and above and then younger since we offer such a wonderful array of children's authors and activities, people bring their grandkids now, so we're building on that new readership. >> and what dates did you say it was going to be held? >> november 12, 2010, at the frankfurt convention center in downtown frankfurt. >> booktv was in frankfurt, kentucky, as part of our cities tour where we visit several southeastern cities over the next few months to bring you a taste of their literary history and culture. our partner was local affiliate frankfurt plant board. for more information on this and events from other cities, visit c-span.org/local content. ..

>> she is the great granddaughter of herbert hoover, the 31st president of the united states and

worked on two presidential campaigns. with president bush 43 and capitol hill. she appears weekly as i am sure you know, , a political commentator on fox news. on a factor one of the top-rated cable tv shows in history. also on the board for the hoover institution at stanford also on the herbert hoover presidential library association. she is here today with her husband john avalon from "newsweek" including cnn as well as her parents andrew and genie and andrew is herbert hoover's grandson. we but like to welcome you to 85 among her many goals in life i am sure both as i

noted before align quite well with those things that we care about here at the reagan foundation. first involves brand relevance. if you are a follower of the reagan foundation for what we stand for, you can help but notice the past couple years we bend over backwards to furnish the image and legacy of ronald reagan. the reagan brand into the minds of americans. we have taken the opportunity of this centennial to reach many millions of americans and remind them not just what ronald reagan was as a man but more importantly, what he stood four. i am here to report it is in great shape. the most recent survey that

he is the most admired president among all americans. [applause] margaret is also on a mission. she faces said different related brand challenge she has said the course and where it needs it to repair the brand hot of the republican party herself it i will leave heard to tell you how it is possible the brings to idea is through her name and reach, the ability to attract many newcomers like few that have come before her. between the mission of the reagan foundation and the mission of margaret is to attract young people to our respective causes. here we have been overwhelming interest to

attract young people. particularly those who were not even alive when he was president or old enough to vote for him. to know why his ideas were important. without this knowledge there is little chance they will strive to emulate him. went from planning to organizing margaret has a similar task that brings forth the single focus of engaging youth, the millennial generation, a 50 million strong into the welcome arms of the republican party. without them, there is no future for the republican party and urges us to do something about it. please join me to welcome margaret hoover. [applause] >> an incredible honor to be

at the re again presidential library and foundation. ours is the ira herbert hoover presidential library association. thank you for the generous introduction. the subtitle of my book is how a generation of conservatives can save the republican party" some of you may wonder if this is alarmist what why does it need to be saved? and also how the historic election came to washington and then in a short period of time manage to change the course of the fiscal policies in washington. in the context of maybe even my other -- father may

wonder if i am not a bit alarmist with my subtitle. i would say this is not at all alarmist. there is a real sense of urgency and purpose that john touched on. my book is intended to be a warning because the republican party is at risk of losing an entire generation of americans do democratic voters to the rest of their lives. 30 and under which i call the millennials and others call them generation y and they are all the same. 30 and under born at the beginning of the of reagan era through the end of the clinton presidency the largest generation in 2008 there were 50 million eligible to vote conservative estimates now

have them at 80 million. 17 million more millennials than at baby-boomers, 27 more million then generation x. we all know they are not republicans. overwhelmingly not republican. and they represented 18% of the vote in 2008 and anticipated to be as much as one 1/4 of the electorate in 2012. in 2008 overwhelmingly voted barack obama, 66%, 32% john mccain. the reasons this is urgent is because partisan identity takes on the characteristics of cement over time it starts and after they clear barriers it begins to solidify.

