When Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregan said this during a hearing on the IRS targeting of conservative groups last Tuesday, conservatives thought he justifying what the IRS did:
WYDEN: For me, the basic proposition is simple. Notwithstanding the troubling and unacceptable conduct of the IRS, if political organizations do not want to be scrutinized by the government, they shouldn't seek privileges like tax-free status and anonymity for their donors. To argue otherwise is to advantage tax cheats to the detriment of law-abiding Americans.
Clearly, they didn't pay attention to the first part of what Wyden said—that it was "unacceptable" for the IRS to expose certain political groups to more scrutiny then others on the basis of what they believe. But the second part of what he said is unassailable. 501(c)(4) is not a right, it's a privilege. You're not simply entitled to it—you need to meet certain criteria, and the IRS is responsible for enforcing those criteria. If you don't like it, either change the law or don't apply for 501(c)(4) status. But while no group should be targeted because of what they believe, the inverse is also true: No group should be given a free pass simply because of what they believe. Just as it was wrong for the IRS to use political ideology in its targeting criteria, it is wrong for conservatives to believe their groups should get special breaks to which no one else is entitled.