Lost in the haze, IRS didn't target the GOP, which is establishment. It targeted the Tea Party which was viewed as a threat to the entire establishment-Shirley

.
It was a matter of life and death for the GOP that the Tea Party be defeated. The democrats saved the GOP establishment's life.

5/20/13, "Conservatives versus the GOP," Craig Shirley, Reuters blog

"The Internal Revenue Service did not target the Republican Party, which is considered part of the establishment. It targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups that were viewed as a threat to the establishment."...via Mark Levin twitter

.