these people may be the one who shot dead but in a couple of months when the members are up for election. the angry people at that town hall will be in the back of the members' minds when they come back to talk about this and that about it. -- an event and vote about it. >> last question for you. it is your perspective on the questions you discussed with karen ignagni and why the speaker of house chose to criticize the insurance industry. >> the insurance companies polled terribly because i have a model that is not productive. karen made a good point and its. it is hard to compete in a way that is productive when you don't have everyone in the system. the helsinki -- the health the people can lead. in doing that, you deny people

who have pneumonia, they have become quite heated. the political actors are acting on that knowledge. the insurance reform has patents because this is how you and i feel. it is where we see it. heart doctors help us, our hospitals keep us from bleeding on the carpet, but the insurance people argue with us for hours on the phone. >> will look for your continued reporting on this. >> thank you. the oilers this is c-span, public affairs programming courtesy of america's cable companies. but adds, remarks from bloggers on the new media strategist at right online conference. and then maria shriver gives the unit -- gives the eulogy for her mother, eunice kennedy

shriver. tomorrow on "washington journal," the white house correspondent for "the hill tops about how obama is promoting his agenda during the recess. jim martin on his concerns about health care proposals from president obama and the democrats in congress. and fell off alcabes talks about the history of disease control and questionable health policy practices. "washington journal," alive every morning at 7:00 a.m. -- like every morning at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. from the right online conference in pittsburgh, discuss sense of the online campaigning. this act -- this last about one hour and 10 minutes.

we had that great time and we're glad to have you joining us. on our panel today, we're delighted had eric erickson, and matt lewis from politics daley appeared without further ado, i will turn it over to them. topic will be, how the right can win online. the work begins when you leave here and go back to your communities and get online and get engaged and move our government board. we're grateful that you are here. we look forward to staying in touch and seen how we can make a difference. thank you all. one last note.

in your packages, there is a fire for our national summit in washington d.c., and we would love have you join us there. if you want to fill that out and hand it to our staff on the way out, if you like to register or you can go to the website, and we will be around if you have any other question. on the net, i turn that over to these guys. thank you for being on our closing panel. >> thank you, harry. my name is robert f. bloeuey. we have eric erickson and matt lewis who contribute to politesse daily. i want to make this -- this gives you an opportunity as question. it depends on you. many people as spoken of the

last couple of days. we want an answer questions about what we do next. i would start by asking eric and matt to share a couple of their thoughts on how we take the next out. i wanted to begin by looking back where we have come in the past year. i don't know how many of you were in austin, texas last year but i was there and saw a lot of enthusiasm. i met the people who have returned here to pittsburgh from last year's conference. i thought i was star with eric since he was there last year and then get mad perspective. at think they're right has developed an adapted in the last year? yet few think that conservatives are still struggling to grasp the power of the media, or is the left now looking to us for ideas? >> i think the left is probably looking to us for new ideas now, but take for example today. we were copying barack obama and doing nothing but creeks queen

question. -- prescreen questions. we will find donors to have 11- year-old daughters in asked as detailed questions abide by the left is so angry at us. we would do just like barack obama does. seriously -- we are still behind. part of that note, it's the recognition or the lack of recognition on the right of what is going to do to get ahead. black has been very willing to be collaborative -- the left and very willing to be collaborative template money toward the problem. on the right, people are interested in the profit motive. we're not going to make a profit. you have to be committed to the cause. a lot of left-wing sites, u.s.c. advertising by the afl-cio, the democratic party, a lot democratic donor companies. you did not see that on the right. there is a funding gap that

plays into it. at the same time, there are different interests. i have to tell you, i see the trend now where on web sites on the right, traffic is going up. take heart -- take hot air. they use the same analytic tools as daily kos and they are as large if not larger than daily kos which is huge for us. we're starting to make process. there is still progress to go. some part of that as well, recognition on the right that demographically we are different. we're working families to work for the day who cannot be engaged online versus a college kid and retirees on the east and left coast chicken dedicate their time to it. >> matt, i would ask you, you have won many different hats. you see this both as someone who

has written about this and some and been involved in campaigns. what he think about how things have played out? >> eric said at the right and left are different and some states are conservative. i think we should try to learn from the other side, always. conservatives and liberals, i am sure the liberals try to learn from lee atwater. i read that should be matt -- i read matt trippi's book. the left is very worried right now. not because the conservative blogosphere is beating them but that the conservative blogosphere, coupled what talk radio and heritage foundation and a pink top -- and think tanks and infrastructure that was put in place by the conservative movement and the 1970's, and i thought it went away. they thought it had gone

dormant period of my gosh, it is bad year they're scared right now. it's not fair to compare the conservative blogosphere against the left but to compare it cpac analogy. this event, we are having at opposite of netroots nations. this is our version of that. conservatives have cpac, where thousands gather every year. the other point i want to make is that the self like chelation as the stock. i agree that conservatives have a lot to learn and have to catch up on the internet. some of that is not because conservatives are not good technologically as liberals but because the internet and blogosphere blossom during a time when conservatives -- republicans, a more specific term -- were in power and

