government programs are the right way for our nation to move forward, we must voice even louder, enough is enough. we have had enough of this jobless recovery. we all know that government does not create jobs. the private sector creates jobs. the government's role is to create an environment that fosters job creation. speaker boehner recently said , [laughter] the reality is the bigger government gets, the smaller reality gets. more government means less freedom. less freedom means less growth. let's reject less growth means fewer jobs. i concur with the speaker. much of the house calendar has been focused on trying to reverse the damage caused under the leadership of nancy pelosi.

she insisted that putting more people on food stamps would create jobs for america. i ask you, would rather have more individuals on food stamps, or have more americans on the payroll? the health care law has based and will continue to face endless scrutiny of a conservative majority. runaway government spending and entitlement programs will be axed, and our soaring national debt and deficit will be reduced, rather than ignored. i am grateful we have a legal and how, and i am confident that soon we will have a new president that will get it and understand that same thing. [applause] .

.

thank you. god bless your families an god bless the united states of america.

today i am honored to introduce you to a gentleman who has pursued a more prosperous texas. governor per are ry is thing longest-serving and most successful conservative governor in the nation. [applause] he is an experienced leader who has unleashed the power of our state's entrepreneurs by cutting taxes, reforming our legal system, pressing for a predictable regulatory climate and making our schools more accountable. in the midst of this legislative session, he is

leading the charge for a balanced budget, a strong economy, and no new taxes. [applause] and thanks to those priorities and the efforts of hard working texans, our state is the nation's leader in ex-sports, fortune 1000 companies and jobs creation. in fact, "the wall street journal" noted last week using straight non-form payroll employment, texas accounts for 45% of net u.s. job creation since june of 2009. [applause] so please join me in welcoming a principled leader, a champion of fiscal

discipline, america's jobs governor and the 47th governor of the state of texas, governor rick perry! [applause] all righty! man! there is a party in new orleans! oh, yeah. let me just take a moment and say thank you to he joe domino. he is a great fellow and slipped across the border. i asked them if they checked

him well before he came over here. he is from beaumont and did a great job. it is awesome to be in louisiana, home of what i consider to be one of the great governors, a dear friend of mine and republican leader, bobby jindal! [applause] let me tell you, everywhere you look in this state, you see the evidence of this leadership. i mean, this guy is a real competitor. he is a winner. but bobby, i just want to kind of leave you with one thing here -- leave our football players alone across the border, all right? just give me some professional courtesy here. don't take them all. you know, on a serious note, governor jindal is showing folks that conservative principles are not just sensible, but they're truly compassionate. they're truly effective. flying into new orleans this morning, one can't help to reflect. anita and i were looking out the window as we were coming

in and thinking about the destruction that visited this city when hurricane katrina came through and just this amazing story of the human spirit that's given this town back its vitality and its feeling and this place is thriving again, and, you know, there has been a lot of talk in this town and across the country about the government's responsibility in a recovery for a disaster, and government certainly has a very important role to play, but the real recovery comes as a result of individuals taking owningership and doing the hard work and making the things happen. [applause] you know, unfortunately, this administration in washington that's in power now clearly believes that government is not only the answer to every need but it's the most qualified to

make essential decisions for every american in every area. that mix of arrogance and audacity that guides the obama administration is an affront to every freedom-loving american, and a threat to every private sector job in this country. [applause] you know, whether they're seeking to punish a company like boeing that's wanting to go into south carolina, they're pressuring company leadership in forced laboratories in new york, imposing e.p.a. mandates that will kill jobs right here in louisiana, they clearly think that they know best, and let me tell you, i vehemently disagree. they don't know best! [applause]

i happen to believe that our nation was built on the shoulders of working people, folks who reached our shores in search of religious and economic freedom. they and the generations that followed embraced the risk and the rewards of freedom. they killed the land. they built the factories, they pursued innovation. they helped create a nation unlike any that the earth has ever seen. unfortunately, the liberty that inspired our fledgling nation to throw off the chains of oppression, a nation that's been a magnet for immigrants all over the years, it's been the essence of the american dream, to being constricted by new regulations daily, obligations that seek to empower government, not the people.

we now live in this strange inverted version of our founding father's vision in which government of the people, by the people for the people is little more than this outdate dated notion, not very welcome in today's washington. instead, we have the so-called leaders who ramrod unread healthcare legislation through the system without revealingth true cost or admitting it will ultimately make the federal government the sole arbitrator and administrator of healthcare. instead, we have these so-called leaders, who would rather pour money on bailout companies that are too big to fail than to make changes that would free up small businesses to create real jobs and real wealth. instead, we have this entitlement culture in our nation that dictates

government spending based on what bureaucrats think they deserve rather than what the people can afford. do you really believe this is what our founding fathers had in mind? you know, as i think of their writings, of the risk that they took in the name of freedom, the sacrifices of generations of americans who have shared those ideas, i begin to wonder, what will our legacy be? will history view us as the generation of americans that kind of collectively shrug their shoulders and said, well, i guess there's nothing that i can do. well, will we just watch our nation continue this show backwards slide? well, future generations of americans living a life without any direction or

decision that is not made by some bureaucrat wonder why didn't somebody do something? you see, i've got more confidence in america's energy and character. i totally believe it's time to reconnect with the greatest attributes of our nation, to regain that resilient spirit and recapture that love of freedom, remembering its true price, and it doesn't matter what your zip code is or where you're from, we're all facingth same challenges in america. i stand before you today a disciplined conservative texan, a committed republican and a proud american, united with you in the desire to restore our nation and revive the american dream. [applause] i believe with all my heart

that our shared conservative values, our belief in the individual is the great hope of our nation. i say that with confidence, because i have seen what we have done in texas over the last ten years. i credit our conservative leadership in that state for unmatched job creation, including a 47.8% of all jobs created in america in the last two years. [applause] yeah, i got to brag a bit on texas conservative values just a bit. we're the number one exporting state in the nation. we've got a balanced budget, to boot, and let me tell you, that's what happens when conservative leadership that is willing to take a beating from the liberal left and their friends in the media, you know, we happen to be a bunch of

happy warriors that are working together. we're sticking to our guns and those conservative values. [applause] i just peeled my economic agenda down to what i consider to be some pretty simple guiding principles. number one is don't spend all the money. [applause] number two is keep the taxes low and under control. three is have regulations that are fair and predictable so that business owners know what to expect from one quarter to the next, and number four, reform the legal system so that frivolous lawsuits don't paralyze employers that are trying to create real wealth.

that's what we've done. over the last ten years, we have followed that simple recipe. we've stopped lawsuit abuse. we have one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation. our per capita debt is limited, and we keep adding jocks while others are losing them left and right. those jobs flee other states because of factors like excessive taxation, punitive regulation, frivolous lawsuits. you know, to preserve our job-friendly climate, the texas legislature didn't raise taxes this last legislative session while balancing their budgets and maintaining a essential services, and i might add that new budget leaves $6 billion in a rainy day fund. [applause]

in texas, we truly believe that you can't defer tough decisions for tomorrow's generation, and unlike washington, we don't have some foreign creditor to finance deficit spending either. last month, texas made sure that frivolous lawsuits have even less chance of strangling job creation as we passed loser pay, lawsuit reform in the state of texas. [applause] and to make sure that votes are never cancelled out by illegal votes, we instituted

a photo i.d. requirement for every voter. [applause] see,when it comes to voting, one of the most precious, most powerful freedoms that we have, it is precious to us, and don't you think it's fair to apply at least the same standard required to get a library card or to board an airplane? [applause] our legislators also protected the sanctity of life with a bill that requires a sonogram on those contemplating abortions. [applause]

think about this just a second. when liberals talk about protecting our most vulnerable populations, i don't understand why they won't include the most vulnerable, those innocent unborn children. you know, when it comes to conservative social issues, it saddens me when sometimes my fellow republicans duck and cover in the face of pressure from the left, and i'm reminded of what president ronald reagan said at cpac in 1977, i want to quote him prior to winning the presidency, of course. he said the time has come for us to see if it's possible to present a program of action based on

political principle that can attract those interested in the so-called social issues, and those interested in the economic issues. in short, isn't it possible to combine the two major issues, those two major segments of contemporary american conservatism into one politically effective hold? i believe the answer is yes. well, mr. president, i agree with you. the answer is most definitely yes, and we need to stop apologizinging for celebrating life. we need to stop apologizing ing for wanting to protect an individual's right to build a business. we need to stop apologizing about stemming the tide of entitlement mind-set that's out there. [applause]

we ought to be proud of our efforts to give local parents and communities a say on how their children are educated, protecting protectinginging that fundamental right of private property ownership. our party cannot be all things to all people. it can't be. and our loudest opponents on the left are never going to like us, so let's quit trying to curry favor with them. [applause] let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our effort to elect more conservative republicans. let's stop this american downward spiral.

