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Shortly thereafter, Norquist led a right wing charge to "de-fund" the left, declaring that "We will hunt [these liberal groups] down one by one and extinguish their funding sources." Norquist has also worked as a [[lobbyist]] for clients including [[Microsoft]], [[American Business for Legal Immigration]], [[Distilled Spirits Council]], [[Edison Electric Institute]], [[Interactive Gaming Council]], and [[British Petroleum]].
== Funding ==
Big tobacco companies used Norquist's tax pledge as a cover to lobby lawmakers against cigarette taxes. That was in the 1990s. Now, however, it's questioning that the ATR group still remains somewhat in control of the Republican party. An inside look at the funding for Norquist's group reveals that 66 percent is coming from only two non-profit organizations. The [[Center to Protect Patient Rights]] donated $4,189,000 to ATR in 2010, 34 percent of the total amount of funding. [[Crossroads GPS]] donated $4,000,000 to ATR in the same year, 32.46 percent of the budget. The staggering amount of money these billionaire-backed organizations donated accounts for well over half the total budget. <ref>[http://www.thenation.com/blog/171475/analysis-grover-norquists-budget-largely-financed-just-two-billionaire-backed-nonprofits#] Grover Norquist's Budget is Largely Financed by Two Billionaire-backed Nonprofits, Lee Fang, November 27, 2012.</ref>
== History ==
“We seek forums, in the media or with third parties who help us fight onerous legislation/regulation, to balance hyperbolic accusations of well financed critics whose credibility with key audiences is greater than hours”, the document stated. [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mum50d00]
===Nationalization of Virginia state tax issues===
Starting in 2004, ATF launched a national letterwriting campaign to persuade Virginia legislators to fight Democratic Governor [[Mark Warner]]'s plan to raise taxes to maintain the state's AAA bond raising and meet commitments to K-12 and higher education funding, among other purposes. Warner had inherited budget shortfalls from his predecessor, Republican [[George Allen]] and had already cut spending to avoid a deficit. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/daily/graphics/virginia_money_022504.html?referrer=emaillink]
When 34 Republican legislators worked with Virginia’s Democratic governor to secure passage, they issued a "Virginia's Least Wanted" poster targeting those Republicans. On April 24, 2005, ATF issued a press release touting those legislators that had signed a pledge not to increase taxes.[http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2005/mar/pr-va-primaries.pdf]
On June 15, 2005, after the state primary, ATR issued a press release claiming that "Taxpayer advocates believe the two scalps they claimed last night – those of Gary Reese (H-67), who was defeated by newcomer Chris Craddock, and James Dillard (H-41), who retired rather than face a strong challenge from Michael Golden – are only their latest wins against the pro-tax 'Republicans.' Last September, Sen. Ken Stolle (S-8) was denied a seat in Congress because of his pro-tax vote; anti-tax Delegate Thelma Drake took the seat in Congress instead. In the special election to succeed Thelma Drake, Republican Michael Ball lost by less than 100 votes because he tried to finesse the tax issue."[http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2005/jun/061505pr-va-postprimary.pdf]
However, the strategy may have backfired. Both the Dillard and Reese seats, which had been Republican, ended up as Democratic seats in the general election. In fact in the Craddock-Caputo race in Virginia's 67th District, Norquist became a target in the campaign.
==KStreetProject.com==
K Street Project is "non-partisan research of political affiliation, employment background, and political donations of members in Washington DC's premier lobbying firms, trade associations, and industries." Ironically, it shares its name with the [[K Street Project|project]] by the Republican Party to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials. That projects was launched in 1995, by Republican strategist and ATF founder Grover Norquist working with former House majority leader Tom DeLay.
While many of the resources on this site appear non-partisan, there is also a prominent link to [[Daniel J. Flynn]]'s report on liberal bias in higher education. [http://www.kstreetproject.com/index.php?content=KSTProject]
Author of ''Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas'' (Crown Forum, 2004) and ''Why the Left Hates America: Exposing the Lies That Have Obscured Our Nation's Greatness'' ([[Prima Forum]], 2002). The latter is a Crown imprint which publishes conservative, current event titles. [http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/crownforum/] such as Flynn, [[Ann Coulter]] and [[Brent Bozell|L. Brent Bozell III]], founder and president of the [[Media Research Center]]. Flynn served from 1994-1997 as program officer for [[Young America's Foundation]], from 1997-2003 as executive director of [[Accuracy in Academia]], and from 2004-2005 as director of the Campus Leadership Program at the [[Leadership Institute]].[http://www.flynnfiles.com/bio.php]
==Ronald Reagan Legacy Project==
The [[Ronald Reagan Legacy Project]] is a project of Americans for Tax Reform. It is a project to put Reagan's image on U.S. ten dollar bill and to "dedicate more things after Reagan." It promotes a Ronald Reagan Day and naming landmarks after Reagan. <ref>Americans for Tax Reform [http://www.atr.org/ronald-reagan-legacy-project-a4499 about the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref>
==Property Rights Alliance==
This group works to influence legislation in opposition to the estate tax,[http://www.propertyrightsalliance.org/index.php?content=cwa_alert] environmental protection, licensing restrictions, Federal purchase of land for national parks and wildlife areas, broadcast requirements for multicssting and drug importation, as well as seizure by eminent domain. [http://www.propertyrightsalliance.org/index.php?content=issues]
==Alliance for Worker Freedom==
The "Alliance for Worker Freedom" is a "special project" of Americans for Tax Reform. The name is really a misnomer, as the Alliance opposes unions. At the Web site of the AWF, it says "AWF works to raise awareness of labor union abuses within the political system by educating movement conservatives on the threats to liberty posed by labor unions." AWF opposes collective bargaining.<ref>Alliance for Worker Freedom [http://www.workerfreedom.org/Collective-Bargaining-a2785 Collective Bargaining], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref> AWF opposes the Employee Free Choice Act.<ref>Alliance for Worker Freedom [http://www.workerfreedom.org/Card-Check--The-Employee-Free-Choice-Act-a2784 The Employee Free Choice Act], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref> [http://www.workerfreedom.org/index.php?content=mission]
==The Media Freedom Project==
Advocating free market solutions to media, technology and telecommunications policy issues
http://www.mediafreedomproject.org/index.php?content=aboutus
==The American Shareholders Project==
This project has the mission of providing a "voice to people...in the public policy debates that impact" savings and investments. [http://www.americanshareholders.com/about/] This includes opposition to the estate tax and a "fairer, simpler", e.g. less progressive tax rate.[http://www.americanshareholders.com/policy/awardvotes.php]
===Conservative Movement Maps===
"As a resource to our friends and supporters, we have provided issue maps that describe the 50 states in terms of where they are in the issues that most affect Conservatives" such as voting trends, but also government pensions, home schooling and official English laws.[http://www.atr.org/special/maps/index.html]
===Action Alerts===
[http://capwiz.com/atr/issues/?style=D]
====End the Estate Tax====
====Fight Net Neutrality====
====Oppose any limitations on "Grassroots" Internet Lobbying====
====Extend lower taxes on capital gains and dividends====
====Suport Alito for the Supreme Court====
====Support the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)====
"Approving CAFTA will reward the democracies in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic for rejecting the Communists, and will send the message to the region and the world that those who adopt free market policies will prosper, and those who adopt Leftist anti-American protectionist policies will fail."[http://capwiz.com/atr/issues/alert/?alertid=7840526&type=CO]
==Tax and spend ... for war==