possible 2016 presidential candidate who's speaking at this year's conservative political action conference was former hewlett-packard ceo carly fiorina. her remarks are about 20 -- [ cheers and applause ] >> hello. hi, everybody. wow. this is in the round here. this is like vegas. i love it. it is great to see everybody. governor, thank you for spending some time. >> thanks, laura. >> we're really close here. >> we are. >> i was thinking about this when i was asked to do this today. it's been about 2 1/2 years, governor, since you graced my radio show and you're not exactly a regular on the talk radio circuit.

what gives? are we the ugly stepchildren of the media? >> no, laura. i have my own radio show. so i don't want to help the competition. i do my own radio. but you know we'll see how this goes today. maybe we'll come back more. >> oh, gee, thanks. >> instant feedback. >> okay. got it. look, this has been a rough couple months for you in the media. we have read articles about how you came in as a reformer and now some of these reforms haven't panned out. i think gale collins who's a liberal columnist, she just savaged you today. and said that you're toast, your campaign's over. you're not a reformer. how do you survive in onslaught day in and day out? >> listen, laura the elite folks from the media who cover me every day -- i mean, understand where i come from every day. i'm in new jersey. i have "the new york times" in my media gaggle every day. and when you do things like i've done in new jersey to take on a lot of special interests

frontally, they support -- they just want to kill you. that's what they try to do to me every day. here's the bad news for them. here i am. i'm still standing. i'm going to continue to do it because what matters more is the fact that i wake up every morning knowing how to fight for the people of my state. and that's what i do. i don't care what they write about me in the "new york times." they can keep it. i don't subscribe, by the way. [ applause ] >> common core's a huge issue for conservatives. everyone in this audience knows what the struggle is. in 2010 you actually signed the application for the race to the top funds and signed on to common core even though states like virginia right nearby, virginia did a virginia standard, didn't do the federal standard. so what gives with the common core thing? i know you have some now hesitations but why did you sign it? >> the hesitations i have now -- because in new jersey we've always been for standards and for high standards. and we had those beforehand. but my concern now as we've begun to try to do

implementation, it's not only the heavy foot of the federal government that's coming in but it's not doing what we need to have done in new jersey. we need to have local control, parents, teachers in those classrooms. they're the ones who should be helping us at the state level set the standards. so that was all teed up when i came in by governor corzine. we signed on to try to get funds during a really difficult fiscal time. but as we've now tried to -- >> regrets? >> sure. of course. and now -- >> it's not political regrets? these are regrets? >> well, this is implementation regrets. i mean this is like -- unlike other people who just get to talk about this stuff we actually have to do it. and once you start to do it, what i've seen is the concerns that i have are significant and i set a commission up that is now coming back to me with recommendations. but my charge to them is we've got to keep government at the local level, education most importantly has to be parents involved. there has to be teachers involved. that hasn't been part of this process. and it needs to be part of this

process and will be as we move forward in new jersey. >> all right. now, scott walker's making a strong pitch to social conservatives. obviously mike huckabee and others as well, ted cruz. and when you think of someone like scott walker back in the fall he was a little bit softer on the issue of abortion. i think he did a 30-second commercial where he said i'm pro life but ultimately i sign legislation that leaves the decision between a woman and her doctor. now he's pivoted a little bit back to the right. he's pro life, but he's nuanced the language a bit. where does social conservatism and chris christie live together? how do you compete with walker and all these strong conservatives? >> i ran as a pro life candidate in 2009 unapologetically, spoke at the pro-life rally on the steps of the state house. the first governor tfr speak at a pro-life rally on the steps of the state house in new jersey and vetoed planned parenthood funding five times out of the new jersey budget. >> yeah. [ cheers and applause ]

>> and i have always thought, laura, that what the people really have a right to know is what you really believe and feel in your heart. people make certain assumptions because you're from new jersey and because you're a republican from new jersey and what they should do is look at any record. when you look at my record on those issues, it has been strong and resolute. by the way, don't don't believe what the media will tell with you about the fact that if you're a pro life candidate you can't get elected. not only did i get elected for the first time in 2009 but got elected with 61% of the vote and re-elected in 2013 as a straight out unabashed pro-life candidate. what they care about is what's in your heart. and are you willing to fight for them? >> here are some of the words used to describe you. >> here we go. >> wait. is beautiful the first one? tell the truth. >> supermodel. >> yes. >> explosive. short-tempered. hothead.&g impatient. and that's just what your friends are saying. that temperament, the presidency -- >> here's the word they miss.

the word they miss is passionate. i'm the son of -- [ cheers and applause ] i'm the son of a sicilian mother and an irish father. >> whoo. >> yeah. which means in my household i got to learn about dispute resolution really early. the fact is that what my parents taught me was that if you really care about something then you need to go all in. this is not about half measures. there are no half measures in the christie household growing sxwup there's none now. i care about fighting for the people that i represent. i care about fighting the fights that are worth fighting. and yeah, i'm going to be passionate about. i'm going to speak my mind. and i'm going to be direct. i do not have political consultants whispering in my ear saying here's the way you say it so everybody sounds like charlie brown's teacher. ra, ra, ra, ra -- no. you're going to hear it from me directly and bluntly because i care. if i didn't care i wouldn't do this. >> but sit down and shut up?

>> yeah, well, sometimes people need to be told to sit down and shut up. [ applause ] and you know -- >> i'm sitting down, by the way. >> yeah. and you know quite frankly, laura, some more of that stuff should be happening in washington, d.c. because there's so much ridiculous stuff being spewed, especially out of the white house. someone should say it's time to shut up. [ applause ] >> the teachers unions. you and the teachers unions. it's been a rocky relationship. to say the least. >> yeah. >> you had an adverse court ruling the other day in the state about how you decided not to fully fund the teachers' pension after you agreed to do so. that wasn't a great ruling. i know you're appealing. but how are you bringing people together in the state? you have such a constant adversarial relationship within that educational arena. what do people take from that experience into possibly a national footing? >> well, first of all, let's talk quickly about the court ruling. you know once again, liberal

judges getting themselves inserted into the decisions that are supposed to be made by the elected officials. and those decisions are made by me and by the legislature, which is controlled by democrats. but more importantly, listen, the teachers union and i have not had the warmest relationship. i went after them very early on because i want to reform education in our state. now, when you are tough like that, that's when you finally get in a position to be able to negotiate and bring people together. you don't do it from a position of weakness. you do it from a position of strength. they understand what my positions are. i believe teacher tenure needs to be reformed, and we reformed it in new jersey. i believe we need to have more choice in schools. we have a school choice program and a charter school program in new jersey. the fact is that that's not popular with the teachers union. but now when it comes time to try to really resolve a problem that all 40 states have on pensions i've brought the teachers union to the table and we're negotiating together, have an initial road map agreement that is going to help to save the pension system in new jersey. >> you have a shortfall here, though, in the budget. how are you going to make that up now? >> listen we don't have one.

