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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Domenico Montanaro reports on the increased number of pledges that Republican presidential candidates are being asked to sign in this campaign. One pledge stands apart, a no-new-taxes pledge, whose creator has influenced day-to-day legislation and is vowing to fight any effort to get find revenue in the new congressional supercommittee charged with closing the national debt.
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Norquist is a very dangerous man. Time will bear that out.
We could 'starve the beast' starting with ol' Grover himself!
Looks like the Wizard got caught with his pants down!
All these pledges & oaths remind me of Girl Scouts!
The only OATH they are to uphold is their one to the office of which they are elected!
You got it Feisty!
Grover is a chamellion is plain sight!...I wonder if the pledgers are aware that he is a Harvard grad, do they call him an elitest....
Are they aware that his wife is from Kuwait, a muslim....we all know how they hate anything and everything muslim.
Grover Norquists group and the Tea Party are just reincarnations of the Moral Majority of the Reagan era. Just because the Moral Majority (which was neither) changed its name to the Tea Party does not change the fact that it is, still, a dangerous group of partisan politicians out to destroy America. Any member of any government who has signed the Grover Norquist pledge should be impeached and removed from office for violation of their oath of office.
Grover Norquist was a protege of Jack Abramoff in the '80's and '90's. Abramoff crafted the founding strategy of the ultra-conservative movement, and used political fear tactics to make himself quite wealthy. Before he was imprisoned for outrageous corruption, Abramoff was considered a darling of the take-no-prioners wing of the COP.
Their use of dirty tactics has been chronicled well by Thomas Frank in his book, The Wrecking Crew. It is an amazing record of filthy politics, croynism, insider trading and corruption that contributed substantially to the present economic and political mess. Norquist and his gang are attempting to "reform" the U.S. into a Japanese-type cartel political economy. They advanced that cause substantially during the Bush Regime.
Follow the money! Just find out where his funding is coming from.
Norquist is nothing but a passive-aggressive player, who manipulates from behind the scenes with blackmail rather than having the courage to actually run for office. Look at him, he's a sniveling little twit.
If Republicans told him to take a hike, I bet their chances at re-election would never have been as affected as Norquist was able to scare them into believing. Now anyone who rejects Norquist would actually pick up Independents.
Norquist wants to be a dictator, and he's well on his way if the republican tea people get the white house and senate. The republicans will bow to Norquist, their already his Hench men.
Yet another reason to remove all of these Tea Party Republicans from office. When someone is running for office, you need to ask if they have sold their soul to Grover Norquist, i.e. have they signed this pledge. If they have DO NOT vote for them. They do not have the interests of the United States as their first priority
Yeah you should get going on that.
Hope you have better luck than they did last night in Wisc.
So dirp101, just what is your plan for removal?
You comment is pretty funny in light of all the hand wringing on the left right now over Obama. Seems they are figuring out they have no idea who he is, or what he stands for.
Unlike the folks who take a stand and sigh a pledge not to raise taxes. They, unlike Obama are accountable.
I know, it's just not a libbie concept.
Spanky: accountable to whome is the question. A member of Congress and the President swear an oath of office. THAT should be the only thing to which they should be accountable.
Mr. Norquists statements in the media are starting to get to the point where RICO might be able to be used against him.
As to the plan for removal, every 2 years you have another chance. VOTE!!!
Hey, Spanks, it wasn't all bad in Wisconsin last night. We got rid of a couple of REALLY mean and corrupt ones, in any event, including that guy who didn't even live in his district and got his girlfriend a job. I suppose you approve of both those things, so that probably makes you unhappy, but not me.
And where those wins occurred is a bad, bad signal for Republicans for 2012.
A shift to the right like we saw in traditional Republican districts would easily be enough to recall Walker and reassure the Presidents re-election.
Don't kid yourself, Spanky. Whatever happened last night, Walker's approval rating is still in the 30's.
But how about those gold prices, Spanky? You're making a killing. Hats off to you. You're going to need it to float that old boat when it all comes crashing down.
To hear you all talk, if you didn't own it before, you certainly own it now.
