“Jeeves, Draw Mr. Norquist’s Bath.” — Whose Turn In Norquist’s Bathtub?

“My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years,
to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.”

Grover Norquist, 2001¹

Whose bathtub? Which bathtub? Where the Hell did I die?

Despite his whoppingly wrong predictions about a Republican landslide in the election, Mr. N. continues on in a confident manner, just as many obnoxious and overconfident-in-defeat Republicans have been since November 7th.

“The fantasy is that the Republicans would cave on marginal tax rates – they’re non-negotiable.”²

Perhaps he’s right this time. Republicans have little else other than abortion and entitlement politics if they abandon taxes. Yet, some former Norquisters may be seeing the light, not the light of demand side economics, or the light of tax fairness, but the light now shining on them by a voting public thoroughly had-it-up-to-here with the GOP Congress. And, although I apologize for mentioning this, the midterm election s=campaign season is a bit more than a year away, and the 13 GOP senators up for re-election do not want to be on the shut-down-the-government or the default-on-our-debt side of the ledger now that a Mitt Romney presidency is in the rear view mirror. As for the House, well that’s anyone’s guess, but Boehner’s been upbeat about at least some revenue measures being at least “discussable.” But let’s also not forget that the Eric Cantor cabal of more than 80 Tea Party congressloons has in the past scuttled Boehner’s plans, and, as well, Boehner’s idea of a “compromise” on budget and taxation issues have been, at best, “wingnut soft.”

So Norquist may still see his congressional gang of Taxpay Protection Plan groupies remain strong, and then succeed in what he now predicts, i.e. the Bush tax cuts will, at the end of this flirtation with the so-called fiscal cliff, remain in effect for everyone, which includes, of course, those fabulously wealthy and radically under-taxed folks who control about 80% of our nation’s wealth. Perhaps Democrats and President Obama will realize that they will get little in return, and turn their collective back on the GOP in this. The record isn’t very good on these things, but Obama, now freed from re-election planning, may stand pat, like a stone wall, and demand offsets, or, failing that, step aside and let Republicans (who the nation will blame) lead the country over the cliff.

So, who will die in the bathtub first, tax code fairness or Mr. Norquist’s pledge? Keep posted here.³ We’ll know within six months. My prediction, though just by a nose at the finish line:

“Jeeves, Draw Mr. Norquist’s bath.”

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