[applause] we're doing this and it's happening because of too much spending, too much interfering and too much apologizing. in my mind, there's always been two kinds of politician s, those who seek office to gain personal power and those who seek office to get power back to the people. in statehouses across this country and in the united states congress, conservative politicians, conservative leaders are workinging to return power to the people, turning back the tide of this unchecked spending and unbridled interference in state affairs. you know, let me share something that's not a secret, but i'm telling you, they will never willing lig

give up an ounce of power in washington, d.c. until the american people stand up and demand that we adopt reform. never will they do that. [applause] this administration may get up and mouth words about job creation, but they clearly consider enterprise a dirty word. and they think the fruits of our labor needs to be spun around or a word i like to use from their core ideology is be redistributed. this endless overreaching by the federal government is what motivated me to write the book "fed up" last year. it is a discussion that is

centered around the tenth amendment, and it has a key phrase "if power is not delegated to the united states by the constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people." [applause] it is simple and elegant and to the point. the framers of our constitution knew all too well what happens when distance between two powerful governments hold over a nation and that's why they put power into the hands of the states. when states lead the way and they compete for ideas and resources and jobs, free market principles are allowed to act and great things happen. the states are proof that

the best leadership is closest to the people, not holed up in washington, d.c., issuing these one-size fits all mandates to try to fit the entire country. [applause] our goal is to displace the entrenched powers in washington, restore the rightful balance between state and federal government. reach in your pocket right now. take your phone out. it's ok. i just want you to take your phone out just a second and do something with it. if you really believe in what we're talking about here, if this whole concept of restoring the balance back to our country, decentralizing out of washington, d.c., i want you to take your phone out and text 96153 and put the word

"forward and text it to 95613. go ahead. i'll wait. there you go. listen, and we're going to keep you apprised of what we'ring doing. we're going to keep you informed about our efforts to restore that crucial balance between the states and washington, get america moving forward into the rightful roles that our founding fathers knew would work. you know, in november of 200 8, there were too many americans who voted for some vague promises about hope and change and they ended up with unprecedented deficits, unrestrained spending and unacceptable unemployment. americans voted for hope and got nothing but greater economic misery. in november 2010, americans

expressed their frustration with that misery and they voted for conservative republicans. in the united states congress and statehouses all across this country, we have seen republican leaders turning the tide. november 2012 is not very far away. we've got to be ready to elect republican leaders up and down that ballot who will make government smaller so that opportunity can get bigger. i'm preaching to the choir here, i understand that, but america's greatness is not found in the size of its government. america's greatness resides in the hearts and the minds of our people, their innovative approaches to solving problems and their ability to endure even in the toughest of times. if we want to stimulate the economy, we don't need more government spending. we need to unleash the

private sector in america. the individual citizens who put their hours in at the job, who pay their taxes. they're doing their best to take care of their families. the good news is we've got the wind at our back right now. americans are waking up to the realities of the previous choices. they're setting things right with their votes. the challenges facing state leaders as we pursue these balanced budgets across the country. they're going to pale in comparison to what we're going to see in 2014 when that runaway train known as obama care hits our budgets. if congress or the courts don't derail obama care, state budgets will crumble under the massive financial burden. the republican majority in the house of representatives is starting to slow that train down, but we need to

keep sending them reinforcements to bring that effort to a clear conclusion. [applause] together, together we must keep america moving back to free imminence because our values an conservative ideas are the world's greatest hope. like you, i still believe america is special. i see a stronger america built on the solid foundation of spiritualing strength of individual liberty, of self determination. we must recapture that vision and begin the hard work of lighting the way for millions of americans who are adrift in this sea of economic misery. let's lead them to the safe harbor of american he renewal and the shores of american exceptionalism. [applause]

let's anger them, anger them in the future of good jobs and restore the notion of a government of the people, for the people, by the people. if we don't do it, who will? if not now, when? there is no greater goal, no more crucial time than right now to take and make our stand to restore our economy, our families, our country and i happen to know that we can, and i know that you will. god bless you and thank you all for being out here today, and god bless the united states of america. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, from louisiana, our congressman charles buschemi! >> good afternoon, everybody. together, today, we gather here not simply a celebration of our success of the party and you heard the governor just now from texas talking about what he has done in texas, but we're not here simply in celebration of our party's success, we are here with a renewed and vigorous determination to address the challenges facing our nation. that is our task that. is our obligation, and that will demand a republican

victory in 2012. now, ladies and gentlemen, as a country, we are faced with difficult problems, suffocating debt, a threat to our national security and economic prosperity. we have anemic economic growth and a debilitative level of unemployment destroying the dreams of a generation of american families, and we're confronting a complex array of foreign policy and national security challenges that demand american leadership, and yet, what do we have? we have a president that leads from behind, a president who is overwhelmed and a president who is out of touch with the american people. let's look at the record. first, he gave us a stimulus package and promised 8%.ployment would not go since that stimulus package was enacted, we have lost 1.5 million jobs in this

country and the unemployment rate remains above 9%. then he gave us the recovery summer. that was last summer. guess what? what was part of that recovery summer? a moratorium on american energy production. now, what do we have now? higher gas prices, more dependence on foreign oil and a loss of good-paying jocks. ladies and gentlemen, i was down in my district a week ago and a visit to a small town and i visited with a young lady, barbara, and her husband passed away two years ago. he worked in the oil and gas industry. she rolled up her sleeves and opened a diner and was very successful. she's a hard working lead i did, very successful and when this obama moratorium was put in place over the past year, she lost 65% of her business. this is a lady who was serving delicious cajun

food, very successful, and now her business is down because of boneheaded policies perpetrated by this administration, and she's trying to survive, just like countless other small businesses around this country. ladies and gentlemen, i haven't even gotten to obama care yet. let's talk about it. i know a little bit about it. over $500 billion in new taxes with massive entitlement expansions that will significantly increase our federal debt. healthcare costs will rise for each and every one of us, whether you have a small business, a large company, a family, and more importantly, access to high-quality patient-doctor relationships will suffer. we can do better than this. i know we can do better than this, and it starts with recognizeing this, that the american spirit that accounts for this great

country, it begins with individual liberties, and if the united states -- i could tell you, the united states is the only country where no matter who you are, no matter what your beginnings, you can educate yourself and start a business and take a risk, a risk, take a risk and succeed as an entrepreneur, and the united states is the only country in the world where you can take a risk and fail, and if you fail, you can pull yourself back up by the bootstraps and go again, and you can keep going until you're successful, and that's what is unique and great about america and that's why we are the most competitive and successful people in the world. [applause] and it's that success that makes us a generous people, because americans have a

generosity of spirit, but i'll tell you this, holding back the american spirit and american genius are bad government policies, like the ones we have seen coming from the obama administration. let's talk about what we need. what is it that we really need? we need policies that are going to restore american competitiveness, grow the u.s. economy, and create private sector jobs. first, we need an energy strategy for our country. this country has never had a coherent energy strategy, and the only thing worse than that is to have policies that actually hurt our energy development. punishing our american energy production, and that's what this administration has done. in fact, this administration is so arrogant it thinks it can power this country on wind and solar power alone. it thinks it can repeal the laws of physics and run this

countryed on wind and solar. how silly is that? we have to develop all of our resources. we have to recognize that we are dependent on fossil fuels and will be for the foreseeable future and we need to develop our resources on the west coast, east coast, gulf of mexico and alaska and we need to be vigorous in doing it, because it will create jobs and lower our dependence on foreign oil. second, we have to balance our budget and we have to do it now. and we have to develop a credible plan to pay down this suffocating death facing our country. [applause] we have seen in the last several months three separate warnings from credit rating agencies warning us that our debt is going to be downgraded hurting us by regainingth dollar and makinging our

economy worse than it is today and threatening americans' exceptionalism. that's why we have to do that, because if we lay out a credible plan we will see economic growth and create jobs. third, we have to reform the tax code. we have the highest corporate tax rate in the world and high tax rates that are hurting families of small businesses. the tax code is riddled with temporary measures that make business planning very difficult and leads to an environment of uncertainty. it's too come for everybody, even the most accomplished accountants. we have to lower rates. we have to simplify and broaden the base. ladies and gentlemen, the tax code of the united states is ten times larger than the bible, but without the good news. it's time. fourth, we need an aggressive trade policy that

promotes u.s. exports, things we make and sell abroad, and this begins with implementing the three agreements that president bush had negotiated with columbia, and panama and south korea. these will create a large number of jobs and help us get our goods into those countries at a low cost. we have unfair trade. these are remedies. why are we sitting on these? why is this administration sitting on the possibility of creating tens and ten of thousands of jobs? and worst than that, it's costing us credibility on the international scale and leverage in our negotiations. i'll tell you this, when president obama traveled to a country and goes to that capitol and tries to promote diplomacy, well, ladys and gentlemen, diplomacy is an empty word unless it is backed by a military force and economic engagement based on economic strength and that's what we need in

this country r. [applause] fifth, let's repeel and replace obama care with common sense solutions to lower costs and promote quality healthcare. now, the united states is at a crossroads. this is a defining moment for our generation of americans, and getting america back on the right track begins here. it begins now, and i'll tell you this, republican victory in 2012, it's not an option. it's our duty. now,. [applause] we began by taking back the house in 2012. we did a good jobs but we got a lot more work to do. let's complete this job in 2012. let's get back to the president and the senate so we can get this country on the right track. now, i want to mention

