The ATR Pledge is not to ATR!

Posted on November 28, 2007

On the CNN YouTube debate Fred Thompson that said:

Thompson: Cut — tax cuts for eight years when I was in the United States Senate. Never met a tax I liked. I’ve got a tax-cut bill on the table. But I don’t do pledges to anybody but the American people.

McCain: I have a 24-year record of opposing tax increases and supporting tax reductions. And, no, I’m like Fred. My pledge and my record is up to the American people, not up to any other organization.

Now that is interesting because as Senator McCain is shown as having signed the pledge!

and

Hunter: You know, I came in with Ronald Reagan in 1980 to cut taxes, and I probably voted for more tax cuts than anybody here.

But you could have an emergency, a time of war, and I think it would be wrong to say, “Absolutely, I would pledge to Grover Norquist that I would never raise taxes.” Could have a national emergency.

Hunter is also listed as having signed. In fact, he is quoted as saying:

Rep. Hunter signed the pledge Jan. 30th, 2007 as a presidential candidate expressing his strong commitment to free-market principles. Rep. Duncan also signed and kept the Pledge as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

They would not take the ATR pledge because they pledge allegiance to the flag and to the constitution, but not to the ATR.

Having myself signed one of the ATR pledges as a NH state legislator, I understand that that pledge was not to any organization but to the voters and taxpayers of my state and district.

The pledge (the federal version) reads:

I ,____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the State of _________ and to the American People that I will:

As you can plainly see it is to the taxpayers and the American people. If they cannot pledge to the taxpayers and the people that they will protect them from rampant government taxation then who will they pledge to protect?

Romney, McCain, Hunter, Tancredo, Huckabee, and Paul have all signed the pledge according to the ATR site.

» Filed Under Legislators, Taxes, positive values, Sununu, Presidential Primary, Fred Thompson, National Politics, North Carolina, New Hampshire, NH Politics