are likely toen gauge, what lessons can be learned to apply there so we don't have the waste and abuse we saw in those wars. host: thank you for joining us this morning, clark kent iffering. we'll talk about the 2010 elections and the roll of our next guess. all of that and your call as head on washington journal. >> let's meet another winner in c-spans student cam video documentary. we talk to an eighth grader from tampa, florida. thank you for joining us. you chose do to your dock you pentry on hunger in the united states. why did you choose that topic.

caller: the only thing you really need to survive is food. a lot of people aren't getting as much as they should. >> how has hunger affected tampa? >> the number of people go together food banks is just a lot. >> how has the situation changed over the past few years. with the unemployment rate, sometimes people have to choose between food and healthcare and telephone service. and they can't afford food that is healthy. the soup kitchen i went to on

christmas day was packed when i went there. >> you interviewed many people. >> two or three people i interviewed. >> tell me about the people who rely on those services for food? >> a lot of people who are food stamp beneficialries. the other 50% are people who should be receiving food stamps

what ways do you think people could help and volunteer for people who are hungry out there? >> a lot of times, they receive things at christmas time. maybe they could use the one you got for a buy one get one free deal to donate to the people who need it. a lot of companies will let you volunteer one day with pay for to work. it was a dramatic increase. i got a lot of knowledge from people that i interviewed.

>> thank you for talking to us today. congratulations on your win >> thank you. let's watch a portion. >> it's a ter yo type of like a well fare queen like they are living large. she will tell you that. she may get something like $25-30 a month on food stamps. can you survive on that? >> it would be great this they could have something more for kids that they could fill out for lunch and not be embarrassed if they need it. host: congresswoman donna edwards represents maryland's fourth district.

she is heading the red to blue program for the 2010 election. we identify can't dats running in seats currently held by republicans and we try to flip them. it's been a way to boost can't cats they have already demonstrated on their own host: your job seems even tougher. caller: it is and it isn't. part of our defense is to make sure the candidates in really tough districts hold the seat.

the flip side is the red to blue program. we try to identify those seats there are some out there. there's an opportunity to change a republican seat to a democratic seat. host: are some of those red seats you can share with us? guest: sure. we haven't listed on the website. host: which is? guest: dccc .org. i better get that right. we have the candidates listed there. there are 13 there. for example in seats like california and san diego.

we want the strongest candidates it makes sense to at least begin to look at them. many of these candidates we are looking at are about to complete their primaries. dan fields in illinois finished a tough primary race. he's ready for that red to blue program getting together on the fundraising and going forward. we'll help out with communication and grass roots orange. it's good to be identified in this program. not every candidate out there makes the cut. >> is part of your responsibility to be involved in fund raising?

>> we have identified can't cats to help the most. we'll help to try to maximize their fundraising. it helps democrats across the country to identify ways in which they can support the congressional campaign committee. in 2008. i think we raised something like $26 million for these red to blue candidates. we had more because we were trying to pick up more seats in congress. healthcare is expected to be one of the issues for the 2010 election. we covered one of your town hall meetings. how did what you learned from those town halls affect your vote?

>> it affected it tremendously. some of whom didn't have health insurance. others had young people who just graduated college. their children aren't able to get healthcare anymore. i use all of that information and the tone of the debate also about supporting the healthcare bill. host: regular watchers of the house saw you as the speaker protemps. how was that? guest: it was quite extraordinary. one of my mentors john lewis spoke. and the dean of the congress who had interduced healthcare reform before i was born into the congress had spoke. i'm grateful to have the

opportunity. host: what do you hear from your republican colleagues in terms of your use of the gave el? guest: i'm really grateful for that. when you are in the charge, you are a special moment. not a democrat or a republican. you are a speaker of the house. your job is to make sure people get the time they are entitled to. you cut people off whether democrat ors republicans when they are exceeding their time. host: with us until 9:15 eastern. first up on the line, go ahead. caller: i wonder what you are going to have to offer any democrats considering you have be trayed your base? you gave the money and the bank bail out to the crook when's

your constituents called and said don't give it to the crooks without conditions. people in ure district even as of this weekend who have been swindled by the banks you gave the money to are losing their homes. obama has per pet ue waited some of the strongest policies in terms of the bush administration in terms of the patriot act and insurance, going after people who actually should be permitted to stay here. the last issue is healthcare, health insurance and forcing workers to subsidize companies with obscence salaries like $3.5 million to the united healthcare ceo and on the backs of poor women to have abortions. real access to a single fayer systems. this is nothing less for you to

offer the democrats. you've betrayed the very principles of the platform. guest: i appreciate the caller's sent iment. this has been a tough year for democrats and our president. we started out recognizing, especially with the situation with the panchings and the financial sector. i was not supportive of this bank bail out when it first came to the vote when i first came into the congress. realizing ordinary people might have to go to their atm machines and not be able to withdraw money because of the severe crunch on credit. much of that money is being paid back by these

institutions. it is messed up for us when we come back from our break. i look forward to work with the white house and with democrats in congress to make sure that we have regulation on financial institutions to make sure that this never happens to taxpayers again. we have to come together and get something to the president for a signature. it's really unacceptible to continue this long without a regular torry structure that's going to protect taxpayers. that's what i'm interested in doing, protecting the hard working people in my district so we never have to see this happen again. host: going to the phone. caller: i feel like we ought to fire every one of them. they've done basic economic treason. we have no jobs left. they've shipped everything

overseas. the problem is when they are in there, 30, 40, 50 years, it's the problem. i think fire them all and start over. guest: jim. thank you. i'm relatively new to the congress. i was elected? june 2008. i bring real life experience of being a worker and a mother and living in our communities. the frustration jim expresses is real and valid. we do have to begin to recreate a manufacturing sector in our country. this is a real task. considering president obama took office in january, 2009.

