>> coming up on "washington journal" this morning, your calls and comments live. then we will preview day one of the democratic nationa convention in chicago. sunjay mharan will talk about youth vote and campaign 2024. also, former illinois republican congn ray lahood discusses his role inroup republicans for harris. sciencerofessor oaks at the democratic party nominating process. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: good morning. it is monday, august 19. 77 days until election day and

day one of the democratic national convention in chicago. it is the 12 time the windy city has played host to the democratic national convention. this time it will be vice president kamala harris who takes center stage, her address set to take place thursday, the final night of the festivities. the chicago mayor will welcome delegates. ahead of that, we want to hear from you about your expectations for the 2024 d&c. give us a call on phone lines split by political party. republicans, (202) 748-8000. democrats, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can also send us a text. that number, (202) 748-8003. if you do, include your name and where you are from. otherwise, catch up with us on social media. on x, it is @cspanwj. on facebook, it is

facebook.com/cspan. you can go ahead and start calling in now as we show you headlines from chicago area newspapers, starting with the chicago tribune. all eyes will be on chicago this week. the daily herald headline, illinois to take center stage at the democratic convention. chicago ready for dnc spotlight as nation's democrats take over the city. one of the reporters on that story, tina sfondeles, joins us this morning. good morning. very early out in chicago. what are you watching for during tonight's program and this opening day of the dnc? guest: i am looking for this protest to see how that will get. that is one of the largest protests we are expecting this week. inside the arena, i want to hear

what mayor brandon johnson is saying. he will be welcoming delegates to the arena and i want to hear if he will slip in more of a political speaker orbit will be a broad welcome message. he kind of inherited the convention. i'm interested to see that dynamic. i think it will be an emotional night for president biden. i think it is reflective of passing on the torch, so i'm interested to hear those people speak. host: the theme for the people, according the democratic national cmittee can't listing eir theme tuesday as a bold vision for america' future. thursday, the official theme for the dnc for our future. we mentioned the mayor and president joe biden speaking today. who else will be on stage today?

guest: hillary clinton is speaking today. i think that is being respectful of the history that she served. i was there in 2016, so i am interested to hear what she has to say and how similar or different and might be from her speech years ago. host: you mentioned the protests and what it means for chicago area. do we have a sense of how big these protests are going to be, how many groups are going to be in chicago, and what is your thought on how the city is prepared? guest: this is the big one because it is a coalition of groups that has been in court fighting to get more space. they wanted speakers in union park. they wanted to make sure delegates see them, so there has been a battle over how much they should be marching.

they were hoping to get two miles. this is one of the largest populations outside palestine in a suburb of chicago, so this is very personal and this group has been really getting a lot of attention for the past 10 months and this is their time to show what they have. host: how are businesses in chicago preparing and what has been the expectation for how disruptive this will be for commuters? guest: a lot of people are being told to work from home. i have family members and friends working from home the entire week. you can come into work, but it is going to be a struggle. the trains are clean. it smells nice. they have gone out of their way to make everything look nice. they are doing the make the city really pretty thing.

host: explain to viewers how spread out the convention is in terms of where delegates will be in the united center versus where they are staying around the city and how easy this is going to be for the delegates themselves to get around. guest: it is not very easy. i was in milwaukee for the rnc and that was a tighter area in terms of delegates having convention space in where their meetings are, so this is a lot of delegates are staying on michigan avenue and nice hotels. that is probably a 10, 15 minute drive to the united center. there are shuttle buses that will take them back and forth. mccormick place is also not in the same area, but it is in a five-mile mile radius so it is not far, just they need to function in a city that is running as business as usual as

opposed to in milwaukee where i think the convention took over the city. host: is there going to be a republican or rnc presence on the ground at the democratic national convention sort of counter programming during these convention weeks? guest: yes. i got a press release yesterday about republicans having a press conference at trump tower around noon. i think senator ron johnson will be there. i think there is programming every day to counter message. with the rnc, they had a pause two days after the trump assassination attempt but then jump right into their messaging. i dissipate republicans will be pretty forceful in response. guest: so much of these programs are so scripted. what are you watching for? what are the unscripted moments you are interested in seeing?

guest: i do think it will be extremely scripted. i'm interested to see the surprise musical performances. i do like this element of how it has become celebrity friendly. so i'm looking forward to seeing those. as far speeches, i'm interested in jb pritzker's speech. i think this is one of the most important political speeches he is ever going to deliver, so he is a good campaign speaker. he has been talking about trump for 8, 9 years and calling him everything, everywhere you can imagine. i think people are going to be able to see a little more of how he speaks about him. host: what they will he be speaking? guest: tomorrow in a good timeslot. host: also tuesday is former president obama and michelle obama. guest: that is correct.

so it is a very chicago day. host: the vice presidential pick, tim walz, set to take place wednesday. any other of the main speaking events that you are interested in watching? guest: i'm interested in seeing congresswoman lauren underwood, a rising star in congress. she will be speaking. i'm also interested in her political future. senator dick durbin is potentially on his last term. he has not said that, but he might be a good fit -- she might be a good fit if he is looking to choose his appointment. i want to see if she is itching for that. host: tina sfondeles is a chief political reporter.

she and her colleagues will cover the dnc all week. we appreciate you starting this week with us. we are hearing from you this morning as we show you the skyline of chicago. we want to get your thoughts and expectations for the 2024 dnc. it is (202) 748-8000 for democrats to call in. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. it is a four hour washington journal this morning, ending at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. we are talking about the dnc all morning long. it will be special programming all week ahead of the dnc. good morning. your expectations this week? caller: i am looking forward to it. it is going to be a wonderful democrat convention with all the speeches, especially president joe biden, and all the democrats

. that is all i wanted to say. host: what do you want to hear from joe biden tonight when he speaks? caller: passing the torch to kamala harris, i'm looking forward to hearing him say that tonight. host: what do you think his legacy will be? caller: i think he was a good president. he did a wonderful job. he should get his flowers tonight. host: this is the front page of usa today, focusing on joe biden ahead of his speech tonight. this is how they begin that story. joe biden was not ready to go away and was convinced he was going to win but that night on the debate stage changed everything. now, seven weeks later, he will dress the opening night at the democratic national convention

not as the presidential nominee but as outgoing president, passing the torch to a potential successor. this is joe mccutchen out of georgia, republican. caller: i will be watching the democratic convention and i want to predict on your network that donald trump will win the biggest landslide in history against the very liberal democrats. i think he will have the best stock market and best economy in world history. we are meeting every week planning on a landslide win and we are fired up and energized. i think he will win georgia in a landslide. trump will win the country. host: why are you so convinced of a landslide victory if the polls have anything to say about this this has certainly

tightened since kamala harris has taken the top of the ticket from what it was what it was joe biden versus donald trump. caller: i think trump is going to presenter is what she is, far left. the whole ticket is the most liberal ticket in history and trump is going to call her out and explained to the american people. she wants price-fixing. we do not want to fix prices. that never has worked and never will work. she does not understand anything about the economy. trump is an expert. i am sure she is a fine person, but i'm convinced it is going to be a huge landslide trump win and i am fired up. host: this is kamala harris in rochester, pennsylvania yesterday ahead of the democratic national convention talking to reporters there. she referenced donald trump. here's what she had to say.

[video clip] >> as a democracy, we know there is duality to the nature of democracy. on the one hand, incredible strength when it is intact. what it does for its people to protect and defend the rights and liberty and freedom, incredibly strong. and incredibly fragile. it is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it and that is what this campaign is about. this campaign is about recognition that over the last several years there has been a perversion that has taken place, which is to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader -- when what we know is the real and true measure of the strength of a leader is based on

who you lift up. that is what we feel. we know what strength looks like . anybody who is about beating down other people -- this is what strength looks like. so we know what we are about. we know what we stand for. one of the beautiful things is what the people in this room have already been doing. let's build community. let's reinforce community. what you know is how you can look at the face of a perfect stranger and see in their face a neighbor.

that we see in each other our connection, our interdependence. what we see in each other fortifies and reinforces that the majority of us have more in common then what separates us. that is what this campaign is about. it is about winning, and we will win. we will win. god willing. and through these next 79 days we will continue to build community, build coalitions, and remind each other we are all in this together. guest: -- host: kamala harris yesterday in the keystone state. she is heading to the land of lincoln today and the windy city. we are getting your thoughts on your expectations for the dnc this week. (202) 748-8001 for republicans

to call in. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. independents, (202) 748-8002. francine is an independent out of the tar heel state. caller: good morning and thanks for taking my call. i am excited about the convention, the democratic convention. i know it will be great. i'm looking forward to biden and kamala harris excepting her candidacy nomination. and i hope we forget about trump. he has no policies. he thinks he is a standup comic. when he was in the white house, things were very bad. you do not remember covid. you do not remember every day there was some put down of soldiers and people in our

government and the country. why does he down the country so much and praise putin and all the dictators around the world? he speaks so badly of this country. i do not think he has any love for this country. i hope we landslide his behind and have a nice democratic president. host: we show you some of those live pictures of chicago as the sun rises in the windy city. these pictures come from the building in chicago. i want to thank them for allowing us to set up our studio in their building with these great views of chicago. we will be broadcasting in this location through the convention week and hearing from you through the week about the daily speakers and events at the

united center. a reminder of the lineup this ek, tonight is president joe bidressing the crowd and formretary of state hillary clinton will speak tonight. tomorrow, former president barack obama. wednesday, bill c is set to speak along with tim walz and then kamala harris set to speak on thursday night, all of it airing live on the c-span network, bringing you gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention. you can watch on c-span and the free c-span now app. there is the inside of the convention hall, waiting for delegates to arrive in chicago. this is philip in ohio, line for democrats. caller: good morning. host: what is your expectation for the dnc this week?

caller: i look forward to be exciting. i hope everyone speaks to the policies and everything that president biden did and all the things he accomplished. let that be known because all the things he has accomplished since he has been in office was the future and that is what we are going for, the future. if kamala harris continues with what he has done, then the future is going to be set because -- if trump gets in, he is going to try to erase all of that because that is what he did with obama. he erased a lot of the things obama had done and he is going to really -- that is not really good for the country if he does those things. in reality, trump failed in

businesses. how can you fail in a casino? he is failing and real estate because he used equity to get those fraud accounts against him and then jd vance had a factory that failed and he walked out on it after it failed. everybody is about money but kamala is going to continue on. the country has been doing good. they keep trying to take the extra money the people are getting because biden made everything good. host: that is philip in ohio. this is out of florida, independent. caller: i expecting a lot of --

i'm hoping to hear some information as to how they are going to do some of these price cuts and everything. i do not think is a possibility. how is it gouging? how is it price gouging? i do not understand that. are they going to go after the grocery stores? are they going to go after the farmers that are providing the stuff? i am not sure. that clip that you -- of kamala, i have been a democrat. and i have been a republican. and last i was a democrat, i have switched independent,

leaning toward republican because i do not believe -- when she was saying about how the republicans believe in beating down people instead of raising them up, what have the democrats done but when they were afraid that trump was going to be beating biden they beat him down so much that it was stuff that they brought up that had happened years and years ago. years and years and years ago. i thought they treated him extremely bad. host: how do you think they will treat him tonight at the dnc? caller: i think how they will treat trump? host: how they will treat joe

biden. he is set to speak tonight. caller: everybody will of course, now that he is not running, everybody thinks he is wonderful and that he has accomplished so much and that he is so good and of course there will be praising him and everything, yet months before they were saying how he had not done anything and how he was failing. the democrat party has been lying to us so long. everybody saying he is fine, he is good. my mother had alzheimer's. i was seeing the signs two years ago. and other people in politics were seeing it back then, but yet nobody would say anything, so to me i am really

disappointed in the democratic party. host: it is the editorial board of the wall street journal today calling joe biden's legacy a sad presidential legacy. this is the lead of their op-ed today. the hosannas will ring from the rafters for president biden monday as democratic convention goers hail him as another fdr with a touch of george washington for voluntarily giving up power. then they will drop him like a passing fad. such is the fate of a president most americans regard as a failure. it is a sad exit for a presidency that could have been so much better, had he honored his campaign promise to unite the country and be a transition from the trump europe. this is henry in new york, democrat. caller: good morning.

thank you for letting me respond. it is a sad day in america. why are you voting for this man? do you know -- would you trust trump to run your business and do your taxes and handle your money? he is a felon. he is a criminal. he is a liar. he is a cheater. there is nothing good that can come out of this man. he degrades women. he hates women. he cheats on his wife with porn stars. host: what is your expectation for the dnc this week? caller: my expectation for tonight is hope that we can come together and unite this country and get out of this. trump is unfit to be president mentally, physically, and spiritually.

there is nothing good about this man. host: irene is in new jersey come a republican. good morning. are you with us? caller: i am. host: go ahead. you're on the air. caller: they put down trump and that is all democrats have thought about since they got elected and the rally they had yesterday, there was no policy and i will tell you it is going to hurt her because she come out when she was talking and you will not believe a word out of her mouth, so he is just as bad but i do not see how they are going to use them. he had no policy to say to those people and he still don't have one.

how can you believe her? at least trump had a policy and the democrats know it. when he has been promoting it and telling you. nobody wants to listen. host: what is the best policy donald trump put out? caller: about the economy cut which he will. he is a businessman. he knows numbers. host: that is irene in new jersey. this is one of the headlines from the new york times. chicago leaders brace for widespread protests ahead of the convention, noting many of those protests are likely to be focused on israel's military campaign in gaza and would activists see as complicity by president biden and harris in deaths that have happened in gaza. officials have argued with activist groups over protest details including the length of the march route and whether a sound system will be allowed at that march route, noting the

city has been preparing for the possibility of mass arrests in chicago. the circuit court announced plans to open an extra court facility that will be available until midnight to process convention related arrests, with some judges having cleared their calendars to assist. that is a story from the new york times. yesterday, illinois governor jb pritzker was on the state of the union sunday show. he talked about protesters in chicago. >> how worried are you about them disrupting the convention, including the uncommitted delegates inside the convention hall? >> i know reporters like to harken back to 1968 because there is good footage. the fact is it is a different ballgame. here we are 56 years later. we have a different situation in

the democratic party. the democratic party has coalesced around this candidate. that was not the case in 1968. we have technology at work and the protesters are protesting something that is far away from here, very important, but it is not about people getting drafted from here going abroad, so it is a different situation and i expect we will have peaceful protests. we will protect the protesters and the people visiting and the residents of chicago. the plan has been in place for a year and a quarter already. >> certainly most of the protesters intend to be peaceful, but there are groups making clear they do not want to be peaceful. there is one called behind enemy lines, and anti-imperialist protest group calling on its supporters to shut down the dnc and make bruises from chicago police batons the back-to-school

fashion. >> if they are troublemakers, they will get arrested and convicted. the majority of people protesting our peaceful protesters. they want to have their voices heard and we are going to protect that. host: he mention reporters like to harken back to the protests of 1968. this is a front-page headline in the washington post, a picture there from 1968, demonstrators gathering before being chased by police in lincoln park. this is greg in texas, democrat. good morning. caller: it is good to listen to you this morning. i have comments.