ronald reagan. we remember his legacy this weekend. ronald reagan never shied away from a fight when he believed he was in the right, and he always made his point with wit and humor, and as he worked during very difficult economic circumstances to lift our nation out of stagflation created by his predecessor jimmy carter, reagan stated the government's view of the can be summed up in a few short phrases -- if it moves, tax it. if it keeps moving, regulate it, and if it stops moving, subsidize it. well, i can tell you having watched president obama for these last two years, he would add one more thing to that -- president obama would say, if all else fails, bail it out. i don't think any of us agree with that. president obama said he admired president reagan's leadership, but he doesn't get it. i don't think he understands

reagan or shares his values, and we're suffering from this from his backward view of government that we're seeing today, and so my friends, the contest begins here. it begins now. we must revive our economy and get our country working again. we must restore american competitiveness, and we must repeal obama care and replace it with an american solution. it all begins here, right now, and here in new orleans. i'm committed to working hard and making difficult decisions and getting our nation moving again. i'm ready to do my part. the question is are you? are you? come on, are you? are you ready? come on, let's roll! let's make it happen. god bless our troops and got bless america. thank you very much. [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the son of former governor jeb bush, an officer in the united states navy reserve, attorney george p. bush!

>> good to see you all. how is it going, new orleans? based on the size of this crowd, i hope you weren't expecting one of the other george bushes, the one that lives in dallas or houston but they convey their best regards and wishes an wish they were able to join. there are a lot of firsts within the bush family. i'm able to brag that i'm the first george bush to be on facebook, and so i ask you to, if you can, to like me on facebook so that i can keep in touch with you with respect to maverick p.a.c., a political action committee i'm involved with in helping engage younger americans in the political system. [applause] but since i'm here, i might as well give a bush family update for what it's worth. my grandfather, former president george h.w. bush, just recently turned 87, but my grandmother barbara bush, the silver fox, aka the enforcer within the bush

family, executed her veto in restricting him from jumping out of a perfectly fine plane once again. however, he will jump out again when he is 90 and we're all looking forward to seeing that happen. some of you might have saw last week he received an honorary law degree from dort mouth along with conan o'brien -- from dartmouth along with conan o'brien, making the third lawyer in the family joining my family and i. i guess so much for tort reform within the bush family. received the presidential medal of freedom very recently, which is considered the highest honor giving to a civilian in our country. he just thought it was cool because he got to meet bill russell and stan the man musial. all of these events culminated in an event at kennedy center and a tribute to his foundation, the points of life, which we all members of the bush family are able to enjoy with him and celebrate in that

moment. a lot of folks have also asked about my dad, former governor in the state of florida, jeb bush, about his political plans -- [applause] i don't have any breaking news for you, but i can say currently he is focusing on reaffirmation of our government as we know it, more particularly with respect to our charter school movement throughout the u.s. and advising republicans and spearheading that effort. the activities i think he has accomplished since leaving office is an amazing teg amount to how you don't necessarily have to run for public office to make a change in our country. finally with respect to my uncle george and aunt laura, i'm here to make an unmitigated plug to buy their book if you can. my uncle's book, decision points at sat "the new york times" best seller list for over 24 weeks, which he considers to be one of his strongest accomplishments, and recently they're completing the plans for the presidential library in dallas, texas.

we look forward to well manying ugh to the campus and as o dick cheney recently joked, it's about the only shovel ready project in light of the economic situation. it goes without saying that in my generation, 9/11 really defined -- it was really the defining moment for many young americans, whether it was the numerous deployments pursuant to military service, volunteering to teach in inner city schools or getting involved with politics for the first time, young americans have answered the call to public service in dramatic fashion. after having returned from afghanistan myself very recently, i learned about the painful realities of yearning for altruistic public servants to get involved and create a better tomorrow. i know in our own time, my generation faces another challenge, and that is that the greatness of our country has been compromised. throughout our country's history, it has been an

unwritten rule that the leadership strives to leaf a country more prosperous and rich with opportunity than the one they inherited. this is no longer the case. my generation will be the first to not have as much opportunity as those that came before us, and instead of being offered an opportunity or a hand up, we're being handed a big fat invoice. just a generation ago if an economist were to analyze sovereign risk, it would be unlikely that the u.s. would be on the top of that list. fast forward to this year in 2011, that same economist, if tasked with a similar challenge, would probably be fired if he didn't pinpoint the u.s. as a country that is subject to sovereign risk this dramatic transformation happened in small tiny increments over the years -- that is, until the economic crisis which demonstrated the underlying problems

stemming from our public policy. a dysfunctional healthcare system, state and local government, unfunded pension liabilities, the looming eng titlement-type bomb and our unsustainable federal debt and deficit are a few of the reasons why. they along with other challenges we face explain why rating agencies now have the united states on the watch list for a downgrade status from investment grade, but i am not here to bemoan the current fiscal crisis we face, nor do i think that the average person my age is resigning themselves to inaction, as this is not an irreversible situation. i know that my generation and our republican party will lead a turnaround of our country's decline, with significant policy changes that focus on long-term economic growth and corresponding job creation. given our penchant for taking on great challenges, our enprey pren neural nature as young americans and our willingings in to serve causes greater than

ourself, the u.s. will grow at a far more robust rate but will require changes in policy changes being spearheaded by our party. i would like to talk about three of these issues and they involve more use of common sense than anything else, and that's in connection with energy, tax and regulation and education policy. make no mistake, the biggest political fight of my generation will be to undertake the looming national debt that we face, current deficit spending levels and the size and scope of government. this is definitely a fight worth fighting, in my opinion. however, that should not stop us from beginning now to create energy security policy, unshackle american businesses and individuals from overregulation and taxation and transforming how we educate our children. great countries cannot depend on foreign sources of oil. just 30 years ago, 28% of

the oil consumed by the united states was imported, with increasing demand today, nearly 60% of oil utilized and consumed in the u.s. is imported from other countries, even though our country has many natural resources available to us. ten of these countries that we currently import are on the state department's travel warning list. we spend approximately $1 billion a day purchasing overseas oil instead of investment dollars that could be used organically within our own borders. this is essentially a destructive tax on the american consumer. the good news is that through renewed production technology, we have gone from predictions of imminent decline in our own natural resources to current projections of having at least 100 years of current supply. however, the current administration is embarking on new rules to restrict this new development imposing new taxes, new regulations, the eliminations of new deductions on the industry, and also supporting special

interest groups that attempt to strike fear in the hearts of those that are currently developing urban areas. if we are to grow at a 4% gdp rate, which is what the white house projects to meet their current predictions, and which is, by the way, what we need to afford to service our current debt and be within striking distance of reducing the national deficit, we need to exploit our own forms of energy right now, most notably in the form of natural gas, oil, coal, nuclear and in the long term, renewables. our president should show his commitment to this issue by creating a long-sterm strategy around this crisis and certainly the senate amendment as recently passed curtailing almost all ethanol subsidies as a step in the right direction. [applause] time and time throughout history in our country, we

are taught that to generate meaningful revenue, we have to do it through lowering taxs, not increasing taxs, to encourage production, entrepreneurship and job creation, we need to do exactly that. taxes on corporations are way too high. in fact, they're the second highest in the industrialized world. to remain competitive, we need to reduce the current tax rate, because just by doing so by 1%, investment falls by 3.7%. price waterhouse cooper has conducted a study that showed a reduction of just to 30% of our corporate income tax, we would cree ace 50 basis points of gdp growth. more importantly, republicans right now and throughout the country are focusing on what government actions will do for small businesses, which is the lifeblood essentially of our economy, especially as it relates to younger americans. people realize that 99.7% of all business entities are small businesses. they currently employ over half of all employees in our

country and provide two out of three first jobs for young americans. not only that, but it creates half of all end lech actual -- intellectual property createed in our country which we so desperately need. since most businesses have a corresponding tax rate, we discourage capital outlays an stagnate wages for existing workers precisely at the time when we need our country to get back on track. larger businesses can typically access the too big to fail stimulus programs that are available, but small business owners typically pay the price. with all the czars in washington, d.c. now nowadays, maybe there should be a small business czar, fighting to fight the needless mandates that stifle entrepreneurship and innovation. [applause] finally, our education

system is being transformed based on the good works of republicans throughout our country. in order to match the needs of the 21st century, we need to change the current education system. regretfully, we still have a school year based on sea time as the organizing principle of whether students advance. our standards are no longer meaningful. our curricula is not germane to the jobs that are in the future, and our results, by all measures, indicate that we are lined other countries like korea, singapore and most of europe. to be competitive in the 21st seng try, republicans are -- 21st century, republicans are continuing to revamp our system starting with social promotion. students that have not mastered how to read by fourth grade need to do so before they are promoted to middle school when they start learning eeg sen shall subject matter. standards need to be raised such that a high school

degree matters and that high school students don't have to take remedial classes to get by in college. we need to emphasize math and science so that we don't have to import our scientists and engineers from other countries an encourage younger americans to take on careers in these fields. we need more career learning alternatives as kids progress through education systems so that they find subjects that are tangible and more interesting to them. we need to pay teachers for student performance as opposed to longevity of service. we need -- [applause] more school choice, public and private, to give parents and students alternatives and to create competition in our inner cities. we spend more per student than any other country in the world but our outcomes need to get dramatically better. we need accountability in our education system now. [applause] having said all of this, one need only turn on the t.v.

