I don’t keep a secret of the fact that Grover Norquist and his wife Samah are friends of mine — and I just had him in to speak at the New America Foundation on his new book, Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives.
It’s an interesting, thoughtful, provocative book that progressives should read. Norquist is a major kingpin of Republican party politics — but he’s fighting against the nativism and bigotry in the party which I think is worth noting. Of course, he’s monomaniacally opposed to tax increases. And yes, I know his name percolates in the Abramoff files. Not my issue, at least not right now.
However, I find his book the antithesis of both the style and content of an Ann Coulter book.
Christopher Hayes of The Nation already has a post up that ties into the Norquist event today.
The personal ethical challenge I am having is that he just left his black bag here — full of binders, charts, strategy points, playbooks, schedules, all of that — possibly the Republican electoral game plan from his perspective. It even has a copy of the no new taxes, “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” that he got Stephen Colbert to swear loyalty to last night. (see above)
And I’m not going to go through Grover’s ‘black bag’.
Norquist’s messengers are on the way to pick it back up. But part of me thinks I should have called Jon Stewart and gone through Grover’s bag together on his show.
But no, not going to do it. . .not gonna. . .no. . .well. . .but then again, what would Karl Rove have done?
On another front, stay tuned to the “On Day One” effort by the Better World Campaign to ask a cross section of leaders what he or she would do on the first day of the next presidential administration. I did one of these on US-Cuba policy.
Grover Norquist did his video clip today and it should be up on their site soon.
— Steve Clemons
38 comments on “A Personal Ethical Challenge and Grover Norquist’s “Black Bag””