our country is doing so good. this man has got this economy doing good. the people calling in complaining about this country going bad -- you have a group of people that say this country is not going to be nothing unless they are in charge so they are trying to prove their point, that the country ain't going to be nothing, and they are the one running the country into the ground. biden is the best president since the great depression. talk about the protesters, if they are going to target us with horses and billy clubs and all that -- they burned that american flag -- going into the

black community is and getting beat up because they want to keep us in our place. these people target the week of society. host: this is john in daytona beach, florida, republican. caller: i want to let those democrats know the future. i am a 40-year-old guy sitting in my truck in daytona beach and i'm living check to check. i cannot afford food. i steal dog food at the store. that is three years ago under this administration. you had a letter from george clooney. he writes the new york times and gets harris elected, so all these democrats saying things are great, i am living proof, living out of my truck, trying to make ends meet. i cannot afford a mortgage.

i cannot go into a grocery store and i have to support my sister and everyone. i do trust donald trump. i am from massachusetts and my brother-in-law just got thrown out of a soldier's home for illegal immigrants. is that the future? is that the future? host: you mention your situation change three years ago. what happened? caller: i had a thriving economy in massachusetts. i had low gas prices. i had a concrete company. i could afford stable rent. and you democrats thinking it is good, it is not good. i am in my truck sleeping in my truck with my wife. i am in construction and i am barely making ends meet. this is real life. this is the harris-biden administration and my wife went

back to massachusetts to visit her family and you cannot even get a hotel. the migrants have debit cards. i served this country. i am a military vet. i do not know what to do. i'm looking at my dog right now. i have maybe $75 left in my checking account and what am i going to do? this is reality. this is what has happened in the three years. what is the future going to look like? i want you democrats to call me. how is getting her in going to make things better? she has had three years to do it. host: that is drawn in florida. thanks for sharing your story.

this is jim in nevada, independent. caller: i rarely get to talk to in the morning but i hear you when i listen to her sunday show when you play back to back all the major talk shows and it is wonderful. i am happy to get to talk to you this morning. what i have to say relates to her last caller and the problem with fundraising. i think you should take your concerned callers like the last one, who's is clearly reading from a standard script, and the independents who call in who pretend they are democrats and the republicans who call in and pretend they are democrats, and put together a syndicated comedy show called the great american stupid. it will solve all your financial problems. with that in mind, here is my plan for this week as the democratic convention.

i'm going to be watching what i see on conservative tv. in nevada, conservative tv blankets the broadcast band once you get beyond the three major networks. all you see is spanish-language broadcasting or conservative broadcasting so i want to watch with the conservatives are saying about the democrats because it is the funniest program you could ever watch on television. if c-span could package it, they will save all their financial problems. with that, i wish you a good convention week. host: judy is in lawrence, democrat. good morning. caller: i cannot understand why these people are voting for donald trump. he is a pervert. he is people. he has four years to do the

economy and everything else. he did not do great things for our country. he did not. host: what is your expectation for the democratic national convention? caller: if kennedy is on the ballot, i'm voting for kennedy. if i have no choice and kennedy does not make it, i will vote for harris because we cannot have a criminal. i got grandchildren growing up. i do not want them to see that we have a criminal in office. how can we have a criminal like donald trump in office with all the things he has done in his life? he is nasty. he opened the door and stood in watching those teenagers get dressed. host: this is steve, also in massachusetts, republican. the morning.

-- good morning. caller: i am thinking the democrats are going to get exposed during this dnc because they will have to start talking about their policies and what they believe in. i have talked to before about fentanyl and that his crickets to the democrats. my son passed away from fentanyl. you can go on a facebook page and these are all good people, 100,000 a year die from fentanyl and you do not hear anything about it. you lose 100,000 people a year from the drugs. we lose 600,000 a year from abortion, so practically a million americans a year are gone and you wonder why we have no social security left. we are being replaced by the south americans. i would love to know the plan that they have about what is

coming down the pipe. we are all paying for it. a couple in america cannot make it now. how are these people going to make it in america? i hope we hear about fentanyl and abortion and come up from your -- from what i have seen on c-span, the callers with trumped arrangement syndrome and the question today is about the dnc. it is not about donald trump, but every democratic caller those on and on about him and they cannot stop. it is the arrangement syndrome. even hosts have to arrangement syndrome. i have been cut off in the middle of a sentence because i'm am talking about donald trump and i think -- talk about what the plan is for the dnc, ok? host: this is eileen in

connecticut. caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. i am here to actually answer the question you are asking about, about the convention. i would like to hear environmental policy. we have not heard much from the democrats about that. i am one of these voters, and i know most people think we do not exist, but we do. i vote to protect and preserve the environment first, so that is what i'm hoping to hear tonight. thank you for the topic. i hope other people actually talk about it. host: what is the best policy to protect and preserve the environment? caller: i think we have to look at consumption in america.

i think there is excess. i think there is greed. i think it is selfishness. and that is not a policy. that is a life philosophy and so long as we want the biggest, best tv and best car and best house, i think the environment is going to take second place to that every single time. host: this is howard, democrat. good morning. caller: this is going to be a beautiful week. i have been waiting for this because we are going to see a lot of different things and people coming to the podium and giving you an outline of this

administration is going to have on america. you asked this one woman about one of trump's policies. she could not say anything. all she knows as he was a businessman. i do know his policy is drill, baby, drill. that is not it. don't you know right now that in the 1950's and 1960's there were people who did not want to serve african-americans? what did we do? we did not just go and complained to the president. we boycotted. we sat in. they did not even want us to go to the library. we went in anyway and sat down. but you complain about the price gouging. the woman said how can she do it? don't you know she won through

the banks over $20 billion? she knows something you do not know. this is the right person that is going to be in our presidency in america and she is not going to bash america like trump do. trump talks about all you veterans like you guys ain't nothing. if you ain't going to stick up for yourself, i am going to stick up for the veterans. go, kamala harris. we will see you go to the finish line because we will fight for this thing because america is going to get past this 2025. we are going to show you what 25 looks like. host: that is howard in north carolina. joining harris on the ticket, tim walz. he will be speaking wednesday at the democratic national convention. he also joined her on the

campaign trail in pennsylvania yesterday and spoke with campaign volunteers. >> this campaign will be won in rooms like this, with people sitting on the phone bank dialing numbers and people picking up the phone on a sunday and having somebody say, as you have a minute to talk about the future of our country? that is a pretty big step, to pick up that phone and talk, but people are doing it. the thing i can tell you kamala harris has brought to this, from experience as a prosecutor to united states senator to a vice president to next president of the united states -- that resume is without question but the reason they are picking up the phone and standing 1000 deep in las vegas is she is bringing out

the droid in the hearts of americans. she is bringing out the kindness and decency, the vision of a better tomorrow. each of these volunteers all set it. they said it is so much better to be for something rather than against something, to be for the future. that is what people now. some of us who are old enough can remember when you could go to thanksgiving, watch a steelers game with your relatives, and not complain about politics the whole time. because we shared a commitment to democracy and personal freedom and public education, a commitment to infrastructure.

we do not call each other names. we do not use the least fortunate among us as punchlines for jokes because they are our neighbors so you're getting the opportunity to see the best of america. the young people here may be have not seen a campaign like this because of covid. this is a chance to bring out that joy and look to the future. host: tim walz yesterday in pennsylvania. he heads to the democratic national convention today in chicago. this is the 12 democratic convention that has taken place in chicago, the first since 1996. republicans actually with more conventions in chicago, 14 over the years in chicago, the first in 1860 when abraham lincoln was nominated to lead the republican party ticket. 1864 was the first time

democrats held their convention in chicago, running against abraham lincoln. 26 total conventions over the years in chicago, including this one happening this week. today, you can watch gavel-to-gavel coverage on the c-span network and the free c-span now app. about 10 minutes left in this first segment of a four hour washington journal as we hear your expectations for the democratic national convention. jim is in virginia, a republican. . caller: thank you for taking my call. i have in listening to all the people calling in for the last 10 minutes and i would like to make a couple statements. remember politicians promise. very few deliver. we must look at the critical issues in this country,

immigration, debt, the economy, and decide upon which candidate will provide that legislation and exercise those things and make the country better. we cannot listen to rhetoric. i heard people talking about the morality of president trump. must i remind you that our former president bill clinton was impeached overlying? what did the democrats say when we brought him up for impeachment? it is just about sex. a man who did what he did should have resigned in disgrace. because our children saw that

and just as people say they saw what donald trump was doing and what he is accused of what must i remind you are former president was in the same situation? host: former president bill clinton set to speak at the democratic national convention. he was nominated in 1996 to lead the democratic party ticket as a chicago -- at a chicago democratic national convention. his reelection kicked off in chicago in 1996. this is william in ohio, democrat. caller: good morning, john. host: go ahead with your comment. caller: this is your favorite almost 89-year-old hillbilly. my statement is any time you

have crooks, it creates politicians. look at trump. he files bankruptcy how many times? how much money did he put on the national debt? i am not that smart, but the best i can figure, he owes about 27% of it right now, so he gets in again, we cannot even pay the interest on the debt already accumulated and he is wanting to cut taxes on the rich. so be it. i do not have that much longer to go, but i got nine grandkids that will not stand a china man's chance in hello surviving because of crooks and politicians. host: this is george in ohio, republican.

caller: i hate to bring up race, but i feel called to do so. i expect out of this democrat convention to -- for race to be in the spotlight for most of the week. this is a party that obliterated , complete leader destroyed a woman for posting as a black woman, but now out of desperation, when their candidate is doing the same thing, now it is accepted and good. this party -- host: you think kamala harris is posing as a black woman? caller: absolutely. her dad is irish and indian and her mom is indian. she does not have a drop of black blood. host: her father is jamaican. caller: he lived in jamaica.

he was not jamaican. host: this is bruce in kentucky. caller: our country is gone. it has been going down since 1973. never seen anything like it. the last thing i thought i would have to worry about when i got retirement age is the total destruction of our country. the media and the democrat party have destroyed this country. i do not even want trump to get in there because they will just blame him for the last burning fires of our country and it is so sad and i am so depressed. thank you all so much for doing this. host: chris, democrat. caller: the previous caller about kamala harris, i am a graduate of her rival, south carolina state. she went to howard she is black. clarence thomas's skin is black

but he is lily white. he does not do anything for black people. i want to warn everyone that if you vote for trump that is a vote and being complicit with people. that makes you people. -- evil. send him back to florida to play golf in prison. host: why do you think politics has become a choice between good and evil? when did we start thinking about the other party as evil in this country? caller: kamala harris spent hours in the library to get where she is. i'm pretty sure you did that. where do people get that she is going to crumple this country under her feet? she is an american citizen that wants to govern.

trump wants to cut the department of education and brown v. board of education. he wants schools to be segregated like they were in the 1950's. host: what do we need to do to get to a point where we do not think of the other party, people who disagree with us politically, as evil? caller: i do not know. i am 54. mentally, we are supposed to be a superpower but all we did was come in and say crazy stuff and you get these protesters at the dnc. they have no morals. that is why you need kamala harris. she will give it to trump at the debate. she is a black college sister. she is going to give it to him but she is going to be nice

through her eight years as president. host: chris in south carolina. randy back in the buckeye state, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. good morning, america. i would like to say these people are talking about how republicans are evil. the republican party does not want to kill babies at the day of birth. to me, that is absolutely people and i like to say i don't understand why all these black people -- host: we will go to bob in massachusetts. and dependent. caller: i want people to remember when joe biden ran for president how he ran and what he said he was going to do.

as soon as he got into my he changed his mind. how about the fact that they discovered he received $27 million from foreign countries, him and his family? come on. people do not understand what is going on. he is running on -- she is running on false things. she had three years to figure out how to run the country where help run the country and she did not do a thing about it. she never went to the border or she went once and they sanitized it. i grew up in the 1940's and 1950's. these people living now will never get to appreciate that. one of the biggest problems of this country is smartphones. that is one of the biggest problems. host: why smartphones?

this is liz in connecticut. caller: good morning. i gained the privilege in this united states since 1992 when i became a proud american citizen. i voted for both parties. my son is a first-generation american citizen serving this country. i can never vote for a candidate that congratulates and praises vladimir putin on the release of prisoners in a prisoner swap. i can never vote for a candidate that makes those disgraceful statement about the medal of honor. the former commander-in-chief stated the medal of freedom is more beautiful compared to the

medal of honor. that is disgraceful. this comes from the criticism of our former president that got five deferments for his bone spurs in the vietnam era. it is harris and walz all the way. host: tell me what your expectations are this week. caller: i expect harris -- first, biden. it has not been perfect, but i think we are better off. i think a lot of these multibillion dollar companies are inflating the prices because they still want to meet their quarterlies. they still want to pay their stockholders so you would think they would take a negative hit.

they are going to talk about what they can do to make the country better. i am looking forward to this new presidency. let's do this. host: elsie in alabama, republican. caller: i want to know when mac harris is going to quit doing this bait and switch. she says one thing and when she gets in she is going to do a different thing. host: what is an example of her baiting and switching? caller: so many times about immigration. she just come up and her vice president just sound like they're trying to destroy our country. host: back to massachusetts,

this is joanne, independent. good morning. >> good morning, my name is joanne. i just want to say i don't know how harris can be in office. all the young people that have been killed and sick and left without money in pockets, senior citizens and everybody is suffering because of it. that got to wake up and see when america is, because we don't have america anymore. host: are you going to watch the convention this week? caller: yes i am, but i don't think she belongs in office. host: what are you watching for, then? caller: what i'm i watching? i'm watching to see what the economy is. what the border is and how many young people have already been

killed. walsh does nothing for minnesota at all. he stood by and watched everything happening did nothing. they are totally incompetent to be in office, and that is how i feel. i'm sorry. thank you very much for listening to me. i am so disturbed because of it. america has gone downhill. the economy, the border, the killing, everything. those republicans, i don't know how they go to sleep at night. put their head on the pillow and think of all the things that have happened with drugs. to go to a grocery store, to come home, you look in your bag and you have nothing. and she is not one for office.

caller: thank you for taking my call. let me just say this, that the republican party, they are not nasty, mean people and whatnot. the republican party is not a republican party. it has been commandeered by a madman, to be quite frank. if you look at all of the things , the january 6 insurrection, he's been convicted of multiple felonies. you look at all the other things, taking documents out of the white house. the list goes on. his violent rhetoric, it is no wonder that someone on the fringe of society took a shot at him. host: bring me to the dnc. caller: the dnc, you will see

two people that will roll out a plan for the united states of america which includes black, white, asian, hispanic, poor, transgender, the whole nine yards. and that is what america is all about. what we are forgetting is we can't go back and just deny our values. it is the right thing to do. when it is all said and done, the folks that are really voting for the right candidate, the ones that truly have morals and values who want to see this country be what it can be, these folks are here calling in and are definitely going to be on the wrong side of history, no question about it. i think the dnc is going to be a message of hope and i am really looking forward to it. host: jonathan, our last call in this first segment of washington journal. plenty more to talk about today

including much more from the windy city. next we will be talking about the youth vote and how the youth vote will play in the 2024 election. our guest from the national vice president for the college democrats of america. we will be right back. ♪ >> i'm susan slane. campaign 2024 has evolved in some unexpected ways and from now until election day, c-span promises you unfiltered coverage of the candidates as they battle to win the white house and congress. you may not know if it c-span is a private company that operates without a dime of government money. like many media organizations, we've been impacted by cord cutting. this summer we are asking you to help support our unbiased political coverage with intonation.

