For those of you who despise Grover Norquist and wonder why the scummy little troll holds such power in the GOP ranks, today's events must hold some measure of satisfaction. Harry Reid's calling out of Norquist for his control over the GOP is most welcome, but even more satisfying is the fire he's getting from an unlikely and supposedly friendly source.
As we all know, the major reason the Super Committee has been deadlocked is because of the GOP members' refusal to raise taxes. And this is no small part because all six of the GOP members, like the vast majority of the GOP caucus in both houses of Congress, have signed Norquist's pledge to never raise taxes ever. And since Norquist makes every GOP member cringe in fear, they're sticking to that pledge.
Well, apparently Alan Simpson, perhaps pissy that this is upending his goal of gutting entitlement programs, has had enough. And at a public hearing yesterday, he unloaded on Grover:
"Just a quick note about Grover Norquist," Simpson testified. "If Grover Norquist is the now the most powerful man in America, he should run for president. There's no question about his power. And let me tell you, he has people in thrall. That's a terrible phrase. Lincoln used it. I means that your mind has been captured. You're in bondage with a soul."
Uh oh. Did Simpson just call the GOP a bunch of mindless zombies in thrall to Lord Norquist? And if you thought that was harsh, check out this:
Simpson went on: "So here he is. I asked him. He said, 'My hero is Ronald Reagan.' I said, 'Well, he raised taxes 11 times in his eight years.' And he said, 'I know. I didn't like that at all.' I said, 'Well, he did it. Why do you suppose?' He said, 'I don't know. Very disappointing.' I said, 'He probably did it to make the country run, another sick idea.'"
Ouch. Much as I dislike Simpson for his recent actions, I give him credit for pointing out Reagan's actions on taxes to Norquist, a man who so worships Reagan he wants to see him up on Mount Rushmore. And showing what a complete fucking idiot the Bearded Little Gnome is on why his little god would raise taxes in the first place.
Of course, Simpson is alone on this and the conservative movement is rallying around Norquist (which, if you don't want the Super Committee to do anything to Medicare or whatnot, is a good thing). But still, it's nice to see at least one Republican stand up to the sniveling little creep. Why do they fear him again?