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tv   U.S. House of Representatives  CSPAN  January 2, 2012 12:00pm-5:00pm EST

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of creating the environment in which private companies, the job creators, ca n risk capital. -- ca n risn risk capital. it is to make sure there is legal certainty. when you introject problems in any of those areas what you see is capital freezes up. inmerica right now we have a lot of capital, billions of dollars of capital, sitting on the sidelines waiting to be reinvested, but not being reinvested because there's not a certainty in those elements. the tax code is a mess. governor ricperry is laid out a bo plan on how to get that under control. regulations, the regulatory environment, he has been very aggressive on what he wants to do there.
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malpractice, thepracti legal stem needs to be certain so people can know there will be a return on their investment. once they do that we will be able to hire people and get them back to work. that's job number one for the 2012 campaign. host: robert haus is the iowa state co-chair for rick perry. we want to hear from iowa residents as well. so start dialing with your questions or comments about the rick perry campaign strategy in that state. robert haus, mitt romney on the campgn trail in the ottawa is making the argument that he is the candidate that n sustain the nominating process and beat barack obama. -- in iowa. ta about your candidate's resources coming out of iowa. guest: you have to give governor
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romney credit. he has been through the process one time before. he has been effective in tting up a national campaign. besides himhere's one other campaign and that is governor rick perry thais set up a national operation. with state leadership and campaigns credit to a turn the switch in a dozen or more states with the financial wherewithal to go the distance, i think that vernor perry with executive leadership and a great record is probably the only other campaign that can run a national campaign. host: milan is joining us from the independent line. caller: tell me if you know how rick perry feels about the republican party trying to turn the elephant symbol upside-down? i recently wrote a certified letter to the rnc chairman asking three specific questions.
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, who didthis donewaswh this, and why? host: why was this important to you? caller: i don't believe the country knows this happened. why don't they turn the 50 flags on the america -- a 50 starts on the american flag upside down? why don't the dallas cowboys inverted their star? the upright star the picks goodness all through history. guest: i had not seen that order of that. thanks for bringing it to my attention. host: david is a republican in bel air, maryland. caller: i was just wondering -- good morning -- i was wondering
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perry canhink rick stack up against president obama in a direct the bay it? as i have listened to some of these people speaking, i think newt gingrich would be the best candidate in terms of facing off against presidentbama. -- against president obama in a direct debate. someone said that are noromney d not present himself frothe heart and i was wondering how you feel about your candidate. guest: great question. i have complete confidence in governor perry's ability to debate anyone on any stage in any part of the cotry. i think you've seen the last three debates, specifically the foreign policy debate and the last two in iowa where he has said fantastic debate
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performances and was very good at prenting his message a really making the sale for his candidacy. he has laid out a bold vision for where he wants to take america. he was very good at presenting that. i don't have any concerns about his capacity to debate president obama. i say that because i think there is a level of humility and sincerity that comes through when the governor speaks as well as a very stark contrast with where president obama has taken our country. in the end analysis i think americans would rather have someone who was a little more like them who understands their life and can relate to the struggles they go through every single day and ultimately want the dignity of a job and they want those qualities and characteristics in their next president. i feel quite confident.
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in the governor's own words, he is looking for to those debates with president obama. he will come early and stay late and is looking rward to except. host: governor perry has admitted to gaffes in the past when he was debating. were you part of any working sessions with him on improving his debating skills? guest: i was not directly involved in those sessions. it i think what you've seen all canets -- all candidates and all campaigns go through this -- a maturing process. he was good and is now a lot better. he came to the campaign in august as a very scessful candidate and has got an even better. and so, can as the stakes have risen, governoperry has risen with them. i think what you see now on the campaign stump is a man on a
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very quiet mission in almost his own historic military terms to try to really help america right the ship and get america working again. host: we have been covering all the candidates for "road to the white house" coverage. c-span.org has more. richard is on the air, a democrat from texas. caller: happy new year. the gentleman who just called really hit on something i was wanting to bring to your attention. the debate problem that governor perry has. the only person that really could stand toe to toe with barack obama and taken a situation, and his sentence, any word and go it back in his face is newt gingrich. but this election in iowa has been about the super pacs.
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rick perry and mitt romney have the most money, so it has been a ontwo punch against newt gingrich. rick perry and the analysis i can present his rick perry reminds me of the big kids on the bench at the basketball game. when the coach wants him to go in then and knocked the heck out of somebody, the cannot double, cannot score, cannot be bound, but he can beat people up. that is what rick perry is doing. if you look at the money spent against newt gingrich, you can see that -- i feel the super pac has made all the difference in the world. last but not least, newt gingrich 20 years ago made some silly mistakes. and he has admitted this. he has asked god to forgive him. he has or very hard to try to correct some of the problems. but i promise you the only
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person that can beat barack obama is newt gingrich. host: have to leave it there. guest: thanks for the call. we have covered a lot of real estate. let me try to respond. the issue of super pacs, i think that issue is here to stay and will affect the race going forward. i guess, in my personal analysis, at this stage in the game of any campaign there are two types of campaigns. you are either a winner or a whiner. none of the issues brought up about super pacs is except ron paul. one his campaign haseen the
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most aggressive. while the former speaker may not like to see that stuff on television, you can be assured that if were the nominee, that president obama would have it all over the television. the primary process and caucus process is about vetting the candidates and their records and their capabilities to go on to the next level. if speaker gingrich is complaining at this stage, then he is really in serious trouble going forward. host: we will speak with a supporter of speaker gingrich coming up in about 15 minutes iowa as well as coverage continuesf the iowa caucuses. voters will vote tomorrow night,, 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. our time on theast coasts when our coverage begins. we will cover it all. a little bit about how the caucuses or. if there's a piece in the baltimore sun that says there's about 1--
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can you explain this? guest: yes, absolutely. each one of the precincts will organize itself and the campaigns really have a goal of trying to have a representative from the perry campaigns
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because of back about the governor. why that is critical this time is even back to the most recent poll with 41% of the people saying that they may still change their mind and are open to a second choice, having someone local speaking up and giving their testimony as to why they are supporting governor perry is critical. this still is very much a neighbor talking to neighbors and organization. those social networks are very important. we-- obviously there are some precincts that will be larger than others. our goal is to try to get a perry representative in as many of those precincts as we can. host: our viewers will be able to see that in action tomorrow night. we will be covering couple of caucuses. as our guest is explaining, you will be able to see the present
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representatives talking to caucus goers and trying to get them to vote for their candidate. stephanie is next in cedar rapids, iowa. caller: i just have one statement. whether gentleman mentioned that governor perry was more like the people that are voting, he does not resemble the vast majority of people. there are more people that are involved. people consider iowa as the heartland, but this is not an audition for a play. we need to put aside the what are you doing and how big is your campaign, and this and that. people are the casualties of whatever happens. so there needs to be accountability before yo even have actuality.
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that's all i have to say. guest: i had a little trouble hearing the comments and questions towards the end. host: she was just saying that rick perry does not represent all of iowans. guest: i would remind everyone that this is a republican nomination, that governor perry and other candidates are trying to seek the republican nomination. and so, primarily the message at this point is a broad vision for america, bute are specifically tking to republicans at this point. i think governor perry has the capacity and his message has the vision and best to attract a lot of independents and some conservative democrats as well. the bottom line is our next president needs to have a very
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clear focus of how to get america working again. governor perry has done that. the ability to have a job and the dignity that comes from having a job really knows no partisan lines. i think his agenda to get america working nearly will transcend any of those partisan boundaries. host: bill is a libertarian in sarasota, florida, an independent. caller: good morning. nice to have you on. guest: good morning. caller: big thank you to c-span alternative ton the pop culture major media. ron paul and michelle bachmann mention the constitution frequently. gingrich and romney want to force americans to live by their ideas, so republican-style fundamentally transforming america. i was impressed with governor perry's understanding of the
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constitution imposes limits on executive power in a speech i saw on c-span recently. would a president perry repeal any executive orders? and what plans does his campaign after place constitutional issues higher in voter consciousness? guest: thanks for those questions. to the first one, in terms of appealing prior executive orders, that may be a little out of my jurisdiction. i am reluctant to wade into that because i don't know -- have no personal knowledge there. if you want too to rick perry 's site or contact his campaign in austin, i'm sure they can give you very good details. on the second one, i'm glad you have noted that. i think what has been so refreshing to me is governor
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carries a small pocket- sized constitutions. delivereand speak about the 10th amendment hand his allegiance to the 10th amendment to allow states to be the laboratories of experiment for policy and new ideas going forward. whether that is social security reform or medicd, all those programs, and especially education picy, he feels very strongly that this federal government has gone far outside what our founders envisioned. it is operating well outside the bounds of the constitutional principles. he wants to rein that bin. one of his favorite lines on the stump is he wants to make the as inconsequential in our lives as possible. -- he wants to rein that in. i think people really get that.
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host: patricia, democratic caller in dallas, tx. caller: i just heard the gentlemen's last comment. they want to make the government's inconsequential, why are they ready for government? does not make sense. and rick perry has taken our tax dollars and is having his entourage and we are having to pay for that. half of us in texas to not care for rick perry. instead of using that money for his entourage like he is already president with his own private security, he needs to put teachers back to work and quit letting teachers off, and quit giving all these illegals the city and state jobs. host: let's get a response. guest: the was a recent article about the cost of the security details coming out of texas. he is the sitting governor of a very large state.
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the people of the state have decided to give himecurity protection wherever he goes. that is a very tight and relatively small group of people that provide the detail. they are exceptionally professional. i've had a great honor to meet many of them and get to work with them. the campaign is also provides other logistical support. the cost of those services were borne by the campaign. that is really what you were asking about. there is a protective detail that goes with any governor, be it governor chris christie or governor bobby jindal,overnor brown from california. any of the big states, they have security details and they follow them wherever they g, be that on official business or campaign business. host: a viewer tweets --
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guest: again, this is a long process. it starts in iowa and moved to new hampshire and south carolina and that other states will be coming quickly. it is a process that begins somewhere. that is what this nomination process is, to begin to focus the number of candidates that voters can choose from, to really set the nomination battle and policy differences ultimately between the president and our republican nominee. and so, it is just the very beginning of the process. it is a long process, a wonderl process. it is grueling, but it is a process that begins here and is ultimately the preparation for what i think is the toughest job
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on the planet. and that is being president of united states. host: i think you said earlier governor perry has raised 17 million, is that correct? guest: that was in the last or rather the third quarter. 2011. i don't have accurate figures or estimates in terms of the fourth quarter. host: can you estimate how mu he has spent in iowa? guest: you know, i know that there have been several million dollars spent on television. our organization has had basically every resource that we have asked for, they have been a great at. but i would caution you that there is a very serious operation in austin. they count every penny. the governor is a big fan of lean budgeting and watching his pennies. he knows very clearly than the
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work it takes to raise -- he knows very clearly the work that it takes to raise that kind of money. we have not spent wildly. >> you can see the rest of this segment of our website at c- span.org. we are live in des moines, iowa at an event with ron paul and rand paul at the des moines marriott downtown. this is the first of the five- city tour with he and his son. ron paul is slightly behind leader mitt romney. this is live coverage on c-span.
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[no audio] [applause] >> can everybody hear me? let's get this party started. [applause] get going.o my name is david fisher and i am proud to be co-chairman of the ron paul presidential campaign in iowa. i want to do a real brief review: the history of the modern day tea party movement. the date was december 16, 2007, the 204th anniversary of the boston tea party a. the location was a grass roots-
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lead online 1 day fundraiser for the ron paul presidential campaign, a data resulted in over $6 million being raised for the campaign in that one single day. the epicenter of the activity on that day was in boston, of course faneuil hall where the keynote speech was given by rand paul. the tea party has gone to washington since then and the tea party has come to iowa to talk about the importance of the ron paul presidential campaign. i am proud to introduce the hon. united states senator from the commonwealth of kentucky, dr. rand paul. [applause] >> alright, all right, what a crowd! anybody here for ron paul? [applause] when my dad asked me to campaign in iowa i said i will come of i
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don't have to wear a tie. it looks like we have some young people here. [applause] there is energy. and it is overflowing and did they get it is coming tomorrow. we will win in iowa tomorrow. [applause] i get to go around a lot and give speeches and i was at a buffet recently and was up there near the front and there was a guy in front of me that had two plates of food. it was pilot of the third play of the. the guy next to him said," you're not going to live very long living -- eating like that." "he said my granddaddy live to 105. "he said i beg your grendell did not live to be 105 leading like that. >> he lived to be 105 by minding his own business. [applause] anybody here want their government to mind their own business? [applause]
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we are borrowing $40,000 per second. we are borrowing over $2 million per minute. in the short time we will be here today, we will borrow over $70 million. admiral mullen said the biggest threat to our national security is our debt. erskine bowles, head of the debt commission said that the most predictable crisis in our history is the coming debt crisis. even ben bernanke has said our debt is unsustainable. there is only one candidate in this race who would balance the budget in one term. [applause] there is only one candidate who would cut $1 trillion in spending. [applause]
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there is only one candidate who understands the conservatives and liberals will have to get together to cut spending. the conservatives will have to understand that not every dollar spent on the military is sacred or wisely spent. [applause] liberals will have to understand the same, not every dollar spent on domestic spending or welfare is wisely spent or sacred. spending will have to be across the board. [applause] there is only one candidate who has never been accused of flip flopping. there's only one candidate who has never taken a congressional junket. there is only one candidate who stands above had and shoulders -- head and shoulders above,
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lobbyists say is incorruptible. [applause] there is only one candidate who the soldiers trust, one candidate -- one candidate who has received more contributions from active duty soldiers then all the other candidates combined. [applause] that candidate is my father, please welcome ron paul. [applause] >> look at the crowd. hey! [chanting] >> thank you, thank you.
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we have a short time but i am glad to see so many. if you get to chanting, we will not have time for this piece. it is great to be here. this crowd is amazing. we suggested we get a few people out of these was the stops and encourage everybody along but this is almost like a real rally. this is great, wonderful " [applause] the enthusiasm has been building. i have been in the business of promoting a cause of liberty for many years and it has changed over the years. for a long time, it was subtle and quiet and i did a by devoting all the time in washington the way i thought i should vote, frequently that required me to vote no. today, the enthusiasm has increased. it is a big difference from four years ago when there was enthusiasm and excitement and the college campuses were coming alive and the federal reserve for became an issue. many people back then were
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talking it was time to change our foreign policy. today, 70% of the american people are saying it is time to get out of afghanistan, home. [applause] -- and come home. [applause] the excitement has built steadily and the campaign has been remarkable in the organization. the funds have come in, as was mentioned earlier, even four years ago, raising $6 million in one day which is historic but the funds are still coming in which is a vote of confidence. the idea that military personnel sent a lot of money to this campaign more than the other campaigns -- the enthusiasm is growing by leaps and bounds. the crowds are getting bigger and the issue, as far as i'm concerned, there is only one issue -- they talk about foreign policy and monetary policy and economic policy.
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there is one issue that has made america great and the issue you can answer all your questions on -- individual liberty. that is the issue. [applause] it was the abuse of this liberty that provoked the revolution and the writing of the constitution. the constitution was written as a document though we were coming together into one country -- the document was written and intended to strictly restrain the federal government. that is what the constitution is all about [applause] yet today we have a federal government that has grown by leaps and bounds and the best demonstration of that is the spending which never ceases, one administration to the next, it is always increases in spending and today when they talk about cuts, you know they are not talking about cuts. if they are talking about tinkering around the edges and
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nibbling away at the proposed increases. we are talking about real cuts and shrinking of the size of the federal government. [applause] you cannot do that on less you raise the one significant question and that is what the role of government should be. if liberty is the most import issue, the most and poured responsibility of government is to protect liberty and not to be the policeman of the world and not to have a runaway welfare state. [applause] somewhere along the way we lost our way and went in the wrong direction and we have allowed our government to grow. we accepted the idea that the federal government's responsibility was to intervene in the economy, not to protect the free market economy, not to protect private property and contracts, it was to intervene and play mr.. it was not to protect your privacy.
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the government spends more time today invading your privacy. it should be the other way around. we want exposure and openness of government. we want your privacy back. [applause] we do not want the government to be messing around with the internet, invading her privacy. we don't need a patriot act that tells you that the government can come in and invade your house and homes and everything you do without a proper search warrant reported [applause] t. [applause] we certainly don't need to move on to the next day it is happening now. two weeks ago it was passed and recently signed by the president authorizing the military to arrest american citizens -- [boos]
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for citizens to be held indefinitely. that is the wrong direction. we need to reverse that direction. we have to answer the correct question properly -- what is the proper role? stay out of running the economy. stay out of our personal lives. stay out of the internal affairs of other nations. we don't need to be doing that. [applause] one of the great facilitators on the way spending got out of control and the government expanded was the way our monetary system works. if a country wants to do something and they have the taxes and people rebel, they devised this other system of borrowing and and delaying the payment. now they have used another technique for the last 100 years which is totally out of control and it is called central banking, the federal reserve. this idea that we allow, in secret, the central bank to
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print on limited dollars into the trillions bailing out has to come to an end. that is the reason government gets so big and not only do we want an audit of the fed, we want to make sure that we have something much better than the current federal reserve system that we have today. [applause] we had a grand experiment in our history. we were the greatest nation, the freest nation, with the largest middle-class ever and today that is not true grit our middleclass is getting smaller by the dead. there's a transfer of payments when you destroy currency. there's a transfer of pimmit when you allow the lobbyists to control washington and washington becomes nothing more than an auction. this is the reason that we have to reassert our cells. we have a tradition on what freedom is all about and what sound money was all about and private property.
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therefore, we don't have quite a task that other nations have when they want to go to a freer society. most of history has been obligated to live under dictatorship. today we are moving in the wrong direction but the american people are staring. this is what this campaign has been all about and this is what the vote is about tomorrow. are we sick and tired of the expansion of government, the and less spending, and the deficit, doing the things they were not supposed to do and forgetting about doing the things they should be doing? [applause] tomorrow is a very important day. it is small in numbers but a very big message. you carry a lot of weight. send a message on which we we are going for the status quo. you don't have to worry about the choice if you choose another candidate because the others represent the status quo. they are variations of the
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status quo but they are not talking about farm policy to defend america. they are talking about mr. round the world. are they talk about changing the monetary policy? are looking at the basic problems with the monetary system and how great our financial bubble? do they really care about personal liberties when you look at the votes and what the president has been doing? they don't care about your personal liberty or it would not be continuously undermined. therefore, a lot is at stake. i used to say, as many have said, yes, we cannot spend that money because we don't want to pass on to the next generation. let me tell you -- it will not happen. the next generation is here today. that is why we have to change things today and bring back the traditions of america which means liberty, peace, and prosperity. thank you very much. [applause] [chanting ron paul, ron paul]
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[room noise] [inaudible conversations]
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[room noise] [room noise] [inaudible conversations]
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[room noise] [crowd noise] [inaudible conversations]
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[room noise] [crowd noise] [general rumbling] [room noise] [crowd noise]
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[room noise] >> where are coming to you from a crowded ballroom and the marriott inn-month pilot. ron paul wraps up the first events with his son rand paul barrett if we want to get reactions to his comments and the countdown to the caucasus. our lines are open and the numbers are on your screen
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david brody has been following this process from the beginning. i want to ask you about the poll i cannot yester day. 1/3 of the evangelical vote will not participate tomorrow night and 41% could change their mind through tomorrow evening. >> the polling may be a bit skewed in terms of how they asked those questions there will be a major evangelical vote in iowa. there is a lot of undecideds because of michelle bachmann, ron perry, and even run ball. there are a lot of libertarian kristin's going into the ron paul camp. >> what role of the churches played in this get-out-the-vote effort? we saw michelle back and add a chart -- we saw michelle bachmann at a church yesterday. what is happening?
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>> it is a difference between 2008. back then, mike huckabee gathered by home -- the home court church supported we see ron paul, shell bachmann, rick santorum putting out daily press releases about having pastor's behind them. pastors have decided in iowa and elsewhere across the country that they will take an active role to take the bully pulpit into the political airstream. that has been a marked difference between 2008-2012 kor. pastors have decided they will get bolder. they think it is time to speak up and come out as private citizens for these candidates. >> what will this story be tomorrow night? what will voters take away from iowa's? >> i think you'll see some sort
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of a wreck santorum story whether it is a win are a second place or third place. you may see a top three finish for rick santorum. if that is the case, look for the story going forward to be the differences between michelle bachmann and rick santorum. i spoke to michelle bachmann this morning and she is not getting out of this race at all after iowa no matter what. if you go all the way to south carolina. she said they are skipping new hampshire. they will be there for the two debates that they are going to south carolina. she will start to paint her rent -- rex santorum as a pro- abortion candidate. she's calling him a big spending republican. those will be the fault lines coming up in the future. >> david brody, now you're going on to cover rick santorum, thank you for being with us. >> we move on to your phone calls. people are coming back and forth and it is kind of crowded. will go to john in sheridan,
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wyoming, republican line. caller: good afternoon, want to thank you for being there today. the thing that concerns me is there are a number of republican candidates who, like ron paul, say they are pro-lifer but unlike ron paul, these other neocon republicans cannot wait to get us into another war and another war with countries who have never attacked the united states at any time in our 235- year history. the second thing that disturbs me is the fraudulent calls that keep coming out trying to play down the popularity of ron paul. think back to the 1984 presidential election when the same expert pollsters said that walter mondale and geraldine ferraro were just going to annihilate ronald reagan and bush. what happens to those predictions? >> thank you for the call. we'll go to the democrats' line
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next from kentucky. caller: i might be the only liberal in a small kentucky coal mining town. i'm a strong supporter of president obama and i feel like everything he said in los angeles he has done the opposite since he took office. i don't feel like vote for another republican aside from ron paul. i am really strongly pro- liberty. his policies have not changed in 76 years, is that how old he is? you know what you're getting with the guy. you cannot go back and say he has flip flop on anything gar. i never thought i would say this but i guess all my at liberal- tarian, thank you.
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>> how bad jackson does moines, iowa? caller: i would like to state that the real problem with america is not over who wins the republican nominatio even though i republican. -- even though i am republican, i would not support mitt romney under any circumstances. i think all the pundits who are lining up with a view that has passed -- blasted newt gingrich. he is the only one who can be president obama. when he was the speaker of the house, i was in georgia. at one point, i was even offered a job by him. i refuse because the judge kelly whom i was working with at the time said that i needed to keep
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doing what i was doing which is writing articles about unintended trees and of socialism in america. it is still treason. i think newt gingrich is probably the only one that stands up to the real working people, not met run they, nor ron paul. i probably would not vote ever for medtronic under any circumstances -- for mitt romney under any circumstances. >> thank you for the call. let me set the stage -- we are at the first of a series of events for congressman ron paul joined by his son senator rand paul who was elected senator last year from kentucky. we will catch up live with rick
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santorum tonight. all of our campaign coverage including last night's event with newt gingrich and their weekend event coverage with rick perry is available on our website at c-span.org. tomorrow morning at 8:30 central, representing -- rep michelle bachmann will be our guest on "washington journal." she is essentially skipping new hampshire but will be competing in the south carolina primary is set for january 21. theresa is one of the few people actually from iowa. many people in attendance are coming in from different areas. what is your last name? >> yourisman. >> what did you take away from senator ron paul? >> his message is right on. i think we need a leader like him.
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in my opinion, this country is going in the wrong direction. >> can get the nomination? >> the only way he will is getting the word out and the media has not been a great help to him. actually, most of my aunt irma's and i get from the internet. -- most of my information i get from the internet. last week it was newt gingrich and this week it is all about rex santorum -- rick santorum. i just don't agree with the fact -- what am i trying to say? -- that the media just totally ignores him and his message is the only one that can try to turn our country around. otherwise, we are all going to be doomed. >> what is your role tomorrow
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night at the caucus? >> i will fill in one of the chairs at the caucus sites at roosevelt high school in des moines. i am on my way right now to headquarters to figure out what i need to do tomorrow night. i am definitely going to be there. like i said, to me, he is the only answer and another problem with it is people say that he cannot do both sides of the congress but yet he has. we do not need to be the policeman of the world's. why are we in all of these police actions? why are they sending troops to australia to defend us against china when we have to borrow money from china to defend ourselves from china?
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it makes no sense. >> thanks very much. you sound like many of our viewers who phone in >> on >> i am glad, vote for ron paul. >> we are in downtown does bonsai what with the wrong ball campaign. many people are sticking around and there is a lot of media. we are covering two caucuses. you can watch one here on c- span and another live on c-span 2. our next caller is from cedar rapids, iowa. good afternoon. caller: i have a comment -- those of us that really understand financial matters understand that the financial process is the biggest threat to our national security which goes back to the fed. secondly, i have heard every other candidate in the republican race talking about the capability of iran to get
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nuclear weapons. most of us know that israel would never allow iran to get a nuclear weapon and they would attack them before that happens. that's all i have. >> thank you for the call. we're taking your calls and checking with folks here are. >> this is my wife sherry, and my daughter emily. >> why are you here today? >> we are here to let families see the candidates and have a chance to get out. me and sherry have been out with some of the candidates. >> family, as you watch this process -- how old are you? >> i am in high school and just turned 18 and september. >> what you think of this as a new voter? >> it is very exciting.
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i did not think it would be so crazy. >> what did you take away from the ron paul speech today? >> that he wants to give us back our individual liberties that are you a supporter? >> not yet. i'm still undecided. >> have you made up your mind? >> i am still undecided. i want to see what all the candidates have to say. >> how about you? >> i am still undecided. yesterday i was between santorum and degrees and today i am torn between rick santorum and ron paul them off when you make your decision? >> when i talk with my neighbors. >> many people don't live in iowa boy see what you have here. you literally go from campaign event to a campaign event. what has been like for you to watch his prose -- process on the front line? >> it is exciting to see them up close and get past questions. this is a little crazy today appears there is so much media. it is very crowded. i don't know what it is like
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normally. >> is this like high-school 7 101 or politics? >> i am taking history class is right now. >> do you have school today? >> nope. >> we cannot get out. >> final question for both of you -- would you participate in the caucuses? when we make up your decision? >> it may go down to the last minute. we might be around a kitchen table or with the neighbors. >> that is that what i think, too. i want to hear whatever it has to said. >> we are all undecided. >> the wisekopf family from here in iowa. clinton township, michigan, thank you for waiting. caller: good afternoon it
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gratifies me to see so many people watching this vigorously. they'll listen to michelle bachmann and newt gingrich. if i could do anything to get a message out i would say don't vote for newt gingrich. he is a global list and might be a great speaker but his policies will fall behind barack obama. ron paul has got so much respect from some many people and the media is not truthful and they are biased and they will do anything to black him out. like the one woman said, i get most of my affirmation from the internet and i am about her age. it is not only the young people. it is not only the army or military people. people like myself who are middle aged are throwing our support behind run ball. he is the only last best hope we have for our country. ron paul will make things right because we are headed down the tubes if not for ron paul.
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thank you very much. >> thank you for the call. i want to introduce you to patrick clark and cameron perry. we ran into you both for. you left saturday morning at 7:00 and met up with rick santorum on saturday. what did you see yesterday and what are your thoughts about ron paul today? >> today was a totally different experience than the other republicans. ron paul is totally different, independent of the republican party at this point in some regards, a conservative candidate but at the same time, looking for reforms now. i think that is admirable that goes out on a limb and does his own thing. >> what a neat experience to be in high school and leave ohio to come to iowa. how did this come about and what have you learned? >> i heard about the trip and
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excited may. i thought i want to come out and see what the caucus was all about. i have learned a lot about the candidates. it has been an interesting process to see all the different candidates come out and try to get support before the caucuses. i never really knew so much went on in iowa before leading up to the caucasus. you see everything on tv but you never get a feel for it off until you come out here. >> would you run for public office yourself? >> i don't know. i have a lot of support for ron paul but -- i'm not looking to go into politics. it is still a need experience. >> cameron and patrick from cincinnati, ohio. you go back on wednesday? >> yes. >> thank you for your time.
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we'll continue with more of your phone calls. we're coming to you live from downtown dallas moines. we have live coverage later this afternoon of the rick perry rally. mitt evening rally. we will have coverage at 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. eastern time. jeff, go ahead. >> i am a democrat and i really like ron paul. i like what he says about civil liberties. i like what he has talked about with bringing the troops home, which i thought obama was going to do before it was elected. i am changing my registration just this year to republican to help to get ron paul nominated. and then i will register back to democrat after a vote for ron paul in the primaries. >> next is john, joining us from the morning, iowa.
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go ahead, please. >> i am an independent. but, i am changing mine to republican just to vote for ron paul the republicans will be sending us to doomsday. i believe that we must promise the american public that they will send all of their nephews and nieces to war. they should send their loved ones to war, rather than other poor people. i would change my party to republican just to vote for ron paul. he is my candidate.
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thank you. >> they give for the call. our partners here in iowa, we have links available at our website, c-span.org. we have continuing coverage into the evening on c-span. on to new hampshire on january 10, followed by south carolina and florida. the new hampshire primary is one week from tomorrow. >> america is in trouble. >> washington is a disgrace. >> we need to change direction. >> we really need a change. >> we cannot afford to make the same mistakes that we made in the past. >> mitt romney went the other
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way when he got paid to go the other way. >> serial democracy. >> this election is about trust. >> ron paul has been so consistent from the beginning. >> he seems like a more honest candidate. >> he tells the truth, whether you like it or not. >> he has never once voted for a tax increase. >> voting to cut departments is what we need. >> i believe that he will cut $1 trillion in the first year. >> he is something different. >> ron paul. >> ron paul. >> ron paul is the one i have been looking for. >> i am ron paul, and i approve this message. >> our live coverage of the iowa caucuses will continue this evening at 7:00 p.m. eastern. but santorum will be hosting a meeting in altoona, iowa.
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he is coming in at third place in some of the polling over the last few days. mitt romney will be in clive iowa tonight. the former massachusetts governor is holding a grassroots event. nearly half of the caucus goers in the polls last week raided mr. romney the most electable candidate in the general election. michele bachmann, in last place in the polls, will be on "washington journal," tomorrow. that conversation gets underway at 10:00 tomorrow here on c- span -- 9:30 a.m. eastern, tomorrow, here on c-span. >> our c-span coverage of the iowa caucuses continues at 7:00 p.m. eastern. talking with political experts and taking your calls.
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later at 7:00 p.m., our preview program and the state of the republican presidential race. at 8:00 p.m., live coverage from central iowa. we will have live coverage of another caucus on c-span 2. the c-span coverage of the iowa caucuses is also available on c- span radio and online, c- span.org/campaign2012. >> it is essential that our spending habits take a 180 degree turn starting right now. tonight at midnight, the government will shut down if congress does not pass the resolution. >> forecasters at goldman sachs have wanted to shave growth of the gdp every single week. we have been warned about the impact of the shutdown on confidence in u.s. economic recovery. >> with a possible government
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shutdown looming, this senate session from april 8, 2011, was the most watched a video of the year. watch for yourself at our home page. click on the most watched tab to view the most watched moment -- moments of the last year. >> and now, to atlantic, iowa, where mitt romney held a meet and greet. this is about 15 minutes.
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>> could you hear me back here? >> we did. that is great. thank you. >> thank you for your help. >> thank you so much. good to see you. thank you for your help. >> question about china, sir? >> jodi? >> you are my number one volunteer. >> [laughter] >> can i ask you a question, sir? about china. right now their economy is doing great. how do you balance those issues so that we have fair trade and
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we continue to trade with them. >> we have to make sure that they trade on a level playing field. i want to make sure that they finally began to buy more. they have purchased more crop -- more pork products this year than ever before. i want to make sure that they do not cheat. if they do, we will wind up suffering as we have. hello, how are you? >> thank you for spending time in iowa. and we appreciate it. and [laughter] >> thank you for being here. [unintelligible] >> there is a little bit of snow on the ground.
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where is your camera? right there? >> thank you. look at that camera. >> we were with you [unintelligible] >> hold it down. hold it down. keep your finger on it. hold it down. keep going. i do not care. i do not care.
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>> our you? good to see you. and i sign that for you? >> no prediction? >> our you doing? >> doing real good. >> who is the farmer? good luck to you. you have some family to work on the farm as well?
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what a blessing. welcome to iowa. hope that that works. thank you, it is great to be here today. >> it can be heartened. >> controlling the medical health care costs, and makes the sense -- all the sense in the world. >> i have a chapter on health care and one of the key features is the malpractice system.
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>> do you feel that that is a state issue? >> i would push it nationally. thank you. >> hello, again. and that has my name on there. that is interesting. which newspaper is this? ok. [unintelligible] my gosh. >> thank you. >> i love that. come back and help. i will do my best to find work for the american people.
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>> hello. how are you? >> thank you. >> you're very kind. it is good to be here. >> thank you so much. we appreciate you coming by. >> good luck. >> are you doing? >> good. [unintelligible]
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>> no. guess we'll come back out. we are coming back out. how're you? >> we appreciate your help today. thank you for your vote on tuesday. thank you so much. >> i want to shake your hand. >> thank you so much. i appreciate it. you cannot vote on tuesday. >> heads up. >> how are you doing that this is an exciting time.
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>> heads up. >> how are you doing? this is an exciting time. this is the best part of politics. this is a chance to see people across the state and the kind of enthusiasm and the folks that are willing to come out on in years day to meet someone who is running for president and commit to go to the caucus on tuesday night. we're up in for a lot of people. they live to iowa to play an important role in the selection of our nominee. we're hoping to see a lot of people come out and cast their ballots.
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i like to see some good news coming out of the caucus. we will build on the enthusiasm. i'll be happy to take any question. >> has there been any response to a gingrich say you buy election if you could? >> he announced he raised a million dollars this quarter. we are working hard to raise funds as well. this is the lesson that is not being driven by money raised. is being driven by the debates and voters and experience. i think these are the features that are driving the campaign so far. >> what are your fundraising numbers? >> we will do better. i do not have a final figure for you. >> [inaudible] >> i've not been a lot of time trying to describe policy. i focused on the things and choices americans have to make.
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i appreciate that. we have been friends. our backgrounds are quite a difference. speaker santorum has been his career in washington. there's nothing wrong with that. it is a very different background than in. people recognize that it should be helpful to have someone to understand the economy firsthand his spend the bulk of this career working in the private sector. he is a good guy. he worked hard. i wouldn't be surprised if we see him do well. i do not know that you can look at a poll in predict well happen on the polling night. is so difficult. people can show up in different numbers than what the pollsters
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might have imagined. i am encouraged that i thought of positively. i'm even more encouraged by the people i see at these rallies and events and the kind of enthusiasm they have in their willingness to show up on new year's day in their commitment to go to the caucuses. i am pleased we're doing well. i do not know he will win this thing. i do believe i will have a great deal of support. it will give me the boost i need as i go into a season of a number of other states. >> you're saying you did not spend enough time reaching out. do you have any regrets? >> i had the privilege of going across the state in many people across iowa. i built a lot of french ships. a lot of those people continue to support me.
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i have rekindled those over the past several days. this is the process that begins here. it goes on across the nation. it has been important to me that i have the ability to get the nomination. they were proud they're on the team from the very beginning. >> senator santorum has described himself as a true conservative than new. -- than you. >> i am pleased to put people to my record as governor of massachusetts. i put in place a rainy day fund.
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i empower our police to enforce federal immigration laws. it i fought for english immersion in our schools. these are good conservative principles. it is our respective records. i am a conservative. what distinguishes me is that i understand the economy first and parent i am looking forward to a spirited campaign, a lot of debates to go. hopefully we will have a confident night on tuesday. i do not know who will win but i think you have a good support and then on to new hampshire and south carolina. florida, nevada. it to be terrific race. afford to a good sendoff to me and the others predict i look
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forward to a good sendoff to me and the others -- i look forward to a good standoff between me and the others. >> give this a dramatic picture right here. thank you. >> ahead of tomorrow's caucuses, today mitt romney is holding events and dubuque and maryland, iowa. tonight he will be in clive, iowa. we will have live coverage of that starting at 10:05 eastern, on c-span. before that we will bring you an event from rick santorum.
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he will hold a meeting and greek at a local pizza restaurant in altoona, iowa. that is at 7:00 p.m. eastern. a quick reminder that michele bachmann will be joining us tomorrow on "washington journal." she will be ready to take your phone calls and e-mails, right here on c-span. the iowa caucuses begin tomorrow night and our live coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. we will look at how the republican presidential candidates are lining up. followed by the statewide results and candidate reaction. c-span 2 will also be live tomorrow night with another caucus from western iowa. you can follow the candidates on line, c-span.org, and you can read what candidates and political reporters are saying at social media buzz, c- campaign 2012.
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>> copyright infringement is a serious problem. it is not perfect. there are ways on a bipartisan basis that we can improve on it. that is what open legislation is all about. the big difference, the fundamental difference between our bill and another is that we would not do damage to the architecture of the internet. >> tonight, the internet and copyright protection. the different versions of the legislation currently in congress, at 8:00 p.m. on c-span 2. >> last month, rick perry said that president obama is conducting an attack on traditional religious organizations and values. he said that he would call for a
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national day of prayer in a time of crisis. he met at an court -- editorial board meeting on december 9. this is about one hour. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> i do not hear that a lot in iowa. >> hello, governor. my name is john. >> hello, john. are you the man that is going to do all the work? [laughter] >> where did you grow up? >> wisconsin. >> iowa. iowa, iowa? india?
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[laughter] >> great state of ohio. midwestern, pretty much all away? >> one of our business writers was 30 years in texas. >> houston? for prayer? >> covering 80 -- aviation and energy. of the subjects, but not, medical technology and what happened in texas in the last decade in particular has been fascinating. when you talk about our state economy before 1984, when it dropped off a cliff, it had a
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substantial and relatively lengthy recession. all of the action in texas was 14%. it has grown, and it gives you an idea of the total diversification of the texas economy over the course of the last 25 years, the last decade in particular. we announced a new, applied cancer science institute in anderson, one week ago, last monday. it was basically a pickup and move out of harvard. we are seeing some just great work, right? it is really early, but one of our intentions in texas with
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adult stem cells at the center of the country, it was just a fascinating thing that was going on. when i had my surgery done. i healed very quickly. we are seeing similar results with multiple sclerosis, dystrophy, and it is just fascinating. whoever on your staff does science, with all of the above, it really surprises me. >> why not get started? >> in the editor and vice president of news for the "caller: -- "des moines
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register," here in iowa. it is a pleasure to have you here, rick perry. what we would like to do is give you the floor for a few minutes on things that are important to you. things in the campaign. >> [unintelligible] gives the device. [laughter] a couple of individuals with me. >> how is the campaign going so far, from your perspective, sir? >> having run six times, you think you are ready for a national campaign. people always say -- running
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statewide, texas is a big state. which is true. but it sure is not as big as america. managing a national campaign is an interesting process. with chief executive experience and governing experience, it can pay great dividends to talk about why i want to be president, talking about the experiences i have had. the argument could be made that the current president, his lack of chief executive experience, on the job training, if you will, has been a drawback to him. which i would agree with. running the 13th largest
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economy in the world, in texas, is its own entity. there are a great number of challenges. we have to deal with, particularly, our number one trading partner. we have had a long and interesting and generally positive relationship. border security, which a lot of other governors don't have to deal with those types of issues, so the 11 years that i've been the governor of texas has prepared me to deal with a host of a very complex issues, whether it is on the economic side or whether it is on the foreign policy side of dealing with various and sunddry countries -- sundry countries.
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we had a group from azerbaijani in the office this last monday. they are looking to texas to put an office there. they are oil and gas-oriented and are talking about building the pipeline. azerbaijan to turkey to get your another supply of energy rather than having to rely solely upon the russian gas. the whole foreign affairs side of being at texas governor is kind of an interesting aspect of what i deal with, whether it is traveling to other countries, almost exclusively economic development-wise. i did through the use sign some memorandums of understanding with other countries in texas.
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israel as an example in the 1990's when i was agricultural commissioner. just a little taste of the life experiences of dealing with the foreign affairs, 8 is a bit different than what a number of other governors would deal with. and certainly different than most of those on the stage with me asking to consider them for the nomination. i'm going to touch on three aspects of policy, and then you can fire away. the first -- we got in the race on the 13th of august. eight it was considered to be injecting ourselves into this process.
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we laid out our policy, and was on energy and jobs. i know we will talk about ethanol. i'm not going to use this type of -- i should say i am an all- the-of--- all-of-the-above individual from an energy standpoint. we need to have a broad portfolio. what it focused on in that policy paper was opening up lands. there's a substantial amount of energy -- only 300 years worth of energy in this country -- that we could use. we are the saudi arabia of coal. using that coal having
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innovation to use cleaner burning coal -- i am still a fan of nuclear energy, being able to process that fuel rods, the use -- rods. again, our technology in america has allowed us to find resources that we had no idea were there. 10 years ago, the idea that all of this shale gas -- and so i would suggest to you that there are still substantial amounts of energy that technology and innovation will allow was to be able to discover, produce, and use as a domestic source of energy. that -- i talked about the policy -- million-plus jobs just right off the back. pulling back the regulations over the past five years, since
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2008, that have stifled job .reatinon and rebuilding the agency into one that is pro jobs, leaving regulations to the states. i trust the people of iowa, a governor, a legislature, to make decisions. one-size-fits-all, even on -- and the clean air act -- and someone will ask this question, "you are not for the clean air act in the 1970's? yes, it has done its work, but what we have now is an agency that is creating so many regulations, and the cost of those regulations, and the benefit we are seeing is very minuscule at best. the second thing i lay out his tax policy and how to do with the budget.
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20% flat tax, charitable deductions, local tax deductions,, 20% of that, but it on a postcard. 20% of let us -- 20% of that. did i knock it off? make your job better. excuse me. and then on the spending side, obviously, i have had 25-plus years of dealing with budgets, either as an appropriate or and now the governor of the state of texas. we have a balanced budget amendment in texas and i think it is important that we work towards the balanced budget amendment of the united states
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constitution as well. it is the most serious way to deal with long-term budgetary concerns people have. reductions in spending, and i've laid out some concepts, but i am the only individual who was laid out a budget that would be balanced by 2020, 18% of the gross domestic product is where we are headed, and then on the corporate side, it is a straight 20% corporate rate. that is the global average in other countries. we chose that so we would be competitive that was the highest for the second highest corporate in the world right now. -- corporate rate in the world right now but there is a lot of
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this incentive for companies to be growing and expanding in the state of texas. all that is on the web site. i want to end with the third policy we have laid out, the overhauling of washington. there are ideas in there that are, some would say, a provocative. when i talk about a part-time congress, i think it will some people back on their heels, the idea of, "what do you mean, a part-time congress?" it will work, it worked. it will work because washington today is so self-centered and self important, from my perspective, that people basically make a living being united states congressman. their salaries are three times the average of the american family. make it part time, let them go home and have jobs in their communities, live with their citizens, come and take care of
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the business that needs to be taking care of -- taken care of. i would suggest that there are a lot of models working across the country. they are called state governments. we need for 140 days, every other year. we balance our budget, we take care of our issues. members of the legislature are only paid $600 a month. they go home, they do their lawyer work or their veterinary work or they are physicians or retired teachers, whatever. they make up that microcosm of our state. it works. they balance the budget and go home and live under the laws they pass. a part-time congress would go a long way towards not only making it less contentious in washington, d.c., but also give the american people confidence
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that members of congress, in this case, are more in tune with what is going on. substantially reducing the size and scope of washington and those agencies, even some that i couldn't remember the name of -- but that is, again -- i want to open it up and allow you all to ask questions. but that is the policy side of the most important issue that affects this country is getting our economy back, getting people to work, getting the confidence back where entrepreneurs feel they can risk their capital and have a chance for a return on investment. that is how you get to 13-plus million people who are out of work and opportunity to have a job with dignity to take care of their family. it is a way for america, again,
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to be considered a force to deal with whether it is on foreign policy or military. if we do not first get our economy back on track and growing, then these other issues become even more problematic for us, because we lose our role in the world as being the strongest economy, being the strongest military, our influence on foreign policy and defense around the world. >> well, it is interesting, that you want to talk about overhauling washington, and creating jobs again and protecting things that so many iowans care about. but he recently did a $1.2 million -- you recently did a $1.2 million ad buy in the state, and you focus on your faith and what you describe as the president's war on religion.
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what message are you trying to send an there? does this release 0 in on the issues that are most important to america and iowa? >> i am introducing myself to iowans. for 25 years, and particularly for 20 years as the agriculture commissioner, lieutenant governor, and then the governor, i have had 20 years to introduce myself to it state of texas. obviously, having five months to introduce yourself to the people in new hampshire and iowa and south carolina and florida -- there is obviously a tactical reason for zeroing in on iowa, and we know what that is. but it is introducing herself to those people. -- who is introducing yourself to those people did who is this individual, what makes him tick? this nothing new. the idea that i have issues that
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have resonated with me personally in my faith is part of who i am. prior to that, obviously, we laid out our our economic side of things as well. i think americans do want a president who is not afraid to say, "here is what i believe in, here is who i am." i am consistent, whether it is consistency on economic issues or issues of my personal faith and values. and that is the message that i am intending to relay to the people of iowa -- here is what i believe in. by and large, my christian faith does characterize me, whether it is making decisions about
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economics, for instance. i think the dignity of being able to have a job and take care of your family, from my perspective, is part of my faith, that relying upon government to make decisions that are best made by you and/or your family -- those are the values that i hold very dear and, i think, serve not just the people of iowa, but people all across this country, well. i do disagree with this administration that it is the private sector individual who would be better served, whether it is economically or whether it is issues of social concern, that they make this decisions, and there are clear issues of what i believe in that are in conflict with the
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administration. >> do you believe he is waging a war on religion? that is what some of us around this table -- explain that to us. >> when you see his appointment of two, from my perspective, and arguably -- inarguably activist judges, whether it is -- not tomayor -- >> sonia sotomayor? >> sotomayor and kagan, both activist judges to me, i would suggest that that is an example of my concern about -- i believe the supreme court should not be making legislative decisions and telling americans how to live, whether it live up outp --
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whether it is about prayer in school, whether you can celebrate christmas. those are decisions that should be left to the states or to the individuals to be making. his justice department, who is defending this ministerial exception, i believe that is a direct attack on people of faith and churches, basically saying that you cannot, um, discriminate, if you will, someone who does not believe hiringou believe, and firing of ministers and others staff. it is like boys down speed i wrote -- is like boy scouts.
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i wrote a book about the scouts five years ago, and gets to the issue of whether scouting should be able to restrict it in open the gate scoutmaster -- an openly gay scoutmasters. a private organization -- that should be their call. and yet you have than spending substantial amounts of money defending a lawsuit saying no, you have to -- those are my beliefs, and i and consistent about them. i don't try to meander through and make all sides happy. i do think that this president is conducting what i consider to be an attack on traditional religious organizations and/or traditional religious values by those two examples. >> if i could take this one step
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further, this subject, you said at the iowa family leader forum, deep in the soul of every person, there is a void that can only be filled by jesus christ. i am not a christian american, but i am an american and i vote. you are not speaking for me or to me, and i just wonder if you don't think that you are excluding certain people who are not christian when you say that. >> listen, i tell you what is in my faith. one of the great things our founding fathers did in that first amendment was to say that you have freedom of religion. i defend that with my life. it is required.
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as a matter of fact, i've sworn to uphold the constitution, both as a veteran of the united states air force and the governor of the state of texas. your faith belief is your business. i am telling you from my perspective, the people who choose christianity as their faith, i believe that there is a very defined place in our heart that can only be filled -- last night i was speaking to a group -- i said, if i could just marry this person or just have these children, if i could just get that job, or just win this next election, that is what will make me happy, when the fact is that i personally believe that what will ultimately make you happy is when that hole is filled by jesus christ.
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that is my belief. you choose another route, you choose another religion. we have a very diverse religious groups and different individuals in the state of texas. i respect them as citizens and human beings, and the decision and they make about their personal faith is their decision. judge you or anyone else. i am talking about my faith and those who have chosen the christian path. >> but as president, you have to represent all americans, and by saying that this president has declared war on religion, some people in this country who are of those other diverse faiths
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might read that as you would declare war on their religion, not your own. >> they would be wrong is how i would say that struck out. -- say that straight up. >> you talk about states' rights as far as defending the constitution. you don't see a role for federal courts to uniformly interpreted first amendment to defend religious rights in all 50 states? >> here is what i see happening with the first amendment, and this goes back to 1962 and that is where you c -- case where you can't have prayer to "almighty god" is how i believe that -- i am not a lawyer, so i have not studied these cases in debt. but the idea that the court is telling us whether or not we can have prayer in school is really a bit eccentric to me.
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that should be a decision made at the local level. it is one of the reasons that i have called for doing away with the department of education. i have no idea why the federal government is engaged in telling the states how to educate their children. i think that is a waste of money and i think it is a waste of be one-for washington to th size-fits-all or, worse yet, picking winners and losers in various states when, in fact, that is a state responsibility, to educate children in their states. there will be people, with very different, innovative ways, and governors and legislatures who are thoughtful and want to have that competitive work force and be a place where businesses move
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because there is a skilled workforce. they will go pick issues -- they will go pick and choose which programs work best for their state. again, i go back to -- i don't think it is the -- our founding fathers wanted freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. >> as governor of texas, you called for a day of prayer during an economic crisis. for some who do not share your faith or religion, that was, well, the governor of texas calling for a day of prayer -- would you call for a day of prayer for the entire country, for example? >> sure. look back at our history and what george washington or thomas jefferson or abraham lincoln --
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three rather powerful members of our founding -- either founding fathers or president who had great impact on in this country -- they all made statements about how could you do this job without not having a strong faith in an almighty creator? wouldea that i wouldn't be counter to why who i am. if americans want to elect a president who basically says, look, i am not going to let my faith intervene in anything that i do would be a bit -- from my perspective, would be a bit scary. i want a president who is faithful and at least that there is -- and that believes that
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there is a greater being who has an impact every day in this world and is engaged in the activities -- my faith teaches me that this is an all-powerful creator, that when a bird falls from the sky, he knows it. i believe that. that is part of who i am. i am not going to change that. if people decide that, listen, your religious faith steers me off -- scares me off, my religious faith has not gotten away in texas from the stamp of making us the most economically powerful state and nation -- state in the nation. i think it brings some comfort to folks that i believe that your economic condition in a
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life is a biblical effort, to give people the opportunity to take care of themselves, to not have to rely upon government, to give the individual the dignity to have a job and take care of their family. >> when you talk about a day of prayer or permitting prayer in schools, are you talking specifically about christian prayer, or are you tsaying nondenominational prayer? >> what i am saying is that it is not the government passed a business to be telling folks at the state level. obviously, if a school is jewish, in dallas, texas, they should be able to -- that private schools should be able to do that. >> but they can as a private
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school. the issue is the public schools. >> the independent school boards it should decide that, not the government did the idea that we should be so politically correct that one family can say "i don't want my child --" that child should have the freedom to sit there and play tic-tac-toe, what have you come up with the issue is for washington to tell a -- local what -- what have you, put the issue is for washington to tell a little school district that you cannot have prayer for school is offensive to americans. i trust school districts to make that decision better than eight unelected and, frankly, unaccountable judge's bid is one of the reasons i've called for an end to lifetime appointments
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for federal judgeships. >> can you talk about your ideas for health care and white texas ranks no. 1 in the country for uninsured -- why texas ranks no. 1 in the country for uninsured? >> that is a decision the people of texas have made for years. i know that folks like to pitch out "no. 1 in an insured," but people have access to health care in texas, some of the best health care and the world, as a matter-of-fact. we started this process here -- people have access to health care. people of this state of texas have said this is how we want to deliver the health care. now, there are restrictions and taxes of how -- there are restrictions in texas of how we would make insurance available,
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because we were not allowed to it to have waivers from the federal government, which goes into a real key difference between myself and the current administration when it comes to medicate. i would block grant that back to the states and allow states to come up with innovative ways to deliver insurance programs. medi-scare -- medicare -is -- i will give you three examples of how i would change medicare. i think what paul ryan and what some of his colleagues have offered up for medicare transformation are pretty wise moves. different types of insurance, menus that people could pick, go pay -- copay. it is important for everyone to have some skin in the game so that there -- and obviously, it
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could be a scale that moves up and down. speaking of indexing, obviously, for medicare, we should index -- means-test individuals. there are a number of ways we can make health care insurance more available. in the state of texas, no one is not covered. "covered" is the wrong word. no one does not have access to some the best health care and the world. -- in the world. the state, and his legislature elected by the citizens, have put in place programs that do not require insurance, or make it available in some cases.
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that kind of is a natural segue over to this whole individual mandate. need, in texas, you don't health insurance? there is an of infrastructure that 25% of your people don't have health insurance. you don't need it health insurance? >> i think we would have more health insurance if we did not have strings attached. i think that having health insurance for those who want it is good public policy. but health insurance with the strings attached that we have seen from washington, d.c. is too expensive, and the people in the state of texas through the legislature is said we are not going to spend those amounts of dollars, whether it is going to federal qualified health clinics, whether it is going to emergency rooms, people have the access to health care, the
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-- to health care. the insurance is another issue. we have more people with insurance if it were block granted? i would suggest yes, substantially so big you have to up the freedom to implement the program, and we don't have that today. >> if you fill out a postcard, you pay 20% of your income -- is that what you're saying? >> i'm saying you deduct your mortgage insurance, you deduct charitable giving, local taxes, capital gains tax goes away. obviously important to iowans and any stay with substantial agricultural interest. the death tax would go away. i don't know if i said dividends tax would go away as
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well. then you take 20% of that number, and that would be a personal income tax. >> what about a family that does not own a home and is not have all of those? no capital gains liability? do they take 20% of all of their income? >> yes. >> but somebody like you, who owns a home -- >> don't own a home. public housing. [laughter] >> they take good care of your housing there? >> you know, they are rebuilding. there was an act of arson against it in 2005 -- 2007. we have not been living in there for maybe a few years -- five years next june. >> take away -- on a home in
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college station for a while for my daughter. >> somebody with investments and income level to have all that it's the deductions, but a family that doesn't, 20% on their total income. i am describing a low-income family. is that the system that would put in place? >> that is correct. >> that does not seem unfair to you? >> what seems unfair to me is the system that we have today, where 500 -- 24 of the $500 billion gets spent on tax collections that could be reinvested in this country to create jobs, better paying jobs, than what those individuals are having today. this is all tied together with accreting the confidence -- with creating the confidence in this country where entrepreneurs know they can risk confidence on this
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capital and get a return on this investment, and having people keep what they worked for. that is my goal, to create an environment in this country where more people at work and more people get to keep what they work for. no one's is going to make the perfect tax structure. that is impossible. but what i think i have laid out is the simplicity of the tax plan that will give tax reductions almost -- well, it is across every sector. but i do believe that -- in the inherent fairness of what i have laid out here, the goal of that tax system is to create an environment in the state where people have the confidence that they can risk their capital i never return on investment.
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-- they can miss their capital and have a return on investment. that is michael. -- that is my goal. that, singularly, from an economic standpoint, is how we pay off the debt and can grow economically. this money that is off for today, approximately $1.70 trillion, allowing a year period of time when that can come back in at 5.25%. let me just say from a low income -- i leave the old system in place for some period of time. having a conversation with a column is the other day about what is that period of time, and i admit, i don't know. let's talk about what that period of time is.
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if you or a low income family, and you wanted to stay in the old system for the low income tax credit, you could, you could choose that. that is the choice that we leave . most -- i would suggest the vast number of people -- would prefer to go to 20% flat tax. >> let me go to our income comes from. the person who works, punches a time clock, they would pay the 20%. the person who has the big nest egg from dad or grandpa, whose income derives from capital gains or dividends, would pay nothing? >> i have a hard time with
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"nothing." i am sure you can go find an individual or some small number of individuals that meet that characteristic. again, i don't think anybody is going to be able to create a tax system that does not have somewhere an inequity. my goal is to fight what is the simplest, most straightforward, that can save the most money and allow people more of what they worked for and get more americans to work. that is the reason i laid that plan out. >> the most simple approach would be to take at 20% and apply to everybody, regardless of the source of the income. wouldn't that be the simpler structure? >> you could make the argument that would be simpler, i chose this particular -- we look at a
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lot of different -- i looked at the fairfax, i spoke to steve king about the fair tax at length. this is what i found to be the most sellable, because the fact is i have been in this business long enough to know that i have got to pass it. perfection, i hope, will not get in the way of good. >> we have spent an awful lot of time at this editorial board of our newspaper echoing what we hear from iowans in general, that washington is broken, that never before have we seen such a huge divide between left and right, republicans and democrats. partisanship is at an all-time high. talk about, if you were elected, how you could bridge that. what have you done in a creek that you could point to as a
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success with bipartisan support? >> well, for 11 years, i've been a lieutenant -- excuse me, for two years i was a lieutenant governor, 11 years, i was governor dealing with bodies that were, in some cases, almost with bil -- almost equitably divided between democrats and republicans. in 2006, i believe -- 2007 -- we had substantial numbers of democrats in the texas house. in 2003, to give you a specific example, we passed the most sweeping tort reform in the nation in 2003. that was the first time that there was a republican house, republican senate, were speaker.v.ernor,
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and yet else we passed that piece of legislation, i wanted to put it in a constitutional amendment, tort reform, so it wouldn't be litigated for 10 years, to clearly say this is what the people of texas want to do. it was dealing with capping non-economic damages at $250 per hospital, nursing home, so that you would not have these huge judgments. i was willing to but that in the constitution. we had to gather either 25 or 30 democrats to vote for that. i think that is a good example how i dealt with democrats and republicans. texas probably 55, 45% state,
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when you look at the break down, maybe 56-44 democrat-republican. i grew up a democrat. i spent -- i never met a republican until i was probably 25. we are really not about d's and r's in texas so much as we are philosophically conservatives and liberals. washington is broken. it's broken -- i don't think washington is broken because of a r's and d's. i think washington is broken because it has lost touch with what is going on in america, and we allowed special interests -- i mean, when i open up the newspaper and i read where $7.70 trillion secretly has gone to
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wall street financiers to bail them out, even on known to congress, that gives me greater consternation about what is going on in this country than whether or not democrats and republicans are trying to one up each other on some issue. that is the reason i think it takes an outsider to come into that environment who is really willing to pull out the veto pen and veto a piece of legislation that has earmarks. if there is a bill that spends money we don't have, to veto it. i am not going to washington, d.c. to try and -- i understand, historically, in my life, why we work with both political
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parties. i get. i been doing it for 25, 26 years of my life. but that is not the biggest concern to me. the biggest concern to me is that we have a system in washington, d.c. that is broken. what the republicans did with tarp, bailing out wall streeters, was just as corrupt, from my standpoint, as what timothy geithner and fannie mae and freddie -- i mean, what we're finding out about what is going on in washington over the last 20 years -- i mean, there are some great books out there that have gone back and reconstructed reckless endangerment. morgensen.tchen
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there is another book, "jimmy stewart is dead." incredibly corrupt. and i would suggest to you, fraudulent activities going on in washington, d.c., that are of great work concern to me -- great more concern to me on the economic side than whether or not i get nancy pelosi and paul riyan to sit down and agree on a particular piece of legislation. that i think we can do, but the bigger issue for me is someone who will walk into washington, d.c. -- and i am the only outsider on the stage, who is either not a part of the establishment or who has been in congress or is in congress and basically stand up and declare that we are going to reconstruct washington, d.c.,
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because they have put this country in great peril economically. >> governor bush sat here 11 years ago, said exactly the same thing. right before the caucuses, that he was a united, not a better. he had not used those words, -- but he could get -- that he was a uniter, not a divider. he had not used those words, but that he could get both sides together. he promised, very sincerely, i am sure, that he could sell the same kinds of problems that you are talking about solving trad. how to you do that under these circumstances? a cynic would say it is hopeless. cynic.m not a i would not say it is hopeless.
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i think george w. was looking at a significantly different time in our history. we were in, frankly, very good times economically t. the american people -- i don't recall what the unemployment rate was in 2000, but i know it wasn't what it is today. the american people -- i think they are substantially more attuned and more supportive of someone who truly will walk into washington and overhaul it. i don't recall then-governor bush talking about overhauling washington, d.c. he was talking about getting democrats and republicans to work together. i will leave that for what it is. i am not particularly interested in going to washington, d.c. and
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getting people to sing kumbaya together. i am interested in going in and be constructing what has happened over many years. it is going to be a difficult fight. i don't try to be polle yannaish at all. it will be a very difficult fight. it will require president who was willing to spend a lot of time travelling across this country and using whatever political capital they can put together to pass the balanced budget amendment to the united states constitution, and at the same time, passing a balanced budget that calls for a part- time congress. at that particular point in time, i think you do change washington forever. to don't you need d's and r's make all of that happen? you cannot do it alone. >> i totally understand that, and i have had conversations with congressmen, who have
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said "can you kind of put a cork in it about part-time legislature?" there are others who have said "you are right." is not that i am concerned about. it is their constituents. i do know what their constituents think, the vast majority of the time. when they think about the part- time legislature, i don't think there will be as big a pushback -- i mean, members of congress are not any different from the rest of the country pai. they just go and they get absorbed by that culture, and the special interests -- they could have -- let them have a job back home. they could have a job that would let them make more money than they have as a member of the united states congress. i think it is also a natural
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term-limiting effect on congress as well. don't know what the average term limit in iowa or texas is -- probably seven or eight years. is that people -- i, frankly -- i am not too concerned about whether congress loves me or not. i am concerned about whether we get this country back on track. the american people, if we look and see to it is that has been very consistent -- who it is that is very consistent in their life on the these issues, i think i am that deal. >> as you noted a little bit late, you probably a vaulted to
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the top of the polls, pushing michele bachmann off. what has happened since then? why have you lost ground? >> we've had four people out leading the parade. there may be one or two changes before we get to january 3. i readily admit that our campaign did not go as smoothly and as positively as i would have liked. made, whether they were on the debate or what have you, i ask americans, give me a second look. really take a look at my policies. laid until mid-
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september, and at that particular point in time, we were falling in the polls. i think americans, and iowans in particular, are starting to take a different -- taking another look. they are finding out about me. i was the newest kid on the block august 13. one of the reasons i got in the race was because i didn't see anyone that the republican voters were really excited about. i became a person they were excited about for a while. >> governor, i am curious how you can about making the decision on the hpv vaccine, and what does that say to us about your leadership style?
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>> we have been in a continuing discussion about what the texas state government role should be in defeating cancer. in 2003, we pass a constitutional amendment that funded it $3 billion -- $300 million a year. cancer research, obviously, home to and the anderson, and any tools that we could use to convert these diseases -- conquer these disease that are impacting lives and families. i been very intrigued with and supportive of three years --
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hpv was one of those. as it was brought to me as a very effective tool, i made a political error in how i took it forward, but i still believe that parents and/or young people should have access to that. when i put that in place with the executive order, it had an opt-out. i felt comfortable that the opt- out did speak to the issue of parental rights. i found that it did not speak to it in strong-enough fashion. two things i would do differently. i still would go forward with every tool that we have to defeat these cancers.
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i would have gone through the legislative process. >> we are 3.5 weeks away from january 3. the editorial board has a lot of things to contemplate the next three days. why should you earned our endorsement and why should iowa voters support you on january 3? >> i hope you are looking for a consistent individual. not someone who will be questionable on where you are going to be on this issue. i have been in public life long enough that i have got -- there is a good story and a bad story. you have a record. people know what i believe.
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they know how i'm going to respond on almost any issue. they know my record on job creation is -- i would use the word "unsurpassed," from the standpoint of any of the other candidates on the stage. i talk about job creation, i don't get confused that it is about me. it is about understanding that the private sector is where job creation is treated. -- is created. government can be an impediment, or it can no more hurdles -- taxes, regulation, etc. you as the executive governing experience that can go in on day one and put in a -- a place wh -- who has the ticket of government experience that can go in on day one and put in policies that are working? i have done that with my energy and jobs plan, i've done that
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with having to deal with congress on taxes, on spending. a great amount of impact can be with the administrators and the staff at those -- that is administered to bring in to government. -- that those administrators bring in to government. i feel confident that as iowans and, hopefully, this board makes its decision, that vision, that track record, and that consistency is what you as citizens of this state and as members of this editorial board and the people of the state of iowa are looking for. >> governor, pleasure to have you, sir. thank you for your time. >> thank you all. have a good day. >> you, too, sir. run in thea good
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morning. the last time we were out here, we went from the embassy suites and took off to the river and then off to the great lake. that is a great run. that is where i will be in the morning. >> see you tomorrow evening. >> a "des moines register" straw poll released over the weekend shows rick perry added only michele bachmann among iowa voters. 41% of likely caucus goers may change their phone paid at this hour, rick perry is wrapping up a campaign appearance at at sioux city and will travel to carroll, iowa, halfway to des moines. mitt romney will have aggressors
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rally and live coverage of that will start at 10:05 eastern. half of likely iowa caucus was raided mr. romney the most electable in the general election. tomorrow, michele bachmann, who was last place in that poll, talks to "washington journal." our coverage with the minnesota congresswoman starts at 9:30 a.m. eastern. iowa caucuses are tomorrow night and our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. we will bring you the latest on the campaign events and how the candidates are lining up. then we will have cameras at the central iowa caucus to show you how that works. then that is followed by the results and the candidate reactions. c-span2 will be live with another caucus from western iowa. >> that side has made up its mind, this site has made up its mind.
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i call that garbage, dr. rice -- >> dr. brinkley. rice is a university. >> i will call you anything i want when you sit in that chair. >> you don't know me. >> the gentleman will suspend -- >> i work for the private sector. you work for the public -- >> a confrontation at a congressional hearing between representative don young of alaska and historian douglas brinkley ranked as the fourth- most-watched a video on the c- span video library. c-span.org/videolibrary. click on "most >> coming up next, we will bring you a discussion with linda
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utmeyer. she talked with "washington journal" about newt gingrich and his candidacy. he came in behind mitt romney, ron paul and rick santorum. this is about 40 minutes. with why youegin are supporting newt gingrich. >> i believe the 2012 election will be about jobs and the economy and ideas and solutions that will rebuild the kind of america we all love. i could not think of a better person to actually accomplish that that newt gingrich. host: if you look at the paul,
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your candidate is in fourth place. he was leading the polls, close to a leading them earlier in november and is now falling back to fourth place. what do you make of that? guest: we were leading the polls early on and that paul and on friday night. we have seen it numbers move and lots of people getting on board. it is very clear the negative ads have made an impact and when you spend the amount of money that has been spent in that time and energy beating up on somebody, it has an effect. the speaker is working hard to respond to each of those attacks and make sure the truth is available.
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host: we just heard from rick perry's representative in iowa who said there are winners and there are wiener's, talking about newt gingrich responding to some of the negative ads. how do you respond to that? guest: i believe newt gingrich is absolutely a winner. i don't consider it twining when your response to ads that are factually incorrect -- whining. it's his responsibility to do that and that is what he's doing. host: what your responsibilities as caucus chair person for newt gingrich? guest: i have been able to help him with the original networking and have worked with him to be in front of people at various times.
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my responsibilities are not day- to-day operations. being here and working with the campaign in the final days really kind of on the ground is fabulous. i've spent time at the headquarters with volunteers, which is something i love. it's what the grass-roots campaigns are all about. that is what i do mostly. host: what is newt gingrich's closing argument to voters over the next 35 hours or so? guest: i think that he will absolutely talk about jobs and the economy. the reason he's the best candidate to put the united states by contract and rebuild america, as well. when you look back at the history that he has had in congress, in the 1990's he helped create 11 million jobs, he moved us from a deposition to a surplus, those are important things for iowans and americans. we also need him to reopen the foreign policy. these are critical times for us
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to direct relationships, to correct decisions in foreign policy. he has a fabulous background in that as well. this is a time we need an experienced leader where he will press congress to do the things that need to be done. he knows how to work with congress, casinos the relationship between congress and the president, and work will get done. the job will be done will get completed under a . deal would a host: tells about his organization efforts in iowa. -- the job will get completed under gingrich. host: tell us about his organization efforts in iowa. guest: erick candidates will try to have a speaker at as many precincts as they can. i did not spend a lot of time at the headquarters yesterday,
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because it has been amazing. we have tripled and then tripled again the number of people that will be speaking at precincts. we aren't merely there to having the precincts covered. we think it's going to be an exciting night. host: let's get some phone calls. mark, an independent. caller: good morning. i want to know how newt gingrich is going to help the american people with jobs when he was involved with the nasa -- nafta and shipping jobs overseas. this interest is about foreign countries and not the american people. the same goes for romney and rick perry. host: let's get a response from linda upmeyer. guest: speaker gingrich has done a wonderful job of creating jobs. he has his strong record of creating nearly 11 million jobs when he was the speaker of the house over his term there.
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he also moved the country from a deficit to surplus. i i think we have evidence that jobs can predict that that job can be completed. we also have evidence that he has worked very well with foreign leaders and tents across the table and complete that work. so i think we have history that shows that can be done. as far as immigration, the first thing the speaker intends to do by 2014 is have the southern border secured. that's the first up here is making sure that employers are employing illegal immigrants. he has been very clear about the importance of doing just that. host: niki is next, democratic caller in norwood, conn. caller: thanks for taking my call. hi, linda. i've been a 40-year registered democrat. i was really unhappy in 2006 when they got the democrats in.
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i like newt gingrich, but i think that a lot of people are thinking about giving him a second chance based on stuff that happened back in 1994. basically, what i'm about to do is i am going to call -i have called for scott brown from massachusetts, but i am going to call for rick santorum in connecticut to call be a iowa people. i believe in rick santorum. i like what he's doing. i do like what newt gingrich is doing. i like michelle bachmann. i definitely don't like mitt romney. if but if mitt romney is the one that wins, anybody but obama. so that is where i am going. i can give you all the reasons why i don't like obama. it's not because he's black. it has to do with a lot of issues that he's doing backhandedly while he is doing nice things in front where everybody thinks he has done
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more than any other president. host: ok, that was nikki, a democrat in norwood, conn. guest: thank you for that question. you are absolutely right. americans embrace diversity. i absolutely understand where you are coming from. i think we have a lot of good candidates in the field. there's no doubt about it. many of them could make a good alternative to president obama. i think that the speaker's real strength is the fact that when this is over, when the people -- after iowa and new hampshire, as the crowd thins out a little, i think the support will come behind newt gingrich. i think in the end we will at a race that is between governor romney and speaker gingrich. that at that point there will be a very clear contrast between a more moderate and a true
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conservative. between experience that we can move forward and make sure that we have the history and someone that is going to actually go to washington and get the job done. host: denise, independent in new hampshire. caller: i was so thrilled i got on. first-time caller. i am a c-span listener all the time. i wanted to let you know i am independent and my husband is republican. when we watch newt gingrich every time and are undecided, we keep going back and saying this guy is smart, intelligent, can definitely win against obama. i just wanted to say, go, linda, keep at it. i will see newt gingrich when it comes to new hampshire. i think we will get out to see him. we keep going back to him behind all the other guys. i am very independent.
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i could even vote democrat. newt is a good guy. he has proven everything and is a good man. host: denise in new hampshire. linda upmeyer, tell us about how you can to support speaker gingrich and when. guest: you know, i have known the speaker for some time and have gotten to know him better and better over the last four years. i wanted him to run for president four years ago. he decided not to. so this time i was thrilled when he was toying with the idea of very early on. he happens to be happened to be in the iowa in february and i was privileged to introduce him that day. at the end of the speech i just realized that this is a man that has the ideas and the solutions that will carry this country forward. and so, when the speed concluded, i said i am in, i
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want to support your campaign. i told the crowd i thought this would make a fabulous president. since february this is what i have been doing. host: i read on your website that you do extend an evangelical church in iowa. some social conservatives have been hesitant to support the speaker because of his three marriages. i was wondering how you came to terms with that and whether it matters. guest: i think it matters. it matters to people because they want to know the answer. and so, that was one of the questions i asked. i knew it would be asked regularly along the campaign trail. this is what struck me. the absolute sincerity and authenticity he answer the question is heartfelt. when i listened to him talk
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about the choices he made, if we had a duel over, he would do some things differently in his life. i think all of us would. we all recognize there are things we would like to change about our personal history over the years. so when he talks about that, and talks about his daughters and grandchildren and the importance faith has played in his life and the fact that he has reconciled this past failures with god, with his family, and in his heart, when people hear that they go, that's right, we accept that and we need to move on. host: here's a tweet from one of our viewers -- guest: that might be a great combination. i had not heard that.
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it is early to talk about vp candidates. host: raleigh, north carolina, democratic line. caller: i have been listening to you talk about how newt is going to create all these jobs. and when he was speaker of the house, president clinton -- every program that he could do. newt was such a great leader that members of the republican caucus that he put into office threw him out. if he could not lead the republican caucus, which he created, how can he lead our great country? guest: thank you for that question. thank you very much for the question. i think j.c. watts probably frames that better than anyone
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i have heard. and he was there. he was one of the folks that came to congress and was very early engaged as a share of the subcommittee, got to do important work. that was something new and different in washington. newt gingrich appointed bright young people that came to washington to make a difference and made them committee chairs when some of the folks that had been there long time did not get those committee chairs. it is not surprising to me as the majority leader -- it is hard to keep everybody friends all the time. so you disappoint some people on occasion and some people are much more pleased with the outcomes. but i don't think it is surprising that some of the people that perhaps were passed over for important work at that time, or did not get to play the exact role they wanted to play and maybe were disappointed with the outcome.
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but i think history and the record clearly stand. even if people were disappointed and washington insiders think that newt would be a choice that's much more formidable than they would like to have right now, the record still stands. host: murray, a republican in bethlehem, georgia. caller: i absolutely agree with what linda said. newt is the only one that has a record of success in congress. i mean, it was a republican takeover. he h balanced the budget hee drag -- he balanced the budget. he dragged president clinton. newt does not want to follow these socialist programs. we know he can do it. i wish him the best of luck. guest: thank you. host: houston, texas, nancy, an independent.
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caller: good morning. i was calling about newt gingrich. i am an independent but really leaning toward him. he reminds me of churchill, that he will get done what needs to be done and will fight with everybody, and will probably only be a one-term president, but i think our country would be better off if he were offit. that's all i have to say. -- our country would be better off if he were leading it. guest: thank you. many people along the campaign trail have compared him with churchill. if it is important to recognize this is a candidate who will go still to go with whoever needs tube to defend a country and make sure, comerica is the greatest country in the world. -- with whomever he needs to in order to defend the country and to make sure america is the greatest country.
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host: michael, democratic caller, bloomington, illinois. caller: question. good morning and happy new year. what policies that president obama initiated that you do like or what can your candidate do to improve upon it? if your candidates gets to the white house, what will he do to sustain some of the policies? thank you. guest: that requires a very long answer. so this is a good time for me to point out that i would
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encourage each of you to go to newt.org and click on the solutions tab. he fleshes out every one of those policies very effectively there, much better than i could do on a few moments on the program this morning. he was very clear that on a thursday there's a long list of things he would do. one of the first things would be to get rid of all of the czars than a been appointed. legislative branch and executive branch have very clear and separate roles. he would make sure that those cap back in place. we donated czars making policy. -- we don't need czars making policy. the fact that young people today on college campuses are rallying so that they can own a
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piece of their own future by having savings accounts and investment accounts that would substitute for social security, i think, it is very clear the changes he would make on an immigration as well. obamacare would be repealed first thing, because we know this is a system that is going to be so costly and cumbersome that we simply cannot afford it. what he has said is that we need to focus on the cost and quality of health care instead. we need to further investigate the things that keep americans helping. if we need to tackle the research going down the path of brain science, the enormous cost of things like alzheimer's disease to the public. when we can tackle some of those things and when we can put the doctor patient relationship back together, those are things that will save us a great deal of money in the health-care system. tackling fraud and abuse.
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such a long list. i apologize for not being able to cover everything new this morning. i encourage you to go to newt.org and look at all the solutions. host: a tweet from a viewer -- guest: you know, that is a situation that he was acting as a consultant with a consulting business in washington, d.c. whether you argue that consulting businesses are valid or not, it is perfectly legitimate business and it's perfectly legitimate -- a perfectly legitimate practice. he did not lobby. he had a strategy sessions with fannie mae and freddie mac and
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pointed out that they needed more regulation, that they needed to do things differently if if there are going to maintain a viable housing program. viable housing is an opportunity to encourage people to own housing and that remains something the speaker supports. you do not encourage people to have their own home by getting them in a situation where they are upside-down in the market and cannot make their mortgage payment. so he advised them how they could do this more effectively. the facts that they did not take his advice is disappointing. but at no time did the lobby. once again, watts was the chair of the cost of committee that provided oversight to fannie mae and freddie mac and has testified repeatedly that at no time did newt gingrich ever call and discuss it with him. he simply pointed out to the organization the opportunities they have to have a good program.
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host: linda upmeyer on the screen for our viewers is a photograph of speaker gingrich in the christian science monitor's latest edition. the headline is -- what do you make of that as an iowan? guest: we all need iowa. it's a great place to work the bugs out and to do retail politics. iowans are very tune in to the political process, they are smart people and they care about iowa and the country. it is a wonderful place for the candidates to come to get that job done. if it is a good place for some
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candidates to decide maybe this is not the thing they want to do. and for other candidates to really get comfortable and moving forward to all the other states and we end up with a president that is thoroughly vetted by the people. all host: 20, new york, liz, an independent. caller: i heard you say you want to appeal obamacare. so, i will tell you how i view the handling of health care to this point and i would like to know what the speaker's opinion is. bush in the early 2000's gave seniors additional benefits without making any effort to control costs. costs -- cost probably associated with small oligarchies of health insurance companies.
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we did not prevent health insurance companies from making more money. we threw more taxpayer money after reimbursing these companies and higher and higher rates. as for obama, he attempted to address this. in the end we did the same king. -- and think. we are increasing tax bear responsibility on higher costs. the same goes for pharmaceuticals. i have seen both parties delivered additional tax funding to insurance companies. i think that is where the main cost of health care is being driven to. i would like to know what the speaker's idea on that specifically is. guest: well, a couple of things, without rehashing history. i am a nurse practitioner.
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i live in that world in my day job and have followed healthcare a long time. one of the biggest reasons is important to repeal obamacare is that every state knows how to provide services best to their own citizens. i know that we were working hard to afford and have done a very good job in iowa of making sure there was a safety net, making sure we had one of the lowest cost and highest quality systems in the nation. i am very concerned as a national system we are not at liberty to provide the best care to iowans, but are burdened with some of the same problems that perhaps states like new york, new jersey, california, florida, some of the very large states have.
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if i want the ability to make decisions in the state and to provide services to iowans. he would grant medicaid back to the states and let us do what we needed to do as we see fit for our citizens in the state. one thing is true, and think we all agree that one size does not fit all. having some flexibility, creating opportunities for portability, the ability to form some consortiums which regional entities with other states nearby would serve our population very well. but again, going back to the broadview, we know that we can save hundreds of billions of dollars if we tackle the issue. moving from a paper system to an electronic billing system that is much more effective and efficient. we would move -- the speaker would move forward with that as well as making sure that we in
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our dressing the growth in medicare and -- that we address the growth in medicare and not the benefits to seniors are enjoying, but rather making sure that they are provided much more effectively and efficiently and that they are provided more choice. there is an incentive for remaining in good health as opposed to illness. host: thomas, a republican in kentucky. caller: thank you for taking my call. my question is why hasn't mitt romney's performance in the private sector been examined by the news media.
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fox, cnn, msn b.c., no one asks the hard questions of mitt romney's performance. this man has bankrupted companies, he has put workers out of jobs, he is very negative. he has never add a -- never had anything positive in his career. this man needs to be exposed and i want to know when the news media is going to expose him to the voters of the united states. he is very weak when he is asked a question and he is very nervous and scared. he borders on being a coward. he could not stand up to these foreign presidents. host: i think we've got your point. guest: i cannot answer that
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question. the media does not come to me and asked for tips. but if they do, i will pass that along. host: william is next. a republican from kentucky. you are on the air. caller:caller: thank you. this is my first time getting through. i have a question for the lady there. when mr. be -- mr. gingrich, if he were to be elected, would we expect more of the policies that have been articulated by obama, like tarp, and can we expect a little more and digging into fannie mae and freddie mac for a little bit of more money than he got before? host: you're asking about newt gingrich? caller: yes, ma'am. guest: i am not sure i heard all of the question, but i will
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answer the parts i heard. speaker gingrich has been very clear that it is important to break up the fannie mae and freddie mac, that they need to be broken into chunks that can be much more closely examined increase much more transparency. so i think that would be different than what is going on today. and, i apologize, some of the early parts cut out a bit. host: i think you answered it. we will move on to an independent in richmond, indiana. caller: good morning. i have been getting conflicting reports. i just got a report yesterday with the final tally -- [inaudible] possibly be counted in illinois. host: hold on, because you're breaking up. you are hearing that the final tally from ottawa would be counted in illinois? caller: yes, that was a report
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on chicago radio. i just read that this morning on the internet. having the title of republican leader, i would like to know where these votes will be counted? are they doing anything different this time or will it be behind closed doors? host: let's talk about how the caucuses work. go ahead, linda upmeyer. guest: that is a great question. every and it -- individual votes cast at a caucus will be counted at the caucus in full view of everyone there. every one of the candidates have an opportunity to have an observer watched that count, so everything is counted there. then it they're called into a central location and all of that is tallied. it typically that has been at party headquarters in des moines.
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i am not positive if that is exactly the location this year. but it will be a central location in iowa, and that is where the votes will then be added together and we will have the results. the: and you'll get to see caucuses unfold here on c-span and c-span to tomorrow night. our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. we have a caller, democratic, maryland. caller: yes, to be a christian, i do not understand how you can sit there and say you are for newt gingrich. you need to read the bible in mark, google, and john. and you should go down to where new t lives. he was sitting in the driveway having oral sex with a lady when a man walked up with his two children. host: we're just going to move on from there. republican, shreveport, louisiana. go ahead.
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caller: good morning. hello? host: yes, go ahead. caller: good morning. i am so, so happy that you love newt gingrich, because he is a great man. i have followed him to the i am 78 years old, and i have followed newt gingrich since you worked for ronald reagan. he is a great man, so smart. he is so intelligent. he would make our country a great president. and i think he could really, really work with both parties. but i think that he would be able to put mr. obama down. and i thank you very much, linda. guest: thank you, mary. i think that debates between newt gingrich and president obama would be absolutely the
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most interesting debates. there is no doubt that the speaker has a great talent for a very, very effectively communicating ideas and solutions that we all understand very well. and i think that is one of his real strengths. very clear, a very transparent. it really is a welcome change. host: we're talking with linda upmeyer, the iowa caucus chairman for newt gingrich and a leader in the state house there. talking about newt gingrich's strategy in iowa. we spoke earlier with a representative for rick perry. tamara, ron paul's campaign director will be on the "washington journal." as you can see on our treader page, we send this out moments ago, michele bachmann also will be on in the "washington
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journal" tomorrow. you can call, speak, or e-mail with your questions. let's go to shreveport, louisiana, republican. we will go to petersburg, virginia, an independent. go ahead, bob. caller: good morning. i would first like to start off with saying the health care, not the obamacare, but the health care was designed a lot like the massachusetts health care that mitt romney had. i would like to basically say that i am really tired of c- span, you know, just doing this iowa caucus thing day after day. i really hope that you'll go on to something else. what they're doing there now will not make too much a difference in this country, with the majority of the people in this country being fed up with all the politicians. we would like to see some discussions -- the prices and
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everything so high. we spend a lot of money donating to c-span and stuff like that. host: i am going to stop you there and clarify a few things. c-span is paid for by the cable companies. you take a few cents on your cable bill every month so that we can provide this public service to you all come abroad to buy the cable companies. second, we covered those issues last year on c-span. we have been covering the iowa caucuses for weeks. we will live on to new hampshire next. but, linda upmeyer, respond about the relevance of iowa. guest: i think iowa is a very relevant. we have an opportunity to actually meet and talk to each of these candidates, and sharing that experience with all of you is a great opportunity for us. and we hope it is a great
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service to you. i am sure you have had people on or not necessarily directors are chairs the campaigns, but rather, regular iowans and how this is influenced their lives. the business people here in town and all over iowa where the candidates come into their coffee shop and shake hands and talk to the people that are having coffee there, it is a great opportunity. and sharing that with america and letting you know what our impressions are, i think, is very valuable. and to the energy issue, let me just say that speaker gingrich as a very clear message on energy as well. he supports all kinds of energy and making sure that we are energy-independent in this country. host: linda upmeyer, let me get one last phone call. a democrat in saginaw, michigan. good morning. caller: good morning.
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thank you, c-span. this is my first time. good morning. how are you doing? this is my first time calling c- span, and i want to tell you you are doing a very tremendous job. host: all right, i am going to leave it there because you have got to turn down your television and listen to your phone, otherwise we get that feed back, and is the confusing for everybody involved. linda upmeyer, where will your candidate be today in iowa? guest: you know, he was headed toward independence, and i thinkgo ish, you got me a little bit off guard. i lose track of the days. independence, cedar rapids, and to the southern part of the state today. i know i will be working here in des moines at campaign headquarters and with some of
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you folks throughout the day. host: what are you going to be doing, making phone calls? guest: i am going to make making phone calls and talking with volunteers, getting ready for the caucuses tomorrow night. but, yes, making phone calls. host: all right, linda upmeyer, the final hours coming down to the caucuses. thank you very much. guest: thank you very much. i have enjoyed it. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> the former u.s. house speaker came in fourth in a new poll. today, newt gingrich says he does not expect to win tomorrow's iowa caucuses after millions of dollars of negative ads against him. that he says he will do well enough to continue on to the oncoming contests in new hampshire and north carolina. a look nauert some of those campaign ads. >> born and raised in iowa, only
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one candidate has been a consistent conservative fighter who fought obamacare, fought -- even as the the republicans are cutting deals for obama. an expert in tax law will fight for deep cuts in spending to reduce america's debt, restore our economy, and create new jobs, and she will never back down. one of our own, michele bachmann for president. >> i am michele bachmann, and i approve this message. >> america is in trouble. >> washington is a disgrace. >> government has become too big. >> we need to change direction. >> we need a change. >> we cannot make the same mistakes. >> mitt romney is a flip-flop for. >> he went the other way when he got paid to go the other way. >> serial hypocrisy. >> this election is about trust. there has been one group consisting candidate, and that is dr. ron paul. >> ron paul has been so consistent from the beginning. >> he tells the truth about what
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he believes. >> he has never once voted for a tax increase, never once voted for an unbalanced budget. >> he is planning bold cuts. >> when he says he's going to get $1 trillion in the first year, i believe it. >> if you are tired of politicians, do something different. >> ron paul. >> ron paul. >> ron paul. >> is the one we have been looking for. >> a khosla ron paul, and i approve this message. >> we appreciate all of you coming up this morning so early in being here and caring. i think we all care right now. we're all concerned about our country. i believe in him. i believe he has experience. i have seen him in every situation. i have seen him as a husband, as a father, as the governor, and as a successful businessman. everything he does, he does well. and he does it with his heart. if it is ever a time when this
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country needs someone like mitt romney, it is now. >> this election is about more than just electing a president. it is about saving a vision of america. an america that brings out the best in all of us, the challenges each of us to bring better and bigger than ourselves. it is time for this pessimistic president to step aside and let americans optimism that build this greatest nation on earth build a brighter future for our children. >> if you can get out here in this cold and wind and with the rain, then you can come out on tuesday night. and you can find a few people to bring with you. you can tell them just who you're going to vote for. i will do this with your help tonight.
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>> and our live coverage of the iowa caucuses continues this evening at 7:00 p.m. eastern. rick santorum host the meeting and agreed at a local pizza restaurants in iowa. mr. romney will have an event tonight. tomorrow, michele bachmann will be on "washington journal." she is campaigning in iowa today and will be there tomorrow. a conversation with the minnesota commerce lemon -- congresswomen will start at 9:30 a.m. eastern. we will bring you the latest on today's campaign events starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern. we will see how the caucus''s works. we will get canada reaction2. reaction will be alive tomorrow night with another crop is from western iowa. you can follow the presidential campaign online at c-span.org. >> it is absolutely essential that our spending habits take a
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180 degree turn, starting right now. tonight at midnight, the government will shut down if congress does not pass a continuing resolution. >> forecasters at goldman sachs who wanted to shut down and shave off growth in our gdp every single week, all stripes all over the country have warned about the impact on confidence in the u.s. economic recovery. >> with a possible government shutdown women, this senate session from april 8, 2011 was the sea than video library's most watched a video of the year. what do for yourself on our c- span.org home page. /videolibrary. and a few other moments from the past year. what you want, when you want. >> minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann is in last place in a "des moines register" poll that came out over the weekend. seventies and support. we're going to show you her appearance last november before
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the newspaper's editorial board. she talked about where she stands on a number of issues. the paper's editors started the meeting. it lasts about an hour. >> good afternoon. i am editor and vice president of news here at "des moines register." we are honored to have the republican congressional candidate from the sixth district of minnesota, michele bachmann begich thank you for being with us today. this is our editorial board. he will be spending some time talking about the issues of important for the state of iowa and around the country. we know you have been involved in the campaign. thank you very much for being here and spending time with us today. >> thank you. i appreciate it. >> we would like to give the floor for a few minutes to give an opening statement about what you're seeing, hearing, and how you are interacting with voters. >> thank you. with all due respect, i just wanted to say that i am a republican member of congress, but i am not a congressional candidate. i am a presidential candidate. i am running to be the next
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president of united states in 2012, on the republican party ticket. i am thrill that i away is the first caucus state. i came in very late in the race. i got involved in the iowa straw poll. what i am told is that no candidate has come in with so little time and won the iowa straw poll. i was glad to win it, and was the first woman. i am proud to have that distinction. we're not resting. we're working very hard. being involved with the straw poll was a good thing for our campaign. number one, we won. but more importantly, it forced us to be very disciplined early on as a campaign and to the hard work that needs to be done in iowa. it is about being on the ground, meeting people, finding support face-to-face, person-to-person. that is what we did during the straw poll, and we have continued to build on that since then. we're pleased that we work as hard as we did and we have a strong base in iowa, but we're
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continuing to work on that. we held two meetings today. one this morning at 9:00, and then we would to register city, iowa. we will be traveling on today. we are doing exactly what needs to be done. meet with the voters, hear what they have to say, and continue to go on and then progress. we are following the schedule which is iowa first and then in new hampshire, south carolina, and on. we like the schedule, and we're working very hard. >> [inaudible] >> well, no one has ever seen an election quite like this one. it is always the unexpected. in this one, no one thought i had a chance to win the straw poll. everyone said it was never going to happen, but it did. we won.; i am an extremely hard worker. our team as a hard-working team. our message resonated with the voters. every have seen throughout this state, on any given day, the of
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this candidate will be the next president -- of this candidate will be the next president. it is continually changing. we have seen the validity of the race. we have seen candidates go up and down. it is not locked in cement by any stretch of the imagination. we see our candidacy on the upswing right now. we certainly see that where we are going to a meeting with voters on a regular basis. national beauty pageant polls are one thing. the idea what paul is another. but we're drilling down deeper, person-by-person. we're seeing new information about the candidates. this is a good process. i will tell you, it is exacting. it is difficult, one of the more difficult things i have ever done in my life, but it is good. i defend this process, because it is tough. after all, we are fighting to be the next leader of the free world. the voters need to know who we are, what we're made of.
