>> frank luntz was at the book festival to discuss his book "what americans really want...really: the truth about our hopes, dreams, and fears". frank luntz provides analysis based on interviews with 25,000 people about how americans live their lives and what they believe. this event is 50 minutes. >> i don't believe in podiums and i don't believe in speeches because the american people want to see your eyes. we don't trust anything anymore. by show of hands how many of you trust washington basically to do the right thing? if you trust washington, raise your hands if you trust washington. one individual in the entire

room who would trust washington. hello, mr. bush. how are you? it doesn't stop there. how many of you trust washing? raise your hands. you are not even related to enron. we have lost faith and confidence in the institution. in the people who govern us. it is a tragedy. we used to be the most optimistic country on the face of the globe. we thought things -- the son will come out tomorrow. now when a politician says that we don't believe them. we don't put trust republicans or democrats or anyone because they make promises to us that they cannot keep. you are one of the youngest people in here. social security -- i don't want to upset him or anything. remember the words social security and don't depend on it. things are tough right now.

the economy. the international situation. jobs. energy. the environment. healthcare. we don't seem to be able to talk to each other anymore. the fact that you are willing -- we will make this totally interactive. the fact that you are willing to listen to me for three minutes, you know what the town halls of the like. everyone yells and screams at each other. why can't we be civil? why can't we listen to people we don't agree with? many of you -- how many of you watch fox news? raise your hands. i love you. how many of you watch cnn? i knew that would be a few people. how many of you watch msn b.c.? the only news network with more letters in its name then viewers. that jo cost me the chance to be on msn b.c.. someone who has no sense of

humor, bill griffin. look at that. we watch news now and we collect news to affirm us rather than to inform us. so we don't share the same facts anymore. used to watching the radio? i need this for a second. how much makeup they used -- before and after photo. unwanted to correct the record on what americans actually thought. if you are buying this book because you are a republican and are outraged with barack obama i am not sure this is for you. if you're buying this book because your democrat and you want an explanation for 2008 i am not sure this is for you. if you are an american first

regardless of politics and trying to understand what americans really think, what they really believe and what they really want, then this is for you. it goes into our daily lives. i will show you some of this right now. it does have a chapter on government. it has a chapter on religion because it is important in people's lives. was anyone before -- anyone between the ages of 18, and 29 in this room? your life is so screwed. can i suggest 7 heavy sedation? how many of you are of requirement -- retirement age? there is no such thing as retirement any more. the saddest thing for me is when i see focus groups with people who had saved enough that they thought they could retire. then they watch the stock market in the last year collapse and

they now have to go back to work. they will never get the same job, they will never have the same opportunities and they are going to struggle. a lot of americans right now are struggling. i am grateful that c-span is here because it is nice to have a conversation where we can talk about what ails us without being pain-free, where we can disagree without being disagreeable and the chapter has recommendations for the future and i will get to that in a moment. what i would like to do is -- i know it is white it out of there. that is the only known photograph of hillary clinton after she discovered monica lewinsky. 72% of americans--72% are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. that is from the movie network, one of the great films of all time. every generation other than the 18 to 29 year olds are angry and the older you get the angry you

are and it is because of promises that were not kept. we do blame everyone but this is why you see all that yelling on television. the problem is it is on the blog, talk radio, there really is that much anger and it is all about fear. if you can do a wide shot, how many of you are better off than your parents when you were their age. is your quality of life better? raise your hand and keep them up. look how many hands are up. how many believe your quality of life is worse than your parents when they were your age? by the way, four of the 6 are in the front row. what is wrong with you? show of hands. how many of you truly believe -- not want the believe that your children will have a better quality of life than you when

they get to be your age? raise your hands. look at how few hands are up. if you want to understand that anger -- are you married? you are not, just together? how many -- how long have you been together? 40 years. he said 40, she said three. there is something wrong about this group right here. i don't think you want to put the microphone near them. they are doing something we don't want to film on television. that is why we are angry. part of the american dream is intergenerational improvement. i am looking at a lot of people who have a lot of kids and grandkids. any great-grandparent's here? how many children do you have? three sons. how many grandchildren? five. how many great-grandchildren? just one. how old? congratulations.

