Grover Norquist’s reply to Saxby Chambliss: ‘His promise wasn’t to me’

So it looks like we have a renewal of last year’s sniping between U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and originator of the no-tax-increase pledge that many Republicans – Chambliss among them – say will only aggravate a $16 trillion federal deficit.

Given the dearth of news on Thanksgiving Day, Chambliss’ comments on Norquist and his pledge, made to WMAZ in Macon, drew an inordinate amount of attention. Said Chambliss:

“I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge. If we do it his way then we’ll continue in debt, and I just have a disagreement with him about that.”

That kind of rebellious chatter could have an impact on negotiations between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans that are set to begin in earnest on Monday. Late Friday, Norquist sent us this lengthy response:

Senator Chambliss promised the people of Georgia he would go to Washington and reform government rather than raise taxes to pay for bigger government. He made that commitment in writing to the people of Georgia.

If he plans to vote for higher taxes to pay for Obama-sized government he should address the people of Georgia and let them know that he plans to break his promise to them.

The Senator’s reference to me is odd. His promise is to the people of Georgia.

In February 2011 he wrote an open letter addressed to me when he joined the Gang of Six saying he would not vote for any plan that raised taxes. He would support only tax revenue that resulted from higher growth.

That was a public letter he and co-signers Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn and Idaho Senator Mike Crapo sent to the press to explain their negotiating position as they joined the Gang of Six in early 2011:
Note this excerpt, the final sentence of the letter:

“If and when there is a legislative proposal to be presented to Congress and the American people, we look forward to again working with you and all interested parties to support a proposal where any increase in revenue generation will be the result of the pro-growth effects of lower individual and corporate tax rates for all Americans.”

That is certainly a position I support and the only “plan” that I have endorsed is the Paul Ryan budget that brings the budget to balance and pays down the debt without any tax hikes.

Sen. Chambliss voted for the Ryan plan. I miss his point in trying to attack me.

Raising taxes on the people of Georgia to pay for Obama’s reckless spending is not the right thing to do for America or Georgia. We have a problem because Washington spends too much, not because Sen. Chambliss has failed so far to raise taxes on the hard-working men and women of Georgia.

Sen. Chambliss mentions his fear of losing a primary if he breaks his word to Georgians and votes to raise their taxes. History reminds us that when President George H.W. Bush raised taxes in a deal that promised (and did not deliver) spending cuts he was defeated not in the primary, but in the general.

When Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska violated his pledge to the American people, he would’ve won a primary battle. But he withdrew because polling showed he could not win a general election having both lied to his state and raised their taxes.

I would urge all Senators to oppose Obama’s budget that raises taxes on the American people and sets the stage for larger taxes in the future on energy that will hit all Americans and raise the cost of living while reducing the number and quality of jobs in America.

I hope and trust that Senator Chambliss will keep his promise to Georgia and not raise taxes on the people of Georgia.

To be fair, in the WMAZ interview, Chambliss didn’t express “his fear” of losing a primary should he discard Norquist’s pledge. But he acknowledged that such an action would likely enlist Norquist on the side of a primary challenger in 2014.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

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192 comments Add your comment

Bob Loblaw

November 24th, 2012
10:17 am

You miss his point, Grover? The point is that us conservatives that can think understand that we need revenue. We can cut, cut, cut and never get out of this mess. Wars are expensive. Health care costs have soared for decades with nothing done but cuts to doctors and hospitals. The last 15 years have left us with a lot of debt as well as the loss of lots of lives in our military. The time for a budget deal has arrived. Conservatives that believe in common sense will preserve our nation’s solvency and update outdated tax policy.

We are tired of you, Grover. It was cute in 1994 to sign your little pledge but it’s gotten old and you are old. You and the likes of you (Ralph Reed, Karl Rove, Koch. Bros. Social freaks that think a rapist impregnating a woman is a gift from God) are the reason we are losing. It’s time to use our brains and putting on a blindfold to tax policy is not how we’ll get our country out of this mess.

Things change over 20 years, Grover…we hadn’t spend a dime on war resulting from 9/11 and our country has endured the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Stay away from Georgia. We don’t need you or your stupid, thoughtless politics anymore.

Common Sense

November 24th, 2012
10:30 am

“Sen. Chambliss mentions his fear of losing a primary if he breaks his word to Georgians and votes to raise their taxes.”

If only Chambliss had done something to curtail spending.

This RINO must go. He has not held up the Constitution. He does not reply to his constituents.

Without the Bush tax cuts, which were just a reduction of the Clinton tax increases, we would still have record deficits.

If we want to return to the tax rates of the ’90s. then let’s also roll back the excessive legislation and minimum wage increases we have had since then. To blame only the tax rates is so near sighted that they are in the end, blind as a bat.

M

November 24th, 2012
10:32 am

Stow it, Neckbeard.

marks

November 24th, 2012
10:34 am

I am sad to see people calling themselves conservatives agreeing to tax increases. I would like for them to tell me where is it they ever see the Federal government spend LESS after a tax increase that did result in higher revenues? Look back at the 1920s during a great depression, oh thats right there was not a great depression, the federal government cut spending and tax rates and it resulted in the roaring twenties which saw unprecedented growth. Take a look at governments around the world that cut tax rates and spending or significantly reduce the rate of government growth and notice how they are doing. The Cato Institute have a chart that showed if we limit Federal spending growth to 2.5% annually the budget would be balanced in about 10 years. Increasing taxes always encourage increased spending, doubt me? Look at California.

Mark B

November 24th, 2012
10:34 am

If Senator Chambliss’ first objective is to the country, he would have never been a part of any spending bill passed while George W. Bush was in office. He would have never voted for TARP. He came to us in 2008 pleading with the state of Georgia to send him back during the run off election because he would be the 41 vote against ObamaCare. We listened to him, sent him back and look what it got us. Now, we are talking about another US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT manufactured crisis that once again Senator Chambliss is going to call on the people of the United States to bail THEM out. Saxby Chambliss is a disgrace to the state of Georgia.

Just Nasty & Mean

November 24th, 2012
10:38 am

Saxby is showing his “inside the beltway” logic. the United States does not have a revenue problem. We are the highest taxed countries on the planet–especially corporate taxes.
WE HAVE A SPENDING PROBLEM!

We have forgotten one of the monikers that should ALWAYS precede a tax increase–”CUT SPENDING FIRST”.

Saxby blames decades of overspending for our current fix. Well…….Saxby is part of the problem.

He doesn’t understand economics. He doesn’t understand the problem. And he doesn’t understand Georgians.

Time for this weak-kneed RINO to go.

Weetamoe

November 24th, 2012
10:39 am

Norquist is correct. Chambliss his breaking his promise to the Georgians who voted for him. Norguist has no power at all to appoint, select, impose, or punish. Only Obama has that and his promise to be a uniter has failed miserably–most divisive president in history, and his own words are the evidence. Know what would be fun? A debate between Saxby and stonedorfragged Cleland.

LAW

November 24th, 2012
10:44 am

Common Sense? No, absolutely not.
Nor do you know what you’re talking about.
We DO “still have record deficits.” – Or aren’t you connected to reality? The reason for those deficits is, in large part, Bush’s giveaway of my taxes to his super rich donors and their syncophants so they could play in their Wall Street casinos. The second largest reason is: two wars that Bush started with borrowed Chinese money and then proceeded to lose by the most incompetent military strategy since Pickett’s Charge. Result: National Depression in the US lasting more than five years so far, tens of thousands on young Americans dead for no reason, and a $13 trillion debt burden dumped on the NOT rich – who continue to whine about how tough their lives are while playing with their dancing horses and hiding their money off the shores of the country they love- as long as it’s a free ride for them and them only.

Phil Lunney

November 24th, 2012
10:50 am

Grover is groveling. He feels his ‘power’ slipping away.

Erick Erickson, he formerly from WMAZ radio, started torching Saxby right after he joined the Gang of 6. Erick and his ilk have no desire for an America that works but rather for his ‘voice’ to be heard, like Grover’s.
It is time for leadership and Mr. Chambliss knows that he has lost the Tea Party base so he may as well go ‘all in’ and do what is right for America and his own political survival.
Who knows, Saxby might even earn my vote (I hope my admission does not further damage him as a GOP politician, lol).

deegee

November 24th, 2012
10:54 am

marks, there was a recession in 1920-1921. The top tax rate was raised in 1916 to 77% in order to pay for WWI. The top rate was lowered in 1926 to 25%. The Federal Reserve expanded credit, by setting below market interest rates and low reserve requirements that favored big banks, and the money supply actually increased by about 60% during the time following the recession. By the latter part of the decade “buying on margin” entered the American vocabulary as more and more Americans over-extended themselves to speculate on the soaring stock market and expanding credit. Very few expected the crash that began in 1929, and none suspected it would be so drastic or so prolonged. Sound familiar?

kathy

November 24th, 2012
11:03 am

Boys and Girls, would everyone please open their eyes to the reality of this situation. We could tax the super rich at 95% and our situation would not change…we could cut everything in half and our situation would not change… We do need to compromise…we need to cut spending and make the tax code fair (be honest the tax code is not fair). everyone needs to contribute their fair share…EVERYONE…..Now, everyone who has the honor of serving the American People ..(.a phase I have heard over and over again)..DO YOUR JOB. FIX THIS MESS.

Mr. KnowitAll

November 24th, 2012
11:05 am

LAW–You are repeating democRat talking points to the point you believe them.

Under Bush, lower tax rates provided a growing economy–even after the economic trauma of 9-11-01–an unemployment rate we could only DREAM about under Obama, opportunities for college graduates other than flipping burgers, and a debt that was bad, but containable.

Now we have a debt rate that would make Keynes blush with disbelief. opportunities and career dreams are flushed, a reduced income for 4 successive years–1st time in history,

You call this BETTER?? You must be delusional to ignore the facts smacking you in the wallet.

LAW

November 24th, 2012
11:05 am

Just Mean and Stupid-
The US DOES NOT have the highest taxes; the US is not even close.You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about, though checking is easy enough that even you could (probably) do it.

Income taxes in some Canadian provinces are 50%, for only one example, and that is on top of federal taxes. Top taxes are higher in many European (EU )countries: Belgium (50%); Denmark (55%); (France (41%); (Germany (45%); Iceland (46%); Italy (45%); Norway (54%); Portugal (46%); Spain (52%); Sweden (57%); UK (50%); than in the US (38%). And, each of these countries has a VAT (sales) tax of up to an additional 25%. Makes Romney’s 14% look like chump change, eh chump?

DANG those pesky facts. But you can try to lie again next week. I may not be watching you…

GOB

November 24th, 2012
11:06 am

Bob Loblaw
10:17 am

Love your law blog, man.

East Cobb RINO, Inc. (LLC)

November 24th, 2012
11:07 am

GOP will never learn. Go ahead and back Paul Broun in the primary Grover. Then Georgia will have 1 elephant and 1 donkey in the US Senate.

LAW

November 24th, 2012
11:15 am

Knowitall-
The Bush miracle was a mirage. It collapsed under the weight of it’s own BS within six years. The initial growth was due to the surplus left by Clinton (a Democrat, as you may remember) that Bush wasted like a drunken sailor within two years.
The debt is a hangover of the borrrowing from China to finance rax cuts for the parasite class- the non-productive scammers who prefer to be called investors (in China, in Russia [think Twit Romney]; in Saudi Arabia, etc.). But go ahead and confinue to parrot Republican lies. I don’t mind; it gives those of us who backed a winner a good laugh at your pretrense that we don’t have your number.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
11:18 am

Well I hope the good people of Georgia look at his decisions very closely and if needed look for a REPLACEMENT in two years. This is why career politicians need replacing! They get tied up in GOVERNMENT and don’t care about the people anymore (coming from a state where we know a lying traitor when we see one [Nelson]) . Sure, “care about the country” sounds good, but now he’s going to perpetuate the problem. LETS BE BLUNT AND HONEST. You ask ANY Republican or any businesses man about taxes, sure up front they say NO. But the reality is, we are not totally against it, given the RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. Here it is. 1.) Balance the budget*, and have honest, moral, men in government who WILL keep their hands out of the cookie jar. 2.) Then and ONLY THEN raise taxes with a iron clad sunset clause — the goal being to right the country by paying down the debt. When the debt is paid off, the taxes immediately cease. Middle of the year or not. (*) and when I say balance the budget, of course net zero isn’t going to happen, because we have far too many entitlements we promised, but there must be a sustainable plan in place to right the ship. Once a 10 year plan is set in concrete, let me know and we’ll talk about taxes, until then bug off!! I am sick and tired of a Democratic BALANCED approach that is just bull crap! Raise taxes now (guaranteed) for an equal (not proportional) promise of cuts — cuts in a predetermined increase. (ie: we planned to increase the budget of this or that by 10%, but we’re willing to CUT it to 5% increase — NO!!!!! a CUT is a CUT! 80% of what you had LAST YEAR, or FIVE YEARS AGO. AND at the current line in the sand, proportional is a 3 to 1 spending cut to tax raising. [end of rant]

Road Scholar

November 24th, 2012
11:19 am

JN&M:”We are the highest taxed countries on the planet–…”

The US is a country! Not countries. And please provide your data concerning this. I believe LAW just blew your argument out of the water.