liberals were out power. people out of power are more creative and more desperate and willing to try different things. there is a tendency to over inflate the other side and how good they are coming into under appreciate how good how -- how good our side is. i would say this, right now people look at the last month. i would challenge you to tell me that the net rates have been more affected in the last month in the conservative blogosphere? without a doubt, the conservative blogosphere had been more effective in the last month. i and i know if the trend will continue. on that point, would you say that the election of bread and obama has actually helped the right more online and the left? >> it is ironic but that is right. i will give you a parallel. a conservative think tank, i used to work at the leadership institute. when bill clinton was president, they were raking in

money because conservative grassroots activists and donors were ticked off an angry. when george w. bush was elected president, all of our problems had apparently been sought because conservative donors quit giving money. the same thing is true online. when you are in power, there is something about being the establishment that means you are no longer are revolutionary. you probably remember a week ago, the white house put out this thing that said, it if you see any misinformation coming from -- fishy misinformation about health care, you should wrap, i mean, inform us at flag@whitehouse.gov. they responded smartly and did what we are taught to do glitches, they put out their nvidia, they put up a web site,

they actually had -- i don't know who it was but somebody came forward ended their on youtube video, and nobody and covered it. the reason is that when you were a revolutionary, when you are on the outside, you are now under the established, a million flowers bloom. that is what is happening to conservative blogger try now. the problem with barack obama and the white house if that they won, and now they have to govern, and it is no longer cool or fund. i was a conservative blogger during the bush years. it ain't fun. this is fun. [laughter] what what have conservative leadership in the white house, as a blogger and an essay writer, there are benefits to not being in power. >> eric, i want ask you as someone who deals with grass roots and activist all the time, house is the left still

outmaneuvering the right on line? what do we need to do to be more effective? >> i think that there is some maneuvering. there is a lot more bloggers on the left to do it as a full-time occupation. i am one of the few on the right. many are subsidized by that george soros and machinery that work for medium matters and spent a lot of time blogging. or they get hired by the "washington post" white bread sargent, now an objective reporter for the "washington post," like ezra klein. >> if this is the first time he will not be moderating in a netroots panel. the right really sucks now. and now i am mainstream media and i used ito give my opinion

and now it is fact. it is funny how that works. they're right is never going to be embedded into the media the way that the left is. we have a harder time inserting stories into the media as a result. that is why there is so much anchor at the town hall now. you have a majority of americans who live realize the politicians to control washington are against them and the press is not reporting accurately what is happening. they have a natural anger and at all to get their message out. the left has an achilles' heel that the right is beginning to capitalize on. once the right release solidifies this, it will be terrifying for the left. the left came into the internet because that was the available tool for them when republicans controlled washington. and it dominated the internet. i think the internet is much

more egalitarian. when the right was out power in the 1990's, be available till then was talk radio. and so the right began dominating talk radio. the left has never been able to succeed at all radio. and it never has been. now imagine a resurgent online right, and a thriving radio right working together? it becomes a very powerful force to bypass the left in their media operation in washington and new york, to get to voters. your regularly seeing that happen, particularly with a local talk radio stations. left and the media has created a story, that it is americans for prosperity, freedom works, the rnc, and others who are working to drive astroturfers to town

hall meetings. that is not true. do you want find out where the largest town halls are? they are in metropolitan media markets that have thriving talk radio stations. those are where your town halls are. it is not the guys in d.c. doing this but the local radio guy. >> let me jump in and talk about what bloggers had done. did you see this sheila jackson lee video where she takes the phone call? if there was not blocker who had a camera and put it on my blog and send it out, how many people think that would have been on msnbc? the thing is -- and at the same town hall, a lady happened to be there and she represents herself as a pediatric surgeon, and she was not. if you're going to affect your profession, also affect your name. [laughter] that is a good rule of thumb.

the "houston chronicle" put her on the paper and said that she was a pediatric surgeon. there was a blocker pleasant who actually google her and that she had a myspace page. he actually interacted with there and she admitted that she was not a doctor. this is what blockers are doing out in the grass roots. -- bloggers are doing out in the grass roots. they live in houston are wet rubber and they are making a difference. >> they are feeding that information into a talk radio apparatus. we're really starting to work well together. there is no doubt that the liberals will start pushing the fairness doctrine again. >> if people like you, they are with us today that are going to be the ones that would go out and do this. he cannot do this in washington, d.c. it is impossible.

in your local communities, if you do in the blogging or find a flat cans and taking them to record town hall meetings are other things. it is relying on you. leads me to my next question. both of you come from different perspectives when it comes to blogging. eric, you are more of an activist with a top blogging if you do. matt, you do more punditry or journalism. there may be disagreement, and i expected to be. which is much more important? >> i will start. and this is interesting. [laughter] the guy who starts, usually wins. always throw the first punch. you learn that early. you've got into a debate a couple of years ago what the late dean barnett about this very topic. i even weighed in. this has been around for a

while. and there are people who say -- as much as conservative blogger is get in the fights, this was a topic about fight. and there were visits were said and there were people who felt that -- not the purpose of blogging as activism. if you're not out there saying donate to this candidate, then you are a sell-off. and then other people want to be george will when we grew up. there is this class. my argument has always been that it is all choice. if you look at when the conservative movement was effected in the past, you always had people who had great activists and great opinion leaders like william f. buckley, and you have your politicians like ronald reagan. i still believe in a place called hope. no. [laughter] i still believe that we need

