Grover Norquist

Team America's Freudian slip

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:49:31 -0500

Team America isn't sure who is running against U.S. Rep. Walter Jones.

In an endorsement on its Web site, the political action committee run by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo argues that the Farmville Republican's opponents have the wrong stance on immigration (bold ours):

Now pro-amnesty lobbyists and Washington insiders like Grover Norquist are campaigning against Jones and supporting his primary challenger Andy Harris. During the 2006 amnesty debate, Norquist warned if “the face of the Republican Party is [Tom] Tancredo,” the GOP would be weaker than “If the face of the Republican Party is George Bush.”

Jones is facing a primary challenge from former Onslow County Commissioner Joe McLaughlin. The PAC did not make the same mistake in its e-mail to reporters.

Andy Harris is the Republican nominee in Maryland's First Congressional District. With Norquist's backing, he recently defeated U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in the GOP primary.

Like Jones, Gilchrest had voted to bring combat troops home from Iraq and hold two Bush staffers in contempt of Congress.

Hat Tip: NewBernBear

Norquist campaigns against Jones

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:43:24 -0500

Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist campaigned across the 3rd Congressional district Monday, saying that Republican Congressman Walter Jones had broken his anti-tax pledge.

Norquist said Jones had violated an anti-tax pledge by voting last year for major farm and energy bills, Rob Christensen reports.

Norquist said he had known Jones for years, and had sent letters and talked to him by telephone urging him to avoid voting for a tax hike.

"There were flares up in the sky that were tax increases," Norquist said.

Glen Downs, Jones' chief of staff, said in both cases the farm bill and the energy bill were major pieces of legislation, and only a small portion involved increasing revenues — involving renegotiating oil company leases in the energy bill.

"There has never been a straight up tax increase that Walter has voted for," Downs said.

More after the jump.

Gingrich, Norquist face off in Jones race

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:35:50 -0500

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones is getting some help from the GOP establishment.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will attend a fundraiser next month for Jones, his campaign announced. The event will be held in the Pitt County home of Lynda and Ferrell Blount, the past chairman of the state Republican Party.

The Gingrich event comes on top of a recent Jones fundraiser in Washington that was attended by Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rob Christensen reports.

Rep. Spencer Bachus, the ranking member of the House Comittee on Financial Services, will be the star attraction at a Jones fund raiser on Feb. 26th in D.C.

Jones is being challenged by former Onslow County Commissioner Joe McLaughlin, who has been critical of Jones' opposition to the war in Iraq and for not being supportive enough of President Bush.

McLaughlin's candidacy has been been praised by David Frum at the conservative National Review and by Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

Norquist will be in Greenville, New Bern and Morehead City on Monday, Feb. 18, stumping for McLaughlin.

Norquist vs. Shuler

bkrueger — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:30:06 -0400

Grover Norquist, the conservative activist, criticized Democratic U.S. Rep. Health Shuler over the weekend for his vote on budgetary matters.

“Heath Shuler, who spoke recently about what a great conservative he is, just voted for a budget which guarantees a $3,000 increase per taxpayer on all of us for the next 10 years," Norquist said at a Raleigh conference sponsored by the Civitas Institute.

But Andrew Whalen, Shuler’s spokesman, said the charge was inaccurate and that Shuler was one of 12 Democrats who voted against the budget that passed the House on March 29, reports Rob Christensen.

Norquist said he wasn’t referring to Shuler’s budget vote, but to a vote Shuler took on Jan. 5 for the so-called PAYGO, which requires that new expenditures or tax cuts be accompanied by commensurate increases in revenue or reductions elsewhere in the budget.

Norquist said the PAYGO “guarantees the tax increase” because it will make it impossible to extend the Bush tax cuts.