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The most powerful figure in today's Republican Party is not John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. It is not Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. It is not even Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin.
It is, of course, Grover Norquist, the man with The Pledge.
Norquist, who has never held elected office, is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, a group whose pledge not to raise taxes under any circumstances has now been signed by hundreds of Republican candidates and officials at both state and national levels.
Norquist is not a favorite of all conservative Republicans. David Horowitz and Gaffney have accused him of cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood because of his pro stance on building the mosque at ground zero, and the fact that his wife is Muslim among other things.
But how does this guy get to dictate what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the Republican party. How does he have so much power?
The most powerful figure in today's Republican Party is not John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. It is not Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. It is not even Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin.
It is, of course, Grover Norquist, the man with The Pledge.
Norquist, who has never held elected office, is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, a group whose pledge not to raise taxes under any circumstances has now been signed by hundreds of Republican candidates and officials at both state and national levels.
Norquist is not a favorite of all conservative Republicans. David Horowitz and Gaffney have accused him of cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood because of his pro stance on building the mosque at ground zero, and the fact that his wife is Muslim among other things.
But how does this guy get to dictate what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the Republican party. How does he have so much power?
Just as many Democrats live and breath socialism, many Republicans live and breath high levels of self reliance and responsibility.
It's more about core beliefs IMO.
Just as many Democrats live and breath socialism, many Republicans live and breath high levels of self reliance and responsibility.
It's more about core beliefs IMO.
I don't expect to get any reasonable answers. Because it really makes no sense at all, why sign a pledge that is written by a character on Sesame Street?
The most powerful figure in today's Republican Party is not John Boehner or Mitch McConnell. It is not Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. It is not even Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin.
It is, of course, Grover Norquist, the man with The Pledge.
Norquist, who has never held elected office, is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, a group whose pledge not to raise taxes under any circumstances has now been signed by hundreds of Republican candidates and officials at both state and national levels.
Norquist is not a favorite of all conservative Republicans. David Horowitz and Gaffney have accused him of cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood because of his pro stance on building the mosque at ground zero, and the fact that his wife is Muslim among other things.
But how does this guy get to dictate what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the Republican party. How does he have so much power?
The Republicans bill themselves as the party of low taxes and less government spending. Norquist has leveraged that to get Republicans to commit in writing not to raise taxes. Politicians have used those written committements in political campaigns to get elected. In essence the Republican Party has a Faustian bargain with Norquist that gives them NO LEEWAY in terms of crafting policy.
In short the Republicans can go back on the pledge and face that wrath of fiscal conservative crowd or stick to their guns and remain the chief culprits in terms of not being able to get a deal done to reduce the deficit and raise the debt ceiling.
The biggest liability of Conservative ideology is that it offers no flexibility.
The Republicans bill themselves as the party of low taxes and less government spending. Norquist has leveraged that to get Republicans to commit in writing not to raise taxes. Politicians have used those written committements in political campaigns to get elected. In essence the Republican Party has a Faustian bargain with Norquist that gives them NO LEEWAY in terms of crafting policy.
In short the Republicans can go back on the pledge and face that wrath of fiscal conservative crowd or stick to their guns and remain the chief culprits in terms of not being able to get a deal done to reduce the deficit and raise the debt ceiling.
The biggest liability of Conservative ideology is that it offers no flexibility.
Is poision now defined as flexibility?
You and I have to balance a budget, we can not write checks with money we don't have or we go to jail, why should we allow socialist to do that in our government?
Actually it does, many never even heard of Grover Norquist. Is he like Soros is with the Democrat party?
Not unless the Democrats have signed a pledge that he authored and that he is the sole determiner of whether they stayed within that pledge. So I guess the answer is no.
Not unless the Democrats have signed a pledge that he authored and that he is the sole determiner of whether they stayed within that pledge. So I guess the answer is no.
Soros tells Democrats what they will do, so that is a bit more influential than swearing you won't raise taxes at a time of out-of-control government spending.
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