Recitation of Constitution Represents Return to America's Founding Principles

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Jan 06, 2011, 12:05 ET

Speaker John Boehner Presented Unique Opportunity to Shape 2012 Presidential Election

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the House of Representatives will begin the 112th Session of Congress with a recitation of the U.S. Constitution.

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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made the following comments on the reading of the Constitution and Speaker Boehner's unique opportunity to shape the priorities of the next presidential election:

"Today's reading of the Constitution in the House demonstrates a renewed commitment to following our nation's charter text. That guiding document is founded upon the transcendent truth that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights endowed by our Creator.

"The Constitution itself is grounded in a Judeo-Christian understanding of human dignity, religious liberty and the importance of personal virtue to representative self-government. On this basis, it defines the roles, duties and limits of federal governance. As such, the Constitution ensures that if followed with integrity and diligence, our Republic and the ordered liberty we enjoy within it will remain strong and vibrant.

"As the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner has a unique opportunity to shape the nation's conversation and priorities going into the 2012 presidential election. If he and his new team of House leaders listen to what voters said in November, they can begin to reverse and repair some of the damage done by the 111th Congress and steer the country back to its founding principles.

"The onus is on John Boehner. And from the sounds of his opening speech, he is well aware of it. As long as the Republicans keep that focus, the efforts to demoralize the GOP, which have already started, won't matter," concluded Perkins.

SOURCE Family Research Council