Demonize the opposition? Quash dissent? Revoke First Amendment rights for the Tea Party? Apparently yes, yes and yes – at least if Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has his way.

 
Fortunately for now, since Dems don’t control the House of Representatives – yet, the distinguished senator from the Empire State of Intolerance must content himself with merely urging the IRS to double-down on their efforts to persecute conservatives. Here’s his latest proclamation: Chuck Schumer Calls For The IRS To Stop The Tea Party via Investor’s Business Daily ~

Arguing that the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision allowed Tea Party groups to “funnel millions of undisclosed dollars into campaigns with ads that distort the truth and attack government,” Charles Schumer wants the IRS and other government agencies to take on the Tea Party through their administrative powers.
 
Calling for the IRS to use its powers to resume war on the First Amendment and free speech he doesn’t like in the hopes of electing more Democrats, Schumer said: “We must redouble those efforts immediately.”

😯
Hard to believe this man has taken an oath (numerous times) to uphold the United States Constitution isn’t it?

 
For the benefit of Senator Schumer – and any other constitutionally-challenged members of Congress – our First Amendment reads thusly;

Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 
Has a rather concise elegance doesn’t it? Not a lot of grey area – unless you’re a Progressive (or an outright Marxist) endlessly casting about for a paradigm shift to further your nefarious agenda.
 
Unfortunately, ignoring the rights of regular Americans is old hat for our boy Chuck. According to IBD ~

Advocating the use of government power to harass and intimidate political opponents is nothing new to Schumer. Along with Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Al Franken of Minnesota, he sent a similar letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman in February 2012 asking the IRS to investigate 12 conservative groups he accused of violating their tax-exempt status and engaging in coordinated political activity.
 
 
This effort to use government power to fundamentally transform our political system more along the lines of the Venezuelan model includes new IRS rules for 501(c)(4) organizations that would redefine “candidate-related political activity” and make virtually everything such tax-exempt political groups do a taxable activity.

 
Even the Washington Times is a bit taken aback by the senator’s latest outburst; Chuck Schumer pushes plan to wipe out tea party ~

Mr. Schumer said the tea party movement is being controlled by a few wealthy donors whose limited-government philosophy does not reflect the ideas of millions of voters who identify as tea party supporters but who benefit from government programs such as Social Security or public education.
 
“The best way to deal with the tea party’s obsessive, anti-government mania is to confront it directly by showing the people the need for government to help them out of their morass,” he said. “Let’s remind people the reason they’re frustrated in Washington is not that government is doing too much, but because it’s gridlocked and not doing enough.” 😯

In other words, we’re stupid sheep who don’t know what’s best for us and we need to be herded into collectivism by progressive elitists like him.

Mr. Schumer said he spotted signs of xenophobia or cultural fear in tea party supporters and that many of them worry about increased immigration or an American political landscape that is less white and less male-dominated. He compared the tea party’s limited-government message to Prohibition in the 1920s, calling it a reaction to the country’s shift to a more urban economy.

Amazing. He excels at demonizing millions of Americans who simply support the country’s founding principles; people who in Schumer’s view, are just a bunch of mindless rubes overly-fond of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and this one nation under God.
 
This is one dark, mean-spirited, power-hungry man. In fact, from what I’ve been learning about the current situation in Ukraine, I think Senator Schumer would be right at home in the Yanukovych administration. Here’s what limited-government, freedom-loving patriots are up against in that country ➡

An array of laws designed to crack down on dissent in the country has caused outrage and led to violent clashes between the police and angered demonstrators on Jan. 19.
 
At least two people, and possibly six, have died as a result so far and hundreds have been injured. The laws were approved with gross violations of procedure by the parliament’s pro-presidential majority, which along with the law enforcement agencies, has become a vital element of authoritarian rule by President Viktor Yanukovych.

 
It doesn’t matter what language they speak, tyrants are the same the world over. The only “freedom” they believe in is their freedom to run roughshod over their subjects.
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Related:
• More IRS targets: Christian Ministries

• Supplanting Free Speech With “Official Truth”

• AP: Federal oversight group says claim that senior IRS officials were unaware of extra tea party scrutiny isn’t entirely accurate