people are ideological and their strong conservatives and they are two- thirds of the tea party supporters. the other third of the tea party supporters are not so ideological. they are actually more pragmatic. they tend to be classic swing voters who are just not happy with the way things are going. to >> the idea is attractive to them. those voters come out of the independent realm. about somewhere, 20% of people or less, of supporters have taken some action or contemplate taking some action in terms of participating or giving money or helping so-called tea party endorsed candidates. most of those tend to be ideological conservatives.

in terms of where we see this going in this election cycle, i think in -- generally speaking, most surveys show that tea party supporters, account for one- fifth of the national electorate. about 20%. that various states by state and that carries on how you ask the question. that is kind of a fairly accepted thing. in terms of the elections, the big question that everyone in the media has been asking for months is, does the tea party help or hurt republicans? the answer is not so simple. they held across the board or they heard across the board. the conventional wisdom is the help generate activity but they

tend to nominate weak candidates who would be weaker than more mainstream republican candidates would be. i think to a large extent, some of that is true. when you look at individual senate races, one state that most people would agree where a tea party supported canada may have lost the state would be in delaware for republicans. most think it was a seat the republicans had in their pocket. then cristiano donald -- christine o'donnell put on the table. nahyan-tea party candidates would have been stronger in the general election. senate races in kentucky and colorado. those points can be made. even in those three races, the

candidates were competitive and at least running ahead or statistically tied. it is possible they could win. it may not have an effect on a state like utah which would ultimately lead to republican senator, regardless of who it was. in the unusual situation where facing in alaska where the top two candidates are republicans. one a write in and one a nominee. in florida, the tea party candidate is doing well and will probably win the election, marco rubio. the kendig in wisconsin head -- candidates in wisconsin has taken a lead over russ feingold.

the race is tightening up. that is not over and done with. the republican tea party it is alive there. same thing for pennsylvania. the republican canada it supported by tea party activists stable lead. that lead seems to be in doubt. the polls showed that candid iae with a margin of error lead. looking at the house races are interesting. the tea party may be having a more positive effect in house races for republicans. according to a number of national media sources, there is approximately 129, between 125

and 135 depending on how you count it. candidates for the house who have been supported by the tea party. i do not believe any of those candidates are democrats. they are all republicans. this is happening within the republican party. of those 129 races, only 55 of them are in competitive campaigns. the rest of them are either in slam-dunk republican districts or slam dunk republican districts -- democratic districts. the tea party candidates and the republicanwo districts might win.

this house seats could have an impact. to determine how big this republican occur kaine -- hurricane will be. we will have to see what happens. the states like arizona, florida, illinois, indiana, michigan, north carolina, new hampshire, nevada, ohio, south carolina, wisconsin, west virginia. excuse me. you have tea party candidates who are right now in close -- locked in close elections with democratic opponents. that i think in a lot of ways is the best opportunity for the tea party to show some grassroots strength. just two things to end with. one of the big things that we have to keep in mind, and i know this was discussed in the last

panel. what charges of tea party activists and supporters is an increasingly important issue in this country about the size and the role of the federal government. it is particularly frustrating for a lot of conservatives who feel like they have been voting for republicans and conservatives and government keeps getting bigger. and spending keeps getting bigger. it is frustrating for a lot of liberals because i feel like government keeps getting bigger and we keep spending more money. they do not necessarily think the programs and activities were solving the problems. this problem, this issue of dealing with the size and the role of the federal government in american society is a real issue that i think republicans and democrats are going to have to confront.

i think that tea party movement candy -- maybe can be a constructive force to the extent of that issue. the other thing more i think the tea party has had an effect, this is to the advantage of republicans, is the fact that it is repositioning the republican party from being the party of bush to being the party of something other than that. being the party of grassroots opposition to big government and, and corrupt, incompetent, out of touch leaders in washington and elites in washington. to that extent, it has been helpful for the republicans. >> thank you. >> i agree with almost everything you said. i think we look at those races, you're right. keep in mind the tea party

movement is 18 months old. it was april 2009 where the first rallies were happening at the time. no one took them seriously. people thought it was a flash of anger at obama's over perceived overage in the first 100 days and we're having conferences to talk about the tea party, a spate of books that have come out in the last few months. a historian at harvard came out looking at historical parallels people will drop. it has come out to be more than what the people envisioned it becoming who started it. we are focused on the next 13 days. in 14 days, there will be conversations about where the movement goes from here and depending on the verdict we see from voters, a lot of those races that are close, the tea party candidate could still win

or lose. i think in 14 days, we will be able to say with more authority whether or not this movement has been good or bad for the republican party. either way, it is a mixed bag in some ways. delaware is a seat the republicans will not pick up because they nominated at tea party it as a identified. there are three or four others where you could see it go either way. in nevada, sharron angle neck- and-neck with harry reid. it is hard to see if someone opponents would be able to raise $14 million in the third quarter. people do not like harry reid in his home state. if he wins, it will be because people are voting against the

tea party canada. in kentucky, there was a race at the beginning of the year. mitch mcconnell had his favorite cabinecandidates. rand paul forced republicans to pay attention. it is more likely to see [unintelligible] than conway. it is consuming republican resources. that was addressed in the last panel. the summer caskey waging -- lisa murkowsky waging a write in bid. it is consuming resources. at the same time, you do see this immense enthusiasm from the grassroots. the tea party movement is successful and we're seeing in

some races where the more added it was but i nominated. in colorado kamala people thought -- a lot of people thought he could not perform. he has managed to tap into and speak to angry independent voters. as a result, that race is neck and neck. that gets us to this point that a lot of these candidates have done better at reaching voters than an establishment republic candidate who had a lot of ties to the incumbents or to -- who had been around for long time might have had. someone like ron johnson who will be russ feingold. that race is tightening up. ron johnson is doing better and it is hard to imagine any typical established figure

doing. russ feingold is the underdog. marco rubio looks like he will win in florida. it is important to remember we have these moderate republicans who had struggled to connect with these independent voters. mark kirk is struggling against a damaged candidate who has been able to keep the polls neck-and- neck for barack obama's senate seat. he made it through the republican prairie in january and happen to -- and caught fire. in new hampshire, charlie bask. they are struggling.

bask is drilling in that district. there is a mixed bag. we will see in 13 days exactly what the tea party is able to do. how they are able to get people out, whether or not the grass- roots energy is really there. but we have scienter of the votesy season witchewhich is against the establishment. they did not win because they were strong candidates. they were not ready for prime time in a lot of cases. the one because there was deep mistrust of almost every institution, especially large ones in this country and in a place like delaware, o'donnell because mike castle did not vote consistently. he was unpopular. it was not seen as a real

conservative. he was seen as a republican in name only. joe miller won because the summer caskey -- lisa murkowsky was appointed by her father and supports abortion. in that sense, the tea party movement which is about one- fifth of the country is propelling this energy in this anger. it is a classic protest movement. and now as we already start to look past november 2010, we have to think about their sting power. that is the question that interests us. is this a protest movement that will peter out, or would transform into continuing energy? in that way, we have some fastening evidence. politico commissioned a

fascinating exit poll at one of the rallies this spring. we worked with the same people who do the exit polling during the national presidential elections and we will do -- we went to a rally that drew 25 or 30,000 people in washington on april 15. we did a ballot exit poll where we found an even divide between conservatives and libertarians. we saw that in a bunch of different questions in our poll. we saw most clearly on the presidential preference question. ron paul and sarah palin bash each other and 43% have the view that government is doing too much. it should be promoting traditional family or moral values and an exact same percentage, 42%, said the government does too much but they should not be promoting any particular set of moral values.

bill libertarian perspective. within the movement, there is a significant rift. there is a divide. that carries itself with the hard and people who have been in politics for a long time and the tea party heirs who were swing voters. after this election, as the economy starts to recover and fiscal issues become less salient and the social issues start coming up, one-quarter of the people at the rally support the right to gay marriage. it is those kinds of issues, by the next congress if it is controlled in the house by republicans, you will see a real clash and a vision among republicans and you will see that reft undermine the tea party movement as it exists. this year, as we start to look ahead to 2011 and the impact of the tea party, if a bunch of these candidates win, which they will in a lot of the state's, mike lee in utah and marco

rubio. there will be a challenge for john boehner. when jim bunting held up the [unintelligible] you have half a dozen equivalents in the congress. jim demint will have his own power base and we will see how those candidates adjust to life in washington. there are a lot of historical parallels to 1978 when a lot of candidates won election and some of them were one term lenders and they stuck with those conservative principles. some of them learned the ways of washington and were coopted and accepted the way the system and the institutions of washington

work. we will have to see what happens with the candidates who will be sent to washington by the tea party movement. that is where we stand and we will see how many of them come in 13 days. >> thank you. >> i would like to thank the center and the university for having me. i wanted to make mention that the democrat in [inaudible] has some tea party support. sometime in august, it was august 22. an editor camera to me and said why don't you do a story about the tea party successes in the mid atlantic, maryland and delaware. "the times" cut 60% of its

newsroom. it was not a good idea to argue withoubut i went ahead and did e story. two weeks later, joe miller pulls of this impossible upset and the tea party express money moves east. i wake up thinking i have to go apologize to somebody for being -- saying this will never happen. i woke up that day, maybe i need to rethink things. i came to a bigger and deeper level of understanding. i was critical of everybody all the time, consistently thinking in terms of conventional wisdom, so was i..

from here on in, i'm not going to think that way. especially with regard to the tea party and with the possibility is. to some extent, it was to avoid an embarrassing moment like i had in that newsroom by saying that christine o'donnell would never win. i agree with these guys. i am open to any possibility after the crazy upsets we have seen so far. there is an old expression among sports reporters. you read for the story. we definitely have a story on our hands. it is a great time to be interested in politics and be a reporter and be a voter or college student. it is a great story line.

