red was for commies. yellowwoods for politicians without courage. that was a thick stack. ronald reagan would keep them in his briefcase. before he would land on a plan for a speech, he would open his briefcase and take those parts out, take brabants of them, spread them out and say, "i am speaking to a firefighters' convention." i will tell a joke about a firefighter. then we will have to have an anecdote about the city i am in. he took that out. then you have to go to the economy. he would do that. every group he spoke to, he had a set of cards he thought would be interesting and fresh for them and in direct relation to their interests. he would take these cards and he would put the rubber band around them and slip them in his coat pocket. when he was introduced, he would always have a podium a little higher than this one.

what you never saw unless you watched very closely -- if you watched him be introduced, he would strive to the podium and you would see the shoulder hunch up a little bit as he takes out the cards, it takes off the narrow rubber band, and spreads them out. that was his speech. reagan was near sighted. he wore contact lenses. he was able to train his eyes. he took out one contact lens before he would give a speech and put it in his case. with the bad guy, he looked out into the audience and saw a blur. during most of his speeches, he never saw the audience. with the other eye, he was able to look down and glance at his notes every once in awhile and not read from them, but figure out what his place was and if necessary read from a ". this system was seamless, like a barbecue -- rubix cube. you could mix and match the material. it would be a completely

different speech even know it was material that was friendly to you. to this day, it is the method i use to present my speeches. when i was a teenager, a high- school student in sacramento, california, i was called up by my civics teacher to participate in a program reagan did for students. i went down there and did several take things with ronald reagan. after one of those taping, at the end of the season, he said, "i am going to show you how to give a speech because i know you are in debate club." the secret is now out. the reagan library has now published a new set of these cards, reagan's note cards. it is a book that reproduces the cards and tells the whole story of how ronald reagan used them to craft his speeches and become the great communicator. the system worked wonders for him. i will give you one example of how it worked.

1977 was one of the worst years for the conservative movement in history. jimmy carter had just won the presidency. the democrats had 2-1 majorities in congress. watergate had destroyed the republican party. ronald reagan was 65 years old. everything -- everyone thought he was too old to run for president in four years. but he had a reunion with his former aides in the spring of 77. he said, "i know you are depressed, but we should be of good cheer. there is a great opportunity ahead of us puzzle first of all -- ahead of us." he picked out a card and said, "we are beaten, but we are not slain. we shall lay down and leave a while, then rise and start again." conservatives lose when two things happen at the same time, when the people we elect disappoint us and go in a

direction we did not elect them to go in. that just happened with richard nixon. the second and that happens is the liberals are smart enough to run someone as a moderate even though they are liberal. jimmy carter, a southern governor, evangelical christian. they run someone who claims to be a moderate. but even if jimmy carter wants to be moderate, he can't be moderate as president because his congressional leadership and the bills at the democratic party will not let him. reagan says he will govern from the left. if he gathers -- if he governs from the left, he will fail. when no liberalism -- liberalism fails. that is why we believe in the constitution. he will fail. people will notice. if they notice, they will get upset and concerned. if they get concerned, they may get angry and farm groups and protest in the streets. ronald reagan said this a few months before prop. 13 got going

in california and started the tax revolt that spread across the country. regan said when they get upset and when they get angry and when they get concerned, you will be able to have another conversation with them. you will be able to reopen the dialogue and say, "we made mistakes, but we are going to renew ourselves." we will not retreat from principle. we will deliver the promises we made to the american people. i do not guarantee you will win, but you will have a chance to make another case to the american people. was he right? within two years, jimmy carter brought as 21% interest, "% inflation, 9% unemployment -- 12% inflation, 9% unemployment, hostages in iran. does anyone remember gas lines? an enormous spike in gasoline prices. ronald reagan was able to go around the country with one of the best lines i have ever heard. a recession is when your

neighbor loses his job. a depression is when you lose your job. the recovery is when jimmy carter loses his job. you know what? i bet we hear a variation of that line in the coming campaign. but the story is not over yet. ronald reagan of course defeated jimmy carter 44 states to six. he changed the country and the world. but 16 years after that fateful speech came 1993. things have happened all over again. a republican president had violated basic principles. you remember "read my lips, no new taxes"? it split the conservative movement. ross perot ran as an independent, taking many fiscal conservatives. that was before people figured out ross patrol -- ross perot's trace table was not in full upright position. ronald reagan reminded another

audience he addressed in the spring of 1993, before the alzheimer's had taken hold. he give one final reunion four former aides and staffers and said, "here we go again. we elected a president who violated basic principles and had a liberal masquerading as a moderate, bill clinton." people who live by the rules should live better than those who do not live by the rules. he campaigned as a moderate but will govern as a liberal. what will happen? he will fail. sure enough, within two years, bill clinton had brought us the botched attempt to have hillary takeover the natural -- national health-care system, the largest tax increase in american history, a btu tax similar to cap and trade, and social experimentation. all kinds of problems. the 1994 republican revolution changed all that. bill clinton, of course, was

not jimmy carter. he knew he was in trouble. he hired an unscrupulous political consultant. of course i repeat myself. he hired an unscrupulous political consultant named dick morris who said, "come to the light side of the force. become a moderate." son welfare reform and capital gains tax cuts. it was just enough to win reelection in 1996. ronald reagan is not with us today, but history repeats itself. 16 years from 77 to 93 -- take 16 years from 93. what do you get? 09. barack obama. did we have a republican president who violated some principles of the party? did he violate conservative principles at times? yes. did barack obama campaign as a moderate but not really mean it? yes. here we are. did barack obama govern from the left?

you bet. what has happened? 9.1% unemployment, $1.90 trillion in capital sitting on the sidelines, and unfocused foreign-policy in which we apologize more than we lead. our strategy is to lead from behind. that is not america. 16 years, it seems. every 16 years, we have a generation of americans who forget what happened before and we elect a liberal president and liberal congress at the same time. the american people have woken up. and i believe that we can take back this country and can stop them just as they were stopped under jimmy carter and bill clinton. after all, you have one knows rounds. you, your parents, or your grandparents won those two rounds. we are in a third round. i say let's go 3 for three.

and if ronald reagan were here today, he would say you can do this. all you have to do is return to the grass roots. tell the truth. so you learn from your mistakes and move forward. we started that in 2010. the house fell. the senate will fall in 2012. all of the predictions are for that. i will predict that if you do have the job that i think you will do, barack obama will inevitably be a one-term president. [applause] and if you do that, someday you will be sitting with your children and grandchildren. they will ask you what you did in 2011 and 2012. you will be able to say, "i played a strong but real role in stopping the slide toward socialism and centralized control of the economy, stopping the slide in our moral standing, stopping the slide in america's

respect around the world. we took this country back." if you do that, i think you will be able to stand tall and proud as representatives of a generation that fought back and retained our freedoms. about every three generations in this country, a generation is called upon to do extraordinary things. america is all about ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things, rising to that occasion. the first generation was our american revolution. we fought the greatest empire in the world and won our independence. about 75, 80 years later, the civil war came. we had to end the scourge of slavery and reunite the country. that was a civil war generation. three generations after that came the great depression and world war two and the foundations for the cold war. that was 75 years ago. once again like clockwork, we have another generation. that is your generation being

called upon to do this service, to be ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things. you are doing it. i am not saying the challenge before us is the equal of the great depression or world war ii, but it could be. the great recession can turn into the great depression if we don't act. i believe you will be the generation that can say that we rose to the occasion. we kept this country free. [applause] and if you do that, you will not only have the thanks of your children and grandchildren. you will have histories thanks. you will have proven once again that america is the greatest and most exceptional nation on earth. thank you very much. [applause] thank you. ♪