the judge hasn't ordered us to do that. the fact is that what we'll do is do what i've done before, laura. we're spending $2.3 billion less in discretionary spending today than we spent in fiscal year 2008. we have 8,500 fewer employees than the day i walked in as governor in 2010. that's being fiscally responsible and we'll cut spending if we have to. >> the last gallup poll, governor, only 7% of americans think we should have increased levels of americans. 7%. following on that, jeb bush has recently said that immigrants are more entrepreneurial, harder working and more fertile than others. he even suggested, governor, that detroit should be repopulated with foreign workers, immigrant workers to spur the economy in detroit. at a time where we have so many

people unemployed, tens of millions of americans out of the workforce, what is governor christie in a national setting, let's say you decide to run for president, what are you doing on these issues? there seems to be a disconnect with the people, governor, and the pols on immigration, a big one. >> first of all, that's redirecting the priorities that statement. what i would be concerned about are the people who are in detroit right now. the hard-working people who stuck with detroit and who've stayed there. we want to create economic opportunity for them. we want to create a better educational system so the children have a better future. and so that's misdirecting i think first of all the goal here. >> jeb bush says they're more entrepreneurial, harderworking, and more fertile than americans. >> first of all, i'm not mentioning the fertility thing. i don't think that's where we should be heading with this. the fact of the matter is the most entrepreneurial people in the world are the people of the united states and that's why folks want to come here. because that's a system we've set up and what we've created. and what we need to get back to

in this country is creating an economic atmosphere where people want to come here and come here legally and create a great life because the people who are already here are doing that for themselves and their families. so my focus on detroit would be to say how do we make that city for the people who are there, how do we make it better for them from an economic perspective, how do we make it better from an educational perspective, so that more people want to come to detroit because there's great opportunity and not for other reasons. >> i think what's happened, though, you have 58 million americans now of working age who are basically operating outside of the workforce. it's a stunning number of people. 62% labor participation rate. abysmal. it's embarrassing for our country. and yet there is an unending hunger for foreign workers coming into this table, mostly pushed by big business. and again the disconnect between what american people need and what politicians in both parties -- this is a bipartisan deal here, want. how do you get the middle class

hard-working american in i don't know, columbus to look at the democrats and republicans and say they represent me? >> what they need to look at is more than just democrats and republicans. they have to look at what the person is saying. and what they've done in their career. and in my career i've always tried to put the hard-working people in my state first. we vetoed five different income tax increases that the democrats passed and put on my desk because we care about hard-working taxpayers first. we've given parents choice in education because we care about the people who are paying the bills and working hard. the focus unfortunately with a lot of people in politics right now is what they say on the editorial page of the "new york times" and the "washington post." and what we should be concerned about is what we're hearing like what i heard when i traveled to 37 states last year. they want opportunities for great careers and themselves and their children. and we're not talking about that. and we'd better start talking about it because these folks the hard-working middle class in this country are the backbone of our society and that's what we have to be focused on.

>> 5% is what you got in the recent public policy poll that came out a few days ago. chris christie a year ago was kind of one of the front-runners. now you're down near the bottom. jeb bush, scott walker ben carson ahead of you. that's pretty low. you're low in a bunch of polls. how do you overcome that deficit? it's a pretty big deficit. >> is the election next week? i don't know. laura, let me tell you this. in 2009 when no republican had been elected in new jersey in 12 years, now when there's been 42 years since we sent a republican to the u.s. senate in new jersey everybody said there's no way chris christie could win in 2009. and then they said, well, he won, but it was because the other guy was bad, not he was good. and in 2013 we'll kick him out. i got 61% of the vote. 51% of the hiss payne vote.

22% of the african-american vote. and 54% of votes from women. now, if i decide to run for president, i'm not worried about what polls say 21 months before we're going to elect the president of the united states. if i decide to run let me tell you one thing. i will run a hard fighting campaign where i will fight for the hard-working taxpayers of this country. and i'll take my chances on me. i've done pretty well so far. [ cheers and applause ] >> so -- >> i will say one thing. i kind of remember in february 2007 it was going to be rudy giuliani against hillary clinton. that's what the polls said then. so i feel pretty good. >> but governor you do have the jeb bush fund-raising machine. i know it. i've seen it in operation. it's formidable. you have the jeb bush family pedigree which is formidable. it carries some baggage. but that's a formidable thing to overcome. you discussed how you -- we'll talk about the record of you and scott walker. but just on bush i mean, a lot

of the fancy political consultants and media types covering this today, they basically think this is jeb bush's race to lowsse. >> if the relates in washington who decide who's going to be president make back room deals he's the front-runner. if the people of the united states decide to pick the next president of the united states and they want someone who looks them in the eye, connects with them sxws one of them i'll do okay if i run. >> there's a sense -- [ applause ] you get the sense in the country, and one of the tweets that came in my facebook questions on my show today i asked people to ask questions of you. one of the points was -- >> uh-oh. >> -- we seem like we're -- we can't get ahead. we work and we work and we work. two jobs. yet we can't get ahead. we can't save money for a rainy day. and yet politicians are always fighting with each other about things that don't really matter with us, that don't really affect our lives. and more people seem to tune out

politics, governor than ever before today. the credibility of both parties is in the toilet and they don't believe you when you say one thing because two months later you'll do something different. how would a chris christie with your experience in new jersey -- it's been difficult at times. how would you try to break that logjam of distrust in the country today where people are saying i don't like the two-party system anymore? >> listen, i wake up every morning with a democratic legislature. i wake up every morning knowing i'm not going to get everything i want. but what you need to do is stand firmly and tell people what you believe. the reason why "the new york times" continues to write awful things about me is because every time i read something they disagree with i don't change my mind. stick with where i've been. so when you're month life in 2009 you don't cut a commercial four years later because "the new york times" doesn't like it and say you're less than that. when i say i'm not going to sign a tax increase under any circumstances of our income tax in our state because it's one of the highest just because they write bad things about you you don't change your mind. once you do that, just like ronald reagan did, when you stand up firmly for your

principles, then you're in position to negotiate and break that logjam. i've done that in new jersey with a democratic legislature. so if i decided to do something else with a little bit more difficult group in washington, d.c., you know you have to -- they have to know you're willing to fight but also that you're willing to talk. i'm willing to do both and i've shown that in new jersey and that's the way we've done it. but it's all in the end about standing up for what you believe in. and that's why you get some of those comments he made about me before. you know, that he's loud and he's brash and all the rest of those things. well, sometimes those special interests, they hate -- more than anything else they hate the truth. and that's what i say as i see it, and that's what i'm going to continue to do. >> when we look at this election -- yeah they're clapping for the truth. good. we need that in washington. we look at the next election. let's say hillary is the democrat nominee. republicans haven't beaten the clintons since 1992. bill clinton i think lost one election. how do you beat hillary clinton?

>> i think you make sure very directly you that talk about your different vision for the united states. different than the obama-clinton vision of the united states. >> which is? >> our vision for the united states is, one to make sure that -- as republicans, the way they'll try to tack us laura is say we're the party of the rich. and i'll tell you something, i don't mind rich people at all but we don't need to be instant standing up as a party defending them all the time. we have to fight for people who are trying to lift themselves up, who haven't had a wage increase adjusted for inflation in 15 years. mrs. clinton's answer to that is to say raise the minimum wage. i will tell you this. no parents are sitting around a kitchen table tonight saying if our child can get a higher minimum wage my gorks every one of our aspirations for them will be realized. it's not happening. [ applause ] i want a country where those parents can once again honestly look at their children and say you can aspire to be anything you want in this country no

matter where you come from. my dad put himself through college at night. he worked at an ice cream plant in newark, new jersey to put himself through college at night easter came back from the army. and the next generation his son is the governor of the state of new jersey. the fact is that'sjbq3 what i want our kids' dreams to be about if that's what they want. and i want parents to be able to look them in the eye and honestly say that. that's not about a minimum wage. that's not about a bigger government lifting you up. that's about your dreams and your effort and your work ethic lifting you up. that's the kind of country we need again. [ applause ] >> we're almost out of time. we're running a little over on the time. don't kill me, guys. there are a lot of politicians canceling town hall events. we've noticed it. i know a lot of people in this room are very frustrated. they feel like they call, they e-mail they try to get in touch with their congressmen and senators including on this executive amnesty deal that's going downin washington right now. they're very angry about how republicans have handled this governor.

