intend to use this conventional superiority and exploit potential advantages. i think that there are steps that the u.s. and russia can take. host: pittsburgh, pennsylvania. you are next. mike, republican line. caller: i find you interesting today. as i see it, the key is as long as we have verifiable protocols, we can print -- we can press regarding rogue states and nuclear weapons. i have spent many years of my life dealing with weapons technology. the only thing i would question

is the concept that we will draw down weapons. we will work with international agencies to verify -- and here's a question -- in terms of rogue states i saw your little list of new -- u.s. nuclear weapons and that was surprised, i did not see south africa on their. could you talk about the potential for actually verifying with these states that do not participate at this time? i will hang up and get your answer. by the way, one of the leading citizens and i have known in my life called it new-q-lar, so do

not worry about it. guest: appreciated. south africa did have a nuclear program, i forget what it was, perhaps the late 1980's, but they did stop their nuclear weapons program. i think that verification will be an important issue a lower numbers, particularly with respect to states like iran and north korea. we will want to have confidence that these states cannot cheat or potentially break out from a regime that had nuclear weapons. verification and transparency is important, even before we get to that point. some of the fears about the iranian nuclear program, we had

access to many of the nuclear sites and facilities, the way we could get a better handle on their intentions. host:-well, go ahead. caller: my main -- host: nashville, tennessee. go ahead. caller: the drawdown of nuclear weapons, do we want everyone to follow was? do we want to be the leader of nuclear winter and the destruction? kind of a serious question -- which do we want to be? i think a lot of people forget that part of the problem in the 1960's that people forget is that everyone felt we just need

to bomb them and turn them in the gless. saying that we do not respond to a non-nuclear attack by turning against certain countries or areas, creating an and habitable area for thousands of years. i will take my answer of of the air. thank you for allowing us to get the voice out to the american people. host: this one comes from twitter. there is no name, "does the u.s. no longer want to be a world leader? oguest: i think that the caller answered his own question. as far as the question from twitter and evidence that the u.s. is abdicating responsibility is as a leader, i

do not think that anything could be further from the truth. the president's emphasis to verifiably reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons actually signals that the u.s. plans to take a very important leadership role on non-proliferation and they plan to uphold the treaty committing states to eventually eliminating nuclear arsenals and creating states without nuclear weapons to never require them. in taking these steps, the u.s. is actually demonstrating that they want to take a leadership role. president obama outlined a very ambitious and far reaching agenda, saying that the u.s. to lead, but they can lead to a

loan. it will require the efforts of numerous different countries working together and in tandem. host: cut about nuclear weapons found on ships, other vehicles? guest: first of all, the u.s. no longer employs battlefield weapons. the russians still have a large number of tactical and battlefield weapons. applications for the russians to be around 3000 weapons. this particular agreement will love deal with those weapons. there will be no limit. that is one of the reasons why the u.s. and russia need to come to agreement.

host: port arthur, cindy. go ahead. caller: i do not think that any country or russia should submit to what the u.s. is telling them to do. they need to protect themselves. i hope that iran builds of nuclear weapons to protect themselves against the u.s. and israel, who is pushing us into an ongoing war in the middle east overlie. guest: i do nothing that anyone is forcing russia, perce, to give up nuclear weapons. as the u.s. and russia reduce stockpiles, it may become difficult to go lower, but i think that the u.s. and russia recognized that it is in the national interest in that they will make both sides say for.

i hope that iran does not build up its own nuclear weapons, but i do take the caller's point, there are some legitimate concerns that they have about their own national security that will have to be addressed in some way to prevent them from going down the path of acquisition of nuclear weapons. host: what is the school -- scope of your organization's work? we are in the business of promoting practical and pragmatic policies to reduce the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear material. we also have a consensus and outreach education program to educate members of congress on this program, taking retired

military flag officers around the country to talk about national security issues. we just completed a program, as well as borough sister organization that endorses candidates for the house and senate, pursuing pragmatic policies. host: as you look at that, we will take our next call. independent line, deborah? caller: i am so tired of hearing you in the obama administration. they are crazy. israel should be able to that -- defend themselves. henry kissinger is setting

themselves up for the new world order. i,i,i,i,. guest: i guess i have no comment on that. host: next caller, new jersey. caller: everyone scoots around the answer, so i will ask you. we are the only country that ever dropped the nuclear weapon on anyone. as an ex-vietnam veteran, i have no doubt in my mind that we would not believe first strike nuclear weapon if we thought it was necessary somewhere else. what gives us the authority to tell iraq, north korea, or anyone else that they cannot have a nuclear weapon we already have them.

guest: one of the messages that the united states sends when it retains nuclear weapons, it sends the message that the united states is the strongest conventional power in the world and needs nuclear weapons. not just a few, but thousands. what message does that send it to smaller countries that feel threatened in terms of safeguarding security. that is not to say that iran and north korea are right, but you must understand some of the motivation for why they want to acquire nuclear weapons in we should not give them extra excuses to do that. host: nancy, go ahead. call itsel-- caller: i have beeg

you for a while, quizzing i -- quit saying i so much. who are you? you are just a white version of obama. host: why does that matter? caller: because he sounds like obama and obama is ruining the country. the only way that we have been -say this because we have had deterrence. when the aza guy was in a run, he did not even tell us what was going on. -- was in iran, he did not even tell us what was going on. guest: i do not think that

president obama believes that by reducing the number of u.s. nuclear weapons that it will convince iran to get rid of its nuclear weapons. the point is to strengthen acquisitions against nuclear weapons. other non-nuclear weapons states will hopefully take some measures to support stronger nuclear security and proliferation in iran and north korea, making it more difficult for them. host: our guest has been kingston reeves -- kingston reif. thank you for your time, sir. guest: thank you. host: coming up, a discussion of politics looking at campaign