As for the spending problem, while it is chump change, let’s discontinue Congress’s health club and health care. Let them see what we are up against. Since Ya”ll want large cuts let’s start with defense. We now spend as much as the next 10 countries in defense spending and have 50% of naval vessels in the world.

MC

November 24th, 2012
11:22 am

We’ll take care of Saxby if he votes to raise taxes. How is it the liberals can’t figure out you can raise taxes on the rich to infinity and it wouldn’t make a dent on the deficit. I don’t get it. If we don’t cut spending, we’ll never get the numbers to match. You do realize if we grew the job market, we would have more people working to pay more taxes. Raising taxes only will not get us out of the mess we are in. Also, the blame Bush for everything sure does get old. The libs have owned Washington now for 6 years. It’s about time you took responsibility for the joke of a government we have now.

Truth-O-Meter

November 24th, 2012
11:26 am

Each state has two senators. I did not vote for either of the sitting senators; however, I am a resident and taxpayer of the state of Georgia and the US. I expect these senators to represent the interests of ALL Georgians and not just those who voted for them. Isn’t that one of the complaints that conservatives have lodged against President Obama?____that he is only interested in giving “stuff” to those who voted for him. (And that is a lie. I know of no one who voted for this president who has quit her/his job because they were promised to be taken care of.) I wish conservatives were as upset about the waste of taxpayers’ dollars to hold more than 30 votes against the ACA only to see each fail and they knew they would. But conservative house members wanted to send a message.

Yes, we need to watch spending. Spending such as TARP that was designed to stabilize the economy should not be lumped in with other spending. Had we not lost 700k jobs a month during Pres. Bush’s last months in office, that would not have been necessary. Sometimes it is necessary to stabilize a patient before the actual treatment to recovery can begin. Our president stabilized the economy. Now it’s time for the real treatment to begin__tax reform, revenue increases, infrastructure projects such as repairing bridges and highways. The voters on Nov. 6th said they wanted to give him that chance.

As our family traveled back home on yesterday, I could not help but notice the blue signs noting the Eisenhower Interstate System. Thank God these current Republicans were not in charge back then; we would all be on a dirt road in our horse and buggy trying to get home in time for work on next Monday morning.

MC

November 24th, 2012
11:28 am

Law, we didn’t have a surplus under Clinton. We have run deficits with our government ever since the beginning of time it seems. We haven’t run a positive cash flow as a government in a long, long time.

hoyamoto

November 24th, 2012
11:30 am

Get real Grover. I’m from Georgia and I support Senator Chambliss’ decision to do the right thing for America and Georgia. You’ve served the purpose of the wealthy and it has been rejected by the American people.

Truth-O-Meter

November 24th, 2012
11:31 am

Road Scholar @ 11:19.
Amen!
Notice the people who want to cut, cut, cut are the ones who really get the perks! Not once have I heard them recommend cutting their benefits. Shortly after the 2010 congress was sworn in some were reportedly irate that they had to wait a few days before they could start using their “guv’ment” insurance program.

Mr. KnowitAll

November 24th, 2012
11:33 am

Good Grief, LAW. Not everyone drinks your slop.

I guess you forgot that DOT.com bubble burst Clintoris handed Bush. Or the disemboweled intelligence service he relegated that caused 9-11 to happen causing immeasurable economic harm, not to speak of the incalculable expense and loss of lives we all endure to defend against it happening again.

So, LAW, if your logic holds on debt on Bush, what do you call the current Chinese debt–at a rate of $1.6TRILLION A YEAR—racked up under the Obama oligarchy? Chump Change?

The master you are blindly following is selling you down the slavery debt tube faster than you can imagine, yet you unconscionably back him like a starved lab rat.

So…What do your democRat talking points have to say about that?

Common Sense

November 24th, 2012
11:41 am

Sorry, Law, your ignorance is showing.

We would have had record deficits NO MATTER WHAT. That is the culture that has been in DC for decades.

The solution from the liberals is always the same. Tax someone else, and tax them more.

And for each dollar of revenue, spend three.

LAW

November 24th, 2012
11:44 am

Knowitall- (NOT)
9/11 was NOT an economic trauma in any way. Seven buildings knocked down or damaged is a hardship for ONE owner-investor landlord- and as Republicans are fond of saying, he had insurance. Economic trauma is quite different.

I have no idea what you’re blithering about with “reduced income for four years in a row”. Incomes have been rising for the last two years thanks to the containment plans and projects executed under Obama’s economic policies and that is reflected(for example) in growth in holiday sales, including this year’s, which is on track to be up 4% YOY.

Ditto: debt rate. What is that?

Love the hyperbole though. The image of Keynes being shocked by a 1% bank rate is laughable. He might have been slightly bemused by the 1000% inflation rate in Europe 65 years ago or even the recent 25% rates in some developing countries.

BTW: My wallet is just fine, thank you. I ignore Glenn Beck’s advice, don’t give money to Republican fund raisers, and that seems to work just fine.

Truth-O-Meter

November 24th, 2012
11:54 am

I do believe I will barf if one more person complains that this president is divisive and failed at being a uniter. It’s like a dishonest spouse that does not want to be married yet refuses to join in building a working relationship and blames the other for the failure of the marriage. Republicans never had any intentions of working with this president. They admitted it (Mitch McConnell) and why should any sane person believe otherwise.They were literally plotting on his defeat while he had his hand on the Bible taking the oath of office. Some Republicans and some conservatives had a four-year long campaign trying to make him look ineffective. He was not a Christian; he is a Muslim; a fascist; a socialist; had a deep seated hatred for white people. When a party votes against their own plans, there is something going on. Thank God voters can see rise above the noise machine and make decisions based on reality.

LAW

November 24th, 2012
12:03 pm

MC, I believe that you need to connect with reality a bit better.

In 1998, the US budget SURPLUS was $69 billion; in 1999, the US budget SURPLUS was $126 billion; and in 2000, the US budget SURPLUS was $236 billion.

Try to lie to somebody else. I have the facts. All you have is BS..

Common Sense?
Nope, and the truth is alien too you. We did not have deficits when the US enjoyed the benefits of being led by educated Democrats and not by Republican syncophants.

Republicans always try to put across the imbecilic lie that the rich woork harded the less they’re taxed and the middle class works harder the more it’s taxed. If lowering taxes on the rich produced jobs there would never have been a recession after 30 years of Reaganomics. Unfortunately, the old fool’s gypsy fortuneteller was a scammer too.

Dusty

November 24th, 2012
12:08 pm

Hey, cut out the animosity. We need to think through this.

Congress is stuck with competetive action. No party will agree to anything. Chambliss is trying to find a loophole. He is stuck in the midst of a Gordian knot. Congress & the president!!

No, I don’t my taxes raised. I don’t want government directing my heathcare. I don’t want the rich overtaxed. I don’t want businesses waiting to see what healthcare is going to cost. I don’t want 50% of Americans dependant on the government. I want the armed forces of America ready to defend this country.

There are so many do’s & don’ts. I believe Chambliss is trying hard to help this situation. There is NO perfect solution and there is NO one who can find a perfect one. Chambliss has the most experience and does not want to “mess-up” anymore than the rest of us. I believe he is the best to lead us on the lousy path that we must follow at this time.

BushSux

November 24th, 2012
12:12 pm

MC, why can’t we raise the job market now. What is the hold up. You’ve had the Bush tax cuts for 10 years now and still have not created the jobs. All the business class has done is pocket the money ( in a an overseas account) and cry. It is time to put or shut up. Create some of those jobs and lets get that revenue coming in. What are YOU waiting for, some Government guarantee?

LAW

November 24th, 2012
12:12 pm

Knowitall,

How is the dot com bubble related in ANY way to Clinton? Are you on crack?

As for the “disembowelled inrelligence service”, have you ever heard of George Bush, senior, Head of the CIA who turned it into a summer camp for dilliltante Yalies who wanted to paly at being spies? The same guy who trained Bin Laden and ran Mohamar Quaddhfi as his personal paymaster?

Clinton gave Bush junior (the younger nitwit) a detailed briefing on the risks of bin Laden titled Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why that specifically described the use of planes to destroy buildings. (It is a CIA research paper that has been declassiffied.) Halfwit Bush was too busy trying to scam America into tax cuts for his rick buddies to take the time to read it. 9/11 is entirely the Bush family’s fault.

But, go ahead and try to lie to me about something else. Your ignorance is not going to help you.

Sonner LeCloche

November 24th, 2012
12:33 pm

You people would all prefer Strom Thurmond and a new Confederacy. Go ahead and secede; you were never ever real Americans anyway. We’ll take all non-whites and our military resources, build a 50ft wall along the Mason-Dixon line then nuke you. The world will be a better place.

rightwing troll

November 24th, 2012
12:54 pm

The grand Irony here is the fact that the folks that lied and cooked the books on Iraq, and on wall street are all walking away from their messes richer for their efforts and free as birds, while we are all stuck with the tab… and you wingnuts who voted for them and the policies that allowed all of this to happen continue to scream HARDER… FASTER… your bills are due wingnuts, time to pay them. The millionaires and billionaires you lionize and protect have racked it in hand over fist yet they have produced no jobs, just squeezed the actual producers who make them their money more and more, all the while they’ve stood their screaming HARDER… FASTER…

Dennys and Papa Johns will never again see a dime of my hard earned money. Papa John can just content himself with living in a 30 gazillion sq/ft mansion instead of the 40 gazilion sq/ft mansion he currently lives in…

Common Sense

November 24th, 2012
12:56 pm

“n 1998, the US budget SURPLUS was $69 billion; in 1999, the US budget SURPLUS was $126 billion; and in 2000, the US budget SURPLUS was $236 billion.”

There was never a surplus. The total budget deficit did not decline in the years you stated. This is another democratic myth.

Common Sense

November 24th, 2012
12:57 pm

Strom Thurmond was a democrat.

rightwing troll

November 24th, 2012
12:59 pm

Meanwhile a vast majority of the old, fat, white vocal wingnuts dodder out to their mailboxes monthly to collect their gubbimint checks… of course they suffer from TGCDC (That Gubbimint Check Don’t Count)….

rightwing troll

November 24th, 2012
1:00 pm

Strom Thurmond was a Dixiecrat who followed the KKK when they went over to the Republican Party… nice try though…

Just Saying..

