much of those of you here in the audience and of those online on c-span well, this is going to be a riveting conversation. a couple minutes of comments before i turn over to my friend and colleague who will be running the show tonight. in 1994 i was president of my university college and it was more than a dream. while we have to be careful not to dwell on the past we can as we are on the brink of a red wave to know that isn't merely

about party registration. it is about the ideas that define us as a people. this town l and this government spending a hell of a lot less money so it is a great, great privilege to have dick army, senatory graham, one of my political mentors he was in louisiana and i said would you adopt usus as our third senatore said you just keep doing what you're doing so here we are late' but without further ado it's also an equally great privilege to have steve back here at the foundation to welcome him here as our distinguished fellow and turned turnthe program over to him.

welcome to the c-span audience as well. army is a legend and is one of the few people in addition who came to the town to make the government smaller. i just got this note from newt gingrich as you know is the speaker of the house who engineered the republican revolution in 1994.

he was invaluable as a creator dynamic energetic member when we were at the minority in the contract of america majority an extraordinary force for good ideas and reforms and a leader that helped elect the house gop majority for the first time in 60 years to believe daily it could develop the balanced. his idea. this is the book if you haven't gotten this book it's a great read.ok everyone should be reading this book. a graded discussion of how washington works and how things

get done and don't get done so we are going to have some fun telling our stories. in addition to all of the great contributions you made to policy, one of the great contributions was the incredible number of successful people you mentor including myself. so my story as they worked on the jointe economic committee n 1993 and 94. when i was on the committee and decided i was going to leave the committee because i just w had t you might as well have not been

there. we are not having much of an impact. i will never forget he turned to me and said you cannot leave now. he said don't leave now because we are going to take the house in november of 1994. you were part of that revolution as well. it seems so incredible. people forget how unprofitable it seemed how many you have to pick up like 60 seats or something like that and it was obviously a tidal wave election and no small part because newt gingrich and dick army added the republicans there's a lesson here when they stand for something they when. when they are the lesser of two evils which is most of the time,

they lose. what you all dated from 1995 through 2000. we did welfare reform and all these incredible things, he was also for those of the younger people you were i the first inspiration for the flat tax idea and one of the first inspirations for the medical savings accounts and never with me on the term limits but anyway, it's so fantastic to have you here so i wanted the podium over. when they came up with this crazy idea the bill was automatic spending cuts if we

couldn't get the deficit down. [applause] nobody told me i was going to say anything. i will say a few things. president reagan once put his arm around me and said cat weinberger tells me that it's

more dangerous. we both came to washington because we wanted less government and less freedom. there's not a lot of people who come to government with the idea.un the thing i always found was interesting i never lost my all of it. he always had this view s that f he was like a spy for the soviet union that had become a leader

for the soviet union and running the soviet so when we got together it was like i was there as his american handler and what we were doing inside the belly of the beast. i dealt with a lot of people. with fear and contradiction, army was less interested, less interested in getting credit for the things he did van anything i ever dealt with in washington. as far as i can tell was owning

a ford f1 50 -- [applause] and he got it. it reassures me about america. he was from north dakota. i don't have any idea where it is. he came from can do north dakota and became the first republican majority leader he was an indispensable leader

implementing the final stones on the reagan revolution then retired. i once had a guy in china asked me where did you come from. i tried to explain the greatness of our country is people are always saying where are the reagan's and army now that we need them,es well i never despar because i know they are out there waiting to be discovered

and waiting for the right moment. let me just say he wrote the contract for america and gave it the name contract. i was the chairman of the republican senatorial committee. we tried to copy it by having our more than seven seats. igi am not taking anything away. he grabbed it and ran with it and made it famous. he deserves all the credit he gets. but he was the father of the army of contract for america. [applause] i don't want to overstay my welcome but fromth the beginning

of the w republic, we had wasted money because of an inability to close facilities especially military bases and so what he did in a new and totally original idea he came up with an idea of the commission and straight up or down vote to approve the military base. so as a bulldozer telling his staff at the last moment i would be begging to die. that is what happened.