this week to see the compelling images from greece to become more aware to the burdens of debt, deficit and the weakening of our currency. the consequences of a nation when their debt surpasses the size of its gdp and when rating agencies place a country's credit on watch lists when the interest on that debt exceed abnormal levels as a percentage of gdp. without delving more into the shameful realities of our current federal spending at the federal level, we as younger americans face the excruciating choice of higher tax rates or significant austerity measures, if clear and concise measures are not taken now. this year, entitlement spending alone will exceed total federal revenue. think about that for a second. we could not spend a dollar on defense or any other discretionary programs and we still wouldn't be able to balance the budget. the president's response has been to propose a budget that calls to spend over 40

cents for every dollar that we take n ladies and gentlemen, this is not leadership, nor is it meaningful entitlement reform we should have a gradual increase in eligibility age for benefits while upholding our commitments to seniors who are at or near retirement. we can index benefits to life expectancy or cost of living over time to help mitigate funding shortages. for younger americans, we are more likely to see a ufo than a social security check, but implementing sim pell reforms right now gives us a fighting chance. this is especially the case when we discuss the system that was created during the depression era where over 40 workers basically provided for the benefits of one retiree, and currently, regretfully, that ratio is only three to one. with medicare and medicaid expected to go bankrupt in the coming years and roughly the same projections as applies to medicaid, we have

to reform government-mandated healthcare and the provision of care for our seniors and our disabled to provide more flexibility to the end-user. if the president and our adversaries were not already talkinging about the upcoming 2012 campaign cycle and were serious about reforming entitlements and containing our looming debt problem, they would provide either proposals of their own or utilize our proposals as a basis to begin negotiations. just as my generation has stepped up to our country's challenges presently, i know that we are onboard with some of these painful decisions that we will make, even if it is to our own detriment. the 9/11 generation cannot go down as the bankrupt generation. we have to reform entitlements now. [applause] in business meetings and political events that i have

had the pleasure of engaging in, i sense that many believe that america's days are behind us. i disagree. i believe that republicans are capable of leading the turnaround. we need to support our republican leaders that are willing to put aside short-term focus and willing to risk their political careers. we need to support leaders that speak clearly about the challenges that my generation faces, and about the opportunities if we do act upon these challenges. we need to encourage leadership that demonstrates determination, courage, and creativity and integrity to make it happen, and with that, let me leave you with the words of a remarkable american, my grandfather, george h.w. bush. these words were delivered in the swearing in as 41st president of the united states. let future generations understand the burdens and blessings of freedom. let them say that we stood

where duty required us to stand. let them know that together, we affirmed america and the world as a community of conscience. in our rebound, ladies and gentlemen, let us heed those words. #. #. #

>> i am a commissioner on the louisiana public service commission. i represent the entire state of louisiana. i have been elected by 1 million people populating my district. it comprises the 12 parishes of southeastern louisiana. i want to ask yourself the same question our patriarch asked 30 years ago. as he entered the campaign, he asked if you were better off now than you were four years ago. now i am going to ask you this question. what are you going to do about it?

that is the question on everyone's mind as we move towards the selection of a party candidate who will carry the message to lead our party to victory in 2012. the president has mired the nation in monumental bureaucracy. the use of a shadow government, those are issues -- the czar issues. what we have is public policy and rising from a bunch of leftist halcks. keep experiencing deja vu and feeling like it is 1979 again. i keep waiting to hear from the president on his crisis of confidence speech. he will blame it on us as citizens. our country is plagued by problems including high levels of unemployment, inflation,

interest rates, the iranian crisis. it sounds like 1979 all over again. the word obamunism has been used to describe his policies. beneficiaries of the policies include wall street firms and banks that were bailed out. there were among his biggest campaign supporters. did you know there has been a study that found government corporate bailouts are often than just for political considerations? can you believe that? the president should not have bailed out failing firms. instead, he should have allowed the free market capitalism to act without government intervention thereby preventing a long economic recession. a double dip thought to be something you get an ice-cream parlor. the foolish policies of the president shoving our nation

into a second recession. i find it amazing that liberals took on to darwinian theory about the origins of man but cannot stand darwin when it is about the survival of the fittest. they are fickle and deed. the costa met this the president is using to alleviate problems is only making matters worse. it is delaying the natural recovery needed by our economy. the president has been sharply criticized for his massive deficit spending and reckless military -- monetary policy. if you will indulge me, i will step into economic theory. the quantity theory of money explains that the money supply has a direct proportional relationship with the price of things. supply equalsney surpris more inflation. it is stoked by the uncontrolled

printing of money. inflation is increased taxation without legislation. the economy is on rough ground. we need relief. i think we can all live without another one of the president's recovery summers in the last one, 250,000 people a week lost their jobs. the pride of the president was a legislative achievement he shoved down the throats of every american, the nationalization of health care. it was forced nationalized health care. it is credited as a major cause of economic uncertainty, high unemployment, lagging job isk ofon, and the rest credit default crisis. the only good thing that came from forced health care was the unifying effect on republicans and independent voters that helped the party to regain control of the house in 2010. [applause] did you know the president's

2012 budget has been criticized in the mainstream liberal press? it is not a serious effort to deal with the economic crisis. they say there are not enough tax increases in it. you can join me on this. we do not have the revenue problem. we have a spending problem. we already know every republican and even a few democrats are going to vote republican in the coming elections. the fight before us is to gain the support of the independent voters. [applause] we must field a candidate who theaccurately detail failures of the administration while laying out a plan for economic future where all americans can prosper. we must run from the center and rule from the right. the election is over the issue of freedom.

the president's administration is typical of left-wing liberal policy, sprouting that his forced way is the light and path -- enlightened path. that is the free market way of saying government is not responsible and cannot provide. the president's failure is that he fails to recognize there is no known alternative way of improving the life of folks in general that even comes close to the achievements accomplished by the free enterprise system. most arguments against the free market are a lack of belief in freedom itself. i choose differently. your choices in life are fast approaching a point where they are no longer going to be your choice of all. the proof of the president's lack of support for freedom is expressed in one phrase "unconstitutional nationalized health care." being an idealist is peachy, but as the liberal utopian rhetoric

approaches the somber reality, the cost to the people become prohibitively clear. remind yourself that the free market leads the way to prosperity. the santa maria did not seek a new route to the indies in response to government policy. the mayflower did not sail because of the freedoms enjoyed under the king. the voyages were started by freedom-loving, independence- minded people. the path to recovery is going to be tough. it will start with aggressive conservative policies including cutting taxes under any circumstances for any excuse, for any reason, and whenever possible. [applause] after that, cutting federal spending at all levels. [applause] when i began today, i ask you the question, what are you going to do about it? i think we need to do the

following things to win. we need to publicly state the 11th commandment of ronald reagan. then shalt not speak ill of any fellow republican. -- thou shalt not speak ill of any fell recow republican. we must not allow the leftists to fracture our strength and cause a third party to spin off. we won the house standing united. the single be true of the presidency. -- the same will be true of the presidency. we need to support a candidate who can appeal to the independent voters and you will support the conservative economic policy that can put us back on track. we need a candidate that advocates a free market capitalist approach to the american economy and a more strict interpretation of the united states constitution. we need to remind folks to stay the course and take all news from the mainstream media with a dose of salt.

they're going to continuously say that we're going to lose. i have a feeling we cannot trust them. carry the message to the people of the doomed policy of the government dictated obamacare. remind folks of the president's failure in handling the bp matter and how his buddies are pocketing a huge thfees failing to get the money out to those who need it. asked why america has to be the best oil customer of brazil when we can produce it ourselves. i would like to ask how the green jobs thing is working out for them. as we have all learned, you should publicly ask everyone of them why shovel-ready does not mean shovel-ready. remind folks of how the president fights a war in libya and thumbs his nose at congressional approval. remind the lefties the president

did not close guantanamo bay because it irritates the how out of them. -- the hell out of them. [applause] i would like to start quoting the louisiana liberal, "is the economy, stupid." faced with the damage the economy, i can clearly say all i want is a candidate that will stand on the ramparts of freedom and let the following phrase ring clear. "stop it!" william buckley said he would rather have the first 400 people in the boston phone book and run congress -- run congress and the faculty at harvard. [applause] the same kind of leftists run our country now. we cannot let them do that. for the love of our fellow man, let's fight the good fight. if you live in a red stain,

campaign in a blue state. if you live in a blue state, help is on the way. i will do everything i can to win. you do the same. america is the city on the hill. is the in the region -- it is the envy of the world. let's make her shine. [applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, from little rock, ark. the state rep

resentative. >> it is good to be with you today. like many of you, i grew up in the church. my father is a pastor. he always said that the mind can only comprehend what the seat can endure. i appreciate you being here today. have you had some wonderful speakers or what? a lot of people want to be president. if i had been here last year, i would tell you about a house republican, state house republican group comprised of 28 members. i would tell you about eight state senators. we did not have a lot to speak of in the constitutional offices either. we had one republican congressman. reflected -- we flirted with republicanism in the 1990's. we had two congressmen.

