Grover Norquist on the Limits of the Democratic Coalition
New America Foundation - New America Foundation
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