>> now everything private about us is not in the house. we we have to find out ways to protect things that we care about and so forth. so we talking about? well, the names of the organizations of the services that we are talking about, who are we talking about? >> we are talking about not only states, but think about it, private data affects 800 million people. it will be the third largest nation in the world after china that has its own currency and

economy. and yet, there is no revelation about what can be posted in the government can try to get information off of social networking sites. we are talking about companies that made a deal with internet service providers in california in order to put their hardware. they could copy and analyze every web search mitigation was just a settlement, but we have to think about the way it our

private information has become public and potentially monetize them out there. >> okay, so we are talking about the real beginning of this conversation. with 11 kills and a reasonable expectation of privacy. there are those that would suggest it is ludicrous. but these are choices. can you talk about that feeling of reasonable expectations of privacy? also, where that comes from. >> well, there are many different ways in which we are on the internet. and i think that we have different degrees of privacy depending on which area were talking about. it is fair to say that we have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our e-mail, which is something that is private. but when we are talking about increasingly public forums like

twitter i think we really have to differentiate which ones we are talking about things have changed over the years. people are still adjusting to that. people are putting information online in out there. a lot of people get uncomfortable because they are not thinking of how close they really are. >> i would like to comment on the fact about what we consider private. a new york judge says your e-mail should be treated like a postcard, as if you were writing to anyone. and if you look at court cases,

for example, one woman who was really injured in a personal injury case, the judge actually used for facebook picture of her smiling to say that oh, she can't be that hurt is she smiling. not asking if it was before the accident. so people might think or know enough not to have drunken photos of himself on facebook. but it's often when you wouldn't think of it. holding a glass of wine at a wedding, for example. some employers have turned down job applicants because they have a picture with a glass of wine in it. and you have things like people who are young and wearing gang colors and any hipster could

wear all black. so i don't think we understand how this could be problematic. the woman who loses a potential job because she has a picture on facebook of her child. yes, twitter, youtube -- you're talking to the larger population. but sometimes it sneaks up on you. >> i would like to get more of a dialogue going. so often in the united states we are looking at these book and twitter. we will see it as trivial. but could you talk about social media and looking how the constitution is involved and. so for instance, directly the air of spring involvement. talk about why this question is a lot bigger than just what we

might see here in the states the amount welcome in the privacy issues that we are discussing tonight are very important. what is also important is these platforms turned out to be enormously powerful tools in countries where there were tremendous restrictions on freedom of expression. freedom of assembly and rights and freedoms that many take for granted here in the united states. in egypt, many people first thought that -- you know, they kept on talking about facebook sparking the january 25 protests. well, it didn't begin with an indication posted on facebook page. the committee where there was tremendous discussion around

police brutality and abuse issues actually began in june of 2010. that was the facebook page that was started by a group of anonymous human rights activists. who was also working as a google marketing executive. what happened is that there was a young man who was killed by police. the next thing that happened was someone took a photograph with a cell phone of this young man's battered face and they put the photo on youtube and they put it up on facebook. in june of 2010. over the next few months, hundreds of thousands of people joined a facebook page. on that facebook page, they discuss things that they could not discuss otherwise.

you know, in an internet café or really anywhere else. so the concerns about privacy, we think about what our founding fathers might have thought how powerful these tools can be with promoting democracy and also promoting freedom of succession. >> i think that is why we advocate of the rights. people were using the internet as a way to organize. senator lieberman has suggested a kill switch and having digital tax on things and i do think that this is really important. you may be surprised to learn that we are far behind other

countries. you are guaranteed to have internet service provider nearby to get free access and in other countries, you cannot be so readily bumped off if you have a copyright violation and you are downloading music and so forth. and so the freedom of the press actually ranked much higher than the united states in part because of this openness of the internet there. so it is an important democratizing tool. >> this is the perfect opportunity to get more into conversation. so the social networking and freedom of speech -- nothing short of the future democracies around the world. it is incredibly important. it builds in your social network and there are a lot of questions and i would love to hear about. but i think this is a great start to a conversation. so can you walk us through, in your book, we need to highlight

what that means and how far audience recorded a conversation. >> okay, when you think about it, or constitutional rights are against the government. other countries though, their constitutional rights apply to corporations as well in many countries. why should private companies even care about this. i think these constitutional rights are really based on fundamental values that we all share. initially the founders of facebook said you will get over privacy and the new generational care about it. but it actually shows that younger people do care more than younger people. eighteen years old to 29 years old choose the highest privacy

setting. there are two reasons why companies could care. the u.s. constitution has influenced private law. we have private state law and provisions about equality in the constitution that have been active as civil rights laws. so it influences private law. so there could be a market for privacy. so they come along and say we will make it easierfor you. and then facebook had to modify things and so forth. so what i am suggesting is a type of touchstone. before i buy an iphone, i give consideration to all the

security. anywhere you go on the web, when it's not protected -- if you think about things like that the people might hold as private. >> you do a lot of coverage around the intersection of technology. does this seem like a real step forward to you? can you talk about your reaction? >> well, i think it speaks to the problems at this point. a lot of judges interpret the law around these technologies and don't always understand the technology. many have found that there are expressions are under around her e-mail and law enforcement can only get that technological issue straightened out. many would say that it is upsetting. in terms of trying to apply

everything -- i mean, the constitution is supposed to have businesses not be able to look at a facebook page when they are making a hiring decision. i find that problematic. especially on social networks now. we mix up our lives altogether. so i think that customers will be looking. and i think that this is something to think about. how people are represented. the customers can then judge businesses based upon how their employees react.

i feel like you are suggesting were violating the rights of businesses there. so i would say one of the issues on the protections -- when the courts have considered cases where you have cookies on your computer and consumers have gone to court and said this violates the federal wiretap application and i need to be protected, the courts have actually favored business too much and they say that oh, this lot of sense if one part is okay. you know, saying that it's okay for marketing companies together and monetize information. i think they should be asking me. so i would personally change that i think you on as well

protected as what you think. with respect to e-mail, okay, so a young girl with an eating disorder sued blue cross and blue shield they said i want every e-mail sent by that girl that she has ever posted on social network pages to prove that it is a social disorder that has her having bulimia and the judge does gave that up. yes, you can have the entire hard drive of a spouse. all of the stuff is coming in. i am more comfortable with an approach like we see in europe, where germany is debating about the use of social networking information, we have been and where you cannot google an employee before hiring them. i don't want to see people censoring themselves since birth.

where you get the rich families to hire tutors and so forth. now they have someone starting from when the kid is two years old because that's one you get a facebook page when your parents are putting things on,. >> i wanted open, but i want to to protected. >> 21 open? >> i don't have information open. >> facebook does after -- they have learned -- they have huge backlash from users and they have made privacy settings were transparent. as a reporter, i will tell you that there's a lot more people in the last year. the tools are there for people to control and manage their information. what you need here is a massive

public education campaign for parents and educators. for people about how to use these tools responsibly. >> we are still adapting as a society and learning what it means to be exposed due to the way we track our lives and share information online. and i do agree with that. that's part of the problem here, getting everyone educated. >> right now employers are saying, all right, if you want a job come you have to tell us your password so we can go on your private website. >> the bottom line is there are laws governing employment in the united states. there are certain things an

employer can ask and certain things they cannot pass. an employer cannot ask marital status. an employer cannot use that information against you in a hiring decision. >> but how do you prove that? >> we need additional loss? i don't know. there are laws on the books right now. once we had it last summer opened my eyes to a lot of information that employers can gather on people. there is a startup company who is running their business like the way a credit reporting agency runs their business. so what they do is provide employers with a social media type of credit report on potential employees. what they do for employers as they gather every single thing

you have ever sat in a chat room, posted on flickr or put up on anyone of the photo sharing sites. but they are very careful about what information they provide to employers. they only provide information that is allowed under the law to be considered in a hiring decision. >> okay, so you go there and you see your private cell phone number generating to your house, and if people pay a little bit more per month, they can get things on certain restrictions. but they make no pretense of following the credit reporting laws. and so what happens is someone sue them. so you have everything all wrong about them.

they say oh, we are in this and i might not get a loan. i might be thought of as being flaky by employers. don't you want to see what is on the side and all these other sites, and there are people that say a million people go onto this website. good hire, what credit cards to offer people. and then an individual sue them and says this violates the reporting act. you have to tell them they're doing this, and the court was not involved by the argument. so as you pointed out, we did get some laws, but let's start applying them. we have great laws that protect medical privacy.

but there is a website that people like me post a comment that i am depressed and then they share that information. so people who had weird diseases could learn stuff together. all of a sudden the patients start pulling down their websites. so i think that we should be allowed to be open about our ideas in a private setting and should not be restricted because of the fear of what will be done with that information. >> okay, so i just think i heard you talk about what others are probably thinking. so 20 years from now we might laugh that we had this conversation. >> warcry. >> yes, that's correct. so let me talk a little bit about that.

institutions and individuals are figuring out what is appropriate. and we will figure out what is natural. let's talk about that. >> okay, this will still be there in 20 years. it could end up playing into the future hiring and local plans. in 40 years, we will have somebody in the supreme court who will have been on facebook for most of their life and there will be a ton of information there. we are early starting to see that with some of the younger political candidates. one candidate that was running for congress and there were some

photos that popped up from her younger days and a party -- she was dressed as santa and her husband was dressed as rudolph the red nose reindeer. he had something that was not a red nose on his face. it was kind of embarrassing for her. her reaction sort of went viral. and i don't think she was slated to win the race. she was running as a democrat in a very conservative district and she did not win. but her reaction to it was to say that this is how we are now. when she proposed for society is

we can adapt to that these people are human. i hope that is the direction we will move in. i think that it is inevitable. >> it would be great if there was somebody you could press when you were 21 or 25 and just the race every photograph of you with a red cup or in some inappropriate situation. but there just isn't. so i think that what that means for all of us whether we are

journalists or parents or educators, it is a huge responsibility. the responsibility with our kids. to raise awareness about the facts so i do think that right now when we are in this period, which kashmir hill described as a responsibility for all of us to deal with things carefully. >> technology is coming down the pipes. making sure that your digital photos are deleted after two

years. so those pictures that you took with your ex-girlfriend and so forth -- you know what is happening is that we are all in this together. we have had people who -- because they smoke pot -- i heard that with genetics. when i was told was everybody has a 12 genetic qualities and certain people feel that their things are worse than yours. so there is still this information. so with every technology that i have followed, whether it is genetic or forensic technology, initially a lot of stuff was used and privacy was protected and expanded.

