[applause]

whos .

>> following this speech, white house spokesman robert gibbs said president obama welcomes the speech and is committed to two states, a jewish state of israel and an independent palestinian state. mr. gibbs says the president will work with all parties to see that they fulfill their obligations and head toward regional peace. >> you're watching c-span, a public service provided by the nation's cable industry. coming up, former house speaker newt gingrich at the 2009 annual congressional g.o.p. fundraising dinner. and then on "q and a," larry arnn, president of hillsdale college in michigan on not accepting state or federal funding. and later on prime minister's questions, british prime minister gordon brown on his proposal to reform british parliament.

>> tomorrow, a look at efforts to prevent polio around the world and lessons that can be applied toward developing other vaccines. the world health organization is the host of this event. you can see it live at 1:30 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. former speaker of the house newt gingrich was among the featured speakers at the annual g.o.p. fundraising dinner held last monday here in washington. his remarks are just under an hour. >> thank you all very, very much. and i'm going to thank mcconnell and john baner for inviting me on behalf of the two committees. i want to thank john corner and pete s for having been

such gracious hosts. i also want to thank governor pay lynn and todd for coming tonight and for being part of this -- governor palin. [cheers and applause] >> i came in with sarah and todd. we came to the bottom of the steps over here. john mccain was there very gracious,ly welcoming us. i have to tell you. despite every effort of the elite media to prop up joe biden and pretend he actually knows what he's doing, i felt looking at john mccain and sarah pail lynn this country would have been amazingly better off had they been in the white house. [cheers and applause] >> i also want to say that i think on behalf of both campaign committees that john voice has

given you your battle cry for the next year and a half. and i say this having once with haley barber and bob doll crisscrossed the country when we've been out of power for 40 years and people thought we were absolutely out of our minds to suggest we could actually win a majority. i think the phrase "do not tell me it can't be done" is about as good a way to start thinking about 2010 and 2012 as you could imagine. [applause] >> and i think our goal should be to reach out to the american people in every possible way, to make sure that john baner becomes the speaker of the house in january of 2011, that mitch mcconnell becomes the senate majority leader, and that this is a one-term presidency in the jimmy carter tradition.

[cheers and applause] >> let me be candid. watching that video, a lot has changed since 1994. then i was a father, and my two daughters, kathy and jacky, are here tonight and we're thrilled that they're here. but now i'm a grandfather. maggie is 9 and robert is 7. then i was an elected official who'd been a college teacher. now calista and i run 24 mall businesses. like the 26 million other small business owners we are burdened with payroll taxes, red tape and all the challenges of trying to create jobs in a government-hostile environment. back then i came to chair the medicare reform task force. now i'm on medicare. back then i went to the movies. now calista and i make movies.

so i recognize that 2009 is not 1994. but i want to say to all of you, as republicans, we have been here before. 1965, 1977, 1993. in each case we had lost. they'd been hard years. the news media was fleefully hoping we would disappear. 19651966 in which we picked up 47 house seats, swept the major -- including ronald reagan in california. two years later in 1968 we began the first of 40 years of presidency in which no overt liberal in 40 years won the presidency. [applause] >> 1977 when jimmy carter's

inaugural day popularity was higher than barack obama's was followed by 1980 in which ronald reagan won a decisive victory and fundamentally changed the course of america. 1993 in which bill clinton was creating a new democratic party was followed by 1994 in which the democratic party suffered its worst defeat in 40 years. now, history teaches us that there is a clear road back to a majority. that this is a time for optimism, for solutions, and for a focus on hope and opportunity. we must focus on solving america's problems and creating solutions for america. the american people will take care of the republican party if we will work with them and focus on helping them. consider california. last november then senator obama got 61% of the vote.

clearly a blue state by the current method of coloring things. but in may, stopping taxes and spending in sacramento got 64% of the vote and gave us an example of the great challenge facing the republican party. think about this. 64% of the people in california said, "sacramento is such a mess, they rejected raising taxes and raising spending." they wanted fundamental change in sacramento. 64% would be a massive majority in our largest state for a party which only a year ago got -- less than a year ago got 39%. but notice the challenge to many republicans. the referendum failed in every county. that is a majority of the voters of san francisco voted no.

