On Grover Norquist

[Liability]

All in all the fact is GN is the man beind the curtain. On 60-minutes he exposed himself and I wonder how others view the vision.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has; a man who understands and exploits human weakness and ambition; a man who disregards right and wrong who uses charm and wit and intimidation to manipulate others; a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

I suggest you watch his performance when interviewed by Kroft on 60-minutes. The power GN holds over incumbent members of Congress is campaign money - money he may use to thier benefit or to destroy them.

His ideology harms others. His desire to shrink government agencies which provide health and welfare benefits, retirement benefits and such to American citizens in need.

"LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice"

Kroft's piece on 60 Minuets was a transparent all too typical lib-oriented effort to portray Norquist in a bad light.

Didn't work.

Norquist is smarter than those dopey lib journalists and libs in general.

And MY argument that the people hold the power is not demagoguery at all.

Only a fully dishonest mindless libbie statist like the imbecile, Fly Catcher, could say something that massively stupid, and then think to himself, "hey! I know. It was ******* stupid the first time. I fool nobody with it. So, YES! I'll keep repeating that untruthful rancid bullshit!"

We do need to double down, now, though. The "no new tax pledge" is all well and good. But what's needed is a pledge extracted from all the GOP contenders to massively CUT spending. And no, that need not include defense (although there's surely waste there that can be uprooted and tossed out, too).

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

All in all the fact is GN is the man beind the curtain. On 60-minutes he exposed himself and I wonder how others view the vision.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has; a man who understands and exploits human weakness and ambition; a man who disregards right and wrong who uses charm and wit and intimidation to manipulate others; a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

I suggest you watch his performance when interviewed by Kroft on 60-minutes. The power GN holds over incumbent members of Congress is campaign money - money he may use to thier benefit or to destroy them.

His ideology harms others. His desire to shrink government agencies which provide health and welfare benefits, retirement benefits and such to American citizens in need.

"LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice"

I saw part of the interview.

How much campaign money does GN give to candidates?
Are you claiming his donations harm others? If so, who?

His desire to shrink government is harmful? Has he succeeded?

Do you imagine those benefits are paid with free money, or does each benefit come with a price tag?

 

[Wry Catcher]

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

I suggest you watch his performance when interviewed by Kroft on 60-minutes. The power GN holds over incumbent members of Congress is campaign money - money he may use to thier benefit or to destroy them.

His ideology harms others. His desire to shrink government agencies which provide health and welfare benefits, retirement benefits and such to American citizens in need.

"LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice"

Kroft's piece on 60 Minuets was a transparent all too typical lib-oriented effort to portray Norquist in a bad light.

Didn't work.

Norquist is smarter than those dopey lib journalists and libs in general.

And MY argument that the people hold the power is not demagoguery at all.

Only a fully dishonest mindless libbie statist like the imbecile, Fly Catcher, could say something that massively stupid, and then think to himself, "hey! I know. It was ******* stupid the first time. I fool nobody with it. So, YES! I'll keep repeating that untruthful rancid bullshit!"

We do need to double down, now, though. The "no new tax pledge" is all well and good. But what's needed is a pledge extracted from all the GOP contenders to massively CUT spending. And no, that need not include defense (although there's surely waste there that can be uprooted and tossed out, too).

Do you have any reasoned points to make? Attacking the messenger - 60-mintes and me - is so juvenile and when framed with your opinion is down right silly. At one time I felt you had some substance to your posts, of late you do a great impression of CrusaderFrank and others of his ilk.

 

[daveman]

I don't need to offer an argument, GN in his own words provides sufficient reason to be offended by all who support and defend our constitution. When a legislature is held hostage by one person or a cabal, whether by threat of violence or threat of 'exposure', all Americans who support the principles of representative democracy are offended. That you don't suggests you do not hold our constitution in high esteem.

So the question becomes - how can he be stopped.

Exposure. Where does his money come from?

LIEability's bombastic defense of GN is silly; one person should (IMO) not hold power over elected officials who - in the House of Representatives - represent 600,000 citizens or Senators who represent everyone in their state.

