president obama, met with the republican leader every afternoon and had the civil rights bill written in his office. i think the president has virtually no understanding of what individual members of the republican congress are trying to do to contribute. senator corker said to the president on tuesday, he worked for a year to try to make a contribution to financial regulation, and basically the white house pulled the rug out from under him and said they did not need the republicans. we have seen no real effort on big issues to be bipartisan, other than a shooting gallery approach. . .

on clean energy, all 40 of us agreed on 100 new nuclear plants electrifying all of our cars and trucks, doubling development, and offshore exploration. on health care, we repeatedly said we had steps we recommend we take to reduce health-care costs rather than expand the delivery system that everyone knows we already cannot afford. we will be offering our proposal step by step. maybe that will result in a republican agenda. i think the single biggest issue

will be around jobs but also putting a check and balance on what we think is a runaway washington government with too much spending, debt, and takeovers. >> one difference between the chambers and leadership is earmarks. house republicans have a temporary ban on your marks. some of the right have called on penate republicans to do the same. why have you not followed their lead? >> we did two years ago. we have differences of opinion. three years ago, the army corps of engineers told me that two of the big dams on a river in tennessee were about to fail. i cut $121 million in the budget to fix them. -- i put $121 million. there would have been more money in nashville. that is an earmark.

when people come to see me, my job is not to give them president obama's phone number. >> and do you think no reforms should be made? >> there should be. i am a co-sponsor with senator tom coburn that would put on a single website all of the earmarks. what we need to remember is earmarks do not save a penny. every specific appropriation that i might put in reduces another preparation summer in the budget. the real debt problem, our biggest problem, has to do with entitlements spending which is mostly medicaid, medicare, and social security. >> senator, let's talk about the oil spill and how you think the administration is responding. he served in the cabinet. they're big advocates for offshore drilling. you said that is not nearly

enough. nuclear energy is needed and we need a comprehensive approach to energy. what are your thoughts? >> i have two thoughts. this is a good time to let that electric cars and trucks. this week, senators and i introduced legislation. we could electrify half of our cars and trucks without building in a power plant because we could build them in. -- because we could plug them in. we would reduce our oil by one- third. when other thought about oil is that there is a lot of thought about presidential responsibility with the oil spill. i asked my staff to look at the law to see what it says. the law says that we have faced this before after exxon fell does -- exxon valdez. it says that the president shall insure that the oil spill is cleaned up and he has personnel

and equipment to do it. that is the president's responsibility. i think it is my responsibility as a member of congress to ask the question with the president's plan was and where is the personnel necessary to implement this? >> eu charged that the obama administration's energy policy is a "when the milk policy -- "windmill policy." >> it was a national windmill policy. they went to make 20% of our energy from these wind turbines which is preposterous. particularly with the work of the energy secretary, dr. chu, the administration has broadened their policy. they have taken good steps to

try and encourage, for example, nuclear power which produces 70% of our curbing free energy. i commend the president for that. even though this is a difficult time to do offshore exploration, off the gulf we have 30,000 wells. if we did not have it, gasoline would be $6, $8, $12 per gallon. >> you were one of a few to a vote for sotomayor. will you vote for elena kagan? >> i have not decided. she is distinguished and there is no question about that. i voted against her for one reason. it was because of her aggressive opposition to allow military recruiters when she was

at the dean of harvard law school. if you are going to take students with federal scholarships and loans then you have to let the military record on your campus. i voted for justice so to my are -- justice sotomayor. he won the election and he gets to appoint them, but i thought she was well qualified. i would like to get back to the point where in extraordinary cases we do not filibuster supreme court justices. republicans never have. democrat started it. we generally defer to the president unless they are not qualified. >> have you seen anything that would lead to to believe she will not be approved? >> i will not prejudge her. having gone to the confirmation process when i was education secretary. >> you mentioned you have serious concerns about the

