The first "confrontation" was between Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash) and Rep. Paul Ryan which was covered here earlier.
But the people giving testimony are from the tea party, they are not afraid of a few congressman. Especially Dr. John Eastman from the National Organization for Marriage who not only pointed out 2x-that the anonymity provided to 501(c)4 groups had protected the NAACP from its persecutors during the civil rights era, and that it was necessary to protect traditional marriage advocates from ongoing harassment. Then he ripped into Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) for their misleading attacks on the Conservative 501(c)4 organizations especially those testifying today.
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), who pointed that President Barack Obama's own Organizing for Action, a 501(c)4 group specifically devoted to the defense of the president's policies--yet they didn't recieve IRS harassment. Rep. McDermott interrupted to state that Organizing for Action should also disclose its donors as well. Clearly that is not something that will happen in our lifetimes.
In response to Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who claimed that taxpayers were subsidizing 501(c)4 organizations, Diane Belsom of the Laurens County Tea Party noted that donations to 501(c)4 groups were not tax-deductible-- the protection of tax-exempt status was to protect the organization from being taxed on donations.
So all and all it was an interesting day in the Ways and Means committee hearing..each and evert time the Democrats on the committee opened their mouths to be political there was someone there, either a GOP committee member or a Tea Party leader, to help insert that Democrat's foot into their own mouths.
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