Chris Matthews And Alan Simpson Joke About Drowning Grover Norquist In A Bathtub

During an interview last night on MSNBC’s Hardball, host Chris Matthews and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson joked about anti-tax activist Grover Norquist slipping and drowning in a bathtub — a play on Norquist’s famous quote that he would like a government small enough to drown in the bath.

While discussing the challenges House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) may face in corralling enough Republican votes behind a compromise to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” Simpson noted that Boehner will come into trouble because “he’s got 70 guys who didn’t go to Congress to limit government — they came there to stop it,” referring to the dedicated conservatives who will likely stick by Norquist’s pledge to not increase tax revenues.

“So how do you deal with guys who came to stop government or Grover wandering the earth in his white robe saying he wanted to ‘drown government in the bathtub’? I hope he slips in there with it,” Simpson said.

After a few seconds of pause, Matthews joked: “Well, I can’t beat that.”

Simpson continued with the anti-Norquist metaphor: “We’ll put some soap in the tub. Throw it in there.”

Matthews agreed: “I’m with you on the full metaphor there. I’ll give him the full metaphor.”

Watch below, via MSNBC:

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