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the democratic national convention lives all this week on c-span. c-span now, or online at c-span.org. visit our website for the latest updates and to watch our full coverage of the 2024 republican national convention. you can also catch up on past conventions anytime on demand at c-span.org/campaign or by scanning the code. >> saturday, book tv on c-span two takes you live to the washington convention center for our annual coverage of the library of congress' national book festival. since 2001 we featured hundreds of in-depth and uninterrupted author talk at the festival but this year's guest including library of congress, pulitzer prize winner, and more. the library of congress national

book festival, live saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 2. washington journal continues. host: joining us now from chicago ahead of day one of the democratic national convention, it is the national vice president for the democrats of america. good morning to you. guest: good morning. host: your response first on how kamala harris' entrance into this race and specifically joe biden's exit from this race impacted the youth vote and the college democrat, the college voters in this country? guest: and have a transformative impact. following biden's questionable debate performance we saw him performing very poorly with young voters, trailing trump by around eight points. now, harris has taught him to by 18 points.

it has been transformative for the youth vote and as a national organizer i couldn't be more excited during this election cycle. host: harris is still 59 years old, tim walz also 59 years old. how would you reassure the youngest voters in the election that they have their interests in mind even though when it comes to the youngest voters, they are maybe four decades removed from them? guest: of course. this make one thing clear, both tim walz and kamala harris are young enough to be donald trump or joe biden's children. not only that, they represent young people in politics. think of someone like bernie sanders who resonates with young voters because he stands for the issues important to them. things like fighting for capital climates, keeping reproductive access accessible or fighting for accessible education. those are policy priorities that harrison waltzed deliver on and i firmly believe that even though they may be so a distant

when it comes to age, when it comes to policy priorities, they align very closely with young people. host: has kamala harris always aligned with those policy areas? where has she delivered in the past? guest: contrary to popular belief, harris has delivered across the board. it was her consequential vote that resulted in the passing of the most progressive climate policy ever seen in our nations history. carbon emission standards lower than anything we've ever seen. even lower than the obama administration. not only that, they invested more money the climate crisis insuring the generations to come as well as generations like mine will have a habitable climate. showing leadership in that regard is just one portion of her resume as vice president. at only that, she also proceeded over the appointment of the first black supreme court justice. the office of gun violence

prevention which is an issue that is very near and dear to students like myself who have grown up in this gun violence epidemic where we head over to school with fears that we may be met by bullets when we are trying to just learn more and pursue education. host: you are there in chicago. how much our viewers watching on tv going to see young people at this dnc? who is going to appear this week that will be speaking that youth vote? guest: first of all, there are many young delegates across the board. representatives this year from the organization as well as young democrats coming out and ensuring that young people are not represented on paper, but in practice. i think when it comes to some of the speakers, people like kamala harris and tim walz who have proven to deliver and align closely with this point of view. the people we are most trying to

see are those at the top of the ticket. host: that biden administration supporting the war in gaza because so much controversy on college campuses this past spring. when harris gets up to speak on thursday, does she need to address that issue, specifically to help voters and the college students understand where she stands on that? guest: the simple answer is yes. college democrats of america haven't been afraid to take a stand on this consequential issue. many of my personal friends are those who were beaten by cops and arrested for simply exercising their first amendment rights. we strongly do believe that vice president harris needs to make it clear where she stands on this issue. personally, i would advise her to make a statement for conditional funding to israel. you're not saying that we need to walk back from a decades-long

relationship with the country, but there needs to be a clear line in the sand that when our allies violate the norms of international human rights, violate the human right to life, we need to make a clear stand against that and the best way that we can do that is by withholding our check. host: do you see a difference between harris and biden on the issue of the war in gaza guest: 100%. harris represents something not beholden to the present foreign policy establishment. this is a bipartisan policy establishment. she is something new. she isn't beholden to that and i think she has been showing that on the campaign trail. as soon as she announced she was quick to sympathize with campus protesters, i understand where you guys are coming from and i am going to meet you where you were at figure a way forward to ensure that your views are

represented a highest level of government. not only that, the fact that she picked someone like tim walz, someone ready uncommitted movement is the strongest shows she has a clear commitment to meet voters. and this is something starkly different from the democratic party of the past. i can be more proud. we advise her to keep this up because this is how you get the youth vote. host: are best in the second of the washington journal stating your phone calls. phone lines as usual, (202) 748-8000,, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. (202) 748-8002, independents. just ahead of day one of the dnc, live from chicago. first i want to thank our partners for allowing us to set up a studio in building this week as we bring you guests live from the democratic national convention. there is the shot from that

building as we take a call from vincent in oklahoma, republican. vincent, good morning. caller: good morning. i don't want harris to win. host: why don't you want harris to win? caller: because i don't think it is time yet for the first female president to be elected. host: what would you say to that? caller: i completely understand that concern. i think many people do feel like the process could be more transparent, the shift from biden to harris. but harris is truly a president for the people when she ends up winning in november, looking at the polls right now she is beating donald trump across the board. a four point lead in key swing states. pennsylvania, michigan,

wisconsin. even north carolina starting to come into play. i firmly believe that in november we are going to witness why harris was picked at the democratic nominee, because she is someone capable of winning this election but also someone who has the support of the american people. host: what do you say to people who say she wasn't picked at the nominee by democrats? would she have benefited from a traditional primary? guest: i firmly believe that if she was in a primary process, the word benefit is tough to apply to the present historical times. we are in a very unprecedented reality. what is more important to focus on is the fact that there is a clear contrast between -- and tickets. we have one ticket where one man is more concerned about his ego than the best interest of our country, whereas on the other

site, president biden is willing to check his own ego and realized that i did a great job serving the past four years, the best thing that i can do for this nation is to pass the torch. and in doing so i think that if the most democratic thing possible. shave your ego to do what is best for the american people. harris has proven that she is capable on the national stage. i firmly believe that she is more than capable and more than deserving to take up this democratic nomination. host: leifer democrats, you're on with the national vice president for the college democrats of america. caller: and actually registered as a democrat but i want to very quickly say that the under education in the voting public right now including young people is abhorrent. they want to remind people that the energy policies are inextricably tied to the economy. and they want to make a quote

that is just going to shock you, sir. president obama said september 6, 2012 as inauguration, two sentences. "we develop a 100 year supply of natural gas that is readily their feet. if you choose this path we could cut oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs." kamala harris was never elected to her position that she's trying to get to right now like you just mentioned. she horribly lost the primary process when she tried to run for president, and she's going back and forth on a drilling, not drilling and everything else. clearly, barack obama said it in a two state of the union speeches that we have 100 years of natural gas, but we have to do geothermal modular. it is way beyond her intellectual capacity that she's never done the homework for.

host: i get the sense you are a registered democrat that you are not voting democrat. caller: i am a registered democrat i am definitely leaning toward trump. host:. point. that is scott. guest: there is also the issue of energy, one where my hometown is fremont, california. i am right in the heart of silicon valley. every day we are witnessing countless innovations within this field. i think it is important to not be beholden to the norms of the past. we have to look at solar energy, wind power, other forms of renewables. that is what harris has committed to. not just her words, her record. she was a tie-breaking vote for the legislation reduction act which ended up investing more money, which i think it is important that we make it clear where she stands on this issue.

i do understand where you're coming from and i strongly urge you to vote democrat because there is kind of a disparity here. one person is kind of touting the policy of the past and one is touting the policy of the present. host: a large portion of our viewers tweing and texting along throughout our program. one of our viewers asking but ar the young people actually going to vote? because often they do not. guest: 100%. college democrats of america is proud to boast over 250 chapters spanning over 25 states including wisconsin, michigan, arizona, pennsylvania and more. we are going to have organizers on the ground across the country making sure that young people get out we seeing 41 million potential voters in this election cycle, we are working around-the-clock to ensure that they come out.

20 or question, yes, it done people will get out. host: a tough question on an issue that impacts young people, the return of the military draft. guest: i personally do not. i personally think that we as young people should have the capacity to determine our own future pathway and i feel like the draft beholds us to a pathway that might not be ideal for every single american. host: sonja in new carlisle, ohio. independent. caller: i just want to know why i'm not getting an opportunity to see everybody that is running in the campaign. host: what do you mean? caller: i mean, why isn't jill stein or rfk jr. being introduced into any of this?

they are just completely being left out and i don't get it. host: you mean at the democratic national convention? caller: no, i don't mean at the convention. they are being left out of everything. they are not even being considered for debates. and i think a lot about kennedy is raising our big issues that america really needs to talk about. he's really talking about existential threats to our country and nobody is listening. guest: i completely agree. i think rfk jr. has touched on a myriad of vital issues. he was one of the first to discuss the terrible impact that major corporations like blackrock are having on our real estate market, buying of houses and ensuring that the average american home buyer can only dream of affording a house. i deeply said the guys with you

and while i don't agree with rfk jr. on a myriad of issues, i do think he brings an important voice to the states. however i want to make it clear that within this race there are two candidates who have a clear lead, harris and trump. rfk is pulling in the single digits so i think with that, the amount of coverage that you received in the spotlight correlates to the current amount of support that you have. we witnessed him sharply declined and i think that is a representation of having american people feel. because of that, i think they're trying to focus on the two clear favorites in this election and that is harris and trump. host: alabama, randy, langford democrats. -- line free democrats. caller: there is no way on gods green earth i would ever vote for kamala harris. she is not fit to run for president. host: you say that as a democrat? caller: is a democrat. lifelong, 60 years. and never vote for another one.

host: who is the last democrat you voted for? caller: i didn't vote last time. there was no way i would vote for joe biden. but this time i will be voting for donald trump. the only one that is even worth thinking about having. kamala harris is record is terrible. we don't need her running the united states. you all have a blessed day. host: go ahead. guest: i want to talk about records, and set a clear distinction between both of the candidates. witnessing one man who was a six time failed businessman who has been bankrupt six times, a two time to impeach president, a convicted felon and has attempted to stage an insurrection. someone who has trampled over the most foundational document of our country, our constitution.

if we want to talk about records, i think that record speaks volumes. it is important we make a clear distinction. i understand there might be some concerns about her past, but that simply pales in the affairs and what we are up against. in order to not just preserve our democracy, the most foundational document of our country, is important that we make it clear, and do all we can to support the democratic nominee. host: how did you become a superdelegate, what was your path to a college democrat? guest: of course. i think for me, my involvement started back when i was 16 during the 2020 primaries. seeing that convoluted field of so many capable candidates, i ended up choosing andrew young as my candidate of choice. someone i kind of credit from my starting politics. he is sadly no longer a democrat.

but he kind of proved to me that you don't have to be a senator, mayor or congressman or anything to get involved in this sphere. you just have to be a smart guy and a normal guy with a vision for the country. channeling the energy of being a normal guy with a desire to make a difference, joined the local chapter within the university of california san diego. i've been doing work locally and incrementally. now the college democrats of america, i am proud to be here. host: what does a superdelegate do? guest: a superdelegate, we're kind of a tie-breaking vote when it comes to nominating the nominee. we are really beholden to a specific voting pattern. the are not pledged delegates we have to vote in a way that the district has.

you're kind of a class within the party that represents high-level democratic party officials who have extensive knowledge with an internal party politics. host: do always president of college democrats automatically become superdelegate? guest: sagan? -- say again? that is correct. and works is for that president and vice president received -- from the nc members and from that, we both receive a superdelegate vote. host: we touched on this earlier talking about the war in gaza. what was your experience in these protests? guest: it was historic. uc san diego i like to say, we are a stem campus, it is not

common for you to see major demonstrations. but i saw thousands of my fellow students take to the streets, protest against what they deemed to be global injustice. since we are witnessing such historic turnout not just within my own campus but across the country, it is important to address the concerns. these are not sensitive prone thomas radicals. -- pro hamas radicals. many of him -- them are college democrats simply standing for what they believe in. this is one of those moments where we witness a moral clarity of youth. we are also proud of our presidential nominees.

