Does. Not. Quite. Grasp. Concept.

Lori Montgomery at the WaPo is enjoying this too much:

A majority of Senate Republicans appeared to break Tuesday with two decades of GOP orthodoxy against higher taxes, voting to advance a plan to abruptly cancel billions of dollars in annual tax credits for ethanol blenders.

The measure, offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster threat. But it had the support of 34 of 47 Republicans, most of whom have signed an anti-tax pledge that specifically prohibits raising taxes by any means but economic growth.

I know Grover Norquist has -- regrettably -- held their feet to the fire on this. But outside his office, ADM, and the State of Iowa, I don't think you'll hear one Republican upset with the 34.

UPDATE: IBD is not real happy with the other 13.

Subsidies: How is it that the party loudly proclaiming how the government shouldn't "pick winners and losers" could only manage to get 34 senators to oppose one of the most egregious examples of federal industrial policy?

Media and Blogging Posted by John Kranz at June 15, 2011 10:53 AM