so i think courts will come around to it like they did when the supreme court handled it see if there were more like him than usual to determine whether you are potentially growing marijuana. even though they didn't come out your house from the street, there is no violation. i think we will eventually get there, but a lot of damage might be done. >> [inaudible] >> can use the microphone? >> okay. >> last question that i want to talk about is bringing us back to the concept of the founding

fathers and facebook. with the discussion we have had in our own take on it. it kind of gives us a sense of what the founding fathers as a group loves freedom of speech opportunities or would they be terrified of the privacy. >> okay the chief of marketing of facebook, a former ceo said that we have to do away with certain things on the web. that was certainly part of the founding principles. also how it's playing out in the right to a fair trial. people are actually posting on their facebook page and asking their friends to vote for

certain things, even though things are certainly going on in the courtroom. i think that those would be less than. >> i think that twitter and facebook have been really beneficial. these are great tools for organizing. ben franklin used to keep a daily journal where he tracks his virtues to figure out if he was being a better person. you like this idea of archiving and tracking. you are talking about the school for the leading data and i don't know anyone who would want a photo of him to disappear into yours. i think there are so many benefits to these new technologies and this idea of

tracking and gathering data from our lives and being able to look at it over a long period of time. that is something that we would have loved. >> i think certainly the founding fathers would've found tremendous utility in these tools. one of these guys says on facebook, oh, it's pretty cool this christmas. you know, that's been a problem. so is laurie has said and what we are all saying is there needs to be a balance. people need to recognize that these are companies with terms of service. read the terms of service for just one of the social networks that you use.

they are businesses. so awareness is vital during the various state legislatures that reference these very important issues. >> okay, let's go to the audience for some questions. >> down here on the left-hand side, there are a bunch of questions on weather. the first is practical and the second is theoretical. can employers access their facebook accounts of their set is private. can you guys explain how that works? secondly, we are a representative democracy, but since the founding fathers would

be skeptical of social media, how does this work? >> would you let me take the first question? >> well, they may get it from data aggregators that have spread your account. they may get from companies that track things before you took down certain things. before you made private your account. there is a long time when my space and having privacy settings. the generally police can get your private side that employers cannot. although some employers will ask for your password. >> i wanted to just get a quick walk-through. hoping you could answer that. what is the nefarious side of this? what does that mean? to well, facebook is a data

aggregator. it serves as an intermediary between advertisers and private information. so going on a trip to florida, let's talk about some aggregators that include collecting a picture of all aspects of the web. so there is a lot of information that follows your travels all over the web and it can increasingly be used for other things. >> so generally if your account is very private, it's hard for an employer to look at it. something that some employers have done is sometimes you can

access certain information if a person has made it available to their network. so they hire an intern, that in turn can ask certain information for other people. so you want to look at your privacy settings and make sure you know which audiences you are exposing your data too. if you are only going to expose it to your friends, family or friends can really see that. >> so how did police -- just so everyone can understand. how can police and courts get access to your data without a subpoena or court order? >> well, some do it through social networking and others do it through projects.

they look exactly at what government agencies are looking about you. and they have the manual that can see how much they give without a subpoena. you know, so it's really -- it's very interesting. because there are guidelines for the immigration service they can pretend to find out about other people on the microsecond question was on pushing us on the issue. can you repeat that second question? >> yes, the question was social media having been built in a direct democracy. >> yes, especially with women jump into the conversation. [laughter] >> okay, let's get through a

bunch of them. >> you guys talked about what should be private, what shouldn't be private, how private shipping speed. a concerned that have is that things are too private and we have too much anonymity, it's easy for me to masquerade as someone else and cause problems for you because i can pretend i'm you. how do we address that? >> california has in each person nation law.. -- continually in cyberharassment cases. the mother of arrival would be a 16-year-old boy or a friend that is the daughter's rival and pretend to be interested in and push back. so we are balancing between freedom of expression and the importance of anonymity, and then the whole cyberissue to i

will tell you that the real identity is not required. in the political space, i have covered this for a long time. and i have covered these things. and i'm used to doing so. so we will get calls from troopers that they did you hear about this and that. what i'm seeing is a new form of dirty tricks. and it's all done behind these anonymous accounts. so it does create very big problems.

>> so she immediately created a website -- a very expensive website about her daily doings to try to influence people's opinion. >> yes, i think it does tend to come out at times. you see people's uglier sides. that is kind of a beauty and difficulty of the internet. >> like leaving a bad comment are defaming another person. oftentimes they do get tracked down based on the fingerprint that they left behind.

>> okay, let's talk about this over here. >> okay, what i'm going to ask ties directly into that. someone is looking to find you for the technical appendix. the distinction between what an employer might be looking for on the job you're representing your employer organization around-the-clock, 24/7. i would like to hear your thoughts with u.s. army troops, unfortunately, and the whole issue of the viral video. the viral video with the taliban. whether you see a distinction between armed forces and what the gradient is.

sort of where that winds move. from an educational approach especially. >> okay, anyone? >> i was at a security conference and basically off-line. not a lot. >> okay so basically there was a court case in the video that was posted by a husband.

someone shooting a bob mcdonnell character in the face. if i work for a company, maybe some of the people or customers wouldn't like that. i would still allow it to be kept private. i would say that you should have privacy settings. because companies don't -- you know, initially clients don't like women lawyers. and we have gone over letting customers run with competent people in their jobs can do. so i am completely comfortable having this off-limits employer might make decisions in this area. for example, an employer can't discriminate against you based upon your genetic makeup. but that includes they can go on facebook and see if you like the

breast cancer association or if you are saying that i have a doctor appointment for my disease and so forth. you can argue that. the companies might be benefited by having that. they could then choose to not hire or promote employees who might cost them money with insurance. so social networks are off-limits to employers and upsetting. and we have now a national regulations were that have said that it's okay to say critical things about even your company. it is kind of an effort to change the conditions. so we have the backbone for protecting it. and i don't think that big it's that big a leap to say keep it off limits. >> you know, we travel and we are always checking our phones

to be connected to work. we tend to move around with our mobile statuettes. most of us on facebook and twitter -- we kind of -- whether you see it as a good thing or bad thing, we have come to represent in the attached you are employers all of the time. so i think that this is part of the advocation here. you have to think about that. you have to think about the repercussions for what you put out there. people need to be cognizant of that. especially in their decision-making. >> welcome at "the new york times" when i was the social media editor, that was a big question. should we allow our journalists to go out there and post on

twitter, or should we impose all sorts of restrictions and rules. what we realized that we have lots of rules happening at times. we have an ethics guideline book. our journalists know that you don't put a mccain bumper sticker or an obama sign in your yard. so you shouldn't say that i love sarah palin -- i don't love sarah palin, you know, on your twitter account. especially if you are a journalist. so i think that there are many guidelines and rules. we need to consider them. not necessarily making up new ones. the most important thing that people need to remember when they are using these tools is what your good judgment is.

show your good judgment. i did a story a couple of weeks ago about school boards across the country imposing guidelines for teachers on facebook. because for many teachers, the decision to defend a student or not was a decision that many teachers were and are making all by themselves. it has been getting some teachers in trouble. sometimes it is fascinating that some teachers unions fight back against these guidelines. they see them as being too restrictive of freedom of expression and there is a big dispute over a law in missouri. however some see these guidelines during this period is being guidelines to really

protect educators. it helps you understand what was appropriate and what was not to say and do on a social network. >> [inaudible] >> you had mentioned that about 70% had been privacy protected. they are the ones taking photos, partying on facebook. as those people start their own startups and become a business force in america, where do you see the laws coming from? and where is this change coming from to start with? because so many young people are struggling with jobs and we have a different opinion of things. do you see that as being transparent instead of being

judged? >> i think that some businesses want you to have that. some issues when you are talking about what you have, the employers are saying that we own your audience. you can't take them with you. so i think we need to face a lot of issues when you build up a following, who owns that if you are tweeting from cbs.com and you end up in a fight with the television network is whether

you can take your followers with you and not. >> i just wanted to say that i recently left this book because everyday i'm reading about some case words being used against the courts. sort of people being incriminated by themselves. it used to be a gated community. and then my aunt got on their. [laughter] my daughter's honor. the classmates parents are on there. my mother-in-law's on there now. >> he said it would be nice if

there was a big reset button you can push. it would be nice. that facebook doesn't make that. the only thing i can do is quit or i can have three friends and maximize my privacy settings and three years worth of data. so i see nothing wrong with a law or something saying that you have to give people more control. >> is the market dictate what should be a big jurisprudence issue? >> correct. the response is often if you don't like it, if you feel like your privacy is being violated, then just quit. in one way i think it's valid, and another i think there are networks there.

if you're not there, you can't communicate. i but i do think that this study is evolving. and if you find that there are more downfalls and upsides, benefits, and people will leave. i think that will happen. there are some people who have decided to quit facebook. good luck, a lot come back to talk live without it. there is a reset button. when you come back you start fresh. >> there was a recent settlement about privacy information center. that you could delete within 30 days. i think that is an important aspect. i think we might see some alternatives to facebook.

the computer program you can use the turns into a diet coke. not a lot left and you think oh, my mom's on facebook. and oh, no, his mom's on facebook. and you don't this is part of that. >> for parents, find out if your child is on tumbler. because there is a lot more content than that can be created there than some of the other networks.

>> facebook is more entrenched. it does seem to have some different generations participating. that depends on newer generations being drawn to facebook as well. there are other places you can go to have a more private space and social network. maybe people can start doing different things in different places and keep their identity somewhat separate. >> okay, there are five minutes left and we are going to move to the lightning round. >> okay. >> [inaudible question] >> and we go back far enough, health care and your private information about your health was not necessarily restricted by law, yet all of that information is presented by law to be released. why couldn't a similar situation

be developed here, although it is somewhat different. you are providing the information on facebook where the health information, when you go to the hospital or doctor's office -- yet that is controlled and very effective. could something like that be implemented in these situations? >> it could be. now we are seeing an overlap. the type of information that people post are the types of information about relationships, sexuality, sexual preference, political interests and we in the past have not stringently protected this under the right laws. you have an expectation of privacy in facebook. you are asked to be friends with people.

you know, actually see the privacy involving the cover social networks. >> i think it is ironic that once the data is aggregated, but nothing of that is done for people whose data we are concerned with. the original. just like the pennsylvania department of motor vehicles -- the sole data about the type of cars that people own. i thought it was an outrage of the time. the point is really the commercial aspect and doesn't the data block means that the companies that sell it freely?

shouldn't they ask? should they pay me for that? what kind of value does the state have? >> that is actually a good point because there is a company in great britain that kind of does that. >> [inaudible question] >> to put a damper on everything. in order for me to sell data coming opinion thousand dollars a year and maybe it would slow the process down. >> there are a lot of things that you get for your data. you get free media content. you get to use google. i think that we are giving our data up.

>> data is what you are paying for those services. ..

we don't want to suppress the freedom of speech by way of example, one of my classmates before any of those has scanned letters and photos and so forth from high school of them put it on the web. [inaudible] [laughter] likewise, even these kids come the photos that go with maybe put up by one of their friends, not to. >> and i do think that facebook and these other services have a changes in the last year, very important changes in the rate direction and one of them includes tagging, where people cannot just tag you without your permission. but on the other hand they've developed facial recognition software for automatic tagging

chemist of the specs that isn't as great and they gave the example the doughnut to attack everyone's in a photo at a wedding. but if a bride had to tag everybody, you know, maybe they wouldn't take the picture of you having a sake bomb or kissing someone else's wife are puking on the dance floor. you cannot tag yourself, but it's not that great a thing. i've been reading quite ologies are going, with the idea is a snap your picture with my smartphone on the street, tells me of a dating site you're on, what you listen to. >> we can never control what people say about us. it's different now as they can save in a place with a huge audience and that's really the difference.

