[EL] ELB News and Commentary 5/17/13

Rick Hasen rhasen at law.uci.edu
Fri May 17 08:16:42 PDT 2013


    Dept. of Profoundly Dumb PR Moves: IRS Edition
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50578>

Posted on May 17, 2013 8:13 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50578> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Apparently the Lerner response <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50160> on 
Friday (to a question, not in her prepared remarks) on Tea Party 
targeting was planned 
<https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/335399977767546880>.

Look: the IRS should have revealed its targeting of Tea Party groups 
much sooner, and it should not have had officials fail to report it (or 
perhaps even lie about it) when asked by Members of Congress.

But simply as a matter of PR, if the IRS decided it needed to get out in 
front of the damning upcoming TIGTA report, this was not the way to do 
it.  It should have issued a press release later that day on Friday, 
ahead of the weekend.  But it did it this way, in an offhanded, almost 
cavalier way (look at the exact text of what Lerner said: "So I guess my 
bottom line here is that we at the IRS should apologize for that, it was 
not intentional, and as soon as we found out what was going on, we took 
steps to make it better and I don't expect that to reoccur.") as part of 
the answer at a tax meeting where word was sure to leak out; it then was 
unprepared for questions at the press call afterwards (including the 
Lerner line that she was not good at math---true she's a lawyer, not an 
accountant, but the /optics/) and then no formal response for a few 
days, and then apparently posting further private information about who 
was approved and put through this process on its website.

The bumbling nature of this seems to demonstrate that Lerner and others 
did not realize, at all, the extent to which this was politically 
radioactive and damaging.  The IRS probably isn't an agency used to 
interacting often with the national press, and it shows, very starkly, 
in this incident.

More about today's hearings later.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
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    "Committee on House Administration Democrats Introduce Bill to
    Reform and Reauthorize the Election Assistance Commission"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50575>

Posted on May 17, 2013 8:03 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50575> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

See this press release 
<http://democrats.cha.house.gov/press-release/committee-house-administration-democrats-introduce-bill-reform-and-reauthorize-0>.

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Posted in election administration <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=18>, 
Election Assistance Commission <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=34>, The 
Voting Wars <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=60> | Comments Off


    "Blame Congress For the IRS-Tea Party Mess"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50572>

Posted on May 17, 2013 8:00 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50572> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Andy Kroll writes 
<http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/05/congress-irs-tea-party-scandal> 
for /Mother Jones./

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    "Stevens: Rationale for Bush v. Gore was 'unacceptable'; The former
    Supreme Court justice speaks out on John Roberts and the case that
    decided the 2000 election." <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50569>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:58 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50569> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

/Salon /reports 
<http://www.salon.com/2013/05/17/stevens_rationale_for_bush_v_gore_was_unacceptable/> 
(via How Appealing <http://howappealing.law.com/051713.html#051050>).

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Posted in Bush v. Gore reflections <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=5>, 
Supreme Court <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=29> | Comments Off


    Sen. Baucus Says IRS Controversy Will Grow
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50567>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:57 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50567> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Watch Bloomberg 
<http://www.bloomberg.com/video/baucus-camp-on-internal-revenue-service-probe-z3g%7E3JysTyy%7EUbgXZ7wOWw.html> 
(via Political Wire 
<http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/05/17/baucus_predicts_irs_scandal_will_grow.html>)

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    Two from Marketplace on IRS <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50564>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:54 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50564> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Politics, money and power: Inside the IRS' targeting of conservative 
social welfare groups 
<http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/politics-money-and-power-inside-irs-targeting-conservative-social-welfare-groups>

The Problem of IRS's Dwindling Credibility 
<http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/whats-irs>

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    "Move to Defend: The Case against the Constitutional Amendments
    Seeking to Overturn Citizens United"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50561>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:50 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50561> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

John Samples has posted this draft 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2261192> on SSRN.  
Here is the abstract:

    Three years ago the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Citizens
    United v. Federal Election Commission. It found that Congress lacked
    the power to prohibit independent spending on electoral speech by
    corporations. A later lower-court decision, SpeechNow v. Federal
    Election Commission, applied Citizens United to such spending and
    related fundraising by individuals. Concerns about the putative
    political and electoral consequences of the Citizens United decision
    have fostered several proposals to amend the Constitution. Most
    simply propose giving Congress unchecked new power over spending on
    political speech, power that will be certainly abused. The old and
    new public purposes cited for restricting political spending and
    speech (preventing corruption, restoring equality, and others) are
    not persuasive in general and do not justify the breadth of power
    granted under these amendments.

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    "Model Legislative Veto Act" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50559>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:48 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50559> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

FromSeth Barrett Tillman 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2263820>.