financial regulation bill and questions about whether it would really solve the problems we saw in 2008. senator scott brown, the 41st republican senator, voted for it. you are a member of the republican leadership. can you talk about his role in the party and going forward, are candid it's like scott brown the future of candidates or is it more like rand paul? what does that mean for senator mcconnell? was there a referendum on him there? >> senator mcconnell, it will be a nice problem for him to have if they are all in the senate. he will be a ringmaster like for barnum and bailey circus. in massachusetts republican and a mississippi republican, a florida republican, a colorado republican do not all think the

same. as general patton says, "if everyone thought the same, someone is not thinking." on one issue republicans are unified on is too much debt, spending, taxes, and the need for a check and balance on what we see as an overreaching government in washington. i think scott brown was elected partly for that reason. i think rubio will be elected for that reason and so will a variety of republicans. >> speaking of the debt problem, no congressman has been able to make clear and really educate the american public about how two-thirds of the budget is mandatory spending. when they sit to just cut spending, that is just not realistic. -- when they say just to cut spending, that is not realistic.

>> that is a good question. i think that everything -- and in our country we move in big waves. we were not doing anything. in the 1960's of a sudden people were recycling and we had earth day. in 1970's we passed the clean water act. i think the same thing will happen with the debt. we see what is happening with greece and in europe. people are afraid. older people especially are afraid that we're spending so much in washington that there will let be anything left for medicare and social security. grandparents are saying their grandchildren will not be able to afford this. i see a huge movement in the country that is saying to us "you better deal with this debt." we will do this as soon as possible and that means the

first of the year. >> what about raising the retirement your age -- the retirement age? >> it will be a whole range of issues. there may be some more appointments on your marks, but that does not save money. less money for discretionary spending, less growth for entitlements, and hopefully we can bring the budget into balance and keep it there for awhile until we get our fiscal house in order. >> would you rule out raising taxes as part of that? is that a non-starter? >> as an individual, i will not rule anything in or out. this is a serious problem and we need put it all on the table. let's do what i did as governor and what every governor has to do and look at what we need to do. let's get what we stand and what we bring in close and keep it there until the house is in order. >> so if they say cut spending and raise taxes you would? >> i will not predict.

i will give them a chance to do their work and wait to see what they say. i will not reject any of that before they do it. >> dimension senator corker, your colleague. -- you mentioned senator corker. corker has the knowledge that he irritated some in the republican conference, in particular senator shelby. did you ever take his side to give him -- did you ever taken him aside to give him advice? >> the answer is no. senators are individuals. bob corker and i are good friends and we have known each other for a while. our staffs are almost interchangeable, but we both have our own minds and act in our own ways. we are accountable to the people of tennessee. i do not tell him what to do and vice versa. >> he mentioned checks and balances about the election. do you think senate republicans

can and gain control -- can gain control of the chamber? >> i feel the same mood in the country that i felt in a year most of your viewers will not remember. it was 1974. i was a young republican. it was the year of watergate. and in tennessee, people were so mad at republicans that they came out of the mountains to find out who the republicans were to vote against them. i think people will come out of the mountains this year to vote against the rascals in washington. most of the rascals are democrats by large. most -- republicans will do very well. >> looking forward to 2012, democrats have a lot of seats to defend. the future looks fairly bright. is the republican party making a major comeback? when you looked at the polls, the poll numbers for the republican party are still low. >> that is right.

people will make a choice on election day. they will look at washington and say, "do you think washington needs a check and balance system"? more people will say the only way to do that is to let more republican senators in. they will come from all directions. we have more good candidates this year than we have had in a long, long time. we will be a national party with all of the tension that brings. >> some of your republican colleagues in the house are calling for a special prosecutor to look into conversations about an alleged job offer. should there be an investigation? >> i remember with -- i agree with the judiciary committee. there needs to be an answer to the question. what was the job offer? was there a job offer?

