I watched the interview on 60 Minutes last night. while the Grover to the left may not be the Grover that was the topic of this interview, I think its fair to say that the ideology espoused by Norquist is just as comically reduced as the archetype played by the Grover on Sesame Street…a character that Norquist would probably like to be defunded.
Noting that he came up with the idea of signing a pledge to never, ever, ever raise taxes at age 12, perhaps Norquist could have used some of the lessons of Sesame Street like how to play with others, which I’m sure he views as a socialistic enterprise.
No one can underestimate the impact that Norquist and his ilk have had on politics in the US over the nearly 20 years that he’s exerted his influence. The notion that spending, rather than balancing revenue and expenditures, is the key problem with government, is a reductionist philosophy that may play with folks who don’t want to consider the long-term consequences…until it means they must give something up they hold dear. Then all bets are off.
The truth of the matter is that as long as policy debate is reduced to its lowest common denominator, there’s little chance of actually addressing the issues that not only maintain the status quo, but also helped create the jobless recovery that this nation has been in since the dawn of the Bush II years.
While Norquist may have dreamed up his “no tax increase” marketing ploy overnight…which is exactly what he calls it, the solutions to real issues our nation faces aren’t that simple.
Here’s the interview. It is something that I think everyone, regardless of partisan leanings should watch, particularly for the way Norquist presents his theme as a marketing opportunity rather than a serious plan to address problems.
It should remind all of us that you can have all the best policy in the world, but if you don’t elect the people to enact it, it will go nowhere.
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