>> the people they tell it to doubt whether things about you that you're really responsible person and so forth. the world audiences something different. >> i've been trying to hide the fact that i've had a bowl cut for years. i can't do it now. >> and rural america, one of my colleagues did a really smart tori and i wonder if there's a place for become for some links links after this talk so you might be able to see some of the pieces and articles and issues. in small towns across america, there's a social now for that not many people know about in philadelphia or new york or boston or washington, where it's nasty and many of these small towns because they don't have real identity and people say all sorts of -- >> or whether you're married and want to have an affair, one of

my friends went to a remote area in michigan after his father died and found all these feet let's say that he ran into at the post office and so forth advertising to have affairs. some more baby have to name them aviles. >> been a question pass it over here. >> i would really lead to and on a positive note. i resonate a lot with what kashmir has to say. the positive benefits of social media are tremendous, but i'll were talking about his negative behavior as a lot of psychological ramifications. but what about positive behavior? and associate media administrator and also a fraud investigator. so i see both sides of the. the connections i've made to build my professional life in addition to my personal life are enormous semi would love to

really have conversation about the positive benefits. >> a great way to and on that note six below. uhf 15 seconds. extol the virtue of the social web in whatever format you choose. >> look at what happened in the last year, in 2011. it started in tunisia. we saw what happened in egypt, bahrain. it's not just social networks and cell phones. protesters in bahrain, when the cell phone and the ability to take a photo of what was happening to them and their ability to transmit data around the world helped save them at some very, very difficult for moments. and what we saw with occupy wall street, the horses left the barn. people are documenting

experiences and social media is here to stay and learning how to use it this ounce of late and in a smart way is everyone's responsibility. >> i'm just amazed at the ways we can connect now. i was out walking nbc's thought it a whole of women stuff spilled on the sidewalk and i say maybe she had affair with her boyfriend and he dumped her step outside, but i spotted a prescription because i'm naturally curious, i flipped it over and her name is they are. so googled her and her twitter account came up. it said six hours earlier that her car had been broken into. so i said hey, i think i just found your stuff. she said where is that? i told her where was in her friend went and collected it. my mind was blown by that. i did that on about three

minutes here before twitter, before facebook, that could not happen. it's a small story, but there's many benefits join a public menace. >> also, differences of party music. if european you can do the following, but this crowd sourcing going on. i started novel, you add to it and crowd sourcing science, where they found individuals are better. not how to fold proteins and computers and people working on a particular project and shortly after the revolution there a little baby girl was born in egypt and hurt that named her facebook. as an important not to what's going >> our special booktv programming in primetime this week continues tonight with political biographies and

memoirs. >> booktv in prime time this week on c-span2. >> you're watching c-span2 with politics and public affairs. weekdays featuring live coverage of the u.s. senate. on weeknights watch t. public policy fans, and every week in the latest nonfiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past program to get our schedules at our website, and you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >> in the few moments maggie

hassan is sworn in as governor of new hampshire. and a half hour, a forum with the government and the forms of the state's congressional delegation, all women. new hampshire is the first state to have an all female allegations to washington. >> it's a busy day today for members of congress. the housemates attend eastern to consider a bill regarding hurricane sandy really funding. you can see that live on c-span at 10 eastern. at 1 p.m. eastern, senators will join house members for joint meeting of congress. >> maggie hassan was sworn in thursday as governor of new hampshire. the ceremony was a half hour. [applause]

thank you. madam speaker, mr. president, madam chief justice, honorable members of the house and the senate and the executive council, former governor, u.s. senator, my fellow citizens, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. it tumbles me, and it will sustain me as i work to lead our remarkable state. [applause] today, as i was sworn in as your

governor, i pledged to follow the constitutions of new hampshire and the united states. now i will make one more promise. i will work as hard as i can to honor your trust. i will strive to do so in the tradition that has guided us throughout our history, the tradition of openness, bipartisanship, and collective problem-solving. [applause] no one has exemplified that tradition more than the person i am succeeding. [applause] someone i want to thank on

behalf of all of our citizens for his four terms in the corner office. thank you, governor john lynch. [applause] a i sought this office so that we could shape our own way forward, harnessing the promise of our great citizen democracy

to preserve and strengthen our states special qualities your i know that together we can build a stronger, more innovative new hampshire, a new hampshire where all of our citizens are included in our shared success and prosperity. [applause] to our very core, we value freedom, independence, hard work, fiscal responsibility, family and community. we live these values in our personal lives and in our workplaces. and every citizen, regardless of circumstance, should have the opportunity to live them, too, to hold a good job, work hard, raise a family, and share in the

high quality of life we enjoy in new hampshire. when they do, they become empowered and our state grows stronger. [applause] to our ability to accomplish this goal lies in our willingness to innovate, not only to develop innovative new products and services, but to innovate in other areas as well. in the operation of our traditional industries, in the way we educate our citizens, in the way we deliver governments essential services, and then providing the tools that support growing businesses and create good middle-class jobs. [applause]

new hampshire has many distinctions we can be proud of. we have the lowest poverty rate and lowest teen birth rate in the nation. we are consistently rated as one of the safest states and one of the best places in the country to raise children. [applause] we are uniquely suited to seize the promise and opportunity and innovation presents. but adapting to the demands of an innovation economy presents a meet the challenges, too. our population is aging, yet we pursue policies that are driving our young people out of the state.

we have the fourth highest in state tuition for public universities in the country, and too many of our talented students pursue a college education elsewhere. when these new hampshire natives complete school, they often choose not to return, depriving our economy of talented people with the energy and skills needed to drive innovation. we need to renew our tradition of attracting new citizens to our state, and we need to help our young people stay here, raise their own families here, and remain part of the future of new hampshire. [applause] cut in state support for public education in half while lowering the tobacco tax two years ago

was shortsighted. [applause] it hurt our young people and, if not quickly addressed, will impair our future economic prosperity. we must begin to reverse course. in exchange, the university system, working with us, needs to increase the number of new hampshire students admitted to our state colleges and universities and freeze in state tuition. [applause]

we must also recognize that not every student chooses the same path, and that our community college system has developed innovative, nimble and cutting-edge programs to educate our citizens. we must continue to support their efforts to build the strong workforce that our citizens need. [applause] i have always believed strongly in the power and value of education. my parents were educators, and i was fortunate that they worked to make sure that my sister, brother and i received the best educations possible. mom and dad created a home in

which the value of learning, the obligations of citizenship, and vigorous but respectful debate were emphasized. our home was always warm and rarely dull. it is difficult for me to express how grateful i am to my parents and family. i am so glad that my mother, peggy, my sister franny, and my brother frank are here with us today. [applause] given the importance of education in my life, it's probably not an accident that it chose to marry an educator.

i am so proud of the work my husband, does as principal at phillips exeter academy, and i am so grateful for the support he has given me. tom, you will bring insight, humor, and steel to the role of first gentleman. thank you. [applause] i am also a very proud mother. my two children, ben and meg, have inspired me, granted me, and supported me. i wouldn't be here without you. [applause]

and i can talk about my family without her knowledge in how much we've been helped, and enriched, by the team of caregivers who have provided superb care and support to ben, allowing him to receive a full education and participate in his community. you have all become an integral part of our family and give proof to the idea that when we care for each other, we all get stronger. thank you. [applause]

i want the same for all of new hampshire's young people as i want for my own children, the opportunity to learn, to grow, and to lead. recently, i had the privilege of visiting girls, inc. in nashua, which helps teach important life skills to girls and young women. dozens of energetic girls, ranging from wriggling five and six year olds, to collected teenagers, had waited patiently for us to arrive. they had researched the questions they wanted to ask, and their knowledge was impressive. but it wasn't only the topics that were important. they were being encouraged to imagine and realize that they could be leaders, too. that they could be anything they wanted to be. and order for the girls i met at girls, inc., and all of our

young people, to realize their dreams, we must ensure that at each step along the way, their education is providing them with the skills, knowledge, and innovative thinking needed in a 21st century economy. [applause] we must work with teachers, local schools, higher education and the business community to ensure a robust and rigorous education for all of our students, including in the s.t.e.m. fields of science, technology, engineering and math. [applause] new hampshire's public colleges and universities have set an ambitious goal of doubling the number of s.t.e.m. students that

graduate by 2025. we should embrace that goal and make achieving it a state priority. [applause] businesses are ready and willing to hire people with these skills. our task is to make sure new hampshire's workforce is ready to fill these jobs. [applause] we have other opportunities and challenges as well. to compete in the 21st century, our businesses must find new markets for their innovative goods and services. 95% of the world's consumers live outside of the united states. i want new hampshire to be a leader in exports, and then the next two years i worked to help our businesses sell their products around the globe.

[applause] to encourage innovation, we should also encourage the creation of new technologies here in new hampshire by doubling the research and develop a tax credit -- development tax credit. [applause] we want entrepreneurs with innovative ideas to come to new hampshire, and we want those who start businesses here to stay here and grow here. that means continuing to build strategic partnerships between our colleges and universities and our inventors and entrepreneurs. take the example of therma-hexx in portsmouth. bob barmore, therma-hexx founder and ceo, had the idea of using

low-cost, energy efficient components to build simple heating and cooling devices for homes and commercial buildings. bob told me that the idea came to him when he was sitting with his wife on a rooftop deck that was too cold in winter and too warm in the summer. he thought, there has to be a way to fix this. he did, and with support and guidance from the green launching pad, a business incubator at unh, bob has developed his idea into a successful and growing business right here in new hampshire. [applause] >> to support these businesses, we must recognize that there are some path that can only be accomplished in partnership with government. chief among those are ensuring access to education for all, protecting public safety and building and maintaining the

infrastructure that businesses and citizens need. [applause] we must recognize that businesses, from established industries such as manufacturing and tourism, to the industries of the future, cannot innovate and grow without the modern roads, bridges, broadband and reliable and clean power that they require. [applause] gertrudto address our challenged seize the opportunity of innovation, we must summon our best traditions of cooperation and problem solving. the people of our state collaborate and make things work all the time, and their elected leaders must be able to do the

same. [applause] the people of new hampshire have made it clear that they want to restore balance, that they want us to work together. let us promise ourselves today that we will meet our challenges by focusing on common sense solutions born of collaboration. that we will together in the era of hasty, reacted government. [applause]

i understand the work of the house and senate. i was honored to be one of you. what you do matters and affects the lives of real people. to the best of my abilities i will work with you and foster an open dialogue. in return, i urge members of both parties to share your ideas and concerns with me. my door will be open, and together we can find a way to solve problems and make new hampshire a better place. [applause] among the most challenging tasks ahead is the need to ask for --

they need to foster innovative economic growth while continuing to balance the state budget. while we are seeing signs of recovery and growth, we still face fiscal uncertainty. we will need to be prudent as we develop our budget. and i am mindful that innovation is not confined to the private sector. we need to continue to find ways to innovate in state government, so that we can honor our tradition of fiscal responsibility of serving the people of new hampshire effectively and efficiently. [applause] granite staters are frugal, and the history of our state government reflects that. to those of you who believe deeply in income tax, i ask you to put that aside.

