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Graham(R)INO South Carolina, vows to violate Norquist tax pledge for entitlement reform
On Sunday’s broadcast of ABC’s “This Week,” Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told host George Stephanopoulos that he’d be willing to violate Americans for Tax Reform head Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge if it meant averting the looming fiscal cliff.
“When you’re $16 trillion in debt, the only pledge we should be making to each other to avoid becoming Greece,” Graham said. “Republicans should put revenue on the table. … Raising taxes will hurt job creation. So, I agree with Grover. We shouldn’t raise rates, but I think Grover is wrong when it comes to, ‘We can’t cap deductions and buy-down debt.’ What do you do with the money — you buy down debt and cut rates to create jobs. But I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform.”
Most Republican lawmakers, including Graham, have signed Norquist’s decades-old pledge, which calls on members to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”
Left Coast Dan
November 26th, 2012
It’s a pretty simple pledge: http://www.atr.org/userfiles/Congressional_pledge%281%29.pdf (in pdf format). Hard for me to come up with a scenario in which I would be willing to violate it. As always, focus is on taxation when it should be on spending.
serfer62
November 26th, 2012
GRAMNESTY IS UP FOR REELECTION IN ’14!!!!
anybody, anybody running against the pansy?
Sarge
November 26th, 2012
Reductions first then we’ll talk tax reforms.
yourfavoriteunkle
November 26th, 2012
Why do we act surprised when the members of the oligarchy don’t invite “We, the little people” to participate in our own government or blatantly disregard our wishes? The writing is on the wall and we are absolutely screwed. The divide and conquer strategy of the elite few in the District of Corruption is going to come to fruition unless we pull or head out of our ass.
Diann
November 26th, 2012
We have GOT to jettison these RINO losers and I mean now. No, it isn’t time for a third party; it’s time for conservatives and Tea Party folks to kick these squishy, “let’s be more like Democrats,” stand for nothing RINOS out of the GOP. Let them form a third party.
persecutor
November 26th, 2012
My, my. Little Lindsay’s got his panties in a knot. Bad, Grover Norquist.
Dingy Harry will agree to entitlement reform and be careful and look out for flying pigs!
Claudia
November 26th, 2012
Amen, Diann!!!!
Let THEM create the Demo-lite Party.
Twellsy
November 26th, 2012
There was a time when the repubs pretty much spoke for me. NO MORE. The list of these traitors continues to grow. Just like the beard of moss that grows on a ships prow and slows down the vessel, they need to be removed.