we closed a lot of military bases. he was very instrumental in welfare reform. the most successful form in history, why we don't take that program and apply it to every entitlement program i don't understand. [applause] in the bottom 20% of income earners getting over $45,000 a year in benefits and the federal government is it any wonder that you can't get people to work.

and we were implementing a program in an area that was the most difficult area when you got an unmarried woman with children, a situation where senator warren would say it's impossible, guess what we reform the program andet set time limis and within four years, 50% of the people on the program were working. it's amazing though i am very happy to be here today to give credit where not enough credit oris given or because they lack the skill to blow his own horn and a second, to say that it was a great privilege those years of working with you one of the highlights of my career was getting together to get his

report that he was running the system. so congratulations. [applause] thank you, senator. of those were terrific comments. one thing about the contract with america i remember him talking to you after the republicans won the congress and i kind of was apologetic. i never thought he would win and you said they never would have signed. that was a great period. was it the first 100 hours that you did you passed more

legislation. by the way i see a lot of people and i would love if you in this room at some point iny. your career could you please stand up? [applause] the amazing people he is meant toward over the years so i wanted to call on kevin kramer kevin kramer is a senator from the state of north dakota. also what are the odds that one of the two most famous people in washington would come from can

do. this is such an honor thanks for including me to participate i might have been the first person to read the whole book. in theic book he tells a story

aboutbe the elder richard kramer in the cooperative for the summer job i love the fact he had to go to the union shop and work foror the co-op. that is the last time he did either of those things but morem important than that, his brother who along with him they are the two stars ofy the book. more than anyone else combined. just to give you a little bit of that. my i dad did teach him. he put the part about the

climate. but richard kramer said for the price of a drink at the bar downtown we could go to the liquor store and get a six pack. my dad retired and he wrote the book onk price theory but the best book he's ever written i encourage everyone listening and watching to read it not only is it a great documentation, it is aom great documentation of the historical moment here but on how to govern the two go

hand-in-hand. i laughed so hard people were concerned about me on the plane but a couple of the lessons i learned first of all one of the parts i left the hardest is when the faculty wives and because he as a professor had written this pieceth it picked up and approvd stay-at-home wives were overpaid. it's something like that in fact they were paid for the consumption as welll as for the productivityit but here's what t reminded me of.

because of scarcity after that happens can you run and get a hockey jersey before it's all gone to print a whole bunch of them but anyway, after that event the president of the alumni association. they give this wonderful speech starting about how important the university system is because it' teaches the children and the children's children. that's pretty important and where the good news and did. it's faculty governance. so on how bad that isn't how it's ruining the university

system. just one quick announcement that was going to be hosted by the faculty for the recent lack of interest. the preference for free markets supersedes the populism. he would come and give the speeches when we had no celebrities. but to get assurances he wouldn't talk about the farm bill and certainly not to give

his opinion about ethanol until he came to cut the ribbon it just so happened now my colleague in the senate was to giveve the address so they calld and scrambled inor the mornings. as they i are in the parking loi said this is your chance. say what you want about ethanol in north dakota. he gets up in front of all these oilmen. it's such a dumb idea even the russians didn't try it. [laughter]

i did one time try to free my case for the farm bill. they don't work in every situation because agriculture is heavily subsidized by competitors.ar we are trying to have a fair market or level the playing field a little bit without contemplating he said i'd never met an american who decided to become a farmer. i know there is a 39 page index. i bet i have twice that many. he took the actions and again is taught us a lot of things.