>> once again, please welcome the president of americans for prosperity foundation, tim phillips. ["beautiful day," u2] >> i hope you enjoyed dinner. by the way, senator mike lee, who is one of the rising freshmen in the senate, was scheduled to be with us. you know the work he is doing. his plane -- he was on the runway in new york after meetings and events there. they had weather back east, the thunderstorms we get all the time there. they finally got them in new york. he could not be with us. he will be with us at a future event and i want you to hear from him. i want to introduce you to a lady who, about six years ago, we met. she came to us and said, "i want to start and americans for prosperity chapter in my home state."

where is it? new jersey. that is not going to be easy. but she did it. she brought the state director with her. this was in january 2006. you may know steve lawn again. that was january 2006. they are still at it today. they have literally helped change that state. i would like you to give a warm greeting to one of our board members. ♪ >> good evening. i am going to introduce our next speaker by saying the name of a former congressman. you know what? why don't we all sit together. former congressman anthony wiener. [applause]

wasn't that fun? and i guess you know who our next guest is. it is andrew breitbart. [applause] interestingly, i actually introduced andrew at another conference three months ago. at the time, i said, "andrew is not quite a household name, but he will soon be two new media what rush limbaugh is to talk radio." [applause] i think that moment has come. andrew actually began his career on the left, so he knows them well, and their ways. he helped carry on a huffington launchana huffington

"the huntington post -- huffington post." he watched those policies and converted to a fighter for liberty. he worked for a short time for "the drug report -- drudge report to." -- report." he reports on the big spending and hypocrisy of the left. one of his essays that gave me and my friends a weekend of celebrating was the perfectly executed release of the acorn videos. [applause] and in fact, andrew breitbart is so skilled at allowing the left that a leftist organization

called media matters for america -- another boo? called "new yorker" magazine. the guy said this as if he was making a horrible accusation against andrew. he said, "andrew brietbart in gauges in daily twitter warfare against the left." [applause] to which andrew was like, "i sure do." and his following soared on twitter. at that point, media matters' was even angrier. they launched the brietbart blogging parody contest. you can imagine how much that added to his twitter following again. i do not know what andrew is

going to talk about. but i think we are all in for a fun time. thank you. [applause] ["friday," rebecca black] >> that is right. and thank you. thank you. who wants to see the photo? who wants to see the codex -- p hoto? what a large, large, large room. oh my. how much mischief can i start this evening? i see james o'keefe in the front row. my adrenaline starts flowing when i see that young gentleman. [laughter] what do you have up your sleeve?

i am so happy i did not go through the traditional conservative movement. i am so glad that i did not go through washington, d.c. i am so glad nobody gets to tell me what i can or cannot do. i think that is why so many of us now find ourselves in the tea party. the republicans screwed up everything. if you cannot sell freedom and liberty, you suck. [applause] and buy suck i mean you suck. profoundly. irrationally. i never understood that. i just don't understand that. it is the lifeblood of humanity, freedom and liberty. and the republicans make it so boring. i am transferring my allegiance. i started off kind of as a liberal. not really.

i was from los angeles, a super shallow liberal. i admit it. i am from l.a. i am still shallow. do not anyone think otherwise. it is part of the experience out there. i have transferred my allegiances. i remember. everybody probably knows this, but i listened to the clarence thomas hearings. i'd juxtaposed that he was the worst man in the history of the world and i believe anita. a year later, the same people said bill clinton was a feminist without peer. huh? that epiphany was like bam. something is wrong here. i have to figure it out. ok, fine. maybe i am a libertarian. [laughter] i did not even know what that meant. but i just was like i do not

want to be in the crowd of people that had i believe anita bumper stickers while they were defending that james carville was dragging $50 bills to a trailer park. you never know what you're going to get. what is going on? pubic hair on makeup and having state troopers go up to sorority houses and having a cavalcade? i do not get this position. -- this juxtaposition. it is weird that those events turned me into this freak. i literally say to my wife, "you remember when i was a waiter and was light-hearted and youths to go to movies -- used to go to movies?" i don't do that anymore. my goal is to take down the institutions. [applause] i thought -- i really did think that i was an idealist when i

thought i was liberal. i would wake up in the morning. i would go, "i am for the children." at that point in my life, the morning was about three in the afternoon. i would go, "i am for the environment." i am against war. i am inherently good. that was it. i told you i was shallow. i was so unbelievably and blissfully shallow. then i started to have these epiphanies that awakened me. it was the media that became my obsession. they are the ones. i grew up and watched every episode of "alice" four times. it is not even that good of the show. how did i become such a flaming

defacto liberal? it was because all i did was watch tv at mtv. they told me you are from the environment and the women, and the children, and the minorities. i do not even have to wake up until three in the afternoon. you do show up. i do not have to lift a finger to make humanity better. all i have to do is run around and say i am a liberal. that is all hollywood is. i figured that out. boy am i smart. i figured that one out. [applause] and i had this thing happened to me. the seeds were planted. i remember. i am from los angeles. i went to a fancy private school and used to remember everybody saying that people in flyover states for stupid. the movies and television i saw

reflected that, that they had a contempt for middle america. i remember coming back to my friend kristin's great thanksgiving and christmas parties. there were hollywood actors and actresses. you go to school in new orleans. what is it like with all those freaky people? i met them. they are from alabama. nice families. my roommate is from georgia. totally awesome. the american people are being maligned by not just hollywood, but by katie couric and peter jennings and his lovely former girlfriend, whatever her name was, the palestinian girl. i started to go, "it is the media." it is the media that is the problem. i am not worried about former congressman jim wright and his

book scandal. i am not worried about nancy pelosi and stanley hoyer -- stenny hoyer. it is the natural lines of the mainstream media, liberal interest groups, and the democratic party. it is just a natural force of life that is center-right nation, a 2-1 ratio of conservatives to liberals according to gallup, has to do with every day. i met this drudge guy in 1995 and had nothing better to do then latched on for dear life. i started to watch and become part of what we now know to be the new media. that was 1995. every single story that was broken, every single story, had to withstand the absolute weight

of abc, cbs, nbc, cnn, and all the newspapers. we were guilty until proven innocent. the republicans and conservatives are bad guys. the democrats are for the environment and the children. i remember when i was on that team, the benefits i got from it. i was waking up at three in the afternoon. i was not really contributing to society in any appreciable way. now that i am starting to see it the other way, it is like constantly swimming upstream. so i remember watching when drudge broke the lewinsky story. that was a slam dunk. he caught the president of the united states. wienergate was salacious, but i am talking about cigars and an intern. we are all smarting this week because of a wiener and a

weiner. cigars and an intern is the bermuda triangle. that is pornography. so i just remember watching that matt had the slam dunk to end all slam dunks. but then the president of the united states decided to live. he lied. he lied to the country and his cabinet. he lied to the mainstream media. i remember an important moment in that. my new buddy, matt lauer, was on the today show a week and a half. we're totally close now. we're going to hang out, right? we're going to go to sag harbor together. i remember matt lauer did his job. i'd like to be mostly stick, but

i do have a few carrots in my back pocket. matt lauer did do his job in january of 1998. he said to hillary clinton, "there are these crazy accusations out here about your husband and the intern and lying under oath. is it true?" harrison said it is not true. he offered a hypothetical. if it were true, what do you think? she said it is not true. i understand where you are coming from. but if it were true. but it is not true. but if it were true. i heard this six times back or fourth. she was like, "of course it would be serious if it were true." i watched what happened. the lie bought time for the mainstream media it to spend five months trying to put hump the dump the back -- -- humpty

dumpty back together again. and it reallya very sophisticato turn the conservatives into panty sniffers. there were just obsessed with the president's sex life, he was intimidating witnesses, telling monica that she had to tell when that -- linda tripp to lie under oath. what kind of dirt that they have on her to maker shut her up? this was our media? then we headed into the territory of the evil spirit this behavior against catherine will lay, the women, the women.

