Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform responds in Human Events to attacks upon his “taxpayer protection pledge.”

The leader of Americans for Tax Reform told Human Events that Republicans should be ashamed to be part of the Democratic media campaign to raise taxes.

“They should be embarrassed,” said Grover G. Norquist, the founder and president of the Washington-based ATR.

The narrative was part of the Nov. 27 remarks on the Senate floor by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“For nearly three decades, a right-wing Washington lobbyist has exerted a stranglehold on mainstream Republicans over the issue of taxes, threatening political retaliation against any lawmaker who dared vote for any fiscal solution that asked the wealthy to pay their fair share,” Schumer said. …

… The New Yorker is humiliating his fellow members of Congress and hauling them out as if they were collaborators, Norquist said. “It is not very nice of him.”

People need to remember that Schumer is the man who wants to raise tax rates and eliminate deductions and credits, he said. “Schumer is an absolutist raising taxes and not doing tax reform.”

Despite the barrage of attacks against him, and reports of defections, the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” he asks every candidate to make to the voters is not going away, he said.

“The truth is that 90-plus percent of the pledge signers, they sign the pledge because they have no intention of raising taxes,” said the Massachusetts expatriate.

“They are very comfortable making that commitment because it never occurs to them to raise taxes. They know taxes are bad for the economy. They know raising taxes kills jobs,” he said. “Why would they raise taxes if they know the problem is spending?”