Tax Guru Grover Norquist talks to Brody File About Huckabee

CBNnews.com ^ | December 3, 2007 | David Brody

[unspun]

Grover Norquist, president of the influential group Americans for Tax Reform told The Brody File today that while he has some reservations about Mike Huckabee's past record on taxes, he also is comfortable with Huckabee's present actions and thinks, "we should accept converts."  Read the quotes from him below.

"He has signed the pledge and he has promised to veto and oppose any efforts to raise income taxes if he was President. And at the debate he said that he would support the veto of any tax increase, so that was good too… So he's made that commitment."

"Now, Club for Growth has been rough on him because of his period when he was governor. We had arguments with him when he was governor because he supported too much spending and too much taxes as governor… It's one of these things that as governor he's had a bad track record on taxes and spending, but as a candidate for President he is running as someone who will not raise taxes in the future and who is talking about fundemental tax reform such as going to a retail sales tax or the so-called fair tax. So some people say 'If you've changed your mind, we don't like you,' but that's not my position. I believe that when people say I used to be pro-choice but now I'm going to be pro-life and here's why, if they can make a credible argument as to why they have switched in their position, I think we should accept converts. That's what winning looks like."

I have another quote from Norquist too, but before getting to that did you see that line above where he says, "I believe that when people say I used to be pro-choice but now I'm going to be pro-life and here's why, if they can make a credible argument as to why they have switched in their position, I think we should accept converts." 

Umm, hello? That sounds just like what Romney has been arguing on the life issue. I asked Grover about that line and he agreed that the situations are similar. He then told me this:

"A successful political movement attracts people to it who didn't use to be with them.You can argue 'Do we trust this person's conversion? Did it only come for purposes of getting elected?' I would prefer to hear from Huckabee a little bit more about how his tax increases were a mistake. Ronald Regan raised some taxes and he said and that was a mistake. I wish I had not done that. I'm not sure I've quite heard that from Huckabee."

Huckabee talks a lot about how he cut taxes as governor. Norquist responds to that:

"I am more familiar with his sins than his successes. Those are the ones that come to my attention.There are 50 governors and we don't always see them on their good days. We also hear about them on their bad days. It is my understanding that there have been some tax cuts, but it always came to our attention when there were tax increases."

As for Huckabee's plan for a fair tax, Norquist likes it though it won't abolish the IRS like Huckabee talks about. Rather, some agency will have to police it. Read below:

On Huckabee's Fair Tax proposal:

Grover Norquist: "It is helpful to talk about taxing income one time at one rate. You could either do that with a retail sales tax or the flate rate income tax. Both are fine."

Brody: So is that sometime you're somewhat receptive to as he talks about it?

Grover Norquist: Yes. I think it's an important thing to get out there. The retail sales tax will do many things for you. Aboloshing the IRS is not one of them. It will go to a flat rate tax. It will exempt savings. Those are both very good, very powerful pro-economic growth things but if you're taking 20 percent of GDP, 20 percent of the economy away from people and giving it to the government there is no polite, cheerful non-intrusive privacy respecting way to do that. Instead of having the IRS looking at your pay stubs, you'll have the IRS standing around the back doors of Wal Mart making sure people don't sell stuff out the back door. You need a similiarly sized police state to collect the sales tax as the income, Yes there won't be an IRS. It'll be called the Sales Tax Compliant Police. That's not one of the advantages of it but there are huge advantages."

Final question:

Brody: Can you see yourself down the road coming out and supporting Mike Huckabee at this point?

Grover Norquist: "I will almost certainly support the Republican nominee against Hillary or Obama. The things that I think are slighly problematic are some of his criticisms of international free trade. Not understanding free trade is scary. It's a populist applause line but it means that you're not thinking about serious things."

So what do I make of all of this? As I listened to Norquist's tone over the phone, his tone wasn' harsh towards Huckabee at all. His words weren't either. You get the sense that while Huckabee hasn't been a model student, Noquist is banking on the future and that pledge is a big deal to him. Huckabee's challenge is to decide how far he will go in defending those tax increases. It'll be hard for him to pivot and say all of those were a mistake. It doesn't seem like he believes that, but how he handles this in the future will be interesting. Also, my guess is he'll take issue with being labeled a "convert" but the fact that Norquist did not attack him like Club for Growth, that would be considered a positive development for the campaign.

For more on what Huckabee says about his tax record, click here. For the other side, click here. 

Comments?

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THE BRODY FILE Main Page >>

 

[OKIEDOC]

At this moment we have a FAR BETTER viable CONSERVATIVE candidate still in the race in Fred Thompson.

So I can not and will not support Huck or McCaniac for President.

[Former War Criminal]

In before the clarification?

[RangerM]

you'll have the IRS standing around the back doors of Wal Mart making sure people don't sell stuff out the back door

What is the incentive to the employee to perform an illegal act, if he doesn't benefit?

Is Walmart going to give him a bonus? What will happen when the employee spends the money then? Will he find another employee in another store willing to commit the same illegal act?

What stops walmart from keeping the state/local sales taxes they collect from you now?

[PubliusMM]

“You could either do that with a retail sales tax or the flate rate income tax. Both are fine.”

Sorry, Grover. You are wrong on this one. Taxing income has proven to be detrimental to economic growth. And, as a revenue generating methodology it has proven susceptible to incessant tweaking by the congress critters, leading to the current morass.
Taxing consumption, on the other hand, removes some of the economic quicksand associated with taxing income, and helps to level the international playing field for US commercial entities.

[unspun]

Go ahead and support Thompson with my blessing. Seriously.

I’m posting items such as this to counter the poison being thrown in the water in FR, that Huckabee is some sort of evil.

If Thomposon makes it past South Carolina, God bless his candidacy. If he doesn’t, though, I think there will be another compelling choice.

[BillyBoy]

HUCK-A-PING!

"Unelectable" Huckabee is winning elections!

***SKY IS FALLING, SOUND THE ALARMS***

In the interest of equal time, we now present the following rebuttal from FR's own FredHeads (many of whom are in need of Metamucil):

"This article is LIES!!! ALL LIES!!!! Everyone knows ONLY FRED is conservative!!!!! Huckabee is a MARXIST SOCIALIST COMMUNIST DIRTBAG LIBERAL SCUMBAG who LOVES ILLEGAL-ALIENS & CRIMINALS & TERRORISTS & NANNY-STATE TAX-HIKING LEFTIST DEMOCRATS!!! He is the MSN created candidate ,a reincarnation of CARTER, CLINTON, ELMER-GANTRY, MAO, HILTER, O.J. SIMPSON & POL POT!!! Huck DESTROYED ARKANSAS and will DESTROY the GOP & AMERICA TOOOOOOOOOO!!! RUDY is better than Huck!! Hell, I'll take HILLARY over HUCK!! A vote for HUCKLEBURRY is a vote to CHOP-UP LITTLE PUPPIES IN A BLENDER!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAGGGH!!!"
"And oh yea, vote Fred 2008 or you're a douchebag & liberal sellout"

TRUTH SQUAD: Click HERE to find out how freeper’s felt about Mike Huckabee’s record when he was actually IN office.

[spectre]

Oh, say, BillyBoy. Do you know what the FReeper Mike Huckabee's handle is on FR? I'd like to read some of his posts..

sw

[AuntB]

I’ve been checking every week to see who Grover endorses. Grover Norquist is the biggest reason Bush didn’t enforce immigration and as corrupt as they get. So far he likes Rudy, too. Whoever he endorses...RUN as fast as you can the other direction!