>> and by the way, when you are taking a look at the republican and class that actually did come in, more than half had held elective office at some point before and this, i think that there are some very good skilled politicians here who have collected a label themselves. ..

>> and the vast majority of the folks were not tea party. they were just as reid said earlier, people who were ticked off at republicans in 2006, and they were really ticked off -- president bush and republicans in 2006, and they were ticked at president obama and democrats in 2010, so, you know, i think the tea party movement, they are not to be totally dismissed or discounted, but at the same time, i think they have been exaggerated by people in the general media. >> i think you're right. i think unlike 1994 where you had a speaker contract with america bringing in members, you have a more organic phenomena here, and it has a gravitational pull unlike anything we've seen where normally the problems of a new speaker dealing with the cardinals, committee chairman, senior folk, and how to delegate power, which boehner's done

nicely, but now there's this jupiter in the solar system that's affecting things. >> gentlemen, that'll do it for this round, so thank you so much for joining us, really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. [applause] ♪ >> c-span's bringing you live coverage from hy-vee hall in downtown des moines. we're going to hearing from five of the republican presidential nominees at the ronald reagan dinner. the candidates that will be speaking at the dinner include rick perry, newt gingrich, myrrh shell bachmann and rick san tore up. this is hy-vee hall bringing you live shots from downtown des moines. each candidate has ten minutes to speak. it's $10 a plate for the fundraisers. we also expect to hear from senator chuck grassley as well

as iowa's lieutenant governor and the state gop chairman, and we'll more than likely hear first off tonight from iowa gop co-chairman. two candidates we will not hear from include herman cain and mitt romney. both are leading in the polls here in iowa, but according to bloomberg news, the state's gop party leaders say it's important for all candidates to take every opportunity to be here in iowa. looking at the room as it fills up for tonight's speeches by five of the republican presidential candidates here on c-span2. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [inaudible conversations] >> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] >> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. [inaudible conversations] ♪ >> i want to be one to welcome you here today to the kickoff of the 2012 presidential campaign. [applause] energy policy is about powering our economy. it's about bratting a million -- about creating a million new jobs. it's about getting to country moving once again. >> we want energy to come from america. we don't want to be buying a lot of oil from people who don't like us very well, and there's plenty of options in both iowa and the united states for both oil and wind and other types of energy. >> it's to alert the people to the excel pipeline. it's important to the united states because it's a source supply for canadian oil sands brought into the united states, which we need, and canada, of

course, is our best ally, best source and biggest source even today of energy for the yids. >> all of the products on these tables have petroleum by products in them. >> this is a caff lar vest, and both january and myself, we wore these in iraq. >> i have my key issues, a lot of economic issue, and i think that goes back to our domestic energy policy in making sure that we drill off our shores and explore energy here at home because that creates jobs and helps our economy. >> why are you passionate about this? you obviously inconvenienced yourself to come here. what got you out of your comfort zone? >> it's about making our country better. we've seen a lot of things go downhill the last few years, and i think the only way to right that is to get involved and let our voices be heard. >> how many domestic energy can help us? gist getting rid of the reliance on overseas energy.

>> energy means jobs. energy means life. energy is america. >> we are not an energy of for country, but energy rich country. there's a variety of energy out there. i'm all energy all the time. i want to grow the size of the energy pie, produce my gas, diesel, more plain burning coal, wind, ethanol, biodiesel, nuclear, hydroelectric, geothermal, and solar energy. i want all those energies out here. >> we have to have reliable low cost energy to create the jobs that we need for the future, and, you know, taxes and regulations can be a real impediment, and we have to do all we can to make america competitive to have reliable low cost energy produced here and domestically. >> thank you, all, for this opportunity to talk about our exciting potential to create jobs to help the u.s. economy

return to full strain. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome republican party of iowa co-chairman, bill shickle. ♪ ♪ >> good evening, fellow republicans. [applause] could i ask everyone to please take your seats. on behalf of the republican party of iowa, it's a great honor to welcome you this evening. we are delighted to have you with us this evening.

before i begin, i would like to just take a minute to thank all of the county chairs, co-chairs, secretaries, and central committee members that are doing so much to make our republican party a better and stronger party. let's show our appreciation. [applause] i'd also like to acknowledge and thank my colleagues on the republican state central committee from the first congressional district, shellily atkins, jeremiah johnson, and john ortega. from the second congressional district, david chung. from the third district, wes, david fisher. from the fourth congressional districts, james mills, a.j.

spiker, and drew ivers. from the fifth district, monte shaw, and from the committee, steve. let's show the appreciation for the outstanding job that you're doing to make the republican party of the iowa stronger. [applause] we're republicans because we still believe in the american dreams, the great communicator that we're honoring tonight called it that shining city on the hill, and not only do we believe in the american dream, we believe that we have a road map to get there, and that road map is found in our founding principles -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. we believe in the power of ordinary people to do

extraordinary things, and when i look around the room, i want to thank you for making iowa a better state and making our party stronger. our party is as strong and stronger than it's ever been. voter registration for republicans is up. democrats is down. we've had the second highest turnout for a straw poll ever, and we're going to have a tremendous turnout for our caucuses, and that's all good looking at the election in november. thank you for what you're doing to make the republican party of iowa stronger. have a great evening. congratulations on what you're doing, and god bless. thank you, all, very much. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> please rise for the implication led by a.j. spiker,

fourth district committee member, and remain standing for the pledge of allegiance led by secretary of state, matt schultz. >> let us pray. bless us, oh, lord, and these gifts which you're about to receive from your bounty through christ our lord, amen. >> please join us in the pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indy visible, with liberty and justice for all. >> ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. ♪

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♪ >> please welcome lieutenant governor kim reynolds. ♪ [applause] >> well, good evening, and thank you, all, for being here and supporting this great event. governor brandstand sefnedz regrets he's not here this evening, but we extend our congratulations to all of the hard working people of the republican party of iowa for this tribute to president ronald reagan, and to chairman straun, a special thanks to your determination, commitment, your hours and hours of hard work, and your fight to keep iowa first in the nation. congratulations, and job well done. [applause]

>> we also want to acknowledge and thank the gop presidential candidates for making this event tonight and for winning iowa as a priority. the governor and i join all of you here tonight as well as the millions of freedom loving americans across this great nation in an important and shared priority. we must elect a republican pro-business, job-focused, conservative leader to the white house, and that is the first step to putting our country back on the right track. [applause] republicans picked up more seats 234 this past election than in any other since 1938. republicans won because we campaigned as unapologetic conservatives keenly aware of the voters, that the voters were

tired of rhetoric and they were demanding results. the people of this great nation sent a very loud and clear message this last election to stop the unsustainable spending and the outrageous debts that is being passed on to our children and our grandchildren. we want to see -- we want to stop the overreaching and intrusive and ever growing and growing government. they have entrusted us to take bold action, so we must stay true to our charge and our promises, and we must deliver results. there are competing visions for the future of this country, but there is only one path to deliver us from the challenges that face our great nation. eliminating job crushing regulations, less burdensome taxes, and to recognize that our job creators as the heros of this economy and not the demons

that some portray them to be. [applause] successful individuals and businesses lift up all of america, and we must fight to promote a free enterprise market system because it is the system that understands no limits. regardless of who is our nominee, we must defend our vision because it is the heart and it is the core of the american dream, and it is what separates us from other nations. let us have a spirited contest in the arena of ideas, but once a candidate is selected, we must band together and get behind those shared ideals and visions, come together to refuse to do anything but to leave our state and our nation better than we found it. together, we can win this fight to keep our nation free and

prosperous and strong, so god bless you all. god bless the great state of iowa, and god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> please welcome to the stage our united states senator, chuck grassley. ♪ [applause] >> hello, everybody. we have just 12 months to save america from obama's euroamerica. after 0 -- 30 months, this economy wrongs

to president obama. he cannot blame george bush anymore for what the economy is. [cheers and applause] he owns it. tax too much, borrowed too much, spend too much. i would admit that maybe this president inherited a bad situation, but by any measure of the economy whether you take four or five measurements or 25 measurements of the economy, and economists have that many, this president has made every one of those measurements of the economy worse than when he took office, every one of them. [applause] it seems like he can't seem to learn from the mistakes of greece that he wants to take us down the road of near default with his massive increase in the