i believe anita hill, the bumper sticker. i believe catherine willey. why would she like? i believe all of these women buried there is a consistency to disguise behavior. yet the mainstream media is covering up for him. and they created a mechanism by which they simply split the country, which is what the left does, read it in my book, it is the best book ever. it is not. david mamet's book is better. it sucks, but he is david mamet. i watched how he took a slam- dunk and put it back through the hoop, the who, thank you very much. people that help me when i'm speeches and and a loss for words.

something has to be done about this. something has to be done about this imbalance of power. the fact that this is a center- right nation and the mainstream media, this allegedly neutral and objective people, based out of new york and los angeles where i have an apartment and house, i am hep and i shallow, i know what you're up to, i cut your cocktail parties and i hear your contempt for people in middle america. do not tell me you are neutral. [applause] my entire business model is based upon having no money, and having to -- having the resources of the american people who i became friends with at tulane university. they were nice, their parents were nice, their friends were nice. i went back to los angeles and

tell them that they had to stop maligning them. i said, to with that, i'm going to war against my neighbors. it is the most awkward thing. i still live there. i show up at kids party is and i am standing off to the side and people are glaring at me. and i say, i'm going after you. i have weird pictures that people have sent me of you. i say, do not come up to me. do not bother me. [laughter] anyway, everything i needed to learn, i learned during the clinton era. everything, everything, everything, everything, everything. everything, everything. it is the way that the consorted together, the way that they literally used property detectives and leaked the information to the "washington post" and the "new york times declinedhenry -- "new york

times." hyde had an affair before, and that is relevant? they leaked the stuff to larry plant. and did you happen to see the press conference on the great publisher from that great movie, the people versus larry klein, that free-speech ikon? he went after anyone in everything and everything that their private detectives lead. and i said, holy mackerel, the collusion between the mainstream media and the democratic party, it is so nasty, someone has to stand up to the senate cannot just be a and talk radio and blogs saying the media is biased. we have to report the truth not reported by the scruff of people. -- this group of people. [applause] i cannot do it myself. in fact, i do not do it myself.

and i like the perception that people think i do it myself. but i did not believe and know that much about a quorum until james o'keefe came to me you what -- acorn and doug james o'keefe came to me with a box with the ball on the top, and i thought hole lead -- holy -- what would you come to a doofus, a shallow doofus in west los angeles in a basement without a budget, why did you just that abc and cbs and nbc and let them watch the story? and that is because james and hannah recognize the same thing that i recognize, that the entire game is rigged. these of the people that i do this with. i do it with you. i bizarrely give out my cell phone number at these events.

i say, call me if you have anything. you want to know a really good -- people ask me for tips. this is not even in the book. the most important step i can give you is to be petty. [laughter] on twitter, i do not care if it is chablis2353 with two followers, i will argue with that person for eight hours. [applause] [laughter] when it comes to my idea of media, if there is a teacher in sioux falls who is breaking -- berating a young student about

sarah palin and dominion azzam, why we cannot have her as president, i did in the know what that is. but they talked about that in math class is. film that bitch. [cheers and applause] because i am petty and that is news and i want a fire that lady. there is no story that a small enough that does not get me titillated. [laughter] and you should feel the same exact way. we are in the most exciting time ever in the history of media. [applause] this is a revolutionary time of at that -- epic proportions. it is just not being represented that way. by our friends in the mainstream media. unfortunately, 80 correct --

katie couric, a lot of them are losing their jobs. and they are not losing their jobs because of budgetary constraints. they are not losing their jobs because the proliferation of cable channels. they are not losing their jobs because they are getting older and long in the tooth. [laughter] they are losing their jobs because they've suck. the american people know it. head [cheers and applause] then again, i sense the hostility. i know that is being taped. i went over to the netroots nation today and they kicked me out. [cheers and applause] i want to be a ray of light

right now. [laughter] i want to bring people together. it's really why i am here and you know that. [laughter] i like liberals. i do. the ones that are nice. the ones to tell the truth. the ones that are now at the bar last night until 2:30 hanging out and were nice. they said we agree that you want to change the world and we want to change the world. we can agree to disagree. and that is all i ever want for you lost me on the political correctness stopper you lost me on the censorship stop. you lost me on the intimidation of people that disagree with

you. you lost me on the tallest arianism and of hollywood and the mainstream media. if you're willing to come over here and break bread the best there is no bread, we're just drinking wine, for crying out loud -- i am a fan of yours. and i do want a reconciliation in this country. i do, i want to get back to the point where we can agree to disagree. because this is getting a bit ridiculous. this is about 10 and mature years of the left hiding because we finally realized that hollywood matters and the mainstream media matters and the college's matters and we are finally saying, maybe we should rest absolute control from these people. they did not like it or they fought back and then we decided to fight back and it is really bad. what i think we are heading

toward is the british newspaper model. it got the "guardian" and the "independent" and i read them and their left-of-center and there are compelling stories. they are obsessed with big business. they break stories on big business is being corrupt. then you have the right of center papers that are obsessed with big corporations -- i mean, with big government. there. it is cool parity i am not for the outing -- the suppression of the adding of corrupt republicans. there is a huge difference. i am totally for all of these republican screwballs to get into trouble getting fired or quit saying today that they get caught, not stretching out for three ludicrous unbelievably weeks. thank you very much, congressman weiner.

thank you. i loved every second of it, congressman weiner. especially the hack part. i am the hacker. so we are fighting back. we are entering a phase where objective and neutral journalism is now laughable thing of the fast. it does not exist. i met the people that trotter pretzel themselves into being totally neutral. no one is neutral in the entire world. you have used the cudgel of false neutrality as a means to push the american narrative to the left for the last 40 years. to hell with it. i am sorry that i am being honest and i believe in freedom and liberty over tyranny and over taxation and paternalism.

and all the stupid crap that the left stands for. but i'm getting back in the negativity. let me get back into the peaceful phase or write to levitate across the crowding go to the netroots nation crowd right now when we can kumbayah. if anyone saw that i went over there yesterday after having helpful moments with people on the left to agree to disagree. i did not know what to expect but i do have a quality in did not expect that when and in -- i do not know. did anyone see the video? did anyone hear about it? they did not want me there, apparently i was there to answer any of their questions on any of my allegedly lies or selected

edits and all those great things. why was not dressed as a pen -- oh, that was james at the acorn office. i was still expecting something to happen. i have video cameras and an entourage, l.a. shallow style following me, because i was going down the escalator and i saw the mass of the netroots. this is not one and pretty. -- going to end pretty. one guy highjack the moment and ask me pertinent journalistic questions. they do not like my journalism and think i am a good journalist. they like to put on their display of their great journalism. here are questions i was asked. have you ever been with a gay hooker? [laughter] what is up with your cocaine problem?