Let's see what YOU can do with it, big fella.
Oops. I meant shift to the left. But them I'm a liberal, and obviously looking at it all backwards.
Could any of the districts that remain in GOP hands be gerrymandered ones that would be nearly impossible to win by any one else in teh first place? Do the recall elections really reflect the atmosphere in the whole state?
The election reflected the overall atmosphere as filtered through the demographics of the particular districts. So the answer is yes. The Harsdorf (R) win in Hudson, for example, is actually based on her family connections and long time relationship to that area. On the other hand, the Shilling (D) and King (D) wins in LaCrosse and Oshkosh, respectively, signal a shift to the left that has been coming on since at least 2008, and was also true during the Supreme Court election, at least in LaCrosse. Luther Olsen (R) comes from Ripon, where the Republican party was born. You do the math. He hasn't had an opponent in 36 previous years, and even so he only won by 2,200 votes to a candidate who had major problems. Alberta Darling (R) was pure demographics, combined with $8 million in outside contributions, combined with her school privatization agenda, which is what brought out all that money. I'm leaving one out, but it was in a pretty safe Republican district and not expected to turn over.
Gerrymandering is a big problem. But not impossible to overcome. When Walker reveals the rest of his agenda, which includes Right to Work and school privatization, the battle will begin anew.
Hard to fathom that the Teapublicans are afraid of one non-elected grifter! Guess they forget about the pledge to the Constitution.
Fear is a positive motivator. What corporations are financing Norquist and his 'pledge'?
It seems to me pledging ones allegiance by signed contract to anyone or anything other than the well being of the United States of America by anyone elected to Congress is very troubling and treasonous in nature.
The Feds need to bring All who have signed this AntiTax Pledge in for questioning under The Patriot Act, calling them "Economic Terrorist"!
Under questioning, if anyone admits to Norquist Antitax Pledge(with the Feds already having Copies of signed forms)They should be immediatly be put in handcuffs & taken to undisclosed locations for further questioning!
The Feds already have the Powers needed under The Patriot Act & should use it. Bush/Cheney wanted this kinda action & The Patriot act provisions should be used accordingly.
That would take care of Grover Norquist forever!
You Betcha!
Rick, as much as I agree with you in Principle, I can't see Dems initiating a Joe McCarthy like purge and witch hunt.
The Only Solution to MORONs like Norquist is information, education and the ballot box.
I remember when I went into the army. Seems I had to take an oath to mprotect the country from enemies, both foreign AND domestic. From what I have seen and heard about Grover Norquist, he is close to the line of being a domestic enemy. As far as the Teapublicans who follow his pledge, a case could be made that they are disloyal to this country. When one takes an oath to this country, that oath supersedes any and ALL others. If the Teapublicans think that the pledge to Grover rises above the oath to this country, then maybe they should resign their position as they are disloyal to the country. Economic terrorism is still terrorism.
As far as it goes with Norquist, federal authorities should follow the money.
hq2/11acr -
The oath of office for Congress says the same thing:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
Seems to me that anyone who feels it necessary to sign further pledges to the Grover Norquists of the world must indeed have some "mental reservation or purpose of evasion" about the oath they swore first to their country - ALL of their country. Grover Norquist is no more or less of an American citizen than I am. He holds no elected office and is entitled to no more representation in our government than I am. He just has a hell of a lot more money than I do. And anyone who signs pledges to appease him is as much as admitting that money is where their true allegiance lies.
Grover Norquist and his worshipers have violated the first commandment..."Thou Shalt Have no other Gods before me"
They worship the wealthy rather than God.
They protect the wealthy (both foreign and domestic) rather than protect America.
Jody -
You have it dead right. Money is the whole reason for Norquist and his influence.
His front group, Americans for Tax Reform, channels corporate funds to lobbyists and campaigns. He helps with the "revolving door" from Congress to corporations and lobbying firms. He coordinates one of the most well-oiled conflict-of-interest machines in existence. He advocates a Milton Friedman philosophy of economics, which pretends to be free market, but in fact is simply a route to a fascist system.
