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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Domenico Montanaro reports that although some Republicans have changed their tone on a new-no-taxes pledge, they aren't putting tax rate increases on the table.
Some Republicans appear to be softening what was once a hard stance on their no-taxes pledge as the end-of-the-year deadline on the so-called “fiscal cliff” approaches.
But it’s not clear how far they would go – if they would raise rates on the wealthiest, as President Obama wants, or if they are simply willing to go along with eliminating some loopholes and deductions to raise revenue. And those who have been outspoken on the topic thus far are not seen as the key players in the ongoing negotiations.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Select Committee on Intelligence ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) gets on the Senate subway as he leaves after a hearing on the Benghazi attack November 16, 2012 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
“I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge,” Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia told a local TV station from his home state. “If we do it his way then we’ll continue in debt, and I just have a disagreement with him about that.”
Chambliss is one of several congressional Republicans who have indicated they might break with an anti-tax pledge pushed by activist Grover Norquist.
NBC's Chuck Todd tells Savannah Guthrie that House Republicans are stalling a compromise in the "fiscal cliff" debate, unlike the Senate, where members are more keen to strike a compromise.
On the Sunday shows and Monday morning TV, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bob Corker (R-TN), as well as Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA) -- the House minority leader -- and Peter King (R-NY), joined Chambliss in downplaying the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge.” Norquist’s 58-word pledge has been a mainstay in Republican politics since 1986. In 2011, every GOP presidential hopeful, including Mitt Romney (and excluding Jon Huntsman) signed it.
NBC'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.
“I agree with Grover — we shouldn’t raise rates,” Graham said on ABC, “but I think Grover is wrong when it comes to we can’t cap deductions and buy down debt.” Graham added, “I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform.”
Corker told CBS on Monday: “I’m not obligated on the pledge. I made Tennesseans aware, I was just elected, the only thing I’m honoring is the oath I take when I serve, when I’m sworn in this January.”
King, of New York, said on Meet the Press Sunday: “I agree entirely with Saxby Chambliss -- a pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress... I think everything should be on the table.”
Norquist, in fact, says the fact that no House Republican has voted for a tax increase in 22 years is directly a product of his pledge. Norquist does not just mandate that lawmakers not vote for tax increases, but also that any bill they sign onto has to be “revenue neutral.”
In other words, cutting deductions and loopholes, for example, would also be out if not offset by further tax cuts. But Republicans and Democrats face an end-of-the-year deadline to try and figure out a way to avert the steep military and domestic spending cuts and taxes going up for everyone when the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of the year.
USA Today's Susan Page, American Bridge 21st Century President Rodell Mollineau, and YG Action Fund Senior Adviser Brad Dayspring join Chuck Todd to talk about the impending fiscal cliff.
That some senators appear ready to talk revenue is not as significant as what House members say. It is widely believed that a deal would be struck between the White House and the House GOP, not with the Senate.
House Speaker John Boehner has said that “revenue” is on the table, but the president wants to raise rates for the wealthiest. Obama campaigned on the idea, but it’s not at all clear whether the House Republican rank-and-file would sign on to any rate increase.
Cantor, who wields some influence with the GOP conference’s more conservative members, is seen as more of a keystone, and he, too, seemed willing to go along with at least some revenue increases.
“There has been a lot said about this pledge,” Cantor said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday. “When I go to the constituents, it’s not about that pledge. It’s about trying to solve problems. House Speaker John Boehner went to the White House and said, ‘Hey, Republicans in the House are willing to put revenues on the table.’ That’s a big move.”
House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., sits down with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, John Heilemann, and Mike Barnicle to talk about Israel, Egypt, the Grover Norquist tax pledge, the future of fiscal cliff negotiations, and why not everything is on the table in tax talks.
“We were elected to fix problems,” Cantor said, before adding, “Even if you raise all those taxes, it doesn’t fix your problem.”
In a follow-up interview, Cantor’s office stressed that he remains against raising tax rates.
“Republicans aren't against tax rate hikes because of any one man or pledge,” spokeswoman Megan Whittemore said. “We are against hiking rates, because they're bad for the economy and hurt jobs. We've put ideas on the table that bring more money in while keeping tax rates where they are to produce job growth. It's now time for President Obama to put his ideas on the table for spending cuts and entitlement reform if he truly embraces a balanced approach.”
For his part, Norquist isn’t backing down. In a statement to NBC News, he took shots at the GOP senators and expressed confidence that no one would violate the pledge.
"Chambliss has been pushing this line since he joined the Gang of Six,” Norquist said. “Lindsey Graham has for two years said he would raise taxes if he got a 10:1 ratio of spending cuts through entitlement reform that could not be undone. There is no news in these two 'changing.'”