i will veto in income or sales tax. [applause] and as we build our next budget, though we have much to address, we must acknowledge that we will not be able to do everything all at once. to those on the other side, i ask you to recognize that there are some things that government must do, not only to help our most vulnerable citizens, but also to provide the platform for economic growth. [applause] needs do not go away simply because we don't find them --

fund them. [applause] and opportunities for innovation and growth can evaporate if we fail to make smart investments in a timely way. [applause] but if we work together we can fund our priorities and balance the budget. [applause] as lawmakers, we must also recognize that our first and most important obligation is to protect the safety of new hampshire families. i am so grateful to all those in our state to put their lives on the line to protect our communities, from the police officers, firefighters, emts

and other first responders, to corrections officers and security personnel, to state employees who maintain our health and safety, and so many more. [applause] .. >> in the last several years to protect our state and our nation while we have been at war. [applause]

>> i know we all remain shaken by the tragic shooting at sandy hook elementary school. we can be comforted in the knowledge that our new hampshire educators are as bravely and professionally devoted to their students as the heroes in newtown were. we can be grateful that our first responders protect us by responding to grave and unknown dangers with calm, skill and

intensity. but wile our faith in -- while our faith in those who provide for the safety of our communities should be stronger than ever, we will all need to honor the victims of the newtown tragedy by coming together to find ways to make our schools and our towns safer and better. [applause] >> there is so much that i love about our state. most mornings i walk in the woods along the exeter river. the sound of pine needles

crackling underfoot, the muted alarm of mallards as my dog and i walk by, the beauty and the stillness of an ice-covered stream bring clarity and cheer me as i begin my day. it reminds me that new hampshire is a place of unmatched natural beauty. we see it in the mountains that tower over the north country, in the lakes that freckle our state and in the rocky shores and sandy beaches of the seacoast. we see it in every town and city. the awe-inspiring beauty of our matchal resources is critical -- natural resources is critical to our hunting, fishing and tourism industries. it attracts businesses and entrepreneurs to new hampshire, and it is critical to the quality of our daily lives. [applause]

>> but what i love most about new hampshire is the all-hands-on-deck ethos of our people. whenever there is a challenge, our people are ready to help and pitch in. we are a state that combines independence and community as nowhere else. but that ethos requires that we fully include all people of talent and energy in the life of our state. inclusiveness is part of our history. new hampshire was at the forefront of the fight to save the union and end slavery. over the decades we have welcomed waves of new citizens from the irish and french canadian immigrants of the 19th

century to the immigrants from nepal, bhutan can and all around the world who are reinvigorating our state today. we are a model for including both men and women in our political process, exemplified today when a woman supreme court justice, chief justice, swore in a woman governor. [applause] >> we led the effort to end discrimination against people who experience disabilities s and we helped bring them out of institutions and into the community.

our recommitment now to that endeavor will strengthen our families, communities and economy. [applause] and nearly four years ago we led the way without the force of court order toward marriage equality. [applause] >> last year i was on a plane when the man next to me struck up a conversation and asked me about my work in public service including marriage equality. it turns out he was a recruiter

for one of the biggest employers in new hampshire, and he said to me marriage equality is one of the best recruitment tools i have. he said it wasn't because he was necessarily recruiting gay or lesbian individuals, it was because passing marriage equality in new hampshire signaled to everyone the kind of welcoming state we are. [applause] >> and as has been true throughout our history, every time we bring more people in

from the margins into the heart and soul of our democracy, we get stronger. [applause] we believe in freedom and the value of every person. it is our duty and our destiny to extend the same freedoms we enjoy to all our people. [applause] the work of moving this special state forward cannot be done by office holders alone. the doors of this statehouse are open to all who want to engage, learn and contribute. it will take the ideas and spirit and energy of everyone. more so than any other place,

new hampshire is a government by the people. [applause] addressing our challenges will not be easy, but we are granite staters and americans, and we are supposed to do hard things. the question is whether we will live up to the grand vision that our founders had. remember, the notion that we could operate as a true citizen democracy while also becoming an economic force in the world was at the time a revolutionary one. to some degree, our ability to prove our founders right will depend on how we approach our task. scripture refers to something called gladness of heart, an

appreciation of the opportunity and freedom to do difficult things. in this time and in this place, let's choose to move our state forward with the optimism and pragmatism that is our hallmark, with gladness of heart let's choose to remember what a gift it is to be citizens of the granite state. thank you. [applause] >> with the opening of the new session of congress, a state's entire delegation will, for the first time in u.s. history, be all women. in addition, new hampshire now has its second female governor. the women holding those five offices met recently at saint answer helm college. their discussion is a little more than an hour. [applause] >> now on to the program. [laughter] so, um, a little bit about the

way the questions were developed or for today's event. this is a little bit atypical of a typical chamber event. our questions were developed with the input from the chamber's board of directors and from the new hampshire women's initiatives. they are centered not around issues, but around this moment in history. the mission of this event is to celebrate and to sell rate the first in -- celebrate the first in the nation status that new hampshire has by holding this event today. robin will facilitate a conversation about what this moment in time means to these five women. this hour will go so fast, and i'm sure, and i hope, that this conversation leaves you hungry for more. please, share today with your friends, your children, your coworkers. we will have dvds available. please share this event and this moment in history with everyone you know. how this all came together. [laughter] the two most common questions i

have received over the last week and a half are, number one, do you really have all five of them? [laughter] and, number two, how did you pull this together so quickly? well, the answer to the first question is, yes, they are all here. they are backstage, i shook all of their hands, and they will be out here momentarily. how it came together, this event sold out in 12 hours. that's never happened for us. [laughter] but it all started about two days before election day, and i sort of had this realization that this was a possibility. that this could actually happen. and i stood in the door to robin's office, and i said what if all of these major offices were held by women? this is a possibility. this would be historic. and we should do an event if it happens. [laughter]

so as my friends know and my family, i am a self-proclaimed fuse and political junkie. -- news and political junkie. so on election night i had the tv, my laptop and my iphone, and i was watching as the results came in. and it was happening, and it happened. and so, yes, there were phone calls, there were e-mails, there was logistics, there was food selection, printing, there was tables, chairs, all the logistics. but really how this event came together is a question; what if? what if we could get them? and i'm so happy that we have, and i think all of them will agree that that type of vision is what put all of these five women where they are today, is that question, what if. finish today's event is bigger, it's bigger than political parties, it's bigger than politics, it's bigger than the

chamber of commerce. today is history in the making. it is not just a raised glass to these five women who are about to take the stage. this today is a deep tribute to all five of them, all who have gone before them and all who will follow in their footsteps. so with that said -- [applause] let's get this program going! let's get started. [applause] it is now my great pleasure and honor to introduce our moderator for this morning, the president and ceo of the greater manchester chamber of commerce, an incredible woman in her own right, ms. robin comstock. [applause] and now, the only woman in u.s. history to be elected as both a

governor and a united states senator, please welcome new hampshire's senior senator, senator jeanne shaheen. [applause] >> and next, another woman who has a record for making history. she was the first woman to serve as the state's attorney general. please welcome u.s. senator kelly ayotte. [applause]

she was the first new hampshire woman elected to congress in 2006. please join me in welcoming representative-elect carol shea-porter. [applause] and our newly-elected official representing new hampshire's 2nd district, representative-elect ann mclane custer. ms. . [applause] and finally this morning, the new governor for the state of new hampshire, please, join me in welcoming governor-elect maggie hassan. [cheers and applause]

>> welcome, welcome, welcome. so exciting. thank you all so much for coming out. excuse my back. good morning, gayle. good to see you. [laughter] so great to see all of you this morning. and thank you so much, really appreciate it. good morning. we have a lot to talk about this morning, and in my world never enough time. i'm sure yours as well. so i think i'm just going to just jump right in. i hope we can have a great, well-rounded conversation to take us to around 9:15, 9:20 or so. l the first question i actually want to ask you is something we talked about in the staff.

on the day after the election, people all over the united states just seemed so profoundly excited, celebrating this historic moment, viewing it as an historic moment. i just have to ask you what does it mean to you, and i'm really wondering is it as significant to you as it looks to us from the outside of this in and jeanne, i'd love to start with you being our senior representative. how does all of this feel, and how does it look to you? >> i think it is significant. >> you do in? >> and how exciting that new hampshire's leading the way. [applause] and i think it really speaks to all of the women who went before us. um, annie's mother, susan mclane, who we were in opposite parties, and yet when i got elected to the state senate, she helped mentor me. and people like liz hager who i think is here someplace, ran for

governor. [applause] and arnie arn ericsson who also ran for governor. all of these women really led the way, and the fact that we've had a legislature that has had so many women in it has really provided a training ground for women. and it is significant. and, you know, hopefully we'll get to a point where it's no longer significant. >> yeah, that's actually a great point. >> where nobody takes note of the fact that we have so many women. >> that's a very good point. carol, what about you? does it feel significant to you? you're in a unique position, you went away, and you're back. how do you view this? >> it is significant, just like the senator said. this has been quite a thrill for me, and it's very encouraging, i think, for the younger women to know these opportunities are there now. and i had a mother tell me that her little girl looked at the screen and said, mom, all girls. [laughter] >> oh, my gosh, that's amazing. annie, you have three sons, don't you? does it feel significant to you,

what's happening at your kitchen table if. >> yeah. they've taken note of this, definitely. [laughter] i appreciate senator shaheen mentioning my mom, because she did work very hard to get more women into elective office. and what i think is great, i know kelly and i both grew up with moms who were very active in the statehouse, and i think more and more or people are going to see that opportunity for tear daughters and the -- for their daughters, and the sons will take note. [laughter] >> and, maggie, you're kind of the new kid on the block too. >> well, on the one hand, it feels significant, i think it is significant. i had the pleasure of being the majority leader for the first female majority legislative body, another new hampshire first, in 2008-2010. so i've had an opportunity to think about the role of women in new hampshire politics in particular, and it does speak to what i think is our important characteristic as a state which is we're an all hands on deck

kind of place. if you're willing to pitch in and contribute, you can do your work. so on the one hand it feel feels very senate, on the other hand, i've been doing this for a while. this is what we do. i'd also just like to give a shout out to my mom who is actually here. [laughter] there she is, right over there. [applause] i grew up in a -- my first political memory is helping my mom collate league of women voters' materials. [laughter] and mom was very active in our community, so it speaks to the importance of women leading the way and showing their daughters and sons that it can be done. >> what a great point. kelly, how are you feeling about all of this? does it seem significant to you? you have -- your children are so young, 5 and 8, you were saying. >> i do. absolutely, this is very important. and i think that it's exciting. the good thing about having firsts is that it won't be the last. i mean, i really see that as

the, you know, young women coming up know that anything's possible, and anything that they set their mind to they can do. and that's always the exciting thing. i felt that when i first became attorney general, that once that doesn't become an issue, i mean, we all want to just be judged on what we bring and our qualifications, and i think that's what's exciting about all of this. and my daughter kind of growing up at 8 years old in a very different setting -- my parents are still so involved, in fact, my mom's there with our kids this morning, thankfully. one thing that happened with her that really struck me when i got into office, she came home one day and said, mom, i don't want you to run for president. and i said, kate, that's not gonna happen. [laughter] there's like no chance that's happening. i said, but why are you asking me this? she said, you know what, mom? because i want to be the first woman president. [laughter] [applause] >> that is so great. [applause]

