Norquist: McCain’s no tax pledge is ‘an updated version’ of ‘Read my lips, no new taxes.’
By on Aug 5th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Norquist: McCain’s no tax pledge is ‘an updated version’ of ‘Read my lips, no new taxes.’
Last week, after catching heat from conservatives for saying that “payroll tax increases” were not “off the table” regarding Social Security, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) declared in a townhall meeting, “I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase.” On MSNBC today, anti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of George H.W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge. Watch it:
Asked if “President Bush has given a blueprint to Senator McCain on how to do this,” Norquist replied, “yes.”
Update Later in the interview, when MSNBC's Chuck Todd asked about Sen. Joe Lieberman's potential as McCain's VP choice, Norquist said that "Lieberman is left wing on every single issue with the exception of his interest in occupying Mesopotamia."
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There is no way that McCain can give additional tax breaks to oil companies on top of what they get now, extend Bush’s tax cuts, and eliminate AMT without raising someone’s taxes.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:46 pmanti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of George H.W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge.
Only if McCain can remember it…
August 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pmread my lips….No fixed bridges.”
August 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm*yawn*
I wish the trolls would come up with something more than ad hominem and/or baseless attacks with no attribution.
Like fish in a barrel.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:51 pmmr pee; you’re an idiot.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:52 pmOnce a fcuking idiot, always a fcuking idiot.
Trolls of a feather…
August 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pmOy, TP. I hope you’re not keeping the new look.
Blech…
August 5th, 2008 at 4:56 pmWhat the heck? What happened to TP?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:56 pmI was wondering what happened, thought it was my browser.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:57 pmAlright TP, what gives?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:57 pmTP, whathappend to your style sheets?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:58 pmWe’re having a few technical difficulties — bear with us.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:58 pmI thought TP stood for Think Progress not…. well… you get the drift….
August 5th, 2008 at 4:58 pmOh no, it’s a new pastel TP. Please go back to the original format.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmI already hate it. On the TP home page, it’s almost impossible to isolate specific threads, since they all seem to run together. And don’t even get me started on the right side of the screen.
Is this a work in progress, TP? Or is this the finished product?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmnevermind
I apologize to all the fine people at Think Progress
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmOK — it seems to be back the way it was.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmThanks, Amanda. :)
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmWhat the hell (politely said) just happened to the website TP?
August 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pmOh, never mind.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pmWhew — thanks for not changing it, TP. Were these technical difficulties related to today’s fire?
August 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pmThank goodness…only a technical problem.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pmThemis Says:
Obama: Read my lips. I will raise taxes. Again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again…
Oh for pete sake. Even the McCain website would laugh you off.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:01 pmI think somebody leaned their elbow on the wrong key on the themes page. :D
August 5th, 2008 at 5:01 pmWTF?
Was McComputer doing some homework on your network?
I know he does the Google, but I didn’t think he was in the tubes yet…
August 5th, 2008 at 5:01 pmJoe LIE a left-winger?
BWAHHHHHHAHHHHHHAHAAAAAAAA!
August 5th, 2008 at 5:02 pmIt was only changed for two or three minutes, but the reaction was instant. You weren’t just testing us, were you? ;-)
August 5th, 2008 at 5:02 pmSee, the website catches fire once in a while too.
On topic, didn’t GH Bush actually raise taxes after the read my stupid lips comment?
August 5th, 2008 at 5:02 pmAnd then the fire spreads through these ‘tubes’…
August 5th, 2008 at 5:03 pmOf course McCain’s pledge for no new taxes is garbage. We have learned by now (or at least about 75% of us) that McCain’s pledges change on a daily basis depending on his audience: he’ll say anything to get votes. He has flip-flopped on virtually every issue. Even Republicans are starting to notice his flip-flopping, complaining that they don’t know where he stands on important issues anymore. And they’re right- no one knows where McCain stands on issues, including McCain himself.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:05 pmanti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of George H.W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge.
So does that mean that McSame will abandon that pledge once he’s in office, like Bush 41 did?
(h/t RUCerious)
August 5th, 2008 at 5:06 pmIt is going to be tremendously satisfying to me to watch Joe LIEberman getting his payoff from his reichwing pals:
They’re going to kick him to the curb, just like the Democrats are going to kick him to the curb.
Poor old Joe. Nobody wants him. He’ll end up all alone. In the gutter. With an empty bottle of Maneschevitz.
Bwahahahahahahahah!!! I can’t *wait*.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:18 pmleftcoast Says:
——————————————————————————–
There is no way that McCain can give additional tax breaks to oil companies on top of what they get now, extend Bush’s tax cuts, and eliminate AMT without raising someone’s taxes.</em.
Oh yeah, that someone will be your children and grandchildren.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:19 pm..exception of his interest in occupying Mesopotamia..
Wow, a rightie finally told the truth. Instead of saying his interest in the “war” in Iraq, he said “his interest in occupying…”. I wonder if it was a slip or intentional.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:20 pmI can never understand why you help make people like this celebrities? These folks will disappear if you ignore them. Just because NBCBCCN wants to have him on their floundering network, why would anyone give him a platform outside of same? He will become meaningless if he is ignored, help him please.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm“Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge.