it should be required reading for every freshman for sure. theto first time i ever met him and i told him you and my dad grew up together. when he passed, he was a junior member of the minority party. that's the encouragementdo for everybody. the lessons proved regular order works. i've been in congress two years but your book you respect every member and empower every committee and honor the chair man i'd like to see that return but the greatest economics lesson that you taught is god's

grace is in high demand and high supplyru. one of the most important lessons i take is that it makes you a better member of congress. but it's true, you inspired me to be a senator as well. in 1993 if such a celebrity would ever run for the open seat to which he said i am not a big enough, but you have the potential. [applause]

phil gramm and you have always had great aspirations for me. a dick army and my father learned a very valuable lesson together that if you work long hours you get time and a half and then professor army became the congressman and theater and in theni entire team many of whm you see tonight and many others proved if you work long hours at their job you don't make extra but like my dad first time and i his family and you can live with that assurance you are a man to quote your own book but i'm going to quote it back to you.

they are both named richard. [applause] >> i forgot to mention the most important person in the room, susan army. [applause] would you like to say something tabout your husband? i wasn't sure if i was supposed to come up or not. but here i am. let me think about this.

we've been married for almost 42 years. [applause] and i've got to say it's never been boring. we've onlyai been married about two and a half years. i think i could do a lot of good if i ran for congress and i said what, i'mre cooking dinner. we have children here. so anyway, i just very quickly i read a few articles on the political families and how tough their lives were. i laughed and he said really and i said let's talk about it, so we did and he really have the deep felt feelings.

we would talk about this and say there are so many good things that we could do and so i just didn't want him to do it but he did and i encouraged him. against all odds, he wanted and then he h said. we can get back to a normal life. before i know it, he's running for leadership and of course he was right. but i look back and now that we are out of it, he did so much. he had the best team in dc and they did wonderful work

together. so it was worth it. [applause] there'sug one person in this rom that played a huge role becoming uta member of congress that also the majority leader was with him for many years literally from the very start. can you come up and say a few words about the campaign and how they rolled the dice and put everything on the line so thank you for everything you did.

we arere still trying to figure out if susan voted. [laughter] we heard tonight from the senator and others about how so much of the difference is made but i've tried to figure out what made him different. he truly is fearless and he chose to run for congress when everybody said no way are you goingad to win for 26 years with millions of dollars and he said i'm going to win my own way, thousandss of phone calls and he got it done but he was honest uswhen he interviewed to be the

campaign manager. he said two things, i don't have any money, and i don't know anybody who does. and he was correct on that. [applause] he took on all the fights when mhe got to dc and was a junior member. you said that can't be done, i tried it one time. it makes me want to try that much more. with others on the team it got through and continued for many rounds. to get the majority now it's party orthodox.

public j housing reform and all the others in those days and subsidies people thought could never touch. we had remarkable success and i was trying to think of house members or senatorsho that wrote and ted kennedy on the other side may be phil gramm shortlists. another difference is he truly didn't care what other people thought and that gave him remarkable freedom. hed did what he thought was right. the d lobbyists couldn't bend hm and the district couldn't. he lost several of them.

he told the constituents and one famous encounter to the meeting. meet me outside after this and i will kick your butt. [laughter] he may not have said but. [laughter] another thing that sets him apart he does spend time thinking. my kids i try to get them to your don't just go to phone but he would be in the shower or out fishing. a lot of times on monday mornings he would call me in his office. i knew something was up at that point. he wouldk do have some idea.

he would come up with an invisible foot of government. look it up it's really well done. he would come up with an idea either analyze for days, turn it into a project and many of them would change america and t he would take the time to think. today we are just reacting to stuff but you actually take time toer think about. ....

>> .

>> that he had to go through a lot and he did it with a peaceful heart and not many of us can do it the way he did it. but he also developed trueeo friendships with people would nott expect if you have been around a while they were great buddies hardly agreed onam anything but they were good friends and also became friends with rosa and chuck schumer with farm subsidies and jack brooks the trustee is guy in the world.

was people cannot get away with one ofnd my favorite stories and the birth showing up at one of the office buildings maxine waters happened to show up and she was with some of her colleagues said i'm so glad to see you. why? now they can call off the witchhunt. [laughter] and she just laughed her colleagues said you can take that and she said oh that's funny. [laughter] she had a good sense of humor he was good at being pithy but did not like it when he would pith on them.