do you believe that your great grandchild will have it as good as you have it? you don't? why not? >> the way everything is today. >> is there anything in particular that concerns you or scares you? >> i think all of the politics that go on to everything and no one seems to get the picture. they don't know what we really want. >> you view of politics as the problem. some of it. i am making her very nervous right now. don't worry, the camera is behind you. who drove here more than 40 minutes to get here? who drove here more than 45 minutes? more than an hour? an hour and 15? an hour and 30? who drove two hours to be here? come on up. if you drove two hours to be

here, what bothers you the most? are you mad as hell? >> i am reverend thomas hooker's distant great-granddaughter's and what bothers me, my father worked in the oilfields for atlantic richfield and my concern is our energy future. yitzhak rabin i you confident we will solve it before it gets worse? >> i am not. we are hugely dependent on oil but south texas nuclear project being a real problem, yesterday the chinese out of austin -- t. boone pickens is in the four county area, falling out of the panhandle. it is questionable died don't know if i feel badly or confidence. >> my greatest anger would be related to someone named hooker.

that did not work. who drove two hours to get here? you did. are you mad at tell? what are you angry about? >> everyone is taking our drive to work--it seems everybody wants a government handout and that is not the case. we want businesses. we want to be able to employ people. i am a schoolteacher and worked all my life and am getting ready to retire and i don't think i will be able to retire because i have to keep working and by husband is in business and he wants to keep working but the opportunity to -- why work if we pay everything in taxes? >> on behalf of someone who had a good public school education appreciate it, thank you for being a teacher and please don't retire because we need more teachers who are dedicated. >> i love what i do. >> any other teachers here? thank you for what you do.

i appreciate it. i want to give people a chance to be heard. what americans really want, really? is that idea of getting hurt. let me show you 70% of americans are better off than they were, and their parents were. 34% think of their kids are going to be better off than them. 70% think their children are going to inherit a worse america than them. a majority. that is what is going on. that is the anger and frustration that the book explores. the idea of what went wrong and how to fix it. this is the most important -- i do this at the end because i have an audience. who has kids or grandkids between the ages you are? you don't have any. who has kids between the ages of ten and 18 or children between

10, and 18? raise your hand. this you will want to write down. i will go through it very quickly. of all the things that are in this book this is how to keep your kids happy and healthy. this is not just a book about politics or economics. it is quality of life. you have got to have dinner with your children five nights a week or more because that tells them that they are the most important things in your life. more important than business or social. if you are not having dinner with your kids, is that your dad? yes. you are going to tell me as i go through this whether it is a check or a minus for you. does your dad have dinner with you? >> he works late. >> a un high-school? it is 0-1. he will regret ever coming here. number 2. to take your children to church or synagogue once a week because

that teaches them there is something even greater than themselves that is out there. they might not be able to see it but if you respect a supreme being and the teachings you are more likely to respect each other and respect yourself. do you go to church once a week? you are not religious? this is getting real bad here. number 3. you have to check your children's homework four nights a week because the intellectual development of a child is as important as their physical development and it tells them their intellectual development really does matter. to your parents check your homework on a nightly basis? >> of course they do. >> you are lying to me. >> they are on the all-time. >> you are one for three. what is your gpa? >> 89. >> out of 100? you are right at that time-right

there? number for, who has a blackberry i can hold. i need a blackberry. you will never see this again. this is evil. if you are a parent, in the research that we did, for what americans really want, really, if you are a parent and your child is talking to you and you pick this out of your pocket and answer it do you understand the damage that you are doing? has he done this to you? >> not that i remember. >> you have to be really careful because i will never see you again but you are driving home with him. you are driving home with him too? you want to say something? has done it to you?

