>> next, a preview of the c-span series "the contenders. then, a town hall meeting with florida rep debbie wasserman schultz. after that, ceremonies to mark the 66th anniversary of v-j day. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> when you decided the list for the contenders, what was your objective?

>> to give viewers an alternative school of american political history in particular. it has been observed that the winners write the history books, and that is true, but that means that we are deprived of a another whole story line. even more, at a biographical level, there are 14 people in this series, many of whom, i guarantee, viewers may never have heard of, and all of them, i can guarantee they will find interesting to fascinating. >> do you have somebody in mind who may have been the most important contender in history for the presidency? >> some modern biographers say that losing candidates in the last 20 years, even george wallace could be the most important loser. i do not think that at all.

i go back to the 19th century and henry clay. he ran three times, and that is one of the things that interests me about these folks. they are recidivists. they keep at it. it gives me new insight into defeat, which i would think one of the most humiliating things that can happen to you, if you are henry clay, you have arrived at the kentucky house of assembly, and almost immediately everyone is saying you are a leader. you go to washington. you are speaker of the house. what humiliation. and yet, he kept coming back. i do believe that he is one of these 14 who, had he been elected, either in 1824 or 1832 really would have made a difference in the history of the country. >> as a journalist, which of

these contenders would you like to have covered? >> william james brian. >> why? >> she talked about recidivism. there are echoes of him even today. i was at a rally -- not a rally -- a republican event, with the republican establishment, actually, in the war room. all of a sudden, this chant breaks out, "and the fed! and the fed! -- end the fed! end the fed!" that is ron paul's crowd. these things do not disappear throughout the years. they reappear, even if they lose. >> over and over again, there are people who lose an election, and in the immediate sense they

would be written off, but who in fact in some cases turn out to be catalysts for political changes that will transform the country. think of al smith in 1928. he lost to herbert hoover, the paved the way for franklin roosevelt and the urban immigrant labor coalition that sustain the democratic party of through john f. kennedy. even more, barry goldwater, who lost overwhelmingly in 1964, and people said the conservatism was dead. but the fact is, coldwater planted the seed of the conservative movement that i believe has yet to crest. >> would any of these contenders have done better with television? some of them did have television, but a lot of them did not. >> let's try james blaine and your guy.

>> brian. >> when did blaine run? >> 1884. >> against? >> he lost to grover cleveland. >> that is a really funny american election that all americans should know about. it is the one in which grover cleveland has this child born out of wedlock. so we have this wonderful comic, ma, ma, where is paula? gone to the white house -- where is pa? gone to the white house, ha, ha, ha. with james blaine there are company -- a complicated letters. they have to do with him taking bribes and working for the

railroad. americans are faced with the choice of personal sin or the kind of public since of james blaine -- sinn of james plame. >> -- sin of james blaine. >> a common complaint is that candidates say they would have preferred to run before television. i covered a candidate who did not do very well. he finished sixth. reagan-i got more republican right in votes in the primary. -- reagan actually got more republican right in votes in the primary. he said, abraham lincoln could not be elected today. i was taking notes and i stopped

taking notes. he said, do you want to write that down? i said, i think i will do you a favor. i am not going to put that in my story. he said, why not? what he was getting at was the gary hart was a pretty face. he could break through to be the guy who runs against walter mondale. i said, lincoln was the greatest writer we had in that office since jefferson held it. lincoln could get elected today. >> is there anyone who think would get elected today because of television who did not? >> thomas dewey's career spanned the introduction of television. he was nominated twice. he ran against fdr in 1944. he famously ran against harry truman in 1948.

remember, do we had been the gangbuster, this great courtroom prosecutor who became famous when he was still in his 30's for putting away mobsters. he was a courtroom performer, and that actually translated superbly well to a television studio. >> richard, let me disagree a little bit. i mean, this is a guy who clare boothe luce said looked like an ornament on a wedding cake. that might be a complement on one hand, but on the other -- >> he could not be handled. the people to try to handle and told him to shave off his mustache. it reminded people of charlie

chaplin or hitler. and he would not. he also had the two front teeth with the big gap. he would not fix it. he said his wife liked him the way he was. that says something about personal character. i think as a persuader, someone who could market that and make the tv camera his ally -- >> how about willkie, who runs in 1940 against roosevelt? how would you done on television? >> well, will he seems to me to be a little -- he belongs where he came from, in corporate executive rooms. he does not have any public training. i do believe that there is a certain level of exposure that contenders and winners need.

now, as long as i briefly have the floor, i would like to present to all of you an idea of why it is contenders are important. i think sometimes we talk about presidential politics -- of course we are always talking about winners. americans talk about winners. we do not talk about the zero losers. but we impose from our position a one person race, and we lose all the context. at the time that americans were voting for these men, they were looking at an entire landscape. we sort of over-interpret this. if we could get the contenders back into the race -- and by the way, on the eve of the u.s. open in tennis, presidential

campaigns are not a horse race. they are more like a tennis match where you have an opponent and when you remove the opponent, you lose, it seems to me, all of the depth and profundity. >> to go back to your original question, why this subject, why now? it is a subject that has been too long ignored and the timing could not be better as an alternative to exactly the kind of horse race, trivial back and forth, home abscessed coverage that passes for most political journalism. >> these questions are somewhat trite, but who of all of these 14, who would you like to have, three of them, at a table and you are the host a little lunch or dinner party?

>> a debate on capitalism between wendell willkie and jean-would be interesting. i am not sure you would need a third. had george wallace. wouldn't that be a lively conversation? >> what kind of person would be fun to talk to among these 14? >> henry clay would be. >> why would he be fun? >> by all accounts, this was the most -- along with andrew jackson, his great enemy, this was the most charismatic, galvanizing, polarizing, magnetic figure for the first half of the 19th century. by all accounts, there was an aura, a spell about the man. his very nickname, the great compromiser. >> the country is being split apart and he wants to keep it

together, but he is very much identified with one side. he is a partisan guy who wants to unite people. all of the problems of the error you could get from this guy and why we could not elect him is the same reason we eventually went to war. they could not be resolved. >> he ran against three different people for the presidency. >> yes. >> he was secretary of state, speaker of the house, and a senator. >> and a very constructive statement. that is the interesting thing about him. we talk about grover cleveland. each man had impressive aspects to their personal or political character, and yet look at their record in office. grover cleveland is generally regarded as the most impressive president between lincoln and theodore roosevelt.

>> and off the list, perhaps in parentheses, we should talk about some contenders that we should forget. >> well, they have been forgotten. >> let me ask you though, you wrote a book on adelaide stevenson. would you put adelaide stevenson at the table? >> yes. >> did you ever meet him? >> know. i did spend some time with his son, who as you know was a senator and then resigned in 1980. he made a big tactical mistake, went back and ran for governor in illinois and was beaten. he retired from politics. but that is interesting thing about most of these people. they are really committed to anything in public service and they are all effective

politicians. adlai stevenson had that side to him of -- i am not sure i really want to be doing this, and yet he has given us some of the best epithet's we have in america. i remember he said to eisenhower in 1952, i will stop telling the truth about republicans if they will stop telling lies about the democrats. nixon was accused of cutting every tree down and then standing on it to give the stump speech. >> there are still a dwindling number of americans proudly known as stevens zonians. -- stevensonians.

now, the one book on his desk at the time of his death was the social register. >> i am not sure that is actually true. i will give you a pass. >> but he brought stability. he brought a high sense of purpose, and he brought great campaign wit. we have gotten ridiculous about this whole process. going back to what you said. he was a man ahead of his time. he was the first man to talk about a nuclear test ban treaty. he was proposing the vote for 18-year-old. that is another critical function of these also-rans. they often introduce ideas that may not be accepted at the time, but who in fact find their way into the political bloodstream

and become the norm. >> can we turn that around and say -- any of these contenders represent the past, the moment in history in which they campaigned. it was the end of a certain style, is certain number of issues, or whenever. >> back to henry clay. he is a tragic figure also, in a way. the great thing dividing this country is the west being built up, and we know that the united states is already going to go to the pacific ocean, but are those states going to be free states or slave states? henry clay wants to go to the ocean. he wants the union to remain intact, but he does not want them to be declared free states because he does not want his south to be marginalized. it is really the last time in history you can straddle that issue, and he paid for it and we

paid for it. >> i was thinking about echoes of the future in adelaide stevenson. he was accused of not being tough enough. there were strains of the kennedy administration. but what does that really foreshadow? the future of the democratic party. the idea that we will work with communities, not dictate to communities, that becomes part of the democratic party's dna. it is a political bio the find expressions in many ways. projecting onto george mcgovern. the idea of america as a republican on an empire. -- republic not an empire.

henry clay had a familiar way of seeing familiar facts. you could look at henry clay as someone who failed to achieve his goal and never became president. but on the other hand, to the extent that he contributed -- and he was not the only one responsible for the compromise of 1850. he died shortly thereafter. what did that do? that precluded war for 10 years. 0 years for the north to grow industrially. >> on the other side, 10 years for the south to gain a sense of indemnity. there was an idea that they would become a separate unit, a separate nation. >> does anyone believe that if

nothing else, henry clay gave us 10 years for abraham lincoln to emerge? >> including james buchanan. >> and remember, henry clay was lincoln's idea of a statesman. how does that affect us today? remember a few years ago when bill kristol and others at the weekly standard were talking about what they called national greatness conservatism. it is not a phrase that you hear much today, but it was very much one crowded in -- and clay was part of that tradition, going back to hamilton. the idea of an energetic government doing conservative things. he gave us something called the

american system, which was an enormous shot in the arm to the infrastructure of america and the american economy. >> let's do something for those watching to catch them up on all of these 14. let me go backwards. let me go to the newest one on the list, that will be shown on november 9th. i will move very quickly and have you pop in with quick comments about what relevancy all of these people had at their time. ross perot will be our december 9th program. what would you say about him? >> third party outsider. in some ways a cultivator of what is very clear now, and that is lots and lots of american angst. >> more specifically, a forerunner of the tea party in many ways. ross perot's greatest accomplishment was to insist that the two political parties deal with the deficit. >> i would add to that.

i went to a farm one day and we had a conference where people said, nobody cares about this deficit. then ross perot gives a speech about it, a musician sings a and we do care about the deficit. ross perot did two things. he may have gotten bill clinton elected, and he may have stopped this movement for a while. the tea party things we're spending too much money. ross perot talked about this. he had pie charts and we laughed at him. he got 20% of the vote after he quit the race. he behaved in a flaky way. he still got 20% of the vote. that is what you're seeing. is that too long? >> that is good. the sec will be george mcgovern.

what pops out right away -- second will be george mcgovern. what pops out right away? >> he rewrote the rules by which the democratic nominee would be nominated. in a broader sense, he brought in this tradition that you could take back to allied stevenson, william jennings bryan, the anti-war strain of the democratic party. the left wing of the democratic party. >> to me, the governor is when political writers began looking at the race -- george mcgovern is when political writers began looking at the race tactically and breaking down all of these things. he picked the wrong vice- president and took forever to pick him. he gave a speech at 2:00 in the morning. the fact that he loses in a

landslide does not change the fact we are hooked on process. >> getting only 38% of the vote. what a catastrophe. that is probably the lowest percentage in a two-party race in a century. here is this guy that did not run a good campaign, and yet, he understood politics. he had been able, somehow, in south dakota, to be elected. >> and me go to the november 25th program with george wallace. >> he ran as a racist. he was the last person to do it. >> 1968 and 1976. >> he would hold these press conferences. i was in high school and college, and he would say, i am

not talking about race, i am talking about welfare. and the cameras would go off, and he would say, you know who i mean. that was the end of the discussion in a way that we were talking about henry clay. >> if you go back to george mcgovern, look at the nixon 43% in 1968, george wallace had an enormous impact on politics and the government of his time. if you think of the nixon southern strategy, if you think of the supreme court nominees that nixon wanted to put on, nixon understood that for him to submit what people then talked about as an emerging republican majority, it would involve

turning the south from solid democrat to solid republican. and here we are 40 years later. >> what comes to mind when you think of george wallace? >> what has been said, but beyond that, a guy who really was corrupt in the sense that he manipulated public opinion. as i am understand his early career, this was a man who was knocked -- was not, as his predecessor was, and out and out racist, but at some point george wallace understands that his private ambitions are going to require this terrible assault, and so he begins this process whereby he sells out. the other thing that is interesting about george wallace is that he's sort of flies in

and out of the democratic party. he starts the american independent party. >> he goes out against lyndon johnson and he astonishes. it was the first time the term backlash was coined, the idea that white voters angered by civil rights and the social revolution would leave their traditional home in the new deal, democratic, kennedy party and vote for a george wallace in the primaries and then vote for goldwater in the fall or become conservative republicans. >> hubert humphrey. >> a lot of heart. >> you like him. >> an ocean of heart. our daughter was graduating from the university of pennsylvania and we went very happily to the graduation. three and a half hours later

after his one and a half hour graduation speech, we left. nonetheless, hubert humphrey, to me, was indeed the happy warrior, which it was a name given to al smith. >> buy? who gives it? the because and the happy warrior at the convention? -- who calls him and the happy warrior at the convention? franklin delano roosevelt. >> 1948, he leads the walk out of the dixiecrats. he tells the democrats, it is time to emerge from the shadow of states' rights and an urge into the sunshine of his -- and march into the sunshine of human rights. it is one of the great moments of history that every democrat should be proud of. that is what i think. he was mayor of minneapolis that

time. >> he also transformed the lives presidency and a surprising way because he had such a miserable experience under lyndon johnson from 1965-1969. walterlow minnesota andn mondale was offered a job by jimmy carter, and as a result of what he learned from hubert humphrey, he became the modern vice president. he had his own office in the white house. he was not in a separate building. he was not fob off on the space program or what ever else presidents give their vice presidents to fill time. >> we could talk about him for 90 minutes. the happy warrior thing with him was genuine. billy graham told me this story.

if you ever hear billy graham's imitating hubert humphrey's boys, he is quite good at it actually. -- voice, he is quite good at it actually. he missed an -- he moves to the state that has the cleanest government. he is swimming at the ymca. men's swim altogether. he is resting outside the pool and hubert lumbers over to him. he reaches down and insists on shaking hands and says, hello, billy graham's. i am hubert humphrey. i'm running for mayor. i would really like your vote. >> we need to go to barry goldwater. >> do we really need to? can i say one more thing about hubert? >> barry goldwater. >> ok. >> well, the beginning of modern

conservatism. but also, an unlikely politician. some of these people seem to have absorbed in their water, a soup or whatever -- he should of been the head of the department store in phoenix. yet gradually, he takes this path that i think is true of some other politicians. they get into community affairs, and then, as you know, he is elected to the senate, and he certainly is a man of principles. he has given us one of our otations.orst qu >> involving the a-bomb? >> and he was the victim of a really dirty journalistic trick by the johnson campaign.

i do think that is an unfair kind of political ad. >> the problem is, in some ways he set himself up for that. lbj gets 486 electoral votes to 52. coldwater barely carried his own state of arizona. -- coldwater -- goldwater barely carried his own state of arizona. >> do you attribute to him the new southern added? >> he voted against the civil rights act. he voted against debate. again, you could call him a man of principle. he had himself been instrumental in desegregating his family's department stores, the national

guard in arizona, but he was such a believer in states' rights and so constitutionally opposed to what he saw as federal coercion. the other thing, of course, with barry goldwater is that he is every liberals favorite conservative because he called jerry falwell names. he was outspokenly pro-gay rights. he famously said you do not have to be straight to serve. you just have to shoot straight. >> when president reagan nominated sandra day o'connor to be on the court -- he had said he would nominate a woman, and he took that as his own promise. jesse helms spoke against her and said she was not solid on the right-to-life movement. barry goldwater went out there and said, i'm going back to

washington and i am going to explain to jesse helms that i am the most conservative man in the senate. in some ways, he was not any more. falwell made a statement that any loyal american should oppose the appointment of sandra day o'connor. barry goldwater said any loyal american should kick jerry falwell's ass. he is also a cranky guy. as he got older, he got cranked year. -- crankier. if he was angry at something you said or did, he would take his cane and physically let you know his displeasure. we say we want authentic people representing as. he was authentic. >> these programs are 14 in

number. there every friday night at 8:00 and 11:00 east coast time, 5:00 and 8:00 on the west coast. we are going down the list of all 14. they are people who ran for the presidency and lost. the next one is on november 4th, adelaide stevenson, which is your specialty. how often did he run? who did he run against? how badly was he beaten? >> he ran twice, 1952 and 1956. he had the misfortune of running against a great military hero, dwight eisenhower. i do not really think that there is any way that adelaide stevenson could have won those elections. americans like military heroes. there are few generals that ran the did not win. eisenhower is an unassailable character, and i'm not sure that adelaide stevenson randomized

addition campaign. at least a 1952 -- ran the most effective campaign. at least in 1952. he never could change his rhetoric and couch it in the necessity of television time. >> he would run out of time. he would get cut off in the middle of a speech. too,d great speechwriter's by the way. there is a whole generation of people that adelaide stevenson brought into the process. >> but still, these were not -- he lost, what? in a high 40's. the second time, he was in the

lower 40's. it was not a disaster. >> but he managed to lose to a president during a recession. >> but you are right about ike. he was hard to beat. the real number that stands out about 1952 was something like 11 million voters more than just four years before. that is a reflection on the do we-truman choice, but more, -- dewey-truman choice, but more, people were given these two spectacular candidates to choose from. >> this is the contribution of adelaide stevenson. we all know -- i do not know what the statistics are, however many people are independent. they are not assigned.

they do not choose any party. it was adelaide stevenson who begins, in this primitive campaign in illinois, to try to encourage independence to support someone who is an intelligent candidate. >> that is a perfect transition for me. his legacy -- he is obviously intellectual. ike knows it. he beats him. what is the moral? the voters do not want an intellectual. so eisenhower begins, as president, dumbing down his speeches. >> did he have to? >> that is my point. but also, how he thought -- his lesson was, people do not want the intellectual. he did not want to sound like one. he would go in and cross our words they had written and make smaller words, literally in his own hands. the combination is the great "saturday night live" skit.

republicans to this day do not want to sound intellectual. there is as saturday night live sketch where reagan sounds addled and then his aides leave and in the privacy of his thing he speaks very intelligently on policy. adlai stevenson caused both parties to decide that is not the way to get elected. >> october 28th, how well do you know tom doolan? >> i spent some of the best years of my life -- 1980 i left washington, d.c. i moved lock, stock and remington typewriter to rochester, new york, for one year, where the papers were housed. i spend every day from 9:00 until 5:00 going through boxes of paper and then going home and writing on night. i could not do it now.

