A Personal Ethical Challenge and Grover Norquist's "Black Bag"

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 publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

Comments

[SamEllison]

Grover Norquist is the problem, unless we put the cocktail circuit before the country, then I guess it's okay.....

[KevinKSF]

I"m sure Dr. Goebbels and Magda were sparkling dinner companions to all that knew them too. I wonder if they were thought to be fighting against the nativism and bigotry in the party" also?

No soap Steve you and the Note just tanked in my book.

[Dap]

Ethically challenged eh Steve? You should keep better company, you;ve a real credibility gap as far as I'm concerned now. Good luck with that.

[jhNY]

And i don't keep it a secret that I hope Noprquist mistakes himself for the government next time he takes a bath and acts accordingly.

[Bluedog12]

Grover hates MCain and that's why he seems semi rational at the moment.

[hopeless277]

I'm so sorry to tell you this but all Republicans are either criminals or fools. Their behavior during the last 30 years has cemented this description with every rational human being on the planet. You do yourself no service by promoting Republicanism. Especially the Grover type. My only response to his 'drown the government in the bathtub' statement is this: Let's drown you first, Mr. Norquist, and see if that fixes things. Probably not but in my view, it's worth a try.