after three presidential election cycles, the identity solidifies. they voted john kerry 2004, barack obama at gwot 2008. this means republicans have roughly 16 months to make inroads into this generation before we lose them for the rest of their life. this is troubling to me. not just because i am a republican but i believe the ideas of the conservative movement and the republican party offer better solutions that affect them most directly. the title of my book "american individualism" is a reference to my great grandfather herbert hoover and the principal he set forth almost 90 years ago in

which i believe captures the spirit of the millennial generation and surprising ways. i want to tell you about my own background first other than the a great granddaughter of herbert hoover. i have always been a proud republican because of this. but also have my own journey. since the beginning i have been a student of herbert hoover life, legacy, american conservative movement. i never knew my great-grandfather. he passed away 13 years before i was born but my upbringing was stories of him and his wit, wisdom, philosophy of government. and peppered with business to the herbert hoover president joe library which is in west branch i was also to the hoover institution at

stanford university, northern california which he calls his proudest legacy. i also of europe with the stories so my dad had this how he learned to made and not because guy with five stars on his shoulder told him how to do it who was living on the zero waldorf-astoria with my father and these influences had the impact on me growing up but despite that experience i shied away from politics or participating as i was growing up i did not intern for a low gold representative lourdes did not pursue jobs in

washington d.c. our major in political science instead i was quite inspired by my great-grandfather's life trajectory which took him abroad in his early years so i studied spanish-language literature also inspired by my great grandmother who learned mandarin chinese soy study mandarin chinese. i studied abroad and bolivia and mexico and china and also my first job bottom college when i graduated from university was taipei, taiwan. i worked for a taiwanese law firm as a research assistant and editor. studied mandarin chinese at night. but my first full day when i arrived after graduation was september 11, 2001. on that day and the weeks that followed that i wanted

nothing more to be back in the united states where the deepest expression of patriotism was stirring in our country and being on the other side of the globe when that was happening had a profound effect. we stood up at night watching television, the 24-hour news cycles that began then and it is 12 hours difference i stood up at night watching cnn as late as i could. that is because fox news was not available at that time. [laughter] i was so inspired by president george bush words and his leadership and also leverage the guiliani and the expressions of patriotism everywhere and especially rallying the youth to patriotism i have

not seen yet to in my life to inspire made to what to come back to be part of the functioning of our democracy and it is an incredible honor to work for president bush. after one year in taiwan, i found my way home. i volunteered in colorado for the wayne allard senate race and got very lucky. tora went to washington and found a job i would was hired by a brand new republican who needed a spanish speaker and his washington office. then had the opportunity to join the reelection campaign july 2003. and one year later received a white house appointment in 2004 where i worked roughly two years and then in 2006 i have the opportunity to come

to new york city to work for rudy guiliani on his presidential campaign. during the course of my time working for president bush, i sense a mounting animosity and distancing of my peer group from the republican party. not onlyt(ñ[nui in 2004 and 2006 but you could not miss it in 2008. the polls solidified these but had completely turned away from the republican party. for the record i am completely accustomed to being in the minority of my peer group with politics and i joke that as the hoover right and cut out for it. when you grow out related to the most vilified president who history books teach me

caused the great depression and 18 books say he did nothing to solve it and i know for a fact the director of the reagan library brilliantly e-mail because his daughter had ap u.s. history she had to write about herbert hoover not doing anything to fix the crisis will and his daughter armed with the information from the hoover library managed to get the letter a on her test to educate her teacher what herbert hoover actually did during the great depression. what's it is interesting to me to see, you develop a thick skin, a question the conventional narrative and think independently. those of the greatest gifts i got from herbert hoover. but the narrative has gotten worse in my lifetime.

they'll is brought him out as the whipping boy but every presidential election cycle now republicans are doing it. member of the talks about barack obama hoover bell and even rush limbaugh said the economy is so bad we will not reelect barack hoover obama. i cannot put that out there without doing a small defense. this is a man to his contemporaries called a great humanitarian and biographer say just shy of 1 billion lives were saved because of his efforts of famine relief. he was a pioneer of the modern ngo and the master of the emergencies. 1927 mississippi river flood basically the equivalent of modern day katrina displacing 1.25 million americans.

