Crist Caves to Norquist

The sway Grover Norquist has over Republicans is amazing. Norquist was at the center of the Jack Abramoff controversy. A Senate Indian Affairs Committee report found Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform was used to launder Indian tribe money for Abramoff.

"In addition, the Committee observed that a number of nonprofit organizations were used as instruments to channel money from one entity to another in an effort to obscure the source of funds, the eventual use of funds, and to evade tax liability on funds," the report continues. "Finally, the Committee also observed tax exempt organizations apparently serving as or being used as extensions of for-profit lobbying operations."

Norquist is known for incendiary remarks. Norquist actively seeks to bankrupt state and federal government.

"My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years," he says, "to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

Norquist compared the estate tax to the holocaust on Fresh Air.

Grover Norquist: Yeah, the good news about the move to abolish the death tax, the tax where they come and look at how much money you've got when you die, how much gold is in your teeth and they want half of it, is that -- you're right, there's an exemption for -- I don't know -- maybe a million dollars now, and it's scheduled to go up a little bit. However, 70 percent of the American people want to abolish that tax. Congress, the House and Senate, have three times voted to abolish it. The president supports abolishing it, so that tax is going to be abolished. I think it speaks very much to the health of the nation that 70-plus percent of Americans want to abolish the death tax, because they see it as fundamentally unjust. The argument that some who played at the politics of hate and envy and class division will say, 'Yes, well, that's only 2 percent,' or as people get richer 5 percent in the near future of Americans likely to have to pay that tax.

I mean, that's the morality of the Holocaust. 'Well, it's only a small percentage,' you know. 'I mean, it's not you, it's somebody else.'

Normal people would run away from Norquist. Republicans pander to him. Case in point is Gov. Charlie Crist signing the Americans for Tax Reform pledge.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist today signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR).

The Pledge commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”

Norquist actively lobbies for the defeat of any Republican candidate that doesn't sign the pledge or raises taxes. Republicans fear Norquist.

“I applaud him for his leadership and dedication to the taxpayers of Florida. I strongly encourage every candidate for federal and state elective office to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” Norquist continued.

I have no doubt Norquist encourages Republicans to sign his silly pledge. Norquist was a member of the College Republicans and helped Newt Gingrich take over the House. Signing the pledge does nothing for Democrats.