and they feel like no matter what they, do they know they're the majority on public opinion in this particular issue yet they can't have an effect. there's a transparency problem in washington, d.c. they say we're going to be frustrated, they're not. >> anyone who's frustrated come to new jersey. yesterday i held my 128th town hall meeting since i've been governor. and by the way, we don't do things like with cards like this where you have to fill out cards. and then people scream them for you and we decide which questions i might like to answer. it's i sit in a room like, this we have 500 people yesterday in new jersey, in morristown new jersey. i come out and speak, and then i take my coat off and we took questions for an hour. you raise your hand, i call on you, and i take a question and i answer it. that's what elected officials owe to their constituents. [ applause ] and you can't be afraid. you've seen these clips. i've had people get up and yell at me and let me have it. and what i tell them in new jersey is this. if you're nice and you're kind and you disagree with me i'll

disagree kind and gently back. but we're all from new jersey. so if you get it you're going to get it in return. and that's the kind of interaction we should have with the people we're working for. >> hold on. i sense a veiled reference to jeb bush because there have been a few events i know where we write prescreened questions. is that what you're talking about? the other republican candidates or at least the front-runners aren't being as transparent? >> what i'm saying, laura is everybody who aspires to high positions of leadership in their state or in this their country should be willing to take unscreened, unrehearsed questions from the people who pay their salary. [ applause ] anybody who's here i've got another one next week in new jersey, fairlawn new jersey in bergen county. come see it. it is not only informative, but it's also good theater. it's fun. we have a good time. >> we need a little good theater

in washington. governor finally, we're out of time. but what did you give up for lent? >> well, laura, i'll tell you, as a good catholic who had to give up something for lent i went to my parish priest and said i'm giving up "the new york times" for lent. [ applause ] no, no. don't cheer. it's bad news. he said, chris that's not acceptable. you have to give up something you'll actually miss. so. >> thank you, governor. >> thanks, laura. appreciate it. very much. another possible 2016 presidential candidate who's speaking at this year's conservative political action conference was former hewlett-packard ceo carly fiorina. her remarks are about 20 minutes.

>> thank you so much. thank you so much and good afternoon. when i was a little girl my mother in sunday school gave me a plaque that read, "what you are is god's gift to you. what you make of yourself is your gift to god." [ applause ] years later i would be fortunate enough to enroll in stanford university where i would earn a degree in medieval history and philosophy. all dressed up and nowhere to go. although that degree has come in handy recently since our president keeps talking about the crusades. [ applause ] yes, mr. president, isis indeed wants to drive the whole world

back to the middle ages. but the rest of us moved on about 800 years ago. and while you seek moral equivalence the world waits for moral clarity and american leadership. [ applause ] with that degree in medieval history and philosophy i was unemployable. so i went to law school. i hated it. i quit after a single semester and had to go back to work full-time doing what i had done part-time to help put myself through school. i typed. i filed. i answered the phones for a little nine-person real estate firm. i would eventually become the chief executive of the world's largest technology company hp. [ applause ] and together with the great people of that great company we would double the size of the

business from 45 billion to 90 billion. we would triple its rate of innovation to 11 patents a day. and go from a laggard to a leader in every product category and every market segment in which we competed. i know that it is only in this country that a young woman can go from secretary to ceo. [ applause ] and that is because that is because our founders knew what my mother taught me. everyone has god-given gifts. everyone has potential. often far more than they realize. i have learned this over and over in my life. from my fellow workers in business to the slums of new delhi, india. i have seen it in norfolk virginia as i distributed diapers to young mothers who had

the courage to bring their children into the world. every life has potential. [ applause ] our founders believed this must be a country where everyone has the right to fulfill their potential. this is what they meant when they said life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and so we became the greatest nation in the world and throughout all human history because here more things were more possible from more people, from more places. here people could fulfill their potential. when i was typing in that little company and indeed throughout my career, i have needed someone to take a chance on me. when i battled cancer, i needed many helping hands. when my husband frank and i lost our younger daughter laurie to

the demons of addiction, we relied on the strength of our family, the solace of our faith but we also were lifted up by the prayers and the kindness of so many strangers who became blessings in our lives. everyone needs a helping hand. but no one wants to be trapped in the web of dependence that has been woven over decades in our nation. [ applause ] to fulfill their potential people need an education, tools, training, support. and they need a job. the president of the chicago teachers union once said this -- we cannot be held responsible for the performance of the children in our classrooms because too many of them come from poor and broken families. liberals may be prepared to dismiss and disregard americans

because of their circumstances. liberals may be prepared to consign some to lives of dependence while others who think they are smarter and they are better will take care of them. but we as conservatives are not. we know we know that no one of us is better than any other one of us. we know that each one of us has god-given gifts and can live a life of dignity and purpose and meaning. work is a central part of such a life. and so we must rebuild main street. elizabeth warren is right. crony capitalism is indeed alive and well. government and government programs have grown so big, so powerful, so costly and so complex that only the big and the powerful can prosper. but elizabeth warren is dead wrong about how to end crony capitalism. because you see, whether it's

dodd frank or obamacare or net neutrality all this government complexity means the big get bigger, the small disappear, and the powerless are trapped. [ applause ] we are now destroying more businesses than we are creating for the first time in u.s. history. most americans get their start the way i did, in a small business. the dry cleaners the taquerias, the coffee shops the hairdressers, and the real estate firms of american main street create most of our new jobs and create half our people. so if we want more jobs we need more small businesses. [ applause ] and we need more leaders. not managers. managers are people who do the best they can from existing constraints and conditions. managers are people who tinker

around the edges of a problem. we need leaders who do not accept what is broken simply because it has always been that way. we need leaders who will change the order of things, leaders who see and seize possibilities and know that the highest calling of leadership is to unlock the potential of others. technology. technology gives us the tools to engage american citizens in reforming our government as never before. why should we accept that veterans have to spend many months filling out paperwork when they return from the battlefield and many more months waiting waiting for a bureaucrat to approve them before they get the services they've earned. why should we accept that? [ applause ]

we must unlock the potential of every american. we must fundamentally reform government. and we must restore american leadership in the world. i know bibi netanyahu. and as i sat in his office five years ago, he spoke then of the dangers posed by iran. he travels here next week not to offend our president but to warn the american people that our president's insistence on a deal with iran at any cost is a danger to the world. [ applause ] [ cheers and applause ] i know. i know king abdullah of jordan. and i applauded king abdullah's leadership when his response to the beheading of a jordanian pilot was to immediately execute two convicted terrorists and begin bombing. [ applause ] he came to this country seeking our support, and he has still

not received it. neither have the kurds nor the ukrainians. and when the egyptians bombed targets in libya in response to the beheading of 21 christians, this administration stood silently by and neither condemned nor condoned egypt's forceful response. this is not leadership. [ cheers and applause ] nor is it leadership. nor is it leadership when secretary clinton asks what difference does it make when our embassy is deliberately attacked by terrorists and four americans are murdered. it makes all the difference in the world, mrs. clinton, and the required response has never come.