>> why? >> because i am about 30 years older. hopefully 30 years wiser. but he was a remarkable story. multiple stories, because you had the whole racket busting era, very colorful in the 1930's, when thomas dewey was the nation's leading crime fighter. he had a unique background for a presidential candidate. in 1939, with hitler about to invade poland, the gallup poll comes out and it shows thomas e. dewey, the 37-year-old district attorney of new york county leading franklin roosevelt in the event that fdr decides to run for a third term. obviously, subsequent events intervened. the republicans turned to a dark horse named wendell willkie. but thomas dewey would go on to become a three term government -- governor of new york.

along with al smith he is regarded as one of the best governors of the century. he is one of those people who i think would have been a much better president than he was a candidate. >> do you have any remembrance of him? >> in a newspaper one. -- newspaper man. i have one. it is seared into our dna. it is the chicago tribune headline "dewey defeats truman." your first day of journalism school, they tattoo you with that headline and you're never supposed to assume facts again. because he did not defeat him, for our viewers who are younger than 48. >> your the washington bureau chief of real true politics. you're doing a lot of historical stuff. >> you get my newsletter every morning. >> what makes you think that people want to read about history? >> alltel, history is

fascinating and people know it -- well, history is fascinating and people know it. they want to know about their world today. they all have echoes. he is not one of the 14, not on the list, bob dole, but if we had 15, he might have been. bob dole gives a talk in 1996 where he is nominated and he says he is not against teachers but he is against the teachers union. he is attacked for this. that is not that long ago, 1996. this year, 2011, we a documentary movies by liberals about the teachers unions. we have a secretary of education who feels much the same way. he is more diplomatic than that. people care about history because it not only tells you where we have been, but if you listen very carefully, it tells you where we are going. >> i think of him mainly as the gangbuster.

i am impressed by the number and the significance of the nicknames that some of these contenders and winners get. you may have another nickname, but as far as i am concerned, this was an effective guy who violated one of those laws to move beyond your pay grade. i am sure richard does not agree with that. he is certainly an interesting man, that there is something about him that is not effective as an american politician. had he been elected, he would of been one of this group that i think would have done the worst job. >> i tell you why i disagree. if he had one -- and this is not necessarily part of the series -- who knows? but we may in fact have to stop to speculate on how history

would have been different. had thomas dewey been elected in 1948 -- 1944 would have been out of the question -- you never would have heard of joe mccarthy. thomas ewing never would have permitted -- he ran a machine -- thomas dewey never would have permitted -- he ran a machine in new york. there was a debate over whether the american communist party should be outlawed. he took the civil libertarian position, you cannot shoot an idea. >> what year did you publish a book on mary todd lincoln? >> she was not a contender. >> what year did you do the adelaide stevenson book?

>> 1985. >> how many years have you taught history? >> since medieval times, almost. >> 30-40 years. the reason i ask is, what has happened to students and their interest in history over the years? >> students keep coming back. i do not want to be one of these lacerating, parental types that say we have significant historical amnesia, but i do think that students think that the past is over. in fact, i have had them tell me that when they're thinking about what is going to be their major. it is over. it is gone. on the other hand, as you say, history is an abiding, in during interest and discipline. thousands of americans, sometimes after they have graduated with business degrees, turn to history and find that it is the most

consuming thing in their lives. >> how many years have you taught at george mason? >> 5. >> what do you sense is the attitude about history among your students? >> i guess i am lucky. obviously there are exceptions, but i have found students to be particularly interested in the subject of the presidency. we actually cover all of the president in 14 weeks. we do everyone. it is interesting, because a lot of these kids, i often ask why they are taking the course. and number of them say, i know about the people with monuments on the mall, but i want to know more about james garfield or calvin coolidge. i want to know the hidden corners, the knicks and crannies of american history. >> on october the 21st, i see it

the name wendell willkie, a man from indiana. a one worlder. what did that mean? >> he would not be a conservative republican today, would he? >> he was not a conservative republican back then. >> he was a corporate republican and he was engaged in a national debate -- we use the phrase class warfare now. republicans use it pejoratively when democrats talk, but that is what it was, class were frearfa. will he was born on a farm and roosevelt was -- wendell willkie was born on a farm and roosevelt was born to a grand family, and they never saw the irony of what defended. >> what did he look like? >> he looked like a bear. he was a great big, larger than

life, rumpled figure, who nevertheless had an aura, a charisma. one person famously said that his candidacy, which spun out of nowhere, a seemingly -- >> that he had never had a job. >> he was a jeffersonian democrat until the new deal. he said that his candidacy sprung from the grassroots of every country club in america. there has never been anyone like him. it is hard to imagine there ever been anyone like him. he was beyond a dark horse. >> did he ever have a chance of winning? >> oh, no. i suppose of all of the people that took roosevelt on, he and dewey probably had the most

difficult issue. although -- >> what was the issue? >> isolationism versus interventionism. as we remember, the united states was not committed, and roosevelt was working hard on all kinds of changing public opinion, but also public policies, and wendell willkie, as it turns out, really was an interventionist and wrote this book about one world. i would like to ask you about it. i have never read one world. u.n.? a pre-yue >> it is the book woodrow wilson would have written if he had lived in 1942-1943. a lot of these contenders are in the series because they were nominated, not just because they

ran, but because they were nominated by a party to run for president. wendell willkie is a great example. his greatest service to the country arguably became a -- arguably came after 1940 when he became an emissary for fdr, traveled around the world, and foreshadow the realignment of political parties which has arguably taken place. >> roosevelt outlived him. he died in 1944 and so did his running mate. >> the speaker of the house? >> he was only 52. >> how appropriate. he burned out. he lived his life like that, and somehow it was not a surprise. >> october 14th, al smith. >> al smith. in many ways a father of the modern democratic party. >> where was he from? >> new york state. he was a governor, you know,

raised in the shadows of brooklyn bridge. >> and tammany hall. >> and tammany hall. a classic tammany hall politician who outgrew his origins. do you know the last republican presidential candidate to carry new york city was calvin coolidge in 1924? four years later, al smith is the democratic candidate against herbert hoover. he begins the process of forging an urban-world, but mostly urban-immigrant -- >> he also starts and uncomfortable conversation. coalition.ersat >> which is can the catholic be president. there is openly anti-catholic innuendo used against smith.

it is not used against kennedy. kennedy dealt with this issue, but smith is the pioneer. >> with kennedy, we get the ghost of al smith. >> the other reason al smith -- besides the catholicism charge -- these are good times. we talk about the biography of personalities, but it is really important to have the context of prosperity. you know, they were good times. although, there were these areas where folks in america's were not doing so well. >> we know things about her hoover we did not know then, but al smith was running against a guy who was personally credited with saving millions of lives in world war i.

he was a heroic figure. al smith, in addition to his faith, was seen and heard as an alien figure. if you listen to him on the radio, this wonderful accent from the lower east side of manhattan, this was a chance for people in america to vote against a new york. this was a chance to vote against all that they thought was alien and an american, and somehow vaguely -- he was beaten very badly. he got 87 electoral votes. and hoover broke open the south. not eisenhower, not barry goldwater, but herbert hoover who breaks open the south. >> charles everett hughes. >> well, i think of him in the context -- and i am not sure that you to will, of women's suffrage.

charles evans hughes was a progressive on women's suffrage. >> he ran against woodrow wilson. >> ran against woodrow wilson, and there were four or five states during this time that had women's suffrage, so the idea of the women was to go and use their vote, get those states to support charles evans hughes. there was an uproar. the wilsonian were furious about this. you simply did not do that. in any case, it did not work, and wilson is the person who ends up being pushed and pushed towards women's suffrage in 1920. but the other thing about the hughes campaign is just how close it was. i think we think of wilson as being somehow triumphant, but this was a very, very close election. >> hughes is actually one of the

unusual figures in this in that his race for president is obviously -- arguably one of the less distinguished chapters of an extraordinarily distinguished and useful career. he had been a great governor of new york. he was on the supreme court. he left the court to run against wilson, was secretary of state throughout the 1920's -- generally regarded as one of our best secretaries of state -- and then his great impact was when he went back on the court and almost single-handedly for did franklin roosevelts attempt to pack the court. >> several governors of new york. what was it about governors of new york in those days? you do not see any of that now. >> i think california. when i was a kid, calif.

eclipsed new york. this happened over a gradual period of time. in arguably, population is a fact. in other ways, in ways of new yorkers are reluctant to admit. what is happening now is that maybe texas is doing that to california. these things change. but he is, because he was a new yorker, brought with him attitudes not just about gender but about race. he was a racial moderate. if he defeats wilson, washington is not desegregated. that was wilson's doing. -- re-segregated. that was wilson's doing. the civil rights movement might have lived along -- move along faster. for women, a civil-rights, foreign policy -- germany sort

of faded us into war. would he use have avoided that? >> he had been referred to as the bearded icicle. he had a very chilly, aliyahs of rectitude. yes, he did have a beard. when used stayed at the white house -- hughes stayed at the white house, calvin coolidge sent to his barber up to his room. >> if i remember, wilson had to stay up all night. >> it was a couple of days because california define the race. >> there are two guys. norman thomas ran for president on a socialism ticket. the one on our list is eugene debs of terre haute indiana. what do you think of him?

>> i think of a principled guy who was at the forefront of the labor movement. i think he was a labor leader. he runs on the socialist ticket. he was a guy who wants to break the trusts and give the working man power. we are in a time now where we are talking about public employees unions. there was no such thing. he was talking about people who work with their hands for a living and do dangerous things. he fought for the right to organize. his day came, but not in his time. >> he was also outspoken in his opposition to world war i. he was, for his pains, thrown in jail by woodrow wilson, the great champion of self- determination. he was ultimately pardoned by an even unlikely your character, warren g. harding. what ever else you say about

him, was a kind, a genial -- he wanted debs to come visit him at christmas time. he wanted to meet him. >> he ran in 1900,>> i think ofg american socialism. we forget now, when we throw this pejorative out to the democrats that socialism at the turn of the century was a very viable philosophy. there were socialists who were elected, if you in congress. a couple of mayors. eugene was the one who separates american socialism from the american pit -- from the

european and variety. he was never able to make the case to workers that there can be elect world socialism. i think he is a very important contender. >> september 23, we are back to your favorite as you started off this program, he ran in 1876 against mckinley. he ran to -- he ran against william taft and lost all of those. >> here is what intrigues me about william jennings bryan. he is so misunderstood. if one of your students heard of him, he has heard of him as mathew brady. this great play that was brought back after september 11 and written during the mccarthy period, it is supposed to be a morality tale against the red scare.

it is brought back after september 11 to be a morality tale not to persecute muslims. it is based on the scope strong, the monkey trial on evolution. in all the movies he is the buffoonish figure. but willing really -- william jennings bryan was not against our wouldn't is them because he was a flat earth there. he was against darwinism because of most of the liberals of his day, it was social darwinism. he was very much worried that darwinism would be used -- evolution was be used as an excuse to not help the poor and not help emigrants and did not help people with disabilities. that is what he was really arguing against. i picked him out because he was

a misunderstood guy who liberals ought to minaret. >> to you have any idea who we could compare him to today? >> it is politics. >> let me tell you what i think about him, maybe that will help generate a modern political figure. he is a really good campaigner. those speeches, there are several of them besides the cross of gold that are quite memorable. he also is committed to him really campaigning. he is one of the modern presidents who gets off of his porch, as william mckinley did not, and travels around -- i think he even campaigns and a

automobile. is he not the first? >> to show you how much brian transformed the campaigners art, in 1896, more americans turned out to sea bryan and mckinley in person. more people turned out to see them and hundred days later turned out to see clinton \ dole and person. it was an extraordinary time when people define themselves by their party, the legions. it was as polarized as anything today. one other quick thing about bryan, one speech -- the cross of gold speech so galvanized that convention. without the speech he would not

have been nominated. a jump forward almost 60 years, stevenson, who does not want to run, delivers a welcoming address to the democrats, a jump forward 105th -- a jump forward 50 years, barack obama delivers a keynote. you can still -- the connection between brian and old, is one speech can make a career. >> did he have any other government jobs? >> he was a congressman. he was a lousy secretary of state for woodrow wilson. >> i would not say he was lousy. i always wondered why people like vance -- white americans do not resign when there is an issue of principle.

>> he uses his commitment to principle and still think -- >> you remember what cyrus vance resigned about? >> the carter failed rescue. >> i think he -- i thought he did and he was appointed in his place. >> we have a big hole in this program that we are going to have to fill. >> who ever thought that cyrus vance would come up in the conversation? >> september 16 -- it would be blaine, friday night 11:00. i restored, it is not a great

story is when lewis was sitting in a park and garfield, the president, walks across the part of the way to supplement. there is nobody is around garfield. give us the james blaine relationship with our field. >> well, not good. the thing about the land though, he had a lot -- he was the guy that burn bridges with a lot of people. i think of blaine as per lane. >> from maine? he is from maine though. >> yes. >> the continental liar from the state of maine. why continental? does that mean he reaches across the nation? >> ran in 1884 against cleveland.

before that he got the republican nomination. before that, it was plain that prevented ulysses grant from coming back -- rather 1880. it was blaine who prevented ulysses grant from winning a third term. >> despite being secretary of state for garfield and arthur, -- >> he was secretary of state under three presidents. what else did he do? >> he was in congress, he was speaker of the house. >> he changed some of the rules and the house. i am not sure exactly what rules they are. it seems to be speakers of the house. they are always changing role somewhat to their advantage. you know, smart capable guy but corrupt. >> remember, this was the. after the civil war when congress was much more central -- much more potent than they had be. the reaction against the strong

executives. to be speaker of the house, to be a power in congress in 1870's and 18 80s meant a lot more than it would today. >> to you have anything to say and get -- to say about mr. blaine? >> what do you think would have happened if he won? how would he have changed things? >> i think he would be regarded as the best president between lincoln and pr because he was a surf ' and had the intellectual health. he had a lot of talent. people are consumed by -- they lost after the presidency. it is a distorting, warping malignancy that they serve -- if they suffer from. if they survive it and when the office, i think land is like some of the likely. they have a great deal in common. they are very charismatic,

polarizing figures who i think an office would have distinguished themselves. >> i would like to throw out the idea that sometimes we overdo the presidency -- there is not much we would have changed if we shuffled these men around and put one in instead of the other. there are exceptions, and they are worth talking about. there is a jump from the contenders of 1884 until 1824 with henry clay. do we have a moment to stop and -- a really critical election in 1860? where it really did make a difference who was elected? you know, i think it is like a chess board. these presidents often because of american politics often centers ultimately, if they are

over here on one issue and that is out of line, they will move a little bit back into the center. >> if you look at the republicans often are courses he were elected, those beer did not entities, thomas will call them the lost america, wayne and stands out both in terms of personality. the fact that he was a man of congress that he had demonstrated a capacity to control work govern in congress. all i am saying is he might have -- if the president himself was a diminished institution. that i agree with you. all i am saying is the possibility for counter interpretation, there would not be this blank wall of the forgettable and forgotten -- >> and he is memorable and

congress. the bland amendment that you cannot take public moneys and use them for religious institutions. >> i want to get on the record, thanks to our producer who said mr. vance did resign and 1880 -- 1980 over the rescue in iran. >> if there was another issue that might be reasonable. >> stick with a larger point. except for france, why do more of them resign? >> let's go to september 9, our first program. for those who have just joined us in this discussion, c-span is a special 14 week series, friday night at 11:00. we will have cameras on scene.

there are homes and libraries around the country. first one will be henry clay. henry clay ran, you said, three times? >> he was nominated three times. he ran five times. >> starting when? >> he was nominated again in 1832. he was nominated in 1844. but he was a candidate and 1940 and 1848 and would have ran from the great. -- from the grave. >> have there ever been anyone who ran for as many high offices like speaker of the house? quincy is a man of superlatives. what ever you say about light, he is just a larger-than-life figure. i would imagine he is the best president we never had. >> i am not arguing that he is

the best president we never had, i am arguing house staff and -- how recently ran for as many offices as anyone we have been talking about today. >> governor of minnesota. >> he became a joke. >> was clay ever a joke? >> no. >> yes, he was -- well. i do not know if he was a joke. henry clay was a nancy guy, too. he used to pick on people in congress. one of the people that he speak on was buchanan. >> said he wrote a book about it. >> james buchanan worked hard to be what he called "a working sanitary and congressman." he would say something in congress and henry clay would call him and nancy mann.

he would make these terrible personal comments. james buchanan was crosstie. henry clay would sit in a seat and point to his eyes and go like this. clay for all of his brilliance -- >> you could not do that with c- span cameras in the chambers now. >> the senate would not show you a cutaway of henry clay doing this with his eyes. we have to go quickly. we have about 20 minutes left. can go quickly to them again. maybe talk about something personal about them. all of them, the best speaker. is it obvious? >> know, there are some speakers on that. >> what do we not just go around? >> then your hubert's. >> hubert humphrey.

