abilities for regulators to dismantle a firm that is going under. the new law bans banks from making risky bets with customers to profit and take away their big bonuses and paydays from failed ceos while giving shareholders a say on executive salaries. .. and i know from her, and i know

from all the people that i've come in contact with, that the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals, they want to do right by their customers. they want to have rules in place that don't put them at a disadvantage for doing the right thing. and yet, republicans in congress are fighting as hard as they can to make sure that these rules aren't enforced. i'll give you a specific example. for the first time in history, the reforms that we passed put in place a consumer watchdog who is charged with protecting everyday americans from being taken advantage of by mortgage lenders or payday lenders or debt collectors. and the man we nominated for the post, richard cordray, is a former attorney general of ohio who has the support of most attorney generals, both democrat and republican, throughout the country. nobody claims he's not qualified. but the republicans in the

senate refuse to confirm him for the job. they refuse to let him do his job. why? does anybody here think that the problem that led to our financial crisis was too much oversight of mortgage lenders or debt collectors? {>>} no! {>>} of course not. every day we go without a consumer watchdog is another day when a student, or a senior citizen, or a member of our armed forces, because they are very vulnerable to some of this stuff, could be tricked into a loan that they can't afford, something that happens all the time. and the fact is that financial institutions have plenty of lobbyists looking out for their interests. consumers deserve to have someone whose job it is to look out for them.

[applause] and i intend to make sure they do. [applause] and i want you to hear me, kansas, i will veto any effort to delay or defund or dismantle the new rules that we put in place. [applause] we shouldn't be weakening oversight and accountability. we should be strengthening oversight and accountability. i'll give you another example. too often, we've seen wall street firms violating major anti-fraud laws because the penalties are too weak and there's no price for being a repeat offender. no more.

i'll be calling for legislation that makes those penalties count so that firms don't see punishment for breaking the law as just the price of doing business. [applause] the fact is this crisis has left a huge deficit of trust between main street and wall street. and major banks that were rescued by the taxpayers have an obligation to go the extra mile in helping to close that deficit of trust. at minimum, they should be remedying past mortgage abuses that led to the financial crisis. they should be working to keep responsible homeowners in their home. we're going to keep pushing them to provide more time for unemployed homeowners to look for work without having to worry about immediately losing their house.

the big banks should increase access to refinancing opportunities to borrowers who haven't yet benefited from historically low interest rates. and the big banks should recognize that precisely because these steps are in the interest of middle-class families and the broader economy, it will also be in the banks' own long-term financial interest. what will be good for consumers over the long term will be good for the banks. [applause] investing in things like education that give everybody a chance to succeed. a tax code that makes sure everybody pays their fair share. and laws that make sure everybody follows the rules. that's what will transform our economy. that's what will grow our middle

class again. in the end, rebuilding this economy based on fair play, a fair shot, and a fair share will require all of us to see that we have a stake in each other's success. and it will require all of us to take some responsibility. it will require parents to get more involved in their children's education. it will require students to study harder. [applause] it will require some workers to start studying all over again. it will require greater responsibility from homeowners not to take out mortgages they can't afford. they need to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. it will require those of us in public service to make government more efficient and more effective, more

consumer-friendly, more responsive to people's needs. that's why we're cutting programs that we don't need to pay for those we do. [applause] that's why we've made hundreds of regulatory reforms that will save businesses billions of dollars. that's why we're not just throwing money at education, we're challenging schools to come up with the most innovative reforms and the best results. and it will require american business leaders to understand that their obligations don't just end with their shareholders. andy grove, the legendary former ceo of intel, put it best. he said, there is another obligation i feel personally, given that everything i've achieved in my career, and a lot of what intel has achieved, were made possible by a climate of

democracy, an economic climate and investment climate provided by the united states. this broader obligation can take many forms. at a time when the cost of hiring workers in china is rising rapidly, it should mean more ceos deciding that it's time to bring jobs back to the united states. [applause] not just because it's good for business, but because it's good for the country that made their business and their personal success possible. [applause] i think about the big three auto companies who, during recent negotiations, agreed to create

more jobs and cars here in america, and then decided to give bonuses not just to their executives, but to all their employees, so that everyone was invested in the company's success. [applause] i think about a company based in warroad, minnesota. it's called marvin windows and doors. during the recession, marvin's competitors closed dozens of plants, let hundreds of workers go. but marvin's did not lay off a single one of their 4,000 or so employees, not one. in fact, they've only laid off workers once in over a hundred years. mr. marvin's grandfather even kept his eight employees during the great depression. now, at marvin's when times get

tough, the workers agree to give up some perks and some pay, and so do the owners. as one owner said, you can't grow if you're cutting your lifeblood, and that's the skills and experience your workforce delivers. [applause] for the ceo of marvin's, it's about the community. he said, these are people we went to school with. we go to church with them. we see them in the same restaurants. indeed, a lot of us have married local girls and boys. we could be anywhere, but we are in warroad. that's how america was built.

that's why we're the greatest nation on earth. that's what our greatest companies understand. our success has never just been about survival of the fittest. it's about building a nation where we're all better off. we pull together. we pitch in. we do our part. we believe that hard work will pay off, that responsibility will be rewarded, and that our children will inherit a nation where those values live on. [applause] and it is that belief that rallied thousands of americans to osawatomie. [applause] maybe even some of your ancestors, on a rain-soaked day

more than a century ago. by train, by wagon, on buggy, bicycle, on foot, they came to hear the vision of a man who loved this country and was determined to perfect it. we are all americans, teddy roosevelt told them that day. our common interests are as broad as the continent. in the final years of his life, roosevelt took that same message all across this country, from tiny osawatomie to the heart of new york city, believing that no matter where he went, no matter who he was talking to, everybody would benefit from a country in which everyone gets a fair chance. [applause]

and well into our third century as a nation, we have grown and we've changed in many ways since roosevelt's time. the world is faster and the playing field is larger and the challenges are more complex. but what hasn't changed, what can never change, are the values that got us this far. we still have a stake in each other's success. we still believe that this should be a place where you can make it if you try. and we still believe, in the words of the man who called for a new nationalism all those years ago, the fundamental rule of our national life, he said, the rule which underlies all others, is that, on the whole,

and in the long run, we shall go up or down together. and i believe america is on the way up. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ >> president obama yesterday in kansas. we are live at the ronald reagan building in washington for a number of gop presidential candidates are addressing the republican jewish coalition today. this morning on c-span2, jon huntsman and then mitt romney.

>> i'm very pleased to introduce my friend, senator rick santorum. senator santorum is a candidate for president of the united states of america. [applause] senator santorum has an impact double record of service. he's been a two-term senator from pennsylvania, a three term congressman, and served eight years on the armed services committee. he has been chosen as a senate leader by his peers, and i find that very important. but i know him personally. as a fellow board member at universal health services, he was highly valued as a board member. senator santorum is smart, reasonable, and a man of his word. we trusted him and we trust his judgment. i know this man, and i have

known him for many years. if character, integrity, honesty, coupled with experience and intellect are what voters want in their president, they need to give senator rick santorum a very close look. senator santorum. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you very much. it is an honor for me to be here today. i thank my good friend, alan miller, for those very kind remarks. he was a great guy to work with at universal health, and i learned a lot about the health care industry. even more from being out there in the private sector than they did when i was in government in washington, d.c. on the finance committee. we are here today, and i want to thank the republican jewish coalition. first, thank them for having

this coalition today. look forward to getting brief remarks and then opened up to your question. i want to thank them for the great work they do in reaching out to the jewish community with the principles of the republican party. we have seen a dramatic transformation in this country with jews all across this country, now understand that the values of the republican party are in concert with theirs, and we've seen a dramatic growth in jewish involvement in the republican party, and a lot of that is to the credit of the republican jewish coalition. so i just want to thank them for the great work they're doing, that out reach their doing, i look forward to working with them as president of the united states to continue that effort. today is december 7. december 7, at 8 that will live in infamy. december 7 was the day in which the united states was blindsided. was blindsided because for a long, long time a lot of people did everything they could to avoid war. and at the price of almost

losing the entire world to darkness. december 7 reminds us that america is vulnerable. remind us also know that people here in washington come and people around the country, of goodwill can have different approaches to solving problems. see things differently, but we need to learn from history. history taught us that on june 14, 1940, when france fell, winston churchill went on the radio and pleaded for america to come to her aid. and we did nothing in response. in fact, we did worse than nothing. we debate and we tried. in fact, in the summer of 1941, only a year after, after the battle of britain, after all of europe had gone dark and the pacific was going dark, too, under japanese will win a debate on the floor of the house of representatives to determine whether we would, in fact, a polish the draft. -- abolished the draft.

people so badly wanted to avoid war. wanted to turn their eyes to a gathering storm, as churchill called it. that we almost, we came within one vote of abolishing the draft which would have made harder for us to arm up after the events of december 7. i know people in this country are tired of war. we are all tired of it. but pearl harbor already happen. it happened 10 years ago. on september 11. we need to understand that this war is unlike the war that we fought during world war ii. it is as many have termed it, the long war. why do we call it the long war? we call it along or because, well, this is a war that has been fought in the past and it was long, a thousand years long. long with people who had radical ideas that they wanted to spread throughout the world. and conquer western

civilization. well, western civilization one that long war, that thousand year war, and if not for one, three letter word, that war would still be owing. that three letter word is oil. loyal is given the capabilities of the radical and let us to retool and rearm, and to have capabilities increasingly equal to our own. there are some who are the most radical and the most threateni threatening, and yet we see in this administration a blind eye toward those radical. in fact, the last campaign president obama referred to the revolutionary republic, revolutionary islamic government of iran as a little country in the middle east. ladies and gentlemen, it is not a little country. it is a serious threat to the future of our country. the entire region now, we see evidence of the president's policy of ignoring the threat of

radical islam. we see the naïveté of going to cairo and inviting the code islamic world to the table. encouraging the palestinians to offer a stated resolution, fully over a year ago, hoping that would be the case. we see the arab spring, which should have started, a real arab spring should have started in the summer of 2009 with the revolution in iran. this president, faced with the regime, a tyrannical regime that has been war with us since 1979, who has attacked the united states directly and indirectly multiple times, and most recently has been attacking our men and women in afghanistan and iraq with the most feared weapon used against us, ieds, manufactured in iran, trained,

people, insurgents trained in iran, funded in iran. and yet through two administrations we have done virtually nothing about that. and yet we had the opportunity in the summer 2009 when a real revolution started to do something. back in 2004 i introduced a bill, we worked together, republican jewish coalition, and many friends and supporters of israel, worked together because we saw the threat that iran was. even in the midst of the wars in iraq and afghanistan we all understood that the real existential threat to the state official, a real threat to the security of this country long-term was this theocracy in iran. and so we worked together on a piece of legislation in 2004. i introduced a. i got no cosponsors. it put sanctions on iran on their nuclear program which at the time our intelligence community said it didn't exist, but we knew better. and at the time they said there was no pro-democracy movement and it's been suppressed,

effectively eliminate. and we said no, no, we are going to help find and nurture the pro-democracy movement because we know there are decent people in iran who want to overthrow this radical regime. there were no cosponsors, within 18 months when it became more apparent and rjc and other or decisions do the work in educating people and congress, we ended up with 60 cosponsors i took the bill from the floor of the house and proposed, none other than joe biden. i always have a suggest where talk to college student and if you're trying to figure what your worldview is with respect to foreign policy, find out what joe biden thinks and then take the opposite opinion. [applause] and this is, you will be right 100% of the time. not 99, 100% of the time. so joe biden and all the -- present a bush bash at present bush opposed me on the floor of united states and and we ended

up failing by three votes. but within four months once the negotiations with iran collapsed in the summer of 2006, very near the exact bill passed unanimously in the house and senate. and here we had in place sanctions on their nuclear program, funding is going to go to help the pro-democracy movement, and the past administration and this administration did not spend the resources to develop those relationships, and to empower those industries. 12009 came around we had no ties, we had no effect, and worse yet the president of the united states stood in there but to the cries of those in the streets pleading for the americans to take a stand. we took no stand, and they fell. interestingly enough just a year later, when a group of radicals, including the muslim brotherhood and radical song, the islamists took to the streets in egypt against our ally, against our friend who hasn't attacked us,

