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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Why Won’t Eric Hovde Sign the ‘No New Tax’ Pledge?

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 9th, 2012 at 04:46 AM  | 

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It is one area where Eric Hovde is to the left of Tommy Thompson. He will not sign Americans for Tax Reform’s “No New Tax” pledge.

Hovde has, instead, launched a broadside attack on ATR and Grover Norquist claiming that Norquist is in the pocket of corporate interests. Pot, meet kettle.

In fact, I have well documented concerns about ATR and Norquist, but the pledge itself is a no brainer. Hovde is trying to out think the pledge. He is already playing to the DC media elite that hate Republicans unwilling to raise taxes.

Hovde, in not only opposing the “No New Tax” pledge, but actively demagoguing it, puts him well outside the conservative movement and even outside the center of the Republican Party.

If we cannot trust Eric Hovde on not raising taxes — and never trust a politician unwilling to put his word in writing — we cannot trust him to stand up and do what is right in the Senate.

Mark Neumann remains the only answer for conservatives in Wisconsin intent on stopping Tommy Thompson.

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COMMENTS

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  • commonsenseobserver

    It’s Tammy Baldwin we’re more afraid of.

  • Filibuster Keaton

    How many times has Thompson let down Republicans? And now, even when he polls worse than Neumann against Bruce, we’re clinging to some canard he’s the only electable one?

    Very depressing.

  • commonsenseobserver

    In fact, it’s because of his “Conservative” opponents ugly campaigning that it’s so close. And, of course, Neumann is known for doing that against Gov. Walker as well.

    But, above all, we should remember that Tommy Thompson’s not the one we need to bring down most. It’s Tammy Baldwin.

  • philhoganjr

    Tammy Baldwin is to the left of Barack Obama. She’s unelectable statewide. She’ll stop herself.

    On the heels of the Walker recall, Wisconsin is a great opportunity to get a conservative fighter in the senate. Tommy Thompson is the antithesis to that.

    So yes, right now, we should be intent on stopping Tommy.

  • lesinge

    my biggest fear is Mark Neumann’s tone-deaf negativity in his campaigns…during the Gubernatorial dust-ups he not only looked foolish and irritated (to say the least) WI conservatives…but managed to shoot himself in the foot doing it.
    (add to this his current ad “…if I knew then how strong Walker would lead…” Where were you, Neumann? Scott Walker held strong leading Milwaukee County for almost a DECADE! Didn’t follow that?)
    All it will take is one tone-deaf negative ad/statement and Baldwin’s rabid followers will destroy him with shrill cries of hateful bigotry.
    Hovde’s prickly nature when challenged on his statements, record, views = same thing.
    Oh how I wish Fitzgerald had more traction…but in the meantime, Tommy is still The Best Hope we have.

  • philhoganjr

    The reason it’s so close (and why Thompson even has a chance) is because the 3 more conservative candidates are splitting the vote. Ugly campaigning has very little to do with it. It’d be great if Fitzgerald, who looks like the longshot, dropped out over the weekend and endorsed Neumann.

    But again, after the Walker recall, and considering how liberal Baldwin is, I think we get the pick of the conservative litter here, and it’d be a shame to waste that pick on someone like Tommy. If he wins, of course we support him against Baldwin.

  • mikeymike143

    the ”tea party support” for him willl make the difference in this senate race, just like it did in indiana with mourdock, missouri with akin, and texas with cruz.

    and we tea partiers already have resources in place from being the ”boots on the ground” for scott walker during the recall election. i expect a last minute tea party push for neumann to make the difference.

  • commonsenseobserver

    Sorry, wasn’t clear :P

  • Filibuster Keaton

    “All it will take is one tone-deaf negative ad/statement and Baldwin?s rabid followers will destroy him with shrill cries of hateful bigotry.”

    There’s video Baldwin can’t wait to use against Thompson. By Election Day, any Republican nominee will be painted as Attila the Hun. I’ll support any of them against Baldwin in a heartbeat, but I can’t believe all the marching orders to fall in line behind Thompson with all his weaknesses.

  • commonsenseobserver

    Norquist would accuse them of raising taxes.

  • renl57

    Norquist has actually said that eliminating a crony-capitalism subsidy is tantamount to a tax increase.

    Norquist’s philosophy would make it impossible to lower tax rates while broadening the tax base by eliminating crony-capitalism deals.

    For example, General Electric (Obama’s favorite company) routinely gets away with paying little or no taxes. Something like a Fair Tax or Flat Tax would lower tax rates for the vast majority of us–but that would be the end of GE’s special deals, and their taxes would go up.

    Yes, GE’s taxes would go UP. As they deserve to go up.

