There’s been quite a bit of coverage over the last 24 hours of some Republican lawmakers, most notably Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), saying publicly they’re prepared to blow off Grover Norquist’s anti-tax “pledge” as part of a larger deal. Before the political world gets too excited, though, it’s worth paying attention to the fine print.
A pair of congressional Republicans reiterated their willingness Sunday to violate an anti-tax pledge in order to strike a deal on the “fiscal cliff,” echoing Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the Georgia Republican who suggested last week that the oath may be outdated.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said he was prepared to set aside Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge if Democrats will make an effort to reform entitlements, and Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) suggested the pledge may be out of step in the present economy.
Yes, all of a sudden, Norquist’s pledge is losing friends fast. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said last week, “I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge,” and the political establishment swooned when Graham proclaimed yesterday, “I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform.”
To be sure, Norquist’s waning influence is a positive development, as is the larger shift in the debate — Washington is no longer arguing whether to include more revenue in a debt-reduction deal, but how to include more revenue.
But to characterize Graham’s position as some kind of major concession is a mistake. Indeed, while the South Carolinian’s position is ever-so-slightly more constructive than some House Republicans’, the closer one looks at his approach, the less reasonable it appears.
What he’s proposing is Republicans to get what they want on both sides of the budget ledger.
Let’s unwrap this a bit. On the one hand, Graham is willing to accept new revenue. Through slightly higher tax rates on millionaires and billionaires? Absolutely not — Graham specifically proclaimed, “I will not raise tax rates to do it.”
So what will the Republican senator tolerate? Mitt Romney’s plan. Here’s what Graham offered yesterday:









