Norquist and Pullen go at it

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by David Safier
The back-and-forth between Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist (No New Taxes, Ever!) and Chair of the AZ Republican Party Randy Pullen got a little snippy over the past few days.

On June 4, Norquist accused Pullen of being part of an orchestrated, $225,000 media campaign, agreed to by Brewer, to target Republicans who are "standing strong" by backing the legislature's no-new-taxes budget.

Yesterday Pullen fired back with a, shall we say, testy response.

For the record, your letter is, at best inaccurate, and at its worst an attempt to defame and discredit our Republican Governor and me. In short your letter displays what is most often described as what is wrong with the conservative movement – an insatiable desire to eat its own.

[snip]

I was assured that there was no plan to target legislators and in fact there was no media campaign planned.

Then comes the good part, about whether the Republican Party is in fact anti-tax, or if that's just the Grover Norquist wing of the party.

What is of more concern to me in your letter is your continued effort to misstate Republican principles with regard to spending and taxes. The Republican platform is quite succinct on taxes and government spending. I will quote from page 15 of the 2008 Republican Platform, “Spend only what is necessary, and tax only to raise revenue for essential government functions.” It does not say anything about being in opposition to higher taxes or demanding that our elected officials sign a Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Does that mean even Saint Ronnie might raise taxes if the need arose? Oh wait, he did raise taxes. I guess when he was sanctified, all his sins were wiped away.

I remember hearing Bush senior say again and again, "Read my lips, no new taxes," to thunderous applause. Surely he didn't raise taxes. Oh, wait, he did too.

Randy Pullen is pointing out that Republicans have to say they're against all taxes, no exceptions, when they're on the campaign trail, but when they're in office, well, sometimes things change. And Norquist's No New Taxes Pledge interrupts the natural order of things.

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