Big Loss For Norquist and the GOP Coalition
Nathan Newman is absolutely right: yesterday's approval of a Colorado ballot initiative relaxing the robo-fiscal-policy provisions of TABOR is a really big deal.
But I'd like to be more specific: this result is a particular setback for conservative uber-lobbyist Grover Norquist; for his longstanding efforts to dictate state fiscal policies from Washington; and for the crazy-quilt GOP coalition he has done so much to shepherd based on the principle of mutual irresponsibility.
TABOR, a long-time conservative cookie-cutter idea that first reached fruition in Colorado, is sort of the ultimate reflection of the starve-the-beast philosophy of Grover Norquist: taxes and spending must always go down, never up, no matter what's going on in the real world.
And TABOR's enactment represented Grover's big-time clout in state politics around the country. Other than trying to intimidate state and local officials into naming everything possible after Ronald Reagan, Norquist's major outside-the-beltway project has been to intimidate Republican state legislators and governors into a posture of never, ever, considering new revenues in budget decisions. Grover's Rules especially prohibited any effort to close off tax loopholes created to benefit the corporations sitting at his table those famous Wednesday meetings in Washington where the GOP's Theocrat/Mammon/Hack coalition met to get its weekly talking points.
But the whole Grover Machine is beginning to fall apart. Aside from his deep implication in every aspect of the Casino Jack Abramoff scandals, Grover's clout in state politics, even among Republicans, is visibly crumbling, leading him to become not a uniter but a divider in GOP ranks. The TABOR modification initiative was backed by Republican Governor Bill Owens, who not that long ago was being widely touted as a potential presidential champion of the Conservative Movement. But for all his efforts, Grover could not defeat the heretic.
Check out Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform site, and the only comment about his Colorado setback is this, at the very top of the page:
"Young Republican children years from now will be scared in campground campfires by stories about Bill Owens - the tax-cutting Republican who magically turned into a tax-increase bad guy...and they will not be able to sleep all night."
The TABOR modification approved yesterday didn't just liberate Colorado's government from a stupid restriction on democracy; it also helped further the process of loosening the bonds of "our team" Republican solidarity forged by Grover Norquist and his buddy Karl Rove. Every now and then, the real world butts in, and the ideologues and the money-driven networkers must retreat.
Let's pray it's a trend.
Comments (25)
I wonder if anyone "there" (ie, DC) can give a sense of how this is being interpreted inside the Beltway?
Out here in the "heartland," in a state for instance (NV) where a "TABOR-like" question has already qualified for the 2006 ballot, and where "Americans for a Sound Economy" (Armey's group) has been trying to push its "starve the beast" agenda on the state GOP and the state as a whole, the presumption is that this is a big, big development -- if only because it gives a ready-made argument against TABOR ("they rejected it in Colorado; we don't need it here") and thus gives political cover to candidates to come out against it. Presumably, that will be Democratic candidates, though there are lots of state republicans who are very opposed to it for policy reasons (its a dumb, dumb, dumb idea) and for political reasons (it threatens to marginilize the old republican guard within their own party).
But all of that is pure speculation; if Norquist/Armey/whomever can raise mountains of money and (with the benefit of a very "anti-tax" local media) out-shout any coalition of unions, progressive groups and Democrats next year, forcing even popular Dems to run for cover in state legislative and state office elections, then this won't be a turning point.
So, Ed, when you write that Norquist's operation is coming undone, is there any empirical evidence to suggest that their long-term attempt to buy American politics for purposes of auctioning it off to the hightest bidder (or awarding it, no-bid, to their former roomates) is stalled at a national level?
November 2, 2005 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a voter in Colorado Springs and I actually got a call from old Grover prior to the election--well, okay, it was just one of those recorded campaign messages, but it was a voice identifying himself as Grover Norquist telling me not to vote for referenda C and D and blah, blah, blah. I could not believe they were injecting themselves into this state issue and I'm sick to death of the infantile, miserly no-tax no-civitas crowd. We also got calls telling us that floods of illegal immigrants were going to get our tax money if C and D passed. It was gaggable racist bigotry. We also got a flyer with a stupid "quote" against C and D from a certain "Bill Owens" Of course, it wasn't the governor--just some other "Bill Owens"--if he existed at all-- but all designed to make it look like the governor was against it. Thankfully the citizens of Colorado are waking up. Maybe we're not in the category of "Some of the People All of the Time" that we've been in for quite a while.
In a related note, the Rethug establishment tried to get us in School District 11 in Colorado Springs to elect a bunch of privatization bandits--even had Rep. Joel Hefley call us with another recorded message telling us to vote these creeps in. I thought Republicans were the party of local control--yet here is the U.S. Representative telling me how to vote in a local school board race that was supposed to be nonpartisan. It was unbelievably offensive. Well, they lost and I hope it's a trend!
