Paul Ryan unveiled Thursday a new agenda aimed at lifting Republicans above the rancor that has marred the party for years while bolstering the GOP's chances of winning back the White House. 

The new House speaker said Republicans cannot just oppose President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats and still hope to be given a mandate from the country during a 30-minute speech attended by a handful of GOP lawmakers.

“If we want to save the country, then we need a mandate from the people,” Ryan said, flanked by the mosaics of the Library of Congress. “And if we want a mandate, then we need to offer ideas…So, our number-one goal for the next year is to put together a complete alternative to the left’s agenda.”

This was Ryan’s first major policy speech since House Republicans elected him as speaker earlier this fall. The speech touted the values of conservatives — a clear nod to the right flank in the House that helped oust Ryan’s predecessor, John Boehner. 

The speech outlined a national agenda that starts with House Republicans during a time when divisive figures like Donald Trump are dominating headlines as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination — and stoking fear of a 2016 GOP wipeout among top Republican strategists.

Ryan promised to introduce a number of measures that would be found on any GOP policy wish list: Repeal Obamacare, strengthen the military while reforming the Department of Defense and reduce the deficit by slowing spending.

“We want America to be confident again. If you don’t have a job, we want you to be confident that you can find one —and take it. If you do have a job, we want you to be confident that that job will pay well,” Ryan said. “We want all Americans, when they look at Washington, to see spending going down, taxes going down, debt going down. We want to see progress and have pride”.

The Wisconsin Republican, and former chair of the Ways and Means Committee, also said Congress should overhaul the tax code to rid it of loopholes and take the current complex system and reduce it to two or three tax rates.

And he said Republicans won’t shy away from tackling tough legislation just because it would likely be vetoed by President Barack Obama — a lingering complaint from conservatives who felt that previous Republican leaders did not allow controversial votes.

“And we House Republicans will do all we can to give us that government — even if the president disagrees. Even if he won’t sign them into law, we will put out specific proposals and give the people a real choice,” Ryan said.

But mixed into the agenda was Ryan’s signature brand of conservativism. He said that while Republicans want to repeal Obamacare — the health care law at the heart of Obama’s achievements as president — he believes Congress should codify a tax credit to help individuals pay for health care premiums. Ryan also said Republicans will have to seriously work to reform the welfare system in the U.S. and fund poverty-reducing efforts at the state-level.

And while lawmakers and the public grapple with security fears in the wake of a terrorist attacks in Paris that the Islamic State took credit for, Ryan slammed Obama for what Republicans have seen as a series of foreign policy failures.

“The biggest danger to our national security is more straightforward: Our adversaries don’t respect us,” Ryan said. “Too many people think a warning from the United States is the hollow protest of a has-been.”

The speech was immediately panned by Democrats who are locked in a contentious negotiations with Ryan and the entire Republican leadership team over a government spending bill. 

"Speaker Ryan said nothing new today — only more of the same, tired Republican plans to empower the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of seniors, children and working families,” said Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “These are the same brazen special interest giveaways that have defined the Ryan budgets for years.”