How did Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush get legislation passed?
“Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad – they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party – and I don’t – as having an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement, doesn’t allow for finding some common ground.
“Back to my dad’s time and Ronald Reagan’s time – they go a lot of stuff done with a lot of bipartisan support.”
- Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
This didn’t make Grover Norquist (no elected office – R) very happy:
“That’s foolish, it’s sup-it’s bizarre.
There’s a guy (Jeb) who watched his father throw away his presidency on a 2:1 [ratio of
Grover Norquist
spending cuts to tax increases] promise. And he thinks he’s sophisticated by saying that he’d take a 10:1 promise. He doesn’t understand – he’s just agreed to walk down the same alley his dad did with the same gang. And he thinks he’s smart. You walk down that alley, you don’t come out. You certainly don’t come out with 2:1 or 10:1.”
- Grover Norquist, Enemy of Americans (R)
As you know, Norquist crafted a pledge to never increase taxes for any reason that current-day Republicans sign or else have trouble getting support from national Republicans.
The Bush comments are part of a small, but growing schism of Republicans who are starting to break with Norquist’s hard-line orthodoxy on taxes. Whether more Republicans start to break, or Norquist’s anti-tax increase orthodoxy continues to rule the Republican Party is yet to be determined.
- CBS News
So, if you are wondering why we don’t get anywhere on Jobs, or battling this depression (see Krugman‘s new book “End This Depression Now”), or getting some kind of focus on improving our overall economy, you need wonder no more. Between McConnell and Boehner‘s refusal to to compromise on anything with Obama and the Democrats, and the insistence of Republicans that they are waiting until after the election, assuming any cooperation now is working against Mitt, I don’t expect anything will happen any time soon.