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i am getting my body blows. the other candidates are getting their body blows. this is a good process. we need to go to the people and be vetted. >> what were some of the body blows that you got? >> early on when my numbers were also very high, i think people looked, for instance, at me and my background. i am an unapologetic social conservative. i was being attacked by social conservative positions. i have never apologized for the fact that i stand for marriage between a man and a woman and religious liberty. attacks came from that score, but i was very happy to take on that issue. >> you have carved out a fairly narrow slice of a fairly narrow slice of the republican party. if you're the nominee, how do you reach out and bring in the middle, not only of the
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republican party but of america? >> that is the beauty of what i saw happen at the straw poll. every so i went to, almost every day -- i would do about six stops a day, and that almost every stop, someone would come up to me afterwards and said, michele, i am democrat. i voted for barack obama, but i am voting for you. the would -- people would say i am an independent, but i am going to vote for you. i saw that stop-after-stop. this election more than any other, people are not interested in republican or democrat but they really are not. it is not that they have an affiliation with a party. it is, who is the person, who is the candidate? there's a strong bipartisan agreement that we are in a steep decline with the economy. people want someone who can be a unifier. i can be in a fire. i was elected in minnesota, which is not known to be a conservative state. the first woman to be elected
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out of minnesota to go to the capital to represent my state. i am proud of that distinction. also, i did not by tap dancing to the i am not a politician. i am a real person. i was 50 years old when i went to congress but i am 55 years of age now. i have been very bold about love position. people appreciate that i mean what i say, i say what i mean, and i do not dance around it and also a very forthright. i think that kind of frankness people are looking for, and they want someone with a real plan to deal with the economy. i am a former federal tax lawyer. i get taxes. my husband and i started a business from scratch, and we run it properly. we get the travails at a small business person goes through. i have been a part of the financial services committee. i have that kind of background to deal with the economy, and i think i have the resolutions to turn the economy around. that is the number-one issue, jobs and the economy. but i also have the background and benefit of serving on the
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house intelligence committee, dealing with the nation's classified secrets. now that issue is rising. it was not rising before the campaign, but the issue of dealing with national security is rising because of the iaea report that came out last week dealing with the threat of a nuclear weapon on the part of iran. i think that will continue to be front and center, and it needs to be. i think we're seeing that the u.s. is in a more vulnerable position than we have before. a lot of that has to do with the supercommittee. here again, i was a lone voice in the wilderness of washington, d.c., last summer, one of the only voices that said we have enough revenue coming in to pay the interest on the debt. let's do that, let's not see our credit ratings go down. but all 535 of us should be here in washington, d.c., right now and look for how we're going to cut a cigna began portion of the budget. it would be painful to have to make the cuts, but we need to do
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that because we cannot continue to borrow at the level we are borrowing. i drew a line in the sand. a lone voice, saying here we are. we saw our credit rating downgraded, and here we are kicking the can down the road, maybe five months later, and we're no closer to any sort of a deal. if we have a train wreck, this is what will happen. we're either going to see massive tax increases that are going to her job creation or we're going to see massive cuts to our military. we absorb about $400 yen of cuts this summer, now we're looking at absorbing another $600 billion in cuts. we have to look at secretary leon panetta who said to john mccain that if the supercommittee prevails -- or does not prevail, however it works out, that there's $600 billion in automatic cuts, if that happens, we could be looking at sending the armed forces back down to troop levels
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of the 1940's. we would be looking at sending the number of ships back to 1914 levels. our air force would be at the lowest level of aircraft. it is coming at the worst possible time. because the economy is flat on its back. the had the military at the same time. it does not take much imagination to figure out what that means to our vulnerability in terms of national security. it would not be a good scenario. >> you have covered a lot of ground here. but you talked about the debate, which led to the supercommittee being created, about raising the debt limit peabody you still feel it was strong to raise the debt limit and what you think the impact would have been on our credit rating if not? >> i think it was wrong to raise the credit ceiling. the day that i came into the u.s. congress, we were in debt $8.67 trillion. it took us a 219 years to
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accumulate that amount. here we are today just about at that $15 trillion bubble level of debt. we have gone, and a little over four years time, from $8.67 trillion in debt to $16 trillion. by next year, we will be $16.70 trillion in debt, almost doubling the national debt in five years. it would change the velocity of spending. we have never spent at this level. you can look at the contrasts. it doesn't 7, the debt for the year was $160 billion -- in 2007. last month in october, the debt was $203 billion, just for one month. did the velocity of spending in debt accumulation. it is so much so that in october, that works out to $650 for every man, woman, and child in the united states. for a family of four, that is $2,300 in additional debt that they have to pay for.
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what anyone is seeing is that congress spends money faster than people can earn it. >> [inaudible] what is the net effect of saying we're not going to borrow another dime starting tomorrow? >> it is to say that we will pay the interest on the debt. that is what they look at. kenny finance the debt? >> which is how much per year? >> the interest on the debt? the interest on the debt is getting worse. it was about 6%. i do not know what it is now. but i know it will be doubling in 10 years. and it will be at a level -- let me correct that, we will be spending more money on the interest on the debt in 10 years and we are on the military. >> that is my question. if you pay the interest on the debt and the things we have to pay for, social security, etc., then everything else would have gone away the next day? >> but what we need to do is not
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avoid reform. that is what every administration does, including republicans. this is not just democrats. this is all administrations. they are avoiding the tough issue, which is reform. that is what we have to do. we have to reform the programs that we have today. consider, when i was born here in iowa, we did not even have medicare. in that time, we have a program now that is a good 45 years of age. it is time to have reform. we have to reform the program. because the way it is going now, those numbers on spending are not on tuesday at a plateau, they're going to escalate. >> what does medicare reform look like under your policy? what's that like the direction of paul ryan's suggestion, which is to take a look at how we're subsidizing health insurance. it is not just for senior citizens. i want to change health care for all americans. today we have in essence what
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will be socialized medicine with obamacare. i want to allow all americans -- a want to end the monopoly that insurance companies have in every state, and i want to let every american and every iowan buy any insurance plan and want with no federal requirements. and pay for that policy with their own tax-free money. whether it is the premium, deductible," takamine pharmaceuticals. i want them to be of a paper that with their own tax-free money. i want true medical malpractice liability reform, because that deals with the cost issue. the other thing i would like to do is offer a liability shield. any doctor, nurse, a drug company, a clinic, or hospital that wants to offer free care to poor people. when i was a little girl and my mother would take as to the doctor, and they would say, well, we do not run to the doctor. that is what my parents would
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say. they would take as though, and a doctor's visit was $5. we would go see the doctor, but the doctor also saw people who could not pay. he just did not charge people who truly cannot afford it. he knew if somebody was abusing the system or not. but today it is different. you have people who sue you. so doctors are in a very different position. i think if you want to encourage people to offer care free to people who truly, through no fault of the wrong, cannot afford it, we should. we should offer a liability shield. the biggest problem is health care costs. president obama said that every household would save $2,500 a year in we will with obamacare. i have not met one iowan yet who has told me they said $2,500 a year on their health-care premiums. in fact, it has been the opposite. my plan addresses the issue of cost. >> [inaudible] or law that you think should
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remain? >> no, absolutely not. my bill, i brought 40,000 americans to washington, d.c., to fight against obamacare, because obamacare will be more expensive than anyone begins to dream it will be. it will be terribly expensive, it just as the last time we needed a new entitlement program, we're getting 11 we can least afford it. number one, we cannot afford the cost. number two, we are seeing that it will already restricted doctors. i was doing a town hall in rock rapids. and physicians to the, a family practice guide. he stood up and said, michelle, let me tell you what just happened to me because of obamacare. hiring 16,500e new agents to enforce obamacare. he said, i had to call the irs because i had a woman on medicare, and i had to get a number for her. he said, guess how long was on the phone with irs?
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is it, how long? two hours, 15 minutes. he said, i am is so frustrated of this is what obamacare will mean for me. it was not just heard that we did. his time was wasted two and all the other patients sitting in his waiting room, they got stacked up, too. this is the kind of bureaucratic, heavy system we have. i want to get rid of obamacare. i was the first member of congress to introduce a bill to repeal obamacare. i want to repeal it and put my plan into effect that actually addresses the cost issue. >> [inaudible] in the form of a tax break help somebody who works for a smaller company, does not have company- provided health care plan now, and cannot afford to buy one. how does that not exist in tax break, and that persons case, work for him under your plan? >> it absolutely helps them because now the combined the cheapest possible plan they can get. i think what a lot of people do is buy catastrophic health
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insurance plans. and what we will be seeing under my plan is we will be encouraging new -- for example, like men it clinics, it -- minute clinics. for december, somebody's child has a soccer game and it's an injury, they can run their kids there and get in seen immediately by a doctor and pay for that. because that is the biggest problem in health care right now, the third-party intermediaries. no one even knows what health care costs anymore. because either the government is involved, and the government by far is the largest purchaser of health care in united states for one particular entity. i want to be able to reintroduce the free market into health care. so the people own their plans. >> what type of health care coverage at the head over your career? as it always been government health care? >> no, it has not. >> york for iras did you have been in congress. >> i have also been without.
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we have also purchased on our own. one of the biggest problems with tax code is that individuals cannot deduct their health insurance on their income tax. businesses can, but not people. and that is wrong. >> [inaudible] >> well, i introduced a bill in congress which is the health care freedom of choice act. that would allow americans to be able to purchase a health insurance policy and deducted on their income tax. they should be able to do that, just like a company can. >> [inaudible] people in the insurance company will not sell insurance to. what do you propose for that, people with pre-existing conditions who cannot purchase health insurance? >> again, the marketplace knows how to best determine those costs. right now, government is determining the cost of health care. we're seeing escalating costs. the market needs to make that determination. it is not necessarily that people have to go without health care. insurance is one thing. health care is another.
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states have come up with various solutionsh variousigh risk pools are something that various states have come up with. there are always going to be people that have chronic or pre- existing conditions. that does not limit the states. the states can come up with high risk plans. i believe that they will be to the have in the past. i do not know the exact number, but i think it is 30-some states that have high risk pools. at the state level, they put together a subsidies so that people could pay what would be more of the normal price for health insurance, and in the state comes in and pays the difference. it that is what a state chooses to do, i encourage that. again, we also want to offer charitable organizations or doctors or clinics to offer care to people who are indigent or people in a difficult place. the thing is, health care will be provided. the question really is, what is
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the cheapest way, the most cost- effective way, to get the highest quality care? we want the greatest number of people who have the highest quality of care at the lowest possible price. that is not what we are getting in a government being the chief purchaser of health care in the united states. by chief, i mean the entity that purchase is the greatest amount of health care. we're not getting a good value for that dollar. health care is a big issue. but the one thing we do know is that obamacare will break the bank. we cannot afford obamacare. that is not michele bachmann saying that. that is kathleen sebelius saying that, the health and human services secretary, who recently said that we cannot have the long-term component of the obamacare bell, which is the class tax portion, because there's not enough money. they admit there's not enough money. we have not even gotten this blot out the ground yet. to make the numbers work for obamacare over 10 years, they had to have all the revenues of the front and the expenditures
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coming later. the only way they can make the game more. we tried to expose what a fraud this is, that obamacare will never be able to pay for itself, and of course it will not. we also see the stunning level of power that the government has. with obamacare, over 6000 pages of rules and regulations has already be in britain. this bill will never be finished being written. ubs came out with a study saying the number one reason why employers are not hiring, it is obamacare. it is because to date, employers know that every employee that they hire will have at least eight $2,000 price on their head. because it did not offer health insurance, they will have to pay a fine to the government. it will be at least $2,000. of course, that is the teaser rate. when the government needs revenue, they will raise that amount.
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so employers are very reluctant to hire for new employees right now because they know the costs are exponential dealing with health care. >> about the gardasil vaccine -- you think vaccines are dangerous, and did you vaccine your own children? >> sure, our children are vaccinated. all of the same shots that they had to have. they had them, i had them when i was a baby. but there is a marked difference in the number of vaccinations that children have. far more than they used to have. more and more are being encouraged all the time but that is really a decision that parents need to make on behalf of their children. that is the point i was making in the debate. this is a decision not for governor to make, not to use his executive authority, which governor perry admitted he did it use that authority. it is decision greatly that parents and children have to make. but the more important issue
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was the issue of cornyn capitalism. it was the idea of a politician paying off the political donors with either mandates or with government contracts. at the federal level, the biggest scandal we hear a lot about now is solyndra. there was light squared and beacon power. this happens all the time, and it is scandalous. no politician should be paying off their donors. >> [inaudible] >> well, not a doctor, not a scientist peter i am not making that point. my ppoint in the debate was the abuse of that power. >> a nuclear question, nuclear weapons report. how would you deal with that issue if you were president? >> number one, going back to the time when president obama came
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into place, it was doubly foolish for the president to meet with iran with no preconditions. that was unprecedented. this is a nation that has violated one issue after another where it iaea. the have been unwilling to let inspectors in, and there's all sorts of problems with iran. iran has stated repeatedly, over-and-over again, that once they gain a nuclear weapon, they would use it to why this role of the face of the earth. so the president said down and met with them -- i should say the administration's met with them with no pre-existing conditions. what the president gave iran was the luxury of time. time to continue unabated to develop a nuclear weapon. this is extremely serious. it is the number one threat that faces the nation. not only our nation but other nations across the board, because we know what iran will
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do. they will share the information, technology, and power of a nuclear weapon not only with themselves, they will share it with syria, which is a courier to them and organizations like has a lot of -- like hezbollah, and they will share it with sudan. president obama made what i believe is a wrong decision in the treaty with russia last december. we're seeing a denuclear is asian, if you will, with the wealthy nations. this has serious and profound implications. iran is a she a nation, as you know, and so we will be seeing nuclearized middle east. i do not think that will lead to peace. ultimately what i want as president of the united states
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is peace. peace, not only for the united states but for the middle east region and around the world. and to be a world at peace, i think the united states has been a good global leader. we're not perfect. we have made a lot of mistakes. but i think we want to make sure that the united states is in a position of strength. >> to achieve peace in middle east with iran as a nuclear power -- you are in the white house now, what are you going to do? >> would you support a preemptive strike, for example? >> there will be lightly three scenarios. either iran will make a strike, israel will make a strike, or the u.s. i would hope it would not be the u.s. would be making that strike. hopefully no one would be making that strike. right now, iran has not gone the signal that they have something to lose if they continue to go forward. they have continued to develop
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not only the enriched uranium, but also the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon. they have continued to go forward unabated in a manner that has put not only the united states at risk but the rest of the world at risk. >> what is the signal that needs to be sent? what needs to be done, these dufty, iran? >> president obama has taken this off of the table, which is extremely foolish, in my opinion. we need to isolate iran economically. weekend. >> more so than we already have? >> we have not done anything, as far as i am concerned. >> there are no sanctions in place -- >> not any that are meaningful. the meaningful sanctions would be with the iranian central banking committee. so they would not have access to funds. we could shut them down in a
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heartbeat if we were able to stop monies from flowing to iran. it they cannot sell oil and receive money in return and have the banking system to do that, they would be done. president obama has been unwilling to do that to iran. that has been tragic. >> and you are? >> he has failed to bring the russians and chinese and those that he needs to to bear. i believe he is not looking at the central issue, dealing with a nuclear iran. instead, he was diverted with libya. i came out immediately and said i was opposed to what the president was doing in libya. not because i am such a fan of muammar gaddafi, or was a fan of gaddafi. but at that point, libya was not posing a threat to the united states. at that time, we had secretary of defense gates who said there was no american national interest and there was no mission in libya.
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why are we going into a country when there is no vital american interests and no mission? that was wrong for the united states to be there. >> were we in that country? >> we started the effort. we unilaterally began the bombing. president obama did that and made that decision while congress was still in session. i was in washington when he made that decision. he moved forward. congress was there. he did not consult congress. he said he did not have to. i believe he did. he went forward and made that effort. unilaterally, we were there. only after united states began the bombing did we then joined up with nato. but do not forget who provides the number one source of bombing for nate -- money for nato -- we do. we provide that money. and gates came out just before he resigned and said that nato needs to start paying freight. we have been paying for it for
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them. we have been dividing -- providing defense for european your needs to stand on their own two feet. we are far too extended beyond what we should be. we cannot afford that. i am not one who says that we cannot cut back on defense. we can. let me tell you one area. we have a problem when it comes to procurement. there is a military industrial complex in washington, d.c. the issue of procurement is scandalous, where today we have a fee basis, and we pay based on how much time it takes to develop a weapon. you order a couch, you do not pay more money if it takes longer to build that count, but that is what the federal government does. we need to have a fixed price system or we say, look, we will pay u.s. certain amount for this aircraft carrier and this amount for this weapon, and that is it. the figure out and get it
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developed. instead, we're getting played all the time on procurement. this is why, and that has to change. tricare is something else that i think can be reformed. it is not that i want to cut back on benefits for service people, but that is also some that needs to be reformed. >> in a recent debate on foreign policy, you broke once was some of your competitors and said that you supported waterboarding, had no problem with that. is the notion of torture being acceptable go with your general faith and values? >> well, i do not accept your premise that that was torture. >> you do not? what do you think it is? >> it was called enhanced interrogation technique that we used to bring about information. i go back to the example of harry truman. harry truman was asked about his decision to drop the bomb in japan. that was a terrible decision he had to make.
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he made it. and he said if i had to kill 1000 japanese to save one american life, i will. so he made that decision. so let me finish. in that vein, and i was president of the united states and there was a terrorist and waterboarding was done on khalid shaikh mohammed, the admitted mastermind of 911, and it was a litter the vice-president that we did extract useful information from him that helped prevent other incidents, if i had acknowledged that we could use something like the waterboarding to be able to save the american people, what i use that? yes, i would. because waterboarding does not kill anyone. is it uncomfortable? yes. but i am more concerned that we would prevent aircraft from going into the twin towers, taking them down, and taking up 3000 innocent american lives than i am about the comfort level of a terrorist and what that means for them.
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again, this is done under monetary conditions. is it uncomfortable? yes. i do not deny that. but a person is not going to lose their life, nor will though -- nor will they be permanently impaired by this. and it is done on a very unique, strict circumstances. and here is the other problem, what is it that president obama is doing today? we no longer have cia and interrogators. cia interrogators are no longer able to deal with an empty -- and he contends. all we have is the field manual, and we publish it online. so any terrorist can see what will happen to them and their capture. in effect, they know exactly what we're going to do to them. so they do not care. there's no fear. there's no respect for the united states, because they know
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exactly what is going to happen. and, something else that brought up in the debate is that we no longer have a place to put them in jail once we capture them. there are ships, but that is not a long-term solution. we have the air force base, but that is not really a detention facility if all we're using is the army field manual. when are we going to recognize we are at war. we are at war with an enemy that means business. our and the macys that we are at war. they're acting like we're at war. we're the ones that are acting like we're not at war. we are at war with an enemy that wants to see as it defeated and dead, so much so that was not that many weeks ago that we saw iran try and international assassination plot on u.s. soil. they wanted to carry this out at a restaurant that presumably would be filled with members of congress and senators and hundreds of innocent americans, and they have no problem about
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killing all these american citizens here in washington, d.c., and our nation's capital. >> back to waterboarding. he said it is being done on terrorists, but it is being done as an interrogation technique to determine whether or not people are terrorists, people who have not been found guilty. >> they haven't done it to be admitted mastermind of 911 -- a they did it to be admitted mastermind of 911. >> but he is not the only one. >> he admitted what he did and also wanted to be executed. those determinations need to be made by the president and those who are in that hierarchy grade of authority. certainly not everyone is waterboarding, nor is everyone waterboarding. it is an extraordinary technique. all i am saying is i think that a president needs to have that technique on the table. >> if you think it is not that bad, would you ever willing these -- willingly submit to it to see what it is like? >> i think it would be absurd
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to have the president of united states submit themselves to waterboarding. there are those who have submitted themselves to it so they can talk about it and speak about it afterwards. but again, let's look at the context. the u.s.a. was attacked in an act of war. we lost the twin towers. we lost 3000 innocent americans. flight 93 went down over pennsylvania, and innocent lives were lost. the pentagon had a plane flown into, and we lost hundreds of innocent lives there. this is a very real issue. i take it seriously. and as president of united states and as commander-in- chief, i will do what i have to do to keep the american people safe. we're probably a greater risk now once president obama came into office, because you're looking at the sector of a nuclear iran. this could potentially change the course of history. >> how do you respond to a person like john mccain who would also say he takes it very
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seriously and argues that we, by using torture, which is his definition of the word, has actually made us less safe as a result? >> number one, i have the deepest admiration and respect for john mccain. he is a true american hero, and i respect him. i respect his opinion. but he and i would disagree on this issue. i see that this is an enhanced interrogation technique that should be something that is available to the president of the united states. limited use, undoubtedly, but something nonetheless in the right circumstance if a president needs to employ this should be in that toolbox. that is where we disagree. i do not believe that in makes us less safe. i think we're more safe if we are able to get the best intelligence and the best information. i think we're also seeing a different type of war. the level of threats that we're looking at today are not as much
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geo-political nation states that are suited up in uniforms on battlefields. we still have that element, but we're really dealing with the threats today through interrogation. our breast -- our best interests can be done through detention, interrogation, and that is why we need to have the interrogation, but we also need to have detention. i will continue in keep open guantanamo bay, because we have to have somewhere to have people that are in detention. and also, our special forces. our special forces proved themselves early with osama bin laden. we need to make sure we have the resources so we have special forces. because it is a different kind of an emmy, a different kind of war, a different kind of battlefield. we need to be able to adapt. >> are there areas where you think president obama has done a good job? >> sure, i think he made the
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right decision to take our osama bin laden. i took on ron paul in the last debate on that issue. i disagree with him. he felt it was wrong for the president to have made the decision to take out bin laden and to take out awlaki. al-awlaki was the chief recruiter. he refuted -- recruited the man responsible for the fort hood massacre. he was responsible for recruiting the christmas day bomber. he was responsible for recruiting the times square bomber who was not successful, but who said before a federal judge that we are at war, and we're going to continue to be at war. so he was very active and very involved in recruitment, and it was right that president obama made those decisions. i also commended the president when he chose not to have a new helicopter built, a new marine
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one. because the procurement process was broken. it was far more expensive than it needed to be. he understood that, and i appreciate him for doing that. it is not that every decision president obama makes is wrong. they are not. he makes decisions that i can agree with. but i think the general direction that he is taken the country has been a disaster, and i disagree with them. there are some decisions he have made that are right, and i thank him for that. but i certainly do not believe he deserves to have a second term. he does not have a formula to turn the economy around. i think he has weakened the united states and that is more vulnerable for any attacks. >> what will you do to turn the economy around? >> it is found at my website. it is and 11-point plan. it begins as a comprehensive plan. it is a tax cut, but more than that. number one, i am probably more committed than any other
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candidate on the full repeal of obamacare, committed to the full repeal of dodd-frank. i wrote both pieces of legislation. let me add this on dodd-frank. it mandated the 400 rules to be written about 26% have been written so far. estimates are that just the 26 the son of the world's rich and will require an coley 11 million and hours -- the 26% of the rules written and will require a 11 million man hours. this is the level of costs that we're going have added to that. it will not add. it is going to subtract from the economy. i will repeal those two pieces of legislation. for four years i have been working on the issue of legalizing american energy production in the all of the
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above plan. that is what i will do. that is 1.4 million jobs we can create. i want to see a skit back down to the price of gasoline today that obama took office. it was on average $1.79 an agallon. if we can stabilize our strength in the value of the dollar, that will help. >> you have been a foster parent. >> can i talk about my tax plan? i also want to repeal $1.80 trillion worth of annual regulations. i want to deal with illegal immigration problem. i am the first candidate to sale will build a fence on this side of the border, and i want to deal with welfare benefits to illegal aliens and make english the official language of the country. on my tax policy, i want to abolish the tax code. i want to have been essentially flat tax system, but one that
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recognizes the people who make more in need to pay more. they need to not pay any less than the people in the middle and lower income level. that is, unfortunately, what herman cain and rick perry's plans do. they have people at the middle and lower income level pay more than people at the higher end. i want it truly flat, so people are not as a vengeance that the middle and lower level. i want to make sure that the same rules apply to everyone. and i also want to make sure that everyone pays something. this is a departure from all of the candidates. i believe everybody needs to pace in the, even if it is only $10 a year. that might be all but some people can afford. >> so you are in favor of raising taxes for poor folks? >> i am in favor of getting rid of the earned income-tax credit. that takes millions of people off the tax rolls, and it sends them a check every year. sunday happens to people's mind
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sets 147% of the american people pay zero federal income-tax 73% of the american people pay the rest of the income tax. the top 1% of income-earners in the u.s. pay 40% of all federal income taxes. >> some pain nothing. he would make sure that they pay. >> that is wrong. that is what is wrong. >> you would eliminate tax credits to corporations? to give them money from the treasury? >> by abolishing the tax code, that would deal with that as well. our tax rate is too high. the combined effective rate -- because all states are different, is about 40%.
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that's really the only thing you need to know about why jobs are leaving the united states when other countries have 25% corporate tax rates and we are 40%. that is why one manufacturers that i bought a piece of equipment for a million dollars and i can put it here or i completed my canadian plant with a tax rate of 18%. where would you go? i would put it in canada. we have to be competitive. we have to be competitive in the world and we are stifling ourselves right now and deluding ourselves if we are embracing a dependency culture that looks like greece and if we're being uncompetitive like the old western european nations we used to laugh at. if we are doing that, we're disadvantaging ourselves in terms of competitiveness. that's why we need to change the
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mind-set in the united states that everybody pays something. growing up in iowa, there were a couple of adages my parents told me. one is that no one knows she living. you have to work. -- no one blows you a living. you have to work. nobody owes you a living is a pretty good added. an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. you have to work for your employer. can't just expect to get paid. >> it does that mean eliminating welfare programs totally? >> it means taking a look at what lyndon johnson put into place in the mid-60s. i want to go to the great society programs and i think a lot of them need to be ended. the state's need to make the decision about whether we want them or not. we did not have food stamps
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before 1964 and have only escalated from there and the same public housing at a lot of programs that came in the mid- 60s. we simply can't afford them. when the federal government spends $3.7 trillion a year and only takes an $2.2 trillion and boroughs of $1.5 trillion we don't have, we are in trouble. that has to end and part of that is dismantling the modern welfare state. that's not a part of constitutional government and by want to get back to constitutional government. those programs, the state can decide if they want to do that but we cannot afford that the federal level anymore. >> i want to talk about your five years in congress so far. can you cite three examples of legislative successes you've had that have prepared for the white house? >> first of all, i have been in
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that minority until last january and nancy pelosi was not interested in an advancing by pro-growth agenda. i have been involved american energy, legalizing american energy and i have been a strong advocate for that. i have also worked very hard bringing 40,000 americans to washington d.c. to fight against obamacare. i worked very hard to put fannie and freddie into a receivership , i opposed the automobile task force, i opposed the tarp bailout. i worked with democrats, we worked across the aisle and we actually brought down the first vote on the $700 billion wall street bailout. we did not prevail on the second one, but i tried in the best way i could. now i am working together with
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republicans and democrats and we're hoping to get a bridge built between wisconsin and minnesota and we think we might get their. i am praising president obama for that. looks like the obama administration is getting behind it. i just off a call with the secretaries of transportation and interior and other representatives. we think we are going to get that done. donepossible to get things if we were together as republicans and democrats about looking forward to it. >> as the only woman in this race and one of the very few who's ever run for president, how do you feel you have been treated by the press, the public and other candidates? >> the public has been absolutely wonderful. the people in iowa have been fantastic. i have not felt any one has seen me as a deal less or
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disqualified. i want to give thanks to my parents for instilling that in me. i had three brothers and no sisters and i was treated just like by brothers. it's the best preparation for politics any girl can have. you learn to fight and they learn not to pick on their sister. the other candidates have been very gracious and kind and we certainly have our differences and we don't see each other to speak of because when we go to events, we're not talking to each other, we're talking to people. when we go to debates, we go behind a curtain that line up and we don't spend a lot of time together but everyone has been gracious and civil. there are differences and we are reticent about pointing them out. in the press, i wish i -- i think everyone wishes they could be treated better by the press but i'm grateful that the media has covered our offense and i'm grateful they have covered our
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thence and as long as they report the events, that is good and there's a job the media has to do and we understand that. i have never wind or griped about the press or coverage because i'm grateful they are there and reporting. that's the wonderful thing about the day and age we live in. almost anyone can be a journalist if you have a foot and a camera, with the advent of the internet, anyone can see what's going on at any given minute. the 2012 race is so far different from even the 2008 race. twitter was used in 2008, but much more so. people are more familiar with it and i think it is interesting how the level of expectation the public and media have. everything is an stettinius
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respond we of to be conversant on it every issue instantaneously as a happened and that's difficult to be able to do, to be able to be conversant on every topic. but it is a good process and good for us to go through this. it's one of the most difficult exercises i have ever gone through, but i send it to the hilt. the job of the presidency will be extraordinarily difficult and will take everything out of a person and then some. so it is important for a person to go through this and have to learn to be better all time. i have made mistakes and i want to be better in this process and so i appreciate how tough this is because we want the best candidate as the next president. we want the best president. obviously i have an opinion on that. >> you have been likened to
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sarah palin. how do you feel about that? >> i think she's a wonderful woman. she's raised five children and has been the governor in alaska and has made great contributions. i am grateful for every thing she contributed. she blazed a trail by being our first female vice presidential candidate on the republican side and she took a lot of abuse during the time she was a candidate and i appreciate her willingness to stand up and server country. >> i think that is going to be yet. thank you. >> they didn't even get a chance to ask a question down there. you should ask them how they feel they're being treated by the media. >> i would like to ask you about afghanistan. you criticized the 30,000 troops surge and said it should have been 40,000. you were president today, what do you see as the life for work
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in afghanistan? >> certainly not what the president is doing. not just because he's a democrat and by republican. i think it was a big mistake for the president to dither for two months. that impacted the particular fighting season. with 40,000 troops, what could have been done is the commanders could have fought on the eastern portion and the southern portion. that's where the problem was to defeat taliban and all of the proxy militias pakistan continuously sent into afghanistan. that was not possible because president obama failed to fully fill requests that had made. at that point, the decision had to be made only focus on the south. we saw success down there nonetheless and trips to a good job. we have seen better conditions on the ground but the problem is when we could not deal with this
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problem quickly on both fronts, it links and the amount of time the united states had to stay in that area. i would like to get in, get the job done and get out and get home. now the president has said he will be pulling the troops out by september of next year. that's less than one year from now. when the president sent those 30,000 troops, it was not just the 30,000 troops. he announced the dates we would be leaving. that is almost insisting you are going to lose this effort. you don't hear the president talked about winning. you don't hear the president talk about victory. but isn't that why we send troops? -- we won the peace in iraq and he's determined to lose it and we will buy all pulling our troops out by the end of this year. we know that because an iraqi general went to iran this week to make friends and the kurds
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have been doing the same thing. iran will become again and all these gains will be lost. that's why say to the president needs to go back to the negotiating table and demanded iraq, a wealthy country, not a poor country, should pay us back. we lost a greater treasure, 4400 american lives. what comes to afghanistan, the president has made a tough situation almost impossible because now that the troops are coming out, what afghani would be enlisted to help us knowing they are going to be left with the taliban? the taliban is going to stay there. they live there. if they enlist to help us, they are a target and they don't see there is any victory. what the united states has done
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is let down our allies and we have an invigorated our enemies. that's the failure of the president's policies. he is choosing to fail in iraq and choosing to fail in afghanistan. we cannot have this over with and see afghanistan stand on their own by next september, so he's making a deliberate decision. there's a real problem in the east right now and we haven't even started dealing with that east, so we cannot possibly hold that the south and deal with the east with the president is pulling the troops out. >> do you think the republican nominee will have to go in and increased troop levels? >> i intend not to be the nominee, but the president of the united states. i would be inheriting a situation whereby 2012, the president conveniently enough, just before the election, would have made sure he pulled the troops out.
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it is more than obvious. president is taking his orders from general axelrod. he's not listening to general allan in afghanistan or general austin in iraq. he is listening to general axelrod and has moved cent, to chicago. that is to he is listening to. everything now is about his reelection and i think that's the lowest of the low for a commander-in-chief to make military decisions based upon his political reelection calculus verses making military decisions based upon what the best interest of the united states and our security and our defense. after all, that's what needs to be the number-one issue of the commander-in-chief. >> one last question before we say goodbye. less than seven weeks looking at the calendar year, folks in iowa will be headed to caucus night.
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we will be sitting here and talking about our endorsement. why should you win the support of caucus goers and when our endorsement? >> i most reflective of the value that i once hold. iowans wantt -- that. i have that perspective as a self-made individual who, our family went below poverty at one point and i had to work by way through college and -- work my way through college. and what is to be below poverty and i know what is to come out of that. i have that american value of no one of is your living and give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay and your word is your value. i was taught those by family and
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seven generations of my family that have lived in iowa since the 1850's. i have the practical knowledge as someone who started a business from scratch and runs it profitably today. i have the business acumen and i have the background of a tax lawyer and someone who sat on the financial services committee in the united states congress . i formulated a coherent plan that makes sense and i put it out on my website. i know what needs to be done and i can bring people together to make it happen. i cut my teeth on education reform as a mother. if we have been married 33 years and we have five biological children we have raised and they're all grown now and 23 foster children and they are all grown now. i got involved leigh politics because i was a mother. i was very concerned about what i saw my foster children bringing home and their backpack. i decided to get involved and
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ultimately i lead an education reform movement and i gave five years of my life to education reform. my husband and i were part of a group of parents that stirred the first k 12 charter school in the united states focused on at risk kids. we had -- we have broken hearts were at risk kids. we got involved in education reform and we became the first state, perhaps the only state that repeal the federal education standards which were politically correct, dumbed down standards and we put into place -- that was my effort by lead. then it went into the minnesota senate and we put into place academic standards. when i grew up in iowa, i attended public schools and there were fantastic. had such a good education and that i went to minnesota and there were good schools there as
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well. i was shocked at what my foster children were bringing home. i had always been supremely blessed by the schools i had gone to embellish shocked. i will give you one example. by a 11th grade foster daughter brought home posters to color. our three-year-old color. if anyone needs a leg up, it's a foster child. in my own family, we had gone below poverty and my mother said to me when we lost everything, there's one thing that can never be taken away and that is your education. i was 13 and i studied and because i paid attention and did well in school, that helped me make it in life. i want our foster children to have that same opportunity. if in 11th grade their coloring, they're not going to have the best opportunities. it would hurt them and it would
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hurt business people. it would hurt productivity. i got involved and lived the education reform movement. it was minnesota, democratic state, and it was not a partisan issue. i went all over by state and gave talks about education. because of me going around the state, people put pressure on their own a senator and house member to get rid of this program and they did. i was serving in the minority and we got rid of this program. everyone said it would never happen because education is the number one budget item. this was the biggest program minnesota had ever adopted and we got rid of it. it is pollyanna to think you
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can't fight city hall but i believe we can repeal obama care. it's going to take a miracle but i believe in miracles. i believe we can get rid of it because people hate it. if i could do it in minnesota where you think it was impossible, i think we can do it on a national level. it is not that i am against health care. certainly not for poor people. i wanted to have it. i believe we can deliver health care and better prices directly to people. if there has been any thing medicare has shown us, it is blatant fraud. we have to weed that out. we want to make sure people get the finest health care they can. the greatest quality health care for the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. that is the definition of the free market. >> thank you very much >> thank
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you for coming in. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> thank you for having me. i really appreciate it. >> general axelrod. >> that's going to get me in trouble. >> i happened to be back here at a tame. >> good to see. >> thank you.