>> henry clay. >> i am not the expert you guys are. >> let me ask you, who you think would be the friendly as person of these? >> also hubert humphrey. >> he would speed the smartest of the 14? >> henry clay. your problem said tom dooley? >> of brent's march. he was not politically smart. >> who would you say? >> stevenson. >> i did not say stevenson. >> we think he would be the smartest? what i said henry clay. >> to of the 14 was not very smart? i know that sounds ok -- who would not have been -- >> it really depends on how you are defining smart. there are people who are very good at running an office but

not running for office. there are people who -- which one had the image of not being very smart? you never know. >> wallace. torch wallace. -- george wallace. he exploited street smarts. he had street smarts. >> is a real guy. let me change my answer. cover and is as smart as at the. he is a smart person. you remember he runs one of the dumber campaigns. what does that tell you. >> i nominate hughes as the smartest.

>> who is the nastiest? >> henry clay. >> if your african-american you might want to say george wallace. >> that is a different kind of nasty. >> you write for a living, you have done a book on mr. stevenson. if you had to pick another one of these -- you have done what, for bookstacks >> yes, but i shared some of them. i do not know how you add them up. >> if you had to pick one of the 14 to read a book on and spend a couple of years with tax cuts that would be fun. let richard go first and let me think. >> the minister sincerely -- gene has written what i think is not only the best but in many ways the definitive book on the stephensons. on the other hand, whether or not i produced a book -- in the

intimacy that the author has with the subject, the question is who is the best company? i think stevenson. >> that is not the question. who would you read a book about? >> jeanette des moines. - geene debbs. i think it is the best kind of history. we are still arguing about it. it is about labor. what is the role of labor? how much rights should workers have? who should speak for them? i think that's and the labor movement is just a great chapter. because we are still arguing about it. >> george mcgovern. >> why? >> for one thing, he is interview a bull. -- he is interview aboard. that is one thing when you are trying to penetrate a career.

he did get to sort of be a joke, but he is very much an honorable man. i admire deeply what he was trying to do during the vietnam war. he was obsessed with. >> the world needs -- it has been 60 years since a post" reporter wrote a life and times. hughes is what we claim we want in both a presidential candidate and a president. a man of absolute integrity who would that not yield to the special interests. >> let me go down the list and little bit and ask you -- if ross perot had not dropped out

and june of 1992, he got 19% of the vote. that was after he had dropped out. he think he would have done -- i think the remember polls. he was 33% ahead of other candidates. >> people do not remember this. this was not that long ago. he was leading. he was leading an incumbent president and the guy supposed to win the president. in june of that year, a friend of mine who worked in the democrat national committee told me that he was worried it clinton within so far behind the other two, we will not qualify for federal matching money in four years. that is where perot was when he dropped out. this was june of election year. it is not now. in an eight day. period, they go to new york for the convention, bill clinton

emerges from that ahead of the polls. as far as i know to this day, bill clinton has never tried a republican again. my point is, i am not saying he would have won. these things are not written in stone. there is nothing inevitable about him losing. >> what about the fact that ross perot has never really agreed to talk about the election? he ran again and 1996. there has never been much written about him since then. >> it is curious. let's face it. he is and on conventional politician. i am sure he would not regard himself as a politician. it is curious because he made a significant historical contribution. he arguably changed the course of american history. the echoes of that are with us even today. he may be one of these people on

principle does not want to live in the past, or it may be that there are scars from that campaign. he may be bitter about the way he was treated in that campaign. he does? >> the daughter was getting married. there was some personal issue -- >> he mumbled something about that. there was never any satisfactory explanation to why he either quit the race for got back in the race. i covered that campaign. i have no idea. i am not sure ross perot knows. he may be better, and he may also have some income nations aimed at himself. >> and material figure. >> let us go to george mcgovern for a moment. how did nixon beat george mcgovern. would it make a difference if he had not given the speech at 3:00 in the morning? >> probably.

i do not know. i think we are hypo managing campaigns in the context of what really happens when voters go into the polls. i am sure to get back to the parole issue, but a lot of americans who might have voted for perot thought, cost, he dropped out? what is going on here? since he was a third-party candidate who did not vote for him, i think he still -- mcgovern can't pull on "the party is not over." he can drop presumably on this pool of the democrats. where did they go? >> i think we tend to minimize

knicks and achievement in forging the new political consensus. by 1972 for a whole host of reason including a counter reaction to the civil-rights rest -- revolution to the women's rights movement, the silent majority was real whenever you think about it. richard nixon very skillfully played to not only their fears but also the notion of american exception allows them. mcgovern very haplessly was sent over from central casting in some way. he was a cause i academic. he was an old war hero, yet he was -- >> there was another war going on, and there is another moment in the campaign where he was

asked on prepress or one of the shows, you say you are getting us out -- >> he says, i will go on my knees if necessary. he does not mean that. he was and pulling out would make it harder to get the pows out. to make a remark like that, if he used the speech in prime time, he's he did not mess up the appointment, he said he was not in touch with swing voters agree that is the most mild way i can express it. >> that might be the question to apply to some of these other candidates as well. >> he carried the district of columbia and massachusetts. he did not carry his own state. it was a landslide election. there was another thing he did. the way he ran the campaign was,

he and the democrats or ask this question. you really think richard nixon has the character to be question? watergate was not fully known them but it was starting to the march pretty insecure that universally was, no. not really. we never did. how is he doing? that is -- that is usually a reelection campaign as a referendum on the incumbent. 1972 was as much a referendum on the challenger. >> how important was the eagleton fiasco? >> it reinforced -- >> explain that. >> eagleton was a senator from missouri, a moderate democrat. a natural balance for george mcgovern. not his first choice for vice president, but nevertheless -- >> or the last. >> he was nominated.

subsequently it was revealed he had not told the senator or those around him he had been treated for depression. i think he received electric shock at some point. in any event, he suddenly withdrew from the ticket. it reinforced the notion that this man is not ready to be president. >> no, the vice-presidential pick is often the first time the american people get to see this nominee make a big decision on -- that is their decision. it sticks with them for good or bad. but we only have a couple of minutes left. i want to make sure we do one last thing. do any of you have recommendations for the audience of a book they can read that will be particularly interesting and fun for them in regard to all of these 14 contenders?

>> all of them. >> there is a classic somewhat out of date but time leslie readable by an author named stone who is best known for his novels and historical fiction and it is called "they also ran." it is probably 30 to 40 years -- >> what about an individual biography of henry klan, -- >> they are available. >> the married couple academics that root the clay biography the name eludes me. >> i am embarrassed because -- >> is something like that. wonderful book. >> the hyde dollars.

>> they sat right here, and i -- >> let me have by alzheimer's moment. if you want to know about that era, books about the depression, there are two books you have to read. one is about roosevelt and the depression. the other one is "the forgotten man and you read those two books, they come from a different standpoint. you will understand roosevelt and the environment that dewey ran in. >> this program is called "the contenders," that they will see on friday nights starting of september ninth. what kind of school to teach at?

>> this is a coeducational liberal arts school. >> your favorite course? >> women's history. >> you write for realclear politics.com, what is it? >> we aggregate the best video and stories of the day. we have a polling average and as the campaign gets going, everyone is interested, we will get on the side and read and we will to our original content. we to our own content as well. >> i could ask you or i could ask about this series which is /artly responsible

>> this is great fun to have the opportunity week after week after week to make an acquaintance with historical characters and some of these are characters that we don't know where much about. >> thank you for coming here and we look forward to "to the contenders." >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> "the contenders," features profiles of people ran for president and lost it changed political history nonetheless. you can see this tonight at 11:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span. our live look begins next

friday, september 9th when we will travel to lexington kentucky and take your calls about the contention of henry clay. we will take a look at one contender for a week here on c- span. for more information on our series, go to our website c- span.org. you will find a schedule of the series, biographies of all the candidates. portions of their speeches when available. next, a town hall meeting with debbie wasserman schultz. then, the 66 anniversary of v-j day. then another preview of "the

contenders." >> next, representative debbie wasserman schultz has a town hall meeting for senior citizens. she discusses disaster funding, bipartisanship, and the upcoming agenda. this is an hour and 10 minutes. >> is an honor to be here. i have represented this area for the entire time i have served in the house of the president's. i can say i have literally grown up and you have watched almost every major thing that has happened in someone's developed life and lived through that with

me and it has been such a wonderful experience to represent this community. you have all made the absolute best choice the could have made to select the only strong mayor elect in broward county. he does a fantastic job. a tradition of strong female leadership in plantation continues. i think the legacy of the developing family at plantation to the leadership of the mayor is so meaningful. in a time in our country where public service is often denigrated and considered a bad thing by far too many people. having a family that has devoted their life and

specifically in plantation voted their lives to the well-being of the residence and the cities of plantation is really remarkable. i served in the nation's capital but i will always be your hometown girl. i knocked on 25,000 doors in my first race. i cannot thank you enough for the privilege to serve you. i want to spend a few minutes about what is going on in washington. a more campaign-oriented question comes up. someone asked me a question that

was summarizing the chances for reelection and i said i'm here as your representative, we can talk about that another time. i want to make sure that we cover the issues that are pressing on everyone's minds. i'm proud to tell you that this is being taped by c-span. know that in advance, you might see ourselves on c-span this evening. we have a lot at stake in the country right now. it cannot be overstated. i would like to think -- for having me here. thank you for having us here. i'm pleased to tell you that i have three wonderful advocates

here. -- from social security is here. [applause] we have -- it is here from the senior medicare facility. [applause] cathy and i started in young democrats together. it is wonderful to see here. she is here to answer any questions you have about your specific information -- situation. i tried to make sure that i pull together some of the advocates. you have a question on your particular -- and social security, we'll have some of helping.

they handle health care and medicare and social security and it of problems that you might have. i want to give each of the senior advocates time to tell you what they do and how they can help you if get a problem. >> i am also a small package so i have to get out on this. thank you for inviting me. i have a couple of pamphlets down here on retirement and disability, read and touch medicare eligibility and i invite everyone to visit our web site and visit me at the table to answer any questions you may have. thank you.

>> i am proud to be a volunteer counselor serving the health insurance needs of elders. we are a free unbiased service of medicare. there is no fee from the services. the first thing that i want to do is remind you that in the open enrollment has been moved out to october 15th and it will run from october 15th until december 7th. you don't have those last three weeks in december as you did last year. keep that in mind. we would like you to think about your medicare insurance.

does the plan that you have give you easy access and convenient access to services? is there a hospital near your home that you are allowed to use? are your copay is reasonable? are you treated with dignity and respect to for -- and respect? are you thinking about getting your medicare costs? do your plants still fit? maybe you bought this plan five years ago. maybe your medical needs have changed. you need to look at this. you have questions or concerns about the content and coverage or the way in which your needs have been handled. -- can help with that. most of you have picked up a

brochure with of our county phone number on it. we are a free, unbiased source of information. you call the number and a trained counselor will get back to you. remember, things have moved up this year. october 15th to december 7th. [no audio] >> i am a longtime resident here. i am here representing this senior medicare patrol. what we call ourselves is just a great group of people that we walk hand-in-hand with and all

social security and some of the other programs. we could put a big dent in helping to reduce medicare fraud. this particular book is very helpful to help you plan. he might spend some time with you. we will see what your diagnosis is. what level of service you are

getting. anything. this is one opportunity. please, do not, if you have in your wallet, please take out your social security card, please take out your medicare card. take those cards out. you know what your numbers are generally speaking. we are trying to help with medical anti-fraud helping all of us. don't give your credit card over when you have a copay for a bill. don't give your credit card over the phone for someone. these are really good tips that we need to wrap around and deal with the problems. lastly, we need volunteers. we need help. we get our funding from the

federal government. we rely on grants and money and i am proud to say that south florida is doing a heck of a job even though we have huge medicare fraud but we will be working on these issues. if we make a little bit of each of us reporting it, medical equipment, if you see someone in the parking lot and they come up to you and ask you, do you need some equipment, just be on guard. we will all work together. >> thank you so much to all three of you. again, i try to provide resources like these. >> i am here to give a legislative update. it has been a challenging first seven months of the 112th

congress. that might be the understatement of the year. the republicans took control of the house of representatives and left democrats in a minority. i have been in a majority in the minority, i like the majority of lot better. i will be honest with you. to me, the important thing is to work together and to sit down and figure out how we can find common ground. we don't always understand that it cannot be this way and remove the country forward. we will have to put some of our differences aside to find common ground and work towards a common goal. and the last congress, democrats worked to improve and grow our economy while protecting our seniors, children, and the

middle class. we passed historic health care reform. when it is fully implemented, all americans will have access to affordable health care. finally, this is a right, not a privilege. the legislation provides many important improvements to medicare. a lot of you might not realize this. this congress, while the house democrats have been focused on creating jobs and bringing down the deficit in a responsible way, we have had not had that kind of focus and cooperation. instead, what we have seen from republicans are a series of bills that pursued a reckless and extreme social agenda or one that sent to break requirements to medicare and social security. the medicare proposal under the guise of reform it simply shift the costs on to the states and

low income beneficiaries and weaken social security. while we do need reforms to ensure there is sustainability. virtually everyone on this room is on social security and medicare. i bet if you ask your children or grandchildren, many would be worried that those programs are not there for them. we need to make sure that we take those steps to shore up those programs. i would say that we need to take a different approach unlike the proposals that have come from the other side of the aisle which i will detail in a few months. i want to turn to what health- care reform has done for medicare beneficiaries. this is one of those import laws in a generation, really one of the most important since 1965. there has been a lot of misinformation out there about what it means for seniors. this will improve your quality

of care and save you money. last year, how many of you are on direct medicare? you get your prescription drugs from the party planned. i remember when it was being implemented, i remember trying to help you figure out how to sign up. they have that dreaded coverage gap called the town uphold which never should have been part of that original proposed law and which the affordable care act is closing. over the next nine years, the medicare coverage down uphold look completely close. last year, if you fell into the doughnut hole, how many of you actually fell into that zone uphold? last year from the affordable care act, you received a $250

payment. this year, brand-name prescription drugs, once you are in the town hall has a 50% discount. we will increase that over the course of the next nine years so that we will close the town of whole and it will save the average senior an average of about $3,000 a year. in addition, improvements to medicare will help to ensure affordable access. one of my frustrations and all the time i have been in congress and really be on that is that the medicare system has always been a sick care system. when i talk to constituents like you, so often you are going to the doctor when you are ill, when something is wrong parent of course, when something is wrong, you're care will cost more. i have always thought and affordable care act does this,

that we should shift the focus from a sick care system to a prevention and wellness system. that is why the affordable care act gives you without a copay free access to a preventive health care visit to your doctor to make sure that you can catch things early. as a breast cancer survivor, now going on three years and with a clean bill of health. thank you, thank you. i can tell you the reason that i can share that with you is because when i found a lump in my breast, i was able to catch that very early. it only makes sense that being able to get an annual checkup which he could not get before the affordable care act passed, let us catch things earlier and will help you live longer. it also provides for preventative screening like

mammograms and colonoscopy is and other copay is so that if there is a problem, it will be caught early. the plan that we put into law was designed to improve the quality of care under medicare while limiting the amount that seniors pay out of pocket every year. it has been the star contract with the proposals that the republicans have offered. house republicans took what i like to call the appeal and abandoned approach by to completely propose to on to the affordable care act. if this were to become law, it would reopen the doughnut hole coverage gap and it would cost seniors thousands of dollars. it would force them to pay for preventive care. it would strip the benefits from preventive plans. these challenges are not the

only way the republicans are putting seniors security at risk. four months ago, it might have heard, that republicans under budget share paul ryan rolled out a budget which would include nothing short of a termination of medicare. if it ever became law, medicare would be turned into a privatized voucher program requiring seniors to go buy private insurance and then cover any additional expenses on their own, completely yanking the safety net from seniors and the promise that when you reach the age of 65, after paying into medicare, we will make sure that you don't have to worry about how you are going to pay for your health care. according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, over the next 10 years, the republican plan would more than double the out-of-pocket expense. that it be about a $6,000 a year increase to what you would pay and in 20 years of a triple your

cost. this is dangerous and wrong to assume that someone on a fixed income could afford the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. that is why medicare was created in the first place. this guarantees your access to health care fits your budget. democrats make sure that the affordable care act would pay for those out of pocket expenses. seniors should have a certainty in the health-care expenses. i cannot tell you how times i have had senior stand up and say that i have such a hard time making ends meet between living on social security for most of my income and trying to pay those premiums and make sure that i can pay for my prescription drugs. there are seniors that shared with me that they had to have a doctor draw a line through the bill.

the pharmacists bring five prescriptions to them and they can only afford four of them. should a senior deciding which prescription they will not take so they can grow to the grocery store? that is an unacceptable choice that would be worse if we went with a plan to privatize and make a voucher of medicare. this made deep cuts to the children's education funds, even deep cuts to pour security all the while creating a trillion dollars in new tax breaks. to republican budget turned this into a block grant program. some time people's eyes glaze over. keep in mind that 60% of seniors in a nursing home, the way

they're able to be in a nursing home is through medicaid. if we turn this into a block grant program and the federal government is not provide enough funding, that will leave a lot of seniors in a position where they will not be able to get access to a nursing home or they will not be able to afford it or the seniors might get people to remain. when the federal government capped the amount available for patient care, the population increases, natural disasters, all of those unaffected events will have to be borne by the state. additionally, the budget projects that the block grant would not increase at the same level as health costs and there would be less and less individuals covered. this is not simply a funding issue. medicaid provides federal standards of care and enforcement of those to ensure

that they can protect the health and safety of their patients. i want to make sure we have the highest quality staffing in those homes as we have all heard the nightmare stories when a quality staffer is taking care of someone's loved one. we made a commitment that each and every one of the americans that when they got older, they would not have to live in poverty, would not have to force our children into poverty in order to care for them. the americans pay in with the expectation that the federal government would honor their commitments. now you see a clear attempt to allow the government backed out of their commitment. that is wrong and that will not happen on my watch. i will fight every single day to make sure that social security and medicare are preserve much as for those collecting it now for generations to come into that is a commitment that we made. it will separate them from other countries and their commitments

through the quality of life of seniors. and the last congress, democrats made great strides in turning around the economy, protecting consumers, and protecting medicare and social security. we prevented former president bush from privatizing security. when i go back to washington, i will make sure this progress doesn't disappear and make sure that the fund is not that -- is not cut. [applause] thank you for joining me and i will be happy to take any questions. i also want to make sure i don't fall off the podium.

