Pharaoh Grover Norquist Lets His People Go

The Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. Then business executives said to John Boehner, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, "This is what the conservative business community, the God of the Republicans, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."

And Pharaoh Grover Norquist heeded the warning and liberated the House Republican Caucus by declaring that Boehner's "Plan B" proposal did not violate the Americans for Tax Reform no-tax-hike pledge…

This legislation — popularly known as 'Plan B' — permanently prevents a tax increase on families making less than $1 million per year.  Republicans supporting this bill are this week affirming to their constituents in writing that this bill — the sole purpose of which is to prevent tax increases — is consistent with the pledge they made to them.  In ATR's analysis, it is extremely difficult — if not impossible — to fault these Republicans' assertion.

Funny enough, applying this logic to the Obama proposal would make that plan consistent with the pledge as well. After all, the Democratic proposal prevents a tax increase on families making less than $250,000 per year, but the Norquist's new dispensation does not apply to the Obama plan, because the Pharaoh does not have to be fair.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Tags: Americans for Tax Reform, Fiscal Cliff, Grover Norquist, John Boehner

Tweet Untweet: Norquist's New Pledge

At an a open mic where all the comedians apparently signed Grover Norquist's "no punchlines" pledge.

— Guided By Donuts (@scottbox) November 30, 2012

Tags: Grover Norquist, Tweet Untweet, Twitter

Legislator Has Very Good Reason for Breaking Anti-Tax Pledge

Look, if you're going to break the anti-tax pledge that Grover Norquist demands asks all Republicans to sign, you'd better have a damn good reason.

Luckily, Chris Gibson has an excellent one…

A spokeswoman for Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) on Thursday offered a peculiar explanation for why the re-elected congressman is abandoning Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge: his district number changed.

Originally elected in 2010 in New York's 20th Congressional District, Gibson won a second term this year in the state's newly redrawn 19th Congressional District. That, Gibson's spokeswoman Stephanie Valle said in a statement, is sufficient reason to walk back the pledge he signed two years ago.

Also, Saturn was in retrograde when he signed that pledge. Now, Mars is transiting the sign of Capricorn, so no reasonable person should expect him to honor past promises.

Tags: Chris Gibson, Grover Norquist, Republicans, Taxes

Stephen Colbert Peers Over the Fiscal Cliff

"Some Republicans are abandoning the anti-tax pledge as fast as their abandoning… uh, what's his name? Don't help me, don't help me, don't help me… uh, Ripp Flambé?" – Stephen Colbert

Coverage continues with the National Review's Reihan Salam after the jump.

The Colbert Report airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30/10:30c.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Economy, Grover Norquist, House of Representatives, Stephen Colbert, Taxes, The Colbert Report, Video

Tweet Untweet: Getting Groovy

Groover Norquist, Grover's cooler brother, gets politicians to sign his pledge that they'll "dance like no one's looking."

— Paul Myers (@pulmyears) November 27, 2012

Tags: Grover Norquist, Tweet Untweet, Twitter