Chuck Schumer: Republicans want to 'divorce' Grover Norquist

Sen. Chuck Schumer It's hard to say whether this is wishful thinking or a little bit of shit-stirring, but Sen. Chuck Schumer says there's trouble brewing in Grover Norquist's paradise.

'Republicans in both the House and Senate are deciding they no longer want to be married to this pledge,' Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. 'Republicans are saying they want a divorce from Grover Norquist.' [...]

'That alone is a leading indicator that the fiscal deal is within reach,' Schumer said, referring to those in the GOP who have distanced themselves from Norquist. 'Both sides are still far apart. The discussions over the next few weeks will be difficult. But with each new Republican disavowing Grover Norquist, the chances of a deal rises sharply.'

The problem, of course, is that there's no such break happening. Whatever flirting various members might be doing around the edges of tax "reform" has nothing to do with breaking the pledge on tax rates. That's been made abundantly clear by House Speaker John Boehner. Schumer is smart enough to know this, so maybe he's just trying to keep the narrative going in the media that Republicans are in disarray.

If that's his strategy, he might be being a bit too cute. There's advantage to the Republicans in these negotiations if there's a media narrative that they're not wholly intransigent. Which they are, and which they should be called out for.