The annual Values Voter Summit, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 grassroots activists from across the country, kicks off in Washington, D.C. today to promote pro-family values, the economy and other issues important to social conservatives.
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will be one of the featured speakers at the Family Research Council Action's (FRC Action) 2012 Values Voter Summit, held this weekend from September 14-16 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The speaker lineup includes Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz, Lt. Col. Oliver North (USMC, Ret.), actor Kirk Cameron and radio host Dennis Prager, among many others.
First-time attender Phillip Wold of Mankato, Minnesota says he hopes to take back to his home state information that might be helpful in getting the nation back to Christian values.
"Well, the concern that I have is for the values that we as a family have shared and we as congregation members have shared," he tells OneNewsNow. "We wanted to take and make certain that those same values are values that are expressed in our national situation. We feel that many things have been going on of late that have deviated from the values that we regard as important."
Another first-time attender Unice Wold of Prescott, Arizona, shares her concerns about the degradation of Christians as a people group.
"I want to make sure that this nation does not make Christians second-class citizens," she states. "We have so much going on in our nation today where Christians are made fun of, they're persecuted, and I really hate that. That's not what this country was founded on."
The 2012 Values Voter Summit is co-sponsored by AFA Action, American Values, The Heritage Foundation, Liberty University, Liberty Counsel and the Family Research Council.