The Society's goals include protecting national security, lowering taxes, and shrinking the size of the government.

[7] When many young people fear that their ideas cannot have an impact in American politics, the members of the Ripon Society have effectively proven otherwise.

By thinking long and hard about public programs and by arguing its positions in a vigorous and reasonable manner, the Ripon Society has notably enriched our political dialogue.

During lunch, they were planning a trip to campaign for Nelson Rockefeller for president, who was at that time the Republican governor of New York.

When the news confirmed that Kennedy had been killed, they were caught between grief for their fallen hero and fear of Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded to the presidency".

[10] Over the weeks following Kennedy's death, the Ripon members wrote a manifesto, "A Call to Excellence in Leadership: An Open Letter to the New Generation of Republicans.

We speak as a group of young Republicans to that generation which must bear the responsibility for guiding our party and our country over the coming decades.

The moderate course offers the Republican Party the best chance to build a durable majority position in American politics.

This is the direction the party must take if it is to win the confidence of the "new Americans" who are not at home in the politics of another generation: the new middle classes of the suburbs of the North and West – who have left the Democratic cities but have not yet found a home in the Republican party; the young college graduates and professional men and women of our great university centers – more concerned with "opportunity" than "security", the moderate of the new South – who represent the hope for peaceful racial adjustment and who are insulted by a racist appeal more fitting another generation.

The party that will not acknowledge this political fact of life and courageously enter the contest for power does not merit and cannot possibly win the majority support of the American people.

This is the direction the party must take if it is to win the confidence of the 'new Americans' who are not at home in the politics of another generation: the new middle classes of the suburbs of the North and West – who have left the Democratic cities but have not yet found a home in the Republican party; the young college graduates and professional men and women of our great university centers – more concerned with 'opportunity' than 'security'; the moderates of the new South – who represent the hope for peaceful racial adjustment and who are insulted by a racist appeal more fitting another generation.

Jacoby argued that the American public wanted Congress and the President to finally solve the problem of illegal immigration and end it.

Jacoby argued that this option would not work because tough-talking rhetoric and increases in border patrol budgets had not changed the number of illegal immigrants coming into the United States per year.

[47] The immigration issue was large enough to come into play as a major topic at a Ripon Society event in Dublin, Ireland in 2013.

The panel discussed a problem known as "brain drain" that was affecting both Ireland and the United States: high-skilled workers were moving to other countries.

Panel members pushed for the inclusion of a solution to this problem in any immigration reform package passed by Congress.

[49] In March, the president of the Pew Research Center, Michael Dimock, warned the Republican Party during an address to the Ripon Society to stop advocating small government conservative policies ("Try to take as much of the anti-government rhetoric out," he told the room).

[51] Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Congressional caucuses Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other In 2004, the Ripon Society requested a legal advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Ripon wanted to pay for a TV campaign commercial in favor of the re-election of Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R-NY).

[52] The FEC responded by saying that the law prohibited Ripon from paying for the ad if it was televised within Congresswoman Kelly's congressional district.

At that time (2004), the law prohibited corporate funds from paying for "electioneering communication", an umbrella term that includes campaign TV commercials.

[59] Between 1999 and 2004, the Society gave what was known as the Rough Rider Awards to recognize public officeholders who have "'stood in the arena, and pushed for innovative policy solutions on a range of issues."

[60] This section summarizes some of the bipartisan legislation and actions led by Members of Congress who sit on Ripon's congressional advisory board.