now there are a lot of people who feel the way that she does, that they are weary and the challenge will be for the president to pull those weary people into the polls to vote for him. >> the president is getting over 94% of african-americans voting for him it is still persuade a ballpark may be tough for a republican to persuade african americans to vote for republicans but democrats have to persuade them to those. you have to constantly be in a persuasion of with african- americans about showing up. >> that would be my next question about the economy. and whether or not the times we're in leaves room for somebody else to make a persuasive argument. when you look at everything from anddebt ceiling deb

satan sand wedge -- economy has dropped from 77% in october to over 50% now. is there an opportunity for someone on the right to give a compelling narrative? why -- i have to raise the question -- is there an opportunity for someone to say that this economy and president is not working for you, i have something you should look at? >> republicans have a point. the economy is terrible and really bad for african-americans and for all americans. that question assumes that republicans are actually going to come out and compete for the black vote. the way that this works -- the way that the gop deals with black voters is about them trying to appeal to moderate

white swing voters to make them seem as if they are more moderate than they are. that is one way in which the republicans handle black voters. the other way is that they are basically trying to demoralize black voters and keep them away from the polls as the congresswoman seem to indicate when she was talking about voter fraud. i do not see the gop making any real concerted effort to compete for the black vote. >> it's going to be tough because there is an african- american and the white house. that does not guarantee that black voters will go out in 2012. you are looking at a republican party -- as the congresswoman said -- black voters are persuade a bold but if they are getting on the economics, when

you start looking down the list of other issues, it gets really uncomfortable. i think the sell that the republican party has -- there is a whole raft of other issues behind that. black voters just can't get behind and cannot support them. >> there are people within the republican party that wants to reach out to african-american voters. the problem is the base of the party could not care less. you need that base in order to get elected. >> any republican strategist that you talk to of carroll will tell you they recognize that in order for their parties to be competitive over the next generation, they have got to do better with minority votes.

all african-nt american voters. they will take some church member. look at what president bush was doing in 2004. they go after upper income african-americans to care about taxes and schools and other issues. with barack obama, it is tougher because he is such an icon. it will be harder to pull the ball away. you voted against martin luther king? >> are you comparing the president to martin luther king? >> politically, yes. there's a question for voters for we cannot have this discussion about republicans and minority voting habits without talking about latinos. that is a growth market for both parties. latinos are growing as a percentage of the american electorate population and they're much more swing voters. many of them are catholics and

some of the issues are more aligned with republicans. the fundamental issue of every election is about trust. if people don't trust that you have their best interest at heart, they will not vote for you. even though you may take of 16 issues that make sense, at the end of the day, they say that you don't like people will look like me. >> i want to raise the question about the latino vote being made more of a swing vote. does that hurt african- americans because we are seen as being in the pocket of the democratic party? what about for african-americans as a political entity? wouldn't it be better if we felt we had to be more courted than we are now? >> it would be nice to feel we were more quarters. i would challenge african- american voters to not look at

it as a zero some proposition. you are starting to see an effort by some african-american leaders by al sharpton who has gone down to arizona. they say we have to start to find these bridge issues so you cannot drive a wedge between the community and pet them against each other. that will be the challenge. as we get into a spiral of us versus them, you still have a 45% block of the population gets to run everything. >> yes, the latino vote has been a swing vote compared to the african-american vote but 67% of latinos voted for president obama, correct? when you look at the trends over time, you see the republican party has been garnering a smaller share of the latino vote in the past five election cycles. they've got a real problem with

latinos because of their stance on immigration. unless they flip their script, my sense is that the trend looking forward is going to be that perhaps the latino vote becomes increasingly democratic. it slips back and forth. at this point, immigration is a real problem for the gop if they want to attract latino votes and latinos are the growing -- fastest-growing sector of the electorate. >> i have heard that people feel there needs to be a black jobs agenda or a black agenda and they are disappointed at this administration for not putting one out there. the other side of the corn is that if you improve the economy for everybody, that includes african-americans and that

