Seven Presidential Candidates Confirmed

WASHINGTON – Texans will be among the 1500 citizens attending the first-ever Defending the American Dream summit sponsored by Americans for Prosperity. 

Sen. John McCain and Gov. Mick Huckabee confirmed recently and are joining fellow candidates Mayor Rudy Giuliani (N.Y.) U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.) U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.) Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (Texas). The list of speakers slated to address the Summit including the six presidential candidates is powerful evidence of the rising prominence of fiscal restraint as a potent political issue.

“Anybody who still doubts the political potency of the issue of pork-barrel spending is welcome to stop by our Summit at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington next week where they’ll see more than a thousand grassroots taxpayers from across America who feel so strongly about this issue that they’re traveling hundreds and in many cases thousands of miles to say ‘Enough is enough!’” said Americans for Prosperity Foundation President Tim Phillips.

AFP-Texas Director Peggy Venable said the response had been overwhelming.  “We were wondering if we could fill the room and now the ballroom will be overflowing” said Venable.  “Citizens are responding to our efforts to empower voters and allow taxpayers to determine how much government they want and are willing to pay for.” 

Last year AFP Foundation traveled 10000 miles to 37 states and 50 earmarks on the Ending Earmarks Express road tour of lawmakers’ questionable pet projects and heard from hundreds of citizens that the earmark favor factory must be shut down. This year the Defending the American Dream Summit will be a massive show of force in support of genuine fiscal restraint lower taxes and the free-market policies that deliver the American Dream. Hundreds of leading activists policy makers and opinion leaders will descend on the nation’s capital on Oct. 4 and 5 for two days of grassroots training updates from Congressional leaders and insight from America’s leading free-market voices.

In addition to the speakers noted above other confirmed speakers include: ABC 20/20’s John Stossel former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele President Reagan’s budget director Dr. Jim Miller Wall Street Journal columnists Stephen Moore and John Fund legendary free-market economist Art Laffer best-selling author Dinesh D’Souza radio show host and author Herman Cain and Nick Grillo co-producer of the movie “Gods and Generals.”