ProgressNow was created in 2003 as a response to the conservative Independence Institute.

The Independence Institute (II) is an American conservative think tank based in Golden, Colorado.

As of June 2010, the Independence Institute's Research Director is American author, attorney and political science researcher Dave Kopel.

The Independence Institute has recently launched the Patient Power website to address US healthcare reform issues.

However, Penn Pfiffner is also the director of the Independence Institute's Fiscal Policy Center, a fact not mentioned in the original article.

In 2007, the Independence Institute was accused of dominating the Colorado Media by bigmedia.org.

The Independence Institute is described as "a behemoth with an aggressive media strategy and ideological bent."

In 2005, the Independence Institute ran afoul of a law requiring registration of issues-based groups, and disclosure of donors.

In Colorado, the Independence Institute has been a leading force behind a constitutional spending cap called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

He became president of the Independence Institute in 1993, a conservative think tank based in Golden, Colorado, serving there until his election to Congress.