raises the tide for everyone. do you think having an agenda to help the black obscenity would help the president with african -american voters? >> the president saying this is my black agenda -- >> i mean the administration. question that is out there. >> i pushed back hard on this. people ask why the president does not have a black agenda right jobs agenda. he is president of the united states. he is the leader of this entire country. if you want him to guarantee being a one-term president, you demand that he put forth tomorrow in a big ceremony -- here is my black agenda. >> can we have that for the hip-

hop barbecue? >> the president has the right message that if you want african-americans or just americans to be put back to work, here is this agenda for all americans. health care, this is what he is trying to for all americans and who will benefit. it will disproportionate probably be people of color. people want him to have a defined agenda will do him a disservice. i guarantee you if he did that, people would say he is siding with the blacks. he is doing all these things and pitting us against them. he is polarizing and there is a republican who accused the

president of doing that on some bill that i cannot remember. the argument was so ludicrous. i am against that. >> very clear. you, i think it is political suicide to step out with a black agenda that this point or at any point. it militates against his persona and what he told us he was from the beginning. that speaks to the trust issue. >> the black agenda -- what is the black agenda? we could have another hour talking about that. the difference today for the african-americans versus other communities like a lgbt community, they are very clearly defined by legal problems, hurdles that they are trying to

get over. for african-americans, it is hard to find actual law that is standing in the with african- american progress. you have enforcement laws and you have wealth problems and job problems and health care. in actual law, to prevent them from participating in american society, it is not like it is for the lgbt community. they could talk about removing don't ask, don't tell and that is a clear agenda. i don't think it's mark for the president to say -- but he has to empower people in his administration to talk about the benefits of what he is doing for african-americans. you need to talk about a billion dollars he spent in black colleges and the fact that the health-care law applies. he needs to talk about the

stimulus money that went to plug all in cities. 21% of all african americans to work in the united states work for state, federal, or local government. when you do laos in state and local government -- when you don't do layoffs in state and local government, you are keeping african americans employed. >> the administration has the problem you just talked about in a whole lot communities. he has done a lot for the lgbt community that they don't even know. people are not focused on a little wonky things he has done that don't mean a lot to many people. it means a lot to people in non- urban areas. >> who would've thought this

president would have problems communicating the narrative. there are problems in the respect you just mentioned, in terms of explaining the debt ceiling, on some eight different issues. it seems to come up that i wonder where the connection is. what is the story that you will tell us to help us to understand and help us understand what you are going to do about it? >> i want to switch gears a little bit and go back to those on the right. you have touched on social issues. in the past, we have seen republicans and the gop try to use issues like terrorism and abortion to get votes of african-americans from democrats. there was a panel on lgbt rights and the president attended. it seems the tide is changing within our community.

these social issues that they typically used to divide us, are they a thing of the past? are they heading that way? in my naive? >> i don't think you are naive. i think the way events are working, the right does not seem to want to focus on those issues so much. in 2010, it was all about the economy and all about running against obama care and pushing the fact that the economy was in the toilet. once a lot of them got in, abortion came roaring back and other initiatives on gay issues. the right is focused on the economy and downplaying social issues, the fact that there was this lgbt conference within the naacp, says to me that disparate communities of the democratic umbrella are recognizing the fact that if

they are going to advance the cause they believe in, they must work together. african-americans and the gay community must work together. african-americans and latinos have to work together if they want to ensure that the gains that have been made continue. >> even on the right, some of these attacks on gays and lesbians don't have the same residence that they once had. younger evangelicals don't respond to these issues the same way as their parents and grandparents. it is losing some of the punch on the right. the african-american community, the more people talk about fairness and mistreating people the way you'd want to be treated, is a pretty powerful argument. there are some arguments that turn african-americans all for more church going. when you have a conversation around fairness, people tend to

react to that very positively and that is what has started to happen that often i think there is a psychology around state and local elections. >> there are ballot initiatives that is a different psychology than the psychology of presidential elections. i tend to think that many african-american voters are very forgiving of their elected officials. i don't think those issues will stand in the way of them voting for president obama. you also have to say that he has not really delivered fully for those communities. in terms of gay rights and don't ask, don't tell, he has not really done everything that many gay-rights activists want him to do. he has not delivered on immigration reform and if he does so, it will not be until after this election. some of those wedge issues will be set back for a while. it may be a couple of years. the difference between how