but today what typically passes as a campaign they were gonna favorite tv network yell at somebody on the floor make a spectacle to send out e-mails and then do the same thing the next day. that's pretty much what a large part of our movement has turned into. we desperately need people who f are peach there on —- approach their job. they shut the rules down the members of have the opportunity and to offer amendments on the floor. but i hope if republicans when they take the majority they would reopen this and show that they can be a legislator with those political changes that can be made.

it's a classic book you can learn from and i remember it would be well worth their time and they need to learn to replicated and reached right around from the 1984 campaign and said i want to go to twashington. we need people to do it every generation. i am terribly proud to have known you and worked with you and get to know susan all members of the team. thank you for letting me be a part of it.

[applause] >> oney more quick story the book is a wonderful read. working diligently to put together the flat tax idea. you may remember the story but me called then some prominent economists to have a conversation about that plan and so we brought in art laffer and steve forbes and i think jack kemp was there and they were huddled on the couch in the office and we're sitting across then dick

armies first statement was gentleman, there has not been as much brainpower on that couch since i slept there alone. [laughter] >> now we will hear from dick army. one of the greatest majority leaders in the house of representatives. [applause] >> i just want to make two points. and that this is the most unique institution of representative democracy in the history of the world. and i was so privileged to be a part of it.

i learned to love the institution and learn to love the people who love the institution. and those with whom approval i coveredro it was senator burke in west virginia. but i love senator byrd the way he loved the institution and in wanted him to remember me someone who did honor to the institution. i like to believe that i succeeded. when i came there the institution was run by regular order. the democrats are evil. we knew that. but a they ran a good ship as a good member of congress i

couldn't write legislation because i knew what the rules were. but if you know that institutional structure and not procedures inhe the protocols and if you believe they would be counted on, then you could succeed in the individual initiative. but you can't in a world that does not have that structure. looking at congress today i remember the democrats you are in charge of everything that everyone of those grumpy old men have served the nation with the service of the defense.

with a very gentle and loving touch and they deserve to be respected. and now watching house fall in a different direction. i see republican speakers who have fallen a by the wayside. and it's for one simple reason only they left the structure behind. in the right to participate and then they would come to the floor with a product that had not been seen or worked on by members. and it was heartbreaking to watch.

and then todm preserve their integrity is granted and the constitution.io and then they would regain majority in the house. i think they did an extraordinary good job to administer honest elections and the republicans would gain a majority in the senate. and there is i wish and a prayer of the new majorities. run the organization in compliance with rules and protocols. allow each member to be honored and appreciated and doing what it is they do so well in every committee those

who have expertise in historical knowledge and if you do that you will retain your speakership because you will have an honest and productive institution to your credit that meansus you have to stand up to the administration that wants to go. you have to say no we don't do things like that in our body into an all-inclusive and respectfulti fashion together we are an institution. by the way of all the things i admire with newt gingrich and what i admire the most is he understood congress why is a separate and equal body of

government. and that is what we do. we come here to serve the nation and to do so together in inclusive fashion even those nitwits on the other side of the aisle should be respected. and could not throw us i will i am a starting quarterback in the nfl. i was elected by the citizen friends back home and i apologize to know one and on their behalf i demand to be respected.

i wrote this book. people think it's. about me. is not about me it is about us. we did it together. was never able to talk about my staff. we were a team. we were together we stuck up for each other and stuck by each other i found myself typing these words at the typewriter, we loveded each other for what we love together a safe and prosperous and happy america. we did that and we did it so well with such success of loyalty and loving affection through a system that i call respectful division of labor. we became known as army guys and i love that.

and for what a you love together a safe and prosperous and happy america.

so may i ask you if you are an army guy where you stand and give yourself a hand. [applause] >> dick army it is fantastic to have you back in washington think this is one of your first trips back so it is amazing you could come here it's a great book it's called leader. truly this is a great book and a great read how what works and doesn't work thank you for coming from texas senator graham. [applause]

all of the army guys and gals will be having dinner afterwards. thank you for all you did for our country. you are a great patriot. [applause]