Age: 55
Occupation: President, Americans for Tax Reform
Just as Athena emerged fully formed from Zeus' forehead, the modern Republican Party practically popped out of Norquist's brain. The no-tax pledge he devised is like divine law in Republican circles: every presidential candidate has signed it, as have all but 13 of the 289 Republicans on Capitol Hill, and no GOP legislator has voted for a major tax increase in two decades. As budget battles dominate the debate in Washington, Norquist is more influential than ever.