I am very pleased that once again the FlashReport has partnered up with our friends at Americans for Tax Reform to talk about the importance of the ATR Taxpayer Protection Pledge, and to unveil the list of those candidates who have signed the pledge (thus far) in the 2010 primaries here in California for statewide office, as well as candidates for the state legislature. ATR’s President, Grover Norquist, pens an exclusive column for us today talking about the Pledge and California, and below his column is the list of Pledge signers. You can check out his column here.
In talking about the importance of the pledge, I am actually going to enlist the aid of my good friend Assemblyman and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore, who takes about two minutes to talk about the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and why it is important in this video…
Currently in the State Legislature, we have 43 Republican legislators – 42 of whom have signed the pledge. Of those 42, over 90% of them have kept their pledge to their constituents (the Pledge is not to ATR, but rather it is a commitment to the people whom that office holder represents in the legislature). Of course there are significantly more Democrats than Republicans in the legislature – care to guess how many of them have signed the Pledge? If you guess zero, you would be right on the mark.
There are three reasons why the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is so important –branding, credibility, and public policy…
BRANDING
It is absolutely critical whether in Washington, D.C., (where almost every Republican has signed the Pledge) or in Sacramento that it be very clear that Republicans are the party of lower taxes – as differentiated from the Democrats who stand for increasing the burden on taxpayers. Because Republicans stand together in solidarity on this key issue, it means that when voters go to the polls, they really don’t have to wonder if the Republican candidate in front of them on the ballot is going to vote for higher taxes.
CREDIBILITY
Unlike perhaps no other time in the history of our nation and state, voter cynicism is at an all time high. Because of this, it is very important and useful that candidates are actually willing to sign a written pledge to oppose new or higher taxes. This reassures the electorate that a candidate is willing to give their word, in black and white, and is willing to be held accountable for their actions. It is not an insignificant fact that not one of the six Republicans who voted for higher taxes (five of them Pledge signers) will be in the state legislature by years’ end.
PUBLIC POLICY
As Chuck DeVore discusses above, conservatives sign this Pledge not to pander for votes, or to appease a constituency, rather the Pledge is signed so overwhelmingly by Republican candidates because we actually believe that government is too big, and spends too much. The Pledge isn’t just rhetoric, it is grounded in the good policy of promoting individual liberty and responsibility, and decreasing the size of the modern welfare state.
As I mentioned above, you can find a list of the current Pledge signers beneath Grover’s column. I would like to invite any candidates who have not yet signed the pledge, Republican or Democrat, to go to ATR.org right now – print it, sign it, and fax it back. We will update FR readers on updates to the list of Pledge signers.
Finally, starting in a couple of days, we will be starting to highlight those GOP candidates running for Senate or Assembly who have not signed the Pledge (I’m pleased to report that it is much easier to focus on the few who have not signed it rather than the great many who already have).
In conclusion, I would like to thank those office holders and candidates who take the Pledge. A promise like this, to the people, is not entered into lightly. You are to be commended for your commitment to a limited role for government, as envisioned by the founders of this great nation.
(In the interest of fairness, I should add that one of DeVore’s primary opponents, Carly Fiorina, has also signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. His other opponent, Tom Campbell, refuses to sign it.)
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