And in the process of all this, immense amounts of money stick to Norquist's palms.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Like most of the people who post here, I'm a politics "junkie"----enjoy following it and always thought I was fairly well-informed. Until hearing Lawrence O'Donnell speak of the "Norquist pledge" last year, I hadn't been aware of this man and the power his organization has within the conservative movement. It is truly amazing how he has been "under the radar" for so long. And his power to keep conservatives in line with the threat of a primary contest is very scary to me.
"And his power to keep conservatives in line with the threat of a primary contest is very scary to me."
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This guy really is pushing the envelope on what is politically acceptable, I mean to threaten someone with the threat of anything if you don't do their bidding to me is "blackmail", how can it be legal to blackmail a member of Congress? If this Grover cat would have said "if you don't sign my pledge I am not voting for you" I could see that as ok, but to threaten them with a primary contest, especially when the Grovester can deliverer on that threat, seems way out of bounds, and very troubling.
Look at his connections with Ollie North during the Iran-Contra debacle.
From another news story on FR:
"According to Gallup, Americans earning more than $90,000 per year continued to increase their consumer spending in July while middle- and lower-income Americans remained stalled, even as the upper classes argue that they can’t pay any more taxes. Meanwhile, the gap between the wealthiest and the rest of us continues to grow wider, with over 80 percent of the nation’s financial wealth controlled by about 20 percent of the people. "
Well, isn't that special. Looks like Obama needs to 'pledge' some action in favor of that other 80% of 'the people'. It would make some good ad copy.
DBO - and what about the news story that came out the other day regarding at least over 2000 millionaires/billionaires paid zero taxes in 2009.
Hey, Grover (and Grover supporters)- seen what's shakin' on over the big pond in the UK?
He is funded by the Koch brothers and the Heritage Foundation ...
Big unions poured over $50 million into this recall race. This recall was engineered by Big Union Bosses.
Ray, you got the short stick and you were chosen to come on here and lie today. Last night they were guessing 40 million for all of Wisconsin and that the conservatives way outspent the unions.
Who lie are you repeating rush or faux?
Say It is IS SO...
And your point is?? Obama was fully funded by George Soros. Among other unsavory types.....
Jeff Immelt CEO of GE (which OWNS this site and NBC News) is an Obama Czar.
I would worry about the pox on my own house before worrying about others.
This is a coup attempt!!! How is this allowed!!! IS the Democracy? Elected officals taking pledges?
How does America let this happen... every elected offical that signed that pledge - need to be impeached or put on trail for treason!
This is an abomination of our governmental processes and a total disgrace to our Democratic society!
These people think; that just because they don't have Soldier's fighting to overthrow our Government - that it's different because they have elected officals signing pledges to do IT!!!
IT appears to be the exact same concept!!!
TRUTH - not CRAP
Thank you and GOD BLESS AMERICA
Making a Pledge to serve those who will vote for you IS NOT anything close to coup. A coup is what happened in Libya or Egypt.
Buy a dictionary and READ what the words mean. Just because you used a big word doesn't mean it was the right the one. I sincerely hope your post was laced with sarcasm.
I think, therefore I pledge to vote out all the TEA party and GOP party-ers running for any position in the USA!
So you get to vote in Congressional races in 46 districts across the US. Do you work for ACORN?
Republican tea party of the rich , for the rich, by the rich and voted in by the poor suckers who believe them.
If you hate America, your social security, clean air and water, education vote for a republican because they hate all those things too.
You too can pretend to care about the debt as we secure permanent tax cuts for the richest.
I can play that game too:
If you are a RACIST you vote Democrat (IE Senator Robert Byrd)
If you are a MISOGYNIST vote Democrat (Bill Clinton)
If you are a PERJUROR vote Democrat (see above)
If you want 36 TRILLION in UNFUNDED LIABILTIES (when all the BB's retire) vote Democrat as they refuse to address entitlement reform.
If you want FOOD STAMPS but NOT a JOB vote Democrat (see fs TRIPLING under Obama)
If you want to EXPORT AMERICAN JOBS vote Democrat (Bill Clinton - Nafta China MFN & Obama stimulus Cree Industries) vote Democrat.