who hasn't declared war against us, who is not a radical theocrat wants to control the world, in that case we quickly jumped on board with the radical solo cities and muslim brotherhood in the streets, and through a cold but nevertheless a friend of the united states and israel under the bus. and we continue that path. we continued that pattern, and i would argue in libya and here in syria. we establish diplomatic relationships with assigned, called him a reformer, and still have the embassy there. us last to the american public

about what is at stake. what is at stake is evidently clear as we look at the situation developing in iran. iran is on the precipice of developing a nuclear weapon. it is a time when we need someone in the executive office, the oval office who has the courage of their convictions, who has the experience and who has the will to stand up and do

what is right. to confront this radical theocracy that if they receive a nuclear weapon, if they develop one will fundamentally change not just the middle east, it will change the world. there is no greater purveyor of the world than iran. there is no greater threat to the existence of israel than iran. and we must stand up and say, not only that they shouldn't get a nuclear weapon. the president says that but it's another one of the picks in the ncaa bracket. it doesn't matter unless you have the power and the will to do something about it. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, i laid out our 4-point plan what i would do if i was president of the united states and it's backed up of a record of working again with you over the years and working as i said on the

arms services committee with the missile defense program, visited some of those sites when i was in israel as a member of that committee. helped fund joint programs to help protect israel from those missiles but that's not enough. no, we have to stop -- we have to make it very clear to iran that the united states will not -- the united states -- i didn't say israel. the united states because it's in our security interest. if the united states will stop iran from getting a nuclear weapon, period. [applause] >> before i tell you how i would do it, i will tell you why it's important. iran is different as a nuclear power than any other power that exists. iran is not a country where mutual assured destruction will work as bernard lewis, i think, once said, mutual destruction works if you're a country that is basically atheistic that the

soviet union was and believes once life extinguished in the world, it's over. it's different if you're an islamic republic of iran that believes the principle virtue -- and this is what mahmoud ahmadinejad has said repeatedly. the principal revolution of the international republic of iran is martyrdom. this is what they will hope for because it will deliver them to their 72 virgins. bernard lewis said that mutual assured destruction is not a deterrent to iran. it is an inducement to iran. ladies and gentlemen, we cannot sit and hope to contain iran. [applause] >> what we need to do very quickly is to use those -- use those funds to help the people in the streets of iran and in their home now locked away

'cause they're afraid because the united states wasn't there for them. we need to help them. we need to give funds. we need to provide strike funds for folks this is strikes and we need to provide all sorts of telecommunications and likewise and it means verbal support for a new regime in iran. we need to have sanctions. yes, like the sanctions that passed in the united states senate where we do some things to actually cripple iran and their ability to conduct business as an economy. they need to shut off their oil supply. oh, i understand the chinese will continue to buy oil but if you're the only customer of irani oil, you will pay a lot less and that means that's going to hurt their economy very, very much. we need to say very clearly that we will be conducting covert activity to do everything we can to stop their nuclear program. and that means using covert activity like may have occurred at the missile site just

recently in iran, right? [applause] >> i would like to think the united states was involved in that. i would like to think that we had something to do that with that missile site but given the president's record on -- with osama bin laden and not being able to keep a secret of everything good that he did for an even more than 24 hours, i suspect to know if we had anything to do with that explosion. [applause] >> so secondly, with respect to covert activity we need to be very clear. any foreign scientist working in iran on this nuclear plant will be termed an enemy combatant and will be subject like osama bin laden to be taken out by this country. [applause] >> and finally, working with israel right now, publicly, to answer the iranian government. [applause] >> we need to be jointly saying to the iranian government, you will not have a nuclear program

be developed. you will not have a weapon be developed. you either open up your facilities, allow inspectors and begin to dismantle this program or we will work together in concert to degrade that program via air strikes or whatever means necessary to take that ability out. [applause] >> people have said to me, rick, you talk a lot about national security when you're out on the campaign trail and i do. because i believe there's a very good chance that by next election day, that the national security issues in this country will be of higher priority in the eyes of the american public than the economy. but let's not make any mistake, our national security affects our economy. the idea that somehow or another that all of this going on in the middle east, not just with the higher oil prices that may come as the tensions increase, but all of this going on and iran getting a nuclear weapon and then to be able to go on about

impunity. that's why they want it so badly so they can continue to do what we just saw the president boldly announce, that the iranians were trying to kill a saudi ambassador here in america. and what was our response? nothing. again, nothing. ladies and gentlemen, we need to stand up, and we need to stand up because it's going to affect not just our national security, but it will affect our economy. i have a bold plan to try to get this economy going, to throw out the tax code, reduce rates, simplify the code to five simple deductions, eliminate it from manufacturers so we can have jobs in earthquake some, usa made jobs in america. and we have all theseds ideas but unless we are safe and secure, the number 1 priority of the federal government, none of that economic plan will do much if we are in a state of panic because of terrorist attacks being launched continually on

this country. you understand that. one of the reasons i came here today -- i've sort of spent a little time in iowa lately. and i'll be back. i was there yesterday. i'm leaving tomorrow morning. and i came back just to be here. [applause] >> just to affirm you. [applause] >> to affirm you that what you're standing for on an economic and on national security at this critical time for both of those issues is critical for you to be here and to find the candidate, to find the candidate in the republican party who has the courage of this conviction. we've had great leaders in the past, a lot of them have had great ideas. we need people with great ideas. what we need more are people who have the courage to fight for those ideas and then when things get tough, have the conviction to hold fast to make sure those ideas are put in place.

ladies and gentlemen, if you look at my history, i think you'll see that we worked together against my own administration, the republican administration, and fought, yes, fought and had the courage to fight for the values that i believed and i believed were important for the security of our country and i held fast in spite of opposition, ballpark opposition and in the end, we won the day. that's the kind of leadership we need. that's why i ask for your support today. and i look forward to your questions. thank you. [applause] >> where am i looking? over here? >> yeah. >> hi, an excellent talk. i have no dispute with anything that you said. i just wanted to mention one nuance. you said that iran is an ex extensional threat to israel

which it is. but the key issue since you're running for the president of the united states that iran is an ex extensional threat to america. as one i-tolla said, mapping a path for destruction, and we're talking about israel if you're looking here. so i just wanted to highlight that issue to you. >> i would agree with that. i agree on several levels. number 1 we are not going to sit silently by while our best ally in the region is under attack by anybody and, therefore, we will be brought into this at that first level. secondly, as i mentioned before, there's no question that with a nuclear iran, i know people are concerned and legitimately so about iran launching a missile. i'm more concerned about iran using that is a shield of terror all over the world, but not just israel, and not just supporting hezbollah and hamas and hamas' friend within the palestinian

authority but we're talking about as we saw just recently, iran having the temerity to actually plan an attack on american soil. it will not be -- it is not the first time i'm sure they had planned it and with a nuclear shield, it will be the first of many to come. that's why we must stop it. [applause] >> yes, over here. >> my name is peter foreman. i love the fact that you mentioned that we are -- we should be wary of our dependence of oil. we're giving money to enemies. given that, what are you prepared to do to declare war on those oil dependencies? and are you willing to promote every alternative including biofuel, which many experts say is the most credible substitute given our current infrastructure? >> thank you very much for that question. and you're absolutely right. people talk about energy independence.

i believe that energy is obviously the key to the economy of this country. the cheaper the energy it is, the better our economy is going to be. this recession that we started, started because of a spike in oil prices. so national security does have an impact on this economy even in this current crisis. and we need to do exactly the opposite of what this president is doing with respect to energy production. whether it's closing down pipelines or closing offshore drilling or deep water drilling or not opening up anwr for exploration -- i mean, for drilling, we've got an alaska pipeline that is in threaten of being shut down because there's simply not enough oil going through it and the oil may congeal and not flow anymore because we don't have the volume of oil heating it up and i understand it's a little cold out there. and, again, the president is doing everything he can to make us more and more dependent on the people that he is appeasing,

which is just -- i mean, a remarkable abdication of leadership and responsibility to protect the interest of america. i believe that we should, frankly, eliminate all energy subsidies. eliminate them. let the marketplace work. [applause] >> open up the market -- [applause] >> open up the market, allow us to mine coal, allow us to drill for oil and gas. look what happened in pennsylvania. pennsylvania, we had the second natural gas find in the world. when i left the united states senate, gas was around 12 bucks and now it's 3.99. why? we have a plentiful soil. we need to do the same thing with oil, we need to do the same thing in coal. the president will putting a regulation that will shut down 60 coal fire plants and we're moving to a 20% -- i mean, a clean energy standard for our electric grid which we cannot get to and attain. we're talking about explosion of the cost of electricity. we're going to cripple america.

and so energy independence -- how about just energy security so we can have enough production in this country just like natural gas so we're not dependent on speculative places where we get our oil from now, which causes the price of oil to increase. yes. >> dan leaderman from south dakota. >> with these lights i can't see people very well. i just sort of see figures. i was with dan with northwest iowa a couple days ago. he's a state senator from south dakota but he hangs out in iowa little bit. >> i want to thank you for -- first of all for your service and secondly, for spending as much time as you have out in iowa. but my question is, what would you do or what would the country look like with a santorum administration in the first week? >> well, first thing we would do is on national security -- you heard the plan that i outlined, and i pray -- i mean, i mean

that. i do pray that we do not have an explosion in the middle east in iran that proves that they have a nuclear weapons capability by the time january 20th, 2013 rolls around. if they have not done that, then the plan i put in place will be the first thing i will do on day one to make sure the united states is safe from this threat to israel and to the united states and to western civilization. so that's number 1. number 2, i will go about the process of repealing obamacare. i think that is the biggest threat -- [applause] >> it is the biggest threat to freedom in this country. it will dramatically increase dependency in this country of people being addicted to government entitlements as we've all seen and the impact of that. we need to create stability and certainty and lower regulation and taxes for our business community and repealing obamacare -- you can't waive it.

it won't work. you can't get rid of it by executive order but you can get rid of it. you guys work hard, rjc you work hard and you give us is net three gain of republicans in the united states senate. you give us 50 we'll use the reconciliation process we will gut obamacare of all the taxes and all the spending. it will be a worthless doctrine. [applause] >> so that's number 2. i'll throw in -- i'll throw in number 3, obviously we have to do something about the economy and the debt. i put a proposal on the table recently that said we will cut $5 trillion over five years. that we will pass a progrowth tax plan which i laid out to you and that will be step 2 and 3 if you will of going out there and cutting government. i'll tell you one of the first places i'll start is the state department. [applause] >> we have a state department in this country that is constantly working against the interests of our country and i would say the

interest of the u.s.-israel relationship and they need to have a meat ax taken to them so they know which direction we need to take. [applause] >> yes, ma'am. >> hi. one thing is i think you ought to tell the folks what sign you have above your kitchen sink or in your kitchen. go ahead. >> karen -- my wife karen is here somewhere. i was trying to look for her but i don't know where she is. i was trying to introduce her but i can't introduce her if i don't see her. okay. wherever she is, say, hi, karen. karen and i have been to israel and one of the things we did when we got there -- this was many years ago. this is back in the '90s was the first time we went there. and we bought one of those tiles that said pray for the peace of jerusalem and we have that on our kitchen right above our sink and we pray that every day. [applause] >> as we all know, it is the epicenter of the world. it is where all of the major

faiths come together. and unless we have that situation solved, world peace is impossible. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> the question i have is, the gulf of mexico -- we could possibly call it our soft underbelly. i read a couple weeks ago that the drug cartels might start using submarines. when prime minister ariel sharon built a fence, terrorism reduced by 96%. we need to secure our borders, get rid of those tunnels. hezbollah has a presence in mexico. what are your plans for our border? >> thank you very much. and at the national security bay here a couple of weeks ago i was asked the question, what is the threat that we have not talked about? now, we talked about abrasion -- abrasion and we talked about defense and i've been very clear about that that i'm committed and have been committed over the

course of my career in building that fence to securing our border, not just because of the economic impact on our country but because of the national security impact on our country. i've been working and writing -- when i was working on the iran freedom support act, one of the things that i began to notice was iran's trying to spread their influence in central and south america, particularly as you know with hugo chavez. so i've been writing about it. i gave a speech in my 2006 campaign. here we are in the middle of the iraq war which was horribly unpopular. afghanistan was not going well and that was becoming even more unpopular. it was part of the big antiwar movement was alive and well. and i went out and gave a speech in pennsylvania called the gathering storm of the 21st century talking about many of the things we talked about here but also including the problems that are now developing in central and south america. you all know most americans don't about the presence of jihadist training camps in central and south america, the relationships between chavez and ortega and castro and others.

this is -- this is a threat in our hemisphere. and because of the two prior -- this administration and the past one focusing all of its attention or most of it on across the atlantic, we have allowed a lot of relationships to go to seed in central and south america. and both are militant socialist enemies as well as the radical jihadists are taking advantage of that. we need to secure the border, but we also need to begun engaging our friends in the region, we need to develop new friends and we need to confront the radicals that are joining together with the radical islamists to try to create a sphere of influence that is an absolute threat to the security of our country. [applause] >> senator santorum -- i'm from florida and we thank you for everything you've done for the pro-israel community. >> thank you. >> you've been amazing.

