Appearing on the Andrea Tantaros radio show Thursday, Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist declared that despite conservative misgivings, the fiscal cliff deal is a victory for tax cutting. Norquist and his influential “no tax” pledge have dominated Republican politics, forcing them to hold the line on tax increases for years.
“How is this possibly a victory,” host Andrea Tantaros asked, “going from 36% to 39% for the highest earners…How is this a win? How is this not raising taxes?”
“Well you have to look at where we started and what we could have ended up with,” Norquist answered. Acknowledging that the deal is not everything Republicans could have wanted, he says it did result in most of the Bush tax cuts being made permanent.Norquist also said that President Barack Obama had moved his tax promises and was threatening to raise taxes even more on Americans who earn below his previous threshold of $250,000 per year.
“But Grover, you deal with Republicans and a no-tax pledge,” Tantaros protested. She noted that taxes have gone up after the deal and Republicans voted to let it happen, despite their pledge to vote against tax hikes. “They signed your tax pledge, and they just blew ya up.”
“We were put in a very awkward position,” Norquist answered. “Here’s what we’ve got. Taxes actually technically, formally, legally went up January 1st, $500 billion this next year, and then we cut ‘em back. So people who had made a commitment not to vote for tax increases actually kept that commitment, as irritating as it is.”
“Grover, let me step in here.” co-host Jason Mattera interjected. “There are many conservatives who are irritated because they look to you, they look to [Americans for Tax Reform] as a watchdog on politicians. So taxes went up from 2012 to 2013. They’re not looking to play the semantics game. But they look at you, for that leadership and guidance. And I know you’re famous for in DC saying ‘The Republican Party has a branding issue. Voters don’t know what they’re getting.’” Mattera noted that the Obama White House is now touting the fact that it got the Republicans in both houses of Congress to vote for a tax increase.
Norquist’s answer: The constant threat of the Bush tax cuts expiration, which has hung over the economy for the past ten years, has been removed. “The president had all of the clout over the last two months,” he said, “and now it shifts to the good guys.” Norquist said that in the coming budget fights, which include the sequestration, continuing spending resolution and the debt ceiling, the Republicans have the advantage. Neither Tantaros nor Mattera bought that.
“We folded like cheap suits,” Tantaros said. Norquist again insisted that the fiscal cliff deal took us out of the “world” in which the Bush tax cuts could be allowed to expire, to one in which the Republican-controlled House could block spending increases. Tantaros closed the interview noting that after the debt ceiling fight, “It looks like [the Republicans] are saying that it’s better to fight and abandon your principles, than to fight, and lose.”
The Andrea Tantaros Show with Jason Mattera launched this week and is already airing on nearly 300 stations nationwide. Listen to the full interview on the next page.
Let’s see the choice was let taxes rise on everyone or taxes go up for 2%. And what happened? The Republicans forced Obama to get less than Boehner had offered. Plus taxes are now severed from spending and the public is the side of the GOP on spending. I am tired of the kamikazi corps whing about the result. This was a tactical victory now let’s see if we can build on it instead taking your bat and ball and going home.
Personally I think taxes are to high, also I think that the deal wasn’t one, and just has shown that in 2 months we won’t cut spending. I also think taxes are to complicated, and like the idea of a flat tax. The problem here is that in the tax fight, nothing was gained. It was just a loss.
There should have been an agreement to ban baseline budgeting.
I’m all for optimism, but there is optimism, and there is delusion. It would have been better to let all the tax cuts expire. Taxes should have gone up for everyone, it’s called equal protection under the law. Now we’ll have the same low-information voters not being affected (yet) by the mismanagement of the people’s money. It wasn’t a tactical victory. It was a route. It was the Battle of Watling Street with Boehner playing the roll of Bodica.
Here is Obama repeating his same old shtick like a skipping record. You tell me that there was a tactical victory. I say, hogwash!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9tuztHPq95o#!
I myself consider it a victory, for it decisively showed the inability of Harry Reid to do anything for the greater good. It took Joe Biden to come in and undo the roadblcking, and then the House did exactly what it should–vote on the matter as members saw fit.
More could be done for the nation the less Harry Reid was in the way.
First of all, Grover Norquist is a Muslim Brotherhood mole who uses his anti-tax stance as a way of infiltrating conservative circles. He is married to a Palestinian Arab and his REAL agenda is the Islamization of the US.
Second, THIS is the deal that we are stuck with. It does not even begin to address our budget problem. Major doomage awaits.
1389AD is right on target. To continually hoist Norquist as a reliable Repub (a Repub kingmaker,of sorts) is to more than allow the fox into the hen house!
Norquist IS a Muslim Brotherhood stealth operative. Via fiscal conservative creds, he catapulted the Muslim Brotherhood deep into the Repub Party. How’s them apples? Karl Rove trolled for Muslim/Arab votes, and resulted in positioning Norquist to a place of prominence. Big mistake!
While the Dem machine is rife with stealth jihadists – Rep Ellison is a prime example but three are many others- the most dangerous one, bar none, is Huma Abedin.
Now, what did RINO McCain (and surrogates) do when a true Conservative, Rep Bachmann, brought them evidence of Abedin’s Brotherhood connections/history? They trounced and pounced on her – http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/07/20/senator-john-mccain-digs-himself-into-a-hole-via-his-indefensibleinexplicable-support-of-huma-abedin-hillary-clintons-deeply-connected-muslim-brotherhood-sister-commentary-by-adina-kutnick-132-2/
The point being, there is little hope for the Repub Party, knowing that the one who serves as their ‘fiscal operative’ is a MB Mafia infiltrator too!