it kind of goes beyond this idea of did you hear what this extreme canada or what this tea party kendig said. the movement and the candidates make these races exciting. it is largely a grass roots movement. everyday people beyond the east and west coasts involved in government, that is great. if you look back to november 2008, obama won and democrats won big. mike still could not get out of his way. making one gaffe after another. the republican party is at an all-time low. to the extent that is the two- party system in peril? i never thought there would ever get back on their feet. may be conventional wisdom

again. then came the recession. the next thing you know, this tea party movement gets energized. republican money or conservative money found a base. this perfect place to put forth their financial interests. i do not think anyone would argue against that. when you see the liberal media attack or be critical of these candidates, it solidifies those people who support the tea party anyway. they say, sure they make mistakes, but they are like you and me. this is not a polished candidate. this is not someone who was good. this is exactly what i want. i do not -- the world does not

need another race between the secretary of state and an attorney general. as we would have seen in kentucky. 's kendigonnell pose t defeated -- candidate defeated rand paul. law retireder in in florida and he enjoyed yelling at fox until dinnertime. many people look to fox to validate their point of view. or you turn on msnbc and you can yell at whoever is on there. i see the way these candidates

are being portrayed on both sides of the media like that. people have a mindset about the way things are and it is difficult to change the point of view. it would have -- what have we learned? as we saw in the 2004 elections when george bush won the heartland, there is a vast world out there beyond the liberal elite. and the east coast. you look at the sussex county and christine o'donnell when the primary. you look at the kentucky endiano got rand paul out there. the first ok at

with a nosea womean ring and a laptop. it is interesting we're here to maybe put something -- maybe not necessarily to come to an agreement but need to define the tea party were we can walk out and understand it better. it is too different. to many different things. is sal russo propping up the tea party express with big money? yes. there are hundreds of tea party groups across this country that our kitchen table type operations. you call the number and they -- it is somebody.

a few people -- this is what the movement is. i think that is intersting. are some ready for prime time? sure. joe miller, he could figure his way through. others may be not so much. the november elections will be different than the primaries. i do not think we will see any upset. maybe some numbers will be smaller or larger. these races are very tight right now. almost all the way across the board. particularly with the senate races.

people said i will take a shoct on rand paul. it is a wait and see. looking forward to november 3. >> thank you. i will ask a couple questions and i want to leave some time for the audience to have some questions. thefirst question, prius panel agreed that -- previous panel agreed that the tea party has no defined leadership. i wanted to ask if you felt this was true. there are no real leaders of the tea party movement. if sarah palin not seen as a leader of the tea party movement? if you believe that the tea party at this time has no real

leadership, it is a grassroots movement made up of a compilation of a lot of people who have no real leadership, if you see that changing, tea party candidates who get elected, will that change them/ ? will it be this movement that is leaderless? >> there is a big question of whether or not if the republicans do well in this election, whether or not the tea party supporters feel like there is a continued need for a tea party. they may feel like they have effectively taken over the republican party in terms of what they want. in terms of philosophy, what tea

party candidates and republicans say they are for it is the same. they are getting angry at these politicians who say we will do something about this and cut government and spending and they never do it. they just got to appoint where they are tired of it. there may not need to be a continuation. what we see, the media is having great difficulty trying to put a face on the tea party. for the media to cover the tea party, they need leaders like the antiwar movement. they need to have a leader. they were able to put faces on that. they are having trouble. in terms of sarah palin, the

crowd is in the street, let me go lead them. that is what happened. most of her activity began as a paid speaker. as a leader. she has done well with media support to identify herself as a leader. who knows where it goes from here? once rand paul or sharron angle are in congress, it is a question of what they do with this. does this bold and to an anti- obama national thing? >> i totally agree. the tea party was formed on the opposition in general to elected leaders of the republican and democratic parties. i have been to nearly every

significant tea party rally. maybe more than 1000. there is a lot of unease with george w. bush. a lot of them voted for mccain but they did not like bush and they do not like the republican establishment. like john boehner. the freedom works president said the tea party has succeeded in a hostile takeover of the republican party. he said on november 2, we will take that grass-roots energy and take over the democratic party. in some ways, the candidates on the ballot have raised expectations to a level where it will let a lot of their supporters down. a lot of the activists are out there are true believers.

if they elect someone like rand paul or sharron angle, thing will change. for those of use who see the institutions, even with a tea party caucus, a lot still will not change. an unwillingness to work with barack obama because a lot of these folks are not going to be willing to compromise on some issues. there have been a couple of datapoint said help understand the leader question better. the first is on sara palin, we ran 53% of those surveyed said they would never consider voting for sarah palin to be president. she is an extraordinarily

polarizing person. a lot of leaders do not like her. a recent poll part her personal rating at 20% -- 25%. i'm not sure how much she would describe yourself as a leader. she is a leader. there has been an effort by some like michelle bachman to position herself as a litter. she helped create a caucus and 49 house members signed on but there was a widespread backlash from the tea party leaders at the prospect the house was creating a tea party caucus. the idea is it is leaderless. jason schafitz refused to join

the house caucus because he said that was not appropriate. that led to some division and some people who had signed on hedging a little bit and saying they were endorsing the movement but there were not implying it endorses them. we saw with the pledge to america that the house conference put out that leaders blasted the republican document, saying it did not go far enough. my pantmike pence did not sign contract from america which is it widely signed document the tea party is excited about. he wanted the focus to be on the house republican conference. when pence spoke at that 9/12

rally, he was booed and he got a tepid reaction to his fiery speech. he was part of the republican leadership. all the signals are suggesting that no clear one leader will merge after november. there is a risk among people who would fashion themselves as leaders of that movement. >> one thing i would add to back up what you said about sarah palin, a last national survey we did a couple months ago shows 40% of republican voters were supporters of the tea party but only 12% were supporters of sarah palin for president. she is a long way from being the

leader of the tea party or having support in her pocket. >> do they like her for the exposure she gives the movement? >> i do not know if they like her. for that reason. some people may resent it. maybe resent the idea of politicians capitalizing on it. clearly, her rhetoric and what she talks about is consistent with what tea party advocates are saying. to that extent, there is common cause. that is true with most republican candidates around the country. i was thinking as you were talking, why would not mitch mcconnell and jon kyl and joined the tea party caucus? why not? why would the republican leadership not become part of it, it is there and they are in line with that, why not?

>> i agree. the idea that because the tea party is so independent and non- top down run, the idea of seemssing scene counterintuitive. i cannot see that happening. one thing i wanted to point out, lendar, freedome brought her to washington and coached her. another group which you might not be so familiar with is liberty central. group. jenny thomas's she, it is typical of the

movement where it is largely for dealing with fiscal issues. it is helping people who are interested in taking the movement to its next step. they come to washington and she is trying to teach them. how do you lobby a congressman? how do you knock on his door? whahow do get his ear? there are some mechanisms in place to take this to the next level. i thought that was something i wanted to point out. during our recent meet the press rand paul, he said he would caucus with the gop establishment. you have a little bit of that there. the other thing is like these

guys will tell you, i do not espouse this. so many candidates come to washington eager and they will change the world and we all want them to. there is a system in place. you have to work within it. you have to get enough votes to get anything done. it is -- it wears you and before you know it, you have to colchis with your party to get things done, to ever get any sort signature or considerable legislation passed. i can see that happening with tea party members as well. >> we have less than 10 minutes left. i would like to get the audience involved if there is anyone who would like to ask a question.

>> i am a student intern here. as far as the midterm elections go, how much [unintelligible] and like, because the tea party is able to get many people out there, does that influence who is elected and otherwise may be the same candidates would be chosen by a majority because they got those people out there, they were able to do that? >> for the first time since 1930, there was a higher republican turnout. we had boaters engaged in some places. because there was a low turnout. in a state like alaska,

[unintelligible] where we saw them win was in caucuses. in utah if there had been a statewide primary, bob bennett would be coasting to a third term. in a place like minnesota where they had a caucus to choose their party's nominee, tom emmer. he would never have won statewide. marty siefer had some appeal to conservatives and would have won. the general election, it would be a tighter race because of this caucuses. that is a place where the tea party is able to be really strong. >> i am a student here. i wanted to ask, you brought up the statistic from your exit

polls about the social -- how they social views are split within the movement. is it chosen by their representatives with the social platform of the tea party will be in the different races, or do they have a consensus about their social issues? >> i think that is a great question to which i do not have an answer. there is no leadership at the top. how do they know? it is this strange -- maybe they pick it up on each other. there is no order from the top down. that is what they do not want. they have all seemed to coalesce around certain ideas. one is to stay out of the social issues. that is not going to drive your agenda. you take a look at the ones who were defining, gay marriage,

legalization of marijuana, immigration, they're not topping the ballots and they stay with the core issues of the financial issues. i do not know. are they sending up smoke signals? i have never got it. maybe these guys will tell you. >> it started with bob mcdonnell who ran on the social issues. he had the message discipline to focus on jobs and the economy and the fiscal issues and he tried with mixed results to minimize the social issues and he won. conservatives saw that and they picked up the message and focused on the fiscal issues at the detriment of the social issues. a lot of the tea party is have conservative social views they have kept under wraps or tried to downplay this cycle. >> it is a protest movement and not a governing party, does not need to take positions on

anything it does not want to take positions on. it is protesting certain policies and certain issues and that is the extent of it. most of the tea party kendig it's tend to be socially conservative republicans. this is being played out within with the republican party. it is like when he long -- huey long had a share of the wea lth. aat was a movement that ahad person the head of. he went into an arkansas primary and flattened the establishment. you had polls -- the point is

the share the wealth protest movement did not have a foreign policy. it was about taxing the rich and providing income for the poor. you could have that in a tea party where we will cut government spending and cut the size of government. when you're in a protest movement, you get to define it any way want. -- any way you want. >> i am a graduate of the university of maryland. first, i want to thank you for this wonderful event. you have addressed some many -- so many fascinating and important issues you do not hear discussed often enough.

i have a couple of comments. the question is is sarah palin's appeal. she is a mom, that is the answer i have heard given. >> she is a hockey mom, that's right. anyhow. to move on. there are a number of concepts that i think are so important to what is happening now with the tea party, with all of these different elements that go into influencing public opinion and votes and policy. one concept is the public good. it is something that apparently the tea party people, for the most part, do not seem to acknowledge. the closest they come to it is

saying we believe in the constitution. we do not want any government. it seems to presuppose there is not any such thing as the public good. i personally believe there is a public good. i do not hear this talk about. public health is the public good. immunization prevents the spread of infectious diseases. do want to be safe will we get on a street car or bus or take an airplane? to what our kids to be safe from infectious diseases will we go to school? ok. you get the point. education. public education. universal public education is the public good. i hear the conservatives in the tea party and elsewhere talking

about crack babies and old people, living off the public trough, such as big. living off our tax money. our hard-earned. it is people who need to depend upon their social security. or public health program, medicare or something of that sort. if they have -- have the luxury of a good education, maybe there would be able to provide for themselves as well as the fortunate few. who can pay for their own medical care and so forth. this is a public good. unless we educate people the