>> thank you. [applause] >> there is something going through congress at the moment, menendez and kirk and from what i understand the administration is trying to water it down. it's about crude oil and trying to -- be able to create a situation with oil. what would you do to -- so that the price would not go up because the administration is saying that the price will be exorbitant and they want to stop it. what would you do to be able to create a level playing field whereas we could do this for oil, create the sanctions and get on with the jobs? >> well, i would say first to the administration. you think the price will go up. imagine what the price will be when iran has a nuclear weapon and is starting to purvey terror all across the world. we will want the price to be what it is today. [applause] >> bottom line is, as i said before, if we put sanctions on

the iranian central bank and we put sanctions and their inability to be able to sell oil for the rest world we know china will not pay attention to those sanctions and they will continue to buy hollywood but they will buy oil at a a lot less price than what they're paying for now. so the oil will be on the market. it's just iran will not be paid what the world price is and, therefore, it will harm -- dramatically harm their economy and that's why i support those sanctions. [applause] >> good morning, senator santorum. thanks for coming today. i'm dr. christie longshore from bucks county, pennsylvania. [applause] >> thank you. a little shoutout for pennsylvania. very good. [laughter] >> a lot of my friends are moderate and independents. i completely agree with you on your opinion of world affairs but my friends and i are a little concerned about your stance that you're so pro-life, for example, the schiavo case.

how do you recommend i respond to them on that? >> you know, what i say to people if you look at the republican field, all of the republican field is going to be pro-life and for marriage. that's who's left in the republican field. they're all pro-life and they're all for marriage. and so you're really choosing between -- well, not on the issue -- you're choosing between -- well, something a little different. i would make the argument that we've had presidential candidates who have been both pro-life or promarriage who have not been very comfortable talking about those issues because they don't feel really comfortable about the positions they hold. there may be people in this race who would fit that -- that moniker. i'm not one of them. and i look at it this way. when you're electing a president, if you say the issues are the same, you want to elect a president who you actually trust that they believe and say what they believe or do you want

to have a president who says, well, i believe this but, you know, i'm just saying it because, well, maybe it's what i need to say to get elected. i would say to you that what you're looking for in a president is someone with integrity, someone you can trust, someone you know that when they tell you something, they mean it and they feel it. and i do. and i don't -- you know, i don't back away from that. but i'm honest with you about that. [applause] >> i think character matters in a leader. i think someone who has the courage of their conviction matters. we're not going to agree on everything. nobody -- sometimes i don't even agree with myself on it. but what i think people are looking for is authenticity, someone who's willing to stand up and tell what they really believe to the american public. let me assure you, my wife, karen, is here. she will make sure that i do that. she does on a regular basis. you will see what i really

believe. and, look, also my track record shows that i'm someone who's -- look, i'm not -- i don't go out and condemn people who i disagree with. i respectfully disagree with them and we work together as we can to try to make this country a better country. [applause] >> okay. this is my hook. [laughter] >> look, thank you, alan, for graciously coming out here and doing so. let me just wrap up by saying thank you again. and i mean that from the bottom of my heart. having toiled in the vineyards here a little bit for the causes that we share, this organization has been terrific. and i know for many of you who are like alan some of the folks who started this organization -- it wasn't the most popular thing to be, to be a jewish republican. but you had the courage of your convictions. and you stood up for the principles that you think are important to keep this country

free, safe and prosperous and strong. and i just want to say to all of you, if you're looking for a candidate who has the same kind of conviction, who has the track record to back up what they say they're going to do, who has the courage to go out when it's not popular and stand by and hold fast to the issues that you believe in your heart are what's important for the future of our country, then we have a lot in common and i hope i can get your support. thank you and god bless. [applause] >> please republican jewish board of directors member n.b. elkin. [applause]

>> good morning. my name is kenneth. i have the great privilege this morning of introducing to you governor jon huntsman. he hasn't gotten quite the media coverage that the polling frontrunners have had, but he's out there vigorously. and the "wall street journal" has editorially pronounced that his economic plan is better than anything so far from the gop presidential field. it calls for tax and regulatory reform, for reducing the burden on american business and his key for expansion and growth. governor huntsman bring to this audience experience of his over 50 years of involvement in government and in business. as you know, he's been twice

ambassador to the united states, singapore and china. he has been the trade representative. he serves as governor of the great state of utah. and he's right in the midst of the debate that we have today. i recognize that at the moment the polls are different. the polls can change. and i commend him to you to listen carefully and hear what he has to say and give him a fair chance. governor? [applause] >> ken, thank you for the kind introduction, far more than i deserve. i appreciate a man of your respect and distinction coming out and introducing me. ladies and gentlemen, members of

rjc, i am deeply honored and grateful to be with you today. i'm the candidate for the presidency of the united states of america. if i speak a little bit with a new hampshire accent, you'll have to excuse me. i've been spending a little bit too much time in the granite state lately because i do believe regardless of what the polls have to say and other parts of the country, that new hampshire is always going to be that state that upends conventional wisdom. so wherever we are today, we're likely to be somewhere else tomorrow. all i ask is for your consideration, for you to take a look at what we have done in terms of my own public service track record. what i have done is a twice-elected governor of the state of utah. what i have done in terms of my experiences living overseas four times serving three times as the united states ambassador. most importantly, being a father of seven children. i have three daughters who are on the campaign trail with me.

and if you want to see some of their antics, i'd just ask you to go on youtube and you can see what a video gone viral actually means. so the candidate can give a speech on foreign policy and get five hits on youtube. my daughters can do a corny spoofy video and it will go viral overnight. and i'm beginning to understand the nature of political communication these days. so those three girls are on the campaign trail with me. two boys in the united states navy. and i'm honored and delighted that they're willing to wear the uniform of the united states. [applause] >> two little adopted girls, one from china and one from india and every day i look into their eyes when i'm at home, which isn't often, and i'm reminded of the world they are about to step into, which leads me to where i am here today. i just want to tell you straight up, i'm not going to pander. i'm not going to contort myself into a pretzel, you can look

elsewhere. .. >> in a condition that is less good. less productive, less competitive, more divided and more saddled with debt than anytime in recent history. and if that fact alone, ladies and gentlemen, doesn't grab you by the lapels and shake you out

of your sense of complacency, i don't know what would your i was born in 1960. we exported three bucks for every two bucks we imported. we owned 36% of the world's gdp, science technology, standard of living. it was all ours. seems all the nobel prize laureates came from the united states of america. 25% of our gdp was derived from a manufacturing. and i look at where we are today. 9%. we have no leadership, ladies and gentlemen. the greatest nation that ever was, is light that ronald reagan used to talk about, that shining city on the hill, that moose people and transforms the world is not shining that light. it's not that beacon that reflects liberty, democracy, human rights, and free markets. and i would argue that when the united states is strong, the

world is a better place. when the united states speaks up about what it means to be a friend and ally, the world is a better place. we have not spoken of as a country in a very long time. about what it means to be a friend and ally of the united states, and that must change. so, too, must two of the deficits that we face, that i think are at the core of where we said today as people. number one, is an economic deficit. you see, we have $15 trillion in debt, and i would like -- liken it to cancer which is metastasizing in this country. when you were at 70% debt to gdp and rising, because under this president, and i would argue if we do not get new leadership, we will see a lost decade of economic growth. and for the most optimistic blue

sky can do problem-solving people this world has ever known, that's a high price to be paying. and i would argue we need some tough medicine in terms of how we corralled that debt and spending. i've a very short speech on how i think it ought to be corralled. i like the ryan thing. i think the rhineland take a hard-hitting and aggressive approach -- [applause] >> thank you. $6.2 trillion over 10 years, people say why, and i say why not? you cannot sustain this nation and 25% spending to gdp. we've got to get back to 19%, something that is more sustainable and the ryan plan allows us to do just that. but the island debt and spending, because that is only part of the equation. ladies and gentlemen, i want to do for this country what i did for my state. i comfort pretty great state, but it was a number one in this nation. i ran for governor in 2004 on a

promise to my people in the state of utah that we would fire the engines of growth, that we would reform the tax system, that we we deliver that state as the number one state for bases in the united states. of course, people laugh when you talk about that, but i got elected on that platform in 2004. it took us two years but we delivered a flat tax to the people of our state. now, i hear candidates talk about tax reform, a little nibbling around the edges here and there. i don't know another candidate in this race who's actually delivered a flat tax and engaged in the kind of meaningful tax reform that i delivered to the people of my state. what did it allow us to do? it allowed us to triple the rainy day fund. it allowed me to deliver the largest tax cut scene in the history of our state. it allowed us to become the best managed state in america, so said the pew center. it allowed us over time to get unemployment down to 2.4%.

remember those days? we became the fastest growing state in america. because people simply wanted the dignity of a job. and i say this economic deficit that we are facing today is having profound consequences, the likes of which i don't even think our registry for a lot of people. this thing called joblessness, 15 million of our fellow citizens who are without the dignity of employment, and millions more beyond that who are so dispirited they have just given up trying. that's homes, that's neighborhoods, that's communities, who have been shipwrecked by today's economy. that's moms and dads, and that's families who find it impossible to get back on their feet today. and i would tell you this divided stands in a way of we as americans is not natural. it isn't who we are.

it isn't american. and i say we are not going to be able to address this divide we have in this nation until we can address the issue of joblessness. and we are not going to be able to address this issue of joblessness and to we can corral the debt and spending, which is having a drag on her economic performance. you see, you get to 70, 80, 90% to gdp, your economy just won't grow. as a former senior negotiator between the united states and japan 10 years ago working on issues like nonperforming loans, structural barriers and they system that made it impossible for new business startup to get get on its feet, i say this country is too good and too smart to move in that direction. deficit number two, that as president of the united states i want to go after with equal enthusiasm and energy. it isn't an economic deficit. ladies and gentlemen, it is a deficit of trust.

