A Conversation with Grover Norquist
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-07-14/conversation-grover-norquist
Time is running out for Democrats and Republicans to negotiate to raise the federal debt ceiling. The U.S. will default on its loans in nineteen days, unless politicians reach agreement. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned the Republican brand could be “destroyed” if congress allows the government to default.. But many in his party have dug in against a compromise. And anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist is holding Republican lawmakers to the pledges his organization asked them to sign, opposing any tax increases. He joins Diane to discuss taxes, spending and debt negotiations.
Guests
Grover Norquist
president, Americans for Tax Reform
Comments
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Thank you Mr. Norquist!! Many of us are sick and tired of the shell games played with raise taxes now cut spending tomorrow and tomorrow never comes. The democrats just do not care how much a constantly expanding nanny state government costs and will certainly destroy everything that is uniquely American in an attempt to pay for it.
Oh what a great honor it is to have our ears blessed with the wisdom of the Grand Pulbah of the church of Jude Wanniski. Maybe Diane will get lucky and Mr. Norquist will let her hold the towel so he can wipe his hands after drowning us in the bathtub.
I guess we shouldn’t complain though. It was either him or another talking head from the Pete Peterson institute of Cat Food for Senior Citizens.
How much do you want to bet that Diane will avoid asking “Saint” Grover about his involvement with ex-convict Jack Abramoff.
What amazes me about the Diane Rheme show is that it doesn’t seem to matter how goofy your ideas are if you are a right wing ideologue, there is always a place for you at the table. On the other hand, if you are someone who has figured out the con job that is being run on the American people you may be considered a little too “controversial”.
I have this recurring dream that I turn on my radio and the promo goes something like this;
“Today on the Diane Rheme Show, Naomi Klein, author of ‘The Shock Doctrine’ discusses the Oligarchs’ strategy to destroy the American Middle class.“
Or maybe;
“Today on the Diane Rheme show, John Perkins, author of ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’ talks about how corporations have perverted our democratic system with a tsunami of money.”
Or even better;
“Today on the Diane Rheme show, David Kay Johnston, author of ‘Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich and Cheat Everybody Else’ discusses how the wealthiest Americans enrich themselves at government expense (and stick you with the Bill)”
But alas it was only a dream and I wake up to hear:
“Today on the Diane Rheme show Grover Norquist gets to spread his Right Wing propaganda. “
When a show that purports to be fair and balanced seems to have been co-opted by the Oligarchs the only hope left to us useless eaters may be that the Mayans were right. Onward to 2012.
And remember my fellow peons
SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE.
I agree with you, uselesseater. I'd love to hear the shows you suggest. I'd add Paul Krugman to the list.
Usually Diane has representatives on 'both' sides of an issue so I don't understand why Norquist is on without any balance.
I do wish that when Diane has guests representing the conservative view it would be someone not from the Heritage Institute or American Enterprise Institute.
Another issue I'd really like to see covered is the Natural Gas drilling, i.e. 'fracking'. The show several weeks ago was very weak - no one who could really speak to the issue of how dangerous the practice is.
Lighten up on DR, willa?
A show with Norquist can do nothing but help shed light on the hypocrisy, lack of compassion, intollerence, and idiocy of the positions of GOP.
Bring it on.
(You can tell I'm going into the interview with an open mind).
I cannot wait to see how Grover will wiggle out of some good tough questions. I am sure Diane will be tough. I just hope he doesn't pull a newt Gingrich and leave halfway through.
As to some.previous comments, if you want to hear those authors learn to fresh air once in a while.
I'm with uselesseater. Diane won't or can't ask probing questions. She will ignore the true costs of Bush's wars. She will ignore the true costs of immigrants and refugees. She will ignore the true costs of offshoring jobs. She will ignore the true costs of the absence of all human rights. She will not arm voters with facts.
Perhaps that's Norquist's ticket to the program, removing "public" from NPR.
I would like to ask Norquist how he can justify lowering taxes (or eliminating them entirely) as a strategy to better the economy and create jobs. That strategy has entirely failed as we have been lowering taxes for a few decades now and here we sit with the economy and jobs in the tank.
Also from a read of a Style section of the WP - he is quite full of himself. I find this man totally contemptible and a national disgrace. It is unfortunate that he has such a sway over Republicans.
Great post monte
Thank goodness the polls are behind us. Yesterday polls showed 53% of the population is against raising the debt ceiling.
This wil be a great challenge for you Diane. As even some of the comments to your show demonstrate, American voters have been brainwashed into believing that government is at the root of all their problems We see the results of such thinking in closed libraries, postponed infrstructure maintenance and the drastic expansion of income inequality in the United States. But these poor people still think the government is to blame. Your job will be to pin Norquist down. But he is such an ideologue that a discussion of this sort is bound to turn ugly. Your show is designed for a shrinking group of thinking Americans. Please don't let us down.
As the Economist said (Republicans) "are clinging to the position that not a single cent of deficit reduction must come from a higher tax take. This is economically illiterate and disgracefully cynical." Indeed.
Where do you get your polling information? Fox "news"?
This is a guy who has made a fortune railing against the government that funds most of the schools he attended, paves the roads he drives on, and ensures the safety of the airplanes he flies on, the food he eats, the air he breathes and the water he drinks. Why on earth give him a platform here, on a public radio station that is of course on his list of government to-be-drowned targets?
As required by Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, Members of Congress shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution. Representatives, delegates, and the resident commissioner all take the oath of office on the first day of the new Congress, immediately after the House has elected its Speaker. The Speaker of the House administers the oath of office as follows:
"I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
AND
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.
Does your guest understand hes forcing these people to commit pergery while showing hipocricy.