i think it will distort the pennsylvania race from now until election day. >> did anything illegal happened from what you know? >> i do not know. that is why the question needs to be answered. that is why they wrote the justice department. >> senator, so many important issues often do not get attention. you have a bill on lead paint. >> it sounds like a little issue, but it is not in tennessee. if you build your child care center or house before 1978 it probably had lead paint. he need to know what you were doing so it does not affect pregnant women and children. the epa says to implement the law you need to get certified and we will find you 437,500 -- $37,500 a day. we have a flood.

we have 11,000 homes that need to be rebuilt. there are only three epa trainers to certify these painters and repairmen. we have asked for a delay of the implementation of that rule until we can get training class is so we do not make fixing your house up, flooded or on flooded, more expensive or slower. -- flooded or unflooded, more expensive or slower. >> what is your relation with the president? what do you think the relationship is a between president obama and leader mcconnell? >> let me talk about my relationship. i have a good personal relationship with him. i served with him. i like him. i exercised with him when we were senators together. as far as my ability to be involved in his objectives, they are very limited.

i give credit to his energy and education secretary for giving me a chance to work there. in terms of the white house, i am very puzzled by this. either they do not want to walk in the region work in a bipartisan way were they do not know how -- either they do not want to work in a bipartisan way or they do not know how. he did not say why he was coming. he did not talk to us about immigration. he did not mention sending troops down to the border. mccain actually said it was an important first step. there has been no real effort to involve the party. i guess they will not pay attention to us until we have more senators and they have to. >> mike is that? is that the president, his staff? >> steve, i do not know. i just find it strange.

i have a long history on this. i worked in the senate in the 1960's and i was on the congressional liaison staff in the 1970's. i cannot imagine not having a relationship. george bush did with teddy kennedy on education. president johnson understood with the civil rights bill that he needed dirksen's visible support, not just to pass the bill but to gain support for controversial pieces of legislation. with the health-care bill, we put it for as a partisan bill. civil-rights is very controversial, too. they got so much republican involvement that it lasted. you have held the education secretary job.

this involves the federal student loan program. you are very critical when congress voted to take over the private banks calling in a government takeover. i think some of your colleagues called it that all's -- also. how can there be a government program? wasn't it already a federal program? >> a no, it is just federally backed. here is the problem. we have 19 million student loans being administered by 2000 lenders, a nonprofit or for profit. starting july 1, we have one lender, the u.s. department of education. you call in the through a call center for 19 million student loan applications. that is how you get your loan. it creates a lot more convenience and choice for people to go to their local bank

or nonprofit organization to apply. second, the government said we will save $61 million taking this away from the banks, but what did they do? the spending on health care and more government. but they are really doing is overcharging the 19 million students $1,700 or $1,800 over 10 years to help pay for the health care bill and more government. it is just a difference in philosophy. the administration thinks the can find it in the yellow pages that the government ought to be doing it. we believe the reverse. >> there is a question about the use of the money. in terms of going to local banks, they do not lend their own money. since the crisis, the government has been the only source of capital. >> hopefully we will not be in an economic crisis forever. what we were doing was using private capital for the loans.

now what you have raised another reason i did not like this program from the beginning when i was education secretary. the government is going to have to borrow another $500 billion to fund the program over the next five or six years. when that is our biggest problem, we are creating a new agency, a takeover of tibet loans, giving them less choices, and borrowing $500 billion. that is the wrong direction. that is why i objected. >> there are a number of controversies at the rnc since michael steele took over. is he doing a good job? >> he has not given me a great. i think it is a tough job. i think he has grown. i have known michael since i ran for president in the mid 1990's and he supported me. i have always had affection for him. i want to see him succeed. if you look at the results, he has been chairman while we want some pretty big elections in virginia and massachusetts.