November 24th, 2012
1:09 pm

If Grover wasn’t a party to the promise, why does he feel a need to respond?

rightwing troll

November 24th, 2012
1:14 pm

Grover was the arm twister who forced the signing of these promises under duress…

Thankfully this year’s election was decided by a millions of people giving a few dollars apiece instead of a few people giving millions of dollars apiece… thus reducing the Grover’s leverage and source of power.

clem

November 24th, 2012
1:15 pm

bush was an idiot, gave tax breaks to folks who bought gas guzzlers.

rightwing troll

November 24th, 2012
1:15 pm

Before Faux news kicks off the war… I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas…

Shame on Saxby

November 24th, 2012
1:18 pm

I am a republican who believes that there should be room in the GOP’s big tent for many viewpoints. I don’t vote on social issues and RINO is not an insult in my book. I will vote for a conservative republican or socially liberal republican equally, so long as the candidate in question is fiscally responsible. That is where I believe a politician’s duty rests. I will not vote for a fiscally liberal republican. Grover Norquist is the best kind of taxpayer advocate. He keeps his social viewpoints to himself and limits his advocacy to helping individuals and families keep more of their paycheck. If Senator Chambliss wants to attack someone, it should be Barack Obama. If Senator Chambliss wants to attack something, it should be Washington, D.C.’s spending. If Senator Chambliss can’t get this right, he fully deserves to be nicknamed “Senator Shambles” and to be voted out of office.

Bob Loblaw

November 24th, 2012
2:05 pm

@ shame on saxby:

Grover Norquist is no taxpayer advocate if he isn’t wise enough to know that a change in tax policy is not always a tax increase. He doesn’t know the difference. He’s also at war with GA Republicans on the state level, telling them basically to “be nice” to the federal government because it’s broke and cut the amount of money GA draws from the feds for Medicaid. He’s a DC guy and as long as you’re looking up there for tax advice, you’re going to be mislead.

Bob Loblaw

November 24th, 2012
2:06 pm

*misled. And I’ll take the opportunity of this correction to say that Grover is misleading you.

Just Saying..

November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm

Shame on Saxby:

You propose a big tent of many viewpoints, except those viewpoints you disagree with.
The result is a big tent with lots of room, as those voters with different economic opinions (yes, there’s more that one theory concerning macro economics) get kicked out. Do you wonder why the number of voters in your tent continues to decrease? That’s not economics; That’s just math…

jd

November 24th, 2012
2:15 pm

How many times has Grover lobbied the Georgia Legislature? and He isn’t registered as a lobbyist — Book ‘em Dano!

Shame on Saxby

November 24th, 2012
2:37 pm

@ Just Sayin: Saxby Chambliss has been on office for 10 years. If the government had acted responsibly during the past 10 years, we would not be in this mess. Excusing Senator Chambliss and his colleagues for their malfeasance is irresponsible enough. Rewarding them for their incompetence by allowing them to pick the pockets of the American people is wholly unacceptable. If you want to lecture someone about macro economics, please direct your comments to the incompetents in Washington who created the problem in the first place.

Susan

November 24th, 2012
3:00 pm

Our members of Congress owe nothing to Grover Norquist and his ilk. They are responsible to the citizens of our country, not the equivalent of a domestic terrorist who seeks to have the country run HIS way and not the way that is actually best. I strongly support Senator Chambliss and his stance as the actions of an adult and not a spoiled brat. As a life-long Democrat I am thrilled to call him my Senator and will continue to support his actions which recognize we are a country with many solutions to our problems and everyone can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. Grover, you are part of the problem.l

MysteryMoves

November 24th, 2012
3:03 pm

I’m looking forward to fiscal cliff…

Dr. Socrates

November 24th, 2012
3:03 pm

A true conservative, Grover Norquist is not. Republicans have degenerated into a party of religious fanatics and “no tax at any cost” disciples. The problem a true conservative must face is CUTTING SPENDING. neither Democrats nor Republicans want to cut spending. Hence, the debacle of sequestration doing it for them. I’m not so sure sequestration is such a bad idea. The fact is that virtually every department of government needs drastic cuts, including Defense. A true conservative would go down a list a cross out with red ink every non-productive, costly government program, including Medicare and war expenses without catering to the special interests. The issue of raising taxes is moot if spending is cut FIRST. The Republican Party has to be reformed to understand this novel concept.

Bob Loblaw

November 24th, 2012
3:08 pm

@Socrates:

Brilliant. We have “no tax at any cost” dolts in office because it’s a gimme in the GOP Primary and a weapon if one candidate signs and the other doesn’t. I am not sure every agency can survive “drastic” cuts, or we’ll have to amend a lot of laws that require funding certain areas.

td

November 24th, 2012
3:13 pm

If Saxby votes to raise taxes without a deal that really cuts entitlement spending at least on a 10 to 1 basis then he will have opposition in the primary and will probably lose.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
3:15 pm

Grover, bubby, you’re behind the curve on this one, I hope. Saxby may have grown up a bit, I hope. Maybe it will be a good thing if Grover and his buddies “primary” Saxby with Tom Price, now that he lost to, I hope, a rational woman in the House. I think it’s too soon here in Georgia; but, maybe, maybe rationality can prevail. Saxby versus Price and I’m rooting for Saxby. Oh my!

Joseph Wilson

November 24th, 2012
3:17 pm

Stop whining, Republicans! You lost the election and would have lost the House if not for gerrymandered districts in GOP-controlled states. Yes, MItt Moneybags Romney, you will have to pay higher taxes. You might have to sell one of your four mansions to pay your taxes. Wall Street makes more money under Democrats, so the cushion will be soft.

If the Clinton tax rates were still in place, the country would be running a surplus. Republicans destroyed the economy under Bush and fought two unnecessary wars. The Medicare drug benefit was written by drug company lobbyists and was not paid in the budget. The GOP is no longer a serious political party nationally.

Chris P

November 24th, 2012
3:27 pm

Until the politicians in government can demonstrate that they can reduce or eliminate waste and that spending cuts can be made, I will never vote for someone to raise my taxes!!

td

November 24th, 2012
3:30 pm

Joseph Wilson

November 24th, 2012
3:17 pm

“If the Clinton tax rates were still in place, the country would be running a surplus”

Just proves how you libs do not understand basic math. You can tax the evil top 10% at 100% and still not balance the budget, much less reduce any debt. Spending is the problem and until real cuts are made then I am totally opposed to raising one cent in taxes.

Tony

November 24th, 2012
3:34 pm

This problem has been set up in the format of the classic FALSE DICHOTOMY where on the issue there are only two choices. Fortunately, Mr. Chambliss is able to see through this for what it is and acknowledge the reasonable need to look at raising revenue. Mr. Norquist and his followers are the ones perpetrating fraud on the American people. Their continued support of reduced taxes for the wealthy while the middle class bears the burden is ludicrous.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
3:35 pm

“You can tax the evil top 10% at 100% and still not balance the budget, much less reduce any debt.”

TD, assuming that’s true, and I assume you want the top ten percent to stay where they are in the pile, and knowing that we have trillions in debt, who are the people you want to suffer? Where are the cuts and what are the results?

Banderson

November 24th, 2012
3:39 pm

People change their minds on pledges all the time. Ask any of Newt’s ex wives.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
3:40 pm

Um; “9/11 was NOT an economic trauma in any way” — what the hell are you talking about? It was a huge bump in the economy, it quite possibly was the start of the financial collapse; although I don’t subscribe to ‘too big to fail’. Fail damn it, and don’t be as stupid to do it twice!

“In 1998, the US budget SURPLUS was $69 billion; in 1999, the US budget SURPLUS was $126 billion; and in 2000, the US budget SURPLUS was $236 billion” — not entirely factual. These are fictitious numbers, as they counted Social Security Taxes in the general fund. Had these been TRUE surpluses and had those SSI* taxes truly been saved and invested, we might not be facing trillions of dollars in unfunded SSI* debt today and tomorrow. PLUS! During this time would have been an excellent time to start talking and acting on future benefits of SSI* . . . Not the “I*” it was always intended and originally called INSURANCE. Not a benefit, not a retirement. Government greed and buying of voters and special interest has long been a failure in government. They saw money sitting there to spend, when it was gone, then they raised the taxing rate of SSI in order to JUSTIFY their taxing and spending, promising RETIREMENT to you ’someday’ in the future we’ll pay that.

rj

November 24th, 2012
3:42 pm

Grover, get over yourself

WAW

November 24th, 2012
3:45 pm

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalms 2)

Because after November 6, the Sons of the Republican Party have no flag to fly and only crow to eat.

Banderson

November 24th, 2012
3:50 pm

td – If you taxed everyone with “taxable” income of more than $200,000 per year 100%, you’d erase the deficit, except for one thing. Those people would stop working. On the other hand, if you tax them 0%, you don’t make any dent in the deficit at all. So, there’s some number in the middle, perhaps back at the rates when Clinton was president (be glad they’re not the 91% rates when Eisenhower was president) that would not hurt the economy and help close the gap in our budget over time.

td

November 24th, 2012
3:53 pm

Dave

November 24th, 2012
3:35 pm

Before I even think of raising taxes then real cuts must be made. You can either cut benefits or you can cut the size and scope of government.

We can not continue to feed and provide medical coverage to able bodied people that should work which is about 20 to 25% of the population. We can not continue to pay Federal government employees more then their counterparts make in the private sector.

Cut the number of Federal government workers by 30 to 50% and then cut in half the number of people on entitlement programs then we can talk about raising taxes.

td

November 24th, 2012
3:56 pm

Banderson

November 24th, 2012
3:50 pm

td – If you taxed everyone with “taxable” income of more than $200,000 per year 100%, you’d erase the deficit, except for one thing. Those people would stop working. On the other hand, if you tax them 0%, you don’t make any dent in the deficit at all. So, there’s some number in the middle, perhaps back at the rates when Clinton was president (be glad they’re not the 91% rates when Eisenhower was president) that would not hurt the economy and help close the gap in our budget over time.

If you raised the rates back to the Clinton era rates then you would only raise $80 billion per year and we are running over a $1 trillion deficit. Tell us again how this is going to help?

Dave

November 24th, 2012
3:56 pm

Okay, Feds (that does mean the military, right, or are you making exceptions already?) down the tubes everyone else getting the dreaded entitlements even worse, doesn’t balance the budget, much less reduce the deficit. Next?

Dennis

November 24th, 2012
3:58 pm

Saxby has been/is nothing but a game player.

Given Republcian’s unpopularity at presennt, what Chambley’s trying to do with this move is to lay the ground work for another run and hope moderates will support him.

You don’t have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.

Larry Merriam

November 24th, 2012
3:58 pm

It’s a bunch of crap that Saxby Chambliss made his promise to the voters. Like a pledge signers he signed out of fear that Grover would use his considerable financial resourses to defeat him. Now he has come to the realization that the only oath he really took was to “protect and defend the contitution of the United States. Congratulations Senator Chambliss for your honesty.

Visit http://www.groverno.com and add your name to encourage others to break away from Grover and restore sanity to America.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
4:06 pm

“Stop whining, Republicans! You lost the election” — “Because after November 6, the Sons of the Republican Party have no flag to fly and only crow to eat.” —– This last election was by no means a ‘mandate’ or ‘majority’, Obama had over 5 million less votes than in 2008. With Romney getting 2 million less votes than McCain, a lot of people stayed home; many switched from voting Democrat to voting Republican. This election was very tight. People don’t like how government is being run, PERIOD. Look at the approval ratings. “If the Clinton tax rates were still in place, the country would be running a surplus” — “perhaps back at the rates when Clinton was president (be glad they’re not the 91% rates when Eisenhower was president)” No, we have way more entitlement spending now than under Clinton. The 91% rates had so many tax loop holes and write offs, nobody actually paid those rates anyway. That is why the loop holes were eliminated and the rates made more reasonable. FINALLY, you all know that the “Bush” tax cuts were not for just the wealthy? When they expire in January the average joe who makes $10/hr will also see his taxes increase $1,000 to $2,000 a year too.

Banderson

November 24th, 2012
4:13 pm

td – I wouldn’t sneeze at an additional $80 billion. It’s more than we spend on food stamps($75 billion).

http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/25/news/economy/food-stamps-ads/index.htm

Dave

November 24th, 2012
4:14 pm

Jim Frankland, just a minute ago, what’s your point? Let the tax cuts expire on everyone? Keep them and cut spending? Somewhere in the middle? In any event, what do you you cut? I’m kinda tired of the cut before you increase taxes mantra. Cutting or increasing alone won’t get it done. Someday, I want to hear someone speak intelligently about getting it done. That said, I’ve often been disappointed in life.

