closer to them. closer to home. closer to their communities and we are seeing more and more women step forward at the local level because they feel like they have something to offer and they want to have a say, and i think in the next decade that we are going to see more women on school boards, in our county commissions, our city councils taking the leadership rings on park boards, all sorts of different community-located events because they like having that brought close and being able to work through that so that it is for the better benefit of their family and their extended family. >> okay, very good. another question.

>> i'm janet shannon with mandate media in public regulations. one thing i noticed with sarah palin being talked about marginalized basis. i believe that happened to sarah in this election. they doubted her education. they doubted her background. when, in fact, she was a very accomplished young woman that i thought for the first time in a long time got me excited about the presidential election. and i felt like what do you have to say how she was treated by the media and what happened to her on a personal level by putting herself out there in a national race? >> you know, and i appreciate so very much the fact that we had governor sarah palin on the national ticket. i just appreciate her value system and what she stands for. and the fact that she was

willing to put herself out there. you know, you can get upset about it or you can realize it's there. that the media has a bias. and i have always just accepted the fact that it was there. and determined that i was not going to leave the playing field. that i was going to be a trailblazer and help to change it. what an important lesson for all of us is that you have the ability, you have the skills, you have the wherewithal to step forward and lead. let's not be risk-averse and let's not fear failure. you know, what's the worst thing that can happen? you'll lose an election. they'll tell you no. they're going to say terrible things but. you know they are going to do that. they're going to say bad things about your family. you know they're going to do that. conservative women are kind of at the bottom of the heap, i guess, when it comes to the

individuals that and the major media, you know, respects or listens to. but it is up to us to change that. and i believe that we can because people agree with us. most people, i find -- and i have loved doing the book project because it allows me to talk to women from all over the country and to hear what they have to say and to, pardon me, to listen to their hopes and dreams and their wishes for their families. and i think that most women are a lot like me. they love their family. they are great multitaskers. they are multifaceted. they do several things at one time. and they are going to work fearlessly, and tirelessly to make certain that they get things done. i think that's the kind of leadership that our nation needs.

>> all righty. >> over there. >> a question back here? >> my name is sarah mars on the counsel of standards on international educational travel and my question goes along the lines of conservative women being at the bottom of the heap. megan mccain wrote in her blogs about having difficulty identifying with certain conservative women out there. what can conservative women do to push forward role models that are more attractive to young people today? >> pushing forward role models that are more attractive to young people today, this is where mentoring and raising up other leaders comes in. i've always been a huge proponent of mentoring. i enjoy having young people that i mentor. i think that you learn as you are mentoring others and this is a responsibility -- when you

hear something like that, that's a responsibility that each of us should feel. that it is up to us to help mentor and help encourage and help push along other young people. i like the fact that my daughter and her friends have more opportunity than i had. that means that we did a few things right. maybe not all. but we did a few things right. i feel like that my grandmother and my mother did a few things right because i have greater opportunities and access to greater opportunities than they did. when my grandmother went to college in the early 1900s, she wanted to take ag courses, agriculture courses. she was a tom boy. and she wanted to go take those ag courses and she was told, well, she couldn't. she was a woman. she had to sit behind the modesty rail. but because emmy josephine meeks morgan said i'll sit there and i will take those classes, they

realized, you know, it made it easier for the next woman who wanted to take some of those classes. so you have to just keep pushing forward and pulling people with you. keep pulling people with you into the process. never do something alone. always do it with someone else. >> where's there a mic here. we got a lady in the center. >> i cannot measure the depth of my concern about our current economy and what is happening. i think if this administration is successful, it not only jeopardizes your leadership but the leadership of many, many men and women in this country. i wonder if you could tell us what you -- your leadership, apparently you're a wonderful leadership that has brought you

to this congress. what you are doing in congress, what you can do in congress to allay that fear that some of us have and what is happening in your state? what are your constituents saying about this? >> yes, ma'am. as i said earlier, because of the ethics provisions i need to keep my answers focused on the book and not all the workings on the congress. if you would respect that. here again we have the importance of individuals who are leaders who are going to stand up and articulate and be very clear about how they're going to move forward and lead. and as i said earlier, you lead people. and as someone in elected leadership, it's important that we realize that we are there