that, but we complement each other. newt gingrich is fond of quoting margaret thatcher is that first you in the argument, and then you win that vote. ronald reagan, he was a leader and would do think that were not popular if he thought they were right but he would bring the country with him. he understood it was part of the job of being president, educate the public on why free-market work or whatever, why we have to defeat communism and what we can. all of those great things. i think that i take issue with the argument that bloggers should strictly be activist. i respect that and i think it partly great and legitimate that we have those. it is important that we find out philosophical and theological battles. when i write for of what politics daily," and mainstream website, different people like

that on there. i am a conservative voice in a conservative viewpoint. hotly people in new york city and san francisco are reading me when they go there. i hope that maybe just a little bit that will see that conservative side of things. >> matt is obviously wrong. [laughter] i do agree that it is not a false choice. the dean barnett argument started over something i had done at red state, lodging a protest and robb had quickly jumped to my defense. the problems still continue. it's not that we need either pundits or activists because we do need both. rush limbaugh rallied the crowd and does a good job of educating people on issues, but and others are the ones -- you all rarely hear rush limbaugh say call congress. other voices will say that.

we need a variety of those voices. the problem in the blogosphere is still on the right. we're at about this compared to the left. if i do something at red state, a protest, there is going to be someone who was going to spend 10,000 words writing by either should not do it or if i would do it their way and set up my way, it would be more effective. you get that everywhere but the right is notorious about that, everyone wants to be the next rush limbaugh and george will, glenn back, you name it. the problem is when we start throwing stones at each other, as opposed to stones on the other side. i am a big believer in throwing stones at republican politicians who have gotten out of line. i'm a big believer in throwing stones are republicans. [applause] as i said this morning, we are rapidly getting to a situation

where we may take that back because it will really hurt us. we have not learned of a lessons we need to learn. that is why we need that for a lot of stunts right now so that they figure things out before next year. in any event, in the right blogosphere if you have so many of the leading voices that the way people decide to the standards themselves is to start throwing stones at their friends said that their voice rises. that becomes a problem. we do need puns and we do need an activist and they do need to work together. >> not only throwing stones, but he who has the most harsh, more controversial rhetoric also is quoted. your name gets laid to whatever. another point that i will make is -- and you brought up earlier that there are not not full-time conservative blogger is. if you work full-time as a

blocker, -- as a blocker, is not in your billet -- is within your ability to do research. you can look at everyone who has contributed to nancy pelosi or you can become an expert in a policy area, whether health care. but if you'll only have a couple of hours to blog when your boss is not looking -- and we have all done that, right? new cannot be a policy blogger. what you become his end -- if you'll only have a limited amount of time, you just write your opinion because everyone has an opinion. i write opinion a lot but i try to come up with something that no one is saying are thinking of, hopefully. i think that that is part of the problem. not enough full-time conservative blogger is a not enough money. >> and add one more point he is. could those of you who do not

have plods -- now not the time to start a blog. now maybe the time, given what we are up against, to find pre- existing communities online and become part of a larger community. a lone voice crying in the wilderness rarely gets hurt in this day and age, particularly on line, when there are 20 million blogs. when you go to a community of like-minded people and start working together, it your opinion is valid. your opinion is valid and i am interested in your opinion, but what i am much more interested in is your ability to pick up a rock and roll it where it needs to be thrown these days. to pick up the phone and call congress, could give money to make good candidate, to go a town hall and make your voice heard. our ability to hang up the fun and good downtown or get off the couch and go visit people,

that is more important than being a lone voice in the wilderness crying out to be heard. >> the opposition not think of themselves as blogger is best 21st century community organizers. that is a point. >> i come from a background in journalism, came to washington in 2001, wanted to be a reporter and was for five years. that at the job at heritage and shifted. >> wait, you are more qualified to be a reporter for the "washington post" than a leftwingers they are hiring? never mind. >> my point is that in addition to the george wills, we also need people like robert novaks. every column that robert novak reported, there was always news

in that column. that is what made him such an effective columnist. it was actually news. the other thing we need, and the left has been able to do that with the finding that they received, sites like talking points memo, investigative reporting. in many cases, it is reporting that is obviously slanted toward their perspective, but they are still breaking news in many cases. i think that that is an area where i am personally interested in and i would love to see more people on the right of the third time that your >> that is the single area of deficiency between red and -- all right and left online. the right -- lf has an organization dedicated to ethics complaints and information requests against republicans, and then write the story based on the information gathered and beat it into the mainstream media. we're still not there yet on the right. there needs to be significant investment into that area.

>> and if you have time to spend all day at a house of representatives to embarrass a member of congress and ask him, what you think about sarah palin's debt panel? now you have time to do that? most bloggers cannot do it unless you are being paid. >> there is something that is happening, the franklin center, a free market organization of working in different states across the country with think tanks. each state has a free-market think tank. there are things happening. i think you need to rent them up and devote more attention to them. i want to shift gears a little bit. this november, all eyes are on virginia and new jersey because of gubernatorial elections that will be the first major collections in the wake of obama's election last november. what is the barometer going to be for the right, depending on

how these play out? what do you foresee here in the next 80 days before these elections? >> if you compare where we were in 1993 to where we are now, we are a little bit ahead. state legislative seats picked up by republicans versus now, we are at 15 now and we were at 13 total for 1993. we won virginia and new jersey then. those are big indicators that something was afoot, particularly new jersey. same thing this time. you have to be careful about reading too much into it. the democratic candidate in virginia is a warning -- running the worst campaign that nobody ever heard of. his campaign is a disaster. it is horrible. he started monday of last week saying that bob macdonald was going to not kill as many babies as me as if -- he was governor.

he moved to wednesday saying that he flew a confederate flag and an event until blogger is exposed that he had not done that. it was made up by the campaign manager. he then promised to raise taxes on all of virginia. a winning campaign. and in new jersey, you have fbi indictments coming every which way. all the right does not read too much into the elections but there is something to be said, that we are picking up seats in special state legislative elections. in my view is that 2010 is the most important election since 1968. .