i think they said that i was involved in a hate crime last night. involving some muslim women wearing hijabs last night. it is so fun being lectured by them on proper journalism when the questions that they are asking you are psychedelic. that is the only word i have. [laughter] and he does not understand that i now love him. i love him. not because i am jesus-like, but because he makes me laugh. people that make me laugh i love. i want to end on a very peaceful much. in my book, i write about how you need to go into enemy territory like bill mahar. everyone says do not do it. after i go on his show in know,

i did not like your politics at all but i thought it was pretty cool that you stood up for what you believe gen. and that was me. 20 years ago, the only way we are. convince these people that we are not evil that our freedom and we liberties we want not just for ourselves, our shallows cells, but for them as well and we have to get it through their toskulls and i will hang out and drink with them tonight if they so choose, is that this crazy whyng crazyi will end -- 0 did i do that? it was totally fun and i like created media and the merry prankster thing going on. that is why. but i also want to change minds. i want there to be the andrew

breitbart that sought the clarence thomas hearings and saw that something was wrong. we cannot keep preaching to the choir. we have to bring in new people. [applause] i have a special project, and i want to end -- do not share this. this is off the record, friends. [laughter] i have a special project that i am working on. you're going to think it is unbelievable and you're not going to believe that but this is one under% true. i am working on operation alan colmes. i am going to convert him. [laughter] i am going to convert him. [applause] it is just a symbolic act. if i can convert talent colmes, we can convert the world. is there anyone more reflexively liberal on tv where you are saying, while, i never thought

that one could defend anthony weiner at this juncture. [laughter] and so here is the e-mail that i received -- well, if you believe my reporting. [laughter] at 7:30 p.m. this evening. i just saw and video of the sky shouting questions at you. assholes like that give liberals a bad name. you handled it well. alan. [cheers and applause] ladies and gentlemen, i think we have the makings of a monumental revolution to bring back the american people to a right- center nation. colmes at

time. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ ["born in america" playing] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our online strategy director, eric! ♪

>> hello again, red online. thank you all for being here. i hope that andrew breitbart can forgive me for having our production crew play him not to rebecca black's "friday." by executive director. asked about us, said that that is great. it is your little brother tugging on your shirt, asking to play with your toys. we were little brother, they were big brother. [laughter] [applause] i wanted to quickly show you all what paul was an interesting article that appeared a couple of months ago in roll call. democrats are hoping that found a secret weapon to win back the house in 2012, twitter.

let's see how that is working for them. [cheers and applause] 1 down, a few more to go. it is our pleasure tonight to recognize three people who have really done some ground-breaking world and online media and activism. i like to welcome to the stage our new hampshire state director. ♪ >> thank you, eric. and thank you all for being here. tonight is my privilege to recognize and activists from the state of new hampshire who is gone above and beyondskp murphy has been an active -- who has gone above and beyond.

skip murphy uses on-line tools to drive offline actions. it is my privilege tonight to ask him to come out and join me as i present this award to him. ♪ this award is a right online award presented to skip murphy in recognition of your leadership in modern media presented by the americans for prosperity foundation. thank you. ♪ >> thank you. as we all know, al gore invented

the internet. said heecall that he took the initiative and creating the ever net. so our al gore all award for someone who is use that internet to advance the free-market movement. no better recipient this year, this was someone who runs the blog say anything. he has organized rallies in north dakota with over 10,000 attendees. that is quite an amazing accomplishment. i can promise you that there is not up single elected official in north dakota and all across this country who are credibly aware to he is. i like to recognize rob to the stage to welcome -- to accept the al gore all word for online excellence. -- award for online excellence.

in recognition of your leadership in advancing economic freedom and liberty for modern media. thank you, rob. [applause] ♪ our final award recipient could not be with us but sent a video message to except this award. this official not only to their personal use of media demonstrates recognition of this importance but has also used online media as a central tool to a dancing their agenda as an elected official. at the same time they inspire hundreds if not thousands of citizens to get engaged using online media in advance in the public policy process. this is for governor rick perry. [applause] >> i want to thank erik telford

and americans for prosperity for this award. what the. the blogging committee for your spirited defense of the values that made our nation great in your efforts to hold elected officials accountable. would you consider yourself a blocker for a new media acted as the mature part of the powerful force that is restoring balance to the public discourse. by speaking directly to your audience is coming to assault -- you have helped us achieve a lot in taxes. we just passed a two-year budget with significant cut spending what funding central services. like you, we know that texans can spend their own money better than any government official could on their best day, especially those in washington, d.c. like folks in all 50 states, a lot of texans are fed up with the federal government that has relentless efforts to encroach on our liberties and control our lives, businesses, and take more of our money.

this administration has clearly forgotten it was the states that created the federal government. not the other way round. if left unchecked, it will eventually change the factors which have put our states and the leadership positions in so many to central categories. thanks to our conservative leadership principles, we can say that our economy is second to none. we lead the nation in job creation, inbound business relocation, and our legal reforms of transformed us from america's lawsuit capital into a place where business owners and doctors to spend their time working instead of testifying in a court room. throw in our refusal to add an income tax, are proud status as a right to work state, and you better recipe for success. i accept the award on the behalf of the hard-working people and our state to of fraud in our job-friendly environment. i want to attack americans for prosperity for establishing

right online here in texas. keep the ball that rework. -- all that great work. it can restore the necessary balance between washington and the states. it puts america back on track to true greatness. until then, if you have had enough, to get your phone and text fedup to 95613 and again always follow me on twitter. may god continue to bless the state of texas and this nation that we love so much. [applause] >> for us to be affected as a movement, it is elected officials like governor. food recognize the importance and the value of online media. annotates activists like you in this room. we hope that you take as tools

and skills you have been learning, go home and build up your computers and use them to hold our elected officials accountable. i think you all for being here and look forward t >> this week the budget deficit and reducing government spending were the focus of the weekly addresses. president obama says nothing can be off limits in the budget debate including tax increases. he is followed by dan coats with the republican address. owe called for passage of a balanced budget amendment and should look to the hossier way for solving the nation's fiscal problems. >> for many families, these challenges were around long before the recession hit in

2007. i ran for president because i believed in an america where ordinary folks could get ahead, where if you worked hard, you could have a better life. that has been my focus since i came into office, and that has to be our focus now. it is one of the reasons why we are working to reduce our nation's deficit. the government has to start living within its means just like families do. we have to cut the spending we can't afford so we can put the economy on a sounder footing and give our businesses the confidence they need to grow and create jobs. the good news is democrats and republicans agreed on the need to solve the problem. over the last few weeks, the vice president and i have gotten both parties to identify more than $1 trillion in spending cuts. that is trillion with a t. but after a decade in which washington ran up the country's credit card, we have to find more savings to get out of the

red. that means looking at every program and tax credit in the budget to find ways to save money. it means we will have to start making tough decisions and scale back worthy programs. nothing can be offer limits, particularly spending and the tax code. now it would be nice if we could keep every tax break, but we can't afford them. if we choose to keep the tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, for hedge fund managers or oil and gasses companies pulling in huge profits without our help, then we will have to make deeper cuts somewhere else. we have to say to a student you don't get a college scholarship. we have to say to a medical researcher, you can't do that cancer research. we may have to tell seniors you have to pay more for your medicare. that isn't right or smart. we have to cut the deficit, but we can do that while making i

investments in researches education and technology that create jobs. we can live within our means while still investing in our future. that's what we have to do, and i'm confident that the democrats and republicans in congress can find a way to give some ground, make some s.u.v. choices and put their shoulders to the wheel to get this done for the sake of the country. on monday we celebrate independence day, the day we declared a new nation based on a revolutionary idea, that people ought to determine their own destiny, that freedom and self governance weren't gifts handed to us by kings and improsecutors, but the rights of every human being. we have learned in the years since that democracy isn't at pretty. we have arguments and disagree. but time and again we have proven we can come together to solve problems. we remember that while we may not see eye to eye on everything, we share a love for this country and a faith in its future. that is the spirit we need to