2010. our guests will be looking at politics in the 2010 election. first, we will be right back. >> we have another winner from the c-span studentcam video documentary competition. today we are speaking with third prize winner from kennedy center road school in griffin, ga., edgar colin-sanchez. congratulations. >> thank you. >> why you see alcohol as an illness? >> i have seen what it does to both adult and teenage bodies. >> how prevalent is it in your community? >> not as much in our community

as others, but it is here. >> is it prevalent in your middle school? >> not as much in my grade, and i do none know about the other grades. >> talk about the people that you interviewed and why you selected them. >> i wanted to get the thoughts of different kinds of people. >> from the interviews, did anything surprise you? >> [unintelligible] >> in addition to the interviews, what other resources that you use them of >> the internet and school science lab. -- use it?

>> the internet and school science lab. >> what were you looking for? >> the effect it has on your body, the death toll, the amount of deaths per year. >> kevin was your partner? >> yes. >> how did you share on the duties. did you focus on one task while he worked on another? >> we both helped each other out. >> what was your main responsibility? >> local information. >> what was his? >> misinformation and camera work. >> how long did take you to complete? >> about two weeks. >> as a third prize winner you have received $750.

what will you be doing with your winnings? >> some of it will go to a savings account for the future. i will use the rest to purchase and ipod touch. >> graduations on your win. here's a short clip from edgar's documentary. >> our country faces many challenges. including the h1n1 by risk, the war in iraq, and our economy. these united states have many strengths, but how bad are these of all problems? >> our american teenagers really being consumed by of all? >> far and away it is the top drug abuse by american

teenagers. you can see the video any time on studentcam.org. >> "washington journal" continues. host: of our politics for the 2010 elections for the next 45 minutes. our guest will be with us, coming to us live from new york city. mr. shoan, all things being equal as you look towards 2010, what is the expected out, as far as the elections are concerned for the house and senate? guest: let me say at the outset, i am a democrat, but i will try to speak as an analyst rather than an advocate. right or wrong, it will be what i think.

i think that the most likely result is a republican victory. how big? impossible to say. his stoically -- historically, if it were to go to 58 senate seats and even 45 -- 6-8 senate seats and 45 house seats, that would not be atypical. host: "republicans will be gaining house seats to take control of both chambers. -- chambers." that was big morris. guest: he has been saying that for a while. if the republicans have to get virtually every break between now and november, which is not likely, but in the realm of possibility. host: he goes on to talk about polling showing that the gop be

done every national issue. does that square to what you are seeing? guest: absolutely. some of the polls have been more optimistic, but the bottom line is that republicans have a lead on every issue. the country is perceived to be heading in the wrong direction. the only thing they do not have going for them is a clear record of their program. sort of a plague on both your houses, demographics appeared to be suffering more -- democrats appear to be suffering more. host: are there other overriding issues influencing your thoughts? guest: there are a bunch of them. first, there is the gap in enthusiasm.

republicans tended to be more enthusiastic about voting. that has been seen in every poll this year. second, the tea party movement this year speaks to limited government's and constitutional principles. whether it divides the party or energizes them, nonetheless it will serve as a stimulation for voters who are against big government and presumably the obama administration. host: the politics of 2010 with our guests, for democrats, 202- 737-0002. -- with our guest, douglas schoen. for democrats, 202-737-0002. for republicans, 202-737-0001. for independents, 202-628-0205. you can send us a twitter at twitter.com/c-spanwj. you can e-mail us at journal@c- span.org. you had mentioned to the tea party.

our guest that was supposed to be here had told them asking specific questions. but the party, 81% disapprove -- the tea party, 81% disapprove of the president's jobs. the impression on congressional republicans, 57% favorable, 37% unfavorable. what would you read that? guest: here is why i think. first, the tea party is a non- partisan movement to the extent that there is a partisan test to the data, as suggested, it is decidedly pro-republican and anti-democratic. but they are not affiliated with the republican party, even though they line up with them on virtually every issue. that said, there are people

mostly disaffected with democrats, big government and the like. i think that they are energizing the republican base and a constituency, which is one of the reasons i think that the republicans will do as well as i suggested they will do in november. host: factoring in the news from the last couple of days from michael steele? guest: a good point. a couple of things, voters tend not to vote and process issues. spending issues, defections. apparently there were more resignations yesterday.

the volunteer chairman saying he would take his leave. that being said, people tend to vote on issues rather than internal party matters. this is one of those instances. the issue for the republicans as they would like to avoid getting as much attention as possible and they would like to avoid having a confrontation with michael steele. he has said he will not leave. a number of prominent republicans have called for him to resign. how that plays out will have an impact, and is certainly an embarrassment. host: after that, calls from top republicans to stop falling money into congressional groups. guest: that is true, the

republican national convention had raised over $11 million. that being said, any kind of there are discordant notes about fundraising, it makes local coordination difficult. this is not a harbinger of good for the republicans, but as i said before the best news for the republicans this year is that they are not democrats. host: turn it around, put on your adviser hat, what would you advise democrats to do? guest: i have taken a different posture for many of the strategists in washington. i believe that the democrats cannot win unless they are perceived as being fiscally prudent. in my judgment there needs to be much greater emphasis on