What does Norquist propose to do to those who break his pledge? Does he have any power over them? Any legal recourse?

No?

Well, then. Looks like your panties are in a wad for nothing.

 

[Liability]

I suggest you watch his performance when interviewed by Kroft on 60-minutes. The power GN holds over incumbent members of Congress is campaign money - money he may use to thier benefit or to destroy them.

His ideology harms others. His desire to shrink government agencies which provide health and welfare benefits, retirement benefits and such to American citizens in need.

"LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice"

Kroft's piece on 60 Minuets was a transparent all too typical lib-oriented effort to portray Norquist in a bad light.

Didn't work.

Norquist is smarter than those dopey lib journalists and libs in general.

And MY argument that the people hold the power is not demagoguery at all.

Only a fully dishonest mindless libbie statist like the imbecile, Fly Catcher, could say something that massively stupid, and then think to himself, "hey! I know. It was ******* stupid the first time. I fool nobody with it. So, YES! I'll keep repeating that untruthful rancid bullshit!"

We do need to double down, now, though. The "no new tax pledge" is all well and good. But what's needed is a pledge extracted from all the GOP contenders to massively CUT spending. And no, that need not include defense (although there's surely waste there that can be uprooted and tossed out, too).

Do you have any reasoned points to make? Attacking the messenger - 60-mintes and me - is so juvenile and when framed with your opinion is down right silly. At one time I felt you had some substance to your posts, of late you do a great impression of CrusaderFrank and others of his ilk.

The only one making reasoned points between you and me IS me, stupid.

I correctly noted the agenda of 60 Minuets.

BFD.

It was a fail.

Norquist did wonderfully.

I am the one offering substance. Your self congratulation is clearly unwarranted, but it is also beside the point.

You cannot answer the question. And you ignore the points that refute your shoddy contention.

Ho hum.

This is pretty much all you ever have to offer.

 

[bripat9643]

Wry Catcher has offered a legitimate concern on the previous pages, notwithstanding LIEabilitiy's lies. LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice.

Did you know that talking about yourself in the third person is a sign of mental illness?

 

[Bfgrn]

All in all the fact is GN is the man beind the curtain. On 60-minutes he exposed himself and I wonder how others view the vision.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has; a man who understands and exploits human weakness and ambition; a man who disregards right and wrong who uses charm and wit and intimidation to manipulate others; a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

Rather than listen uncritically to the "patriotic" platitudes offered by Norquist and other members of the Radical Right, I prefer to judge them by their actions. Norquist, in particular, has has no moral authority to lecture anybody about the proper role of democratic government--because he has no respect for the core principles that made this country great. Whether by physical force or political corruption, Norquist--who sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--has lived the NRA's mantra: "The guys with the guns make the rules."

For starters, he has a sordid history of promoting a vile brand of "democracy" abroad. During the 1980s, he supported anti-Communist movements even when "Freedom Fighters" were perpetrating human rights abuses against the very countrymen they were "liberating." Two of the organizations Norquist backed were UNITA and RENAMO. RENAMO has been accused of killing over one million civilians in Mozambique. UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist also lobbied for the interests of a number of African dictators in the United States, including Omar Bongo of Gabon, Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko of (then) Zaire, and France-Albert René of Seychelles. Norquist's firm also represented a Hamas and Hezbollah supporter now serving a 23-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot. Norquist was candid about the anti-democratic character of these tyrants, even describing René as "a guy who preferred not to have elections for a number of years."

His domestic political affairs are equally disturbing. Norquist has a long history with criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mark Salter, a top aide for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) aptly said, "By his own admission, Grover couldn't be any closer to Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married." When Abramoff was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy in 2006, it was revealed that Norquist used his tax-exempt ATR organization to help Abramoff funnel money from his clients to conservative causes (ATR kept a small cut of the funds). The Senate Finance Committee reported that ATR "appear[ed] to have perpetrated a fraud on other taxpayers" by "profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status. And by virtue of the tax benefits, other taxpayers implicitly subsidized this behavior." Additionally, clients of Abramoff were directed to give Norquist's organization money. In an e-mail to colleagues, Abramoff wrote, "I spoke this evening with Grover. He said that, if [the Choctaw Indian tribe] want the taxpayer movement, including him, involved on this issue and anything else which will come up over the course of the year or so, they need to become a major player with ATR. He recommended that they make a $50,000 contribution to ATR." Between 1995 and 2002, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe donated $1.5 million to ATR.