And he added, “They have not voted for a tax hike. They have had impure thoughts on present. Their impure thoughts did not change a single GOP vote in the 2011 fight over the debt ceiling which had a real deadline looming. One might have argued that the pledge died in 1990 when a sitting president and many in House leadership broke the pledge. However, the opposite happened, the pledge became more powerful when breaking it was seen to have very real consequence in 1992. After the 1994 election a majority of the House and Senate had signed the pledge."
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The GOP/TP crowd in unraveling before our very eyes, flip-floping on every subject in order to keep some sense of acceptance by the people who still are blind enough to vote for them.
From their mesianic and rabid "no taxes increase for the 2%" to a phony "moderate" position that now everything is on the table. They are thinking of the mid-term elections, that's all, and after that they will continue with their hypocritical and obscene posturing on their mantra that we can't tax the "job creators." Job creators like Romney, who takes his money to offshore accounts in order to avoid taxes in the U.S.
There is no end to their subservient faith in the rich, not because the rich create jobs, but because the rich create big bank accounts for the GOP/TP lunatic crowd.
Of course they are looking to mid-term elections but if that makes them come to their senses, so be it. Speaker Boehner has a chance now to pull in his party and tell the Tea Party to tow the line or his will lose his Speaker-ship.
Nobody cares about Grover or Mitt or Karl. They are all in the past. The people rejected them about 3 weeks ago. The issue is how do we balance tax increases with spending cuts and reforms to lower the deficit. The more taxes the better. The rich are the ones who have profited over the pat 12 years so they can best afford the tax increases. Don't worry the rich will still be driving their Bentleys. We should increases taxes on everybody and that will come when our economy has recovered. It is getting close to a full recovery. Once real estate starts moving unemployment will drop sharply. I heard a lot of complainers on this vine. It is a balanced approach that will work.
Unemployment will rise soon. Obamacare and your tax the rich mentality will see to it. Small business owner's like myself will need to cut costs to make a profit. My biggest cost is employees. Because of Obamacare I will need to layoff enough people to get under the 50 limit. I will also be cutting hours to under 30. Yes, I know I'm an A**h**e but I have to look out for my family and myself first. this will occure all over the US. Wait and see.
It is my wish that Republican remains as intractable as always, and continue to loudly proclaim their social agenda from every pulpit and radio station. They have my complete support in doing so.
Why?
Damn, Jim Rome is back, what's up Romey!
Because by the time two years comes around, a whole group of voters will have turned 18 and they will not be on board with the Republican social agenda. Republicans are producing liberals the same way the US is producing terrorists.
No matter how much you raise the taxes it will not or never make a dent in our deficit...............Entitlements keep going up and up and they have to be adjusted downward and cuts made to other programs to make a difference.......................People who work can only shell out so much until there is No, no money left!!!!
I just think that taxes should be balanced... meaning the poor pay less on average, the rich pay more on average. That doesn't necessarily mean taxes should be raised. If loopholes exist that allow for the rich to pay less in taxes than the poor, then I think something is wrong and needs fixed. If things can be fixed and we can leave the current tax rates in place (the Bush cuts), then I'm all for it.
My point is... I'm open to various ideas to address our country's problems and am not sold on just one idea, especially any idea that is along party lines. Do what's best for the USA and what's most fair for all Americans.
That is what we have now.
I said quite a few things in my post... can you be more specific @PutAmericaFirst?
eph, all you said in your post was the wealthy need to pay more. The correct response was what PutamericaFirst said.
@XYXYX... Unless you are @PutAmericaFirst, I'll wait for that individual to explain their post.
In terms of what you said, it's not always the case that the rich are paying more than the middle class in taxes, due to loopholes, etc. BTW - I'm considered "rich" by the definitions out there.
it's a good thing that the GOP is standing up to Norquist. He showed his true colors on election night and the GOP has woken up to the fact that the man is an economic domestic terrorist. I am an independent and I applaud the GOP for waking up and realizing that they have been mislead. Perhaps the GOP will once again become the Grand Old Party is used to be with no Aikens or Murdocks or Norquists. Their time has come and gone.
Rush Limbaugh will whip those Norquist deserters back in line.
LOL!
I cut & pasted this proposed solution from another tree.....sorry...I forgot his name. But I really like his suggestion:
"1. Get rid of hate radio and FOX NEWS. Restore the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.
2. Get BIG MONEY out of politics. Legislate the CITIZENS UNITED decisions out of existence.
3. DUMP GROVER NORQUIST AND HIS PLEDGE. So long Grover, it's been bad to know ya.
You do those three little things and our government will begin to work again.
THEN....we need to do the following.
Raise Taxes of the 2%
Close the tax loopholes
Encourage business to bring American jobs back to the US
Cut military spending by a paltry 10% and......here's the biggee.......
TAX THE CHURCHES!