balancing the budget and understanding some of the concerns of the tea party movements, trying to get back to the center and the demonstrating more than anything a commitment to growing the economy, creating jobs, and supporting the development of private sector jobs through tax cuts, tax incentives, and a series of policies that support the free market. host: florida, our first call. carolyn. go ahead. caller: i think that the democrats are doing a great job. with the republicans would stop lying they would not have this country in turmoil. now the democrats have to go around and correct allies that

republicans have fed them. host: such as? caller: death panels. people paying taxes if they do not have insurance. if they would go further into that, they would see the that is not true. taking money from social security, taking money from medicaid and medicare. they will be much better off than what they were. there is a lot of good stuff in that health care plan for the american middle class. guest: the caller makes a number of good points. the democrats also have to sell the benefits of the health care plan in terms of what will improve the quality of people's life for coverage, cost, and access. the other thing suggested that

is critical, republicans have become the party of no. they have suggested that the best way to oppose the democrats is by opposing every initiative. while that has perhaps paid some political dividend, it is a risky strategy to employ from now through november. i have heard the they will have their own new contract with america, but all of that is in the future. we will see. host: san antonio? republican line. caller: you are supposed to have enough sense to make a decision while you are in the party ended does not matter who tells you to do what, if it is not right, it is not right.

do not give us sarah palin and john mccain, give us mitt romney. democrats and republicans are people that need to work together, they have to drink about what they're doing for the united states. mr. obama is taking the country down because the democrats are letting him. guest: i would probably, specifically distance myself from any characterization of the president's race and what it means. the president is certainly a person of great intellect and ability, so i will leave that part not discussed. but one point that the caller did make that i want to

associate myself with, we are all americans. with the challenges we are facing overseas, of what the american people are looking for is for parties to work together to solve common problems, not for continued fighting. while political parties my bell believe from the point of view of washington that hyper- partisanship works coat -- politically, most voters have said -- enough, already. we are to into problems of the economy, health care, and our role in the world rather than working the other.

host: have you had any response to the reception from the questions on health care coming from the house? guest: what i am hearing from democrats, like the caller before, they sort of said what does it mean to me? what do i get? how will this play out? explain what you did, why you did it, and what the purpose is. we get that there is a bill. we are uncertain as to what it does. host: have you heard anything about-critical response? that kind of thing? guest: much more like -- how do we add 32 million people to the rolls right away? how do we pay for it? we are not adding doctors, we are cutting medicare, we are

increasing taxes. how does this work, what does it mean for me and my relationship with my doctor and the institutions that i patronize? host: there was a video on youtube from carol porter, one you to listen to the responses that she has. [unintelligible]

host: what would you had? guest: -- add? guest: i would say that there's a lot of skepticism. i heard fear, anger, even doubt about the cbo. people do not trust washington in a way where we previously may have been more comfortable doing. on balance i think that this will be bad news for the democrats. having written polls for bill clinton, we wrote a piece before the passage of health-care saying that we thought it would be specifically bad for the democrats in the fall. that suggests to me that we are not far off of the mark. host: thank you for joining us from new york, for democrats, 202-737-0002.

-- from new york, douglas schoen. our next guest, thank you for joining us. what do you get from these congressional democrats? guest: obviously the tea party group means somewhat conservative, but their focus is on deficit and spending. in many ways they are similar to the country, but their particular solutions are much of what distinguish them. going back to 1992, there is still the outlook of the old ross perot voters, but i do not

think is clear yet. it is a fairly unusual movement in that it is loosely organized. there are a lot of tiny pieces around the country. i do not think we know the impact yet. the republican party had a special dynamic in the new york congressional seat. we are seeing them come together, watching a play out.

for republican misfortune, if they're going to have joined -- yet they are going -- for republicans, if they are going to join that direction, it will be central for them to join the majority. host: crystal ball in november, who do you see in power? guest: i will answer that in a different way, it will depend on the unemployment numbers on election day. i would say the house is not -- house is definitely in play, so is the senate. but that is a very different thing been declaring who will win. the house and the senate democrats put the jobs in the play, but that does not mean

they will be gone. guest: some of the administration's economists believe that the unemployment rate will love be anything more than what tim died near said would be unacceptably high by election day, over 8%, possibly. i think that the defeat spoken of it is well within the responsibility -- well within possibility. host: independent line, greg? caller: good morning. how are you? guest: good. good. caller: talking about polling, of why not tell the viewers and listeners how these polls can be skewed.

rasmussen runs an hon. whole -- poll, but some of them are not trustworthy. can you comment on the president coming out and pulling this country together? when you watch politics during the campaign and what they did to bill clinton, i cannot believe he is just allowing this to happen. barack obama will be a one-term presidents if he does not put a stop to this. guest: there are some obvious things. you can ask a question. if you knew that a democrat did something truly horrible, how

would they go in the ballot test? that is one way. but most of the major network polls do this. if you want to look at the underlying elements, 20% more democrats than republicans, likely to give you a cue. it is incumbent upon people to take a look at the the rest it -- demographics. guest: polling is designed to do a number of things. designed to measure the position of the parties. designed to measure the images

of parties and candidates. also designed to have messages. what the caller referred to as a trick of the trade is usually deployed with the purpose of how best to respond to an attack. of what the others might be sort of biased about in polling, usually professionals attempt to understand how to influence public opinion. usually that kind of public information is privately held before it gets disseminated wide -- widely, where it can be misused and characterized. coast of the president talked about polling in health care -- host: the president talked about polling and health care. g>> every single day there has

been a poll that the nation is undecided on health care. well just happened last week. [laughter] [applause] it has only been one week. can you imagine if some of these reporters were working on a farm? [laughter] you planted some seeds and they can out the next day and look -- nothing's happened! there's no crop! we are going to starve! oh no! [laughter] [applause] host: fair to say he is testing