>> my mom. >> is that your mom sitting next to you? is she here? >> no. >> she is going to find out about this. how do we teach someone that sometimes honest it is not the best policy? tell your mom don't do it. but she is going to ask you to do something which is when you are at the dinner table don't text. how old are you? is that your dad next to you? >> yes. >> you are so fortunate to have a mom and a dad. so many american families don't right now. also in the book is a discussion of the world of family and life. i will tell you and you may not believe me because you have never seen me before and you will never see me again except in the post office on the most wanted list. the most important thing in your life is your mother and your father. the most special time you are ever going to spend his time with them. you may get angry with them at times but you will be so glad

that they were there and the older you get the more you will appreciate them and the only mistake you may regret is you didn't spend even more time with them. ask your mom not to answer this when you are with her but you have to do the same thing with her because that time is special. it is precious. the fourth thing you need to know is to go on a trip for at least a week when you leave this behind. that is number 5. what was number 4? i am switching the order of that. stop reading! america can't read except for you here in austin. i want you to take a trip with your children every year for at least a week because it takes that long to get away from all the path ologies' that go wrong and you leave this behind. do your parents do that with you? you two for four. there are two more coming. we need to get a majority.

do you tell your parents where you really are on friday and saturday night? do you tell them honestly exactly where you are? >> yes. i don't want to deal with the consequences if i lie to them. >> the demand to know the true from your son? >> i trust him. >> that is so essential. if they lie to you about weather going on friday and saturday they will lie to you about anything. the participate in a team sport? which one? >> i am a swimmer. >> that matters because physically his team does well or poorly based on how well he does so you have a responsibility to each other. if you can answer five out of six of those your kids are going to be doing great. if you answer less than three of those your kids are going to have a problem. of all the things we talk about today, what comes up when this rings? what's wrong? anything? no song? do you know how to work these?

can you turn this so when it rings in the future or place that funky music? i think that would so mess with his life if that song came on. this is what matters. that is what americans really want really. they want that family relationship. let me show you a few more. these are the five priorities that matter most to americans. this is what they don't have that they want more of. i want everyone in this place to stand up. everyone stand up. these are the five that matter most but i want you to tell me which is highest priority for men of this list right here? take a list.

how old are you? >> 11. >> 11. how many of you say more time matters most to men, raise your hands? sit down. no cheating. how many of you say men want fewer hassles more than anything else, raise your hand. clearly married men. you sit down. how many of you say men want more choices raise your hands. you all sit down. how many of you say men want more money raise your hands. this is texas. how many save men want more worries. are you worried people, said down. only the people still standing, what is the highest priority for women. only of those of you still standing. coo says the priority for women is more money? we have one woman. you'll be divorced soon enough. more money, said down. how many say the highest priority is fewer hassles? you all need to sit down.

is at the highest priority for women is more choices? you need to sit down. your hand was up. your hand was up. your honor, i was going 55 plus 20. who says the highest priority is no worries? all you worried people sit down. let the camera shows that we only have three people on that side. 12 people here. eight people over here who correctly identified that men want more money and women want more time. look at all the women standing in front of me except for the 11-year-old boy here. look at how many women if you could can this around who got it correct at how few men got it correct. congratulations to all of you who got it correct. this is how you understand what matters to people. this is how you connect and this

is what this book is meant to do. is meant to tell you what generally matters. not what you see or read about what really what the priorities are. i will stop for a second and take a couple questions and show you some language that did really well in the presidential campaign. any questions before i go on? hold on so we can get the microphone here. go ahead. >> how did your parents do with how to keep your family healthy and happy? >> how did my parents do? my mother -- how did my parents do at keeping me healthy and happy? my mother would be outraged if she saw how much weight i had gained. what the audience doesn't know is i took a vote as to whether i should be wearing a sport coat to hide my guts and it was 2-1 yes. they checked my homework every

night. not only do we have dinners at home with mother and father but there was not allowed to be telephoned, no radio or television, no nothing. every year we took a two week vacation and it was meant to be with them and with me and nobody else. i did do a team sport because i am a geek but i was very active in politics and so low that was my interest. but on the other five it was 100% and i believe it made a difference. the saddest thing for me is my father passed away a few years ago and my mother is in very bad shape. they don't get to appreciate this and i want to reach you because you offered it. one thing i want to read to you from here because i think a lot of people in the acknowledgements. my grandfather. will a second-generation american who passed history to