have a microphone. if you have a question, feel free to come over to the microphone with the microphone on the other side of the audience. i would be glad to take your questions. >> yesterday, on "hardball," they had the president of the teamsters, james hoffa on. what are they looking for. i think that he gave a pretty good answer. it is not what we're looking for. maybe we are disappointed in what the president or the democratic party hasn't done in congress to enter any bill that you put forth in the committee and any bill that does get through the committee will probably be shot down.

represent if kantor is a kid -- rep cantor is a good example of that. the president should at least make a presentation and would be taught to our membership, this is what the democrats and the president did. it was the republicans who >> i appreciate the comments, but let me just add to your comment. we are living -- we have a republican house and a democratic senate and a democratic president in one house. that signals that we should absolutely be finding a way to work together. in manila on the political side, i obviously have a goal of

political respect, but as a member of congress, my first responsibility is to the well- being of my constituents. that is why i am here. i go back and forth every week from washington, making sure writer remaining can touch with my constituents. -- making sure that i remain in touch with my constituents. during the debate over the budget when the republicans brought us to the brink of government shut down earlier this year, -- let me take you back for a second to when obama was just inaugurated and the economy under president bush was on the press a bus of disaster. we were literally about to go over the economic cliff. the economy's was bleeding 700 tickets thousand jobs a month. i mean, really, we were in free fall. now, 2.5 years later, although

we have a long way to go and there are still far too many people out of work, we have made a lot of progress and begun to turn things around. now we have aidid's -- added some private-sector jobs for 17 straight months. we have added 2.4 million jobs in the private sector. we are going in the right direction instead of in free fall. we can only do it in a significant weight if we work together. i think it is extremely important that we focus on jobs across america, which is what president obama will talk about next thursday in his joint session address. i just hope the republicans are focused on everyone's job, because right now they seem focused on only one person shop, the man who is in the one else. i think we need to make a decision to work together, instead of what happened during the debt ceiling crisis was

never clearly were focused on the welfare of the most fortunate in america, instead of a significant compromise like the president wanted to put forward with speaker boehner. the tea party seems to be -- it has not allowed for compromise and working together. i am going back to washington next week to continue to push for common ground because i think that is what america expects. >> i am very happy to be here and to see. i work for zero essay -- osa, by the way. in the past two years, gas has gone from $1.60 a gallon to $4 a gallon. my food bills have gone sky high. i don't have to tell you what has happened to the economy, for

which i do not blame president obama, by the way. my question is, during those two years, we have not seen an increase in social security. my question to you is, what can we expect this coming year, and are we ever going to get another increase in our social security? >> thank you for the question. you are right, it is economically a very difficult situation. i want to answer your question in a more expanded way. specifically on social security and a cost-of-living adjustment. a lot of people perceive that congress actually controls and votes on cost-of-living adjustments for social security. we don't. the social security administration, through the social security trustees, they make that decision, based on a cci index that is tied to

inflation and tied to a market basket that is, i think, very out of date. so the last couple of years, the social security trustees have said that because the inflation rate, because the cost of living has not gone up at the same rate -- it has gone through a calculation -- it is done through calculation that looks at a correction in a market basket. they take the cost of living of 02 different items, and those items that look at or more like the items that a family like mine spends money on, as opposed to what senior spend money on. so i support legislation that would actually create a senior , so you would look more -- they will look more at a market

basket that is typical of what seniors spend money on, and the new could see a more true reflection of the impact of inflation on senior citizens household income. then the cost-of-living adjustment would be more likely to come to you. unfortunate, the republicans refuse to pick up that legislation. we tried to get it taken up at the end of last year and they still refuse to take it up. so we are stuck with the cpi that does not reflect the true spending of seniors. they years ago, we did provide congress, knowing this was a difficult situation, we appropriated a $250 payment a couple of years ago to make up for the pact that seniors did not get an increase. we did not do that last year because unfortunately, the republicans refuse to support it. i know it seems like i am being

partisan here. i am not being partisan, those are just the facts. we had support for the appropriation from democrats and we did not have it from republicans. to the rest of your comment on gas prices and food prices, the frustration that i have over gas prices is that because we have such a divergence of opinion in washington right now between the two parties, the republican approach is to drill for more oil. i mean, really? there is an expression that says the to keep doing the same thing over and over an expected different result, that is the definition of work i will not call. but we have to make sure that we can make investments in renewable energy and wean

ourselves off of our dependence on oil. number one, that is not smart foreign policy. most of the oil producing countries are not our friends. that is problematic to begin with. to say nothing of the fact that a lot of those countries have serious internal problems politically now, anyway. so we need to make investments. we need to have a universal agreement and understanding that global warming is a problem, that it is important for us to reduce our energy costs, and we can do that by investing in renewable fuel here. that is important. that will have an impact on food prices, because if we are able to make sure that we don't have to move food around, or if the transportation cost of food --

and transportation costs to move food or less, that will trickle- down to the overall cost of groceries. it is in all our economic interests to do that. think the social security trustees have said for this next year yet whether there will be a cola. it has been two years. do me a favor, it is not my fault. please tell your friends, it is a formula that i am trying to help change. >> you said the magic word before about working together. it really hurts my heart to see how this country has fallen apart. i have seen so many changes in the last big years that i have never seen before. look at all the hurricanes we

are having, look at all the flooding. never before. is god punishing us? it is said. i am 83 years old, and i have never in my life seen stuff like this. we better wake up and smell the coffee and start believing in god or somebody that looks like god. thank you. [applause] for don't want to blame god natural disasters, but i do agree with you. as i said at the outset, i have been in public service for more than 20 years and elected office for 18, and i have been in the minority and the majority. i have worked with republicans in leadership and i have worked with republicans when democrats were in leadership. one thing i have always really work hard on is to treat my opponents, people i don't agree with or who don't agree with me, with respect, and recognize that

they may have a valuable point of view, even though i am most things i might not agree with them. right now, what makes me so sad is that i have never treated my republican colleagues -- i have always treated them like they are my opponents, but never like my enemy. and that is what i think we have reached in america right now, in terms of the polarization that exists in politics. this tea party and the people who are running the republican party right now treat people they don't agree with like that are the enemy. when they disagree with us, we are not wrong, we are right. that is just not how we do things in america. that is how we -- i go on the other side of the chamber of the time, and hopefully through the

force of my personality, through being a nice person, through building relationships with individuals and trying to find issues we can work together on, a co-sponsor legislation with republicans all the time and i push them through into law and works against people who opposed that legislation on both sides of the aisle. that is what democracy is all about. i also agree to disagree with opponents on the other side, and quite frankly, opponent on my side, and recognize, like i tell my children when they are insisted that they want their way but i know it is not the right thing to do, they have to realize an important life lessons is that it cannot always be your way. oftentimes, the best outcome results from everybody giving a little. that might seem odd coming from someone with a political role i have on the other side of my

professional life, but i think first and foremost, we have to commit to work together and move forward together. that is what president obama has been working so hard to do. i think that has been evident to most of the people in the country. there is a very stark contrast that exist right now between the direction we have been going, which we need to pick up the pace, and he acknowledges that, improve job creation, make sure we can get people back to work, and the other direction that is proposed by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, which would continue to focus on the most fortunate americans and not focus on the middle-class and working families and stockpiling pain -- we are all having to endure some pain right now and i have had to vote for some cuts there were very painful that i normally would never have wanted to vote for, but i recognize that i have to

come before you and tell you that we all have to sacrifice. they are asking nothing of the most fortunate americans in terms of sacrifice. why do major corporations in this country pay more to their ceo's than they do in taxes? war in bonuses than they do in taxes. unacceptable. that is what i am up in washington fighting for on your behalf. thank you. [applause] >> good morning, and thank you so much for taking the time out. the one thing i need to ask you, and it is sort of the segue into the gentleman's statement. there have been so many horrific and catastrophic weather happenings all over our nation, whether it is tornadoes and hurricanes. the one thing i would like to say to you is, with the threat recently with hurricane irene,

south florida was another target. to be an elected official or anyone looking for your budget issues, the one problem which seem to have is expediting refunds when it comes to fema. another nasa to work load, and i am not trying to criticize, but most of us have an emergency preparedness reserve. at the same time, we use it, but we need to refund its and deposit back in. we still are having difficulty getting our money from wilma, and is in the tune of $400,000. is there some way that if we don't know the secret to expediting this, is there some secret we are missing here?

our paper work, everything is in, but with so much coming, it is not just for me, it would be for everyone who has to deal with fema. i am not being critical, i am just asking. >> if criticism is warranted, you can be critical. >> i know they have a workload, and i appreciate it, but i also have to look at my home town, and i would really appreciate them expediting our funds from wilma and from francis. >> i am glad you raised that because i have been able to be successful in helping the cities in my district cut through the red tape that fema has and get those refunds. i am surprised you are still struggling and have not called me yet to help you with that refund from wilma.

talk with jody and vivian after an we can definitely start to put in some calls to shake that money loser. is not ok that it has been this long. we do have some good news with the mud. the director of fema now, unlike some of the incompetence we have had in the past, is craig fugate, our former director of emergency operations in florida. we have a hurricane response system that is second to none, and other states since katrina have come down and got an advice and been tutored by greg fugate. let me have my staff and me follow up and make sure we can shake loose what is supposed to be coming back to you for sure. let me also point out that there is a little bit of a frightening debate going on right now related to fee must pacific

fleet and to disaster funding. you might have seen in the news. the majority leader in the house of representatives, eric cantor, who is a colleague and friend, i would single him out as someone i have been able to work with on some issues, but he has actually been suggesting that we should not appropriate disaster funding to help communities that get hit by hurricanes like i read or like the floods that have happened in the midwest, unless we have a budget cut somewhere else. this is not something i am making up for misinterpreting. he said it point blank out loud. we live in her cane alley here. can you imagine having to wait until congress acts on a different budget cut to ensure that we get the disaster relief that we need? that is just unacceptable.

it is madness. i agree we have to reduce the deficit, but let's make sure that we make smart cut. let's make sure that we don't cut so deeply and so much that we put people in harm's way or leave people in harm's way. absolutely, let us know how we can continue to help you sort that out. [applause] >> i would like to get back to social security and medicare. next year i will be eligible for medicare. i not only have to get medicare but i will have to get a supplement as well. i am confused because what you are talking about earlier, it seemed like eventually we would not need those supplements. medicare does not cover everything, as you know.

>> as the affordable care act regis pulp implementation by 2014, you may not. each individual has to look at their situation. my staff person is very familiar with the affordable care act. you should evaluate whether or not initially, because it is not fully implemented, you should take a look at what medicare will cover for you and what you are other needs are, what a supplemental policy would provide for you, and down the road, and a couple of years as the full implementation takes effect, you can decide whether or not the preventive screens that are available now, if that is what primarily you paid for a supplemental policy to cover, then you may want to let it go. that is one of the things that is really important, learning the details of how the affordable care act will

directly help you, and we can help you with that. there are other organizations that can help you, too, but shine can specifically help you coma 3 that detail. are you going on direct medicare? >> i have no idea. -- that can help you comb through that detail. when you sit down with shine, have them help you with the comparison of constriction -- prescription drug plans. that can be confusing, and they have a good way of helping people sort it out. >> the other thing is social security. last year, you had come to us and proposed two bills for increasing social security because of the cola increase for

social security. but they did not pass, and yet the democrats were in the vast majority in both houses at that time. that is why i don't understand why that did not pass. >> the reality is, in the senate, my colleague from oregon is the prime sponsor a that a legislation and i know he introduced it sometime in the last congress initially. while we have had a solid majority in the last congress and the house, effectively we did not have a working majority in the senate because of the way they required 60 votes for anything to pass. we did not have the 60 vote majority in the senate, and as a result, every single thing gets filibustered. the house bill move the little bit, but then it did not go anywhere, and subsequently,

there was republican opposition in this congress and we still have the same problem in the united states senate. >> my biggest concern is outsourcing. the economy is bad. there are no jobs here, but we continue to have companies outsourcing. and our utilities -- utility companies are doing it, and i think it is a disgrace. we know trickle-down economy never works. how about a trickle up? >> i am with you on the trickle up. you are 100% right. our tax policy under the bush administration incentivized corporate operations to actually offshore jobs. there was a tax incentive for them to create jobs somewhere else other than the united states. what president obama and congressional democrats have been pushing for is to give a

tax incentive to onshore jobs, to bring jobs back to the united states of america and incentivize companies to do that. i hope we get the cooperation of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do that, because we should be focusing on making things in america. making its in america should be the focus. the good news is that over the last year, we have actually had a surge in american manufacturing, for the first time in decades. we have had manufacturing jobs created for 16 or 17 months straight. we have had a resurgence of the manufacturing sector in america, which is fantastic. look at the rescue of the american automobile industry. in the early part of last year, or the early part of 2009, the

tarp program, although it was unpopular, if we asked people what they thought of the park plan, people would say they cannot believe we did that, but the president's courage to overcome unpopularity and invest those funds come along them to the american automotive industry, which was about to go down the tubes, and which many republicans said let them, it would have met over a million jobs in the pipeline. you have so many suppliers to the automobile industry that would have folded if that happened. now we have all three american automobile makers operating at a profit for the first time since 2004, and they have paid back the tarp funds to the federal government with interest. so president obama's judgment was right. it was also right to use those

funds to prevent banks from being too big to fail and to prevent the entire financial system from collapsing, following up on what president bush was forced to do in october of 2008, and then we had to invest another infusion to make sure you could never again have a bank so big that failing would wreck the economy. so the focus on manufacturing is absolutely a priority and needs to remain one. >> [inaudible] >> come to the microphone over here. >> no one has ever accused you of not being able to be heard. >> we have only to allow time. -- we have known each other a long time. everything has grown in stature.

there are two things. number one, the cola increase you talked about for social security. it has been on the books up to june of this year. it is true for veterans, it will be true for social security unless something changes. if there is going to be a cut somewhere along the line. i don't think that is going to change. >> right now we are ok, what what happens later on, i don't know. they have already paid back 76% of the total amount of money that has been brought in, with interest. $113 billion is what they took an $313 billion is what they paid back. but how many new that the

financial-services industry and the automobile industry paid back the tarp funds with interest to the federal government. that is because my seniors are so knowledgeable and well informed -- fantastic. >> i don't see anyone else at the microphone. i am sorry, forgive me. right ahead. bill is not only the president of brouwer county veterans council but he shares my military academy council the reviews all the met -- all the applications of the young men and women who applied for admission to any of our military academies and helps screen all of those applicant and health

send the best candidates to the naval academy's, to the merchant marine academy and the air force academy. he has been the chair of that committee for all the time i have been in congress and i cannot thank you enough for your service. thank you very much. >> we have always been a consumer driven economy and it seems to me the investments we have made have not been directed at the consumer so much as that big business and so forth. talking about a jobs bill, if it were possible to take that investment and make available to every taxpaying citizen in the united states x amount of dollars, whatever it might be, not in their pockets, is a bandit art lose that amount of money, so that every time they

went in and wanted to buy new car, if it is a $17,000 car and they have $20,000, $17,000 comes off the top and if it is spent in america, in business, and whatever money is taken goes directly into the economy, towards american businesses, whether retail stores -- you want a new kitchen, you have the money to do it but you are spending it. you don't put it away, you don't save it, it is not money in your pocket. it is use it or lose it. if you put in a billion dollars, it goes directly into the economy so that american businesses grow and need more employees and the consumerism starts up again that way. >> that is a good suggestion. let me share review the ways in which we have already done that under president obama's policies

and leadership in a variety of ways. actually, the reason that president obama has championed tax-cutting policy that is targeted to the middle-class and working families and small business owners, rather than republican colleagues to focus on the trickle-down policies that never worked and focusing on the wealthiest and most fortunate americans -- is more likely it deep give a tax break to small business owner or someone in the middle class who has been putting off buying a new refrigerator for their kitchen, when they get that tax break, they are more likely to take that money that was not in their pocket before and go by their refrigerator. what happens with wealthier people is the windfall does not mean much to them, so they invested or sit on it, and the money does not get put back into the economy. that is why president obama

passed 17 different tax breaks last year for small businesses, including capital gains tax breaks and tax breaks on equipment and things they could actually use to invest in their businesses. it is also why even though it was frustrating to have to extend both the tax breaks for the wealthy and the middle class at the end of last year, i voted for that compromise because i recognize again that it cannot always be my way. i voted for that tax cut, but included in it was a payroll tax cut that made sure that we put some money -- we put it back into their pockets. we want to extend that payroll tax cut when we come back. republicans right now or refusing to extend it. that would do exactly what you are saying, keep extra money in the pockets of individuals who would go out and invest it in the economy.