as secretary of commerce, went to the river valley to coordinate with local leadership to get to tent cities and vaccination and education and possible water and all paid for by private funds. it was incredible and he was a hero one of the first disciples of the conservative movement hong and americans have forgotten we have a great hero in herbert hoover. back to the millennials, some say we cannot get the youth go. some say that like winston churchill when they start vote with their pocketbooks they will come around if they are not a liberal when they are 20 that have a hard they're not a conservative

if they are 40 they don't have the brain. this is great if it were true but it did note -- ignores the best history that was set by ronald reagan. he brought an entire generation of route use into the party. >> guest: these boats in 1990 and decisively by 20 points in 1984. it is not true that the use will not vote for republicans. even the very first millennials, the first that were eligible to vote and 2000 and split the ticket evenly between all glor and george bush. it is fair to say because there is not as much experience the political views are formed as much by those failures they have known as any vision espoused

by a particular politician and a reagan was aided by the failures of the carter administration but also able to communicate conservative is of so beautifully an entire generation rallied to the vision. also that is what barack obama was able to do. the youths started to break from the republican party in 2004 they believed john kerry's mantra the iraq war was the wrong time and place and the failures of the federal government to respond to hurricane katrina affected them as well as the scandals in the house of representatives 2006. and the republican brand damage drove the of the way from the party as much as the soaring rhetoric of barack obama that captured

which is the ease those of the millennium generation which is the desire to rise above partisanship and appeal to service and the resolve that government could work again. one more thing about the challenge facing republicans. we need use especially because the republican party has shrunk in the youth category also that in almost every other category. in 26 categories of economic, religious economic, religious, ethnic, 26 categories republican identification shrunk in 25 and we remain the same only with the church goers we're far away from that permanent maturity we were seeking but have an opportunity to come around for more than just millennials because the

message of this book will rage with the electorate. and is the attempt to characterize the millennium generation. what makes them tick, what is exciting, what they think about government. also an attempt to communicate conservative ideas so we can connect to them. i tried to describe the issues they are already there the we are espousing the conservative movement but on issues where they are not there how do we make that case? whoever the candidate is i hope will look to it because i have a professor of political science last night monitor a group from san francisco and thought by

characterized the millennials quite well. he was very liberal but to he thought i characterize them very well. the truth is we have been enormous opportunity there is a good sign millennials have been disappointed by barack obama and they did not turn out with the numbers in 2010 and hence his approval rating is down 18 percentage points in this group since january 2009. be very clear. it is still high but down 18 percentage points says something. who are the millennials? they're basically three things you need to know about millennials that is counter intuitive.

first, they have a positive view of government. i will read the statement and think how you would answer this. agree or disagree? when something is run by the government is usually managed inefficiently and wastefully. [laughter] only 42% agree with that statement. a 50% thinkpad government is good at running things. okay. that is what we're working with. this is not to say they don't think government should crowhop or should have a greater role in the lives of individuals but do not think it is evil and it should work. unfortunately eight reagan's government is the problem

line will not resonate with this generation. incidentally, while millennials have a good view of reagan to the extent they are aware of him and the reagan foundation has done an incredible job to promote him they do not have the same visceral their reaction when the republican party and volkswagen the way people like my parents' generation and older do because they did not experience him firsthand. incidence leave of hoover library will take a few pages from your book on promoting herbert hoover. second, the politics is pragmatic and not ideological. 40% call themselves moderates for the 29% liberal and 29% conservative

they do not buy into the rigid ideology. i think this is how barack obama rhetoric is that he was not red or blue states but the united states of america. of the youths who loves this. also making government work again. they love this. the government can work apart. the third thing you should know is they are the least traditional generation in american history. more can be raised in single-parent households the single religious generation least affiliated with organized religion 67% say pray every day? they call themselves spiritual but do not identify with organized

religion as much as previous generations. they also have the fewest hangups of sexual orientation than any generation. this is where the majority believe in same-sex marriage. given these guidelines, how do we as republicans and conservatives connect to them and sell our message especially 2012 which is the next big opportunity to make our case to the millennials and american people? i think what we need to do is look at the issues that are most important to the country right now. quite obviously you are paying attention, we all know we talk about spending deficits and entitle the reforms and jobs. this generation is 37 percent unemployed or underemployed.

this is the highest share of this age group in three decades. while 55% like a bomb a personally, they can see his policies have been tried and viscerally have not worked. unemployment has gone up. many are still on their parents so far of. as republicans we can say they were tried and failed to make sure we do not demonize him personally because the generation still likes him. we have to make the pragmatic case not a personal one. also, every time we talk about spending, we should talk about how spending in washington is generational theft and connect the dots specifically to them. it is their fiscal future. they have to pay for it.

every single dollar washington's benz the people will have to pay it back with interest. that it is our fiscal future and economic prosperity that is robert. republicans when we have the chance need to make a strong case it is the republican party who can make a bold decisions to represent what hope and change is and not politics is normal normal -- politics as normal. another in area where millennials are already there with republican policies and what they represent is education. the millennial generation generation, another datapoint, the most diverse generation in american history. 40 percent non-white.