Banderson

November 24th, 2012
4:23 pm

Jim F. – I’m pretty sure that even the Dems want all the tax cuts to expire. It would be a dumb thing to do while trying to recover from a recession. Of course, if both parties decide let it happen, then that’s what we’ll have, by law, until they work something out. BTw, cutting spending will hurt the economy too. That gov. spending, whether it’s going to Haliburton or to some poor family, goes into the general spending by the public. I’m not saying we can continue to go deeper in debt, but the government spending was a reason the recession wasn’t worse.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
4:24 pm

Well Dave, you can be tired of hearing the mantra of cut before tax; but it is just talk. You reverse it, then your taxing without cutting and the people being taxed might be a little tired of watching others burn their money for no good reason. This is not the American way, taking handouts. Someone earlier compared other countries in their taxation. Fine, good for them, hope their socialism works, but as we’ve seen, when they run out of money, and then try to cut benefits; you tend to get public riots and property destruction. I hope we turn around long before it comes to that.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
4:46 pm

Jim Frankland, Who said I want to reverse it? But, handouts and Socialism? Please, you take shots and then worry that the economy won’t be turned around before there are riots in the streets. Yet you offer no more than that the “taxed” are weary of their taxation. Damned poor people, I don’t want to help and they’re going to riot because they’re starving!

Cherokee

November 24th, 2012
4:47 pm

td, like so many others, yells ‘cuts’, but can’t suggest any that are really viable.

Cut entitlements? Medicare and Social Security? First, most of the people collecting from those have paid money into the programs, and secondly, Bush II tried it, and now Romney Ryan ran on the idea – and didn’t fare so well. So what’s your next suggestion? Cut federal employees? Again, which ones? The military? Research scientists? Law enforcement? Food safety enforcement personnel?

Sure, let’s cut the waste, but until cons man up and identify specific areas to cut, and tell how they’re going to sell those ideas to the American people, you’re spitting in the wind.

td

November 24th, 2012
4:53 pm

Cherokee

November 24th, 2012
4:47 pm

Here is two areas you could cut at least 25% out of the budget (excluding Medicare) and save about $500 billion per year. You could then cut about another $200 billion from doing away with the Federal DOE:

” Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP: Three health insurance programs – Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – together accounted for 21 percent of the budget in 2011, or $769 billion. Nearly two-thirds of this amount, or $486 billion, went to Medicare, which provides health coverage to around 48 million people who are over the age of 65 or have disabilities. The remainder of this category funds Medicaid and CHIP, which in a typical month in 2011 provided health care or long-term care to about 60 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Both Medicaid and CHIP require matching payments from the states.

Two other categories together account for another fifth of federal spending:

Safety net programs: About 13 percent of the federal budget in 2011, or $466 billion, went to support programs that provide aid (other than health insurance or Social Security benefits) to individuals and families facing hardship. Spending on safety net programs declined in both nominal and real terms between 2010 and 2011 as the economy continued to improve and initiatives funded by the 2009 Recovery Act began to expire.

These programs include: the refundable portion of the earned-income and child tax credits, which assist low- and moderate-income working families through the tax code; programs that provide cash payments to eligible individuals or households, including Supplemental Security Income for the elderly or disabled poor and unemployment insurance; various forms of in-kind assistance for low-income families and individuals, including food stamps, school meals, low-income housing assistance, child-care assistance, and assistance in meeting home energy bills; and various other programs such as those that aid abused and neglected children.”

Dave

November 24th, 2012
4:56 pm

td, before I call you an idiot, you are kidding, right?

td

November 24th, 2012
4:58 pm

“Should federal workers get a raise? With salaries and benefits paid to the government’s civilian workers totaling $271 billion in 2011″

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-truth-about-federal-salary-numbers/2012/11/18/08acd084-293e-11e2-bab2-eda299503684_story.html

Cut this workforce down by at least 1/3 and you can save another $80 to $100 billion per year.

td

November 24th, 2012
5:00 pm

Dave

November 24th, 2012
4:56 pm

td, before I call you an idiot, you are kidding, right?

So do you think we should be providing insurance, food and other day to day subsistence for 20 to 25% of our population?

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
5:02 pm

Dave, you bring up a good point; everyone here is stuck in their idealism (party line or brainwash); and in government nobody wants to stick their neck out and come up with a plan or idea; although that is exactly why we elected these idiots — DO THEIR JOBS! But both sides are NO TAX and NO CUTS; but NO SOLUTIONS either. That is why in my first post, I suggested the people of Georgia, “look at his decisions very closely”. If he’s just jumping party lines to get votes in two years; the hell with him! If he’s willing to jump lines saying, I’m open to taxes if you cut spending 3 to 1; 4 to 1; or some other number; maybe there is merit there. But raising taxes alone isn’t “American”. What would *I* cut in spending? 1.) Unemployment benefits back to original terms. You can’t continue unemployment for YEARS. Reality check – get a job. 2.) Welfare. Consider $600/mo housing allowance, $200/mo adult and $100/mo per child. So a mother and two kids costs $12,000 a year; why is the government paying out $50,000 a year? There is way too much overhead in government workers and red tape; we need a simpler system. We need a cheaper system. We also need a system with incentives to get people OFF the system. It is actually SHAMEFUL and IRRESPONSIBLE to have a system which keeps (FORCES) people to stay on it. I’ve heard conversations with those on section eight; “oh be sure your income doesn’t go beyond $12,000 a year or you’ll loose your benefits” REALLY?! Is that what we all strive for?! How about a system that actually gives bonuses if you increase your income, then expiration times on benefits; say 18 months beyond the income cut off limits. By then those people should be EARNING enough money to be substantially back on their feet. Enough so they wouldn’t want to take a CUT to go back on the system, unless bad times forced them back there. Say, $100/mo bonus for 18/mo if you DO earn more than $12,000; $250/mo if you earn $15,000. What the hell, a $2,500 bonus check if you get off the system and sustain yourself for the next 12 months. What about healthcare? We’ve now seen the finalized insurance plans for 2014. Some of these cheap policies will require the insured to cover up to 40% of their costs out of pocket. Sure these plans will have cheap premiums and satisfy the health insurance requirement. BUT HOW ON EARTH does this new system help anyone? Are these 50,000 un-insured (now insured) now going to come up with $20,000 to cover their $50,000 heart attack bill? There’s no malpractice caps or other cost cutting in this grand healthcare law. There are actually death panels, although they don’t actually exist, cause the aren’t called “DEATH” panels. There is so much that could be done, that isn’t. Finally, Banderson; “That gov. spending, . . . goes into the general spending by the public” NOT REALLY. The difference between you spending $50 into the economy and being taxed $50 to be put back into the economy is choice and freedom. YOU decide if it will be Walmart or your neighborhood grocery. With government you’ve got approved lobbied businesses, they decide who fails and succeeds, they decide if you live or die, they decide. But when you add inefficiency as government is good at; they tax you $50, spend $100 for the same thing; only today it isn’t China who pitches in the other $50, Mr. Bernanke is now PRINTING it, so your NEXT $50 you spend is worth 2% less every year because he’s diluting (by printing more dollars) your buying power. That equals a 2% TAX that is now hidden. That’s also 2% for 2013; but will be 5% by 2020 due to increased debt.

Babs

November 24th, 2012
5:04 pm

Who is this Grover Norquist anyway? Sounds like a made up name!

Dave

November 24th, 2012
5:06 pm

Okay, td first. Why not? Most societies have been doing that for the past few thousand years. People that are dying of curable disease and starving tend to have an unpleasant disposition towards the people doing their best to see that they don’t have health care and food. See for example Arab Spring,

curt

November 24th, 2012
5:07 pm

Norquest says Chambliss lied to the people of this country? No he was bullied by an arrogant know nothing who is only one very loud self important voice among many. I will never forgive Saxby for the lies he told about Max Cleland to get elected but it’s time someone stood up to the Norquest, the Krotch Brothers and all of these clowns who put their pocketbooks above they country they pretend to love. The Bush tax breaks were a poisoned pill designed to take away the pain of a trumped up war, unlike WW2 where everyone sacrificed, and now they’ve become ingrained in our expectations. Where were all of these folks when Bush was turning a surplus into a deficit? The rabid right sure does have a short and convenient memory.
I’m with you on this one for a change Saxby. If Norquest is so smart how about he run for elected office instead of ranting like a spoiled brat and perform that anatomically impossible act that Dick Cheney once suggested to Patrick Leahey on the senate floor.

Josh

November 24th, 2012
5:11 pm

If they put tax increases on the table, we’ll get the tax increases immediately but the spending cuts will be some convoluted cuts that occur over years…. i.e. end up get wiped out by additional spending increases voted on during those years.

What we need to do is put hard wired controls in that don’t allow the deficits/debt to get out of control. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t allow for short term deficits for certain emergency circumstances but it would require that the cost be dealt with in a reasonable time frame. We’re kicking the can down the road to disaster because we can now.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
5:12 pm

Now Jim Frankland: You are now talking specific cuts which need to be considered and implemented. But, you are being unrealistic about much of what your write. Health care? Who do you think pays for it now, via a terribly inefficient system? Do you, like td think the have nots should waste away in the gutter? If you do, you are in need of a reality check. I think it is in the Bible, “the poor will always be with us.” Back then they had gleanings and jubilees. These days we have welfare and other public assistance programs. The aren’t going away unless you want more than riots. The question is how do we deal with the reality of costs.

Skip

November 24th, 2012
5:12 pm

How many votes did Grover get in the last election?

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
5:20 pm

Sorry, Dave; now I’m going to have to throw the “idiot” flag. “Okay, td first. Why not? Most societies have been doing that for the past few thousand years.” I say FIRMLY — NO! For those 25% of the population who don’t want to improve themselves and get off the government teat — 1 First Class Ticket to another country of their choice. Yes, sorry you have to give you your USA card. I’m not talking about the physically handicap or mental disability which is really only 1 – 2% of the population. I’m talking the able bodied – unwilling to support themselves. Dave, I have to assume your comment 5:06pm is either joking or your one of the occupiers who’s actually be supported by the rest of the country. (btw your 1% is a myth. There isn’t a 97-98%. In fact the majority is middle to lower class in this country and soon they will tire of paying for the lazy; as you’ll never — ever — tax the 1% enough to pay for everything you want. You can’t mandate productivity, not even under socialism; so productivity and taxable income will suffer to the extent that the end result is zero.)

RGB

November 24th, 2012
5:34 pm

Norquist is 100% correct. If Chambliss is intent on governing as a Democrat, he should switch parties and run as such. We should not have to expend effort keeping Chambliss on the reservation. Just switch parties and the liberal elites can laud him for his “integrity” and “putting his country above party” when neither would be the case. At his age, if he doesn’t grasp rudimentary economics, then he never will.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
5:43 pm

Jim, it must be sad to be afraid of most of society. I didn’t saying anything about percentages, 1, 99 or 47. If you think you can export what you consider problem folks, have at it. Start with the folks from south of the border and work your way to the 25% you don’t think are pulling their weight, then see how the economy is doing. My demographic? I don’t pay much attention to that kind of stuff; but, probably right about the 90% mark. I’ve paid my way in life and I’m pretty sure I can get to death without becoming a burden on society. I just want most, not only a few people to get there with me – I don’t think that should be a function of independent wealth.

clem

November 24th, 2012
5:49 pm

td stick to something you know about….last election proved you quite wrong. your side lost on prez, senate, and house if you counted total votes not gerrymandered districts. if dems put forth some real cuts in neighborhood of 1 t to go with tax hikes for rich than a deal should be struck. then move on to entitlement, tax and health care cost reform.

burntgrassroot

November 24th, 2012
5:52 pm

The United States does not have a $16 trillion deficit. We have a $1 trillion deficit. $16 trillion is the public debt. The deficit is what we lack to pay the debt. The $16 trillion is debt because it’s what we’ve already spent. Seems to me that at this point conservatives are better called contrarians, since it was liberal to implement the Bush tax cuts that benefit a minority of American taxpayers, and it isn’t clear what they’re conserving. In my opinion, the Southern strategy has morphed into a powerful delusion to convince middle-class wage earners that we have more in common with the rich than with each other, so we’ll vote to our country’s detriment. To my mind, if there’s any mandate from November’s elections, it is that our president continue in his executive role, and congress begin to legislate in a competent, responsible manner. (Somewhere it says that faith without works is dead–one shows one’s faith by efficiently and consistently doing good work.)

