Back when Martin was still in the Senate, a handful of people gathered in the Ice Cream Parlor of the old Capitol for a meeting he organized with Grover Norquist, sometimes referred to by Democrats as Arizona’s shadow governor.
According to a lawmaker who attended that meeting, Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said a Republican voting for a tax increase was the equivalent of finding a rat in a bottle of coke. Both would equally diminish an established brand and make no one ever want to purchase it again – or vote for it, as the case may be.
The Martin-Norquist relationship has continued since. In August, Norquist told the Arizona Daily Star this about Martin: “He’s a good guy…. He’s a serious political leader.”
To read more on this item plus all the stories in the Jan. 13 Yellow Sheet Report, go to www.yellowsheetreport.com (Yellow Sheet Subscription Required).