[ applause ]g like mrs. clinton i too have traveled the globe. unlike mrs. clinton i know that flying is an activity not an accomplishment. i have met -- i have met vladimir putin, and i know that his ambition will not be deterred by a gimmicky red reset button. mrs. clinton please name an accomplishment. [ applause ] and in the meantime, in the meantime please accept and explain why we should accept that the millions and millions of dollars that have flowed into the clinton foundation from foreign governments do not represent a conflict of

interest. [ applause ] she tweets about women's rights in this country and takes money from governments that deny women the most basic human rights. [ cheers and applause ] she tweets about equal pay for women but will not answer basic questions about her own office's pay standards-k, and neither will our our president. hillary may like hashtags, but she does not know what leadership means. [ applause ] and so ladies and gentlemen now is the time to declare without apology and without equivocation

that this is the greatest nation the world has ever known. [ applause ] we are a force for good in the world. now is the time to reaffirm that every american regardless of their circumstances, has the right and the opportunity to fulfill their potential. we must rise together to meet our challenges. now is the time for citizenship and leadership. let us declare the identity politics that seeks to divide rather than unite.

let us refuse to accept what has been broken about our politics and government for so long. so let us together restore the promise of this, our beloved, our beautiful, our blessed united states of america. thank you so very much ladies and gentlemen. may god bless you all. [ cheers and applause ] thank you so much. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you, carly fiorina. thank you. >> that rousing speech. the tweets have been coming in. i've got just a few questions. >> yes, sir. >> along with that hashtag, cpacq, i should mention. first off, in helping the middle class the current president wants to redistribute income through changes in the income tax code and make two years of community college free in doing

that. is there a counterapproach to that, and what would that be? >> you know, one of the things this president loves to do is zraktd us. distract us. i think he's trying to distract us from the fact we have too many failing high schools in this country by offering community college for free. if we want to educate our children, let us make sure that every parent has a choice and a chance to educate their children so that they can fulfill their potential. and as far as the tax code is concerned, you know, our tax code has grown so incredibly complex. tens of thousands of pages. so while of course we should lower rates so that we do not have the highest business tax rate in the world, in an era

where we have to compete for every job, what we really have to do is radically simplify the tax code because regular people and small businesses simply can't deal with the complexity anymore and all those loopholes and all those write-offs, they benefit the powerful and the connected and the wealthy and the large. >> thank you. next question. people can't get enough of hearing about job creation. so what's the best way to improve unemployment, to increase the hiring of more quality jobs? >> i think first of all we have to recognize that while we talk about rebuilding america, which is true, we also have to retrain america. we can't give up on workers who at 45 or 50 or 55 or 60 lose their job through no fault of their own. we need to retrain them so they are qualified for the 21st century jobs. i go into too many towns where i

see an organization a manufacturing facility perhaps with help wanted signs up and unemployment that is too high. so we have to retrain america even as we must make sure that every one of our children gets a quality education. we have to, as i said in my speech, we have to rebuild main street. it's a shocking statistic that we are now destroying more businesses than we are creating. and when we are destroying small business we are destroying jobs for the middle class. 2/3 of new jobs are created by small business. half the people are employed by small businesses. so we have to do everything in our power to compete for every job by simplified our tax code lowering our rates, vastly simplified our regulatory structure. educating our children retraining our workers, and rebuilding small businesses in the united states. [ applause ] >> one last question. this is very important. how important is it to have a

female candidate in the race this year for the white house and the next two years, going into 2016, and do you have any suggestions on who >> well, i think our batter needs to be as diverse as the nation we hope to represent. women are now 53% of voters. and so as i like to tell some of my democratic friends who continue to talk about the war on women we are not a special interest group. we are the majority of the nation. [ applause ] and i will say this if hillary clinton had to face me on a debate same at the very least she would have a hitch in her swing. [ applause ] >> thank you. that is it. >> thank you so very much ladies and gentlemen. god bless you.

thank you. ♪ clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth ♪ ♪ clap along if you know what happiness ♪ >> texas republican senator ted cruz is said to be considering a run for president in 2016. he spoke at this year's conservative political action conference hosted by the american conservative union. this is 25 minutes. ♪ and it came upon me wave on wave ♪ ♪ wave on wave ♪

♪ wave on wave ♪ [ applause ] >> wow! god bless cpac. so, there's not a single democrat here. [ laughter ] it's almost like cpac invited benjamin netanyahu to speak. [ applause ] well, you know, we could have had hillary here. but we couldn't find a foreign nation to foot the bill. [ laughter ] [ applause ] this is a room full of patriots. [ applause ] america is in jeopardy and we are met with today on a great battlefield. the men and women who are

gathered here today are gathered to fate for freedom in our country. [ applause ] and the men and women of cpac are going to play a fundamental decision in how we turn this country around. [ applause ] the men and women gathered here today are going to play a critical role in reigniting the miracle of america. [ applause ] how do we do that? how do we win? how do we bring back the miracle that is america? [ laughter ] [ applause ] god bless you. >> ted cruz for president! >> number one we reassemble the reagan coalition.

[ applause ] we bring together fiscal conservatives and social conservatives and national security conservatives. we stand strong for economic growth. but we also stand for life and marriage. [ cheers and applause ] we defend the constitutional rights but we also stand and lead the fight against isis and a nuclear iran. [ applause ] we bead all three legs of the proverbial republican stool, not one leg not tool, but the way we get to 51% is we bring together conservatives and libertarians and evangelicals and women and young bell and hispanics and reagan democrats.

[ applause ] and how do we do that? we do that boundmentally by standing with the people and not with washington. washington wants obamacare. the people want liberty. [ applause ] washington wants amnesty. the people want rule of law. washington wants power over the internet. the people want freedom online. [ applause ] and don't believe president obama when he says if you like your intermet with you can keep your net, you can keep your

internet. [ laughter ] hillary clinton embodies the corruption of washington. [ applause ] we need to run a populist campaign standing for hard-working men and women. we need to take the power out of washington and bring it back to the american people. [ applause ] and how do you differentiate a lot of terrific candidates. 2016 looks like it's goingdr a crowded race and there are a lot of people here who are powerful, they are inspirational, they make your heart soar, they inspire me every day. how do we differentiate? well, we all know that in a campaign, every candidate comes up and tells you, i'm the most

conservative guy that's ever lived. that's just what they say. i'm pretty confident you haven't seen any speakers come up here yet and say, actually i'm a squishy bhod rat who stands for nothing. [ laughter ] i'm pretty sure none of them actually stood here and said that. every one of them will say, you betcha, hoo diddley, i'm as conservative as all get out. we have a way to tell the difference. the word tells us you shall know them by their fruits. [ applause ] and so i would encourage all of the men and women gathered here today, demand action, not talk. [ applause ] if a candidate tells you they

are against obamacare fantastic. when have you but to the against it? if a candidate tells you they owe pose the dealt and debt ceiling that are crushing our kids and grand kids terrific. when have you stood up and fought against it? [ applause ] if a candidate says they oppose president obama's illegal and unconstitutional executive amnesty, terrific. when have you stood up and fought against it? [ applause ] if a candidate tells you that they support the first amendment, freedom of speech religious liberty, that they support the second amendment, the right to keep and bear arms, fantastic. when have you stood up and fought for them? [ applause ] talk is cheap. the candidate tells you they support life if a candidate tells you they support marriage,

when have you stood and fought? [ applause ] if a candidate tells you they stand with the nation of israel terrific. when have you stood and but to the? [ applause ] if a candidate says that they oppose iran acquiring fwhuk clear weapons capability fantastic. when have you stood and fought? actions speak far, far louder than words. we need to look to people who walk the walk and don't just talk the talk. if a candidate says they oppose common core, fantastic. when have you stood up and fought against it? [ cheers and applause ]

you know aid former boss who used to say, if i'm ever accused of being a christian, i'd like for there to be enough evidence to convict me. [ laughter ] now that is powerfully, powerfully true and it is equally true of being a conservative. if you're really a conservative, you will have been in the trenches, you will bear the scars, you will have been fighting the fights. and i will tell you what the ben and women of cpac understand. it's the biggest divide we have in this country, not between republicans and democrats. the biggest divide we have in this country is between career politicses -- politicians in washington and the american people. [ applause ]washington and the american people. [ applause ]washington and the american people. [ applause ]washington and the american people. [ applause ]washington and the american people. [ applause ]washington and the american people. [ applause ]iwashington and the american people. [ applause ]awashington and the american people. [ applause ]nwashington and the

american people. [ applause ]swashington and the american people. [ applause ] washington and the american people. [ applause ]iwashington and the american people. [ applause ]nwashington and the american people. [ applause ] washington and the american people. [ applause ] if you have a candidate willing to stand up against democrats, that's great. when have you been willing to stand against republicans? when have you been willing to stand with the people? this is a fundamental choice in our country a fundamental direction. that the men and women here will decide. it was 40 years ago at cpac that president reagan said "the bath to victory is painting not in pale pastels but bold path to victory is painting not in pale pastels, but bold colors." i am convinced 2016 is going to be an election very very much like 1980. [ applause ] now, it's worth remembering, in