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    "Ohio Republicans Push Law To Penalize Colleges For Helping Students
    Vote" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50556>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:46 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50556> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

    TPM
    <http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/05/ohio-republicans-push-law-to-penalize-colleges-for-helping-students-vote.php?ref=fpb>:

    Republicans in the Ohio Legislature are pushing a plan that could
    cost the state's public universities millions of dollars if they
    provide students with documents to help them register to vote.
    Backers of the bill describe it as intended to resolve discrepancies
    between residency requirements for tuition and voter registration,
    while Democrats and other opponents argue it is a blatant attempt at
    voter suppression in a crucial swing state.

    "What the bill would do is penalize public universities for
    providing their students with the documents they need to vote,"
    Daniel Tokaji, a professor and election law expert at Ohio State
    University told TPM. "It's a transparent effort at vote suppression
    --- about the most blatant and shameful we've seen in this state,
    which is saying quite a lot."

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    "Scandal Should Prompt IRS to Clarify Rules"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50553>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:44 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50553> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Gary Bass and Beth Kingsley have writtenthis oped 
<http://philanthropy.com/article/Scandal-Should-Prompt-IRS-to/139265/> 
for the /Chronicle of Philanthropy./

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    "The Schmitt/Klein Exchange Over the Role of 'Small Donors'"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50551>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:42 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50551> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Bauer wades in. 
<http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/2013/05/role-of-small-donors/>

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    Two From CPI on IRS <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50549>

Posted on May 17, 2013 7:41 am <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50549> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

'Tea party' nonprofits rarely endorsed political candidates 
<http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/05/17/12672/tea-party-nonprofits-rarely-endorsed-political-candidates>

Do nonprofits' names imply political activity? Most social welfare 
nonprofits don't have politically charged names 
<http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/05/17/12693/do-nonprofits-names-imply-political-activity>

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    "Regional Differences in Racial Polarization in the 2012
    Presidential Election: Implications for the Constitutionality of
    Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50544>

Posted on May 16, 2013 8:49 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50544> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Steve Ansolabehere, Nate Persily, and Charles Stewart have writtenthis 
article 
<http://www.harvardlawreview.org/issues/126/april13/forum_1005.php> for 
the /Harvard Law Review Forum. /Here is the conclusion:

    Reasonable people can disagree about the relevance of the 2012
    election or even racially polarized voting patterns to the
    constitutionality of the coverage formula for section 5 of the
    Voting Rights Act. Indeed, we view our findings more as a response
    to the notion that the election and reelection of an African
    American President settles the constitutional question in favor of
    the VRA's detractors. If anything, the opposite is true. To be sure,
    the coverage formula does not capture every racially polarized
    jurisdiction, nor does every county covered by section 5 outrank
    every noncovered county on this score. However, the stark race-based
    differences in voting patterns between the covered and noncovered
    jurisdictions taken as a whole demonstrate the coverage formula's
    continuing relevance.

    In particular, for those looking for a way to distinguish the
    covered jurisdictions from the noncovered jurisdictions, and to do
    so without running afoul of the "elephant whistle" problem,
    differential rates of racially polarized voting provide an ideal
    metric. There can be no doubt that the covered jurisdictions differ,
    as a group, from the noncovered jurisdictions in their rates of
    racially polarized voting. There can also be no doubt that voting in
    the covered jurisdictions as a whole is becoming more, not less,
    polarized over time.

This is a must-read, careful analysis.  The question, which I first 
posed in 2005 
<http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=561241>, is whether 
differences in racially polarized voting are of constitutional 
significance to save section 5 of the Act for the swing Justice(s) on 
the current Supreme Court.  On that question, we  likely will have to 
wait until the end of June.

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    "IRS problem started with vague tax exemption rules"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50541>

Posted on May 16, 2013 8:38 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50541> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Matea Gold, soon of WaPo, writes this article 
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-irs-analysis-20130517,0,4190991.story> 
for the LA Times.

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    "Texas tea party group says IRS asked about its connection to
    Wisconsin recall battle" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50538>

Posted on May 16, 2013 7:41 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50538> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

The /Wisconsin State Journal/ reports. 
<http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/texas-tea-party-group-says-irs-asked-about-its-connection/article_fea0d711-a4d4-56cd-bc10-fa6cc8f05930.html>

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    Candidate/Pastor Solicits Prayers for Independent Expenditures on
    His Behalf <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50533>

Posted on May 16, 2013 7:30 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50533> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Maybe 
<http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2013/05/pastor_warren_stewart_district.php> 
it went like this: "Oh Lord, we beseech thee to bring forth a mighty 
super PAC from the heavens, to rain down negative advertising upon all 
of my opponents.  Oh let the (c)(4)s emerge from the depths of darkness, 
attacking my opponent with the ferocity of a wild beast lurching forth 
momentarily and retreating into the darkness. And let us say, amen."

