News Roundup for 11/3/11

Grover Norquist

-Headline of the Day-
"Boehner: Grover Who?!"

John Boehner is starting to feel the heat. As the deficit super committee gets closer to its deadline, Republicans are starting to realize that their no-taxes-ever stand is kind of a political dog. You take your 99-percenters and your polling and your what-have-you, mix it all up, and you've got a political disaster brewing. Dems say a "balanced approach" of cuts and tax increases on the wealthy are the way to go -- and the public agrees.

So, when the Orange One was asked "whether anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist was a positive influence on his caucus," John kinda-sorta threw Grover under the bus. See, Norquist made all the Republicans sign a "no tax increase" pledge and apparently that pledge is way more important than their Oaths of Office. Or it's supposed to be anyway, but it looks like it's not anymore.

"It’s not often I’m asked about some random person in America," Boehner said. Grover who? Is he some sort of muppet? Never heard of him! And other House GOPers are likewise tearing up their pledges.

"If the Super Committee fails, and Congress can’t pass significant deficit reduction measures by the end of 2013, it’ll trigger an enforcement mechanism, cutting $1.2 billion across the board, mostly to Medicare provider payments and defense programs," according to the report. "In this context, 40 members of the House GOP caucus signaled that they’d be amenable to tax increases paired with cuts to entitlement programs."

Give it a little more time and Boehner will crumble into a pile of amber rubble. (Talking Points Memo)


-Cartoon time with Mark Fiore-
Hey kids, you know how lower taxes are automatically good? Well then it stands to reason that no taxes must be the goodest!


Click for animation

Of course, "feudal lord" is just one way of putting it. In the libertarian paradise that is Somalia, they're called "warlords."

Six of one, half a dozen of the other, really. (MarkFiore.com)


-Bonus HotD-
"Romney’s Estate Tax Cut Would Save The Koch Brothers Up To $8.7 Billion Each."

Of course it would. (ThinkProgress)