Who is Grover Norquist?

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GROVER G. NORQUIST

President, Americans for Tax Reform

Mr. Norquist, a native of Massachusetts, has been one of Washington’s most effective issues management strategists for over two decades.

Mr. Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan’s request. ATR is a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state and local levels. ATR organizes the TAXPAYER PROTECTION PLEDGE, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases. To date, 172 House members and 34 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 7 governors and over 1100 state legislators have taken the pledge.

Norquist chairs the Washington, DC - based “Wednesday Meeting,” a weekly gathering of more than 150 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. The meeting started in 1993 and takes place in ATR's conference room. There are now 61 similar "center-right" meetings in 47 states.

Mr. Norquist also:

Serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America.
Serves on the board of directors of the American Conservative Union.
Serves on the board of directors of The Nixon Center
Serves as a Contributing Editor to the American Spectator Magazine.
Serves as president of the American Society of Competitiveness.
Authored the book Leave Us Alone – Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives

In the past, Mr. Norquist served as:

A commissioner on the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce.
A commissioner on the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service.
Economist and chief speech-writer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (1983-1984).
Campaign staff on the 1988, 1992, 1996 Republican Platform Committees.
Executive director of the National Taxpayers’ Union.
Executive director of the College Republicans.

In the words of Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist is “the person who I regard as the most innovative, creative, courageous and entrepreneurial leader of the anti-tax efforts and of conservative grassroots activism in America . . . He has truly made a difference and truly changed American history.”

P.J. O’Rourke says, “Grover Norquist is Tom Paine crossed with Lee Atwater plus just a soupcon of Madame Defarge.”

Arianna Huffington calls Norquist “The dark wizard of the Right's anti-tax cult"

Mr. Norquist holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, both from Harvard University. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Samah and his daughters, Grace.and Giselle.

Additional:

WhoRunsGov Profile: http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Grover_Norquist

Video Samples:

Speaking to the RightOnline 2009 conference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGg2BeYtlkk

Fox & Friends on Tax Day 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erVqRDU_IE4

ABC’s TopLine on April 16, 2010 (starts at 3:40):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdaWN82lZxw

Colbert Report, 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdaWN82lZxw

Daily Show, 2008: