Valin Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 WSJ: Grover Norquist is not the problem in Washington. 11/26/12 One of the more amazing post-election spectacles is the media celebration of Republicans who say they're willing to repudiate their pledge against raising taxes. So the same folks who like to denounce politicians because they can't be trusted are now praising politicians who openly admit they can't be trusted. The spectacle is part of what is becoming a tripartisan—Democrats, media, some Republicans—attempt to stigmatize Grover Norquist as the source of all Beltway fiscal woes and gridlock. Mr. Norquist, who runs an outfit called Americans for Tax Reform, is the fellow who came up with the no-new-taxes pledge some 20 years ago. He tries to get politicians to sign it, and hundreds of Republicans have done so. He does not hold a gun to their heads. Grover's—everyone calls him Grover—apparent crime against Washington is that he now actually wants to hold politicians to what they willingly signed. If enough Republicans will disavow their tax pledge, then the capital crowd can go about agreeing to a grand fiscal bargain that raises taxes, pretends to cut spending and avoids the January 1 fiscal crack-up that the politicians have set us up for. Voters are supposed to believe that only Grover stands in the way of this happy ever-after. (Snip) If Republicans in Congress want to repudiate the pledge, they are free to do so at any time. They could even quote Edmund Burke's line that a democratic representative owes his electors his best judgment, not a slavish fealty to majority opinion. But that would mean saying they didn't mean it when they signed the pledge. So they are now busy pretending that Mr. Norquist is a modern Merlin who conned them into signing the pledge and must be eliminated before they can do the "right thing" and raise taxes. (Snip) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggingtree Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 The Pledge Rich Galen Monday November 26, 2012 "… No Tax Pledge ...": Here's the link to the page of the Americans for Tax Reform website that deals with the various forms of the "No Tax Pledge." List of Pledge Signers in the 112th Congress List of State Signers of the Pledge List of Pledge Signers in the 113th Congress Governor Pledge U.S House Pledge State Legislator Pledge U.S. Senate Pledge State Taxpayer Protection Pledge Q & A Federal Taxpayer Protection Pledge Q & A Read more: http://atr.org/taxpayer-protection-pledge#ixzz2DROtvTM9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thank You! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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