in your profession? of guest: this is not unique to president obama. president bush would do the same thing when struggling with policies. the bottom line is that he knows the policy that he passed is in trouble. he is simply trying to make light of it, but the bottom line is that the poll end up representing the real attitudes of where the people are at. a good professional looking at these can know what is going on. when you hear president's saying that they do not listen the polls, it is because they do not like what the polls are saying and they want to ignore them. presidents can do that and do that at their own risk. host: to get a real read on health care, over time you have

to get a good estimation of what the people think and not just an estimation. guest: sometimes you get a sea change in public opinion. clearly that has not happened. at the same time, over time with difficult legislation or using legislation, it takes a while for an opinion to solidify. you do have to take hold over a period of time, but it is worth taking into account, as you look at the data, you can understand what the flashpoints are, what is making people confuse, and a political pollster will look at

a survey, understand the questions that people want answered, and the administration will try to answer the questions. guest: people had pretty clear opinions leading up to the vote. why would sudden passage suddenly change the mind of anyone? i think that that is the error that the president has made. this assumption that we can win the argument after the arguments. the entire debate leading up to this vote was not working well for him at all. host: fairfield, california. caller: ever since the the lead -- ever since the days of the

blood of ronald reagan, the only thing the republicans have had to deliver on its tax cuts. they say it will cut the deficit but it always has the opposite effect. why do the american people keep buying into this? guest: a good point and let me respond the way that i think that the democrats will respond. david has spoken clearly with his polling, which is useful and important at this point in time , to the gap that voters feel between themselves and the democratic party on issues. . .

guest: yes, he seems very typical. focusing on the deficit spending, being concerned about the intrusiveness of the government on the individual choice. i want to return to a point that douglas is making. there are two approaches the

party out of power can take, to be the opposition power, or the alternative party, offering alternatives. concerning the electorate the opposition works of to a point, but republicans will have to lay out a different direction of the want to be the majority party. the democrats might be wrong, but what do you suggest instead? that is the situation. because of the healthcare bill we are getting the good luck by the electrielectorate. this is where we want to go with that. host: mass., on the independent line. caller: i had a friend who was black and white, just like obama, and still today he goes through ridiculed.

i was going to vote for hillary clinton, and afterwards voted for our president, obama, because i liked what he stood for. you know, it was a step in the right direction for the whole country. now, will need to take a step back. this will happen. it will slowly happen. we will have this where everyone can become one. if we do not do that, what kind of principles do we stand by in this world? we do not stand by anything, not by anybody. we are horrible. you know what? we need somebody -- he is leading some what, later it will be even more. weak up, god sent him to us, now we must deal. he is good. the health care is good.

massachusetts is good. we need to wake up. guest: yeah, she had a number of themes that i think bear repeating. first, one that i emphasize, the one of unity, people coming together. second, the notion that if we just to reach other part, ultimately we are weaker and less good for whatever reason. third, it is the case that president obama ran on the theme in his campaign of creating a different kind of politics and culture in washington. certainly, the caller's comments suggest she would appreciate that. the fourth thing, unless we are in a position as a country to have a party is offering different philosophies, there's a limit to how far the republicans will get with just pure opposition to democratic

policies, or to obama. it is tempting as the last caller on the republican line suggested, to say we are disparate group of people, unified in opposition to obama. that is how we will mobilize. it is tempting to say that is enough. for the reasons this last caller suggests about where and who we are, i submit it might be -- enough to just oppose obama. but if we will make progress, we really need a healthy debate and exchange of ideas, not just political divisiveness. guesthost: your polling for the party had 40% who identified themselves as democrats. guest: yes, they are abortion.

-- they are a portion of that number. when you look it held sections of the electorate move, there were a section of ronald reagan democrats. the concept was probably starting in 1981, but obviously led to the 1994 election where we won the house. those reagan democrats becoming actual republicans, alternately. people have different issues and focuses, so sometimes a line unexpectedly. one of the things this president has discovered -- and nothing douglas would agree, it is easy to govern from your base. it is really hard to build a majority coalition and put together a consensus. consensus is very difficult. we saw that from the bush years.

we see it now. try to get to 60 votes in the senate -- that means you have been able to put together a consensus. what obama was unwilling to do with healthcare -- now he has left the country very split. host: josh, the democrats line. caller: i am optimistic the democrats will pull the majority of the senate and house. when change comes from the citizens or from corporations, there is a better chance more people will accept the change and move on with this. i think people will accept healthcare and move on with it. other than president obama who is an effective communicator,

the democrats do not have other effective communicators. [inaudible] we often agreed that one a republican is holding up the process. another thing, would we get out with the tea party, it it seems like they just came off the mayflower ship when you hear them on the news. as far as conservatives giving any help from the tea party, that is the vote they already had. [unintelligible] once this all pans out, the independent democrats will remain with the democrats. host: so, the independents are the focus is? guest: that has always been a

challenge. when you are in the white house it is very easy given redistricting to be with your party base. independents swing elections. to appeal to them out of necessity means moving away from core concerns that your base has. that gets you into trouble from the matter whether you are a democrat or republican. fashioning the kind of coalition you need is critically important. the caller made one other point, also critically important. the issue of where you engage, what issues you engage john is critically important. the democrats have engaged on the healthcare bill that is unfortunately still unpopular. the caller suggested in beijing on jobs, on un-insurance

