Actually, none of those guys were the first to crack. Republican Senator Tom Coburn, way back in July, wrote an op-ed published in the NYTimes that complained about Norquist’s “tortured definition of tax purity” while concluding that the Norquist pledge is now irrelevant.
More amazing ... the sudden defection of Arizona's newest Republican Senator Jeff Flake, than which there is no more conservative individual in Congress (Flake voted with Virginia Foxx to deny federal relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina). During a candidate debate this year, Flake actually denied having ever signed the Norquist pledge, though he most certainly did. “The only pledge I’d sign [now] is a pledge to sign no more pledges,” Flake said, which was his way of saying, "Don't count on me, Grover."
We knew Norquist's grip on Republican gonads was really doomed when we heard Bill Kristol on Fox News Sunday say on November 11th:
"It won't kill the country if we raise taxes a little bit on millionaires. It really won't, I don't think. I don't really understand why Republicans don't take Obama's offer. Really? The Republican Party is going to fall on its sword to defend a bunch of millionaires, half of whom voted Democratic and half of whom live in Hollywood and are hostile?"Under these circumstances, what's a Tea Partier to do? More to the point, what will Grover Norquist order them to do?
10 comments:
The problem is that this tax on 'millionaires' will also be applied down to the lower to middle income people.
And your so-called 'millionaires' own many of the small businesses.
Have no fear, GOPers will NEVER agree to raise taxes. The only things they are offering, at least in public, is closing loopholes, which is all Romney would talk about through the (endless) campaign. Obama won? Ho hum, they don't care. Grover still Rules. The only hope is to fix the Senate filibuster rules so that the nation actually has to SEE them in the Senate defending to the Bush tax rates on the rich.
"Have no fear, GOPers will NEVER agree to raise taxes"
I sure hope they do not raise taxes. That would do no good. Cutting spending would. Not just not spending more. Cutting spending.
Basic economics: government spending is part of the economy. Government agencies don't manufacture their own paper or make their own vehicles (police cars, for instance). Government spending goes into the private sector, which provides goods and services for the government. If government spending is cut, the economy contracts. Jobs are lost (both public AND private). A *lot* of private businesses depend on some government revenue.
True, and on government waste. They are owned by liberals getting paybacks.
So there aren't ANY conservative businesses that sell things to government agencies? You are dreaming.
"Cutting spending" sounds so easy doesn't it? And yet we never hear any specific proposals.
That is because you did not listen.
Didn't listen to who? Republicans NEVER give specifics when they want to cut spending.
Start with Ryan.
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