[unintelligible] why isn't it talked about by the political parties. i would like your response to that. another point. there has been so much said about the tea party is a response, in reaction to my protest movement that is grassroots and spontaneous, it is not being led. that is theure whole truth. i am certain that is part of the truth, no doubt. my impression and i admit i am not in the tea party. my impression is that many of these people in the tea party they want someone in office who was just like me.

a plain, ordinary person. unfortunately, most american, just plain people, thanks to our under supported and underfunded public education system know beans about the american government, even the constitution. we have seen that. even people running for office are baffled about the constitution. i really question, just thinking things are not going the right way is the whole answer. there is another alternative. that is the media has something to do with agenda-setting with the issue definition. the media, even though liberal media who in my view are having their agenda set by the tea

party. they're not looking to educate the public. they're looking to talk about the sensational and to do it in a sensational way. >> is that your question for the panel? i want to get to the last person. we have one more person who wants to ask a question. i want to get them to answer your question. what would be your question for the panelists? >> my question is, what institution in the u.s., what group, what public or private can possibly begin to educate the public so we can have a real working democracy? it is required, and educated public is required to make choices and that is what our democracy is about. thank you. >> i think public civic

education needs to be a role of every institution and everybody. it needs to be the role of the education system and the role of the media, the role of people in politics. >> on your question you had addressed earlier about this issue of institutions, the tea party leaders were here, they would say they are federalists, they believe a lot of the functions you are talking about should be dealt with at the state and local level. democrats are trying to make an issue in this campaign about what you articulated. this notcshould not be a referem on barack obama. this should be a race between democratic incumbents and the tea party opponents. independent voters here are both sides and there are in line with a lot of the democratic incumbents. democrats have tried to make that an issue.

>> i think you made a valid point. there is a certain amount of issues. these have been the defining ones to the exclusion of some other social issues. the idea that the media, newses business. it has -- the networks are in the business of informing people. everyone -- is everyone's responsibility. they're in it for ratings and for people to pay on websites and there are these compelling interesting -- compelling an interesting candidates. they make news, there

compelling. there colorful and they deserve to be reported on and they draw people. >> it looks like we lost their last person who was born to ask the question. with that, i want to thank the panelists for their time. thank you for coming. that concludes the panel. thank you very much. [applause] >> now for news updates. according to report, charles jr. schumer gave checks to help candidates when their races. he contributed to state parties including a check to the nevada state democratic party where senate majority harrleader harry reid is running for election.

each night we're showing debates from key races around the country. we start off live at 8:00 p.m. eastern with the massachusetts .overnor's debate betwee what's that new mexico governor's debate live at 9:00 p.m. eastern. at 10, watch interviews with the texas republican and democratic candidates for governor. >> make a five to eight minute theme.on this be sure to include more than one point of view along with c-span programming. the deadline is january 20. you will have a chance to win the grand prize of $5,000.

there is $50,000 in total prices. the competition is open to middle and high school student'' grades 6-12. for complete details, go to our website. >> two former parliamentarians compare and contrast the house of representatives and the house of commons. on the roles that run parliament and congress. sunday night on "q&a". >> the news and opinion website the daily beast is hosting a form on economic and political issues. among today's speakers, spike lee. furstenberg.voe von begins at 10erage

eastern. mississippi's first congressional district is one of those raided as a tossup by the -- by a political report. he is challenged by allen nunnelee. their debate is over an hour. >> welcome, i am glad to see a good cry. we have an overflow crowd. i will be the referee today. i hope it will not come to that. i want to thank you for coming, to let you know there will be a reception in the lobby

afterwards and just to tell you that this debate is sponsored by the leadership institute. i am glad that congressman shoulders and senator nunnelee have agreed to be here for the event. i have discovered these candidates, even though they are from rival parties, have a lot in common. they were both born the same error in the same district, district 1. they have been both a businessman in this district. they both took positions replacing roger wicker, oddly enough. we are looking forward to a good and spirited exchange this evening. let me briefly explain the ground rules that were agreed upon by both sides. of wehold the applause

can. we can get more questions in and give everyone a big round of applause at the end. there will be brief opening remarks, two minutes for each candidate. toss.d by acora coin then closing remarks at the end of the program. senator nunnelee will have the closing remarks. questions will come from our panel of journalists who are from this district. the questions will be directed to specific candidates who have 90 seconds to answer than the other candidate will have 90 seconds to respond or to make an observation on his opponents response. if there is back and forth, we will get some latitude, but i do

not want to go into too much discussion on one particular point. we have a timekeeper here who will be up pricing the candidates of a sick the -- of 60 seconds and 30 seconds. let me introduce the journalists. here is john scott. next is emily lacaze, and then carolina lee, and j.d. clarke. the candidates, most of you are acquainted with them. travis childers is the democrat and the incumbent. he won the office in a special election in 2008 and was elected to the full term later in the year. he was born in booneville,

served for 17 years as this chancery clerk. congressman, we are glad to have you back. senator nunnelee is the republican nomination -- nominee. he won the nomination in a primary earlier this year. both candidates were born in the same year. senator nunnelee just had a birthday. happy birthday, senator nunnelee. he was born in tupelo. he returned there and founded his own business there. he was elected to the mississippi state senate in 1994. we're all ready to get started. we will have the first question from john scott.

excuse me. i am jumping. i am new at this. we have opening remarks. we will her from the congressman and then the senator. >> thank you, curtis. it is a pleasure to be on this fine university campus today, mike all martyr, where i receive my education and michael -- and michael children have received ears. i know what it is like to struggle and i know hard work. my number one priority as ben, is, and will be jobs and our economy. i will continue that until every mississippian who wants to work has that opportunity. that is why i was proud to be endorsed by the chamber of commerce and to be recognized for what awards by the national

federation for independent business. some people have been trying to make this race about people who live thousands of miles away from here instead of north mississippi. i have put north mississippi first. along with making jobs and the economy my priority, i will continue fighting to be a fiercely independent voice for the people of north mississippi. during the very beginning of this campaign, i was honored to receive the endorsement of the national rifle association and in that -- and the national right to life. sometimes you have to make tough choices. sometimes you have to be a rebel. that is no problem. i have been a rebel all my life. the best way to serve you is not just to hit the no but in all the time. i want to make things better for the people of north mississippi. that is why i will continue to reach across party lines to get

things done. this race is about who gets it and he does not, who will work for you, and he will work the system for their game. i promise you i get it and will continue to do what i said i will do, work hard, work with both parties, and serve as an independent voice for north mississippi. >> it is a pleasure to be here this evening. i want to thank curtis wilkie, overby center, and curtis -- and the overby center. together, we can write history. how will our grandchildren and their grandchildren know of the greatness of america, will cost 30 enjoyed the liberties of their grandparents before them? well our grandchildren enjoy the

opportunity that we have enjoyed, living in a land where any boy or girl can grow up to become everything they want to or will the greatness of america was a record of what supposed to answer the question, it is at our hands. can you honestly look at the record of this congress and say, good job. can you look at the state of our economy and say, keep up the good work? is america stronger now and more respected in the world than when this leadership team took over? is the world safer? with 22,000 lost jobs in the

first congressional district, with $800 billion of additional debt, the thing we can do better? -- do you think we can do better put can we afford two more years of the same, or do you believe we can do better? i think we can do better, and that is why i am running for congress. i look forward to this debate, and forward to the discussions. >> good evening, gentlemen. a couple years ago, the issue i heard most from the community was about the economy and a loss of jobs. we just heard the whirlpool plant was closed down. today that is still the issue i hear about the most from the community. i am also hearing that people see signs that the cut economy is seeing some improvement out there.

this is to congressman childers, i believe. could you be specific about what your plan would be to keep the economy moving or make it stronger than it is today? >> i think most people are surprised that this recession has left -- has gone on as long as it has but that it has been as deep as it has been. unemployment at an all-time high. i have only been in congress for a little more than two years. every single day, every single day, when i get up, it is the first thing on my mind and the last thing on my mind. i believe in opportunity and believe that every person who wants to work should have that right. we have supported every small business bill that came along to try to help spur job growth. we cannot depend on the government to grow jobs. we have to depend on small businesses. that is why i bet supported by

the -- why i have been supported by the chamber of commerce pro. they have recognized all the hard work we have done in creating jobs to keep unemployment down. >> thank you for that question. it is appropriate that it is the first question asked, because over the last 15 months, it is the first question that i have been asked. the economy is very serious, and the most important issue facing north mississippi today, and as far into the future as anyone can see in the future is jobs. they told us the economy is bad and we better pass this stimulus. if we do not, unemployment could rise as high as 8%. they borrowed $800 billion to be paid for by future generations. in north mississippi,

unemployment soared past 12%. some counties hit 20%. 22,000 people in the first district have lost their jobs. we are $800 billion more in debt to pay for it. we can have a private economy, fueled by the strength of the american worker. it starts with allowing men and women to keep more of their own money. if we do that, we will create our own stimulus. the second thing is to alleviate fear. a lot of this -- of the economic problems we have are driven by fear, and i hope to be able to get into that more in this debate. the final thing we need to do is government does not create jobs, but government can create an environment where private business can invest and thrive. >> hello, gentlemen.

we hear about global warming. we did not hear about much of it at the local level. i'm curious to know if either of you believe that global warming is real and in either case, what do you believe, should or not do about it? >> global warming. they said this is a serious problem. we need to pass the cat and trade tax that would be without problem. the president said that out of necessity electric bills will skyrocket. i am not in favor of that cap and trade attacks. it is a political agenda that is in search of science to back it up. what we need to have is science to lead the political agenda. we do not need to have a stifling tax that will slow economic about want and slow job growth in the state and in this nation.