I think the people who voted for Obama are getting thier lesson in why "Wealth Redistribution" does not work in the United States or any other country that tried it for that matter.... LET"S VOTE FOR A BETTER LEADER IN 2012!
The only wealth I have see distributed is tax cuts to the rich. Enlighten me what "wealth redistribution" are you talking about?
I'll check back.
Obama 2012
Well American's First Thanks for asking. Here's my Redistribution from last year..... $9678 Fed Tax, $5648 SS Tax, $1320 Medicare Tax, $3318 State Tax, $7200 Property Tax, 6% Sales Tax. Multiply this times 2 for my wife. Now let's see yours, or are you like 98% of Americans who can recite from memory how much thier "Tax Refund" was for each of the last 5 years but couldnt tell how much in taxes they paid on thier last trip to Walmart.....
Anna, thanks for your analysis of the recall election last night. Two out of three is not bad but not enough to stop the Walker agenda.
I was struck by the boat loads of money that was spent by outside groups on these races. It is just the beginning for 2012. My question is always what does the media do with all the money they get for airtime? Does that money ever stay in the local economy?
ACHTUNG..... YOU Will OBEY !
Halo3v - Just because you don't agree with the word I use doesn't mean it's not the right one to use.
I mean who are you? YOU mean absolutely nothing to me - just remember that before you decide to challenge me again!!!
See you Repuks...like to run all over people and blame them for you mischiefs - but when someone speaks of reality and the possible reprecussion of your actions...
You run off scare and with your mouth - and speak absolute BS!!!
You don't know me well enough to even remotely think you know what I mean - read my blogs entries - then look at the current events happening now in our world -
Then - you will realize - you just need to read them - pay attention!!!
TRUTH - not CRAP
Thank you and GOD BLESS AMERICA
Signed pledges of allegiance to an unelected, private citizen, rather than to serve the USA, sound treasonous to me. The Republicans have made clear, by all their various pledges, that they owe their allegiance to their party rather than their country. Disturbing, to say the least, particularly from the party that labels itself as "patriotic."
Every politician that signed a backroom agreement with the sole intent of undermining the U.S. government should be shipped to Gitmo today, this should be illegal their oath of office should be the only pledge to which they should be held. Grover Norquist and his buddies that have signed that pledge are as bad as Osama ever thought of being, perhaps worse at least we all knew BinLaden was a terrorist this clown Norquist is allowed to walk quite freely among real U.S. citizens and he needs to be arrested and put in jail TODAY!!! Any politician working today has taken a solemn oath to uphold the duties of the office to which they were elected and as such they are in a violation of their oath and their office get rid of them!!!
YES , WE CAN...YES , WE CAN...WE WILL WIN IN WAR ON TERROR (30 whities or what are terrorists will never come back alive...thank you lord....aaamen). What do you mean tragedy! It was just a birthday present (celebrate 50) for planet apes president !!! That's all ! Feels great to flip hamburgers and hip hop atop of good news...makes you feel vibrant and energized !!!
ARIZONA = UTOYA = "AFTERLIFE" CASH & $$ FLASH MOB (dear folks, there was no shooting in Utoya or Arizona, but tear gas and theater instead on faces of multiculturalism maniacs..your guilt or what was blame and shame weapon against us and our families in our own countries atop of forceful unemployment during so called "ECONOMIC CRISES" during which third world foreigners were/are allowed to rape, kill, and still was and is nothing else but fast way to early retirements for criminals/terrorists...$$$ extra bonuses, and newly issued state identities while calling you a terrorists in your own countries ) !!!
Google "OBAMA = STALIN = BUSH or USA = SOVIET UNION" avsecbostjan.blogspot
and
"ARIZONA = UTOYA = "AFTERLIFE" CASH & $$ FLASH MOB" stateofterror.blogspot
Whitie is fighting war on terrorism just to come home and be pronounced as terrorist...turned in Timothy, jobless, homeless ...YESSS, WE CAN...YESSS, WE CAN...GABY OPENED HER EYES (Obaminator Morales in Tucson = Apocalypse now)
WAKE UP PEOPLE BEFORE IT GETS ALL TO LATE ON PLANET APES !!! TEARS WON'T DO YOU ANY GOOD !!!