Norquist has also worked assiduously to increase the influence wielded by corporate-backed lobbyists in Washington. In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist--along with then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering) and Jack Abramoff--founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms, and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. By 2003, Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. The explicit "pay-to-play" nature of the project was later made illegal, but the damage was done. So much for "one person, one vote"...

Norquist has also been active in suppressing the right of workers to organize. ATR has a number of "special projects," including the anti-labor Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) which seeks to "crush labor as a political entity." Teamster Magazine has described AWF as a corporation-backed "astroturf" group. Norquist has also backed anti-labor state ballot initiatives marketed as "paycheck protection."

It's easy to understand why Norquist finds himself at home on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors. The organization pays a lot of lip service to "freedom," even going so far as to call itself "the nation's oldest civil rights organization," but it's always willing to trample the freedom of others who get in its way. For example, the NRA had no problem pushing Congress to close the courts to lawsuits by victims of gun violence in order to protect its financiers in the gun industry. The NRA has also not hesitated to dismantle the presumption of innocence when it allows gun owners to shoot first and ask questions later.

More

 

[Liability]

Synopsis of the Fly Catcher and other idiot "liberals'" position on Grover Norquist:

"He's an evil man. He makes those evil Republican Congressmen not only make a public stance of their position on taxes, but he asks them to sign a PLEDGE to their voters as evidence of their expressed position on taxes, and THEN (can you believe how evil Norquist is?) he ADVISES the public about those Congressmen who break their pledges.

ZOMG!

Norquist and those Republicans hate the Constitution!"

And the funny thing is: guys like Fly Catcher cannot even begin to grasp why and how he's such a complete ass-hat laughingstock for taking such an extraordinarily lame-ass position.

 

[Liability]

Wry Catcher has offered a legitimate concern on the previous pages, notwithstanding LIEabilitiy's lies. LIEability's argument that the people hold the power is demagoguery at its best, true in the abstract but far from true in practice.

Did you know that talking about yourself in the third person is a sign of mental illness?

Liability agrees!

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

All in all the fact is GN is the man beind the curtain. On 60-minutes he exposed himself and I wonder how others view the vision.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has; a man who understands and exploits human weakness and ambition; a man who disregards right and wrong who uses charm and wit and intimidation to manipulate others; a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

Rather than listen uncritically to the "patriotic" platitudes offered by Norquist and other members of the Radical Right, I prefer to judge them by their actions. Norquist, in particular, has has no moral authority to lecture anybody about the proper role of democratic government--because he has no respect for the core principles that made this country great. Whether by physical force or political corruption, Norquist--who sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--has lived the NRA's mantra: "The guys with the guns make the rules."

For starters, he has a sordid history of promoting a vile brand of "democracy" abroad. During the 1980s, he supported anti-Communist movements even when "Freedom Fighters" were perpetrating human rights abuses against the very countrymen they were "liberating." Two of the organizations Norquist backed were UNITA and RENAMO. RENAMO has been accused of killing over one million civilians in Mozambique. UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist also lobbied for the interests of a number of African dictators in the United States, including Omar Bongo of Gabon, Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko of (then) Zaire, and France-Albert René of Seychelles. Norquist's firm also represented a Hamas and Hezbollah supporter now serving a 23-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot. Norquist was candid about the anti-democratic character of these tyrants, even describing René as "a guy who preferred not to have elections for a number of years."