not the direct spending you would propose, but there are ways to do its and ways not to do it, and we think our focus on tax breaks for the middle class and small business owners and working folks are a lot more likely to end use resources into the economy and do exactly what you are saying. i think president obama's jobs rollout next thursday will include some of those good ideas, thank you very much. anyone else? ok. >> good afternoon. i name is mark and i am one of the contractors here at lauderdale west. i have a great question for you concerning the edley committee of lauderdale west. they passed an energy efficiency act for rebates like they did with "cash-for- clunkers" last year. a lot of people have been

receiving high efficiency air conditioning equipment. so we don't consume as much energy. i would like to know why the people of south florida that are spending the money on these high efficiency equipment are not receiving the rebates that they used to be entitled to. the obama administration actually lowered the federal tax credit rebate for these efficiency unit and they have almost cut them out completely, and i would like to know why and how we can get them back to the community. >> i will have to check this to make sure i am right, but the obama administration did not into them. they were part of the recovery act. a portion of the recovery act, when president obama took office in 2009, we passed the recovery act to make sure that we could make significant investments in infrastructure and job creation.

energy was a big portion of that investment and that included those energy rebates. as the money has run out, it was $787 billion. as the money has been spent and invested in the economy, we have tried to get the republicans to re-up on those investments. created tons of jobs for people of -- contractors like you they can go out and installed a new air conditioners and purchase the equipment to do that. there are so many different facets to investment spending economy that rebate like that generates, but they will not make the additional investment. they are only focused on cutting and not on balancing the way we deal with deficit reduction and job creation at the same time. it was not a policy decision, it was just a result of the recovery act beginning to run its course, and we cannot get

them to re-up to continue the flow that ensures that we reduce our energy costs and put people to work at the same time. you don't have to write your congressman because i am standing in front of you. i assure you will continue to push hard to make sure we have investments like that and we need to make sure at the end of the day that after president obama makes that special address on thursday, i hope you talk to your friends and neighbors that have different representatives in south florida and ask them to have their representatives support these proposals. thank you very much. >> i just want to say thank you. thank you for coming. we appreciate everything you do for us. >> thank you very much.

the two of you will close us out and then i would just set couple of things and we can chat. >> what is the solution? i am behind you 100%. i know how you are stymied, but if you say yes, the republicans say no. i have never heard the republicans say yes, so we can get rid of that. what is the bottom line? where are we going? america is suffering. we are suffering. your children will suffer. >> this will be the most political thing that i will have said, the only way i know how to respond. elections have consequences. the solution is the decisions that we make in 15 months from now. we have to make sure that we have different people serving in washington that are going to be able to sit down and work

together and move our country apart and work with president obama and make sure that we don't have the people who are there now that are committed to furthering the polarization. thank you. [applause] >> i live overseas. my question is, does the democratic party, or do the democrats have a pr person, and if they don't, they should. sometimes i don't feel like the message is getting out there. most of us listen to our programs, and i think the majority of americans, whatever news they are watching, local news, it is not on there, and no one is tooting the horn of all the policies that have been passed. with everyone calling this obamacare, it gets put down, and

i don't think anyone really notices how much has been implemented already and how much good that has done, except for the people who have already felt it. so you should get a pr person because there is a lot of good. also to do comparisons, because i am sure that by this time now, when nancy pelosi was running the house, she passed an awful lot more bills than have been passed right now. i am sure you had less vacation time, so please, get a pr person. >> i said at the outset that i was here with my congressional hat on and not my political one. i will not get into a detailed answer of your question, but i will tell you that we do have them, and i will take your message to heart. thank you. one more question and then i

will have to wrap it up. thank you for your sentiment, i appreciate it. >> what if we all made a concerted effort and just one day, as a suggestion, we buy nothing from china. >> by american -- that is a great way to close this out. we should all make a commitment to check those labels on the clothing and the things that you buy that are manufactured elsewhere. look a little harder to buy american, because that is how we can all personally contribute to making it in america. thank you so much. it is such a privilege to represent you in our nation's capital. thank you so much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> tomorrow will have live coverage and remarks from former alaska governor sarah palin. she will be one of the speakers at the tea party of america rally in iowa. live coverage begins around noon eastern. we will carry the event live on c-span radio and on our website at c-span.org. >> next, world war ii veterans gathered in washington d.c. to commemorate the 66th anniversary of v-j day, when japan surrendered to the united states. peter chiarelli gave the keynote address and recognized veterans that circuit in north africa. [applause] >> it is my great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker this morning, general peter chiarelli, vice chief of staff

of the united states army. he has served in army units in the united states, germany, belgium, and iraq. he has commanded at every level from platoon through core. most recently, as a commander of the multinational corps in iraq, i first met the general when he was commanding the first cavalry division in baghdad, iraq, in 2004, and in all the combat leaders i've number out my career, i would say is one of the finest. he is the kind of caring, professional combat leader i would want my son or daughter to serve under in a time of war. he is truly as soldiers general, one of the truly caring combat captains that have come out of this conflict. and yet, in spite of all his accomplishments on the battlefield and off the battlefield, i believe his most significant contribution to our army has come in his service as

vice chief of staff of the army. for nearly three years now, he has led an effort to address what he calls the signature wounds of this war, posttraumatic stress and dramatic brain injury. he is taking on a very difficult fight, making progress, but there is much left to be done. we salute him for what has been accomplished in this very serious injury coming out of that war. it is truly a great honor to have him here today to help bank and honor our world war ii veterans and their families. ladies and gentlemen, the vice chief of staff of the u.s. army, general peter chiarelli. [applause] >> that morning, and thank you

for that kind introduction. that was really something special. i am truly honored to be part of this very special ceremony commemorating the 66th anniversary of the ending of world war ii. everyone associated with the national world war ii memorial, distinguished guests, veterans of current and past wars, spouses and of very special welcome to the soldiers of the 88 infantry division, the fighting would devils. you honor us gentlemen, by year presence -- a fighting blue devils. but a spectacular sight here at this beautiful memorial with the washington monument behind -- in front of me, and the reflecting pool and the lincoln memorial in the distance. it is fitting tribute to the

brave and selfless men and women of the greatest generation who gave so much of themselves in service to our nation and the cause of freedom. i will admit, i have a special affection for the generation that fought valiantly in world war ii. i dad served in a tank battalion. he -- my dad served in a tank battalion and saw action in southern france, italy, and germany. big pete, as he was affectionately referred to around our neighborhood, was referred -- was a butcher by trade. he earned a silver star. yet very few people that about him, including relatives, neighbors, and friends. as a kid, i often ask him to tell me more about his exploits. he would always change the

subject. like many from his generation, he never talked about his experiences or his achievements on the battlefield. soldiers are typically home of folks. when asked for details, they usually respond with a simple explanation that they were just doing their job. many choose never to speak of their experiences out of respect for those who were not so fortunate and did not make it home. for well over a half century, a generation of heroes has gone about their daily lives in cities and towns across this country. with their personal accounts of tragedy and triumph in europe and the pacific during world war ii known only by few. a great example is the story of the 88 the infantry division. i readily admit, though i consider myself a history buff, i was unfamiliar with the story of the blue devils in italy in

world war ii. it was often referred to as the quiet war, overshadowed in many ways by more publicized events and other parts of europe and the pacific front. i read as much as i could about the division and its endeavors while preparing for today's ceremony. unbelievable stuff. every account of the division of the action in italy reads like a war novel, filled with episodes of intense fighting, heroism, gallantry, and crucial victories won. their story may be less known it did less well known compared to those of men who fought in normandy and iwo jima. i assure you, the blue devils' feats were equally remarkable, and no less critical to the outcome of the war.

according to accounts provided by the army historical foundation, on july 15, 1942, captain john quigley, then president of the 88 division veterans association, challenged several hundred soldiers gathered around the main flagpole of camp gruber, okla., to take up the job we did not get done in world war roman one. in response, the commander of the newly activated division promised "the glory of the colors will never be sullied as long as one man of the 88 still lives." such an austere beginning, and get the bows made that day a

general slowdown and subsequently embraced by the soldiers of the new division xxx the collective, altruistic attitude of that generation. they were prepared and willing, if and when called upon, to do whatever was required on behalf of the nation, even if it meant losing their own lives. over the next several months, the men of the 88 train that prepared to -- for battle before heading to north africa in late 1943. in february 1944, they advanced to naples, italy. in early march, the division began to drive to rahm. along the way, they engaged in intense fighting, quickly earning a reputation among the german army as a force to be reckoned with. according to german prisoners,

the division battle like blue devils, and hence the nickname. over 04-day period in may, they captured a number of german strongholds and the town of santa maria. in subsequent weeks, they faced heavy fighting as they pushed through an across highway 6. after a brutal battle on the outskirts of the city, on june 4, 1944, the blue devils entered rome, successfully capturing the internal city for the allies. this represented one of the most significant victories of the work. after brief respite, they continued their drive north in pursuit of the germans. over the next 10 months they fought fiercely, topping the enemy at every turn, winning crucial battles, including two

battles for which they received the distinguished unit citation on may 2, 1945, forces in italy surrendered unconditionally. the war in europe ended a week later. in total, the 88 spent 344 days in combat. amassing an impressive number of military awards and decorations, including two metals of honor, 40 distinguished service crosses, two distinguished service medals, over 500 silver stars, and nearly 4000 bronze stars. absolutely amazing. their achievements during that time were truly extraordinary. they captured major general

schultz of the famed first aired division. he told interrogators that the 88 division is the best division we have ever fought against. this is high praise from a worthy and humble opponent. suffice it to say, the brave men of the blue devil division with us here today played a most decisive role in the defeat of the german army in italy. to some, it may seem odd to recount the endeavors of a unit that served in europe in any event commemorating -- day. and the allied victory in the pacific. however, i believe it is most appropriate. that may have fought in separate theaters against different enemies. however, their cause was the same, to secure peace around the globe. and their efforts were

inexorably linked. victory would have to be won on all fronts. there could be no compromise. world war ii was fought with allied element's position globally against the axis powers. germany, italy, and japan, with german forces surrendered in may of 1945 due in large part to the men of the atf division, thereby ending the war in europe. it relieved the pressure in the pacific, in turn enabling america and her allies to apply our full measure and attention to the war in the pacific. this ultimately led to japan's surrender and the official end of world war ii. today gathered at this memorial, the most fitting tribute to the men and women who fought in world war ii, we listen to the incredible stories like the one i just care about the 88 division, and we marvel at the

service of an entire generation. men and women from all over this great nation left behind their jobs and families in joint military units headed overseas. many of them were 17, 18, 19 years old. they had never been away from home before. suddenly, they found themselves advancing across north africa, europe, and the pacific. they were gone for months or even years at a time. anxiously awaiting orders to go ashore aboard cramped vessels, trudging hundreds of miles under the most bitter conditions. seeing an unimaginable bout of devastation and death around them, almost on a daily basis. to read any of the council for quarrel -- world war ii bge any

of the accounts of world war ii is to be absolutely amazed and humbled, as well as inspired. back then, men and women, young and old, all did their part in ways big and small to keep a struggling nation together during incredibly difficult days. they selflessly thought, volunteered, and sacrificed, until the war was one and the very last soldier returned home safely. and then, they did not talk about what they had done. they simply resumed their lives and quietly warned those who were left behind. unfortunately, there are few who served in world war ii still with us today. many have passed on. however, they are not forgotten. in fact, it is their memory and

the memory of those who came before them that remind us all each day of the responsibility of every generation to repay the debt owed to those from previous generations. i can assure you, this same purposeful sense of duty is never far away from the young men and women serving around the world today. just over one week from now, our nation will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of september 11, 2001. looking back on the past decade, we have much, much to be proud of. it is remarkable all our servicemen and women have accomplished in iraq, afghanistan, and in other locations around the world. i truly believe they represent the next, greatest generation. [applause]

war is a terrible thing. that said, in every conflict, amidst the darkness and tragedy , routinely emerge the most incredible accounts of courage, selfless service, and sacrifice. that is what we remember as we look upon this beautiful memorial and paused briefly on occasions like this one to recount the tales of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsman. senator bob dole himself an army veteran of world war ii, at the dedication ceremony held in may 2004, most appropriately set of this memorial, and quote, what rededicate today is not a memorial to war.

rather, it is a tribute to the physical and moral courage that makes heroes out of form and city boys and inspires americans in every generation to lay down their lives for people they will never meet, for ideals that make life itself worth living." [applause] that is what we are called to do in our profession, the profession of arms, to carry on the peace won by the past generation, to preserve it for our children and our children's children, while passing the sense of duty, love of country, and selflessness that ensures they will do the same for future generations. thanks to all of you here for your service on behalf of our nation, for your continued and strong support of our young men and women serving around the

world today and their families. may god bless the united states of america. army strong. [applause] >> next, a preview of c-span series the contenders, on key figures who have run for president and lost, but changed political history. we will talk with richard norton smith, and history professor gene baker. in a town hall meeting with 4 representative debbie wasserman schultz, and after that, at ceremonies to mark the 66th anniversary of v-j. --

host[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> when you decided the list for the contenders, what was your objective? >> to give viewers an alternative school of american political history in particular. it has been observed that the winners write the history

books, and that is true, but that means that we are deprived of a another whole story line. even more, at a biographical level, there are 14 people in this series, many of whom, i guarantee, viewers may never have heard of, and all of them, i can guarantee they will find interesting to fascinating. certainly surprising. and>> do you have somebody in mind who may have been the most important contender in history for the presidency? >> some modern biographers say that losing candidates in the last 20 years, even george wallace could be the most important loser. i do not think that at all. i go back to the 19th century and henry clay. he ran three times, and that is one of the things that

interests me about these folks. they are recidivists. they keep at it. it gives me new insight into defeat, which i would think one of the most humiliating things that can happen to you, if you are henry clay, you have arrived at the kentucky house of assembly, and almost immediately everyone is saying you are a leader. you go to washington. you are speaker of the house. what humiliation. and yet, he kept coming back. i do believe that he is one of these 14 who, had he been elected, either in 1824 or 1832 or 1836 he really would have made a difference in the history of the country. >> as a journalist, which of these contenders would you like to have covered? >> william james brian. -- we aren't jennings bryan and

harr and. >> why? >> she talked about recidivism. there are echoes of him even today. i was at a rally -- not a rally -- a republican event, with the republican establishment, actually, in the war room. all of a sudden, this chant breaks out, "end the fed! end the fed!" that is ron paul's crowd. these things do not disappear throughout the years. that is the cross of gold speech, the modern version. they reappear, even if they lose. >> in their redefine defeat. >> over and over again, there are people who lose an election, and in the immediate sense they would be written off, but who in fact in some cases turn out to be catalysts for political changes that will transform the

country. think of al smith in 1928. he lost to herbert hoover, the paved the way for franklin roosevelt and the urban immigrant labor coalition that sustain the democratic party of through john f. kennedy. even more, barry goldwater, who lost overwhelmingly in 1964, and people said the conservatism was dead. but the fact is, coldwater planted the seed of the conservative movement that i believe has yet to crest. >> would any of these contenders have done better with television? some of them did have television, but a lot of them did not. >> let's try james blaine and your guy. >> brian. -- bryan. >> when did blaine run? >> 1884.

>> against? >> he lost to grover cleveland. >> that is a really funny american election that all americans should know about. it is the one in which grover cleveland has this child born out of wedlock. so we have this wonderful comic, couplet -- ma, ma, where is pa? gone to the white house, ha, ha, ha. with james blaine there are complicated letters. he is in the pocket of railroad magnates. they have to do with him taking bribes and working for the railroad. americans are faced with the choice of personal sin or the kind of public sin of james plame.

>> -- sin of james blaine. >> a common complaint is that modern candidates say they would have preferred to run before television. substance is driven down. i covered a candidate who did not do very well. he finished sixth. reagan actually got more republican right in votes in the primary. he had to quit and we were on the airplane going back to los angeles. he said, abraham lincoln could not be elected today. i was taking notes and i stopped taking notes. he said, do you want to write that down? i said, i think i will do you a favor. i am not going to put that in my story.

he said, why not? what he was getting at was the gary hart was a pretty face. he could break through to be the guy who runs against walter mondale. i said, lincoln was the greatest writer we had in that office since jefferson held it. if he was running, all of the right terrorist on this plane would quit and work for him. -- writers on this plane would quit and work for him. lincoln could get elected today. >> is there anyone who think would get elected today because of television who did not? >> thomas dewey's career spanned the introduction of television. he was nominated twice. he ran against fdr in 1944. he famously ran against harry truman in 1948. remember, do we had been the -- dewey had been the gangbuster,

this great courtroom prosecutor who became famous when he was still in his 30's for putting away mobsters. lucky luciano. he was a courtroom performer, and that actually translated superbly well to a television studio. >> richard, let me disagree a little bit. i mean, this is a guy who clare boothe luce said looked like an ornament on a wedding cake. that might be a complement on one hand, but on the other -- >> he could not be handled. the people to try to handle and told him to shave off his mustache. it reminded people of charlie chaplin or hitler. and more coming through world war ii.

and he would not. he also had the two front teeth with the big gap. he would not fix it. he said his wife liked him the way he was. that says something about personal character. i think as a persuader, someone who could market that and make -- marshall facts and make the tv camera his ally -- >> how about willkie, who runs in 1940 against roosevelt? how would you done on -- how would he have done on television? >> well, wilke seems to me to be a little -- he belongs where he came from, in corporate executive rooms. he does not have any public training. i do believe that there is a certain level of exposure that contenders and winners need. now, as long as i briefly have the floor, i would like to present to all of you an idea of why it is contenders are

important. i think sometimes we talk about presidential politics -- of course we are always talking about winners. americans talk about winners. we do not talk about the zero losers. but we impose from our position a one person race, and we lose all the context. at the time that americans were voting for these men, they were looking at an entire landscape. we sort of over-interpret this. if we could get the contenders back into the race -- and by the way, on the eve of the u.s. open in tennis, presidential campaigns are not a horse race. they are more like a tennis match where you have an opponent and when you remove

the opponent, you lose, it seems to me, all of the depth and profundity. >> to go back to your original question, why this subject, why now? it is a subject that has been too long ignored and the timing could not be better as an alternative to exactly the kind of horse race, trivial back and forth, home abscessed coverage -- poll-obsessed coverage that passes for most political journalism. >> these questions are somewhat trite, but who of all of these 14, who would you like to have, three of them, at a table and you are the host a little lunch or dinner party? >> a debate on capitalism between wendell willkie and jean-would be interesting.

