The Republican "Leave-Us-Alone" Coalition - Grover Norquist June 25, 2008

Favorite:

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/05/15/Grover_Norquist_on_the_Next_Republicanism

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist argues that the central unifying idea of the conservative movement is the belief that government should stay out of citizen's lives as much as possible.

-----

On May 15th, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform discussed his new book, Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives, and entertained questions from an audience at the New America Foundation.

Norquist began by analyzing the political landscape of American politics, dividing it into two inimically opposed coalitions: the "Takings Coalition," comprised of groups with a shared interest in feeding upon the earnings and wealth of others, and the "Leave Us Alone Coalition," composed of those with a common interest in keeping the government out of their lives.

While the components of each coalition contain diverse viewpoints on many issues, all are motivated to cooperate and vote by shared interest in one area: the degree to which a government should interact with the social and financial autonomy of its citizens.

The contrast between these two coalitions represents the ideological divide that will shape American domestic policy for the next several generations, according to Norquist. Their balance of power will decide the direction that American policy moves toward for the next generation.

Norquist went on to identify the trends that would alter this balance in the future, including differing fertility rates, the decline of hunting, and the expansion of stock ownership. He also discussed important legislative priorities for the "Leave Us Alone Coalition," such as portable health savings plans and individually mandated savings accounts - New America Foundation

Mr. Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at both 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, President George W. Bush, 193 House members, and 41 Senators have taken the pledge. On the state level, 7 governors and 1,221 state legislators have taken the pledge.

Mr. Norquist is author of the book Leave Us Alone -- Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives. The book is an optimistic look at how the conservative movement can and will grow during the next 25 years.