what they want to do. it is not democratic policy. it is easy for republicans to frame this as an across-the- board tax cut. as we know from walter mondale, george bush, 1992, raising taxes is a good way to end up in the lose a column with an early retirement package. >> a couple weeks ago kevin mccarthy said that if the democrats maintain control, it could be a fight for leadership within the democrats. it might not be nancy pelosi. have you heard that? >> there are always rumors to that effect. it is not clear that will happen. a lot of republicans are trying to drum up a controversy on the democratic side. if the democrats lose their majority, policy -- pelosi may

face a race for the minority leadership position against steny hoyer or any other ambitious member. her days may be numbered if the top leadership cannot hold on to the majority. .> let's say that does happen the republicans take control of the house. could you see a fight for congressman boehner's position? >> eric cantor and john boehner, while they get along publicly, i am not sure they are the best of friends behind-the-scenes. there is a rivalry. i think that eric cantor -- it depends on what eric cantor has in mind for his own political ambition. remember, 2012 is a senate race in virginia. he may throw his hat in the ring for that, or he may decide that he wants to try to be -- put his name not for perspective vp slot -- put his name out for a

prospective vp slot. >> as long as we're speculating, the longest-serving cabinet member is defense secretary gates. any sense as to whether or not he will stay for the full four years? are there others who you think may leave the white house at the end of this year? >> we will start seeing some significant movement within senior staff after november, simply because it is an exhausting job. also, they have to ramp up for the campaign decisions about who goes where -- either chicago or washington to run that reelection effort. as for secretary gates, i can only imagine how worn out he is after serving the tenure that he has while fighting two wars. he has not given indication that he is leaving immediately. in the next year, i imagine he will hand over the keys. >> manu raju and sam youngman,

thank you for joining us on "newsmakers." have a good day. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> hear you are, senator. not a bad desk either. daniel webster used to use it. >> daniel webster sat here? >> harry truman, in 1939, he just hated this movie. he really despised it. he was seen as a senator from the prendergast machine in kansas city. i always wonder if he did not think, at that point, at least, if the movie was looking at him and his relationship with the political machine back home. >> senate historian donald ritchie on washington movies and his new book, "the u.s. congress -- the very short introduction." he is with us tonight on c- span's "q&a." >> tomorrow on "washington journal," lawrence yun as an

update on the housing market and foreclosure rates. a washington post reporter talks about the president's campaign fund-raising efforts for house, senate, and gubernatorial candidates. axman discusses a pending house bill that would legalize internet gambling and set a framework for licensing. we begin a week-long series on the financial regulations law with bloomberg reporter phil mattingly. he looks at how government powers have been expanded. the series continues tuesday with a look at the impact on banks. on wednesday, we look at how it effects consumers. on thursday, we examine the changes for investors. on friday, we wrap up the series with a conversation on which provisions were created to prevent a future financial

crisis. "washington journal" -- like every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> now, the two leading candidates in the florida senate race -- congressman kendrick meek and businessman jeff greene participate in their second televised event in orlando. it was held on tuesday and hosted by the present -- the press association. the candidates were questioned by a panel of local journalists about the nation's economy and their ethical behavior. the winner of the democratic primary on august 24 will face the likely republican nominee, former florida house speaker marco rubio, and an independent candidate in the four of the early -- gov. charlie crist -- in the form of governor charlie crist. >> "decision 2010 -- before you vote."

we provide the news and information that is relevant to your life. major underwriting by the florida association of insurance agencies -- your choice for all your insurance needs. the florida league of mayors. the trusted voice of our community. aarp florida. the pepper foundation. the bob gramm center for public policy -- training the next generation of leaders for florida, the united states, and the world. and nova southeastern univ ersity. we present the democratic candidates for the u.s. senate in florida. jeff greene and kendrick meek. and now, your moderator. >> good evening.

i am an anger here -- anchor and moderator for the debate. this is the only statewide debate. it will be seen in every major market in florida. we have with us tonight the two front runners for the democratic nomination for the u.s. senate -- kendrick meek and jeff greene. here are our panelists. michael put ney. marianne whitley. darryl owens. thank you all for joining us. let's get right to it. you both answer this first question. you will be times. you have equal time. because of the coin toss, under -- i understand that mr. meek won. we have heard a lot of angry words and seen a lot of finger- pointing. the voters have not heard many details yet. if you were going to draft legislation tomorrow to

stimulate job growth in the state of florida, what with that legislation look like? >> legislation will definitely hit. i want to thank all of the organizations that helped put this event together. the legislation will look something like this. it will talk about domestic investments and infrastructure and making sure that we need -- bring high-speed rail to the state of florida. it will bring opportunity to local committees of connecting local committees like orlando and tampa with high-speed rail, following through on that commitment to connect employers with employees. we will make sure we expand tax cut for the middle class. we will make sure we follow through on cleaning up the oil that is on our coast in northwest florida. it is also important to have legislation to carry out action and not just vague principles. in working with local

communities and making those reality, just filing a bill is not the end. following through on legislation is paramount to the bounceback of all of florida from this bad economic times that we're facing. >> follow up question -- you talk about connecting employers and employees. that is the golden ticket, but what would your plan be? >> the plan would be to incentivize businesses in florida to hire more people. for instance, in the health care legislation, the tax cuts to small businesses to provide better health care for their employees, or to use their tax cuts to open another position. the transportation board comes in because many employers need to be able to have high-skilled employees. transportation is the challenge, no matter where you live in florida. i-10, i testified, i-94. we need high-speed roads --

high-speed rail. it is good for our environment, for tourism, and for moving workers. it will help all economies in florida. >> you have 20 seconds left. you said you might actually approved of extending the bush tax cuts. how'd you feel? >> 0, no. i am all about -- how do you feel about that? >> no. i am all about repealing those. i want to make sure we target those tax cuts towards middle- class jobs and small businesses. >> thank you for clarifying mr. greene -- for clarifying. mr. greene, the same question. please feel free to address the cameras so that you're looking directly at the viewer. >> thank you for having me at this debate and for hosting it. in the state of florida, we have a jobs crisis, not the jobs problem. there are over 1 million

floridians out of work. we did not create any jobs last month. we lost 1900 jobs. we have a failure of elected officials like kendrick meek to get anything done. kendrick meek said he wants to get rid of the bush tax cuts. i want to get rid of the bush tax cuts for the wealthy, but we need to keep the tax cuts in place for the middle-class. how are we going to get jobs to florida? the stimulus plan was not strong enough. we need incubator projects to rebuild our infrastructure. the problem we have today -- in our global economy -- it is an economic world war. the only way we're want to be able to compete in that economic world war is if we have the best educated kids and infrastructure on which to compete. as far as getting people back to work, i think it has to be very oriented towards rebuilding and revitalizing our infrastructure. you should have something to show for what you spend. there is no better way to get a

multiplier effect from jobs than infrastructure. i would fight for national infrastructure -- the national infrastructure bank. i will fight to alter that bill to provide for infrastructure revitalization. >> what about for those people who are not builders? >> an infrastructure bank will get jobs not just for people in construction. let's face it. florida, we're not a state that has unemployed auto workers but we do have a lot of unemployed construction workers. we will get them all back to work. the multiplier effect to the economy -- other people will get jobs. we need tax cuts for small businesses. we need to consider a payroll tax holiday. if a company adds to their peril, there is not a new tax. we need tax credits. it but -- if a homeowner wants to insulate their home, there needs to be a tax credit. we need to make bold moves. i am the only job creator running in this race.

my whole life, i have been greeting jobs. i understand how this works. and the right job -- right guy for the job -- i am the right guy for the job. >> thank you. michael putney, your first question. >> gentlemen, good evening. mr. greene, let me begin with you. in your latest tv ad you call mr. meek, quote, "a corrupt, desperate, the worst of all politicians -- the worst of old politics." you have told me he is a meltdown mobile and a bad man. why is this race deteriorating into name-calling and character assassination? >> michael, i was brought up as a kid to -- that if you have nothing good to say about someone, don't say anything. i called him the day i got into this race. he did not reserve -- return my call. we're very different in this race. he is a career politician. he has failed us. look where we are today. we have the worst unemployment rate since the depression, a

housing crisis that is not getting better. >> does that make him corrupt? you are saying he is corrupt. how is he corrupt? >> look. i called him to tell him i wanted to keep it on the up and up and the first day of the campaign he launched vicious personal attacks against me. i have had to respond. why is he correct? stackhouse is a developer facing criminal charges. kendrick meek -- i am not attacking his mother, but his mother got a car and a $90,000 salary. his chief of staff bought $13,000 in cash. look what happened. we lost $1 million of our taxpayer money. after all of that, he asked for $4 million earmarks after getting an earmark for this developer. to me, that is corrupt. they call for an ethics investigation into the house of representatives on kendrick meek. i think we should have an ethics investigation. i'm not calling him corrupt. anything in my television brussels is just from a commercial -- in a television commercial is just from the

news. >> you don't take responsibility for using these words? you've got your name before the commercials it says, "i'm jeff greene and i approve this ad." >> i do approve it because everything in the commercials is simply asking the questions that the press are asking. that's what this is doing. i'm not trying to make anything out about kendrick meek. this is a culture of corruption and bribery. i will fight this correction. -- this correction. i have had it with this pay for play, go along and get along kind of attitude that kendrick meek is part of. it is not just stackhouse. the wackenhut matter was also written up. kendrick meek was an employer of that company after he was notorious. his mother was a lobbyist. he received over $200,000 in salary and fees while voting on bills. they are a huge government supplier. they got in trouble for ripping off the county. i think these are things that people of florida want to know about. >> you've covered a lot of

territory and, mr. meek, i know you want to respond. if you would go back to the original question. why have you as well as mr. greene allowed the tone to get so personal? >> michael, i'll go back to the original question but i must address -- i mean, this is a perfect example why mr. greene is a bad man. what he has just said was untrue and ridiculous. the fact that he would even talk about that i worked for the wackenhut corporation. i voted against privatization of prisons. that is a live. -- alie. -- a lie. it is unfortunate that the tone has been set. i do not need to explain who went negative and how heavy they went as it is on television and in mailboxes across florida. and a public servant. -- i am a public servant. i'm shocked mr. greene. would even mention that. voters should not vote for him because he blames someone else every time an issue is brought up.

he talks about the fact that he signs the back and front of a paycheck. he also signed a 300 blank deeds that enabled fraud in los angeles that was reported in five major newspapers last sunday. mr. greene is trying to discredit me as a public servant -- someone who has served honorably, someone who has received a number of endorsements from papers throughout florida. i think it is important that personal attacks on my family are uncalled for. here is the facts at the front end of the question. mr. greene decided to invest in an uncovered credit default swaps which, to two years prior to using that's been forewarned buffett said that his firm would not invest in. >> i'm sorry. mr. meek, mr. meek, hold up a second. >> i'm sorry. >> michael, i'm going to ask would you like to continue with the followup? because it is another additional minute. >> well i think the followup, i think mr. greene deserves an opportunity to respond to say the references to the story in

"the st. petersburg times" and "miami herald" about your role in this deal where you appear to the stated on the edge of -- in which you appear to have speeded -- skated along the very edge of ethical behavior. >> absolutely not, michael. michael, that mcconville matter, this is a guy i never met. i sold a building through a licensed real estate broker with the biggest real estate firm in the country. the found this guy. -- they found this guy. i have never spoken with this guy. i have never seen him. i am a victim, too. i am suing him. it is very different when you sell a building and he turns out to be a crook after you sell it. everything in the deal that i signed was done with my attorneys and alone agents. -- and alone agents -- the loan agents. i did not do anything. what kendrick meek -- he has a responsibility in the case of stackhouse. he is an elected official. getting $4 billion of our taxpayer -- $4 million of our

taxpayer money is not appropriate. it is very different. >> okay. we're off the rails here. mr. meek, you can now respond and then we'll have to move on to our next question. >> thank you so very much. michael, i'm looking for the productive part of this debate but i'm glad that you asked the question out front. the bottom line -- you know that this is an undeveloped piece of land. no one has to be incentivized to try to help an area. the dollars went to miami dade county, never to mr. stackhouse. it is also important to note that mr. greene as a problem -- has a problem with the facts. the newspaper said that voters should not vote for him and that the fbi should dive into his involvement in these unsigned document that enabled fraud.