the job loss was about 740,000. we just got a job report that we have created thousands of jobs. we are on our way. until we get to the point everyone who wants a job has found a job, we haven't finished our job. host: what's the biggest things congress can do for job growth? guest: one thing we can do is plant construction. getting people to work and really seriously rebuilding. we have done some of that with the stimulus package. our nation's infrastructure is crumbling. it has to be competitive. i like the small business credit we have just done. small businesses really do generate and create jobs in this country and developing a job -- a sector of this economy about the new energy future. we can't have all the solar

panels off our shores. those are job creators for the 21st century? the headline and cover story on both sides talking about a lot of things focusing on this particular industry. this is a viable area that the federal government can get involved in. i think for my home state of maryland, we have made a tremendous investment.

expanding what we are doing now across this country laying it like we lay our highway. these are all about creating different job opportunities and sectors around the country and diversify different opportunities for investment host: another caller from montazeri. thank you. caller: first of all, they should have open debates the biggest donors to the democrat party is the american israeli public affairs committee. boy, they keep you in check.

you are the fwiggest traitors of america. host: is apac a big contributor? guest: it's not to mine. part that have is because of positions i've taken i will say, we have a campaign finance system that encourages us to raise money to go out and campaign. i've supported the legislation to change our campaign finance system. having to raise so much money narrows the types of can't dats you v can have. i'd like to see public financed elections the supreme court

came out with a decision. a citizens united decision saying that a corporate can send direct directly on campaigns. this undermines the years of law. the amendment says it will give congress the authority to regulate the way corporates can act in elections. that's one leg in on the stool. the bottom line is is that we have to, i believe, divorce policy from fundraising. if you look at this resenlt healthcare debate. you see the large amounts of money in terms of trying to in

flunes. i think it is outrageous. we were able to get over that hurdle and separate ourselves. that is in response over time for the american people. caller: good morning. it seems to me that the republicans are going to exploit the conservative option to obama's healthcare reform. when they do, they will be largely running against many of their own ideas. 159 republican amendments were included in the final piece of legislation. in the stimulus package, 40% included tax cuts which seem to be the only ideas republicans

have for stimulating the economy other than doing nothing. ? 2012, the smart money is on mitt romney. romney care has a lot of similar things to some of the most criticized aspects. you see this trend time and time again. the caller: they will have the ability to run on a smart objective. let's take healthcare. who is going to go out in the coirnt and say it's a bad idea to keep their young people up

to age 26 on their healthcare. who is going to run against saying if their child has proo existing conditions, they can't have healthcare the american public is going to find that this is a strong agenda for the middle class. the republicans will be hard pressed to run against that agenda. host: have you had a recess since that bill was passed? caller: i will be holding several at senior centers. i've held coffee conferences, taun hall meetings, electronic town hall meetings. i look forward to being able to do that. and focusing specifically on

creating jobs. our healthcare sector we are doing something about that it runs the gamut in and up to upper montgomery county. you have some rural areas. caller: it's 56% of the district roughly is african american. it spans the gamut of people doing incredibly well. incomes are some of the highest incomes of african americans across the country, actually of any americans across the country. we have a large percentage of a strong vibrant working

community. people who commute to work. and some very rural areas with our district up to the north and in maryland at the frederick county line is extremely rural. host: michigan. an independent caller. go ahead. caller: go morning. on this healthcare -- that bill, i wasn't to go through everything. i'm afraid without a public option, this really isn't going to work. you couldn't force for

anything. the president was saying he'd like to have competition. there's none at all. host: let's hear what congresswoman edwards might say. guest: i was a proponent in the house of representatives up until the end. we take the examples of medicare and social security, today, those programs are more expansive. they don't look like anything. i believe this is a framework we'll be able to develop for the future that really works for the system. i will say on competition. one of the provisions i've been able to commamon is for a company to publish rate increases you see rate

increases of 40% and sometimes even higher percentage. if that's excessive, they be prohibited. i think this is going to be a real check on insurance companies. unfortunately, i was able -- fortunately, i was able to work to champion that bill. host: a republican caller. go ahead. caller: one of my reasons against your health bill is the fact that i think most american people just don't trust their elected officials anymore. too many examples i can give you. president obama said if you were making less than $200,000 a year, you wouldn't pay a dime extra in taxes. that doesn't happen to be true f. you make $100,000 and your

company provides you with health insurance and the value of that health insurance is $10,000, you will pay taxes on $110,000. it's added as income to your w 2 form. americans are very concerned with privacy. if you are being treated with aides or have an abortion, that information is stored. i thought we went through this in late 1980s where we had amnesty for about 3 million people. the congress people promised the american voter, me too,

that they were coming here for jobs the congress people were going to give employers a way that they could be able to check that they were employing legal residence. the best they come up with was e verify. then they made it voluntary, not mandatory. you look at all this money for contracts and stuff. the democratic party refuses to give money to congress. host: all right. lots there. thank you for calls us. guest: thank you. i want to clear up a couple of things. i think there is a confusion about whether or not you have to pay a tax or not with healthcare. let's be clear. when we have done with this healthcare law. if you work for an employer that has an over the top, high end healthcare plan, than you

would be faced to pay a premium on that, or a surcharge on that. at $27,000. if your healthcare plan is valued at $27,000, there's not going to be any change to the healthcare coverage that you have. you'd be hard pressed to find a plan valued at under $27,000. in that, it's tied to inflation. we really try to make sure that we don't penalize companies or people who already have healthcare plans that people like and they can enjoy and keep them. for our small businesses, they provide a tax credit to make sure they request meet their responsibility. if you make under $88,000 for a family of four, it's graduated that you'll receive's ns to help you provide healthcar