Why do you feel your anti-tax pledge is so important?
You don’t have an agreement if nothing’s written down. The pledge allows a candidate to credibly tell voters, ‘I won’t raise taxes.’ If someone just says that, you know nothing.
You believe the pledge allows the country to ‘elect a president, House and Senate committed to not raising taxes.’ How? Why?
That’s when you get to reform. Do you think people who like to spend are going to give it up? It’s their life’s work. Our job is to say ‘No.’ We’ll bring spending down, not pull taxes up.
Do you still think we should return to 8 percent of GDP?
Spending is too high. If you take the Ryan plan out to about 2050, you get to about 15 percent of GDP. We should move state and local pensions to defined contributions. We should block-grant all welfare programs.
Of those who haven’t signed the pledge but are against tax increases, do you expect any newcomers soon?
[Senator Richard] Lugar is in a tough race [in Illinois]. He might sign the pledge. He’s come over to talk to us a bunch [of times].
You’re behind the Ryan plan. What happens after the election?
The modern Republican party’s answer to Obama’s overspending is the Ryan plan. All the presidential candidates have tipped their hat in its direction. Whichever Republican wins is going to sign something very much like the Ryan plan.