Politics

America at a Turning Point: Can the GOP Offer a Way Forward?

August 4, 2021  • Aspen Community Programs

Featuring Rep. Liz Cheney, US Representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, in conversation with Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures, and former executive chairman and CEO of Google. Cheney discusses her view of what the GOP’s top priorities should be and what it means to be a conservative today.


Liz Cheney serves as Wyoming’s lone member of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was first elected in 2016, on a platform of restoring America’s strength and power in the world, and pursuing conservative solutions to create jobs, cut taxes and regulation, and expand America’s energy, mining and agriculture industries. Cheney serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

From 2019 to 2021, Cheney served as the Chair of the House Republican Conference, the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives. On July 1, 2021, Cheney was appointed to serve on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

Prior to her election to Congress, Liz served at the State Department as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East. She also practiced law at White & Case and at the International Finance Corporation. A specialist in national security and foreign policy, she was also a Fox News analyst, and the co-author, along with Vice President Cheney, of “Exceptional: Why The World Needs a Powerful America”. She is a member of the International Board of Advisors at the University of Wyoming. Liz and her husband Phil Perry have five children and live in Wilson, Wyoming.

Eric Schmidt is an accomplished technologist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He joined Google in 2001 and helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Eric served as Google’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman from 2001 to 2011, as well as Executive Chairman and Technical Advisor. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. In 2017, Eric co-founded Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative that bets early on exceptional people making the world better. Eric currently serves as Chairman of The Broad Institute Board of Directors and the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. He also hosts “Reimagine with Eric Schmidt,” a podcast series of conversations with leaders to explore how society can build a brighter future after the global coronavirus pandemic.