harness now. that is how we will meet this challenge, and that is how we will reach a brighter day. thanks for listening and have a wonderful fourth of july. >> hello, i am dan coats, and i have the honor of representing the people of indiana in the senate. 235 years ago this july 4th our founding fathers risked their lives and signed a document announcing the birth of america. that changed the course of history and revolutionized the world. our founding fathers severed the chains of tyranny to provide a land of opportunity for future generations. they left it to their children and grandfather to protect this gift. this generational responsibility is the story of america. today we must ask ourselves will we continue this tradition? will we leave behind a more prosperous country for our children? when i retired from the senate 12 years ago i felt confident

that my children and grandchildren would have the opportunity to pursue the american dream, a quality education, home ownership and a good-paying job to support a family. but over the past few years i saw that dream become ever tougher for americans to reach. i returned to the senate for one reason. i refuse to stand on the sidelines. i refuse to be part of the first generation to leave behind a country in worse shape than the one we inherited. the american people understand the urgency of our fiscal crisis. they want their elected officials to stop spending money we don't have and to enact policies that will grow our economy and get americans back to work. unfortunately, the president's economic plan of spending and borrowing has failed. over the past two years, debt has skyrocketed 35% to our nation's limit of $14.3 trillion. the annual deficit is now three times greater than the highest

deficit of the previous administration. and today near 14 million americans are without work. if these numbers aren't alarming enough, then the president should consider the numerous warnings from the financial markets both here and abroad. the eyes of the world are fixed on the u.s. to see if we have the political courage and moral sense to solve our debt crisis. the president and democrats in congress must recognize that their game plan is not working. it's time to acknowledge that more government and higher taxes is not the answer to our problem. it's time for bold action and a new plan to address our current crisis. for instance operation, they should look outside washington. there's no better playbook for getting us on the right track than the one used in indiana. the hossier way is quite simple. we work hard, and we live within our means. in indiana we understand that you cannot spend more money

than you take in. when our state fell off coth, leaders stepped up with solution toss steer it straight, and the people of indiana responded. governor mitch daniels, like the president, inherited a weak economy. in 2005 indiana faced a $200 million deficit and had failed to balance the budget for seven years. while other states increased spending and raised taxes, indiana reduced spending, cut taxes and paid down its debts. thanks to our governor's leadership, our state is now the most attractive place to do business in the midwest. to spend less, borrow less and tax less model in indiana has resulted in balanced budgets and a triple-a credit rating. the plan of the president has resulted in fewer jobs, higher debt and threaten downgrade

from agencies. the hossier model is the first step to repairing our country's finances. this week, every senate republican took that step by commit to go a balanced budget amendment to the u.s. constitution. the speaker of the house has committed to bringing it to a vote later this month. republican leer mitch mcconnell has committed to fighting foe a vote as well. broke or balanced, that's the choice before us. some doubt our ability to overcome this fiscal crisis. but the problem we face is not in surmountable. we have overcome major challenges in the past. times of trial have always produced moments of great leadership that rally the american people. now is the time for decisive leadership from this president. it's time to cast aside the false safety of political denial and re-election hopes and put the future of our

country above all else. on july 4th, 1776, our founding fathers put their honor and lives on the line to breaks from oppression and create a republic that valued individual rights, freedom and liberty. it is our moral obligation to break from the oppression of debt and strengthen our country. we must all rise above the political considerations and do what is right for the future of our nation. thank you, and may god continue to bless america as we celebrate our independence.

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>> proponents of their rule respond to these concerns by saying that they will kick their chance to defend themselves in court. madame chairwoman, that is not acceptable. when we are sued, our employees do not sleep, our employment -- bankers do not sleep. i do not sleep. our customers do not sleep. they depend on us to supply products so they can be open for business. the increased threat of force -- frivolous lawsuits is a risk no business can withstand. this will change our behavior.

in closing, i urge the committee to have another comment period. this will minimize the damage. i would encourage the committee to make sure we put ourselves in a position to compete for export business. i would ask you to scrutinize government regulations that would result in rolling back improvements that will help make u.s. beef the product of choice in the united states and around the world. thank you. >> thank you. mr. harper. >> members of the committee, my name is frank harper. i am a farming operation in kansas. i serve on the board of directors of the national cattlemen's beef association. i am pleased to be here today.

mine is a trade organization on regulatory issues. members are involved in many aspects of the livestock industry including feedstock, production, cattle feeding, dairy production, land management, and farming operations. the beef industry is the key segment -- segment of the kansas economy. it is a major piece of the beef injury -- industry. it is best served by the process of free enterprise and free trade. feed trade is more equitable than the subsidized markets that tend to retard innovation or distort production and market signals. members oppose attempts to narrow the business options or limit the individual freedom of livestock producers to innovate in the management of marketing of their production. ncba continues to oppose the

regulation referred to as the rule and introduced last year. u.s. producers are concerned that the rule would expand the role of government and 11 a producer's ability to marco livestock to capture the benefit of their efforts to improve the quality of their livestock. over the years i have invested in genetics at that help me improve the quality consistency of the cab's i produce. to capitalize on this, i retain ownership in the majority of mike capps -- my calves. this means i have certified the fed allows me to earn premiums for my cattle. the role would allow purchase to justify my paying more than a standard price for my lives -- livestock. if my competitors do not agree with the justification of paying more than the standard price,

they may be sued. common business sense tells me it would not be long before they no longer would be interested in our agreement. this means i will be back to selling cattle for the same price as everyone else. my investment and superior genetics would be lost. it is clear that the rule would make contracting another alternative arrangements subject to so many regulatory hurdles and legal risk that the effect, intended or not, is the elimination of these options. without the consistent supply provided by these arrangements, we will likely be forced to reduce branded and natural beef programs that helped lead a resurgence in beef demand. the rule also goes beyond the intent of congress. members of this committee will recall several different proposals contained in this role that were defeated or drawn during consideration of the last bill.

we urge you to take action to prevent the implementation of this rule. another area of concern is country of origin labeling. the world trade organization will rule in favor of canada and mexico in their complaint against the u.s. mandatory program. it is in the interest of the beef industry to resolve this dispute before action is taken. kla encourages the inclusion of language in the next bill to address the wto finding. for additional issues regarding the next bill, i refer you to my written comments. thank you for the opportunity to testify. i welcome any questions when the time is appropriate. >> thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for the opportunity to participate in this hearing on the issues impacting the state of livestock and poultry on

behalf of the national chicken council. i'm president and chief executive officer of a poultry company in in georgia. i have been president since 1992. it is a small, privately held company operating one slaughter plant producing a variety of products with more than 1000 outstanding employees. over 125 family farmers contract to produce for the company. each week we process more than 6 million pounds of broilers. some growers have been growing since we became vertically integrated more than 40 years ago even though the company contract is considered a flock to flock arrangement. committee members, as you can appreciate there are many issues impact in the state of the chicken industry. the main issues of concern to

the poultry industry is the corn based ethanol policy and rules. the policies and rules for corn based ethanol must be rebalance and the playing field must be leveled to permit chicken producers to more fairly compete for the limited supplies of corn this year and for the next few years. for more than 30 years the ethanol industry has had an opportunity to compete in the marketplace. it is time where ethanol manufacturer should be on subsidies, federal mandated usage, and protection from competition. broiler companies have tried to weather the storm of high corn prices. companies could no longer withstand the storm. companies are trimming their production plans which been the

course receive -- receive your it chicks and processing plants are being reduced or eliminated. with less work time, more workers are being laid off. the company in georgia justin s. 300 workers will no longer be needed. also a fourth generation family broiler company in delaware filed for bankruptcy protection while it works to secure another owner for its assets. another company last week announced plans to consolidate to operations into one location and will combine two hedges into a single facility. this will result in 200 jobs being eliminated. the company and a lot -- indicated that these jobs will give it a better job to survive. earlier, a third-generation company with the complex in north carolina and another in arkansas succumb to the financial stress of high feed costs. the result was that this complex

in north carolina is now owned by a foreign company. the arkansas complex is owned by another broiler company that has the borrowing capacity to purchase reserves that will be necessary to carry financial losses until the broiler market improves to a break-even point. banks and other institutions are telling these companies enough is enough. many to repay their outstanding debt. i receive weekly inquiries from financial firms and others inquiring about my company's interest in acquiring troubled assets. was some analysts say about the broiler industry of 10 companies and 10 years may become a reality and perhaps sooner than in a decade. although the volumetric ethanol tax credit is scheduled to end at the end of this year along with the import duty, it's onset would be prudent.

