Via
Greg Sargent, the puppet master
reveals all.
Grover Norquist, a leading anti-tax activist, says Republican leaders in both chambers have assured him that they will not agree to tax increases to reduce the deficit.
Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, has not taken a position against a GOP proposal to raise $300 billion in new net tax increases because he believes it’s a negotiating position, and not real.
"It's not written down. It's a negotiating position. It won't pass the House or the Senate. I've talked to the House leadership and the Senate leadership. They're not going to be passing any tax increases," Norquist told The Hill on Monday. [...]
"If Republicans raise taxes now, they don't win the Senate, and if Republicans raise taxes now they might not keep the House," he said. "It's the only way to lose the House."
So that so-called "random person" has spoken. Sounds a little bit like a threat, doesn't it? This could all just be so much bluster from Norquist, a guy who has no issues with self esteem, but the GOP rank and file will certainly read that statement as a threat, and act accordingly. But as Sargent says, this is pretty remarkable, that "Norquist is claiming GOP leaders are on the phone with him, privately reassuring him that tax hikes are off the table."
Not so coincidentally, the best way for Democrats to regain the House and retain the Senate, not to mention the White House, is to protect important and popular entitlement programs, fight for jobs, and keep the narrative focused on inequality. This statement from Norquist is the biggest gift Democrats could hope for, if they're actually paying attention to what's happening out here in the streets. It's also the best hope for what would be the best outcome for the Catfood Commission II at this point: failure.