Grover Norquist scores again

By Ed Rogers

One of the reasons Grover Norquist has been so effective over the years in Washington is because he actually reads bills and other documents and then distills that information into a usable form. The latest example of the tax activist’s work, which I haven’t seen replicated anywhere else, is a paper titled “Top Five Worst Obamacare Taxes Coming in 2013.”
 

Norquist highlights five of the 20-plus jaw-dropping Obamacare taxes:

The Obamacare Medical Device Tax, a $20 billion tax increase

The Obamacare “Special Needs Kids Tax,” a $13 billion tax increase

The Obamacare Surtax on Investment Income, a $123 billion tax increase

The Obamacare “Haircut” for Medical Itemized Deductions, a $15.2 billion tax increase

The Obamacare Medicare Payroll Tax Hike, an $86.8 billion tax increase

There couldn’t be any better debate-prep document for Mitt Romney, or any more useful talking points for a Republican candidate for Congress. President Obama uses his polished demeanor to say things that are inconsistent with the truth. Norquist puts the lie to Obamacare. It’s too bad this is just greeted with a shrug.

Let Norquist’s work be a lesson to any young operative — reading documents and preparing for meetings pays off. Norquist has created one of the most effective weekly gatherings in Washington with his “Wednesday Meeting” group, and he controls the agenda.
 

I’ve seen other masters of Washington with a similar modus operandi. I watched for years in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses as my friend, the late Dick Darman, would prepare for meetings and actually show up with an agenda. Many considered that cheating, but it made Darman very effective.

It’s a good lesson to learn.

And, oh by the way, doctors certainly won’t be voting for Obama in November. A poll cited today in the Daily Caller reveals that 55 percent of physicians think reelecting Obama is a mistake. That certainly says something about Obamacare. I don’t see how being anti-doctor is going to help provide quality health care.

 

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