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Political Factoid
"The Puppetmaster of Taxes"
Grover Norquist might be called the
"Puppetmaster of Taxes," as he
appears to be effectively blackmailing
virtually all Republican leaders
and forcing them to follow his dictates
about taxes.
- Norquist does this by first coercing *
Republican candidates for Congress
into signing a written pledge,
his "Taxpayer Protection Pledge."
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Anyone who does not sign on the line
will have difficulty getting campaign funds
and support from the deeper-pocket
conservative backers.
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- It is a written pledge, signed by candidates,
who become senators or representatives,
and serves as a potential blackmail
weapon against those politicians.
- Norquist "opposes any increase in
tax revenue as a matter of principle."
- If any Republican senator or representative
supports raising taxes or the elimination
of tax credits, deductions, exceptions, or
other loopholes, Norquist firmly "reminds"
them of their signed pledge - which he holds.
- If he feels it is necessary, he has no
hesitation to threaten stronger action.
- He formally accused Sen.Tom Coburn (R-OK)
of violating his pledge when the Senator
proposed eliminating the dysfunctional and
expensive ethanol subsidy.
cf.
1561
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