He’s also an economic lunatic.
Norquist: Typical intellectual political philosopher/consultant/lobbyist and without a doubt, certifiable as delusional as most are.
I’m with Grover on this one. That tax increase on everyone has been hanging over our heads for way too long. Until the deal was passed, if nothing happened, taxes went up. Now, if nothing happens, taxes stay lower–except for that top 2%. The coming deals should now occur on Republican terms because if nothing happens, then spending goes down and nothing happens to taxes. All this woe-is-us garbage is just claiming that “our guys” will blow this on the next round. Maybe so, but it looks to me like Boehner and McConnell bluffed a pair of deuces past an Ace-King full house on this hand. The next hand is looking like they’ve got Jacks and Jokers wild against singles with a 10 high. If they push it, they might get some serious spending cut back and even get that tax rate down again–retroactively.
The so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ was nothing more than a bowling game for the democrats who could not believe their luck when Boehner agreed to set the sequestration process in the first place – only to get mowed down by a 14 pound well placed bowling ball – STRIKE! Boehner seems incapable of thinking past what he’s going to do after lunch much less what happens next week or next month when he enters into deal-making with the Obummer & the democrats.
“Porkculus!!” Bull-puckey!!!!
The Fiscal Cliff Bill of 2013 was passed. Let’s call it for what it is “Tax and Spend.” Let’s examine what’s in this Bill and why did Congress take so long to pass it?
“Crony-Capitalism” is the name of Congress’s game. That’s why Mr. Boehner kicked two tea party Reps off his committee.
Total estimated (by Joint Tax Committee) dollar amount of corporate handouts = $40 billion (this could double over the years)
75 special interest “tax breaks” reviewed by Max Baucus, he was defeated in August of 2013. All were included in this Fiscal Cliff:
1.Debbie Stabenow D-MI, $78 million for race track owners (NASCAR tracks)
2.Jeff Bingaman –New Mexico, $62 million for companies in American Samoa(StarKist factory especially)
3.$222 million Rum Tax rebate (accelerated depreciation),why??? Include ALL Moonshiners, too!!!!Damn!!!
4.$222 million for businesses operating on Indian Reservations(casinos???)
5.Tax breaks for railroads (why???)
6.New York Liberty Bonds (what’s this all about) and so much more
7.Chris Dodd – two year extension for any Hollywood TV and Film producer expensing first $15 million in production costs in only the USA. This increases to $20 million if produced in “economically depressed” areas. All these jobs are UNION jobs.
Estimated TOTAL costs to taxpayers = $248 million over 10 years(expires in 2013). Will be re-negotiated for a total cost of more than $430 million. Bundlers for Obama!!!
-Green Energy Give-aways
I.Wind production tax credits (cost = $12 billion)
A.General Electric (“never paid a tax we didn’t like”)
B.Siemens(new kid on the block)
II.Cellulose bio-fuels
A.Algae-based fuels ($59 million)
B.Renewable diesel ($dollar/gal tax credit = $2.2 billion) Why?? South Dakota is going gangbusters! Nobody wants this crap!!!
III.Consumers buying “plug-in motorcycles”
A.$7 million (think about this> Now imagine riding one of these)
IV.Energy Efficient Appliances
A.$650 million, takes more water, cycles to get clothes clean…defrost coolers, etc.
V.Builders of Energy Efficient Homes
A.$150 million (for what?)
VI.Whirlpool Appliances
A.Has not paid any taxes in last two or more years and will not in the foreseeable future. (boycott these sucker parasites, why doesn’t a consumer get rebates and lower prices on these purchases???HUH???)
Note: from Joint Tax Committee: these are current estimates. These “tax credits” will multiply over the next four or more years.
Once again”crony-capitalism!!!” Yep! Four More Years, yeaaah. Pray. Amen. There’s going to be Fiscal Cliff #2 vote in February. Upcoming debt ceiling vote will pass. We The Elite People of culture of corruption in Washington DC are in control…tyranny.
Well I feel that this is a little like being assulted by a mugger and he only gets our money and we don’t get beaten also. (I had a different, more graphic and unpc type comment, but hold it back. Suffice it to say something about condoms and go from there).
taxes have always been the wrong target. Spending is the problem.
The statement should always be that conservatives willingly pay taxes for the services that government is required to provide. But we will fight always fight to eliminate government services that are illegal, unnecessary, and destructive.
When a president increases annual spending by a trillion for services that are inefficient, illegal, and destructive, and then demands that taxes be collected to pay for them, the country is in serious trouble.
2013 Outlook- Will Fed QE3 and QE4 Cause 2013 Price Explosion?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KiuBQLbqno&feature=player_embedded
The real travesty in all of this is that Obama is allowed to claim victory based upon his “millionaires and billionaires” rant. When is someone going to call these Progressive operatives on their scam?
Real millionaires and billionaires do not care a whit about tax rates under our current taxation system. The already wealthy can live a lavish life style and actually increase their net worth without having to declare much income. The rest of us do not have this opportunity. The result of Obama’s tax the rich obsession is to prevent someone who is not rich from ever getting rich.
Just do the math. Assume you area family of 5 that makes $400k per year. Subtract federal, state and local taxes and subtract (after taxes) the money needed for raising and educating your kids and saving for a retirement somewhere in the ballpark of that enjoyed by the average public sector worker. There is just no way you ever become a millionaire.
However, this may actually be the point of it all. The Dems need their wealthy supporters to keep fleecing the middle class in order to maintain their power and control. If they ever proposed a true “millionaires and billionaires” tax, i.e. a tax on wealth rather than income, all their backers including most of Hollywood would quietly run for cover.