-- and gene debs would be interesting. i am not sure you would need a third. had george wallace. wouldn't that be a lively conversation? >> what kind of person would be fun to talk to among these 14? >> henry clay would be. >> why would he be fun? >> by all accounts, this was the most -- along with andrew jackson, his great enemy, this was the most charismatic, galvanizing, polarizing, magnetic figure for the first half of the 19th century. by all accounts, there was an aura, a spell about the man. it went so bunt -- it went so far beyond charm. his very nickname, the great compromiser. >> the country is being split apart and he wants to keep it together, but he is very much identified with one side. he is a partisan guy who wants to unite people.

all of the problems of the era you could get from this guy and why we could not elect him is the same reason we eventually went to war. they could not be resolved. >> he ran against three different people for the presidency. >> yes. >> he was secretary of state, speaker of the house, and a senator. >> and a very constructive statement. -- statesman. that is the interesting thing about him. we talk about grover cleveland. each man had impressive aspects to their personal or political character, and yet look at their record in office. grover cleveland is generally regarded as the most impressive president between lincoln and theodore roosevelt. >> and off the list, perhaps in parentheses, we should talk about some contenders that we

should forget. parker. >> well, they have been forgotten. >> let me ask you though, you wrote a book on adelaide stevenson. would you put adelaide stevenson at the table? >> yes. >> did you ever meet him? >> know. -- no. i did spend some time with his son, who as you know was a senator and then resigned in 1980. he made a big tactical mistake, went back and ran for governor in illinois and was beaten. but big jim thompson. he retired from politics. but that is interesting thing about most of these people. they are really committed to anything in public service and they are all effective politicians. adlai stevenson had that side to him of -- i am not sure i

really want to be doing this, and yet he has given us some of the best epithet's we have in america. i remember he said to eisenhower in 1952, i will stop telling the truth about republicans if they will stop telling lies about the democrats. nixon was accused of cutting every tree down and then standing on it to give the stump speech. >> there are still a dwindling number of americans proudly known as stevensonians. now, the one book on his desk at the time of his death was the social register.

>> i am not sure that is actually true. i will give you a pass. >> but he brought stability. -- civility. he brought a high sense of purpose, and he brought great campaign wit. we have gotten ridiculous about this whole process. going back to what you said. he was a man ahead of his time. he was the first man to talk about a nuclear test ban treaty. he was proposing the vote for 18-year-old. that is another critical function of these also-rans. they often introduce ideas that may not be accepted at the time, but who in fact find their way into the political bloodstream and become the norm. >> can we turn that around and say -- any of these contenders represent the past, the moment

in history in which they campaigned. it was the end of a certain style, is certain number of issues, or whenever. >> back to henry clay. he is a tragic figure also, in a way. the great thing dividing this country is the west being built up, and we know that the united states is already going to go to the pacific ocean, but are those states going to be free states or slave states? henry clay wants to go to the ocean. he wants the union to remain intact, but he does not want them to be declared free states because he does not want his south to be marginalized. it is really the last time in history you can straddle that issue, and he paid for it and we paid for it. >> i was thinking about echoes of the future in adelaide --

adlai stevenson. he served in the kennedy administration and a found him wanting. he was accused of not being tough enough. there were strains of the kennedy administration. but what does that really foreshadow? the future of the democratic party. the idea that we will work with communities, not dictate to communities, that becomes part of the democratic party's dna. >> it is a political bio the find expressions in many ways. projecting onto george mcgovern. the idea of america as a republic not an empire. there are consistencies that are extraordinary. henry clay had a familiar way of -- alternative way of seeing

familiar facts. you could look at henry clay as someone who failed to achieve his goal and never became president. but on the other hand, to the extent that he contributed -- and he was not the only one responsible for the compromise of 1850. he died shortly thereafter. what did that do? that precluded war for 10 years. 10 years for the north to grow industrially. >> on the other side, 10 years for the south to gain a sense of indemnity. there was an idea that they would become a separate unit, a separate nation. >> imagine if the union broke in 1850. >> does anyone believe that if nothing else, henry clay gave us 10 years for abraham lincoln to

emerge? >> including james buchanan. >> and remember, henry clay was lincoln's idea of a statesman. how does that affect us today? remember a few years ago when bill kristol and others at the weekly standard were talking about what they called national greatness conservatism. it is not a phrase that you hear much today, but it was very much one crowded in -- and clay was part of that tradition, going back to hamilton. the idea of an energetic government doing conservative things. the government has an engine of economic development. he gave us something called the american system, which was an enormous shot in the arm to the infrastructure of america and the american economy.

>> let's do something for those watching to catch them up on all of these 14. let me go backwards. let me go to the newest one on the list, that will be shown on november 9th. i will move very quickly and have you pop in with quick comments about what relevancy all of these people had at their time. ross perot will be our december 9th program. what would you say about him? >> third party outsider. in some ways a cultivator of what is very clear now, and that is lots and lots of american angst. >> more specifically, a forerunner of the tea party in many ways. ross perot's greatest accomplishment was to insist that the two political parties deal with the deficit. >> i would add to that. i went to a farm one day and we had a conference where people said, nobody cares about this deficit.

then ross perot gives a speech about it, a musician sings a song about it, and we do care about the deficit. ross perot did two things. he may have gotten bill clinton elected, and he may have stopped this movement for a while. the tea party things we're spending too much money. ross perot talked about this. he had pie charts and we laughed at him. he got 20% of the vote after he quit the race. he behaved in a flaky way. he still got 20% of the vote. that is what you're seeing. is that too long? >> that is good. the second will be george mcgovern. what pops out right away? >> he rewrote the rules by which the democratic nominee would be nominated.

in a broader sense, he brought in this tradition that you could take back to allied stevenson, william jennings bryan, the anti-war strain of the democratic party. the left wing of the democratic party. >> to me, george mcgovern is when political writers began looking at the race tactically and breaking down all of these things. he picked the wrong vice- president and took forever to pick him. he gave a speech at 2:00 in the morning. his is the campaign that we start to pay close attention to the mechanics of the campaign. the fact that he loses in a landslide does not change the

fact we are hooked on process. >> getting only 38% of the vote. what a catastrophe. that is probably the lowest percentage in a two-party race in a century. here is this guy that did not run a good campaign, and yet, he understood politics. he had been able, somehow, in south dakota, to be elected. >> and me go to the november 25th program with george wallace. >> he ran as a racist. he was the last person to do it. >> 1968 and 1976. >> he would hold these press conferences. i was in high school and college, and he would say, i am not talking about race, i am talking about welfare. and the cameras would go off, and he would say, you know who i mean.

that was the end of the discussion in a way that we were talking about henry clay. >> if you go back to george mcgovern, look at the nixon 43% in 1968, george wallace had an enormous impact on politics and the government of his time. if you think of the nixon southern strategy, if you think of the supreme court nominees that nixon wanted to put on, nixon understood that for him to submit what people then talked about as an emerging republican majority, it would involve turning the south from solid democrat to solid republican. and here we are 40 years later. >> what comes to mind when you think of george wallace?

>> what has been said, but beyond that, a guy who really was corrupt in the sense that he manipulated public opinion. as i am understand his early career, this was a man who was not, as his predecessor was, and out and out racist, but at some point george wallace understands that his private ambitions are going to require this terrible assault, and so he begins this process whereby he sells out. the other thing that is interesting about george wallace is that he's sort of flies in and out of the democratic party. he starts the american independent party. >> he goes out against lyndon

johnson and he astonishes. it was the first time the term backlash was coined, the idea that white voters angered by civil rights and the social revolution would leave their traditional home in the new deal, democratic, kennedy party and vote for a george wallace in the primaries and then vote for goldwater in the fall or become conservative republicans. >> hubert humphrey. >> a lot of heart. >> you like him. >> an ocean of heart. our daughter was graduating from the university of pennsylvania and we went very happily to the graduation. three and a half hours later after his one and a half hour graduation speech, we left.

nonetheless, hubert humphrey, to me, was indeed the happy warrior, which it was a name given to al smith. >> buy? who gives it? who calls him and the happy warrior at the convention? franklin delano roosevelt. >> 1948, he leads the walk out of the dixiecrats. he tells the democrats, it is time to emerge from the shadow of states' rights and march into the sunshine of human rights. it is one of the great moments of history that every democrat should be proud of. that is what i think. he was mayor of minneapolis that time. >> he also transformed the lives -- vice presidency and a

surprising way because he had such a miserable experience under lyndon johnson from 1965- 1969. his fellow minnesotan walter mondale was offered a job by jimmy carter, and as a result of what he learned from hubert humphrey, he became the modern vice president. he had his own office in the white house. he was a deputy president. he was not in a separate building. he was not fob off on the space program or what ever else presidents give their vice presidents to fill time. >> we could talk about him for 90 minutes. the happy warrior thing with him was genuine. billy graham told me this story. if you ever hear billy graham's imitating hubert humphrey's

singsong the minnesota voice, he is quite good at it actually. he moves to the state that has the cleanest government. he is swimming at the ymca. men's swim altogether. he is resting outside the pool and hubert lumbers over to him. he reaches down and insists on shaking hands and says, hello, billy graham's. i am hubert humphrey. i'm running for mayor. i would really like your vote. >> we need to go to barry goldwater. november the 11th. >> do we really need to? can i say one more thing about hubert? >> barry goldwater. >> ok. >> well, the beginning of modern conservatism. but also, an unlikely politician. some of these people seem to

have absorbed in their water, soup or whatever -- he should of been the head of the department store in phoenix. yet gradually, he takes this path that i think is true of some other politicians. they get into community affairs, and then, as you know, he is elected to the senate, and he certainly is a man of principles. he has given us one of our perhaps worst quotations. >> involving the a-bomb? >> and he was the victim of a really dirty journalistic trick by the johnson campaign. i do think that is an unfair kind of political ad. >> the problem is, in some ways he set himself up for that.

lbj gets 486 electoral votes to 52. goldwater barely carried his own state of arizona. annie took four or five deep southern states. alabama, mississippi, i believe he took south carolina, and louisiana. >> do you attribute to him the new southern added? -- strategy? >> he voted against the civil rights act. he voted against debate. again, you could call him a man of principle. he had himself been instrumental in desegregating his family's department stores, the national guard in arizona, but he was such a believer in states' rights and so constitutionally opposed to what he saw as federal coercion.

the other thing, of course, with barry goldwater is that he is every liberals favorite conservative because he called jerry falwell names. he was outspokenly pro-gay rights. he famously said you do not have to be straight to serve. you just have to shoot straight. >> when president reagan nominated sandra day o'connor to be on the court -- he had said he would nominate a woman, and he took that as his own promise. jesse helms spoke against her and said she was not solid on the right-to-life movement. barry goldwater went out there and said, i'm going back to washington and i am going to explain to jesse helms that i am the most conservative man in

the senate. in some ways, he was not any more. falwell made a statement that any loyal american should oppose the appointment of sandra day o'connor. barry goldwater said any loyal american should kick jerry falwell's ass. he is a transition figure. he changed the evolution of the republican party. >> he is also a cranky guy. as he got older, he got crankier. if he was angry at something you said or did, he would take his cane and physically let you know his displeasure. we say we want authentic people representing as. he was authentic. >> these programs are 14 in number. there every friday night at 8:00 and 11:00 east coast time,

5:00 and 8:00 on the west coast. we are going down the list of all 14. they are people who ran for the presidency and lost. the next one is on november 4th, adelaide stevenson, which is your specialty. how often did he run? who did he run against? how badly was he beaten? >> he ran twice, 1952 and 1956. he had the misfortune of running against a great military hero, dwight eisenhower. i do not really think that there is any way that adelaide stevenson could have won those elections. americans like military heroes. there are few generals that ran the did not win. eisenhower is an unassailable character, and i'm not sure that adelaide stevenson ran the most effective campaign. at least in 1952. he never could change his rhetoric and couch it in the

necessity of television time. >> he would run out of time. he would get cut off in the middle of a speech. he had great speechwriter's too, by the way. there is a whole generation of people that adelaide stevenson brought into the process. >> but still, these were not -- he lost, what? in the high 40's. the second time, he was in the lower 40's. it was not a disaster. >> but he managed to lose to a

president during a recession. >> but you are right about ike. he was hard to beat. the real number that stands out about 1952 was something like 11 million voters more than just four years before. that is a reflection on the dewey-truman choice, but more, people were given these two spectacular candidates to choose from. >> this is the contribution of adelaide stevenson. we all know -- i do not know what the statistics are, however many people are independent. they are not assigned. they do not choose any party. it was adelaide stevenson who begins, in this primitive

campaign in illinois, to try to encourage independence to support someone who is an intelligent candidate. >> that is a perfect transition for me. his legacy -- he is obviously intellectual. ike knows it. he beats him. what is the moral? the voters do not want an intellectual. so eisenhower begins, as president, dumbing down his speeches. >> did he have to? >> that is my point. but also, how he thought -- his lesson was, people do not want the intellectual. he did not want to sound like one. he would go in and cross our words they had written and make smaller words, literally in his own hands. the combination is the great "saturday night live" skit. republicans to this day do not want to sound intellectual. there is as saturday night live sketch where reagan sounds

addled and then his aides leave and in the privacy of his thing he speaks very intelligently on policy. adlai stevenson caused both parties to decide that is not the way to get elected. >> october 28th, how well do you know tom dewey? >> i spent some of the best years of my life -- 1980 i left washington, d.c. i moved lock, stock and remington typewriter to rochester, new york, for one year, where the papers were housed. i spend every day from 9:00 until 5:00 going through boxes of paper and then going home and writing on night. i could not do it now. >> why? >> because i am about 30 years older.

hopefully 30 years wiser. but he was a remarkable story. multiple stories, because you had the whole racket busting era, very colorful in the 1930's, when thomas dewey was the nation's leading crime fighter. he had a unique background for a presidential candidate. in 1939, with hitler about to invade poland, the gallup poll comes out and it shows thomas e. dewey, the 37-year-old district attorney of new york county leading franklin roosevelt in the event that fdr decides to run for a third term. obviously, subsequent events intervened. the republicans turned to a dark horse named wendell willkie. but thomas dewey would go on to become a three term governor of new york. along with al smith he is regarded as one of the best governors of the century. he is one of those people who i

think would have been a much better president than he was a candidate. >> do you have any remembrance of him? >> i am a newspaper man. i have one. it is seared into our dna. it is the chicago tribune headline "dewey defeats truman." your first day of journalism school, they tattoo you with that headline and you're never supposed to assume facts again. because he did not defeat him, for our viewers who are younger than 48. >> your the washington bureau chief of real true politics. you're doing a lot of historical stuff. >> you get my newsletter every morning. >> what makes you think that people want to read about history? >> well, history is fascinating and people know it. they want to know about their

world today. they all have echoes. he is not one of the 14, not on the list, bob dole, but if we had 15, he might have been. bob dole gives a talk in 1996 where he is nominated and he says he is not against teachers but he is against the teachers union. he is attacked for this. that is not that long ago, 1996. this year, 2011, we a documentary movies by liberals about the teachers unions. we have a secretary of education who feels much the same way. he is more diplomatic than that. people care about history because it not only tells you where we have been, but if you listen very carefully, it tells you where we are going. >> in a more about thomas dewey? >> i think of him mainly as the gangbuster. i am impressed by the number and the significance of the

nicknames that some of these contenders and winners get. you may have another nickname, but as far as i am concerned, this was an effective guy who violated one of those laws to move beyond your pay grade. i am sure richard does not agree with that. he is certainly an interesting man, that there is something about him that is not effective as an american politician. had he been elected, he would of been one of this group that i think would have done the worst job. >> i tell you why i disagree. if he had one -- and this is not necessarily part of the series -- who knows? but we may in fact have to stop to speculate on how history would have been different. had thomas dewey been elected in 1948 -- 1944 would have been out of the question -- you never would have heard of joe mccarthy.

thomas dewey never would have permitted -- he ran a machine in new york. there was a debate over whether the american communist party should be outlawed. he took the civil libertarian position, you cannot shoot an idea. >> what year did you publish a book on mary todd lincoln? >> she was not a contender. >> what year did you do the adelaide stevenson book? >> 1985. >> how many years have you taught history? >> since medieval times, almost.

>> 30-40 years. the reason i ask is, what has happened to students and their interest in history over the years? >> students keep coming back. i do not want to be one of these lacerating, parental types that say we have significant historical amnesia, but i do think that students think that the past is over. in fact, i have had them tell me that when they're thinking about what is going to be their major. it is over. it is gone. on the other hand, as you say, history is an abiding, in during interest and discipline. thousands of americans, sometimes after they have graduated with business degrees, turn to history and find that it is the most consuming thing in their lives.