we wandered in the wilderness for a while. we got away from our principles. we stopped talking about all of the conservative issues that matter. our friends in the democratic party made a surge. we are entering the promised land in the state of arkansas. our 28 members in the house republican congress is now 45. in the state senate, we went from 8 to 15. i am pleased to tell you we have the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, and a land commissioner named john thurston. that is just on the statewide level. [applause] we helped retire one of the deciding votes on obamacare, senator blanche lincoln. [applause] they call her unmarried landers

s twin sister.w' she is no longer there. we have senator john bozeman. we have a majority in our congressional class. we have senator tim griffin in little rock. we have representative steve will moomack. in one of the most democratic districts in the country, we elected a young man named rick crawford who represents us well. [applause] i guess you could say i am delivering a little good news. republicans have needed some mission work. we got busy. when we have elections, they have consequences. in the state house, we have had some big successes. for the first time, we worked

with the democrats. you are not outside the door. you are inside the room having the conversation. for the first time, we passed meaningful of the reform in the house of representatives. that was because the republicans. [applause] we entered the session. we were told we cannot do any more than cut about $15 million in taxes. we've had a democratic governor has made a pledge to cut and removed the tax on food and medicine. we have helped in that fight. we said that we could do more. we can limit spending and cut taxes more. we went from $15 million to $35 million in tax cuts in arkansas. that is quite significant. there were more successes. i want to leave you with this. we hear a lot about the presidential campaign.

i think we may have heard from the next president of the united states. i have an idea of who i am supporting. i have 20 of my college -- 19 of my colleagues in the arkansas house of representatives. we sent a letter to certain governor was up on the stage a little while ago urging him to get into the race. we have a lot of good candidates. we will be better off through the entire primary because we've learned one thing. our issues win. we talk about lowering the tax burden. we talk about fighting against an unconstitutional health care system. when we do that, we win. when we talk about protecting the unborn and the sanctity of marriage, we win. [applause] we have a pretty straightforward task in arkansas coming up in 2012.

we do not have any u.s. senators on the ballot. we will protect and defend our republican members of congress. we will vote for the republican for president because we always do. but we will do something in 2012 in arkansas that has never been done before. some of you have experienced this. i have not experienced it. in 2012, we will take the 45 seats in the arkansas house of representatives and we will be in the majority. we will take the 15 members and we will become the majority. i tell you what. we will do it. we will keep our word. we will cut taxes. we will keep the regulatory burden low. we will commit to political reform. i tell people once arkansans get a true taste of conservative

government, they will never turn back. we need your thoughts and prayers and arkansas. we will be one of the last states to embrace the republican sm that has been at home in the south for a long time. thank you for coming. god bless you. we will see next year. [applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome mr. jim strock. [applause]

>> thank you very much. it is a tremendous honor to be here. we have tremendous excitement for 2012. i would like to take you back in time for a minute to 1982. it was the centennial of the great american president, a transformational leader, franklin d. roosevelt. at an event that his estate in new york, new deal veterans and in the carter the democratic party grandies gathered to pay a mosque to their leader. one of them had seen fit to follow another course. it was the republican who headed minister to them the worst defeats in american history. that was president ronald

reagan. [applause] ronald reagan, as was his way, seamlessly and easily and gracefully made his way among the fdr tributes. understandably, some of the democratic politicians and others present were nonplussed by the presence of their greatest adversary. the speaker of the house come to theal -- the speaker of house, tip o'neill, was larger than life in many ways. he was an old style irishman. he grumbled to an acquaintance, "what is he doing here?" the clintons responded that he did vote for fdr four times. -- the acquaintance responded

that he did vote for fdr four times. like fdr, reagan has become an american icon. he has become larger than the political movements that he brought to prominence. he has become larger than the political party he led to power. he has become part of the entire american experience here and abroad. like roosevelt, reagan was an extraordinarily effective president. so much so that many people today to understate his accomplishments. they think they were inevitable or common sense. they were not. also like roosevelt, ronald reagan altered the course of american political debate for a generation after he left office. every president after reagan has found that when it comes to american politics, every politician is still working in

ronald reagan's world. closer to home, ronald reagan offered some particular leadership lessons for those of us here today who seek to a vances' principles of freedom in a new century. -- advance his principles of freedom in this century. i would like to go through five points. first, ronald reagan loved america. as americans, all of us felt it. it was like a frank capra movie. it was almost a romance. sometimes because of that love for america, he may have overlooked some of our weaknesses. sometimes he may have given us a little more credit than we perhaps deserved, but that love expressed through his leadership prompted this country to strive and accomplish much more together than we probably never thought we could have done.

ronald reagan often said this. he did not speak to us in terms of masses, classes, or groups. he spoke to individuals, families, and communities. he knew that was what made america america. second, ronald reagan held steadfastly to strong principles in every situation he confronted. he was a true conviction politician. he spoke and thought in declared the sentences. among them, freedom is a fragile thing and it is never more than one generation away from extinction. another, the united states does not start fights. we will never be an aggressor.

america is great because america is good. if she ever ceases to be great, she will cease to be good. if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. one of my favorites, within the covers of the bible are all the answers to all the questions that people face. [applause] third, ronald reagan used humor as a rhetorical weapon of the highest order. the more serious the issue, the more likely ronald reagan was to pull a humorous example from his armory. prosperity is created by businessmen for politicians to take the credit. every time the government shifts to the left, the decimal point

in our taxes shifts to the right. as long as there are final exams, there will always be. in schools. [laughter] -- there will always be prayer in schools. the latest news from moscow is that someone just broken to the kremlin and stole next year's election returns. [laughter] along with the humor, reagan exuded a methodical, magnetic charm that became, like franklin roosevelt, a force to be reckoned with. this is an especially important lesson for conservatives who have a sober view of the world. fourth, reagan decided to ude and present optimism even

the toughest of circumstances. eisenhower said that optimism is a force multiplier. reagan proved him right. like that ofmism, franklin roosevelt, linked him to the deepest chord of the american spirit. practically speaking, that optimism kept his focus firmly on the future and on the past. it brought him especially close to young people. that is no small feat for america's oldest president. it also enabled him to compromise because he believed that if his ideas could prevail over time, if he could get more time to convince people in the can see what was coming, the future could be better than the past. as long as he could get the 80%, he could advance in the right direction. finally, reagan never stop

learning and growing. he had four to six careers depending on how you count. that was very unusual in his time. it will be customary for young people today. his first run for elected office was when he was 55 years old. when he became governor, he had just turned 56. his first run for the presidency was when he was 57. he finally became president as he was turning 70. from as journey took him small town in the midwest all the way to the red square in moscow where he concluded the cold war successfully in a way that it is a mad -- unimaginable that anyone else could have done. as he did it, as he often said privately, he worked to make it

look easy. but everybody here knows it is not easy. today as before 1980, america is a bit off course. some wonder openly if we are in decline. our current president has chosen a backward looking domestic policies and fostered divisions to see political advantage. in a dangerous world, he has undercut our allies and emboldened our adversaries. once again, ronald reagan's leadership is relevant and resonates more than ever. it is now up to us to pick up the challenge of the final words of president reagan stairwell in 1994. to ensure that america will always be abraded simple to the world and always have a bright

dawn ahead. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ >> is my pleasure to present a nationally syndicated columnist and commentator on fox news, the one and only star parker. [cheers and applause] >> what wonderful conference on our road to 2012. are we excited what? they told me in the back that they are saving the best for last. a couple of the other speakers

and i were doing rock, paper, scissors and i lost. there will be a few others gracing this stage. thank you for the opportunity. for the last 25 years, i have been involved in public life. for anyone who does not know my story, as a young woman i lived on welfare. it was not until after a christian conversion that i changed my life. i went to college. then i started a business. after the 1992 riots destroyed my business, i began my work in public policy. a work for welfare reform in the 1990's and then founded the center for urban renewal and education. we are think-tank that promotes solutions to fight poverty. [applause] i want the work because i knew firsthand about the political promises of entitlement and how they destroy entire communities.

these political promises of entitlement are hitting our inner-city communities. the schools continue to underperform. family lives are collapsing. the crime rates soar. that is why i am so honored to be here so that we can pave a new course for 2012. [applause] i started my group so that i could begin to confront and filled out an alternative to the race baiting has dominated the discussions on policy. when we moved from los angeles to washington, many of my friends told me i must have been in a midlife crisis. i moved full-time to washington the same year that nancy pelosi picked up the gavel. a few years later, we ended up with barack obama.