now, one of the challenges the republican party is are we prepared to be inclusive and not exclusive? let me be clear. [applause] >> and i say this having been active in thinking about this party and thinking about governing this country for 51 years. i am happy that dick cheney is republican. i am also happy that colin powell is a republican. [applause] >> a majority republican party will have lots of debates within the party. that is the nature of majorities. remember, reagan carried 49 states in 1984, and a lot of them were not hard-core conservatives. reagan won in 1980 by appealing to independent and unhappy

democrats. there's not a single reagan speech where he doesn't say, "my fellow republicans and those independents and democrats who are looking for a better future." there were not enough republicans to win in 1980. in fact, we were i believe 21% of the electorate by the end of 1979. now, inclusion does not mean lack of principles. like reagan, and calista and i did a movie some of you saw last night with "ronald reagan" like reagan i am for first principles. tonight i am going to apply first principles to three areas. one, strengthening our unique american civilization. two, strengthening our national and homeland security. three, building a productive america with the best jobs and the greatest prosperity in the

world. first, we must strengthen our unique american civilization. mrs[applause] >> let me be clear. i am not a citizen of the world. [applause] >> i think the concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous. [applause] >> there is no world sovereignty, there is no world system of law. there is in fact no circumstance under which i would like to be a citizen of north korea, zimbabwe, venezuela, cuba or russia. i am a citizen -- [cheers and applause] >> i am a citizen of the united

states of america. and the rest of this speech is about the united states of america. [cheers and applause] >> america is an unique civilization. calista and i a couple of years ago did a movie called "rediscoverying god in america" which ises a walking tour of this city. we did it deliberately. it was our answer to the ninth circuit of court which is in fact irrationally out of touch with this country and irragly ruled that one nation under god was unconstitutional, grounds for my thought we should abolish the court and -- thomas jefferson eliminated 18 out of 35 federal judges, over one half of all federal judges. i am merely proposing one court of appeals. i am a moderate on this issue. [applause] >> but the core of this is a

very historic straightforward debate. it's not a theological debate, it's not a religious debate despite every effort of the elite media and every effort of the left to distort it. it's a fundamental debate of history. if you go to the national archives you will find the declaration of independence, a political document. it says, "we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights which among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." it is fundamental to the nature of americans. we are the only country in history which says "your personal rights come from god directly to you, and you loan the government sovereignty. but the center of sovereignty in america is inevitably and inex otherrably with the citizen because it is inalien able." that's the core document of this country. [applause]

>> that is why quote as and soto my for are wrong. that is why -- sotomayor is wrong. no government bureau carat has the right to take from you the rights that god gave you. and rationing under healthcare is inevitably limiting your life at the whim of a bureau carat and at the manipulation of a politician. [applause] >> the greatest articulator of this belief was the first republican president, a man who tragically presided over a civil war in which 620,000 americans died to end slavery, unlike president obama's cairo speech, it was not an act of happiness. it was a fundamental and stunningly painful expression of our willingness to live and die for the beliefs that make men free. [applause] >> it's worth looking at lincoln because he is speaking

only four years after the founding of the republican party. and by the way, if you want absolute proof, you cannot teach american history honestly and accurately without reference to god. go to the lincoln memorial, read the second inaugural, march, 1865, 703 words, 14 references to god, two quotes from the bible, and explain to me how you would teach lincoln accurately and honestly without explaining his attitudes. [applause] >> i'm going to quote from lincoln for a few minutes. it's a little longer than good speechmaking toll rates. but i'm doing it quite deliberately. i want to reset in you the passion, the sinister, the authenticity, -- the sincerity, the authenticity of the declaration of independence in making us an unique country.

