Rand Paul: "We May As Well Disband The Party"

Grover Norquist is being re-defined by many as the kind of guy who needs to be ignored.  His “no-tax” pledge taken by many republicans is being reconsidered as a hindrance to a necessary compromise in order to avoid the “fiscal cliff”.  But Rand Paul is trying to give courage to republicans to not abandon that pledge.

“Many Republicans are beginning to cave on the tax front. Some say to
hell with the Taxpayer Protection Pledge they made to voters (drafted
by Americans for Tax Reform) not to raise taxes. Some say they’ll
eliminate some undeserved loopholes. But the truth remains: If taking
more money from the private sector is harmful, it doesn’t matter whom
you tax or what form the revenue increase takes. Taking more money out
of the private sector is injurious to economic growth.

Where are the Republican calls for reducing revenue to government?
Where are the calls for lowering taxes? If you want to stimulate the
economy, leave more money in the economy. When Republicans give in on
this argument, we doom not only the economy but our party as well.
…
While
there is no bigger believer than I am in a balanced-budget amendment, I
don’t want to balance a $5 trillion budget (which the Congressional
Budget Office estimates we will have by 2020). I want to balance a
budget that is limited in scope by the Constitution and limited in scope
by the understanding that the private sector is more efficient than the
public sector.

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge simply codifies what is
incontrovertibly true. The economy and all individuals in it thrive when
we are allowed to keep more of what we earn. If Republicans give up on
that principle, we may as well disband the party.” [Wall Street Journal via The Examiner]

What would replace the Grand Ol’ Party if it were to be disbanded? Not surprisingly, Grover Norquist has an idea.

Anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist said Sunday that if President Obama
pushes the nation over the “fiscal cliff,” there will be a tea party
backlash stronger than the movement that influenced the 2010 midterm
elections. 

“Tea Party two is going to dwarf tea party one if Obama pushes us off the cliff,” warned Norquist on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” [Washington Post]