serve and to listen and to help individuals walk through what is a very difficult time. and i think that's an important role that we feel right now. and my hope is that we're going to do a good job of working with individuals in our states and in our communities and listening to them, hearing them out and then bringing good ideas to the table. >> good afternoon, i'm ann stone and i'm one of the original incorporators of the national women museum. i want to perhaps -- first i wanted to thank you for your message and your voice that rejects victimhood for women and i think that's extremely important. and i would add maybe to your suggestions about mentoring that we as republican women especially can talk more about

the proud history we have with women in this country. and, in fact, today is the anniversary of susan b. anthony's death. >> that's right >> at age 86. she and all the sufficientists -- suffragists were republicans. and how do we emphasize the incredible role republican women had in america's history? >> and we have such wonderful women that we can go back to. i put a small appendix in the book off some of history's mentors. you can go back into the old testament. you can find wonderful mentors there. you can find so many women, good godly women and i think god calls forward godly women to lead. and to lead his people. and how important it is for us to remember that. that we do bring a wise

perspective to so many debates, company debates, church debates. we need to be more vocal. not be risk-averse and step into that arena and accept those -- look for those open doors and lead and then we all need to be building that network and this is something i would -- i would hope that at some point the history museum could do. outstanding women, ordinary, everyday women that do extraordinary things and i know that some of -- there are some magazines and networks now that are beginning to pull these stories because they realize there's this wonderfully rich tapestry all over the country of women who have survived and risen against incredible odds and have done amazing things for school systems and homes and communities and educational

projects and outreaches and just to know that there are others who are excelling and i can tell by your expression you've realized that too. and be able to pull those together so that we can all benefit from knowing what they saw as their strengths, how they focused on those strengths, not on their weaknesses and how they move forward to reach their goals. >> okay. we have any more questions. here, i see one in the middle. >> and one over there. >> okay. >> thank you very much for taking the time to meet with us today. i really enjoyed the stories and also the history of your leadership roles as you've shared them with us today. i was wondering -- and i know that it might not be something that's at the initial thinking in your future but after you

serve as congresswoman, congressman, do you have a future idea of life after congress back in your home in tennessee of leadership roles that you would like to take on? and if so, how do you feel that what you've done today, which is more serious than previously working with, say, the girl scouts how do you think that will prepare you to -- >> well, you know, everything is a building block. and that's the wonderful thing about having rich experiences. whether it is a not for or whether it is with a city -- a city commission or a county board or serving in the state senate, serving in a governor's cabinet, serve in the state's senate, coming to congress, all of those are stepping stones or building blocks are part of a

life's experience, a life's equity. and the next step -- who knows what -- where life will carry you? that's one of the wonderful mysterys that is out there. but for each and every person in this audience today, i would say the important thing is to determine what your life equity is. that's why we put the website in place and you can go in there and figure out what your strengths are so that you can write your own story, you know, one of the great myths is that somebody else will always tell their story for you? and they won't and they won't give you the credit you feel you deserve. so we have the tools there to help you write your own story. and then be able to articulate that. because you don't know what doors are going to open for you tomorrow, or next week or next month. just as you don't know what problems or challenges that you

may face. so what you need to do is to be ready for that. and i would encourage all of you figure out what your strengths are, write a summation of your experiences. write a mission statement so that you know who you are and what you're about. your philosophy of life. and then write your story. say, this is who i am. this is what i've done. this is how4bh i have accomplis it and then as the old line it ain't bragging when you done done it. [laughter] >> so be ready to articulate > okay. we've got time for about two more questions. i think we'll go to this gentleman here on the front row who's been patient. >> and we're so glad he's herej and on the front row.