20% have at least one immigrant parent. if the promise of america and american individualism is everybody has the opportunity to rise above their circumstances of their birth. based on their own skills and talents and have a good education in order to do that. we decided that a long time ago that the government will provide a good education. but 30% of not graduating from high school. of the majority of those those, disproportionately black and hispanic. 50 years after brown v board of education basically segregated school system based on good and bad zip codes. the wealthiest of codes and the pores of goats. this offends the

sensibilities of the generation because they flock to the charter school movement and they are the ones who are staffing teach for america and understand there is a systemic problem and the reality is the democratic party is incapable of handling this. they cannot because the hands are tied because of the teachers' unions and cannot address the problems and millennials understand this especially with movies like "waiting for superman" even the center-left is starting to understand the teachers' unions are standing in the way. not the students' interest. the fact $40 million is board into them and the reform is happening in states with republican governors and legislatures like chris christie christie, florida, i feel

that i don't have to say the states and tennessee admission again the new republican governor just passed reform that will affect every kid in the school system in detroit. this is something to me the millennials get implicitly and we need to start trimming of mountaintop with the next election cycle for president. the other issue that ranks high is the environment. i argue we need to make a strong case for a conservative environmentalism. the republican party has a good history with environmentalism rose about, and nixon, i think that we can talk about a climate change but it is also the an exact science

and note the cover of "newsweek" shows the globe would freeze over. we can acknowledge and talk about it in a reasonable way without embracing but left solutions which would lead the enormous tax burdens for energy consumption and frankly only reduce carbon emissions in the united states by a minimal amount without even touching indiana and china. and -- india. but we need to put forth an agenda that the government has an important role to protect the environment but should not be trusted to deliver the low carbon energy independence. house to come from individuals working together driven by the reality of the market place. talk about a couple other

issues i will be happy to do with question-and-answer is with feminism, there is a wonderful new crop of women leaders in the republican party than national scene has not taken note we have seen sarah palin and michelle bachmann but there are three new republican governors from 2010. line is his and martine s. from new mexico but they have no idea in new york. i also talk about social issues how it relates to this generation i also talk about immigration we have to work harder may be on fiscal issues and education and they're basically there they need to connect the dots. we need to do a better job and of better job with islam

this supremacy the war on terror that is now the overseas contingency operation. [laughter] and also making a case for american exceptional as some. this is the first generation that doesn't have the pride with american individualism but we can make a case to explain the hang up they think american individualism means that we are better than everybody else and we can go it alone. that is not what it means it is an expression of the brilliance of this system in america of that allows individuals to become the best that they can be. not because i am better than any other woman born in any of our country but our system, because it projects my liberties allows me to become more.

back to the titled "american individualism." when i began to think about how to connect to conservative ideas for the next generation, i found what i was looking for close to home and i realized as i was going through my great-grandfather's book, but the -- "american individualism" herbert hoover embodied before the first millennials were born. herbert hoover was a technologist and this generation has come of age with the internet and he lives in an age where technology was booming and was responsible for regulating radio waves in the first individual to appear on television and then learned them in the heart of silicon valley

before it began to embody the technology and was the global list. he circumnavigated the globe five times by steam ship before the advent of a aviation work on four continents, visited six and this generation is globally oriented because of the internet. they care a lot about public service. millennials highest percentage 83% they have volunteered at least once in the last year. they value service not necessarily political service but herbert hoover was the biggest humanitarian the last thing they have in common is they believe government can work.

