers will be smaller than projected and budget outlays will be higher. The White House will blame insurers and Republicans for the law's continuing failures.

Via: Karl Rove

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Karl Rove: GOP in Better Position than This Point in 2010 Midterm Cycle

Former GOP strategist and Fox News Channel contributor Karl Rove joined Fox News Channel host Bill O’Reilly on Wednesday evening where he said that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has had a beneficial effect on the Republican Party’s chances of making gains in the 2014 midterms. Looking at recent polling data, Rove claimed that the GOP is in a better position at this point in the election cycle than they were in 2010. 

“As of today the Real Clear Politics average is 43 percent Republican, 42 percent Democrat,” Rove said of the average of a number of generic congressional ballot results. “One month ago, it was 40 percent Republican, 47 percent Democrat. So, it’s not just the CNN poll.”

“Let’s take a look at thought at 2010,” he continued. “A year out, the Democrats led 47 percent to 42 percent. By Election Day of 2010, it was 52% to 45%, a 7 point advantage for the Republicans.”

RELATED: Christopher: CNN Reports on the ‘Silver Lining’ for Obamacare in Latest Poll

“At this point, one year out from the election, the Republicans were down 5,” Rove observed. “Today, they are up one in the average.”

He said that, given that the Democrats are defending Senate seats in seven states that Mitt Romney won in 2012, Republican prospects for retaking the Congress look possible if not probable.

Rove said that this reversal of political fortunes from the government shutdown is entirely due to the Affordable Care Act’s implementation and it’s only going to get worse. However, even if the ACA were unfolding well and it was a popular program, Democrats would still have obstacles to overcome ahead of the 2014 midterms.

“The economy is not particularly good,” Rove said. “The president’s ratings are low. All of these things combined to point towards a lower number for the Democrats and a higher number for the Republicans next year.”

Via: Mediaite.com

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EXCLUSIVE--TEA PARTY PATRIOTS: KARL ROVE CANNOT 'BUY HIS WAY INTO THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT'

In response to the news that Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS is funding Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) to the tune of $26 million in 2012, Tea Party Patriots National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin told Breitbart News that Rove cannot buy his way into the conservative movement.

“The old adage 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' is more relevant in today’s political arena than ever before,” Martin said. “It is not surprising that there are groups we thought were in this fight with us have been shown to have ulterior motives." 

"The GOP establishment is uncomfortable with the Tea Party and the fact that Karl Rove is funding other establishment entities that have undermined or dismissed the Tea Party shows that we need to work harder than ever on behalf of the American people," she explained. "The bottom line is that Rove is not a conservative and will never be able to buy his way into the conservative movement.”

On Monday, news broke that Rove was funding Norquist’s organization, according to Crossroads GPS's tax return documents the organization made public. In addition to the revelation that Norquist’s ATR is funded by Rove, ProPublica questioned the legality of the arrangement between the two GOP establishment entities.

Via: Breitbart

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Karl Rove: Obamacare Will Devastate Democrats in 2014

Just a few short weeks ago, Republican elders could only hope that time would make voters forget about the government shutdown the party engineered in October.

Now, with millions of Americans in an uproar over health insurance policies canceled because of President Barack Obama's health care law, Republicans believe they could seize control of the Senate and build on their majority in the House of Representatives in the November 2014 congressional elections.
Republican strategist Karl Rove, architect of George W. Bush's two presidential victories, said Obamacare could hurt Democratic candidates more than in 2010.

Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll 

"In 2014, it's likely to be a bigger, more obvious and equally deadly issue for Democrats, especially incumbent Democrats in red, even purple states and districts who voted for the monstrosity," he told Reuters.

Groups allied to Republicans are already running digital ads against vulnerable Democrats, with TV ads coming in the months ahead.

"2014 will be a referendum on the failures of this administration," said Rep. Greg Walden, head of the House Republican campaign committee.

Some in the party, however, are warning conservative Tea Party Republicans not to push the government into another shutdown or risk a debt default in upcoming budget talks, out of fear of voter backlash.

"Republicans need to play it smart," said Republican strategist Charlie Black. "We can shift the focus to our own vulnerabilities if we participated in another government shutdown or resisted extending the debt limit."
Democrats already would have to beat historical odds to pick up congressional seats next November, since the party that controls the White House usually loses seats in these so-called mid-term elections.

Via: Newsmax

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Mark Levin: The RINOs Want A Terry McAuliffe Victory In Virginia

On the Monday broadcast of his radio program Mark Levin expounded on a Facebook entry he made earlier in the day:

The RINOs want a Terry McAuliffe victory in Virginia.

Many in the GOP establishment, from major fundraisers and consultants, to GOP officeholders such as the GOP Lt. Gov and mayor of Virginia Beach, have either trashed Attorney General Ken Cuccinnelli or endorsed McAuliffe outright. The GOP national machine has done next to nothing for Cuccinnelli. And GOP bag man, Karl Rove, is all over Fox without a word of support for Cuccinnelli, while he schemes and whispers behind the scenes against conservatives nationwide.

Having tried to sabotage Cuccinnelli's candidacy from the start, these GOP actors are hoping for a Cuccinnelli loss and a big Chris Christie win (built on a Huey Long style of politics) to make the case that only big government Republicans can win and limited government, constitutional conservatives, such as Tea Party activists, are too extreme to prevail. They've already written the script.

In fact, the GOP establishment's attacks on the Tea Party, which is an obvious assault on conservatives and conservatism generally, are increasingly difficult to distinguish from Obama and the Left's attacks on the same folks. The ruling class in Washington is clearly united in one respect: to wipe out conservative resistance to their corruption, cronyism, and nation-killing policies.