>> hi. i'm craig banister with cnsnews.com. my question was -- i saw fromyz mu your bio you found your own marketing company. do you have any lessons learned of that process of self-evaluation these are my skills and taking thatqñ lip, tt risk that you talked about. >> exactly right. and, craig, as i said i sold books door to door during the summers to work my way through college. and then went to work full-time for that company when i finished college in 1973. and they had this nepotism law and i was marrying a guy that worked with thezn company so g what? the woman had to leave. i'm sure many of you remembered those days and went to work with another company. had children decided i wanted to hang out a small business

shingle. and it was a sole proprietorship and worked with companies helping get them to place their products or their ideas, move them forward. i think as you do that, as you take that jump into small business -- and my shingle was hung out during 1980, a really bad economic time. but i thought if i fail, i fail. if it works, it works. and you have to realize you're going to have good times. you're going to have bad times. but you have to be persistent. in the book i talk about not waiting till you're confident on something or feeling that you're going to have a certain amount of competence. just get in there and start working and your confidence and your competence will grow. they're both going to grow but

you don't need to put off doing something. get in there and start doing. the competence will come and your confidence will grow. >> okay. we have one last question over here. we have a lady over here with a question. all right. >> i'm maria and i work for a strategic marketing communications company in alexandria, virginia. and i also mentor about 15 to 18 women. and i wanted to say and encourage the group is that i have seenñ ÷ in the last three years the most amazing transformations in these women's lives that standing here i would say i would fall over if i would tell you even some of the things

that have happened but through studying the scriptures and through jesus christ the amazing things that he wants done in those women's lives and the encouragement that his word leads in their lives and the ability for them to be able to understand it and to grasp hold of it and to trust that he has the most amazing plan for their lives and to walk on that bridge that they can't see. and some of these women are on the hill. some of them are í!ñlawyers, in medicine. different walks of life but i just would encourage everyone here if there is any mentor group that they could get into in their church or in their work, that they run to it. >> you know, one of the things that you're talking about mentoring, that is one of those female traits of leadership that i think is so -- or feminine traits of leadership.

i was doing a radio interview right before i came 6zain, and radio interviewer said me, tell me the difference between female and femininist when it comes to leadership? what's the difference here? and i said, you know, one of the thing that you're going to find with women who are given to leadership that they want to help others to have an easier time of it8úu and to realize th wonderful world of possibility and opportunity that is out there for them. and isn't that how we can sum up a lot of what we do? faith, family, freedom, hope anz opportunity is kind of what we're about and what we would like others to be about. let me close with this one quote that kind of turns -- do i have time? >> you do. >> absolutely. >> one thing that kind of ties into what you're saying. in chapter 5 of the book, every chapter i have started with a

quote, one of>rx my favorite qus that relates'n to that chapterd like chapter 7 which is the life you've lived discovering the hidden value of your expertise. i've got one there from loretta lynn. not all learning comes from books. you have to live a lot. and i think that life experience -- we know that that is -- that's so important. and between each chapter in the book i've told a story of a wonderful woman, different women whether from different parts of the country, from different areas of work, who have taken their life equity, their strengths, their experiences, put it to work on their passions to achieve their goals. and there's some wonderful stories there. but the chapter 5 reappraising your life and calculating your equity.

i use a quote from marian williamson and i'm quoting her. our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. we ask ourselves, who4 am i toe brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? actually, who are you not to be? you are a child of god. i hope each and every one of you have a wonderful, a wonderful life equity experience in your life and thank you very much for giving me the time for being here today and again to heritage, to your staff and to clare boothe luce for allowing me to be in such a wonderful

group. i appreciate it. thanks. [applause] >> now, we have a couple of small items that we're going to present congresswoman blackburn but before i do that, i really do want to emphasize the importance of this book. and this is for women of all ages and frankly for men, too. not only does this book use parables to teach, which we know are very important and really communicate effectively. it also is a work book. and, you know, as you go through this book you're going to find places where you get an assignment. and so this is the kind of book that you can take and read and you will learn from the reading but you will also have exercises. and you know we always learn exercise when we have exercises.