>> yes, i believe that global warming is real. we have not had an energy policy in this country since jimmy carter was president in the late 1970's. everybody keeps the can down the road like i see them doing in washington, d.c. i am amazed we agree on a lot of things, but i agree the cap and trade bill was not good. as the only member who serves on the agriculture committee, i think it was terrible -- terrible for agriculture. i voted no, i was brought about no, and i will look at a more reasonable bill. that bill was not reasonable. i was proud to stand up against it. >> good evening. we have talked about jobs so

far, and, congressman, you talk about opportunity. as a college student and as a friend of a number of graduates, i've watched a number of people not get jobs. what about the people who have gone to school and have not lost a job because they have not entered the job market to begin with? what is there to do for that demographic? >> first of all, i have said this many times and i believe it. education is the pathway to jobs. education is probably the best jobs bill that there could be. i am proud of supporting increasing the pell awards. i am a product of the pell grant. i was a student here on a pell grant. it was a great help to me. we helped pass the gi bill. the best gm i've built since the

original g.i. bill following world war ii. it is more than just that. education is the key, and education is the foundation. i have stood up for public education here on every single front, every time that i had the opportunity. my opponent cannot say that. he took the stimulus money they so quickly so criticized. he is so quick to criticize it, but he rate in $600 million to fill every hole in the state budget and the teachers on the sidelines, left classrooms overflowing when he could have done something about it and he did not. that is where we start, by education. and you are around students all the time. there are students and this audience. they are asking themselves the same question -- what will the

comedy for me when i graduate? the same question their parents and grandparents were asking. i said earlier and i would like to elaborate, i am convinced a lot of this recession we are in is driven by fear. over the last 14 months, i spent a lot of time sitting around kitchen tables, then in board rooms, classrooms, farms, then on shop room floors. what i hear from people is they are afraid. i have had hundreds of businesses tell me i have 30 employees, i have enough orders, i could expand my business tomorrow, but i am not want to do it because i will have to hire or people, i will have to buy more equipment for the to work on, i will have to build a new building. you are in business to make money. worry not doing that? because i am afraid of what is coming out of washington next. we have had the largest tax increase in the history of america going into effect

january 1. as one businessman said, they will not hire anybody else, and i want the assurance that congress will quit doing something stupid. if we could alleviate the fear in the business sector, the fear that resounds are around the campus, this will be alleviated. >> the first question goes to the senator. you are in favor of extending tax cuts passed under president george bush. at the same time you speak of that need to occur pending. how you reconcile those two seemingly contradictory proposals? >> question is about reducing the debt and extending the tax cuts. we're living today the largest increase in the history of america, skit look to take effect january 1.

congress has done nothing about it. there are those who say we can extend it for a year. that does not alleviate fevar of business owners in america. they're sitting back. we at needing to make sure that that tax increase never ever occurs. that will of the the the fear. if we do that first, secondly, if we will begin to restrain spending and hold the line on this senseless federal spending we have seen of the last 20 months, that will allow us to begin to reduce that debt because we will see our economy thrives. -- thrive. >> the bush tax cuts, nobody wants to talk about the truth of the cost. during the bush administration, when the tax cuts were

implemented, there were great -- they were a great idea, but no one cut spending. the increased spending. here we are, folks, when he took office, we owed approximately $5 billion. he implemented the tax cuts so week lowered the revenue, but we kept spending. we actually increased spending. we were involved in two wars and no one thought to pay for. the bill has to be paid. the cost of the bush tax cuts were $1 trillion. i love tax cuts. i have never run into anybody who would argue against cutting taxes. this is silly, but it is about being fiscally responsible. during that same time of the bush tax cuts, they left the paygo rules expire, the the blue dog democrats had fought so hard for. we finally got them reinstated

last year. i find -- as in time of the deep recession, no time to raise taxes. let's extend them one year. and then look at them. >> party politics has been big, everybody has been talking about it. this party is blocking that, this party is pushing that. everybody is talking about a bipartisan ship and not the same time, i am going to ask, what has each of your own party is done wrong with dealing with the other party? what has your party done to hinder relations between the two ? >> let me tell you, both parties are guilty.

what is the greatest disappointment? it is the lack of bipartisanship and this partisan divide that is destroying this country like a cancer. it is both parties. that is why i am trying to be an independent voice in congress. i have tried my best to reach across the aisle and continue to work with both sides. i believe that is what people of north mississippi one. if >> what you describe is

gridlock. one piece of liberal legislation after another, moving a restraint to the legislative process, through both parties, bailout, stimulus, cash for clunkers, health care, the list goes on and on. gridlock would be an improvement over that. i think we need somebody there to hold that liberal agenda accountable. they asked me if i was frustrated with my own party. a decade ago my party had the opportunity, and when they seized power they took two steps to the left and began to act like those that they replaced. when they did that, the other party took three steps the left and started acting more like socialists. yes, i've been frustrated with my own party and their actions.

>> when it comes to health care reform, i do not think you gentleman were big fans of the health care reform bill that was passed this year in washington. senator nunnelee, you would like to see that bill repealed. when it comes to health care reform, what sort of reform would you support, if any? >> think about it. i do support repeal of obama care. was against it before a pass. i am in favor of repeal now that it has passed. i will sign a discharge petition. i will do whatever is necessary to get that horrible bill off the books. we do need health care reform, and our healthcare system is purposely designed for the post world war ii economy.

an economy where an individual goes to work with a company, stays with that company the rest of their life. that is not becoming of the 21st century. men and women change jobs. we have an unprecedented number of small businesses, people working out of their homes, and one thing we could do immediately, a corporation gets a tax deduction when you pay insurance premiums. individuals and partnerships do not get that. we ought to allow the tax deduction to go with the one paying the premium. second, we should be able to keep your insurance when we leave our jobs. we ought to be able to give small businesses and in patrols the ability to have the same buying power of large corporations have. that includes being able to buy insurance across state lines. no insurance company should be allowed to capsule a person for using their health insurance.

>> no one wanted to support health care reform more than i. here is what i said -- let's repeal the bad parts. let's keep and perfect the good .arts pu let's close the donut hole. it would finally stop insurance cunning -- companies from penalizing citizens. it would allow children to keep you -- it would allow for the exchange. my opponent wants to throw the baby out with the back -- with

the bath water. they gave him this when he was in washington. this is what you say, this is what you do, and this is how you run. this is adding to the partisanship. if his party had come to the table and work on that bill, i think it could have been a better bill. that is what happens. both parties of the job to the extreme, what to write a month left, and it leaves north mississippi people like me out. let me talk about his health care plan. it was to take 65,000 people off of medicaid a few years ago. his health-care plan was to tax the sick people in the hospital. that is not the way to answer it. >> gentlemen, everyone in congress would pay you to cut one federal program, to save money. there's no compromising. which is it, and why? >> i do not think you can say

just one. i've been there a few years. there are areas to get a lot of departments and a lot of departments could stand a market. i introduced legislation, one of my fellow blue dogs, to cut spending by 2% for the next two years. we wanted our bill to read 5%. we cannot get co-sponsors. so we dropped it to 2%. that is what we have to do. it is not just about raising taxes and revenue. it is about cutting spending. we have lived the good life. congress' spending has continued to escalate, and this is where we find ourselves, in a pitiful ship, owing more money than we need the zero. i'm not prepared that we need to cut out just one. >> spending is a serious problem

in washington. it has been my responsibility to handle our state's budget over the most difficult. since the great depression. i have had a lot of sleepless nights. i have gone in and cut programs that i support the bleak because as much as i support any individual program, i have a stronger commitment that government should live within its means. one of the ways i can get up in the morning and do the job that i have been assigned to do, is very personal, 16 years ago i lost my job. it was in emotional. for 48 hours i blamed myself. i have wondered what i did wrong, and then finally, one morning, my wife and i got up, sat around decks kitchen table,

we drew a line down the middle of a piece of paper. this is money we have coming in. on the right side, this is how we will spend it. i was less than honest if i could not tell you there were tears shed that money. there is 12% element. there's no question in my mind that there are families in north mississippi that are going to that exercise. they are doing that in their personal budgets and expect the government to do so. >> we have talked about education and how it needs to be improved. everybody has to have a strong base to be entering the job market. necessarily ranks at the bottom of the list. they fall to the bottom in the quality of education. with less federal money being provided, or running out, how do you plan to address this

problem without a constant stream of money? what should be done? >> they passed stimulus ii. they said they would put the money in the schools. this is the first time ever in the history of america that we have asked children to pay for their own education. to pat themselves on the back. i think we need to make those decisions locally. when the money comes out of washington, it always comes with far more strings attached. i think we need to have that money funded locally, let people make decisions at the city, county, and state level. >> the teacher and medicaid bills that we were called back to washington to vote on an

early, mid-august, contrary to what my opponent said, it did not add one dime to the national debt. it put 2000 people, 2000 teachers, back in the classroom had been moved aside, laid off, sent home, increased class sizes. 2000, just in the state of mississippi alone. they were scrambling to find medicaid dollars, scrambling to find mitigate matches. thef mississippi has one he most generous match formalist as any state in the union. that it helped the chairman balance his budget. hypocritical to cry out how bad this money is but yet rake it in and rolling up windows and

dollar bills and plugging every hole in the budget. he could have refused but he did not. >> i came across someone who is a tea party member and who backs one of the two candidates. how seriously do you take the challenges by the tea party candidates and if you would talk about how these challenges influenced you? >> i think in the order, i take them very seriously. i am the candidate who has been clear i will not only represent the people in my party or any

other party or independent. my opponent has no intention of working across the aisle or working with my party. he will work with those of you agree with him. washington is a big town. it is a main town. it is hard to work sometimes across the aisle. it is hard to be shaking hands with someone who is stepping in. that is what bob and north mississippians sent me to congress to do. i made that commitment to my friends. if i went to congress, i would work across the aisle and listen to the other side. when they were right, i would vote with them. my vote bears me out. i have done just that. >> my sense of men and women that i identify with the tea party is up until a couple years ago, they voted but that was the

extent. over the last 24 months, they look at what is happening in washington. they felt their country was slipping away. they felt the freedoms, their rights, the liberties we have enjoyed, the opportunities they have enjoyed were slipping away. they looked for way to vent that frustration and they looked around and found there were other men and women who work alongside them and felt the same way. they talk in their neighborhoods and found out there were neighbors who felt the same way. the tea party is not a top down movement. it is a movement that started at the grassroots of america. people are saying all we want to do is take our country back. >> i will move back towards

employment. for a at a ribbon cutting 4 fiskars plant. business has been attracted to north mississippi. what can you do -- what do you plan to do to bring industry to north mississippi to put mississippians back to work? >> you are right. man and woman in north mississippi can compete with anybody in the world. we have done it. i was at a manufacturing plant yesterday and the men and women there are rebuilding engines, coming in from around the world and they're going back out to points over the world. i am glad your referenced soledad. they relocated from the silicon valley. that is significant. what is more significant is the

owner of the plant said i am going back to the silicon valley and tell people what i have seen in mississippi. but we have got to do is alleviate the fear that is predominant among business owners, large and small. they like what they see in mississippi. they're like the restraint they have seen in our budget. that played a significant role in turn it is decision to reopen their plant in blue springs. they like mississippians. i am convinced if we can give those businesses the assurances they need, it would alleviate their fear. we will see our economy take off. >> mississippi has a positive, a pro-business attitude. their congressman shares that attitude. i went to a planned yesterday,

ashley furniture. 2400 employees. 40,000 square feet. hang on in a day and age when trade agreements have just about killed the furniture industry like it did the garments/textile industry. the work ethics of the people of north mississippi is second to none. we took that for granted and i have taken that for granted until i have been in other parts of the country. and the people in north mississippi want to work, they will work and they will work hard. it will give their employer an honest day's work for and on pay.day -- an honest day's i saw you a couple of weeks ago theeaking ground for one of larger pharmaceutical companies.