What we didn’t know then was that he was referring to Barb’s labium minus, which is only known to produce a fart-like sound, often referred to as a “queef”.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:35 pmDieNowForPeace Says:
August 5th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…….
August 5th, 2008 at 5:40 pmReal men dont eat queef.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:45 pmOkay, that didnt sound right, Real Bush Men Dont Eat Queef.
Better, yes?
August 5th, 2008 at 5:47 pmAnybody else would see a candidate’s contrary answers to the same question two days apart as vacillation. Anybody else would draw a negative inference from a comparison to Bush I’s false “no new taxes” pledge. Not Grover. Nothing bothers Grover. Perhaps it is not coincidental that he shares a name with a Sesame Street character. Both live in a world of make believe.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:56 pmIt’s becoming increasingly difficult for these people to speak without sounding like a bunch of idiots. When will they tire of making excuses for their older than dirt candidate?
August 5th, 2008 at 5:58 pmHa, themis seems to have gotten himself purged. I know you’re back reading this thumblis so here’s a hint for ya:
No matter who the next president is taxes will be raised. It just hinges on who will be taxed. If Obama gets elected then the big corporate tax breaks will end to a large degree just as they did under Clinton and it didn’t break them then and it won’t break them now to pay the house it’s cut.
If mccain gets (steals) the election then you can count on our individual taxes for the lower and middle class to go up, drastically.
Even bush I had to raise taxes because of the huge economic strain that our country was under after 8 years of raygun.
We are in a similar condition econically now and only more money will fix it. Corporations now have all of the money….see record profits for oil, pharma, ect.
Someone’s taxes are going up though, bet on it.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:04 pmXisithrus Says:
——————————————————————————–
Okay, that didnt sound right, Real Bush Men Dont Eat Queef.
Better, yes?
August 5th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Relatively speaking…yes. :P
August 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pmif i recall, Reaganomics threw this country into a severe recesssion leading to George HW Bush being the only one term president in the 80’s, 90’s and right up to present day.
August 5th, 2008 at 6:25 pmanti-tax guru Grover Norquist said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of George H.W. Bush’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge.
So that means there’s a GHW Botch/McCorp flip flop on the way right?
BTW, Grover Norquist is a mucking foron and Ghoul-Aid guzzler!!
August 5th, 2008 at 6:25 pmWhen did Norquist lose the beard? Is there some sort of mid-life crisis here?
August 5th, 2008 at 6:30 pmIf any reporter had a set, the question to McLame when he spout this nonsense would be, “How to you plan on reducing the national debt run up by the last republican in office”?
August 5th, 2008 at 6:30 pmRelatively speaking…yes. :P
I thoth as much. How u been Z lady?
August 5th, 2008 at 6:34 pmGrover divorced his wife?
August 5th, 2008 at 6:35 pmHi Zep,
Tough summer — my Mom died last week. We were all with her, so that was good. How you been?
August 5th, 2008 at 6:39 pm53. Xisithrus Says:
_____
HAW! Too funny!
August 5th, 2008 at 6:54 pmgrover… shame for that name…
August 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pmone of the creepiest of the creeps…
o my god, zooey…
i am so sorry for you… not enough words now…
August 5th, 2008 at 7:21 pmZooey, I’m sorry to hear your sad news.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:40 pmCondolences Zooey. It is good you all could be there.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:43 pmI continue to ponder what type of person names their spawn Grover.
Hi Zooey we arrived safely nothin’ but waves tomorrow!
August 5th, 2008 at 8:52 pmWhy does anyone even give Grover the time of day? He showed what a greedy, low-life, scum bag he is through the whole Abramoff-Norquist-Reed scandal. He and Ralph Reed ought to be sharing a jail cell with their good buddy Jack Abramoff.
What a total nimrod!
Also, I think he should remember that George H.W. Bush made the Read-My-Lips statement and he eventually faced the budget reality and raised taxes anyway.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:14 amOMG, I’m sorry. I forget that my words are out there for everyone to see, please forgive me. Thank you for your condolences…
August 6th, 2008 at 12:47 amI think Norquist’s honor and credibility is Missing.
Its probably lost in the same place Dobson’s credibility is missing.
Rememmber Dobson will not vote for McJohn. “Absolutely not” dobson told Hannity on Sean’s tv comedy show aired on FOX.
Now Dobson thinks maybe I’ll hold my nose and vote for McJohn and all my flock of fundamentalist religious righties need to follow.
I have no idea what makes Grover an expert on economics when “humans” aren’t in his equations. It must be his wealth that makes him brilliant to some of those with less. Money has that illusionary effect on some.
Interesting was the sequence when Grover said, “McCain will not raise taxes.”
Chuck Todd replied with, ” McCain said everthing is on the table over Social Security, why would he say that if it was off the table” (para phrase).
Grover, “McCain wants to appeal to the opposition that he is open to discussion”.
Yeah, as open as a submarine’s main entry hatch at about 300ft under water. Sort of corporate like at ccontract time, negotiating with its employees.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:23 amZoeey; My belated condolences. I did not know about your mother before now. I left the threads yesterday before you posted that.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:43 am“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
August 6th, 2008 at 9:48 amJohn Kenneth Galbraith