Some Republicans have suggested leaving the minimum tax in place because those hardest hit tend to be in states that did not support Bush, including Massachusetts, California, and New York. ‘‘It is a tax of people living in ‘blue’ states,’’ said Grover Norquist, the conservative activist who heads Americans for Tax Reform.
He said the tax was originally conceived by liberal Democrats as a way of imposing higher taxes mostly on wealthier Republicans, and he suggested that it be used as a bargaining chip by the White House when Bush tries to enact his tax agenda. The minimum tax should be repealed only when Democrats ‘‘say they are sorry and offer to give us something in return,’’ Norquist said.
I see that Norquist is a man of his word. If you recall, he was recently quoted as saying: “Once the minority of House and Senate are comfortable in their minority status, they will have no problem socializing with the Republicans. Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant, but when they’ve been fixed, then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful. They don’t go around peeing on the furniture and such.”
Apparently, Grover is a believer in the James Dobson school of animal training.
The Poorman spells out the proper response to Comrade Norquist’s tactic:
Any complaints about Mr. Nordquist’s remarks should be sent to his blue state secretaries: Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), Gov. George Pataki (R-NY), and Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger (R-CA). Here are some folks you can CC on that:
Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI)
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Sen. Greg Judd (R-NH)
Sen. Rick “Man-On-Dog” Santorum (R-PA)
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)