Conservative group says IRS approved non-profit status after applying with ‘liberal-sounding name’

In May 2011, Drew Ryun, a conservative activist and former Republican National Committee staffer, began filling out the Internal Revenue Service application to achieve non-profit status for a new conservative watchdog group.

He submitted the paperwork to the IRS in July 2011 for a news site called Media Trackers, which calls itself a "non-partisan investigative watchdog dedicated to promoting accountability in the media and government." Although the site has investigated Republicans like Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the site's organizers are unapologetically conservative.

"One thing we don't hide is: 'Yeah, we're conservative—free-market, free-enterprise, full-spectrum conservative,'" Ryun told Mother Jones magazine last year.

Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun said. In February 2012, Ryun's attorney contacted the IRS to ask if it needed more information to secure its non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization. According to Ryun, the IRS told him that the application was being processed by the agency's office in Cincinnati, Ohio—the same one currently facing scrutiny for targeting conservative groups—and to check back in two months.

As directed, Ryun followed up with the IRS in April 2012, and was told that Media Trackers' application was still under review.

When September 2012 arrived with still no word from the IRS, Ryun determined that Media Trackers would likely never obtain standalone non-profit status, and he tried a new approach: Starting over. He applied for permanent non-profit status for a separate group called Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization that was reaching the end of its determination period.

The IRS approved Greenhouse Solutions' request for non-profit status in three weeks.

Names the Tea Party can use that will meet IRS approval:
- Bong Rave
- Natural Flavor Society
- Coffee Riot
- Black Tea Affair
- Green Tea Shindig

- Expresso Gathering
- Mocha Rave
- Earl Grey Get Together
- Chamomile Slumber Party
- Oolong Occupation
- Boba Tea Ceremony

I doubt he would be angry. He doesn’t even care if he gets caught, as long as there are no concrete repercussions from his actions, and there never are any. Not real, painful repercussions. He’d have to have a conscience and a sense of shame to feel dishonored at the mere act of getting caught, and he has neither. If someone had the power and the guts to use it, to make it hurt him somewhere where it might count when he gets caught, he might be angry. Otherwise , he just gloats about how slick he is that he can get away with anything even when he gets caught. (and other people taking the fall for him doesn’t count either as he has no sense of loyalty nor shame in how he is represented. Now if someone else getting caught on his behalf was to make his life difficult, then he’d get angry, both at whoever caught his representative, and at his represenative for making his life difficult by getting caught. But just making life difficult isn’t even enough for him to have shame, because he is completely void of even the concept of honor. For him, it’s either you pay a price or you get away with it. So far, in any meaningful way, he’s always gotten away with everything. There’s always more room up under that bus, even his own gramdmother fit under it.)

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