November 2, 2005 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chalk one up for Dems (and some sensible local republicans who reject GN's starve-the-beast approach to all government).
Focus shifts to Virginia ...
November 2, 2005 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grover Norquist years from now will leap into a campground campfire after being reminded about Colorado -- the tax-cutting state that magically overcame his cruel grip on fiscal policy... and his burns will be successfully treated by a single-payer health care system.
November 2, 2005 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm very proud of my state for putting the good of our community ahead of ideology.
November 2, 2005 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
what is slowly, very slowly happening is the simple fact that the sleeping giant that is the us citizenry is strting to stir. the defeat of tabor is just one more example of this stirring. All across this country we can observe examples that give us at least the hope. Indictments, fissures in the solid block voting block of the gop. The growing awareness that the fundies are beginning to publically embarass themselves. I guess that the word now is really two words: patience and Pressure. I Sen Reid is really steadily pressuring and if we all can stand behind him and if the 43 other senators step up and create the solid backing that they are capable of presenting, then those moderate gop sens might just step over the line.MAYBE.
But if nothing comes of this action right now, we will have put down some pretty strong markers for the coming two elections.
 
; &nbs
p; &nb
sp; billjpa@aol.com
November 2, 2005 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
sort of. Has to happen once every 400 years.
Virginia (including the Grown-up Republicans in the General Assembly) has increased taxes to meet public safety and education needs. Grover has sworn death to all in the GOP who have held fast to Virginia's decades-old tradition of fiscal probity and common sense spending. So far, he's come up kind of dry, although the GOP gubernatorial candidate could win next Tuesday and he's a guy Grover likes--but there's no public will or legislative support to undo the tax increase. (If you're a legislator who proposed it, all those county sherriffs would start coming to your townhall meetings and start talking about laying off deputies, again.) And, frankly, if Mark Warner could run for re-election as Governor, any money Grover put in the kitty against him sould be wasted. Warner has a 74-percent approval rating and no GOP candidate will disparage him, for attribution. Americans for Tax Reform couldn't touch him.
November 2, 2005 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Desmoulins:
Good question. It's a bit early for "empircal evidence" of the meltdown of the whole GOP influence-peddling and power-distributing machine, but the circumstantial evidence is everywhere. Talk to anybody on K Street, and it's clear there's a smell of death around the entire Norquist-directed pay-for-play arrangement, mainly because lobbyists are beginning to understand the clowns who have been ordering them around in recent years really do have big red rubber noses and wear big floppy shoes.
And when the money starts falling off, the whole network collapses almost immediately. So yeah, Colorado voters really did launch a blow against the empire, and a few more will
bring the whole rotten edifice down.
Congrats to everyone in Colorado who helped make this happen.
Ed Kilgore
November 2, 2005 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The national GOP ascendancy was presaged by a wave of "taxpayer revolt" initiatives at the state level during the 70s and early 80s (CA being the prime example). I'm starting to get the first sense of a "citizen's revolt" beginning, one demanding a more responsive, properly funded government. TABOR's defeat, the (defeated) effort in AL a couple years ago, the VA situation mentioned above, Arnold's initiatives seemingly flaming out spectacularly ... I think in a decade or so we'll look back on all this as the first signs of a sea change in thinking.
November 2, 2005 6:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Young Republican children years from now will be scared in campground campfires by stories about Bill Owens - the tax-cutting Republican who magically turned into a tax-increase bad guy...and they will not be able to sleep all night."
--Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform--
Perhaps; but I plan on my children having something a bit more comfortable to live in than a campground.
November 2, 2005 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah we kicked Grover Bruce's ass here in Colorado. These clowns have lost the middle. Bill Owens. Hank Brown. The Republican base scares the hell out of people.
November 2, 2005 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I admit I was worried (actually, fatalistic) about this one and am delighted at the results and congratulate every Coloradan who voted against Grover &Co. Deep bow from this Texan while facing NW...
These have been some nice days to live through for a change, haven't they!
November 2, 2005 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
At this point the only starvation I would be interested in is Norquist's. As a matter of fact, if he would just hold his breath for a long time, that would be a big help, too.
November 2, 2005 7:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I could be wrong here, but I don't remember Norquist having that much to do with the genesis of TABOR.
TABOR's author, Doug Bruce, was a veteran of the California tax wars (The name Tabor also refers to an early Colorado silver baron; his wife is the focus of the "Ballad of Baby Doe"). Bruce wrote the amendment himself and included a bunch of inanities that only he could explain, essentially setting himself up as the state tax czar.
November 2, 2005 8:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely correct, that was the biggest question for me too: whether the citizens would respond to the dire need of the functions of government and the constructive teamwork of our civil servants. They surprised me a bit.
How much greed, selfishnes and xenophobia can the human psyche tolerate? I guess Grover will be the last one holding out.
Colorado is moving inthe right direction! Thank you everyone!
