What happens when you actually draw a line in the sand—and mean it?

Grover Norquist has spent decades doing just that. From building the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to shaping what he calls the “Leave Us Alone” coalition, this conversation digs into how ideas turn into durable movements, why incentives matter more than intentions, and what younger leaders misunderstand about power, taxes, and government growth.

This isn’t theory. It’s practical politics, organizational discipline, and hard-earned lessons about how coalitions survive—and why so many fail.

Key Discussion Points

• 00:00 – Why drawing clear lines matters in politics
• 02:00 – How Grover ended up building political organizations instead of companies
• 04:00 – The Taxpayer Protection Pledge and why “no weasel words” matters
• 07:00 – Where the tax movement actually is today
• 10:30 – Why “new ideas” often break working coalitions
• 13:00 – The “Leave Us Alone” coalition explained
• 18:00 – Why low-maintenance coalitions win
• 22:00 – How the left and right build power differently
• 27:00 – Government subsidies and unintended consequences
• 32:00 – Flat taxes, zero income tax states, and spending discipline
• 38:00 – Advice for young leaders entering politics
• 44:00 – Why conservatives hurt themselves more than their opponents
• 46:00 – Books, ideas, and the intellectual roots of the movement

If you care about leadership, long-term strategy, and how policy choices ripple through culture and economics, there’s a lot here to sit with.

Has this conversation challenged how you think about power, taxes, or coalition-building?

👍 Hit like so more people find it

🔔 Subscribe for more real, unscripted conversations

💬 Drop your biggest takeaway or point of disagreement

🔗 Share this with someone who thinks policy is just theory

#AgainstTheCurrent #Leadership #PublicPolicy #TaxPolicy #PoliticalStrategy #CoalitionBuilding #Governance #ThoughtLeadership #Economics #Freedom