this is not -- i did not do it. mr. greene did. it is important to get back to the issues that are facing floridians. it is something i want to talk about. i hope we can address it in this debate. i will not allow mr. greene to attack, attack, attack, in the mail and on television, and not respond. >> i have a feeling we'll get back to this topic later in the debate but let's move on to the topics that you all seem so eager to debate. let's remember, in this first segment, there are no rebuttals. we will allow each candid it to -- candid it to -- candidate to answer your question. will be time on that answer. >> this is going to call for restraint then. to both of you, in the area of yet health care, there's a lot of of dissatisfaction across the nation and in the united states senate, members will not vote for anything that means crossing the party lines. you have that contentious situation. in florida, we're going to court. it is a state's right issue to get out of thought -- and of -- out of following federal law on

health care. my question to both of you, stackhouse -- mr. meek first. how can you remain honest in the area of health care what you are in this mess of arguments? where do we go from here in health care? >> right now we're in a situation where politics has trumped public policy and i think it's important that we get back to public policy. i know when i become i united states senator i will be able to pull together democrats and republicans on issues that will save money and have a good outcome measures. the goal is better health care, saving money, and $1.20 trillion will be saved over the next 10 years in this welfare bill. -- health care bill. hopefully that will bring democrats and republicans together, and those that live in states that have big problems like florida. 4500 floridians lose their health care every week. we must stop that. we must make sure we have prevented care and deliver -- preventive care and we must make sure that we deliver health care to those who are most of the honorable.

-- the most of the honorable -- vulnerable. >> mr. greene, i won't repeat the entire prelude but where do we go from here on health care? do you think the state of florida is right in challenging the federal law in health care? what would you do once in the>> i am delighted the president who said when he was running for office he was going to get health care got health care approved. i'm glad the 32 million americans now have health care coverage. i am glad the doughnut hole is closed. my mother is 83-years-old. i talked to my mom and her friends and they tell me -- i remember them saying, we have to make a decision between medicine and food on our table. that is not right in a country like ours. i'm glad we had that get passed. it is not perfect. it will need some help. one thing we have to do in health care is fight to get cost reduced. a cost twice as much here for -- it costs twice as much here for health care as in canada, three times as much as in new zealand.

it is the same kind of health care and also western societies. -- in other western societies. we need to hold people accountable and stand up for what is right. i will fight to get the health care costs down so that every american as apple scare, which -- has health care, because it is critically important. medicare is a perfect example of something which has a lot of fraud and abuse. there was a bill out there to start bidding for medical hardware. kendrick meek got money from medical hardware suppliers before he ran for the senate and also during this campaign -- $20,000 each time. he fought against having competitive bidding -- bidding for medical hardware, including prosthetics. the savings would have been 35% in florida. i will fight for the people of florida, not for the special interests. >> we are out. mr. meek, no rebuttal at this point. bring it up later. any other questions? no follow-ups to this segment? okay. mr. owens, you're next. >> gentlemen, welcome. >> thank you.

>> the question is, the social security trustee's annual report has indicated uncle sam won't have to pass the hat this year, but to keep the program solvent there are going to have to be changes made. what specific strategies do you have in mind to make social security sound in the long of? -- the long haul? the question goes to mr. greene first. >> the good news is that there is a deficit commission chaired by former chief of staff erskine bowles, and a bipartisan panel coming out in december with some recommendations. i hope there will be some good ones that we can get our arms around to deal with social security. i am not in favor of raising the age for social security as marco mobile wants to do. -- marco rubio wants to do. social security is an insurance policy. floridians paid the money in and they deserve to get it out when they retire. the way we're want to beef up -- going to beef up social security

is the way we're going to beef up everything -- we have to grow our economy again. the unemployment rate is between 11% and 12% here and 9% and 10% nationally -- that is why we have problems. we are not growing our economy. we need to make bold moves to get people working again so that we're in position to deal with so security. -- social security. when i am in the senate, i will stand up for the people of florida and i will not allow money to be borrowed from social security trust fund to pay for deficit spending. it has gone on too long in congress. >> great question, darryl. i can tell you that i have a track record on this issue. a track record of fighting against privatization of social security in the beginning. i fought hard against the was does not happen. -- the bush administration to make sure it does not happen. marco rubio and charlie crist were both on that side. that will make me the stronger candidate in this general election. it will make it -- make me a

stronger voice in the senate. how did we get social security behind the 2037 date when it -- how do we get social security beyond the 2037 date when it will stop paying out full benefits to floridians? it is important to note that we a disability, life -- we have a disability, life experiences there, and retirement. is important to note that floridians -- 47% of them will go into poverty without social security. a social security commission must be called the mother is -- must be called, just lik like ey president in the past, the last one being president reagan -- we must with -- worked out these issues to keep social security solvent. a bipartisan approach would be helpful. we need a presidential commission with stakeholders such as aarp and other groups at the table. i agree with mr. greene as it relates to not reading the it -- not raising the age for eligibility. -- to earth -- to protect survivor benefits and to have a track record in fighting for the sovereignty of social

security and not privatizing it. people like charlie crist and marco rubio would like to see that happen. >> darryl, do you have a followup? >> yes. you're against privatizing social security and also against raising the retirement age. would you be for means testing benefits? >> well, that has to be a discussion with the commission. i look forward to getting the stake holders together. anyone that says they have, you know, the silver bullet for social security needs to be reviewed. sitting around and with -- and meeting with floridians, having town hall meetings, will be very important. i have gone to food banks throughout florida to find out what is really going on. what is really going on is that we have 30% to 40% increases in the demand for food. it is not just folks that are homeless. these are teachers, public workers, private-sector workers. they are making the same money that they were making eight years ago. they cannot make ends meet.

they must have a voice in that. that would be my job as the united states senator -- representing all of florida and making sure their voices at the table. -- their voice is at the table. >> would you like mr. greene to answer the same followup? >> absolutely. >> ask again, please. >> the question is would you for -- support means testing benefits for social security? >> yeah look. everything has to be on the table when we get the deficit commission result in december. i can say that of course there is a number of -- everyone knows we're not bringing in as much revenue as we are not paying out. we do not want to pay out less, so we need more revenue. when i get to the senate, i will fight to revitalize our economy so we can compete in the global economy and get jobs again. by 2037, we will not be worried about these problems. we used to be a country with surpluses and not budget deficits. we are fully in that now. -- our foreign debt now -- it is