I didn’t vote for Sen. Chambliss, but as one of his Georgia constituents, I’m glad that he seems to want to serve the interests of Georgia in this fiscal matter. (I do wonder why our other Senate representative, Sen. Isakson, has been silent throughout.) I’m not a lawyer, but it seems that this Norquist oath that our representatives signed is unenforceable under Article 6 of the US Constitution, and in direct contravention of Article 1 Sections 7 and 8.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

LAW

November 24th, 2012
5:56 pm

QUOTE:
“Common Sense

November 24th, 2012
12:56 pm

“n 1998, the US budget SURPLUS was $69 billion; in 1999, the US budget SURPLUS was $126 billion; and in 2000, the US budget SURPLUS was $236 billion.”

There was never a surplus. The total budget deficit did not decline in the years you stated. This is another democratic myth.”

Response.
The person who wrote that is a pathetic liar. The facts can be found by anybody. The public debt declined under Clinton from approximately 1995 through 2001 – but don’t let NO SENSE pretend that Bush did anything but take credit for Clinton’s leadership.
He or she can cry, whine, plead, snivel, P&M, … but a lie is a lie.- And this person is a liar.

This is what is wrong with conservatives. They are pathological liars who are incapable of facing reality.

And stupid liars. Caught in a lie about the budget SURPLUS, he tries the old “change the topic” gambit – pretend that “SURPLUS” is the same as “deficit”. If he believes that (doubtful) he’s stupid as well as a liar.

Which is it NONSENSE? Are you a liar or a fool?

Buckhead Boy

November 24th, 2012
6:01 pm

Jim, does that mean that all Georgians have to go since this state has benefited more through the federal government than contributed for the past seventy-five years? We’re all “takers” here. And, how about those shiftless South Carolinians who reap $1.93 for every dollar paid in? They certainly shouldn’t be given a first class ticket. Come to think of it, are you are calling for self-deportation from all the dependent states? If so, the Republicans won’t like that as the dependent states are preponderantly red. However, you may be right — that the people in the blue donor states will tire of our unwillingness to support ourselves, and want us gone.

James

November 24th, 2012
6:02 pm

It’s about time some politician somewhere stood up to Goober Norquist. No one in the General Assembly seems to be man enough to.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
6:13 pm

Dave, “I didn’t saying anything about percentages, 1, 99 or 47″; well my apologies then, I thought you were in a conversation with td, when (at 5pm) he asked if you were good with, “…providing insurance, food and other day to day subsistence for 20 to 25% of our population?” That being said; I don’t think you’ve answered the question. You’ve paid your way in live, and don’t plan on becoming a burden to society in the future. Don’t you think that is something we should all still strive for? Don’t you think our grandparents policy of “I would feel bad asking someone else to pay my way” is a good value to still live by, to still teach our children and grand children? See, I’m not “afraid of most of society” YET, but I do see the writing on the wall, this past election and the occupation of some of the least of us who feel someone else should pay their way. I know you haven’t been paying attention, but your not the 90% anymore, there is a growing percentage that feels government must be their Robin Hood. I’m not against those Mexicans who illegally crossed the border seeking to work hard to better their families. I am against the corporate farmer using cheap slave labor (piece work rates) provided by these Mexicans, rather than raise the cost of a head of lettuce 50 cents. I am against brushing off borders; in fact, it is treasonous for our government to be running ads on Mexico television and radio informing people how to apply for aid. As for the Bible, even Jesus drew a line between “give your money to the poor” and “shall not covet your neighbor”. As I said before, it is wrong (no, scratch that — evil) to offer to sustain the poor in poverty for eternity. I’d rather grow a system which supports teaching those to fish rather than a system which requires we constantly provide the fish.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
6:22 pm

Clem @ 5:49pm: “Stop whining, Republicans! You lost the election and would have lost the House if not for gerrymandered districts in GOP-controlled states” Joseph @ 3:17pm “Stop whining, Republicans! You lost the election and would have lost the House if not for gerrymandered districts in GOP-controlled states”
IDIOT — TROLL — Go spread your crap somewhere else, we are tired of hearing your bull — say something productive — get a life — looser.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
6:27 pm

Jim it would seem to me that we aren’t that far apart given your last post. We should all strive to be where I, and I assume, you are. There are people who are takers, always have been and always will be – at the top and the bottom of the economic ladder. Taking care of those that can’t do it on their own is not wrong; and, it isn’t evil to support the poor, short term or for eternity. It is dumb to create a system that supports rich folks making the risk public and the profit private, their private profit – then blaming the poor for their profligacy.

Dave

November 24th, 2012
6:31 pm

Though Jim, it would seem that your last diatribe at 6:22 would make it doubtful that we could ever be simpatico. I’m off to dinner.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
6:38 pm

Hi Buckhead Boy, It’s actually funny that of all my posts you keyed in on the one where the discussion was in regards to TD’s question to Dave; when he asked if it ok that 20 to 25% of the population relied upon the rest to support them in full. That being said, let me respond to your point. I think we need to question the sustainability of reaping $1.93 for every $1.00 paid, for seventy five years. We are the “united” states because together we should be able to pull each other up when needed. Help each other out, if that is no longer the axiom, then really, what is the point of the “United” States? This “blue donor states will tire of our unwillingness to support ourselves” is also quite funny to me, how many “blue” states actually support themselves and have a surplus in which to share? California just VOTED another tax increase, when most of their productive society is fleeing to other states. When Government is the biggest employer and your running a deficit, when does it all come crashing down. So let me turn the question around to you: Are we all good to go, raise taxes upon the rich nation wide and problem solved? Continue as usual until the system fails like Greece?

Atlantan

November 24th, 2012
6:40 pm

Chamblis is a joke. The problem is there are no real cuts, but only “revenues” – for the love of humanity call it taxes you crooked politicos. How much more of my life should I give up so Obama and company can hand out goodies. I’m not a millionaire technically, but definitely come in under Obama’s term – households with $250k a year. Last year my family paid over $100k in income taxes. Why do Obama, libs and Saxby believe that someone who makes under $250k has more value and a right to liberty and freedom to me and others at my level? Atlas will shrug and it won’t be pretty…..

Timmy

November 24th, 2012
6:43 pm

I’m suprised wmaz cracked this story. I usually watch them for their top-notch rush hour traffic reporting.

td

November 24th, 2012
6:56 pm

I love it that all you libs think that Grover forced the Conservatives to sign some type of oath and now think Grover runs the Republican party. Nothing is farther from the truth.

We (Conservatives in America) supported Grover’s idea to put Republican candidates on the record as to what they would do as far as taxes were concerned. The politicians did not make a pledge to Grover but made a pledge to the voters that put them in office not to raise taxes. We (Conservatives in America) hold them to that pledge. If they want to go back on their pledge then they do not have to answer to Grover but instead have to answer to the Conservatives in their district or state.

If a Republican wants to raise taxes then they are really a Democrat and should run as one because we do not want them representing us.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
7:04 pm

Atlantan… you lie…

It is a bad to break a promise, but it is worse to let a promise break you

November 24th, 2012
7:06 pm

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge HAS NO USE BY DATE.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
7:06 pm

Dave, I know you’ve left the conversation, maybe your just waking up to reality. Get back to me in a couple of years. I’ve been looking at this problem for over ten now (obsessively with the economy of the world since 2006; which ultimately points back to politics), looking at all sides, trying to understand the problem and find a solution, looking for people (representatives to Washington) who support a good solution. My lack of patience is reserved for the idiots who simply yell talking points or don’t add constructive information to topics, only shout their point of view. I answered Joseph Wilson’s post of 3:17pm in my 4:06pm response, Joseph changed his name to Clem; or they are both just paid supporters of the Democrat Party (yes, they do pay people to sit and chat – post lies until the lies become truth – or common knowledge) and POSTED THE EXACT SAME THING again. I have no more tolerance for it. I believe strongly in two things; “Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither”; either financial or physical security; and “A democracy only lasts until the people realize they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury.” That is why we have a republic. But it is now a Democracy by proxy since the politicians buy their votes; back to my original comment on this post: “Georgia look at his decisions very closely and if needed look for a REPLACEMENT in two years.” Saxby ’s actions now need to be monitored and hope it isn’t just a ploy to gain votes. But, as Buckhead Boy asked me, maybe it is already too late. If Georgian’s already get more back than what they spend in taxes, maybe they will look at this as, tax those rich in favor of our gains; and vote to keep their Robin Hood. Then God help the entire country as we fall.

MASR

November 24th, 2012
7:12 pm

I will NOT vote for Chambliss if he supports taking more of my hard-earned tax dollars to waste.
The PROBLEM is not lack of revenue.
The PROBLEM is out of control wasteful spending!
Below are listed just a FEW of the examples of how the crooks in the U.S. government are stealing TRILLIONS of dollars from hard working U.S. taxpayers:

41 Obama White House Aides Owe $831,000 in Back Taxes.
At the EPA 413 people owe more than $19 MILLION in back taxes!
At the FDIC, 185 employees owe more than $3 MILLION.
Five people at the U.S. Tax Court owe $62,508.
Why are you not trying to retrieve this money????

Outrageous Congressional benefits: free health care, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays , 3 weeks paid vacation , unlimited paid sick days,emergency rooms for YOUR general health care at just one hospital cost the tax payers over 25 MILLION a year!!!

Aid to Haiti, Chile, Turkey, Pakistan, Muslims in middle East countries… BILLIONS of hard earned tax payer DOLLARS!!!

Obama Administration Spent $180,000 on “Official Portraits” This Year.

Despite $15.9 BILLION Loss, U.S. Postal Service Execs See Boost in Pay. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe earned a base salary of $276,840, but even without a bonus or incentive payout, his overall compensation came to $512,093, compared with $384,229 in 2011, according to regulatory filings. Two other executives — Ellis Burgoyne, chief information officer, and Mary Anne Gibbons, general counsel — also received hefty increases in their retirement plans.

White House Announces $6 BILLION to Promote Clean Energy — IN ASIA.

A snake and squirrel study Federal grant $390,000 in 2010 in California.

$5.6 MILLION of US taxpayers dollars in 2011 to Preserve Cultural Landmarks – in Other Countries.

Welfare Cost $746 BILLION Last Year – More Than Social Security or Basic Defense.

New York and Massachusetts are administering food stamps to 2,000 dead people.

Federal Judge Orders Sex-Change Operation for Convicted Murderer, to Be Paid for by Taxpayers.

$4 BILLION in 4 Years: Federal Subsidies to Chicago Schools.

White House Requests Over Half BILLION Dollars to Subsidize Housing for drug addicts.

Hillary Clinton joins Elton John as she vows to beat AIDS with $150 MILLION spending spree.

Expedition to find Amelia Earhart’s crashed plane returns empty handed after $2.2 MILLION voyage.

White House announces $1 BILLION ‘master teacher’ program.

The U.S. government offers free medical and education benefits to illegal aliens, all at the cost to U.S. taxpayers. Now, we can add food stamps to the list of free benefits they will be receiving.

Obama Calls for $12.7 TRILLION in New Welfare Spending.

8,733,461: Workers on Federal ‘Disability’ Exceed Population of New York City.

$20 MILLION to help clean energy projects in Africa get started.

Obama gives Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood $1.5 BILLION.

$40 MILLION to Create 3 “Green” Jobs.

$9 BILLION in ‘Stimulus’ Made 910 Final Jobs — $9.8 MILLION Per Job.

Medicaid’s personal care services program budget has ballooned to more than $12 BILLION a year, just to send what amounts to a nanny to provide supportive ‘nonmedical services’ like meal preparation, housework, help with bathing and getting dressed, transportation and even money management.