AS BUSH STATED "THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE PAID FOR"(to die ) !!
EVEN IF IRAQ WOULD HAVE BEEN WAR FOR OIL ONLY, VETERANS WOULDN'T NEVER EVER HAVE TO BE HOMELESS PEOPLE THE WAY THEY ARE AND NOR WOULD OUR PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE ALLOVER THE PLACE THE WAY THEY DO AND TO VERY TODAY(never ending so called “war on terror” story.)...BECAUSE EVEN IF WAR WAS FOR THE SAKE OF MONEY, MONEY SHOULD BE USED FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS AND NOT WHAT THE CASE IS OR AGAINST WHITES(to destroy us allover the world) TO BENEFIT JEWMERICA (you don't really proof for 911, just put your sht together in your heads...THIS IS PLENTY ENOUGH TO HAVE O(B)SAMA INDICTED FOR CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST WHITE AMERICAN HUMANITY TOGETHER WITH HIS ZIONIST MASTERS) !!!
Don't worry O(s)bama, you have just saved USA what is lots of Dollars in your DEBT DEALS as those best of America or Navy Seals would also grew older and then you already know how it goes...DEAD & ILL = YOUR DEBT DEAL !!!
HOW MUCH FURTHER ARE WE WILLING TO GO IN ORDER TO PLEASE VERY SAME PEOPLE WHO DENY US EVEN THE RIGHT TO EXISTENCE (what is to you country without laws or lawless country in respect to your personal rights, but the one that in contrast to your denied basic human rights recognizes you extremely liable when payments are due) !!?
IS IT INDEPENDENCE THAT WE CELEBRATE OR DEPENDENCE (what are your credit card bills or alimony saying about it) !!? HOW IS YOUR DIABETES AND LOST MARRIAGES !!? FORECLOSURES AND JOB SEARCH !!? THAT IS THE QUESTION TO BE OR NOT TO BE !!!! IS IT LAND OF THE FREE OR STATE OF TERROR AGAINST OWN POPULATION !!? IT IS TIME TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT COLOR ARE THE STRIPES ON OUR STAR SPANGLED BANNER !!! TIME TO DETERMINE WHOSE INDEPENDENCE/AMERICA, WE CELEBRATE TODAY(who want to erase us and denies us the right to exist) !!! IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHOM WE ADDRESS WITH "PRESIDENT" (STOP HUMILIATING YOURSELF) !!!
VOTING POLL:
DO WE NEED MORE PROOFS TO INDICT OBAMA AND BUSH ADMINISTRATION FOR CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST WHITE HUMANITY !!?
1)NO, THEY ARE CLEARLY GUILTY AS OIL WAR NEVER EVER WAS REAL ISSUE IN GENOCIDE AGAINST WHITES. REAL ISSUE ARE FACTS OR WHAT WE WITNESS TODAY WHEN VETERANS ARE HOMELESS, JOBLESS, KILLED, ETC.
2)NO, AS 911 ALONE AS WELL AS ACTIONS IMPOSED AGAINST WHITES IN USA (as well worldwide) ARE CLEARLY INDICATING ACTS OF GENOCIDE AGAINST WHITE HUMANITY
3)YESS AS JUST YESTERDAY(for over 15 years to very yesterday), WE (news/media = vacuum world of lies) WERE TELLING YOU THAT UNEMPLOYMENT WAS AT 10% WHILE TODAY ONE IS AT 50% (HOW COME NO ONE QUESTION JOURNALISM LIKE THIS OR WHAT IS WORLD OF LIES AND DEMENTIA)!
4)I AGREE WITH FIRST TWO ANSWERS ABOVE, AND BELIEVE THAT IT IS TIME TO PUSH FORWARD CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST BOTH ADMINISTRATIONS DUE TO ACTS OF GENOCIDE AGAINST WHITE HUMANITY !!!