Grover Norquist has a label for Barack Obama

John McCain has been trying hard of late to link Barack Obama with Jimmy Carter in the public consciousness, hoping that the "ineffectual" label that many voters affix to the former president will prove transferable.

But Grover Norquist -- the conservative activist who specializes in promoting an anti-tax agenda and, more generally, revels in the role of agent provocateur -- is offering a different comparison.

Norquist dropped by The Times' Washington bureau today and, as part of his negative critique of Obama's liberal stances on economic issues and other matters, he termed the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee "John Kerry with a tan."

Since Norquist isn't running for anything, he can get away with such remarks; we doubt McCain will be incorporating the line into his speeches anytime soon.

Norquist's clout on the right is such, however, that McCain and his aides will pay attention to his thoughts on who would fit well in the second spot on the GOP's presidential ticket. And in his chat with Times' reporters and editors, he was especially high on Bobby Jindal, the recently elected governor of Louisiana.

Norquist touted Jindal's success in pushing through tax-cut and ethics reform legislation during his short tenure as Louisiana's chief executive (no mention was made of the flap surrounding the governor for failing, so far, to live up to a promise to block a pay raise for state legislators).

Nominating Jindal for vice president also would generate a mother lode of contributions for Republicans from Americans of East Indian descent, Norquist predicted.

Another recipient of kind words as a veep prospect was Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota; Norquist praised his record on taxes save for one "mistake" -- approving a hike in state cigarette taxes in years past.

Norquist's most recent book is entitled "Leave Us Alone," which makes the case that Republicans can put together a post-Ronald Reagan governing coalition by appealing to voters who want government to stay out of their affairs.

Along those lines, he predicted that one reason conservative radio talk show hosts will rally behind McCain -- who many of them have been cool toward -- is that some Democratic leaders are advocating a return of the "fairness doctrine." That's the abandoned federal rule that required broadcasters to give equal time to opposing political viewpoints.

[UPDATE: John Kartch, Norquist's director of communications, e-mailed Friday with "two concerns" about the post. "One, it suggests that Grover was singling out Kerry.  The entire statement was that Obama had no policy differences with Carter in 1980, [Walter] Mondale, [Michael] Dukakis, [Al] Gore or Kerry.  'Kerry with a tan,' was simply Kerry was the latest of the string. Two, to be fair to Kerry, Grover pointed out that even Kerry's reputation as a snob never went as far as Obama's contemptuous comment on middle America "clinging" to its guns and faith.]

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Don Nelson]

I'll bet Mr. Norquist is the first one on the block to complain when there is a pothole. I bet he whines about how bad our roads are, how bad our schools are and, how bad crime is. I bet he wonders why our food safety has such a bad record and why his flights are delayed half the time. On the other hand I would bet he's all for this trillion dollar war(so far.) He probably thinks that big business needs more tax breaks so they can take their profits out of our country. I would bet he doesn't think there needs to be a minimum wage more than 2.00 an hour. Grover wants it all and wants somebody else to pay for it. We pay less taxes than any G-8 nation and it's really starting to show. We are becoming a third world nation and we are too busy with our Starbucks, American Idol and driving our SUV's to notice.

[Lon Walcker]

Norq: Alfred E. Newman with a beard.

[Karen]

Grover Norquist is a horse's behind.

[Slacrates]

WillyTee:

Are you really worried about the pastor at Obama's church? I don't think so; I think it's all an act and doubt it will work.

"does your brain work?" <-- Did you come up with that during recess?

[rob]

why isn't Grover Norquist in jail with Jack Abramov?

stick Delay in there too

[greylox]

**Is that description like saying "Grover Norquist is Jack Abramoff with a beard?"

[Rick]

In an effort to create a narrative about Obama the right keeps creating a narrative about themselves as arrogant narrow-minded racists who haven't noticed they have failed at virtually everything they have tried. A fitting tribute would be to place Bush on the penny, and then immediately stop making them.

[nikto]

I like the comment by John Aravosis of Americablog, in repsonse to Norquists's comment that Obama was "Kerry with a tan".

Aravosis: Norquist is "Liberace with a wife".

LOL!!

[John]

Important because Norquists policies have done so well for 8 years, we should keep riding this wave of enlightenment...

[Alvin]

Wow, "John Kerry with a tan." That's really freakin' offensive. I guess all the GOP has left is "He's a liberal! And he's BLACK!"

With Iraq dragging on, gas approaching $5 a gallon and the government spying on our e-mails, good luck with that.

[Priscilla]

Oh! I thought it was Barack's skin pigmentation. I had no idea it was a tan!!

[Claude]

We made the mistake of not electing Kerry in 04, I think we'll get it right this time....no matter how tanned someone is !!!

[Peacedog]

Hey WillyTee,
While you bash the liberals for lacking logic, your party has us bogged down in an illegal war that has increased our national debt, crippled our economy, broken our military and killed thousands of US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis (none of which had a single thing to do with 9/11... I dare you to suggest otherwise.)

So please spare us the same old name-calling and grandstanding you conservatives are so fond of... us moderates aren't buying it anymore and we know its all you got. You had your chance and your party failed, so you better get used to the idea of the "libruls" and the Democrats running the show for awhile, because McSame is going down just like all the planes he crashed.

[wordvarc]

.

How low will they go? Mentioning a person's color in this context is blatantly racist. Yet that is how the RNC/GOP claimed the south with Gingrich. Note rove's recent comment about Obama.

.

[just pixels]

If low taxes were all it took, Mississippi would be America's engine of prosperity.

[tecnos]

I think Norquist is Bush with a paunch. Keep pushing Jindal--today he signed teaching creationism into law in Lousiana.

Team GOP--really really crazy.

[Jeff Adams]

Hey WillyTee, I'll name one high profile conservative who has referenced Obama's skin color. Grover Norquist. He's huge, in case you didn't know. He's like the head of the conservative "brain" trust. He hosts regular breakfasts that are pretty much mandatory for the conservative movement to attend (sorry, can't recall if they are daily or weekly) so they can get into lockstep on his agenda.

[dan]

Mr. Norguist....

Your impending irrelevancy will suit you nicely....

[army193]

Norquist is Craig with a shorter stance.

[M70]

Norquist is a joker. If he thinks the NASCAR dads will sign on for Bobby Jindal as veep, he is truly delusional.

If they think Obama is Muslim, how are they going to treat someone like Jindal who actually looks South Asian?

[groverwho?]

Why did I waste my time reading this garbage ?

[JAG]

Obama=Kerry with a tan: Grover Norquist
Grover Norquist= A Turd with Legs: JAG

[Paisano]

Thanks to Grover Norquist and Karl Rove...we're looking at a HUGE victory in November! Remember the "permanent republicant" majority? These guys are joke! They're poison!

[kaysha]

Thanks for your input Mr. Norquist but if you think the GOP conservative base is ready for a Bobby Jindal I've got a bridge in Manhatten that I'd like to sell you.

[Donnat]

Grover Norquist - Karl Rove with hair and a beard.