The IRS Scandal, Day 144

USA Today op-ed:  IRS Scandal Means Bad News for Obama, by Glenn Harlan Reynolds (Tennessee):

So last week, while most of the country was talking about football or fears of a government shutdown, Rasmussen released a poll that should worry everyone -- but especially incumbent Democrats in Congress. According to Rasmussen's survey, most Americans think the IRS broke the law by targeting Tea Party groups for harassment, but few expect it to be punished. Fifty-three percent think the IRS broke the law by targeting the Tea Party and other conservative groups like the voter-integrity outfit True The Vote; only 24% disagreed. But only 17% think it is even somewhat likely that anyone will be charged, while 74% think that criminal charges are unlikely.

So a majority of Americans think that government officials who exercise an important trust broke the law, but only a very small number think anything will be done to punish them.

There are a couple of lessons to draw from this. One is bad for the country in general, but the other is bad for congressional Democrats.

The lesson for the country is that trust in the government is very low. ...

Meanwhile, there's another bit of bad news buried in that poll, this time for Democrats. The bad news is that a majority of Americans thinks the IRS broke the law even though the news media have consistently downplayed the scandal. But as the scandal has dragged on for months, word has filtered out anyway. Come 2014, the government's damaged brand will reflect poorly on members of the president's party, regardless of media efforts to protect them. Beyond that, the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto has begun calling President Obama "President Asterisk," saying that IRS efforts to weaken his opposition in the run-up to the 2012 election devalue Obama's victory the way illegal steroid use devalues an athlete's record-book standing.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• IRS Admits to Targeting Conservative Groups in 2012 Election (May 10, 2013)
• WaPo and WSJ Agree: IRS Targeting of Conservatives Is Appalling (May 11, 2013)
• Schmalbeck on the IRS 'Targeting' of Conservative Groups (May 12, 2013)
• The Deepening IRS Scandal (May 13, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 5 (May 14, 2013)
• Jon Stewart and Vic Fleischer on the IRS Scandal (May 14, 2013)
• Inspector General: Ineffective IRS Management Allowed Agents to Target Conservative Groups (May 14, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 6 (May 15, 2013)
• Ellen Aprill, The TIGTA Report on the IRS Scandal: Questions About the IRS and About the Report (May 15, 2013)
• Phillip Hackney, The TIGTA Report on the IRS Scandal: Be on the Lookout for False Partisan Witchunts (May 15, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 7 (May 16, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 8 (May 17, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 9 (May 18, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 10 (May 19, 2013)
• SNL on the IRS Scandal (May 19, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 11 (May 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal: Really?! (May 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 12 (May 21, 2013)
• Steven Colbert on the IRS Scandal (May 21, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 13 (May 22, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 14 (May 23, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 15 (May 24, 2013)
• Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert on the IRS Scandal (May 24, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 16 (May 25, 2013)
• Jason Jones on the IRS Scandal (May 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 17 (May 26, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 18 (May 27, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 19 (May 28, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 20 (May 29, 2013)
• The Impact of the IRS Scandal on Tax Reform (May 29, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 21 (May 30, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 22 (May 31, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 23 (June 1, 2013)
• 'Cupid Shuffle' Dance Training Video Adds to IRS Woes (June 1, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 24 (June 2, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 25 (June 3, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 26 (June 4, 2013)
• Jon Stewart on the IRS Scandal (June 4, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 27 (June 5, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 28 (June 6, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 29 (June 7, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 30 (June 8, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 31 (June 9, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 32 (June 10, 2013)
• The Complete IRS Video Collection (June 10, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 33 (June 11, 2013)
• The Problem Is Not Just IRS Lawyers; The Problem Is All Federal Government Lawyers (June 11, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 34 (June 12, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 35 (June 13, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 36 (June 14, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 37 (June 15, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 38 (June 16, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 39 (June 17, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 40 (June 18, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 41 (June 19, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 42 (June 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 43 (June 21, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 44 (June 22, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 45 (June 23, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 46 (June 24, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 47 (June 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 48 (June 26, 2013)
• TIGTA: IRS Credit Cards Used for Wine, Porn, $100 Lunches, $140 Dinners (June 26, 2013)
• House Report: IRS Deputy IT Director Steered $500 Million in Contracts to Pal (June 26, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 49 (June 27, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 50 (June 28, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 51 (June 29, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 52 (June 30, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 53 (July 1, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 54 (July 2, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 55 (July 3, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 56 (July 4, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 57 (July 5, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 58 (July 6, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 59 (July 7, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 60 (July 8, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 61 (July 9, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 62 (July 10, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 63 (July 11, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 64 (July 12, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 65 (July 13, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 66 (July 14, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 67 (July 15, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 68 (July 16, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 69 (July 17, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 70 (July 18, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 71 (July 19, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 72 (July 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 73 (July 21, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 74 (July 22, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 75 (July 23, 2013)
• A Cincinnati IRS Lawyer Speaks: We Are Democrats, But Nonpartisan Democrats (July 23, 2013)
• Attorney in Federal Agency General Counsel's Office: There Is 'No Innocent Explanation' for IRS Chief Counsel's Meeting With Obama (July 23, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 76 (July 24, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 77 (July 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 78 (July 26, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 79 (July 27, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 80 (July 28, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 81 (July 29, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 82 (July 30, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 83 (July 31, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 84 (Aug. 1, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 85 (Aug. 2, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 86 (Aug. 3, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 87 (Aug. 4, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 88 (Aug. 5, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 89 (Aug. 6, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 90 (Aug. 7, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 91 (Aug. 8, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 92 (Aug. 9, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 93 (Aug. 10, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 94 (Aug. 11, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 95 (Aug. 12, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 96 (Aug. 13, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 97 (Aug. 14, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 98 (Aug. 15, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 99 (Aug. 16, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 100 (Aug. 17, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 101 (Aug. 18, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 102 (Aug. 19, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 103 (Aug. 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 104 (Aug. 21, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 105 (Aug. 22, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 106 (Aug. 23, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 107 (Aug. 24, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 108 (Aug. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 109 (Aug. 26, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 110 (Aug. 27, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 111 (Aug. 28, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 112 (Aug. 29, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 113 (Aug. 30, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 114 (Aug. 31, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 115 (Sept. 1, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 116 (Sept. 2, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 117 (Sept. 3, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 118 (Sept. 4, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 119 (Sept. 5, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 120 (Sept. 6, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 121 (Sept. 7, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 122 (Sept. 8, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 123 (Sept. 9, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 124 (Sept. 10, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 125 (Sept. 11, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 126 (Sept. 12, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 127 (Sept. 13, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 128 (Sept. 14, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 129 (Sept. 15, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 130 (Sept. 16, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 131 (Sept. 17, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 132 (Sept. 18, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 133 (Sept. 19, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 134 (Sept. 20, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 135 (Sept. 21, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 136 (Sept. 22, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 137 (Sept. 23, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 138 (Sept. 24, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 139 (Sept. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 140 (Sept. 26, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 141 (Sept. 27, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 142 (Sept. 28, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 143 (Sept. 29, 2013)