benefits, tax creation benefits. if there is a series where democrats can engage republicans get their leadership in the house and senate against them, it will create a positive contrast on the most important issue facing the country. voters are concerned about unemployment and insurance -- un-insurance benefits being extended. but on healthcare i think it will be more difficult to hoe for 2010. >> just to give you a sense of how important they are, when republicans won a majority in the 1994 we won the independence by 14 points. when the democrats won a majority in 2006, they won by 18 points. that is a 34-point swing. we are optimistic now because if you look at the new juniojersey,

virginia races, they won by 30 points or more. i don't think you could sustain it until the election, although with the to wonderful results for republicans. but in three different states, the independents of the skill breaking to republicans makes it optimistic for us. host: good morning. caller: saying no has some benefits. not being able to beingno has some real costs. you start to spend trillions. look at countries like russia and china that have tried this. -- not being able to say no has some real cost. farmers a word right now but getting some money back. pollsters said that we will not touch a 100%. if they do get taxed the much, it scares them. the other thing is, will it be

robin hood? next year no one will plant, just as in the communist countries. pollsters cancer you do not have a problem. that it will not happen. but if you change your mind, look at the other countries and who is developing medicines? guest: 0 ultimately, both sides will define what they will do if they get elected as the majority. people are looking for people to govern. republicans must say, if you like this, this is what we will do. the democrats must do the same. if unemployment were at 5% and there were no deficits, there would be no reason for the electorate to look around. but it is not.

we have a trillion dollar deficit. ultimately, both parties must answer what you get if we are in control? host: atlanta, georgia, your next on the independent line. caller: yes, i am a registered independent, but a political progressive. i am african-american, and i usually vote democratic. i voted democratic in the last few elections. i am not a tea party person, and do not agree with their political philosophy, however, that said, i do believe those people have the real cause for anchor. i would say, suggest that they stopped talking about things like death panels which are

phantoms, and should engage the political groups, both democrats and republicans, on real economic issues such as jobs. i have been reading about the healthcare bill. there are billions that have been set aside for i.t. infrastructure. i have also been reading where indians are salivating at the prospect of reaping windfalls -- this is taxpayer money. that is for outsourcing. you have hillary clinton, barack obama, making promises to

promisesoutsourcers that they would get huge contrast, employed thousands of indian i.t. programmers. we are in the midst of an economic depression. american college students cannot even find jobs. even today, this year alone, hundreds of thousands of hiv and l1v visas have been issued to foreign nationals. guest: yes, very simply, this caller is what the challenges -- is who challenges the democrats. someone who is very worried about the economy. someone who was worried about outsourcing of jobs overseas. very concerned the obama administration plans to revitalize the economy and keep jobs at home. he is saying if the obama administration can convince me, i will vote democrat.

otherwise, and likely to defect in the fall. we face that challenge as a party. host: your last call. caller: i want to say i do not know who the pollsters talked to in the democratic party because all the democrats that i know are very motivated. we are anxious to get out there and vote. the tea party's talk about the taxes -- the taxes have not been raised under obama. that is just another life. god help us if they are taking their lead from sarah palin because she doesn't even know the truth. -- that is just another lie that taxes have been raised under obama. sarah palin does not even know how works. host: to wrap it up, what does it mean for both parties as they get out to campaign on the ground to win seats in question?

guest: as a follow-up, this election will ultimately be about one issue. unemployment. it completely overwhelms everything. this will be about jobs. one of the problems the administration has had is getting its focus only on jobs. it has been on a variety of things. the one initiative they did early on, the stimulus -- the public perception has not worked. as the campaign involves, it will be the debate on where unemployment is, and who has a better solution. the republicans have asked, where are the jobs? obama has not even gotten to the topic, they say. host: sir? guest: yes, the democrats'

response to where the jobs are -- look at what happened under george bush and prior republican administrations. we left you with a surplus. you left us with a deficit. you bankrupt of the economy. we had to put in place a stimulus program to start the revitalization and stop the economy from taking. we are on the road to recovery. that will be the basis of this fight for the election. we have an exciting time. my hope is that david and i will have a chance to come back before the election to debate the issues again. guest: i would be glad to. host: douglas schoen is a republican pollster, and -- he is a democratic pollster, and david winston is a republican pollster. thank you very much. our next guest is arturo vargas.

first, this segment from c-span radio. >> is 9:20 a.m. here in washington, d.c. reaction is reported considering the nuclear posture review. u.s. allies in asia welcome it. the japan promised to says "this is the first step towards a nuclear-free world." others said that it would strengthen commitments to allies and give north korea reason to give up development. china has not commented. ahmadinejad derided the plan, saying "american materialist politicians immediately put their finger on the trigger like cowboys." an update on remarks made over the weekend by the afghan president. a spokesman in remarks earlier today says the afghan leader never threatened to join the taliban insurgency.

the denial and apparent attempt to, worsening tensions with washington. robert gibbs suggested the meeting between president obama and karzai could be canceled. documents obtained showed that toyota warned distributors through europe about sticking accelerator pedals. those warnings came weeks before the company told the u.s. regulators about the problem. north korea has sentenced an american teacher to eight years of hard labor. and ordered him to pay a $7,000 fine actor he got illegally into the country. he is the fourth u.s. citizen to be detained since last year. finally, work continues at a mine in the west virginia. rescuers have gotten a response to possible survivors. the blast killed 25 and left

four missing. it is the worst u.s. mining accident in over two decades. >> first lady, michele obama focusing on fighting childhood obesity, sits down to date with the studentcam winner of honolulu. his documentary was on childhood abuse. others will join the conversation from around the country. it will be live at 11:00 a.m. eastern. >> this week on c-span 2, a special primetime presentation. tonight the following offers. -- authors.