His domestic political affairs are equally disturbing. Norquist has a long history with criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mark Salter, a top aide for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) aptly said, "By his own admission, Grover couldn't be any closer to Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married." When Abramoff was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy in 2006, it was revealed that Norquist used his tax-exempt ATR organization to help Abramoff funnel money from his clients to conservative causes (ATR kept a small cut of the funds). The Senate Finance Committee reported that ATR "appear[ed] to have perpetrated a fraud on other taxpayers" by "profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status. And by virtue of the tax benefits, other taxpayers implicitly subsidized this behavior." Additionally, clients of Abramoff were directed to give Norquist's organization money. In an e-mail to colleagues, Abramoff wrote, "I spoke this evening with Grover. He said that, if [the Choctaw Indian tribe] want the taxpayer movement, including him, involved on this issue and anything else which will come up over the course of the year or so, they need to become a major player with ATR. He recommended that they make a $50,000 contribution to ATR." Between 1995 and 2002, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe donated $1.5 million to ATR.

Norquist has also worked assiduously to increase the influence wielded by corporate-backed lobbyists in Washington. In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist--along with then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering) and Jack Abramoff--founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms, and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. By 2003, Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. The explicit "pay-to-play" nature of the project was later made illegal, but the damage was done. So much for "one person, one vote"...

Norquist has also been active in suppressing the right of workers to organize. ATR has a number of "special projects," including the anti-labor Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) which seeks to "crush labor as a political entity." Teamster Magazine has described AWF as a corporation-backed "astroturf" group. Norquist has also backed anti-labor state ballot initiatives marketed as "paycheck protection."

It's easy to understand why Norquist finds himself at home on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors. The organization pays a lot of lip service to "freedom," even going so far as to call itself "the nation's oldest civil rights organization," but it's always willing to trample the freedom of others who get in its way. For example, the NRA had no problem pushing Congress to close the courts to lawsuits by victims of gun violence in order to protect its financiers in the gun industry. The NRA has also not hesitated to dismantle the presumption of innocence when it allows gun owners to shoot first and ask questions later.

More

Thanks for trying, and failing, to answer my questions.
Here they are again.

What power does he have?

Which actions of his harm others? How?

 

[Chris]

Grover will lose all of his power in December of 2012 when the Bush tax cuts expire.

He will be remembers as a treasonous man who hurt America.

 

[Full-Auto]

Grover will lose all of his power in December of 2012 when the Bush tax cuts expire.

He will be remembers as a treasonous man who hurt America.

Are you whackjobs going to point out this mythical power before the thread dies?

 

[Liability]

Grover will lose all of his power in December of 2012 when the Bush tax cuts expire.

He will be remembers as a treasonous man who hurt America.

Mr. Norquist has no particular power. But to the extent he has some, the expiration of the Bush Era Tax Cuts will have no impact on him or his "power."

He will be remembered for a long time as a decent man fighting hard to make Congress-critters accountable.

No wonder leftwingnuts like you recoil in horror.

And your use of the term "treasonous" reflects what a totally dishonest and merit-less dork you are.

Trying to get Congress-critters to commit to refraining from imposing any new (or higher) taxes on the American people is simply not akin to treason, you dishonest stupid leftist hack.

 

[Political Junky]

I wonder who advised Grover to dye his hair red. He's on Alex Wagner's show now.

 

[BDBoop]

All in all the fact is GN is the man beind the curtain. On 60-minutes he exposed himself and I wonder how others view the vision.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has; a man who understands and exploits human weakness and ambition; a man who disregards right and wrong who uses charm and wit and intimidation to manipulate others; a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

Rather than listen uncritically to the "patriotic" platitudes offered by Norquist and other members of the Radical Right, I prefer to judge them by their actions. Norquist, in particular, has has no moral authority to lecture anybody about the proper role of democratic government--because he has no respect for the core principles that made this country great. Whether by physical force or political corruption, Norquist--who sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--has lived the NRA's mantra: "The guys with the guns make the rules."

For starters, he has a sordid history of promoting a vile brand of "democracy" abroad. During the 1980s, he supported anti-Communist movements even when "Freedom Fighters" were perpetrating human rights abuses against the very countrymen they were "liberating." Two of the organizations Norquist backed were UNITA and RENAMO. RENAMO has been accused of killing over one million civilians in Mozambique. UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist also lobbied for the interests of a number of African dictators in the United States, including Omar Bongo of Gabon, Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko of (then) Zaire, and France-Albert René of Seychelles. Norquist's firm also represented a Hamas and Hezbollah supporter now serving a 23-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot. Norquist was candid about the anti-democratic character of these tyrants, even describing René as "a guy who preferred not to have elections for a number of years."

