The reports of Republican members of congress either denouncing Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge or declaring that they would seriously consider breaking it has been the biggest political story of the moment, with many reporters and analysts focused on what that means for the fiscal cliff negotiations. Although this is a big story, and it means that one obstacle on the path to compromise has been removed, Democrats and Republicans still remain bitterly divided on how to deal with the nation's fiscal issues.
Grover Norquist has defended his cause and his tax pledge when asked about the defectors by pointing out that the majority of those who have signed it have continued to support it, although he refers to the pledge as a promise made to the voters, instead of a petty and obstructive ideological pact between a lobbyist and an elected official. The liberal critics of Norquist and his pledge have often claimed that his influence is one of the largest reasons why the GOP has refused to compromise with Democrats. The liberal consensus that Norquist is a puppet master and that he is the only true obstacle toward achieving fiscal responsibility and compromise might be partially true, but seems to willfully ignore the entitlement reform that must happen if Democrats are serious about deficit reduction.
The more important question is whether this is the beginning of the GOP shifting away from the ideological fiscal conservatism of the tea party, to the more practical fiscal conservatism of President Reagan. Some fiscal conservatives argue that Grover Norquist and his anti-tax pledge are exactly what Washington needs after a decade of unrestrained bi-partisan fiscal irresponsibility. The problem with this argument is that Norquist and the Republicans are also the party of fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. After President George W. Bush presided over skyrocketing budget deficits, the sudden dash to once again become the party of small government, low taxes, and balanced budgets has forced the GOP into a corner. The average American does not want the budget balanced by radically shrinking the size of the nonmilitary government, but they also do not want to allow Democrats to raise taxes and refuse to discuss reforming entitlement programs. The fact that the GOP did not beat the Democrats in 2012 despite a landslide in 2010, a money advantage, and an anemic economic recovery, proves that the GOP will have to moderate its message to become the majority party again.
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Comments: 4
"We can close a lot of loopholes," he said on “Fox News Sunday,” identifying deductions on charitable donations and on mortgage interest."
So essentially he's looking to close loopholes that will increase the tax burden... on the middle class. Bastard!
Correction: The problem with this argument is that Norquist and the Republicans are also the party that gives lip service only to the myth of bing the party of fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets.
You can't be it just by saying it. You have to actually do it. There is no historical record of Republicans actually balancing the budget.
Grover Norquist's "Pledge" is nothing more than a red herring to point the finger at when Republicans are asked by the news media, why they continue to block the raising of taxes on the rich. All they need to say in response, is that they have signed a scared pledge of "No New Taxes" in order to protect all taxpayers. An honest and steadfast declaration of duty, to assure that the Democrats could not raise taxes nor impliment any new taxes for the purpose of funding another social program for the lazy sponging lower class within our populace.
The response was nothing more than a back door escape, a cop out cover, a paper scape goat which allowed the Republicans political cover with the general public. In reality, it was a smokescreen for the real reason, which was and is, we are protecting ourselves by protecting the wealthest people in America, we are doing so because the rich within our society control the money in our country. We need their support to get reelected, we need their donated campaign funds, we need their approval and support when wrongly spending federal revenue on wars and other non domestic programs.
As to being the party of "Fiscal Responsiblility" with the agenda to maintain a "Balanced Budget" is one of the biggest piles of stinking horse manure to ever having been dumped on the American public. A person needs only to spend two minutes researching who spends taxpayer money on wars and the buildup of un-necessary militray arsenals, to see the fly attracting stench of their contrived lies.
Further, the only Republican Administration to have ever even come close to balancing the federal budget was that of Dwight Eisenhower during his second term in office. Just another red herring rotting fish falsehoods and outright lies by the Republican Party.