The broader political reach of the man behind the no-taxes pledge

In noting how a small group of Republicans dared defy the man behind the no-taxes pledge, I quipped "what are they afraid of? That Grover Norquist will egg their houses?"

Obviously I was being a smart-ass trying to be funny had pranks on my mind since we had just passed Halloween.

I know Norquist wields a lot of power. And his personal support, along with that of his Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), carries a lot of weight on Capitol Hill.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist speaks during Reuters Washington Summit, Washington, D.C., June 27, 2012.

I've seen it first-hand. When I worked in the Washington, D.C., government relations (OK, lobbying) offices of two major companies, I watched as they shelled out big bucks each year to ATR. I must also note that we followed expected government relations (OK again, lobbying) protocol and gave money to more liberal groups, too.

And in the years that I've been gone from the nation's capital, ATR has grown. A lot.

Politico looks at How Grover Norquist Corners Congress:

"America's No. 1 anti-tax activist has turned his single-minded nonprofit organization and its no new taxes pledge into a sprawling lobbying empire that leverages his iconic status to influence politicians on a broad array of issues that sometimes have little or nothing to do with preventing tax hikes."

The upshot is that while there might be some occassional defections, Norquist's organziation is going to be around, and powerful, for a while. 

You've been warned.

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