they will come through that facility in desoto county. a good work ethic and a pro- business attitude. i am proud to represent people that will work hard. >> the war in afghanistan is america's longest-running war. -- some segments of the nation think it is time to reassess what is going on there and pull out the troops. what is your take, what is your stand? is it time to reevaluate or what? >> i look forward to the day that those men and women are out of those countries and back on american soil with their families. the first year i was in congress, i had the opportunity to go visit the troops and to see firsthand what was going on over there.

i had the great honor and privilege of getting to visit with general petraeus who i tell you i just have the utmost respect for. he was the general then and he was about to step down and he was back. i will tell you, i trust his judgment. i understand, i read about him a lot and i follow him a lot. when you get to sit down with someone and talk to them, it is worth something. i was so impressed. ?" stumpf press the put him back in the church of afton. i trust his judgment.

but as long as they're there, make no mistake. i will take time to provide the resources they need. let's honor them like the heroes they are. >> this is an area we agree on. we need to support our generals. we need to have clearly defined objectives. when they are met, we come home. as far as we have -- long as we have men and women on foreign soil, they need every tool they need to accomplish their mission. in addition, this is the first war that our country has fought since the american revolution that has been fought with citizen soldiers. when they come back home to small-town mississippi, they're not coming home as our veterans did from previous wars.

coming home to a military installation where they were under constant observation by a commanding officer. we owe it to those men and women to make sure they have all of the medical services, the mental health services they need locally. they're coming back to small towns and it is a long way to have to drive to memphis or jackson to get those services. >> we have seen a lot of negative campaigning and i know each of the campaigns are familiar with each other's careers. they have had to research it to find items to put in these ads. i'm wondering if you found out any thing that you admired. >> i do. i respect our congressman.

he stood by and supported his family at a difficult time. i admired that in anybody. he has a brief reasons to be proud of his family. his daughter was named miss ole miss. he served his country honorably. in washington, he cited up with the wrong side. it is a team sport for and which side you are on makes a difference. >> i have also had the pleasure of meeting some of his family and i would say equally complimentary things. his son and mine went to law school together. dust and introduced me to him one morning. he has a good tenure. i do not think he is wrong when

he says he wants to do well for northern mississippi. i think his heart is in the right place. i appreciate anyone who will offer themselves for public service. one of my great friends to was in the legislature said to me he saw some negative campaigning. the day is coming that good people will stop putting their name on the line at the ballot box. i believe he wants to do the right thing. the question is how he gets there. our methods are different. i am harping on education but that is what affects me most. there are a number of parts that affected students being able to stay on parents' insurance

until 26 and dealing with student loans. whether repealing and bringing back some things that make sense or keeping the parts of -- what would you maintain or create to help college students? >> i love to talk right education because i am passionate about it. if -- my fifth grade teacher was the first person outside of my immediate family that told me i could do something with my life. i could excel, i could do well. i cannot tell you how many times i thought about her. that meant a lot to me. i grew up in a family of modest means.

the first person i and my family to finish college. the question would not be who will go to college, where. i believe in that strongly. i think it is the greatest value. i am partial to this one. i have a great love for those teachers to teach kids-12. prexy began the debate talking

about the similarities. this is another one. i parents are here. -- my parents are here. either of them -- neither of them have gone to college. before they even knew they were expecting me, they began to set aside money to save for their children's college education. i owe a debt of gratitude to the sacrifice they made that allowed me to become the first person in my family to attend college and it created opportunities such as this. you're right. education is important. your referenced the fact that all this was in the health-care bill. the leadership said let's vote for now and will find out what is in it later. that is dangerous legislative

strategy, whether you are on the city council or the board of supervisors will answer my in congress. people are finding out what is in that health care bill and there's a lot of things such as tax, the deal about the 1099's. if you pay someone more than $600 a year, there is a lot in that bill that does not relate to health care. >> the obama administration said it will lift the moratorium on deep water drilling and while the gulf coast is much of your constituency, it is a topic that affects all of mississippi. i have two questions. what should happen to oil drilling in the gulf and something that someone in the audience asked me to ask you, what about fostering alternative

energy in mississippi, creating new jobs in that field? >> i am glad the administration lifted a moratorium. the incident on the gulf coast was a serious problem. everybody involved with it is or deepwater horizon, anyone else needs to plan of their mess. the moratorium was not the right thing to do. just as it was not the right thing to do following the titanic that we suspended our transatlantic shipping. you have asked us to reach out and the bipartisan -- be bipartisan. i grew up as a child of the

space program inspired that before the end of this decade will put a man on the moon and return him safely. we ought to have a similar strategy for energy independence. by the end of the next decade, we become energy independent. we need to explore a lot of different alternative fuels. we have an abundance of natural gas and lee died in mississippi. we have oil off the gulf coast. there is a lot of things we need to do. i introduced the amendment that passed in the house just before the break, asking the president, requiring the president to lift them -- that moratorium. that is one of those instances i was telling you earlier. sometimes it takes a lot of background. i stood up against my party, against some of my own friends here. i have always supported offshore drilling.

has always been popular? absolutely not. it is a job situation with me. it was jobs and gene taylor. thousands found themselves without a job. along calls -- comes bp. and makes just a big mess. it made it hard for people like me who support offshore drilling. i am not wavering. we have to cut our dependence on foreign oil. we need to use our natural resources. i will be restored -- a supporter of the lignite plant. me not popular with my party, but i am standing firm.

>> we talked about earlier how we can raise taxes and people in america cannot be expected to pay for our debt. the reality is as a person with the dollar in my wallet, i have more money. how do we move forward without [unintelligible] from our country or do we have to do that? is there a point and where do we start cutting or raising taxes? where does the other foot fall in reality? >> i signed the letter asking our leadership to extend all tax cuts. let's not leave out the middle class working people who are getting the job done every day, who are getting up and getting on construction equipment at six in the morning and the ladies to the sausage anduch a

biscuit and the teachers to go to work it 8:00. if we did not find yourself in such a terrible recession, and may feel differently. i just cannot with a good conscience increase taxes while we are in such a deep recession and try to come out of it. i said, let's extend them one year. let's look at that. i have been criticized for saying one year. why did you not say two years or four years? the bottom line is, once we get out of this recession and we will get out, we are tough people, we will come out of this recession. we have to be serious. we have to be serious about reducing this debt. there will come a day for tough choices. i can make enough choices. if i am back to congress i will make those tough choices. >> the debt is very serious. i told you about my personal

experience. i talked to business owners oliver mississippi. i talked to one here. let me tell you what we did in our office. i called in all my employees and said we have a choice to make. option a is to shut down the company. option b, everyone take a 20% pay cut. i will lead the way. he said we will vote and everyone here gets one vote. want to know you think. he said my employees voted to cut their own pay 20%. i told that story to another manufacturer and he said i have to be honest, i took a 50% pay cut. my wife has been working at less than minimum wage for the last 12 months. we're trying to stay afloat. the absolute worst thing we could do on those families is to impose additional tax burdens. they're making the difficult

choices in their personal budgets and their business budgets. we have made those choices in jackson. they're not making them in washington. that is what we have to stop. >> some of us are making those tough cuts in washington. i led the charge to stop the congressional pay raise. how can i sit there as a member of congress and take a pay raise knowing that unemployment was as high as it was, doing everything we can and north mississippi people were struggling. some of us are doing something about it. it was a real popular. -- was not real popular. it is more than just an economic issue. it is a national security issue. admiral mike mullen said a month ago he is in a position to identify threats to our national security. he identified what he felt was the number-one threat to our

national security. not in north korea, not iran or iraq, not a rogue terrorist with a dirty bomb. admiral mullen said the number one threat is the debt. that is not new. it comes from the book of proverbs. the borrower is the slave to the lender. i'm not going to enslave my grandchildren. >> [inaudible] >> as curious as i am to know your views on the mascot controversy -- earlier, a judge issued an injunction on the don't ask don't tell policy which ended the 17-year ban on gays serving openly in the military. what is your view on don't ask

don't tell as well as the judge's ruling? >> the number one function of our military is to protect and defend the men and women and children of the united states. our military should never be used as a social laboratory to a dance anybody's agenda. -- advance anybody's agenda. >> i will say today and tomorrow. ending don't ask don't tell is not good. and again, took backbone to stand up against my party on that one. i think it threatens the morale of our military. i think it potentially threatens the effectiveness of its. i will tell you when don't ask don't tell was implemented, i'm not sure how i felt that the

time. i'm not sure thought it was a good idea. i believe it has worked and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. i think it was better left alone. >> we now that the u.s. postal service continues to lose millions of dollars a year. postage stamps have continued to increase. there have been a lot of consolidations including one plant in tupelo. i'm curious to know if you would surprise -- support privatizing the postal service. >> i am not ready to completely privatize the post office. you can still send a letter across this nation for less than 50 cents.