host:host: how did the administration at uc san diego handle the protests, do you think they handled them well? guest: i do not. there was a very heavy-handed approach that pretty much brought in cops and steamroll the whole operation. many were beaten. many more students were arrested. i think that is utterly unacceptable. college campuses need to prioritize the safety of their students. all about civic disobedience and standing up for what we believe in. but when we actually take the streets, college rations need to be there. they need to live up to the ideals and when we are out there making good trouble in exercising a first amendment right, the right to assembly,

they should be right there with us. they don't have to agree with us, but ensure that we are safe instead of standing against us. host: what do you mean students were paraded through campus? guest: in the sense that they were handcuffed and ran through this, as one of our food courts, a place where people go to hannah, a place of joy within our campus. we saw students in handcuffs being marched through there. pictures taken by local advocates for the cause that are currently on social media and on the internet. host: agathon x would like to talk about reproductive rights and the youth vote. guest: i'm from california so i'm very lucky to live in a state that has codified reproductive rights in the constitution but that is a truly

consequential issue. we are witnessing jd vance as seven support the national abortion ban. regardless of really stand on this issue, i think it is practical to keep abortion safe and accessible and ensure that congress prevent reaching that stage. i think that abortion rights are one of the most consequential issues. i think having someone like harris, the first governor in the post-dobbs era to codify abortion rights within his stay constitution. we feel very comfortable and very hopeful for the future of reproductive rights within the

country, even though we witnessed a long-standing precedent like roe v. wade being overturned. host:host: just a couple more minutes, plenty of callers still waiting to chat with you. this is david, independent in south carolina. good morning. caller: good morning, my question is this. i recently heard harris expressing shock and dismay and surprise of the cost of living increase over the past administration where she has been a part of the administration. a typical politician who will do and say anything. host: did you want to respond? guest: of course. do you mind repeating what he said? he kind of cut out of it on my end. host: we've got other colors

waiting as well and just a mentor to left. republican, good morning. caller: thank you for taking the call. my question is what kind of commander-in-chief is she going to be? is she going to have the will power and authority to actually do some things? i was raised, i'm 89 years old. i remember roosevelt. i didn't realize anybody else to be president at that time. but i don't think she could make the kinds of decisions that truman made for the secretary of war. i don't think she has the gumption to do it. any questions about that? host: harris as commander-in-chief. guest: i think that kamala harris is more than capable. throughout her time as vice president she has toured the

international community, meaning with leaders across the international sphere. with that experience she is more than capable. i also want to address, my mind blank for a second, but i understand the common claim that kamala harris has been in that has for four years, why hasn't she delivered on the promises that she claimed that she would after mark i want to make it clear with the vice president's role is. the vice president is meant to assist the president. a large portion of my role is to be that second person, but not always be making the most consequential decision. because of that, she hasn't been able to push the agenda that she wants to in ways that are different from biden. while i think that harris has been an integral part of the buying ministration, it's important to realize that she's not the one at the top of the tickets of the way that she chooses to govern is going to be different than president biden but to be clear, president biden has been a successful president.

we witnessed countless investments into our infrastructure. that has brought cap was jobs to local voters. i think five is been a successful president, but let's be clear that harris had a lot more capacity to make a difference in the role of president ban as vice president. host: this is bill out of north carolina, republican, good morning. caller: my question is how much you actually know about kamala harris' background? guest: i would say i know quite a bit. i grew up in her home state. she was a d.a. and later became a senator. i think she did a good job with the perpetual dilemma of being a prosecutor. being both tough on crime but also harboring a humanitarian touch. i think her approach was smart on crime. figuring out ways to reduce repeat offenders and she did that very effectively.

she successfully launched a program and that reducing recidivism rates among youth of my age group, people 18 to 21. in the fruits of that program were bountiful. she has a record of taking tough jobs and delivering. because of that, that is part of the reason why she was picked as vice president and part of the reason why we are proud to gb her at the top of her ticket. host: will is attending the dnc this week as a superdelegate. he the national vice president of the college democrats of america and we appreciate your time this morning. hope you have a good week in the days to come. guest: you too, thank you so much for having me. host: coming, more of your phone calls on this monday morning, they wanted the democratic national convention. but first, we travel between the two secure perimeters for the dnc in chicago this week.

the home of the chicago bulls's a location where delegates gather on the convention floor, and also mccormick place the operational site pretty convention. we want to give you a look. >> this is the mccormick center, the headquarters for everything dnc. so if you need credentials, even some hotels are here. you have the marriott marquis. so if you need to do anything dnc related, this is probably your first stop. in addition to being the headquarters of everything for the democratic national convention including credentialing and caucus meetings, they also have what they are calling dem-palooza which is basically training sessions, events, things that are tied to the convention to give people more information on

what they can do for the democratic party in the upcoming election. so the space is very empty at this point, but i'm sure it will be filled up with people giving all kinds of information to delegates and people interested in the party. if you look here, you have the official democratic convention merchandise. everything that you might want to show that you support the democrats. this is also part of the event space. if you are a delegate attending the democratic national convention, most of your days will probably start here at mccormick center, whether you are attending a state breakfast for a meeting or just meeting up with fellow delegates. this is the place for youobably. and then from here, you will head off to the united center, where a fourth the convention will be taking place in the evening.

this is where most of you will start your day at the mccormick center. for most delegates after their day begins at mccormick center, they will then make the trek over to the united center to attend the convention later that evening. it's about a four mile drive to the event center this is the united center. it is under the chicago bulls and the chicago blackhawks. this week it has been transformed into the democratic national convention, where delegates from all 50 states will come here to nominate vice president harris to be the democratic nominee for president.

this is one of the large media tents that has been constructed in the parking lot of the united center where many of the media outlets come to cover the dnc. we are going to have both pressed and video outlets here, and they will be covering all kinds of things that are happening in relation to the dnc. inside the actual arena, you can see it is fully set up for the convention starting on monday, and you can see all the different media outlets that are here representing their companies to cover the convention. this is where everything will take place. as far as voting for vice president kamala harris to be the democratic nominee. most major media outlets have some sort of sweet where they can look down on the floor.

this is the c-span suite and as you can see, have a chair set up for our host so they have a nice background for when they are covering the convention. there are literally hundreds of cameras, both still and video cameras around the arena. some are for the pool which we will be covering for all the different networks, and some are independent, covering just for themselves. but there are so many cameras here that are going to be taking in the event. finally, this is the floor for the united center where they will hold the votes in all the events surrounding the democratic national convention. you see all the signs are out so that all the delegates will sit in their assigned seating, and they will have a view for all the speeches that will take place up on the stage.

announcer: washington journal continues. host: it live shot of the windy city this morning, at stadium there, where the bears play in the foreground. over to the right of the mccormick center, the location of the cliff you just saw this morning on the washington journal. we are talking to you this morning on day one of the democratic national convention in chicago, and getting calls about your expectations for the week ahead. four day convention, the 12th time the windy city has played host to a democratic national convention, dating back to 1864, the last time being 1996. and here we are in 2020 for taking your calls on this monday morning. (202) 748-8000 for democrats to call in. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. independent, (202) 748-8002.

this is wanda, a republican out of california. wanda, good morning. >> california is in great shape for democrats. if this kid one of the special them -- telling it he said he was. >> i previous test was a superdelegate, correct. >> a perfect example of what is coming out these days. small clarity, how funny is that? has he ever seen was come out in the abortion that he so favors? i think the democratic party has perfectly gone to hell. host: this is north carolina, democrat, good morning. caller: good morning.

i disagree that the democrats have gone to hell because hell is bad for everybody. the stuff that people be saying, those things are not about god. there are seven thing god hates, and a liar is one. and another thing, i admire the young people. i admire them very, very much. and just like this, just like everybody is saying, we are not going back. i lived in the 60's. i remember. i will never forget.

but i can vote. host: do you remember the 1968 convention in chicago? caller: yes. host: what are your memories of the convention? what are your memories from 1968? caller: i was so young. the democrats -- host: where you a hubert humphrey supporter? caller:: not really. i voted anyway because i had voted for both. back then, i really didn't know how to vote. so i just went by everybody else. but whenever you learn more, when you learn, you do better.

and these young people have learned. these young people are not the type of people who like to live in chaos and stuff like that. nobody does. only people who like to live like that are people who are just like the person who causes chaos. host: atlanta, independent. good morning. >> i just have three quick questions. i was wondering the freedom of assembly, does that allow someone to break the law and commit crimes, and my second question, what are your thoughts on the two-party system? in my third question is what are your thoughts on their report that there are more people leaving -- more black people leaving the democratic party? host: what are your thoughts on that?

this is the open forum where we hear from you. caller: my thoughts on the last question -- well, i don't believe in the two-party system, first of all. the reason why i think that there are more democrats, more blacks leaving the democrats is because like the last caller said, she mainly voted to -- because she was told who to vote for and the more people are educating themselves on candidates, they feel more free to make different choices. in my first question is i don't think the freedom of assembly allows someone to commit crimes. if you don't want to be paraded across campus, don't commit crimes and don't get arrested. host: the daily herald out of suburban chicago, large protest expected at the dnc. activists will be there in chicago this week. expectations for today to be a very big day for protesters and

protests in chicago. we are watching the news out of windy city. tennessee, democrat, good morning. go ahead. caller: good morning. a couple things. first off, i'm excited about the convention and the reason is it is going to be positive. they are going to talk about her future and not look at the past. all i'm hearing out of republicans is go back to the past, go back to the past. first off, gay people are not going back in the closet. black folks are not going back to jim crow. you might as well get over that. one thing i would like to say and then i'll hang up, the guy from florida that called living in his pickup truck, you will see that guy called several months ago with the exact same field -- spiel.

i don't know about that guy, i feel sorry for him if that is the case. thanks so much, have a good day and then looking forward to a great, positive convention. thanks. host: from brooklyn, independent. good morning. caller: i have a curious question about the position of harris once she is elected to deal with israel from the palestinians. what type of position which you take knowing that we sell arms to israel? then what would she do to really pacify this situation, because i see mr. biden has no strength speaking to netanyahu.

to prevent the settlers from impinging, they need to do something about it. we will be totally complicit because we sell arms to israel because our arms are killing the people. host: do you expect to hear much, that issue from the stage from vice president harris when she addresses convention goers on thursday? do you think you will hear that? caller: yes, yes, i'm sure. right now i look at the convention every day. you want me to call her and asked for that question? host: i just wonder if you think that is going to be a big topic on the debate stage. caller: there are going to the

protesters outside. so she has to take a position now to clarify what stance she's going to take. she has to clarify. host: you can watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the convention here on c-span. current president joe biden who will speak alongside former etary of state hillary clinton. theyl both speak this g at the convention on tuesday. the convention lineup of future address convention goers.o the convention con with vice president harris officially accepting the democratic presidential nomination, and

error c-span n. the week.n coverage throughout democratic former speaker of the use nancy pelosi is said to hold a deln in chicago for the caia delegation. she will speak with transportation secretary pet buttigieg the democratic cau r expected to speak as well so we are government -- going to be covering that on c-span2 during this program in about 40 minutes or so. you can hop over to c-span 2 to see it along with c-span dog --.org and of course the free c-span mobile app. this coverage from chicago on c-span networks and we are hearing your expectations for the dnc. this is wanda from maryland, republican. good morning.

caller: good morning. i am so disgusted when i hear people condemn people who are having abortions. i'm going to tell you a story about my daughter. she was married to this republican. she got married to him. he was against this, against bad and family values. he made her quit her schooling. she was going to be an x-ray technician, but he made her be a stay-at-home mom. he was so righteous, so religious. and then she had one baby after another. suddenly he jumps up and runs off with this young girl at his job. she has four children and she almost lost her mind when she discovered that she had an early pregnancy and she went and got an abortion. i had to help her. the cost of living and raising

children is very expensive. no one has an abortion for fun. it is the circumstances of life and those republicans are hypocritical full. host: how much do you think we will hear about the issue of abortion this week at the democratic national convention? caller: what did you say? host: how much do you think we will hear about abortion this week at the convention? caller: i'm sure there are other topics available, but i just want to tell my daughter's story, she almost had a nervous breakdown. he left her with all those children and no job skills and pregnant and she had to get an abortion when she discovered early pregnancy after he left. people don't realize that people

are in difficult economic situations. i had to help her. host: that was one day in maryland. this is steve in ohio, democrat. caller: good morning. i want to make a couple comments about kamala harris and tim walz. i think it is a really good balance and that harris picked a great vice president. she is a prosecutor so she picked a juror, she knows had to pick a jury so she picked this vice president who is going to balance the ticket out. you know, the messaging is really positive, it's encouraging. it gives people hope. she's trying to get on her feet and relate to everybody here. i hope everybody gives her a chance. tim walz, i mean, his school

lunch program, he's for the people. he's not beating people down. it just gives everybody a lot of hope. host: was here top picturing the vp competition? caller: he really wasn't, i didn't really care much about him. i could compare his school lunch program to reagan back in the 80's. reagan said that kids have catch up in school so they are getting their fruit. i mean, it is sort of like the republicans, that is what they give most of the time. they say we are socialists if we help the kids. now you have forced pregnancies, women who are to have babies if they can't afford. what about this right to life? i mean, the women right now we

need medical care, who are bleeding out, what about this right to life? i am all for being responsible when it comes to reproduction, reproductive healthier and stuff, but it is just the messaging. messaging between donald trump, it is doom and gloom, everybody is coming to kill us, it is horrible. our country is stupid. he just beats us down. i mean, i don't hate republicans. i don't go that way. i understand policies and stuff. but we've got to get a different message for the people. host: just a couple minutes left in this segment of phones. they will be a few more before we end today. 11:00 a.m. eastern when we will be ending today.

for our washington journal all week long as we bring the coverage of the democratic national convention. donald is in raleigh, north carolina, independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say that initially, when harris first ran for president, i was not a fan of hers. but after joe biden's administration and the way he handles things, and handed it off to her, i am fully supporting her. one person is not going to flip the script. it takes all of us -- host: i think we lost donald. this is dean in texas. republican, good morning. caller: i want to touch on

something that i haven't heard, and that is when trump was president, there weren't any conflicts going on around the globe. now we've got the axis of evil. russia, north korea, china, and iran. and they all seem to be working together. but one thing they all had in common is they all are non-perspectives of women. -- non-respectors of women. how is kamala harris going to do this? trump was able to talk to all of them. he went over there except for iran. i used to be a democrat until i became a christian and the democrats turned to where they were the main party of abortion. six major democratic states are

still allowing caller: john mccain as a pow and the remark about donald trump. i'm inviting all republicans to call in to c-span and explain to me, convert me to a republican, how you justify having a commander in chief make these disparaging calls or remarks about p.o.w.'s as losers and

disparage and debase them when everybody knows the medal of honor represents to us in this country. i would like to hear something about this from the d.n.c. and, c-span, you bring some of these people on for visitors, a guy a few days ago from notre dame negotiates or tries to negotiate civil war and stuff like that. you should become a little bit pro-active. i think you ought to give a half who are forum for just republicans and invite them to call in and state to all of us democrats why you are voting for

donald trump because of the p.o.w. issue and they don't think the appealed of hop is the -- the medals of honor is the most important. host: this is barbara in kaiser, west virginia, independent. caller: i would like to tell the people that abortion is wrong in my eyes because i'm a christian and that says when you murder someone it is a crime in god's eyes and i feel like that is murdering a child. i also think takam lahair resist -- that kamala harris has a lot of policies that is way against even the democrats, like she wants to make within -- one

medical for all and her policies seem to be going more toward communists and scares me and i hope people will pray about who they vote for. host: our last caller in this segment, more to talk about including more from the windy city after the break with former congressman and obama administration transportation secretary ray lahood. he is part of the group republicans for harris. we will learn more about that effort next. >> welcome to a great national crusade to make america great again. >> taxes will go up and anyone who says they won't is not telling the truth. >> our beloved nation we are in the springtime of hope for

america. >> because we are the party that believes in the american dream. >> read my lips. >> i still believe in a place called hope. >> here is the question for the american people. who do you trust in this election? >> the real choice is whether we will build a bridge to the future or a bridge to the past. i have unlimited confidence the people. >> i stand here tonight as my own man and i want you to know me for who i am. >> they had their chance. they have not led. >> i'm john kerry and i'm reporting for duty. >> these four years i could not foresee and will not forget. >> it is time for us to change america. >> i wasn't my own man any more. i was am country's.