$8 trillion to $13 trillion. 13 years ago, none of it was -- 30 years ago, none of it was owed to four degrees. -- owed to foreign countries. now, almost 50% of it is owed to foreign countries. i bring to the table bold new ideas to create jobs, make ourselves globally competitive, and get our economy going again. that will solve the social security problem once and for all. >> all right. this is the moment you've all been waiting for. this is a chance where you get to ask a question of each other. again, the answers will be timed and you will get a rebuttal in this segment. i believe we are starting mr. greene.a question for mr. meek. >> yes. kendrick, look. i don't want to bring, i know you don't want to hear about this stackhouse matter but people all over florida ask about it all the time. this issue has come up where a family member of yours got $90,000 and an escalade and you went to get a $4 million earmarked for stackhouse who is now facing charges. it is a two-part question.

charlie rangel had similar pay for play allegations against him. you served with him in the house ways and means committee. would you do what he did? he asked the ethics commission, in the house of representatives, to look at the matter and clear his name. . >> did you intend to continue to have your family members get cards, money, other kinds of benefits and earmarks. >> the second part, absolutely not. my mother is a person of integrity and honor. she worked as a local consultant on the project, and i think is important that you understand that no one gave her anything. she is a person that is not

financially challenge, but she did not get a golden gift or something. she worked picture the other part, there is one of the most blighted areas in the state of florida. i watched it burn down as a child. i don't need to be incentivize to try to get things developed in that area. there was $75,000 that went to miami dade county, $1 million that went to miami dade community college, and $4 million of -- appropriations designed to go to miami dade empowerment zone. the bottom line is this, mr. greene. i am about solutions. i am about putting people back to work. i am about dealing with issues we must deal with here in this state, and my family has nothing to do with dealing with those issues. everything you brought up does not hold water when it comes down to the facts. it has been over three years and no one has questioned me because they don't have a reason to question me.

if they felt that anything was wrong, i would have been before the ethics committee long ago. you'd like for that to happen because you ran negative ads in washington d.c. asking for them to do it. not a one else -- it has nothing to do with what you are trying to get at. >> again, the question was, the st. petersburg times said that you had to be clues are worse not to know that your mother was getting and escalate and $90,000. they ask for an ethics investigation. charlie rangel, to clear his name, ask for an ethics investigation. why would do not get your name cleared? >> i can tell you that i am not taking one p of special interest money during the campaign.

i am going to fight to end the culture of corruption and bribery in washington that i believe you are a part of. i am going -- i am going to put an end to this. that is why i am asking this question. mr. greene, i voted for every ethics legislation we've had since the tom delay days and making sure we bring transparency. on this issue, i have never said no comment. i have always spoken to the issue. that is why i am elected official -- an elected official. sir, your life is a question mark. you have more versions of why

you went to cuba than baskin- robbins as ice cream. i have more integrity in my pinkie then you have in your old body. it is important that floridians understand that i am here to do business on behalf of them. i have stood up on behalf of the working people of the state of florida. that is the will -- reason i have been endorsed by firefighters, police officers, teachers -- people that stand for principle. >> time. mr. meek, your question for mr. greene. if you're losing track of who is answering into was asking, you are not alone. >> i will ask you a short question because i think he will have to give a long answer. if you were the united states senator, you said you would have stood up against that and

stop it from happening. you had the opportunity. you knew this was happening. why did you not go to your two united states senators in california and tell them? why did you not go on national television, as you did to gloat about how much money you made off of the failure of homes in california and florida? that is a question that floridians want to know -- if there senator is going to bet against them or on them. >> i saw the housing bubble coming and i went against the biggest banks on wall street and i won. i started with absolutely nothing. i worked my way through johns hopkins university and business school. i was a busboy. i worked hard every day of my life. i was not going to sit back and allow bad guys like you in congress, who allowed every one on wall street to run wild -- i went up against these big banks and i won.

everyone knows why we had a housing crisis. lenders, who were supposed to be regulated by you in congress, were allowed to make loans that you should have known that they would not be able to pay back. you were holding subprime seminars in your district and were encouraging your constituents to take out these subprime loans that you should have known they would not be able to pay back. i went against the biggest banks of wall street. i wish i had been in the senate so i could have prevented this from happening altogether. it is a big rip off. i went to when a newspaper and saw that housing prices dropped 15% in the last year. we're not out of it. it has destroyed our economy. congressmen like you failed to regulate the banks. >> you have a rebuttal. >> you still haven't answered

your questions. you are a man of wealth, influence, and power. you are smart -- in your own account of yourself. you talk about how you are ahead of it, you saw it. you helped pioneer what was called "a member of the royal court." you decided to profit first, then go on national television to gloat about the money you made. if you were in the position of protecting people, you would have gone to the highest levels and said, listen, this is about to happen. we need to stop it. we need to contact the regulators. you understand that, but you made -- you were an institutional investor on wall street. you say you are an outsider, but you are not. >> i never called my so brilliant, just someone who

understood what was going on. if someone called a brilliant because i saw the housing collapse, i was not a genius. it was on the front page of the magazine -- housing bust coming. housing market crumbling. everyone knew what was happening in 2006. the only difference is, you took money from fannie mae and freddie mac. you were part of the party to any money from these guys and you failed to regulate them. how could i tell people in congress who were part of the problem? you were getting the money from fannie mae, freddie mac, j.p. morgan, there'll mensch -- merrill lynch. i did not have to tell the senate about this crisis. it was on the front page of the newspaper. >> i held housing fairs in my district -- and not subprime housing affairs. get the facts straight. >> you just took the end of the time. good job. we're going to take a quick

break to thank our sponsors. we'll be right back. stay with us. >> you are watching the only statewide debate between the candidates for u.s. senate. let's continue now with the conversation. now we will ask questions of each candidate, not necessarily both of you. >> have a question from of the war. she mailed me this question. "how did the candidates plan to improve funding for education? how will you help teachers get a decent pay raise for all the work they do?" the stimulus money that saved teachers' jobs will eventually run out, so this is a long-term problem that people in congress will have to help fix. mr. meek?

>> congress is moving to approve a senate measure that i have already voted for to help save teachers' jobs here in florida. many to meet -- many commmmunities are going through tough times. we should not livent the abilities of teachers to reach students. -- not limit the abilities of teachers to reach students. i know what is mean -- what it means to be in a classroom with good teachers. i am committed to public education. as we look at what is being considered in washington, and a proponent of this. i support it. innovation in education is what every teacher would like to see. that is the reason why public educators have endorsed my campaign. we must keep our in -- our commitment to our children, our men and women in uniform, and our veterans. >> rebuttal?

