'"[3] The group, which included Hart, Bill Bradley, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, Paul Tsongas, and Tim Wirth, were influenced by Lester Thurow and Robert Reich to focus on investing in high tech industries over sunset industries as a means to promote economic growth and social justice.
[2] A 1983 San Jose Mercury News article defined Atari Democrats as "smart young congressmen who sought to make the restoration of American business their issue".
Mr. Wirth, for example, has sought to bring his two passions together by arguing that market forces can be harnessed to protect the environment and work better than "command-and-control regulations.
"[8] Time magazine observed that Tim Wirth "made a reputation as the typical 'Atari Democrat,' who urges growth and investment in high-technology industries.
"[9] The New York Times referred to Paul Tsongas as an Atari Democrat, "a member of the young generation of politicians and economists who looked to high technology as a source of jobs and economic growth.