national debt equal to what all presidents prior to him will have accumulated, he will accumulate in four years in office. mostly, it's because he's not attending to the knitting. he, instead of being a commander in chief, he's a campaigner in chief. [applause] and we -- [applause] and so between now and about a year from now, we have 12 months to elect a president who will unite america, the very same america that this president day after day attempts to divide. we have 12 months to elect a president who will grow our economy instead of growing

government. [applause] and i don't think he'll learn it, but it'd be nice if he would learn that the american people create wealth, and government consumes wealth. [applause] so we, republicans, get this year and into a new presidency, plan to not take more dollars from the american taxpayers. we will stop new regulations at least for a two year moratorium. we will shrink government. we will pass a balanced budget amendment. we'll expand trade. we will drill here and drill now. we will repeal obamacare. [applause]

so in the sense i'm telling you, we're going to go the opposite direction, that this president has taken america, and we, republicans, then will not go the way of obama's euroamerica. [applause] we, republicans, will bring out once again through our president, the greatness of america and we will have no more apologies to the rest of the world about america at all. [applause] the american's story is a story of faith in the american people, not faith in government. our story is a story about real genuine, authentic, private sector jobs, not government jobs. our republican story is if you

work hard, if you play by the rules, you will get ahead. [applause] now, we all remember president obama's campaign based upon hope and change. what the american people are hoping for in this election is that we, republicans, can give them, the american people, a real genuine, authentic change that brings out the greatness of america, and we will do that, and i urge all of you over the next 12 months to work so very hard to make sure that we give this country back to the american people. [applause] ♪

♪ >> on caucus night, iowa is going to change the world thanks to 25,000 of your fellow citizens who have tried our pledge for presidential candidates committed to identifying and eliminating $500 billion per year of known washington wasteful spenting. texas governor rick perry signed into law a west protection bill in texas that served as the model for congressman tom and the lien government bill. >> if we had all member ease of congress and the president of the united states standing by these principles, we would not be in the fiscal mess we're in today. >> congressman ron paul said if only more business people were in charge of government to wield the business, we'd have this

country in shape in no time. at the iowa straw poll, presidential candidates spoke to strong america now supporters. >> what you represent and what mike represents, what sigma represents is a disciplined approach to finding a lot of the waste in washington, d.c.. >> [inaudible] a man who -- [inaudible] >> this is the biggest idea for rethinking how you run government since the civil service ideas of the 1880s. this is the biggest idea in 130 years. >> if you have not joined our ranks, please do so tonight at our booth. we ask two things of you, vote on january 3, and support one of the candidates you heard about tonight. may god bless america. ♪

♪ >> every four years, americans choose their president, and every four years since 1972, the iowa caucuses started the process. for 40 years, iowans listen to the canidates, and most candidates move on, and every four years, iowa gets the question, why is iowa first? ♪ let's talk about why iowa's a great place to start the political process. in iowa, retail politics is the name of the game. candidates can't hide behind ads and big rallies. iowans take the process very seriously. we know that meeting the candidates first, having the courage to ask them tough questions is the best way to measure their mental and their character. we donate our time to help the candidates, and we welcome them into our homes and meet with our friends. we share our stories, our hopes,

and our fears, establish a bond with the candidates that go beyond any election. it is the bond of americans working side-by-side to make our country an even better place, and then on a cold winter's night, we venture out to support those candidates that have taken the time to share their vision who want to build america and in whom we place our trust and those candidates who earned our trust move on to the next step in the process and continue the process until one is declared the next president of the united states. however, the process is not the only thing iowa is first in. iowa's the nation's leader in the production of renewable energy leading the way on lowering our dependence on foreign oil. iowa's capitol city, des moines, ranks as number one in the nation for young professionals. it ranks number one in best places for business and careers. it is ranked number one richest metro in the united states due to its reasonable cost of

living. iowa's first in the nation of production of corn, soybeans, eggs, and pork. in fact, we produce over 10% of the america's food supply in iowa. iowa ranks first in children's health care without being told by the federal government how we should care for our children. being first in the nation is nothing new for iowa. in fact, we're good at it, even most times we are too humble to talk about it. for the last 40 years, this nomination process is starting in iowa, and it's starting here again today. here, in america's heartland, where the pioneer spirit remains strong, where the pride of america never waivers. the great state of iowa, first in the nation. ♪ >> please welcome the chairman of the republican party of iowa, matt straun.

♪ ♪ >> well, good evening. sixty days, sixty days from right now all across our state, in our church basements, in our gymnasiums, in our schools, 60 days from right now, we start the process of choosing president obama's republican successor, and it starts here in iowa. [applause] now, as my friend mark narrated so elegantly in the video, we're humble folks, but we should brag on ourselves today as iowa republicans because we have things to be proud of, and for that, i want to thank you. i want to thank each and every one of you for being a partner

in your republican party of iowa. [applause] thank you for being a partner in your iowa gop that as of the end of october marked the 32ndconsecutive month iowa republicans gained on iowa democrats in iowa's voters' registration. [applause] not too shabby. thank you for being a partner through your support of tonight's dinner and events throughout the year and being part of what will likely be the most successful fund raising year the fund -- republican party of iowa has ever had. we're outgaining the democrats there as well. more recently, thank you for demonstrating to the rest of the country by taking our caucus process so seriously, exactly why it is iowa, not florida or some other state, but it's iowa. iowa that is first now, iowa

that will be first forever. [cheers and applause] you know what? it's your iowa gop that's making a difference day after day here at home. it's your iowa gop having governor branstand and lieutenant governor reynolds on the hill. they are pushing an agenda every day in the iowa house. [applause] oh, and you know this one's coming. it's your iowa gop on the doorstep of telling the one-party reign over the iowa senate will soon be over. [cheers and applause] now, we're not done. your iowa gop makes sure that tom lathum retires leonard

boswell once and for all. [applause] and last, and by no means least, your iowa gop will make sure kristy vilsack and the liberal pals -- [laughter] will know that it's a very, very poor decision to move to ames with your liberal beliefs and think that you're going to beat our steve king. [cheers and applause] but folks, you know, it's not a reagan dinner without remembering and reflecting upon what i believe is one of president reagan's most admirable traits, that unshakable belief he had not only in the american people, but the promise of the american dream to anyone who wanted to seek it and earn it, and, you know, being the son of an iowa farmer, grandson of a john deere

factory worker, i was raised with perseverance, hard work, and responsibility, but it's not all. even though i grew up in a farm, my opportunity in the worlds were limitless. why? because i was an american. it was that promise, the uniquely american promise that you were only limited 234 this world -- in this world by those gifts bestowed upon you by your creator and how you choose to use them. that's the american promise 689 that's what we're fighting for today, and americans know it. americans know it's worth fighting for. you know why? i hear it every day talking to people across iowa. i ran into somebody over lunch i never met for. a 20-year veteran works downtown now, and we started talking. he has a couple boys, one just

leaving college and the youngest is entering, and he was fearful for the opportunities he doesn't think they'll have that he has. this being iowa, conversation turns to politics, but before i could even ask him if he was going to caucus on january 3rd, this veteran looked me in the eye and said, matt, electing a new president for america is not my only responsibility, but my duty. sixty days, folks, every minute counts. we know our duty as americans. let's make it happen. let's get it done, iowa republicans. [applause]

♪ >> good evening, glad to be with you this evening to introduce my father. i don't exaggerate when i say likely no congressman since the days of our founding defended the constitution as consistently as ron paul. even when defense of the constitution is unpopular, when everyone else throws up their hands, goes along with the crowd, ron paul held firm. my father's been the lone vote against federal overreach more than any congressman in history. no representative deserves more credit for a constitutional foreign policy. ron paul relentlessly championed a policy that reaffirms what we fought for. ..

in 1980 he shortly thereafter instituted the gold commission, and i was a member of the gold commission. one particular day when we were finishing up on the gold commission and i was scheduled to go to houston, but i was late to get out to the airport.