>> i put a lot of stock in momentum. i think this is a huge year. recently, i heard haley barbour who is chairman of the rnc in the '90s, and he said that most of the candidates who won in 1994 signed on and were recruited after george allen won. that is amazing.

not only is a victory in 2009 a harbinger of things to come, but it will encourage top tier candidates who are right now sitting on the fence that they can win. it has a tangible, real value of that winning this year will encourage the top tier republican candidates who have been sitting out because nobody wants to lose, to actually get in the race. i think republicans win in virginia and i am optimistic about new jersey except for the fact that they can just replace a candidate two weeks out and put in somebody else. you can never predict what will happen in new jersey. it is looking really good in virginia. i think -- i wrote something the other day where i went back and looked at george stephanopoulos' book and i

looked at the part about health care and i started reading what was happening in 1993 and 1994. i could not believe it. there are comparisons between the health care debates today in 1994 -- today and 1994. radio played a huge impact. stephanopoulos even said there was a guy with a gun in the audience and the cia had to take away from him. it wasn't a big deal. but this is actually history repeating itself. i think that the democrats made many of the same mistakes this time that they did in 1994. >> adding one more point about recruiting, already, this year, the nrc sc had one heck of a

recruitment cycle. they have top tier candidates before next year. what matt said, after new jersey rolls around, unfortunately, the senate side is a whole disappointment for republicans. the nrsc not get its act together. on the house side, if you want to raise revenue, it starts in the house and not the senate. we are doing very well. >> just a couple more questions before returning to the audience. thanks to american force prosperity -- americans for prosperity foundation for doing this. tim phillips and the executive director of the organization, i applaud them for their efforts. do you feel that other leaders

in the conservative movement are embracing this to the extent that they should, and if not, why not? >> they are starting to get it. you mentioned at 10 phillips. obviously, the fact that we are having this today, that a conservative organization is putting this on is very important. they need a succession plan. there are a lot of older conservative movement leaders and i do not think that they have -- let me back up. john maxwell said that without a successor, there is no success. if you have a conservative organization today and there is not a good succession plan in place, it has been a long weekend.

then you are not doing your job. there are a lot of good things and i think they are starting to get that. right now, we are not at a place where they know everything. we should be on this twitter and thing. they know what tweeter -- water is. >> i like what the foundation has been able to do in the last couple of years. if you have not been to the defending the dream conference in october, i went to the one last year and i cannot recommend it enough. it is a huge conference. it brings people together. you talk about some of the things we're talking about today, plus more. it is a way to get us moving forward, unlike a lot of the other forums.

that is the problem we have on the bright is that there are a lot of groups that go into status quo mowed and they're doing -- status quo mode. they're doing the same thing they did in 2003. that is not a winning formula. there is way too much status quo on the right. there are very fine organizations on the right that are consuming massive amount of resources and are not doing anything with it. some of these organizations -- >> if you want to name names? >> i probably shouldn't. there are some that are wasting resources on the right. think of some of the big conservative organizations out there. compared to what is happening here with this. where you're not just turning out people to be pontificated to

buy politicians in washington, but your -- pontificated to by politicians in washington, they are now fully in doubt. it is good to be a little hungry. >> thank you, marc. >> i hope he would not include heritage in that list. -- i hope you would not include heritage in that list. having worked at the heritage foundation, it is remarkable to see just how much they have been willing to let me do. when i started at heritage, there was a reluctance to even let me blog. now the blog is one of the most paul -- popular places to get the message out. it has changed the entire way we

communicate. >> we should also note that heritage started townhall.com. they were ahead of the curve. >> having worked in three organizations, i have seen a willingness to adapt is slow and it takes time for our leaders to do that. a but fortunately, there are good ones that set a good example and hopefully, others will follow. >> i should just point out that, as i am doing my plug, that you should have a packet. i really do encourage you guys. we really are hungry as a movement and going to events like this and going to a van slyke and the defending the dream conference are so

important because my rule of thumb is that if the focus is not on collaborating, we are wasting our time. that is what i like about these. i will say what i said this morning. if you do not know when you leave this place the person sitting in front of you in the person sitting behind you, we are starting at a net loss. we have to start figuring out to each person is and how we can work together. >> i know that americans for prosperity were part of the red state gathering in atlanta and now the leadership institute did some training and that is very helpful and good to see. >> absolutely it is. playing off that note, and finding out who you are sitting next to in making that connection, what would you say if you could offer one piece of advice to the attendees, here.

and also those that are watching on c-span, but is the one piece of advice that you would give them that they could do online to be effective? >> the one piece of advice i would give you is to know who represents year and did you have a problem with that person because of their voting record, let the rest of us know. building a record in the opposition against those we intend to fight is vitally important right now as we move into an election season, finding out who the people are and what the problems are because this is really a fight. you see it every day. some of you have been attacked by the media as being phony and the media is treating us as bugs

that are beating people up at town halls. becoming not just part of the conversation, but part of the movement is the number-one thing. when i say the movement, i am not talking about some esoteric thing, i am talking about from the keyboard to the town hall to the voting booth. what i am not sure i can top that line. that is good. follow me on twitter. apollo was on twitter and check us out. in reality, i think that the number one thing out what have you leave with is to not to be demoralized. i think the wind is at your back right now. we have lamented the fact that the left is more organized and the right is not. in a way, it has always been that way. they have a top-down structure.

