Drew Johnson
Encyclopedia
Jason Andrew “Drew” Johnson (born 1979 in Johnson City, Tennessee
) is a political commentator who was the founder and first president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a free market
think tank
and watchdog organization based in Nashville, Tennessee
. The center is a member of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
's State Policy Network
.
and a Master of Public Policy
degree from Pepperdine University
. Prior to founding the Tennessee Center for Policy Research in 2004, Johnson served as a policy analyst at the Alexandria, Virginia
-based National Taxpayers Union
Foundation.
/fiscally conservative pundit, Johnson frequently authors columns and commentary pieces that have appeared in such newspapers and magazines as Wall Street Journal, Human Events
, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Tennessean
.
Johnson has been a guest on such television programs as The Situation Room
, Hannity & Colmes
, CNN’s Glenn Beck
and The Big Story with John Gibson
. He has appeared on radio programs such as the Mike Gallagher
radio show, the Sean Hannity Show, the Glenn Beck Program
, the Andrew Wilkow
show and NPR
’s All Things Considered
.
In February 2007, Johnson’s charges that environmental activist and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
consumed more electricity in his home every month than the average American household uses in an entire year received widespread media attention.
Johnson left TCPR at the end of 2009. In May 2011 the Taxpayers Protection Alliance announced that he would join that organization as a senior fellow.
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
) is a political commentator who was the founder and first president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
and watchdog organization based in Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The center is a member of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
's State Policy Network
State Policy Network
The State Policy Network is a U.S. national network of free-market oriented think tanks focused on individual U.S. states. SPN is based in Arlington, Virginia.-History:SPN was founded in 1992 by Thomas A...
.
Early life
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Belmont UniversityBelmont University
Belmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
and a Master of Public Policy
Master of Public Policy
The Master of Public Policy , one of several public policy degrees, is a master's level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus on the systematic analysis of issues related to public policy and the...
degree from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. Prior to founding the Tennessee Center for Policy Research in 2004, Johnson served as a policy analyst at the Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
-based National Taxpayers Union
National Taxpayers Union
National Taxpayers Union is a taxpayers advocacy organization and taxpayers union in the United States, founded in 1969 by James Dale Davidson. NTU advertises that it is the largest and oldest grassroots taxpayer organization in the nation, with 362,000 members nationwide. It is closely...
Foundation.
Career
As a libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
/fiscally conservative pundit, Johnson frequently authors columns and commentary pieces that have appeared in such newspapers and magazines as Wall Street Journal, Human Events
Human Events
Human Events is a weekly American conservative magazine. It takes its name from the first sentence of the United States Declaration of Independence...
, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Tennessean
Tennessean
Tennessean can refer to:* The Tennessean newspaper* Tennessean * person or object from TennesseeTennishawn...
.
Johnson has been a guest on such television programs as The Situation Room
The Situation Room
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon/early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show replaces three politics and hard news programs: Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports.At first,...
, Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes
Hannity & Colmes was a live television show on Fox News Channel in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 6, 1996, and the final episode aired on January 9, 2009. It was the...
, CNN’s Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
and The Big Story with John Gibson
John Gibson
John Gibson may refer to:*John Gibson , British architect*John Gibson , English cartographer and engraver*John Gibson , English cricketer...
. He has appeared on radio programs such as the Mike Gallagher
Mike Gallagher
Mike Gallagheris an American radio host and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Gallagher Show, a nationally-syndicated radio program that airs throughout the United States on Salem Radio Network and is also a FOX News Channel Contributor and guest host...
radio show, the Sean Hannity Show, the Glenn Beck Program
Glenn Beck Program
The Glenn Beck Program is an American talk radio show hosted by commentator Glenn Beck on Premiere Radio Networks. Since its inception as a nationally syndicated show in 2002, the program has become one of the highest rated radio programs...
, the Andrew Wilkow
Andrew Wilkow
Andrew Wilkow is a conservative political talk radio host on the Sirius XM Patriot channel on SIRIUS channel 125 and XM channel 125. Until July 2006, Wilkow had been on WGY in Schenectady, New York, and WABC in New York City...
show and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
’s All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
.
In February 2007, Johnson’s charges that environmental activist and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
consumed more electricity in his home every month than the average American household uses in an entire year received widespread media attention.
Johnson left TCPR at the end of 2009. In May 2011 the Taxpayers Protection Alliance announced that he would join that organization as a senior fellow.
Fellowships and appointments
- Commissioner, Tennessee Commission on Children and YouthTennessee Commission on Children and YouthThe Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is an independent Tennessee state agency with a primary mission of advocacy for improving the quality of life for Tennessee children and families. The policy-making body of TCCY is a 21-member commission whose members are appointed by the governor...
(1997-2006). Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. - Board of Academic Advisors, Center for Competitive PoliticsCenter for Competitive PoliticsThe Center for Competitive Politics is a Section 501 non-profit organization headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. The CCP's mission statement is "through legal briefs, studies, historical and constitutional analyses, and media communication, to educate the public on the actual effects of money...
. Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. - Fellow, Davenport Institute for Public Policy. Malibu, California.
- Koch Fellow, Institute for Humane StudiesInstitute for Humane StudiesThe Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
(2002). Arlington, Virginia.