his son and grandson, it was his influence that turn into a political junkie and history for each and i dedicated the book to him. i am blessed that i had parents who brought me into this. who taught me this and never made a moral judgment. i will tell you a story. i never told this story publicly. i will speak more loudly. this is a story that there is a gentleman here sitting in the front row who i have seen in more than ten years. i first met him on the ross perot campaign and reference to him because he is an incredibly successful businessman. he is a real guy, a real human being. moral, stand up, honest, in an industry that often doesn't have it. you never heard this story before. mort myers has no taste in clothing whatsoever.

i don't know what to call it whether you are wearing paint or orange but it is not your color. you don't know this happened to me. i left the last day that i left i worked for ross perot he was shorter than i was and i had a height thing when i was younger. this was 1992. he had pulled out and we closed up shop and i said goodbye and turned in the car, sent my stuff back. i lived in washington d.c. and i got to the dallas airport and i am talking to my parents on the phone and my mother says to me who are you going to vote for now that ross perot has pulled out? and i thought for a moment and i didn't have anyone to vote for. i had issues with the other two candidates. i broke down because for the first time in my life i had no

one to believe in. i may be an acronym for a throwback give a better way to a previous time. but i like to fall in love with my candidate. i like to believe in something. i want to have faith and reason to work so hard and i had no one to vote for and i had to hang up on my parents for the first time in my life because i did not want my mother to hear me crying. that i had lost faith. so i was asked two years ago what mattered most to me and this is when i agreed to do that book. what mattered most was to promote civility in politics. it matters to me because i want people to care about their country. i want people to care about their neighborhood. i want them to know the history and culture of america. i am an american exceptional list. i believe this country, i will

say it, has created the most opportunity of any country across the globe. you have to believe it because that is the only way mort meyerson would have been successful. i couldn't have done this in any other country. i would have been arrested and shot. in this country the stuff i say people laugh and turn the channel. please don't turn the channel. so i wanted to try to promote the opportunity to have a conversation about employment, about religion, about retirement, about youth, about things they teach you you are not supposed to talk about, we talked about politics but my parents never made a judgment. we talked about religion but they let me choose. it is funny to me where we have come as a country. we are now also prepared to polarized rather than seek common ground, we show up to so many events looking to disagree

with somebody rather than say may be that point of view is worth considering. i want to show you something about barack obama. i want to show you why he won the election. this is a statement that comes from one of the debate and it was one of the most powerful statements of the campaign. rather than show of hands because i don't want to embarrass anyone, how many of you voted for barack obama? [applause] how many voted for john mccain? [applause] the back of the room voted for barack obama and these people here voted for john mccain. barack obama did something very powerful, something that gets to the root of why we voted the way we did in 2008. i do something called instant response which tests the power of language, word for word.

i did these on fox news. i say this to anyone who is a critic of fox news. i posted three debates, three of these town hall panels. barack obama verses john mccain. all three of mine had barack obama beating john mccain in the debate. i say this to those who claim fox news isn't fair and balanced. with each debate aimed gave more time to talk to the panel and explain why they thought barack obama won. on fox news the three voter panels picked barack obama over john mccain. do you really believe they would have had that on msn b.c.? do you believe they would have been so open that republicans would have had that kind of opportunity? i respect my employer very much because knowing what the results were, they still put it on the air and still highlighted it and allowed me to do my job. this was early in the campaign. this is barack obama vs. hillary

clinton. barack obama work harder than any presidential candidate i have ever seen to get elected. he knocked on 200 doors a day trying to find the last undecided voters. hillary clinton knocked on 200 doors but was just trying to find bill. let me show you barack obama's performance because in framing of this debate right here in california in my mind, the high year you see the lines climbed the better the reaction. if it is over 70 -- >> that have prevented us from solving these problems year after year after year. i don't think the choice is between black and white or gender or religion, i don't think it is about young or old. what is at stake right now is whether we are looking backwards or we are looking for words.