presidential elections work versus the state and local battles you get on initiatives and voting. >> the other part of the elections that is constantly true and this is president obama's biggest card in this election is who the republican is. in every election, it takes a horse to beat a horse. if you don't have a thoroughbred coming out of the republican stable, it will be tougher for them to take on such a good campaigner as president obama. we are judging the president now against the party -- >> and there is no thoroughbred in this table on the republican side, is there? >> i don't see one. it will be very hard to see how this works out. right now, we are comparing

barack obama purses our ideal of what progress of democratic liberal president we would like to see an office. at some point, you'll have to compare him versus mitt romney or sarah palin or michelle bachmann or rick perry. one of those people be the other person and that is a very different conversation. >> that's true. let's talk about something we were discussing in the green room and that is racism. it is hard to have a conversation about the african- american vote without bring this up. in 2008, is a heated rhetoric on the campaign trail and you have seen some since the present has been in office. in this post-racial society we are in [air-quotes] i feel is a conversation that many people

are not comfortable having. i think the majority of people who disagree with the president disapprove within strictly on policy. i don't think we can say for sure that there are not people out there who disagree with him because of the color of his skin or that because he has such a wide popularity among african americans. i worry about what rhetoric is coming in 2012. if the past couple years is any indication, there could be stuff happening in the state's underground that could be ugly. let me get your thoughts on that. >> i have been afraid of 2012 since 2008 finished. we are going to see really nasty images.

we will hear some nasty rhetoric. it may not be from the gop or the candidates but they have lots of supporters. last week, i wrote a blog post about how i wanted the president to get out there and start doing things that would make the folks and the other end of pennsylvania avenue start to fear him in the sense that he is president of the united states and he is willing to go to the mat for what he believes in. even if he loses. which i think is coming. the e-mails that i got back from the tea party -- because they had line was "it is time for the tea party to fear the president." i got this one e-mail from someone and a lot of the e-

mails i get from tea party folks, but not all of them, they are racially tainted. this one went flat out there. it said you and your n-word president are going down. no one will come out and say it. i think we are going to see and hear things that will make us wonder what kind of country we are in. >> is the honest on the administration to speak to that? -- is the onus on the administration to speak to that? >> i don't think they would touch that. there are people watching and waiting for this to happen.

people need to jump out and push back on that. the congressman who use is a certain phrase, people have to push back on that. >> you've got your firstly -- your first racially tense hate mail. -- racially-tinge hate mail. i got a letter from a guy filled with all that. >> you got one, too? >> that issue was alive in 2008 and will be alive again in 2012 in a big way. there are many people don't vote for democrats already. lyndon johnson signed the rights bills. there are many people left the democratic party precisely on that issue.

when president clinton was in office, they treated him badly over the issue. with kabbalah being an african- american level, the intensity level -- with obama being an african-american, the intensity level will be higher. >> it is worth -- worse -- is worth mentioning the existential issue. we are not in a post-racial era. we are in an era of unprecedented uncertainty about what race really is. i think the president embodies that. he is a black american. he celebrates his immigrant heritage. his father is from kenya and his mother is from kansas. he is multiracial and there's a lot going on there. michelle has the blood of slave owners. we are wrangling with these

issues. i think it is worth making that distinction and understanding or some of the post-racial rhetoric comes from is deep- seated questions about what race is in this country. >> that is a good point. i want to get into the demographic discussion a little bit. the president is by racial and we have more people who identify as biracial. you have this influx of immigrants coming from the caribbean like my parents and from africa. do you see any differences among the voting patterns? do they view policy and politics and sell rights differently than the rest of the population at large?