>> i double rolling back regulations on wall street will help. we have been there, we tried that and we are not going back. we are moving forward, america. >> under my administration our friends will see more olympicity and mr. putin will see a little less flexibility. >> he wants to make america great again. he could start by making things in america again. >> we will make america safe again. and we will make america great again. >> here and now i give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency i will draw on the best of us, not the worst. this towering american spirit has prevailed over every challenge and lifted us to the summit of human endeavor.

>> c-span, your unfiltered view of the convention powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: our next guest is certain-term republican congressman and obama transportation secretary ray lahood. good morning to you, sir. guest: good morning, john. welcome to chicago. host: you are attending the d.n.c. republicans for harris. what is the case you make to your fellow republicans to get them to cross party lines and vote for kamala harris in 2024? guest: many of us four years ago supported then vice president biden against president trump, and we did that because we felt that president trump really did

not reflect the republican party that many of us ran in. when i ran in during 1994 and when i worked for bob michael and the party had changed dramatically. the republican party is now the trump party. it doesn't really reflect the values of fiscal responsibility and a place in the world community, leadership in the world community. and a number of other things. so, we banded together four years ago and supported then vice president biden, who won the election. then, when it was clear that trump was going to be the nominee we continued to communicate with one another and decided we thought it was in the best interest of the country to

get behind president biden and when he dropped out a few weeks ago we decided that we were going to continue our efforts to elect vice president harris. host: what do you say to republicans who will call your group never trumped by another name? guest: well, what we call ourselves are republicans. there are some that have been part of the republican party that left the party. we decided to stay republican so that when trump is gone we can get back to some semblance of what the republican party stands for, which i already stated, a republican party that can attract young people and others. so, we simply say to people we are still republicans, i'm a

republican, i vote in illinois. i voted in the primary in march, took a republican ballot. so, we declare ourselves as republicans because we want to salvage some semblance of the republican party that we once knew that really was reflected by people like president reagan, george herbert walker bush, george w bush that represented the strong values of a republican party. and we hope some day we trump is gone that we can get back to that idea that the republican party does represent many of the values we ran on when we served in congress. host: what does the republican party look like if donald trump wins in november? guest: it is the trump party. it is the party of isolationism,

the party of, really, a party that doesn't really consider the fiscal issues, the huge debt that our country has, much of it was increased we president trump was president. so, we really want to try and have a party that reflects the conservative values of previous administrations, previous presidents, and those of us who served in congress. when i served in congress in the late 1990's and early 2000's we passed three balanced pwugtsd and welfare reform. those are the issues republicans stand for. we were also the party that believed that america has to stand strong against or enemies

lake china, like russia, and stand with nato. and that has not been the party that donald trump represented when he was president, nor the party that we think he kind of represents now. host: former congressman ray lahood our guest, for republicans 202-748-8001. for democrats it is 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. as folks call in and the lines light up i wonder if your son darin lahood is a better swayed able -- persuadable republican to get them join republicans for harris? guest: darren is someone who represents a congressional

district in illinois. it is a very conservative district, very strong for donald trump. darren supports donald trump very strongly. and he is somebody who is going to work very hard for the re-election of president trump. host: what does that do for family conversation? guest: makes them very lively. host: have you tried to persuade him? guest: well, no, that's not my job. he was freely elected by the people in his district just as i once was. so, we have our views on different political issues and i respect darren very much, i love darren. i think he is a great congressman. i think he represents his district very well. i'm proud of the work that he does. he is on the ways and means

committee, the intelligence committee, which i served on in congress. he is on the bipartisan china committee. so, he does the work that needs to be done in congress and represents his 16th congressional district of illinois very, very well and i'm proud of him. host: you talk about not your job. what is your job this week? will you speak from the stage? guest: no, i haven't been invited to speak. i'm here because of the invitation of c-span to be on your program with you, john. then also i'm doing a program later today with the ball simon institute which is located in southern illinois university. they have a program where they invited another former member and a "new york times" reporter to talk about the political atmosphere in illinois and probably a number of or things.

so, that is really what i'm doing while i'm here in chicago. host: we are always glad to have you on c-span. i should note ray lahood had some 283 videos in the c-span video look from over the years. let me let you chat with callers. teresa in south carolina, republican, good morning. caller: it is trees sacremento and i have -- it is teresa. i have been watching this all day and i have tried to get in. but i hope that the convention will focus on some things that i personally would like to hear. how to bring the budget back in for all citizens. how the regulation will be. will it be heavy government regulation or by the state.

what the education plan is for all? will it be run by the state or run by a controlled view. and i am very middle of the road. the question i have is can we ever have the middle of the road democratic and the middle of the road republican come together and say enough, we don't need this far right, we don't need this far left. we need to be in the middle where we can work together. i have voted for republicans, my dad was republican. however, i have voted across the lines. so i think the pros and cons on my list because i'm concerned, my concerns may be different than others'. but i do know i love america and i stand firm with values that

represent where i grew up. not necessarily what someone else grew up with. what i would like to see -- host: thanks for that. let me bring in ray lahood and let him speak to those issues. guest: let me say this. i think when you look at president biden's record he ran on the idea that he was going to be bipartisan and he was. the trillion dollar transportation bill which took over a year to pass was a bipartisan bill and he waited until he was able to work with 17 republican senators who voted for that bill. i think that seven or eight republican house members voted for that bill. when you look at the chips bill that passed congress which provided an enormous amount of money so we can begin building chips factories in this country which is going on now, one in

ohio, that was a bipartisan bill. when you look at the prescription drug program that the president and vice president rolled out recently, that bill was a bipartisan bill. so, there is a tone, i think, on the, on behalf of certainly president biden and vice president harris that the way that big things get solved in our country is through bipartisanship. i believe that vice president harris will be using that same kind of formula when she becomes president to pass major legislation. big things get settled in america when congress works together. compromise is not a bad word. i think president biden has proved that over and over and over again in the last 3 1/2

years. his support for ukraine, his support against putin and bringing nato together. again, john, that was done in a bipartisan way with republicans and democrats working together to provide the money to ukraine so that they can now push back against putin and what he is trying to do in innovating their country. so, i think that there is significant bipartisanship going on during president biden's administration, and i believe that will continue under vice president harris when she is elected president. host: putting on your former transportation secretary hat will do you think will be the legacy of it transportation bill that you were just talking about? guest: i think, john, it will be thousands of people went to work, we know that before that bill was passed america was one

big pothole. we know that bridges and roads need to be repaired. we know that ports need to be improved. we know that infrastructure, our pipeline system, all over america, needs improvement. a trillion dollar transportation bill the largest in the history of our country and now thousands of people are working. the arrange cones and -- the orange cones and signs are up all over america and that is good for america, it is good for our economy and working people but also good for infrastructure. if you want to attract economic development and jobs you have to have good infrastructure. we've got some magnificent porpts around our -- ports but they need new capacity. this bill provides that. new bridges are being built and interstate system was falling apart. now it is all being repaired, fixed up, improved because of

the trillion dollar transportation bill. host: another republican, this is ed in ant ok -- ant yoke tennessee. caller: you say you left the republican party. what did you leave for women being in sports and and women being in men's dressing rooms, 18 million people coming across the border. that's why you left the republican party for? guest: no, i will tell you why i left the republican party. because donald trump doesn't represent the republican party. he represents the trump party. when he said that john mccain, who feels a friend of -- who was a friend of mine i served with when he was in the house and he was in the senate was not a war hero after being a p.o.w. for eight years? give me a break. when he said the other day that the medal of honor was sub-serb

sub-serbent to the medal that is a slap in the face of veterans. that is not the republican party i grew up in and not the republican party that i think people want to support. that does not represent the values of the republican party. it might represent the values of the trump party, but if that -- that donate represent the values of the john mccain party, rnald reagan party, george bush party. it is not the representation of the party most americans want. host: about 10 minutes left with ray lahood taking your phone calls on the "washington journal" day one of the democratic national convention. this is ronald in myrtle beach,

south carolina, democrat. good morning. caller: yes, mr. hood. i see talking about bridges, what would you think if kamala harris would pick somebody like liz cheney to be attorney general? we as democrats -- she stood up four her christian and conservative rights. she was punished for no reason beyond what we should have done. we need to stand and build bridges to have this partisanship continue. i think she would be a good pick. do you have any other picks like that being worked out that you could work for? thank you.

guest: well, i think first of all vice president harris needs to get elected before she starts measuring the drapes or figuring out who is going to be in the cabinet and she knows that. that is why she is traveling the country and having rallies and here this week to greet all of her supporters. she knows she needs to build the kinds of organization and support from democrats, independents and republicans in order to win the election. and i think once that happens and she is elected president, then we will see who she decides to pick. i think she will use very good judgment on that because she's been part of a administration that has a very good cabinet. president biden's cabinet has done well. he's done well by them and she's been part of that.

host: taking it out of the context of this election is it important for a president to pick somebody of the other political party to be a part of their cabinet, to have that voice in the cabinet as somebody who was that voice in the obama administration. and do you think we are pasted days of that happening again? guest: i really don't. you know, former senator flake of arizona was appointed ambassador of turkey and is still serving there. so, president biden has been able to pluck a few republicans to serve in his administration. president obama was able because of the friendship he and i had to put his trust in me and it was an honor for me to serve as his secretary of transportation.

under george bush he picked norm ma men net that and this has been a long rich tradition and i believe it will continue. host: a few minutes left with ray lahood. i want to let you know that over on c-span 2 starting aren't 9:30 an event with the california delegation and house speaker emeritus nancy pelosi is expect today speak alongside other leaders of the delegation. we are covering that on c-span 2 or c-span.org or you can stay here and we will show you a little bit. until then, ray lahood for about five more minutes, this is rod in michigan, independent. good morning. caller: good morning.

i'm an independent and i vote normally for republicans locally, but i tend to vote for more democrats for the national elections because i think they are better candidates. i am going to vote for the democrat for president because it is a vote against trump, who is a chronic liar, pinches women and would be a disgrace to this country. he should not be elected president. thank you. host: ray lahood, anything to add? guest: he said it all. host: this is charlie in texas, republican. good morning. caller: i'm just call tock say it is -- calling to say it is

funny the democrats who opened the border and tore down the walls and let everybody in are boarding up chicago, fences everywhere, police everywhere, and it is acting like, you know, they are trying to keep people out. what is the problem? they had no problem letting everybody else in the world in. why do they keep boarding up chicago, putting up fences? that is all i got. and thank you commie span for continued coverage. host: what is your sense of the city ahead of this convention? guest: well, they are taking a lot of security into account. and around the united center there is a lot of security. but i drove here this morning and everything was fine. i didn't see anything boarded up. and i think the gentleman that

just called should know that his governor has sent hundreds of people here on buses and they have been very warmly welcomed by the mayor of chicago and very well taken care of. so, this is a very welcoming city and it is not only welcome ing to immigrants that have been sent here from texas, but very welcoming to people from all over the country and all over the world who are coming to the democratic convention. chicago is a beautiful city, magnificent city, and the people will recognize that when they get here. there's no boarded up buildings that i could see on my drive into this studio this morning. >> the headline of "new york times" the issue of migrants is on view in chicago. a human reminder for democrats there if you want to read that "new york times." let me draw on your chicago

experience. what do you remember about the 1996 democratic convention, the 1968 democratic convention, and it was also 1960 i believe that republicans were in chicago last. guest: you know, john, i have been to a lot of conventions, all republican. i have never been to a democratic convention. as i said earlier, we i'm finished with the couple programs i'm doing today i will head back to peoria which is where i live. so i don't plan to go to there convention, although i was invited by the people that are involved. what i remember about the 1960's is it was a tumultuous time. i was a young man then and it was a very tumultuous time. and i don't really have much of

a recollection about the other two conventions that you mentioned. but i certainly remember going to the republican convention so i went to as a stafferor bob michael when he was a chair of the conventions and, of course, as a delegate when i was a member of congress. they are a lot of fun. you see a lot of people who are very interested in politics and policy. chicago has really rolled out the red carpet. they have done an extraordinary job. i think this will be a good week for the delegates that are here, a good week for the visitors that are here and i think they will see a beautiful city and i think they are going to be very overwhelmed by the week that they get from there magnificent city. host: in the final 90 seconds can i ask you about those tumultuous times of the 1960's.

more tumultuous than today? what do you say it people who say this is as bad as it has ever been in politics in america? guest: you know, john, that is a great question. what i say to people in the 1960's when i was a young man john kennedy was assassinated, martin luther king jr. was assassinated, robert kennedy was assassinated. lyndon johnson decided not to stand for president, different because of the vietnam war in johnson's case, different than president biden. but in a similar way and his v.p. hubert humphrey became the nominee of the party. but there were huge, huge disruptions and protests in chicago and i don't see that happening this time. but it is -- the country is divided, john. there's no question about it. it is borne out in all the

polls. that is why this election will be very close. that is why you are seeing both candidates, both parties, really organizing and trying to get as many people involved as possible. the country is divided. i don't think it is quite as bad today as it feels -- was back in the 1960's. it was a terrible, terrible time and we have learned a lot of lessons from those days. i think chicago has really exhibited that they know how to put on a convention, they know how to welcome people. i think it is going to be a good week. host: former congressman and transportation secretary now with 284 appearances on the c-span networks and we appreciate every one of them. thank you so much. guest: john, i love c-span. i always have. the best network for communicating what is going on in washington, in the country

and in the world. you do a great job. thanks for including me today. host: thank you. up next more of your phone calls on this monday morning day one of the democratic national convention in chicago. we are getting your sense, your expectations for the week ahead. >> next up for c-span coverage of the political party conventions we head to chicago for the democratic national convention. watch live all this week as the party supports their presidential nominee. hear democratic leaders talk about the administration track record and vision for the next four years as they fight to retain the white house. the democratic national convention, live all this week on c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. don't miss a moment. visit our website for the latest

schedule updates and watch or coverage of the 2024 republican national convention you can catch up on past conventions at c-span.org/campaign or scanning the code. >> on saturday book tv on c-span 2 takes you to the washington convention center for the library of congress national book fathom. we have featured hundreds of in-depth and uninterrupted author talks. they include the labor brittney griner. doris kerns good win. we have more. the library of congress's national book festival live saturday beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 2. >> the c-span book show podcast

makes it easy to listen to all of c-span podcast that feature nonfiction books in one place. each week we make it convenient to listen to multiple episodes with authors discussing history, biography, current events and culture. for signature programs about books, after words and q&a. listen to the book show podcast feed today. you can find it and all of our podcast on the free c-span now mobile video app. and on our website. c-span.org/podcast. >> washington journal continues. host: a view of the windy city's skyline and that thanks for allowing us to set up our cameras. we will be broadcasting from

this location throughout convention week on the "washington journal" and gavel to gavel coverage from inside the convention space is on the c-span networks, live coverage on c-span, c-span.org and free c-span now mobile app. in terms of live coverage we want to let you know from the hyatt regency in downtown chicago california delegation is holding its breakfast and the house speaker emeritus nancy pelosi is set to speak there. you can watch that on c-span 2 now and c-span.org and mobile app. we will dip in we nancy pelosi steps up to the stage and let you hear some of what she has to stay. but your phone calls, democrats is 202-748-8000ment for republicans, 202-748-8001, independents, 202-748-8002.

