It was no surprise that the Super Committee charged with reducing the national deficit by 1.2 trillion dollars over 10 years failed in its task. Every Republican that was on the committee had signed Grover Norquist’s pledge to never raise any taxes under any circumstances. In fact 95% of House and Senate Republicans in the Senate and Congress have signed that pledge. This made it impossible to come to any agreement with Democrats, who wanted to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans along with any cuts that were made. Republicans would not do this because of the pledge that they made to Grover Norquist when they ran for office.
So who is this Grover Norquist that he has such control of our governmental process that it has been rendered ineffectual during a time of national crisis? He is a powerful Washington super lobbyist and the head of the non-profit organization Americans For Tax Reform. He has been described by many as the most powerful man in Washington. Apparently he yields so much power that Republicans really do quake in their boots at the thought of going against him. In an eye-opening CBS interview with Norquist it’s stated ” Those who refuse to sign the pledge or backslide are subjected to primary fights against well-funded opponents, backed by Norquist. ” Apparently Americans For Tax Reform has a multi-million dollar budget that they can use to make or break a Republican candidate. Republican Alan Simpson states in the CBS interview that he would like to know where that money comes from. He states “When you get this powerful, and he is, then it’s, ‘Where do you get your scratch, Grover?’ Is it two people? Is it 10 million people? The American people demand to know where you get your money, Since Americans For Tax Reform is a non-profit organization, they don’t have to reveal their funding.
This is a glaring and frightening example of how powerful special interest groups and lobbyists can control our government, and in this case paralyze it. It is time for Republicans to take that control back, and to stop being intimidated by the threats of one bullying King Maker backed by a multi-million dollar organization. A majority of the country now says that they support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Republicans should be listening to this, and rebel against the iron fist of an overly powerful lobbyist. Americans didn’t vote for Grover Norquist – so get him out of our government once and for all!