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    "Lawmakers to focus on whether IRS misled Congress on screening
    practices" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50530>

Posted on May 16, 2013 7:13 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50530> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo reports. 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-vows-to-hold-irs-officials-accountable/2013/05/16/c8fe72e4-be3e-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html> 
[corrected link]

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    "FBI seeks source of prostitution, corruption allegations against
    Sen. Robert Menendez" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50527>

Posted on May 16, 2013 3:50 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50527> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

WaPo 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbi-seeks-source-of-prostitution-corruption-allegations-against-sen-robert-menendez/2013/05/16/72ad79a0-bbda-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html>: 
"Months after the FBI began probing allegations against Sen. Robert 
Menendez (D-N.J.), investigators are now looking at whether someone set 
out to smear him while he was running for re-election last year and then 
ascending to his new post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, according to four people briefed on the inquiry."

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    "SEC head rejects calls to stop political disclosure work"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50524>

Posted on May 16, 2013 3:33 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50524> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

USA Today reports 
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/05/16/irs-scandal-securities-and-exchange-commission-sec-political-disclosure-republicans-congress-mary-jo-white/2176677/>.

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    Ezra Klein Thinks IRS Mess, Other Scandals, Will Fizzle
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50522>

Posted on May 16, 2013 3:27 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50522> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/16/the-scandals-are-falling-apart/>.

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    NYT Says Senate Dems Could Go Nuclear Soon in Filibuster Showdown
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50519>

Posted on May 16, 2013 3:20 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50519> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

See here. 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/us/politics/obama-appointees-fight-may-change-senate-rules.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>

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<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=27>, political parties 
<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political polarization 
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    "Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50516>

Posted on May 16, 2013 3:12 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50516> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Important Peter Overby report 
<http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/05/16/184545892/some-lawmakers-want-big-budget-groups-included-in-irs-debate>for 
NPR.

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    "IRS Scandal Falls Right in McConnell's Wheelhouse"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50514>

Posted on May 16, 2013 1:08 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50514> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Roll Call 
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/irs_scandal_falls_right_in_mcconnells_wheelhouse-224889-1.html>:

    Tea party conservatives may never fully trust Senate Minority Leader
    Mitch McConnell <http://www.rollcall.com/members/202.html>, but the
    Kentucky Republican was talking about the dangers of limiting
    political speech long before the tea party movement existed.

    An expansive view of the First Amendment when it comes to political
    speech has been a signature issue in McConnell's Senate career. He
    led the crusade against the 2002 campaign finance overhaul
    championed by Republican Sens. John McCain
    <http://www.rollcall.com/members/26.html> of Arizona and Russ
    Feingold <http://www.rollcall.com/members/533.html> of Wisconsin
    even after enactment, taking the case to the Supreme Court.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22> | Comments Off


    "Lois Lerner, IRS administrator at center of scandal, bows out of
    Western New England University commencement speech"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50512>

Posted on May 16, 2013 1:03 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50512> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here 
<http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/lois_lerner_irs_administrator.html>.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22> | Comments Off


    "At D.C. Circuit, Contractor Case Merits Take Backseat"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50510>

Posted on May 16, 2013 1:01 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50510> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

BLT 
<http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2013/05/at-dc-circuit-contractor-case-merits-take-backseat.html>:

    Lawyers for the Federal Election Commission and government
    contractors on Thursday argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
    D.C. Circuit over a law that forbids the contract holders from
    making federal campaign donations. The merits of the case, however,
    took a backseat.

    The panel---Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg and judges Thomas Griffith
    and Karen Henderson---focused most of their time on the court's
    jurisdiction to even hear the dispute.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10> | 
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    "Behind the I.R.S. Mess: A Campaign-Finance Scandal"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50508>

Posted on May 16, 2013 1:00 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50508> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Steven Rattner 
<http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/behind-the-i-r-s-mess-a-campaign-finance-scandal/?hp> 
for NYT Opinionator.

Yes, yes, we are at the point that it everything has been said but not 
by everybody.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
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    "The Other IRS Scandal": David Cay Johnston on Dark Money Political
    Groups Seeking Tax Exemption" <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50506>

Posted on May 16, 2013 12:58 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50506> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Here 
<http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/16/the_other_irs_scandal_david_cay> 
at Democracy Now!.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
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    "Conservative Groups Granted Exemption Vastly Outspent Liberal Ones"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50504>

Posted on May 16, 2013 12:57 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50504> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

CRP 
<http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/05/conservative-groups-granted-exemption-vastly-outspent-liberal.html>: 
"Conservative nonprofits that received tax-exempt status since the 
beginning of 2010 and also filed election spending reports with the 
Federal Election Commission overwhelmed liberal groups in terms of money 
spent on politics, an analysis of Internal Revenue Service and FEC 
records shows."

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
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    "It's Time for the IRS to Crack Down on Phony Non-Profits"
    <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50501>

Posted on May 16, 2013 12:04 pm <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=50501> by 
Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>

Jessica Levinson writes 
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-levinson/irs-nonprofits-citzens-united_b_3283009.html>.

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Posted in campaign finance <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=10>, tax law 
and election law <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=22> | Comments Off

-- 
Rick Hasen
Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science
UC Irvine School of Law
401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949.824.3072 - office
949.824.0495 - fax
rhasen at law.uci.edu
http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html
http://electionlawblog.org

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