Who Made Norquist's Pledge Sacrosanct?

Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge is not even 100 words long, yet it has been blamed for gridlock in Congress and for making it impossible for Republicans to make any constructive negotiations and compromises over the budget. Because of the importance of the pledge (which commits …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday November 30, 2011

If Every Job Required a Pledge

The new school year is almost here. Teacher assignments should be coming out soon. I hope my daughter gets the teacher who has signed the pledge. You know, the one that says that while in the classroom, the teacher will never, ever deviate from the textbook. I think it’s called: The Textbook …

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Written by Christine Matthews on Monday August 22, 2011

Watch: O'Donnell Loses Temper with Norquist

Lawrence O'Donnell yells at Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, over the debt ceiling on MSNBC 's Morning Joe . Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

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Written by Frum Forum Editors on Thursday July 28, 2011

Will the "No New Taxes" Pledge Cause Financial Disaster?

The Cato Institute held a debate at the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss whether the Republican Party’s “No New Taxes” pledge is an effective tool for Conservatives’ ultimate goals of shrinking the federal government and restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington. Arguing that …

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Written by Fred Messner on Tuesday July 19, 2011

Grover Norquist, Alpha Male?

Guys like Tom Coburn didn't get second dates in high school, claims Grover Norquist. Sen. Coburn is married to a former Miss Oklahoma. Mr. Norquist is, well, Mr. Norquist. J.D. Hamel wrote a great piece here at FrumForum regarding the struggle between Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Americans …

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Written by Mark R. Yzaguirre on Saturday June 18, 2011

Norquist Loses in Ethanol Subsidy Fight

During the debate over ending ethanol subsidies, Tom Coburn was the fiscal conservative while Grover Norquist was a fiscal phony. The media largely framed the debate over ethanol subsidies between Senator Tom Coburn and Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist as a contrast between two …

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Written by J.D. Hamel on Friday June 17, 2011

Don't Forget Norquist's Abramoff Ties

The Hill today said Grover Norquist has overcome his connection to the Abramoff scandal without mentioning any of the particulars of that connection. Here they are. The Hill today carried a piece observing that Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist has fully overcome his connectio…

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Written by Robert Lee on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Norquist Moves to Nix Bipartisan Debt Plan

A new proposal by the Bipartisan Policy Center could make it easier to cut the debt. But some conservatives are already dismissing the plan for leaving revenue raising on the table. Can the debt be brought down if the Congress sets targets for how it wants to do it in dollar amounts? That is the …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday April 27, 2011

How Norquist's Pledge Blocks Real Deficit Cuts

Economically, Grover Norquist's rule on what constitutes a "tax increase" makes little sense. And politically, it's making deficit reduction much more difficult. Eli Lehrer has an incisive piece on this page about Tom Coburn's "Gang of Six" tax proposals. I believe however that the proposals …

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Written by David Frum on Monday April 25, 2011

Coburn’s Reforms: Brave but Insufficient

Tom Coburn and his colleagues are showing a good deal of courage by putting taxes on the table. But the handful of specifics they’ve offered so far aren’t very promising. Tom Coburn, hardly a moderate or a shrinking violet by any measure, has effectively “ unsigned ” Grover Norquist’s pledge …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Monday April 25, 2011

Can't I Dissent On Anything?

As an intern at a conservative organization here in Washington D.C., I was taken aback when a colleague suggested that I was "working in the wrong place" because I don't consider myself pro-life. Like thousands of other undergraduates, I flocked to Washington, D.C. this summer to intern and …

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Written by Sam Theodosopoulos on Friday August 28, 2009