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>> michele bachmann continues to campaign in iowa today and tomorrow. we expect the minnesota congresswoman on our "washington journal" program tomorrow morning. more live coverage of the iowa caucuses this evening. at 7:00, rick santorum hosts a meet and greet at a local pizza restaurant. the former pennsylvania senator has climbed from 6% in the late november poll to 15% in the most recent poll, coming in third place and second place over the past two days. mitt romney will be in clive, iowa tonight. the former massachusetts governor is holding a grass- roots campaign rally. nearly half of all iowa caucus goers conducted a poll last
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week rated him the most electable candidate in the general alexian. all of this is leading up to the caucuses tomorrow night. we will have cameras in the caucus in central iowa to see how burkes, followed by statewide result and candidate reaction. on c-span2, we will be alive tomorrow night with another caucus from western iowa. >> there is no debate here that copyright infringement is a serious question. we have a system for dealing with it now called notice and take down. it is not perfect and there are ways in which i bipartisan basis we can improve on it. that is what the open legislation is all about. but the big difference between our bill and the other is we would not do all the damage to the architecture of the
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internet. >> tonight, the internet and copyright protection. the different versions of antipyretic legislation currently in congress. the tonight at 8:00 on c-span2. >> ron paul and his son kicked off a tour of iowa today. this the first of five whistle stops they will take across iowa today. current polls have him in second place with 22% of likely republican caucus goers. behindonly two points mitt romney. this is about 15 minutes. this party started. [applause] >> it time to get going. my name is david fisher and i'm proud to be co-chairman of ron
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paul's presidential campaign here in iowa. i want to do a brief review of the modern-day tea party movement. december 16th, 2007, the 234th anniversary of the boston tea party. the occasion was a grass roots- led all on line one day fund- raiser for ron paul's presidential campaign. it resulted in over $6 million being raised in that single day. the epicenter of the activity was in boston where the keynote speech was given by an eye surgeon named grand paul. since that time, the tea party has gone to washington and at the party has come to iowa today to talk about the importance of ron paul's presidential campaign. i am proud to introduce the hon. united states senator from a commonwealth of kentucky, dr.
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rand paul. >> what a crowd. anybody here for ron paul? [applause] when my dad asked him to come and campaign, i said i will come but i don't have to wear a tie. looks like we have got some young people here. there is energy and it is overflowing and it is big and it is coming tomorrow. we are going to win in iowa tomorrow. [applause] i get to go around a lot and get a lot of speeches. i was at a buffet recently and there was a guy in front of me with two plates of food. he was piling up a third plate of food. the guy next to him said you're not going to live very long eating like that. he said my granddad live to be 105. he said i bet you're granddad
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did not live to be a hundred 5 eating like that. he said my granddad live to be 105 by minding his own business. [applause] does anybody here want their government to mind their own business? [applause] we are borrowing $40,000 per second. we are borrowing over $2 million a minute. in the short time we are being here today, we will borrow over $70 million. admiral mollen said the biggest threat to our national security is our debt. erskine bowles, head of the debt commission said the most predictable crisis in our history is becoming debt crisis. even ben bernanke has said our debt is unsustainable. there is only one candidate in this race who would balance the
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budget in one term. [applause] there is only one candidate who would cut a trillion dollars in spending. [applause] there is only one candidate who understands that conservatives and liberals will have to get together to cut spending. that the conservatives will have to understand that not every dollar spent on the military is sacred or wisely spent. [applause] liberals will have to understand the same. not every dollar spent on domestic spending or welfare is wisely spent or sacred. spending will have to be across the board. [applause]
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there is only one candidate who has never been accused of flip flopping. there's only one candidate who is never taken a congressional junket. there is only one candidate who stands up, head and shoulders above who lobbyists will tell you is incorruptible. [applause] there is only one candidate who the soldiers trust. one candidate who has received more contributions from active duty soldiers than all of the other candidates combined. that candidate is my father. please welcome ron paul. [applause]
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[chanting "ron paul"] >> you know we have a short tons, but if you keep chanting like that we will have time for a speech. it is great to be here. this crowd is amazing. we are suggesting we would get a few people out of these was will stop and encourage everyone along but this is like a real rally. this is wonderful. [applause] the enthusiasm has been building. i have been in the business of promoting the cause of liberty for a lot of years and it has changed. for a long time it was very subtle and quiet. then by voting all-time and washington the way i shop --
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well thought i should vote, it frequently required me to vote no. today, the enthusiasm has tremendously increased. it's even a big difference from four years ago. there was excitement and the college campuses were coming alive. the federal reserve became an issue. people were talking about changing our foreign policy. today, 70 percent side of americans are saying it's time to get out of afghanistan and come home. [applause] but the excitement has built steadily and that campaign has been remarkable. the funds have come in as was mentioned in the introduction earlier. even four years ago, raising $6 million in one day was historic, but the funds still come in which is a vote of confidence. the idea that military personnel sent a lot of money to this campaign, more than any of the other campaigns.
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but the enthusiasm is growing by leaps and bounds. the crowds are getting bigger and the issue as far as i am concerned, there is only one issue. they talk about foreign policy, monetary policy -- there is one issue that has made america great and the issue you can answer all your questions on his individual liberty. that is the issue. [applause] it was the abuse of this liberty that provoked revolution and the writing of the constitution. the constitution was written as a document, the we were coming together as one country, it was intended to strictly restrained the federal government. that is what the constitution is all about. [applause] yet today, we have a kind -- we
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have a federal government growing by east leaps and bounds. spending never ceases. it's always spending increases. even today when they talk about cuts, you know they're not talking about cuts. they are talking about nibbling away at proposed increases. what we are talking about are real cuts and shrinking of the size of the federal government. [applause] you cannot do that unless you raise one significant question and that is what should the role of government be? if liberty is the most important issue, the most important responsibility of government is to protect liberty and not be the policeman of the world and not to have a runaway welfare state. [applause] somewhere along the way, we lost our way and went in the wrong
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direction have allowed our government to grow. we accepted the idea of the federal government's responsibility was to intervene in the economy, not to protect the free market economy or protect private property and contracts, it was to intervene and played mischief. it was not to protect your privacy. today's government spends more time and energy pass a law invading your privacy. it should be the other way around. we want exposure at openness of government. we want your privacy back. [applause] and we don't want the government to be massing around with the internet, invading our privacy. we don't need a patriot act that tells you the government can come in and invade your house and homes and papers and everything you do without a proper search warrant. [applause] we certainly don't need to be
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moving on to the next stage, which is happening right now. last week or two weeks ago, it was passed and then signed by the president, authorizing the military to arrest american citizens and -- [a billing] allowing citizens to be held indefinitely. we need to reverse that direction. but what is the proper role? stay out of running the economy. stay out of our personal lives and stay out of the internal affairs of other nations. we do not need to be doing that. [applause] one of the great facilitator saw away spending control and the government expanded was the way our monetary system works. if a country wants to do something and they have the taxes at limitations.
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they devised another system of dividing the pavement. but they have used this other technique which is totally out of control and it is called central banking. the federal reserve. this idea that we allow it secret the central bank to pratt of limited dollars into the trillions, bailing out france, have to talk to an end -- has to come to an end. not only do we want an audit of the fed, we want to make sure we have much better that the current federal reserve system that we have today. [applause] we had a grand experiment in our history. we were the greatest nation, the freest nation with the largest middle-class ever. our middleclass is getting smaller by day. there's a transfer of payments when you destroy currencies. there's a transfer of payments
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would you allow lobbyists to control washington and washington becomes nothing more than an auction. this is the reason we have to reassert ourselves. we have a tradition of what freedom is all about and what sound money is all about. therefore, we do not have quite the task other nations have when they want to go to a freer society. most of history has been obligated to live under a dictatorship. we're moving in the wrong direction. the american people are staring. that's what this campaign has been all about. this is what the vote is about tomorrow. are we sick and tired of the expansion of government? the atlas spending and deficit, doing the things they were its best to do that for good about doing the things they should be doing? [applause] tomorrow is a very important
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day. a small in numbers but a big message. you carry a lot of weight in this state to send a message out which way we're going. believe me, you don't have to worry about the choice of you choose another candidate because the others represent the status quo. variations of the status quo. they're not talking about a foreign policy to defend america. they're talking about policing the world. are they talking about changing the monetary policy and the basic problems with the monetary system and how creates financial bubbles? do they care about personal liberties when you look at their boats? they don't care about your personal liberty or it would not be continuously undermined. a lot is at stake. i used to say as many have said, yes, we cannot spend that money because we don't want to pass on to the next generation. let me tell you. is not going to happen.
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the next generation is here today. that is why we have to change things today and bring back the traditions of america which means liberty, peace and prosperity. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]
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>> ron paul's campaign announced today will begin airing its final television ad in the early boding state of new hampshire. the new hampshire primary is next week, january 10th. >> america's in trouble. >> washington is a disgrace. >> washington has become too big. >> we need to change directions. >> we cannot afford to make the same mistakes we've made in the past. >> he went the other way when he got paid to go away. >> it about serial hypocrisy. >> this election is about trust. there has been one true, consistent and it and that has been dr. ron paul. >> he seems like a more honest
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candidate. he tells the truth whether you like it or not. >> he has never voted for an unbalanced budget. >> his plan as bold. it's what we need. >> when he says he's going to cut a trillion dollars, i believe him. >> if you don't like how things are going and are tired of politicians, he something different. >> ron paul is the one we have been looking for. >> by ron paul and i approve this message. >> in this final day before the iowa caucuses, rick santorum is making if you stop that pizza restaurants. -- is making a few stops at pizza restaurants. mitt romney is wholly what he is calling grass-roots campaign rallies in several locations today. in davenport in afternoon.
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we will have his rally live tonight just after 10:00 eastern here on c-span. tomorrow morning, michele bachmann, who is in last place in the polls, is not "washington gerald." our conversation with the minnesota congresswoman begins -- is on the "washington journal." our live caught -- our live coverage of the iowa caucuses starts tomorrow at 7:00. we have cameras at the caucuses so you can see how it works. that is here on c-span. on c-span2, will be live from a caucus from western iowa. >> it that guy has already made up his mind. this side has already made up its mind and i caught garbage, dr. rice. >> dr. brinkley, rice is a university.
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>> you just be quiet. you be quiet. >> you don't own me. i pay your salary. >> the gentle but will suspend and i will remind members. >> i work for the private sector. >> the confrontation at eight congressional hearing between rep don young and douglas brinkley ranked as the fourth most watched video in the c-span video library. watch it for yourself at our video library and click on the most watched tap to view other videos for the past year. is what you want, would you what. >> now, republican president shall candidate mitt romney with the editorial board of the des moines register. they ended up inviting all of the president -- presidential candidates and endorsing mr. romney.
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>> good to see you. how are you. nice to meet you. you guys are just here to listen to other republicans, so it must be getting tiring. did i miss anybody here? good to see you. she sits in the back row at hydes out. >> which like any thing to drink? >> water is fine. >> [inaudible] different from recently? >> i have weighed about the same since high school. it's a perception. i hope perception is reality.
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i'm still doing my best to keep the weight off and keep healthy. thank you. >> you have done a little running around the past five years. >> some business at last five years that i had a chance to write a book, which is something that wanted to do because of last campaign. so i got a chance to write a book which was a good experience. i hired a ghostwriter, he took a draft of the first chapter and i said this would never work. i took control of the keyboard and i announced i will write it myself at that turned out to be a great experience.
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nice to me you. >> you might want to introduce your team. >> you know david. andrea is next to david. she is my press secretary and is on the road with me this weekend. >> welcome to iowa. >> with its sunny and clear like this, it's a nice day. >> it is nice by i was standards for december. are we ready to go? let's get started. i'm the editor here and we welcome you joining us for our live editorial board meeting today with former governor, mitt romney, who is seeking the republican nomination for the 2012 presidential election. it's a pleasure to have you here with us. you bet our editorial board. we have about 45 minutes or so.
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just want to give you a few minutes of what you see on the campaign and the issues that are most important to you to frame why you are seeking the nomination. >> i thought having lost last time i would not be running again. i wrote a book early on in the president's term describing what i thought the country needed to do. in the ensuing months, it was my wife who said you are going to have to do it again. i said i'm not so sure and she continued relentlessly to say you've got to run again because the president does not get america or understand what it takes to make america and our economic engine the kind of engine that will put people back to work and keep america strong and provide for our kids and grandkids. she and i both believe having spent my life in the private sector and taken my career and
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my experience in the olympics and the government gave me the kind of leadership experience the country needs. i got in again and i think the choice americans face is whether as a nation we're going to continue on what the president called a fundamental transformation of america, which in my view makes us more and more like europe, or whether we're going to say europe is not working in europe and it's time to restore the principles that made america the economic powerhouse of the world and make america more like america with a merit-based society where individuals through their education and hard work, their risk-taking are able to build a better future for themselves or their families and lift the entire nation. i see this as a very clear choice for the american people. do we continue to move toward europe and transform toward america or do we turn around america? , spent my life in turnarounds'
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political, volunteer, and business or private sector. i had the chance to run two different businesses, help run the olympics that help guide a state as a governor. that is what america needs at time when we are heading in a very unfortunate direction which is tending to weaken us. the president's direction as slow down the recovery and made a downturn deeper. he has not put forward a plan to reinvigorate our economy. at the same time, but only has it hurt us and the near-term, but i believe this program has made it more difficult for america to remain the economic leader of the world over the coming century. the consequence of america falling behind in a global race is the defense of freedom itself could be in jeopardy. so i am concerned short-term and
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long-term because i don't think the president understands how this country works at the individual level, at the private sector level or the government sector. i don't think he has the experience nor do i think he has the leadership capacity to lead in a time of difficulty. he continues to complain about congress. that's government. congress has been there a long time. you need a leader back in the process of putting america back on track and strengthening the foundations of our economy. with that introduction, a dish of a couple of questions? >> you made the cover of "time" magazine. the negative side was the headliner -- "why don't they like may?" me?"y don't they like why have you been stuck at this number and why has gingrich been able to soar above you?
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>> so far as i can tell, i have been toward the top of the polls, if not number one. i have been close to #one most of last year which i consider to be good news. toward the top. in the last poll, no. 2 that i have been at no. 1 or no. 2 -- was five number three? by 2 points? i have watched the surges of to various people over time and my experiences people take a look at someone and project on them a sense they are conforming to their own views at that as they dig deeper and watch that person were carefully, they decide they have some elements i do not agree with and background issues that are not consistent with my own views and people come down. over time, speaker gingrich will follow a trajectory that
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will be unique to him but will come down and by the time we're finished, i will get the nomination. if i did not think that, i would not be battling like i am. i face tough competition, but i am pleased with the fact i have that either at or near the top of the polls in most states over a long time. that's a good thing and there are a lot of competitors. it has been a long time since i could recall race or somebody got 50% and held on to that until the things began to consolidate. last time around calling at john mccain and myself and fred thompson and rudy guiliani and we were all bouncing around somewhere between 10% and 25%. so be in the high teens or low 20s for the last year i consider good news. in the final analysis, i've got to get 35% of the delegates in
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the first few states and in 45 states and an 55% and that gives me the nomination. >> you have not spent as much time in the state as the other candidates. why is that? >> we track the numbers of days for other cabinets and there are some like rick santorum of focus entirely on iowa. but as we look person by person, we're pretty competitive. newt gingrich and at rick santorum have had more days in iowa that i, but i've also campaigning in new hampshire and south carolina and florida and nevada. i want to do well of late the early primary states but i also want to get the delegates to win the nomination. for me, this is not trying to surprise people by doing better than expected in one or two states, want to do well in all the states. this is about getting the nomination. that means spend time in the various states.
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whether this is a wise strategy or not, i don't know, but we spend a lot of time raising money. we raise money so i can go out with advertising and get my message to people across iowa, new hampshire, south carolina. that is something other candidates have not done. that frees up time to go around the state. we want to make sure we have the resources not just to do well once or twice but to go through the process. i recognize fiat an uphill climb to get the spot and iowa. if i don't get that spot i will be happy -- i would like to do well. a lot of the early states are going to award delegates on a
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proportional basis. i want to get my fair share from the beginning and then take a larger share of time goes on. >> is this campaign different than it was four years ago? >> yes. >> has it changed the way you view this process in this country? >> it seems to change every cycle. my guess is it will be different. but this cycle for me, i met people throughout iowa. last time, i had no one. getting to meet people again and again and signing them up to be part of my team lead hoping they would be with me in the straw poll and the caucuses. this time, i star with a base i did not have the last time.
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it has allowed me to spend time and some other states as well. and of course be here enough to rekindle my old support and generate support from folks who don't really know who i am. i do think one of the things that has changed is the importance of debates. the audiences are much larger than they were last time around. i don't know why that is. last time, rudy guiliani and movie star fred thompson, you would have thought -- tv star personality -- he's famous. john mccain. they were famous. i was at 1% or 2% in the polls so i had to go out with shoe leather and get known. this time i'm better known for good or evil, as the case may be. that has allowed the two major i
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can get support and other states as well. >> you talk about the dates and tv personalities and i think about bottled trump. tell us why you decided not to participate in that debate. >> we have requests for 6, 8, candidates and we all met and said how are we going to work the schedule? we could do to debates in december and keep up with fund- raising and campaigning and we picked two debates and that well after we announced those, the folks with the trump debate said we would like to host one. i respect donald trump and the organizers. news max is a very important conservative oregon and i have nothing against their debate or the other debates that were proposed. but we can only do so many. i joke that time is coming soon that people will call our local
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say some and say please returned to the regularly scheduled programming. i don't know how the debates -- and neither have been 14 debates? i think we have had more debates and forums that we had last time through the whole process. there does come a point where people feel like i've seen it enough. there is also a concern that if you have that many debates that the question -- the questioners begin to ask more and more arcane questions that are not the questions that are front and center in people's minds. that may not help the process. so for us, december made sense -- and then in january, maybe to again. maybe three? time will tell. >> some of the candidates for
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the republican nomination have a sense that the way to deal with this country's problem is going with a wrecking ball and to washington d.c. and to destroy the federal courts. as it has been managed under the current president -- what is your take on that approach and what is your philosophy of governing at the federal level? >> heeded general -- heated rhetoric generates all lot of support. there's no question but that there are needs for reorganization. i will eliminate some programs. i may combine certain agencies. what i was governor of my state, i combined 15 different states and combine them into th

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