it is the past curses the future. >> past curses the future. that is one of the reasons he won so many independents and so many moderates. he didn't frame it during the campaign ideologically. he framed it as tomorrow verses yesterday. that was a brilliant framing. no matter how you look at what he has done his campaign was remarkable. i want to show you john mccain's best line because john mccain's focus was on spending. john mccain was not a great communicator. i use a line stevie wonder reads teleprompter better than john mccain. john mccain was an incredible war hero but did not run an incredible campaign. this one that he used against hillary clinton was incredibly effective and helped propel him to the republican nomination. >> against out of control disgraceful spending that has been going on and i have saved

the american people $2 billion in one stroke. in case you missed a few days ago, senator clinton tried to spend $1 million on the woodstock concert museum. my friends, i wasn't there. i am sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. i was tied up at the time. but the fact is -- but the fact is -- >> what you can't see is that they gave him a standing ovation. because he was able to remind them of what he had been through of his record, of being genuinely a war hero. if i may in the limited time that i have i want to show you two add, two best adds of the campaign because they illustrate how americans feel right now. these ads were discussed in the

book. the first one is also of barack obama. you hear his voice. why? because nobody wants to hear from announcers anymore. no one wants the negativity. everyone is fed up with ads that attack and attack and attack. you find out what your opponent is evil but you never know why you are good. you're going to have a primary in his state between gov. perry and senator hutchison. will be entertaining. but i don't know how informative it is going to be. notice the difference here. obama takes such a positive approach and does something no other candidate could do. he focuses on the audience. you mention the book i did before, thirds words that work. it is the subtitle that is important. is what people here. the visuals are grainy but you are going to see thousands of people.

that is what barack obama wanted to communicate. that he had lifted up the spirits of thousands of people. >> we want diplomacy and peace. not only can we save the environment, we can create jobs and opportunity. we are tired of year, we want something new. >> we can change the world. why did barack obama get 66% of the 18 to 29-year-olds? he offered them something they wanted more than anything else. the chance to make a difference. i heard grandparents say you want my grandkids to change the world? they can't even change their underwear. at least he gets it. i want you to go through the whole audience and get people to

laugh. he connected so well to that generation because his language reflected that generation. and frankly -- i have not done politics until 35 minutes into it to, i don't think the republican party connects to a 21-year-old. frankly i don't think they connected to a 31-year-old. we have changed. how many of you are on the internet, raise your hand. how many served the internet in the last 24 hours keeper and raise your hands. life is different. we don't watch network television anymore. we barely watch cable. people -- we wanted to get kids away from television. guess what? they are all on their computers now. this is the first generation where more people are spending time in front of a computer than spending time in front of a tv set. at the two together and they are never out side. thank god you are swimming at

least. this is the kind of america that we face. he offers them we can change the world and they said let's do it together. 1 million people sought jobs in the obama administration. it was in the tens of thousands that came down in 2005 that won a tour for george w. bush. how much he accomplished when english is only his second language? come on. laugh! >> this is not the world as it has to be. >> the best of the republican side. a little this is rudy guiliani. it was one of the greatest honors of my life to be a pollster to work with him on messageing during his mayoral race. he ran an awful campaign. he ran the worst campaign in modern history. he is the only person ever to finish a campaign with more

wives than delegates. can you edit that out of c-span? because that is the one that is actually going to get me killed. of all the jokes i do hear that is one, next time you see me i will be in a wheelchair with my legs broken. but what he did for new york is truly incredible. watch how high the lines go. how positive people react. when he talks about black and white, the future, that is in color. when he talks about the past you can hear the music is dark. when he talks about the future you will hear light sounds to it. brilliant communication. >> they used to call it unmanageable and a large majority of new yorkers wanted to live somewhere else. it was a city in financial crisis. a city that was the crime capital of america, welfare capital of america, the city in difficult conditions when i became the mayor. by the time i left office new york city was being proclaimed

the best example of conservative government in the country. we turned it into the safest large city in america, and the spirit of the people of the city had changed. >> i have never seen a street in new york that look like that. it is all hopeful. leave the ground, it is incredible. watch what he is going to say, something a candidate never does and he will offer the key word republicans were looking for. >> instead of being hopeless the large majority of people had hoped. i believe i have been tested in the way the american people can look to me. they will not find perfection but they will find somebody who has dealt with crisis on a regular basis and had results and in many cases exceptional results people thought were impossible. i am rudy guiliani and i approve this message. >> results. democrats wanted change, republicans wanted results. he actually says in the at i am not perfect.

