Thirty-Six Congressional Republicans (And Counting) Have Distanced Themselves From Norquist’s Pledge

[trailmonkee]

LINK from Think Progress

Thirty-Six Congressional Republicans (And Counting) Have Distanced Themselves From Norquist’s Pledge

Every day, more Republicans in Congress are backing away from Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquit’s anti-tax pledge. For more than 20 years, the pledge, which stipulates that those who sign will never — under any circumstance — vote to raise taxes while in Congress, has virtually been a requirement for Congressional Republicans. According to ATR, just 16 of the 234 House Republicans and 6 of the 45 Senate Republicans that comprise the 113th Congress did not sign the pledge.

However, the pledge may not have the staying power it once did. As of this writing, more than a dozen House Republicans — including Majority Leader Eric Cantor — and 10 GOP senators have distanced themselves from the pledge to one degree or another. Here are just a few examples or what members had to say:

— Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH): “The only pledge that keeps me up at night is the pledge I owe to the people of New Hampshire and our country to work as hard as I can to make sure America doesn’t go bankrupt.”

– Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA): “I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge . . . I don’t worry about that because I care too much about my country. I care a lot more about it than I do Grover Norquist.”

– Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN): “Well, I’m not obligated on the pledge. I made Tennesseans aware, I was just elected, that the only thing I’m honoring is the oath I take when I’m sworn in this January.”

– Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA): “When I go to the constituents, it’s not about that pledge. It’s about trying to solve problems.”

– Rep. Peter King (R-NY): “A pledge is good at the time you sign it . . . In 1941, I would have voted to declare war on Japan. But each Congress is a new Congress. And I don’t think you can have a rule that you’re never going to raise taxes or that you’re never going to lower taxes. I don’t want to rule anything out.”

– Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-IL): “I would never in a million years have considered this as some kind of a locked-in-granite pledge. Frankly, I didn’t even remember it. That shows you how obscure it was to me.”

more at LINK

[randome]

1. Next up: Rush Limbaugh.

[spanone]

2. so they just realized that they got elected by their constituents? they're so full of shit.

so what about the last four years?

[HughBeaumont]

3. The "Pledge" . . .

. . . written and thought of when The Most Important Yard Gnome In History was all of 12 years old, is hilariously unrealistic and has proven itself historically damaging when you look at the current state of debt and economic ruin, mostly on the backs of Bewsh's ginned-up wars, corporate welfare and tax larceny that benefits the CEO Criminal Cult.

They did all of this with nothing but a "Kick The Can" plan to pay for it all.

[global1]

4. And The More Of Them That Back Away From This Pledge - It Gives Cover To Others To Do The Same.....

There's power in numbers and this is the start of the snowball rolling downhill and gaining momentum and size. If a couple back away - maybe Grover can do something to them - but if they all back away - he's lost his power.

Go Snowball!!!!!!!

[Skidmore]

5. Sounds like McConnell better quit laughing.