One of the nation's most influential political strategists provides a daring manifesto and vision for conservatives.

The modern Republican party is a coalition of groups and tendencies created during the political life of Ronald Reagan, based on principle rather than region and history. The new political movement that now controls much of the Republican party is one of Americans who simply wish to be left alone by the government. They are not asking the government for others' money, time, or attention. Rather, they want to be free to own a gun, homeschool their children, pray, invest their money, and control their own destiny.

They are the Leave Us Alone coalition, at the heart of the center-right, and Grover Norquist argues that it will grow in power and size during the next generation. Directly opposed to this coalition is the descriptively titled Takings Coalition, which is at the heart of the tax-and-spend left, and they will battle for control of America's future over the next fifty years. It is increasingly important to better understand these coalitions than it is the Republican or Democratic parties themselves.

In a compelling and powerful narrative, Norquist describes the two competing coalitions in American politics, how they are organized, what makes them stronger or weaker. What each can achieve and what they cannot do. And how you may fit into the contest as well as gain a deeper understanding of American politics—where it's been, where it is and particularly where it will go—through a series of eye-opening economic, demographic, and political trends that will shape these coalitions in the years to come.

Required reading for any conservative who wants a deeper understanding of politics in America today, Leave Us Alone shows the order of battle for the next generation.

American politics is defined by a contest between two political coalitions, argues Norquist (president, Americans for Tax Reform). One is the "Leave Us Alone" coalition of the center-right, which consists of taxpayers who want taxes kept low, small businessmen and -women, gun owners, homeschoolers, property rights activists, religious voters, the investor class, the police, and the military. The other is the "Takings" coalition, in which "seats are reserved for trial lawyers, labor-union leaders, government employees' unions, recipients of government grants, and the two wings of the dependency movement," in addition to other nefarious ne'er-do-wells. Proceeding from this basic premise, he surveys the political trends that he believes will influence the fortunes of these two coalitions over the coming years, including the growth of the investor class, the decline of labor unions, voter demographics, gun regulation politics, and media politics, while also providing his own thoughts on how the "Leave Us Alone" coalition will prevail. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, argues that a new political movement--comprised of taxpayers, gun owners, faith communities, and others--now controls much of the Republican Party. In this new book, he describes how this movement will shape the next century.

Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform, a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan's request. He chairs the "Wednesday Meeting," a weekly gathering of more than 120 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union and the National Rifle Association. The Wall Street Journal has called Norquist "the Grand Central Station" of the conservative movement, and in 2007, GQ voted him one of the fifty most powerful people in D.C. He and his wife, Samah, live in Washington, D.C.