because today in our country, our people no longer trust their institutions of power. and no one wants to talk about it. no trust left in congress. 8% approval. i'd like to find where those people are hiding out. no trust in the executive branch with the president who cannot lead. at a time when this nation -- [applause] -- so desperately, desperately needs leadership. no trust toward wall street with banks that are too big to fail. and i say when you see me as a candidate and you watch our rise in new hampshire, because that's exactly what is happening, we've gone from a margin of error candidate two now a candidate knocking on the door of the fourth or third place, low double digits. i want you to see me as the candidate is going to deal with

that economic deficit, but i also want you to see me as that candidate is going to deal with the trust deficit. because here's what needs to happen. we need to go to congress and we need to say, you need reform. people have no trust in our institutions of power. ladies and gentlemen, we need term limits in congress. [applause] >> on now, i understand that there a lot of people are not going to want to talk about it because if you get half of congress who comes out and support you, you're going to a status quo player as it relates to congress. this nation need term limits in congress. and you know what else? we need to close that revolving door that allows members of congress to file right on through to become lobbyists year where they can trade in on the r relationships and their insider information. and you know what that does? it leads to a greater in a deeper sense of cynicism among our people. and i say as president i will

talk about talking or lessening their pay. until they can balance the budget. [applause] >> there are just a few things that ought to be required of members of congress, and then going to go to wall street and going to say, we can fix our taxes like i want to do, i put forward a tax program similar as governor of the state of utah. it cause for phasing out loopholes and deductions into. i want to clean up the cobwebs but i want to create a level playing field for our governors and innovators in this country. and i want to go to the business side of our tax code and say, corporate welfare, gone. i can think of a better way to clean up this town than eliminating corporate welfare in total. because it does nothing to lobby for on capitol hill in terms of additional breaks and loopholes, there's nothing to lobby for. and i say we've had enough as people. we want to eliminate it, along

with subsidies in this country because we can no longer afford subsidies, given what our economy is. we have hit the wall. but as we move forward, recognizing full well that we need to fix our economic deficit, but our trust deficit as well. we can fix taxes. we can get the regulatory environment in line, and to do that we'll have to repeal obamacare. we're going to have to repeal dodd-frank. [applause] thank you. and part of the reason why i dodd-frank is because it gives rise to too big to fail in our banking system. the president had an opportunity to address this issue, and he didn't. so it doesn't matter what we do in terms of tax reform and regulatory reform, and taking steps towards energy independence, which i think is absolutely needed and doable in this country. if we are left with a system that has six banks, that together have combined assets that are equal to 66% of our nation's gdp, $9.4 billion, none

of them and go down because we all go down if they do. they are too big to fail. they didn't have an implied bailout on the part of the taxpayers. and i say so long as we have that system that is up, running and recognized, we're setting ourselves up for long-term disaster. that is something i will deal with as well. ladies and gentlemen, finally let me just say from a foreign policy standpoint, i've lived overseas for times. either pretty good sense of the world. it is time for the world to understand who our friends and allies are. it is time for the world to understand that we stand with israel during this time of need. [applause] so it doesn't matter if there is a change in the region brought about by the herbst bring. it doesn't matter whether the winds of uncertainty are blowing. what matters to me is our

commitment to israel. if we're willing to stand tall and ensure that there is no blue sky between us. today there is some ambiguity. there is some sense that we are not together. those days under my administration will be gone. [applause] but ladies and gentlemen, i look at the map today, and i see 700 installations in 60 different countries. and i say, our foreign policy as a little bit of a cold war overhang. you know what i mean. the old george kennan mindset from 1946. 50,000 troops in germany, in 20 different installations. i say the world is a changing place. the russians are coming anymore. and i look at afghanistan and i see 100,000 troops in afghanistan. and i say this nation should not be nation building in afghanistan when this nation's eventually need to be built.

you see, we have no foreign policy in this country. we are not able to project and radiate the values that we stand for. until we fix our core. and that court is our values, and that core is our economy. so under a huntsman administration i want a foreign policy that recognizes where we are the second decade into the 21st century. i want a foreign policy that is fled first and foremost by economics. because it's one thing to secure the premises of the world, without the economic benefits. it's another thing to secure the premises of the world while everybody else gets the economic benefit. so it just to break my heart in beijing 20 the second largest embassy in the world, 100,000 troops in afghanistan, involved in a counterinsurgency. and with the chinese would go in and they would take the mighty concession. and i say there's something fundamentally wrong with this picture. ladies and gentlemen, i want a

foreign policy that recognizes the value in the power of free trade. i want a foreign policy that recognizes the value and power of investment and international economic engagement, number one. second of all, i want a foreign policy that recognizes, as far as the eye can see in the 21st century, would have a problem called here. it's not going away anytime soon. and we have to be prepared for it whether it is in southwest asia or whether it is in southeast asia. we don't need to be nation building with 100,000 troops, but we do need something that speaks to the tactical intelligence gathering, that speaks to bolster special forces capability, and rapid deployability. and we do need something that speaks to ongoing training with our friends and our allies. not just in southwest asia, not just in southeast asia, but i would argue in every corner of the world. number three, i want a foreign policy once again that reminds the world what it means to be a

friend and ally of the united states, and when you're a friend and ally of the united states, there are certain commitments economically and from a security standpoint that we will stand up and we will meet. forth, nothing happens for a foreign policy standpoint until such time as we get our core fixed in this nation. we have no foreign policy if we are broken at home. it is time for us as americans to come together. finally, let me just say that spending two years in china leads me to conclude a couple of things. number one, they are moving down in terms of economic performance. no longer will we see those eight, nine, 10% economic growth rates that we have seen for 30 years. what we will begin to see in the years ahead are the four, five, 6% economic growth rates, which means that unemployment will rise, which means that the large workforce that comes in from the

countryside will put greater stresses and strains on the large city centers, which means i extension there would be greater political uncertainty and unpredictability as you look at china's future. which means that that investment dollar that just goes into china are manufacturing purposes, and has for years, will be looking for an alternative. and i humbly submit that we are crazy in this country if we don't recognize that reality. and we are crazy in this country if we don't find the kind of leadership we so desperately need, that would fix our competitive environment. and yes, that is taxes and yes, that is the red door environment, and yes, that includes workforce and vocational training in order for this nation to launch a manufacturing renaissance. it is absolutely within our grasp as people. that investment dollar is going to go someplace and it needs to come right here to the greatest nation in the world.

[applause] thank you. but the one thing you find from living overseas is that as the economy goes down, there is tremendous uncertainty about their future. they think their day has arrived, a lot of blue sky in china, a lot of use of economic growth that has put them in an exalted position, so to speak. and you look at this country for 10,000 miles away, and i don't know any other way to put it, ladies and gentlemen, but we are in a funk. we are in a deep funk as people. we are disputed. we are dejected. we find ourselves in an economical with no leadership and no confidence. i say the time has come in this nation for that to change. [applause] we need to get back on her feet when he to understand -- what every generation of americans have been able to do you face

the challenges head-on, you rebuild and lead the world and your people a better place. but i also recognize from 10,000 miles away as you look at this great country that we have every attribute, we have every quality any country would ever want to succeed. and we sometimes don't even recognize it ourselves. we have stability. we have rule of law. we have the longest surviving constitution in the world. we have private property rights. we have the greatest universities and colleges in the world, and people still flock here to attend them. we have the most innovative creative and entrepreneurial people on earth, and all they want is to be let free, to work their magic in the marketplace. we have a very brave and courageous armed forces. [applause]

what we don't have is leadership. what we don't have -- [applause] -- is confidence, ladies and gentlemen, and what we don't have is a way forward. now, barack obama won the election in 2008 on this thing called hope. who wouldn't want hope, for heavens sake? proving the point that you can win the presidency on a mantra. but that doesn't guarantee that you can lead. and we see what the consequences have been. the president had two years to get this economy right, to infuse a little bit of confidence in our direction. he has failed in that door has closed and it doesn't matter when he goes to illinois, ohio, california or new hampshire. nobody cares. nobody is paying attention but it doesn't matter if he puts a small program proposal on the table.

people have tuned out. and now they're looking to 2012. and i humbly submit that this will be the most important election of our lifetimes. [applause] i humbly submit that this election will be based on real leadership and real solutions. and i humbly submit that i would be your candidate. thank you so very much for having me here. i appreciate it. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you. listen, now we be happy to be questions. >> ladies and gentlemen, q. and a mic mac's are available in either auto. >> it was a real pleasure to meet with you in china when you were the ambassador there, and you were very gracious in helping to tremendous things on sanctions for getting sanctions on iran. the israeli ambassador,

ambassador and die, could have spoken more highly of what you have done for israel. and in pushing the joint agenda forward. you didn't address those issues in your prepared remarks, and your extra bitchy to end sanctions on china and given the important role that china plays in the future, i just wondered if you could comment on that. >> let me just say that the ambassador was a close friend, is a close friend. and it plays like beijing, when you're working in pretty difficult and challenging circumstances, you begin to understand who your true friends are in the world. and i had no closer friend than the israeli ambassador to china. [applause] >> i would say that we must recognize first and foremost that the transcendent issue of this decade is iran. and their aspirations to achieve

nuclear status. i believe personally that they have already made that decision internally that they want to become a nuclear power. and they think they have done so having analyzed north korea, which has a few crude devices, and they have look at libya, for example, where they have nuclear status that was given up in exchange for friendship, friendships abroad. and i say i think they have concluded that they want nuclear status. so we can talk about sanctions, we can layer additional sanctions on top of those that are there. all the while the centrifuges continue to spend. and at some point we're going to face the reality of enough fissile material out of which to make a weapon. that's the reality. i'm a realist, ladies and gentlemen, and i don't pretend to see it any other way. now we can go back to china and we can go back to russia and work on more security council resolutions, but i think the reality is this.

what needs to be done at this point is very specific language in the annex of the security council resolutions. you can get flowery language that most news of the security council will buy into, and that's kind of where things are. and then had to get very specific beyond that about trading companies, banks, individuals, companies that are part of your sanctions. that's the hard part. and that's why single be very difficult to get the chinese on board. and i think it will be very difficult as well to get the russians on board. so we are left with an environment that means more than ever before our consultation, and our friendship, our alliance with israel really does mean something. because i think we will get down in the next one to three years to a conversation with israel that will go something like this, coming from the israeli government, are you with us or not?

i think we will have that conversation. and we as a country better be prepared for that conversation. as for me, if you say you want to live with a nuclear iran and you have to live with the implications of proliferation in the region, saudi arabia, turkey, probably egypt. i can't live with that outcome because i think the consequences of that kind of outcome and the proliferation implications are disastrous for the region. so if you can't live with a nuclear iran, and i can't, then you have to say that all options are on the table. and funny all options are on the table. and it means that when israel strikes at that conversation, as i believe they will, you better be prepared to remember and put in place what that relationship and what that alliance actually means. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> hello, ambassador huntsman. i am from northwest university. as a former diplomat and someone who has served our nation as an ambassador, what would you think of the comments recently made by the ambassador to belgium got and what does it say about the administration's policy that it has not publicly rebuked him, fired him or what measures would you find appropriate in the current circumstance having yourself served in this capacity? >> i would say that it speaks volumes about the continued ambiguity that this administration has towards israel. and you have diplomats are using that kind of language, i say these are not speeches that are cooked up at the local level within the embassy. ago high up within the state department, and probably within the national security council. and i think somewhat odd to ask for an explanation in both as to what this means and who is responsible for the language. because chances are it isn't

just the diplomat. it goes much higher than that. >> what would you have done with this ambassador? >> welcome if the ambassador was not at fault and you could easily recall the ambassador but i would say it would probably serve a much better and deeper purpose by finding new higher up within the organization was responsible for that language. and deal with it at that level. yes, sir. >> thank you for being here today, governor. i'm david from philadelphia. a week ago in the jerusalem post there was an article that rank the republican candidates in terms of being good for israel. there was some characterization in there that i'm concerned about, and want to ask you to react to. and that is the following. while sympathetic to israel, huntsman blames palestinian authority actions on israeli positions, representing a

fundamental misunderstanding of israel's predicament. would you disagree -- would you react to that, please because i will have to find out where that language comes from. i'm not sure where it does come from. >> okay. >> you can look at my policy platform. you can look at what i have talked about, and that is recognizing the importance of the u.s.-israel relationship, the of life, the free trade agreement that is the oldest that we have dating back to 1975. and the care and the care and concern that through this alliance we should have with respect to israel's security. does that mean that i'm going to force the peace process? of course not. doesn't mean going to try to micromanage their outcomes like this administration has done? of course not. doesn't mean we'll stand sold -- shoulder to shoulder with israel at a time of need? absolutely it does. that's what you need to know

about me and that's what you need to know about how my administration would handle israel. [applause] >> it looks like the time is up, but i want to thank you all for members of rjc. for the work that you have done, for the education that you bring to candidates, and for your willingness to be involved with the republican party. i say that there never has been a time quite as important as the times we face today. for you all to be involved and to be active in rebuilding the greatest nation that ever was. and rebuilding the strength that we all know we have within the united states of america. it is critically important because as we strengthen who we are, we radiate that goodness. we radiate that set of values to the rest of the world. and i must tell you having lived overseas for times, i see how

those values move people, change events and make history for good. and you also so very much for being here. [applause] [applause] >> please welcome former republican jewish coalition chairman, ambassador sam fox. [applause] >> good morning. >> good morning. >> i don't want to sound like an alarmist, but things are not very good.