conservatives, by nature, are rugged individuals. you do not take your marching orders from the central agency. >> what? >> you do have an e-mail list. >> i tune in every morning to get my marching orders from karl rove. >> for me, it is rush limbaugh. >> halliburton calls me every day to tell me what i must do to defend big oil. >> there you go again. [laughter] >> i think that the key is to get an iphone or a flip camera or a black bear a curve or something that has a camera and you will be able to tweaet. the fourth estate is the media and the fit the state is a

citizen journalists who are holding our representatives accountable. there is nothing more healthy for democracy whether you are on the right or the left. that is something that i think that everyone can do. keep in mind the power that you have. right now, you own a printing press, a broadcasting station, a camera. the beatles recorded on a five track recording system. you're someone who is out there keeping an eye on the government. >> i would like to say that i do not think they even make 5 track players anymore. >> one more piece of advice, and it should be the best piece of advice. let me make a good point. a psalm 73 says that the wicked

people prosper. he said that i in the arrogant when i saw the prosperity of the wicked and so pryde is there a necklace and the clothes themselves with violence. as he is pondering this, he has this great line that says in an instant, how poorly they are destroyed. [applause] we on the right must be happy warriors until the end. we must be happy warriors because we do not know -- you have to understand that i am a christian. victory comes, we just do not know when, so be happy warriors until the end. >>[applause]

>> that is excellent. that is a great point to shift from me asking the questions to the audience. i see a question down here in the front of the room, so if you could just hold off until you get a mikc. >> i am hard of hearing, so the microphone helps. >> i thought it was interesting to hear you all talk about the combination of talk radio and then, if we add to that, the new media right. if we put those two forces together, we would be unstoppable. what happens when they pushed the fairness doctrine on talk radio and then the simpatico version that will hurt the conservatives in their roots,

how do we deal with that? >> clearly, we have to stop it. anybody who was a defender of free speech, the fairness doctrine would be horrible. it would be entirely done to score partisan points. at this point, it looks like there was more to be an effort to push it through congress. because it is so potent, there will likely be more efforts. anybody who loves and values freedom has to fight it tooth and nail. >> it might not come through congress. it is not as open and transparent as it would be otherwise. i like the fcc diversity i

czar. let me tell you, i did a c-span interview yesterday with apologies to those folks watching on c-span, but the only moral contented people in america then left-wing commager's on blogs or left wing collars -- are left wing coallers on washington journal. three weeks ago, nancy pelosi was blocking legislation would prohibit the fairness doctrine. who is the lead role in the senate, not barbara boxer, the other one feinstein did mention it. they're blocking republican attempts to shut it down while

pointing people to the fcc to throw it back in. we have to be vigilant >> thank you, i live in a snake pit called new jersey have the time. part of the problem is that in new jersey, we have three republican congressmen that voted for capt. trade. i, being a lifelong republican and conservative feel like it is time to pull the plug on these people. [applause] if they're going to be supporting barack obama and the democrats, we do not need them.

but when i talk to other republican people, they say that if we get rid of one, we will get another one so that i am in a dilemma about that. we have a man that is running for governor who, one week prior to announcing to governor, refused to say that he was a republican. he refused to say that he was a conservative. so i am in a dilemma on what to do about this. in any help? >> was he afraid of the cement shoes? >> he is also a man that you would ask a pointed question and he could not give you a direct answer. his name is chris krysticristi. >> your draft to excuse me

because i am going to get on my soapbox. at the heart and soul of the republican party is fought in the state of florida. if you have not paid attention to that senate race, the establishment republicans are backing a man that supports capt. trade and the stimulus package and universal health care. he supports drilling for oil off the florida coast. he is running against inarticulate hispanic whose parents fled castro, a guy that was elected speaker of the florida house. the establishment republicans are voting for a guy whose views are no different than the president of united states. the national republican senatorial committee has endorsed the guy. they endorsed him to stop going to the other guy. my general rule is that this is a two-party country whether we like it or not.

access laws across the country make it virtually impossible for a third party to succeed. and there the third most viable party in the country and cannot do it. ironically, the socialists can because they run under the democratic party. my rule is that you should vote conservative in the primary and fight to the bitter end in the primary, but at the end of the day, you are left 40 people. one will vote for a republican speaker of the house or a republican senator majority. those are two very critical votes and you know that regardless of how they vote on everything else, one guy will vote one way and the other guy will vote the other and who would you prefer they vote for? it is not a game of purity anymore.