president reagan said that he was flying over in his helicopter, and i was able to fly with president reagan from the white house to andrews air force base, so i had a 1-on-1 with him on this occasion, and, of course, the subject of the gold standard came up. he said something to me that was very interesting and stuck with me. he says, there has never been a great nation that gave up the gold standard that remained great. he saw money issues as being a very important issue, and he saw the danger of not having any restraint on the monetary authority. now, his concerns obviously with the same as mine, and guess what , we are in a situation today that demonstrates what happens when you have no control of the monetary authority, and this is the reason that for many decades i have been talking about monetary policy in the federal reserve and why not only should we audit the federal reserve and need to change a

foreign-policy and our monetary policy. [applause] [applause] the reason this is so important is congress kids license to spend money. if they don't have to collected by taxation then they can borrow to a degree, but they never come up with enough money. what did they do, they send the bills to the federal reserve and print the money. the tragedy here is it causes the growth of government because some conservatives like to spend money on one issue. liberals like to spend their money on other issues. but inevitably without restraint on the monetary authority governments grow. when governments grow the people's liberty starts to diminish. this is where we are today. the other consequence of unlimited spending is unlimited debt, and we now have not a national debt crisis. today our national debt this week for the first time on

history became greater than our gdp. but the world is in the same situation. so what we're seeing on the streets of athens and around the world, even in our own country is a reflection of runaway government spending and too much debt and people aren't willing to admit it. they're not willing to admit the truth. we have spent too much, and to much debt, and the solution is, guess what, cut spending. that is what has to be done. [applause] [applause] this is the reason why in my program that i have suggested in the campaign is in the first year cut $1 trillion out of the budget. [applause] [applause] a lot of people say, how can you do that? well, you have to be willing to cut. you have to look to the constitution and find out what is authorized and was not to read you can't get rid of

everything that is on authorize the first year, but i thought a good start would be to get rid of five departments the first year. [applause] [applause] there is no need the money for us the have the department of education. we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars of federal government has taken over, and what have they given us? of 45 a poor education system. weak ridge with a lot of students from colleges that are imbedded with that, and no jobs. so this system that we have had for the last 40 or 50 years run and a keynesian economics has been a total failure. the liberals wanted to give the house to everybody. what to do to make it cost housing bubble which collapsed. guess what, the wealthy get bailed out. the top into reserve funds among the middle class lost their jobs , and it lost their houses.

what we are witnessing today is the failure of the system. this is the end of an era. the big question is not so much about what we should do but what is going to come of this. we going to draft like the rest into more government solution or are we going to say enough is enough, let's do one thing, one thing, how do we get in this trouble? we have too many in washington that did not care our understanding did not follow the constitution to be if we send only people to washington that know and understand the constitution and live within the confines of the constitution we can solve our problems quickly. [applause] [applause] we have to change policy. how can we cut and still take care of some of the priorities? the program i have, as to protect the priorities, the elderly who have become dependent, the people who are getting child health care, we still have to cut. we have runaway spending

overseas, and we cannot deny it. we have more weaponry than everybody else put together, and if you add up what we have and our allies, we have some the% of the weapons of the world. we don't need more weapons. we need no wiser foreign policy. we don't need to be the policeman of the world. we do not need to be nation-building. we need to have a strong national defense. we need to have @booktv me to mind our own business as sir bernie our troops on. [applause] [applause] we need to know what we believe in, and we believe in liberty. that is what america's all about. that is why we became the freest and most proper -- prosperous nation in the world. we have to understand where liberty comes from. our liberty and our rights come from our creator. this is the reason that we should all be right to life. we should believe in life and liberty, but if this follows, if

this follows the we have a natural right to our life and liberty, shouldn't it also follow these should have the right to the efforts of your labor, which implies there should be no income tax the income tax is the worst of it, national sales tax would be a disaster, but the income tax implies that the government owns all of revenues and allow us to keep what they want under certain conditions. if you believe in liberty, free-market, and contracts, sound money, a sensible foreign policy, we could be back on our feet rather shortly. that is what i advocate and work for. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] >> a great country who acquires

a better direction. renewed future mates and renewed present. >> the last great hope of mankind. >> this time to get america working again. >> we don't need a president to apologize for america. i believe in america. a purpose. i greatest reserved for the generations to come. when the health and the kurds of the american people, we will get our country working again. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. >> please welcome texas governor rick perry. >> thank you.

lieutenant governor, thank you. not to be with you tonight. as well as you and your family. thank you for your hospitality. and i also want to recognize all of my competitors that are here. let me tell you, each and every one of them that would do a heck of a lot better job than we got and the white house right now. [applause] [applause] you might say that we were involved in a project called operation occupy the white house . it is an honor to be back in iowa and to campaign across this great state. truly a place where people either assaults of the earth, men and women who love this country, who want to give their children a brighter future. you know, the president talks about winning the future, but you can't win the future by selling off the future. it is wrong to put out

children's financial future in the hands of these foreign creditors, our energy security in the hands of foreign countries that frankly are high style to america. and no one can argue that the president did not inherit a bad economy. but no one can argue that he hasn't made it worse either. 14 million americans. now without work. one out of eight on food stamps. the washington solution, stimulate the economy. pro-government. about the only thing they have stimulated is a higher debt. the answer to this mess in washington d.c. is not the status quo and it is not tinkering around the edges. we have to stop the big spending , the bailout, the big government policies and empower the bureaucrats. you know, someone, reform

washington a pair of tweezers. i am for being a wrecking ball to washington. [applause] [applause] my cat, balance and growth plan cuts taxes for every sector of. the low, flat, and fair 20% rate makes calculating and filling out that tax forms simpler, simple enough that you can put it on a postcard. you can put it on that. i bet even tim geithner kendis it is taxes and if we give him a post card this size and the simple. [applause] [applause] i'll eliminate the corporate tax loopholes. crackdown on the washington influence industry. you know, scores of washington lobbyists are making a living carving a tax out of those loopholes for corporations. i want to make -- of want to

make a little history. i want to make those loopholes history. my plan cuts federal spending in a big way. balance that budget by 2020. i know that those deficits are caused by overspending, not by and the taxing. the president, i will spend my time and my campaign and not only my political capital campaigning all across this country to pass a balanced budget amendment to the united states constitution. you know why, what is lacking in washington d.c. is and ideas. what is lacking up there is courage. we have a washington super committee today because the president kicked the can down the road on reforming the entitlement and cutting spending . we have had 20 different committees now over 30 years to

talk about the permission to deal with the debt. you know, it has been easier for people to put steadies' together than it is for people to have the courage to stand up and say here's what needs to be done and do what needs to be done. america is a longing for in this country. that is what is missing in washington dc. [applause] [applause] you know, even one of president clinton's advisers, he said he was afraid the super committee was going to fail. the difference is this. if they fail it is going to lead to more than half a trillion dollars of archer cuts to our defense budget. they are included in that debt ceiling deal. i guess supposedly to force them to act. it shows you just tell broken washington d.c. is. the price for politicians

failing to do their job is that americans are going to be forced to live in a nation that is less secure, and our young men and women in uniform are going to have your resources to keep them safe and to fight the battles that need to be fought across the world. we should not have to rely upon the gimmicks that make washington politicians to the right thing. i'll show the courage to reform entitlement. as a matter of fact, have already laid out a plan as of last week it does just that. my plan protect the current beneficiaries of social security , but as i was sharing with the group of young people for a walk in here, i really care about that next generation of young american workers. who is it that is going to protect their investment in social security and medicare? we have to have the courage to

reform these insolent programs for zero long-haul. we have to have the courage to say that the current tax system is fundamentally flawed and offer real change, cut taxes, take out the loopholes, cut the federal spending, balance the budget by 2020 by the spending cuts and pro-growth policies and a balanced budget amendment. something else. i happen to think it is time to force washington d.c. to kick the earmarked have it for good. stop the earmarks. if one comes to the budget the budget comes at the near mark and i don't care this democrat or republican, i will take out of the top end, and that will be vetoed. until the budget gets balanced i'm going to impose across-the-board pay freeze for congress end all federal employees paid outside of the

military and the public safety area. [applause] [applause] i happen to believe their is a clear choice in this race between the status "tinkers who represent the establishment, those that support bailouts and oppose major tax reforms such as the flat tax. my approach is to break up the washington establishment with fundamental reform of the tax cut, putting a stop to the spending binge and the gravy train of those bill will lobbyists. the hard truth is this, the future of america is too important to be left to the washington politicians. let's take our country back, and with your vote and with your support let's take our country back to those principles that america was based upon and see america great again. god bless you. thank you for your support. god bless our great country. thanks. [applause] [applause]