November 2, 2005 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Grover Norquist explained: his name is Grover Norquist. How would you feel with a moniker like that?
"My name is Sue! How do you do???!"
Ever notice how many far righties have names they could only have gotten if they were the descendants of morons or people who hated them? (Pretty good definition of a reichwingnut, in my book)
November 2, 2005 9:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Andy, I was wondering the same thing - I lived in Colorado Springs when this thing passed, and it was pretty much the Doug Bruce show. My understanding is Norquist didn't even get involved until the last couple years ... and that hurt the pro-TABOR crowd (not to mention the huge tuition increases at CU, crumbling roads throughout the state, costly & annoying budget elections every year etc.)
Ed, might want to do a little more analysis here, this was a more unique situation than I think you're acknowledging - Colorado still has plenty of wingnuts. I'll agree this is a great victory, but you're unwise to extrapolate too broadly here.
November 2, 2005 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
...I agree that tax rates should be set by economic conditions, reality, need and a community's ability to function. If you're a local government drawing huge surpluses and have a rainy day fund for bad times, by all means, give some back through either refunds or by lowering rates in an even-handed manner.
But, one oddity here, in reference to the recommendations of Bush's tax panel -- those guys want to eliminate the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes paid. If that plan goes through, then people in Colorado will be punished for being responsible enough to reset their local tax system, even at the risk of local tax hikes, so that it can deal with its government's needs.
It's just a potential slap in the face towards this kind of rational act on the part of Colorado's voters.
November 2, 2005 9:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seems to me Grover's used that phrase before, about some other apostate. Anyone else remember it?
November 2, 2005 10:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just to follow up on the District 11 School Board wins--not only were the wingnuts pushed back, but progressive candidates assumed control. It was a big win for protecting the full flow of money to the public schools. I received this today from Progressive Majority:
[end]
There is movement. You've got to slow the ship before you can reverse it; keep pressing. Stand by for more good news--and more nationally notable, punditable, (and I'll admit--spinnable) news out of VA and NJ.
November 2, 2005 10:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
sorry about the bad html!
November 2, 2005 10:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dear Madam:
Don't ever be surprised how far these ballot box bandits will go to ram their issues down your throat.
Voter hijinks in the Mile High state were in high gear -- especially in Douglas Bruce's own neck-of-the-woods . . .From The Colorado State Collegian News:
Additional link
Gee -- why doesn't this surprise me?
(was Grover Norquist leading that caravan east out of town?)
November 2, 2005 11:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
THing of this as open source anti tax conservativism. Bruce did get the idea on his own. He has some other ideas that are as interesting. However, Norquist is the person who has spread it to other states and popularized it in the conservative movement.
November 3, 2005 4:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Next Tuesday, when (if) Californians vote down all of Governor Schwarzenegger's ballot measures, including a spending cap, it will really spell the beginning of the end of the tax-cutting movement. Arnold tried to scare voters into thinking that failing to impose the caps would result in an increase in the car tax, when it much more likely would result in an increase in the top rates, maybe even a millionaires' tax. Californians, based on the polls, seem about to deliver a stinging rebuke to Arnold and support the coalition of nurses, teachers, cops and firefighters, plus allied unions, whose strong push-back amazed many people.
Judge Wapner has cut TV commercials against Arnold's redistricting measure. Warren Beatty has done radio commercials against all the measures. Most people seem to be taking a "No on Everything" attitude, a real backlash against Arnold and ballot overkill.
Wednesday should bring some interesting commentary.
November 3, 2005 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a new Coloradoan (or Coloradan, apparently, depending on what part of the state you come from) and as a CU student, I watched this race very closely.
Not to throw any cold water on this good news (and it is very good news), but two things:
1) Referendum C, which passed, will lapse in 5 years. Opponents shrieked that it was the thin edge of the wedge (let's hope), but it seems to me that, whatever is happening in 5 years, it will be hard to make another exception and probably still impossible to repeal any significant portion of TABOR. Lord, let me be wrong. But it's just too far down the road for anyone to be able to see clearly.
2) Referendum D, which would have done for roads and bridges what C did for education and health care (ie, make it possible to maintain the status quo or attend to much needed improvements), did not pass. So that's a couple of billion that needs to come from somewhere. The anti-tax anarchists pushing against sound fiscal policy (for that's what they are and that's what they do, no matter what they call themselves and how they couch their arguments) will be back, with more deceptive language, more out-of-state millions of dollars, more emotional hype intended to deceive the voters about how a state government works and what is the difference between $15 for yourself and $15 million for the state.
I'm praying -- and I'm not a religious person, so I hope I'm doing it right -- that everyone's positive vibrations are correct. Just don't let's start thinking that this "reversal" is in the bag yet. It's a twitch in the right direction, but there's much, much work to be done.
November 3, 2005 6:50 PM | Reply | Permalink