i would state that the results in more ethanol -- this means that the cost is about $11 per gallon for that additional ethanol. the provision of the independent security act of 2007 that generates demand for corn based ethanol is the renewable fuel standard. it is essentially an immovable object even when there is a force. that is when the shortfall on corn supplies, rfs is immune to the crisis. a more realistic mechanism is needed to adjust the rfs. madame chairwoman, that is our number one issue. the second has already been well stated in terms of the reasonable steps to call a

timeout as is the intent of congress. we do not feel it has been met by the agency. the three pending agreements, we would hope congress would take action on those. the national checking council appreciates the chance to present. it tells poultry companies and farmers but also will allow consumers of poultry to continue to enjoy an adequate supply appropriately priced of animal protein. >> thank you very much. mr. mcpherson. >> thank you. thank you for the opportunity to travel to washington, d.c. today to voice my concern about agriculture. i would like to thank the man

known as max. for the invitation. i would like to ask you to look at my face. i want you to see the face of a 58-year-old american family farmer. i am the median age of the american family farmer. i am by no means rich. i do not own a trophy rents. i do not live and a trophy house or a trophy pickup. i am a typical family farmer. i get out of bed each day with more to do that i will ever get done. i often have to figure out how to do more with less, prioritizing what can wait and what needs to be done right now. i go to bed at night without the aid of sleeping pills. but with the prayer and believes that the days -- that better

days are ahead. many people want to refer to the good old days. i have never been more optimistic about the future of farming. that is why i came here to testify and to answer your questions. when i was extended the invitation to come talk, i did not jump for joy and want to hurry right over. i first had to figure out how i would pay for the trip. did i really feel i would make an impact on you? my wife and i decided that it was worth the investment of time and money to give you the opportunity to hear from a down- to-earth farmer. even though you hear from highly polished lobbyists with elegance speeches on a daily basis, in reality they are not much different from me and other

people who are tired of activists. i do not want to downplay the importance of lobbyists because organizations like the farm bureau and others are often the single voice of thousands of american farmers like myself. while i am passionate about the future of agriculture, i also realize that rural america is under attack. people with little understanding of life on the farm. with issues like animal rights, were slaughtered, farm labour, the american family farm and need your help. i realized there is a great need to trim budgets. as you and your staff take the task of writing a new bill, it is with my hope you will be able to protect those of us who

provide the american people with the most abundant and affordable food in the world. i hope you of wade my written testimony in gave my thoughts careful consideration. it was written by me, not by a staff of researchers. i want to thank you for your time and consideration today. i hope you understand what i am trying to say. it sounded a lot better on the tractor seat. [laughter] thank you. >> thank you. we appreciate your being here. and everyone that this year and took the time. for each of you to be a part of this, it is about how we support all of you and how does the farm bill work for each of you. you are literally right where

the rubber meets the road. that is why we have these hearings. we appreciate you coming in. i want to ask each of you, as we look at the future, economic opportunity, ask each of you, what you think is the biggest opportunity for economic growth? where is the opportunity? you said you're optimistic. maybe i will start hearing go this way across the panel. i wanted to talk about some of the innovations on your farm. it is a tribute to you and your family what you have been able to do and the vast potential within the livestock sector to create opportunities. mr. mcpherson, let me start with you. you said you're optimistic. what is the number one opportunity as it relates to the livestock industry for economic

growth? press the button. >> i am optimistic about the future of farming and the feature of livestock. we run a small cow operation. we have about 250 mother cows. we buy about 500 yearling's each fall and feed them over the winter. then we send them back to the midwest to one of these other gentlemen's states to finish them. the thing that gives me the most optimism about the future is the amount of people in the world that are hungry and that have money. countries developing and they want to eat. they want to eat american. they want to eat american beef

and pork and chicken. i believe the other area that gives me a lot of hope is the research that has been done and the research the continues to be done. the crops that are being raised in eastern montana. we have many sugar beet farmers. their production has raised their yields considerably. it often makes a more economical for them to share in -- stay and the sugar business. that is one area of research. >> thank you. i appreciate that. research and global markets. quickly before my time is up. if he would name an economic opportunity. what would it be? >> the condition of the poultry industry is survival at the moment.

the evidence of history proves that in the last 25 years, the chicken industry has doubled production. it went from 80 million chickens a week to about 160 million chickens a week. it improved the weight from 4 lb average per bird to almost 6 pounds now. if you take the head count and the wage increase, we have triple production of broilers. that is a testimony to the animal itself that a chicken can now mckay -- making a pound of live weight. that is incredible, efficient, and cost-effective. i would expect those situations to continue. if we can get through this economic distress, not only for

agriculture, not only feed our own population. we of had an hope feeding the world can continue. >> absolutely. mr. harper. >> the biggest opportunity is meeting the challenge of providing food for a growing world. we have the opportunity to do our best to meet that demand. we can do that by utilizing a protecting our national resources. we have been blessed with an abundance of natural resources. some of the comments previously, we have been able to produce more with less. i think that will continue to be what we strive to do, specifically in the beef industry. we have to do that by the help of you folks up here in washington to keep your hands

often letting us do business the way we know how to do the best. >> grade. -- great. >> at the risk of being redundant, export markets are tremendous. we see a growing middle class. they will want to upgrade their diet. we in the midwest and united states, i am optimistic for producers. we need to be cautious of laws that are counterproductive to export markets. >> push the button. >> i think technology is going to be one of the leaders. it will make us competitive. the question is, who is going to be there to share that? when you let that the trends of producers across america, it is a trend you cannot deny.

who is going to be there to be in the sharing of that? it will be the fewer and the bigger and the more concentrated. that is what bothers me. as far as growth and demand, it is going to be there. who is going to share that? >> i appreciate your testimony and innovation on your farm. >> the opportunities i see are the global marketplace. i was talking about trying to find these markets and create these markets. they will find us because we produce the highest quality meat products in the world. we have to do it at a reasonable cost. regulations are counteracted to reducing our costs of production. plain and simple. the other opportunities are to move away from conservation reserve programs and natural

resources to conservation practices and programs for working lines. that is similar to what we used to read programs for rural energy for america. give them that for our turkey production. as well as funds for loan guarantees to land or co-op to assess. >> i have gone over so i am going to lead two minutes to senator robert since i took an additional two minutes on that. >> max, your witness ought to be from dodge city. >> any place in america. >> let the record showed there is one optimistic farmer from montana. >> we are upbeat. >> will have to pass the hat for him to get back. at any rate, i am happy to hear six optimistic producers here

from many sizes and opinions of agriculture. that is encouraging. steve, it is my understanding that although the bill -- there are others that assert the actual effect, the practical effect of this proposed rule will cause these regiments to be reduced down to two or three. how does this role impact these arrangements? >> thank you for the introduction. i am not an attorney. i believe you are right. nor does this say that these a value based opportunities arbor limited. >> many of us have alluded to this. the plain facts are that for

those of us well worked hard with the direction of our consumers and the request of the producers to come to processes, our costs will go up. our risk will go up. it does not take a smart person to say, if that is the case, what will happen is to eliminate those risks, we have to narrow it down that band and with of price differentiation. how narrow it gets, and that is how aggressive the proponents are in this litigation. if it is real aggressive, they will be eliminated. we cannot stand the risk for the cost to protect our investment. >> we hope that does not happen. did we see this happen? i referred to it earlier. >> yes, senator.

