…based on the actual evidence, Klein was foolish to say the “scandals are falling apart” in May, and it’s foolish to say it now. At the end of the day, I suspect that the recent disregard for the facts and the odd framing of the scandal is really about creating a “permission structure” — a phrase Klein is no doubt familiar with — for those on the left to help begin speaking of the scandal as if it’s not legitimate. In fairness, it’s not just Klein dismissing the scandal — here’s MSNBC’s Steve Benen, The New Republic, and CNN hitting the same theme. After all, the White House Press Secretary recently surprised observers declaring IRS a “phony scandal.” We journalists might be expected to be suspect of the White House’s motivations for dismissing the IRS scandal, but it seems some of us have received marching orders.
I think we’ve seen at least one of the marchers here.
…there’s a huge chasm of meaning between “exclusively” and the more accurate “disproportionately.” No one was under the illusion the IRS targeted no other nonprofit groups other than conservative groups over a period of years. The issue is the relative amount of scrutiny.
Well said.