it can be part of the solution and they wanted to work. also it could be a partner they do not believe the grit is evo and the secretary of commerce was defined by streamlining and standardizing the modern economy. the reason we get eggs in half-dozen and dozen and milk is pasteurized and comes in leaders and bricks and tires are the same size and bed sheets are standardized because they were not before herbert hoover. as an engineer he decided if you standardize things you could streamline the modern economy and make it more efficient. he believes government should not control industry but help it to be more e efficient for the sake of increasing the standard of

living in the productivity of the modern economy. in 1922 herbert hoover wrote the book "american individualism" and lived abroad roughly 20 years and his experience had been one with the political revolution sweeping the globe had the front row seat with the boxer rebellion, one of the last 200 foreigners to escape from china on a german mailboat. then involved deeply in russia and the bolshevik revolution where he saw them destroy the factories and watched the rise of belligerent germany in europe where he took a firsthand role to bring food relief to belgium and keeping them from starvation. he became concerned when he

returned to the united states, the -isms and political ideologies fascism, socialism, communis m, around the world may be tried on for size and remake experiment. it was not abstract the socialist party of america and a presidential election at one point had 6% in the popular election. so to characterize what the system was in order to inoculate from trying on the -isms of europe. he called the american system "american individualism" because it was centered around the individual and harvard the equality of opportunity. not the outcome of opportunity and to do that his story could not have been anywhere else in the world.

born in a frontier town west branch, iowa first president born west of the mississippi. said west to live with relatives he hardly knew after his parents died and rose to the greatest heights of success as the international businessman. toward the end of his trampling campaign in 1928, he gave a speech called rugged individualism. this speech was basically a campaign distillation of the ideas of "american individualism." and he talks about how america has a choice of two futures. america have a choice to stick with american choice of "american individualism." i will read the quote. >> a choice between the american system of rugged individualism and the european philosophy of

diametrically opposed doctrines of paternalism and stays socialism where every step of the business of the country poisons the roots of liberalism politically quality and free speech and free assembly and free press and equality of opportunity this is not of more of liberty but less liberty. i am struck by how relevant that it is. these are the things that we here in the tea party rally. this is the choice of two futures that paul ryan talks about with the path to prosperity. i think if we make the case in a generation, the millennium generation if given the choice will choose the american system. who work -- herbert hoover "american individualism" in is fractured as the movement can be and it can be

fractured, i have a chapter called conservative tribalism because it is a very diverse family. new conservatives and patio conservatives and western conservatives. goldwater conservatives. libertarian conservatives. we have all these different kinds of conservatives. and good genius of ronald reagan in my view is that he could bring harmony to the cacophony of voices and the conservative movement and unites us and focus us on what we had in common but not what divided us. he was able to provide a cohesive fusion and it was aided by the coalition unified interest to defeat communism and made all of the different factions realize if we focus on what we have in common, we will get there but did you are

80% might ally you are not 20 percent of my enemy. also that we need to invoke the aspect of reagan today. and refocus on the challenge and choice before us in 2012 if we focus on the fiscal responsibility to grow the economy and get jobs back to the american people and channel the essence of individualism, this will create a new fusion is them to unite the tribes of conservatism and attract a new generation to the republican party. my book was requested undertook research survey republican philosophy to appeal to a broad section of americans including millennials. a major source of my

inspiration prove to be a book, written almost 100 years ago that millennials will be surprised to discover such thinking and new ideas and the republican party and also the hope and the change that they have been waiting for. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] at. >> margaret has been kind enough to agree to answer some questions owe and maybe you have questions we have people in the aisle who can

bring the microphone to you. >> and if you mention the genius of ronald reagan being able to bring the cacophony of voices together in the republican party. as i see the candidates running today i do not see any genius among those groups that has the same ability. do you? >> where is our ronald reagan? i then they should think the republican field is immature and broadening. i don't think everybody who was in the race will be in is in there yet. and whoever the candidate is really takes the ideas and characterization's of this

generation that i have tried to crystallizes two heart because i hope that a reagan emerges. we all do. >> i think that point* was will take 10 there is a lot of youth out there that has no idea what is going on with politics. thinking to people the republican party ought to embrace because they have the charisma to reach out to those and that it is bobby jindal and marco rubio. i am sure there is more out there with the very group you are talking about. >> i absolutely agree. but paul ryan is remarkable

