A.J. DiCintio
Seizing the teachable moment
By A.J. DiCintio
Speaking on CNN about the IRS scandal, Newt Gingrich urged Republicans to grasp it as "a major educational opportunity" to awaken the nation to the reality "that big government and big bureaucracy is inherently out of control by its very definition."
As is often the case regarding a man who, for all his flaws, has enriched the nation with big ideas that don't always toe the Republican Establishment line, Newt's reaction hits the political nail smack on the head.
But with that truth accepted, the question that arises is "how?"
Certainly, a major part of the effort lies in continued congressional hearings in which Republican members of the House acquit themselves with calm, competent professionalism as they pursue the whole truth about a case that on its face reeks of illegal directives; cover-up lies; and hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil complicity issued, spewed, and engaged in by officials at the highest levels of the IRS and, likely, Treasury, other federal agencies, and the White House.
Another key role will be played by aggrieved, lawsuit-bringing citizens who refuse any cover-up settlement offered by the government, insisting, instead, upon uncovering the facts about the what, when, where, why, and how of the IRS' despicable scheme, no matter the consequences to any who, however highly placed.
However, given that elite media sycophants who have conducted a "slobbering" six year "love affair" with Barack Obama can be expected to do everything in their power to protect the object of their affection, making the most of this teachable moment requires a third strategy.
Specifically, going over those miserably fawning heads directly to the people as Republican Members of Congress conduct a truly massive program of public outreach through which they fulfill their commitment to the former Speaker's challenge not by making phone calls or issuing talking points but getting back to their districts to meet personally with editors and reporters of local newspapers and television news operations to discuss the following mutual obligations:
. . . Putting the face of ordinary Americans on the scandal by providing citizens with detailed information about Main Street folks targeted by the IRS and other agencies, for instance, Catherine Englebrecht of the organization True the Vote. Truly, the more victims they can encourage journalists to report on, the better.
. . . Inspiring citizens to think about what kind of America lies ahead if an administration in control of an already power-bloated federal government is permitted to stifle, even crush dissent that conflicts with its political ideology.
. . . Motivating citizens to question whether it can possibly be true that the IRS' years-long, far-flung plan to exclusively target conservative political and religious groups was somehow hatched in a Cincinnati office by one or two ordinary IRS agents gone rogue.
. . . Encouraging citizens to consider the implications of the fact that to further frighten and discourage ordinary folks from acting upon their constitutional rights, the IRS enlisted the aid of other federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, and OSHA, each of those institutions possessed of its own mighty arsenal piled high to the rafters with arms of awesome power.
. . . Urging citizens to imagine how they, their families, and friends would feel if, simply for exercising their First Amendment rights, they were harassed by officials armed with the massive weight and frightening force of federal power.
. . . Prompting citizens to think seriously about the reality that the IRS which committed this outrage against American citizens is the same IRS currently arming itself with 15,000 agents empowered to examine medical insurance policies and medical records in pursuance of its mandate to serve as the ultimate enforcer of "Obamacare."
As they engage in speaking not to but with hundreds of editors and reporters across the nation, Republican House and Senate members will, of course, support every assertion they make with hard facts acquired from an ever expanding investigation and an ever increasing public record.
With respect to facts, there is a place, too, for the RNC, which ought to use its resources to identify Democratically represented districts populated by significant numbers of independents and former Reagan Democrats and assign the Republican Party's most capable communicators to similarly engage local media in those localities.
Now, if any Republican Member of Congress or RNC staff member harbors any doubts about participating in this endeavor, the person ought to consider this happy reality:
While it is a certainty the strategy will be noticed by Barack Obama, it is just as certain he will find himself "hoist with his own petard" if he attacks it with mines laid by the obedient minions who direct his Perpetual Motion War Machine.
After all, with Republicans in the position of defending not just what is right but the rights of ordinary men and women, an attacking Barack only exacerbates the force of the coming political explosion that at best sends him flying high in public view as an expedient Know Nothing, at worst an in-the-flesh example of an actual "co-conspirator."
And that's only from the first wave; for during next year's election season those same Republicans will return, this time adding to facts about the administration's corrupt behaviors information of the kind John Fund speaks of when he observes that "the Obama scandals now coming to light. . . could have been anticipated." ("Obama's 'Chicago Way,'" nationalreview.com.)
Why? Because, as Chicago conservative Chris Robling points out, "[While] Obama's ideology may come from Saul Alinsky's acolytes," his "political tactics" come right out of the Chicago Political Machine's "Daley playbook."
With the truth about the scandals and their true source fully on the table, the 2014 Election may well result in the nation's rejecting a radical, sure-to-fail, uber-liberal path that literally leads to an America that looks like Chicago.
But the nation won't get on the right road unless Republican leaders get out of Washington and get to work down-home, where, as Jefferson believed, all politics ought to begin in the first place.
