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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe coronavirus pandemic has exposed what the GOP's anti-tax rhetoric is really all about
Published 4 hours ago on July 10, 2020
By John Stoehr, The Editorial Board- Commentary
Newt Gingrich is usually, and rightly, blamed for destroying American politics, even more than Donald Trump. The former House Speaker didnt go to Washington in the 1970s to strike deals. He went there to wage soft civil war against the United States.
But if theres a close second to the title of Americas Worst Person, it probably goes to someone you never heard of. Hes not a politician. Hes not a pundit or bureaucrat. When it comes to influencing the GOPs attitude toward taxing, spending and budgets, however, it would be hard to find someone more influential than Grover Norquist.
Norquist is the head of Americans for Tax Reform. The name is a misnomer. It doesnt want to reform taxes so much as get rid of taxes on the very, very rich. Norquist is probably most famous for saying, in 2001, that he doesnt want to abolish government per se. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can
drown it in the bathtub.
While Gingrich was on the front lines of the soft civil war, armed with lies, slander and disinformation as his weapons of choice, Norquist was in the backrooms, pulling strings, pressing Republicans to pledge to never evernever ever everraise taxes or be punished. The last Republican to raise taxes for the purpose of balancing responsibly the federal budget was George H.W. Bush, the last one-term president.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/the-coronavirus-pandemic-has-exposed-what-the-gops-anti-tax-rhetoric-is-really-all-about/
ProfessorGAC
(65,319 posts)For liberals & Keynesian folks, he's been public enemy #1 since the Rs ran Gingrich out of DC.
He's not a "probably never heard of" guy.
Author must think everybody, except him, is ignorant.
Cirque du So-What
(26,020 posts)would likely reveal far more ignorance of Grover Norquist than familiarity. We live in a rarefied atmosphere of knowledge and curiosity, outnumbered by millions, small enclaves among people who dont know and dont care. I seldom go wrong by assuming ignorance as opposed to awareness.
ProfessorGAC
(65,319 posts)I find that hard to believe.
Cirque du So-What
(26,020 posts)Im sure RawStory readers are more politically aware than the mean. In retrospect the authors tone is condescending.
ProfessorGAC
(65,319 posts)Thanks for the reasoned response!
Wednesdays
(17,455 posts)The author wrote, "Someone you never heard of.". That does indeed reek of elitism and arrogance. Much better if it were, "Someone a lot of people may not have heard of," and would have been unassailable in its accuracy.
Silver Swan
(1,110 posts)Norquist was a known enemy.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Government needs to be properly funded and responsive to the needs of citizens, the best governments have that.