we are looking for political people who admit mistakes because it makes them more human. i don't have much time. can i answer questions about where we are and what we are thinking and what we are doing? go-ahead. hold on. let the microphone get to you. you are going to hit eight people today. any lawyers in this room? who is a lawyer here? lawyers? all the lawyers please get out. seriously. she has been hit, she has been hit and we have it all on tape. you are so screwed. >> why are the public schools supporting the democrats? >> thank you very much, everybody. why are the public schools supporting the democrats? is -- yes, sir. this is your child. you raised him really well.

the answer, education is the issue that i care the most about because when we say you are the future too often we say it and don't really mean it. we don't make the necessary investment for commitments. it is not how much money we spend on schools but how we spend it. there is half a chapter on the book on education and it focuses not on effort because so often you get graded on effort. in like you get graded on results. whether you can read and write and add and subtract. i have a company in washington called the word dr.. we will take probably 100 applications for every person we can hire. because the kids are not taught how to write. they are not told how to stand up and communicate. we seem to give everyone -- how many trophies do you have? a lot. you are five. how old are you?

you are 11. you have five trophies. give me one. life is not -- effort is important. effort does determine success but in the end it is results. and i feel like the teachers -- i will step into it but you asked a question. i want to be focused on the kids and i believe the teachers' union should be focused on the kids, not the teachers. for those of you who are teachers i want you to pay more. i don't want you to retire. what bothers me is you got the experience that is invaluable, precious and special and those good teachers who teach well, if you are a good teacher and you make more money, if you are a good lawyer, i guess -- oxymoron. i am supposed to be the word dr.. it is the only profession where

you are actually discouraged from doing that. so i don't know why they tend to vote democrat. i want to be their best supporter but i want to hold them accountable. i want to reward the best teachers and i want the worst teachers to find another occupation and i want you to be challenged every day of your life to do better. if you come home with an a minus, i want an a plus. i want you to change this world. i want you to be the most optimistic and hopeful oriented young person and i want all of your friends to be the same way because that is how america will be strong. [applause] something else. the gentleman with a smiley face which by the way went out in the 1970s. >> i came in in the 1970s. i am really sort of worried

about disenfranchisement. can we really continue to believe that voter fraud is not rampant? we have always had it. it has always been a problem with representative republics, any sort of voting thing but i see maneuvers in the current administration, it looks like they are really stacking the deck. >> wasn't it lyndon johnson who once said to make sure you're right down the names of every headstone because every dead stone -- every dead person has the right to vote of every other dead person? >> the man who called him on that was killed and the justice of the peace said it was suicide because he was shot several times with a high-powered rifle. >> what time is my plane leaving? i think this is the only book

festival where you have to come packing. yes, we have problems but we still have a better electoral system and more people should participate. but we have a lot of people voting in 2008. what is interesting to me is there was so much criticism about young people not voting and when they actually voted people were complaining that they didn't know enough about who to vote for. i think it was great. i love going to rallies where thousands of people are participating and i want us to be the most informed and active democracy but i also want mort debate. more forums. more town hall meetings. for every congressman and senator who doesn't have the guts to face you and respond to your questions i say two words to them, get out. [applause] i told you guys to move up because you're too far back. this is personal responsibility

here. i encourage the people in the back, now they want to ask a question. >> as the word dr. i will ask you don't you believe that people don't trust people who use words? every time -- >> four-s strung out. don't you not believe that no people -- i do believe -- >> don't use words correctly like the word freak always has something attached. you always have to pay for something free. >> my favorite in the english-language is above a. obviously. you don't shop at that store and you don't buy that person's products. if it is a politician you don't vote for them. if they're not being straight with you and look you straight in the eye, that is what freedom is all about. that is what freedom is all about. you have the power to make a

