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WASHINGTON – U.S. Republicans appear to have opened the door to a compromise in negotiations over the much-feared fiscal cliff that economists say could plunge the world into a recession.

Four prominent Republican congressmen announced this weekend and Monday that they are prepared to shed the so-called Grover Norquist Taxpayer Protection Pledge that over the last 20 years has bound many lawmakers to vote against tax increases.

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The Norquist disavowal appears to have cracked the concrete wall that has divided U.S. congressmen on budget issues and tax reform, often grinding congress to a halt.

Norquist is a unique American phenomenon. He’s a Washington lobbyist and part-time amateur comedian who basically represents rich people who don’t want to pay taxes and Tea Party supporters who want the government to slash spending to the bone.

Norquist, who once said that he wanted to make government small enough so he could strangle it in the bathtub, first started pressuring lawmakers to sign his no-tax pledge in 1992.