Reid to Republicans: Forget Norquist and Anti-Tax Pledge

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) challenged Republicans like Senators Saxby Chambliss (GA) and Lindsey Graham (SC), who have indicated they may break the anti-tax pledge they signed, to stop talking and fall in line with Democrats to raise taxes in the fiscal cliff negotiations. 

“Several Republican lawmakers have said revenue should be on the table during fiscal cliff negotiations,” Reid said on the Senate floor on Tuesday. “Now it’s time for those Republicans to turn happy talk into action.”

Reid then attacked Grover Norquist and his anti-tax pledge by saying Norquist was the “one obstacle” standing between Congress and tax increases. 

“Unfortunately, there’s one obstacle standing between Congress and compromise: Grover Norquist,” Reid said. “For years, Norquist has bullied lawmakers willing to put their oath of office or their promise to serve constituents ahead of their pledge to the anti-tax zealot.”

Reid said he was “pleased to see a few Republicans in Congress distance themselves from Norquist this week,” because Norquist’s “brand of ideological extremism has been bad for Congress and even worse for the country.”