1980 when reagan ran, washington despised reagan. remember, reagan had primaried gerald boredford, the sitting republican president in 1976. you want to tick off republican leadership? come within an inch of toppleing the incumbent republican president. but president reagan told the people of this country the republican party is not a fraternal order. we share philosophical commitments to freedom. and the republican party matters only insofar and in so long as we stand for liberty and the constitution and for the american people. [ applause ]

our nation is in crisis at home. millions of americans are hurting. obamacare is a train wreck. and that's actually not fair to train wrecks. [ laughter ] and all abroad, america has receded from leadership in the world. we see the president describing the horrible terrorist attacks in paris as a "random act of violence." there's nothing random about radical islamists going into a kosher deli to murder jews for their jewish faith. [ applause ] when 21 coptic christians are beheaded, we see the both saying they were simply egyptian citizens. they were murdered for their christian faith and the president of the united states needs to stand up and defend

them. [ cheers and applause ]oqaññ to turn this country around it will not come from washington, it will come from the american people, so i would ask every one of you, if you will join our grassroots army, then take out your cell phone and text the word constitution to the number 33733. let me give that to you again. take out your cell phone and text the word constitution to 33733. it will be each of you empowering and energizing we the people that turns the country around, because i will tell you, as my father said to me many, many times after he fled cuba, "i saw freedom taken away once. and i will die before i let it

happen again." [ cheers and applause ] thank you and god bless you. >> hello cpac! how are y'all doing? give it up, senator ted cruz! y'all ready? less than two years and we can fundamentally transform america back to what it was and that's great. y'all happy about that? senator, great to see you. an honor to be here. i got some questions some of them from twitter and facebook. a lot of people shooting away. >> excellent. >> you did a 21-hour filibuster -- [ applause ] 21 hours. the purpose was to strip funding from the health care bill. remember the -- i watched most of it by the way. [ laughter ] your fellow republicans, rick

santorum called you a bomb thrower. senator mccain said it was an agonizing odyssey and used the term wacko bird. senator graham said it was hostage taking and political overreach. i didn't say it. relax. [ laughter ] my question to you, senator, what do you say back to those senators that criticized you for standing up for your promise? >> look, the simple point is we shouldn't be listening to washington. [ applause ] we should be listening to the american people. obamacare is a disaster. millions of americans have lost their jobs have lost their health care, have lost their doctor. and sean, i seem to recall that many of those critics said when so many of the men and women in this room stood up and said stop the train wreck that is obamacare, the washington pundits all said oh, this will be a disaster. this will keep harry reid as

majority leader forever. now, did i miss that in the lastá'kw election? [ applause ] the key to change is not just growing government in washington. the key to change is a result of that by the, millions of -- fight, millions of men and women stood up across this country and said stop the disaster that is obama care. in 2012, republicans across this country said if you give us a majority we will stop obama care and what happened? we won the biggest tidal wave since the 1920s and we retired harry reid as majority leader. >> my next question we have a similar fight going on, just a show of hands, how many would like to see the republicans defund the president's executive orderer on immigration? [ cheers and applause ]

okay. my question to you, it seems in the senate, there's a disagreement, once again with you and some republican senators, over a bifurcated deal that would fund the department of homeland security and accept bar rate out a separate bill on not funding the executive orderers on immigration. what do you say -- why do you think that's wrong strategy? >> look. >> look, unfortunately, republican leadership is cutting a deal with harry reid and the democrats to give in on executive amnesty. and the question why is because they are not listening to you. i talked about the divide between washington and the bell. in washington, k street and wall street love amnesty. they support the substantive policy. there is a mendacity about washington. they want to take a showboat but don't actually want to follow through on what they say. how do we change it? the only way to change it -- sean, what i'm trying to do. you think about it in the tech

context. the tech contest we know about disruptive apps, they come in and change how a good or service is distributed. and inevitably the incumbent providers fight back viciously. so, when uber or lift comes into a city the taxi commissions do everything they can to kill it. what i'm trying to do, more than anything else, is bring a disruptive app to politics. [ applause ] >> let me -- >> to move power back to the american people and everyone that has a vested interest in keeping decisionmaking in the smoke-filled rooms, in both parties, they fight vigorously because they don't want the power to be back with the american people. [ applause ] >> senator, we have seep the mass beheadings, the harvesting of organ, radical islamists, they are on the move, taken a all right of the ground that our

brave troops sacrificed, died for in iraq 4,000 of them. my question is the jordanians after one pilot, they have responded with fierce opposition and force against isis. the egyptians under general both al sissi shown massive and force for 21 coptic christians simultaneously beheaded. what is your an fwhal sis what is your take on what america needs to do and why can't this both admit that theß islamic state is, in fact, islamic and radical islam exists? >> we need a commander in chief who will actually stand up and defend the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] we need to stop this bizarre orwellian double speak with. we can not defeat radical islamic terrorism with a president who is unwilling to utter the words radical islamic

terrorism. [ applause ] you know, the state department spokesperson just said recently, we can't win this by killing isis. we need to give them jobs. what utter and comp bloat nonsense. listen, that is precisely how we win this. we kill the terrorist leaders before they kill us. [ applause ] >> all right. i want to warn everybody i am asking this next question because i know the liberal mediae!=w will. okay? so might as well get it out of the way for them. >> go for it hannity. >> that is my job. i get paid for doing that. >> no i have not stopped beating my wife. [ laughter ] >> okay. your mother was an american citizen. you talked about your dad coming from cuba. you were born in canada.

you had dual citizenship. there are a punch of liberal birthers out there that would try to make the case that you're not eligible, just a quick short answer. >> look, i was born in calgary. my mother was an american citizen by birth. under federal law, that made me an american citizen by birth. the constitution requires that you be a natural-born citizen. >> all right. >> now we are going to do our quick light thing with round. we are running out of time. what would a -- the top 2005 agenda items of a president ted cruz, what would they be? >> number one, repeal every blasted word of obamacare. [ cheers and applause ] number two abolish the irs. [ cheers and applause ] take all 125,000 irs agents and

put them on our southern border. [ cheers and applause ] number three, stop the out-of-control regulators at the epa and the alphabet soup of washington. [ cheers and applause ] number four defend our constitutional rights, all of them! [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] and number five, restore america's leadership in the world as a shining city on a hill. [ cheers and applause ] >> all right. we are running out of time. this is our last lightning round. one- or two-word answers. abortion. >> we should defend every human life from conception to natural death. >> okay.

