Conservatives Applaud Debt Panel Republicans For Opposing Tax Hikes

By Mike Hothi

Conservative activists applauded Republicans on the congressional ‘super committee’ today for opposing Democratic attempts to raise taxes.

The group held a press conference Tuesday morning to praise the six GOP lawmkers on the debt panel for not caving in to “disastrous tax increases.”

“Raising taxes is absolutely unacceptable,” stated Brent Bozell, Chairman of ForAmerica. “The media and the White House want you to believe the Super Committee failed, but in a very real way that is untrue.”

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council went as far as to say that the Committee succeeded.

“It succeeded in showing Americans the vast ideological divide that stands between the two main political parties in this town” he said. “There is the party that believes we can sustain spending levels that have doubled in the last decade.”

Talks between members on the committee broke down over the weekend after both sides rejected a twin of proposals. Republicans, led by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) proposed generating $300 billion in new revenues mainly through eliminating tax loopholes and deductions. In return, the GOP asked Democrats to go further on cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats countered by saying they would agree to the steeper entitlement cuts if Republicans would support $1 trillion in new revenues over the next decade.

When Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the two leaders on the panel, realized yesterday that they had reached an insurmountable impasse, they released a joint statement officially announcing the committee’s failure.

Following the joint statement, Senate Foregin Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) blamed anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist for standing in the way of an agreement. Kerry, a key Democratic member of the committee, called Norquist’s famous anti-tax pledge signed by most of the current Republicans in Congress the “one hang-up” that prevented a deal from being reached.

Norquist responded by accusing Kerry and other Democrats of signing “secret” pledges to unions and progressive special interest groups.

Conservatives who spoke at today’s presser told reporters that they would’ve revolted had Republicans agreed to large tax hikes. They said that they will continue to lean on GOP lawmakers to hold the line.

“If Republicans ultimately cave to liberal Democrats and support tax increases, the results in 2012 will be devastating,” said Bozell.

Geoff Holtzman contributed to this report.