and this next election may be our last chance to save this great nation. almost every decision that barack obama makes seems to be a bad decision. and we are paying the price. spending, out of control. our national debt, 15 trillion. annual deficits, 10-12% of gdp annually. hundreds and hundreds of new regulations strangling business. unemployment, the worst. the absolute worst since the last great depression. special favors for unions, get this, a gift of 23% of the general motors stock while the trade creditors and shareholders were completely wiped out. foreign affairs, another disaster. and that includes israel. as mitt romney recently said,

obama has thrown israel under the bus. you might ask yourself, how could all of this be happening? the answer is simple. president obama has had no prior experience at anything. [applause] i'll give him this. is a great talker. he's never had a real job. he's never held one, and he never had any training of any kind. [applause] so this time around we had better get it right. we had better elect someone who has got the experience and understands the job, not someone just like mitt romney, but mitt romney. [applause] let's look at his background. advanced degrees in both law and business with honors from harvard university.

next, a distinguished record of success in consulting where he headed teams of smart consultants to solve complex problems and gave advise to global business leaders. following that, he founded his own business, and absolute greenfield startup, and it became huge investing billions and billions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs. then in 1990, his former employer, bain and company, found itself in trouble and on the per -- verge of bankruptcy. so mitt return, develop a strategic plan, install the new leadership, restructured the debt and turned bain around, all in a one year. and get this. he charged 1 dollar. not surprising then in 1999, mitt was asked to take on the

winter olympics at salt lake and had already lost $350 million was riddled with charges of scandal. he reprogrammed the budget his first year in office. he wiped out the entire deficit, finished with a profit of more than $100 million, all done in a little over a year. 2002, he ran for the governorship in massachusetts, not exactly a flaming red state. yet he won by five full percentage points. and when he took office he was facing a budget that's going to give him a $3 billion deficit in his first year. he balanced the budget. the next year he ran a $700 million surplus without raising taxes in either year. so i'll sum up. mitt romney has been extremely extremely successful with everything he has touched. he has the right educational

background and he has had the right kinds of experiences in both business and government to get this job done. and he's smart, he's analytical, he is pragmatic, and a man of great personal character and integrity. he doesn't just talk a good game. he delivers. ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. mr. chairman, high. thank you. thank you, mr. chairman but how are you? good. thank you, and matt brooks and others that bring you together. i'm grateful for the republican jewish coalition for hosting the forum today, and having a chance to get to know the candidates a

little better. i hope you get to know me a little better through this process. and, of course, i want to join you in honoring the service of ambassador fox. he has contributed in extraordinary ways to the economy, to our nation and to israel. thank you, ambassador fox, appreciate your leadership. [applause] now, we gather as republicans, americans, and friends of israel. for the last three years we've had a lot of change. we just haven't had much hope. [laughter] i happen -- [applause] i happen to think to have a president that can create jobs, it helps to have one. [laughter] [applause] our debt is now too high and the opportunities are too few. almost a trillion dollars in

federal stimulus, trillions more in deficits have left millions of americans out of work. the unemployment rate as you know has been over 8% for the last 34 months. this is the slowest recovery since hoover. over the last four years the median income in this country has dropped by 10%, even as the cost of food and clothing and health care, gasoline, all those have gone up. the poor have a safety net. and the rich are doing just fi fine. but middle income americans have never seen things so bad. internationally, we witnessed a weakening of our military and a decline of our standing in the world. president obama's troop withdrawals in iraq and afghanistan were quite apparently based upon electoral expediency. not military requirement. and then he has vowed to foreign dictators, and when the

opportunity arose to defend freedom he's either been late to the game or failed to show up at all. he rushed to apologize for america, but he's hesitated to speak up for democracy and freedom. he visited egypt, syria, no, not syria. saudi arabia, iraq, turkey, even offered to meet with ahmadinejad. yet in three years in office he hasn't had the time or interest to visit israel. our allies, our friend. the sole middle east nations that fully shares our values, the nation of president truman's words that's an embodiment of our great ideals of this civilization. know, over the last three years president obama has instead chase and israel. is an ago addressed united nations and the president chastise israel but had almost

had nothing to say about hamas launching thousands of rockets into israel sky. he's publicly propose that israel a top indefensible borders. he's insulted prime minister netanyahu and he's been timid and weak in the face of the existential threat that iran faces -- excuse me, that israel faces from iran. these actions have emboldened palestinian hard-liners, and are now opposed to form a unity government with terrorists and hamas. they feel they can bypass israel at the bargaining table. president obama has an measurably set back the prospect of peace in the middle east. now, as president my policies couldn't not be more different. i will travel to israel on my first foreign trip. [applause] >> i will reaffirm as a vital

national interest israel's existence as a jewish state. [applause] and i want the world to know that the bonds that exist between israel and the trendy art unshakable. i want every country in the region that harbors aggressive designs against israel to understand that their ambition is futile, and that pursuing it will cost them very dearly. [applause] i would not meet with mahmoud ahmadinejad. [applause] he should be excluded from diplomatic society. [applause] in fact he should be indicted for the crime of incitement to genocide under article iii of the genocide convention.

[applause] and on my watch iran's ayatollahs will not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons. [applause] a nuclear-armed iran is not only a threat to israel, it's a threat to the entire world. our friends must never fear that we will not stand by them in an hour of need. and our enemies should never doubt our resolve. now today you've already heard from one and perhaps you will hear from all other republican contenders for president, like me, my guess is each will a college president obama's failings. it's a long list, we have a lot of material. we will describe his feelings towards israel here and like me, each will assure you of friendship and commitment we have to that nation. we are not distinguished from one another by our opposition to president obama.

or even by our support for israel. what distinguishes us is our experience, our perspective, and our judgment. i spent 25 years as sam fox indicated in business. i signed the front and the back of a paycheck. [laughter] [applause] i felt businesses like the sports authority and staples to grow from startups to international enterprises. i served as the governor of a state, and as the steward of an olympics. my perspective is informed by those experiences. and, of course, by the defining constants in my life, my 42 years marriage to my wife, ann. [applause] the life that we build with her five sons, $5 in law and 16

grandkids, and -- [applause] and, of course, the faith that sustains us. my family, my faith, freedom. these are enduring truths in my life. my commitments are firm. they don't falter. when i was young i had the opportunity to live abroad for a couple years, and they came to recognize that the greatest advantage my parents had given me was letting me be born in the united states of america. [applause] i am passionate about the principles that have made this nation the land of opportunity, and a shining city on a hill. i believe in america. i believe it is the greatest nation in the history of the earth. i believe that the next century must be an american century.

i believe our highest priority must be to maintain a people, and economy and the military so strong that no one would ever ever risked challenging it. my faith in america stems both from my faith in the american people and from the principles that have made those people strong. we are a people from all parts of the world, all walks of life, but we are strengthened by our nation's unique founding principles. it's not by accident or luck that america became the greatest nation in the world. it is by virtue of the power of our values and believes, and principles. we weathered the great depression. we emerged victorious from two world wars. we face down the evil empire. and today as we face new threats, i have every conviction that the american people,

edified by american principles, will rise to the occasion again, securing our safety, our prosperity and our peace. now, one of those principles that i want to spend a moment talking about today is the fact that we are a merit-based society. in a -- [applause] in a merit-based society, people achieve success and rewards through hard work, education, risk-taking, and sometimes a little block. the founders consider this principle to be one in down to us by our creator. and they called it the pursuit of happiness. we call it opportunity. and we call it the freedom to choose our course in life. a merit-based opportunity society is one that gathers and creates a citizenry of pioneers,

of people who invent, build, and create. and then as these people exert the effort and take the risks inherent in inventing and creating things, they employ and left the rest of us here at creating prosperity for all of us. the rewards they earned don't make the rest of us poorer. they make us all better off. [applause] american prosperity is fully dependent upon having an opportunity society. i don't think president obama understands that. i don't think he understands -- [applause] i don't think he understands what our economy is the most successful in the world. i don't think he understands america. he is -- [applause] he is seeking to replace our

merit-based society with an entitlement society. and in an entitlement society everyone receives about the same reward, regardless of the education they pursue, regardless of their efforts, regardless of the willingness if they have to take risk. and that would discern by some is redistributed to others. and in that kind of setting by the way the only people who would get truly disproportionate rewards are the people who do the redistributing. the government folks. entitlement societies are of course praised in academic circles where they are far removed from the valley of the competitive world. [applause] you see, they replace opportunity with certainty. certainty that everyone in the entitlement society will enjoy, the same reward. but there's another certainty. they will all be poor.

[laughter] [applause] because in an entirely society, the invigorating pursuit of happiness is replaced by the reality that there is a prospect of a better tomorrow. risk-taking disappears. innovation disappears. small businesses disappear. and they are replaced by a large government bureaucracy and government enterprises. and the result, as we have seen throughout history, is a nation that stagnates, that declined, and they can't defend itself. i'm convinced that this is where president obama's fundamental change is leading america. and it informs aspects of this foreign policy as well. think about this. internationally president obama has adopted an appeasement strategy. appeasement betrays a lack of faith in america, in american strength and into america's

future. like others among the washington elite, he believes that america's role as the leader of the world is a thing of the past. that this is going to be a post-american century, perhaps and asian century. americans strengths will eventually be entirely or partially eclipsed. and so he seeks to appease those. he believes will balance us or who might challenge our leadership in the future. this appeasement by this administration has taken a lot of different forms over the last three years. it includes offers to engage with the world's most despicable dictators. it consists of concessions to russia, to remove our missile defense site from poland, also to exclude tactical nuclear weapons from the new remarkably one-sided new s.t.a.r.t. treaty. president obama even look the other way as china employs obviously unfair trade tactics that endanger our economy and kill jobs.

