RINO Alert

Seems that Grover Norquist's Pledge is finding some resistance among Republicans.  Some lawmakers actually want out of their pledge not to vote for tax increases or decreases in deductions.

The Americans for Tax Reform website shows that a total of 1,555 federal and state legislators and executives have signed the pledge, including Democrats Robert Andrew (NJ) and Senator Ben Nelson (NE).  Andrews signed the pledge in 1992, and complained to The Hill that "I'm married to Camille Andrews, not Grover Norquist. I promised her to be faithful until death do us part, and I mean it. I did not promise him to oppose tax increases until death do us part."

Norquist told The Hill that there are no time limits to the pledge, and that the pledges were to the constituents of the legislators, not to him or to his organization. 

Uh, Yeah Right. 

Let's see what happens when one of the pledge signers does not oppose the expiration of the Bush tax cuts next year.  It will be akin to publishing the pictures of deadbeat dads in local newpapers.

I think the results of the vote in Ohio were very scary to Republicans.  Between that vote, the OWS movement, and the efforts of progressives in Wisconsin to recall their governor and state legislators for stripping public employees' unions of collective bargaining rights, the GOP's no-compromise rigidity may have reached the breaking point.  We are going to see GOP lawmakers break ranks in the next year to vote for tax increases for the wealthiest 1% of Americans to help balance the budget and ease the debt.  It is the populist thing to do, and the GOP is nothing if not populist.

We'll see how ideological purity plays in the next year.  Like an out-of-tune violin, if you ask me.