>> so i think just anything is possible, and that's what's so terrific about this. >> that's terrific. well, you all agree it's a significant moment. i wondered if you would because, again, from the outside it's just so profound, and this event, i think, is a testimony to that. i wonder if it's as significant as we all think it is, what kind of a weight do you feel on your shoulders? do you feel a larger weight because of this symbolic moment, literal and symbolic moment in history? do you feel a responsibility to be a role model for new hampshire citizens young and old? how does it feel in terms of your personal role and the weight on your shoulders? carol, why don't you start. >> it doesn't feel like a weight at all. i grew up in a large family, lots of guys, lots of girls in the family, and so it seems very normal to me to have a situation like this. so, no, it doesn't. i just know that each one of us, and we've talked together, want the same thing; we want to do the best we can for new hampshire and for the country. and that's what men want to do,

too, when they take office. so i don't really feel that it's any different in terms of what we want to accomplish. >> annie, how about you? >> no. the only difference, and i've said pink is the new power color in new hampshire. [laughter] but seriously, we're also all mothers, and if you can find peace with teenagers or toddlers, i think you can find common ground. [laughter] >> have you been able to do that? [laughter] [applause] >> and what i think is really terrific is the bipartisan spirit. carol and i are going down to washington at a time with the hyperpartisanship, people are really divided. and i think what we want to do is bring common sense, bring those granite state values. you know, you look out at this audience, women have always worked in new hampshire since the mills. i mean, if you look at new hampshire history, women have worked for generations. and if you want something done, ask a busy woman, you know? look at the folks around this

room. but what i feel is that we're not unique in this ability, but we do know how to bring people together to get things done, and that's the most important quality that any of us can bring and, certainly, what, you know, governor-elect hassan is going to face in the state. we all need to come together. everyone in the room, men and women, need to come together. we face challenges, and our country needs our help. >> that's a great point. and, maggie, you have big shoes to fill. you're the second woman golf in the state. -- woman governor in the state. do you feel weight on your shoulders as a role model or personal commitment? >> i think all leaders want to do a really good job, b i certainly feel an enormous responsibility to serve the people of new hampshire as well as i can and leave the tate a better place -- leave the state a better place, even as good as it is, when i'm done. but i don't -- i think men and women share that interest when they decide to serve, and i think we all just want to do what's best for the people of new hampshire.

>> yeah. kelly, how about you? what are you thinking about that? >> i would agree. i think the weight that i feel is just the challenges that our country faces. you know, we've got over $16 trillion in debt, and it's a very difficult time in the course of our country, and that's the weight that i feel, because it's a tremendous respondent that the people of -- responsibility that the people of new hampshire have placed in all of us, and we just want to make sure that we do the best job for new hampshire and the country during a very difficult time in our country's history. >> jeanne, anything you could add? >> well, i think what's important is that as women, we have different experiences than men. and we bring those experiences to these jobs. and it's important to have women's voices at the table. women make up over 50% of the country right now. and it's very important to bring our experiences to the jobs that we have. >> that's a great point. did all of you always aspire to

politics? were you your daughter, kelly? when you were 8, were you your daughter knowing you're going to run for president? [laughter] >> not even close. >> what was your path, and how did you get here? i'm curious as a professional myself, what did you give up to get to where you are today, and how is that balance at this point in time? ann, do you want to start with that? >> for me, my story is more about sequencing. you know, i had tremendous opportunities that my own sisters didn't even have. i -- but the first woman lawyer i knew, susan leahy, didn't come to the state until i was if high school. so i had no role models for, i mean, to be very honest i didn't even think about working when i was in college. and i was very fortunate somebody said, the congressman that i had worked for, um, on his campaign when he ran for president here said do you want to come work in washington, and i said, oh, that would be a great idea, you know, how

thoughtful of you. [laughter] and i went down and had this incredible experience for three years, and, i mean, the young people on capitol hill and the jobs that they have. i traveled everywhere, and i just thought that's what work would be, so much fun. [laughter] and then he ran for the u.s. senate, and he told me to go off to law school. he said you've been on enough losing campaigns in your life. [laughter] my mother had run for congress. and so then i went to law school and came back to new hampshire, but i had had a pig -- big opening. i went to a college that had been all males for 200 years, and i was in the third class of graduating women. >> oh, my word. >> so i feel as though we've been forging our way. but or fortunately for me, i had governor shaheen, i had my mother or who mentored her, and then i've opinion mentored -- i've been mentored by those

colleagues. so i think the opportunities are coming in abundance now, doors are open. law schools, we were talking about, are more than 50% women. our class going into the congress is the most diverse class ever in history -- in. [inaudible] >> yes. in all aspects. it's fascinating. so anyone younger than me, there are wide open opportunities. >> a different reality. >> yes. and i really appreciate, i think we all have a debt of gratitude to governor shaheen and to senator ayotte for serving as attorney general that when my mother ran for congress in 1980, 15% of the voters would not even consider a woman candidate. and when i think of the courage -- she only lost by 3,000 votes. when i think of the courage, so i think for the rest of us now women on the ballot are very much respected. obviously. >> annie, i have to tell a story. susan used to tell the story about campaign anything that 1980 election, and one time she was at a gas station, i think it

was. >> yes. [laughter] >> annie was with her because she was driving her, and she said the man in the gas station said why aren't you home taking care of your kids? she said, well, my daughter's with me, she's taking care of me. [laughter] >> i was pumping the gas, and a man said, woman, you should be home taking care of your babies, and she said that's my baby, and she's taking care of me. laugh after and then my son was my driver, so it was really nice. >> gone through the generations. maggie, your mom must have been a powerful role model to you. >> she was and she is. i grew up in a family, my mom taught high school history, my dad alternated between teaching college and serving, um, in public roles, in public service. he would have loved the institute on politics, because he was a political scientist. so certainly politics was something we discussed in and followed. ask one of the things i think we

don't talk much about, my dad actually hired a lot of women to be on his staff. so i grew up seeing women very active professionally. when i went to law school, i went to northeastern school of law, 60% of my class was female which was back in 1985 a huge deal. and so that helped. but you still do, um, you know, i think we all struggle with work/family balance. i think we all still think about the impact that our service has on our families not just as mothers, but as you go into public life and it's more visible. >> true. >> what that's like for your kid. but i'm very happy to say that my 19-year-old daughter not only worked on my campaign this summer, but she has interned for senator shaheen and worked in other political roles, too, so she clearly sees a way to be involved too. >> very good. someone lose their -- kelly --

>> fell on the floor. >> yeah, it's fine. kelly, how about you? did you aspire -- we were laughing in the back, i don't think you did, did you? >> no, i didn't. >> when did you -- [inaudible] >> for me it's finding that thing that you're passionate about, you care about. and when i became a prosecutor, that sort of brought me into public service. and then i realized that that public service is really what gets me up every day, of wanting to make a difference. so that led to eventually wanting to run for the senate. but i can't say that when i was younger this was the path that i thought that i would take at all. and i think it also teaches you that as you go through life, that there are things that come up. and you find something that you really care about, you go on that path, and then you end up, you know, doing something that matters to you, whatever that is. and i have to say my mother's a great role model for me too. she still is a, you know, my

best friend, my husband and just a huge support. she always worked for a period. my participants got divorced -- my parents got divorced when i was 6, and she's been remarried for a long time, and we spent a lot of time when it was just her and i. she's just phenomenal. >> you all talk about -- >> and i should add in some ways i think my experience is similar to kelly's. while i grew up in a family that cared about politics, i never thought i'd run for office. my son ben is here in the audience, and it was the role of advocating for him and, actually, jeanne appointed me to my first public role to advocate for public school students on an education commission. and that's what got me familiar with the new hampshire legislature and, ultimately, led to my first run for office. >> carol, were you born aspiring to politics in. >> not at all. i grew up in a large irish

catholic family -- >> how many brothers and sisters do you have? >> well, there's seven of us, and my parents took in every child who needed room. we had three generations in our house. so i was pressed into political service when i was 6 years old because my parents were active republicans. so i would carry the signs and whatever. >> mine too. [inaudible conversations] >> i thought every family fought over religion and politics at dinner every night. [laughter] so what brought me to it is exactly what you hear the other women here talking about, that i was an advocate, and i worked, i started a nonprofit social service agency. i did teach politics and history so, obviously, i kept that interest going, but it was really katrina that sent me on this path. i went down for a month as a volunteer, and i came back and said, you know, we can do better than this. so that's what started it. >> compelling. >> so a passion for change and

to be an advocate. and i think all of us at this table share that. >> definitely. i hear you all talk about service -- >> carol's story reminds me when i was a girl, my mother was politically active. she went into the new hampshire legislature when i was 12. and when we were kids, she would pile everybody in the station wagon and take us to a neighborhood and drop the kids off, and we would run down the, going door to door with the leaflets, and then she'd picks up at the other end, take us to the other neighborhood. so at the end of the day, we got an ice cream cone, so it was all worth it. [laughter] >> all of us had strong mothers, that's what we're hearing here. my mother was my hero too. so i think that's really important for that modeling for all of us to understand that, you know, we have roles to play. >> and dads that believed in us. >> yes. >> that was true. my father was very involved in the hiring the first women lawyers that came to the state and training them. and i think what i have found,

my male mentors through life tend to have had daughters and then they become, you know, very passionate about women having opportunity. >> very good point. the power of parenting, truthfully. >> that's right. i mean, it's huge. in my life, you know, i have a father and a stepfather that have played a tremendous role in my life, so i would agree with that. it's really that mentoring and role modeling is so important. >> inb nuancing the paths that are created. how do you see the increasing role of women in the electorate shaping the future of the state, the nation? maggie, let's start with you. you've got a lot on your plate as you are seated early january. >> yeah. >> do you see changes? >> well, i think what we've seen over the course of modern political history is a change from talking about women as a constituency to be dealt with and women as full and equal citizens who participate fully