he seems to be more generous to our enemies and he is to our friends. and that is a natural tendency of someone who is unsure of their own strength, or of america's rightful place as the leader of the world. [applause] the course of appeasement has long been the path chosen by the weak and timid. and history shows that the path that a nation chooses at its own peril. the president promised he would fundamentally change america, and he is doing it. at home he is changing us from an opportunity nation to an entitlement nation. he's building a government so large that feeding it consumes a greater and greater share of the people's production. and it's a government so

intrusive that they can command free enterprise and free people, according to the will of its bureaucracy. and abroad, he is weakening america, shrinking our military, shrinking from our commitments to our friends, accommodating our foes him and appeasing the competing forces that are vying for global leadership. this election does not only a referendum on president obama's failures, unemployment, on income growth, on housing, on the recovery, or even on a nuclear intent iran, and emboldened china, iran's friends like israel. this election will decide what kinds of america we will have. it is a defining election. will we remain an opportunity nation, or become an entitlement nation? will we remain the leader of the free world, or become a follower

in a more dangerous world? will america be transformed by barack obama, or will america be restored with the founding principles that have made this nation the greatest one the world has ever seen? many think that because of his staggering failures, president obama will be easily defeated. but as you know an incumbent is rarely turned out of the white house, and he will resort to anything. as you know, class warfare and demagoguery our powerful political weapons. in less than a year americans will be asked to make a choice about the kind of country they want to live in, and the kind of future they will decrease to the children. it would be a choice between entitlement and merit. between appeasement and resolve. our party must offer a candidate who can make the case for freedom, opportunity, and

strength. our nominee must offer americans more than just a choice to vote against president obama. our nominee must give americans an opportunity to vote for a different path and a better future. a path dictated not by government, but determined by our free people. a path marked by the virtues of merit, not by the slow decline of entitlement. a path that achieves prosperity through opportunity in peace through strength. this is what americans deserve. this is what the moment demands. and this is what i will deliver with your help. join me. join me and i will lead our party and our nation through these difficult times to a brighter future. america has been a shining city on a hill, but that light is dimming. but together we will reignite

the spirit of american greatness. we have wondered, we have drifted. i will lead us to a better place. join me and together we will reclaim and rebuild the america we love. i believe in america, our fight starts today. join me. together, we're going to win. god bless this great nation. thank you so much. [applause] thank you. let me turn to some questions that you may have on this or

other matters of interest. this is, this is quite a gathering so i expect, please. there's already a line there. spent it's great to be popular, governor. my name is richard. i'm from pennsylvania. my friends and i are mostly conservatives and our concern has always been that the governmental class in this country is made up of both republicans and democrats. and whether it is being a stupid lightbulb, which the republicans did, or running amok like the people next door in the epa are doing now, what we're looking for is a leader who will absolutely change the regulatory governmental insane environment we live in today cause by both parties. tell me how you're going to do that. >> the answer is leadership. you all have been involved in various enterprises of one kind or another. one of the things that's most remarkable to me is the impact of a leader. and i have seen -- i mean, we

all watched what happened when ronald reagan came into office. is it not amazing that one person by virtue of his capacity to lead, was a technocrat, was a legislator, was in a bureaucratic. he was a leader. by his capacity to lead and bring people together, and to inspire people on both sides of the aisle to do what was in the best interest of the nation, not necessary in their best interest as politicians. he was able to get congress to move and most importantly he was able to get the evil empire to change. leadership, now i'm not a perfect i by any means, and i have made mistakes, but one thing i've learned through my life is something about leadership. my mom and dad were leaders. my dad was a leader. i aspire to have a leadership capacity of my day. some of you remember george romney, remarkable man. [applause] i was lucky enough to be the youngest of the for kids, and my brothers and sisters left the house with a sword took me

around with them everywhere they went. i got to watch my dad lead at american motors but i got to see run for political office, governor, three times. eyewitnesses in a leader as a boy and then it became a leader myself. and i led for enterprises. and the test of easier by the way is not just what jobs they get. you can get jobs lots of giveaways. they can be given to you as a payback, they can be earned through a vote of popular. the question is when you get leadership what do you do with it. and enterprises i let i turned around one that was in trouble. i built a startup from the ground to know an internationally acclaimed firm. i got to the olympics when he was in trouble and turned it into the most successful winter olympics in history. and in massachusetts, which is a very red state as you know, we were able to balance the budget every year i was in office, put in place a rainy day fund of $2 million eliminated $3 billion budget deficit in our first year. my list of findings in

massachusetts was great. we drove our schools to be number one in the nation. when i came into office there was an effort to try to remove the graduation requirement of passing an exam to graduate from high school. i stood up for that requirement. our kids are doing well. [applause] i can say this, the best hope you have that i will be able to change watching 10 is that, number one, i fed the expense of leadership and number two, i'm not a creature of washington. i am a creature of the private sector. i'm a business guy. i'm not in this because i want the next step in my political career. i don't have a political career. i'm in this because i care about america, and i'm convinced -- [applause] and i'm convinced the path we're on is the path towards italy, towards greece, towards iceland. that's the path we're on. unless we get this thing turned

around, and quit, will not only suffer now and our kids will suffer but the world will suffer. i was in great britain, one of their leader said to me you will be criticized, america will be if you become president. you noticed this as you go from country to country. but don't ever forget this. what we offer the most is a weak america. american strength is the best ally peace has ever known. and i will keep america strong. thank you. [applause] >> i first wanted to thank you but i don't think there's another national republican leader who has spent more time trying to help the new jersey republican party then you. >> thank you. [applause] >> you own a piece of chris christie making that happen and helping to save our state's pinky is kind of hoping he, too. >> my question is, you know, in new jersey, our governor is costly fighting the democratic majority in the assembly, in the

state senate, getting anything done is very difficult. what can you do in the first six months of your presidency to help our economy, and kind of bypass specific things, bypass congress and the democrats who just, just want to argue and get no progress? >> there are a bunch of things a president does what he or she does not need congress. and those things i would immediately. atchley on day one i've a bunch of things i'm going to do. i'm going to put a halt on all regulations that were installed during the obama years. all of them. [applause] ..

[applause]] eyewall solution and executive order that says no longer do you use unions on government projects using roads and so forth. [applause] the list goes on and on. that is a sample of what the president can do. 9 will reduce the number of federal employees. that is something i can do directly to cutback hand something that needs legislative approval, i am intent on linking the pay of government workers with the pay that exists in the private sector. [applause]

then we have to work and things that are tougher. i will grant a waiver to obamacare to all 50 states. you see you thing the president gets to do if he cares about conservative principles. some things like obamacare we need to get a repeal to get rid of all of its elements. if you give us a republican house and republican senate and republican president we will get america right again such that it remains strong. >> daniel pipes the legal pennsylvania. in 1981 we had a problem with iran. the very moment ronald reagan was being sworn in beaverton 44 days before it came to an end and the hostages were released. is there anything you can do on january 20th, we won't have a problem with iranians building

nuclear weapons. >> hard to tell what happens before that occurs. i was at a conference in tel of these four five years ago and i laid out the seven steps i thought we had to take to dissuade iran from their nuclear folly. none of those steps have been pursued which is terribly disappointing and has consequence of enormous import. just mentioning a few, we keep talking about crippling sanctions. we just don't do it. one of the greatest foreign policy failures of this president was when he decided to give russia their number-1 foreign policy objectives which they fought for for ten years which was removal of their missile defense sites from:the. he gave them that and did not

get in return a commitment by them to back crippling sanctions against iran. that was an outrage. [applause] that effort should not stop. we should treat the iranian diplomats, business people and leaders that the prior they are as long as they are pursuing nuclear weaponry. that includes indicting mark mahmoud ahmadinejad. we should have come over and over the activities to encourage voices of dissent within the country. all the lily regime change will be necessary in that setting. and we should make it very clear that we are developing and have developed military options. nothing concentrates the mind like suffering from sanctions and ca military option. it is unacceptable. we keep using that word. for the united states of america to endorse iran with a nuclear weapon. iran nuclear means egypt

nuclear, saudi arabia nuclear, turkey nuclear. it means a world that is not safe for israel or europe or america. that is not something we can allow to occur. thank you. >> one more? >> i will make it very quick. we had a president who has gone around world apologizing for the united states. i hope you as a president will go around the world apologizing for obama. [applause] now to my question. >> remember the george costanza line. when they're laughing and applauding you sit down. >> you have been a terrific lifelong republican and i want to let you know some of us appreciate that. [applause] eric holder, attorney general of the united states has said all information to the politics

regarding fast and furious legal gunrunning to mexico. will endorse new black panther vote of suppression in philadelphia. he has -- so far haven't seen an investigation on solyndra and the crony capitalism, corruption going on with those loans. hillary clinton has ignored our brothers and sisters, coptic christians in egypt and has the chutzpah of this audience will understand. >> even i get that. >> to say to israel your orthodox women are not being properly attended to by the government. would you consider if you are our nominee, nominating a head of the election, someone like rudy giuliani to take on eric holder as attorney general? perhaps consider nominating

ahead of time someone to be secretary of state to take on hillary clinton and allow the american public to see the kinds of nominees you would have to go after these secondary positions which are very important? thank you. >> the answer is yes. i can? any names but i can say i was in new york this week as we drove around the city people i was with remarked what a remarkable city new york has become thanks to rudy guiliani. [applause] every time it draws you towards weakness and accommodation and appeasement you see on occasion a person of strength that stands for principals and when that occurs you see the positive outcome. you see new york city. you see the opposite effect of

that as we look at a world affairs today. strength, american strength is the best allied peace has ever known. if i am fortunate enough to become president i will see a president that it focuses every aspect of foreign policy upon whether or not it makes america stronger and making america stronger means linking arms with your allies and if you disagree with them do so in private. in public show the world we are united because united we are strong. thank you so much. great to be with you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, join us for the gala victory luncheon honoring ambassador sam fox and featuring governor chris christie in the atrium ballroom. the forum will resume in the amphitheater promptly at 2:00 p.m.. >> if you are alive at this event please use the cash tag

are j.c. 2012. >> we believe this event at this point and bring you more from the republican jewish coalition this afternoon. the group will hear from newt gingrich, rick perry and michele bachman. that will get underway at 2:00 eastern and you will watch a live on our companion network c-span3. >> a dollar an hour for your labor and no health care. the most expensive single element making a cost. have no environmental control. no pollution controls and no -- you don't care about anything but making money there will be a giant sucking sound going south. >> ross perot spoke out about trade issues during the 1992 presidential debate. the billionaire businessman made two attempts for the presidency. the first time getting over nineteen million votes. more popular votes than any third-party candidate in american history and although he lost he has had a lasting influence on american politics. he is our final candidate on

c-span's 14 weeks series the contenders live friday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. to be few other video on ross perot and see the other videos in our series go to c-span.org/butcontenders. >> u.s. senate gavels in in about 20 minutes at 11:30 eastern. live coverage on c-span2. until then headlines and your phone calls from this morning's "washington journal". >> a little more of the president yesterday. in 1910, teddy roosevelt came here >> in 1910 the president came here to osawatomie and laid out his vision for what he called a new nationalism. our country, he said, means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy, and economic system under which each

man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to showed the best that there is in history. >> host: front page of the new york times, obama sound a populist call on gop turf. this story is by a j sills burger from osawatomie, kansas laying out a populist argument for his next year president obama ventured into the conservative heartland to deliver his most poignant appeal yet for a strong government role in taxing and regulation to level the economic playing field. when everyone does their fair share and when everyone plays by the same rules, mr. obama said and thought to tie his economic differences with republicans into an overarching message in fusing his speech with the moralistic language that has emerged in the occupy protests around the nation. here warned that growing in committee quality meant that the

u.s. was undermining its middle-class and gives lie to the promise that at the very heart of america that this is the place that you can make it if you try. mr obama purposefully shows this hardscrabble town of 4500 people about 50 miles south of kansas city, kansas, where theodore roosevelt once laid out a progressive platform he called the new nationalism to put forward his case for payroll tax cuts and his broader argument against the republican economic agenda and what his aides hoped would be viewed as a defining speech. that is the front page of the new york times. when you jump, page 18, the visit was unusual for a setting in a state that he lost decisively to is the family roots, his mother was born in kansas. the vast majority of the visits have been to swing states like pennsylvania that are expected to play an important role in next year's election but it was here 101 years ago that fed it

-- cr roosevelt laid the intellectual framework for his unsuccessful bid for a third term after leaving the republican party. that speech which mr. obama referred to repeatedly touched on many of the same themes often in similar language like concentration of wealth and the need for government to ensure a level playing field. central to progress the conflict between the men possessed more than they have earned and the men have earned more than they possess. those familiar with the tax against noted this roosevelt was called a radical. he was called a socialist. even a communist. one one in the audience, debra harris and said the president put voice to her concerns about this community which has end do-as he rode a job loss and the population, quote, we are doing what the middle class has always done in this country, said ms. harris and who works at a nearby

bank. we work hard and teach our kids to work hard but it is hard for us to keep are heads above water these days and even harder for our kids. that is from the new york times. we will put the phone lines back on the screen on washington journal. we divided them differently by income this morning for this first segment. 202-737-0001 for those who make under $50,000. if you make between 50 to $150,000, 0002 is the number to call it if you make over $150,000, 628-0205. we begin in oklahoma city, oklahoma. mark makes between 50 to 150. good morning. >> i'm make her around $70,000 a year which -- >> host: what did you think of the president's speech?