>> please welcome congress' one michele bachmann. >> good evening, everyone. it is a thrill for me to deal to be with you all here this evening knowing full well they you would much rather be at the high-school football playoff game somewhere tonight. so you made a wonderful choice to be able to be here. as i looked out at all of you, what i see is the epicenter of hope and change for our country. that is the republican party of iowa, and we are proud of you. thankful that you were here this evening. thank you, everyone, for being here. [applause]

i also want to thank the chairman of the party for taking the party to all whole new level . my life is showing very strong all across the country, and you have been a wonderful host to each of us to our present a candidates. it really is the thrill to be able to do this, and the reason why i even decided to come in and enter my name into the presidential election is because of what i saw in the last five years when i was in washington d.c. and 55 years old. the first 50 years of my life were spent in the private sector the last five years was spent being a real person in washington d.c. to be you know, the day then i went into office in january of 2007 the entire national debt was a half trillion dollars. and as ron paul touch you in his

remarks, this week is a historic first. we are tripping the wire it looks like right at $15 trillion. breathtaking. stunning. we all saw the fight that took place this last summer over should we raise the debt ceiling during that time the candidates were here this summer. we are meeting with all of you. i was flying back and forth to fight the fight. and i went back to washington i knew what had to be done. someone had to stand up. someone had to say no. someone had to say enough is enough. we had enough revenue coming into the treasury. we could sufficiently paid the interest on the debt. there was absolutely no need for the country to go into default. we get paid revenue. we had enough money. but we didn't have enough money for is to continue the absolute insanity of the borrowing.

hal insane is it? we just found out in october of this year, the month that just finished, that this country added another $203 billion in debt. now, let me give you a comparison. in 2007 the last year that republicans were in charge of washington d.c. the budget deficit for the entire year was something like $160 billion for the year. that is of the big spending george bush and the big spending republicans in 2007, 160 billion. compare and contrast that to barack obama, 203 billion. what that means for each one of us because sometimes we need to break those numbers down. for every man, woman, and child in the united states we are each $650 more in debt that we go to

this government. you see what we are watching right now is velocity. it is velocity. it is like we are in a canoe coming up to the very edge of niagara falls. it's like the river is moving faster right now. we are living in a theater of the absurd. when this week greece has the temerity to say to the you who have been kind enough to bail this profligate nation out, maybe they did not want to take a hair cut, they really didn't want to cut back on their spending. the rest of the world book degrees and said, are you out of your mind? take the deal or you go down the drain. what we need to do right now in the united states is take a really good look in the mirror. because we have just observed is a thriller for where the united states is going to read over this last summer when i was a

lone voice in the wilderness of washington saying stop no more, and got no more raising the credit card ceiling in the midst of all of that discussion that he went on. that is how washington works. that is why what we need in our nominee for the republican party is someone who will stand up and say stop, no more. let's hold on to this great magnificent gift that has never before been seen in the history of mankind. it is this great thing called liberty. it is this place called the united states of america. there is absolutely nothing like it because you see in this nation we value each life, each individual life, because for us,

you see, the beginning is the individual. and for us, you see, it is because we are made in the image and likeness of a holding god. what i have seen all across iowa is what i learned when i was born and raised here in iowa. it's a deep love and respect for the church. it's a deep love and respect for the individual. it's a deep love and respect for our military and for what they have secured and fought and died to give to us. it is agreed -- a deep love and abiding respect for the future and the fact that we believe that the future will go on. you see, i believe that, too. i have been renewed in my hope and love for this nation because of what i saw this summer in iowa. it was a commitment from all of you and from your fellow men and women in iowa that we will go on

as a nation. i have absolutely no doubt, none whatsoever, the barack obama will be a 1-term president. no doubt whatsoever, but what we -- that is good news. [applause] [applause] but what i also know is that we have to have a commitment that is absolutely grounded in cement that our nominee will be in individual who will stand strong and make sure there is no compromise with repealing obamacare, 100 percent. no compromise with repealing their jobs and housing distraction act, 100 percent. no compromise, abolishing the tax code and creating it with their ronald reagan style pro-growth tax code. no compromise of liberty. no compromise.

that is america. we have done it before, we will do it again. i want to be your nominee for the republican nomination in 2012. god bless all of you and god bless the united states of america. thank you, everyone. god bless you. love you all. [applause] [applause] >> we blanks, and the america that we knew had changed. individual freedom replaced by increasing government dependents . fiscal responsibility replaced by a reckless spending and mounting debt. a generational promise of a better future broken for a lifetime of paying for the excesses of others. the question now is who

possesses the courage and experience to save america. the answer is becoming increasingly clear. only one successfully led the fight to reform the welfare entitlement program, eliminating abuse and fraud and replacing it with hope and opportunity. only one wrote the bill that ended partial birth abortion is forever and has fought tirelessly to protect traditional marriage. for two decades rick santorum has fought passionately to protect our economy, our tax dollars, our security, and our families. and today is your day to join the fight. >> please welcome senator rick santorum.

>> thank you all very, very much. it is great to be back in iowa, but i have been here a little while. this is my eighth straight day in the state of iowa, and i am proud to announce that i did. i have been to all 99 counties in the state of iowa, and i tell you i had a wonderful time doing it. people ask me, the reporters ask me, are you tired? techno. i am energized. i am energized by going out and talking to the great people of iowa and all four corners of the state have had a wonderful experience. your town squares and your diners and, of course, your pizza ranches. i've been to about 26 beats a ranches in iowa, so i have had a great time.

i have learned a lot. in fact, as i was going through the tour this week in reflecting upon what i have learned, because you learn a lot going out and talking to people of violence and reflecting upon what i have learned to read something kept coming back to me, that on like all of the other places where i traveled and certainly unlike what you are hearing from the national media, there was a team coming out from the people of ireland that i was not hearing on the national stage. in the people of viral realized, the folks that i talked to a republican activist and people who care deeply about this country realize that america is not just about taxes and spending. it's not just about the size of government. is not just about the economy. they realized and they understand that we cannot have limited government without strong families. we cannot have a strong economy without strong family and strong

moral commitment to the people who live and work in the economy they understand that the foundation of our country is, in fact, immoral enterprise, one that has created a strong this country in the history of the world because it is a good and decent people with strong families, strong community organization and, of course, faith. i read a book recently by now ferguson who was interviewing a man from china who had worked on the commission to study why america was the greatest country in the history of the world, and it went through all of these things that they bought first would be the reason. they thought it was the economy. they thought it was our guns. it bought it was our form of government. there rived 20 years ago at the fact that it was our faith and made his great. we are a people, a faith-filled people that believe in that

moral enterprise that is america . and so today i an ounce a safe freedom and family agenda here and to mourn. everybody else has put up an economic plan. i put up an economic plan, but no one put up a plan to strengthen the american family, make sure that we have strong marriages in our country, that we defend the institution of marriage. no one is put up a plan to make sure that we have religious liberty in this country and that faith continues to be the bedrock of this country. no one is put a plan of what we're going to do to make sure that life is considered sacred from the moment of conception until natural death. i did. i put together i think it is about a 20-point plan of what i would do as president because it is important for the people of not system iowa but for this country to understand the we are not a party that just focuses on cutting tax rates, but we are a

party that concerns all of america. we understand the important role that families face. i have also put together -- you can interrupt for a pause if you want to. [applause] [applause] i have also put together a bold plan on the economy. just a few days ago. it was in manufacturing summit headed by governor branson, and it focused on something that is really important to read again, i learned this going around. all of these little towns in rural iowa were either created because there was a process in the manufacturing plant, rural america will not do well, will not come back into its fiber itself and be a place of choice to live unless we have a vibrant economy, and we won't unless we

bring manufacturing processes back to america. [applause] [applause] we hear a lot of talk about growing the economy, but don't talk about something that is vitally important, and that is income mobility. if you are a college graduate in america the unemployment rate is 45%. if you don't have one it is well into the double digits. semiskilled and skilled workers are having trouble rising. in fact, europe has greater income mobility than the united states for workers at the bottom end of the income sale. why? because we have lost our jobs to china, south korea, mexico, and countries all around the world. we need someone who has a plan to get those jobs back. i laid it out, and i will quickly lay out for you. number one, we have to cut the corporate tax for manufacturers to zero. we want you to make things here in america. [applause] [applause]

we want to take all the regulations that the obama administration has put in place that cost businesses over a hundred million dollars, repeal them. those that we can't repeal permanently will be replaced with ones that are more friendly to business and send a message on day one that manufacturers and processors and all businesses i welcome back here in america to grow our economy. [applause] [applause] and for those moneys that have been sent -- those moneys that are overseas because of manufacturing operations over there that made money, instead of taxing than 35% which is what we do now, if you invest that money in plant equipment you will pay no taxes. we want your money back here, we want you to create jobs here in america and in iowa. [applause] [applause] and i saw a lot of folks with green shirts and a lot over replaces an iowa, folks that

represent the world active co-ops, and they are concerned because they're seeing energy prices going up, and there are going to go up more if the obama administration has its way of shutting down 60 coal-fired power plants. we will make sure that regulation does not go into effect and opened up energy in america whether it is and more, coal mining, drilling. we will have a free-market of energy production, and we will lead the world and have stable long-term energy prices. if we do those four things we will create millions and millions of jobs and we will create them in rural america and all over america unlike any other plan that has been put out there in the books. that's what i learned from spending all this time and go into 99 counties. [applause] [applause] one final point i have to make is i wrap up because something very big is going to happen next week. it could fundamentally change this world.