difference. if our boss doesn't respect us or we don't respect the people who work for us we should not be working there. if we don't hold our politicians accountable we have elections on tuesday. if you are so angry with the way things are vote them out of office. don't complain, do something about it. two more, one more. go ahead. hold on. i will come to you. for the record he hit the lawyer. and i do give dick cheney credit. i know a lot of people are not keen on him. he could have shot the dog, he could have shot the truck but he shot the lawyer. and he got a lawyer to apologize for being shot. >> i want to know why we are not

being listened to. >> why you are not being listened to. because sometimes you are not speaking to affectively. just to shout means they will have people who come to these town hall meetings. shouting doesn't mean anyone hears you. it is a simon and garfunkel song -- i saw the two of them singing together and they got my favorite line. people listening, people hearing without listening. you don't go to a town hall meeting with the president of the united states with a gun. you don't. you don't. you don't shout down a senator or congressman because that is disrespectful. [applause] hold on. but you do go their with legitimate questions and you think about the language that you are going to use. i will give you an example on health care. there is a chapter on what

americans really want. if you are in the medical profession it is in here about what we want on health care. that is a simple question. can you really create a trillion dollar government program, brand new, and actually make it deficit neutral? how many of you believe regardless of where you stand on health care issue, how many believe this trillion dollar government program for health care will be deficit neutral? raise your hands. one? one individual -- two. and there are a lot of obama people but only two think it is deficit neutral. if they lie to you about that, what else are they not telling us? instead of making a statement you ask it in terms of a question, you use the rhetorical. this is how i grew up. i used to ask my mother how far is the son from the earth? she said how far do you think it

is? this is why i am crazy. i never got an answer. or if it is going to cost a trillion dollars who is going to pay for it? they're not listening to us because we don't know -- often how to frame the questions for them that they have to pay attention. quite frankly we don't hold accountable. in this book are those questions. in this book are those answers. i struggle with this. i wrote this three times when i was in the process of selling a company. i had to get it right. what a great way to end this. i want them to listen to you. i want them to genuinely here you. and i want you to be optimistic and hopeful again. i want you to walk out of this room shaking hands with people you never met before. as you reach for your wallet to write a check, i do signed this somewhere, that is the whole

purpose of what americans really want. to empower you, to inform you, to educate you so you will never feel like you are not listened to again. i thought austin was going to be tough. i like you guys. the fact it you took your son here, your son will never forget this. you will probably shoot me in the parking lot. that tells me you are a great dad. for the teachers who are here i thank you for your service and hope you have a good festival and what americans really want, really, thank you. thank you very much. [applause] >> frank luntz is a pollster and television pundit who frequently appears on fox news. he is the author of words that work, is not what you say, is what people here. this was part of the 2009 texas book festival.

visit texasbookfestival.org. >> the two founders of myspace who figure largest were tom anderson and crystal wolf. as i said before they were not technologists. they were marketers. they live in l.a.. they left a start up after it collapsed in 2000. they started their own e-mail marketing company. at the time e-mail marketing was not officially known as spam but it was. because they weren't getting consent from the people they rescinding e-mails to and quickly they were profitable. there was no many to raise money. they branched into selling in addition to sending e-mails for other people they started selling their own products. they sold five cameras you could hide in your shoe. basil e. books like how to hypnotize people and how to grow taller which involved a lot of

stretching. the distributed spy whereas i was discussing after 9/11. it would turn your cursor to draw the american flag. it would track you as you went around the internet. they were operating on the fringes of the internet economy. >> this was a portion of a booktv program. you can view the entire program and many other booktv programs online. go to booktv.org. type the name of the offer or book into the search area in the upper left-hand corner of the page. select the watch link. now you can view the entire program. you can explore the recently on booktv box or the featured video box to find recent and featured programs.