Congress and the President need to get serious about wasteful spending before there is NO more US tax payer to tax.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
7:12 pm

For four years every prediction, prognostication or prediction you wingnut has been wrong, you’ve cheered bad news and wished for even more… shake your fists at the wind, but know this you’ve exposed yourselves for what you are and the people have replied…

rj

November 24th, 2012
7:14 pm

td- it is your kind that has created the illusion in your own mind that you have the corner on rational thinking and it has given illegitimate birth to the infamous tea party. You care not about someone’s ability to have original thoughts or is capable of analysis, all you care about is signing some pledge that on it’s face is completely irrational that someone who is running for office can magically see into the future and pledge not to do something regardless of circumstances. You care not about the integrity and ability of a candidate, you just support whomever will sign a statement. Just in Georgia alone the TP has supported individuals with arrest records, poor financial histories of their own, no qualifications for a sought position other than some allegiance to the closed mind that is part of the characteristics of a TP member. Your golden boy Tom Graves in absolving himself of bank debt simply indicated that the bank should have known he couldn’t pay the debt back when they made him the loan. Forget about the promise to pay called a note. The Republican Party has to move to the center, and can do so without sacrificing principles, and get rid of the extremes that have made their way under the tent under false pretenses that they cared about this country. Let’s hope that given the defeat we experienced by picking Paul Ryan as VP wakes up the Republican Party and moves to correct or it will be another 8 years after this term of Democratic residence in the White House.

Atlantan

November 24th, 2012
7:16 pm

@Rightwing troll – you are an idiot, but you go raise those taxes. You probably aren’t attuned enough to read the WSJ, but businesses are cutting back. You Obama voters and left nuts own it…

Doug

November 24th, 2012
7:28 pm

I think Grover’s had one in him.

Julie

November 24th, 2012
7:31 pm

Grover isn’t king of the United States. He’s nothing more than a wanna be tyrant. Saxby is doing his job, a job he was fairly elected to do by his constituents.

JMH

November 24th, 2012
7:31 pm

Righting Troll, you don’t seem to have many ideas! What’s you plan? Bashing others who have the facts on their side because you don’t have a legitimate argument?

Peter

November 24th, 2012
7:33 pm

Norquist is a traitor.

Cherokee

November 24th, 2012
7:36 pm

You have, like, a source for all that stuff, MASR? And I mean a legitimate source, not Breitbart or Beck’s rags…

Didn’t think so….

td

November 24th, 2012
7:48 pm

Peter

November 24th, 2012
7:33 pm

Norquist is a traitor.

Oh yes, Grover put out a piece of paper, that represents what the Republican candidates promised conservative voters, and is now reminding them of the promises they made and you call him a traitor. Typical socialist thought.

td

November 24th, 2012
7:50 pm

Julie

November 24th, 2012
7:31 pm

“Grover isn’t king of the United States. He’s nothing more than a wanna be tyrant.”

Another idiot comment by a socialist. There is nothing Grover can do to any politician that breaks the pledge except to remind the people that put them in office.

Saxby is doing his job, a job he was fairly elected to do by his constituents.

td

November 24th, 2012
7:52 pm

“Saxby is doing his job, a job he was fairly elected to do by his constituents.”

I did not elect Saxby to raise taxes and will try my best to make sure he does not represent me again if he decides to go back on his campaign promise and raises taxes.

Michael

November 24th, 2012
7:55 pm

Grover has become one of the ugly faces of the Repluicans although he now talks about the need for diversity. Yeh, right Grover. As long as people like him are associated the the Repulicans they will never be elected President. The Bible belt is another story But hang in there TD.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
7:57 pm

Sure. If you don’t like the ACA, find a better way to make those who use ER’s as their primary source of Healthcare…. Pay for it.
Tax me 3.9% more.
Streamline most every govt program out there, eliminate duplicity and repetition.
Cut spending across the board by 5%.

End all wars, both wars of choice and lies(Iraq), and wars where the mission is REALLY accomplished (Afghanistan), they don’t want us there anyway.

Don’t weep for the wealthy, they’ve raked it in for the last 8 years and have created no jobs. Pull your head out of Grover’s arse, he’s part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Jim Frankland

November 24th, 2012
7:58 pm

Cherokee, So how is it I can google three of MASR’s facts (picked at random) and it comes back with all sorts of hits. Some blogs, some like CBS News. (Is that off your ‘list’ too?) Yet, you pointedly add, “Didn’t think so….”. You have enough computer knowledge to post but not google? Or if you just keep shouting “liar” long enough the facts will vanish? Now if you with to argue the point, and point out how some issue or another isn’t the fault of, Obama? I can’t tell if that’s your side, you didn’t say. I suppose eventually time will tell, at the end of these 4 years O will have NOBODY but HIMSELF (believe it or not) to blame for the destruction of the economy, the destruction of what was left of the stability in the Middle East, or anything else that happens while he was out playing golf.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
8:05 pm

And how is Grover doing all this “reminding”??? With OPM… And I’m sure he isn’t skimming any off the top… And I’m sure there are no strings attached, no?

It’s wonderful that the election was decided by millions with a few dollars a piece, instead of a few with a million dollars a piece. In spite of an activist court who gave us Citizens United, and a lobbyist like Grover, the will of the people prevailed…

td

November 24th, 2012
8:05 pm

Michael

November 24th, 2012
7:55 pm

It is you are the one that needs to keep on believing my friend. There are 30 states that have Republican governors that signed Grover’s pledge, 20 state legislatures totally controlled by Republicans that signed Grover’s pledge and an additional 6 states where at least one chamber that is controlled by Republicans that signed the pledge.

There will be 7 Democratic Senators up for re election in 2014 in states that Romney won and 0 Republicans up for re election in states that was won by Obama. The US house has been Gerrymandered by Republicans in such a way that Republicans will control the house for the next 10 years (as long as they do not break the pledge they made to conservative voters).

BTW: Even in states that Obama won like Ohio, VA and Florida, the Republican HOR’s members did not lose re election.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
8:09 pm

More lies… The economy is getting better, no matter how hard you wish it weren’t. And no president can control events in the ME… Lord knows W couldn’t, yet you voted for him… Twice… In spite of the fact that the wheels were plainly coming off, yet things are plainly improving and you scream and lie more and louder…

JMH

November 24th, 2012
8:20 pm

RWT the economy is treading water at best. The stock market is up because uncle Ben is firing up the printing press again and buying up govt debt. Companies are operating lean and mean and that won’t change anytime soon….no more jobs because they won’t hire with all the new taxes, regulations, and uncertainty in the market. I would be willing to bet that unemployment goes back above 9% before it goes below 7%; how much money u got?

Ol' Timer

November 24th, 2012
8:23 pm

I heard Grover Norquist say that he began thinking about this tax pledge idea when he was 12 or 13 years old.

Now, listen to me: that ain’t right. That flat out ain’t normal!

A 12 or 13 year old boy should be thinking about ball and girls and hunting and fishing — not a damn tax pledge!

That ol’ boy ain’t right and he as much as admitted it by saying he was thinking about this tax pledge idea when he was a 12 or 13 year old kid.

I wonder if he still lives in his mama’s basement?

dabir dalton

November 24th, 2012
8:29 pm

Common Sense wrote: If we want to return to the tax rates of the ’90s. then let’s also roll back the excessive legislation and minimum wage increases we have had since then.

______________________

Not until you agree to roll back the excessive pay increases of CEO’s such as the CEO of home depot who was paid 25 million dollars after he’d closed several stores and laid off employees a couple of years ago.

Not until conservatives agree to condemn Arthur Blank co founder of home depot who believes that he is entitled to public funds to build a new stadium for the Falcons even as he whines like a spoiled brat about government regulations.

Lets see you show off some real fiscal common sense instead of loyalty to an immoral ideology promoted by an atheist.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
8:40 pm

I’m good… My economy has done nothing but improve through all of this, I’m personally doing better today than I ever have. Focusing on the market on a day by day basis does nothing in terms of showing you the big picture… Empty lots are now being developed everywhere you look, malls are PACKED, new buildings going up everywhere… Open your eyes and turn off Faux news… Obama didn’t win… Mittens snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with the help of extremists like Grover… We should be celebrating the victory of pres-elect Huntsman right now, but you let the lies and extremists create your augmented reality for you, rather than make your own truthful assessments.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
8:44 pm

Papa johns dude and the timeshare dude whine about the cost of imaginary and made up costs while they do their best to not provide living wages to the folks who actually produce for them… All the while they live like kings while their employes are forced to utilize the ER as their primary HC providers… Who pays for that?

Ol' Timer

November 24th, 2012
8:54 pm

RightWingTroll. . . .damn if you ain’t been reading my mind. I remember four or five weeks after Obama took office, the stock market was at 6400 and it’s over 13, 000 now.

Turning a cruise ship take time and turning around an economy that was the worst since the Great Depression also takes time, but we’re on the right path if the Vandals in the House of Representatives don’t set us back.

I’m convinced those ol’ boys had just as soon drive the ship of state aground as compromise on any issue.

But the difference is, the American people are wise to their obstructionists ways and will continue to kick their butts out of office if they don’t get with the program.

And, so it goes. . . . .

Eugene Goldsmith

November 24th, 2012
8:57 pm

As someone who has been involved in politics for over 30 years, I am still waiting for the decrease in spending that the Republicans have been offered every time they agree to raise taxes. O’Neill promised Reagan two dollars of spending cuts for each dollar of increase in taxes. Why do you think not one of the candidates in the Republican debates would even agree for 10 to 1 when asked the question? The democrats always lie when it comes to cuts. Make the cuts first and then agree to the revenue increase.

Eugene Goldsmith

November 24th, 2012
9:01 pm

Always agree to the spending cuts first. Everytime the Democrats say they’ll cut spending for tax increases, the taxes always come first and the cuts never happen. Why do you think not one of the Republican candidates agreed to even a 10 to 1deal in the debates? The democrats always lie.

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
9:56 pm

So… Ah Eugene…. Didn’t the Republicans have complete control for 6 years? And, ah… Didn’t they have 2/3 control for most of Clinton’s terms?

Not to throw a wet blanket on your particular, and obviously spoon fed, augmented reality… But wha happened there?

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
9:59 pm

Are those rascally Dems that good that they could snooker the GOP that completely?…really?

Rightwing Troll

November 24th, 2012
10:04 pm

Or is the reality that Republicans are no more frugal than Democrats, they just spend money on different things?

Hmmm… Who to trust…? Those who wish to squander our tax dollars on the military industrial complex and abstinence only, or those who wish to prop up the middle class by saving GM and provide birth control to those who want it…? Hmmm….

Cherokee

November 24th, 2012
10:27 pm

So, Jim, you googled three of his ‘points’ and they came back with hits?

Wow.

I stand corrected – I didn’t know how that worked.

Geeze, have you ever actually used the internet before? You can google any of the wingnut noise machine poutrages and find tons of hits ’cause you all talk to yourselves over and over again. Yeah, THAT’S gonna convince me….

Whoop de doo….

Sorry, my friend, but if someone wants to make a credible point then they need to provide supporting links – otherwise it’s just noise.

kungfua

November 24th, 2012
10:33 pm

Dr Socrates, you are failing to see that we have a problem even bigger than spending: our debt. And that if we cut spending (happy now?) _and_ increase revenue we will be able to pay off the debt even more quickly. Everyone wins. Capice?

Rabbit

November 24th, 2012
10:39 pm

Norquist is becoming as irrelevant as the clown in the sideshow. Chambliss is potentially learning statesmanship.

Rabbit

November 24th, 2012
10:51 pm

Tax rates are the lowest they’ve been in something like 50′years and productivity has been much higher in periods when rates were much higher than now. The whole argument made by Grover & co is flawed and utterly without impirical data to support it.

Brad Naksuthin

November 24th, 2012
10:54 pm

Grover Norquest has it half right. We do spend to much. Too much the war in Afghanistan and the one we just ended in Iraq, too much on a bloated $750 billion dollar a year defense budget, too much in aide to countries like Israel , Egypt and Pakistan, too much on the war on drugs, too much on farm subsidies, too much on crop insurance for farmers etc.

But he also misses the other point. Every decade We keep reducing taxes on everyone…especially the very wealthy. That makes it impossible to pay off the debt…even if we wanted to.