as democracy calls on all of us to do. and one of the things that i think this campaign has really been about, this entire campaign at both the national and the state level is that in order to grow an economy, in order to change the way we all need to to keep up with the global economy, we need to make sure that we're honoring the values that our founders understood so well which is that the individual liberties and freedoms of each and every citizen, bringing people in from the margins to the heart and soul of community, is what america and the granite state is all about. and when we do that, that's the only way we can get as strong as we need to be so we can succeed in all the areas that we can succeed in and have the potential to succeed in. and that's where i see a real change in the discussion, and i think it's incredibly healthy, and i think we're going to do great things as we include more and more people. >> inspiring, maggie. >> i agree. i find myself going back to the

forefathers about liberty and justice for all. they weren't thinking of us at the time, but the reality is -- [laughter] remember the ladies, right. remember the ladies. and the reality is those words are as current today. there was a tremendous gender gap in my election, and i think that the words were very current -- >> in terms of -- what do you mean? >> yes, in terms of voters. and partly that was an issue about the advertising that was used against me was not respectful of women, and women voters responded to that. so, but what i find is no matter what your opinions are on issues, um, they're no longer women's issues per se. i didn't even run as a women's candidate at all. the issues were people's issues. >> right. >> and in some families the women do the books and keep

track, so they're very focused on pocketbook issues. they're very focused on wages. a great example in new hampshire, equal wages. that's a community issue. 50,000 women are single head of household. there's no other money coming into the household. and 10,000 of those families are living in poverty., and so if we could pay each woman a dollar for a dollar's work instead of whatever, 73 cents, we could bring all those kids up, and i think that -- [applause] so for me and for the voters that were with me, they were very much community issues. it wasn't male or female. men would come up to me and say thank you for defending, you know, my spouse's right to equal wages. >> my daughter's. >> because who in this economy wants to take home 73 cents on the dollar?

>> and, you know, that's one of the important things to remember about this election, is that even though we've elected a number of women in new hampshire to lead the state, the fact is the opportunity -- the doors are not open for all women. and part of what we've got to do is make sure, as annie says, is the doors are open for everybody so that people have the same access to opportunity in new hampshire and this country, because we're a stronger country -- [applause] >> could i also say i think an important point, um, i think that annie made is that all issues are women's issues. that when you're elected as a woman, you have to deal with the most important fiscal issues whether it's national security, um, any issue that you think about that impacts the country or the state as governor, that that's really where we all bring

different backgrounds and perspectives to it, but when we're elected, i think it's really important to keep in mind that we are, you know, that's where women are concerned about every issue that men are concerned about. they may look at it from a different perspective as we all do from the perspective that we bring, but women have a lot to offer on other areas where you, i think traditionally we haven't always been thought of whether it's national security. many women handle the finances at home, as annie has said, just thinking about the fiscal challenges that our country faces and how we deal with those challenges. and i think that, that's one thing that i hope everyone takes from this, that it's actually, i think, somewhat diminishing to say that only certain issues are women's issues, because everything is. >> i think of kelly all the time when i think about military and your leadership role, but your spouse was deployed. and, you know, when you had young kids, right?

were they -- or was it before? >> it was before we had children. we had just gotten married. but, you know, senator shaheen and i both serve on the armed services committee together -- [applause] and there's many issues that we're working on together in terms of our men and women in uniform. and national security issues. so i just, so i think that that's what's exciting about all this, too, is it's moving to understanding that we all represent all the broader -- every issue is a woman's issue. >> there is a special role, i think. i was also on the armed services committee, and i hope to be again, and i also was a military spouse. and the important role there when my husband was in the service, i was a military wife because that's all there was, you know? and so now serving on the subcommittees for military families is so important, because we bring a perspective

there that's a little larger than the normal role there because you know what it feels like. because when somebody's in the military, as you know, you're all in. you're all serving. >> you are. >> it's not just your husband or your wife, everybody in that family is giving. so i think we add another dimension to it. also on the armed services committee, i remember we were having a committee one time, and it was talking about african command. and the men were asking the right questions about, you know, the nuts and bolts of it. but the women also asked the right questions, do they want us there? and so i think collectively together, you know, we make for a much richer story and a better outcome. >> well, i think that also points out why it's good to have broad representation from the population, people from all different backgrounds. >> absolutely. >> very good. so, jeanen in ne and kelly especially, you both work very well together. that reputation precedes you. how do you mentor other women

and men in the senate to do the same? [laughter] >> look, i think it's people are frustrated throughout the country at the partisanship in washington. i think we need to change that. and it's interesting because the senate as an institution is set up in a way that makes it hard to get past the partisanship. so if you look at the senate, if you're watching c-span and you see the senators, the senate is actually divide divided, and all of the democrats sit on one side, and all of the republicans sit on the other. and that's the way the tradition says it's supposed to be. in committee, same thing. democrats on one side, republicans on the other. so there's an institutional bias that is partisan, and i think it's really important for us to try and work together to reach across the aisle, because the challenges that we face are too great for one party to deal with

them alone. and kelly and i, i think, have done -- have made a real effort to try and work together in the best interests of new hampshire. she was talking about us both serving on the foreign relations -- the armed services committee, and we're the only state that has both mens on the armed service -- both members on the armed services committee. and when we get the generals in front of us, we can really double team them. [laughter] when there's an issue affecting new hampshire, you know? [applause] >> kelly, how do you view -- >> and we do. [laughter] you know, it's been, certainly, you know, certainly a pleasure and an honor to work with senator shaheen on a multitude of issues really, thinking about putting new hampshire first even though we come from different parties, and there's certainly plenty of things we can disagree on, but there's plenty of things we can agree on for new hampshire. and i think that one thing that i take is that that's a new hampshire tradition. >> when yes. >> if you look at our state and

you look at the history there, there's always generally been both parties working together. and i think that is very much a new hampshire tradition. and, you know, when i think about senator gregg, what he was someone i know that worked with senator shaheen on many issues. unfortunately, we just had the loss of warren rudman, and he really was with -- really was someone who had a very much bipartisan tradition in the senate. when we were both at, of course, a remembrance of him in washington, and it really struck me how many members, how many democrats came up and spoke about their relationship with warren rudman and how important he was to them. so i really think it is not only bringing that to washington, but bringing that new hampshire attitude to washington. >> the way we do things. carol, annie and maggie, um, what in your opinion can be done

to increase collaboration, the great example and role model that you have before you, and what can be done to increase collaboration, to solve problems and, again, reduce partisanship, exactly what you two were saying about representing your state versus perhaps your political party even though you may disagree on issues. do you have any additional thoughts you could add? >> i would echo what kelly has said. when -- unlike the united states senate, the new hampshire state senate people sit by district, not by political party. so i had the great pleasure of sitting next to friends from both political parties during my six years in the state senate. and, you know, when you're sitting through, um, days of debate and some contention and some agreement, you get to know the people you're sitting with pretty well. you get to write each other notes about i wonder how long so and so's going to speak. [laughter] i was usually one of the worst offenders, i'll just say that. [laughter]

but you do get to know each other. and, you know, kelly as attorney general when i was on senate finance, we worked on the attorney general's budget together. so we have that relationship already, something i think we can build on now as she serves our state and i serve as governor. and it is, again, it goes back to in new hampshire if you are willing to pitch in, we can all get things done together. and i still remember, and i tell this story pause i want citizens to -- because i want citizens to understand that relationships and goodwill are real. in 2005 our son ben had, um, significant surgery over the summer, and later i guess in the term he had more. and it was a member of the other political party, um, a man who i disagreed with on an awful lot of things, who called me every day on my cell phone to see how ben was doing. and that's the relationship, you know,ing with we're parents

first, and he understood what my family was going through. and you can always build on that. and he actually ended up voting on environmental legislation with me having told me he was not a tremendous hugger, and he'd never -- a tree hugger, and he'd never do it. [laughter] so, you know, it does work. and it's important. you just focus on what you have in common and what the people of new hampshire have in common. >> thank you, maggie. anything the two of you could add to that? >> i think growing up in a republican family, and then you're in a different party you realize that there's wonderful people across the spectrum. and while i was in the congress before we worked very closely with the republicans, and certainly the women senates -- senators from maine, and our staffs worked quell together. and kelly had the good grace to call me after i won, and we talked about the yard and our commitment to the military and to veterans. so, you know, we share a lot. we need to remember that. >> back to the table and seven kids, it's absolutely true. >> and that's, i say i'm born

bipartisan. my mother was republican, and i can get along with republicans or democrats or the 43% of new hampshire voters that are tired of either party. [laughter] or willing to swing back and forth based upon the person, based upon the individual. but i want to acknowledge kelly was the first phone call i received and followed very shortly after by senator shaheen and by jeanne, and i just feel that we can break ground on that. i was surprised, by the way, when i got the tour of the house of representatives that they said you can sit anywhere. there's no assigned seating. and although the tradition is to sit by party, our new member classes -- it's almost 50 members -- so we are going to spread out, and we had a great time meeting the republican women when we had our picture taken on the steps of the capitol. so i think we'll make strong

inroads. >> there's much more that, um, unites people than divides people, and there's just more heat than light on what divides people. and i think we just have to work toward finding common ground. >> well said. >> one of the things that the senate women do, and now there are 20 of us, a fifth of the senate, is we meet about four times a year with. of we have dinner together. and it's bipartisan, and we go by barbara mikulski's rules that what's said at the dinner stays at the dinner. [laughter] so, um, but we joke a lot that if we were run things, we could deal with a lot of the problems, um, probably more successfully. [laughter] because we have that relationship. >> right, the relationships, everything. a great segway to the next question. do you feel female legislators have different responsibilities than male legislators because of the uniqueness or the newness or for any reason at all? >> no. >> you don't? you all are looking at me as

though you really don't. i see that on your faces. >> the only thing i can imagine, and i think you've had a lot more experience with this, but the role modeling for girls. i remember you first talked about that when you were governor, and maybe you had that experience when you were attorney general. it was very hard on election day when i was standing at the polls, and families would come right up to me and introduce me to the daughters and, you know, i think we didn't have those role models when we were young. and that's the only piece that i think is different, but in terms of the responsibilities, i think they're very much the same. >> right. um, the kind of -- those series of questions were on washington d.c. this question, to me, is just a little more global than that. and the question is what does gender equality mean to you, and how do you see it translated into tangible opportunities for women and men everywhere? you've sort of hinted on that, but any other thoughts you could add? >> more comfortable shoes. [laughter]

