We talked earlier in the week about "the pledge" -- a promise to Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform that they will not support raising any tax on anyone by any amount for any reason. In an unexpected twist, in 2012, a growing number of Republicans are choosing not to sign it.
Today, a leading GOP voice said he doesn't like it either.
For those who can't watch clips online, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush whether he agrees with the Norquist pledge. Bush replied:
"No. So I ran for office three times. The pledge was presented to me three times. I never signed the pledge. I cut taxes every year I was governor. I don't believe you outsource your principles and convictions to people. I respect Grover's political involvement. He has it every right to do it, but I never signed any pledge."
I still think it'd be an overstatement to characterize the pledge as a project that's failing. After all, Mitt Romney has already signed his name to Norquist's pledge.
But at least for now, Republicans are balking at the pledge in numbers unseen in a long while.
For what it's worth, I don't necessarily see this as evidence of moderation. On the contrary, many, if not all, of those who are rejecting Norquist's project appear to be very much in line with his anti-tax orthodoxy. But at least some in the GOP are balking because they don't like the idea of, in Jeb Bush's words, outsourcing your principles and convictions to others.
Given the prevailing political winds, I'll take hints of progress in Republican politics where I can find them.
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So, now that the damage has already been done...?
Big F'n deal, as the Veep might say.
I don't mean to discourage you Steve, but I don't think it's likely that you're seeing any genuine hints of "progress" in Rape-Public-Con politics.
I think Jeb had his fingers crossed when he said this.
"...I'll take hints of progress in Republican politics where I can find them."
Hope springs eternal for you doesn't it? Sorry, but "signing a pledge" to uphold Grover's principles is a violation of the "Oath of Office" that politicians take on entering office, that's treason against the people! It's also adherence to a failed ideology that we should all learned from by now.
Are any of these republicans who reject "Grover's high school government class project" actually running for office this year?
I believe JEB!?!
I believe he will never sign Grover's pledge. I believe he learned from Poppy's experience -- though Poppy did it to himself.
There's also been republican talk of holding on to "some provisions" of Obamacare (the good stuff minus the mandate and btw how would that work)...
So high-profile republicans in congress and elsewhere will sort of "wake up" out of the nightmare they've had us in just in time for the elections: "See? we're reasonable people! that sure was a crappy few years we had but America's gonna be normal again, vote for us!"
cue Romney..
C'mon! So hard to see through? Look, here's all you have to know: Republicans want to destroy the 20th century; kill Social Security, kill Medicare, kill the EPA, etc. There is nothing they do that doesn't aim toward that goal. Nothing. And this is part of it. They are coming out against Norquist now to make themselves APPEAR less extreme. What happens when President Romney takes office in January 2013? Here's what happens:
- the spending continues and the rationale is that it will keep the economy going. It's only a minor inconvenience that they denied the spending was the problem the last two years. Americans are too stupid to remember such an inconvenience because they have other more important things to be tuned into like football.
- the tax cuts above and beyond Bush's are enacted.
- deficits and debt soar.
- Republicans yell at the top of their lungs deficits and debt are soaring because of Democratic policies and entitlement programs; we cannot afford Social Security and Medicare; we can not keep regulations on business
- Americans, stupid beings that they are, accept this
- cuts to SS, Medicare
Repeat all steps till SS and Medicare are gone.
That's what going to happen. Behold your nation being flushed down the toilet right in front of your very eyes while you know it's going to happen before, during, and after, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
The only way to improve tax fairness is to rebuild the tax code from scratch using a plan like Bowles-Simpson that leaves no sacred cows untouched. Shared sacrifice is the only way we will be able to simplify the tax code, improve fairness, and spur economic growth. http://bit.ly/noTDPF
Wrong. You have bought into the Republican subterfuge. Their goal is to destroy the federal government's ability and capacity to function for its citizens. They wish to transfer that wealth to their private industry benefactors in the financial industries.
There are no shortage of ways to secure Social Security. Any debt problems the country has is because of the @!$%# health care system in this country. If the U.S. had a cost per capita that other advanced countries had, there would be no debt problem. We would be looking at surpluses as far as the eye could see. Remember that the next time you see a doctor. Entitlements are easily afforded. The Republicans wasted 8 years ignoring the problems, making them worse with tax cuts, and now doing everything they can to kill the ACA and make problems worse with more tax cuts.
And Americans are flat out stupid enough to buy it. I hope you're not one of those stupid Americans.
In the fifties and sixties we had the best economy in the world. How did this happen when the taxes on the one percent "job creators"was the highest ever, about three times what it is today? It got that way by doing the opposite of today's republican economics. Massive government spending was forced by the war ending the great depression. Big investments in education and affordable housing for veterans after the war. The strong middle class was created and most workers belonged to a union.
When the Republicans think that doing the opposite of this is what we need, I must think they have no interest in improving the economy, they just want to sell the government to the wealthy via Citizen's United. If Scott Walker wins in Wisconsin we can kiss the middle class and our future goodbye...no medicare, no medicaid, no NPR, no public television, no social security, no affordable health care, no unions, no infrastructure, no EPA, etc. They will leave us with nothing and not care one bit, because they can win any election with money.
It happened because Americans are STUPID. There can be no other explanation because Republicans could not do what they are doing if that wasn't the case. End of discussion. This country gets the government it deserves.
I agree that at least Americans are lazy and don't fact check the lies on TV created by superpacs and politicians. Also easily swayed by pumping up their biases and phobias. I am very worried about the money coming against Obama, because it does work in most cases. I guess I have to agree with you, but I still hope.
Isn't it time to stop the hyperbole about evil liberals and evil conservatives? Let's just look at the facts. The federal deficit is out of control and every Republican and every Democrat and every Independent is screwed until something is done.
We need a break from dogma on both sides and I think it's refreshing to see a GOP standard-bearer break from the party orthodoxy to look at fresh ways to close the gap. Now if others on both sides of the aisle can start looking at fresh ways to approach the deficit, then MAYBE something can actually get done. Stop the bickering, stop the dogma and try a pragmatic and bi-partisan approach.