>> the black immigrant population is relatively small. 95% of all black americans in the united states are native- born. 5% are foreign-born. you have to do extensive over- sampling how these people are voting. i don't know the answer from a data perspective. my sense is that there's a real embrace of president obama from black immigrants as their own as well. he taps into so many of these different communities. he tells us that he embraces immigrant communities and he says he himself as a product of that. he is. i don't really anticipate too much wavering from emigrant black american communities on president obama in this upcoming election. >> i only have an anecdotal survey.

judging by the taxi drivers and other people on the street who are educated immigrants africans, they are 100% behind barack obama. >> that is very scientific. >> exactly. >> one of my friends wrote a book called "whistling past the dixie." i'm obsessed with writing a book called "whistling through dixie." i wonder if you feel like maybe in the future that places who have been read for so long can turn purple and not just because of african-americans but because of building coalitions with the building latino

populations in the southern states? >> i think as possible. about a place like virginia. the demographics of virginia have changed and so much of how we understand what happened in virginia in 2008 has to do with changing demographics. when you think about this, i think it will take a lot of time for states like georgia to somehow become a democratic state. i think you have to keep in mind that the number of residents is not the same thing as a number of voters. the undocumented population, if you talk about blacks and latinos coalescing in a state like georgia, the new immigrant destinations are places where the proportion of latinos in those places are much higher in undocumented proportions than in longstanding latino communities like los angeles.

>> we are seeing this growth of population in places like north carolina. there might be 140,000 african- americans more than we had before the 2000 election. if you talk to people in politics, they say look at north carolina and virginia and they say the numbers are better. if you had a state like georgia -- president obama lost georgia by 5% without spending much money there. if the numbers change enough, we cannot take out of the coalition moderate whites, particularly white women like in charlotte, north carolina. maybe atlanta which has a huge economic output. it does not mean that it will

turn this time. when you look at the latino vote in texas or arizona without john mccain and the electorate and you've got latinos there, there are states that are out there which are further out there but back and certainly make republicans have to spend money if they want to compete. >> a lot of these things we are talking about, these are changes that will not happen in one year or two years. whether people are wildly enthusiastic for present obama and thought he would change the world in 100 days, many people need to realize that a lot of the changes he was talking about the need to happen in this country and that need to happen through dixie to turn georgia purple and keep north carolina and virginia blue, it will take more than a few election cycles.

far too many people have a short-term horizon when they care about issues that require longer-term horizons. >> that is a great point. please join me in thanking our panelists for a great discussion [applause] you know the drill. please wait for a microphone and please stand and state your name and organization. and the back, your woman -- the woman in white. >> i represent myself today. you hear a lot of friction between we are so disappointed about what he has not achieved. we had all these high hopes. we say he has not stood up strong enough versus the fact

that he has been smacked upside the head since day one. please comment about that. he is not running this country by himself and they forget that he is up to his ears in alligators. some people in the community feel strongly and say give him a break. >> i will try to be brief. the big problem that the president has his whatever -- every candidate has and that is the difference between campaigning and all the things you say on a campaign and all the things you promise i campaign and then if you're successful and you win, you actually get in the door and you get to look it in box and suddenly, campaign promises smack up against a government. you suddenly realize that what i said as a candidate by myself

and my team telling me that we came up with this policy ideas, you suddenly realize that if i am going to do this, i have to deal with that person, that group and suddenly, it is not the campaign anymore. you are governing. whatever you promised 100%, maybe you can get 70%. people get angry about that. it is understandable but i think there for too many people -- a focus this on supporters of the president or disillusioned -- they don't really appreciate that fact. he has gone in and discovered that things are a whole lot more work than anyone could possibly imagine and not cutting them a little bit of slack because he has taken three weeks, three years longer than you thought he would to address an issue or take a position.

far too many people focused too much time on the marquee issues and the marquee concerns and don't take the time to look at what he is really doing, meaning his administration. what are they doing? if you go deep in many areas, you will find things that you had no idea the administration was doing but it helps a lot of people. the money that the president sent to historical black colleges is one. i can't remember the last time i saw a story about it. maybe the day was announced by i defy you to ask someone what the administration has done for historical black colleges. >> closed mounts don't get fat

