“[A] group of prominent conservatives has devised a 121-page policy manifesto aimed at giving the Republican Party a message that will attract some of the middle-class voters the party lost in recent White House races…The authors hope the book will help… address the economic anxieties of Americans… The new Republican ideas are being promoted by a conservative group, the YG Network, with ties to Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader.” —The New York Times
“YG NETWORK PUTS GOP UNITY ON DISPLAY… In a notable display of GOP unity in this often acrid primary season, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor stood alongside conservative all-star Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Tim Scott, R-S.C. for the release of ‘Room to Grow,’ a 121-page policy manifesto aimed at attracting middle-class voters to the GOP. The book written by the YG Network, a group of prominent conservatives with ties to Cantor, offers proposals on health care, taxes, and education.” —Fox News
“…[A] forward-looking message that can energize the base and reconnect with a broad electorate.” —Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
“Room to Grow, an essay collection published by YG Network, a conservative group, is the latest evidence that conservatism may be experiencing an intellectual resurgence as well as a political one.” —National Review Online
“As a member of the gang of insurgents who prepared the way for Bill Clinton’s presidency, I know something about reforming a political party on a losing streak. The conservative manifesto ‘Room to Grow,’ released May 22 by the advocacy group YG Network—the YG stands for Young Guns—offers a glimpse of a similar effort among today’s Republicans.” —William Galston, The Wall Street Journal
“One of the theories animating this book and why it was published is the fact that the middle class today is feeling very vulnerable, and anxious and insecure. There’s a lot of unease, and it’s been that way for about fifteen years or more. And that isn’t just a morale problem, it’s a problem, it’s a problem that’s based in real circumstances.” —RTG contributor Peter Wehner, Bill Bennett’s Morning in America
“‘The core of America—the working middle-class families— are facing some serious problems,’ said (Rep. Eric) Cantor, a Virginia Republican. ‘Overwhelmingly, the signs indicate that they don’t have that sense that they will enjoy upward mobility.’” —Bloomberg Businessweek
“[D]istinctly market-oriented proposals to provide universal health coverage, improve access to higher education and redesign the social safety net [among other interesting ideas].” —Michael Gerson, Washington Post
“[A]n intellectually stimulating and potentially historic event…[N]oteworthy not only for its content but also for the presence of Republican elected officials. It was the debut, however modest, of ‘reform conservatism’ as a political force. Plenty has been written about the need for the GOP to adopt economic policies that help middle-class families, and Room to Grow, the book put together by event co-sponsor YG Network, is the best primer I have seen on the various proposals that constitute reform conservatism. I do not doubt for a moment that if the Republican Party adopted Room to Grow as its platform tomorrow, then both the GOP and the country would enjoy a better future.” —Matthew Continetti, The Free Beacon
“[L]iberals should take reform conservatives—and their ideas—seriously…” —Danny Vinik, New Republic
“…[W]idely hailed as representing the best, freshest conservative thinking on the pressing issues of the day.” —Vox.com
With Room To Grow, reform conservatives have “set off a lively, intensifying debate” and “dramatically raised their profiles.” —Politico
“[A] 120-page prospective agenda designed to drag contemporary American conservatism out of 1981’s death grip and give it marching orders fit to the challenges of the present day.” —Jonathan Coppage, The American Conservative
“[A] blueprint for policy innovation…[C]oncrete proposals…If enacted, they could revive not just the party but also the country.” —Mona Charen, Chicago Sun-Times
Room To Grow “translate(s) fundamental conservative principles into practical policies across a range of issues. (Its) proposals share a commitment to protecting individual liberty, keeping the federal government within constitutional limits, encouraging the states to experiment and innovate, taking advantage of market forces, and respecting civil society—including families, religious faith, and civic associations of all sorts.”
—Peter Berkowitz, Real Clear Politics
“[T]he most coherent and compelling policy agenda the American right has produced this century.”
—David Brooks, New York Times