>> we have an education crisis in this country. i recently read a study of 250,015-year-old all over the study. we're in a high-20's. we're in an economic world war. if somebody wants to come up with an application for an iphone or blackberry, and they can do it in orlando, mumbai, soul, tel -- seoul, tel aviv. ar kids are not among the best- educated, we're not going to win. when i am in the senate, we will make sure there is ample funding for education. it is a national priority. i will make sure that members of the senate and house understand that we have no choice but to fund education. it will be top priority for me. >> mr. putney? >> mr. greene, your family moved to florida from

massachusetts. you stayed in massachusetts to finish high school, coming here to work here in the summers. you told us about working as a busboy. until two years ago, you lived, worked, and voted in the state of california, and even ran for congress in the state of california as a republican. why should florida voters choose you to represent them in washington? >> i am glad you asked that question. i have deep roots here in florida. my parents moved here in the late-1960's -- 1970. my mom had been a religious, stay at home mom, and she took on a job as a waitress. my dad took on a bending route. we struggled. i got my driver's license here in florida. my mother lives in the, and it -- in the condo community. he has been in the house the

last eight years. his track record in bills is 0 in 70. not one of the bills he has authored has passed. i am a businessman and i know how to get results. i will fight for the people of florida. they have a fair choice -- more of the same, career politicians. they brought us to where we are today. and reasonable unemployment, a housing crisis that isn't ending. there is someone like me -- a jobs creator, johns hopkins, harvard business school- educated. knows how to create jobs, has worked in the private sector. will get jobs and results without special interest money. will put the people of florida first. >> the real issue is that this disqualifies jeff greene and being able to speak as a democrat. he ran as the ronald reagan republican in california.

he was asked if he voted for jimmy carter or ronald reagan and he said he did not remember. i did not go to harvard business school. i did not go to any of the other universities that mr. greene attended. i went to florida a&m university, became a state trooper, and have done all of the things i'm supposed to do. as a policymaker, i stood up for seniors that were being preyed upon. in a housing bill, i stood against fraud -- companies that went over -- went after seniors and individuals who were trying to get homes. my legislation went into the historic housing bill and i stood behind president obama when he signed it. i think i had something to do with that. >> time. >> mr. greene says you are 0470 in the house of representatives. is there a single bill that is the meek bill or program or

policy that you can take credit for? >> in the congress, when you file legislation, it becomes part of the committee bill. i have a number of bills that have gone into the committee bills. only a few members of congress have said that they can pass -- can say that they have passed eight or nine bills. the bills get combined -- tax bills, appropriation bills, housing bills, financial reform bills -- >> one bill that you were part of that got passed and that you can say here is part of what i have brought the people of florida. >> we have a bill that is protecting our coastline right now. >> offshore oil drilling? >> yes, as it relates to calling for the moratorium, which the administration said it would follow through on as it relates to policy, so there was no need for the passage. pythons have been a major issue. the department of interior

said, no need to pass the legislation. we will put it in policy because you have raised the issue. the issue of making sure to deal with the stimulus. transportation was a huge issue. making sure that we stayed -- saved holmes a in a state. the president is working to bridge gaps between families and institutions. >> all right. >> go aheda. -- ahead. sorry. >> when the pencil gets raised, that means time is up. >> mr. greene should get a response. you say he is 0 for 70. he is not -- >> he has not authored anything. i get results. i hold people accountable. i will not be part of this

corruption or special interest. i will fight for florida. i will donate my entire salary to charity. i will not take over $100 from anyone. jobs is the biggest problem in this country and the state. kendrick meek has voted for three raises in congress, totaling almost $12,000 per year. he already got $162,000 per year plus a car paid for. >> thank you, mr. greene. >> mr. greene, you clean up really well, but your reputation is really as a party boy. you have stories about yachts, trips to cuba, friends with celebrities. you want to be in the world's greatest deliberative body -- the united states senate. do you have the judgment and the gravitas to be florida's united states senator?

>> absolutely. i married my wife. i got married later in life -- just three years ago. we have a 10-month-old baby who is with us today -- not in this room bothering us with crying. i have very strong moral standards. i was brought up at the highest of standards. this is just a sideshow that guys like kendrick meek are trying to raise about who your friends were. i am proud of my successful business career, my work in the community and philanthropy. my wife and i have a foundation that supports dozens of charities around florida. we are very proud of what we do for our community. i look forward to standing up for the people of florida. they need results. there are millions of people unemployed. foreclosure rate is not getting solved. this is the issue.

it is not to my friends were. i did not look over my shoulder thinking about who i should be friends with because i would run for office someday. i can tell you this, i am very proud of all of the people in my life. i have friends from all walks of life. i look forward to serving the people of florida and getting results for them. >> let me ask another question that has to do with temperament. you have been a ceo -- and executive. you say you get results and hold people accountable. as you go into a collaborative body like the senate, are you going to be able to function, trying to get people to go along with your ideas and plans? are you to want to try to get the republicans to be held accountable to your principles? how are you going to work in a collegial body? >> i have done that mine entire life. i started with nothing and have achieved great success. i'm humbled by my success. you cannot get the success without working with people.

there are a few odd stories in the press -- this sideshow. what can i say -- i will tell you that i will do a lot better in the senate and kendrick meek's his record of 0 and 70. i will do whatever it takes to get people on my side. look at the environmental policy dictated by big oil and special interest to the coastline of florida was almost destroyed because of that. i will stand up and fight for the people of florida. that is how i get ahead. i will get results for the people of florida. >> would you like to hear our bottle from mr. meeks -- a rebuttal from mr. meeks? >> i would send you to that website where you can see what mr. greene has done.

apparently he does not understand what it means to work with democrats and republicans to get things done. i stood against george bush when he wanted to continue to have free rein on the budget. i fought against the privatization of social security, which is major in this state. 40% of floridians will go into poverty without it. i will not even comment on mr. greene's background and what he has done and the judgment calls he has made -- how he treats his employees, how he said he gets things done, how people have to sue him to get their medical bills paid. all of this is online and available in your local paper. i will tell you that i will be a united states senator and a nominee that will represent democrat in the general election and the people of the state of florida when i get elected. thank you very much. >> mr. greene, at the rest of piling on, one of your mailer's

declares that kendrick meek was named one of the two most corrupt democrats in congress by citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington. that was presumably as about -- as a basis for not voting for mr. meek. however crude, that organization has also named you to the 2010 list of crooked candidates. if you were using this campaign to disqualify mr. meek for office, should we not also disqualify you from candidacy? >> that list names mr. meek, charlie crist, and mark modibo -- marco rubio. then i pop up. i think it was politically motivated. the distinction is that kendrick meek, marco rubio, and charlie crist -- they have this thing with corruption scandals.