it is the game of the evils of to loesseessers. >> ma'am? >> i am very concerned about what is corn to be happening with the census. there was -- apparently the census will be under the control of the white house and they are higher in all of these people from a corn to the census takers -- from acorn to the census takers. there is a question of them counting illegal immigrants in the census. i wonder how this will affect elections and if there is anything we can do about it? i am sure it will not be in our

favor. >> my understanding is that at the end of the day, there is actually some compelling laws that even the white house as to have to comply with on that. but board able to pull what from the commerce department. let's not kid ourselves. it will still control the process. today, there are three people in this room and next door in the into room, there are 5000. that is weight -- that is the way the game will be played. there will be fictitious numbers through hypothetical sampling could i think the republicans have a good argument that should have to count people and not make them up along the way. you're dealing with a white house and congress that are controlled by one party. if the republicans were in charge of the white house, you would see them doing things to

their vantage. that is the nature of the beast. what are they want to do that circumvents or flies under legal standards that they have to meet? that is why it is critically important to elect people who were born to make sure that the actual laws are followed and frankly, they need to be really careful because if the republicans take back the house next year, there is a long list of things to be investigated and we will tied them up in congress. >> this is the reason that judge greg step down from the administration and is now a u.s. senator. there is a good reason for you to be concerned about this. >> a couple of you mentioned the top tier candidates and you made the comment that if we have a couple of wins, mabel they will -- maybe they will step in.

maybe it's time we have states and that are not afraid to lose. [applause] if these people are top tier candidates, they ought to be running whether they are free to lose or not. otherwise, they're just professional politicians and that charlie crist is a prime example. he was supporting the stimulus package without even reading it. >> i agree with you in the sense that in a perfect world, i think you are right. let me go back to the initial point which was what haley barbour said. according to him, most of the people who won the were part of the american revolution in 1994 signed on after the '93 victories. that is late to get into the game. that is only one year out.

whether it is right or wrong, these people -- if someone runs for office, they are putting their life on the line put. it is a very serious undertaking and some of these folks have a lot to lose. anything that can inspire them to think that this is a good year and that they are not wasting their time, i think is very important. there is only 640,000 people in north dakota, but they have to u.s. senators and both of them are democrats. even though there is a republican governor and republicans dominate the state legislature and the boy republican attorney general, everything is republican, but their entire federal delegation are democrats. the governor of that state has toyed with the idea of running for u.s. senate and he could win

if he gets in the race. i think that if he saw republicans winning in new jersey and virginia, that would go a long way towards easing his concerns. >> i have more patience for candidates now. you are asking them to give up their livelihood to run. you're taking them away from their family. i understand the point and i think of florida is a perfect example. you have two candidates in the race. the issue remains that people who want to give up their job and give up their family for a year and one need to see tangible signs of encouraging hope to want to get in. i am an elected republican official and i am on a city council. even i know the candidates at a

local level. they want to know they have a shot. what happens in november will be a flag of where there is something worth fighting for in 2010. >> let's put out some props, we have some from the in rcc -- the nrcc that are actually here among us lowly blotteggers. kudos to you guys. you all rock. >> good to have a question? >> i am with a blog. i find it hard to think that we should pick a republican as a lesser of two evils. if i was here for the vote

between a republican and democrat, i would have voted for a democrat, under the pretense that a cure to get it, when i get the real thing. candidates have to start thinking about sacrifice. a candid it may give up a career, but if you take the other side of that equation, but theoretically it save the job, how much of your job to be saved if your country goes to hell in a handbasket? [applause] as an alternative, i was on a call with a congressman recently. i question to him was, what is it a dead man's policy has that has people vote for her.

the question he missed was what would you like her as speaker of the house? we probably cannot replace manciple sosa because of her crazy constituents, but can we not start to put pressure on democrats all across the country by tying them directly to the most popular politician in america? could we get them to choose a different speaker of the house? " i look at this from a policy perspective. at the heritage foundation, within the last month, as senator from alaska came and spoke about missile defense. when he opened the speech, he said that he had just come from a democratic luncheon and all of his democratic colleagues were shaking their heads and asking why you would go talk to the

conservative heritage foundation. >> hethe line he said that the heritage foundation was correct defense. the other point i would like to make is educating your member of congress. we have done a tremendous amount of data collection and analysis on capt. trade and health care and it is very helpful when you actually have raw numbers that you can take to your congressional district and share with your member of congress about how this is going to impact the jobs. regardless of whether you're a liberal or conservative blue dog or a middle-of-the-road republican, when you personalize

it, you can have an impact. i encourage you to seek out some information like that that you can share, with the do that through a letter to the editor or a town hall meeting. that is what will sway people. >> let me add to that and say that i'm a lot more practical now than i used to be. i am only 34. make about what you will. i do not think that it works to run against manson pelosi. it sounds like a good idea. conservatives have been running against teddy kennedy four years and it has never done very good. people run. i live in georgia and we have a congressman that votes with the republicans 60 percent of the top. he still voted for nancy pelosi for speaker because he understood that he was warned to

get nothing for his district. on the first issue, i am really sympathetic. i would say that the answer to that is the primary system. throw them out of the primary. he will probably be wiped out of the senate as a result of that. i am talking about arlen specter. but we have to keep in mind that it boils down to practicality. we are not going to get anyone to the right of him in that district. the district is + 7 democrat. i think he won by a thousand votes. it almost went into a recount.

there are some districts in the country where we have to second up where the someone will win because at the end of the day, if we do not have a majority in the congress, we may feel good about our intentions but we will not get any policy accomplished. at a minimum, i would rather slow to a crawl the advancement of government them keep it going full steam ahead. the goal is to retreat government, but if i cannot retreated, i am at least one to try to smother it. >> i think we have time for a couple more questions. >> i have heard estimates that

there is the issue with gerrymandering. is that an issue? >> i was an election lawyer for six years and the greatest thing this country could ever do, if it really wanted to make politics interesting, make it more representative and have a non partisan gerrymandering panels. right now, republicans in republican states draw lines to benefit republicans and democrats draw lines to benefit democrats it is really ridiculous farce. i ran a race in 2002. the democrats ran the the state house the senate and the governor's mansion.