His domestic political affairs are equally disturbing. Norquist has a long history with criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mark Salter, a top aide for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) aptly said, "By his own admission, Grover couldn't be any closer to Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married." When Abramoff was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy in 2006, it was revealed that Norquist used his tax-exempt ATR organization to help Abramoff funnel money from his clients to conservative causes (ATR kept a small cut of the funds). The Senate Finance Committee reported that ATR "appear[ed] to have perpetrated a fraud on other taxpayers" by "profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status. And by virtue of the tax benefits, other taxpayers implicitly subsidized this behavior." Additionally, clients of Abramoff were directed to give Norquist's organization money. In an e-mail to colleagues, Abramoff wrote, "I spoke this evening with Grover. He said that, if [the Choctaw Indian tribe] want the taxpayer movement, including him, involved on this issue and anything else which will come up over the course of the year or so, they need to become a major player with ATR. He recommended that they make a $50,000 contribution to ATR." Between 1995 and 2002, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe donated $1.5 million to ATR.

Norquist has also worked assiduously to increase the influence wielded by corporate-backed lobbyists in Washington. In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist--along with then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering) and Jack Abramoff--founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms, and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. By 2003, Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. The explicit "pay-to-play" nature of the project was later made illegal, but the damage was done. So much for "one person, one vote"...

Norquist has also been active in suppressing the right of workers to organize. ATR has a number of "special projects," including the anti-labor Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) which seeks to "crush labor as a political entity." Teamster Magazine has described AWF as a corporation-backed "astroturf" group. Norquist has also backed anti-labor state ballot initiatives marketed as "paycheck protection."

It's easy to understand why Norquist finds himself at home on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors. The organization pays a lot of lip service to "freedom," even going so far as to call itself "the nation's oldest civil rights organization," but it's always willing to trample the freedom of others who get in its way. For example, the NRA had no problem pushing Congress to close the courts to lawsuits by victims of gun violence in order to protect its financiers in the gun industry. The NRA has also not hesitated to dismantle the presumption of innocence when it allows gun owners to shoot first and ask questions later.

More

Well, I hate to be vulgar, but he's a sick ****. Seriously.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

I see an arrogant man enjoying the power he disengenuously denies he has

What power does he have?

a man who lacks remorse for the consequences of his actions which harm others.

Which actions of his harm others? How?

Rather than listen uncritically to the "patriotic" platitudes offered by Norquist and other members of the Radical Right, I prefer to judge them by their actions. Norquist, in particular, has has no moral authority to lecture anybody about the proper role of democratic government--because he has no respect for the core principles that made this country great. Whether by physical force or political corruption, Norquist--who sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--has lived the NRA's mantra: "The guys with the guns make the rules."

For starters, he has a sordid history of promoting a vile brand of "democracy" abroad. During the 1980s, he supported anti-Communist movements even when "Freedom Fighters" were perpetrating human rights abuses against the very countrymen they were "liberating." Two of the organizations Norquist backed were UNITA and RENAMO. RENAMO has been accused of killing over one million civilians in Mozambique. UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist also lobbied for the interests of a number of African dictators in the United States, including Omar Bongo of Gabon, Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko of (then) Zaire, and France-Albert René of Seychelles. Norquist's firm also represented a Hamas and Hezbollah supporter now serving a 23-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot. Norquist was candid about the anti-democratic character of these tyrants, even describing René as "a guy who preferred not to have elections for a number of years."