we should give him credit for that and i hope he continues to grow and in the job. >> do know the amount of cash that the committee has gone through. the have done a decent job of fund-raising but they are spending too much. >> we would like to have a more -- more of a cash balance. we have a lot of very good candidates running. if we need a check and balance on washington, we need support from the committee if between now and november. >> do you want to grade which mcconnell? >> i will not degrade anyone. i am a big fan of that mitch mcconnell. he has done more with less than about any political leader has in this last 15 or 16 months. we have had the bare minimum. we have not had enough power to stop anything. we have won a lot of arguments but not many votes. on important issues, he has held

republicans together, helped us make our point, and provide a real difference of opinion between democrats and republicans on jobs. we think we need more private- sector jobs, terror, tripling the debt, and he is a good listener to the different voices in our caucus. >> do you want to move up in the leadership? >> i am about at the top. i like where i am. it gives me a chance to have more of a voice. i am an independent operator. my voting record will show that. i like what i am doing, and i think i have helped the leaders. i think i have helped individual leaders. >> any idea to go to new hampshire for 2012? >> no. [laughter]

you were there a few years ago with me when i went to iowa and new hampshire. our party will have a good, strong leader in 2012. first, we need to focus on congress that will get some balance here in washington, d.c. i think we are likely to get that. >> anas alexander, thank you for joining us on "newsmakers." >> we continue with herszenhorn with -- david herszenhorn and bob cusack. >> we learn he has no plans to run for president. there are not many things in government he has not done. he is very accomplished. one question i am left with is and who is responsible for the inability of republicans and democrats to work together during these last few years when americans really needed their government? it is a big question. >> why is this relationships a

frigid? >> that is a good question, steve. he is an independent operator. he works with democrats on their right -- on a wide range of issues. the president does not work for senate republicans. after president obama vowed to change the town in washington, arguably it is a lot worse than when he took over. alexander wants to work and has a record of working with democrats. and just have not clicked with president obama. >> what else did you learn? >> he is clearly saying "checks and balances." we are months away from mid term elections and they are making the case that when they go to the polls this fall. need to have a check and balance. i think we will hear that repeatedly. we need to make sure the democrats do not control everything, the house, the senate, and the white house.

>> can you speculate on what you think the senate republican leadership will look like in the next congress and what changes, if any, will take place? >> you heard senator alexander do it in our interview with him. he gave senator mcconnell a lot of credit for doing a lot to slow down the democrat party agenda in a year where they had a very small minority. we could see a republican leadership that looks just like it does now bolstered by picking up an additional five or six seats, not the 10th need. >> finally, after the memorial day recess, coming back and working on financial regulation, what specifically do you think we will see in terms of a time line? what questions do you think they will be asking on this bill? >> there is no question that there are key differences between the house and senate versions of the bill. the question is something about a $150 billion to deal with

failing banks. the republicans insisted on taking it out. other questions about the new consumer protection bureau, does it exist within the federal reserve at or as a stand-alone agency? they will get this done. the real question is, with a high sticks midterm election in november, will congress be able to do much more beyond this regulatory bill? are the gloves off? >> it is essential that they get the financial bill done by july 4. it is difficult to get this through just the senate. the need to conference, makes deal with the house, the consumer agency will be discarded. no house republican voted for the house bill. they must get this done quickly. i think they will. the question is, what do they do next? climate change, immigration? what do they turn their attention to? they need to do with the expiring this tax cuts. that to be done in a lame-duck session.

>> david herszenhorn of "the new york times, bob cusack. thank you for being here. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> kvbc in las vegas hosted this event. it is about 45 minutes. >> the race to be the republican nominee for the chance to replace harry reid is here. here is the first in a two part debate. what sets them apart? find out west on "face to face." >> this is "face-to-face."

we bring a commentary he will not find anywhere else. today, an exclusive statewide debate. the candidates have met our criteria for demonstrating a viable campaign. joining me now are five of the republican contenders for the u.s. senate. the former state assemblywoman from reno ran unsuccessfully for congress. a native of nevada return from new york. a state assemblyman. a former state senator and chair of the state republican party. a businessman who has run twice for public office. now, we get started with the debate. there is essentially no rules except for the first part. i will ask you a question to defend something either something you have said or that has been said about you. i start y