it was barely democrat. the novelty of this district was that you could pole vault from one side of the district to the other side of the district over a different district. it was very bizarre. it was basically a circle with the top open just a little bit. they do this across the nation. >> there is something else that never gets talked about. if they were never gerrymandered -- let me talk about what happens now. there are safe republican districts and they win conservatives. if it is a safe democratic district, they do not elect the moderate democrat, it is safe, liberals' win. people that have strong positions are the ones that turn

out and vote on primaries, especially if it is raining or it is in may. when we have all of these districts where only republicans can win or only democrats can win, you end up neglecting hard- core conservatives and hard core liberals. there is a reason for that. one of the big reasons that no one even knows about is that we have gerrymandered districts this way. if congressional districts were more fair, you would find more centralism in politics. >> i would disagree slightly with that because i think that when the districts were originally drawn, you start out in districts having a strong republicans. over time, state districts --

safe districts become the establishment. it will become the establishment guy who has worked his way up through city council to the state legislature to the party central committee delegates elected because everybody loves him because i remember when i was 10 years old, he helped me raise money for the chicken dinner at the church and he gets elected, not the small business owner who really wants to get him because he is passionate. there is a danger there. -- really wants to get in because he is passionate. pat to he understood that you ay have to go out and talk to voters to get their vote rather than saying that you do not have to work for it.

>> there is a question in the back? >> i am a democrat that did not vote for barack obama. [applause] i was going to ask a question, but i thought i would reply to putting pressure on the democrats. i think now is the perfect time to not put pressure on them, but to put your hand out to was. coming here made me realize where my niche is. my niche is talking to other democrats that are upset because they voted for mobir bak obama, but this was not the change that they wanted. we have heard such evil stories about the white all of our life, growing up.

i realize that conservatives, the right is no different from the left because we all basically want the same thing. that is a free country and independence and to succeed or to fail. instead of pressuring, reach out to us. i think we are right for the picking. -- i think we are ripe for the picking. >> i have to share this one. >> we talked about this last night. >> i am headed here on thursday and i am in the little shuttle bus with another guy who is coming here. we are on the bus with these three guys that do not smell quite right. they are being dropped off at the westin. we are stopped because there is this mass of people with black shirts with numbers and the

three people on the van to know what these people are wearing these black shirts with the numbers on them. the bus driver just stopped and asked if they were talking about the steelers fans. one guy asked what the steelers were. the driver as what country he was from and the guy said that he was from portland, oregon. and the driver said "oh." then he kept driving. i know who the steelers are. >> the fact that you told them both those were the black shirt right wing that they'd been hearing about and that they were assigned numbers.

about what was murdere>> i apprg out. it has been a great two days. i would just leave you with one last piece of advice. a couple of weeks ago, i heard a congressman from utah talk about how he and eventually be a republican in the primary and won the general election. he is featured on the cnn peace -- piece. what he had was a network of people who he relied upon to get the message out among friends. he used the media to his advantage. he set up a googled grou group.

i hope you do these things when you leave here today. you are powerful. the fact that you are in this room shows or dedication. i encourage you to take the next step and do something about it. >> i will see you in october and. -- in october. >> god bless. thank you. >> you are watching c-span, public affairs programming courtesy of america's cable companies. up next, maria shriver gives the eulogy for her mother. later, on q&a, a columnist and

to treating editor at newsweek. >> this fall, enter the home of america's highest court and to doze or less accessible by the nine justices. the supreme court, cumming the first summit in october on c- span. >> eunice kennedy shriver died last tuesday at the age of 88. she was the sister of john f. kennedy and founder of the special olympics. a funeral mass was held on friday. this eulogy was given by her daughter, maria shriver. this is 15 minutes. we want to thank all of you for

coming here today to honor and celebrate the life of our mother. over the past few days, our mother has been called everything from a st. to a pioneer, to a trailblazer and to a true original and a civil rights advocate of legendary proportions to a force of human nature who more than held her own in a family of highly competitive, high-tech cheating men. she was indeed a transformative figured. to her five children, mark, bobbie, timmy and anthony, to all of us, she was simply money. mahdi was our hero. she was scary smart and not afraid to show it. she was tough but also compassionate. driven but also funny. competitive but also a pathetic. restless and patient.

