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Giuliani and the Fiscal Conservative Race [Byron York]

The Giuliani campaign has just released a letter from Americans for Tax Reform chief Grover Norquist to Giuliani. In a race in which the candidates are competing for the mantle of top fiscal conservative, this is pretty good:

In looking at the records of all the Republican candidates, yours clearly stands out. You cut the income tax, business taxes, sales taxes, property-related taxes, and nuisance taxes. You are the most successful tax cutter in modern New York history and, on balance, the most successful tax cutter in the Republican field today. If you are elected president, I will look forward to working with you to reduce and reform taxes, restore fiscal discipline, increase government transparency, and pursue pro-growth policies that will improve America’s competitiveness in the global economy.

Glowing. But why did Norquist, who has not endorsed any candidate, write the letter to Giuliani? The answer goes back to the CNN/YouTube debate, in which Norquist asked the candidates whether they would “promise to the people watching this right now that you will oppose and veto any efforts to raise taxes as long as you’re president?” Giuliani, who has not signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, said, “Yes, I would.”

Since then, both Norquist and the Giuliani campaign have been in touch. Today, Giuliani wrote a letter to Norquist re-affirming his commitment to cutting taxes, saying specifically that when he was asked last month about raising taxes for Social Security, he said, “I would rule out a tax increase for that purpose or any other purpose.” In response, Norquist wrote back the letter released by the Giuliani campaign.

“This is not the same thing as the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, but it is a public statement that he would veto any tax increases,” Norquist told me a few minutes ago. “It is a written and signed statement.” Norquist said his question at the YouTube debate was intended to give an opening to candidates who have declined to sign the pledge – Giuliani, Thompson, McCain – to nevertheless make a promise not to raise taxes. “Giuliani said yes, and Thompson and McCain both wandered off into other directions and missed the question,” Norquist said. Norquist told me he has written to Thompson and McCain, essentially re-asking his question, but he hasn’t heard back. But Giuliani jumped at the chance with today’s letter. “They knew that we were very pleased with the mayor’s answer to the YouTube question, and I assume they were building on that,” Norquist said.