i was attempting to move poor people into trealizing the dream of america. immediately, the capitalistic society was moving to socialism. i went back home to california to wait for god to speak. he spoke through the los angeles county republican party about a year ago and asked me to run for congress. [applause] it did not work out so well. although my work was in washington, i still resided in california. i did conclude i would do it. i had a deep understanding that we are at a critical cross point in this country similar to the 1850's. we cannot continue to go against our core principles. during that time, we had a divided society. abraham lincoln reached into the

scriptures in the famous speech he made that stephen douglas mocked. he quoted the lord jesus christ and set a house divided against itself cannot stand. we can no longer be both. we will be all free or all slaves, but we will no longer be both. i knew that is where we were in america. i wanted to fight for the freedom and personal responsibility this country was founded upon. i concluded like most americans that we need a representative in washington that will fight continuously for the principles that have made this great country strong. principles of traditional values because choice loses its meaning if it does not matter what you choose. the purposprinciples of limited government because the role is to protect our private property and not exploit or ponder it.

free-market because profit is not only moral and good. profits give us the capital for tomorrow so that we can create jobs and a strong national allegiance and defense. my story embodies the american exception was in. after wandering in and out of welfare dependency, to be able to grab ahold of my life after god took hold of my heart is proof positive that in america, anybody from any background or situation can revisit their life and can excel. [applause] today our rule of law, our protection of private property, and the very principles of freedom and personal responsibility are under siege. we are at a critical cross point in this nation. we cannot go on in this

direction. we will not survive. i did not when my congressional win my i did not congressional seat, but i will continue to fight. redistribution ise unethical in a land founded on judeo-christian values. socialism is rooted in pr covetousness. someone has something that others do not have and we take it from them. that is theft. it is inconsistent with scripture. [applause] after coming out of the congressional run, i learned a few lessons. my life story had already given me the experience. my life's work in social policy had given me the data and

research. that congressional race gave me proof that government dependency is like crack cocaine addiction. the only way we will be able to set people free is to break the stranglehold of the uncle sam. [applause] unfortunately, it took an economic collapse to get main street america to focus on the state of affairs in this country. i came to share with you what i wrote in my second book almost 10 years ago. socialism is already a reality in america. it has been since the great society was developed in the 60's. socialism gripped america's court and minority communities 45 years ago. many of us are now realizing that the social engineering of the democratic party greatly contributed to our economic collapse and the things we're experiencing today. our economic collapse is proof

the liberal model does not work. uncle sam's plantation did not work for the inner cities. it will not work for middle america. [cheers and applause] at the root of the financial crisis is government dependency. 47% of americans are in some way government dependent. we're divided almost in half. divided into the makers and the takers. 70% of non-defense tax intake is the transfer of dollars to an individual. government dependency is what created our housing bubble, public union bubble, education bauble, and our entitlement bubble. just this week, the senate had a debate on the reauthorization of the economic development administration. some do not know what is. it is $300 million and 1965

dinosaur program that was supposed to help create jobs in urban areas. de- know what that employment rate is in our inner cities today? almost 30%. perhaps the senate should tell the eda they will be defenunde insteadd giving them more money. the answer to job creation is simple. remove aggressive taxation, the regulate, and the jobs will be created. stop penalizing the job creators. i love what michelle bachmann said during the debate when she challenged even the epa. she was right. i have news for even donald trump. now is exactly the right time for leadership to change our entitlement. [applause]

as someone just said, if not now, when? the we go through another generation, another year, another six months? i wish 2012 was today. the momentum in our society today, we can get rid of the people in the white house and senate better stopping progress in this great country of ours. today is exactly the time we have to destroy entitlement. just the back of the call them entitlements, show me in the constitution where you are entitled to make me pay for your health care and social security. [cheers and applause] and vice versa. i think every middle school teacher should have to read "a la." law."the

40% of all births in this country are paid for by medicaid. medicaid pays the bills for 60% of all long-term nursing-home care. we need change in washington. how did we get here? while the middle class was perhaps taking its freedoms for granted, while they were sleeping or perhaps living quiet lives and taking care of their families, the social engineers of the left were planning and scheming. they launched a sexual revolution in the 1960's. the sexual revolution was an anti-establishment movement that

flaunted all traditions. during the 1960's, the coupled the sexual revolution with the war on poverty. they told people they did not have to think about sexual choices any more. we now have safety nets. think about it, the top three social crises confronting us today are rooted in sexual immorality. aids, abortion, and the welfare state. this was a direct result of the social engineering of the 1960's. it said american culture on a collapse and collision course. it hit 1st the black community. the late 1960's, moral decline hit first. it hit those who were most vulnerable because of broken values equaling broken families. we end up with out of wedlock birth rates. it moved from 22% in the 1960's to 72% today.

we cannot continue on this track if we are going to survive as a nation. [applause] by the late 1970's, academics declined because broken families led us to the department of education. the department of education was one of the 70 ideas of jimmy carter. we need to be on a journey to reduce their role. time does not allow me to detail the horrible destruction of the union control of public schools. they've taught three generations of americans to adopt the entitlement mentality and more government dependency. that is why we are here with the cultural war. democrats of always challenged people who disagree with them. that is okay. there has always been a remnant of conservatives. that is the religious right. they understood that broken

systems are most cruel to the most vulnerable, the poor, the sick, and the elderly. that is the tea party sentiment of americanism. is what built this nation and made it great. i was in washington, d.c., where the politicians were already throwing in the towel when we heard the cavalry coming. those who had been there for a while said welcome to washington, d.c., to the tea party. thus the confirmation of conservatism but african- americans. that committee has been hit the hardest by the philosophies of the democrat party. -- that community has been hit hardest by the philosophies of the democratic party. the newest warriors on the front fighting against abortion and for school choice, blacks are all over this country opening

their eyes to the realities of what abortion has done in their communities. they are starting to respond. [cheers and applause] what is also under-reported is blacks all over this country are starting to open their eyes to the realities of having democrat machine has controlled education for children. they are starting to respond. they are starting to demand school choice, tractors, and vouchers. what is really interesting is the new 2010 census data revealing the failure of social engineering. blacks are fleeing blue cities and going to read right to work states in droves. the values from the blue states cannot come to the red states. we see the same kind of

politicians that got him into the masses for the reason why they're leaving the cities. a 17% drop in the cities of chicago. in detroit, they are crying because when people leave your population, there goes your government money. the. government assistance city of there. walter russell meade noted the failure of bloat social policy for blacks is the most devastating indictment of the 20th century liberal enterprise in the u.s.. he said that helping blacks achieve the kind of equality and opportunity long denied to them was more than just one of the many justifications for the blue policy. it was the defining moral task that has shaped american liberalism for the last 50 years. the census is telling us that those who thought they knew best have failed.

the unintended consequences of the liberal states is now in their faces as we start saying the transition of the communities that they have held captive to their ideas. the hope of this nation, the hope of the poor, those that the statue of liberty talks about, the tired and huddled masses yearning to breathe free, their hope rests in our efforts as we build of the road to 2012. in america, we battle in the voting booths. that is why the conservative community must continue its fight. it is why we begin today to battle for our primaries. we must continue the battle to control the senate. then we will continue the battle to get control of the white house. then we continue the battle to get control of the united states supreme court.

[cheers and applause] i am going to close with the words of someone i admire, the apostle paul. when he wrote to the corinthians he said, the steadfast, in mmoveable, abound in the work of the lord. your labor is not in vain with him. god bless you. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, chris

widener. [applause] >> thank you for having me. it is great to be in new orleans again. i come here on a regular basis to speak at conventions, primarily on leadership. that is what i want to talk about today. we have lots of problems in america today. our biggest problem is not the economy. our biggest problem is not terrorism. our biggest problem is not illegal immigration or whether or not to end the fed. our biggest problem is not entitlements or health care. the biggest problem we face as republicans and americans is the lack of ethical, dynamic leadership. here is how it works. it does not matter what problem

you have if you have ethical, dynamic, and effective leadership. our job as republicans is to find the best leaders we possibly can. if you put the right people into place, the problems get solved. let me tell you about myself. i know when i look at the person speaking and do not know who they are, i would like to know about them. i will tell you a little bit about myself. i am a best-selling author. are right. nearly a leadership books like "the leadership rules" and "the art of influence." i travel all over the world. i have spoken in australia, china, singapore, and cairo. obama made his trip to cairo to speak. i spoke before president obama

ever spoken cairo. more aggressive, i did not need a teleprompter. i have spoken in st. petersburg, russia. it is my passion. in november of 2008, four days after obama was elected, i combined my passion for motivation and success and leadership with my passion for politics. i started the facebook page called "positively republican." i had just seen this guy win the presidency based on a false sense and message of hope. i thought that was exactly what people were looking for. i started a group called positively republican. it is the largest republican group on facebook.

