Republican policy makers and experts on Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute introduced a conservative agenda likely to serve as campaign platforms this fall and in 2016.
The agenda, which is designed to address problems facing poor and middle class voters, was laid out during several panels at AEI on the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s "Great Society" commencement speech at the University of Michigan.
Panelists agreed that the Great Society programs should be evaluated and reformed as necessary in pursuing a new "reform conservative" agenda.
This agenda, according to the panelists, aims to take meaningful approaches to fixing existing policies or replacing them with better alternatives.
However, few specific proposals to change policy were mentioned at the event. The conversation was rooted more in philosophical guidelines the panelists said should be used in identifying problems and the government’s ability to fix them.
Among the panelists were Sens. Mike Lee (R., Utah), Tim Scott (R., S.C.), and Rep. Eric Cantor (R., Va.), whose panel was followed by remarks from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.).
Lee has been vocal about shifting the public’s perception of the Republican Party from one that represents the wealthy to one with an agenda that supports the poor and middle classes.
During the panel, Lee primarily reiterated of his policy proposals, which were reported on by the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday.
McConnell was in a cheery mood after having won the Republican primary in his state against Tea Party challenger Matt Bevin on Tuesday.
"I’m happy to be here, especially under the present circumstances," McConnell said at the event.
McConnell referred to the reform conservative movement as having a "shared commitment to the urgent task of alleviating the burdens of the working poor and the American middle class. "
The final panel consisted mostly of experts who authored separate essays that have been compiled into Room to Grow: Conservative Reforms for a Limited Government and a Thriving Middle Class, a comprehensive overview of the reform conservative agenda.
"I think what we need is a different approach to how we do policy at the federal level," said Yuval Levin, the editor of National Affairs and the author of one of the essays in Room to Grow. "That’s not going to look like a conservative version of the Great Society—it’s going to look like a very different approach to public policy."