-- closed mouths don't get fed and squeaky wheels get oiled. people want policy positions have to put for them and understand when it comes time to let somebody, you have a choice between two individuals and which one will help me achieve my goal the most. cut him a little slack but not too much. >> it will be easier when he has an opponent that is named. >> it is easier for the electorate to make decisions but i think the pressure on him has got to stay on to make sure they know that people care about the issues. >> this german right here in the -- this gentleman right here in the green. >> -george walker. my question was more to

something you said about what he cannot say. when it comes to race, he will not be able to touch this. what can he touched? what can he say? how do you respond to that? i have my opinions about what he should say. i am curious about what he can say. >> i think he can always talk aspirational it. everybody in america -- nobody in america because it does anybody else from wanting to participate more in america or what to get more out of america. have a home, have a job, put your kids and a better school and the billions of dollars put into education. those things are things that i think we can always talk about. we did not elect a civil rights leader to be president. we elected a politician. when it comes to issue of race,

you can always talk aspiration in without getting yourself into much trouble. >> the gentleman in the back there. >> my name is ed kirkman. i am really concerned about this effort in the states to suppress the vote. i was an undergrad during the 2008 election our remembered being inspired by barack obama. i remember seeing mr. simmons on cnn. how does someone like myself because i was inspired -- i came to washington because i was inspired into public service. i want to serve a nonprofit.

we're now seeing a contraction in our society with the federal government cutting back on spending and things like that. how do we as young people get our voice heard? the vote is now being suppressed. the voter i.d. laws will affect our portion of the electorate disproportionately. how do we get the votes back and get our voice heard in 2012? the red curtain that swept across the nation in 2010 -- how we get that back? >> i wonder if i have an answer. that is a tough question. i don't know. >> i think about how you motivate people.

ultimately, we as voters have to be adults about this. there are things we would like to have but we will not always get everything we would like to have. for people who actually care about fashion and supporting obama, you have to say that things are tough. having an election is part of people have to show back up and participate and continued to push. it is hard for people -- i grew up -- i grew up in detroit to go back home where there are people out of work. there are houses that have been leveled from foreclosure and people who have left. economico much devastation it is hard to have that conversation. what is the alternative?

the alternative is that we don't do anything. i'm an optimist. i think you have to get up in the morning and do something. >> voting is the franchise that people fought and died for the right to vote. you being a young person, young people by and large don't vote. because you came out to put this man in office was inspiring. in 2010, folks did not show up again. voting is an activity. you have to keep going back to the polls even when the market person is not on the ballot. if there are people in the party you care about, you and your friends and your generation

have to show up. that is the way you get your voice heard. that is the way you stay involved. it may seem like no one is paying attention because maybe they are not, they are. if you want to insure that the history that you made in 2008 continues, the enthusiasm you had them, you better carry it into 2012 for the disappointment you think you feel now, you really feel it. [laughter] we have time for one more question. this gentleman right here. >> i am a retired army physician. being white, i claim sometimes that obama is irish american. you have the right to claim him as african-american and we are probably both right.

i am very sensitive about people not voting. i'm in a generation that votes 100%. i have not missed a vote in 50 years i have been voting. is there any traction to be gotten from politicians shaming americans to vote? i feel strongly about that subject. my age in my generation feel strongly about that. i think the people having these obstructions put in front of their voting have a responsibility to overcome those obstructions. get your id card and don't wait till next year and don't wait till some politician entices you to.

it is your responsibility. is there any traction or m on i m -- or am i an old idealistic? >> your comments ring true. there is the story we can tell about what the voter does or doesn't do. in your words, get your lazy but off the couch. at the same time, there are structural issues we can take into account. same day voter registration, wide as voting day after the one day, why can't it be a couple of weeks? the internet voting, mail in voting, why is that a problem? i can do all my banking transactions on the internet but we cannot talk about voting. voter motivation is one aspect.

it is worth looking at a broader an array of issues that are preventing or discouraging people from participation. >> there is a structural issue about young people voting that we have to it knowledge. even at the height of the vietnam war when 19-year olds were being carted off to southeast asia, the voting percentage was still pretty low. most people boats when they start to have children. most people vote when the start to own property. he starts to have an investment in this society. you care about schools that your taxes go up and have a home you care about any neighborhood. you want certain things to happen and when you are younger, you are more transient and you are just starting out and focused on immediate concerns. you are a still a r leadingamen noodles twice a week.