it all begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> i know what the challenges, and we are in a unique position to go to war. when the policy makers in the washington to develop a roadmap so that we can get it done. >> something about energy policy would like to talk about on your blog? at the c-span video library you can search it and share it. from yesterday or 10 years ago. every program since 1987. it is the latest gift to america from cable. "washington journal" continues. host: arturo vargas is our guest. in general sense, how are latinas proceeding the census of 2010? guest: i am very optimistic.

we have been waging a campaign to engage them over the last four years. we encourage people to become citizens, to go out and good. we saw historic numbers in both 2007 and 2008. if the census bureau did the right, we will have great results. host: what do you mean? guest: there were some issues where people did not understand how the census would be conducted, such as in the rio grande valley. in the rural area along the border people are being enumerated person by person. that is different from what people understood. many folks report not getting their forms. we are trying to work to get more into people's homes. there have been some missed addresses here in there. we have been telling people

that it is imported for their community. in some cases people got a form with a different city. even though the bar code means there will be counted where they live -- people want to be counted in their sucity. they want to be counted for the city. if it means that people understand what is going on and want to be counted. in 2000 we had a good response. there have been some improvements that will build on that. we were still under-counted in 2000. one reason is operational barriers. not everyone lives in a place with a postal address. if you live in a residence that has been divided into three or four units in the post office thinks it is only one unit, that only gets one form, not four. those things have been

obstacles. like many people, many are distrustful of government. why are they asking me these questions? we have been a pretty good job of moving ford from 2000. host: 1 question the form asks, is a person of hispanic oregon latino origin? it also says above its this -- how does this make any sense? guest: the important thing about question 8, is it is the third time it has been on the form. it is a major advance in terms of counting accurately. if someone considers himself of hispanic origin, they can mark this one. there are four boxes to identify that.

they differentiate the different origins. now, on race the bureau tells us that the hispanic publishing can be of any race. in fact, we are a rainbow. the census bureau is trying to get you to identify your race even though you are also hispanic. but many people and the the social construct consider being hispanic racial category. that is where there is some confusion. there is an option on the question of some other race. host: here is a look at the census form. this is question 9, the form you will fill out. our guest will talk about census about, specifically with regard to the latino community.

you can call if you have a question for him. as far as your organization specifically, what kind of efforts are there for education? guest: we have been part of a national campaign. it is probably the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken. we're working in conjunction with others. and also with several companies. tv, radio, print campaigns coupled with a massive grass- roots campaign. we're all messaging that it is time, make yourself count. host: so, when the census bureau

sends people of door-to-door, how many can speak spanish? guest: that is a challenge. the census bureau says they want to hire enumerators from the communities. so that they understand the culture, the language. but there have been some recruiting difficulties in some of the more difficult to count communities. on the flip side, overall, there have been great recruiting members -- jobs -- the census bureau has been hiring. places like central houston, the rio grande valley, central los angeles -- those areas are where we are pushing the bureau to come through to hire those who can do the task. host: the first call on the republican line. caller: i do not think that he realizes that there is a great deal of antipathy against

counting illegals. robert graves went down to the border to assure the illegals that this was not around up, but merely account. but i think that if they are known to be illegals, they should be deported. we cannot allow this invasion from the south, from the porous borders, and then give them all the privileges of being americans. if they know that they are illegals, there should be a method for them to come here legally. they should go home and do it through the american embassies. this invasion has got to stop. thank you. guest: well, actually, i do fully appreciate the anguq%ei-ts unfortunate. the u.s. constitution requires that it be and enumeration.

it does not specify just certain peoples. as long as the constitution is the law of the land, all must be in memory. anyone who lives here on april 1 has both the obligation because it is required by law, and the right to be counted. host: so, they have the perception that they could be sent back? guest: there are many who are fearful, not just of being counted, but of the pleas, their landlords. we're going through an economic crisis. many are going through foreclosure. we know there are two or three families doubling up and an apartment. the lease may require only four people live there. if the census data says that there are 12 -- they're fearful that information could get to the limit. someone could be evicted. the thing to remember is that

the census is saved, confidential. maybe the president himself can get his hands on the information. host: when certain people were asked about confidentiality, 75% said yes, they believed it. guest: it says that what we're doing is working. we have been sending messages to the community for years, sending trusted measuremessenge. the study showed that more latinos are more likely to say that the census is saved and native-born latinos. host: good morning. caller: yes, i would like to comment about the lady who called from texas a while ago. she got these people intruders, invaders. the state of texas belongs to native americans and hispanics to start with.

i don't think we should worry about the census. there is a lot of racism here. i'm tired of it. i have lived here all my left. i see the jewish people in charge of every facet of government. the government is going down hill. maybe we should look for other people to run the business host: here baltimore, maryland. the independent line. caller: hello, i just wanted to make two comments. the first is that i had gone to work for the census bureau, and took the course and found a majority of what they were talking about was to count people whether they are actually people living here and singly, or counting them [inaudible]