we are at about 410,000 members right now. it was started in just teed of years. it is of grass roots. it is focused on the positive message of expanding the republican party and the ideals we stand for. i am a regular contributor and part owner of red county. it is a conservative political blogger site. and is also a candidate for senate in my state. i was running against the most liberal senator in the united states, patty murray. you know you are pretty far left when you are voted the most liberal senator in the u.s. senator, even among bernie sanders, the self-proclaimed socialist from vermont. that is washington state. i want to talk about leadership and the fact that it is our primary goal in the run-up to

the 2012 election. it works all the way down with your talking about governors' races, senate races, house races. i have met a number of fine people here running for state legislature in louisiana. it matters all across the board. here is our problem as i see it in politics today. we have the willing but not be able -- the able. we have the people willing to run for office, willing to go through the brutal aspects of it. but we do not have the people who are able to do something once they get there. our job is to take the able and make them willing. here is the problem we face. there are tremendous leaders across america. men and women, young and old, all across the country who are

fantastic leaders. they are building businesses, running schools, raising families, doing all these tremendous things that are the backbone of our society. somebody says that he should get involved in politics. what do they say? no way. because they have some crazy girlfriend in college or smoked pot 20 years ago or went bankrupt in a business they started in their 20s. they say, why would i put myself out there to be destroyed by people? we have turned politics into a blood sport. when i ran for the senate, i got out of the race before the end of the primary. one of my best friends who was a two-time candidate for governor got into the race. he was elected in 2004. election was stolen from him after three recounts. towards the very end of the

senate race, dino was our candidate. it was about 11:00 at night. it is at night time that the really nasty ads come on. dino rossi hates puppies. he wants to kill your grandmother. a return to my wife and said, "that could have been us." this is why people do not go into politics. it is all about personal destruction from the media and the other side. they're all trying to destroy. we have that problem as republicans because they do not want us. our job is to find, recruit, and support leaders, men and women, who normally would not put themselves on the line. we need to make them willing so that when they are elected, they can accomplish something. we either get morons who do not

know how to do anything or we get the corrupt who realize they can do anything they want. they can get money, send out nasty pictures over twitter, all the crazy things people think they can do in winwhen they did. leadership is influence. it is the ability to change other people's thoughts, beliefs, and actions. as we look at people running for office, i believe one of the first questions we have to ask is if this is a person of influence. do they have the ability to change other people's thoughts and actions? d meat in so much rea this place. but we have to realize we're not the ones who will elect the people to governor, senate, and

president. those to determine every single election in america are independents. 40% of people will vote for the democrat no matter what. they just did a study of the people in anthony weiner's district. 56% of the people said they would still vote for him. when that first broke, i sent out a twitter message that said he would apologize to ask for his privacy, go to rehab, and become mayor of new york city. that is what happens. the democrats will always vote democrat. 40% will always vote republican. you have this 20% to have to be influenced. red meat does not influence them. it is great for us, but it is not the kind of thing that will win elections. political influence is getting

to 51%. my motto as i work with candidate is that we have to find the most conservative candidate who can also get 51%. you have to get the most conservative candidate who can also get 51%. it does not matter if you get the greatest conservative candidate who can only get 30%. that differs from washington to oklahoma. we are the strong, committed base. we are tasked with finding the people who can win. it is only if you win that you get to have influence. you do not get to write the laws if you lose. our job is to find those who can win. it does not need to a leader if you are right. think about that. -- it does not make you a leader if you are right. think about that. it does not make the

presidential material if you are right. if it was true that all you had to be was right, than anyone of us would be qualified to be president of the united states. that is not the main qualification to be right. it certainly is important to be right. but being right is not necessarily mean that you can also be a leader. knowing the issues does not make you a leader. there is a real simple principle to determine whether or not you are a leader. it is very simple. is there anybody following nyou? if not, you are not a leader. you have to have people who will follow you and hold signs for you. they will ultimately get you to 51%. for a little old dennis kucinich. one of my favorite political

bomb burst occurs of all time said, "dennis kucinich, 0.0004% of the population cannot be wrong." and by the way, he has been talking about moving from ohio to washington state just to run for congress. he is not a leader. nobody is going to vote for him. not even within his own party are they going to vote for him. i had friends who were hard-core kucinich people who turned and got behind obama because they realized simply that kucinich could not win. we need to get behind people who can win. it does not do any good to spend this time and effort if we do not have people that can stand in the public square and influence people. when they do everything from twitter 2 facebook 2 public

debate, we need someone who can influence others. that 20% who says, may not agree with everything that he or she says, but i can follow them. there are three qualities to a leader, based on aristotle and rhetoric. ethos, whats called ito' we call integrity. we have to have people with integrity in the republican party. the specially -- especially when the thing with anthony wiener happened and i said, if it was a republican we would have driven him out right away.

and that this democrats heard me and said, well, of course, you are the party that believes in values. you have a grand wizard of the complex plan that's been something like -- of the kkk that spent something like 175 years in the senate. you have barney frank, who lives life in a brothel. they can do what they want because they don't care. where we get ourselves into trouble is because we do not believe in those things, and yet, when we still do them we run into this thing called integrity. we are held accountable to the things that we talk about and that is what we need to find in our candidates. my mother passed away about four days ago. she taught me to love words. it is one of the reasons i am an offer. she loved to go back to the root words.

the word integrity, its shares a group with a mathematics term. it is the were injured. -- is integer. it is a whole number. the root word of integrity simply means whole, complete, undivided. it means that you do not tell the truth sometimes and not other times. it means you do not treat people this way and then another way. it is a single set of morals and values, not a dual set or even a triple set of ethics and values. [applause] we have seen that even within our own party. men and women who say one thing and are doing the other thing and therein lies the problem.

we are the party of integrity. it is time for us to live and pulled our politicians accountable to integrity. [applause] the second part of persuasion that aristotle talked about is logos, which is logic. this is where i feel that we do a fine job as republicans. we are the rational party. we are like, wait a minute, this makes sense and this + this equals that. democrats say, if you take in $1 billion, you spend $4 billion. that does not make any logical sense. i believe we have the logic part down. but we also have to find the right messenger who can get the right message at the right time. -- give the right message at the right time. you can have the right message in the wrong place at the wrong time and it does no good. then, how many of you downhaul

have used the restaurant downhaul today? -- how many of you have used the restroom down the hall today? as you are leaving, gentlemen, have you noticed the sign on the inside of the men's bathroom door? it is a message that is dead on. it is absolutely right. it is absolutely correct. it says, drinking out call during your pregnancy -- drinking alcohol during her pregnancy can cause severe birth defects. it is absolutely true. wrong place. [laughter] how often do we maybe have the person with the right ideas in the wrong place at the wrong

time? it is a problem. the last one is pathos, passion. we have to be passionate about it. we live in a television age, a video age. i hate to say this, but i doubt abraham lincoln could be elected in this day and age. it is a sad state of affairs, but wise people do not just throw their hands of the air and say, it is terrible -- up in the air and say, it is terrible. jesus said we have to be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. i think oftentimes we have the innocent as doves part down, but not the wise as serpents part. we need to understand that we need to put the right people forward. the biggest problem is we have become the party of "no."

in fact, a lot of republicans actually love that and they say, l no." the party of "held n that is not going to win the election. yes, we should be against things, but we should be for solutions. people around the world want to dump about american politics and when i was traveling abroad -- want to talk about american politics and what i was traveling abroad people kept asking me what i thought about obama. my job was not to teach politics, but to teach people about leadership. in the very end, i said, do you know what i think about obama? i think the democrats finally found their pretty face. he has the same positions as john kerry.

they finally found someone who understood that all you have to do is get up there and say "hope," "change." remember when hillary clinton was running and she said, whenever he talks, the heavens will open i am not suggesting that we focus on the negative, but we need to focus on the right people. ronald reagan was a person of optimism. he did not say it was a dark day in america. what was his dad? -- ad? "morning in america." people respond to positive messages. the question then is, what will

cause people to follow us in 2012? i would like to give an idea to the candidates. what would be the proper message? the proper message is not going to be to end the fed. 20% of the population does not care -- i mean, 80%. remember, these are people that vote more for american idol than the united states president. at night, they are watching reruns of "heil i met your mother. if talking about ending the fed is not going to win the election. none of these things that we think are so important, and they are important. one of the greatest coaches of all time, vince lombardi, at the beginning of the season he would bring the football players out. you have to understand these are

the best football players. they're the green bay packers, a championship football team. he would bring them out and put them in the middle of the field and he would say, take a need. and they would. and he would pick up a football to these professional players and say, gentleman, this is a football. i want to challenge our candidates to understand what people are really looking for in 2012. i want the candidates to hold something up and say, ladies and gentleman in america, this is a wallet to, this is what the 20% votes on. the vote on their wallets. they are not ideologically driven. they are not hardened -- they are not partisan. but they do know that when their husband is out of work they cannot feed the family. they do know when they cannot

afford their gas. they do know when their relatives are perhaps seeking federal assistance for the first time. they understand we are in the midst of a tremendous economic crisis. they do not even really care that is $14 trillion in unfunded mandates. they do care that they have hired a grocery bills. they do care that their energy bills are going up and that their medical costs are going up. that is what is going to win the election in 2012. ladies and gentlemen, this is a wallet. the republicans are the people who will do all of the intricate policy work that will allow you not to pay $5 for gas, make a loaf of bread go down in price, make your husband or wife get a job. we will restore your -- the economy. [applause] what we do in this election or do not do in 2012 will affect

our country for 50, 60, 70, maybe even 100 years. we stand before a potential fall. but with the right leaders, with men and women of integrity and passion and with the ethics who can communicate the message in a positive and optimistic way, we can win the election, we can win the u.s. senate, we can win the presidency, governorships all across america, and we can be back on our way to restoring this country to being the greatest country ever in the history of the world. thank you for having me, louisiana. i greatly appreciate it. [applause] >> ladies and gentleman,