in his debates with douglas, only four years after the founding of our party, lincoln said the following: pros parity might look up again to the declaration of independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began so that truth and justice and mercy and all the humane and christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land so. that no man would here after limit and circumdescribe the great principles on which the temple of -- the temple of liberty was being built. now, my countrymen, if you have been taught principles conflicting with the declaration of independence, if you have listened to suggestions which would take away from its gran door and mutilate the fair symmetry of it proportions,er if you are inclined to believe that not all men are created equal in this declaration of liberty, let me retreat you to return back,

return to the fountain whose waters spring close by the blood of the revolution. think nothing of me. take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsore. but some back to the truths that are in the declaration of independence. you may do anything with me you choose if you will but heed these sacred prince. you may not only defeat me for the senate but you may take me and put me to death. while pretending no indifference to earthly honors, i do claim to be actuated in this contest by something higher than anxiety for office. i charge you to drop every paul triand insignificant thought for any man's success. it is nothing. i am nothing. judge douglas is nothing. but do not destroy that immortal emblem of humanity, the declaration of american independence. >> that is what this is all

about. that is why i am a citizen of the united states of america and not a citizen of the world. [applause] >> compare that passion for individual liberty and individual opportunity with the question as, group politics, and bureaucratic healthcare rationing advocating by our opponents. this republican commitment to the individual did not cease after lincoln. reagan in one of his radio talks in the 1970's, part of which we have in our movie, said the following: "some of our social planners refer to them as the masses, which only proves they don't know them. i've been privileged to meet people all over this land, in a special kind of way you meet them when you are campaigning. they are not the masses or as the elitists would have it, the common man, they are very

uncommon. individuals, each with his or her own hopes and dreams, plans and problems, and the kind of quiet courage that makes this whole country run better than just about any other place on earth. and that's why rationing is wrong, and that's why question as are wrong. because in fact they eliminate the very power of the individual -- question as are wrong. this -- quotas are wrong. >> this lead us to some profound commitments. having judges that understand that america that has driven god from the public square will no longer be the america that has extended freedom and prosperity for 400 years. understand that individual rights and responsibilities are at the heart of our system, that there are no quotas and no group identities in the american system. understanding that at cape henry, where english-speaking settlers first came, they erected a cross as their first act in order to thank god for having gotten across the

atlantic. understanding that at jamestown, our first permanent settlement, they established the principle "if you do the do not work you will not eat" not for the poor but for the air rest toe cats. it was at the heart of our wealth forereform in 1986. it is our most successful conservative program in the modern times. 65%% of the people on welfare went to work or went to school. [applause] >> it's why we have to teach american history accurately and honestly, and frankly, replace those professors and those teachers unwilling to be accurate and honest about american history. [applause] >> it is why we have to have judges who refer to the american constitution and worry about american presidents and reject those would-be judges or replace those judges who insist on quoting foreign precedent and

foreign law which has no application to the united states of america. [applause] >> it's why we recognize that american entrepreneurial capitalism and a free market will work and that european socialism will not work in terms of productivity and prosperity. [applause] >> because america is unique, it is worthy of defending. and so my second point is, we must ensure national security and homeland security. we need a great national debate on five key questions: is the world dangerous. are there people in governments who would like to destroy us. what is it worth to keep america and americans safe from those dangers. what strategies can defeat our opponents. what metrics can we use to tell if the strategies are working or failing. under the obama administration, we have fallen back into the

eutopian fantasies and self-deception of the 1977 carter administration and the 1993 clinton administration. the reagan movie is a remarkable portrait of the contrast between idealistic realism and idealistic eutopianism. let me remind you. ronald reagan and his idealistic belief in democracy announced firmly that our goal in the cold war was we win and they lose, that our opponents were an evil empire. and 1 years after his administration the soviet union disappeared -- 11 years. jimmy carter who was a sincere idealist was totally out of touch with reality. he lived in a world of fantasies. the result was a catastrophic failure. the clinton erra failures are similar. their passion for mistreating terrorism not as an act of war but as an act of criminal justice, their refusal to accept the threats to america, meant