charlie crist has the thing with jim greer. marco rubio, charging personal bills on the credit card. kendrick meek with this stackhouse matter. i did not list the vendors on my report. i think i did list of vendors. we have come back and pushed back. we have written letters. everything they have said is not the case. i'm not involved in any corruption or anything crooked -- certainly nothing they mentioned. >> i want a rebuttal. >> there you go again, jeff, blaming someone else for what you have done. the real issue is that you went around talking about this thing.

liste placed on the because they have the opportunity to look at you. you're not even part of the requirement as someone who has been elected in the past. you are such a bad guy -- they looked at the lawsuits you had filed, the problems you had. let's go down memory lane. cuba. first, you were asleep, you did not know what was going on. then you were there. then you were not there. the last time we were on television you said you were not even on the boat. then we look at these 300 blank deeds. they called for a federal investigation on you. i would encourage them to go on to that website. don't listen to me. listen to them since he likes to " newspaper articles -- quote newspaper articles. you have to have integrity. >> i have a question. more democrats are actually giving donations to the independent candidates for senate -- governor crist. my question for you.

when you all go out there campaigning, do you believe that the president is supporting either of you now, or will the actually support you, or do you believe there will be overtures made to other candidates in this race? go ahead, mr. greene. >> i think that the president -- senator menendez has said that whoever the nominee is he will support in the democratic party whether it is kendrick meek or jeff greene. i think that the charlie crist thing -- he has been a republican is whole life. everyone in florida knows he is only running as an independent because he was losing in the primary. he tried to trick people into thinking he is a democrat, but everyone knows otherwise.

they will support whoever the democratic nominee is. i am the true democrat in this race. kendrick meek -- i have said it and i will say again -- whoever the nominee is in his senatorial election, i will support, because i am committed to having a democratic- controlled senate. kendrick meek has said absolutely and unequivocally that he will not endorse me. if i am the nominee, he would then be supporting marble rubio or charlie crist -- marco rubio or charlie crist. the true democrat will support whoever the nominee is to make sure that the democratic- controlled senate. >> it is easy for jeff to support me because i am an elected official. i am still trying to -- ministering to myself to even

hypothetically mr. greene think. will make it out of the primaries -- mr. green will make it out of the primaries. president obama is supporting my campaign. he has held a fund-raiser with his chief of staff, rahm emanuel, and the political director of the white house. president bill clinton will be here on the 16th of this month to campaign in palm beach, date, and board counties -- dade, and broward counties. i have worked with these men on issues facing the middle-class. they support my candidacy. it is not just because i got to them first. they support me in the primary. they will support me in the general election. the issue of charlie crist. when it comes to the general election, i will be the best nominee for this party. i am the only pro-choice candidate in this race. i will be the only candidate

that has a track record of standing up for the middle class. i will be the only candidate that was against offshore oil drilling off the coast of florida with a 100% environmental drilling record -- 100% environmental record before and after the disaster. i have been endorsed because i bring experience to the table. you can look forward to that kind of leadership. >> mr. greene, aren't you pro- choice? what is your stand on offshore drilling? >> i am pro-choice. i'm against offshore drilling. i will fight to end offshore drilling off the coast of louisiana until we know things are safe. >> thank you for that clarification. 30 seconds for each of you. mr. meek, then mr. greene. 20 seconds. >> i want to thank all of you for holding this debate. i hope that this debate is getting you some facts that you did not have before the debate. i look forward to continuing to

serve in the state of florida. i want to be your nominee. i want to stand up for the working people of the state of florida -- retirees, our children. my track record speaks to it. i ask you to please vote for me during the early voting period and on the 24th. >> it is a clear toys for the people of florida. more of the same -- career politician kendrick meek, who does gotten us to where we are today, almost 12% unemployment, terrible foreclosure rate, environmental disaster. >> make sure you head out and cast your ballot. thank you all for watching this debate. i am lauren row. -- rowe. have a good evening. " decision 2010 -- before you vote" is brought to you by leadership florida, the florida press association, and with major underwriting by the

florida association of insurer's agents -- insurance agents, the florida league of mayors, aarp florida, the claude pepper center and foundation, the bob graham center for public policy, and nova southeastern university. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> i am not going to be part of this culture of special interests. i will fight only for the people of florida. >> is campaign 2010 and the c-

span video library makes it easy to follow the election cycle, debates, rallies, victory and concession speeches, all free on your computer, any time. >> now look at some of the midterm election campaigns from today's "washington journal." the political director for msnbc. thank you for joining us. peter hart quoted a washington journal/nbc news poll as jetblue nation looking for the exit ramp s that a fair comparison to where the country is? >> guest: absolutely. when you look into the actual numbers of our poll, as peter put it very well, i mean, not only are they angry right now, they have actually cussed out somebody on the intercom, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency slide. 64% don't think that the economy has hit rock bottom

just yet. 58% think the country is often on the wrong track. 60% think this congress is eeth are below average or one of the worst, president obama below 50. everyone is angry and we're looking ahead to the midterm elections coming up, that is not a good thing for any politician, particularly those fam familiar with the incumbent party. host: from peter hart and his republican group and bill mcintyre. republicans in congress, 24% favorable. 46% unfavorable. you look at the democratic party, 33% favorable, 44% unfavorable. there isn't a good guy here at all. the democrats are seizing on the republican party's favorable rating, 24% as a sign that look, we are going to be in ok shape, that the public isn't just ready to

hand over keys to the republican party just yet. whatwhen you look back in 1994, before republicans were able to take control of the congress, their numbers were much higher. that said, "the washington post" made a good point saying when you look in july 2006, a few months before the november 2006 elections, democratic numbers weren't that good either. i don't think we know what is going to happen in november, but it's clear that both democrats and republicans aren't looked at favorably by the electorate right now. host: there is no reveling for democrats and as i quote from senator chris dodd, who is retiring at the end of this year, chairman of the senate banking committee, democrats don't know how to celebrate, senator dodd said. in the face of this unyielding opposition, this president and this congress stepped up to pass historic

legislation for the good of the country. "the new york times" lists the legislation including a 787 billion stimulus package, tobacco regulation, credit consumer protection, healthcare law, wall street regulation, tax cuts, credits and more. guest: this has been the most productive congress since the new deal when franklin roosevelt was president. however, when unemployment is 10%, no one looks at those achievements. they don't think things are going well. the b.p. spill in the gulf dampened opinions about how the country was doing. despite the legislative achievements, you look at that. that is something for congressional historians and president shall historians to look back 20, 30 years from now. right now, people aren't happy and that is clouding democrat successes right

now. 32% of those questions say this congressional session was one of the worst, 28% below average, and republicans could see this increase in government spending and say that's exactly the problem. how do we pay for it with a $14 trillion debt? guest: right. some of the people responding thing this congress spends way too much did but there are democrats saying we don't like the republican opposition, so independents, moderates, conservatives, no one is happy in congress right now and whether you're a republican or democrat, you need to basically fasten your chin straps for a midterm election. host: charlie rangel and maxine waters, democrat from california, she said this on friday here on capitol hill.

