WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — FreedomWorks, a grassroots service center serving more than 2 million members of the conservative movement, today released the Freedom Platform, a crowd-source proposal outlining 12 of the boldest, most important solutions for the nation in 2012. Grassroots activists from around the United States will petition the Republican National Convention platform committees to include the Freedom Platform in the GOP’s official 2012 platform.
“The conservative grassroots movement has shown in recent years that they are a force to be reckoned with,” said Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks. “In order to earn their support, Republicans will have to demonstrate a strong commitment to conservative philosophy, accountability, and the kind of bold reforms needed to save America. Incorporating the Freedom Platform into the 2012 Republican Platform is a great place to start.”
The Freedom Platform presents the 12 boldest, most important solutions for the nation in 2012 as judged by the conservative grassroots through crowd sourcing and face-to-face meetings. In June and July 2012, more than 1 million votes were cast at www.my2012platform.com, where voters were asked to choose between randomly selected pairings from an extensive list of policy proposals. The survey’s special technique, combined with input from on-the-ground activists across the country, has produced an agenda that is truly reflective of grassroots opinion.
“The 12 proposals in the Freedom Platform cover four broad policy categories – health care, energy, taxes and spending, and size of government – but are unified by common themes of smaller, constitutionally limited government and more freedom,” said Russ Walker, vice president of political and grassroots campaigns for FreedomWorks. “These 12 proposals are sure to generate high levels of enthusiasm from the conservative base in November.”
The “12 for ’12” are:
- Repeal Obamacare; Pursue Patient-Centered Care
- Stop the Tax Hikes
- Reverse Obama’s Spending Increases
- Scrap the Code; Replace It with a Flat Tax
- Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment
- Reject Cap and Trade
- Rein in the EPA
- Unleash America’s Vast Energy Potential
- Eliminate the Department of Education
- Reduce the Bloated Federal Workforce
- Curtail Excessive Federal Regulation
- Audit the Fed
The Freedom Platform’s commissioners, who are charged with promoting the document among members of the RNC’s platform committees, represent a broad cross-section of the conservative grassroots, including members from important swing states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, as well as states that have already felt the impact of the Tea Party in the 2012 election cycle, including Indiana, Texas andUtah. The commissioners are:
- Gena Bell, Hills Community Tea Party and Our Turning Point, Ohio
- Konni Burton, NE Tarrant Tea Party, Texas
- Ken Clark, Loveland 9/12, Gang of 12, Colorado Liberty Group Leadership Coalition, Colorado
- Vicki Dooling, Las Vegas Valley Tea Party, Nevada
- Donna Driskell, FreedomWorks, Georgia
- Laura Freed, Bucks County Kitchen Table Patriots, Pennsylvania
- Dan Hauser, FreedomWorks, Utah
- Joyce Krawiec, FreedomWorks, North Carolina
- John Kuzmanich, Oregon Tea Party
- Kristin Minor, America Refocused, Indiana
- Debbie Wilson, Tampa Tea Party and Tampa 9-12, Florida
- Tom Zawitowski, Ohio Liberty Coalition, Ohio
“In this crucial year, the Republican Party needs a bold platform that will offer a real, fundamental alternative to President Obama’s liberal agenda,” said Freedom Platform Commissioner Laura Freed of theBucks County (Pennsylvania) Kitchen Table Patriots. “The Freedom Platform offers a bold limited government conservative vision and offers commonsense reforms that most Americans will support.”
Freedom Platform Commissioner Dan Hauser, who represents FreedomWorks in Ohio, added, “The Tea Party movement grew because both political parties failed to listen to the people and their demands for real policy change in Washington, D.C. Our economy is crumbling and very little is being done to effect lasting, pro-free market change. The Freedom Platform is the next step for conservatives to save our economy and have our voices heard.”
Copies of the Freedom Platform will be delivered to RNC platform committee members ahead of its meetings to develop the 2012 Republican Platform, the document that guides the party’s policy efforts for the campaign and the legislative years that follow. Freedom Platform Commissioners will follow up directly with committee members to discuss the merits of the “12 for ’12” plan and urge them to include the Freedom Platform in the official 2012 Republican Platform, which will be unveiled at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27-30.