Remember the freedom of speech in the pulpit day? WELL, I"m all for it. Politic all you want Padre and PAY TAXES like the rest of us.
If you did that one thing. TAX CHURCH PROPERTY with appropriate exclusions for small town/poverty level congregations, we'd retire the deficit in five years.
Heck the Mormons and the Catholics alone could retire the deficit in a decade."
Your point #2.....Then you need to fire all the Dems in congress for they make the most money and manipulate everyone
Your first point is to infringe on free speech and commerce so I didn't bother reading more.
Take a look at the finances of Rep Issa and some other Republicans. They are multi-millionaires.
They will all be multimillionaires before they leave. So would you if you could insider trade like these jackals.
I screwed up - my whole point was to focus on the idea of "taxing the churches". Why the heck not - they had huge corporations / businesses?
I'm not a fan of Grover, but just remember that Grover is an American like you and me and he has the right to petition Congress to support the ideas important to him. In terms of "the pledge", I'm not hating on Grover, it's the politicians who signed the pledge that get my disapproval. Same can be said for Fox News... they have a right to broadcast and even broadcast lies... it's up to the people to decide whether they watch or not. I don't watch.
just a few. LOL
No. 19: Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.
Personal wealth 41.2 million
No. 16: Rep. Gary Miller, D-Calif.
Personal wealth 46 million
No. 12: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Personal wealth 69 million
No. 11: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Personal wealth 73 million
No. 6: Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo.
Personal wealth 143 million
No. 5: Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.
Personal wealth 173 million
No. 4: Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
Personal wealth 192 million
No. 3: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Personal wealth 231 million
how about eliminating the tax deduction for charitable donations? that way you're not just picking on churches, but also nailing the art museums, cancer research foundations, etc.
Timmy - I agree 100% - just hadn't thought about it....
Go ahead give this POS Obama his tax hikes give him most of what he wants and when everyone sees what a failure he and his ideas are well he will make Jimmy Carter look like a genuis. The Repubs can sit back in 2 years say hey we gave him his dreams and wants now look at the real trouble we are in.
What's really missing in all of this commentary is the outrage by people that their elected representatives would sign a pledge with a private, and also very wealthy individual. This has nothing to do with the Constitution or helping our country; it has everything to do with politics and campaign contributions. When I vote for any candidate it's to represent my country and me, not Wall Street, Norquest, or any other person or entity. These people should be voted out for thinking that way in the first place. Money has indeed over-taken our democracy. But we can take it back, if only people would have the will, which they don't. Not one person that is not an elected or appointed official should be listened to. They do not represent us, period.
Senators Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, Peter King, Saxby Chambliss and John McCain have been less than forth coming with their setting aside their pledge to Grover Norquist, as they all are maneuvering to place on the table the PPACA(Health Care Act) before following through. 2014 Mid-term is a-coming! These tactic are a prelude to their scorched earth promised made behind closed doors to each other to gain as much leverage possible for the discussions. Discussion should not begin until the middle class payroll tax is extended and the debt ceiling is raised. Sequestration should be held as the trump card. American need to know ahead of time just who will side with the middle class and who will not. 2014 Mid-term is a-coming!
Good post Rudy !!
Neither raising taxes alone or cutting spending alone will solve the nation's economic problems. It is going to take both tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit. What they cut and what taxes are raised can be a matter for discussion. The ball is in Congress' court and they need to avoid the cliff with sensible spending cuts and tax increases.
If those republicans love the country as they claim, we would not be in the shape we are.
Anyone who thinks it is 1 party or the other is just plain Politically ignorant!!!!
If tax hikes kill jobs...the republicans should get some guts and raise taxes on the wealthy, if it does kill jobs, they can prove their point, if not...they should admit they were wrong...do not want to see it go back to that, but in the 50's and 60's the tax rates were almost triple what they are now...and the economy was in better shape. But there were also less regulations...etc..
If the repubs really want to make a deal and expect cuts in entitlements then tax cuts for those above 250k are going to be enacted. Its just that simple. The majority of Americans support this way to reduce the deficit. Quite simply any house repub who doesn't support this will be looking for work in 2014 as the president has nothing to loose in a fiscal cliff enactment. But the repubs will take the blame for the economy going back into recession. Also who the hell ever elected Grover to represent them. No one in America except the 1% ers that pay his wages.
The question keeps coming up that if these wealthy people create jobs, then where are the jobs?
Support it??? well half are on some type of entitlement and some of the poor who are boarder line and a few, I say a few middle class support it which indeed is a majority... But when you ask the BUSINESS people who do hire people say this is a bad thing for they will not be able to keep some of their workers,,,,
Tell me, Why do we even do any type of electing people? When they change their ever loving minds for the ones UP On THE HILL????????? Why, tell me what is the purpose of having any election????????????????
