GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
Grover Norquist assesses Hizzoner’s economic record in a letter released today:
“In looking at the records of all the Republican candidates, yours clearly stands out. You cut the income tax, business taxes, sales taxes, property-related taxes, and nuisance taxes. You are the most successful tax cutter in modern New York history and, on balance, the most successful tax cutter in the Republican field today. If you are elected president, I will look forward to working with you to reduce and reform taxes, restore fiscal discipline, increase government transparency, and pursue pro-growth policies that will improve America ’s competitiveness in the global economy.”
Read the whole thing here (pdf warning).
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Sounds like Norquist has gotten over his hang-up with Rudy refusing to sign the tax pledge.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Confirmation for Huckabee’s national rise outside of Rasmussen:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/12/national-suppor.html
• Giuliani: 25%; vs 28% in the previous survey, taken Nov. 11-14; and 34% in a Nov. 2-4 survey. So, his support has fallen 9 percentage points in a month.
• Mike Huckabee: 16%; vs. 10% in the previous survey; and 6% before that. His support has risen 10 percentage points in a month.
• Fred Thompson: 15%; vs. 19% in the previous survey; and 17% before that.
• Sen. John McCain: 15%; vs. 13% in the previous survey; and 18% before that.
• Mitt Romney: 12%; unchanged from the previous survey; and 14% before that.
No other GOP candidate was above 4%.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:28 pm
murphy,
Here’s a relevant Q&A from the recent YouTube/CNN debate you might have missed:
Q: President Bush made a commitment when he ran for president in 2000 and 2004 that he would oppose and veto any tax increase that Congress sent him. My question to each of the candidates is: Would you promise to the people watching this right now that you will oppose and veto any effort to raise taxes as long as you’re president?
MR. GIULIANI: Yes, I would. I did it as mayor. I would do it as president. I had one of the best records in the country for lowering taxes while I was mayor. I expect to have a great record as president.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Just wondering-
Has Norquist made a formal endorsement? And how much weight (if any) would it bring to the table of the endorsee?
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Now can people like Chris Lizza (who is new) and the Rombots (new and old) please stop harping about how Rudy is a “liberal”? Grover Norquist says he stands out on economics. Miguel Estrada and Ted Olson have given him the thumbs up. Hell, even Pat Robertson said he was acceptable.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Aron, yes I did miss that. Has Rudy signed Norquist’s tax pledge?
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I’m not really surprised, Rudy has a solid conservative record on fiscal issues and foreign policy
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Kavon, you beat me to it.
One line to note from Norquist’s letter: “I was delighted that — unlike some others — you were clear and forthright in the CNN YouTube debate on November 28, when I asked all the candidates if as President they would oppose and veto any tax increase…You simply said, ‘Yes.’
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Rudy signs no pledges, murphy, as he’s stated time and time again.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
TLG: Rudy signs no pledges, murphy, as he’s stated time and time again.
And you’re willing to give Rudy a pass on refusing to sign the tax pledge? I’m surprised, TLG.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Of course I am. And I’m sure the reason why he isn’t signing pledges is that he wants to avoid socially conservative ones.
Rudy doesn’t need to sign a pledge. He has a record to stand on, unlike these other phonies that think they can make up for a lack of accomplishment by signing a piece of paper.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
General question for the floor, seeing as I’m apparently the only guy (other than Kavon) who missed the YouTube debate.
How did Romney, Huckabee, McCain, and Thompson answer Norquist’s question on tax hikes? Anyone got transcripted answers?
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:54 pm
“Has Rudy signed Norquist’s tax pledge?”
In my opinion the problem with signing pledges is: how can you justify signing one group’s pledge and not everybody else’s? 25 different interest groups could be in a candidate’s face to sign a pledge.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Seems like TLG has done some evolving of his own on the subject of signing a tax pledge.
TLG: I will NOT give [Romney] a pass for refusing to sign a no-new-taxes pledge, REGARDLESS of the circumstances.
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
murphy,
Here’s the debate transcript:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/politics/28debate-transcript.html?pagewanted=print
December 3rd, 2007 at 6:59 pm
murphy — Hah! You’re good! Damn. Yep. Looks like I flip-flopped from July. Oh, well.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:03 pm
TLG — LOL!
Aron, thanks for the link. It sounds like all 5 top candidates were in the affirmative.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Rombots should be very proud that Rudy learned from Mitt’s 2002 observation that such no-tax pledges amounted to “government by gimmickry.” You guys ought to be very proud.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:05 pm
When Romney ran for Governor, signing a “no-tax†pledge would be a gimmick, because with a supermajority democrat congress, he had no power to ensure it. He did however convince the democrats to give him emergency spending cutting power, and cut spending per capita and cut the tax burden on Massachusetts residents.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:06 pm
As president, Romney or Rudy could just veto an increase in spending.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Looks like, with the letter, Rudy has signed the tax pledge now . . . in effect.
Rudy said it in a debate and Norquist codified it via the letter.
But I thought Rudy’s pledge was only to the American people, no?
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
If only he were better on other issues…
I have few problems with Giuliani’s fiscal record (though he did leave behind a large deficit, even after suing to keep his precious pork and commuter tax).
The problem is that Giuliani is, at best, indifferent on other important issues.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:17 pm
22.
It doesn’t really count as pork if you’re sending more money to Washington than you get back, as NYC was during Giuliani’s terms. Also, the commuter tax makes sense because commuters from outside the city use bridges, tunnels, and roads as much or more than the residents, and the city has to foot the bill. It’s not outlandish to make people pay taxes to support public infrastructure that they use every day.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:01 pm
It looks more and more a coalition of fiscons and federalists against populists and socons.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:30 am
The other records that stand out, of course, are the ones which suggest Rudy used taxpayer funds for having fun with his then mistress as Mayor of New York.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:43 am
[...] spend tax monies for his own, er, benefit. Interesting. So what’s really going on here? In Grover’s words: In looking at the records of all the Republican candidates, yours clearly stands [...]
December 4th, 2007 at 9:49 am
zzzzz i am over giuliani. i think he is starting his downward spiral. i don’t see him getting the nomination. too early to write him off completly but he has definetly become marginalized the past few weeks.