by
Nathaniel Ward
January 27, 2012
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA). Photo: Chas Geer
More than four dozen members of Congress are meeting this week in Philadelphia at The Heritage Foundation’s annual conference to remind conservative lawmakers of the importance of America’s first principles.
The conference, which includes lectures from Heritage experts and outside policy analysts and scholars, allows members of Congress to step back from day-to-day politics and refocus on ideas, policies and strategies.
Roll Call reports from this year’s event:
“The purpose of this is to re-energize folks to say, ‘The reason you gave up that career, the reason you gave up the attention you might have otherwise been able to provide for your family, the reason you believed it was important to run, those reasons are still important,’” said Republican Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price (Ga.), one of nearly 50 House Republicans in attendance.
“It’s been good to spend a few days with other conservative Members talking about first principles. It’s been good,” Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.) said.
“A lot of times you can’t see the forest for the trees. In D.C., we’re so busy, everything’s fast,” he added. “It helps you step back and really look at the big picture.” …
The retreat allows Members to “talk about our past, talk about where we are and talk about where we want to be. … Is where we are and where we want to be in line with what our Founding Fathers put in place?” Southerland said.
“Normally the retreat is an overview of issues,” says Dani Doane, Heritage’s Director of Government Studies. “This year we broadened our focus and looked at how conservatives can best engage in our new fight for independence against the far-Left’s ‘progressive’ agenda and the increasingly authoritarian nature of the Obama administration.”
If you were participating in the conference, what would you advice lawmakers to do?
Earlier this week, thousands of protesters converged on the National Mall in Washington, DC for the annual March for Life, which marks the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.
In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Obama declared the Taliban’s momentum broken and said some troops have already begun to come home.