Anti-Tax Crusader Grover Norquist
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-12-03/anti-tax-crusader-grover-norquist
Tax policy has never been easy -- for politicians to agree on or for Americans who are not accounting experts to understand. Now we have the so-called fiscal cliff looming over the nation, and the Obama administration and Republican leaders are at a stalemate on how to avert it. Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist has played an outsized role in the debate. Most Republican members of the current Congress have signed Norquist's anti-tax pledge. But with November elections over and the fiscal cliff just weeks away, some pledge-signers have begun to waver. Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform joins Diane to talk about one of life's two certainties: taxes.
Guests
Grover Norquist
president of Americans for Tax Reform.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen
Democrat of Maryland and ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.
Rep. Ted Yoho
Republican congressman-elect of Florida.
Video: Inside The Studio
Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, talked about the so-called fiscal cliff and his no-tax pledge. Norquist said President Barack Obama's proposal to avoid the fiscal cliff is "unserious," and he proposed broadcasting the negotiations on C-SPAN. "I think he's trying to take us off the cliff and blame other people," Norquist said about Obama. About the public negotiation, Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen replied, "It would be good if Speaker [John] Boehner actually put his plan on paper like the president has so the public can see what it is." Norquist also responded to a listener's question about why he continues to refer to policies enforced under President Ronald Reagan's administration, even though more than 30 years have since passed since Reagan was president.
Comments
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If we go over the FISCAL CLIFF, taxes will go up, The position of negotiation for President Obama will be to lower taxes on the middle class, and raise taxes for the top 2%. I can assure you if I were President and I was re-elected on my platform to raise taxes on the top 2%, I would stand my ground.
Hello Ms. Rehm,
In your quests opening statement, I found it laughable and ludicrous for him to compare the tax rate of the 1700’s to those of today for obvious reasons. And in light of the the U.S. Constitution, Article 1 Section 8 says, “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States”, I would like to know which branch of the government Mr. Norquist believes he is in. More importantly, I would like to know who voted for this man in order for him to circumvent the will of the constituents he is trying to continue to act. President Regan is no longer in office, nor is your quest, unless he is working “at the will” of an elected official. Period. Otherwise, your guest should go get a real job, unlike that of a manipulator or lobbyist on his own (unlikely) behalf. His “pledge” also smacks of treason against the US government and to those for which it stands. TREASON! My question: A. who voted for him? B. Who will prosecute him with treason (his is an individual has access to state secrets, a high level members of the government, and even then there are security measures to prevent the dissemination of information that could damage the government - which he is.).
Grover Norquist has not directly answered one of Diane's questions. I remember when he was last on her show....much of the same.
Diane, please don't allow him to bully you. Ask him what programs Mr. Norquist would cut and hold him to it. It is so easy to say we should not raise taxes and that we need to cut spending...but what, what would we cut? And what are the ramifications of those cuts. Because there are ramifications.
Dianne, could you please ask your guest why tax reform and social security are even being discussed? If you change Medicare 10 years down the road or SS 10 years down the road, how does that solve our deficit today? Seems to me that we should be talking about how to curb the deficit, control MEDICAL COSTS not Medicare costs, and too much austerity too quickly. Could we please ask these guests why we aren't keeping our focus on the problems at hand instead of trying to achieve the Republican's long-term agenda of eliminating programs they've ALWAYS opposed?
This whole debt and deficit discussion is completely spurious. the US cannot become insolvent, "go broke" or "go bankrupt". It is a sovereign currency issuer with a fiat monetary system and we mostly owe ourselves money in our own currency which we can create at will. Insolvency would be the fear from too much debt and it is not possible if we don't want to do it. The main risk is inflation.
We do not need to cut that much if at all (waste, yes, of course) but we need to keep aggregate spending up so we do not fall back into recession and we really need to work on significantly reducing unemployment (which is where most of the deficits have come from).
Most of this inane public discourse is based upon serious ignorance of the macro economic system (fiat monetary) that Richard Nixon put in place in 1971. Much of the discussion is based on an understanding of macro that goes back to the gold standard and plain naked fear mongering.
The only oath or pledge an elected official needs to take is the oath of office. It shows their intent on doing what is best for the people. To take an additional pledge that could prevent any common sense working together with others for the good of the country; which is essentially prohibiting progress, is treason to the American people. Grover told Stephen Colbert he would rather have his Grandmother die because programs for the elderly and health care were cut than to have his taxes raised. My question to him would be, whose ego is greater? His or Donald Trump's?
Mr Norquist amazes me. I was appalled by a recent program where he showed absolutely no respect for our president what so ever. He referred to the president as acting like a child, stomping his feet etc.. Really! Even today he does not refer to the president as Mr. or President, just Obama. Whether you like our president or not he is our democratically elected president whether by a million or by a one vote margin. Who gave you a mandate to run the economy? Until you show some respect for our system and show some common courtesy you hold no ground to speak in my opinion.
Diane, What about a flat tax?
I have a better idea - flat tax rate. Everyone in the country pays 10% of their income to the federal government and 2% to the state they live. If Congress is not willing to do this then EVERY program must be cut by 25% and stop paying all former members of Congress a salary and providing free health coverage. If we do this then taxes don't have to be raised. So many people in this country had to cut their spreading when they lost their jobs it is time the Federal Government do the same thing.
