Republicans Can’t Hide Behind Grover Norquist Any More

Republicans who signed Grover Norquist’s “No New Taxes” pledge — and that’s most of them — thought they had a nice safe shield to hide behind. “I can’t let the Bush tax cuts expire. Grover Norquist said so. My hands are tied. There’s nothing I can do.”

And now their protective shield has been yanked away. Grover Norquist has told the Washington Post that letting a temporary tax cut expire is not the same as a tax increase. He’s not in favor of letting the Bush tax cuts expire, obviously. But letting them expire would NOT be a violation of his No New Taxes pledge. His Republican minions are off the hook.

The Bush tax cuts are scheduled to expire in 2012. Allowing them to expire will save $4 trillion over the next decade. And now Republicans are no longer “required” to maintain these tax cuts.

A little awkward, no? If Republicans want to drain $4 trillion from the Treasury by making the tax cuts permanent, they’ll have to grow a pair, stand up and face the music and explain their “reasoning.” They won’t be able to keep saying “Grover Norquist made me do it.”

Sort of like a wannabe tough kid saying “I’d kick your ass, except my big brother is with me and he won’t let me get in fights.”

“Aw, that’s OK little bro, go ahead, you can fight him.”