>> they give a lot of support to that, annie. >> there is yet to be a really good woman's parade shoe. [laughter] you know, anybody out there, it's a good product to think about. [laughter] >> you know, we're joking, but the reality is that, um, we still have way too many women not just in the united states, but around the world who don't have access to opportunities. if we look at women throughout the world, the number of people living in poverty, it's overwhelmingly women and children. if we look at access to property ownership, overwhelmingly women and children. and we've got to do a better job of addressing those issues. and, um, one of the, one of the pieces of legislation that we have on the floor of the senate this week that kelly and i both supported was the disabilities rights treaty which would have said, um, presented the united

states example with our ada to the rest of the world as something that we should all be looking to aspire to. and sadly, that didn't pass. but i think it's that kind of example that we can set in the united states, and unfortunately, there are still an awful lot of legal areas where those doors of opportunity aren't open to all women. and we need to do a better job at that. >> and women's safety. i know senator shaheen's been a leader on this -- >> the violence against women act -- >> there's a tremendous, tremendous toll on women and children and family and, frankly, for our whole society. it's an issue that people would prefer not to talk about or not to know about. i can remember as a very young lawyer a secretary coming in wearing sunglasses, but she would get these huge bouquets of flowers. and one day i mentioned the flowers, and she said, yeah, he

sends those after he's beat me up, and he puts them on my credit card. [laughter] and that was just a real shocking lesson for me to understand what people are living with in their day-to-day lives and trying to go about and get up and get to work, because they are the most reliable income in the household. so i think, you know, in the services if you've done your leadership there, in our everyday life we've got to address women's safety. >> i think we also need to talk about medicare and social security and why women so desperately need that. when i was working in high school and college, if you looked for a job, there was the men's jobs column and the women's jobs columns. and the men's jobs always paid more money. and it was really important to me because i was putting myself through college, and so i can remember being very offended, but also knowing it had a terrible economic impact on me. and if you look at the poverty

rate for women and how many women -- all the women rely just on social security and how desperately they need that medicare, they don't have a lot of company benefits or whatever, you recognize that we have not had equality and that these women who have worked, some inside the home and inside the community as volunteers and contributed so much, but they are not protected in old age because they didn't actually, you know, go and get that big job and get that education. those doors were closed. >> [inaudible] b. >> right. those doors were closed. and so i do feel a responsibility, and i'm sure that everybody here feels that responsibility to, a, take care of those women and, of course, the men, but take care of the women, but then also to make sure that it doesn't happen again, that the younger women arrive at that age, and they are okay financially, economically. >> maag -- maggie, go ahead. and then carol. >> yeah. and to build on that, there are areas where i still think that

we don't share fully, um, with men in certain areas of responsibility. when you think of the number of women who are caregivers at some stage of their life whether it's children or aging parents, and the lack of a really good community system or work force to help with care giving and what the responsibilities of care giving do economically to a woman's ability to earn and save over her lifetime. um, those are issues that we don't really address well yet, um, as a society, and we should. because it has a huge economic impact, and it has a huge impact on a woman's ability to be independent and set up that nest egg for herself. you know, one of the things we joke about in new hampshire as women who have served in the legislature from time to time is cleary whether we would have the same kind of representation of women in the new hampshire legislature if it didn't pay

$100 a year. [laughter] >> that's right. we talked about that. >> yeah. you know, there's an ongoing joke about that. on the one hand, it's a great opportunity, but it is, essentially, volunteer work. >> that's right. >> and in other states one of the reasons you don't see the strong pipeline of women at the state legislative level is because the position carries with it a lot of salary and power that is different in our very democratic, small d, new hampshire legislative system. >> i'm glad you pointed that out. we do talk about that. and, actually, your comments are a great segway, maggie, to the next question. although men b are rarely asked about fatherhood, what is each of your experiences combining motherhood with politics, and how do can you feel about the affordable child care act you started to talk about given this is a barrier to many women who are competing for the same positions that men compete for? anyone want to jump into that one?

>> well, first of all, i'm sure we would all agree that we couldn't do this without support from our families. and i know kelly's dealing with issues of balancing family and her children at a very young age. when i was elected governor, my youngest was 10, and she will tell you how it impacted her. [laughter] but stephanie, who is here -- also one of my daughters -- stephanie actually took the semester off from college and gave up a fulbright to come and work on my campaign. my husband quit his judgeship so he could help me when i ran for governor. and so that family support is absolutely critical. you couldn't, we couldn't -- i couldn't do it, and i'm sure everybody would agree doing it without that family support would be impossible. >> but, you know, i had my first child in 1974, and i was struggling with childcare issues until 2004 when my last child finally went off to college. and i'm watching my two

daughters who have seven children between them struggle with those same childcare issues. and we've got to do a better job of supporting families. we don't do a good enough job. ms. . [applause] >> you know, we've got to think about flex time, we've got to think about how we can better support child caregivers, early childhood education, all of those things that allow families to, um, continue to be together and to support their children. >> kelly, you're in the middle of it. you too, carol, but does it affect your political perspective as well, your personal experience in. >> well, i think, absolutely. my kids are 8 years old and 5 years old and, obviously, um, they were even much younger when i ran for the u.s. senate. and i had the experience of when i was a appointed attorney

general, i was almost seven months pregnant. [laughter] and so with our daughter. and so i had the whole host of questions, you know, every single question you could imagine about, you know, what's going to happen, how are your kids going to be taken care of. so this has been sort of -- and both my children were born while i was attorney general and very public. so, yes, you get a lot of questions. and one thing that did surprise me, um, because i had been through it as ag and people were so used to seeing me in all states of pregnancy -- [laughter] i thought when i ran for senate, you know, i really didn't expect it to be that, that people would ask that much, and i got a lot of questions, you know, what's going to happen to your children. and i think that, you know, so those questions are there. and i actually think those questions are there much more for women than they are for men. that's just the reality. and i've been so blessed, first

of all, without my husband -- i've got just a fantastic husband who has been so supportive of me throughout everything that i've done, but also a great family as well. you know, my sister-in-law helps us with our kids when i'm in washington and also parents, aunts, uncles, support structure. but, you know, all of us as parents are struggling with this issue of good childcare while we're working. and so many families now are two families, you know, two-parent families working, and many of them out of necessity. >> yeah. >> so this is a challenge for all of us in terms of affordable childcare and reliable childcare. i mean, that's such an issue for all of us, making sure who we leave our kids with we feel good and trust. >> oh, absolutely. what's more important? carol, you looked like you wanted to say something. >> well, when i got into politics, my children were teenagers, and that presents a

different kind of challenge. [laughter] >> yes, it does. >> yes. and when i told my daughter, she looked at me and said just don't embarrass us. [laughter] there you have it, right? that sounds like a teenager. you'll see. [laughter] so hopefully i haven't, and your kids do start working with you and for you, and it's a wonderful thing. and i'd be in manchester in this past campaign, and i would see somebody, and they'd walk up and say your son came to my door and asked me to put your sign up, how could i say no? so your children, actually, once they fully engage, they're wonderful. but you cannot do this without your spouses. you just can't. or, you know, wherever the support is in your life. they really have to give up a lot. it is a family issue. and can the final part of this though, if your family is older, you also probably have older parents. >> true. >> and that's a challenge as well, because you want to be with your parents as they age and if they need you. and so you always feel torn. but when i said to my mother who

was quite ill last year something about, you know, not being her, she just looked at many be e and said you -- at me and said you better run. that's the kind of support that lifts you up each rung of the ladder. so many people in our lives who have helped us. >> well said. what do each of you hope to accomplish in the next two years? you have a lot on your plate. let's just go around the table. [laughter] maggie? maggie, what do you hope to accomplish? >> um, big picture, you know, we all want to serve terms where the state we serve is better off at the end of the time than it was when we started. we certainly face enormous challenges. my particular focus is, obviously, balancing the budget because it all starts with that for our economy, for the state of our state government, for our families, and then making sure

that we are growing and, in my view, that means making sure that we're attracting innovative businesses here, helping innovative businesses grow here, addressing the skill gap that we have in the state by making sure we have the right kind of k-12, community college, university system and giving the right kind of assistance especially to our small businesses in areas like trade. and so that's what i want to focus on. um, and also just, again, making sure that all new hampshire citizens feel that they have an opportunity to participate, contribute what they have to offer. there is so much that all of the granite state citizens have, and a lot of people of talent and energy, and we just need everybody to participate. and if that's how we can proceed, i think we'll be better off two years from now. >> very good. annie, what do you see? >> i would echo that. my ultimate goal is equal

opportunity for all, and part of that is gender-related. and just back to the work question briefly, in this audience i want to give a shout out to private employers who can do better. i was very fortunate to work part time. most people did not know that, but i was four days a week. i was the first part-time law partner, i think, in the state. and my colleagues were willing to take a chance. i took quite a few phone calls on fridays at home, and at one point i had to lock myself in a closet on a conference call, and the kids were out playing. the client asked me, are there children there? i said, oh, yeah, our office is next to -- [laughter] next to a christian school, which was true. i was not in the office at the time, but, you know, now i think we're more open about it. we all need to take responsibility. and, frankly, even as i'm negotiating with my staff now, you can get really great talent if you give them a little bit of

flexibility. >> true. >> just let them pick up at 5:15. that's all thai asking for -- they're asking for. it's not a lot, you know? they're probably willing to come in earlier. so work force development is my big issue. i want to partner with governor hassan and senator shaheen, senator ayotte and my colleague in the house. i think new hampshire has a tremendous opportunity here. we have hard working folks with great innovation, and i was so excited the businesses that i visited all through the campaign and what they talked to me about is education, partnering with our wonderful community college system, um, for training and infrastructure. i used to hear a lot about overburdensome government regulation which is there, and we need to help with that. but now i was hearing just give us better highways so folks can get back and forth to work. give us broadband communication

in the north country and the western part of the state. and so those are the things i want to do. better opportunity for everyone here in new hampshire. >> thank you. carol, what do you see for the next -- >> pretty much what we just heard about working on job creation, making it easier especially for small businesses concentrating on main street to help them, but i'm also very concerned about education, because education's the key to prosperity, and it's also what businesses need to be competitive. so that's important to me. and having it accessible and affordable for families is important. and then the other thing is that we need to really address a lot of the environmental issues that this country is facing. and so i've been calling for an apollo-type program for a long time because i think we can get there using more renewables if we really work on it. and the final thing is protecting medicare and social security. you know, finding the solution, protecting those benefits. we know that we need to reduce the debt, we realize that's a burden, and i actually was talking about it in 2006 in my

campaign. so it's not a new issue for any of us. >> right. >> we know that we need to address this. but i also believe that medicare and social security benefits are just critical. so i hope to be a part of that solution. >> or very good. [applause] kelly, what's onyour agenda? what are your priorities? short list? >> the biggest issue for me is that we are $16 trillion -- >> thank you. [applause] >> and i'm just really worried about the state of our country. we've, you know, run for years over trillion dollar deficits, and it's time for us to do a big fiscal deal in washington that really drives down the trajectory of our debt. we have to do it. and then in in the senate we've got to get back to regular budgeting. i serve on the senate budget committee. it's really been -- since i've been there, even before that, three years since we've done a budget in the senate. listen, we have got a lot of tough choices to make, there's no doubt. and when you're trillions of dollars in debt, you're going to