His domestic political affairs are equally disturbing. Norquist has a long history with criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mark Salter, a top aide for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) aptly said, "By his own admission, Grover couldn't be any closer to Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married." When Abramoff was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy in 2006, it was revealed that Norquist used his tax-exempt ATR organization to help Abramoff funnel money from his clients to conservative causes (ATR kept a small cut of the funds). The Senate Finance Committee reported that ATR "appear[ed] to have perpetrated a fraud on other taxpayers" by "profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status. And by virtue of the tax benefits, other taxpayers implicitly subsidized this behavior." Additionally, clients of Abramoff were directed to give Norquist's organization money. In an e-mail to colleagues, Abramoff wrote, "I spoke this evening with Grover. He said that, if [the Choctaw Indian tribe] want the taxpayer movement, including him, involved on this issue and anything else which will come up over the course of the year or so, they need to become a major player with ATR. He recommended that they make a $50,000 contribution to ATR." Between 1995 and 2002, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe donated $1.5 million to ATR.

Norquist has also worked assiduously to increase the influence wielded by corporate-backed lobbyists in Washington. In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist--along with then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering) and Jack Abramoff--founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms, and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. By 2003, Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. The explicit "pay-to-play" nature of the project was later made illegal, but the damage was done. So much for "one person, one vote"...

Norquist has also been active in suppressing the right of workers to organize. ATR has a number of "special projects," including the anti-labor Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) which seeks to "crush labor as a political entity." Teamster Magazine has described AWF as a corporation-backed "astroturf" group. Norquist has also backed anti-labor state ballot initiatives marketed as "paycheck protection."

It's easy to understand why Norquist finds himself at home on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors. The organization pays a lot of lip service to "freedom," even going so far as to call itself "the nation's oldest civil rights organization," but it's always willing to trample the freedom of others who get in its way. For example, the NRA had no problem pushing Congress to close the courts to lawsuits by victims of gun violence in order to protect its financiers in the gun industry. The NRA has also not hesitated to dismantle the presumption of innocence when it allows gun owners to shoot first and ask questions later.

More

Well, I hate to be vulgar, but he's a sick ****. Seriously.

Why's that? Seriously.
Be specific.

 

[bripat9643]

Grover will lose all of his power in December of 2012 when the Bush tax cuts expire.

He will be remembers as a treasonous man who hurt America.

You're delusional if you think people opposed to tax increases are ever going to disappear. That will happen only after Obama opens his gulags and puts us all away.

 

[MarcATL]

He's on msnbc's NOW w/Alex Wagner.

Well, at least he was, I had my tv on pause, watching them interview him now.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

You're delusional if you think people opposed to tax increases are ever going to disappear.

There’s no issue with advocates of a responsible revenue and allocation policy; there is a problem with naïve, unrealistic reactionaries advocating an inane and radical policy of ‘drowning the government in a bathtub.’ Not the mention the fact state and local government are just as irresponsible with spending, but we don’t hear the ‘drown the government’ extremists complaining about that.

That will happen only after Obama opens his gulags and puts us all away.

It’s idiocy such as this that undermines the credibility of you and other conservatives.

 

[Bfgrn]

Rather than listen uncritically to the "patriotic" platitudes offered by Norquist and other members of the Radical Right, I prefer to judge them by their actions. Norquist, in particular, has has no moral authority to lecture anybody about the proper role of democratic government--because he has no respect for the core principles that made this country great. Whether by physical force or political corruption, Norquist--who sits on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association (NRA)--has lived the NRA's mantra: "The guys with the guns make the rules."

For starters, he has a sordid history of promoting a vile brand of "democracy" abroad. During the 1980s, he supported anti-Communist movements even when "Freedom Fighters" were perpetrating human rights abuses against the very countrymen they were "liberating." Two of the organizations Norquist backed were UNITA and RENAMO. RENAMO has been accused of killing over one million civilians in Mozambique. UNITA employed child soldiers throughout the Angolan Civil War, including during the time that Norquist was a registered lobbyist for the organization. Norquist also lobbied for the interests of a number of African dictators in the United States, including Omar Bongo of Gabon, Pascal Lissouba of the Republic of Congo, Mobutu Sese Seko of (then) Zaire, and France-Albert René of Seychelles. Norquist's firm also represented a Hamas and Hezbollah supporter now serving a 23-year prison sentence for his role in a terrorist plot. Norquist was candid about the anti-democratic character of these tyrants, even describing René as "a guy who preferred not to have elections for a number of years."