-- you are still eating ramen noodles twice a week. once you get over 30, if you have been voting you continue to vote. >> the message that you delivered is probably too blunt for president obama ord principal candidate to say -- or a principal candidate to said. your duty to vote is important. i was an adviser to michael bloomberg in his first campaign as mayor. 9/11 happened during that campaign. i think we took about a week off from electioneering. when people call during that time, michael told us and we felt it, he told people that no matter who you vote for, on the

revised primary day, it is your duty. you must go out and vote. both for us or vote for the other guy, just show up at the polls. that has to be the message going forward. i am serious when i say that you should go and be a surrogate. this is such a strong message and the way you delivered it many more people need to hear it. >> i agree. thank you, audience, for speaking with our panel. [applause] thank you very much. it was a great conversation and please visit our website, american progress.org. thank you have a good afternoon. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

[no audio] there is cspan of live coverage of the house. >> there is live coverage of the house on c-span 2. >> you can see them and everyone at the cspan video library. cspan >> to his life -- nonfiction books every weekend theme explores american history tv on c-span 3. it is washington your way. >> created by cable and provided as a public service. come >> and at the top of the hour on "washington journal," we

will get the latest on the u.s. credit rating by standard and poor's and continue our discussion on job-training programs. president obama yesterday spoke about the u.s. credit rating and the overall health of the economy. from the white house state dining room, this is 10 minutes.

>> good afternoon, everybody. on friday, we learned that the united states received a downgrade by one of the credit rating agencies. it is not so much because they doubt our ability to pay our debt if we make good decisions but because after witnessing a month of wrangling over raising the debt ceiling, they gathered our political system was reluctant to act. the markets continue to believe our credit status is aaa. warren buffett knows a thing or two about investments says that if there were a quadruple a rating, he would give united states that. i am most of the world's investors agree. that does not mean we don't have a problem. we did not need a rating agency to tell us we need a balance, long-term approach to deficit reduction. that was true last week. that was true last year. that was true the day i took office. we did not need a rating agency to tell us that the gridlock in washington over the last several months has not been constructive, to say the least. we knew from the outset that a prolonged debate over the debt ceiling, a debate where the threat of default was used as a bargaining chip could do enormous damage to our economy and the world. that threat came after a string of economic disruptions in europe, japan, and the middle east has now roiled the market and dampened consumer confidence and slowed the recovery. all this is a legitimate source of concern. here is the good news -- our

problems are eminently solvable. we know what we have to do to solve them. with respect to debt, our problem is not confident our credit. markets continued to reaffirm our credit as among the world's safest. our challenge is the need to tackle our deficits over the long term. last week, we reached an agreement that will make a start cuts in defense and domestic spending. there is not much further we can cut in either of those categories. what we need to do is combine those spending cuts with two additional steps -- tax reform that will ask those who can afford to pay their fair share and modest adjustments to health care programs like medicare. making these reforms does not require any radical steps. it requires common sense and compromise.

there are plenty of good ideas about how to achieve long-term deficit reduction that does not hamper economic growth right now. republicans and democrats on the bipartisan fiscal commission put forth good proposals. republicans and democrats in the senate gang of six came up with the proposal. john boehner and i came up with some good proposals when he came close to agreeing on a grand bargain. it is not a lack of plans or policies that is the problem. it is the lack of political will in washington. it is the insistence of drawing lines in the sand. it is a refusal to put what is best for the country ahead of self-interest or party or ideology. that is what we need to change. i realize that after what we just went through, there is some skepticism that republicans

and democrats on the so-called super committee that has been set up will be able to reach a compromise. my hope is that the news from abroad will give us a renewed sense of urgency. i intend to present my own recommendations over the coming weeks on how we should proceed. that committee will have this administration's full cooperation. i assure you, we will stay on until we get the job done. of course, as worrisome as the issues of debt and deficits may be, the most immediate concern of most americans and of concern to the marketplace as well, is the issue of jobs and the slow pace of recovery coming out of the worst recession in our lifetimes. the good news here is that by coming together to deal with the long-term debt to challenge, we would have more room to

