This Program is open to Members and Guests of Members only. Guest list strictly enforced, and the entire discussion is private and off the record. Must RSVP to attend.

When: February 11th, 2010
Where :TBD
RSVP: Nicole@gen-next.org

Steve Schmidt is a Partner of Mercury Public Affairs and leads the firm's operation in California. Recognized as one of the top political strategists in the country, Mr. Schmidt provides high-level counsel to political candidates, elected officials, and major corporations and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood studios and professional sports teams. He most recently served as a Senior Advisor to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

Prior to joining Mercury, Mr. Schmidt served as Campaign Manager for the re-election of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. The Los Angeles Times commended Mr. Schmidt as having "ran a nearly flawless campaign" and overseen a re-election that "ran against a political tide that swamped other Republicans across the nation."

Before the Schwarzenegger campaign, Mr. Schmidt served as a member of the White House Senior Staff as Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Vice President.

During his tenure at the White House, Mr. Schmidt played a leading role in the confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.

Mr. Schmidt served as one of the top strategists on President Bush's 2004 re-election and was a member of the senior strategic planning group that directed the campaign. Mr. Schmidt served as a national spokesman in print, radio and television, appearing on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, as well as national networks and local affiliates across the country.

Open to Members and Guests only. Guest list enforced. Must RSVP to attend. Adding the program automatically to calendar does not serve as a RSVP.

When:January 27, 2010 at 12:00p.m. - program starts promptly at noon
Where: The Regency Club - Terrace Room - 10900 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 1700, LA 90024                                                        
RSVP: Sarah@gen-next.org

Gerald Parsky is  Partner at Aurora Capital Group.  Previously, Mr. Parsky served as a Treasury Department and Federal Energy Office official from 1972-74, and as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International  Affairs from 1974-77.  For the next 13 years, Mr. Parsky was affiliated with the law firm Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, where he was Senior Partner and a member of the Executive and Management Committees.  Present activities include: Regent, University of California; Trustee Emeritus, Princeton University; Trustee, George Bush Presidential Library Foundation; Board of Directors, The Irvine Company.   Mr. Parsky is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia Law School. Learn more about the Comission of the 21st Century Economy.

"CBS News National Security Analyst Juan Zarate said the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day could be a "game changer" due to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's possible ties to al Qaeda elements in Yemen" More.

The campaign to fill Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat will be battle royale in 2010 and Gen Next is pleased to bring to our Members one of the main contenders, Congressman Mark Kirk. The seat is now held by controversial Blagojevich appointee, Roland Burris. Because the results of this race will be viewed as a referendum on Barack Obama and given the controversy surrounding the appointment, few races in the 2010 election cycle will be watched as closely as this one.

The first Member of Congress in over 60 years to have served in an imminent danger zone, Congressman Mark Kirk has first-hand knowledge of the situation in Afghanistan and the complex situation there. Kirk served as a Commander in the Navy who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia and was also named “Intelligence Officer of the Year” for his service in Kosovo. He is currently a Naval Reserve intelligence officer.

As Co-Founder and Chairman of the bipartisan US-China Working Group, Kirk and over 20 other Members of Congress meet monthly to discuss everything from trade and economic policy to space exploration as it relates to China.

This program is welcome to Members and guests of Members only.  RSVP is required and space is limited.

When: December 7th - 8:00 a.m.
Where: Michael McClellan's Office
Newmeyer & Dillion LLP
895 Dove Street  2nd flr - Newport Beach 92660
RSVP: Natalie@gen-next.org

Kirk attended Blackburn College and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and earned his B.A. from Cornell. He also holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown.  Kirk has worked for Congressman John Porter, served in the World Bank, the State Department, the law firm Baker & McKenzie, and the U.S. House International Relations Committee.

The United States is facing a serious energy crisis, as we still depend on hostile countries of OPEC to supply the a large portion of resources that power our economy, placing us at the forefront of danger.

Facing an international security threat, Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, is joining Gen Next to discuss the importance of America’s independence of foreign oil.  Dr. Luft will inform us of potentially breakthrough legislation called the Open Fuel Standard Act, which is an effort to get more flex fuel vehicles on the road for more competition in the transportation fuels sector. 

This program is welcome to Members only, and the RSVP list will be capped to ensure intimacy and exclusivity. 

When: October 19th at 6:00 p.m. (GNOC)
Where: Antonello - 3800 S. Plaza Dr., Costa Mesa 92704
RSVP: Natalie@gen-next.org

Dr. Gal Luft is Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) a Washington based think tank focused on energy security and co-founder of the Set America Free Coalition, an alliance of national security, environmental, labor and religious groups promoting ways to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. He specializes in strategy, geopolitics, terrorism, Middle East and energy security. Newsweek Magazine called him a “tireless and independent advocate of energy security,” and the business magazine Poder called him "one of the most recognizable figures in modern energy and security issues."

Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota recently visited with Gen Next Members for an intimate gathering and robust discussion.  He started the talk by stressing the need for remarkable talent in both public and private sectors.  According to Pawlenty, talent flourishes with the support of involved parents, teachers and business leaders who instruct, mentor and encourage responsibility.  Topics covered were wide ranged, dealing with the situation in Afghanistan, public debt levels, healthcare reform, a competitive tax code, and education reform.  On education he shared his experience in Minnesota in creating more accountability among students and teachers, such as passing Algebra before graduating high school or teachers being evaluated on their performance.