His domestic political affairs are equally disturbing. Norquist has a long history with criminal GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mark Salter, a top aide for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) aptly said, "By his own admission, Grover couldn't be any closer to Abramoff if they moved to Massachusetts and got married." When Abramoff was convicted of mail fraud and conspiracy in 2006, it was revealed that Norquist used his tax-exempt ATR organization to help Abramoff funnel money from his clients to conservative causes (ATR kept a small cut of the funds). The Senate Finance Committee reported that ATR "appear[ed] to have perpetrated a fraud on other taxpayers" by "profit-seeking and private benefit behavior inconsistent with their tax-exempt status. And by virtue of the tax benefits, other taxpayers implicitly subsidized this behavior." Additionally, clients of Abramoff were directed to give Norquist's organization money. In an e-mail to colleagues, Abramoff wrote, "I spoke this evening with Grover. He said that, if [the Choctaw Indian tribe] want the taxpayer movement, including him, involved on this issue and anything else which will come up over the course of the year or so, they need to become a major player with ATR. He recommended that they make a $50,000 contribution to ATR." Between 1995 and 2002, the Mississippi Choctaw tribe donated $1.5 million to ATR.

Norquist has also worked assiduously to increase the influence wielded by corporate-backed lobbyists in Washington. In 1995, in the wake of the Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, Norquist--along with then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (who has since been convicted of money laundering) and Jack Abramoff--founded The K Street Project. The goal of the project was to facilitate the hiring of Republicans at top lobbying firms, and then reward the firms by offering access to influential GOP officials. By 2003, Republican lobbyists held 33 of the 36 top-level lobbying positions in Washington. The explicit "pay-to-play" nature of the project was later made illegal, but the damage was done. So much for "one person, one vote"...

Norquist has also been active in suppressing the right of workers to organize. ATR has a number of "special projects," including the anti-labor Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) which seeks to "crush labor as a political entity." Teamster Magazine has described AWF as a corporation-backed "astroturf" group. Norquist has also backed anti-labor state ballot initiatives marketed as "paycheck protection."

It's easy to understand why Norquist finds himself at home on the National Rifle Association Board of Directors. The organization pays a lot of lip service to "freedom," even going so far as to call itself "the nation's oldest civil rights organization," but it's always willing to trample the freedom of others who get in its way. For example, the NRA had no problem pushing Congress to close the courts to lawsuits by victims of gun violence in order to protect its financiers in the gun industry. The NRA has also not hesitated to dismantle the presumption of innocence when it allows gun owners to shoot first and ask questions later.

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Well, I hate to be vulgar, but he's a sick ****. Seriously.

Why's that? Seriously.
Be specific.

Well, if you want to build a corporatocracy/ plutocracy, Grover's your man.

George W. Bush did a great job of persuading a gullible press and the American public that the big threat to American democracy is big government. Well, yeah, big government is a threat ultimately, but it is dwarfed by the threat of excessive corporate power and the corrosive impact that has on our democracy. And you know, as I said, you look at all the great political leaders in this country and the central theme is that we have to be cautious about, we have to avoid, the domination of our government by corporate power.

Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, said that America would never be destroyed by a foreign power but he warned that our political institutions, our democratic institutions, would be subverted by malefactors of great wealth, who would erode them from within. Dwight Eisenhower, another Republican, in his most famous speech, warned America against domination by the military industrial complex.

Abraham Lincoln, the greatest Republican in our history, said during the height of the Civil War "I have the South in front of me and I have the bankers behind me. And for my country, I fear the bankers more." Franklin Roosevelt said during World War II that the domination of government by corporate power is "the essence of fascism" and Benito Mussolini -- who had an insider's view of that process -- said the same thing. Essentially, he complained that fascism should not be called fascism. It should be called corporatism because it was the merger of state and corporate power. And what we have to understand as Americans is that the domination of business by government is called communism. The domination of government by business is called fascism. And our job is to walk that narrow trail in between, which is free-market capitalism and democracy. And keep big government at bay with our right hand and corporate power at bay with our left.

RFK Jr