During the 1988 presidential race, candidates went back and forth over who was more sincere about reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag, which even then seemed a silly issue in the midst of the more serious matters of the time.Now a new pledge is dominating elections, this one a bit more substantive but just as distracting in its own way. Republican candidates seeking office in Hall County this year are being asked to sign a “no tax” pledge leading up to the May 20 primary. Hall GOP leaders began doing so in 2010, following a national trend led by conservative activist Grover Norquist to oppose all tax increases.