that is a report by the international atomic energy agency about what a ron's nuclear situation is. i spent ten years of focused like a laser beam when i was in the senate on the country of ron i introduced the biggest restriction and sanctions on the a run in the pier program eight years ago. it was unanimously opposed even by president bush. i got no co-sponsor. within two years after people saw what a ron was doing in iraq in afghanistan and seven of their program being regenerated it passed unanimously and was signed by the president. i have been toiling around this country talking about the threat that ron is to the future of our country, the stability of the middle east and, of course, the nation as well. if they are in fact found to be close the world as you know will unchanged. and we will have to do something

we will have to do something to stop the production because an error in state that is fixated on the return of the 12th to ma in dominating the islamic world cannot under any circumstances have a nuclear weapon. we need -- we need a leader that not only has the courage to act, but the courage to go out and tell the truth to the american public about who this in the is and why we need to act. ladies and gentlemen, i have that courage, i have the track record on international, domestic, economic, life and faith and family to deliver the message to contrast with barack obama. we can leave this country to be safe, prosperous, good for the

next generation of americans. thank you and god bless. [applause] [applause] >> please welcome speaker newt gingrich. ♪ ♪ >> thank you very much for inviting us here. thank you for participating as free citizens in this very important process of self government. this is a national conversation. it is an opportunity for the american people to talk about where we are, who we are, what we value, and we are trying to

accomplish. i wanted thank you as the chairman for the job you're doing to be so enormously helpful, the job you did last year in helping win a number of very key elections of a changing iowa. in addition, it's great to be back with senator grassley. he and i worked together back in 1984 on a project called guess all for those of you who are younger. that is what happened along time ago before it became ethanol. we also work together when i was speaker to say this in the late 90's. a very simple principle on why i am for at the mall. i believe my choices for money to go to the iran or iowa, i pick iowa. by to assist saudi arabia worst of dakota, picks up the code that. it's not very complicated. [applause] [applause] i am delighted that you're committed to reelecting the congressman.

i am here in part to urge you to it should two more republican members to the iowa delegation next year, so we have the momentum to govern in 2013 because we need the congress as well as the presidency in order to bring america back and to rebuild the country that we love . i think you can do it because i think the election next october will be very clear. i am really proud of my colleagues to have been here tonight. each of them brings unique things and characteristics. the fact is that ron paul has been consistently correct about the need to audit the federal reserve, limit and return to a policy of the dollar as sound as gold, so if you save a dollar 20 years later is still with the dollar, and it's great to have him as a candidate explaining monetary policy. rick perry was my mentor on the

tenth amendment and the importance of implementing it. he has a number of tremendous ideas. i agree with most of his energy policy, which is a think an executive the right generation. i am delighted that part of the debate we will have is is like stacked -- flat tax is better. a significant idea that you now have a 9-9-9 plan and to candid with the flat tax. a real effort to think through on the republican side what we need to do as a country to be competitive and prosperous and successful. not only did she send it to the republican, but in addition she was the first person to introduce the bill, repeal one of the most destructive bills replan our economy. i think she and steve king were in a race to see who would be the first to introduce a bill to

repeal obamacare. these are powerful ideas. no one has done more to try to arouse america to understand the challenge of radical islamist and understand the dangers in syria and iran then rick santorum, and i can't tell you how proud i am of the courage she is shown year after year in wanting to serve his country and to leave his children with a better future. so i looked at -- i looked at my colleagues. this is a great group. the couple were here tonight. i would have said nice things about them. let's skip over that. i am here with very fine competitors and opponents. the only have one opponent. really have one opponent, and

that's barack obama. we are delighted to be back. at think we may be the only campaign his national campaign manager is from iowa. first met at the turn college, and her ties here are pretty real and deep. we are glad to be back because i want to bring a very simple and clear message. with your help on january 3rd you can launch a candidacy which if you go you will see is the most sensitive candidacy in modern times playing out a 21st century time track. i'm not going to go into it tonight, but it's going to grow and evolve from now until september 27 when we will release a contract with america on the anniversary of the original contract in 1994. on october 1st we will release

executive orders which we will implement on to one of the gingrich a administration, the first of which will abolish all of the white house source as of that moment. [applause] [applause] i have to hand only to arguments i hope you will end up deciding to support me. my colleagues are good people, and they're worthy of your concern. the first is i am the only candidate in this race who had a national level has balance the budget for consecutive years, led an effort across the system for the first tax cuts in 16 years, led an effort which led employment to drop from 56 to 42% and created a national majority for the first time in 40 years in the first reelected national majority for the first time since 1928.

[applause] what we are faced with is the results of a radical ideology and an inexperienced incompetent president, and i would simply suggest -- i would simply suggest that to get the scale of change we need we need somebody who understands the legislative branch, somebody who understands how to get things done in washington, and somebody has a track record of having build a national movement that can bring pressure to bear in washington starting with the years that i have studied with ron reagan. i think i have that background in a fairly unique way. but there is one other reason. it comes up again and again when people talk about the debates. as your nominee i will challenge barack obama timesaver and lincoln-douglas style debates,

three hours each. with that timekeeper and no moderator. [applause] [applause] i will concede that he can use the teleprompter. [laughter] , and i predict to you, many of you will find this surprising. i predict see you in the end he will except for two reasons. first a matter of the go. how can i harvard law review editor, the greatest orator in the modern democratic party admit to being afraid to be on the same platform with a west georgia college professor. [laughter]

second, because i am a story in and i actually studied history, and unlike president obama i studied american history. [laughter] i know how lincoln set up douglas. [laughter] lincoln would have been out of office. he served one term as a house member and was out of office ten years as a practicing attorney. douglas was the most famous senator in the united states and present to be the next president. lincoln announced. he said 105 days in the campaign bibulous debate every day. douglas said i don't think so. lincoln began following him. lincoln would come the next day. after about three weeks douglas figured out that the newspaper coverage was always lincoln's answer. not daedaluses speech. so i promise, if you will help me on january 3rd, if i end up

as the nominee in my acceptance speech of the president has not yet agreed i will announce that from that date forward for the rest of the campaign the white house will be my scheduler, and wherever the president appears i will appear four hours later. thank you. good luck. god bless. [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> please join me one more time in showing our sincere appreciation to all of our awesome candidates for president [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] and before we close this evening on the night when we are ronald reagan, it's only appropriate that we also honor our most distinguished governor, governor bob great. thank you so much for being with us this evening. [applause] thank you for joining yes. have a great evening and drive safely. [applause] >> a shining city on my political life, but i don't know if i ever quite communicated what i saw. in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than the russians windswept the blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony.

and i hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless govern is liberty. as government expands liberty contracts. >> we as americans have the capacity now as we have had in the past to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom. >> back in 1927 an american socialist six times candidate for president of the socialist party ticket said the american people would never vote. under the name of liberalism and the american people about every part of the socialist program. >> this is the issue. whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the american revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a

far distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan the marcels. >> our constitution is a document of which we the people care what it is allowed to do. we, the people, are free. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

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[inaudible conversations] speed the attendees of the iowa republican party wrapping of the 2011 ronald reagan dinner here in des moines. if you missed tonight's dinner you can watch it in its entirety right here on c-span2 leader tonight about midnight eastern time. you can also find it on line any time with our road to the white house coverage at c-span.org.