gay marriage. >> marriage is a question for the states. [ applause ] and it is wrong for the federal government or unelected judges to tear down the bharable laws of the states. >> colorado. good idea, legalizing marijuana? bad idea? >> i was told colorado provided the brownies here today. [ laughter ] look, colorado is a -- >> oh oh. i just ate them. >> look, your viewership's gonna go up 20%. >> gonna go up a lot. >> the magical mystery hannity hour. >> oh yeah. [ laughter ] >> look, i actually think this is a great embodiment of what supreme court justice louis brandeis called the laboratories of democracy. if the citizens of colorado decide they want to go down that road, that these their prerogative. i don't agree with it, but that's their rights. >> i'm going to ask you about

three bell. first words that come to your mind. hillary clinton? >> washington. >> bill -- by the way i want to say hi to that really hot chick in rocephin over there. [ laughter ] how you doing, sweetheart? i will give you a tour backstage.backstage backstage. sorry, he is not responsible for this. bill clinton? >> youth outreach. [ laughter ] what? >> barack hussein obama. >> lawless imperator. >> in light of what the country has been talking about in recent days and we have less than 30 seconds, not my clock, so please forgive me why does ted cruz

love america? >> this country is the greatest country in the history of the world. [ applause ] it has been a haven for freedom. when by dad was imprisoned in cuba and fled 58 years ago, he came, because no nation on earth has let so many millions come with nothing about and achieve anything and if we get back to this, brighter days are ahead. we can do that together. [ cheers and applause ] >> senator ted cruz! see see you later, cpac. [ applause ] this sunday on q & a, baltimore police commissioner anthony bats on the challenges of policing the city. >> it was very clear to me that i still had an issue with public trust and people believing things that were -- things that were said. and regardless of the fact that i stand in áh4zfront like i did for you today and say use of force is down 46% that i discouraged

complaints are down 53%, lawsuits are down that officer-involved shootings are dramatically down and moving in all the positive ways, bell in communities say we don't believe t >> sunday night at 8 eastern and pacific on c-span's q & a. we continue with some of the speak withers from the first day of this year's annual conservative blitz cal action conference being held here in because washington. next with, we will hear from wisconsin goffvernor scott walker. this is about 20 minutes.

>> hi. hi. hi. hi. good evening. hi. thanks. hi guys. [ cheers and applause ] well, thank you. you know as a kid, i grew up loving history. you know, i loved reading about our founders. to me, they were like super heroes bigger than life. being the son of a small-town preacher and a mom who was a part-time secretary our family didn't have the money to go to some of the historic sites like we have here in our nation's capital. and so years ago, just a fewdtdg years after i was -- a year or so after i was goff nor, we had a chance to go to fwirl ya, we jumped at it. we got up early in the morning and went past the liberty bell and then went to independence hall. and i got to tell you someone who loved our founders i was ready to be blown away. blown away. and we walked in there early that day and looked at it. if any of you have ever been there, you know the room itself is not much bigger than this

stage. as we looked at the chairs and we looked at the desk there by the not much difference than the ones you're in right now, except they are a little older there than these. but it made me think for a moment, these were ordinary people. ordinary people who did something quite ex-record to hear about -- extraordinary. they didn't just risk their political careers, their business ventures but people who literally risked their lives for the freedoms we hold dear today. right? [ applause ] moments like that remind me that what makes america great, what makes us exceptional what makes us arguably the greatest country in the history of the world is that in moments of crisis, be it economic or fiscal, be it military or spiritual, there have been men and women throughout our history who have stood up and made about decisions that think more about the future of their children and their grand children than they did about their own political

futures. ladies and gentlemen, here tonight, this is one of those moments in american history. [ applause ] let this be the time let this be the time we can tell future generation what is we did to make america great again, right? that's why we created our american revival.com, to get out and tell the story to transform america, reignite the american spirit, to move this great country forward. but you know, the biggest challenge to that is just up the way, just down the river, up the bottomic, to washington, or as i like to call it 68 square whiles surrounded by reality. [ laughter ] today in washington, we have a both to thinks we grow the economy by growing because. think about that. last year, we saw a report that

showed that six out of the top ten counties six of the top ten wealthiest counties, according to immediatemedian mcis right here in the d.c. area. they think growing the economy is growing washington. i got news for them. we believe in america growing the economy in cities and towns and villages all across this great country. we think that's the way to go forward. [ applause ] up the way there in washington we have a president who measures success in government by how many people are dependent on the government. we should measure success by just the opposite by how many people are no longer dependent on the government.

[ applause ] we understand that true freedom prosperity does not come from the mighty hand of the government, it comes from empowering people to live their own lives and to control their own destinies. that's the american way. [ applause ] you see, here in america, there's a reason why we celebrate the fourth of july and not april 15th because in america, we celebrate our independence from the government, not our dependence on it. [ applause ] our independence from the government, not our dependence on it, that's the american way. and up the way in washington, we have a president, a president who draws lines in the sand and fails to fact. a president who calls isis the jv club. who calls yemen a success. and who calls iran a country we can do business with.

and to add insult to injury, whose former secretary of state actually gave a reset button to the russians. a reset button. we need a leader in america who stands up and realizes that radical islamic terrorism is the threat to our way of life and to all freedom-loving people around the world. we need a president a leader who will stand up and say we will take the fight to them not wait till they bring the fight for american soil for our children and our grandchildren. [ applause ] we need a leader who will stand with israel. [ cheers and applause ]vfh and we need a leader who

understands that when the prime minister and leader of our long-time ally asks to0d9(áát to congress to share his concerns about iran we should show him and hiso. country our respect. we need to show the world that in america you have no better ally and no greater enemy. what is right and stand against what is wrong. that's what we need in america. you know i think back to 2009 when tonnette and i were first thinking about running for governor. we sat down and thought about it talked about it, we ultimately prayed about it. and we knew it would be tough. but we got in that race for governor back then because we were worried that our sons matt and alex, who are now 19 and 20, would grow up in a state that wasn't as great as the one we grew up in. and i got to tell you, as

parents, that was unacceptable. and so xl'ñtoday, many years later, i'm proud to tell that you because of our reforms our state is indeed better than the state i grew up in. [ applause ] let -- we took on the powerful special interests in washington and we returned the power back into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers. they didn't like that. they tried to recall me. they made me their number one b target. but we showed we can fight and win for the hard-working taxpayer. [ applause ] because of that, in our states work doesn't have senior or tenure anymore. w éim put the best and the brightest in our classrooms and we can keep them there. we don't baypay for performance.

and you know what, it's working. it's working. our school scores are better. our act scores are second best in the country our graduation rates are up over the blast four years. our reading scores are up over the past four years because we put the power pack in the hands of the hard-working taxpayers and the people they elect to run their school boards. on top of that we were able to take a state where the unemployment rate in 2010 was 9.2 bars alt#zt its peak. it is now down to 5.2%. [ applause ])q"q we are a state that had been taxed and taxed and taxed and today, i'm proud to say, after four years as goff nor, we have reduced the burden on hard-working

how many other goff nors in america can say that? [ applause ]"ke we have led the way with lawsuit and regulatory reform. we debounded planned parenthood and signed pro-life legislation.funded planned parenthood and signed pro-life legislation. [ applause ] we enacted concealeded carry and passed castlemxpl doctrine and we bassed a law in our state that says if you want to vote you need to vote legally. it should be easy to vote but hard to cheat. in our state we passed a law that says you need a photo i.d. to vote in the state of wisconsin. [ applause ]yqa and just breaking, as of next week, wisconsin will become the

25th state in america that allows workers the freedom to choose whether they want to work for a company and be in a union or not. [ cheers and applause ] so how did we do that in a state that hasn't gone -- a state that -- apparently, the protesters come from wisconsin as well. [ laughter ] but you know what those voices can't drown out the voices of the millions of americans who want us to stand up for the hard-working taxpayers. as long as i'm a leader i willx7= continue to do that going forward. [ applause ]3)it÷e

we want in wisconsin a state that hasn't gone republican for president since 1984 that's more than 30 years ago. in fact, that was back when i was in high school and i actually had a full head of hair. x=f &háhp &hc% [ laughter ] but you know how we did it? we did it without comp prom mizing. we stood up and said what we were gonna do and then we did it. we showed that fighting with and winning for the hard-working taxpayers can make a difference and not only did our base stand up for us we won the last election with nearly 12% of the independents. because you know independents want the same thing as the base. they want a fighter. they don't want someone that is going to fight just for the sake of fighting. they want someone who is going to fight and win every single day for the hard-working taxpayers. that's exactly what we need in this country going forward. [ applause ] the last thing i will say as we close here and take some questions, we need your help. i mentioned going to philadelphia at the beginning of my comments and one of the

things i loved one of the things i loved about going to end ben dense haégv was standing there early in the morning and looking at all those desks and chairs and seeing the chair up in the front where george washington sat for nearly three months. and if you know the story of that, the legend goes that james madison said that ben franklin looked at that chair day after day and wondered, because on the back of the chair is a half-rising sun. and he wondered if the message was that the sun was rising or setting. and madison says that franklin said at the end of their time together, he believed that the sun was indeed rising, just as our country was. today, i believe we need to go back and look at the founding principles of this great principle, not to go back in time. don't confuse that. but to use that as a guide as go down the path to provide/x"w a brighter future for our children and our children's children and those yet to be born. we need your help moving forward. we need your help making america great again.