have to prioritize. but until we actually do the regular budgeting process like you're doing in this state -- >> new hampshire's a great model. >> absolutely. and so this, to me s the number one -- is the number one overriding priority. and i want to be part of making sure we finally start getting on the right fiscal track. and it's not easy. there's no easy answer to all of this. and programs like social security and medicare, we have to start talking about how we reform them, because, for example, medicare goes bankrupt 2024. that's not far off for many in this room that would rely on it or your grandparents or social security in 2033, the independent trustees. so we need to have those hard discussions now to strengthen america. because none of us wants to see us go with what we've seen happen in europe and greece. and it doesn't have to happen here. and in conjunction with that, this has to be the best place in the world to do business. because economic growth will --

if we grow our economy, it'll help our debt, and then, of course, more opportunity for everyone. so i hope to work with everyone at this table on those issues, and it seems to me that those are the top priorities. and, of course, always making sure america's safe, because we have many challenges around the world. >> thank you, kelly. [applause] jeanne? thank you. [applause] >> um, well, my number one priority echoes what kelly said. i think we've got to deal with this country's debt and deficit. we need to come up with a deal that's going to keep us from having automatic spending cuts that go into effect in january and deal with the, a saner tax system. and i think in order to get that debt and deficit deal done, we can follow a framework as recommended by the simpson-bowles commission on deficit reduction that will allow us to protect benefits, but we'll also make some of the

tough choices that kelly was talking about. and i think we've got to put everything on the table for that kind of a deal. we've got to look at revenues, we've got to look at the domestic side of the budget, we've not to look at the defense side, and we've got to look at the mandatory programs. and i think we do have to make some tough choices, but i also believe that getting that done will provide tremendous certainty for businesses in this country, for families so they know what we're expecting, and that that will really give our economy a shot in the arm, get money off the sidelines and allow business to invest in a way that creates jobs. and that's what we need to do for the future. now, the other priority that i've been working on and we've made some progress but we're going to continue is the country's energy policy. and my focus has been on energy efficiency. energy is the first fuel, you know? every gallon we don't have to spend of oil not only saves us money, b but it also saves us on emissions, and it helps reduce

our dependence on foreign oil. and that's good for our national security. so i think we need a comprehensive energy policy in this country, um, in order to protect our national security, in order to insure that we begin to clean up our environment better and in order to make sure that, um, we're not sending men and women overseas in harm's way for foreign oil. [applause] >> our conversation this morning, no surprise there's so much to talk about, we're running just a little bit long. i just vetted through a lot of the questions, and i have -- if you could indulge me, i just have two last questions that i think are terrific questions that i'd really like to ask you. so the first being is truth is that we are one of the few democracies in the world that hasn't had a female president. why and when will we -- [laughter] and could she be sitting among us today? [laughter]

kelly? kelly, would you like to start? [laughter] >> with i think i'm going to be campaigning for kate daley, my daughter, for president. [laughter] but, absolutely, i think we'll have a woman president, no question. >> when will we, kelly? >> i really think it'll certainly be in my lifetime, if not soon. >> maybe 2016 when hillary runs. [applause] >> did you have a thought on that, carol? >> yes, i certainly do. >> whether you do, right. [laughter] >> run, hillary, run. [laughter] >> annie? >> i definitely think it'll happen soon. >> you do? >> there's no doubt. the electorate's ready, and i think, um, you know, i think the 2012 election is a real watershed moment in that it feels this way all across our society. i was young with title ix, you

know, the first sports teams for women, the first schools were opening up to women, businesses were opening up to women, and now we've reached that critical tipping point where why would you hold back 50% of the brain power? >> maggie, i see you smiling ear to ear. >> well, i -- one of my mentors in the first law firm i practiced in started his own law firm a little while later and hired a lot of women who had left big law practices to allow them to work part time. and i once said to him how did you see this working? you were ahead of your time on this, and he said, you know, never underestimate the power of a woman with a mini van and a cell phone. ..

>> we are all catching onto the. i think we'll see a woman president easily in our lifetime if it is in your daughter, it might be mine, or, or one of the many goals that comes up to me and says i want to be president. -- girls. meanwhile, i think we are also grateful to be able to serve the people of new hampshire. >> one of the things that's important, and i say this to all of the women in the audience, we're going to get women elected to office when women run for office. we need more women running, and that needs at all levels.

we have thousands of positions for city council, school boards, for municipal government that go unfilled every year because people don't run for them. you can start anywhere. so i would say to all of the women in the audience, to your children, to all of your girls, tell them to run because that's how we are going to get a woman president. >> i would not have run -- i had 24 hours to make a decision about running the first time for state senate, and i would not have run. i called my husband and said they asked me, that's nice, we have the kids, my law practice and you have your job. it was my husband who said you would be really good at this. we will make it work. and, in fact, you can make it work. so it's important for people to know. >> can i comment about the minivan and the phone. my boys when they were little, they said mom, you are always on the phone. i suggest, but mom gets paid by the word. [laughter] >> i want to ask of that.

>> certainly maggi said about, i wouldn't have run for senate if that not for my husband. because i quit my role as attorney general. i took a year and half off a work. so we went from two incomes to one income which was a big deal in our family. but basically he said, we but all the numbers, i will make it work. you know, i want your voice there. so it does take someone in your life to say yes, you can do it, i think. so you could be that for someone, who is thinking about running. >> another shout out for being supportive and certainly to my husband, brad. because i ran for four years. it takes a lot out of you in terms of what's possible. our two sons were in college and trust me, those payments are breathtaking. >> the last question of the morning, thank you so much for

your patience and allowing me to run a little on, but i would just love to hear from you and as you reflect on the future, we also our thinking about the past. so what do you hope your legacy will be? maggie, let's start with you, just go around the table. >> well, certainly making sure that new hampshire stays new hampshire. we are such an extraordinary place. we are safe. we are coming in, a wonderful place, beautiful nature and beautiful resources. and we have this all hands on deck spirit what anybody is willing to work can have the opportunity to succeed and move forward. and i, more than anything, just want to make sure that i leave the state better than i found it, and that we are and that we'll replace and that we are a place where we innovate at all levels, showing that when people of good will and great talent come together and brainstorm together in one to solve problems, we make progress and

we will leave the -- lead the country economically and in terms of quality of life. >> i'm not even sworn in yet, but my goal, my goal is to work with everyone here and to work across the aisle and to bring commonsense new hampshire values to washington. it includes listening. it includes hearing about people's lives, and also at the end of the day equal opportunity for everyone, and equality, justice and all. those are the founding fathers, and the founding mothers here are going to lead us in that direction. >> carol, what you think about, what legacy? >> although i certainly was blessed to be part of this history here, and also being the first woman to ever go there, that's not a legacy. i hope that the legacy will be, is that when people look back on the congresses and look back on

concord and the governorship, that we really made a difference. it made a difference that we showed up and that we worked and that we left this state and this country in better hands than we found it. so if something to pass on to the next generation. >> thank you, carol. >> it does seem too soon to talk about legacy. i really just hope that i'm able to be part of leading the country in a stronger position, fiscally, and making sure that a country is safer and stronger. that's the goal. >> thank you, kelly. >> certainly i would add so everything authority been said, but also will continue to try and work across the aisle in a bipartisan way because i think that's how we are going to solve her problems in this country. and also to try to make a difference for people. i think that's why i was sent to washington, and the hundreds of

people who call our office every month who need help with the federal government, with their pension, with their va benefits, whatever it is, that we can continue to help make a difference for them. >> thank you so much. i do want to kill all of you, i need to do all of you, it has been a sincerely sincerely -- you know me so well. it has been just a profound honor and privilege to sit at a table with you this morning. i just cannot personally thank you enough for the opportunity. and professionally it's been an extraordinary moment in time as well. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] and thank all of you. [applause]

>> you will be great together. >> we should give a shout out to our supreme court chief justice linda delaine us. so the list goes on. >> i would think it will be the first time a female chief justice will be swearing in a female governor. spent another first. >> a lot of history. >> thank you. i enjoyed it. >> senate minority leader mitch mcconnell announced that new hampshire senator kelly ayotte will serve as counsel to the leader. a spokesman said the leader likes to supplement the use of his deputies, people from

outside the leadership. >> our special booktv programming in prime time this week continues tonight with political biographies and memoirs. >> booktv in prime time this week on c-span2. >> it's a busy day today for members of congress. the house meets at 10 eastern to consider a bill regarding

hurricane sandy. you can see that live on c-span at 10 eastern. and at 1 p.m. eastern, senators will join house members for joint meeting of congress. >> you don't always find many newspaper editors in any era embraced investigative reporting. the point we've seen over the years it's not just economics, it's the discovered that investigative reporting often causes any newsroom. because it's trouble, it's not more than economics. if you're going to ruffle the feathers of someone powerful, that gets those people -- people running into complaint to the editor and their stories are legion over the years. we're forging all through the '70s and really almost all our careers to work for people who are really strong and upright in that area. and just let the chips fall where they may.

>> pulitzer prize-winning team of donald barlett and james steele will take your calls, e-mails and tweets this weekend on "in depth." prepared to begin their work in the '70s have co-authored eight books, the latest, "the betrayal of the american dream." watch live sunday at noon eastern on booktv on c-span2. >> in a few moments, the results of an ftc investigation of google. in more than half hour, some of yesterday's mock swearing-in ceremonies of senators. and we will have live coverage at 10:30 a.m. of house minority leader nancy pelosi's news conference. the federal trade commission news conference on google. >> the federal trade commission announced yesterday that it is in its 19 month investigation of google saying it found no evidence that the company violated antitrust laws. in a settlement, google did

agree to resolve concerned about competition, changing habits using patents. this is a half-hour. >> good afternoon, thank you for coming. there's a little more room for press. i'm pleased to be joined today by rich feinstein, our director of the ftc bureau of competition. his deputy, howard, director of the ftc bureau of economic, and chuck harwood, acting director of the bureau of consumer protection. bath wilkinson who has been a terrific special counsel to the ftc in our investigations, plural, of google is on a long scheduled family vacation and couldn't be here today. but her health was considerable. we also joined by a number of ftc staff that have worked tirelessly over the last 19 months on the google investigations. this morning, by a bipartisan

vote, or actually to bipartisan votes, 4-1, 5-0, the federal trade commission announced its comprehensive, a comprehensive settlement of all of our competition related investigations into google. today's action delivers more belief for american consumers faster than any other option available to the commission, and protects competition and consumers in a number of crucial markets central to the daily lives of hundreds of millions of american consumers and businesses. it ensures americans continue to access smartphones, tablet computers and computer gaming systems, as well as a fair playing field in internet search and search advertising. today's commission action follows an exhaustive investigation in to google's business practices.

commission staff received over 9 million pages of documents from google and other parties, interviewed in numerous industry participants and took sworn testimony of key google executives. there are two aspects to the settlement we announce today. the first involves google's misuse of patent protection to prevent competition. we stopped that abuse. the second concerns allegations that google unfairly biases its search results to harm competition. we close this investigation finding that the evidence does not support a claim that google's prominent display of its own content on its general search page was undertaken without legitimate justification. but we do accept google's legally binding and enforceable commitments to stop the most problematic business practices relating to search and search advertising. this also comes wi