Add to that, Hurricane Wendy was just proof that people don’t really want LESS government. When things go wrong, as they often do, people want MORE government

Redneck

November 24th, 2012
11:04 pm

Groover Norquist no tax pledge for GOP congress is superseded. Congress now faces a voter pledge that states:
1. the fiscal cliff is unacceptable. 2. kicking the can down the road is unacceptable. 3. Find and acceptable answer by cutting spending and gathering reasonable revenue and implement it or you will take the place of the can kicked down the road, or stated another way, “You are Fired”.
Sign up you voters and pass it on.

Starik

November 24th, 2012
11:25 pm

We can’t fight wars without raising taxes. bush got us into this mess by starting two wars, fighting them incompetently and lowering taxes…

BigAintheBigA

November 24th, 2012
11:35 pm

Chambliss needs to go. We’ve known that for some time. He doesn’t have the spine necessary to finish the job in Washington. Shameful and embarrassing. A Georgian trying to excuse his fecklessness by blaming it on his love of country. How sad.

RCB

November 24th, 2012
11:50 pm

Cherokee–no need to google. Most of those points have even been in the network news within the last 6 months.

Sean Francisco

November 25th, 2012
12:04 am

Old Violin

November 25th, 2012
12:32 am

I like the 2.5 percent spending reduction in federal spending (Waste) first ! Then if that doesn’t work, we’ll talk about a little bigger reduction in federal spending (Waste) ! This nation still belongs to the citizens, and the government should start recognizing that fact ! Stop wasting our money, and we won’t need a tax increase ! Cancel the blank checks ! Put senators and congressmen under the same tax, medical and retirement programs that we have to live with, and then we’ll consider listening to what you have to say…..If they can’t live with that in Washington, then they can come home and get a real job…..

AtlantaPaul

November 25th, 2012
12:39 am

Grover Norquist is a sniveling coward. This Democrat is for Saxby all the way!!!

Just Saying..

November 25th, 2012
2:36 am

Shame on Saxby-

Do believe I was addressing the GOP’s 17 litmus tests for membership, not one Senator’s career or Washington’s failings. The point is political power, and how to gain it.
Excluding voters-or one two term Senator- because of disagreement on 1 of 17 points of comparison is not a pathway to power. As a diverse America and election outcomes are trying to tell you.

Ann

November 25th, 2012
3:07 am

Fact-1. All elected officials worry first about keeping their job,promises are their “advertisement” to get your vote. 2. If spending cuts are their top priority,then the “first cut” should be in the congress and senate’s budget. They each get millions in salary,benefits,perks and having many offices in their home states. Also, they could pass a law to use their millions of left over campayne funds to be revenue for America. 3. All of the men and women sent to both houses first duty is to work for the common good of this country. The state issues do not override the country. 4. We are “ALL” in this “Together” for four more years. If we do not pull together—-then we will not improve anything. Change is often difficult and painful but stagnation is deadly. 5, Conservative or liberal is a point view as it will always be. Neither is right or wrong,just different.
The only thing that matters is America and ALL of it’s people.

Arthur Stephens

November 25th, 2012
4:23 am

Hey you gotta love these t-party fanatics, they single handedly gave the election to the reasonable people of this country. It’s truly a comic gift when your enemy is their own worst enemy, enjoy.

Attack Dog

November 25th, 2012
5:55 am

Oh please Dixiecans (formerly known as Dixiecrats), follow Grover’s bidding. Nominate a Dixiecan candidate like Tom Price over a Dixiecrat like Clarence Chambliss.

goodwrench

November 25th, 2012
6:49 am

Saxby is a lying hypocrite just like all politicians in Washington. He will do anything and say anything to get through the next election. If he really cared about “his country” he would never have voted for all these meaningless wars and spending causing the deficit. Do you see him rejecting any of the undeserved printed and borrowed federal dollars for UGA and other state government agencies in Georgia?
Let the pain begin by not altering the present course so we can finallly get some sanity in the federal spending waste machine. America is on a course of self destruction aided and abetted by corrupt Saxby and all the rest. There is very little discretionary spending now.
By the way one Michael Burry, MD predicted the economic collapse of 2008 when no one else in government did. Listen to his 2012 commencement address to the 2012 economics class at UCLA.
Google his name Michael Burry and you will easily bring it up. Also read his editorial in the NYTimes
April 4, 2010 “I Saw the Crisis Coming. Why Didn’t the Fed?” Burry put his money where his mouth was. Saxby, Mr. B and all the others are lying hot air lunatics intent on destroying Amerika.

Julie

November 25th, 2012
6:55 am

Typical responses from some people who do not understand the democratic process. If whomever doesn’t agree with a comment, then call the person a name. Saxby was democratically elected in an election. That’s not socialism, that is the American voting system in action. If you don’t like it, then leave.

Julie

November 25th, 2012
7:03 am

Regardless of whether a person agrees with Grover Norquist or not, he is not elected, he leads a special interest group. He’s not the king of the United States, he’s a tyrant with an opinion.

Edmund Ruffin

November 25th, 2012
7:20 am

Norquest for US Senate, retire Chambliss. I would actually be willing to see a slight and temporary, if there is such a thing, tax increase if I see a major cut in spending in welfare, obamaphones, earmarks and foreign aid. Until I see the cuts, let the country go over the cliff.

Skip

November 25th, 2012
7:53 am

When did Obama start the phone giveaway? During Ronnie Rayguns term? Admit it Ed, you knew that didn’t you.

ricardus

November 25th, 2012
7:57 am

Saxby Chambliss – think TERM LIMITS !!!
It is time for you to return home and do whatever you do to make a living.
NO! to all tax increases!

red herring

November 25th, 2012
7:59 am

norquist is right, chambliss is wrong—once upon a time before chambliss converted to the democrat party he recognized that it is the spending in washington d.c. that is the problem not the revenue. to keep raising revenue over and over and not cutting spending has gotten us to this point. it is time to dramatically reduce the size of govt. in washington d.c. –removing saxby will be a good start.

Jack ®

November 25th, 2012
8:00 am

Liberals are always right. Never wrong. We need to give them the keys to the national vault and let “fairness” prevail.

mambo

November 25th, 2012
8:09 am

“The Rino must Go!” That will be saxby’s bumper sticker in 2014. :)

Carl

November 25th, 2012
8:18 am

Cut spending before raising anyone taxes.

Tony

November 25th, 2012
8:21 am

Here a novel idea…before raising taxes on the 53% that actually pay income taxes why not consider taxing the 47% that pay absolutely ZERO income taxes.

Before the left wing bed wetting Democrats start screaming …. remember the 47% is NOT made up entirely of retirees and the disabled.

CC

November 25th, 2012
8:29 am

I didn’t write this, but wish I had:

It’s official; I don’t know anything.

I thought for sure that given such a clear choice, Americans would vote for love of country over revenge.

I was wrong.

I thought, that just as every presidential election in my lifetime, the bad economy would be hung around the incumbent’s neck, sinking him.

I was wrong.

I thought that even those few Americans who were fortunate enough to still be fully employed (not counting those leeching off the public system) would be cognizant of how much pain their neighbors were in and elect someone who would at least try to make improvements.

I was wrong.

I thought that now that FINALLY some of the disturbing truths about our first black president had come to light, voters would reject a man so dangerously at odds with the American experience.

I was wrong.

I thought the 2010 elections and the Tea Party meant something. I thought the enthusiasm on display at Romney/Ryan events, contrasted with the lack of same at Obama/Biden events meant something. I thought Americans would never sell their liberty for the sake of trinkets like cell phones or even big shiny lies like ‘free health care’.

I was wrong.

Never in a million years would I have supposed that America would support a president who left his (our) people to die at the hands of our enemies overseas without lifting a hand to help, then lie about what he watched in real time for over two weeks, then lie about the lie for another month.

I was wrong.

I thought Americans could tell a hawk from a handsaw.

I was wrong.

We were offered the clearest choice we’ve had since 1980, where we had malaise and a misery index on one hand and a shining city on a hill on the other. Back then, we chose the city on the hill. This time the choice was between a man who says 7.9% unemployment and $4.00 gas is the new normal and a guy whose entire career has been about fixing broken entities.

We chose to stay broken. And Broke.

Maybe I’m wrong about the ramifications of this choice. Maybe windmills will actually turn out to be a viable energy source. Maybe America diminished will be loved overseas. Maybe a nuclear Iran won’t be a threat. Maybe Israel is over reacting. Maybe western civilization was always over rated. Maybe life under sharia is not bad at all. Maybe when the rest of the world realizes that we have no intention of ever paying back that $16,000,000,000,000.00 (and counting) that we’ve borrowed from them, they won’t devalue the dollar, causing hyperinflation here at home. Maybe China will just keep on giving us money and not demand our hearts, souls, national monuments and marriageable daughters as payment.

I’ve watched my candidate lose elections before but I’ve never felt the way I did last night when this one was called for Obama. It wasn’t bitterness or sadness or even disappointment. It took me a while to figure out what it was. Then it hit me; it was horror. Pure, unadulterated horror. Not because of Obama, but because of what it says about us, the American people, that we chose this.

It shouldn’t have even been close. Faced with the choice between taking charge of our destiny and tackling our financial problems, we opted to get high and have sex. We’ve elected a guy who doesn’t understand that a growing economy that creates more tax payers will bring in more revenue than higher taxes. A Commander in Chief who doesn’t know our military still uses bayonets. A man who wants to control the economy without even knowing the difference between bankruptcy and liquidation. It was one thing to elect an unknown quantity, buying his line of ‘Hope and Change’. It’s something else to deliberately choose his failed policies over someone who has actually achieved success in life. I never dreamed America would do that.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, Hello Idiocracy!

Goodbye, recovery.

Goodbye, energy independence.

Goodbye, religious liberty.

Goodbye, liberty and justice for all.

Goodbye, America dream.

It profits a man nothing to lose his soul for the whole world but we threw ours away for cell phones and birth control pills.

In the twentieth century (the American Century), we stepped up to the plate three times and saved the rest of the world from fascism, Nazism and communism. We were the cavalry, always riding to the rescue.

Now, we’ve gotten rid of our horses, spent all our money on windmills, alienated our allies, bowed to our enemies, cut ourselves off from our own natural resources thrown away our children’s birthright and spent their inheritance.

And we did it on purpose.

When the wolf is at the door (and he’s coming, yelling ‘Allah Akbar’) we’re going to find out that there is no one out there to come to our rescue.

On the bright side, maybe it’ll all turn out great.

After all, I don’t know anything.

Cherokee

November 25th, 2012
8:30 am

Sigh, Tony you do realize that the very poorest workers in the US pay no or minimial income taxes because of policies adopted by Ronald Reagan and Bush II, right?

Frankly, they, and you and me too, for that matter, already pay a much higher portion of their income in taxes – when you include all taxes – than the Romneys and Boortzs of the world.

Cherokee

November 25th, 2012
8:32 am

cc you need to go back on your meds.

Anyone who would find a kernel of truth in that tirade is a truly lost individual.

clem

November 25th, 2012
8:40 am

mark

November 25th, 2012
8:51 am

Go Saxby! stand up to the rear of a horse. Who voted norquest my rep!! No one voted for him!! Why does his dumb ideas matter? All because he convinced a bunch of elected republicants the house rules include no new taxes. That is insane. You cannot run a country by listening to koch, norquest, or hanity.

Walter ego

November 25th, 2012
9:03 am

Marks, Reagan raised taxes 3 times. Are you calling hima liberal? I wish the “internets” we’re not anonymous so idiots like “marks” either wouldn’t say such stupid things or would have consequences for it. “I can’t believe a conservative would raise taxes” is about as ignorant as you can get. True conservatives, like Reagan, refuse to ignore the facts.

Tax rates are the lowest they have ever been! How can the lowest tax rates EVER not be low enough? The most prosperous times in our nation’s history all had higher tax rates. We’ve had these tax rates for 12 years and everyone but the top percent are worse off. I’m all for lower taxes but our rates so favor the wealthy that they invest less and trickle down isnt even a drip.

Reagan raised taxes and for half of the republicans he wasn’t conservative enough. What a bunch of idiots half our party is.