nobody can explain the intricacies of those completely boring budget policy in the absolutely understandable and accessible way and paul ryan is one of those people. he is not deeply ideological but a very pragmatic and also can connect to the next generation and i could not agree wire from marker rubio. my first donation was a $200 check when i was working not making any money. i gave him $200 check when running for congress. i could not agree with you more. also a pool of fresh faces. nikki haley, as susanna martine says and brian sandoval of course, nikki haley is the republican governor of south -- and also the governor of new mexico and your neighbor next door a republican in

hispanic governor. in 2010 we have elected a new slate to get their stripes. and we will be ready 2016. i hope that they will come to it because of good disappointment even if we don't have a ronald reagan we have a chance to make a case with the inroads of this generation. >> i went to your grandfather's library i never realized what a wonderful man he was until i visited.

but do you think that tea party may divide it the republican party as ross perot did in 1992? >> today is a particularly good day to ask that question because there are things that are happening right now in washington that could threaten that state. i genuinely hope not and hope the folks, it is remarkable to me that 87 republicans been i year to shift the direction the country is going in terms of spending. and i am a huge fan of the tea party because without them this would not have happened. [applause] and i certainly hope we will get it our successes and

realize we need to get over the finish line because we don't have the bully pulpit of the presidency and will lose the communications battle if we allow the government to default. it can be considered an enormous when to get to the point* in that is the first up to correct the fiscal course for the next generation. >> i am curious if there is any candidate in the party talking about than a step forward? >> i have a lot of young friends that say we have fantasy candidates. personally paul ryan embodied the future of the

republican party and -- republican party. so does marco rubio but i personally hope it would be paul ryan. rick perry has a wonderful story to tell about texas but but rick perry also represents one thain that is the expression and that many folks like yourself are not comfortable with the field as it is now. we hope the rest of you will hear us loud and clear. please get in. the party needs you. >> thank you for and lightning a son of millennials today we appreciate the background that was very helpful. the first time want to state that i am a proud reagan republican because my first

vote was 1980 and i voted twice that is a commentary on our use today because they're not going to the polls and my question is what can we do to attract them to the polls? >> it is to did not go to the polls for republicans but they are going. 18% of the electorate 2008. 18 million beds half of the electorate shows up but slightly even better they were not voting republican. what we need to do is read my book. [laughter]

[applause] and then make the case. we have the opportunity. they may not be tune din right now but they will give the next president a fair hearing. that is the window of opportunity to make the case. and along the lines i have outlined and i think they will hear us. we have to try. half the battle is showing no. 1/2 to make the effort and the online. we realize we were creamed by technology by the democrats facebook was involved in the campaign and involve less on-line advocacy i was at the dnc convention for fun because you could put your text message that obama of good tax due to say thank you and

i still get tax from president obama. i am not getting tax from the rnc. i should be. but we knew we were creamed and some things have been change. every republican member has a twitter account abbate would say they just met with constituents which is the right step hoping this will coalesce once we have a candidate because parties are redefined within the candidacy so it is my sincere hope there will be honest effort to reach out and connect because we can make inroads. we have this window to do it >> i am a public-school teacher and i teach junior high. and with the upcoming generation they hear the

constant attack on teachers unions beating up on their teachers. they know how hard we're working for their better future. but the republican party tends to vilify their teachers and educators and the kids pick up. but they pick up we're being selfish or trying not to be accountable. but as a public school educators i care about the kids. all politicians that don't care what party, to support us this generation is turning a political. >> i say this in my book and

i should have said it that america's teachers are america's heroes and laura bush did this brilliantly. she was a teacher herself and put the focus on how important teachers are for our country and how their service is invaluable. thank you for teaching. the republican party is not vilifying the teachers. it is not about teachers but the system that has been corrupted that look out for the interest of teachers more than the interest of students. [applause] when you say we need to support teachers, i agree. but the question is to we support them by throwing more money at the system

that absolutely proportionately if you compare the amount of money into the public-school system compared to all of the other countries to rank in the top 25 and the amount of money they throw do we do that with the system that is broken? but in a way that reforms the system? to have a better education, more education the classroom, may be a philosophical difference but and we have bay real opportunity reforms this necessary then we can talk to -- . [applause] >> we're almost out of time.

thank you for coming. [applause] and. >> thank you very much. >> notice that color of the burma and that amber that use the comes from