Upcoming events, Principles First efforts on Ukraine come to fruition, and a note on conservatism.
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The last few weeks have shown the promise and potential of principled leadership and Principles First has been hard at work leading the way. See below for several updates, including details on our upcoming events. Thank you as always for putting principles first. It is making a difference.
Upcoming events
At Principles First, we continue to find that convening in person is one of the best ways to catalyze this important new community in our politics. To that end, we're planning a host of happy hours and dinners with speakers and programming - particularly in critical swing states. The interest in these events has been exciting and space is already filling up. Please save your spot now if you plan to attend.
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Principles First Happy Hour (Washington, DC)
* Crimson Whiskey Bar
* Wednesday, May 15 | 5 - 6:30pm ET
* Register here ([link removed]) for details
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Principles First Dinner (Livonia, Michigan)
* Vistatech Center
* Saturday, May 18 | 6 - 9:00pm ET
* Speakers and program to come
* Register here ([link removed]) for details
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Principles First Dinner (Charleston, South Carolina)
* Segra Club at Riley Park
* Saturday, June 29 | 5 - 8:00pm ET
* Speakers and program to come
* Register here ([link removed]) for details
Security package passes House and Senate
On Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved ([link removed]) $95 billion in security aid for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, with a bipartisan vote of 311 - 112. Then today, the U.S. Senate followed suit, approving ([link removed]) the package by an overwhelming 80 - 19 vote. Notably, nearly half of Republicans in the House, including Speaker Johnson, and a clear majority of Republicans in the Senate, voted to approve the package.
Principles First was closely involved in the effort to change the narrative on this issue and win Congressional approval of these critical measures:
* Ukraine Action Summit: Last week, the American Coalition for Ukraine ([link removed]) (a Principles First Summit sponsor) hosted the Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, DC which convened more than 300 Americans and Ukrainians from around the country to lobby members of Congress on Capitol Hill during its consideration of the proposals. Our founder, Heath Mayo, delivered remarks at the Summit, challenging the weak arguments of isolationists like Tucker Carlson and J.D. Vance and underscoring the importance of Ukraine's success. You can view his full remarks here ([link removed]) .
* Open Letter to Speaker Johnson: Principles First was honored to add its name to the Ukraine Freedom Project's Open Letter to Speaker Johnson, which included 70 former members of Congress and foreign policy experts. Read the full Open Letter here ([link removed]) .
* Other Efforts: Other members of the Principles First community played instrumental roles in achieving this important victory - from drafting important talking points that were circulated among Republican lawmakers to cutting issue-specific ads in support of approval to raising awareness on social media. Thanks to all who engaged on this issue and in particular to Mr. Greg Wilson of Florida and our friends at Republicans for Ukraine ([link removed]) .
A note on conservatism
We wanted to make sure you saw this note we recently published on the term "conservatism" and how it relates to what we are building at Principles First.
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The term "conservatism" has been hijacked by people who have lost all touch with its meaning. They think conservatism is to pine for the cultural mores and hierarchies of a bygone era or to use the state to punish political enemies or even to promote a certain religion. They're wrong, but that hasn't prevented damage to the term. When Principles First says "conservative," we mean something completely different.
Our conservatism is rooted in the principle that it is easier for societies to destroy good things than to build them up. Building good things is difficult. It takes time and often conflict. Our Constitution, our democratic values, our rule of law, our individual freedoms, the post-World War II order - each is the product of centuries of trial and error; of hard-fought progress and regress; of thought and innovation. We should be proud of this liberal tradition, we should perfect it, and we should conserve it.
Our conservatism is also rooted in the principle of humility. We believe the world is complex, that humans are fallible, that we can't know all things, and that experience is often the greatest teacher of progress. Big changes all at once can bring important advances but are also fraught with new risks. Our conservatism highlights those risks and accounts for them when proposing solutions.
And whether "conservatism" is even a useful label for our principles anymore, we believe the principles themselves are uniquely fit for a 21st century that, between global conflict, AI, energy transitions, and populist uprisings, already promises to bring the fastest rate of societal change and innovation the world has ever seen. We will need to confront it all, first and foremost, with an appreciation for all that we have already built, with a seriousness that respects the sacrifices of those who built it, and with a commitment to clear principles for tackling its new frontiers.
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Share this note on X here ([link removed]) or on Facebook here ([link removed]) .
Watch the 2024 Principles First Summit ([link removed])
Read our Declaration of Principles ([link removed])
Donate to Principles First ([link removed])
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