>> how many years have you taught at george mason? >> 5. >> what do you sense is the attitude about history among your students? >> i guess i am lucky. obviously there are exceptions, but i have found students to be particularly interested in the subject of the presidency. we actually cover all of the president in 14 weeks. we do everyone. it is interesting, because a lot of these kids, i often ask why they are taking the course. and number of them say, i know about the people with monuments on the mall, but i want to know more about james garfield or calvin coolidge. i want to know the hidden corners, the knicks and crannies of american history. >> on october the 21st, i see it the name wendell willkie, a man from indiana. a one worlder. what did that mean? >> he would not be a

conservative republican today, would he? >> he was not a conservative republican back then. >> he was a corporate republican and he was engaged in a national debate -- we use the phrase class warfare now. republicans use it pejoratively when democrats talk, but that is what it was, class warfare. wendell willkie was born on a farm and roosevelt was born to a grand family, and they never saw the irony of what defended. >> what did he look like? >> he looked like a bear. he was a great big, larger than life, rumpled figure, who nevertheless had an aura, a charisma.

one person famously said that his candidacy, which spun out of nowhere, a seemingly -- >> that he had never had a job. >> he was a jeffersonian democrat until the new deal. he said that his candidacy sprung from the grassroots of every country club in america. there has never been anyone like him. it is hard to imagine there ever been anyone like him. he was beyond a dark horse. >> did he ever have a chance of winning? >> oh, no. i suppose of all of the people that took roosevelt on, he and dewey probably had the most difficult issue.

although -- >> what was the issue? >> isolationism versus interventionism. as we remember, the united states was not committed, and roosevelt was working hard on all kinds of changing public opinion, but also public policies, and wendell willkie, as it turns out, really was an interventionist and wrote this book about one world. i would like to ask you about it. i have never read one world. is it a pre-u.n.? >> it is the book woodrow wilson would have written if he had lived in 1942-1943. a lot of these contenders are in the series because they were nominated, not just because they ran, but because they were nominated by a party to run for president. wendell willkie is a great example. his greatest service to the

country arguably came after 1940 when he became an emissary for fdr, traveled around the world, and foreshadow the realignment of political parties which has arguably taken place. >> roosevelt outlived him. he died in 1944 and so did his running mate. >> the speaker of the house? >> he was only 52. >> how appropriate. he burned out. he lived his life like that, and somehow it was not a surprise. >> october 14th, al smith. >> al smith. in many ways a father of the modern democratic party. >> where was he from? >> new york state. he was a governor, you know, raised in the shadows of brooklyn bridge. >> and tammany hall. >> and tammany hall.

a classic tammany hall politician who outgrew his origins. do you know the last republican presidential candidate to carry new york city was calvin coolidge in 1924? four years later, al smith is the democratic candidate against herbert hoover. he begins the process of forging an urban-world, but mostly urban-immigrant -- >> he also starts and uncomfortable conversation. >> -- coalition. >> which is can the catholic be president. there is openly anti-catholic innuendo used against smith. it is not used against kennedy. kennedy dealt with this issue,

but smith is the pioneer. >> with kennedy, we get the ghost of al smith. >> the other reason al smith -- besides the catholicism charge -- these are good times. we talk about the biography of personalities, but it is really important to have the context of prosperity. you know, they were good times. although, there were these areas where folks in america's were not doing so well. >> we know things about her hoover we did not know then, but al smith was running against a guy who was personally credited with saving millions of lives in world war i. he was a heroic figure. al smith, in addition to his faith, was seen and heard as an

alien figure. if you listen to him on the radio, this wonderful accent from the lower east side of manhattan, this was a chance for people in america to vote against a new york. this was a chance to vote against all that they thought was alien and an american, and somehow vaguely -- he was beaten very badly. he got 87 electoral votes. and hoover broke open the south. not eisenhower, not barry goldwater, but herbert hoover who breaks open the south. >> charles everett hughes. >> well, i think of him in the context -- and i am not sure that you to will, of women's suffrage. charles evans hughes was a progressive on women's suffrage.

>> he ran against woodrow wilson. >> ran against woodrow wilson, and there were four or five states during this time that had women's suffrage, so the idea of the women was to go and use their vote, get those states to support charles evans hughes. there was an uproar. the wilsonian were furious about this. you simply did not do that. in any case, it did not work, and wilson is the person who ends up being pushed and pushed towards women's suffrage in 1920. but the other thing about the hughes campaign is just how close it was. i think we think of wilson as being somehow triumphant, but

this was a very, very close election. >> hughes is actually one of the unusual figures in this in that his race for president is arguably one of the less distinguished chapters of an extraordinarily distinguished and useful career. he had been a great governor of new york. he was on the supreme court. he left the court to run against wilson, was secretary of state throughout the 1920's -- generally regarded as one of our best secretaries of state -- and then his great impact was when he went back on the court and almost single-handedly for did franklin roosevelts attempt to pack the court. >> several governors of new york. what was it about governors of new york in those days? you do not see any of that now. >> i think california. when i was a kid, calif. eclipsed new york. this happened over a gradual period of time. in arguably, population is a fact.

in other ways, in ways of new yorkers are reluctant to admit. what is happening now is that maybe texas is doing that to california. these things change. but he is, because he was a new yorker, brought with him attitudes not just about gender but about race. he was a racial moderate. if he defeats wilson, washington is not re-segregated. that was wilson's doing. the civil rights movement might have moved along faster. for women, a civil-rights, foreign policy -- germany sort of baited us into war. would he use have avoided that? >> he had been referred to as the bearded icicle. he had a very chilly, aura of rectitude.

yes, he did have a beard. calvin coolidge love to play practical jokes. when hughes stayed at the white house, calvin coolidge sent to his barber up to his room. >> if i remember, wilson had to stay up all night. he was quite irritated. >> it was a couple of days because california define the race. >> there are two guys. norman thomas ran for president on a socialism ticket. the one on our list is eugene debs of terre haute indiana. what do you think of him? >> i think of a principled guy who was at the forefront of the labor movement.

i think he was a labor leader. he runs on the socialist ticket. he was a guy who wants to break the trusts and give the working man power. we are in a time now where we are talking about public employees unions. there was no such thing. he was talking about people who work with their hands for a living and do dangerous things. he fought for the right to organize. his day came, but not in his time. >> he was also outspoken in his opposition to world war i. he was, for his pains, thrown in jail by woodrow wilson, the great champion of self- determination. he was ultimately pardoned by an even unlikely your character, warren g. harding. what ever else you say about him, was a kind, a genial -- he wanted debs to come visit him at christmas time.

he wanted to meet him. >> he ran in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1911, and ran from prison in 1912. >> i think of debs separating american socialism. we think of this pejorative socialism thrown out to democrats. socialism at the turn of the century was a very viable philosophy. there were socialist elected, a few in congress, a couple of mayors. he separates them from the european variety. what he is unable ever to make the case to workers that there

can be electoral socialism. he is a very principled, important contender. >> september 23, william jennings right at against mckinley, ran 19 04 against william howard taft. what else can you remember? >> here is what intrigues me about william jennings bryan. he is so misunderstood. if one of your students has heard of him, he has heard of him from "inherit the wind." it is supposed to be a morality tale against the red scare. it was brought back after 9/11 to be a morality tale to

persecute muslims. william jennings bryan, based on the scopes trial, was in the play and in the book and on television. he is the buffoonish figure. but william jennings bryan was not against darwinism because he was a flat earth for or on caring bigot, he was against darwinism for the same reason most of the liberals of his day work -- he equated them with social darwinism. william jennings bryan was very much worried that darwinism was -- evolution would be used as an excuse to not help the poor, not help emigrants, not help children, not help people with disabilities. that is what he was really arguing against. i picked him out because he is the singularly misunderstood guy who today's liberals ought to

the break. >> let me tell you what i think about, maybe that will help. generally, a modern political figure -- i think of him as a really good campaigner. those speeches, there are several of them besides "the cross of gold" that are quite memorable. he is also committed to campaigning. he is one of the first modern presidents who gets off of his porch. william mckinley did not. i think he even campaigns in an automobile.

>> to show you how much bryan transformed the campaigners, in 1896 more americans turned out mckinley inn and person. more people turned out to see them. more than turn out to see clinton, dole, and perot in person. it was an extraordinary time when people defined themselves by their party. they were as polarized as anything today. one thing to know about br yan -- the cross of gold speech so galvanized the convention. without the speech, he would not have been nominated. jump forward 60 years.

adelaide stevenson, who does not want to run, delivers the welcoming address to the democrats' big jump for 50 years. barack obama. the connection between bryan and obama is one speech can make a career. >> did the have any other government job? >> he was a lousy secretary of state. "for whom? >> for woodrow zero -- 4 woodrow wilson. >> i would not say he was lousy. he resigned over a principal issue. i always wondered why people like cyrus vance -- the first cyrus vance -- why americans do not resign when there is an issue of principle. >> you can see his commitment to principle. >> do you remember what cyrus

vance resigned about? >> he did not. he opposed something. >> i thought he stepped down? >> i do not think so, but we will check. >> was it over the attempted rescue? >> i bought it with the failed rescue of the hostages. >> ed muskie was appointed in his place. >> you think he did resign. >> we have a big hole in this program. >> whoever thought that cyrus vance would come up. >> september 60, it will be james g. blaine. my favorite story -- it is not a great story -- is when president

garfield and walked across lafayette park on the way to james g. blaine's apartment supposedly. there is nobody around james garfield. given that james g. blaine's relationship with garfield. >> not good. the thing about blaine is that he was the kind of guy who burned the bridges with lots of people. i think of him as brilliant. >> he is from maine bank. >> yes. >> the continental liar from the state of maine. why continental? does that mean he reaches across the nation? >> ran in 1884 against cleveland. before that he got the republican nomination. before that, it was blaine that prevented ulysses grant from

coming back -- rather 1880. it was blaine who prevented ulysses grant from winning a third term. >> despite being secretary of state for garfield and arthur, -- >> he was secretary of state under three presidents. what else did he do? >> he was in congress, he was speaker of the house. he was a very effective, iron will speaker. >> he changed some of the rules and the house. i am not sure exactly what rules they are. it seems to be speakers of the house. they are always changing role somewhat to their advantage. you know, smart capable guy but corrupt. >> remember, this was the. after the civil war when congress was much more potent than they had be. the reaction against the strong executives. to be speaker of the house, to be a power in congress in 1870's and 1880s meant a lot more than it would today.

>> do you have anything to say about mr. blaine? >> what do you think would have happened if he won? how would he have changed things? >> i think he would be regarded as the best president between lincoln and pr because he was a -- and teddy roosevelt because he was surf ' and had the intellectual -- he was an assertive and had the intellectual health. he had a lot of talent. people are consumed by -- they lost after the presidency. it is a distorting, warping malignancy that they suffer from. if they survive it and when the office, i think land is like some of the likely. they have a great deal in common. they are very charismatic, polarizing figures who i think an office would have distinguished themselves. >> i would like to throw out the idea that sometimes we

overdo the presidency -- there is not much we would have changed if we shuffled these men around and put one in instead of the other. there are exceptions, and they are worth talking about. there is a jump from the contenders of 1884 until 1824 with henry clay. do we have a moment to stop and -- a really critical election in 1860? where it really did make a difference who was elected? you know, i think it is like a chess board. these presidents often because of american politics often centers ultimately, if they are over here on one issue and that is out of line, they will move a little bit back into the center. >> if you look at the

republicans often are courses he were elected, those beer did not entities, thomas will call them the lost america, wayne and stands out both in terms of personality. the fact that he was a man of congress that he had demonstrated a capacity to control work govern in congress. all i am saying is he might have -- if the president himself was a diminished institution. that i agree with you. all i am saying is the possibility for counter interpretation, there would not be this blank wall of the forgettable and forgotten -- >> and he is memorable in congress. the bland amendment that you cannot take public moneys and

use them for religious institutions. >> i want to get on the record, thanks to our producer who said mr. vance did resign in 1980 over the rescue in iran. >> if there was another issue that might be reasonable. >> stick with a larger point. except for france, why do more of them resign? >> let's go to september 9, our first program. for those who have just joined us in this discussion, c-span is a special 14 week series, friday night at 11:00. we will have cameras on scene. there are homes and libraries around the country. first one will be henry clay. henry clay ran, you said, three

times? >> he was nominated three times. he ran five times. >> starting when? >> he was nominated again in 1832. he was nominated in 1844. but he was a candidate and 1840 and 1848 and would have ran the grave. >> have there ever been anyone who ran for as many high offices like speaker of the house? quincy is a man of superlatives. what ever you say about light, he is just a larger-than-life figure. i would imagine he is the best president we never had. >> i am not arguing that he is the best president we never had, i am arguing house staff and -- how recently ran for as many offices as anyone we have

been talking about today. >> governor of minnesota. >> he became a joke. >> was clay ever a joke? >> no. >> yes, he was -- well. i do not know if he was a joke. henry clay was a nancy guy, too. he used to pick on people in congress. one of the people that he speak on was buchanan. >> said he wrote a book about it. >> james buchanan worked hard to be what he called "a working sanitary and congressman." he would say something in congress and henry clay would call him and nancy mann. he would make these terrible personal comments. james buchanan was crosstie. henry clay would sit in a seat

and point to his eyes and go like this. clay for all of his brilliance -- >> you could not do that with c-span cameras in the chambers now. >> the senate would not show you a cutaway of henry clay doing this with his eyes. we have to go quickly. we have about 20 minutes left. can go quickly to them again. maybe talk about something personal about them. all of them, the best speaker. is it obvious? >> know, there are some speakers on that. >> what do we not just go around? >> then your hubert's. >> hubert humphrey. >> henry clay. >> i am not the expert you guys are. >> let me ask you, who you

think would be the friendly as person of these? >> also hubert humphrey. >> he would speed the smartest of the 14? >> henry clay. your problem said tom dooley? >> of brent's march. -- brain smart. he was not politically smart. >> who would you say? >> stevenson. >> i did not say stevenson. >> we think he would be the smartest? what i said henry clay. >> to of the 14 was not very smart? i know that sounds ok -- who would not have been -- >> it really depends on how you are defining smart. there are people who are very good at running an office but not running for office. there are people who -- which one had the image of not being

very smart? you never know. >> wallace. george wallace. he exploited street smarts. he had street smarts. >> is a real guy. let me change my answer. cover and is as smart as at the. -- mcgovern is as smart as adelaide stevenson. he is a smart person. you remember he runs one of the dumber campaigns. what does that tell you. >> i nominate hughes as the smartest. >> who is the nastiest? >> henry clay. >> i would not dissent from

that. >> if your african-american you might want to say george wallace. >> that is a different kind of nasty. >> you write for a living, you have done a book on mr. stevenson. if you had to pick another one of these carl, you have done about four books? >> yes, but i shared some of them. i do not know how you add them up. >> if you had to pick one of the 14 to read a book on and spend a couple of years with tax cuts that would be fun. let richard go first and let me think. >> the minister sincerely -- gene has written what i think is not only the best but in many ways the definitive book on the stephensons. on the other hand, whether or not i produced a book -- in the intimacy that the author has with the subject, the question is who is the best company?

i think stevenson. >> that is not the question. who would you read a book about? -- who would you write a book about? >> gene debs. i think it is the best kind of history. we are still arguing about it. it is about labor. what is the role of labor? how much rights should workers have? who should speak for them? i think that's and the labor movement is just a great chapter. because we are still arguing about it. >> george mcgovern. >> why? >> for one thing, he is interviewable. that is one thing when you are trying to penetrate a career. he did get to sort of be a joke, but he is very much an honorable man.

i admire deeply what he was trying to do during the vietnam war. he was obsessed with. >> the world needs -- it has been 60 years since a "washington post" reporter wrote a life and times. 60 years later, it is a bit dated. hughes is what we claim we want in both a presidential candidate and a president. a man of absolute integrity who would that not yield to the special interests. >> let me go down the list and little bit and ask you -- if ross perot had not dropped out and june of 1992, he got 19% of the vote. that was after he had dropped out.

he think he would have done -- i think he remember polls. he was 33% ahead of other candidates. >> people do not remember this. this was not that long ago. he was leading. he was leading an incumbent president and the guy supposed to win the president. bill clinton with a distant third. in june of that year, a friend of mine who worked in the democrat national committee told me that he was worried it clinton within so far behind the other two, we will not qualify for federal matching money in four years. that is where perot was when he dropped out. this was june of election year. it is not now. in an eight day period, they go to new york for the convention, bill clinton emerges from that ahead of the polls.

as far as i know to this day, bill clinton has never tried a republican again. -- never trailed a republican again. my point is, i am not saying he would have won. these things are not written in stone. there is nothing inevitable about him losing. >> what about the fact that ross perot has never really agreed to talk about the election? he ran again and 1996. there has never been much written about him since then. >> it is curious. let's face it. he is and on conventional politician. -- he is an unconventional politician. i am sure he would not regard himself as a politician. it is curious because he made a significant historical contribution. he arguably changed the course of american history. the echoes of that are with us even today. he may be one of these people on principle does not want to live in the past, or it may be that there are scars from that

campaign. he may be bitter about the way he was treated in that campaign. he does? -- who knows? >> the daughter was getting married. there was some personal issue -- >> he mumbled something about that. there was never any satisfactory explanation to why he either quit the race for got back in the race. i covered that campaign. i have no idea. i am not sure ross perot knows. he may be better, and he may also have some income nations aimed at himself. -- have some recriminations aimed at himself. >> and material figure. >> let us go to george mcgovern for a moment. how did nixon beat george mcgovern. would it make a difference if he had not given the speech at 3:00 in the morning? >> probably. i do not know. i think we are hypo managing campaigns in the context of

what really happens when voters go into the polls. i am sure to get back to the parole issue, but a lot of americans who might have voted for perot thought, cost, he dropped out? what is going on here? since he was a third-party candidate who did not vote for him, i think he still -- mcgovern can't pull on "the party is not over." he can drop presumably on this -- a drop presumably on this pool of the democrats. where did they go? >> i think we tend to minimize nixon's achievement in forging the new political consensus.