>> are you concerned about the effect four party? >> there is a lot of speculation about whatever happens on either side of the aisle prior to an election. people are speculate hog is going to win, how many seats will be lost. most of it is speculation. i think that each member must be concerned that they are representing their constituents, that they are doing their best job that they can possibly do, and that they are not only producing the public policy that the american public expects us to produce, but they are honoring all of the laws and they are living by the rule of law. that's all i can tell you. i am not about to try and get into what is a benefit or lack of benefit for either party. i want to deal with the case. that's what i want to deal

with. host: the comments of maxine waters. we saw this in 2006. does this case mirror what we saw four years ago? guest: congresswoman waters was talking about a lot of speculation. she is right about the midterm. we don't know how it will play out. democrats really want to talk about the economy. they want to talk about jobs. this is a distraction for them. 2006, democrats promised to clean the ethical swath of washington and with republican misdeeds before the election, that wasn't helping. charlie rangel or maxine waters, this isn't a good story for democrats to tell. one irony is that the democrats taking control of congress tightened ethics policing that goes on on capitol hill. this is a consequence of that, by their own rules, and you're seeing what is coming with maxine waters

and charlie rangel. there is the race issue. in the philadelphia enquirer, it is called allegations and racism, saying i don't think that the ethics charges against charlie rangel and maxine waters are racially motivated but as an african-american of a certain age, i can not divorce my feelings about the history of racism in this country." is that a fair comparison? guest: there has been racism, but when you look at the actual charges on maxine waters or charlie rangel, i don't care if you're white, latino, african-american, that these are troubling allegations, particularly in the case of maxine waters where it is alleged that she intervened on behalf of a bank that her husband had hundreds of thousands of dollars in to make sure it received bailout money. that's a big charge. if she wants to get her side of the story out, i don't care what your race is, that's a troubling charge.

host: charlie rangel in new york this past thursdays and fry, a fund raiser at the plaza hotel and also speaking to reporters on friday saying he is going to speak about the ethics charges on friday and won't do so again. here is congressman rangel. >> as of today, i will not be able to entertain any questions that any of you have concerning a hearing. i personally have to prepare to defend myself for my family, for my colleagues, for my community, and that's all i've been after, just an opportunity to say i came in for 40 years ago with dignity and there is no question in my mind that there will be no obstacles, politically, or in the newspapers that are going to stop me from clearing my name from these vile and vicious charges that are not even included in the reports

of the ethics committee. >> mark murray, what is the strategy behind his comments? guest: i'm not certain. he is taking a defiant tone. he wants to be able to defend himself. we saw him wednesday at his birthday celebration and saw the press conference on thursday. he is going to be going down swinging. the problem for democrats right now is that there is an epghtsics trial, it is not going to take place in august. it could be good news for the democrats. a lot of americans are on vacation. .

we welcome your calls and participation. join the conversation on line. one of the points from the survey, the tea party, favorable, unfavorable, almost about the same. poll.rable in hthe guest: it was the first time when the favorable was lower than the unfavorable.

democrats are using a strategy against republicans to tie them to the tea party, a highlighting the excesses of the tea party -- sharon engel, rand paul. the tea party has been a success so far because it has given them a shot of energy and enthusiasm heading into november. right now that tea partiers is doing better than the democratic and republican parties. host: the president, his approval rating on different topics -- overall approval is 47%, up two points. his handling of the oil spill is up at 50%. his handling of the war is 44%. his handling of the economy,

52% disapprove of the way he is doing it. guest: once the oil spill had been stopped, the president's numbers went up 8 points. when you look at afghanistan, and our poll was taken after wikileaks, and continued violence in afghanistan, those numbers went down. it is almost as if one problem was solved and other problems remain. the economy -- that is the biggest issue. host: this photograph is one of the photographs that will drive the conversation on sunday. the president in the gulf coast with one of his daughters. this photograph was taken from a white house photographer, not from an independent news source. some news outlets have published it. "the new york times" and others opting not to use it. guest: the president was asked a

question about taking photographs, and the last time he went to hawaii, it was on people magazine that showed him without his shirt and proclaimed him one of the sexiest man alive. i do not think michelle obama and he wanted another type of photograph like that. certainly that is a news rooms across the country were people way how limited do you want the information? do you want photographs from the white house or do you wanted to have news organizations to have access? host: mark murray, we talked about this in our first hour -- he is back, george w. bush. there is also a piece in a bloomberg about the tax cuts. even republicans blaming bush's spending that escalated under

president obama. guest: no doubt he would be an issue in this election and maybe even in 2012. there are many republicans to criticize the democrats to say it is unfair for the democrats and president obama to continue to argue that what they inherited and use bush is a campaign tool. it is interesting -- we looked at past speeches, 1998 presidential convention were at george h. w. bush was the republican nominee continued to criticize the jimmy carter even though it had ended nine years earlier. in 1992, republicans continued to criticize the jimmy carter. we saw democrats criticized herbert hoover generations after his presidency ended. my opinion is that all is fair in love, war, and politics. if those arguments are working, you will see the parties use those arguments host.