>> caller: he knocked it out of the ball park. he had some points that need to be stated and he needs to call the republican party out for the mistakes that they are and how they're trying to put all the burden for taxes on the middle class and not having the people of wealth pay their fair share. with all the advantages we have that we don't have as normal middle-class working families. >> host: there have been proposals like losing the mortgage interest deduction? what if that happened to you? would that affect you? >> what and affect me because i don't own my home currently. so it would not affect me at all. >> host: kansas, sheila, under $50,000. >> good morning. i own a small business and have for 30 years. i am one of those rugged

individualists that pays and pays. i don't mind. it would be easier for me to continue to provide jobs if the new government programs were not putting me out of business and cutting me off at the knees. >> host: what do you mean? >> caller: the government over regulating and micromanaging every business. every business in my town is my size. we are all rugged individualists. they said that is not working. it really was working before the government stepped in and said you have to have this many licenses and do things this way. we can't make it if we can't run our own businesses. >> host: the president's speech, from what you saw, what did you fink? >> caller: i didn't think he hit it out of the ball park. i think wes regulation, less

government. government is the problem. we could afford to live and have more money to provide more jobs if the government was not expanding so much faster than every other segment. >> host: joseph in washington makes $150,000. >> caller: how are you, sir? >> host: fine. >> caller: the president hit it out of the ball park. i do own a consulting firm. if there was no regulation i don't think we would be in business. helping the country grow better by standing for the middle class. >> host: do you consider yourself middle-class? >> caller: yes. >> host: can you live on that in washington? >> caller: i live very well with that money in washington. >> host: thanks for calling in.

washington post lead story the gop is split on payroll tax cut. republican party that for decades has benefited from a commitment to lower taxes is finding itself on the defensive on the issue as members face a deep split over democratic plan to extend the payroll tax reduction, what might normally be a no-brainer for most congressional republicans being resisted by many tea party conscious members who oppose when they consider short-term gimmick that would worsen the federal deficit and siphon money from social security. an issue that we will talk with senator jerry moran about when he comes out here later in the program but now we're getting a reaction to president obama's speech yesterday in osawatomie, kansas. random lake, wisconsin, stephen makes $150. >> caller: good morning. under the bush tax cuts the

middle class received the biggest benefit and was over 5.7%. if you made $50,000 you would be getting back or saving $2,500. he wants to take that away and give us $1,000 wooley? he struck out. and he should quit his spending and do like a governor walker did in this state and quit the spending and get the economy back. the u.s. house of representatives have sent 20 bills to the senate but harry reid and the president do not want to bring them up. it is all about cutting spending and saving money. >> host: give us an update from wisconsin on a recall effort against governor walker. >> caller: it is going ahead. >> host: do you know when it is scheduled? >> caller: i see many lies given

out by the unions, the greedy big unions that are running it. running false ads. >> host: have you seen any hole? >> caller: haven't seen any polls but from what i know, my friends and the people i talk to, i think big labor is going to burn. >> host: bill is in minnesota. also makes 50 to $150,000. what did you think of the president's speech from kansas? >> caller: he knocked it out of the park. i am in agreement with a lot of what he is doing. we're in a situation where we have the largest beneficiaries of our country controlling more and more of everything whether it is the media, the word that get out, going back to leveling

the playing field. to my estimation of the best thing we could do is level the playing field, creates more innovation for more people, give some more people opportunity to innovate, to invent, to create products that are innovative. any time you get to the point that you control everything nobody can innovate and even copyright goes too far where you could only have one tv set watch is one program for any reason. we have gone way overboard in control. and levelling out the playing field for everybody, everybody has an opportunity with more cash, more opportunities to innovate, more opportunities to compete. that is what we are all about, i thought. >> host: >> host: what worked you do?

>> caller: used to the postmaster. retired as a postmaster. ran into some of many situations even with service companies for mortgages and stuff like that wears a cheat people on all these fees and lock people into situations where they -- my background is in finance. i used to run down to the library. we had a little investment group. when i was sorting mail we tried to get people together and start investing and you come to find out these rating agencies, standard and poors and all the rest of the rating agencies are working for the money they get a, they're supposed to be quite the governmental agencies that are honest with everybody and -- >> host: we have to leave it there. even in maryland. makes over $150,000.

what did you think of the president's speech? >> caller: disgusted with the president and his speech and discussed all the way around. this is america. you may be whatever you resolve to be. you have to resolve to be something first. i grew up poor. i lived in southeast washington for -- my father was retired on disability. never owned a house. imac construction worker. iphone three houses. all you have to do is get up and go to work every day and there is opportunity there. i have been in the construction business for 37 years and missed two months of work in that entire time. so sick and tired of everybody calling and crying and complaining. build yourself up on your bootstraps. go to work and do your job. >> host: eric in atlanta makes under $100,000. you are on "washington journal". >> caller: what i would like to

say is president obama first of all must get out of those republican -- the bush tax cuts and medicare and these two worse. need to implement some democratic policies. progressive policies. he is a democratic president. what he is doing, positive place for republican administration. this is why the economy -- medicare, medicaid and social security has not had a raise in three years. this is from the economy. they don't say -- you must look at the overall picture. they do everything to stop the economy. this is the only hope to get back in office whatever it takes. it is part racial but it is part struggle. >> host: some twitter comments we have received on the

president's speech. this isn't about class warfare, quoting the president. wrong. that is all it is about. that is all he has. another comment from two student 2. president obama saved anti-american middle-class. republicans will not occur trickle-down nonsense. this is from fred. president obama wants government to forcibly take money from one group and give that money to others. that is slavery to first group. finally from bill bailey, tax cuts, middle-class during bush years were more costly than tax cuts for the highest incomes. we also received several facebook, and that facebook.com/c-span. beginning with angelo. it was a powerful speech. travis says we need to continue to support our president. kathy ward says powerfully -- powerful propaganda. when will our president serve all the people he leads?

he talks about action but serves only the bassist needs of his party. daniel says rewards of most current policies flow upward while costs shift downward. we must protect the middle class from being increasingly shafted by federal policies and daniel says i do agree with occupy wall street and the tea party movement represent populist anger that can be a catalyst for a return to pro middle-class 0. here is a little bit more of the president from yesterday in kansas. >> in fact they want to go to the same policies that stacked the deck against middle-class americans for too many years. their philosophy is simple. we are better off when everybody is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules. i am here to say they are wrong.

[applause] >> host: next is tommy from hampton, virginia. what did you think of the president's speech? >> caller: i was very disappointed because it seemed to me president obama is only concerned about getting votes. he doesn't want to take ownership. he wants to let payroll taxes and expire, end the bush tax cuts expire and everyone should sacrifice. the republicans complain we need to reduce taxes for the rich and the democrats are playing we choose to get more benefits and programs for the middle class. everyone needs to be serious about debt reduction so we can get america back on track. i was really disappointed in president obama's speech. he doesn't want to take ownership. he doesn't want to take the blame for say we're going to let everything expire. he just wants to play the blame game. >> host: i thought you were

done. connie makes 50 to $150,000 in hampton, virginia. from the washington post the speech comes at a moment when a new populist strain seems to be bubbling through the national political debate. at many levels of government from city hall to statehouses in washington. that debate not so long ago dominated by concern about reducing the national debt and shrinking the size of government seems to be shifting as the presidential campaign kicks into gear in one example of the shift, new york governor andrew cuomo, a democrat reached an agreement with the legislature tuesday in new york to overhaul that state's tax code creating a higher tax bracket for wealthy earners while cutting taxes for the middle-class. the top bracket with the tax rate of 0.82% will affect household with more than $200 million in 2014. democratic legislature -- legislators said the aim was to restore fairness to the state tax code echoing recent obama

rhetoric. that is from the washington post. fran is in texas and makes 50 to $150,000. >> good morning. how are you? president obama makes a good speech. is what he does. it is not his words that count. it is his actions. his actions have failed immeasurably. he can cite tax the rich all you want to but until they reform the tax code and give us a flat tax the millionaires will always find a way to keep their money and people don't seem to understand that. you can tax them five times as much but as long as they come hire lobbyists and liars they're going to get around it. >> host: silver hill, alabama, mary makes under $150,000. >> you can see this segment in its entirety at c-span video

library at c-span.org. we are going live to the u.s. senate where we expect majority leader harry reid to setup a procedural vote for later in the week on the payroll tax cuts. expires at the end of the month. democrats want to extend the tax cut and paste for it within a one.9% surtax on people with annual incomes over $1 million. we are also likely to hear senators speaking about the nomination of richard quarter roy. to head the consumer financial protection bureau. republicans vowed to block the confirmation. procedural vote is set for tomorrow. live coverage from the u.s. senate now on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, our hope for years to come,

thank you for giving us this day to use for your glory. from the morning sun until the going down of the same, your blessings provide us with confidence that our future is brighter than our past. today, as we remember pearl harbor and a day of infamy, we praise you for giving so generously to this nation. lord, you shower us with blessings without regard to our worthiness or importance. as we respond to your blessings, infuse our lawmakers this day with a spirit of hope and purpose

that they may do your will in these challenging times. may your spirit sustain them as they labor so that justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., december 7, 2011. to the senate: under the provisions of

rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable kirsten gillibrand, a senator from the state of new york, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: daniel k. inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: madam president. following leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business. the republicans will control the first 30 minutes, the majority the next 30 minutes. a vote is expected on the cord ray nomination tomorrow morning. madam president, 70 years ago today, the attack on pearl harbor changed our country forever. it also hardened our resolve to become a better, stronger nation, and that we have become. an example is the u.s.s. nevada. the great battleship epitomizes the resiliency of our country.

while in the port of oahu, november 7, 1941, the battleship nevada was hit by many bombs and a torpedo. 60 american sailors died. less than a year later, that great battleship returned to service and served valiantly our country during world war ii. today we honor the living pearl harbor veterans for their courage and their sacrifice. here in the senate, we, of course, refer to our medal of honor winner dan inouye, senator akaka and frank lautenberg, all three served in world war ii. we also remember the nearly 2,400 americans who lost their lives that day and the hundreds of thousands more who made the ultimate sacrifice during world war ii. these service members were really heroes. they set a fine example for the men and women who protect our freedoms today, and none of us will ever forget their courage.

madam president, republicans like to claim they are the party of the tax cuts, but as democrats propose more tax relief, we propose it every day for working families, republicans every day are showing their true colors. they only support tax cuts that benefit the rich. speaker boehner, senator mcconnell say they agree with democrats that we should prevent a 1,000-dollar tax hike on middle-class families. the person running for president, mitt romney, agrees we should extend the payroll tax cut. former speaker running for president, newt gingrich, says we should extend the payroll tax cut. but it's become clear that the caucus led by the speaker and by the republican leader, that they lead, don't seem to be following them. tea party republicans oppose our plan to cut taxes for nearly

every american family, but republican leaders recognize that taking a thousand dollars out of middle-class pockets during these hard times is political suicide. madam president, there are papers all over the country, but just take this one as an example ." g.o.p. is split on payroll tax cut. objections to surtax on rich." remember, madam president, the surtax on the second million dollars, the second million dollars that people make. the first million not a penny. on the second million dollars, the bill that we're going to vote on probably friday here, maybe thursday, has a surtax for people's second million dollars of income of less than 2%. the headlines go on to say "opposition could give obama a 2012 issue." madam president, obama doesn't need a 2012 issue. middle-class americans do not

need a tax increase. that's what this is all about. so it's very clear that there is a bitter division in the house with house republicans. as you know, they were supposed to send us a bill today, or was it yesterday? they finally acknowledged late yesterday they couldn't send us anything because they can't get agreement even among the republicans, and they have been very, very unusual. they don't reach out to democrats at all. they want to do it with a majority of a majority, and they can't get anything done. so it seems to me, faced with this rebellion in the two caucuses, republican leaders have two options. they can work with us to forge a compromise that will pass or they can move even further to the right to appease the tea party because that's what this is all about. as we have seen before when faced with the choice between the middle class and the tea party, republicans will choose the tea party every time.