i do not disagree with you. i will say the post office could manage some of its operations more efficiently. i opposed the merger -- the consolidation. not because my office is in tupelo. not because my family lives in tupelo. not because i live 30 minutes from tupelo. i felt like to save that amount of money there were other things they could have done. you can rest assured i told them about it. they know where i stand. if they were saving millions as much as i would hate to come i would understand it. they did not save the kind of money that was necessary. that could have shaved that off somewhere. now for a letter to go to memphis and come back to this town is silly and i do not appreciate them doing that. >> the post office is one

example of challenges we face in government. they have got challenges in technology. now you drop an email and it does not cost anybody anything. i am not willing to embrace privatizing but they have got to do things to become more efficient if they're going to compete. offero youice or for the other canada? -- candidate? >> did not vote for nancy pelosi. -- do not vote for nancy pelosi. [applause] that is it. [laughter] he is going to need more advice

than one funny line if he gets there. i have no intentions of him doing that. he has been very critical that he has hid behind her coattail behind this election. she does not want to talk about his party leadership either. the party leadership of both parties in this country is nothing to write home about. i would like to see somebody more moderate in that role. i would like to see a blue dog because i agree with them on most of the issues. i would like to see somebody in the speaker's seat that was pro- life and pro-gun like me. i would like to see leadership unlike his who wants to

privatize social security. that is what his leadership wants to do. they want to privatize social security and raise the minimum age of social security to 70. they want to instill a national sales tax on the people of north mississippi. i am against that. the combined forces and build out wall street which was a big sham and i am proud to say i voted against it every time i came to the floor. anyone the put their faith in party leadership is setting themselves apart -- setting a themselves up for disappointment. >> can i respond to that? you know the we are not going to

privatize social security. i have signed a pledge that i will repeal president obama- care. every time the democrats get in trouble, they cannot do anything else, they start waving and the social security fear flag. this whole issue of 23% sales tax, do not take my word for it, take the word of others around the state. this argument is unfounded and outright lies. i do not embrace it. are you willing to tell people that you do not embrace a 23% national sales tax? >> i do not plan to vote for anything that will raise taxes. >> you pledged to not support

it? >> i will not. i am putting my foot on vase. -- on base. [applause] i think taxes are too high. they're far too complex. the other day i saw a store that is common all over mississippi. it is devoted solely to helping men and women complete their taxes. when an entire industry exists to help men and women i figure out how to pay their taxes, they're too complex. taxes are not clear. there were all kinds of taxes hidden in that health care bill. i support legislation that will lower taxes. i am in favor of legislation that will make taxes more simple. i am in favor of legislation that will make taxes more transparent. [applause]

>> if we were in court, as the court reporter would say, let the record reflect he never said you would not vote for it. i say i will not vote for it. [applause] a 23% sales tax in goods, ben, cars -- good, guns, cars. to take one for the people's money right of the top is a shame -- one/four of people's money right off the top is a shame and disgrace. >> this is a question out of the audience.

it is a relatively simple question, but may be deceiving lee simple. -- deceptively simple. you said that if you go to washington, you will change the way politics is done. what does that mean? i>> i have done that in jackson. i spent my career in jackson. i worked in a legislative body that was dominated by the other party. i have reached out to men and women across the aisle. i have also opened up the process of government. there is a new website called see the spending. men and women of mississippi can go to the web and see how their tax dollars are being spent. this has completely reworked the way the government is done in this state. i am proud to have helped pass legislation that made that possible. yes, i do think we need to open up the process in government.

we should put legislation on line 72 hours before it we vote on it so that the men and women of america will know what is being voted on. if they know what is being voted on, we will do the right thing every time. on the other hand, if you have to sneak around and do it in the dark of night and tell people you'll figure out what is in a later, it is a pretty good sign you are doing the wrong thing. the'm sorry, i lost question in all of that. what was the question? >> the question was from the audience. he said he will change the way politics is done in washington. how would you do exactly that? >> may i follow up? >> absolutely, yes. >> i have been there for a little over two years. that town is pretty entrenched. what one can do is change how

one of votes, how one works across the aisle, how one reaches his hand across the aisle to the other party. my opponent has made it pretty clear he has no intention of reaching across the aisle. he has slammed democrats. he has slammed to the administration. he has no intention of reaching across. if that is important to you, i am your guy. if it is not important to you, i am not. >> i had a tough one, but it is self-serving and serving to the people of mississippi. everybody says, if we were to all vote on one piece of legislation that you write, it will definitely pass, if you got one piece of legislation, what would it be. >> i am proud to have supported

and been one of the leaders on the $8,000 homebuyer credit. i have seen over my lifetime -- i have been a realtor for 33 years, since i was 19 years old. if the real-estate market would turn around, if the home- building market would pick up, and without exception, the automobile market will follow, the furniture market will follow that, the appliance market will follow that. that is what will turn the economy around. i was proud to be a champion. that is why was recognized by the national association of realtors. that is a great for step in turning things around and i was proud to be a part of it. >> if i could write one law, it would be the congress cannot apply any law to the american people that does not also apply to members of congress.

[applause] [inaudible] >> thank you all for being here. i think this has been a healthy exchange of ideas. tonight i am going to ask you to join me, join me in taking back our country. this is not a campaign of a man for an office. this is a crusade to save america. we cannot afford another 22,000 lost jobs in this congressional district. we cannot afford another $800 billion in debt. so tonight, we say no more. no more excessive spending. no more borrowing from our grandchildren and their grandchildren. no more corporate bailouts. no more can up and trade.

no more government intrusion. and trade. capita no more government intrusion. no more closed-door backroom deals. no more obama-care. no more ignoring illegal immigration. no more attacks on the traditional family, and no more nancy pelosi. will history record that to those who had the most to lose did the least to save our liberty, or will we, like the men and women of the greatest generation, respond to freedom's call? i believe we will respond, because i believe america is worth saving. i believe you believe that too. may god bless you, and may god

bless the united states of america. [applause] >> the people of north mississippi are worried about jobs. and they are worried about putting food on their table and quality education. somebody has to worry about north mississippi. that is my job. i am happy he can save the world. i am going to work for north mississippi. north mississippi does not need a politician. it needs someone who can help them get jobs. many times i have to make a tough vote. i always hope that common sense will prevail. i think about my lifelong friend back home. if he was sitting beside me, what would he tell me to do? i tell you that story because he

is a good, hardworking american with conservative values. he wants to see our nation do well. he wants to live the american dream. that is what a lot of us want. i believe in north mississippi. i will never give up on you and i will always fight for you. i have said many times that education is the best way to lift ourselves up. we are tough. we are independent, and that is why we need someone in office who will stand up for what is right for mississippi. we do not need someone who ducks and dodges when it comes to taxes and social security. we do not need someone who will go by the washington play but even if it means selling out mississippi. that is the choice in november. do you want someone who will fight for your families or someone who is more concerned about his political career in washington? i know what my priorities are.

i have a plaque that says north mississippi comes first. for me, nor the mississippi will always comparison. thank you everyone. i appreciate you being here. [applause] >> thank you, col. thank you, senator. thank you, congressman. thank you everyone for coming. we have a reception afterward. if i was trading desk, i would give them both and a. gradinge -- if i was operati this, i would give them both and a. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2010] >> policies bands election coverage right through election day. -- follow c-span's election coverage right through election day. >> c-span local content vehicles are traveling the country as we look at some of the most closely contested elections leading up to the midterms. >> there are only about four or five congressional districts in the the country in which a republican might lose his or her seat to a democrat. this was the only state that was held by a democrat. it is easily the most democratic

district. it appears made for the democrats. but the republican is not your typical republican. >> the communities here are faced with the everyday issues that we have, especially in our post-katrina recovery, and now our post-oil spill recovery. where can our children play? do my children have good schools? are there needs of the elderly that we have not addressed? >> he is an attorney. he is very soft-spoken. not your typical republican, not as strident as most republicans are. he says he would have voted to reject health reform, against

the bill for equal pay for women, and against some other bills that are very important to this district. >> i want the chance to fight for people who are wronged. do not but profits first period put people first. -- first. but people first. >> the democrats is a rising star in some circles, but he has some baggage as well. >> our city is struggling. our children in need hope. richmond funneled money to a shady charity run by his girlfriend. he had his law license suspended

and was fined for ethics violations. cedric richmond, and it for himself -- in it for himself. >> this was an incident that occurred before hurricane katrina, but the discipline did not come down until after he ran against bill covers in two years ago, so it seems friend -- bill jefferson two years ago, so it seems fresh in the minds of some voters. it is going to be used against him. it is definitely going to be an issue. i do not know how much of a difference it will make. i think the bigger issue, like everywhere else in america, is going to be barack obama. but this is a district in which president obama plays very well. >> we have all been facing

tought *. but cedric richmond has always been there -- we have all been facing tough times. but cedric richmond has always been there, fighting for a better community. >> the key will be turnout. if we get a turnout that is proportionate, regardless of whether the overall turnout is 30% or 50% or 90%. if the turnout is proportionate among black and white voters, richmond should win this race. two thirds of registered voters are democrats. a majority of white voters are solid liberal democrats who will probably vote for the democrat.

the race looks set for richmond, but there are some wild cards like turnout. you want as many white votes as you can, and to identify the black votes that you can get. >> c-span local content of vehicles are traveling the country as we look at some of the most closely contested house races leading up to this november's midterm elections. for more information on what the local content vehicles are up to this election season, visit our web site, c-span.org. >> saturday, a landmark supreme court cases on c-span radio. >> christmastime in 1965, they would wear small black armbands to express the views they had in

regards to the war in vietnam. >> the principal suspended them. this led to what is still the acid test for the constitutional rights for its students. hear the arguments on saturday on c-span radio, nationwide on xm channel 132 and online at c- span.org. >> this weekend, we take a look at pre civil war virginia and how the state struggled with slavery and secession. we are back to the classroom with a formal civil rights leader and professor for a unique look at the montgomery bus boycott. american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span-3. >> now a discussion on the

voting system procedures and a look at how early voting is proceeding in this election. "washington journal" continues. host: on your screen is larry noden, the voting technology project director at the brain and center for justice. i want to start with two maps produced this week by usa today. the first one looks at how america voted in the year 2000. and all these different colors on the screen are the various ways, 10 years ago, that states allow their citizens to vote. punch card, data, lever machines, paper, optical scanners, or a mix. below that is the map of the year 2010. and if you can see, it is much less an eclectic. the majority are using optical scanner. that is the green. the second largest popular method is the electronic voting. what got us here? guest: well, what really got us

here is the 2000 election and all the problems that we had, particularly in florida, that exposed an antiquated system of voting in most of the country. as a result of the chaos of the 2000 election, congress in 2002 passed the help america vote act, which authorized billions of dollars for the states to purchase new voting equipment. initially after the help america vote act was passed, a lot of jurisdictions went to touch screen machines, what are technically known as direct recording electronic machines. those are like atm's. and i think in the couple of years after the passage of the help america vote act in 2002, most people in the country thought that that is what everybody would be voting on by now, by 2010.

