Grover Norquist interview on Fresh Air NPR

[Papa]

I was listening to this in the car on lunch hour and didnt see posts about it. The interview was hard to listen to becuase Norquist is so out in left field . It was a bit chilling too listening to this nut knowing that those in power listen to him.

He confirmed that he wants to esentially destroy the government and undo the Great Society. He also compared rasing taxes to the Holocost.

What really got my ear was a response to a question about are there any good taxes...

Q)Fresh Air host: Are there any services that you think taxes should support? Do you think that the American public should be taxed to support any of the services we have now?


A) Norquist: Well, At the national level we spend right now 3 1/2% of GDP on defense. All federal spending, national government spending, is %20 of the economy. I think national defense is very important I think 3 1/2% is probably a little high but, (with) 2% WE COULD RUN THE PLANET for spending 2% of GDP if we spend in competently....

He makes no bones about it, or he let it slip. They want to run the planet, and turn it into a police state, bust the unions, get rid of almost all government services and have private contractors take the governments role, not to mention privatizing schools and privatizing social security.

It's a good listen, here's the link. He says the "we could run the planet" comment about 27 minutes into it. You can tell the interviewer was just squirming in her seat listening to this nonsense.

http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml;jsessionid=PSCJC5TJ0SFBJLA5AINSFEY?todayDate=current

(you'll have to cut and paste the link)

[Jack The Tab]

1. Well, I'm disappointed they even give him the soapbox...

But I suppose the greater good is served by having this lunatic spout his ideas in the public rather than behind closed doors, in senators ears.

[Capn Sunshine]

2. Bear in mind This "wackjob" is the progenitor

Of modern neoconservative thought. He has the ear of all in the current administration, he articulated the current wave of partisan rancor and discord sweeping the states, and his ultimate goal is to reduce government influence to less that that of private corporations, subject to their whims.

Read about Norquist's hostings of the Wednesday think tanks for the neocons in Brocks "Blinded by the Right" among other places.

This is Grover's idea of a perfect world.

More:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/07/31_grover.html

[phaseolus]

3. The entire premise of his argument

...is that "the government" is not "us". Like some other right wing arguments out there it's an article of faith, nothing more. Just one more of those "everybody knows ... " arguments that are easily proven wrong.

If our side can effectively communicate that government *can* be a benevolent force in our lives, uplifting the common welfare and all that, we can win the debate against his nonsense. Carville wrote a book on this topic, "We're Right, They're Wrong".

If we're able - hell, if we're *allowed* - to frame the debate we could get the majority of Americans to agree that roads, schools, libraries, etc. are good things to have around.

Another poisonous tactic of his from the interview: "Polls show that <insert right wing garbage here> ..." followed by "... the American Public wants...". Whose poll? How was the question worded?

He outright lied about the Capital Gains thing, too, according to the guys who answered my question in the earlier thread on the Norquist interview. (From just two hours ago, now on page 4 or 5 ... can't blame you for not finding it... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=454948 )