implement key proposals that could get the economy to grow faster. specifically, we should expend a payroll tax cut as soon as possible so that workers have more money in their paychecks next year and businesses have more customers next year. we should continue to make sure that if you are one of the millions of americans who is out there looking for a job that you can get the unemployment insurance your tax dollars contributed to. that will also put money in people's pockets and more customers in stores. if congress fails to an extent the payroll tax, and the unemployment insurance benefits, it could mean 1 million fewer jobs and zero 0.5% less growth. we can do this immediately. this is something we can do as soon as congress gets back. we should also help companies that want to repair our roads

and built -- and bridges and airports. this is of thousands of construction workers can get a paycheck that will help support our economic growth. these are democratic proposals. these are big government proposals. these are ideas that traditional republicans have agreed to countless times in the past. there is no reason we should not act on them now. none. i know you're going for a tough time right now. we have been going through tough times for the last 2.5 years. many people are worried about the future. i also know there will always be economic factors we can't control, earthquakes, spikes and low prices, slowdowns in other parts of the world. how we respond to those factors is entirely up to us. markets will rise and fall but

this is the united states of america. no matter what some agency may say, we have always been and always will be a triple a country. for all the challenges we face, we continue to have the best universities, some of the most productive workers, the most innovative companies and the ous entrepreneurs on earth. what sets us apart is that we have always not to test the capacity but the will to act. the determination to shape our future. the willingness and our democracy to work out our differences in a sensible way. and to move forward not just for this generation but for the next generation. we will need to some in that spirit today. the american people have been for so much of the last few years, dealing with the worst

recession, the biggest financial crisis since the 1930's. they have done it with grace and they are working so hard to raise their families and all they ask is that we were just as hard here in this town to make their lives a little bit easier. that is not too much to ask. ultimately, the reason i am so hopeful about our future and the reason i have faith in these united states of america is because of the american people. it is because of their perseverance and courage and willingness to shoulder the burdens we face together as one nation. one last thing -- there is no one who embodies the qualities i mentioned more than the men and women of the united states armed forces. is weekend, we lost 30 of them when their helicopter crashed during a mission in afghanistan.

their losses a stark reminder of the risks that our men and women in uniform take every single day on behalf of their country. day after day, night after night, they carry out missions like this in the face of enemy fire and grave danger. in this mission, as in so many others, there were also joined by afghan troops, seven of whom lost their lives as well. i have spoken to our generals in the field as well as president karzai and i know that our troops will continue the hard work of transitioning to a stronger afghan government and ensuring that afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists. we will press on and we will succeed. now was also a time to reflect on those we lost and the sacrifices of all who serve. as well as their families. these men and women put their lives on the line for the values that bind us together as a nation.

they come from different places. their backgrounds and beliefs reflect the rich diversity of america. no matter what differences there might have as individuals, they serve this nation as a team. they meet their responsibilities together and some of them, like the 30 americans lost this weekend, give their lives for their country. our responsibility is to insure that their legacy reflects their courage and their commitment and their sense of common purpose. thank you very much. >> did the s &p overstep its bounds? [no audio] [no audio]

>> later this morning, the president travels to springfield, va. for the interstate moving services company and will talk about new fuel efficiency standards. we will have more live coverage of the moment. -- in a moment. >> seen as a testing ground for presidential hopefuls, republican candidates are gathering in iowa for some grass-roots politics and state fair festivities. starting thursday, we will interview candidates and take your calls about politics and saturday we will go to the iowa straw poll where three of the past five winners have gone on to win the iowa caucus and two of one the presidency. it is the road to the white house in iowa this weekend on c- span. >> coming up next, "washington

journal," we will take your calls. president obama will hold a town hall meeting this morning and announced new fuel efficiency and pollution standards for heavy-duty trucks. the administration has already announced new fuel standards for regular cars and trucks with the goal of an average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. you can see live coverage at 11:00 eastern. this afternoon, education secretary arne duncan will address the education department's office of safe and drug-free schools conference at 1:30 eastern. standard and poor's has lowered its credit quality ratings on 73 funds that hold u.s. debt. after downgrading the nation's long-term ratings for the first time. coming up this hour, we will talk about this. talk about this.