© A.J. DiCintio
June 2, 2013
Speaking on CNN about the IRS scandal, Newt Gingrich urged Republicans to grasp it as "a major educational opportunity" to awaken the nation to the reality "that big government and big bureaucracy is inherently out of control by its very definition."
As is often the case regarding a man who, for all his flaws, has enriched the nation with big ideas that don't always toe the Republican Establishment line, Newt's reaction hits the political nail smack on the head.
But with that truth accepted, the question that arises is "how?"
Certainly, a major part of the effort lies in continued congressional hearings in which Republican members of the House acquit themselves with calm, competent professionalism as they pursue the whole truth about a case that on its face reeks of illegal directives; cover-up lies; and hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil complicity issued, spewed, and engaged in by officials at the highest levels of the IRS and, likely, Treasury, other federal agencies, and the White House.
Another key role will be played by aggrieved, lawsuit-bringing citizens who refuse any cover-up settlement offered by the government, insisting, instead, upon uncovering the facts about the what, when, where, why, and how of the IRS' despicable scheme, no matter the consequences to any who, however highly placed.
However, given that elite media sycophants who have conducted a "slobbering" six year "love affair" with Barack Obama can be expected to do everything in their power to protect the object of their affection, making the most of this teachable moment requires a third strategy.
Specifically, going over those miserably fawning heads directly to the people as Republican Members of Congress conduct a truly massive program of public outreach through which they fulfill their commitment to the former Speaker's challenge not by making phone calls or issuing talking points but getting back to their districts to meet personally with editors and reporters of local newspapers and television news operations to discuss the following mutual obligations:
. . . Putting the face of ordinary Americans on the scandal by providing citizens with detailed information about Main Street folks targeted by the IRS and other agencies, for instance, Catherine Englebrecht of the organization True the Vote. Truly, the more victims they can encourage journalists to report on, the better.
. . . Inspiring citizens to think about what kind of America lies ahead if an administration in control of an already power-bloated federal government is permitted to stifle, even crush dissent that conflicts with its political ideology.
. . . Motivating citizens to question whether it can possibly be true that the IRS' years-long, far-flung plan to exclusively target conservative political and religious groups was somehow hatched in a Cincinnati office by one or two ordinary IRS agents gone rogue.
. . . Encouraging citizens to consider the implications of the fact that to further frighten and discourage ordinary folks from acting upon their constitutional rights, the IRS enlisted the aid of other federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, and OSHA, each of those institutions possessed of its own mighty arsenal piled high to the rafters with arms of awesome power.
. . . Urging citizens to imagine how they, their families, and friends would feel if, simply for exercising their First Amendment rights, they were harassed by officials armed with the massive weight and frightening force of federal power.
. . . Prompting citizens to think seriously about the reality that the IRS which committed this outrage against American citizens is the same IRS currently arming itself with 15,000 agents empowered to examine medical insurance policies and medical records in pursuance of its mandate to serve as the ultimate enforcer of "Obamacare."
As they engage in speaking not to but with hundreds of editors and reporters across the nation, Republican House and Senate members will, of course, support every assertion they make with hard facts acquired from an ever expanding investigation and an ever increasing public record.
With respect to facts, there is a place, too, for the RNC, which ought to use its resources to identify Democratically represented districts populated by significant numbers of independents and former Reagan Democrats and assign the Republican Party's most capable communicators to similarly engage local media in those localities.
Now, if any Republican Member of Congress or RNC staff member harbors any doubts about participating in this endeavor, the person ought to consider this happy reality:
While it is a certainty the strategy will be noticed by Barack Obama, it is just as certain he will find himself "hoist with his own petard" if he attacks it with mines laid by the obedient minions who direct his Perpetual Motion War Machine.
After all, with Republicans in the position of defending not just what is right but the rights of ordinary men and women, an attacking Barack only exacerbates the force of the coming political explosion that at best sends him flying high in public view as an expedient Know Nothing, at worst an in-the-flesh example of an actual "co-conspirator."
And that's only from the first wave; for during next year's election season those same Republicans will return, this time adding to facts about the administration's corrupt behaviors information of the kind John Fund speaks of when he observes that "the Obama scandals now coming to light. . . could have been anticipated." ("Obama's 'Chicago Way,'" nationalreview.com.)
Why? Because, as Chicago conservative Chris Robling points out, "[While] Obama's ideology may come from Saul Alinsky's acolytes," his "political tactics" come right out of the Chicago Political Machine's "Daley playbook."
With the truth about the scandals and their true source fully on the table, the 2014 Election may well result in the nation's rejecting a radical, sure-to-fail, uber-liberal path that literally leads to an America that looks like Chicago.
But the nation won't get on the right road unless Republican leaders get out of Washington and get to work down-home, where, as Jefferson believed, all politics ought to begin in the first place.
© A.J. DiCintio
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
