Dr. Jason Johnson appeared on CNN to discuss the fiscal cliff negotiations with GOP political consultant John Brabender.
fiscal cliff
CNN: Jason Johnson on the Fiscal Cliff
Hiram College political science professor Jason Johnson appeared on CNN Morning News to discuss negotiations on the fiscal cliff. Jason Johnson appeared with GOP strategist Ron Bonjean.
GOP Tosses Grover Norquist Off Fiscal Cliff
First Mitt Romney wants to kill Big Bird, then Kevin Clash gets a little too tickly with Elmo and now nobody wants to play with Grover. 2012 has been a very bad year for anyone with a name associated with Sesame Street. In the last 48 hours Republicans have been running from Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge faster than you can say “47%” and this is a good sign for the GOP. We may finally be seeing a point where the Grand Old Party is walking back from their insane rendezvous with death they’ve been on since the 2010 midterms.
I always point out that the difference between Republicans and Democrats is how they think the rest of the public views them. Democrats are perpetually insecure, they never trust that the public loves them, that’s why they’re so quick to beat themselves whenever a Democrat screws up (ex: Obama’s First debate). Republicans didn’t even have to say anything A.D. (After Denver) because Democrats were crawling all over themselves to say Obama had lost the election. On the other hand Republicans always overestimate how much the public loves them. After winning a zillion seats in the House in the 2010 Mid-Term Shellacking they confused American dissatisfaction with Democratic control of Congress with an endorsement of Republican policies. That’s one of the reasons why they lost a ton of Senate seats this year. However, losing has a way of making people get very real with themselves very quickly and the 2012 loss has given smarter Republicans a very big lesson: American’s don’t like rigidity.
America 2012 is more flexible, people don’t necessarily like Gay marriage but they don’t have a problem with others who enjoy. America in 2012 is full of people who may never smoke weed but don’t care if other people want to. When Norquist got almost 90% of the Republican Party to sign a pledge that they would not accept any budget negotiation deals that included new taxes it was in the low point of the Obama presidency. He was a weak incumbent facing a powerful united party dead set on putting him out to pasture. But things are different now. In reality things like Grover Norquist’s tax pledge are an anachronism to a time when standing on principle regardless of the realities on the ground was considered politically brave and sexy. Now it just looks stupid and obstructionist.
CNN: Jason Johnson on Grover Norquist
On CNN, Dr. Jason Johnson and Will Cain discuss the many Republicans dropping Grover Norquist’s Tax Pledge.
CNN: Jason Johnson on David Petraeus and the Fiscal Cliff
Dr. Jason Johnson appeared on CNN with Maria Cardona to discuss the fiscal cliff and the David Petraeus scandal. This interview was later featured on the Colbert Report.