there were a lot of controversies around and that technology in the ensuing years. so we still have a number of jurisdictions in the country using this touchscreen machines, but many more went to optical scanning machines. those are electronic machines. you fill out a paper ballot by hand and then scan that paper ballot into an electronic machine that counts the votes. so we got rid of the punch card machines used in florida, the lever machines used here in new york and elsewhere. and we now have primarily two systems that we use around the country. when people are voting in the polling place, and obviously, there have been other developments since 2002. we have lots more people voting, for instance, by mail than they used to. host: we would like to invite u.s. would do closer to the november 2 election to join in our conversation about the mechanics of voting and house

secure and accurate your polling place will be on such a hotly contested election ahead of us. what is your essential message about those two questions? we have spent billions of dollars as a nation investing in new voting technology. how well are you anticipating it will work in most places on november 2? guest: look, for the most part, i think that we have learned a lot about these machines in the past several years, and for most people, voting will be hopefully a relatively simple process. and i do not think that we're going to have nearly as many breakdowns and other problems that we saw certainly in 2000 and then again in 2004 when many jurisdictions were using these systems for the first time. i think whenever you change a voting system, as we're doing right now in new york -- we're the last date in the country to move to new systems. you tend to have difficulties the first time around.

a poll workers are not as familiar with the machines. voters are not as familiar with the machines. that could mean more problems. i will say that we will have some problems somewhere with machines breaking down. that happens. these machines are machines. they're not perfect. unfortunately, and this is something the brennans center has written about recently, although we have made a lot of progress in understanding these machines in developing better procedures for these machines, we have not done as much as we should to make sure that these machines are as accurate and reliable as possible. we still have a lot to learn, and there's still more that we can do going forward so that the kinds of problems that we have seen in the past with voting systems decline as much as possible. host: from your research at the print center, are there any particular states where you are casting a more wary eye?

guest: well, new york is the most obvious candidate for casting a wary eye. because as i said, this is the first time we're going to be using a new voting machines in a major general election. and whenever that happens, you're going to have voters who may not even know that they're voting on new systems for the first time, poll workers or not as familiar. we had some issues with these machines in the primary in new york, in large part because poll workers were not as familiar with the machines as they should have been in the right procedures were not in place. so new york is certainly a place i will be looking to. but the last several years of elections shows but you just never know where problems can pop up. and the key thing is, do jurisdictions have in place the right procedures so that when something does go wrong, the machines stopped working, for instance, in long lines or wer

machines dropping votes when counting, they do whatever they can to insure everybody gets to vote and to make sure that they are recovering all the votes that may have been lost or ms. recorded. and there are things that jurisdictions can it do to make sure that happens. host: such as the paper received guest: when you: right. at this point, most of the country, in most jurisdictions, there will be some of voter- verify paper record of the vote, whether it is the voter that filled it out herself or what you call a paper receipt, a paper trail. that is on the side of these touch screen machines. we should be using those to check the electronic totals. we should be doing things like checking the number of people assigned in when they came to vote and checking that against the totals that the machines are recording. these kinds of things flag for us potential problems.

one of the things we have seen, unfortunately, is that the problems that we have with voting machines, there is no central federal agency that mandates, for the most part, problems reported to them. there's no central authority collecting this data of problems, at least as extensively as we do for many consumer products and automobiles and airplanes, so that we can have a problem in one county and one part of the country in a 2006 that might pop up again in 2008 across the country because election officials across the country did not know about it. so that is one area where i think we could use some improvement, a better centralization of reporting of these problems, so that we know about the matter of time and do not have to deal with them afterwards. host: columbus, indiana, a

democrat line. caller: yes, i wanted to find out how if your state or your location or county does not lead you see who you voted for one and is done, i mean, i might tell you, yes, you completed all the answers, but how would you find out if you do not have a paper receipt to look at our call somebody to ask them? how would you know? guest: i mean, this is one of the difficulties, the technical and security difficulties in a voting. because of the secrecy of the ballot, we cannot publish for somebody how their vote was recorded, because we do not want other people to have access to how you voted. we want that to be secret. but your point is a good one. if you have filled out the ballot yourself and inserted it

into a machine or if there is a paper trail that you can look at on your touch screen machine, then at the very least what should be done is they can compare those paper tallies to what is in the machine, what the software is reporting the tolls were. in the states where they do not have that, where they do not have an independent voter verified paper record, a paper record that the voter has looked at, unfortunately there is no way to independently confirmed that the software is recording the votes accurately. of course, you know, we do test before hand to see the votes are being recorded accurately. we do tests afterwards to see the machines are recording things correctly. but our recommendation that the brain and center is that there should be some kind of independent record and should be used to check the software. because you know, software, like software on any machine

sometimes has boggs. sometimes their programming errors. and that this when mistakes happen. the best way to make sure votes are recorded accurately is to have an independent record that can be used to check and that can be used to substitute in case there's any kind of problem with the software. host: we're getting a lot of tweets about people's experience in their own states. here's one of your who says we tested electronic voting machines in one place, a paper trail, and more -- host: how do you account for the human factor? guest: that is a huge factor. we should not forget about it when we talk about problems with voting systems. very often, it is because voters did not do what they're supposed to do for poll workers have some problems with the systems. as much as that is a problem with the voter or the poll worker, it is a problem with the

machine. if a machine, for whatever reason the way a machine is set up is causing problems for voters said that their votes enacted being recorded accurately or is causing problems for poll workers or election officials said that the votes are not added up and totaled correctly, then we should be working to improve those machines to make them as user-friendly as possible. one of the analogies i often draw is if we had traffic signs that were confusing to drivers and there were causing traffic accidents, we will not say -- we might say was the driver is all for getting in the accident, of course, but we would do whatever we could to make the traffic signs more easy to understand and avoid accidents. we should be doing the same thing with voting machines. but again, unfortunately, as i said, unlike automobiles or microwave ovens or toasters, we

are not mandating that that data be recorded to a central agency so that we can collect it and understand where voters are having problems. for instance, this message you got about the 250 voters who did not press enter, how often has that happened elsewhere? if it has happened elsewhere in many parts of the country, we should understand this is a user face problem with the mission needs to be fixed. host: bristol, pennsylvania, bob, republican. guest: the soldiers and stuff overseas other absentee ballots. there were supposed to give them 40 days before the election as of 15 days before the election, as far as i know, they have not got their ballots yet. host: thanks. we have been reading about that in the newspaper but can you bring us up-to-date? guest: yeah, this is a huge problem and needs to be fixed. congress act -- congress passed

an act last year to enter the military overseas voters were getting their ballots for the days ahead of time. it also authorized ballots to be sent by the internet so that military and overseas voters could print out their ballots and then send them back by regular mail. you know, it is really -- there's no other way of putting it. it is really a tragedy that this continues to be a problem. there are people that are serving their country overseas -- i think all of us would agree that those people who are fighting for us overseas and protecting us should have the right to vote. and we should be doing everything we can to ensure that they get their balance on time and that they get them back to be counted in time. i do not have anything more to

up date in terms of the problems with military and overseas voters getting their ballots. but certainly i hope that counties and states around the country make allowance for military and overseas of voters who did not get their ballots in that time to give them extra time to ensure that their votes get counted. host: next up, our independent line, a call from memphis. caller: good morning. listen, i do not know if you are familiar with what happened in memphis, tennessee in our august 5 election with rampant voter fraud. the problem i have is when we have rampant voter fraud and the election commission is implicated that there are no criminal prosecutions. and our election commission, those being sued numerous times, have never lost a case. in this recent incident, although there were

irregularities, there is fraud or malicious content, but criminal intent was not the case. so they dropped the charges. so what can we do about the human error in the pretense of corruption in the election process? and if people are not afraid of being prosecuted, then don't you think these irregularities will continue? guest: well, i familiar with the situation you are referring to in tennessee. i am not sure what kind of fraud you're talking about. but i do think that there are a number of things that can be done to ensure that whatever corruption there is in elections is prevented. the most obvious thing is to make processes as transparent as possible. so that the counting process, it is transparent, so that when we

are checking the software tallies, that we're checking them against voter verify paper records, that we're taking them against a number of people who signed in. we now have statewide voter registration databases, and every state in the country that keeps track of all the people who are registered to vote, there is a lot that we can do to automate the process to make sure that our registration rolls are as accurate as possible. all of those things and making all of it as open as possible, it seems to me, is the best way of ensuring that, number one, that our elections are as fair as possible, but also frankly, insuring everybody else that is watching the election that when there are accusations of fraud, the their dog with as fairly as .ossible hoste

host: next up, republican from the state of texas. caller: i was in florida for the 2000 elections. it hurts me the way everything went down. ameritech, maybe you should get some illegal aliens to count your votes, because that is the only way that you're going to make sure that who you voted for god counted. check this out. first, they're going to rig the election machines. the supreme court has now ruled that corporations can be considered as individuals, so now all this money that is going into these campaigns are giving you a false reality. how is harry reid somehow in the polls almost even with the lady he is running with? how was charlie rangel getting in again? they got the voting machines are rigged. an electronic experts cannot rig any of those voting machines. we need to go back to hand-

counting these votes. america, i feel sorry for you because somebody's going to blame this on barack obama. thank you, c-span, and god bless you. host: we need to go back to hand-counting votes, he argues. guest: i think unfortunately, in a place like los angeles county, they might have as many as 250 contests in the county and it is in one election. it is probably not realistic in most places in at the united states to hand-count those ballots if we want accurate results in a timely manner. what i do think that we can do is, you know, we have these machines now, and in much of the country, as i said, we have ballots that are either filled out by the voter or a paper trail, we can check this offer totals. so that if there are suspicions

that for whatever reason the software is inaccurate, we have this paper record, and we can hand-counts of percentage of them. there are all kinds of formulas out there that statisticians have been together where we can have extreme confidence of the software is giving us accurate totals. so i do not think that we have to throw up our hands and say there is no way that we can know if these electronic machines are giving is accurate results. host: earlier, you reference the investment of new voting machines and there has also been a number of innovations in how people vote, including early voting and absentee ballots. will you talk about how widespread this is and what effect it has on an accurate count? guest: sure, well, this is been one of the biggest changes in the way we vote that has gone unnoticed in many ways in the last 10 years. in the last election and the last big federal election in