The President put a proposal on the table. Why are the Republicans avoiding putting their own proposal on the table? Are this whining and posturing is not helping anyone. We cannot reform entitlements to the extent of reducing the benefits for the poor. There are societal implications that are not being discussed. Grover Norquist (someone not even elected) wants to push the country more toward a plutocracy, which is devastating.
thanks.
I'd like to see Congress revisit the add-on from the Bush administration for drug companies. Has anyone considered the savings that would be realized if we were able to pool our resources as a country to buy Rx in bulk rather than our current system that added to the deficit.
Grover lost any credibility when he decided that using "poopy-head" in answer to a question about the repubs losses in the election was an appropriate response. How old is he?!
He reminds me of one of my [grown] children; when he wants to redirect, or more cogently misdirect attention from his response, he talks faster, taking few breaths, running his words together.
Please ask again...from whom does he get power? He is not an elected official. Why doesn't he run for office? But mostly he is incredibly rude, condescending
and disrespectful. Diane, you usually don't put up with this kind of behavior. Why now?
Please ask again...from whom does he get power? He is not an elected official. Why doesn't he run for office? But mostly he is incredibly rude, condescending
and disrespectful. Diane, you usually don't put up with this kind of behavior. Why now?
This man should be in jail with all the corrupt wall street bankers and the war profiteers AND Dick Cheney and Bush!
Bandying 'treason' about is the kind of thing that makes me loathe the Birchers, or 'Tea Partiers' as they have rebranded themselves---it doesn't go well with the Enlightenment Reason our side must promote. What ever happened to one's opponents' just being 'wrong'?---not Eeeevyil, but mistaken and slightly callous in the way this rough world can make any of us?
Thank you for that!
Sorry, cant listen anymore, turn No-quist's microphone off. This is too much like a Faux Noise interview.
The majority of Americans caught on to the discredited Repub economic thesis. The Republicans do believe in Keynesian economics as long as it is targeting the wealthy, defense industries and corporate welfare. It does not work. The best countries to live and work are not those with the lowest taxes.
No-quist is simply a highly paid lobbyist for factions that would destroy American's lives and the country's economy.
Absolutely! He is a childish boor!
Grover Norquist is a has-been and a nobody. Why does the media give him air time???
He keeps saying the pledge was to the people, not to him. We the people are saying, oh no, it isn't. We don't want it.
He mentions the House victory by the GOP. It was because of gerrymandering.
Who is Grover Norquist? Where does he get his power. And please tell him that serving in Cogress is not the same as serving in the Military.
This man is a TRAITOR to allllll we hold dear in this great, great nation!
I think it is AMAZING that Obama had 2 % growth after the mess he and the GOP and Bush made!
LOL! Reagan style growth brought in revenues....
Yeah, and the taxes he raised 6 times during his presidency.
Pretty selective memory there.
THX for nothing! Whose voice are you referring to as a voice of reason???? Surely not Grover. Nobody elected him, and we don't want his pledge either.
The Bush Tax cut are keep in place because we have a weak economy
Who care what this guys THINKS, HE IS NOT AN ELECTED PERSON !!!!!
He is holding our country hostage!!!!!!
he gets air time because NPR is funded by corporations and people like Pete Peterson. It'd be nice if Diane had the honesty to admit this.
I keep hearing refernces to Reagan style growth when talking about no tax increases. But correct me if I am wrong, did not Reagan raise taxes 11 times during his 2 terms as President?
How very interesting that the people who are so against having the higher income bracket pay more in taxes... are part of that group! It seems like a vested interest there, and there is no thought or caring whatsoever about those who are not part of that elite group of people. Grover Norquist has no clue about what the regular population goes through on a day to day basis.
Mr. Norquist the 8 years of the Bush administration tax breaks for the rich slaps your argument down and out.
Would like to ask Grover Norquist just exactly what he meant by wanting a President who had just enough "digits" to sign what the 1% put forth?
And Grover tell us what you think the majority of voters said to folks like yourself and folks who took your pledge?
To my mind, Mr. Norquist's opening statement was kind of funny, about colonial-era taxes. Right after rebelling, we started setting up our own government, which levied taxes we were quite willing to pay. It was taxation WITHOUT REPRESENTATION that was a problem.
Now, this debate is not complicated. It’s easy for Americans to choose sides: Democrats say let taxes rise a little on the most well-off 2% of Americans to help cut the deficit; Republicans say keep taxes low for job-creators to boost the economy. But we’ve got no debate at all on whether to raise taxes for 98% of Americans. Republicans and Democrats say that we cannot let those taxes rise. So that’s something we all agree on, right? But the Democrats say let’s just work together to preserve those low tax rates for the 98% even while we have this debate about the other 2%, and the Republicans say no! There are reasons, of course. But to the American people it looks a frightening hell of a lot like the Republicans are willing to raise taxes on most of Americans! Why on Earth NOT just go ahead and vote for the low taxes for 98% of Americans—I mean how is it possible to be against that— and you can also keep working to get what you want for the other 2%?