[unintelligible] [applause] >> i heard about these three guys, they all died at the same time. this is nothing scriptural, but you'll get the point. they all died the same time and enter judgment at the gates. peeper -- peter was standing there and he said, i am amazed you all right at the same time. what is the deal? the first guy said, i thought my wife was jian-li, so i went upstairs to our apartment -- was cheating on me, so i went upstairs to our apartment and i looked everywhere, under the bed, the bathroom, behind the curtains. but he was nowhere to be found and i got so frustrated that i pushed the refrigerator off the balcony i pushed so hard i had a

heart attack and died. and the second guy said, i went to my grandmother's house and i went out to get her a gift and the refrigerator came out of nowhere and killed me. and he said to the third guy, why are you here? and he said, i do not know. i was just in the refrigerator minding my own business. [laughter] america need as desperately. we have been minding our own business. we need to stand up and do what we need to do for the cause of sending barack obama back home to where he is supposed to be. many years ago there was a tv show entitled "tell the truth." they would try to stump the panel. at the end, the guy would say, " will the real mccoy please stand

up?" what was amazing was how many panelists got fooled by the imposters. i see the same thing happening in our nation as we sit at this conference right now. america is in a crisis. if we are living in a selfish, wicked society. -- we are living in a selfish, we could society. we are living in corrupt times and it seems like nothing is ever going to get better. the question is often asked, what would get our society? ? what will get us back on the right track? what is the attitude that will heal our disease nation? what is the greatest need for our country? and i am often invited to political meetings, religious meetings, school meetings, and what we do is sit around a table and people begin to ask

questions. this is what they will ask -- what can cure our cities? what can cure our parishes? our schools, our state, our nation? and some of the suggestions that come across the table from leaders in our community that you know of would blow your mind. some will stand up and say, we need economic reform. we need to create more jobs. we need to buy american. we need to quit the layoffs. we need equal opportunity for everyone. we need economic reform. and i will raise my hand and say, economic reform is important and it has its place. however, economic reform [no audio]

>> we are having some problems with this from new orleans. we will try to fix the problem and bring you back to the very end of this republican leadership conference. coming to you live from c-span.

>> and we are going to leave that there, the 2011 republican leadership conference in new orleans. in the straw poll held today, ron paul held the lead among potential candidates. he had 612 votes, followed by jon huntsman who had 382. today's remarks included speeches, including gov. rick perry. you can see remarks tonight starting at about 8:00 p.m. eastern and you can find all three days of the conference on line at the c-span library. while the republican conference met in louisiana, the u.s. open has been hosting some of the world's best golfers. and also from earlier today, president obama and house speaker john boehner, who teamed

up with vice president biden and ohio senator john k. sick -- kasijh.v., john cag let's take a look. the white house says a number of topics may have been on the table as the president and john boehner played golf earlier today, including the debt ceiling and u.s. involvement in

libya. meanwhile, on this father's day weekend, president obama used his weekly address to talk about fatherhood, his own childhood growing up without his dad and his relationship with his two daughters and the relationshiresponsibility of fao spend time with their children. there are pending free-trade agreements with south korea, columbia, and panama to help reduce the deficit and create jobs. >> this father's day weekend, i would like to spend a couple of minutes talking about my hardest, but always my most rewarding job, being a dad. i grew up with my father -- without my father around. he left when i was 2 years old. and even though my sister and i were lucky enough to have my wonderful mom and grandparents, i felt his absence. i wonder what my life would have

been like if he had a greater presence. that is why i try to be a good dad to my own kids. i have not always succeeded, of course. in my past, my job has kept me away more than i would have liked and the burden of raising two girls has too often fell on michelle. i have learned a couple of things about what our children need most from their parents. first and foremost, they need our time. and more important than the quantity of hours we spend with them is the quality. maybe just asking them about their day, or taking a walk together. the smallest moments can have the biggest impact. they also need structure, including learning the values of discipline and responsibility. malley and sasha may live in the white house these days, but michele and i make sure that they do their homework, their chores, and walk the dog. and above all, children need

unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes. when life is easy and when life is tough. and life is tough for a lot of americans these days. more and more kids grow up without fathers. there are fathers serving in uniform in another country. and even for those who are here in their children's lives, the recession has taken a harsh toll. if you are out of a job or doing whatever it takes to pay the bills, that can understandably take precedence over everything else. that is why my administration has offered menu want to be good fathers a bit of extra support. we boosted community and face- to-face groups focused on fatherhood, a partner with businesses to offer father's a way to spend time with their kids and connect with their children. we are doing this because we all have a stake in forging stronger bonds between fathers and their children. you can find out more about some

of what we are doing at fatherhood.gov. we also know that every father has a personal responsibility to do right by our kids as well. all of us can encourage argentine to turn off the video games and pick up a book. -- encourage our children to turn off the video games and pick up a book. and all of us can teach our children that occurs between right and wrong and showing through our own example, the values of being treated as we wish to be treated. sometimes the road gets rough. but even great parents do not get everything right. more than anything, they just want us to be a part of their lives. lately, i took on a second job. i am the assistant coach for sasha's basketball team. on sundays, we get together to practice and a couple of times i have coached the games, even as

sasha rolled her eyes occasionally when her dad voiced his displeasure with the referee. but i was so proud to see her run up and down the court and gain confidence. i was hopeful that in years to come she would look back on moments like these as one that defined her person and as a parent herself. in the end, it is what being a parent is all about, those precious moments with our children the fellas with pride and excitement about our future. -- that fill us with pride and excitement about our future. the opportunities to just be there and show them that we love them. it is something worth remembering this father's day and every day. thanks and happy father's day to all of the dads out there. have a great weekend. >> i am senator john walton of north dakota. i would like to talk to you today about our nation's fiscal challenges, in particular about the vital role that

international trade can play in reducing the deficit and creating jobs. almost 100 years ago exactly at the start of another century, president theodore roosevelt launched a navy mission known as the great white fleet on a voyage of around the world. it was a show of american strength, but also a show of american good will and prosperity. that voice -- that voyage would open the doors of trade with asia and help us establish what became known as the american century. president roosevelt put the world leadership on notice that the u.s. was the freest, most dynamic economy the world had ever seen and was open for business. it is a legacy felt to this day, but a legacy now in jeopardy. we are all aware of just how serious our nation's current fiscal situation is. no american family could spend 50% more than it is taking in

and survive, much less prosper. that is exactly what our country is doing. the result is a $1.5 trillion deficit and a $14 trillion debt that is dragging down our economy and burdening us and our children. to put that in human terms, nearly 14 million of our fellow americans are without a paycheck and have been for some time. to turn that around, our country needs the kind of pro jobs -- pro-jobs, pro-growth vision that will help us build a peaceful and prosperous america. we have an opportunity right now to advance that vision and jump- start the nation's economy. robust international trade can help us to do it. we can start by helping to ratify long-term free trade agreements with colombia, north

korea -- south korea and panama. the president can no longer hold these agreements back. currently, he is holding them up in order to negotiate the trade adjustment assistance program. taa can be had -- addressed separately, as it generally has been in the past since 1974. for the good of our economy and our country, he needs to send these free trade agreements to the u.s. senate for approval now, so that u.s. workers and businesses can begin your realize their benefits. -- begin to realize their benefits. i was traveling with a group of senators to meet with prominent korean business leaders about the u.s.-south korea free trade agreement. of correa said

they are waiting for america to lead the way. two nations around the world america has always been a beacon of liberty -- to nations around the world, america has always been a beacon of liberty and opportunity. they expressed their deep appreciation to the u.s., and especially to our military and veterans. they are keenly aware that the u.s. military has sacrificed so much to give them a free market society and an environment in which they can pursue their dreams. south korea is now a prosperous, modern nation with a $1 trillion economy in large part because american service members won and now help preserve the peace. it is the fifth largest economy in the world and our country's seventh largest trading partner. per-capita income is more than

$20,000 annually. in communist north korea, just over $1,000 annually. a free and open economy made the difference. today again, america needs to lead the way. starting with the president. the u.s.-south korea free trade agreement will eliminate or reduce more than 85% of the tariffs between the u.s. and korea, including the eventual elimination of a 40% career in tariff on american beef. -- korean tariff on american beef.