Did You Know That A Vote For Romney Is Really A Vote For President Norquist? Norquist: Romney Will Do As Told
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Norquist: Romney Will Do As Told
by David Frum
Feb 13, 2012 9:45 AM EST
Is Mitt Romney so weak he won't be able to stand up to Congress?
Grover Norquist, head of the Americans for Tax Reform advocacy
group, speaks at a session entitled "Scrap the Code: Towards Pro-Growth
Tax Reform" at the conservative Americans for Prosperity (AFP)
"Defending the American Dream Summit" in Washington on November 5, 2011,
NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP / Getty Images
The
most quoted speech at CPAC this year was Mitt Romney's, but my vote for
the most significant goes to Grover Norquist's. In his charmingly blunt
way, Norquist articulated out loud a case for Mitt Romney that you hear
only whispered by other major conservative leaders.
They have reconciled
themselves to a Romney candidacy because they see Romney as essentially
a weak and passive president who will concede leadership to
congressional conservatives:
All
we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for
fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction
to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. ... We
just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think
it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative
movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the
Senate.
The requirement for president?
Pick
a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become
president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: the
House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His
job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has
already been prepared.
This
is not a very complimentary assessment of Romney's leadership. It's
also not a very realistic political program: congressional Republicans
have a disapproval rating of about 75%. If Americans get the idea that a vote for Romney is a vote for the Ryan plan, Romney is more or less doomed.
To date, sad to say, Romney has worked hard to confirm this image of weakness.
Nobody wants a president who acts as the passive instrument of even generally popular groups like labor unions. (Did you know that—despite decades of declining popularity—unions still have an approval rating of 52%? I didn't until I looked it up.)
But
a candidate who appeases the most disliked people in national politics?
That guy will command neither public affection nor respect.
Mitt Romney badly needs his Sister Souljah moment. Instead, he's running as Jim DeMint's doormat.
http://fwd4.me/0u1C
Norquist is not an elected official, yet when the deficit talks were going on, he was on speed dial. It doesn't matter what the legislation is , they must check in with Norquist constantly to see what he wants to do. Whatever he says, goes.
Here's the real kicker. Norquist said the idea of never raising taxes came to him when he was walking home from school in junior high. So, 3/4 of the Republicans are pledging and obeying a man who holds no official political office but had a junior high idea .
The Republicans... the gift that keeps on giving.
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