2008, close to a third of voters either voted early or voted by mail. i thinks of the like 20 percent of voters voted by mail. it makes it a lot of desert -- a lot easier for people to vote. it is less likely that we have situations that many of us remember in ohio in a 2004 with incredibly long lines and people waiting for hours, people not being able to vote because they cannot wait that long. when people can vote early and vote by mail, you spread out of the tightest and when people are voting, and you make it less likely that you have those kinds of problems. on the other hand, there's no, unfortunately, there's no perfect system for voting. and there are problems with these alternative methods of voting. one of the biggest problems with the vote by mail is that unlike when you go into a polling place and vote, you're not guaranteed that your vote is going to count. what i mean by that is if you

fail to fill out the envelope correctly, and this happens to voters, if you fail to sign your name or you're supposed to, if the mail gets lost, your vote might not get counted. you know, it depends on the state, but there are one, two, in some states where a vote by mail is less frequent, as much as 10% of those that do not counted because of these basically technical ministerial reasons, their votes do not get counted. you know, it is still a relatively small percentage of votes that are coming in by mail better not counted, but it is a very treal difference than votig in the polling place. it is a concern, and we saw that in minnesota in the recount in 2008. there was a hotly contested in

very close race between al franken and norm coleman. a lot of disputes over whether votes should be counted were around the absentee ballots, because those could be challenged. were the filled out correctly? whereas, again, with votes counted in the polling place, it is counted. it went into the ballot box or was recorded on the dre and there's no question of whether or not the voters filled all the technical requirements out that he or she needed to. host: our guest served as the terror of the ohio secretary of state's bipartisan elections summit -- as the chair of the ohio secretary of state bipartisan elections summit. prior to joining the brennan center, he was in private practice as an attorney, concentrating in bankruptcy law. how did you get into the field of voter law and ballot access? guest: by accident.

i was lucky enough to be -- this is so is sending a was interested in, and i was lucky enough to be volunteering at the brennan center while i was in private practice. as i said, i was already very interested in this. we were working on a project at the brennan center analyzing voting systems, and i was lucky enough to be offered a position there, a permanent position while i was volunteering. host: will you tell people what the brennan center is? guest: it was founded by the family of the late and great justice brennan, one of the most important supreme court justices of the 20th century. and we are at think tanks and public law institute at new york university school of law. and we are meant as a living low world to justice brennan.

we work on many of the issues he was concerned with all his life. and as justice and the supreme court. in my case, i am in the area of voting rights, but there are folks working on access to the courts, on issues like campaign finance reform, and other important issues of justice and democracy. host: next is a call from new haven, connecticut, a democrat. caller: i cannot believe in the mail-in vote. taking corruption out of election day, i think it also allows the voters to not be swayed by late october surprises and tricks with the media. and it gets the candidates to focus on the issues. and the voters to focus on the issues. and it is the voters' responsibility to actually fill out these forms correctly, to get themselves educated as to

how to do it properly. and while they do that, there is so much internet connection now they can actually researched the issues and the candidates on their own and come up with realistic expectations of them. i think that it is a much better voting system than the one that has been in place for 200 years in this country. i mean, i was a candidate one time with the green party, and i saw our candidates' names all upside down on the voting machine and voting things where you could not pull the switch on for our candidates. they pull all kinds of tricks with the voting machines. diebold was involved in the 2000 election, wasn't it? seems like a real mess to me. guest: well, there certainly are a lot of benefits to a vote by mail. i do not think there's any question of that.

convenience has to be one of them. but again, first of all, i would hate to see is a tuition or we got rid of polling-place -- i would hate to see a situation where we got rid of polling place of voting around the country. there are a lot of benefits to the voting machines we're using now, including the fact that when you do make a mistake, for instance, as we did in florida in 2000 or a confusing design needs people to make a mistake and try to correct it, the machines now tell you, we cannot read that balladur and it will not count unless you fill it out again. and you know, all the problems that you have with voting -- russianoff sale, but many of the problems with the voting at a polling place that you're going to have with vote by mail. if you have a poorly designed ballot, the confuses people and leaves them to make mistakes. then it is going to have

disenfranchising a fax, just the way it does in the polling place. people make mistakes in their vote one market counted on the ballot at home, and that will happen the same way as it does in the polling place. one thing i have been very glad to see is jurisdictions like oregon where they have all of vote by mail and minnesota has recently worked on at this. they have worked with usability experts and design experts to begin to put together ballots that are easier for people to use, that are less likely to cause confusion. i think, unfortunately, that is one of the lessons we did not learn right away after 2000. we bought all these new machines. one of the things people think about when they think about the 2011 is actually the butter 5 ballot. why we do not to the butterfly ballot anymore, they're plenty of these design mistakes the cause confusion that we still see on ballots in every election. and there is lots we can do to prevent them. some jurisdictions have started

doing those things. host: next is alabama, john, republican line. caller: good morning. i have been a service member for most of my life, and i have been overseas. i have watched what has happened in the elections probably very closely in the last 10, 15 years. and we do not have polling places in the military. they are not geared to do that for the servicemen overseas. and when you get to sending in these ballots, absentee ballots in the mail, and i have watched this closely, both in the civilian newspaper and the stars and stripes, and it has been very consistent. even though they have said we have done this much to get this corrected. but when the ballots get at the state level, over 50% of them were thrown out for a irregularities, for problems in the process. now if the military cannot do a

polehinke type of thing to validate and make sure that there -- cannot do a polling thing to validate and make sure they're correct, what is to expect that they be counted? guest: well, i think you hit the nail on the head in that statement. we have got to allow more time for military and overseas ballots to get in. and we are relying on mail services that might not be as reliable as the u.s. postal service. you know, i think a lot of it is a question of paying more attention to this problem, which has been happening recently in the past couple of years. one of the things that we can do, as i said before, is we can get ballots over to military and overseas voters more quickly by sending them either by express

mail or by internet so that they get them and can print them out. they can get a much quicker and print them out and then send them back by regular mail. and i think allowing an additional time, and again, making the forms -- the votes should not be drawn up for irregularities. making the forms as user- friendly as possible so we do not have these irregularities, giving extra time to military and overseas voters so that if the ballot comes in a couple of days later, it is still counted. i think we can allow extra time for that. we should be changing that in most states and localities to allow for that. all those things would, i think, go a long way to making sure that we are counting as many of the military and overseas the host:as possible ho

last night, c-span hit the 100 mark for the number of debates we have telecast. they're all log on our website at c-span.org. if you have not yet made your decision in your state and would like to review with the candidates have to say in debate format, you can click on all of them and watch them for yourself the next question is from colorado, thomas, democrats line. you're going to be the last. caller: in colorado, they have done a good job with the mail out ballot. it is working fine here. what i would like to see is you can walk up to any atm and use a debit card think it the right amount of money or whatever out of it that would eliminate many errors. it tells you about the candidate

and everything. thank you. host: a number of people have written about the process of atm-like voting. guest: i think, again, having some kind of independent voter- verified paper record is essential in all of this. and using it to check the software totals that are produced is essential. one of the things we talk about is that atm's worked so well. there are differences. voting is a secret act so that if there is some problem with your atm tour, you know it. if there is some problem with your vote and recording your

vote, you cannot know it because the ballot is secret. there needs to be some independent record of that vote. i do think at some point perhaps with a more sophisticated registration system that as automated, electronic, it may be easier to have people vote in different locations, rather than having to go -- i do not think we are there yet, unfortunately. we are going to have to continue with the various voting systems that we have. host: we have a couple of other resources. the brennan -- our guests, you can hear more if you like. also, the map from "usa today" is from their web site and there

are active links where you can find out what kind of voting system, county by county, is in place there. you canno do more expe >> voters had to the polls and less than two weeks. follow the key races and candidates on the c-span and networks, with debates every night right up to election day, archives online, and on our politics page. followed c-span election coverage right through election day. >> this week on "q&a," two

former parliamentarians compare and contrast the house of representatives and the house of commons. that is sunday night. >> the midterm elections are on november 2nd, and each night on c-span we are showing key races from around the country. our live coverage tonight includes the massachusetts governor debate. that is in a few minutes at 8:00 p.m. eastern. in a little more than one hour, we will be live from albuquerque, new mexico come up with the debate between candidates for governor. this campaign is the fourth time that the two women have faced each other for the governor's office. no debates are scheduled between the candidates for governor of texas, but tonight we will have

hour-long interviews with both. governor perry will be a little bit after 10:00 eastern. his opponent will be on just after 11:00. all three of these races are rated a toss up. here is a little bit more about the governor's race in massachusetts, as we wait for our live coverage. democtic governor deval patrick is facing a tough reelection bid. take a look at the latest ad. >> the difference on health care. charlie baker raised premium 150%, over $3,000 for the average family. his salary triple to $1. million deval patrick. capped premiums. >> this is not a permanent

solution. it gives working families some breathing room. >> if he think things are going well and massachusetts, you should vote for the governor. he thinks so, too. he talks about how massachusetts is on the move. if you think we can do better, if you think it will be good to have a governor who has turned something around and knows how to make the tough decisions, to live within your budget, get people back to work, then you should vote for me. >> imagine dreaming big. a boy who wrestled in college and coached. he opened a small business because he needed a job. he had four girls and taught them right from wrong. one of the best treasurers' is now running for governor. the noncandidate who is one of

us. jim cahill, a different direction for different results. >> patrick leads the republican by just five points. joining us is jon keller, a political analyst. why is this such a tough race for deval patrick? >> thank you for having me this morning. it is a tough race because it has been a tough time in massachusetts. governor patrick has had a tough time dealing with it. we have suffered the same economic problems as the rest of the country the governor had a number of well-publicized stumbles early on, anchoring the public by spending public money on fancy drapes and an upgrading car to ride around in. he arranged a high-paying public job for a political crony. these sort incidents mounted up.

the economy has hurt and angered a lot of people. last january, you had a political shock to our system in the bluest states of america th the election of scott brown in the u.s. senate race to succeed the late ted kennedy. serving is up for gra politically in massachusetts, and one of them turns out to be job.atrick's host: what issues do expect to co up tonight? guest: the economy has been issued number one. no question about it. charlie baker has tried to make it a debate over taxes, saying governor patrick will raise taxes. we have had a major increase over the sales t