Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, a libertarian lobbying group, has extracted a pledge from nearly every Republican in Congress, promising that they will never, under any circumstances, ever raise taxes.
In the face of the fiscal cliff, which looms only a month away, some in the Republican leadership are finally bucking Norquist's hold, and vowing to break that pledge.
In it's entirety, the pledge reads, "I, [name] pledge to the taxpayers of [jurisdiction] and to the American people that I will:
ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and
TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."
This simple pledge has been the bane of Democrats looking to raise revenue for social programs and to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it has been the rallying cry for tax-averse Republicans like the Tea Party.
Powerful Republicans, like Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have decided that Norquist's pledge no longer binds them.
"I will violate the pledge for the good of the country only if Democrats will do entitlement reform," he said on ABC's "This Week. "The only pledge we should be making to each other is to avoid being Greece."
Representative Peter King of New York agreed, saying that pledges should no longer be binding when circumstances change too much.
"If I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a declaration of war against Japan. I'm not going to attack Japan today," he said.
And Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia chimed in, too. "I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge," he said.
"Let the political consequences take care of themselves."
For his part, Norquist believes the voters will punish Republicans who raise taxes.
"If he plans to vote for higher taxes to pay for Obama-sized government, he should address the people of Georgia and let them know that he plans to break his promise to them," said Norquist of Chambliss.