Keep an eye on RINO columnists like Washington Compost mouthpiece Jennifer Rubin, as well as Rove and other commentators on cable TV, who have and will continue to reveal it all through their myopic ruling class lenses in the days ahead. As I said, their propaganda is written and ready to spread. And they'll be given soap box after soap box to spin away.

Meanwhile, despite it all, including tens of millions of dollars in relentless leftwing smear ads funded by truly extreme groups hoping to beat Cuccinnelli and turn Virginia into Hillary Clinton territory in 2016, much of the big GOP money stays on the sidelines. Better to try to clear the field of conservatives who threaten the ruling class and its preferred nominees. Better to protect the RINO investment in big government than beat Hillary. The conservative grassroots is to be crushed and dispirited.

So, that's the game. Still, recent polls show Cuccinnelli closing fast. This makes the Left and RINOs very nervous. The rest of us are cheering, and hopefully helping, the underdog. We identify with him, not the sleazy McAuliffe, his radical donors, and the ruling class. We won't retreat. We won't give up. We will fight for the last vote. What a sweet victory it would be! But make no mistake, this is one of many, many battles to come, win, lose, or recount. 

Via: Real Clear Politics
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If Humpty wore glasses, Karl Rove he would be

“Karl Rove uses a whiteboard and marker
As he peddles his wares like a carnival barker.
The tea party knows he’s a political hack,
But the establishment lost millions as Rove they did back.
Though Fox trots him out at eight, nine and ten,
Bill, Sean and Greta can’t make Karl Rove relevant again.
Over the Republican Party he’s cast a pall,
But like Humpty Dumpty, old Karl must fall.”

The more I’m forced to watch this rotund little man scribble on his whiteboard like a toddler with crayons, the more he reminds me of the Humpty Dumpty character in Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass.  Look closely at Karl and what do you see? If Humpty wore glasses, Karl Rove he would be.

Mr. Rove’s scorn toward the Tea Party and the conservative base of the Republican Party is indicative of the fear he and other RINOS have of their destructive lurch to the left coming to an end. Their newest target, Sen. Ted Cruz, terrifies the elitist big government element of the party.  He has the audacity to stand with grassroots and follow through on the election promises he made to his constituents. This is not allowed in Karl Rove’s world where squishy, faux Republicans are the order of the day.

For those that may have forgotten, Rove and the GOP establishment backed David Dewhurst over Ted Cruz, Trey Grayson over Rand Paul, Bob Bennett over Mike Lee, Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio,  Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey and Gerald Ford over Ronald Reagan. While bashing candidates like Christine O’Donnell, Sharon Angle and Todd Aiken, they backed those big winners, Linda McMahon, Tommy Thompson and Carly Fiorina.

Via Canada Free Press

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Karl Rove: GOP's 'Ill-Conceived' Defunding Strategy Won't Work

The GOP's defunding strategy on Obamacare won't work — and could even backfire, strengthening President Obama and alienating independents, warns former Bush administration deputy chief of staff Karl Rove.

"The desire to strike at Obamacare is praiseworthy," he writes in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

"But any strategy to repeal, delay, or replace the law must have a credible chance of succeeding or affecting broad public opinion positively."

Special: Should Obama's Health Plan Be Defunded? Vote Here Now!

Rove, who helped organize the political action committee, American Crossroads, noted the "epic gains" Republicans made in 2010, when they had control of more legislative chambers than at any time since 1928 — and won more than half of the gubernatorial races in both 2009 and 2010. He said those successes were the result of independents voting Republican.

And independents remain key, he said.

"Today, independents look more like Republicans than Democrats, especially when it comes to healthcare," Rove wrote, pointing out that a new Crossroads GPS healthcare policy survey in 10 key states showed that 60 percent of independents oppose President Obama's Affordable Care Act.

"If this holds through 2014, then Republicans should receive another big boost in the midterms," he said.

But there is one issue on which independents part ways with the GOP.

Some 58 percent oppose defunding the Affordable Care Act if that risks even a temporary government shutdown compared to just 30 percent who don't oppose defunding the unpopular law, according to the poll.

Via: Newsmax

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Welcome to the Unaffordable Careless Act

Small businesses won't grow, and more employees will work fewer hours. That's just for starters.

Harvard (and later Columbia) sociologist Robert K. Merton wrote in 1936 about the "unanticipated consequences of purposive social action." Pity that Barack Obama, an alumnus of both universities, either never read or took to heart Merton's warnings. It would have saved Americans a lot of misery.

The president certainly did not promote the Affordable Care Act by promising it would mean more part-time and fewer full-time jobs. Yet that is one of its unanticipated consequences.

A major provision of ObamaCare requires companies to provide health insurance to any employee who works more than 30 hours a week or pay a $2,000 per-person fine. Not surprisingly, the number of hourly employees working 30-34 hours a week dropped by an average of 146,500 a month over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number working 25-29 hours rose by 119,000 a month.

Consider individual workers such as single working mothers who need at least 35 hours waiting tables plus tips to make ends meet. If they are cut to under 30 hours, they will have to look for second jobs. If these moms can find a second job, they'll still have to juggle schedules, child care and transportation. Overall, even if 1% of the workforce is thus affected by this squeeze, that's nearly 1.4 million Americans.

Then there are younger workers, many of whom will start their careers by stringing together several part-time jobs, perhaps for years. Their predicament may delay when they start families, buy homes, pay off student loans and become independent.

The president's health law also unintentionally operates to prevent the smallest companies from growing. Owners have a strong incentive to stay below the law's 50-employee threshold at which they are required to provide health insurance.

Here the U.S. is following in the footsteps of France and other countries with sclerotic economies. Earlier this year, the National Bureau of Economic Research published a study of the French regulatory burden on businesses with more than 50 employees.

Via: Karl Rove

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