Four key Republican members of Congress have raised eyebrows with their open admissions that they are prepared to break ties with the anti-tax organization led by Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform. Senator Lindsey Graham, Congressman Peter King, Senator Saxby Chambliss, and Senator Bob Corker have all indicated that they would be willing to compromise and permit the raising of taxes for a percentage of Americans. In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Congressman King said that he does not believe in “iron-clad positions” like that of Norquist on the issue of taxes. Graham has indicated he would break with Grover Norquist’s so-called Taxpayer Protection Pledge if would in turn Democrats work to reform entitlement programs. Chambliss jumped on the bandwagon last week and said “I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge.” Corker was the last join the fiscal rebels when he told CBS’s Charlie Rose that he was “not obligated to the pledge.”
Norquist seems to think that these politicians are merely bluffing, saying on Monday that “no pledge-taker has ever voted for a tax increase, but adding “You’ve had some people discussing impure thoughts on national television.” Granted, the number of Republican members of Congress who have openly stated they are willing to break with the no-tax-increase pledge is still small, but their prominence exceeds their numbers. There is also evidence to suggest that other Republicans are leaning toward this same political shift but have not publicly stated so. A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday showed that Republicans favor an approach that couples tax increases with entitlement program reform by 52%-44%.