host: robin joining us from austin, texas, independent line. good morning. caller: i come from the country of texas where some of us feel like we are a race of texans, and i know some how the beltway is going to blame -- of course, it is not being racist to blame us because we are texan, but yes, they will blame us. i know definitely hillary did not give overwhelming support here. sorry. i know we are always at fault. host: i am not sure there is a point there. guest: i went to school at the university of texas in austin and i am from texas. there is a feeling in texas where president obama was earlier last week raising money

for democrats. that is a state that has been a favorable to them for a long time. even at his highest popularity, when he won in 2008, he only won 44% of the vote. it is a tough state for democrats. there are long-term demographic issues going on, but texas is always a fond place in my heart because that is where my roots are front. m. host: the front page of "the new york times" -- voters are mad ecause -- but it is no surprise to democrats. they are missing the element of surprise they had in 1994. guest: it's a great opint. point. i was in college at the time, and what we know and i was reading newspaper accounts of the congressional election is that everyone was caught by surprise. there were some people who had

an inkling, but democrats were caught with their pants down. this time around, we knew the political environment for the last year and a half. democrats do after winning in 2006 and 2008, in many conservative areas, that they would be due to lose seats. historically, the incumbent party almost always loses midterm congressional el seats. i think every poll shows democrats that need to raise a lot of money. and they have to be able to point out the issue differences with their party. we are seeing incumbent members, democrats, do that. the question is -- what will work? it will be such a tidal wave of anger that sweeps even the best- prepared democrats, or will some democrats have been smart messaging it be able to survive?

host: more is available on msnbc.com. mike joining us from myrtle beach, south carolina. good morning. caller: i would like to ask you to explain to the television audience of the bias of nbc news and the fat that msnbc and chris matthews and all those people are just rooting for obama and want him to succeed. this poll, your pulse have no credibility at all. this poll, conducted by peter hart and a democratic pollster, it has no credibility. to think that people actually believe what you people about on msnbc is just laughable. host: is there any survey or pulled you would believe? caller: i believe the gallup and

rasmussen. anything with nbc news attached to it is just ridiculous, and everybody knows that the ceo of ge is in the pocket of obama. nbc news is out every day campaigning for the obama administration. they neglect to report news that is worthy of reporting. and they put their bias and a spin on just every word they other. host: i will give mark murray a chance to respond. it is a survey conducted by peter hart, but it is also conducted by a republican strategist working side-by-side in conducting this survey for nbc news and "the wall street journal". do you trust the "the wall street journal"? caller: i do trust them, but nbc

news has their name on it first. host: i just wanted to get those facts out there so you understand. do you have a final point? caller: absolutely. i watched mark murray on msnbc and i watch chuck todd, and it is laughable the way they report the news. i would like the audience to listen closely to how they report the news and what they neglect to report. it is not only what the report and this been a put on it, but what they neglected to report and how they choose not to report things that could be or would probably be damaging to this particular administration. guest: steve, i appreciate you're pointing out that a republican is part of the poll. there are a lot of people in the political community, the

nbc-"the wall street journal" poll, one of the gold standards. the view or ended up making a point, and there are some people who talk about msnbc because of keith olbermann, that they are a liberal-leaning their work. it is true that keith olbermann, some of the opinion people that are in prime time, come from the news from a certain point of view. i will speak for myself and truck todd. we try to be as fair as possible. we chat with republican sources. as journalists, what we have is our credibility. what i write or in appearances, we try to look at politics as fair as possible. we are talking about the midterm and firemen, and there is a very fair assessment on what will happen -- we are talking about the midterm and farm it.

we tried to leave our opinions by the wayside. i tried to be as fair about the news, and we journalists have our own credibility to look at in we are just by our own work and that is what i would like to be judged by. host: "vanity fair" -- he says washington is broken and he pointed to a hyperkinetic media environment driven by the web, and all of the opinions out there, and how this president may have a tougher challenge than any previous president because the way the media works today. guest: there is something about that. we are in a 24/7, or second by second mode of blogging, reporting on the news, and by that instant analysis, we are missing some of the bigger picture things going on in the

country. it is constructed to look forward or backwards. we are sometimes so caught up in a moment of trying to do what is happening now. this is a huge story, and we will devote the next two weeks on it. whether it is something robert gibbs says or something john boehner says. a week goes by, and everybody forgets about it. sometimes, we are not doing a good job of looking forward on the issues coming up. i do think that we as a journalist need to look at our work as technologies change and revolutionize what we do, it is important to step back and not only be fair in our own work but also fair in what we are doing and how we are covering the news -- it might impact people's views of american politics and american life. host: if it were not for msnbc, we will not get any real news.

gail is joining us from the west river, maryland, on the democrats' line. caller: good morning. i think is funny to hear a southerner call from south carolina and bash nbc news when the republicans have had their own propaganda channel going, which has been proven over and over to falsify the news, right down to showing the wrong videos for different tea partiers eveny events. in listening this morning, most of them this information i have heard has come from the right who have called in completely mixed up about the facts, such as bill clinton created more jobs and then reagan and both bushes put together. it is interesting to me that the

media allowed a george bush to live the country into a washington art and created a scenario whereby if you did not by his allies, you are on the side of terrorists -- if you did not buy his lies. you see this big to do made about acorn, which was prudent to be false. what concerns me the most, however is that people rely only on the news instead of reading the books that are written by the people who are involved in the serious incidents and situations that come up in this country. i find it just astounding that they would accuse your station, nbc, us being partial, because, you know, you can tune in to joe scarborough every morning and

hear three hours of democrat bashing and miss statements on his program, which offers us the many "liberals" who are not really liberal at all. guest: the caller made a point, and there is something to be said about the politicization of the news media. whether it is republicans to claim -- who complain about msnbc or fox news. we are almost caught in the middle. it is disheartening when we are trying to report about the truth, that you are caught in the middle. sometimes people do not believe at all what you are going to say. i think i have the greatest job in the world, to be able to cover politics, so much energy and so much going on. it is disheartening with how

politicized it has become. the caller made a point. i want to respond in the previous -- to the previous caller, there are some people who end up saying nbc is too liberal, there are other people who say, you guys are coming from general electric, that is a defense contractor. you guys are so corporatized media. it is almost a no-win situation. you are not appealing either ? on "washington journal," lawrence ewing from the national association of realtors has an update on the housing market and foreclosure rates. a washington post reporter talked about the president's campaign fund-raising efforts for house, senate, and governor candidates. michael waxman, executive

director for the sake and secure internet gambling initiatives discusses a pending house bill that would legalize internet gambling and set up a framework for licensing it. we begin a week-long series on the financial regulations law was bloomberg reporter phil magnet. he looks at how government powers have been expanded. the series continues tuesday with a look at the impact on banks. on wednesday, we look at how it affects consumers. on thursday, we examine the changes for investors. on friday, we wrap up the series with a conversation on which provisions were created to prevent a future financial crisis. "washington journal," live every day at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> next, q&a