robert, franklin, tennessee, republican, you are up first in this segment. caller: actually it is franklin, indiana. i have been a republican all my life but i think the problem with the republican party is there is a lack of manhood. in sworn testimony, and recorded on tape donald trump has said that he can do whatever he wants to my wife, to my daughter, to my granddaughters. and you know the manhood in me does not allow me to vote for somebody like that. i don't understand how any ma that has women in his life can vote for somebody like that for president. you know, who is going to stand up for what is right in this country if our men don't stand

up? will it be the ladies? what we need is people with backbone to stand up against someone like donald trump. that is all i have to say. thank you. host: port deposit, alabama, lewis, line for democrats. good morning. caller: yes. i would like to foe the people criticizing the democrats going on coming. but nobody ever said anything about trump received $2 billion from saudi arabia and no one knows why. maybe it is because saudi arabia wants america to keep quiet about the people at the murdered a few years ago. host: what is the trump car tell?

caller: the trump cartel is his sons, son-in-law and himself. they receive $2 billion from saudi arabia, but nobody ever got the reason what it is for and i would like to know something about it. host: what is your expectation as we prepare for the dn.c. for how much the delegates at the d.n.c. and speakers on stage this week will talk about donald trump and his family members and son-in-law? do you expect to hear a lot about that at the d.n.c.? caller: would you repeat that, please? host: do you expect to hear about donald trump and his family at the d.n.c. this week? host: i doubt. don't seem like no one talks about that. so that is why i called. i would like to know what they did to receive that much money.

host: lewis in alabama. this is ruth in wilmington, north carolina, independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i was just listening to your caller who was a republican for harris. i want to identify with him when he thanked you for the programming that you do. i have been watching a long time. and when you asked him is today as bad as the 1960's. it is not as bad or it could be as bad. i don't think we can tell yet. we have to remember that in 1964 the mississippi freedom democrat party went to atlantic city for two seats and they organized all summer doing things that the party should do and, of course,

they were the civil rights workers kid during that period and that did help break some of the violence and voting in mississippi picked up. this is a very scary time we are in now and i would encourage you -- i saw the other night -- last thing i want to say -- one night it week you had a -- this week you had a program on republicans for harris and it was a call-in that these republicans had had. and the woman who chaired it is someone who had worked with pence. i would encourage you to do more of that kind of programming if you can, because lately -- and i have a hard time listening to the comments because of the kind of calls that are beginning to come in. i think that people need a little more information, a little more sources for their information. they are so polarized into the

fox news and they need to read more. read magazines more. be more educated by how things have happened. i don't know if we will ever get there because it is class as far as i see it and it is race and it is just -- i just get so worked up sometimes when i think about how the country was started and about the colonizers and what has happened to indigenous people. but this is where we are and it is a good place to live and people are continuing to come here. and i am african-american, but my roots was africans with native americans and with some of the white folks who came here and kept the plantations. so i don't like the term black.

i don't use it often, but i do recognize what you do and thank you for with you do and i especially like when you are on. goodbye. host: that is ruth in wilmington. there is patty in washington state, republican. good morning. caller: i'm just beside myself. i don't know this woman so i watch c-span and i watch the congress and i watch the senate and i have been doing it for years. that's what i do during the day. and everything she said that she wants to do, she is not going to do it. she is a [inaudible] that wants everybody to be under one

control and only ones that will have anything to say are the elite. it is by all the radio stations and -- host: patty, are you going to watch were of the d.n.c. this week? caller: i watch everything. i watch the republicans and i watch the d.n.c. every time voting comes around. i watch what is going on in congress because i want to know what they are doing with my money. host: patty on the republican line. in terms of watching republicans, patty, there are republicans you can watch today including the members making up the republican ticket. j.d. vance is set to speak it reporters in philadelphia today. he will talk about the state of the city's economy and nation at large. live coverage on that event is 1:00.m eastern, c-span 2 is

where you find it and c-span.org and free c-span app. donald trump holding a campaign rally in york, pennsylvania, that is at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. on c-span 2, c-span.org and free c-span now mobile app. and gavel-to-gavel coverage at the democratic national convention, the democratic national committee putting this on. this is bob in connecticut, a democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. how y'all doing? host: doing well. caller: thank you. i'm going to be watching the convention. i'm really interested in all of this because i guess i'm a little more inspired now, now that joe has done the wonderful thing he's doing by stepping down, stepping aside, and bringing on the new regime.

let's hope it goes well for them. because as a vietnam era veteran, navy veteran and i don't understand how you can say veterans for trump because it doesn't include all of us. i don't know. it is like a new morning in america bass of what is happening -- because of what is happening with ms. harris and mr. walz. good luck to them and i hope everything goes well. thank you very much. host: bob in connecticut. there is sherilly in fort myers florida, independent. caller: thank you for taking my call. kind of submitted to see what is going to shep and hopefully our first woman president. i was actually a registered republican, but cannot vote for anything connected with trump. i'm going to try to not say

anything negative. i just want to say that the democrats are standing up for america and our values and we need to come back together as the united states of america. host: chuck, syracuse, new york, republican. you are next. caller: so, i see ray lahood was on who says's republican. he also is an ex-con, so is tim walz with d.u.i. and reckless driving. ray lahood accepted $50,000 in illegal foreign money and that is why he was kicked out of the republican party. he was prosecuted for it but it seems like they surround themselves with criminals. these are not the people we want running our company. host: who do you want running the country, chuck? caller: i'm going to vote for trump. it was a technical error, i live in new york state, they go after

people for technical things, you know, because they don't like you. but i can say what was gas prices back then, food prices? there's no price gouging. the wholesale price is going up with the retail price. price gouging is inflation. host: when you say technical error are you talking about the felony conviction? caller: yes. he saoeupldz off on those -- he signed off on those things. i'm sure every business in the state of new york right now they would have -- it is filing false business records. it is a felony in new york state but every business has done it. i worked for businesses who did that. it is a common thing. nobody reads the fine print. they sign off on it. if they audited every company in new york state every company would have that violation, i guarantee you. host: that is chuck in new york. over on c-span two we are

covering the california delegation breakfast. it is the senator from california who is speaking to the delegation this morning. nancy pelosi is set to speak. we will dip in we she does get up to the stage. if you want to watch c-span 2 you can watch that live and feel free to come back and watch us on the "washington journal." this is dennis in connecticut, democrat. caller: there is my first time calling c-span. i'm 56 years old. i voted in each of the last nine elections for the democratic presidential candidate. but i will not be voting for kamala harris and the reasons are two. they are, first, the bipartisan article said the russian invasion of ukraine was unprovoked. you need to push back with some guests. it was provoked. i want to lay out the hypocrisy. if china were to position its

troops and military hardware in mexico we would invade the next day. that is a professor provocation. the genocide in israel understood this current administration i can't vote for a candidate who has done so little to stop this. i'm going for r.f.k. and we will see what happens four years from now but i can't vote for kamala harris. host: how much do you expect we will hear about israel, gaza, ukraine, russia, from this stage at the convention? caller: i fear very little. and this ties into the corruption within our system and i believe that the undemocratic nature of her nomination and keeping r.f.k. out of the primary and other candidates out of the primary is part of the

corruption of the system which is so fueled by money and the supreme court case which undermined our democracy. so big money especially israel type money is warping our society and our commitment to israel is very much tied to that money. i'm afraid that i don't know how we can undo there because r.f.k. is also part of the unquestioning support of israel and i need to voice my protest to say i'm not on board, i can't support this policy that has been in place the last four years. host: if there had been a democratic primary and r.f.k. jr. had run in it against camilla harris, how do you think he would have done? caller: i'm a kennedy guy. i love what john f. kennedy stood for because he stood for peace. i encourage everyone to relook

at the speech at american university where he stood up against the military industrial complex and said we are all children of god, we are all breathing the same clean air. we all care about our children's future and as a person with a 17-year-old son who could be adrian into world war three which looks like we are on a direct path, i have to stand up for peace. that is what i'm doing with my vote. i'm saying no to a continuation of this policy in israel and the policy in ukraine. host: this is constance, traverse city, michigan, independent. good morning. caller: good morning. host: go ahead, you are on. caller: i would just like to make a few statements. chicago looks beautiful. as far as the democratic convention going on in chicago,

i just believe that kamala harris, her running mate, they are not actual democrats. i believe that kamala is a marxist. i believe her running meet for v.p. is a communist. and i believe hillary and bill clinton are globalists. host: there is tim in west virginia, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. i just have to wonder what is going to happen to the united states if kamala gets in. when you think 10 million illegals on the border after four years, that is 40 million. what are you going to do we the cartel takes over the united states like they have mexico? we are going to be in bad shape

if they go kamala's way. vote for trump. host: on immigration some new numbers on that if you are tracking them. this from the washington time illegal immigration over the southern border tumbled to just a little over 100,000 migrants encountered in july according to an administration announcement noting that the numbers are proof that the president's recent approach is working. they errored nabbing about -- they reported nabbing about 56,000 balanced by a steady stream of illegal immigrants showing up for catch and release at official border crossings. the incumbency and border protection said they encountered 104,000 unauthorized migrants along the southern border in july. we have an independent, good morning.

caller: [inaudible]. host: we will go to annie, democratic. host: it works better if you turn your television better. caller: i'm sorry. that is what old age does to you. i just wanted -- there was a gentleman who phoned in earlier from indiana, he was a republican and spoke about being a man. men have to stand up. and he made my day. i couldn't agree with him more. he said nobody is going to tell my wife, my daughters or my granddaughters what to do with their bodies. we need to build bridges, not break them down. and to me, when i hear about the hatred, the country is a mess,

this is going on, that is going on, it saddens me. this is a beautiful country, beautiful people in this country. and the diversity within our country makes it all the more beautiful. when you start at the top with a person who is looking for presidency, talking about the country that they are living in and looking to sit in that overall office that represents the world, it demeans or country and that is not a place for him. i have never been more proud over the last month to see, number one, joe biden took the high road, he stepped aside. this feels -- joe biden could be there tonight accepting the nomination had he chose. he stepped said, and as i said it is time for new voices and young voices. when we can up in the morning

there is a little more lift in your stop anden lightenment in your heart to hear positive things about your country and looking forward to what we can do and not looking backwards. it is like life. when you start looking backwards, then you will never see the good ahead of you. i want to thank c-span, especially you, for giving us this opportunity to call and find out how we. . i also hope that the d.n.c. convention goes on without a hitch. let the people speak, if they are there protesting they have a right but there's nothing that happens to anybody inside the building and they are allowed to carry this out so we can fly and soar as eagles and let this country again see the goodness within each and every one of us.

and i thank you for your time. host: that is annie from springfield in the left-hand side of lincoln. there is karen out of the m.v.p. state, sharpsburg, good morning, republican. caller: yes. the only thing that biden and kamala have done for me, i'm 69 years old, has taken my medicaid away. and now they are working on my medicare. i'm a humana. i was a gold star humana. now i have had to start all over at the bottom and pay co-pays and i would like to know where is my medication? why can't i get it back? i have been trying. if she is going to take care of taking medicaid away, we don't need that.

we are americans and we need to be took care of. and i thank you for your time. thank you. host: that is karen. this is helen, akron, ohio, independent. good morning. caller: good morning. i would just like to say that i watch your program all the time and i truly admire all the comments. what i want to say is i am an independent, basically. i try to look at the character of all of my local candidates and my state candidates and my federal candidates. i formerly voted for ronald

reagan. i have a conservative side. and i look at the characters of the two candidates that are running for president of the united states. i love my country. i just -- we are so honored to have a country like this. but i look at the character of the won candidates, there's no way. i look at the way he defrauded many of the workers he used for his hotels. he is a convicted felon. and the way he abuses women. i cannot vote for that person. i know the other candidates,

it's not perfect. but it's just the lesser of two evils. host: hell anyone ohio. our last -- helen in ohio. our last caller. stick around. an hour to go. it's a four-hour program today on the "washington journal." when we come back, we will be joined by depaul university political science professor wayne steger. we'll talk about the democratic national convention and the vice president's unconventional path to the presidential nomination. we'll be right back. >> welcome to a great national crusade to make america great again. >> our dream has been earned. >> taxes will go up. and anyone who says they won't is not telling the truth. >> our beloved nation, we're in the midst of a springtime of

hope for america. >> because we are the party that believes in the american dream. >> read my lips. no new taxes. >> i still believe in a place called hope. >> here's the question for the american people. who do you trust in this election? >> the real choice is whether we will build a bridge to the future or a bridge to the past. >> i have unlimited confidence in the wisdom of our people and the future of our country. >> i stand here tonight as my own man. and i want you to know me for who i truly am. >> they had their chance. they have not led. we will. >> i'm john kerry, and i'm reporting for duty. >> these four years have brought moments i could not foresee and will not forget. >> it's time for us to change america. >> i wasn't my own man anymore.

i was my country's. >> i don't believe that rolling back regulations on wall street will help the small business woman expand or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. we have been there. we've tried that, and we're not going back. we are not moving forward, america. >> under my administration, our friends will see more loyalty, and mr. putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone. >> he wants to make america great again. well, he can start by actually making things in america again. >> we will make america safe again. and we will make america great again. >> here and now, i give you my word. if you entrust me with the presidency, i will draw on the best of us, not the worst. >> this towering american spirit has prevailed over every challenge and lifted us to the summit of human endeavor.