This is crap.
The Republican party (GOP) is not to be trusted they speak with forked tongue look what they have done to our economy
America does not trust the GOP now. The only elections they won were in gerrymandered safe districts. America voted for democrats in the House, the Senate, and the White House.
and they sell my people firewater and disease-carrying blankets
What have they done to the economy?
You're right.. Dems didn't do much to fix the economy. The house republicans refused to let any bill to the floor that isn't a tax cut for millionaires or an anti-abortion bill... and the senate republicans have filibustered any bill that might help Obama fix the economy.
BTW...; America understands this is what the GOP has been doing for the last four years. That's why you got spanked in the last election. Get used to it!
I don't trust either party. I'm surprised you do.
No americans observed what they were spoon fed. What happened to all the house bill that were presented to the Senate? Sitting on Harry Reids desk that's where.
I caution all fellow libs to bite our collective tongues when we see gop members move towards the middle. We have all been complaining about their far right agenda, so it would be a bit hypocritical to chastise them for at least saying the right right thing even though I won't believe it until I see it !!
Moving to the middle for these right wing nut cases will only last as long as Rush Limbaugh allows it to last.
Cowboy, that is a darned truism if I ever heard one. Move with caution but move deliberately.
Yeah repubs are hypocrites but lets make sure that we tax the rich because that will solve our budget woes.....NOT!
I screwed up when I posted this guys entire solution - which I cut & pasted from another tree.....(sorry...I forgot his name).
But I really like several of his suggestions:
Raise Taxes of the 2%
Close the tax loopholes
Encourage business to bring American jobs back to the US
Cut military spending by a paltry 10% and......here's the biggee.......
TAX THE CHURCHES!
Remember the freedom of speech in the pulpit day? WELL, I"m all for it. Politic all you want Padre and PAY TAXES like the rest of us.
If you did that one thing. TAX CHURCH PROPERTY with appropriate exclusions for small town/poverty level congregations, we'd retire the deficit in five years.
Heck the Mormons and the Catholics alone could retire the deficit in a decade."
No back bone. No plan. No leadership. No commonsense. This why even Republicans don't support Republicans.
Good one!
Other than Obama himself, you could be describing either party.
Heard Mr. Cantor tell his story about meeting a cook at the airport that has skills in the construction trade. Most construction is driven by loans from the government. even if private industry does builds the project there is some form of government assistance involved. Wake up GOP. That plan was stupid then and it is even more ineffective today. Sounds like most of the GOP feel entitled to a pay check more than doing their job.
When asked the democrats say they agree in principle that entitlement programs must be cut or restructured. So it shouldn’t be a concession on either side when the final package is put together. If the GOP
concedes on taxes . What exactly are the Democrats compromising on? NOTHING
Please don't give an inch to the takers unless they pass a balanced budget amendment
This is funny. This guy is mad at democrats for not compromising at all.... So what does he suggest... He don't want the GOP to compromise on anything at all!
They can't even see what total hypocrites they are!
I said" if the GOP concedes on taxes" RU too lazy or stupid to read my post
The GOP will never concede on taxes. Rush Limbaugh wont allow that kind of decent in the republican party.
you really have a hard on for rush limbaugh.
@JJD2 ... there are many Dems totally against entitlement reform. Just like there are many Reps totally against raising taxes, etc. I would say that Dems are comprimising when agreeing to entitlement reform and/or spending cuts. Give credit when credit is due and that includes Reps who are willing to put revenue on the table. And by the way...your partisan posts and personal attacks on others are doing nothing good for our country.
So the mortgage interest deduction will be done away with (hurting the low lifes that have home mortgages) but the 14% tax on money made in the stock market will stay the same. We (as I am also a low life) won't be able to deduct health insurance but the DOD will get a big raise. Same ol' Same ol'.
You wouldn't want money made from wealth to be taxed, would you? It's completely different from money being made from working for a living.
note to those in congress and the president. to the republicans, stand your ground and grow some balls it is why you are in office. to the democrats stop spending first. if you are sitting in a boat with a hole leaking. the firts job is to stop the leak so you can judge how much water the boat can hold and then slowly start bailing out the water evenly across the board. if the water needs to be removed then everyone needs to do the same amount of bailing out. so in short First stop spending then look to see how to get rid of the debt, and if you must raise money (revenue) then everyone not just the rich or better off muct pitch in. then and only then will it be fair
IF SS is an 'entitlement', just give me back the money I paid in for the last 55 years!!
OK by me. I'd like that deal myself
it's not as much as you think considering inflation. I mean really how much did you make 55 years ago?
all the grover norquist tax pledgers should be canned from running for government again . They take a oath to work for the people not only the super rich . These are the ones bragging their cutting spending all the while there not lifting a finger to raise taxs for the most fortunate .