Trade, regulations, and currency between the US and EU are always changing. On October 7, 2009 the new West Hollywood hot-spot, Italian eatery Cecconis', hosted Gen Next Members and special guests for an intimate roundtable discussion with Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Rockwell Schnabel.

The Ambassador began his remarks by giving a candid personal history of how he came to be Ambassador to the EU, “I initially really wanted the Ambassadorship to Italy, but the President had other plans.” Ambassador Schnabel explained, “For the first time in our American history Western Civilization as a whole has had to face the true economic threat from other parts of the world. Even though the United States and Europe have very different approaches to political conditions and markets we need to work together and continue to have a strong relationship”. There are millions of U.S. jobs directly relating to Europe, and both Europe and the US rely heavily on one another’s exports and imports. The Ambassador also spent some time talking about public debt levels and dollar weakness. Schnabel reminds us that we cannot inflate our way out of recession. The current state of the dollar is in danger, “In five years, there is a 75% chance there will be an upheaval of the dollar!”

We elaborated on solutions and how best to restore and ensure country's competitive advantage. Gen Next was honored to host such an insightful and experienced global finance expert.

Capitalism is alive and well in Israel, and according to George Gilder, Israel is not a doomed democracy or an alliance based on charity.  In fact, Israel has become a model for Capitalism and in the last 20 years and has evolved into perhaps the USA's most valuable partner.

In a quant quite restaurant in Seattle, which opened its doors exclusively for Gen Next Members and guests, George Gilder a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute and author of the new book "The Israel Test," explained how stability in the Middle East is dependent on Israel's continued growth and survival.

Mr. Gilder contends that hostility towards Israel, much like hostility towards the United States, stems primarily from bitterness toward capitalist creativity.  He pointed to the fact that Israel stands only behind the United States in its high tech contributions to the global economy and stated the divide in the Middle East is not between Arabs and Jews.  Instead, Gilder points out, the great divide in the region is between admiration of achievement and envy and resentment of it.

The U.S. economy seems to be in shambles, and the fundamentals of our system of capitalism have come under fire. On Thursday October 1st Gen Next San Diego hosted Dr. Yaron Brook, President of the Ayn Rand Institute. Dr. Brook was present to discuss the ideas and philosophies of the late Ayn Rand such as individual rights and laissez-faire capitalism.

The conversation began with some pretty bold philosophies and arguments to combat critics of capitalism. Dr. Brook made the case that it wasn’t our markets that failed, but in fact our government and it’s significant intervention that continues to chip away at economic freedom.

As he dug deeper, he explained that in order for capitalism to be truly successful we must convince the masses that it is “the right thing to do” from an ethical perspective. Bill Gates was used as a perfect example. Many believe that Bill Gates has contributed to the goodness of the people by his massive philanthropy work; however, Brook contends that an individual's pursuit of their own interests and realization of their own skills is good for all in the long run, just as Gates did. It is imperative for the U.S. to make a moral argument for the case of capitalism in order to preserve it. Guilt was another topic that he kept returning to. He contended that if people feel guilt, they can be easily manipulated; which ultimately keeps pushing our system further and further to the left.

As students all across the U.S. begin a new school year, Gen Next paradoxically hosted the Founder of Education Reform, Kevin Chavous.   On September, 17th, at the lovely West Hollywood London Hotel, Gen Next Members and special guests were treated to an intimate roundtable discussion on U.S. education reform.

Kevin Chavous is an author, attorney, and national school reform leader.  As a leading national advocate for school choice, Kevin helped to shepherd the charter school movement into the nation's capital. Under his education committee chairmanship, the DC charter school movement became the most prolific charter school jurisdiction in the country.  More recently, Mr. Chavous led the team working with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal that advocated for the recently passed scholarship program in New Orleans. As a result of that legislation, nearly 1,000 students are now attending private schools of their choice in the New Orleans parish. An early supporter of Barack Obama, Mr. Chavous served as a member on the Education Policy Committee of the Obama Presidential Campaign.

Incredibly, for a century and a half, there has been little substantive change in public education.  Chavous explained how our system got to where it currently stands.  “The problems are these: 1.) America's public classrooms, the classic approach remains essentially the same as it was years ago: one-size-fits-all with a core curriculum of subjects presented to all students in largely the same manner.  2.) Our education system has created a “Dumbing Down Effect”.  Overall expectations of our children have been lowered.  3.) Teacher’s Union contracts enable schools to let go of teachers who are not producing positive results and hindering the teachers that want to go above and beyond school hours.  Chavous went on to proclaim how we can begin to establish solutions: 1.) Requiring teacher to have yearly reviews and rewarding great teachers for their teaching and not their tenure.  2.) Allowing innovation and creativity to flourish, rewarding young energized teachers who are produces results.  3.) Giving parents a choice is a critical factor in the future success of public education. Parental school choice allows each parent to find the right educational fit for their child.  4.) Creating choice is also important because it forces the traditional public education to keep pace and compete with school programs that work.” 

“Our kids have fallen to the “disease of affluence.  We need serious change, not just in lower income communities,” said Gen Next LA Member, Lisa Korbatov who is currently campaigning for a seat on the Beverly Hills School Board.