>> i think kansas beat missouri in 1999. >> i have my heart in kansas today. the legislature passed a law that had many of the same aspects of the rule. i think the role recognize that. he indicated this was a horrible act on legislature. the cost $1 million per month. the call that a special legislative session and reverse a decision. history is a pretty good indicator of action. we should learn that this could have devastating impact. >> let me ask you this question, does this change our

business model and the type of cattle you raise? >> absolutely. i have retained ownership since around 1996. by doing that, i have learned what my cattle were at that time. by getting the information back that i have received from participating in these arrangements in getting the premiums that the market has offered, i have been able to modify my and genetics. that is the way i based my business model. if those options were eliminated or somewhat compromised, i think that would lend me to completely look differently at how i would move forward with my operation. >> what is your priority? do we need a livestock title in the next build? >> that is a fair question.

my concern with the livestock title is based on what might come out of that. when we see things like the mandatory stuff, that makes us in the beef industry pretty nervous about the livestock title and the upcoming bill. i do not know if that answers your question. we like to see a robust title but the livestock title is the one that we move forward with some caution. >> i think the chairwoman and ire big supporters. we're going to take a look at that and see if we cannot be helpful there. if we can never get to a farm bill with the way things are going. i want to thank all the panelists. i'm going to quit with two minutes ahead.

>> i am heartened that some of the talked-about the need to increase our beef export and the free trade agreements. i announce the financial committee is going to mark up the free-trade agreements on thursday. just to get the ball rolling. there has been a delayed for too long. they will help us export more be. there is no question. my goal is to put pressure on other asian countries, china, japan, so they will take all cuts. that is a huge opportunity for america. i urge you to, when you talk about the fta, to recognize they

were passed only if a trade adjustment was also passed. fta'snot going to get the unless the adjustment is also passed. it is all or nothing. my judgment is that it is a package that is worth pursuing. i urge all of you when you're talking to your colleagues and friends in the industry, advise them that we're going to get these free-trade area as part of the deal. then we could put pressure on other countries. it was hard getting the extra beef in korea. it was very hard. i ran into a lot of resistance. but we got it. so that is a good precedents, i

hope, for future agreements. standing back a little bit, we had talked about the bill. for some of you, the livestock title. what other factors affect your viability? tax issues, i am sure. we talk about trade. i was furious when you think about your operation, do you think about your family, your future how much of that is cost of production? how much of its tax provisions including state tax? how much of it is marketing? opportunities overseas? what about those, the sense of

space? in my state, montana, we do what we can to keep the firm's operating but also we like the space. we like all that land. rather than have a subdivided. i was curious as to some of your thoughts. mr. hunt. >> one thing i would mention, i do not know how many members understand that many of our companies were formed through entities. these are entities that the owners pay the tax, not the company. when you think about corporate america and corporate tax and personal income tax, for many companies like ours, are owners are actually paying the tax for the company. when you talk about raising personal income tax, that raises the tax on these owners. >> other thoughts?

thank you for coming. your testimony sounded just as good here as in your tractor. >> thank you. one of the things that affects our operation that is a new, it was in the new farm bill, a gesture chief white talk about it, the c s p program. the conservation stewardship program. it really benefits livestock producers. we were able to take advantage of that. programs like crp got changed back in 2002 to allow rotational grazing. that helps livestock producers. in our state, we of been able to use it for moving cows off of

the lower ground where this flooded. i think that is a good program. for my operation, the program has been beneficial. it has helped us. -- the other the programs, i stated i feel fortunate we do not have much experience in the livestock disaster program. that is personal experience. i have seen it in my experience with the county office and with the state committee to where these livestock disaster programs have made the matter of whether a family ease this summer or not over some disaster. >> when we wrote the last farm

bill, he insisted on having the disaster section of the bill. we have a permanent agricultural disaster assistance program. the thought was we have to get away from the ad hoc assistance. nothing is perfect but, you're honest assessment of whether these provisions, livestock indemnity, do they tend to work or not? >> i believe they work well. prior to 2008, it seemed like all of the bills were written for the corn and soybean producers. i will not make many friends with them guys today but it is nice to have something in the farm bill that is for the livestock producer and for the

diversified farmer. >> you find it is better earlier. sometimes congress acted, sometimes not. >> i believe that is true. >> what about others? >> i would go along with the personal tax issue that was brought up earlier. we are also passed through entities. with the increasing personal tax rate, there can be large profits and a different sizes. they're not realize profits. they are livestock and feed operation. they have not turned into cash. the with the volatility of the markets, you could have a substantial profit.

>> my time has expired. are all of you and organized as pass through companies? i'm curious as to how you are organized. your a pastor. -- you are a pass through. >> and the state tax issue. we have three generations working in our operation shoulder to shoulder. as we continue to grow and expand, it will be more difficult to maintain those operations without having to sell a chunk off to send washington a check. >> the change of the law last year. there was a change. have you looked of that? in your favor.

>> yes, in our favor. there are still some areas. it is amazing how large a farm can be value today. >> thank you very much. >> thank you to all of you for coming forward. this is not the last time we're going to be talking about the importance of the livestock industry and the issues you are facing. we appreciate your raising this issues. as we go forward, we want to make sure we're doing the right thing to be able to be your partners and make sure that you have every opportunity to continue to be successful and move forward. we are looking whether there are other issues that affect the issues. we will continue to be involved and engaged in discussions with the department. we need to remember, again, that the livestock industry supports 2 million jobs nationally. we need to make sure that each of you and the people you represent have the tools and the

support to be successful. it is important for all of us. thank you. the meeting as adjourn. -- is adjourned. "washington journ[captioning pey national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> next, u.s. action in

libya and the war powers act. live at 7:00 a.m., your calls and comments on "washington journal." and newsmakers, freshman senator rand pop. he talks about the debate over raising the debt ceiling and says he and a group of conservatives will filibuster next week unless the senate takes up a plan to pass a balanced budget amendment. >> i am part of the freshmen group in the senate that is saying, no more. we will not let them to go to any issue. next week we will filibuster until we talk about the debt ceiling, until we talk about proposals. many of us and the conservative wing are going to present our impose on next week. that is to raise the debt ceiling. we will vote in favor of raising the next week if we can. it will be contingent upon the passing a balanced budget to the constitution. >> you can see the interview

with senator paul on newsmakers sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on c-span. it is also available online as c-span.org. >> the dollar lama and vincent harding talk about nonviolence. they spoke to more than 10,000 people at the university of arkansas discussing osama bin laden's death, nuremberg, the execution of saddam hussein, and the death penalty. >> it is interesting that the number of people who kill through violence, over 200 million. the problem is not solved. i think that kind of action and some others, exploitation. they laid down the seeds of hatred.

