The GOP And Grover Norquist

It's not just Rick Perry who has ties to Grover Norquist.

From this source, dated July 12, 2011:

...For more than two decades, signing Norquist’s pledge has been an almost religious rite of passage for Washington Republicans.

The 54-year-old president of Americans for Tax Reform is Washington’s anti-tax doctrinal watchdog, his stature derived from the faith of his Republican signatories. He is using all of his authority to prevent GOP leaders from giving an inch on taxes as President Obama and congressional leaders seek a historic compromise to raise the debt ceiling and bring down the deficit.

Since he first collected the signatures of Jack Kemp, Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich 25 years ago, Norquist has prepared for this very clash, enlisting about 95 percent of the Republican members of Congress in the crusade against tax increases. Along the way, he has become one of Washington’s most visible and idiosyncratic characters: a zealous, self-promoting tax scourge who presides over a weekly meeting of conservative power brokers and dabbles in stand-up comedy.

[...]

Norquist said he has also been in frequent touch with the Republican presidential candidates, who have emerged as a solid bloc against a compromise. Copies of their pledges — with the exception of holdout Jon Huntsman Jr. — are kept in a black binder on the desk of one his interns.

“I talk with [Mitt] Romney directly,” Norquist said. He mentioned that Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) will be attending his Wednesday meeting this week and that Gingrich recently sent him an unsolicited statement strongly opposing backing down in the debt talks. For Norquist, any other position would be unacceptable....

Much more at the above link.

Additional reading on Rick Perry and his "pro-shari'a curriculum" - from a different source. One brief excerpt:

...Earlier this year, Norquist spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference, along with Michele Bachmann, Allen West, Thad McCotter, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Herman Cain, Paul Ryan, and Newt Gingrich.

Bachmann, West, Rubio, McCotter, and Ryan are all proud signatories to Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, with their names proudly displayed – with permission – on his website...

Read it all HERE.

I'm not endorsing Rick Perry in this post.

But I am saying that those who are so eager to see Obama voted out in 2012 should be wary of the divide-and-conquer strategy, which the Democratic Party well knows how to turn to its advantage.

Furthermore, very recently Breivik did damage to the credibility and reputation of the counterjihad blogosphere, be that damage deserved or not. I say not, but others clearly don't see the Breivik damage the same way that I do.

In my view, with regard to demonizing Rick Perry, we'd be wise not to step off the cliff and give the opposition more opportunity to damage our credibility and reputation any further.