[unintelligible] there was no accuracy desired. only to get a big number. the second thing is, and this is much more interesting -- there was no necessity to fill out the entire form. your name, your address, and very little else. three questions are mandated by the constitution. that is that we get a count, not the we find out all these ethnic, professional, amateur items in the census. guest: the census form asked 10 questions, six our basic demographic data, your name, birth date, gender, race, your relationship to the person filling out the form. the reason it is important to collect origin did it is because

they're used to enforce civil rights laws. it has to do with redistricting in 2011. please fill your form, make sure every person who lives in your home on april 1 is included. make sure that you complete it. if you have questions, call the census bureau, or call us. we have a toll-free hot line. we have bilingual operators who can assist you if a lawyer form in either english or spanish, or direct you to a centered near you. host: colorado, republican line. caller: i'm going to return to the constitution. in it it says you have to bea legal resident, a citizen of the united states. you need to read the constitution. article one, section 2, and then

and 14 -- if you read that, you'll find out exactly what is supposed to be in the census. it does not say anything about race. they did that in 1960. until then, a black person was only counted three quarters. they said nothing about race whatsoever. guest: originally, the constitution said that african slaves or only 3/5 of a person. that was corrected by the 14th amendment. now it says that the census is an enumeration of all persons. what matters is if you are a person living in the u.s. on april 1, you have the obligation and right to be counted. host: good morning, colorado, democrats line. caller: everything you said

about the constitution is correct. however, isn't this census another form of counting the illegals in the country? guest: the senses is an enumeration of everyone who lives there on april 1. it does not matter if you are a citizen, or not. the census wants to make sure everyone is accurately counted in the 2010 census. each one of those is worth at least $1,000 to our community. each person obtunded is the much less for education, for roads, for all the government does. host: the last paragraph says "what we call the race is really a social construct."

guest: actually, you could, youa mutt. question nine gives you the option to give as many answers as you like. that was an innovation in 2000 and continues in 2010. host: as far as phone calls, how many do receive daily? guest: we're getting hundreds on a daily basis. we have received thousands since the hauling open. we have an effective partnership with the spanish-language media. they have done a phenomenal job educating the community. on the census i think the latino community is certainly aware of it is happening and understands its importance. for me it is heartwarming that people want to be counted.

host: phoenix, ariz., mary kay on the independent line. caller: buenos dias, arturo. i am a gringa. i have been working with migrant farmers for 30 years. i was raised in a chicago suburb and learned spanish early on with the verbs first. i got street language later as a social worker. i believe we are all children of god. i have tried to make a dent in arizona. i have tried to educate republicans to understand we are all one race, and we should open our hearts to the workers, and at least document them so that we know who is coming in and get rid of the coyotes. guest: thank you for your work

in arizona. the census is the one great equalizer. it is the only thing the government does in which every person is equal. your gender, your race, age, sexual orientation, physical abilities, whether or not you have committed a crime -- those are all used to distinguish us under different laws. but under census under if you are person, you count as a full person on april 1. host: the state of maine, on the republican line, collette. caller: i have a question for the gentleman. i filled out to one census foreign and a week and a half later i got another. if i have not looked very carefully on the back of one of the notices, i would not have known i was not supposed to fill that one now also. is there said current -- is

there a safeguard to prevent double counting? guest: i am not with the census bureau, but with a private organization helping. yes, they have sent out duplicates to many homes. i'm glad that you only filled it out once. but yes, there are safe guards -- if you receive one with the same name, then they know it is a duplicate. to count duplicates means to spend more money. the one thing we do not want to do is to needlessly spend money. for every 1% below the 67% goal, they will need to spend about $90 million to go out to homes to get the information. host: you are in town as part of

an advisory council. what kind of discussion is going on? guest: the committee, i have been working with the bureau on this since 1999 with the census. it has been over 10 years to prepare for 2010. it is appointed by the secretary of commerce. we have been advising the bureau on how to improve 2010 over 2000. the meeting and asks how the census has been going. to see what works, and how to build on 2010 so that 2020 is even better. host: from what you're sensing now, what has worked? guest: the persistent messaging as a private organization, and also paid advertising by the census bureau. i think everyone knows that the

census is going on. whether or not they're motivated to fill the not is another thing. get it done. attendance. it will improve your community. make sure that the country moves forward. host: how do you incorporate different things? incorporate the internet? guest: that is a good question. you cannot allow your census form on line. it must be done on paper. we hope to introduce the innovation in 2020. but you can get information on filling it out from the internet. absolutely, the social media -- the census is using twitter and facebook and other vehicles and tools to educate. i think that is why i am optimistic that people are getting the word. host: georgia, rob, on the

democrats' line. caller: the message in the latino committee that organizations like yours are great -- it would be wonderful if you can broaden your message. i know that you have a political agenda, and i understand. i think that there are other races and i like a social construct from that article mentioned earlier, by your organization is doing a good job, so, across the racial lines and say everybody --because it seems like there is some ineffective messaging from the census bureau when they try to appeal to different demographics. your straightforward messages a great thing.

guest: certainly, my organization is making sure that all latinos are counted, but we do understand everyone needs to be counted. we are working in partnership with others. this is the one great equalizer in the country. every person counts as a full person on april 1. host: philip, on the independent line from illinois. caller: is this rob? host: go ahead. caller: good morning, sir. you hit on something earlier about how they're desperate and many families together to live together as hispanics. i am glad to hear someone has actually admitted that. i have had as many as three or

four families lived in one apartment building which is really a deterrent towards the taxation system. each home is basically taxed as one family and that pays for schools, hospitals, roads. with the way many hispanics -- restaurants go down to hire a whole village to come live in the house. for the cooks and everything. then the taxation system is thrown off because of that. so, it is costing the american people a lot of money. these sanctuaries states are basically all in the red. it is because of their policies towards something, towards accepting illegals without enforcing laws. host: what is your question or comment about the senses, sir? caller: i was wondering about ted kennedy's promise to enforce the laws back in 1986,