>> october 16th marked the 1 fiftieth anniversary of abolitionist john brown's attack on the u.s. armory and arsenal in harpers ferry, west virginia. he went to trial after his capture and was hanged in charlestown, west region, on december 2nd, 1859. brian begin to discuss is the trial from the courthouse where it took place in charles town, west virginia. [applause] >> good evening and welcome to the court house in jefferson county. before i begin any remarks i would like to notice that the court house has just now reached the final stage of what has been six months of renovation.

kurt davis who is with the county here, capital improvement, has been shepherding this project along and this is the first meeting of any nature we have had in the new refurbished courtroom. we are very proud of it and all the work. why don't you raise your hand? [applause] before i introduce tonight's speaker i have been asked to give some background about the court house itself. two years after jefferson county was created, the first courthouse was built on this spot on land donated by george washington's younger brother charles. was a modest structure that housed the county court which was equivalent to county commission and magistrate court. in 1812 a superior court was created in virginia and it was for this district house in winchester. it wasn't until 1831 -- by the way i remind myself please turn off your cell phones and an electrical devices, please turn

them off. it was 1812 when superior court was set up in winchester and it would be 1831 before they movable or circuit superior court was created in the commonwealth of virginia for this district and its first session was in may of 1831 presided over by judge richard parter of winchester who was the father and namesake of the judge who would try john brown. in 1836 the first court house was pulled down and a larger one was constructed in the greek revival style popularized by thomas jefferson which characterizes virginia court houses from this period. the new courthouse was topped by a bell tower, potbellied stove, heeded the building with an assembly hall on its second floor and a stable in the rear. the ground floor was taken up by a huge court remanded was this ground-floor court room in which john brown was tried in october of 1859.

during the civil war, particularly in 1863 the court house was heavily damaged by shelling and luckily the court records had been taken by wagon to lexington for safekeeping and survived the war but by the war's end the court house was a sad, empty and ruthless ruin. a photograph from that time shows that there were tombstone's being sold in the courthouse yard in front and you can see the bear rafters above. in 1866 a new courthouse was built in shepherd's town which was made the county seat by the federal troops occupying the county. in 1869 county officials tried to sold the brick and timbers of the old court house and jail for scrap but charles town residents argued that the building was theirs and not the county's to sell. the bitter struggle as to which town would be the county seat was decided by the western genius supreme court in july of

1871 and a disappointed shepherd's town almost seceded from the county. the run court house would now be reconstructed. it would be bigger, stronger, taller. the bell tower was increased fantastically in size and a clock was added. weight bearing walls participated ground balls into offices. the exterior walls, windows and columns were raised higher to create a space for a brand new court room upstairs. the basic layout of the courtroom, the position of the judge, the jury box, and closed with a railing is similar to that at the john brown court room where he was tried, a gigantic chandelier was put in 4 evening sessions. a balcony was added which was referred to as the ladies listening gallery but seems a lot like the jim crow balcony of that same period. they had a different way of explaining it at that time. for 40 years from 1873 until

1912 this court room would be the home of one of the homes of one of the west virginia supreme court of appeals. our supreme court was a circuit riding court and during its three terms each year it set one term in wheeling which had been the original state capital, one in charleston and one in charles town. in 1922 this upstairs courtroom would see its own treason trials. wars were raging in southwestern west virginia and union organizer bill blizzard and 700 coal miners had been charged with murder and freezing following their armed attempt to unionize logan county in what had become known as the battle of blair mountain. those cases were transferred to jefferson county and all the trials that were had including the trial which acquitted bill blizzard were held in this very court room. unlike some venerated buildings rich in symbolism and history

the jefferson county courthouse is not a museum but remains a working courthouse. it still houses the circuit court and many offices of county government. births, death, taxes, land transactions are all recorded here. people are married and divorced here. petted injuries, grand jury is still set in regular session and petted juries revolve controversies about a growing population. elections are held and the results tabulated and analysis here. this famous building is at the very heart of our civic life. a lot has happened here and is still happening here. however the linchpin story, the entire history of this old court house is the trial of john brown. here to tell us that story tonight is a man steeped in the details and significance of that famous trial. a year ago i was giving a courthouse for when two men asked to tag along. when i got to the subject of