CNN's Ali Velshi labeled anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist a "dangerous
man" on Friday for blocking a fiscal cliff compromise between Democrats
and Republicans.
"Hey, speaking of the fiscal cliff, there's been all this focus on one
dangerous man who stands in the way of a deal that could avert it,
Grover Norquist. He is neither elected, nor has he ever run for office,
so why is Washington so scared of him?" Velshi introduced his segment on
Norquist. [Video below the break. Audio
here.]
And CNN's financial guru quoted the lone GOP presidential candidate who
did not sign Norquist's anti-tax hike pledge, Jon Huntsman. "He had
some advice for his fellow Republicans," Velshi said before airing
Huntsman preaching against politicians taking special-interest pledges.
"[I]t becomes impossible to do the work of the people, which
desperately needs to be done economically and in every other way to
prepare for competitiveness in the 21st century, when you're hamstrung
and tied down by all of these pledges," Huntsman told Velshi.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on November 30 on CNN Newsroom at 3:35 p.m. EST, is as follows:
ALI
VELSHI: Hey, speaking of the fiscal cliff, there's been all this focus
on one dangerous man who stands in the way of a deal that could avert
it, Grover Norquist. He is neither elected, nor has he ever run for
office, so why is Washington so scared of him?
(Video Clip)
GROVER NORQUIST: Taxes went up, spending didn't go down.
VELSHI: (voice over) He's been called a "kingmaker," a "patriot," and
the ideological godfather of the Tea Party. Since the mid-80's, Grover
Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, has been the driving
force behind the anti-tax movement. His goal: to take big government,
and in his words, "drown it in the bathtub." Norquist's weapon is the
Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which was at one point signed by 95 percent
of GOP members of Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Can you raise your hand if you feel so strongly about not raising taxes –
VELSHI: On the campaign trail this year, only one Republican presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman, dared to cross him.
Norquist has clout. He's called the most powerful unelected man in
America today. But since the November election, his fortunes have
changed.
Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.): I will violate the pledge –
Rep. PETER KING (R-N.Y.): A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress.
Sen. BOB CORKER (R-Tenn.): I'm not obligated on the pledge.
VELSHI: Republicans in Congress are jumping ship, and supporting
unspecified revenue hikes to help cut the deficit. And big business is
now resigned to higher taxes. Here's Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein.
LLOYD BLANKFEIN, CEO, Goldman Sachs: But if we had to lift up the marginal rate, I would do that.
VELSHI: Norquist's response?
NORQUIST: To be fair to everybody, some of these people have had impure
thoughts. No one has pulled the trigger and voted for a tax increase.
VELSHI: Norquist is clearly looking toward the 2014 midterm elections.
But one high-profile figure from the Fix the Debt movement believes that
Norquist's clout is clearly waning.
STEVE RATTNER, Campaign to Fix the Debt: I don't view this as some – as
the end of Grover Norquist. I don't think he suddenly disappears, never
to be seen of again. But I think his aura of invincibility has been
largely shattered.
(End Video Clip)
VELSHI: And former Republican presidential contender Jon Huntsman was
the only candidate in the primaries who wouldn't bind himself to
Norquist's anti-tax pledge. I met with Huntsman earlier today. He had
some advice for his fellow Republicans.
JON HUNTSMAN (R), former Utah governor: There are dozens and dozens of
special interest movements in Washington, all of whom have their
pledges, all of whom try to get their pound of flesh when people are
running for office. And I think we're learning, Ali, some very important
lessons, the political class in America, as we go through this. And
that is, it becomes impossible to do the work of the people, which
desperately needs to be done economically and in every other way to
prepare for competitiveness in the 21st century when you're hamstrung
and tied down by all of these pledges.
Former MSNBC anchor David Shuster will be joining Al Jazeera as an anchor, a network source confirms to TVNewser. Shuster will likely anchor in the evenings, although a timeslot has not been confirmed. Shuster’s hire was first noted by Michael Calderone of The Huffington Post.