by 1972 for a whole host of reason including a counter reaction to the civil-rights rest -- revolution to the women's rights movement, the silent majority was real whenever you think about it. richard nixon very skillfully played to not only their fears but also the notion of american exception allows them. -- american exceptional ism. mcgovern very haplessly was sent over from central casting in some way. he was a quasi-academic. he was an old war hero, yet he was -- >> there was another war going on, and there is another moment in the campaign where he was asked on prepress or one of the -- on meet the press or one of these shows, you say you are getting us out --

he rolls his eyes and says, "i will go to hanoi on my knees if necessary." >> he says, i will go on my knees if necessary. he does not mean that. he was and pulling out would make it harder to get the pows out. to make a remark like that, if he used the speech in prime time, he's he did not mess up the appointment, he said he was not in touch with swing voters agree that is the most mild way i can express it. >> was he ready for prime time? >> that might be the question to apply to some of these other candidates as well. >> he carried the district of columbia and massachusetts. he did not carry his own state. it was a landslide election. there was another thing he did. the way he ran the campaign was, he and the democrats or ask this question. you really think richard nixon has the character to be question? -- character to be president?

watergate was not fully known them but it was starting to the march pretty insecure that universally was, no. not really. we never did. how is he doing? that is usually a reelection campaign as a referendum on the incumbent. 1972 was as much a referendum on the challenger. much as barry goldwater in '64. >> how important was the eagleton fiasco? >> it reinforced -- >> explain that. >> eagleton was a senator from missouri, a moderate democrat. a natural balance for george mcgovern. not his first choice for vice president, but nevertheless -- >> or the last. >> he was nominated. subsequently it was revealed he had not told the senator or those around him he had been

treated for depression. i think he received electric shock at some point. in any event, he suddenly withdrew from the ticket. it reinforced the notion that this man is not ready to be president. >> no, the vice-presidential pick is often the first time the american people get to see this nominee make a big decision on -- that is their decision. it sticks with them for good or bad. but we only have a couple of minutes left. i want to make sure we do one last thing. do any of you have recommendations for the audience of a book they can read that will be particularly interesting and fun for them in regard to all of these 14 contenders? >> all of them. >> there is a classic somewhat

out of date but time leslie -- tirelessly readable by an author named stone who is best known for his novels and historical fiction and it is called "they also ran." it is probably 30 to 40 years -- >> what about an individual biography of henry clay -- >> they are available. >> the married couple academics that wrote the clay biography -- the name eludes me. >> i am embarrassed because -- >> there are an excellent

interview. they sat right here. >> if you want to know about willkie and dewey, books about the depression, there are two books. one is about roosevelt and the depression. i have the book. i have assigned. i do not have the title in my mind, but you can find it in this day and age precursor -- day and age. the other one is "the forgotten man and you read those two books, they come from a different standpoint. you will understand roosevelt and the environment that dewey ran in. >> this program is called "the contenders," that they will see on friday nights starting of september ninth. you teach at dr. college. where is it? >> it is in baltimore. >> what kind of school to teach

at? >> this is a coeducational liberal arts school. >> your favorite course? >> women's history. >> you write for realclearpolitics.com, what is it? >> we aggregate the best video and stories of the day. we have a polling average and as the campaign gets going, everyone is interested, we will get on the side and read and we will to our original content. we to our own content as well. we have two great political writers. we do our own content as well. >> i could ask you or i could ask about this series which is partly responsible/ -- this series is partly your responsibility. why you think it matters? >> this is great fun to have the opportunity week after week

after week to make an acquaintance with historical characters and some of these are characters that we don't know where much about. -- very much about i think you will enjoy the experience. >> thank you for coming here and we look forward to "to the contenders." >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> "the contenders," features profiles of people ran for president and lost it changed political history nonetheless. you can see this tonight at 11:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span. -- sunday at 10:30 eastern here on c-span. our live look begins next friday, september 9th when we will travel to lexington

kentucky and take your calls about the contention of henry clay. -- presidential campaign of hearing -- of henry clay. we will take a look at one contender for a week here on c- span. for more information on our series, go to our website c- span.org. you will find a schedule of the series, biographies of all the candidates. historian's appraisals. portions of their speeches when available. that is at contenders.cspan.org. next, a town hall meeting with debbie wasserman schultz. then, the 66 anniversary of v-j day. then a discussion on trends and mortality rates in america. >> this weekend, a three day holiday weekend on booketv. ray nagin's account of katrina.

randall kennedy looks at the influence of racial politics on the first african-american president brigid live sunday, three hours of in doubt. a former editor and columnist for newsweek magazine on race and the media. look for the complete schedule at booktv.org. weekend schedules in your in box. this holiday weekend on american history tv on c-span3, the name conjures up elegance and grandeur. the queen mary was commissioned as a church ship. the integration of baseball by african-americans, women, and asians. and remembering 9/11. uncovering september 11 from president bush's farda trip and the pentagon. look for the complete we can schedule at c-span.org/history.

>> next, representative debbie wasserman schultz has a town hall meeting for senior citizens. the focus of the meeting was health care and the economy. she discusses disaster funding, bipartisanship, and the upcoming agenda. this is an hour and 10 minutes.

>> it is an honor for me to welcome a lady who needs no introduction. her presence is always felt here. even though we see you on the nightly news now, and in the national arena, she is not a shrinking violet by any means. she is a friend of plantation. she has always been just a phone call away. her office meets with our staff on a regular basis we have to

thank you for that because she as help with some issues here in the city a plantation. it truly means a lot that her presence is always here in our hometown. when i say she is a phone call away -- if you will indulge me for one moment -- i want to tell you about the personal experience i have had. this tells you how she keeps a pulse on our city and the other cities she represents in our area. i was recently elected here in march 2011. after you are campaigning all day and everything and then you get to return, i was fortunate enough to be the winner, you can go home and put your feet up. i have to savor the victory and everything. the phone rings at 12:30 at night. i think oh my gosh, what has happened? there is a voice at the other end of the phone saying

congratulations. i went, debbie? >she called to congratulate me on the victory. 12:30 at night -- never too busy. keeps a pulse on your neighborhood. that speaks volumes about who you are, debbie. it is an honor to welcome congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] >> i have to step up on my little step. i am still kind of a small package here. as someone with a double name, i want to make sure i do not cut one of them off. it is an absolute privilege to represent you in washington, to be here in plantation. is an honor to be i have represented this area for the entire time i have

served in the house of the president's. -- house of representatives. i can say i have literally grown up and you have watched almost every major thing that has happened in someone's developed -- adult life and lived through that with me and it has been such a wonderful experience to represent this community. you have all made the absolute best choice the could have made to select the only strong mayor elect in broward county. he does a fantastic job. -- she does a fantastic job. a tradition of strong female leadership in plantation continues. i think the legacy of the developing family at plantation to the leadership of the mayor is so meaningful. in a time in our country where public service is often denigrated and considered a bad

thing by far too many people. having a family that has devoted their life and specifically in plantation voted their lives to -- devoted their lives to the well-being of the residence and the cities of plantation is really remarkable. i was proud to call you. i served in the nation's capital but i will always be your hometown girl. always going to be your grassroots legislator. i knocked on 25,000 doors in my first race. i cannot thank you enough for the privilege to serve you. i want to spend a few minutes about what is going on in washington. i am here as your u.s.

representative in washington. if in the "q&a", a more political campaign oriented question comes up, i will let you know in advance that is not why i am here. me a question someone asked me a question that was summarizing the chances for reelection and i said i'm here as your representative, we can talk about that another time. i want to make sure that we cover the issues that are pressing on everyone's minds. i'm proud to tell you that this is being taped by c-span. know that in advance, you might see ourselves on c-span this evening. we have a lot at stake in the country right now. it cannot be overstated. i want to thank joanne hill and marlene newman for having me

here at the lauder del west clubhouse. thank you very much for hosting us here this morning. i am pleased to tell you that i have three wonderful advocates for seniors here. someone from the social security administration. where are you? [applause] there you are. i am sorry. right in front of me. barbara gordon, who is here to serve the health needs of the elderly. also, kathy, who is here from the senior medicare patrol. kathy and i started as young democrats together in our county at least 20 years ago. it is wonderful to see you here. these senior advocates are here to answer any questions you might have about your specific situation. at every at town hall meeting that i do, particularly when

there is a large number of seniors, i make sure i bring together some advocates so if you have an individual question on your medicare or social security, we as someone who can help you with that problem. i also want to introduce my senior district river -- and a senior district assistant who handles medicare, medicaid, social security, and any problem you may have in those areas. before i begin, i want to give each of these advocates a minute to tell you what they do and how they can help if you have a problem. thank you. >> i am also a small package. thank you for inviting us here today. we are happy to answer your questions. i have a couple of pamphlets on retirement, disability, medicare eligibility. i invite everyone to visit our

website at socialsecurity.gov. visit me at the table and novel answer any questions you may have. thank you very much. [applause] >> i am proud to be a volunteer counselor with shine, serving the health insurance needs of elders. we are a free, unbiased service of medicare and the state department of elder affairs. we have no affiliation with any insurance company. there is no fee for the services. the first thing i want to do is to remind you that the open enrollment period has been moved up to october 15. it will run from october 15 until december 7.

you do not have as last three weeks in december as you did last year, so keep that in mind. we would like you to think about your medicare insurance. does the plan that you have to give you easy access and convenient access to services? can you get into the doctor easily? is there a hospital near your home that you are allowed to use? are your copays reasonable? are you treated with dignity and respect? do you want to think about cutting your medicare costs? does your plan still fit? maybe you bought this plan five years ago. maybe your medical needs have changed. you need to look at that. do you have questions or

concerns about the content and coverage or the way your needs have been handled? shine can help with that. most of you have picked up a brochure with the broward county phone number on it. again, we are a free, unbiased source of information. call the number and a trained counselor will get back to you. again, remember, things have moved up this year. october 15 to december 7. thank you very much. [applause] >> last but not least, cathy. >> thank you very much, debbie. i am glad to be here today representing senior medicare patrol. i am delighted to see some of my

friends in plantation. i am a longtime resident. i am here representing the senior medicare patrol. what we call ourselves a great group of people that walked hand in hand with shine and social security and many of the other programs that are helping to put a big dent in helping to reduce medicare fraud. we are all responsible and we all have the opportunity. first of all, make sure you come by our booth and pick up one of our free health planners. we have a toll-free number -- 866-357-8677. this particular book is very helpful for helping you plan. i work in elder care professionally besides being a volunteer. i can tell you that in the system -- you go to a doctor's

office and he may spend seven or eight minutes with you. when you leave, hopefully, you can ask for a bill to see what your diagnosis is, the level of service you are given, anything. you might found that he put down a level 4 service, which means he is charging above and beyond what you are actually getting. i see people shaking their heads. this is one opportunity. number two, please do not, if you have it in your wallet today, please take out your social security card. please take out your medicare card. if you are with medicare advantage, take those cards out. you know what your numbers are, generally speaking. we are trying to help with our medical identity fraud that is hurting all of us. do not give your credit card number when you have a copayment bill. when you call the office for billing, do not give your credit

card over the phone to somebody. these are good tips we need to wrap around and help deal with the problem. last, we need volunteers. we need help. we are very proud. we get our funding through the federal government. we rely on grants and money. i am proud to say that south florida is doing a heck of a job. we are working to address medicare fraud issues. when they say there are cutbacks and not a lot of money, if we report it -- if you see somebody in the parking lot and they ask you do you need some equipment? how can i help you? be on guard. thank you very much. we will all work together on it. [applause] >> thank you so much to all three of you. i try and my town hall meetings

to provide people like these three organizations to you. can be incredibly helpful i am here to give you and me -- a legislative update on what is going on in washington. it is been a challenging for seven months of the one of the 12th congress. that may be the understatement of the year. republicans took control of the house of representatives and left democrats in the minority. i have been in the majority and minority. i like the majority a whole lot better, i will be honest. to me, the important thing is to work together, to sit down and figure out how we can find common ground. it is not always wanted be my way. i know that. i try to explain that to my children. unfortunately, we do not always have colleagues from the other side of the aisle that it cannot always be their way. in order to move the country forward, we have to put some of our differences aside, find

common ground, and work towards a common goal. in the last congress, democrats worked tirelessly to improve and grow our economy while protecting our seniors, children, and the middle class. to that end, we passed historic health care reform, which is already strengthening medicare. when it is fully implemented, for the first time in history, all americans will have access to affordable, quality health care. finally, health care is a right, not a privilege. the legislation provides many important improvements to medicare. this congress, while house democrats event focused on creating jobs every down the deficit in a responsible way, we have not have that kind of focus and cooperation on the other side of the aisle. instead, unfortunately, what we have seen are a series of bills pursuing a reckless social

agenda. for example, their budget proposal under the guise of reform simply and medicare as we know it. it's just medicare cost onto states and low-income beneficiaries and weakens social security. while we do need reform of our entitlement programs to ensure their sustainability -- but most everyone in this room is on social security or medicare. i bet a lot of your grandchildren are worried and lot of this will not be there for them. we need to take some steps to shore up those programs so we can ensure that safety net is their first generations to come i would say that we need to take a mend it, do not and it approach, unlike the proposals that have come from the other side of the aisle, which would detail in a few moments. i want to turn to what health care reform has done for medicare beneficiaries. the patient protection and

affordable care act is one the most important laws in a generation -- one of the most important passed since medicare passed in 1965. there is a lot of disinformation out there about what it means to seniors. it will improve your quality of care and will save you money. in fact, it probably already has. how many of you are on direct medicare? quite a few of you. that means you get your prescription drugs from the part b plan. remember, i came here when part be was being implemented to help you figure out how to sign up, which plan was the best. they have that dreaded coverage gap called "the nudonut hole," h never should have been part of that law. the affordable care act is closing its. in the next nine years, the medicare coverage donut hole

will completely close. last year if you fell into the donut hole, from the affordable care act, you'll see a to wonder if the dollar placement -- payment. starting on january 1, brand- name prescription drugs have a 50% discount once you are in the donut hole. we will increase that discount over the next nine years to close the hole. it will save the average senior an average of $3,000 a year in drug costs. really important reform. in addition, or improvements to medicare will help ensure affordable access to preventive care. one of my frustrations in the time i have been in congress is that the medicare system has always been a sick care system. when i talk to constituents like

you, so often you are going to the doctor when you are ill, when something is wrong. of course when something is wrong, you're care is going to cost more. i have always thought, and the of oral care act finally does this, that we should shift the focus from a sick care system to prevention and wellness system. the affordable care act gives you, without a copiague, free access to a welfare visit, to a preventive health care visit to make sure that you can catch things early. as a breast cancer survivor going on a little more than three years and someone who is standing in front of you with a clean bill of health -- process. [applause] the reason i am able to tell you that and share that with you is because when i found the lump in my breath, i was able to catch that breast cancer very early. it only makes sense that being able to get an annual checkup,

which you cannot get for free before the affordable care act passed, let's just as things earlier and will help you live longer. the affordable care act also provides for preventative screaming -- screenings like mammograms, colonoscopy is, and other copiague free preventive screening so if there is a problem, it can be caught earlier. the plan we put into law last year is designed to improve the quality of care under medicare while also limiting the amount that seniors pay out of pocket every year. it stands in stark contrast to proposals house republicans have offered. right out of the gate this year, house republicans took what i'd like to call "the repeal and abandon approach to medicare" by proposing to undo the affordable care act. just repeal it lot stock and barrel. this would reopen the donut hole.

it would cost seniors thousands of dollars. it would force seniors to pay for preventive care. these challenges are not the only way the republicans are putting senior security at risk. four months ago republicans under paul ryan -- and i set of the budget committee with him -- rolled out a budget that included nothing short than they did -- then a termination of medicare. if this were to become law, medicare would become a voucher program requiring seniors to cover any additional expenses on their own. it yanks care out from under seniors. we are going to make sure that you do not have to worry about how you are going to pay for your health care. according to the nonpartisan

congressional budget office, over the next 10 years the republican plan to and medicare would double out of pocket expenses. that would be a $6,000 a year increase. in 20 years, it would triple your out-of-pocket costs. it is dangerous and wrong to assume that someone living on a fixed income can afford the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. that is why medicare was created in the first place -- to protect seniors and guarantee your access to health care fits your budget. for those reasons, democrats made sure the affordable care act took care of those out-of- pocket expenses. seniors should have certainty in your health care expenses. i cannot tell you how many times i have as senior stand-up and say "i have such a hard time making ends meet between living on social security for most of my income and trying to pay those medicare premiums and make

sure i can pay for my prescription drugs." there are seniors who shared with me that they had to grab a doctor draw a line through their pills so they could cut them in have to make their prescription last longer. i have been online at the drugstore behind some constituents who the pharmacist brings five prescriptions to them, but they can only afford four of them and have to leave one. should a senior be deciding which prescription they are not going to take so they can still going to the grocery store after that visit to the pharmacist? that is an unacceptable choice that would get far worse if we went with a plan to voucherize medicare. their plan also makes the cuts to clean energy -- creating $1,000 in tax breaks to the wealthiest americans. the budget also turns the

medicaid program to unblock grant program. sometimes people's eyes glaze over when they hear medicaid because they think of it as the poor person's health care program. 60% of seniors in a nursing home, the way they are able to be in a nursing-home is by qualify for medicaid. if we turn it into a block grant program and the federal government does not provide enough funding to the states, that will leave a lot of seniors in a position where they will not be able to get access to a nursing all because they cannot afford it, or seniors in nursing home now may not be able to remain. when the federal government caps the amount available for patient care, meaning population increases, natural disasters, economic downturns -- the event would have to be borne by the state. the republican budget projects that the medicaid block grants would not increase at the same level