so i really want to encourage you to get a copy of this book. if you can't get it today, go to the bookstore and get it. and not only do i want you to get a copy of this book for yourself, but i want you to think of some young woman that you know who you've thought, well, maybe if i mentored her or maybe you have a niece or a cousin and you're thinking, what can i do to be helpful to give encouragement to this young person, this young woman? this is a good way to start. this is a book that they will pick up and they will read it and they will do the exercises and they will immediately understand that they're an important and valuable individual that has a lot more talent and skills than perhaps they even recognize. so getting this book for yourself and getting it for someone you know and love can be

the best thing that you do this week so please take that to heart and just do it. now, we're going to bring the congresswoman back up here. we've got a couple of books for her. camille, come up here. >> on behalf of the clare booth luce policy institute we want to thank you for not writing this book for women and for being a strong conservative woman leader that we can all look up to and so we have our clare boothe luce mug which on the back has a quote from her that says "no good deed goes unpunished." >> wonderful. we can have our cup of coffee together and drink that. >> we also have our pretty and me and has pictures of some great conservative women leaders. >> thank you so much. [applause] >> and from the heritage foundation, i would like to give a quote it does not take a majority to prevail but an

i-rite tireless minority keen of setting the brush fires of society in the minds of men. >> i love this. >> thank you so much. god bless you. thank you, ladies, and gentleman and we are adjourned. [inaudible conversations] >> republican marsha blackburn is currently serving her fourth term representing tennessee's seventh district. prior to that, she served in the tennessee state senate. for more information on congresswoman marsha blackburn, author of "life equity," visit blackburn.house.gov. >> oxford university press in 2009 has several new titles

coming out. susan ferber senior editor with oxford. what are some of the new titles. >> i'll be thrilled to talk about some of our new books. i'm going to talk more about the political ones than the ones that have political implications today. real enemies i realize there's a lot of talk about conspiracy theory. you see them all the time on the internet. this is an author who actually spent some time looking out what does conspiracy theory mean for american democracy and how can conspiracy theories over a long period of time since world war i -- what does that mean about americans and what they think about their government? and do they trust government? so this is a book that looking at pearl harbor and looks at fear of jews in government and it looks after what happened in the kennedy assassination and it comes up right up to 9/11. i think it's a wonderful read and it's something that i think, unfortunately, it will never go away. this is an author who spent a lot of time on internet sites and actually used that for her research. >> what comes naturally? what comes naturally is winning

two wards at this conference. this author worked for 20 years on this book about miscegnation law. she thought it was an important topical issue. by the time she finished it, it shouldn't be so unusual anymore. it's something people still have an issue about. this is a book that travels from the civil war right up to the present and looks at the many different groups that have been defined as nonwhite and the laws that have been made against all sorts of unions and love relationships in this society and how people got basically taken to court and other people judged what their race was. and she ties this in to gay marriage today so it's a very, very topical book that the propositions in california is not different than what that law what you >> and peggy pescoe won what awards? >> she won the holly prize which is for political institutions and political history.

and she won the lawrence levine prize for a beloved historian who passed away a few years ago. >> and who is she? >> she's the beakman professor of northwestern history at the university of oregon. this is her second book and -- it's a labor of love. >> the day wall street exploded. >> what could be more topic cal. this is not about the economy today. this is a book set in the '20s when there was actually a real explosion down on wall street. this is a first book. this is an extraordinary first book and a wonderful storyteller. beverly gage is a professor of yale university. she started it well before 9/11. it's not something she decided to talk about before the current events and what was happening in wall street in this period and it's a real detective story. >> and finally one other book we want to talk about the wilsonian

moment. >> this is new method ideology and what is really exciting to me there's been such a division in history between people who studied the united states and people who studied the rest of the world so people will focus on countries and focus on individual topics. this is a person who actually is part of this new generation of international historian. he looks at president woodrow wilson's ideas that came out of the 1919 paris peace conference that ended world war i and wilson was spreading a whole -- pa whole rhetoric about self-determination and nationalism and giving colonial peoples the hope that they too could form their own nations. and so he takes these wilsonian ideas and looks at how they traveled in different countries and led to uprisings the following year in many nations, china, korea, egypt and india. and those are only some of the countries that are involved in this book because similar events are going on in palestine and other areas. this is an author that