    That’s what is wrong with Norquist’s pledge. It is impossible to eliminate all the special tax credits and tax deductions in the tax code without raising taxes on the people who currently benefit from those.

    For example, in Iowa, they get a big benefit from the energy tax credits for building and operating windmills. If you sign Norquist’s “no new taxes” pledge, you are locking yourself in to supporting those tax credits indefinitely.

    SOME folks SHOULD have their taxes raised. Those are the folks who have been getting special tax credits, deductions and exemptions up till now.

  • renl57

    He wants to eliminate all that corporate welfare and crony capitalism. But eliminating it means those who benefit really are going to pay more in taxes than they have paid up till now.

  • Kyle-MI

    It reminds me a lot of the term limits battle. The national organization took such a rigid line that you were labeled in favor of career politicians unless you agreed with them on every little detail.

    If we took Norquist’s view we would simply be shifting earmarks from the budget to the tax code. We need tax simplification as much as lower taxes in general.

  • http://llphsecondrevolution.wordpress.com/ spoasteph97

    she’s terrible. She’s anti-life, anti-sanctity of marriage, anti-fiscal responsibility, anti-Constitution, anti-conservatives, and PRO-OBAMA,REID,PELOSI.

    Please, please, please…I beg Wisconsin to nominate somebody who you think would be electable. Thank you for sending us conservative Senator Ron Johnson. If you can send us a strong conservative…that would be great! But if you can’t…at least don’t send us Baldwin.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    over Baldwin…

  • http://llphsecondrevolution.wordpress.com/ spoasteph97

    no comment

  • streiff

    Norquist took the profoundly stupid position that eliminating tax subsidies for ethanol was a tax increase and accused Tom Coburn, of all people, of being for higher taxes.

    Maybe once Norquist decides that he’s for a rational tax code and against muslim extremism I’ll pay a lot more attention to him.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    no text

  • matthewpb

    Mark Neumann is not someone I would want to get behind. His actions in his primary against Walker and his awful ads in this cycle make him unpalatable. Even though I don’t live in Wisconsin, I often listen to the main talk radio station in Milwaukee so I get to hear a lot of the campaign ads. Neumann’s ads just ring false. He presents himself as a religious person and often references his family and his grandkids but in ways that are just plain silly. I have no problem with a person referencing God in public discourse. In fact, it should be encouraged. But the way Neumann does it gives every impression that he is using religion as a tool to obtain some kind of political gain. It is my feeling that general election voters and primary voters are turned off by this. I sure am. I have supported every conservative I could in these primaries whether it’s Ted Cruz, Clark Durant, etc. However, based on Neumann’s tactics and approach, he is distasteful.

    In this race, Hovde or (I guess) Thompson are better choices than Neumann based on the way they conduct themselves and the way they come across to voters. Hovde stuck his neck out when it came time to support Walker in the recall by actually running ads for Walker (even when the result was in doubt). Neumann did not stick his neck out until after Walker won. I disagree with Erick and Daniel Horowitz on this one because I don’t think Neuman will be palatable to as many voters as Hovde or Thompson. (p.s. Fitzgerald is out of his league.)

  • riverwood

    and I might pay more attention to Norquist the day he closes on a home in Wisconsin, his moving truck arrives, and he registers to vote here.

  • jaydickb

    Of course, I don’t want taxes raised, but consider the following hypothetical, however unlikely you think it may be.

    After Romney is inaugurated and the Republican-led congress is seated, Republicans in the House pass a series of needed reforms; taxes, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc. Senate Democrats, having 45 seats and determined to stick together, won’t allow these measures to come to a vote. In a back-room deal, the Dems agree to allow all these measures to come to a Senate vote (effectively allowing their enactment) if the Republicans will agree to tweak the tax reform bill just a little. The tweaks would result in a small tax increase based on CBO’s static analysis, but economists opine that because of the other reforms, the tweaks won’t negatively affect the economy.

    Bearing in mind that this is a tax increase that violates the no tax increase pledge, do you take the deal? I do, in a heartbeat.

  • http://redneckdemocrat.com/ Redneck Democrat

    I’m not for raising taxes, but these people make a pledge (take an oath) to the constitution when they’re sworn in. We need to hold our Congress Person’s feet to the fire on this pledge, not some stupid tax pledge.

    We have a spending problem, not a tax problem. until I hear either side really do something about it (though the Repos do a better job of lying about wanting to reduce government), I’ll treat anybody who signed the pledge, and then sent my money back to their district for a pet project, as part of the problem.

  • jem49

    Neumann tried to raise taxes. That’s some conservative. He also accepted stimulus dollars for his company.

    Hovde has consistently supported tax cuts. Limits to spending. Common sense! He’s NOT a Washington insider. He’s NOT Neumann.