Posted on 12/03/2012 9:04:28 AM PST by Timber Rattler
At times, it has seemed that Republican lawmakers eyeing a fiscal compromise with President Obama were moving closer to a public split with Grover Norquist, author of the famous no-new- taxes pledge that has defined conservative politics for decades.
Yet Norquist, whose influence in the conservative movement spans well beyond his well-known fixation on taxes, remains an unwavering force in the GOP debate — and even some of the most prominent lawmakers publicly flirting with a break from Norquist have assured him in private that they remain loyal soldiers in the anti-tax cause.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), for example, might have seemed a perfect illustration of the trend away from Norquist’s hard-line views when he said recently that policies backed by Norquist would lead to more debt.
“I care too much about my country — I care a lot more about it than I do Grover Norquist,” the senator told a Georgia TV station.
But five days later, on the phone with Norquist, Chambliss was sounding a conciliatory tone. As Norquist read aloud a transcript of Chambliss’s earlier remarks, item by item, Norquist recalled later, the senator repeatedly assured him on each one that he did not mean to imply they had major differences when it came to GOP principles on taxes.
“He said he’d wished he hadn’t invoked my name and wished that he’d been clearer,” Norquist recalled from the Monday conversation.
Norquist said he came away from the conversation with this understanding of Chambliss’s position: “If he’d get a jillion dollars of spending cuts, he’d be willing to get rid of a deduction or two.”
Chambliss’s office said he was unavailable for an interview. A Chambliss aide later said that the purpose of the call was “most definitely not an apology.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The money quote:
"The threat of a primary fight is unnerving for many Republicans, and it helps explain why even some of Norquist’s apparent critics in the GOP — such as Chambliss, who is up for reelection in 2014 — want to smooth over any apparent tensions."
The pledge is to the people, not to Norquist. If congressmen and senators want to renege on their pledge to the people, then the people should remove their support from these weasily politicians. Because there’s always somebody else that might like the office.
I couldn’t care less about Norkie’s “pledge”. If they can’t obey their oath of office, what is the point of Mr Islamopologist’s pledge?
Hang Chambliss out to dry as an example.
The GOP needss to die.
Chambliss, Flake, King and McCain are traitors and Norquist is a closet Muslim,
Can you say that new verb “primaried”? I knew you could.
Me either, but I’m sick and tired of all these backstabbing GOP-E cowards and want them exposed for what they are.
The pledgemakers need to hike up their big boy pants and run for office where they’ll be exposed to the fire themselves.
What we ABSOLUTELY need is a Constitutional Amendment mandating term limits. I remember Chambliss’s first election as well as his early years in office - and he was a fire eater.
IT IS A SAD FACT OF LIFE THAT ANYONE THAT SPENDS MORE THAN 10-15 YEARS IN THAT CESSPOOL CALLED WASHINGTON CATCHES THE DISEASE!
12 years and they need to go home and get real again!
We need a constitutional amendment that returns their election to the hands of the state legislatures and forces them to represent their states.
hey get insulated and out of touch.
Teh Founders called their version of term limits ‘rotation in office’ where the representative went home after awhile to live under the same laws they passed, also where their neighbors could state their minds about said laws in person.
Fear is a pretty good motivator to NOT mess up in that model.
Today, those that “represent” us believe they are better than us and know oh so much better than we do on how to live our lives.
They see us as Plebians at best to their supposed Patrician class ala the old Roman Senate model.
So they are shelterd from reproach or even reality intruding into their world.
The fly in that ointment is that first we'd have to fix the state legislatures. Even here in Texas, where the legislature is probably better than most, we still have a Communist pest-hole called Austin* that exerts an unwarranted and disproportionate influence over state government. And of course if you live in a state like Illinois, you are really living in Chicagoland.
*I've often thought had sad it is that there are some cities in Northern California with signs of intelligent life. If we could just swap one for Austin - what a great deal for both cities. Hell, California would never notice three quarter of a million or so more liberal loonies - and we'd never miss ‘em.
If we went back to the pre 17th Amendment style we wouldn’t have Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Flint electing Levin and Stabenow for us.
The 17th amendment was pure popular vote snake oil that promised empowerment and delivered exactly the opposite.
Saxby Chambliss is one of the most shameful political hacks to ever come out of the great state of Georgia. I will say the one thing he does best is stick his finger in the wind. He will now STFU about increasing taxes but if he ever gets enough cover to vote for it he will.
We are going to primary yo azz in 2014 Saxby.
First reply. You’re quick.
Same reply, you’re tiresome.
I’m sure I am, tiresome, but accurate. We’re talking about preventing Republicans from going along with raising taxes, and you keep changing the subject.
Actually you’re a coward afraid that people won’t forget your buddy Norky servicing islamderthals.
Face it boy, the damage is too great to repair and if you want to talk taxes, a pledge is a meaningless joke to people who don’t respect their official oaths of office.
He needs to hike up his big boy panties and run for office or STFU.
Who you callin boy, BOY?
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