we have seen before when faced with a choice between the middle class and the richest of the rich, republicans choose the richest of the rich. tomorrow, the senate will vote on whether to move forward with confirmation of richard cordray, the nominee to head the consumer financial protection bureau, which was part of the dodd-frank bill. the one thing that came out of that legislation, and certainly we understood with the financial meltdown that took place on wall street is the banks need more control, not less. and we also learned during that long debate that the american consumer really had no protection whatsoever, and the legislation we passed created the consumer financial protection bureau. my republican colleagues have signaled that they are going to block mr. cordray's nomination, but, madam president, not because he is unqualified. you would think someone would

want to vote against him because he is too liberal, too conservative, he is too rich, too poor, he doesn't have the proper education, whatever you could come up with to find justification to vote against this man. that isn't what they have done. for the first time that i can ever remember, and my staff did some research on this last night, for the first time in senate history, republicans are poised to block a qualified nominee solely because they don't like the federal agency he will lead. gnat republicans have no problem with mr. cordray. instead, republicans are trying to cripple the new consumer agency altogether by depriving of -- it of a director. their attempts will lead americans vulnerable to scams and rip-offs that are going on as we speak and have gone on in the past. it's really shameful republicans would leave consumers in the dark about the risks they face when making financial decisions,

and they're doing it only to try to change a law that's the law of this land. finally, madam president, i was was -- my first elected job many years ago was to an organization called the southern nevada memorial hospital. it was the largest hospital in the state. it was the largest hospital district and people ran at large from clarke county, the las vegas area. i was elected to that, my first elected job. when i took that job, there was no medicare. in that hospital, when someone came that was old and didn't have money, someone had to sign for them -- a husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, neighbor, someone signed, and if that person didn't pay after agreeing to pay, we had a large collection agency and we would go after those people, and it

was very difficult sometimes to collect that money. difficult in the sense it was hard to do but more importantly it was difficult to do because you hated to go after people to pay these large hospital and doctor bills. medicare came into being before i left my job. it changed. prior to medicare, 40% of the seniors that came into that hospital had no insurance, and that's where they had to look to their friends and neighbors and relatives to take care of that bill. today, after medicare is the law of the land, virtually everyone going into a hospital anyplace in america that's a senior citizen has the ability to go into that hospital. so for all these many years, going on five decades, medicare has been improving and extending the life of seniors.

passing the affordable care act, legislation that my republican colleagues tend to denigrate, obamacare, madam president, let's talk a little bit about obamacare today, the affordable care act. one thing that bill did, it extended the life of medicare for 12 years. medicare would stay strong for future generations of retirees. that's what we -- one reason we passed that legislation. but health care reform today is helping seniors by beginning to close the doughnut hole, that infamous doughnut hole or prescription drugs for seniors. this year -- that is, 2011, because of the legislation we pass, the obamacare, more than 2.5 million medicare recipients, including thousands of nevadans, saved about $600 each on prescription drugs.

that amounts to about $1.6 billion, thanks to this legislation. for some seniors on fixed incomes, those savings prevented difficult choices between literally food and medicine. now, we also had a provision in that legislation that people could get wellness checks, screenings and a checkup. more than 24 million seniors this year got free physicals because of health care reform. that's progress america can be proud of. mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: as the majority leader has noted, today is the

70th anniversary of the japanese attack on pearl harbor. i think several of us -- i have certainly had the opportunity and many members of the senate may have as well, of visiting world war ii-era veterans when they come to washington on what are called the honor flights which the veterans' groups raise the funds to get these world war ii vets up here to see the world war ii memorial, and it is a great inspiration to see these members of the greatest generation who indeed saved america during world war ii, and i remember in particular talking to an elderly -- obviously elderly -- they are all elderly at this point -- elderly gentleman who was at pearl harbor that day, and his describing the horror of the

experience. and so whether these world war ii veterans served at pearl harbor or in europe or in the pacific later, we certainly remember their extraordinary contribution to saving this country and today in particular. you know, for our parents' generation they always remembered exactly where they were when they heard about the attack. for most of us we remember exactly where we were when we heard about the kennedy assassination, that moment is just seared in your memory of some extraordinary event. and of course for younger people the 9/11 attack. everybody remembers exactly where they were. and millions of americans saw the second plane go into the second building in real time. but today we remember the attack

and we express our admiration and respect for the greatest generation. now, madam president, on another issue, the president welcomes canadian prime minister steven harper the white house and i hope the prime minister can convince the president to his recent dishition decision to delay the keystone x.l. pipeline. the president has said repeatedly that jobs are his top priority. says he wakes up every morning thinking about how he can create jobs. here's the single greatest shovel-ready project in america ready to go and for some reason he suddenly is not interested. i've got a question -- how is it when it comes to taxpayer subsidized jobs that may or may

not materialize, the president tells us we can't wait. got to do it tomorrow. but when it comes to private sector jobs that are ready to go immediately, he's in no rush. it doesn't make any sense particularly when you look at some of the president's past statements. here are a couple of examples: president obama said earlier this year for those just to give the background of folks, the president said there are these tar sands in canada that can produce oils. there's talk about building a pipeline into the united states to import that oil. this is the president. he said i will make this general point which is first of all importing oil from countries that are stable and friendly is a good thing. that's the president. i agree with him. the president also said earlier this the year -- this year,

the statement of the obvious, we're still going to have to import some oil. boy, are we. when it comes to the oil we import from other nations, obviously we've got to look to neighbors like canada and mexico that are stable and steady and reliable sources. that was the president earlier this year. so the president has correctly said in my view that he favors importing oil from allies and neighbors. here's a project that would enable us to do that and do a lot more of it and create thousands of jobs in the process what's the problem? last friday americans woke up to the news that for the 34th month in a row, the unemployment rate in this country has stood above 8%. a period of joblessness not seen since the great depression. now, the least they can expect from washington is we won't stand in the way of people who want to hire.

yet that's exactly what they're getting from this president when it comes to this pipeline. this project has been under review for three years. three years. including two exhaustive environmental evaluations. by all accounts, the state department was ready to give it the green light by the end of this year, this month. what happened? well, it appears presidential politics got in the way. the president started getting heat from the environmental activists he's counting on to stuff envelopes next year so he put off a decision conveniently until right after next year's election. so if this episode tells us anything, it's that the president is clearly more concerned about getting himself re-elected next year than getting somebody in montana or kansas or south dakota or missouri a job today. he's so determined to keep his liberal base happy, he's even

willing to go against the labor unions who by the way are enthusiastically in favor of beginning this project right now. what have they had to say about it? well, the teamsters put it this way: the keystone pipeline project will offer working men and women a real chance to earn a good wage and support their families in this difficult economic climate. that's jimmy hoffa. the afl-cio, america's skilled craft construction professionals, any discussion of the keystone x.l. project begins and ends with one word -- "jobs." the afl-cio further said as many as 500,000 indirect jobs via a strong economic multiplier effect without one single dollar

of government assistance. madam president, isn't this what we're looking for? doesn't cost the government anything, creates jobs immediately, this is what we're looking for. the brotherhood of electrical workers, at the time when jobs are a top global priority the keystone project will put thousands back to work and have ripple benefits throughout the north american economy. labor's international union of north america had this to say, this is not just a pipeline, but a life line. not just a pipeline but a life line for thousands of desperate working men and women. so what do we have here, madam president? a privately funded project that labor leaders are saying their members want up and running but the president says this one, this one can wait.

this fight -- despite what he about importing oil from allies, despite what the labor unions say, the president wants to delay these jobs until after his election. now, it's not just the unions and the republicans who are asking for this project to move forward. let's take a look at what some of the democrats in congress have said about it. there was a letter from 22 house democrats to president obama in october of this year, october 19 of this year. i'll just read a few excerpts. america truly cannot afford to say no. further in the letter, mr. president, america needs the keystone x.l. pipeline. further in the letter, the department of state's final environmental impact statement reaffirmed the findings of the two previous environmental impact statements, namely, that the keystone x.l. pipeline

will have no significant impact on the environment. further in this letter from 22 democrats to the president, they said, this represents a true shovel-ready project that would directly create 20,000 high quality domestic manufacturing and construction jobs for americans who are desperately seeking employment. that's 22,000 directly working for the pipeline and i've already described the spin-off benefits, the other jobs that would be created as a result of it. senator baucus, senator tester right here in the senate, senator baucus said we need to put montanans back to work and can't afford further delays on the keystone pipeline. senator tester said should not have to wait 14 months for an up-or-down decision. the montana senators have it right. americans can't wait for the next election. they want their jobs now.

right now. so it's my hope that prime minister harper is able to convince the president to change his mind, congressional republicans and democrats stand ready to move forward on this project. we're prepared to do all within our means to get the keystone x.l. pipeline aprochtd. there is literally -- approved. there is literally no time for delay. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: i ask that we now mor move to morning business. the presiding officer: under the previous order the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order there will be a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each with the first hour equally divided and controlled by with the leaders or their designees with the republicans controlling the first 30 minutes. mr. reid: of i move to calendar 241, s. 1944. the presiding officer: the clerk will report motion. the clerk: motion to proceed to

calendar s. 1944, a bill to create jobs by providing payroll tax relief for middle-class families and businesses and for other purposes. mr. reid: i have a cloture motion at the desk, madam president. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: we the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar 251, s. 1944, a bill to create jobs by providing payroll tax relief for middle-class families and businesses and for other purposes. signed by 17 senators --. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum rule under the rule 22 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent we resume morning business under the previous order, further that morning business be extended until

6:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: i ask unanimous consent i be granted permission to enter into a colloquy with my republican colleagues during our morning business time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hoeven: i rise this morning to discuss the north american energy security act in a colloquy with my colleagues joining me will be our leader, senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky, senator kay bailey hutchison of texas, senators johnny isakson from the great state of georgia, and mike johanns from nebraska and jim inhofe from oklahoma. we're here to discuss a very -- a solutions-oriented piece of legislation. it's about creating jobs, it's about creating energy security for our nation. it's about good environmental stewardship. it's about all of these things

and more. and we want to take this opportunity to discuss the legislation and encourage, to urge our fellow colleagues to join with us to create jobs and opportunity for the american people. in a nutshell, this legislation clears the way for the keystone x.l. pipeline which is a 1,700-mile pipeline that will run from alberta, canada, all the way down to the gulf coast region of the country down 0 the refineries in the united states. this blue line shows the route of the keystone x.l. pipeline. this red line shows an existing pipeline, the keystone pipeline which was built very recently by transcanada. it provides almost 600,000 barrels a day of crude to the united states. the keystone x.l. pipeline would provide more than 700,000 barrels a day of crude oil to our refineries.

in addition to canadian crude it will also haul domestic crude from states like north dakota and montana, will put 100,000 barrels a day of our own light, sweet, domestic crude into the pipeline to bring it down to refineries for our needs in the country. the pipeline will also help move oil from places like cushing where we currently have backlogs to the refineries as well. it's about moving oil within our country as well as bringing canadian crude to the united states and to our refineries. i mentioned it's a job creation bill. as our leader said just a minute ago, just the construction alone will put 20,000 workers on the job. 20,000 workers on the job, just constructing the pipeline and the perryman group out of waco, texas has indicated 250,000 jobs. it's a huge job creator.

i yield to our leader, senator mcconnell. mr. mcconnell: it's my understanding, is it not correct, that these are not jobs sometime in the future, that these are in fact jobs just as soon as the president would sign off on this, this project is ready to go. right? we don't have to borrow -- the government doesn't have to borrow any money, they don't have to strie try to stimulate anything. this is a project as i understand it, i would ask my friend from north dakota that is literally shovel ready, won't cost the government a penny. mr. hoeven: this is a project that's absolutely ready to go, will not cost the federal government one penny, puts 20,000 workers on the job right away. and the hurdle was the route through nebraska but we've now worked with the state of nebraska, they've had a special session, they've set up a process to clear that part of the route. our legislation says within 60 days after passage of this