As the scandal over the proposed IRS rules attacking citizen activists grows, the administration digs in.  It is a good bet that the rules will be finalized soon, though perhaps the IRS will rethink some of the most blatantly unconstitutional sections, such as those forbidding all mention of the names of candidates.  Even if the House voted to delay the rules, the double-whammy of Senate inaction and a presidential veto would kill the effort, so the Democratic grandees have no reason to bend.   The prospect of quick action raises an interesting question: should citizen activists pay any attention to rules?  Why not just ignore them? Most of the commentary accepts the progressive narrative that the rules would indeed shut down citizen-activists. To reach this conclusion requires two assumptions: (1) that a citizen activist organization must obtain advance IRS approval of its tax-exempt status; and (2) that obtaining tax-exempt status matters. The...(Read Full Article)