that they couldn't cope with the world trade center in 1993 which was in part plotted by a prison ica prison. -- in attica prison. or deal with the bombing in saudi arabia that they blocked the fbi from going and finding out what happened. they couldn't take charge of the two embassies bombed in africa. -- or yemen where the ambassador blocked the fbi from looking for people. therefore during the entire period of the clinton administration the ability of al-qaeda to plan 9/11 was never stopped, and the people who were doing it were never stopped, and as a result we were left in enormous danger. again and again the legalisms and self-deceptions of treating enemies as criminals led to more and more disastrous results. today many of the same civil libertarians defend the accused terrorists, follow criminal proceedings in a war, ideal ogs

are now in the obama justice department. it's amazing how many of them come from law firms which were eagerly giving pro bono representation to alleged terrorists in guantanemo. the challenge for the obama administration is simple: americans know better. this isn't the first issue in which the president's clearly and devicively on the wrong side and the american people have begun to get it. by 3-to-1 the american people believe that we are safer with prisoners in guantanemo than in america. 3-to-1 is a pretty big margin. [applause] >> guantanemo is a case study in common sense versus self-deception. i thought the president's decision to deliberately schedule a speech opposite dick cheney was the first big tactical mistake of his presidency. i'm sure that what happened was his political advisors said to him, vice-president cheney has bad poll numbers, you have good poll numbers, it will be a terrific contrast.

they forgot a couple of things. vice-president cheney was the youngest chief of staff to an american president in history. he was on the intelligence committee in the house, he was secretary of defense for four years, he spent eight years as vice-president focused on national security, he actually understands the issue. [applause] >> the great difference between reagan's rhetorical skills and president obama's rhetorical skills are that reagan used his rhetorical skills to shine light on truths and fundamental facts. obama uses his retore cal skills to hide from fundamental facts. if you want a single case, read the cheney speech and the obama speech on the same day. it's a fundamental mistake which tells you a great deal about this administration. cheney had a fairly simple

message. the reason we have guantanemo is we have people at guantanemo who are dangerous. they are called terrorists. we call them terrorists because they want to kill us. it is good to not have them anywhere near us because it makes it harder for them to kill us. now, the average american could hear that simple, declare tiff sentence and say to themselves, "okay, there's the terrorists are ok gang and there's the terrorists in guantanemo gang." okay, i got it. i'm with the terrorists stay in guantanemo gang. well, the president who had aim possible position -- it was once said of lincoln and douglas that lincoln was the best lawyer in illinois with a good case and douglas was the best lawyer in illinois with a bad case. i'm beginning to think president obama is in the douglas tradition. the president whose a remarkably wonderful other tore said we are here in a deeply meaningful moment in which we are going to in a meaningful way engage in

discussing a problem so complex and difficult that only myself can present it to you in a way that you will fully appreciate the meaningfulness of this moment that we have here together. an average american said "got it. he doesn't understand what's going on." and they're currently losing this debate by about 3-to-1 and it will get worse if they stick to it. because it is none. [cheers and applause] -- because it is nonsense come. >> but we need to build on the lesson of this debate. it's not about guantanemo. it's about the nature of reality. the lesson of terrorism is that we have to control our borders. the lesson of terrorism is that we must have a system of effective legal immigration. we must have a system of legal temporary workers. we must have a vastly expanded system of h-1 visas for highly qualified workers. we must outsource the guest worker identity system, to visa, master card or american express because no federal agency could keep up with the fraud if you

tried to internalize it to the bureaucracy. and we must ensure assimilation into being americans by making english the official language of government. [applause] >> and by teaching american history both to first generation immigrants and to our own children. now, some of you will be told later, how can we appeal to a latino vote if we're actually in favor of english? the fact is if you go to american solutions.com and click on platform, 59% of the hispanic american population favors english as the official language of government. and as bob bigin call's father who is a first generation immigrant from india said to me recently, we are crazy if we do not make english the official language of government. we need it to assimilate everyone from every country into being american. [cheers and applause] >> and in that process we have toch