60 Minutes: Grover Norquist 'Likes Things Ugly,' Group Has Characteristics of 'Protection Racket'
Serious question: who do you think the liberal media loathes more: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Grover Norquist? I'm going with 'b.' After all, Mahmoud merely wants to build an atom bomb and wipe Israel off the map, for starters. But Grover Norquist wants to keep taxes from increasing and thereby limit the growth of government.
In a 60 Minutes hit piece tonight, CBS correspondent Steve Kroft claimed Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, "likes things ugly." For good measure, Kroft claimed that Norquist's strategy has some of the characteristics of a "protection racket." Video after the jump.
Watch the wrath of the MSM descend on someone who would stand in the way of the liberal goal of ever-increasing government.
STEVE KROFT: Grover Norquist is not interested in compromise. He likes things ugly . . . If nothing else, it is a brilliant, bare-knuckled political strategy with some of the characteristics of a protection racket.
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Clip is too short.
Submitted by HelloDare on Sun, 11/20/2011 - 10:45pm.
Why even run this without a transcript that contains more of the broadcast?
'Mug shots'
Submitted by metaphorsbwithu on Sun, 11/20/2011 - 10:54pm.
With all the 'mugging' before the camera Kroft did while asking questions, I guess he'd know a thing or two about "protection rackets".
He looked like he was doing a commercial for some constipation remedy.
"He likes things ugly". Based
Submitted by ant on Sun, 11/20/2011 - 11:18pm.
"He likes things ugly". Based on the women Obama surrounds himself with, so does he.
At least 60 minutes let Norquist
Submitted by zenman1661 on Sun, 11/20/2011 - 11:30pm.
lay out to the audience that his only power comes from the voters and it is them that politicians who break the pledge need to fear not him. But I am guessing that kind of Democracy is lost on Democrats.
grover
Submitted by giatn on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 1:24am.
This interview made my skin crawl. It's impossible to estimate how many votes
Republicans will lose because of this dreadful man. Every Republican in Congress
must throw this pledge in the trash and promise to do what is best for the country.
Despite his arrogance, I don't think he has the resources to "primary" all of them.
As if the public wasn't already disgusted with D.C., they had to see this!
You are missing his point...
Submitted by zenman1661 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 9:00am.
Any Republican politician can break the pledge anytime they want and raise taxes. The problem becomes can they convince the voters in their District that it was the best for the country. Since politicians almost always raise taxes that start right away and the spending cuts happen much later (if ever) and only slighty reduce the growth of spending not actually shrink the deficit, the voters unlike you realize it is not best for the country.
Like
Submitted by StarAZ on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 12:29pm.
Amen to that!
Having caught most of the 60 Minutes segment...
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 1:42am.
I'm not so sure the media hate Norquist more than Ahmadinejad, but there's a good chance former GOP senator, Alan Simpson, does.
Jer
You think he's bad ...
Submitted by drydino on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 2:33am.
All he does is help the opponents of those that break his pledge. That's nothing compared to what Liberals and the MSM do to a black man or woman that supports the GOP, TEA party or is a conservative!!!!
It's not quite that benign...
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 3:07am.
What Norquist is saying in effect is this:
Would you care to sign our standard tax pledge, the terms of which will bind you for the rest of your political career? It's entirely up to you, but please understand if you refuse to sign or should ever rescind a previously executed pledge, we will run a candidate against you and support his or her candidacy with millions of dollars, or whatever amount it takes to ensure your defeat.
We look forward to your affirmative decision and perpetual servitude.
Your ass is mine,
Grover
So, Jer...
Submitted by C-townGiant on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 8:14am.
Richard Trumka and Andy Stern are different how?
Both have put Democrats on notice: "Touch entitlements and not only will you lose in your next primary, but you will also be fit with a pair of concrete wingtips. Got me?!?"
If you must insist on being disingenuous, you will be called out on it.
Even your precious Obambi said entitlements must be reformed, but where is he on this debate?
Oh, yeah...back trolling for votes in Indonesia.
Then call me out, C-town...
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 12:53pm.
How was I being disingenuous?
[Like your 'concrete wingtips' line though]
Also, you owe me a return h/t for my Redbirds after I gave you one for the Giants last year.
Jer
Norquist
Submitted by damianlewis719 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 8:03am.
At some point we're all going to suffer a gigantic tax increases. Not just the top 2%, we borrow $0.37, on every dollar we spend. Math is not my forte, but I have a little common sense, this is unsustainable. We live in a country where we like our government programs, Medicare, SS, Defense,and the 1000's of other's, we just don't want to pay for them. At some point your going to have to come up with some legislation that will cut spending about 25% and increase revenue at least 5%, hopefully economic growth kick's in and save's some of these programs. Is it going to be ugly. We do have a template as to what's going to happen, Greece, Italy, Spain....
Protection Racket?
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 9:23am.
Okay 60 Minutes....how many times have you called Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push organization a protection racket? Once? Five Times, EVERY time they shook down a company?
That's what I thought.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I was outraged, too
Submitted by StarAZ on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 12:27pm.
I am sure I will be stoned by the worthies on this site, but I found Norquist completely disgusting--twinkling away crazily and spouting his disingenuous stuff. Why would lawmakers of any stripe cave in to a behind-the-scenes manipulator like this? I thought it was appalling. Levying revenues is the Congress's JOB--to get them to agree in advance not to do it, is ridiculous. I won't vote for Obama, but watching this, I wonder if I will even vote! Changing the tax code, rearranging, thinking, doing things sensibly--all could be factors...but no, these people kowtow to this person.
Their JOB?
Submitted by Mark81150 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:02pm.
It's pretty simplistic to see yer Congressman as just an enabler for (pick your beloved program that MUST stay in place till the end of time.)..........
So a taxpayer group simply asking for what their voters want is toxic to you?
I take it you hate the never ending chorus of liberal gimme gimme groups at least as much?.. or is it, simply you just hate Grover?
Democracy is never called ugly unless it's a conservative group in the cross hairs, and I'm sick of that. Nobody HAS to sign the pledge, and Grover is just one more amongst hundreds of pressure groups asking for what their members think best for the country.. but, somehow,..
a fair number of people just can't understand, they don't get to decide which groups are allowed to play. I doubt not signing the pledge is some magic bullet to retirement, few folks are entirely single issue voters.
It's too simplistic..
Submitted by kata on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:26pm.
I am not anti-tax. What I am is anti-wasteful spending - and with that, saying "You can't have more of our money until you can straighten out your act and learn how to make better do with what you already HAVE" makes sense. I think this Pledge is too simplistic.