Grover Norquist to Speak at USF St. Pete

The controversial anti-tax activist Grover Norquist will speak at USF St. Petersburg next Wednesday while the 2012 Republican National Convention goes on in Tampa. 

Norquist, according to a USF St Pete news release, will talk about the American political process from 3:30 - 5 p.m. on Aug. 29 at Harbor Hall Gallery, 1000 3rd St. S.

Founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist has become synonymous with the Tea Party for getting GOP politicians to sign a pledge that says they will not vote to increase taxes while in office. 

He made headlines recently for saying former President George H.W. Bush lied to the American public about raising taxes while he was in office.

According to ABC News, Norquist said that is why Bush lost the election in 1992.

“When George Herbert Walker Bush ran for president, he promised the American people he wouldn’t raise their taxes,” Norquist said Sunday morning on 'This Week.' “He lied to them. He broke his commitment to them and they threw him out of office four years later.” 

Norquist's event at USF St. Pete, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the USFSPOffice of International Affairs and the International Council of the Tampa Bay Region, according to a USF St. Pete news release.

Additional RNC Events at USF St. Pete

• Journalist and author Michael Grunwald speaks Tuesday, Aug. 28 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. about his new book, “The New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.” Grunwald, a senior correspondent for Time magazine, received the George Polk Award and the Society of Environmental Journalists award for in-depth reporting. He will be speaking at Harbor Hall Gallery, 1000 3rd St. S. 
  
• A TV watch party for the last night of the convention will be held Thursday, Aug. 30, from 7 - 11 p.m. The event is sponsored by the USFSP Office of International Affairs and The International Council of the Tampa Bay Region.
  

The weekend before the RNC kicks off in Tampa, St. Pete will host the official RNC opening party at Tropicana Field on Aug. 26. That party, designated by Secret Service as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), . 

The road closures .