wpostServer: http://css.washingtonpost.com/wpost
Republicans who have moved away from Grover Norquist’s pledge The anti-tax advocate’s pledge has held a strong grip over Washington in the past, but some lawmakers are shying away from it as taxes play a huge role in negotiations over the “fiscal cliff.” Here’s what they’ve said.
Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge, signed by 95 percent of congressional Republicans, has held a grip over GOP lawmakers since he first introduced it in 1986. But the pledge to not raise tax rates has been recently losing support from some in the GOP, as they accept they may have to do so as part of a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff.” Norquist’s outsize role in the party has been debated at many turns, but these defections are notable because they have been building since the tumultuous 2011 debt ceiling negotiations, and because of the lack of any strong anti-tax contingent backlash.
Jim Watson
/
AFP/Getty Images
Related Content
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
The Georgia senator was the first big-name Republican to break with Grover Norquist and his pledge in recent weeks. Chambliss said in a local TV interview that he won’t be bound by Norquist’s anti-tax pledge. “I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge,” he said.
Alex Wong
/
Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.)
A few days after Chambliss’s comments, Graham said on ABC’s “This Week” that he was prepared to set aside Norquist’s pledge if Democrats would make an effort to reform entitlements. “I agree with Grover — we shouldn’t raise rates — but I think Grover is wrong when it comes to we can’t cap deductions and buy down debt,” Graham said. “What do you do with the money? I want to buy down debt and cut rates to create jobs, but I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform.”
J. Scott Applewhite
/
AP
Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.)
Also on that Sunday’s talk shows, King suggested the tax pledge may be out of step in the present economy . “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress,” King told NBC. “For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed and the economic situation is different.”
Mladen Antonov
/
AFP/Getty Images
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
“I’m not obligated on the pledge,” Corker told CBS’s Charlie Rose the next day. “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.” Corker has proposed his own fiscal cliff deal that caps deductions but does not raise tax rates. Norquist’s pledge bars any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits without a matching tax cut.
Jae S. Lee
/
AP
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn)
Alexander also brushed off Norquist, echoing Corker: “I’ve only taken one oath,” Alexander told reporters , referring to his oath of office. He noted that top congressional Republicans have publicly expressed willingness to increase tax revenue — making a subtle shift in tone without actually embracing higher tax rates. “I think Republicans have done plenty of talking about revenues on the table,” Alexander added, suggesting that Obama needs to do the same in embracing entitlement cuts.
Bill Clark
/
Getty Images
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.)
Cole wants Republicans to take Obama’s tax deal and extend the Bush-era tax cuts only for income under $250,000 a year, then figure out any other cuts later. “Why not just do the right thing?,” he said on CNN. “We know at the end of the day neither side wants to raise taxes on the average American. Let’s just do that now and continue our discussion and debate.” Cole has said that not renewing a tax cut on the wealthiest 2 percent shouldn’t be seen as violating the pledge, because it’s technically not a vote to raise taxes. Norquist himself seemed to say the same thing in a 2011 interview with The Washington Post editorial board, but has since said that he was misquoted.
Sarah Phipps
/
AP
Rep. Robert J. Dold (R-Ill.)
Dold lost his seat in November’s election, but can still vote through the lame-duck session and agrees with Cole that Republicans should take Obama’s deal. “Tom Cole is talking about passing the ones that are out there, so there could be more certainty, and I think that would be a positive step,” he told the National Journal . “Let’s make sure we aren’t raising the taxes on the vast majority first.”
Jacquelyn Martin
/
AP
Rep. Christopher P. Gibson (R-N.Y.)
Gibson, center, has a novel reason for ignoring his anti-tax pledge: redistricting. “The Congressman signed the pledge as a candidate in 2010 for the 20th Congressional District,” his spokeswoman, Stephanie Valle, explained in a statement. “Regarding the pledge moving forward, Congressman Gibson doesn’t plan to re-sign it for the 19th Congressional District, which he now represents (the pledge is to your constituents of a numbered district).” The pledge, it should be noted, is made out to “the taxpayers of the _____ district” — but also “to the American people.”
Mark Wilson
/
Getty Images
Nebraska legislators
Rep. Lee Terry, pictured, and fellow Nebraska Republican representatives Jeff Fortenberry and Adrian Smith and senators Mike Johanns and Democrat Ben Nelson all say they’re not bound by the pledge. “We’re screwed either way,” Terry told the Omaha World-Herald , because Republicans will take the blame if no deal is reached and automatic tax hikes set in. “We really have no leverage in these discussions.”
Mark Davis
/
AP
Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio)
LaTourette has advocated for giving Obama the raise in tax rates that he wants for the wealthy in exchange for a package that reduces the debt by 4 to 5 trillion. “Quite frankly, some people in this 2 percent who call me, they’re more worried about the fiscal cliff than about the rates going up a couple points. That has bigger risk for them,” said LaTourette, a close Boehner ally who is retiring in January.
Melina Mara
/
The Washington Post
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Coburn joined the chorus of voices saying that raising rates could be acceptable. “Personally, I know we have to raise revenue. I don’t really care which way we do it. Actually, I would rather see the rates go up than do it the other way, because it gives us a greater chance to reform the tax code and broaden the base in the future,” Coburn said on MSNBC.
Melina Mara
/
The Washington Post
FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES
Photos of the day
Oklahoma tornado wreckage, London terrorism attack, NASA’s Dream Chaser, Triton unmanned aircraft and more.
The Herndon Climb
The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Animal views
Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.
???initialComments:true! pubdate:12/07/2012 10:20 EST! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:12/21/12 10:20 EST! currentDate:5/22/13 8:0 EDT! allowComments:false! displayComments:true!
Section:/politics
Loading...
Comments