Grover Norquist Schools Bob Woodward and Hilary Rosen on Which Party's Obstructionist

July 15th, 2012 3:09 PM

Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist had himself quite a day on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday dispelling liberal media myths.

In the course of about five minutes, Norquist gave a much-needed education to CNN political contributor Hilary Rosen and the Washington Post's Bob Woodward on which political party in Washington is obstructionist (video follows with transcript and commentary):

DAVID GREGORY, HOST: Right and that…

HILARY ROSEN, DEMOCRAT STRATEGIST AND CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: And--

GREGORY: …that is an important point. What-- what-- is he a man with a plan and what is the plan?

ROSEN: Well, and that’s the problem. Right now the plan that we’ve seen from Mitt Romney is just mostly significant tax cuts for the wealthy. President Obama actually has put forth multiple plans that the Republican Congress has blocked. So, the only thing we have now is a choice. This conversation may not be what everybody wants, but we do have a choice between these two candidates.

Moments later, Norquist corrected this nonsense:

GROVER NORQUIST: But just one fact check. Hilary said the President has these economic plans that the Republican Congress has rejected. The House of Representatives for two years has been run by Republicans. The Democrats run the Senate. It was the Democrats in the Senate who voted unanimously against Obama’s own budget. So the idea that somehow he has these great ideas the Republicans are stopping, his budget is so lousy, the Democrats in the House and the Democrats in the Senate voted it down. The president said “Please, Republican House and Senate, pass my tax bill.” It was Reid who…

ROSEN: Well…

NORQUIST: …stopped the vote from taking place.

BEN JEALOUS, NAACP PRESIDENT: But that mean-- that mean…

ROSEN: That-- that-- that’s not…

NORQUIST: Well, the Democrats are rejecting…

ROSEN: …that’s not exactly true.

MR. NORQUIST: His entire budget has been voted down by darned near every Democrat. Quit pretending the Republicans are upset by that. The Democrats didn't want to touch it.

Indeed. But the best was yet to come:


GREGORY: There is a sense, Bob, as I talk to people that it is true that-- that the trivial is becoming so big that we’re losing sight of some sort of balanced approach on taxes and spending, immigration reform, infrastructure for the country. Big things. That it takes to get the country moving again. Are we going to get back to it?

BOB WOODWARD, WASHINGTON POST: Exactly. And listen to this partisan…

GREGORY: Yeah.

WOODWARD: …squabbling. I mean, it-- it’s sincere but it’s all about look what they didn’t do. Oh, look what the Democrats didn’t do. Look what the Republicans didn’t and it’s true, where is the plan, the one, two, three in a credible way from one side or the other. And-- and I think the…

NORQUIST: But it-- it’s there. The Republicans in the House have passed 24 jobs creating bills and a budget. The Democrats in the Senate have not passed those bills and they haven’t done a budget. They’re not coequally--

GREGORY: Right.

NORQUIST: …wrong on this. One group is actually governing and Reid is not having the votes.


Indeed. And for years liberal media members have either completely ignored this inconvenient truth or misinformed the public about it by claiming the so-called obstructionist Republicans are responsible for all that ails the nation.

Thankfully, Norquist was on the set to prevent that from happening Sunday.

Bravo, Grover! Bravo.