presidential candidate mitt romney today called for raising the retirement age for social security benefits topping medicare spending and turning the program over to the states and cutting on security

discretionary spending to the 2008 levels. the former massachusetts governor unveiled his plans in a speech this afternoon to americans for prosperity, a group founded by billionaire brothers charles and david coke. >> this is the year we are going to be able to select a nominee and take back this country, so we appreciate the work that you are doing. i'm sure you've noticed the president has been travelling across the country trying to get the people of america to support his new half a trillion dollars stimulus bill. he keeps telling people we can't wait, to which i say yes, we can. [applause] you know, upon taking office, this administration's malveaux was you never want to let a serious crisis go to waste. since then it's been clear they don't know how to end one. the unemployment rate has been

over 8% for 33 months. our country has been running a deficit for 36 months and just last week nearly 400,000 americans filed for new jobless claims. we know that is not the best america can do, it's just the best this administration can do, and we are going to do a lot better. [applause] over the last 33 months, president obama has offered a number of plans for getting the economy going. the problem is that most of his proposals are based on one idea, more spending and borrowing. today the government borrows 36 cents of every dollar it spends and if we stay on that course, we will face tomorrow with greece and italy and spain are facing today. there is no nation big enough to bail us out. it took 43 presidents over 200 years to accumulate $6.3 trillion of debt.

president obama is on track to do that in just one term. his fundamental error is that he believes the government creates jobs. he's wrong. he puts his faith in government. i put my faith in people. [applause] this is why i am committed to making of a government simpler, smaller and smarter. it's not only good for the economy, it is a moral imperative. we cannot with moral conscience borrow of trillions of dollars that can only be repaid by a which children. we cannot weaken our economic foundation that would jeopardize our ability to preserve freedom. some are going to argue fiscal responsibility is heartless and immoral. no. what's heartless is to imperil

our children and what is immoral is to imperil the strength of a nation that was founded under god and preserved by his hand. [applause] it's a pivotal moment in the history of the country. we will either be led by men and women who care only for the present, who promise more and more for less and less or who ignore the tightening noose of debt or we will be led by those who believe that deficits matter and who have the courage to act with fiscal responsibility. when i became governor of massachusetts, in 2003 our state budget was out of control. my legislature was 85% democrat. some thought we could solve our problem just raising taxes or borrowing more money. i said no and even with the most space legislature in the nation we didn't just slow down the growth of spending.

we actually cut spending and turned to 3 billion-dollar budget shortfalls into a $2 billion rainy day fund. we learn how to balance budget in the business sector. you have no choice about balancing budgets to be their balance your budget or go broke and spend every dollar like it's your own because it is. someone said to have told that to solyndra. [laughter] the federal government gave them a $535 million startup loan to build a factory in fremont california. the footprint of their facilities covered five baseball fields. they have robots that whistled disney songs. i'm not kidding. they had what was described as "

spa-like" showers, they had the corporate taj mahal of corporate buildings. that's how government starts a business. now let me compare solyndra with staples, a company like hell to get started. our headquarters were located in the back of an empty food warehouse. we got used office furniture, old naugahyde chairs actually to be a kind of athlete to get out of them once he sat in them and every penny that we had went into selling and attracting customers that is a difference between the private sector and government, fiscal responsibility. now i took that business experience and brought it to the olympics. i can there at a time when the games were in crisis. we have about a 370 million-dollar budget deficits and some people said the games were going to fail. the first thing we did was to change the culture of the organization. we started with some small but

symbolic gestures. we stopped renting a big fancy conference room for our board meetings, and we decided to charge or board members rather for their meals, 1 dollar for a can of coke and one for a slice of pizza. we kept the budget from things like the declarations and brochures, travel, motivational speakers. we figured we had all the motivation we need it from the performance of the american athlete. we wanted the entire organization to know that every penny mattered. i use common sense principles like that that i rely on some of the times in the private sector to come up with $98 million in immediate budget cuts and when all is said and done the olympics will help put together for some of the most successful in olympic history and instead of a deficit of $370 million, we produced $100 million for the endowment fund when the business

of olympics in massachusetts i learned how to eliminate deficits and how to produce results when i get to the white house hopefully no one will need to teach me how to balance budgets. i've been doing that for 35 years. now is the time to level with the american people about what it will take to cut spending and balance our budget. to set out honest goals and present a credible plan to achieve those goals. this is not going to be easy. it's going to require tough choices. many believe it can't be done. i believe it has to be done. i believe in the american people, and when this nation calls, americans deliver. over the last 33 months president obama has grown federal spending to 24% of our totally, nei, 24% of the gdp. now president, i pledge to

reduce spending to 20% of the gdp by the end of my first term. [applause] and then i will capet at that level and for their produce on a path to a balanced budget and a constitutional amendment requires government to spend only what it earns. [applause] to reach that 20% goal we are going to need to find by 2016 about $500 billion a year on the annual savings upon taking office and bring to cut discretionary spending and submit a budget that returns spending to the pre-obama level. [applause] let me know as i said a few weeks ago i would add first president obama's massive defense cuts.

any savings. any savings that may define the defense budget we will redirect to rebuild our navy and air force and active-duty soldiers and sailors and provide the care our veterans so richly deserved. [applause] the world has not become a less dangerous place. we must preserve our commitment to a military that is so strong no nation would never think of testing at. [applause] now my road map to a smaller, simpler government combines three separate approaches to

read first eliminate and cut programs and that will start -- the will start with the easiest of all. i will repeal obamacare. [cheers and applause] i should have started with that line. [laughter] obamacare is bad law, bad policy and when i'm president, that bad news will be over. by the way there are a lot of other federal programs that we should either dramatically scale back or cut out entirely.

[applause] for each program that we have in the government i may look at them one by one i'm going to ask this question. is this program so critical, so essential we should borrow money from china to pay for it? for example, i like amtrak but i'm not willing to borrow $1.6 billion a year to pay for it. [applause] i really like the national endowment for the arts, the national endowment for the humanities, the corporation for public broadcasting, but i will not borrow almost a billion dollars every year for china to pay for them. [applause] and then there's foreign aid. you know we give $27 million a year guest to which country, to

china, 27 million to china. i will stop sending money to any country that can take care of itself and no foreign aid will go to countries that opposed american interest. [applause] and you know that we spend $300 million a year on groups like planned parenthood that to provide abortions or abortion related services long time passed for that to be over. [applause] and so first, the first approach we are going to eliminate or cut programs that are not absolutely essential, even when we like them. second, we are going to return numerous federal programs to the states and that's because innovation and cost management and a reduction of fraud and

abuse can far exceed the state level what happens in washington. now medicaid is a prime example. we need to turn medicaid back to the states to allow them at the state level to craft healthcare solutions that suit their own citizens best and by limiting the growth of medicaid funding to the cpi inflation plus 1%, we will save $100 billion a year by 2016. [applause] today there are nine separate federal agencies that run a 47 different federal work force training programs at a cost of $18 billion a year. just imagine how much of that is being spent on overhead. i'm going to spend those work force dollars back to the states, and power the states to retrain workers in ways that fit the needs of their respective economies, and in the process we

will save billions of dollars. now finally, in addition to cutting programs and eliminating programs and sending programs back to the states they belong there is a fair approach to reining in federal spending and its to impose far greater standards of productivity and efficiency on the government itself just like is done in business every of your day. [applause] let me give you an example. this was amazing to me just how out of control the government can become when it doesn't have competition or people who understand how to exact efficiency and productivity. i was speaking with former secretary of the secretary delete the navy john lehman who told me the commission about 1,000 ships a year and the navy purchasing department that year, which they called it the time the bureau shift had 1,000 employees. by the time that john was secretary of the navy under ronald reagan, he said we

commissioned about 17 a year and purchasing had grown to 4,000 people. today we will commissioned 90 a year at purchasing it's grown to 24,000 people. a business like that would be out of business. we've got to cut the size of the federal work force. [applause] >> on president obama's watch we have added 140,000 workers to the federal work force. the american people are increasingly working to support the government. it ought to be these other way around. i will reduce by at least 10% saving $3.5 billion a year. [applause] and of course we can save additional billions by cutting out extraneous federal

contractors but it's not just the size of the federal work force and contractors, it's a their cost. since president obama took office in number of federal workers that make over $150,000 a year has more than doubled. i insist we limit the salaries and benefits of public workers to those which exist in the private sector. [applause] public servants shouldn't get a better deal than the taxpayers the work for coming and by linking government pay with private sector pay, we will save as much as $47 billion a year. [applause] now there are still other ways to meet the government more efficient and effective. we've got to attack the rampant fraud that exists in the

numerous programs. one of the ways i will do that is by enacting different penalties for those who steal from taxpayers. cutting improper payments, just in half could save as much as $60 billion a year and we could save nearly 11 billion by repealing a political giveaway that protect some unions from competition and drives up the cost of every government contract and project. it's time to repeal davis-bacon. [applause] one of the things as an old business guy that i am looking forward to is finding savings by combining certain government agencies and departments, for example it makes little sense the trade policies and programs are administered by so many offices and so many departments.

