Rick Crawford: Read My Lips…

First Congressional District Congressman Rick Crawford violated one of the principal rules of life and politics – never break your word.

In 2010, then-candidate Rick Crawford signed the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” promising to never vote to increase taxes.  However late last week, Crawford proposed raising taxes on individuals making more than one million per year.

If that”s not breaking your word, then I don”t know what is.

Here is the pledge Rick Crawford signed in 2010:
I, _______________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the state of__________, and to the American people that I will:  ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.

Pretty straightforward, casino online isn”t it? It doesn”t say anything about it”s totally fine to raise taxes on millionaires, does it?

Rick Crawford promised the voters of the First Congressional District he would never vote to raise taxes, but then he proposed a 5% surtax on millionaires.  Crawford”s tax hike proposal called for it to go into effect if a Balanced Budget Amendment is added to the U.S. Constitution, but regardless, he still proposed a tax increase.

Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, told the Associated Press what he thought of Rick Crawford”s proposal: “I think what he”s doing is strategically a mistake.”  Norquist said proposing a surtax on millionaires would violate the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

I guarantee this issue will be in one, or multiple ads, created by Crawford”s eventual Democratic opponent.  In fact, let”s write the TV ad right now:

Ominous announcer voice: “When Rick Crawford first ran for Congress, he promised to never raise your taxes. Crawford even signed a pledge vowing never to raise your taxes [Ad shows Crawford”s signature on pledge]  And what did Rick Crawford do once he got to Washington?  Crawford proposed a tax increase, breaking his promise.  Rick Crawford –  just another Washington politician you can”t trust.”

Ouch. Crawford shot himself in the foot by creating a tax proposal that Congressional Republican leaders say probably won”t even make it to the floor for a vote. But more importantly, Crawford broke his word.

In 1988, George Bush famously declared at the Republican National Convention: “Read my lips, no new taxes!”  Partly because of Bush breaking his own pledge, he lost re-election to a fella from a small Southern state.

It wouldn”t surprise me to see Rick Crawford follow in George Bush”s footsteps – defeated after serving only one term.