>> c-span, your unfiltered view of the convention, powered by cable. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us now from chicago is depaul university political science professor, wayne steger. he's the author of the book "citizens guide to presidential nominations: the competition for leadership." wayne steger, good morning to you. guest: good morning, thank you. host: as you know and we know, kamala harris did not face a traditional competition to become leader of the democratic party. what are the potential risks in your mind of skipping that nomination contest, and what are the potential rewards of doing so? guest: i think the biggest risk is that she doesn't have as much exposure with the democratic

party constituencies. and so she's somewhat of a blank slate to a lot of people. that's both advantageous and there's some disadvantages there. in general, competitive primaries and caucuses, when you fight over a nomination, party insiders do not like it, because you're chewing up a lot of money or attacking each other. there's the potential for a devoid which could hurt you in the fall. but in general, when you have these competitive primaries, little a net win for the primary. you get more donors, activists, and even if they don't like the winning candidate, they tend to stay active. so there's a lot of spillovers that are advantageous from a normal standpoint. that was all gone. you had an incumbent president, so it was virtually no competition, minimal coverage of the democratic primary. so kamala harris comes in with being relatively unknown.

the advantage to that is that she's acceptable to the various groups in the democratic party because people in a sense can project on to her, can point to different parts of her record that vibe with her own, their own views, and accept them. host: when it comes to the point of conventions, one of the points after there's a competitive primary is to bring the various factions of the party together to show a unified party moving forward. so what is kamala harris' job this week since we skipped that process? guest: i think she's going to be presenting herself to the party. the vast viewership, the people paying attention to the news about this, mostly are partisans. there aren't a home lot of independents that will pay attention. republicans will by and large ignore this.

some will pay attention, but sporadically so. and so this is her opportunity to define who she is to the democratic constituencies. in a way that will lead out her vision to the future. so it's an incredibly important moment for her campaign to not just continue to unify the democratic party, but to continue this incredible momentum she's had. and if she can bring enough groups in with full energy, it's going to be very hard to stop this campaign going into the fall. host: taking you back to the unconventional way she got here, does the constitution say anything about primaries or how presidential candidates need to be selected? guest: no, in fact, there's no mention of nominations, no mentions of political parties in the constitution.

all we have in the constitution is the electoral college. there's not even a requirement that states hold the elections. initially not all states did, and in terms of select electors to the electoral college, it wasn't until 1872 when all states selected them directly through elections. south carolina was the holdout there, having the electors selected by the state legislature. host: did democrats -- go ahead. guest: parties basically emerged early on in the country. they really are essential. i don't think most people realize that parties play just absolutely essential roles for the functioning of representative democracy. there are good things about political parties and there are

bad things. the good things, though, basically unifying and creating a campaign nationally that can be competitive. without that, given our electoral college system, we have an enormous operational problem in terms of trying to conduct winning elections. host: did democrats break any of their own rules in how kamala harris achieved this nomination? guest: no, technically not, at least not that i'm aware of. basically the delegates that are going to the convention were already select. the vast majority of them being committed to joe biden. he released them. however, they were basically acceptable to joe biden, and so when he endorsed kamala harris, for all practical purposes, there was no other candidate who

could win, could compete. there's nothing violating the rules. it's atypical, to be sure. but nothing that would be untoward. host: wayne steger is our guest, political science professor at depaul university, taking your phone calls this morning. the phone numbers, if you want to join the conversation on this day one of the democratic national convention. 202-748-8001 for republicans. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. we'll all look for your text messages and your tweets before. before we get to calls, what did you think of that virtual nomination process that played out ahead of this convention? guest: yeah, so that was done as something of a precaution to make sure that they would meet on the ballot requirements for ohio.

ohio required the nominees to be selected before this time officially. the convention, by the time they get to it, will have passed that deadline. now, ohio legislature did modify their rules to accept the democratic nominee, but just to be sure, to make sure that there was no legal challenges that would keep democrats off the ballot, they went with the virtual nomination. i do think that may reduce some of the fanfare, but i'm not sure how many americans realize that she already has been selected officially. host: is a virtual nomination a way of the future for these conventions? guest: i suspect not. you know, you don't want to, if you're a political party, if you're a presidential campaign, you do not want to take away from kind of the suspense and the moment that attracts maximum visibility. and so if you're preselecting, determining your nominee, you might lose audience share, and i

don't see the party doing that going forward. unless necessary. host: i'll let you chat with some callers. john in springfield, illinois, republican, good morning. caller: good morning. i'm wondering why nobody acknowledges that there is an almighty god and that he's in control, at least to a certain degree, and no one seems to either think about or care or it scares them to acknowledge that god is there and present. host: john, is there a more earthly concern since we're talking about the democratic national convention that you want to talk about?

caller: yeah, i'd like to hear the democrats say something about it. about abortion. and how wrong it is. host: wayne steger on those hot-button issues at these conventions. guest: yeah, so i would address the first question in terms of the point about god being in control. that would be a matter of theological debate among different christian denominations in terms of free will versus determination, more of a calvinist bent. democrats believe in a pro-choice position, and so what that means is not necessarily pro-abortion. it is entirely within the realm that you can consider abortion morally wrong and, therefore, choose not to have an abortion.

the point of it is that the woman has bodily control over her reproductive systems, and therefore, freedom to pursue a career, to choose to have a family, to be empowered. so the issue, really the debate between democrats republicans, is over female empowerment, over their own lives, versus government empowerment and dictating what can and cannot be done. host: to bill in wisconsin, line for democrats. good morning. you're on with professor steger. guest: good morning. i would -- caller: good morning. i would like to talk about inflation and how september 2019, a wail street journal article where donald trump was pressuring jerome powell to reduce rates to zero or less, and how that was the trigger for the inflation where all the blame gets put on democrats for the inflation.

and now donald trump is asking to have more control over the federal reserve. guest: yeah, sure, i'd love to talk about this one, because i also teach courses on political economy. in terms of inflation, there are multiple causes of inflation. politically, however, it's super easy to blame, right? you claim presidential candidates, political parties love to claim credit for their successes, blame others for any kind of social wrong, economic wrong. so there's a political side to this, and then there's a policy side. sometimes they match, sometimes they don't to some degree. in terms of inflation, you probably hit on the number one driver, and it's not just in 2019. the federal reserve engaged in

low-credit, for a very long time. it provided banks financial institutions with a great deal of cheap money, which in many cases was used not just for providing loans and liquidity to markets, but also to allow investment banks to build up stock prices. it contributes to the high housing prices that we have, because investors use this relatively low interest rate to buy up a lot of rental, but also housing, inflated the prices of it substantially. so the federal reserve plays the dominant role in determining the inflation rate, and therefore, drives the greatest deal of blame or credit for how the economy goes. the pandemic, obviously, mattered a great deal as well. but in terms of what donald trump's policy was, he absolutely, not just in 2019, but in 2017, 2018, and 2019

pushed very inflationary policies. he wanted to hyper charge the economy in kind of the ways that we saw in 2021 and 2022 as we came out of the pandemic. and it was incredibly inflationary. donald trump's protectionist policies are inflationary, because importers pass those costs on to consumers. the anti-immigration policies are highly inflationary. immigrants provide disproportionate share of labor in vegetables, fruits, meat processing, food processing. if we talk about grocery stores restricting immigration, it winds up increasing all of those prices. so, yeah, the trump administration policies certainly were a contributor to inflationary pressures for sure. but he's not in power, so politically the problem has been

now, so joe biden and the democrats get the blame for it. host: david in utah, republican. go ahead. caller: hi. i'm on, yeah? host: you are, david. what's your question or comment for wayne steger? caller: all right, when trump was in, everything was quite nice. you had good economy and everything. and then joe biden got in, and first thing he did was he did those -- he implemented -- he cut out drilling for oil on public lands. he cut out the keystone pipeline. immediately gasoline prices tripled. food prices doubled practically, because transportation costs went up.

host: we'll take the comments. wayne steger, back to politics and the economy. guest: yeah, sure, obviously it's a serious issue for large numbers of americans, and i appreciate the caller's question. first of all, regarding oil, because i think there's somewhat of a misnomer. joe biden has pushed a green energy for the alternative fuels in the future. however, joe biden also, and the biden administration has largely continued policies that began under obama, continued through trump, and the united states now through fracking and domestic oil production is actually producing more oil now than we did even during the trump administration. so it's not the case that joe biden cut oil. as far as the keystone pipeline, that was an alternative route to one that already exists. so canceling the keystone

pipeline did not reduce oil production or gas production in the united states whatsoever. it just would have altered the route in which oil transfers from north dakota and canada down to the gulf of mexico. i don't know how many people realize that. in terms of the overall economy, we've been on a trajectory, increasing employment from the great recession of 2008, which unemployment really kicked in in 2008-2009, and into 2010, and it reduced. we had relatively low inflation during that time, sure. but going back and adding to what i mentioned earlier about inflation, the pandemic had enormous effect. gas prices are a wonderful example. at the nadir of the pandemic when large parts of the economy were essentially shut down prior to the existence of the vaccine,

you had an absolute plunge in demand, which, you know, that left oil companies, gas companies with a huge surplus of fuel. they discounted prices nationally. oil prices in the end of the trump administration, but during the pandemic, were essentially very low because people weren't using nearly as much gas. demand rebounded very, very rapidly, in part because of stimulus packages, in part because of the arrival of the vaccine, the reduction in cases. and so during that huge surge of demand, oil companies had to ramp up production. oil during the pandemic had gotten so low demand, you had oil wells being shut down. production dropped massively. it took a good amount of time for production to ramp back up to meet that demand. lots of people traveling, gas prices surged enormously. and so this was really the

pandemic adjustment. groceries, a little bit more complex. you have more to do with the food processing side of it than it does actual farmers. but again, you had relatively, demand was lower. it shot back up. production took a while to ramp back up. so we do have these market forces coming out of really short but very intense recession of 2020. joe biden, of course, is going to get blamed for this. in terms of the inflationary effects of pandemic-era recovery policies, we had three stimulus bills, two of which were passed under donald trump, both of which combined were much bigger than joe biden's stimulus package. the big, big difference between trump and biden was how the stimulus package was distributed. during the trump years, the lion's share of it was in p.p.p.

loans to businesses. and during the obama years, that relatively shift moved less toward business and more toward low-income reduction of child poverty, so that reflects the ideological emphasis of the two parties. host: ann on x wants to bring it back to the topic of your book, "a citizens' guide to presidential nominations." she writes, how do you nominate meone who received no primary votes? i would appreciate the process here, the democratic process. guest: yeah, the process is that nominees are formally selected in the conventions.

in the case of johnson, it was at the new hampshire primary, an enormous difference between 1968 and now is that after and you had it open. in 1968, the vast majority of -- excuse me -- the vast majority of convention delegates were selected by party insiders, local bosses, for example, here in chicago. it would have been richard j daley basically dictating how approximately half of the illinois democratic convention

delegates would have voted in the convention. so the party insiders selected hubert humphrey. the party insiders really did select. this is officially the delegates that were selected, so they were all committed to joe biden. so we do not have any kind of historical parallels to that process as it played out today. host: we will take more phone calls with wayne steger, professor of political science at depaul university. a call from illinois. turn your tv down and go ahead. caller: ok, i was just going to say that i am an air force veteran from the 1960's, and i do not understand how anybody can sit back and watch our country turn into straight of communism. if you do not believe it, just look at the southern border and

how many people have died, been shot, raped, and just let somebody else come in and pick up right where biden left off. because nothing is going to change, just going to get worse. host: that is tom in illinois. anything you want to respond to? guest: yeah. one thing about political parties as they engage in an enormous amount of hyperbole critiquing the other side. you do that o'reilly up your bases. donald trump is certainly going do them and gloom, as he did in 2016 and again in 2020. this is our third iteration of this. the idea that the border is letting in large numbers of killers and rapists is not met with statistical data. i do not think donald trump particularly cares about what that kind of data is.

as far as socialism, communism, the democratic party is quite far from that. kamala harris coming out of the joe biden administration is much more in line with the new deal then she would be to socialism, much less communism. host: last call, antoine and chicago, line for democrats. good morning. lost antoine. frank in pennsylvania will be our last call, democrat. good morning. caller: this is frank. you talking to me? host: yes, sir. what is your question or comment? caller: you have somebody who is a very intelligent human being on their who is talking about what is actually happening, and i really appreciate it.

sorry i do not have other things, but i really do appreciate this man. thank you. host: frank in pennsylvania. wayne steger, final minutes and what you are watching for at the convention this week. guest: the big thing i am interested in seeing is just what is happening in the convention but also outside the convention. the protests largely over gaza and the israel war and how much visibility it will get and how much it will take from the democratic party's momentum, i think that will be a serious question. the protests on gaza, in my view, this is a knowing situation for palestinians in that the choice will be the harris administration or the trump administration, which is much more pro-israel and probably rather hostile to the palestinians. so the protests, to the extent

that they damage the democratic party really to help trump, it is hard to find a narrative that could possibly see a trump victory helping the people of palestine, which is really the goal of the protesters. it seems to be somewhat self-defeating. but it will happen. i know the idea is to put maximum pressure on the biden and harris administration's. but it is damaging to the electoral consequences to the party, then it really does hurt. host: wayne steger, political science professor at the paul university. the book is a guide to presidential nominations. i appreciate your time this morning, day one of the convention. guest: thank you very much. host: coming up, more of your phone calls on this monday morning, day one of the democratic national convention.

we want to take you, for now, over to a california democrats breakfast in chicago this week. this is their delegation. nancy pelosi expected to speak in a few moments. steve regular is introducing her. >> she has delivered for california and for this country. i am so thrilled, it is an honor to be a colleague of hers and to introduce speaker meredith nance -- speaker nancy pelosi. [cheers and applause] speaker pelosi: good

morning, everyone. any first-time convention goers here? any young democrats? i look out there and see the future. thank you all, and thank you, pete aguilar, for your great leadership. aren't we proud to have him in the democratic leadership and the congress of the united states. we have pete angular and ted lieu -- pete aguilar and ted lieu, in addition to hakeem jeffries, and a showing of the beautiful diversity of our leadership. two things, here is rest to hicks, just a great chairman of the party -- rusty hicks, just a great chairman of the party. thank you. gavin newsom, helping with those races, so happy about that because we must win those. so many people have said i am

working on this race, that race, that race. let me say this about california, because we never would have won the majority in 2006 if we had not been winning in california. in the year 2000 -- just a little history for a moment, so proud of this -- the year 2000, of the 52 democrats, 26 were democrats, 26 were republican. and because of the work of so many of you here, our vip's, our volunteers in politics, that night in 2000, we went from 26-26 to 31-20 one, democrats over republicans. and that was the beginning of the path to victory. congressionally, you turned california blue. i know before pete and i spoke, that there was dolores up here -- where are you? still here?