today trade matters are housed in the office of the u.s. trade representative. the department of commerce, the international trade commission, the international trade administration, the department of homeland security and the department of treasury. and by the way, guess who gathers all of our trade data. none of the above. it's the census bureau. timoney not only spoil, they make it inaudible and prohibitively expensive. we have got to combine federal agencies. [applause] let me just reiterate i'm going to meet the federal grant simpler, smaller and smarter by eliminating programs by spending programs back to states and making the federal government itself more productive and at the same time provide for the national defence, enforce our laws and preserve our safety net and honor all of our promises to

our elderly. this is the right course for a moral nation. deficits do in fact better. the matter if we want to convince entrepreneurs to start businesses. the matter if we want employers to start hiring. the matter of america is going to avoid the economic calamity. the matter if america is going to remain the shining city on a hill and to those who say that deficits don't matter come to those who spend and borrow to win the praise of the shortsighted, we assert you are in the wrong and we are in the right. my dad used to say that the pursuit of the difficult makes men strong. our next president is going to face difficult challenges. among these will be the future social security and medicare and their current form the programs will go bankrupt then at some point, i know that, you know that coming and even our friends

in the opposition party know that. the difference is i will be honest at strengthening and preserving them and they won't. president obama failed to articulate a single serious idea to save social security. i believe we can save social security with a few common sense reforms. at first what's underscore this. there will be no change in social security for retirees or those near retirement. no change. second, for the next generation of the retirees we should slowly raise the retirement age and finally for the next generation of retirees we should slow the growth of benefits for those that have higher incomes. while president obama has been silent on social security, his agenda for medicare has been a disaster. he's the only president in modern history that has cut medicare for seniors. don't forget it was president

obama who cut $500 billion from medicare not to preserve it or sustained at but pay for his wanted obamacare and he put future of medicare into the hands of 15 unelected bureaucrats and those bureaucrats by the way have the power to change medicare to put in place further cuts without congressional approval even if those cuts under turn passed by congress. president obama's so-called medicare reforms could lead to the rationing of care, denial of care for seniors on medicare. we must not let the public learn or forget who it was a cut medicare. was president obama, not republicans. [applause] unlike president obama our next president is going to protect medicare and improve the program and keep it sustainable for generations to come.

there are several principles to would fight my efforts in that regard. first, just like the social security, medicare shouldn't change for anyone in the program or is about to be in it. we should honor the commitments we made to our seniors. second, as with social security tax hikes are not the solution. we couldn't tax our way of a run for the plan devotees verso large even if we wanted to. third, to marlo's seniors should have the freedom to choose what their health coverage looks like. younger americans today when they turn 65 should have a choice between traditional medicare and other private health care plans that provide at least the same level of benefits. competition will lower cost and increase the quality of health care. that's the answer for medicare. the federal government by the way it will help seniors pay for the option the choose with a level of support that insures all cannot attend the coverage

they need to read those with lower incomes will receive more generous assistance. beneficiaries can choose to keep the savings from less-expensive options or can choose to pay more for the costly plan and finally as with social security, the eligibility age should slowly increase to keep pace with increases in longevity. those ideas will give to mauro's seniors the same kind of choice most americans have health care today. the future of medicare should be marked by competition, choice and innovation rather than by dhaka c, stagnation and bankruptcy. [applause] our tough for the future social security and medicare is honesty and security. there's a demagoguery and deception and that is one more reason they will lose.

>> let's start over the plan i propose to make the government simpler, smaller and smarter represents the biggest fundamental change to the federal government in modern history. it's a change we are going to have to make if the birds full faith and credit of the united states are to mean anything at all. we are not the first people to come to this realization and we won't be the first to be criticized for leaving the responsibility is a virtue. president ronald reagan shared our conviction in the first inaugural address. it's not my intention to do away with government it's to make it work with us, not over us. stand by our side cannot ride on our back. the government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it to read foster productivity, not stifel let to read the task before us is to reaffirm our

conviction in the beliefs and values to unite us and the challenges and opportunities that face us in the victory that surely awaits us. thank you for all you do. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] also speaking to americans for prosperity this afternoon in washington republican presidential hopeful herman cain. the former godfather pizza ceo talked about his 9-9-9 tax plan and made statements with the billionaire brothers who founded the group. ♪

>> thank you. >> delighted to be here. love you all. thank you very much. before i get started, i want to know who's teleprompter sort these because i don't need them. [applause] [cheering] maybe they are for somebody else let it be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals, but tragedy lies in having no goals

to reach for. [applause] it's not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity to have no dreams. the american dream has been high taxed the the good news is we can to give back. [applause] [cheering] the founding fathers got a right. the founding fathers got a right when they talked about endowed by their creator. not somebody else, not by the president, not by congress, endowed by the batt creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. [applause] [cheering]

and when the founders talked about in doubt by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these suggest that there were some others, and i happen to believe that was another one they had in mind, another any legal right, and that is their right to protect yourself, to protect your family, and to protect your property. we collect the second amendment to the constitution. and these unalienable rights, the founding father got a right we have to be the defending father's to take our nation back come to to the possibility to dream big in this nation and to be able to achieve and be able to get back. because unfortunately, we have become a nation of crisis. we have an economic crisis.

we have an entitlement spending crisis, we have an energy crisis, we've got an illegal immigration crisis, we have a faulty policy crisis. we have got a moral crisis and the biggest crisis we have is a severe deficiency of leadership crisis in the white house. [cheering] here's how we get this nation back on track, and this is one fundamental difference between a businessman and politician. i've never held high elective office before. [cheering] i'm a businessman. because, you see, the politicians, they want to propose stuff that will have a

chance of being passed. businessmen will propose solutions the will fix the problem. we need to fix the problems in this country. the way i approach solving problems is by all people in over 42 years you make sure you are working on the right problem. mick sure that you find the right player become a surround yourself with your people, put together the right plans and then you execute the plans in order to be able to solve the problem. let's take a look at top three critical priorities that i believe the next president of the united states needs to tackle that is a number one priority. we've got three top critical priorities. first, this soggy policy i happen to have a policy philosophy that is an extension

of the ronald reagan philosophy. this philosophy was the kaine philosophy the cain philosophy is peace through strength we must clarify who our friends are, clarify who our enemies are and stop giving money to our enemies. [applause] the reason we need to clarify who our friends are is so we can tell the rest of the world who our friends are and who we will stand with starting with the nation of israel. our friends. [applause] foreign policy we must make it

clear where the united states stands. second, this economy is on life support. we don't need a solution that's going to try to tickle less to prosperity. we cannot tickle this economy to prosperity. it starts with understanding a very fundamental economic guiding principle which is quite simply the engine of economic growth in this great economy of ours is the business sector is we have to put some fuel in the engine, and the way we do that, the way we put fuel in the engine is a bold plan that we've developed. some people say that its too gold. i don't think it is because america can't wait for another solution or a proposal to not solve the problem. this bold plan starts with throughout the current tax code.

