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Washington Post reports:
Republicans are feuding over whether to abandon the party’s long-held opposition to higher taxes in pursuit of a deficit-cutting deal with Democrats.
The rift in the Republican ranks has surfaced in a bitter back-and-forth between two heroes of the conservative movement: Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who has been working with a bipartisan group of senators on a compromise to reduce government borrowing, and Grover Norquist, author of the no-tax-increase pledge that has become a rite of passage for GOP candidates.
At stake is a pillar of Republican orthodoxy that has for decades united every wing of the party in a quest to shrink government’s reach.
As the battle over the federal deficit escalates in Washington, the two men are sparring over Coburn’s seemingly narrow proposal to eliminate a $5 billion annual tax break awarded to companies that blend ethanol into gasoline. But both sides say this cuts to the core of a quandary for the GOP: Will the cause of trimming deficits run aground on the conservative principle that the government must not increase the amount of money it takes in through taxes?
Coburn has been the most visible Republican to challenge Norquist, perhaps the country’s most influential anti-tax advocate, but other Republicans have been willing to discuss a budget deal that would include raising more money through taxes, along with making deep spending cuts, to help reduce the deficit.
These include stalwart conservatives such as Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). And on the ethanol issue, Coburn has drawn support from such conservative-movement fixtures as the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal editorial board.
And even some House leaders, including Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), have left the door open to negotiation.
For anti-tax purists, including many in the Republican Party, eliminating the ethanol break is unacceptable — measures that roll back corporate subsidies, individual deductions or loopholes of any sort without comparable tax cuts elsewhere are considered tax increases.
The tensions between Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform and Coburn’s office have intensified, with each side sending the other terse, accusatory letters claiming to be the true conservatives. Coburn charges that the tax pledge, as interpreted by Norquist, is inflexible, and Coburn’s spokesman now labels Norquist the “chief cleric of sharia tax law.”
“If we don’t do something, what we’ve done is put the country at risk,” Coburn said in an interview. “I agree we ought to cut spending, but will we ever get the spending cut to the level that we need to without some type of compromise?”
I wonder if Coburn’s decision to retire has helped him become more honest. I also hope this very staunch conservative decimates Norquist.
It is interesting to watch the transformation that many of the politicians go through as they leave the elected office – suddenly they get so smart and enter the real world.
That is provided they are not going on to a job at the CATO, AEI or are relying on their future pay from Koch brothers or other conservative groups. If they are, they will keep their mouths shut.
The Republicans are always comparing Federal Budget issues with Households.
They say that when times are tough the Federal Government needs to tighten its belt just like Households do.
But I don’t of too many households that during tough budget times seek to decrease the revenue they bring in…
Good for Tom Coburn!!
Good for Tom Coburn standing up for fiscal sanity. But I can’t help but wonder if his “sharia” comment doesn’t have a double meaning given Norquist’s CPAC flap over his ties to Muslim folks.
Of course, “reducing the reach of government” – IE promoting a smaller Federal government – cannot be done while we spend like drunken NRA members on an ever-escalating Defense budget, and three unfunded wars…
Humorist P. J. O’Rourke has described Norquist as “Tom Paine crossed with Lee Atwater plus just a soupçon of Madame Defarge”.
Please…. Norquist doesn’t care about deficits. Nor does he care about the populace, especially those helped by our Federal government.
What he solely cares about is starving the Federal government until it is left with about one and only duty: national defence.
Anything bigger than that will never make him happy. He is a both dangerous and near-sighted.
The American Spring: Frank Gaffney's Stand | Tea Party Tribune - Tea Party & Political News // Jun 2, 2011 at 3:56 pm
[...] [...]
The American Spring, part 2 | Tea Party Tribune - Tea Party & Political News // Jun 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm
[...] over his relations with Islamists and Republican Senator Tom Coburn, whose spokesman recently labeled Norquist as the “chief cleric of sharia tax law.”The recent charges produced by David Horowitz [...]
The American Spring, part 2 | The Bunker // Aug 17, 2011 at 5:19 pm
[...] over his relations with Islamists and Republican Senator Tom Coburn, whose spokesman recently labeled Norquist as the “chief cleric of sharia tax [...]
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[...] ethanol subsidies earlier this year (Norquist favored the corporate hand-outs; Coburn opposed them) prompted Coburn’s chief of staff to respond that Norquist has become the “chief cleric of sharia tax [...]
BlueRidgeForum » The Virginia GOP and Political Islam: The Case Stays Open // Sep 26, 2011 at 11:32 pm
[...] ethanol subsidies earlier this year (Norquist favored the corporate hand-outs; Coburn opposed them) prompted Coburn’s chief of staff to respond that Norquist has become the ‘chief cleric of sharia tax [...]
Norquist headlined conference with CAIR leader // Oct 13, 2011 at 6:19 pm
[...] The chief spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said recently that Norquist has become the “chief cleric of Shariah tax law” in America. [...]
The U.S. Government is Infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood — Winds Of Jihad By SheikYerMami // Oct 14, 2011 at 9:18 am
[...] The chief spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said recently that Norquist has become the “chief cleric of Shariah tax law” in America. [...]
Meet the real Grover Norquist // Dec 17, 2011 at 3:25 pm
[...] the chief spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said recently, Norquist has become the “chief cleric of Shariah tax law” in America. Norquist has used his influence in Washington to propel the careers of people like Suhail Khan, a [...]