Conservatives planning to attend Grover Norquist's popular Wednesday Group meeting tomorrow will be the target of a MoveOn.org protest outside Norquist's downtown Washington, D.C., office building.
Tom Matzzie of MoveOn.org Political Action announced the protest in an e-mail to supporters Tuesday morning. Norquist's meeting is attended by a broad range of Republicans. It starts at 10 a.m.
"The group hosting the meeting—Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform—is at the center of the Republican power machine in Washington and has been implicated in the corruption scandals from lobbyist Jack Abramoff," Matzzie wrote in the e-mail. "But they still meet even after Abramoff took a guilty plea."
The weekly meeting usually features a keynote speaker and is attended by conservative and libertarian activists, Capitol Hill staffers and usually at least one representative from the White House. Two weeks ago former Vice President Al Gore spoke at the meeting. All matters discussed are off the record.
The MoveOn.org e-mail blares: "This Wednesday, tomorrow, a gathering of lobbyists, conservative activists and Republicans leaders from Congress and the White House meet to discuss their next moves. We're joining with other reform groups to bring the public outcry to their doorstep. Will you attend?"
MoveOn.org wants protesters to gather outside Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform headquarters in downtown Washington. The office, located on L Street, is one block from the notorious K Street, where prominent Washington lobbying firms are based.
MoveOn.org is co-sponsoring the protest with the Campaign for America's Future and Public Campaign Action Fund.
"This meeting illustrates how nothing has changed—the Republicans in Congress work closely with business lobbyists who are funding their operations," MoveOn.org’s e-mail said. "We need to expose it and this protest will help do that. Please RSVP and attend."
Norquist's spokesman had no immediate response to the protest or the charges made by MoveOn.org. The e-mail said reporters had been invited to attend and MoveOn.org expects "the protest to be widely reported on by the press."
humanevents.com will be there to cover the protest and attendees’ reaction to it. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates.