if we can do it in wisconsin there's to doubt we can do it across america. thank you for letting me come out and share with you. [ cheers and applause ] >> thanks, governor. governor walker. governor walker. ned ryan, american majority, board member of the american conservative union. would like to know, should you become commander in chief how would you deal with threats such as isis? >> well, you know the interesting thing,mk sometimes people in the media don't understand that as a goff nor, i should get a threat the fbi and my adjujant general. without revealing confidential information, i will till i have been concerned about that threat, not just abroad but here on the american soil. you have seen the stories about the twin cities and some of the

issues there. i think it is clear, i think of my two sons one of whom is with me today the other here over the weekend, bhaet and alex who are 19 and 20. i know all of you as parents feel the same watch i want a commander in chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from rad dal islamic terrorist do not wash up on american soil. we will have someone who leads and ultimately will send a message not only that we will protect american soil but do not, do not take this upon freedom-loving péwq anywhere else in the world. we need a leader with that kind of confidence. if i can take on 100,000 protesters, i can do the same across the world. [ applause ] times, obviously with the economy and jobs, it's beeno for the american youth. how do you plan to impart hope to the american youth for the future, to give them opportunity, to give them jobs? >> well, i think i mentioned i have got a 19 and wç)íy20-year-old who are pretty proud of the fact

that in our last campaign, as tight as it was, being the number one target in america of the labor unions and many others on the left, we ultimately went, i think one exit boll, 49-48 amongst 18 to 24-year-olds. build aiv applaud-- [ applause ] why is that? it wasn't just technology. we did a lot of that.

bush you down, the ones that want to tell to you wait your turn, the ones that want to say you can't do it until you go through multiple layers of permit and other things. we should be the ones that send an open message, america, you want to lift american&ìdream, we will make it as easy as possible to do i think that resonates only with young bell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. ell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. pell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. ell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. opell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. eell but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. l but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. but i think with all free dom-loving people in this great country. wzl $eh! but i think with all free dom-loving pedom-loving people in this great country. plan to regulate the internet. what woulz:vhvá regulate the internet? >> the sort of things going forward should i choose to be a candidate. i think that or any other principle to me, the guiding principle should be freedom. the more things you make things

and open in light of the question you just asked, not only young americans but all of us, we want a free and open society. we want to have the government out of the way,(0vñ we want to make it as easy and accessible as possible and what we are going to do in any decision going forward, should we choose, myp lawyers love that, when i say, we are exploring a campaign, should we choose to run for the highest office in the land. >> run! run! [ applause ] >> last quesée r >> run scott, run. >> i did run in track, i was good at the half-mile and quarter-mile. and running three names the past four years. i'm getting pretty used to it. >> i appreciate your running history, as a runner. do you support raising the minimum wage? wages are is a faulty argument. i think in my state and across the country, we need to talk about how we can lift up people with the education and the skills that they need to succeed at jobs that pay three or four or five times the minimum wage. i will let the left worry about how low they want to be. i want to have everyone in this country be able to live their piece of the american dream, get the government out of the waned have the skills they need to support their families going

forward. [ applause ] >> governor walker you are done. thank you so much for answering those questions. >> thank you. thanks, everybody. appreciate it. thanks. [ applause ] the annual conservative political action conference called cpac is under way in washington, d.c., sbon soared by the american conservative union. among the speakers, dr. ben carson, he called for alternative to this is 20 minutes. ♪ ♪[u%#

>> thank you very much. thank you. thank you. i am absolutely delighted to be here once again, and it seems like each time i'm here we're getting closer to critical time periods in our country. you know, i started to talk about all of the failures of the current administration, but i figured that was too depressing. and you know, it's so depressing. i think that's why they always try to rename everything and redefine everything and it's probably why they're ready for hillary, too. but, you know, it's interesting to me how the left in particular loves to relabel and name ñ66 things. you know, for instance, if you're pro-life, then you're anti-woman. if you're pro-traditional

family, then you're a homophobe. if you're white and you oppose a progressive black person, you're a racist. if you're black and you oppose a progressive agenda, you're crazy.w8>m and if you're black and if you oppose a progressive agenda and you're pro-life and you're pro-family, they don't even know what to call you.fxv i mean, you end up on some kind of watch list for extremists. unbelievable, but you know what? we're not going to pay attention to that. [ applause ] what we do have to pay attention to is how do we use the incredible brains that god gave us to recognize when things f; don't work and to recognize when things do work and to fix problems? for instance, you think about

there's a large number of people in our country who are the downtrodden, and how do we treat# kq them? well, you know, starting in the '60s with the great society programs, we figured if we just threw money at the problem and we had all these welfare programs that we could solve the problems. what has happened since then? in 1969, 1.4% of our population was on food stamps. today, more than 14% are on food stamps, a tenfold increase. we have more broken families, out-of-wedlock birth, incarceration, crime. everything that these programs were supposed to fix has gotten worse. so what do people do about that? intelligent people would look at that and they would say, we need to change course. people who -- [ applause ]

people who perhaps failed to ks utilize their intellectual capability would look at that and say we need to do it more.d1]úñ we didn't do enough. and you know, that's the sñi difference. but we need to move in a very ÷ different direction. we need to understand what true compassion is in order to reach out to individuals who think that maybe being dependent is reasonable as long as they feel safe, and it isn't. it really is not compassionate to pat people on the head and say there, there, you poor little thing. i'm going to take care of all your needs, your healthcare and your food and your housing.4zn don't you worry about anything, 'cause there are all those bad people who are causing your problem, and i'm going to fix it. that's not compassion. that's the opposite of compassion. that is making people dependent. what real compassion is is using our intellect to find ways to}q@

allow those people to climb out of dependency and realize the american dream and that's what we need to be thinking about. [ cheers and applause ]>sfz

now, some people say well, it doesn't sound very compassionate. it is compassionate. i was in the airport a couple of months ago, and a lady came down next to me, an african-american ÷[cvñ lady, and said i really like what you have to say. it makes sense. but why don't you want people to have health care? i said you've been listening to the propaganda. riñ that's all this propaganda. i want everyone to have health care.tx6ññ we spend twice as much per capita as the next closest nation, and we have terrible access problems, inefficiency, and we can do so much better and that's why i've advocated a system. and i hope congress will listen very carefully to what i'm about to say because they need to grasp a health care alternative before they try to remove obamacare, if they really want to get some traction. and what i'm talking about -- [ applause ] what i'm talking about is health savings account system.