or did you just head out to make other speeches other places? [laughter] let me just tell you, she is so remarkable. when she had her 90th birthday a few years ago -- you young people, again, we celebrated under the dome of the capitol, celebrated in the dome of the capitol. she is such a historic figure in our country, that made her even more historic. how many people have had their 90th birthday under the dome of the capitol? to all of you, thank you. thank you. this is historic. we are gathered today in california, the golden state. very blue, very colorful, and we are here to nominate and then elect the next president of the united states, and she is from california, kamala harris. [applause] host: speaker emerita nancy pelosi, speaking with the california delegates at their

breakfast this morning. they are in chicago ahead of the days event for day one of the democratic national convention. to keep watching that, head over to c-span2. otherwise, stick with us here on the "washington journal," about 45 minutes left, in that time taking your phone calls ahead of these next four days of events in the windy city for the democratic national convention. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. i did want to note some of the beautiful skyline views from chicago. i want to thank true for allowing us to set up in their building, and we will show you those beautiful views all week long. of course, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the democratic national convention.

antoine, chicago democrat -- i think he tried to get in last segment. are you here now? go ahead. caller: i am a proud chicagoan and proud democrat. matter of fact, i am calling from the south side of chicago as we speak. i want to say that i believe it is unfair -- i understand maybe why, but i believe it is unfair that a supporter of democrats, supporter of conventions, supporter of the late harold washington, jfk, bill clinton, that a person like me and thousands of other chicagoans will not be able to purchase at make -- to participate more closely with the convention because it is so locked down. as we speak, i think a bag of doritos cannot even fly past all of the borders up around the convention hotel and the united center, so i believe that that is unfair. in 1996, i believe it is the last time democrats were there, and i had a chance to meet al

gore and i forgot the name of the senator from maryland, but we were able to get closer to the process. but this year, we cannot do it. so hopefully in the next four years, in 2028, the democrats will be able to allow citizens like me, those that support the convention, citizens like me will be able to participate with the convention and get more closer to the delegates and the politicians. that is it. host: how were you able to meet al gore in 1996? caller: i believe when the convention was here, it was some type of rally or something. and the guy from maryland -- not the guy, but he wore glasses, i forgot his name. but we saw al gore. he was shaking our hand. cool person. i mean, that is what the political process should be about, about actually meeting the person that you are voting for so you can have a more personal connection and you get more involved with it.

it is devoid of that this year. this place is locked down like it is a prison, and it is a shame that people like me, people that think like me, will not be able to work closely participate in what is going on. because the weather is great, the dnc is here, and we're going to win the election again but participation is zero. host: do you work downtown? do you have any sense of how much you will be down in that area this week? caller: as we speak, i live on the south side and work on the south side, so i will not have to go into all that craziness downtown. but when it came to lollapalooza earlier this month and when it came to this, everything is just congested, man. i suggest anybody who is not a delegate or who does not have the ins, to avoid it because the traffic and chaos are high. host: are you going to watch the speeches this week if you cannot get into the hall? caller: as we speak right now, i

am looking at c-span, looking at the beautiful city right now. and one of my favorite channels, msnbc, is only one click away, so of course, i will participate at the house. host: who are you most interested in watching, whose speech, this week? caller: i love hakeem jeffries. he is a stud. i like the guy from maryland. he is a stud. alc, she is a stud. the whole democratic party is filled with people that are interesting and know what we're talking about, so i will not miss anything. host: that is antoine there in the live -- in the windy city. thanks for the view from chicago. caller: go dnc. host: mary is next in the state of california, where we were showing nancy pelosi speak for that delegation. republican line. caller: i have a side note, and i do want to talk about governor walz because i was born and raised in minnesota.

last week, you had a young lady named michaela montgomery on, and people were so rude to her. they called her uncle tom and called her a sellout. i just do not know how your guests come on and take that kind of abuse. anyways, to the lovely woman, she is the age of some of my children, and i thought that was very rude. host: we appreciate any guest who is willing to come on and take calls from viewers. there's a lot of folks, whether in journalists and or public office that do not do that, so we always appreciate when guests come on and are willing to engage with the american public. caller: i agree. it seems the young woman has a good voice for the republican party, and we want young people, right? don't we? that is what everybody keeps claiming. we want young people. anyway, she was really abused, i think. but anyway, with governor walz, i was born and raised in minnesota.

i am an rn, just retired at 64. my mother was sick during covid, not with covid but with cancer, and we were not allowed, even though we were all vaccinated, including her, to come and help her. when we finally got into her facility, it was too late. we were not able to be with her when she died also, my sister's husband had a similar situation, prostate cancer during covid, his wife of 60 years was not allowed to be in hospice during his death. there is nothing more worse than dying without a loved one, a friend, holding your hand and talking to you at the end of your life. another thing, go to youtube, tim walz sent out -- go to youtube and look it up, governor walz sent police out to his people with paintballs to get them in during curfew, off their porch, off their front yard. he did that.

so i don't like that governor and don't think he is going to be a good vice president. host: mary in california. joe is next in maryland, democrat. caller: good morning. how are you, sir? thank you to all of your work, brother. you are a great ad dish into our world. host: thank you. what do you have to say? caller: i grew up in washington, d.c., my whole life, almost 55 in a couple days. a couple years ago i called and said i want to be president, and you said good luck, buddy, good luck. man, that was years ago, and i have never stopped trying -- just like you, trying to make this place safer for everybody. like antoine in chicago can't go to the convention, that is honestly terrible. that is what we would want, want our people to meet each other and get together. anyway -- sorry about that, i apologize. host: do you still want to be

president, joe? caller: i don't want to say that out loud, but i have something called the people's president, brother. i have not got it all formerly -- formally done, but i have been living here all my life on pennsylvania avenue, one end or the other. i am either called rich whitey or ghetto joe. i do not mean to be mean, but i am a jointer, not a separator. i live outside what they call the eighth ward. i want to be president, john. i want to bring my people together and unite. i will say this, and this is what i really want to say, john, and everyone else got to say the real deep beliefs. in late 1929, mr. rockefeller was giving a speech, and mr. rockefeller said, verbatim, we will give them the two-party system, but we, the new world

order, will be in control. now that is rockefeller's words. i'm not arguing nobody. i love bush, obama, trim, all of them. we all got to get together. -- i love obama, bush, trump, all of them. it is a melting pot. we got to put some handles on the melting pot and turn the temperature down. this is a place for the world to come in vacation and prosper. freedom rings, and we have to keep that bell ringing. thanks. host: that is joe in maryland. this is stewart in florida, republican. caller: good morning, sir. hope your day is going well. i wish i was able to get on with your last guest because when he was talking about the convention and everything else, the crazy thing is biden said i am not dropping out and then he was forced off the ticket but the

dnc. now no primary votes were ever casted for any democrat to run for president. and if they think that is fair, by all means. republicans, we had our primaries and voted and trump won. was he my choice? no, but he won because we voted. not one democrat voted in the primaries for harris or anyone running. host: about 15 minutes left in our program, bringing you live coverage of the dnc throughout this week. c-span cameras have been out and about in chicago. yesterday, talked to lewis goldstein, a new york delegate from 1968 and the 20 24 democratic national convention. he talked about his memory of that 1968 convention that took

place in chicago. here is part of that conversation. [video clip] >> i am here with lewis goldstein, a delicate for new york for this year's national democratic convention. this is not your first convention, is it? >> i have been at four conventions over the years. the first national convention i was at was in 1968. also here in chicago 56 years ago. i was loyal to the anti-vietnam war movementnd furthermore progressive party. the mayor at that time was criticized as being a racist and he was by jesse jackson and others. i stood with some of the team.

i walked after the police picked up kids in grand park. i walked with the progressive movement to grand park. and i still can visualize the blood on the grass. a senator getting up and telling us delegates -- he was from connecticut, liberal -- what was going on. i just felt so -- i was infuriated with all that was going on. when we were told you cannot protest, you cannot march. the protests this past year, since october 7, are different in the sense, i feel that all

lawful protests should be allowed. i have nothing against those who have family and friends who are palestinian, who, like me, feel that there are atrocities on both sides. i feel, no question in my mind, hamas is a terrorist group. but i definitely feel that prime minister benjamin netanyahu is doing things which should not be done, and there is no reason for him to be murdering people in gaza. >> why did you decide to become a delegate and how did you become one?

>> i have been participating in the political party since the 1960's. we have a fantastic democratic party, a party which is for the disabled, for those of us who are gay, for the environment, etc. and they knew that i said i was interested in some point, and then i received a call. i meet three of the criteria, being gay, a senior citizen, and disabled. and i felt, because of 56 years ago, i so much wanted to return here, to a chicago that is much different, and i was chosen at the democratic state committee meeting. the organization is led by jay

jacobs. in the dnc with the disabled -- they have provided special credentials to help me and the disabled, unlike mr. t, number 45, the maga, which makes fun of the disabled, who would rather cut off ada. so i am thrilled to be here. >> there was the virtual vote to have kamala harris, a new process. what did you think of that process? >> i was originally committed to president biden. i was elected as a committee at large person for president biden. i have been supporting him, but i had a lot of questions about him, not only his age itself but his abilities to continue his

presidency for another four years and his likability. i have friends in upstate new york, and there was the headline on that sunday three weeks ago that president biden said he was not running for reelection. i was so relieved and said it loudly, and other people said yes. immediately after that, he supported our vice president, our next president, kamala harris. i was thrilled, and i'm still thrilled, to have a person of color, a person who knows how to administer her stance for what we stand for. i was thrilled, and i remain thrilled.

and i continue and i'm looking forward to being part of this convention. we're going to come out united for kamala harris for president. host: c-span cameras will be out and about in the windy city all week long, and we will show you gavel-to-gavel coverage of the proceedings inside the united center at the democratic national convention. coverage today of president biden's speech and former secretary of state hillary clinton's, who will be stage tonight. tuesday, former president and -- as well speaking.bama, wednesday, forme president bill clinton addressing the convention, along with ce president nominee tim walz.

on thursday, the convention concludes with vice president kamala hofficially accepting the democratic live coverage all weekon c-span, c-span.org, and the free c-span now mobile app. about 10 minutes left here in "washington journal," taking your phone calls, getting your expectations for the weeks ahead. the phone lines are as usual. this is bob in maryland, independent. caller: hi, good morning. i want to commend you for your quickness, basically, and i do appreciate the gentleman who was the guest. it was very good to learn a little bit about the process. you know, i was like a first grader when my parents brought me here first to the u.s. it was during eyes and hera -- during eisenhower, and i

remember when the late john kennedy was running. i am really amazed at the people of this country, the resilience, and i think that is the greatest thing the u.s. has. basically, although emotionally i always opt for the republican rhetoric, but when it comes to numbers and what really benefits me as an individual, i see the democratic reasoning so much in tune. so it is a very difficult thing to go for the emotion or to go for the reason. host: where do you think you will land this time around, bob? emotion or reason? caller: i am grappling with that. [laughs]

the initial thing is that everyone on all sides, they want the best for america. it is just like, who is going to do the best job? who is really going to deliver and make things better, not worse? i don't think anybody will do that. when you look at every president, when we see what they have done, they may have different ideas on politics, but at the end of the day, if it did not work out, it means it was an experiment that we can learn from. and if it did not -- if it does work out, it is great, we can apply it. both sides, i look at them constructively to see who will do what they promise and deliver. host: thanks for that. a little bit of time left. this is amber in ohio, democrat.

good morning. caller: good morning. so i wanted to touch a little bit on one of your last callers who was talking about the primary and how it was not fair. ultimately, when we voted for biden, we voted for harris, as well. so if something would have happened, then harris would have become president, technically we voted for her. i am happy with her and walz completely. i am 46, have always been an independent until trump sort of became the republican nominee. i just can't get behind him at all. you know, i have a -- i am married to a black man, i am

white, married to a black man, and have biracial kids who also have autism. so there is a lot there that is personal for me when it comes to trump and his campaign and his thinking. i just -- i while back when trump ran for president, i really went to the democrat's side. i cannot get behind that at all. so yeah, that's pretty much what i wanted to say. host: amber in ohio. this is sue, also in ohio. caller: good morning, and i appreciate your guests this morning for telling truth to power. on immigration, president biden understands this is a two-party system and government works better when they negotiate,

communicate, and work together. and he finally, after three years, got an immigration program, bipartisan, led by republicans and others and was willing to pass that through, and the republicans would not even look at it. and the congress representatives are responsible, not the president, but the representatives are responsible for financing, passing laws and policies on that border, and it has not been updated or done for nearly two decades. and here we are thrown into the mix of a tennis court again. in your court, no, in your court. that is not how it works. it works when you work together. i thank you for your time. host: that is sue in ohio.

let's get in judy from north carolina, republican. caller: hey, good morning. don't cut me off, i just have a couple of things that i hope to hear from harris when she is on. but this woman was perfect because she was talking about the republicans, the house, not signing, closing the border. i just wanted to clarify that biden did an executive order to open it. so if he can do -- so he can do an executive order to close it. the republicans just did not want to put in dollars to ukraine or money going elsewhere, they wanted it to be a single thing. enough said for that. what i'd like to hear from harris is, when she's going to be putting all this price fixing and companies on there, i want to know how she's going lower the prices and what is she going to do for these corporations? because trump gave less taxes to the corporations and they used it to hire people, raise pay,

you know, and expand it. now harris says, raise tax, so now there's going to be layoffs again. there's going to be less delivery, less food. so i'd like for her to explain that a little bit more. host: last caller in today's "washington journal." of course though, you can stay with c-span throughout the democratic national convention. gavel to gavel coverage. and we will be here on the "washington journal" in the mornings to get your reaction to everything that happens in the days ahead. hope you stay with the c-span networks and also c-span.org and the free c-span now mobile app. we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. it's 7:00 a.m. eastern/4:00 a.m. pacific. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] ♪

>> next up for c-span's coverage of this summer's political conventions, we head to chicago for the democratic national convention. watch live all this week as the party puts forth their presidential nominee. hear democratic leaders talk about the administration's track record and their vision for the next four years. as they fight to retain the white house. the democratic national convention, live all this week on c-span, c-span now, or online at c-span.org. don't miss a moment. visit our website for the latest schedule updates and to watch our full coverage of the 2024 republican national convention. you can also catch up on past conventions any time on-demand at c-span.org/campaign. or by scanning the code. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government.

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