Republicans reassess “no new tax” stance

According to The Hill, fewer newly elected and returning Republicans are supporting Grover Norquist’s anti-Tax pledge. Only 218 House members in the 113^th Congress will sign the pledge, as opposed to 238 in the 112^th.

The anti-tax pledge, produced by conservative activist Grover Norquist and his lobbying firm Americans for Tax Reform, requires signers to vote against tax increases. It also means they cannot support eliminating loopholes and deductions without creating a tax cut that would balance the effect on revenue. Many Republicans argue this pledge is in the economic interest of voters, but it also has a strong ideological basis. This pledge is an appeal to voters who believe in reducing spending, lower taxes, and a smaller government.

However, Republicans recognize the restraints of the pledge or an inflexible position on tax increases will make it nearly impossible to reach a compromise on reducing the deficit and avoiding the fiscal cliff.  A compromise that avoids the cliff is in the economic interest of the entire country. Last June in an interview, Sen. Lindsey Graham nicely summed up the problem facing signers when he voiced his opposition to it. He says, “"We are so far in debt that if you don't give up some ideological ground, the country sinks".  This growing shift in the Republican position reflects the problem Kalt and Zupan observed with voting based on ideology. Some Republicans suspect if they cannot reach a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff because of this “no new taxes” stance, they will be accused of shirking their responsibilities to their constituents and the nation.