whether they will be followed through? guest: first i will refer to the situation about families sharing a home. i don't think anyone wants to live in overcrowded conditions. no one chooses to lived in that situation. because of an ability to pay a ransom mortgages on the wages people have. as far as taxation, that is why it is so the important to be counted in the census. everyone is worth at least $1,000 going to communities. host: lakewood, colorado. republican line, david. caller: good morning, pedro. can you comment on the fact that census that was used to intered japanese-americans in the 1940's? is it true that a former census worker who called earlier said that only name and address is

required by the constitution, and no race information? guest: it requires an enumeration of the population. when we look at the purpose of the census, the drawing of congressional lines, you need information, basic demographic information such as gender, race, gen. as far is in turn meant, that was another dark chapter in our history. every time there has been a situation like that, the laws have been made stronger. no one can look at your senses dated today. all the information is collected into statistics. so that we know how many live in your state, city. you get resources you need and

their political representation you host: deserve kentucky, your next. caller: i have a friend whose name is yamo garcia. he lives down the street from me. his family gets mail from a p.o. box, so he can i get an actual census form. of is this affect populations getting the mail that way? guest: that is a good question. in this case i recommend that the individual call the census bureau. there you can request a form in spanish. beginning monday, april 12, you can complete the form over the phone through an interview.

866-928-2010. beginning next monday, to get a form or complete it by telephone. host: so, there's no way to track it for a p.o. box? so for those, they will not get counted? guest: they will because of personal go door to door if a form is not returned. host: california is next on the independent line. caller: good morning. i just wanted to follow up with the previous gentleman talking about the japanese internment. yes, that was very true that it happened. i have no doubt that it will happen again. truth be told, we got into the

current wars in the middle east right now -- that is not constitutional because it did not go through congress. also, as far as constitutionality, it really is meant to be only an enumeration for distribution of representatives and funds. guest: he raises an important point about privacy and confidentiality. two things. shortly after 9/11 when the the government was trying to get more information about people and using census data which is against the law. as the advisory committee we requested they make a privacy ombudsmen. in your request is reviewed to see who was asking for it and how will be used.

the second thing, a couple of weeks ago the department of justice issued a letter to members of congress saying that title 13 which governs the privacy of census data is the law of the land, and that no other law trump's total 13. so the loss of privacy have been made stronger. the census is been very vigilant to make sure that no one is being host: violated this question from twitter asks why there are no forms online? guest: because the census has not yet figured out how to keep the information safe. you can see the form online at the website. you can even go to our website. host: if you do it on the phone, how did the verify that it is you? guest: that is a good question.

i will bring it up at the meeting tomorrow. host: good morning, republican line. caller: first, we need to get away from using the term federal fund. there is no such thing. the federal government has no money. it is taxpayer money. once we get into that from of mine, then we can discuss other things. in regards to the census, when it was first then we had no federal income tax. so, it was necessary. it is my opinion now that the census is a complete waste of time and taxpayer money. it is a joke because of irs knows where every adult, man, woman, and child is in this country. the only people who would need to fill out a census would be an illegal. someone who works off the books. guest: this goes exactly to the issue of privacy and confidentiality.

the irs may know where everyone lives, though i doubt it. but those they cannot be shared between the census bureau and irs, or any other agency. the data the census bureau clause is not shared with anyone else. host: texas, bea, on the democrats' line. caller: first, a couple of commons, then a question. i am hispanic. i live in texas. the previous callers calling regarding the antipathy as the real thing -- i can understand how the hispanics and probably all the bordering states of mexico, and maybe other areas where the illegals supposedly into the country, would feel very worried. as much complaining that goes on

concerning their free ride here in america, i would think the conservatives would want them to be counted for the sake of the federal funds for american taxpayers. it is still money allocated to those locations based on population. that is maybe for you need to emphasize that it is important. illegal or not, that they get counted. the way we have the representation and funds we need, and maybe we can change the laws. do the right way. they are also complaining about the only does, but the conservatives are the ones hiring them. my question concerns questions 8 and 9 -- i had a real problem when i fill that out for my children who are half white. i am married to a white man. in the question no. eight i declined my category there, but

then i was concerned that no one else had a breakdown -- the whites were not broken down by what type of european they are, neither are the asians as to where they come from. etc. it called -- cause a lot of confusion. someone read the statement that said there was a law from 1997 concerning this issue of race for hispanics. i did not quite understand it. guest: i'm not sure what law was been referred to for 1997. if you look at question 9, under the asian option there is the option to identify different national origins. a underwhite, you are correct. right now there is no way to identify which ancestry someone is, what french, italian, spanish, norwegian. that has not yet been figured out for the census bureau.

we are hoping that between now and 2020, the census bureau can improve that to eliminate confusion. people can more freely the ability self-identify what they see themselves as. host: tom the independent line, from colorado. caller: i have watched c-span for about 30 years. please give me a minute. level one was in the first census in '79. my great, great, great grandfather and other ancestors fought in the revolution. -- was in the first since this is in1790. you should run the show from a few days ago that explains how the constitution specify the congress would detail how the census was run. he gave an excellent thing.

the more sensibly it is an income of more republicans into have a problem with it. i am a computer systems analyst. we dig up problems to find solutions. the conservatives seem to want to find problems just to blame people. host: we have only about one minute. caller: my family has been in every census, and nothing terrible has happened. it did not stop my father's father from becoming a two-time silver winner. the constitution says we need to do this. republicans want to cry. when it comes time for them to fall in line, nothing is important -- they want to torture people. guest: once again, i would say the census is a great

equalizer, no matter your race, age, gender, political ideology. everyone census counts and. it is something we need to do by law, the morton lane, we need to be counted. host: if you want to