through without. throughout the current tax code and then pass a very simple 9-9-9 plan. 9% business flat tax, 9% personal income flat tax and 9% national sales tax. it will replace five sources of revenue. it will replace the personal income tax, the capitol gains tax, the death tax and the biggest of all some people pay, the payroll tax, all collected with 9-9-9. [applause] one of the biggest criticisms is because we introduced a national sales tax. but you are going to give congress a another way to tax

us? let's throughout the 10,000 ways in the current code, and i will give them one that we can understand. and the other thing is with that national sales tax, it is a replacement tax. it replaces the hidden taxes now that it's in everything we buy. take a loaf of bread to the farmer pays taxes on his property and pays the payroll tax to all of his employees. the miller who mix the flour paste taxes on his profits and the payroll tax for all of its employees. the banker pays taxes on its profits as well as the payroll tax for all of its employees. the trucking company that delivers the bread pays taxes on its properties, and the payroll tax for all of the employees, the grocery store if they make a

profit has to pay tax on their profits as well as the payroll tax for all of its employees. who do you think peace is texas? we do. 9-9-9 takes out the invisible taxes and replaces it with one that you can see called 9-9-9. it's not going to go up, it's going to go down. we've got to clarify foreign policy. we have to boost this economy, and third we need an energy independence strategy. we have the resources to do it. we've got plenty of coal, oil, natural gas, shale in order to become energy independent. we just need the leadership and

the wheel. whenever i share this message with some people inside the beltway they are ready to criticize it and say but you can't do that. what do you mean i can't do that? i'm calling to be president. we can do that. [cheering] what do you mean? then they would say all of these things you want to do you want to maximize all of these resources? yes. well, the epa is not going to let you do that. i said well, let me tell you what a cain presidency would be about. the epa needs an attitude adjustment. they were for us, we don't work for them. attitude adjustment time at the epa. [applause] they work for us.

that's how we are going to develop the independent strategy. then we can do it responsibly, but we do not have to stop all of the things that we can do. my approach to all of these crises is the same and it's all based upon some guiding principles that used throughout my career in order to fix stuff, in order to turns that around, in order to build businesses in order to leave organizations big and small. number one, do what's right. start with what's right, not politically right. number two, if you want to solve a problem, go to the source closest to the problem, and the source closest to the problem is not washington, d.c., it is in the state's. let's go to the states to help solve many of these problems. third guiding principle, another

guiding principle is that one of the reasons we have all of these crises is because we've become an entitlement survived. there will be no new entitlement program, only empowerment program. in power the states, in power the workers and empower the businesses. [applause] with those guiding principles. i've been in washington all week and i have attracted a little bit of attention. [applause] and there was an article in "the new york times" today that has attempted to attract more attention. that's kind of what happens when you start to show up near or at the top of the polls. it just happens that way. the article in "the new york times" is interested and

illustrates some of the things we have to deal with in order to turn this country and around. the article tries to make a case of how close the coke brothers and i are. i'm proud to know the coke brothers. i'm very proud to know the coke brothers. they make it sound like we have had time to go fishing together, hunting together, skiing together, golfing together, but just so i can clarify this for the media this may be breaking new announcement for the media. i am the coke brothers brother from another mother. [applause] [cheering] yes. i'm their brother from another mother. and proud of it. [applause]

you see, the reason the line running for president, is because i want to unite the united states of america, not divide the united states of america. and here's what we need to do. we need to stay informed, stay involved. the reason you are here at this defend the american dream conference is because you want to defend the american dream. the founding fathers, they did their job. we've got to do our job. souci informed come stay involved and stay inspired. they want you to believe the we can't do this, but i know in my heart we can do this. stay inspired. many things have inspired me to get on this journey. one of the things that has inspired me to get on this journey started 12 years ago when my first grandchild was born. i now have three grandkids and

it's for the grand kids and all of the other little fees' is that you here to defend the american dream. we are going to be all right. and it's not about us. it is about to them. which is why we are doing what we do and why i am on this journey i remind the larger greatest presidents and how he inspires this nation ronald reagan when he is to discard the united states of america is that shining city on the hill but in the last three years that shining city on the hill has led down to the side of the hilltop. other nations still look up to us but we are on the side of a hill and this is why we need a renewal in america. we need a new type of leadership in america. my pledge to you, and as your president, is that i will lead

this nation with your help back to the top of the hill where it belongs, and i will never apologize for the greatness of the united states of america. [applause] ♪

filling out the declaration of the candidacy which has been completed all that needs is a signature on their and this is the filing fee. [inaudible] we are going to make sure new hampshire remains first in the nation. it's a responsibility and an honor in which new hampshire deserves and i'm happy to be part of that process and i'm going to put my name on this paper hoping this time it will take and not going to be able to become a nominee in the party

and hopefully the next president. >> the new hampshire primary is set for january 10th, and you can follow campaign 2012 online with the deceased and video library. click on the campaign 2012 to access the candidates and the event all searchable, share a boy and free. the c-span video library. it's washington your way. >> more road to the white house coverage saturday night at eight eastern on our companion network. obama reelection campaign kicked off an initiative to mobilize voters between the ages of 18 to 29. joining him at the event for the philadelphia mayor michael nutter and students involved in college democratic clubs. from the university of pennsylvania's campus in philadelphia, this is an alberta

and 15 minutes. >> okay. everybody let's give it up for the deejay. the black eyed peas and president barack obama. i think they do together. he's a rock star, right? okay, it is a pleasure to be back in philadelphia, and i want to welcome all of you to the obama student summit, whether you are here at the university of pennsylvania for joining us online. let's give it up for all the students locked in at more than 80 campuses around the country. hey, what's up? [applause] [cheering] my name is reagan gomez and i am honored to be your moderator tonight. before i made my way to hollywood, i don't know if you notice, but i lived in philadelphia from 8-years-old to 14, so i am a full legal. what's up?

but i was born in detroit, and we call detroit the motor city because the trust builds cars and cars built detroit. the folks that work in factories sometimes worked paycheck to paycheck but they work hard and you all know what happened there. when the economy collapsed, the industry lost jobs faster and then just about anywhere in the country, and president barack obama took office right after words while the economy was still hanging on by a thread and one of his first decisions that he made that proved just kind of leader he was he decided to save the auto industry. and in doing so, he saved 1.4 million jobs. but he did more than that. he saved that city. others said it was a waste of money. some even said he should let detroit go bankrupt. some said it wasn't the right political move and some said it wasn't the right time, but president barack obama said it was the right thing to do. and in the end, he has been

proven right. taxpayers got their money back coming and the american auto industry is stronger now than it has been in years. tonight we are going to talk about that leadership and about the stakes for the future of our country. but is there any history majors here tonight, you know history majors in the house. you know that before we can talk about where we are going, we have to talk about and no where we came from. it's important to remember that when president obama to office he inherited the worst economic and financial crisis since the great depression. today instead of losing hundreds of thousands of jobs every month, we are creating them. go ahead, take a seat. get comfortable. you guys are this nation's next generation of workers and also its next generation of voters. just over a year from now, many of you will be voting for the first time ever. who's going to be voting clacks that's right. get out there.

you guys will decide what kind of country and economy you want to inherit. that's the choice in next year's election and it's what i distinguished panelists will be discussing here tonight. tonight we will be hearing from the philadelphia mayor michael nutter. [applause] obama for america campaign manager jim missina. and democratic strategist now with the barns. we are very fortunate to have them as our panelists for an honest conversation about some of the most pressing issues facing young americans today. issues like making sure that you can afford a quality education. that's right. like making sure when you graduate you can find a job that pays well. that's right. like making sure that if you get sick you are not going to be left to fend for yourself, and making sure we have a president for the next four years who

knows what he believes and who does the right thing. [applause] [cheering] for each topic a student will join our panel because students should nafisi get the table, too. your voice needs to be heard. that is what brings this about. education will be joined by gramm from the university of pennsylvania. [applause] [cheering] and on jobs will bring that david lopez from temple university. and joining us to talk about health care will be eliot griffin also. [applause] and we are going to take questions from the audience here in philadelphia and also through twitter for those of you watching on line. you can tweet with a cash tag greater together. it's my closer to introduce obama for americans pennsylvania state director, the women whose leading president obama's

ground-breaking grass-roots campaign right here in philadelphia and across the state. give it up for her. [applause] thank you for that introduction. welcome everybody to the obama student summit. i glad you all decided to join to light both here in philadelphia and online. i have to say i am truly inspired. it seems so many americans care about their future. four years ago we saw an unprecedented number of students and young americans take part in choosing their future by working to select barack obama president of the united states. i have to say you got what you worked for. you got a president who weeks of every morning thinking about how to make it easier for you to afford college and get a job when you graduate. you got a president helped pay for school who believes there is no place in america for a tolerance or discrimination who doesn't think you should get left behind or tells you you're on your own when times get