Obama's Weaponization of Government

Obama's Weaponization of Government
By Thomas J. Basile, Contributor
When you analyze the public response to the State of the Union and the latest polling data, it’s clear that the President has lost a tremendous amount of credibility with the American public.  I scarcely think he cares at this point.  A tired, graying Barack Obama stood before Congress this week as a political figure, party leader, and progressive activist to make sure the Members understood one thing – he doesn’t need them.  In fact, he hasn’t needed them in quite some time.  After all, in his mind, it’s his government.  True, the speech wasn’t as “in your face” as conservative pundits predicted. To have done so would have been even less Presidential than we are used to from this White House.

Everyone in the House Chamber knew something that the American people have yet to fully grasp and Republicans have yet to demonstrate an ability to combat – that their government has grown so large, so complex, so involved in virtually every aspect of their lives, that it is now being used as a weapon to by a small segment of the ruling political class.

The weaponization of government is happening and it’s time Americans took notice.  For all the folks – primarily on the left – who screamed and yelled that the Patriot Act was shredding the Constitution, far more intrusive tactics that have nothing to do with the NSA or Homeland Security are being deployed right under our noses during this Administration.  Those tactics reduce every Americans’ personal and economic freedom.

There is a dangerous arrogance of power among the President and senior-level Democrats that should concern every American.

Last week a senior United States Senator gave a speech stating that the IRS should be used to target and punish groups that disagree with the Democratic Party’s political agenda.  Sen. Chuck Schumer stated, “…there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies — we must redouble those efforts immediately.”  Schumer was also one of a number of Democrat Senators who signed a 2012 letter to the IRS demanding they be more aggressive against conservative organizations.  Sure, it was a story in primarily conservative media for a couple of days but no coordinated action between Republican elected officials and the conservative grassroots against Chuck Schumer is being contemplated. The Senate should be censuring him for suggesting that the IRS be used as a political weapon against conservative organizations.  Americans, however, should be calling for his head