Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, hit the two leading Republican presidential candidates this morning – one for spending issues and the other on his much-discussed tax plan.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., “thinks there’s some sort of virtue in not criticizing Bush’s [big spending] mistakes,” Norquist said. Romney could correct that mistake, but Norquist was even less sanguine about Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. “Having three taxes, all of which can grow – it’s like having three needles in your arm taking blood out, it’s much more dangerous than having one,” Norquist explained.
Norquist praised Cain for trying to get rid of a “redistributionist” tax code, but warned that Congress could hijack Cain’s plan. “What if the Demcrats win the House, the Senate, or the presidency . . . and say let’s keep all three [taxes]?” Grover asked. “All three would grow over time.”
The next president doesn’t need a visionary tax plan, Norquist said, but should just start “chipping away” at the current tax code to lower existing taxes. “We have a Republican House, we will have a Republican Senate, they will fix the tax code and send [the president] stuff to sign . . . sign the legislation that [House Speaker John] Boehner, Ohio and [would-be Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., send him and we’ll be fine.”
The Washington Examiner’s David Freddoso broke down the 2012 U.S. Senate races yesterday and concluded that Republicans have a “decent chance” at taking the upper house next year.