she liked to hang with the guys but all her heroes, except for her brother jack were women. she had a house but that was totally devoted to hurt in every sense of that word. he did not mind if her hair was a mass or if she beat him at tennis or challenged his ideas he let her rip and roar and he loved everything about her. add that to five kids that adored her and loved to be with her and you have the ultimate role model. mommy was all of our best friends. it was an honor for all of us to be her children and a special privilege for me to be her daughter. it was not always easy being her kid because she was not exactly like any other mother you have

ever seen. i did not actually know how to process her appearance because most of the mothers were dressed up and mony wore men's pants, she smoked cuban cigars and she played tackle football. she would come to pick us all up in her blue lincoln convertible and her hair would be flying in the wind and there would usually be pencils or pans in yet. -- japens in it. more often than not, this water would be covering a bathing suit so that she could lose no time to jump in the pool. and it is to say, when the nuns would announce her rival, i would try to run for cover. and when she was not trying to beat us in a game of tennis, you could usual fine -- usually find

her at mass, praying or working. she was determined to change the world for people with the intellectual disabilities and she did. you had no choice but to join her and her mission. it took all of us from our backyard to every state in this nation and just as many countries around the world. our mother never rested, she never stopped. she was momentum on wheels. she was focused, relentless and she got the job done today, when i close my mind and think about my mother, we see her clapping her hands and cheering us all on in everything that swe did. she encouraged me to beat my brother's in tennis. when the manager would call and tell her that she could not do

that, she would tell him to go back behind the desk where he belonged and be quiet. i hear her when i would call her on the phone and she sent me to africa and i called to complain that there was no running water, no toilet, and i was sleeping with five men. she said she do not want to hear one more yip out of me. i heard that a lot. i see her, as i am sure that my brothers do, laughing, praying, sailing, loving each and every one of us equally. while she counts with me that she was raising me in a man's world, she let me know that there was no doubt in her mind that i could compete, that i should compete and that i could win. mommy was a trailblazer.

she showed up in her life as herself and that takes courage. she took diversity and turned it into advantage. -- adversity and turned it into advantage. she turned that into her life's focus and her life's passion and mission. her own brand of what i call maternal feminism. she believed 100 percent and the power and the gifts of women to change the language, the tempo and the character of this world. her heroes were the virgin mary, mother teresa, dorothy day, her own mother and her sister, rosemary. she would always challenge each of us to do the same. you will, you must, you can. if you were speaking here, and i

think we all wish she were, she would pound this podium and asked eastview what you have done today to better the world. -- and ask each of you but you have done today to better the world she would ask each and every one of you to join her in making this world a more tolerant, just and compassionate place. she would end by talking about her own family, how grateful she was to her parents and to her brothers and sisters, all of whom she absolutely adored. she would tell you how proud she was of sargent and then she would tell you how proud she was of each of us and she would tell you about each spain that each of us did and then she would ask you for money for all four of my brothers who run nine profits. they will probably ask you later, but she would ask you. save the children, a best

buddies and special olympics. she would remind all of you that you had not done enough and that there was much more to do. you would leave this church in simply -- assembly and all of her. -- simply in all of her -- awe of her. she would tell a story that would roll her eyes. she was the real deal. she was a woman that did everything that women aspire to. she had a great husband. she had a great family. she had a deep faith in god and she combined that with being a fearless warrior for the voiceless. i am so thrilled, as i know my brothers are, that people all over the world are hearing about her this week in editorials and on television because they need to hear stories about money.

-- money -- mommy. you have to dress this way, talk this way, you have to have one opinion. mommy was not like that. she did not choose. she let all the different parts of her go out and that is what made her unique. she did not allow herself to be tamed or contain it. she achieved her self -- herself. grown men would shaken their boots and she was the very same woman that spend quality time with each and everyone of us, making us feel loved and making us believe in ourselves. she spent quality time with each of those grandchildren you saw on the altar. looking for mermaids. she did not choose between being strong and soft, complex and simple.

as her story goes out this week, i believe she will become a new torchbearer for women of our time, sending a message that you do not have to be a certain way. you do not have to fit a stereotype. you can have a full, complete, spiritual life that is about others and about family. her story teaches us that women are complex and that they can live out every single aspect of that complexity. in closing, let me say that in the last few years of her life, i find -- i found mahlmanmommy o confront stillness. it was hard for her. she never complained and she never asked for pity. she fought and she fought right up to her very last breath. over the years, all of us

learned so much from her by listening to her, by watching her. this past year, i learned from her as well. as she softened, she gave me permission to do the same. as she sat still, she taught me how important that is in one's life. she taught us that real strength can also be found in real vulnerability and that it is ok to lean on those who love you. if you had told me a few years ago that at the end of my mother's life, she and i would sit in a room and just be, i would have said you were crazy. if you had told me that at the age of 52, i would finally get up the nerve to crawl into bed with my mother and older and teller that i love you, i'll have told you that you were nuts. if you would have told me that we would write poetry together, i would know for sure that you lost your mind.

all that happened when mom and learnt to let go. -- ramadi learned to let go. she did it all, she lived it all initial of the sol. to be honest, i think it is impossible for each of us to think about a life without money. it is interesting, as we have talked amongst ourselves that the charter -- each of us felt like an only child. we each felt like gnome mother was our best friend -- like our mother was our best friend. if i said to my mother, which i often did, but i cannot go on without you. she would say that you are fine. she said my brothers would be nice to me. [laughter]

so, we all will get up and get going. i wanted to leave you with this little poem that my mother and i rode together in a hospital room in boston. i read it to her several times she liked a lot. it has no name but i thought she would like me to share it with you. it goes like this. thank you morning for giving me the breath of life. thank you for giving me a push. over and over again. thank you for doing your best. here we are you and me now is you needing the breath of life nowadays you meeting the push you did it for me let me do it for you your love has brought me to my knees i cannot believe without shoot i cannot think without you

i am lost without to hear real are, you and me the clouds are gone the sky is clear your the star in my sky your the music in my heart do you hear it? listen listen your the trumpet of my life and then -- a mamen. [applause] >> this is c-span, courtesy of america's cable companies. up next, "