WASHINGTON (CBS DC) – Founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, dismissed discussion of GOP defections from his “no new taxes” pledge, and President Obama’s tax theories, as pure fantasy.
In a Tuesday interview with NPR’s “Morning Edition,” the conservative activist reinforced that support for his “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” — which was signed by 95 percent of Republican congressmen earlier this month – is not waning. Norquist stated that Democrats’ openness to substantial spending cuts is like imagining a “pink unicorn.”
Norquist went on the defensive over the past few weeks after a few Republicans, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, appeared to be backtracking on their pledge to oppose any new taxes. He believes that the media stories about some Republicans possibly breaking their no-tax pledge are repeats of what was being reported two years ago.
“People are turning in the [same] homework for the second time,” he told NPR of the news media. But two years ago, Republicans concluded that President Obama and his fellow Democrats had not offered significant spending cuts. Norquist predicts the same will happen during negotiations to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.
“If we’d had a Reagan-sized recovery instead of an Obama-sized recovery over the last 3 1/2 years there would be 11-plus [more] million Americans at work,” said Norquist. “Obama has put his ridiculous left-wing fantasy theories of Keynesianism above the lives of 11 million families in this country.”
President Obama’s tax theories, Norquist stated, have been an “extremely bad thing,” and that taxation as a whole is having a fundamentally negative impact on Americans.
“There’s no reason to raise taxes, taxes should be lower,” Norquist told host Steve Inskeep. “The problem we have is that government spends too much — not that taxes are too low.”
“Obama has a theory and his theory is wrong – that if government takes people’s money and spends it you magically have twice as much money.”
MEET GROVER NORQUIST NEXT THURSDAY @ POLITICS ON THE ROCKS - 6:00PM THURSDAY DECEMBER 6TH @ THE MINT IN SCOTTSDALE! CLICK HERE TO RSVP!
In a Tuesday interview with NPR’s “Morning Edition,” the conservative activist reinforced that support for his “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” — which was signed by 95 percent of Republican congressmen earlier this month – is not waning. Norquist stated that Democrats’ openness to substantial spending cuts is like imagining a “pink unicorn.”
Norquist went on the defensive over the past few weeks after a few Republicans, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, appeared to be backtracking on their pledge to oppose any new taxes. He believes that the media stories about some Republicans possibly breaking their no-tax pledge are repeats of what was being reported two years ago.
“People are turning in the [same] homework for the second time,” he told NPR of the news media. But two years ago, Republicans concluded that President Obama and his fellow Democrats had not offered significant spending cuts. Norquist predicts the same will happen during negotiations to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff.
Norquist went on to condemn Obama’s economic and tax theories as “ridiculous left-wing fantasy.”
“If we’d had a Reagan-sized recovery instead of an Obama-sized recovery over the last 3 1/2 years there would be 11-plus [more] million Americans at work,” said Norquist. “Obama has put his ridiculous left-wing fantasy theories of Keynesianism above the lives of 11 million families in this country.”
President Obama’s tax theories, Norquist stated, have been an “extremely bad thing,” and that taxation as a whole is having a fundamentally negative impact on Americans.
“There’s no reason to raise taxes, taxes should be lower,” Norquist told host Steve Inskeep. “The problem we have is that government spends too much — not that taxes are too low.”
“Obama has a theory and his theory is wrong – that if government takes people’s money and spends it you magically have twice as much money.”
MEET GROVER NORQUIST NEXT THURSDAY @ POLITICS ON THE ROCKS - 6:00PM THURSDAY DECEMBER 6TH @ THE MINT IN SCOTTSDALE! CLICK HERE TO RSVP!
