How wired is Washington for Republicans? So wired that when there's no actual evidence that the public is intensely focused on the Beltway's scandal stories, Republicans can get the D.C. press to write a story saying that the scandal stories are a big deal out in the heartland because Republicans are really, really sure that they are, even though Republicans have no intention of offering any proof that they are.
Thus we get this story, from The Hill:
GOP: Energy high on IRSIt's going to happen! Really! People are going to be incredibly angry! Take our word for it!
GOP lawmakers home for the Memorial Day recess predict they won't have to do anything to further fan the flames over the IRS's targeting of conservative groups.
Two weeks after the IRS's first apology on the matter, Republicans say they've only scratched the surface in their investigation of the matter, and believe that June will bring more hearings and developments to keep voters' attention on the issue.
In the meantime, lawmakers say that holding events at home will be unnecessary. In fact, constituents are so energized, members say, that they expect to be approached throughout their districts or states.
"In the grocery store," said Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas), a senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. "At baseball practice."
...Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), the chairman of the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee, said he expects to be in frequent contact with D.C. aides, at the same time he gets peppered with questions about the issue back home.
"I think there will be a lot of talk about it," Boustany told reporters. "I'm sure our constituents are going to be very, very interested on this." ...
Oh, sure, we Republicans could schedule town halls on the subject to show you how angry people are. Or we could have waited until after the break to recount how angry people turned out to be. But instead, we're just going to tell you that we looked at the Magic 8-Ball, checked the Ouija board, and consulted with a highly regarded medium, and they all assured us that people will turn out to be just furious. That's all the proof you need in order to publish a story about this anger -- right?
Oh, and I like this:
In fact, Republicans on Capitol Hill believe the outrage over the IRS is so deep that they've already rolled out new ways to harness it. House Ways and Means unveiled an online form this week where the public can fill out their information and detail their run-ins with the IRS, as part of the panel's continued investigation into the matter.That form is here, at the committee site. Notice what's not at the site? Any of the stories that have been collected -- even though the form asks, "May we share your story?" You'd think if the GOP members of the committee were getting all kinds of juicy horror stories, they'd be posting them immediately. So where are they?
Republicans aren't holding town meetings on this for one of two reasons: either they know the anger will be muted or they fear that the angry people will arrive with placards showing Obama with a Hitler mustache or a bone through his nose. (I keep telling you that, for all the tea party sob stories Republicans are telling now, they see the actual tea party as a liability.) Whatever Republicans think would happen, they're not going to take the chance of letting us see. But no worries, because the Beltway press is more than happy to treat their predictions as facts.