I think that in spite of the valiant efforts by the Oligarchs and their propaganda foot soldiers to bamboozle us into thinking that the majority of Americans are foolish enough to support policies that are against our own best interest, the truth is finally coming out.
According to an article on Politico.com by Andrew Baumann
“Public supports taxing the rich”
“A bevy of recent public polls, along with our own surveys, demonstrates that the public convincingly rejects the Republicans’ approach. Large majorities of Americans, according to a recent Gallup Poll, believe that “upper-income people” and corporations pay too little in taxes.”
We may be useless eaters but we are not stupid.
''fandango wrote:
Where do you get your polling information? Fox "news"?''
That was Gallup. Does that help?
This man is a greedy, arrogant, self-promoting huckster. All one needs to do is look at the dirty lobbyists he has and still does associate himself with. He's willing to take the country down simply to demonstrate how much power he has. When, and if, he is successful, the only good thing will be that he rots with the rest of us. Diane, you should be embarrassed to give this man a forum.
Ms. Rehm,
Could you ask Mr. Norquist if he is willing to be held responsible if a default occurs?
Will he provide medicine to sick people if we cannot import it?
Will he provide raw resources (rare earth metals, etc) if foreign countries no longer are willing to sell to us?
Will he be willing to pay the extra money , in higher interest rates, on our debt if we default?
The easiest and fastest way to increase our debt is to not pay our current obligations. If you miss a payment, in your own life, your interest rates go up plus you tend to have fee's and fines. I think Mr. Norquist is going to sink this country. I just hope he suffers first.
I am willing to pay more in taxes (I make A LOT less than $250,000/yr.) so long as it is spent providing jobs- public sector and union jobs included. I am unwilling to pay more in taxes, or more in interest rates, to pay for endless wars, corporate welfare and tax cuts which amount to $500 to me and millions to people like Mr. Norquist.
The debt is a self-fulfilling prophecy- the more you cut taxes the greater the debt. This is all a problem of Mr. Norquist's own making.
"Everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame" said someone. The news network is now fascinated by Norquist's "strong and bold" stand. DR is simply doing the same. So, guys and girls, please don't criticise her.
Equally, I don't imagine anyone giving coverage to similar "strong and bold" stand for raising taxes to the top 1% of Americans. Kudos uselesseater for making it clear!
The hedge-fund manager John Paulson (the one Goldman hired for making bets for and against their own product) earned 5 billion dollars as income in 2010 [source NPR]. He fared equally well in 2009 [again source NPR]. He pays at about 10% in tax, while I make just over 30K but get taxed close to 20%. Norquist will become Norquiet on this. He has enough experience to dodge questions and hence do not expect much from this show.
This has become the state of affairs in media. I watched Charlie Rose talk to Greenspan (the nut who denied the financial meltdown until the TARP was constituted) in PBS. Charlie never ever raised a question. Greenspan was only too happy to be the boss and kept lecturing about the serious ramifications of the (already diluted) Dodd-Frank law. I am sick and tired of Public Broadcasting being the "nice guy". We need to turn around to be the critical voice in an otherwise "Hail Hilter" news media.
Sorry DR! You can do much more better in being critical!
Yup
"Of those surveyed by Gallup, 42 percent say they would vote against raising the debt ceiling, while 22 percent say they would vote for it. Another 35 percent say they don’t know enough about the issue to express an opinion.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58914.html#ixzz1S5aDC258
53%??
WAIT! Obama is not the decider on where the money is spent or whether to default or not. Check your Constitution, that is Congress' job.
Far from "drowning government in a bathtub", we need a bigger, more robust government to protect us from the parasitic oligarchy and their errand boys like Grover Norquist.
Why NPR keeps giving traitorous self serving fascists like Norquist a forum is beyond me Isn't "shrinking the gov til it can be drowned in a bath tub " advocating the overthrow of the government? Isn't the penalty for treason death? after forfeiture of all goods and property? Why do you keep having people on who hate and despise the people and Constitution of the US on, and actively seeks the destruction of same?
My point is that the country is pretty evenly divided, so one party saying "it's my way or the highway" is way off base. There is going to have to be compromise, and that word is NOT in Norquist or Cantor's vocabulary.
Why don't we just cut rates to 0% and disband the entire country?
It’s hard to comprehend that adults can not figure out that to pay down debt, $ is required. We tried relentlessly to make trickle-up work. What’s the results? A superrich minority with trillions on sidelines not being used for any purpose related to stimulating economy or job growth. And GOP advocates taxing them less?? You have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to believe such policies. Does Rupert really have such a grip on us all that we can’t see our noses? Small companies and new start-ups stimulate job growth, not the super-conglomerates (including those that organized the recent financial meltdown).
Was nation better off as a whole now when tax rate for many companies is effectively zero (in fact some industries we subsidize so net rates are negative) OR under Ike, when tax rates were around 95%, economy was booming, infrastructure was being built, rich were still rich, new company start-ups were prolific, unemployment low.
SURELY rational people do not believe we can pay down debt without revenue. Say it ain’t so.
I usually adore this show, and I understand Diane having this, this person on...but why on earth is there not someone with an opposing view to counter him? There is something wrong with him.
I'd like to hear Mr. Norquist comment on what he thinks about the extra child tax credits and deductions available in the tax code. Doesn't this equate to the subsidization of other people's children?
If you give block grants without rules places like Texas will use the money to finance state tax cuts instead of using the money for the purpose intended.
I think it is a very poor idea. If a state can't follow the rules they shouldn't accept the money.
THIS MAN HAS NEVER BEEN ELECTED BY ANYONE - AND NEVER WOULD BE IF HE TRIED.
WHY DOES HE HAVE SO MUCH INFLUENCE ON THE REPUBLICANS ? HIS COMMANDS WOULD INFLUENCE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE IN A DEMOCRACY ?
B . Wyatt