Three Republicans Back Away From Anti-Tax Pledge

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington in February 2012. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

As Congress returns from Thanksgiving break, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss and New York Congressman Peter King are three big-name Republicans who over the weekend said they’d be willing to consider increasing tax revenues, as lawmakers negotiate how to avoid the year-end “fiscal cliff” of automatic tax increases and spending cuts.

Republicans have long felt bound by conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” to oppose any and all tax increases.

Norquist told The Washington Post that he doesn’t see the GOP deserting his pledge in great numbers.

Washington Post: The GOP’s ‘Read my lips’ moment

Guest:

Aaron Blake, covers national politics for The Washington Post, and writes regularly for the Post’s political blog “The Fix.” He tweets @FixAaron.

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

Cdhall

Thanks to those three for breaking ranks with Grover Norquist. Now if congress will only outlaw the lobbyist in Washington, I really believe things can be acheaved..
Hawkster

It is both baffling and infuriating that Grover Norquist, an unelected lobbyist, is the de facto director of tax policy in the United States. It is way past time for legislators to start doing their jobs, and abandon Norquist.
BHA_in_Vermont

Does Norquist consider eliminating loopholes and deductions a tax increase (as Romeny does not)?

Lord Norquist needs to get the heck out. How did he get such a grip on people who are supposed to be representing the people in their districts rather than kowtowing to Norquist?
kpallante

The GOP had better stop all obstructionist policies and allow our country to move forward. I do not think anything will be done with the lame duck congress in session. There are too many (1st term) teabaggers that are going out in a blaze of obstructionism. Hopefully, after 1/1/2013 we will break the logjam and allow the country to move forward. The ignorant, southern, senators and congressmen have to work to better the nation.
RAOUL

‘Three Republicans Back Away From Anti-Tax Pledge’

The very idea that we the 99% percent whom did not vote for Grover Norquist, the mini dictator, should be held hostage by some sort of Alice in Wonderland grade school pledge is revolting. Yesterday on the Meet The Press Round Table, we observed millionaires trying to come up with solutions for the mythical fiscal cliff which translates into, do not touch my millions. The very idea of Carly Fiorina being on Meet The Press on a regular basis is amusing (not really). Miss Fiorina is the same person who ran H.P. into the ground and left with millions in severance packages (an old repeating story in America) for herself! Then their is Andrea Mitchel (a million air in her own right) married to the person who okayed the Bush Tax Cuts for them – Alan Greenspan a billionaire!?! – Give me a billion dollar I feel your pain big Bill Clinton Break! The only two on yesterdays program that made good sense were Al Sharpton and of all people Ken Burns. I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Burns common sense ideas – where has this guy been? Mr. Burns in quite smart. Summary: The wealthy must and should pay a fair tax not some Alice In Wonderland tax that exempts them from the human race so they can bank their billions in the Cayman islands.
http://www.facebook.com/dana.hyde Dana R. Hyde

Norquist’s “Pledge” (there are also a few Democrats who have participated) binds those signing it not to support any tax increases unless they are totally revenue-neutral, balanced by adjustments on deductions or the like. In his recent interview with “60 Minutes” he stated his belief that today’s government can be run successfully at the same percentage of GDP that existed a century ago, a notion that is totally unrealistic because it’s based on a period of time before Social Security or Medicare.
In South Jersey there’s another unelected individual with a somewhat similar name who has exercised such hegemony over local and regional majority Democrats that he was called “a threat to democracy”. The CBS interview certainly puts Norquist in that same category on a national scale, and it’s time that our elected representatives take back control before his organization indirectly forces draconian spending cuts that are likely to send our economy back into recession.
http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/ Neil Blanchard

Isn’t the pledge to uphold the Constitution the only one that matters?
Trentonschneider66

We the people, don’t have the money to pay more taxes! The best tax is the one you don’t know your paying. We all need to contribute. But, I think there need to be major cuts first. It’s going to be difficult for all. It can’t just keep going. We need to fall on a uniform sales tax, everybody pays & can’t argue. Do away with exemptions & loop holes, income tax.