Kris

November 25th, 2012
9:08 am

Was Sax drinking kahuna potion juice? As for Grover he needs to slither back into his hole.

rightwing troll

November 25th, 2012
9:18 am

Don’t fret cc…

Every single prognostication, pontification, prediction, and assertion you and your ilKKKs have made for the last 4 years has been either wrong-headed or just plain wrong… you little list of hate follows suit… save your last sentence.

Morons like you voted for W… twice… and the country survived… you’ll survive the re-election of the man chosen to clean up the flaming bag of poo you and yours left us all… And I’m not too concerned about brown skinned men yelling allah akbar coming to our shores, or iranian mushroom clouds, or whatever boogey men make you wet your pants and keep you hiding under your bed at night. Because yours is a hateful, augmented reality grounded on racist and bitter rantings of “entertainers”, turn off the Faux news and step outside. It’s cold and the sun is shining, there’s signs of economic life all around you (outside your ignorant little bubble of faux doom, and despair) and with things looking this up in spite of the stonewall built by you and your elected wingnuts and teatards, there’s no reason to believe it’s not going to get better. Just imagine how good it could be if the treasonous wingnuts and teatards started trying to be part of the solution instead of bullying their way into being the only solution…

You should probably go challenge somebody to a duel…

zeke

November 25th, 2012
9:28 am

If he truthfully was for the country and the people, he will oppose every bill presented by the democrats and Obama that does not reduce socialist spending to 2001 levels! No cuts in Defense, SS, or Medicare, but, cuts in the real entitlements, which are, medicaid, food stamps, adc, wic, ebt, subsidized housing phones, TV and internet, socialist block grants, and any of the other 1000 or so socialist agenda programs!

Real Athens

November 25th, 2012
9:28 am

“After all, I don’t know anything.”

No truer words spoken.

A Liberal in ATL

November 25th, 2012
9:28 am

Saxby and Grover….ugh!
When I was a kid we used to call each other “Grover” as an insult. Who knew what a monumental insult it would turn out to be. I think kids these days call each other Saxby.

A Liberal in ATL

November 25th, 2012
9:33 am

Guess what Zeke, without “socialist spending” states like GA, AL, SC, MS, and other poor southern states would cease to exist. Just to survive, these states receive massives amounts of money from the federal government. The wealthy states actuallly support the south. Would you prefer to go it alone? Good luck with that.

Disgusted Republican

November 25th, 2012
10:03 am

Who in the heck is Grover Norquist that makes him into a demigod as far as Republican policy toward helping our country het out of the mess we are in? It is little self appointed dictators like him who make the compromise that would put our nation back on track impossible! It is the constant infighting between the two parties that has caused this mess fueled by Norquist types on the extreme right and others on the extreme left I

Tina Trent

November 25th, 2012
10:15 am

Bob Loblaw: Do me a favor if you are really a conservative: stop pimping the rape issue.

I worked with political Democrats for many years. There is one thing you need to know about Democrats and crime: they are more stimulated by emptying the prisons to sop their fantasy world of defense bar heroism than making streets safer for real women. Only politically useful rapists mattered for punishment — and frat brothers regardless of guilt. Real criminals were to be pitied — then released.

The left-wing rape exploiters (I do not count service providers here) blew endless VAWA money on themselves, on billboards denouncing all men, and on whinging about so-called hate crime laws while helping the gay lobby hide the fact that women don’t get counted as victims under the sleazy hate crimes regime. They politicized rape activism in ugly ways to legitimate and perpetuate their funding lines. Then, when we had a bill in the legislature to actually do something about real crime, they’d be off at the college campuses screaming at freshmen boys instead of testifying.

So don’t talk to me about conservatives and rape. They were the reliable votes.

Call me unimaginative, but I’d rather belong to the party that has one (I don’t count Mourdock) buffoon making dumb statements about rape than the Party that gets off on getting real rapists out of prison and fights ever effort to control violent offenders, tooth and nail, while accusing innocent men of being potential sexual predators. If you want to whine about something, whine at them. If such things really matter to you beyond political tattle, that is.

And since you didn’t read the fine print, Akin wasn’t anyone’s first choice in his primary — except the leftists in Missouri who banded together to push him into the race thanks to their primary system. It’s not like nominating Cynthia McKinney five times on purpose. Put down the juice box before engaging your mouth next time. Read more widely. It clarifies the issues.

CC

November 25th, 2012
10:15 am

Real Athens@9:28 am:

“No truer words spoken.”

. . . but that is still significantly more than you know.

Michele

November 25th, 2012
10:19 am

I disagree with all those who consider Saxby Chambliss as a “traitor.” He, in my book, has risen significantly over the past few years as a true statesman. Maybe he does not represent you, but in this case he has taken the high road and is doing what is right for the nation. Not one person who holds himself above everyone. Not as a die hard Republican who ignores reality. Saxby Chambliss deserves much credit for his courage to step up and actually try to solve this problem of the country.

Cherokee

November 25th, 2012
10:33 am

Righwing troll @ 9:18 – gosh I wish I could write as well as you :)

Well said.

Yasser Arafat

November 25th, 2012
10:52 am

You Reblicans are the best friends we ever had. You let every terrorist supporter fool you every time. You guys keep that anti Muslim in the White Houserhetoric and that Muslim Brotherhood taking over the State Department mantra up. Kind like my people fooling everyone and saying Hamas wants peace. Our boy Grover is doing a fanatastic job fooling everyone that his little business makes money off some stupid tax pledge You guys swallow this BS and bow down to our boy like he is Allah. Don’t let the Democrats get away with garbage like this story about our boy Grover:

“”"”"”Not only was Mr. Norquist entangled with the criminal dealings of Jack Abramoff, but documentation shows that he has deep ties to supporters of Hamas and other terrorist organizations that are sworn enemies of the United States and our ally Israel.

According to Senate lobbying disclosure records of his now defunct lobbying firm, Janus-Merritt Strategies, around the years 2000 and 2001 Mr. Norquist’s firm represented Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was convicted two years later for his role in a terrorist plot and who is presently serving a 23-year sentence in federal prison.

Court documents and a October 15, 2004, Department of Justice press release reveal that Alamoudi, the president of the American Muslim Council, was arrested at Dulles Airport in September 2003 upon returning to the U.S after participating in a Libyan plot to assassinate the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. “Alamoudi participated in recruiting participants for this plot by introducing the Libyans to two Saudi dissidents in London and facilitating the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash from the Libyans to those dissidents to finance the plot,” the release said.

According to the DOJ press release, Alamoudi, a naturalized citizen, pled guilty to three federal offenses:

· One count of violating the International Emergency Powers Act;

· One count of false statements made in his application for naturalization;

· A tax offense involving a long-term scheme to conceal from the IRS his financial transactions with Libya and his foreign bank accounts and to omit material information from the tax returns filed by his charities.

It is important to point out that Alamoudi’s ties to terrorist groups were no secret prior to his arrest.

Alamoudi spoke at an October 2000 rally in front of the White House in support of Hamas and Hezbollah during the period he was represented by Norquist’s firm, according to Senate lobbying disclosure records.. The “Rally Against Israeli Aggression” was sponsored by Norquist’s Islamic Free Market Institute, according to a September 2000 “Islamic Institute Friday Brief.” The Islamic Free Market Institute was created by Grover Norquist and operated out of his Americans for Tax Reform office in Washington, thanks to sizable start-up contributions from Alamoudi, according to a March 11, 2003, article in the St. Petersburg Times by Mary Jacoby.”"”"”"”"”"

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/congressman-grover-norquists-terrorist-relationships-should-give-people-pause/
You Republicans are truly our best friends. It is that Black SOB in the White House we need to be concerned about between those drones killing Al Quaida terrorists and that Iron Dome system, it is not as much fun as it used to be to be a terrorist. Keep your concentration on taxes not terrorism,

Flowery Branch

November 25th, 2012
10:57 am

It is time for America’s newspapers to run a series of articles on the Bowles-Simpson Report, aka the report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility.

This 60 page document, available free on line, is the highest quality piece of “political” staff work I have seen. It clearly addresses what needs to be done in terms of both taxing and spending. Still, it is a little too long for the busy working person to read, so, a summary should be accomplished for America’s voters.

It is appalling to note that few of the “leader types” I know have ever heard of the report and even worse, none of the Georgia politicians I know have read it.

Its the blind leading the blind. I say: Put that report in the hands of the voters and we will see some political accountability with regard to taxing and spending.

independent thinker

November 25th, 2012
11:03 am

People like cc are what is wrong with the GOP. He probably thinks Grover is an elected official or party chairman. No clue where Grover makes his money. Probably cc sends him campaign contributions along with Rush.

Best line from “cc”
“”"When the wolf is at the door (and he’s coming, yelling ‘Allah Akbar’) we’re going to find out that there is no one out there to come to our rescue. “”"”"”"”"”

Yeah if we only had W and his wench Condi to protect us. They did such a fine job making us secure before 9-11. When the towers were coming down , W read “My Pet Goat” That took care of that Allah Akbar nonsense didn’t it. Oh yeah cc is right turning Gaza over to Hamas and forcing Israel to unilaterally abandon Gaza was a brilliant move by W and Condi wasn’t it cc?

td

November 25th, 2012
11:15 am

Where are these “True statesmen” on the left? Where are the Dem politicians that say spending is out of control and entitlements have to be cut? Where is the compromise of the left? What “Real” spending cuts besides defense?

Whirled Peas

November 25th, 2012
11:19 am

Cut the crazy spending.
Cut the crazy spending.
Cut the crazy spending.

Whirled Peas

November 25th, 2012
11:21 am

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it.”
Frederic Bastiat

aps

November 25th, 2012
11:27 am

Someone please tell me what law the federal government has passed in the past 20 years that actually helped the people of America? The giveaway programs have increased in cost exponentially each year and only made people greedy and wanting more for nothing. Why do we have support programs that have no strings attached?

td

November 25th, 2012
11:42 am

‘Although Obama and his fellow Democrats repeatedly call on wealthier Americans to pay their “fair share,” they never specify what percentage of the nation’s tax burden the wealthy would have to bear. As matters stand, the top 1 percent of American households paid 39 percent of income taxes in 2009, according to the most recent data compiled by the Congressional Budget Office, and the top 5 percent of taxpayers paid 64 percent.”

“But income taxes, taken in isolation, do not tell the whole story, because lower-income Americans do pay payroll taxes. But even taking into account all forms of taxation, the top 1 percent still paid 22 percent of federal taxes while earning just 13.4 percent of household income. The top 5 percent paid 40 percent of all federal taxes, despite earning only 26 percent of all income. No matter how you slice the numbers, it’s hard to understand why anyone would think the wealthy aren’t already shouldering a burden commensurate with their blessings.”

http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-if-top-5-paid-40-of-taxes-what-is-their-fair-share/article/2513985#.ULJJUWd2zNU

double

November 25th, 2012
11:48 am

WP @11:21 you hit the nail on the head.
CC with all those wrongs you should have wrote it.
GOP: Don’t let the door hit you…This is the attitude the american people are tired of hearing.

fair and balanced

November 25th, 2012
12:20 pm

Boy the cons do such a great job picking their leaders like Limbaugh. , Romney, Grover, Deal etc. All ehtically challenged and morally flawed. Grover has some much unethical baggage with his lobbying history he would make a great Georgia politician. Ya’ll keep idolizing him. Makes the Dems job so much easier.

political arsonist

November 25th, 2012
1:54 pm

norquist is just another almost extinct old white man horse’s ass whose time has passed

honested

November 25th, 2012
2:20 pm

The President should ignore norquist and chambliss.

He should take a couple of months concentrating on the immediate and important problems facing our Country.

Then in February, after the new Congress is seated, he can discuss with them appropriate middle class tax cuts and which excessive military wastes of taxpayer funds are worthy of continued but reduced funding.

honested

November 25th, 2012
2:23 pm

td,

‘Entitlements’ don’t need to be mentioned in these discussions (unless it is to raise or eliminate the 941 ‘cap’).

Entitlements have nothing whatsoever to do with the budget or the need for return to sane revenue collection.

You must be confusing the needs of the Citizens with the ‘entitlement mentality’ of the military.