>> watch this discussion monday as 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. monday night on c-span, a look back at president nixon's foreign policy. members of his administration and the president's son-in-law discuss topics including communism in china, invading north vietnam, and the 1967 war in the middle east. >> the discussion in the newspapers were nixon's secret plan for peace. what was it? he never talked about that. that was rockefeller pushing nixon to say something to expose what his plan was. rockefeller did not think nixon had a plan. i was in the library waiting for trisha to change her clothes. he comes in after a hard day of campaigning. he is relaxing.

i asked him, i am almost a member of the family, what is the plan? he said is gonna go to moscow. we're going to bring about peace in viet nam and the world. >> watch this discussion from the u.s. made the memorial and washington, d.c., monday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. this fourth of july 3 weekend on american history tv, we will visit the smithsonian to learn about a government expedition to circumnavigate the globe and a treasure, 40 tons of specimens that became the foundation of the smithsonian institution. laura bush on her time in the white house, planning her husband's library and her memoir, spoken from the heart. a panel including former clinton press secretary mike mccurry discussing jfk and the press.

get the complete schedule at c- span.org. >> state department legal adviser harold help congress -- told congress the war powers act does not involve libya. president obama did not need congressional authority. the senate is considering legislation authorizing the mission for a year. the measure is backed by senators kerry and mccain as well as the white house. in the house, members voted not to authorize the intervention. this portion of the hearing as an hour and 15 minutes. --

>> we are here to examine an issue we have been debating since it was passed. this is a debate of decades since the 1970's. certainly it has been debated over the course of the last weeks. with respect to the war powers resolution, and its role in america's use of force in libya. i want to thank all of my colleagues for the constructive manner in which we conducted the discussion over these past weeks. this afternoon, the committee will meet again. i would ask all of the members,

as you run into other members, if we can begin that meeting punctually. there is a fair amount of business. it is important business we want to consider as fast as possible with respect to the proposed resolution regarding the limited operations in support of the nato mission. it is my belief that america's of values and interests compelled us to join other nations in establishing the no- fly zone over libya. by keeping adopt the's weapons out of the fight, i am convinced and i would reiterate that senator mccain and i were in cairo meeting with generals. they affirmed the conviction that the actions of the united nations, with respect to the no-

fly zone, saved many thousands of people from being massacred. there is no question in my mind about that. we also sent a message about something that matters to the american people as a matter of our values. that is whether or not leaders should be permitted to turn their armies on their own citizens, the citizens they are supposed to serve and protect. i have made clear that the 60 day construction does not apply in this situation, especially since we handed operations over to nato. some people can draw a different interpretations and will. we will have a good discussion about that today. it is important to remember that the war powers resolution was a reaction to a particular kind of

war and a particular set of the events, the vietnam war, which was the longest conflict in our history. it resulted without any declaration in war and the loss of over 58,000 american lives spanning three administrations. during those, congress never declared war. or authorized. they funded but there was no formal authorization. congress wanted to ensure that, in the future, it would have opportunity to assert its constitutional problems. i agree with that and i do believe with that. but our involvement in libya is different from our fight in vietnam. it is a limited operation. the war powers applies to

hostilities or situations where they are clearly indicated by the circumstances referring to the american armed forces. for 40 years, presidents have taken the view that this language does not include every single military operation. presidents from both parties have undertaken military operations without express authorization from congress. i will emphasize that does not make it right. i am not suggesting it does. it begs the analysis each time of -- or whether it fits a particular situation. certainly panama, haiti, bosnia, kosovo, lebanon, the list as long bar presidents have deemed it necessary to take our particular action. in some cases those ended in less than 60 days.

in some of them, they went well beyond the 60 days. on one occasion, 11 on authorized action one year later. we have never amended the war powers resolution. we have never amended the resolution in terms of this authorization the came through the united nations. the ford administration defined hostilities only as those situations where u.s. troops were changing fire with hostile forces. subsequent administrations built on that interpretation. in libya, no american is being shot at. no american troops are on the

ground. we're not going to put them there. it is true that the resolution was not drafted with drones in mind. as our military technology becomes more dense, it may be that the language that i just read needs a further clarification. maybe it is up to us to refinance -- redo it in the context of this threat. i recognize there can be a reasonable differences of opinion on this point as it applies to libya today. i am glad we're having this hearing. i think it is important. many of us have met with the libyan opposition. i know people are eager to learn about their plans and goals. i see we are joined by an ambassador to the united states. he resigned during the uprising.

he is now the diplomatic representative of the transitional council which only recently germany moved to recognize. we would all like to see a brighter future for libya. that is why, when it comes to america, we need to look beyond the definition of hostilities to the bigger picture. a senate resolution authorizing the limited use of force in libya will show muammar gaddafi, at a time when most people make the judgment that the news is tightening, the opposition is advancing, the regime is under enormous pressure, that congress and the president are committed to this critical endeavor. united states is always strongest when we speak with one

voice on foreign policy. that is why i hope we can find our way to an agreement on a bipartisan resolution. endorsing are supporting role in this conflict also sends a message to our allies in nato. secretary gates made a strong speech about nato, the need for nato to do more. the fact is, they are doing more in this effort. they are in the lead. we have vast for the alliance to take the lead in many conflicts. too often, they have declined. in this case, they have stepped up. i believe that for us to turn on our own words and hopes of the last year's and pull the rug out from under them, that would have far reaching consequences. that said, i am -- is a great

pleasure for me to welcome the state department's legal advisor. he is a distinguished scholar of constitutional law. he has a long career of service in the government and academia. we had invited some witnesses from the pentagon to testify this morning. they declined to appear. on the second panel, we have two witnesses. louis fisher previously worked for the library of congress. he is the charles professor of law at temple university. he has served in the state department and has written extensively on a foreign relations at the united states. we appreciate all of our witnesses taking time to be heard today. senator lugar.

>> thank you. to consider the legality of operations in libya. the president declined to seek authorization before initiating hostilities. he has carried them out for more than three months without seeking or receiving congressional authorization. the state of affairs is at odds with the constitution and with the president's own pronouncements on war powers during his candidacy. for example, in december 2007, he responded to a boston globe question by saying, "president does not have power to unilaterally authorizing military attacked on a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." before our discussion turns to

constitutional issues, i believe it is important to make a more fundamental point. even if one believes the president had the authority to initiate and continue a military operation in libya, it does not mean that going to war without congress was wise or helpful to the operation. the majority of congress and military authorities would endorse the view that the president should seek authorization for war when circumstances allow. there is a uniformity of opinion that the chances for success are enhanced by the unity, clarity of mission, and constitutional certainty that such an authorization would provide. there is no reason why president obama should have failed authorization to go to war.

a few excuses have been offered ranging from an impending recess to the authority provided by a u.n. security council resolution. these excuses do not justify the lack of constitutional discipline. 12 days before the united states launched hostilities, i called the president to seek a declaration of war before taking military action. the arab league resolution was passed a full week before we started launching missiles. there was time to seek approval. congress would have debated the resolution if it was presented. this debate would have not been easy. the president should not be able to avoid constitutional responsibilities merely because in gauging the representatives is inconvenient. if the outcome of the conventional -- congressional

vote is in doubt, there is all the more reason why a president should seek a debate. if he does not, he is taking the position that his plans for war are too important to be offset by a disapproving vote. the founders believed that presidents alone should not be trusted with were making authority. they constructed checks against unilateralism. james madison, in a letter to thomas jefferson, stated, "the constitution's opposes what the history of all governments demonstrates, the executive is the one most interested in war and most prone to it. it is accordingly --." clearly there are circumstances under which the president might be justified in deploying

military force without authorization. as senator webb has pointed out, none of the reasons apply to the libyan case. our country was not attacked or threatened with an attack. we were not obligated under a treaty to defend the libyan people. we were not rescuing americans or launching a onetime punitive retaliation. nor did the operation requires surprise. it would have made public debate impractical. president obama made a deliberate decision not to seek congressional authorization either before he commenced or during the last three months. this was a fundamental failure of leadership that placed expedience above constitutional responsibility. some will say that president obama is not the first president to employ a american forces overseas in controversial

circumstances without authorization. authorization.