they work extremely well and available for everybody. we don't force people into them, and i tell you, when people see how these work, you won't have ñ77÷ to force them into it. and there are a variety of different ways to pay for it. but even the indigent, and that's what i want to talk about because she said i don't care about poor people. we can fund the indigent how? we spend $400 billion a year, according to the heritage foundation, on medicaid. $400 billion a year. a quarter of our people are involved with medicaid.!h.é that's 80 million people.obá divide $80 million into @ 400,000,000. con see you're -- concierge

services cost billions a year. and you can put everyone in and have billions in healthcare. that's how wasteful we are. that's how wasteful we are. we don't have to use that much money, but i'm giving you an "u[o cf1 o example of what we're doing and even asking for more. it really isn't the affordable healthcare. it's not affordable and it is absolutely about redistribution and control, and if we really want to use our intellect we would come up with somebody that wants to work for everyone. it makes a difference. what are the things that will destroy us as a nation? our debt, 18.1 trillion and h6 rising. we need to get out of the mindset that says because the debt didn't go up as fast in this quarter, it's a victory. the debt needs to be going down. the size of government needs to be going down. we need to be able to deal with 9k that in a logical way. [ applause ]4$ the other thing that threatens to destroy us, radical islamic terrorists all over the world. [ cheers and applause ]

and let's not get distracted by just isis. we need to recognize that the h]= shia in iran are every bit as dangerous, perhaps more dangerous. we can take our eye off the ball as they develop nuclear weapons. and we also need to recognize that we have friends over there. let's not turn our back on israel. let's listen to netanyahu and what he has to say. [ cheers and applause ] but i have so many things to to do it, and now i'm just down l20c@8n to just three or four. but you know, what am i for? what am i really ready for? i'm not ready for hillary, but what i am ready for -- i'm ready for a country that puts our constitution on the top shelf. every part of it. [ ch[cl?ep(plause ]

and for those who have any doubt, that includes the second amendment. now, see, i'%%

education is the great liberator in our country..jñ no one has to be a victim. i'm for putting health care in our hands and not in the hands of some bureaucrat, and for balancing our budget and for a 4' fair taxation system that allows us to get rid of the irs. [ cheers and applause ] and for a strong military, wasn't it wonderful seeing those cadets from the citadel? [ cheers and applause ]dw= and for taking care of our veterans the way they should be taken care of. and common sense and courage, because courage is what we really need. we don't -- we shouldn't submit 3÷

to the pc police and to people who are trying to control us by 2!÷ intimidation and by irs audits m7/ and by messing with your job. you know, the only reason they can do that is because we sit silently by. that's what they want us to do.tf1 we have to stop sitting silently by and express ourselves. in the pre-revolutionary days, (! our ancestors, they got together, they talked about whatbb kind of country did they want? what were they willing to fight for? and they did fight for it.va;% we need to be willing to fight for it, the baton is now in our hands. we need to talk to our uncle whoy hasn't voted in 27 years. go to your grandmother who is an invalid and make sure she has an7é'ñ absentee ballot, help her fill it out. the baton is ours. freedom is not free. it must be fought for and remember, we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, but you cannot be free if you're not brave.

thank you very much. [ cheers and applause ]bs[x thank you. thank you. now, i think -- i think we're gñ&> going to have, for the first k[n time at cpac, we're gonna a little q and a. so, where's the q? >> yes. i'm here, dr. carson. good morning. >> hi. >> hi. please behave for me. this is my first time doing this. we actually have conservatives all across the country via twitter sending questions for and as you all know, it's a different format this year. so anyone that the media perceives as a presidential candidate will be subjected to these same questions and answers. >> no problem.,úñ

>> great. for national security and managing the threat against isis? >> okay.2#ó well, the key thing is concepts. you have to recognize that if i decide to run, and if i were in the office of president i have to say those things -- [ applause ] >> -- i would recognize that there is a role for the commander in chief and his staff, and that is to define th",y mission. what is the mission. the mission is recognizing ú that we have radical islamic terrorist groups that are in theiryiñ adolescent stage that wish to destroy us. and we have two choices. we can wait and see what they're going to do and react to it, or we can destroy them first. and what i would -- [ applause ] >> the mission that i would give our military is to destroy them first. and i wouldn't tie their hands,

and let them get it done. [ cheers and applause ]+h ñ >> are you ready for the second question? >> i'm ready. >> okay. that was good. the second question is how do you plan to restore the american dream and make us feel more united and less divided? >> well, first of q@1all, i think the bully pulpit and the position oféxfq the presidency is very, very 7.important, because it sets the tone. and, you know, we have a nation now where we have people in the highest levels who exacerbate the division. you know they've creat" çñ a war on women, race3fs.ñ wars income wars, age wars religious wars, you name it, there's a war on it.ñ9jew the real enemies in our country are the people who are the

purveyors of division, no matter where they are. [@bncause ] >> and i them out on that. and recognize, when we say a nation with liberty and justice for all, "all" means all. that means everybody. it means we don't pick and choose the laws that we want to enforce. we don'ttg9re pick and choose the people that we zr want to favor. everybody gets treated the same. and when our policies are that way, and when our leadership begins to talk that way i think it will make a dramatic difference for our nation. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> we're moving right along here. you're good. so the next question is a simple one, but a complicated one and important one. how do you feel about common core? >> well i think as i mentioned before education is the great divide in our country. it doesn't matter what your

ethnic background or any other back ground, you get a good education, you write your own ticket. now, the best education is the education that is closest to home. and i've found that, for instance, home schoolers do the private schoolers next best. charter schoolers next best. and public schoolers worse.il(c so that'szlqpv we need school choice. common core is not school choice. i do believe in standards. but those standards obviously are set by parents and4-; who dok wouldn't be doing so well. those standards obviously are set in our private schools. and orqiy public schools need to learn how to compete with that. but they don't need some central government to tell them how to do it. [ cheers and applause ] >> okay. this is going to be the last8 w question. just because your answers are so

succinctx@ >> i'm a surgeon.÷ro ;c >> okay. so the last question is how do you plan to bring your message to theos make them feel more included? and also how do you plan onwjúr making them feel inclusive? >> i think the key is to tell them the7ud truth. you know no more of this hiding what's going on. [ applause ] >> and see what i want people to have is realk0 freedom. and to have real prosperity. and, you know i hear some people saying, (ñp( uájz when he was a kid you÷n benefitedha9from welfare, and this stuff. and now he wants to get rid of it. i'm not interested in getting rid of safetygz/ñ nets i'm interested in getting rid of dependency. and i want us to find a way to allow people to excel in ourd

society. and as more and more people hear that message, they will recognize who is truly on their side, and who is trying to keep their votes. thank you. >> dr. carson, we really thank you for your remarks this morning. and good luck to you. >> thank you. [ cheers and applause ]vc÷zlh7 the annual conservative political action2?w conference under way inthis week in washington, d.c.=0q< it offersq÷8x panel discussions on topics important to conservatives. next a discussion of how to get millennm1kno to support republicans. this is 40 minutes.wsçtá íu

good morning. i'm from the republican national committee where i'm a deputy press secretary. and i specialize in youth politics. today i'm honored to be joined by representative mia love, charlie kirk, and senator ben sasse from nebraska, as we discuss the issues facingdosyour party and our country moving forward. like to throw it to senator sasse to give his remarks. he's a former college president and now the newest senator from nebraska. >> you bet. thank you. [ applause ] >> good to be with you all. thank you for having us this morning. i amkk.hejt off of two really

interesting experiences. i spent the last five years as a college president and when you're 37, look 27 and according to my wife, act 17, it's a little complicated to be@ a college president for the first time. because you walk across campus and people are trying to get you to pledge fraternities,k$áu they're trying to set you up with undergrads and there are big problems that can develop. it's been five years getting to re-know the youth of america, and over the course of thes[ last 18 months my wife and irja and our)q+ three kids, spent 400 days living on a campaign bus. there are lots of stories about a 3-year-old living for 400 days on a campaign bus. but that's for another session. we did nearly 1,000 public events over the course of those 400 days, and there is a lot to be pessimistic about in ame