we're not doing anybody any and we are fortunate to have someone running for office who favors without. has the right experience, the right background, the right i am very proud of the work expertise, and the know how to i've done. grow jobs the old-fashioned way, in the private economy. to get this economy going again talk to anybody in by doing away with the pennsylvania, philadelphia, the work i did in the city and the excessive regulation and the workstation that is keeping this urban areas, we did more than economy from getting back on its any republican. thank you. feet. we have someone who has experience creating jobs in the private sector, who has turned up failing enterprises around, turned the olympics around, can i take your picture? turned the state of massachusetts around, somebody who can get this country rolling ""welcome. again. i hope will not miss an -- >> welcome. opportunity, starting tomorrow night, to make mitt romney our [laughter] >> i need a picture. representatives in the united >> all right. states. >> there you go. if you want a president who understands the greatness of this country is not in

government institutions, and you do not make this country better by massively expanding the size of government, by what we've >> you are a good man. seen in this presidency -- if that is why we are going to vote for you. you want a president who >> watch out. understands the great jobs, the ingenuity, the innovation, the hard work of the american >> i think we have a great people and the small businesses record and i am willing to go that really create jobs -- if out there and compare it with anybody in the race. you want a president who is going to put the american worker back to work, we have the good to see you here. right person. when i would goes to the polls thank you. tomorrow, i hope you will think >> 3 deep. about the qualifications that we need in the white house in our i have someone here on the phone. next president, the kind of leader we need, the kind of i have a fellow but here with a beard. this is his daughter, there. experience we need. secondly, think about who, when it comes to november 2012, can >> happy to do it. thank you. win this election, but the president obama, and take this

country in a new and different direction that is consistent with our historical heritage and the restores america's greatness. >> 1, 2, 3. i hope you will agree that the >> all right. nominee for the republican and got it. got it? -- republican party and the ex- president of the united states is mitt romney. thank you very much. >> good luck tomorrow. will you give a warm i'll welcome to mitt romney -- iowa >> thank you. we're going back out. let's go. welcome to mitt romney? [laughter] and -- [applause] ♪ >> , for the rest of the world -- >> america will be a very ♪ important to the world. america has a great role to play in the world. >> we are just kind of going this direction. >> thank you.

>> my goodness. look at this. thanks for braving the crowd and you are so kind to be here. the heat. even though you are a cardinals wow. fan, i will do it. thank you. thank you des moines. don't stop. [chanting "mitt"] >> i have got to my picture >> what a thrill. taken with a couple of kids. what a way to get started. the six -- this is exciting for me and my family. i say my family because they are here. there are other elected officials here. >> we are going this way. when has been organizing to get congressman to help out. >> we are following that. where is he hiding out over here? there he is. i believe you were here just two i want to say thank you to jason days ago. for the work he has done in >> not with her. [laughter] congress. he got 47 congressmen to help >> there you go. out. >> there we go. congressman blake is also helping us out. i would like introduce my family

first. no applause. wait, because there are a lot of them. this is my oldest son, father of >> what about pennsylvania? >> we do a lot of media, a lot four. this is my son matt, father of of interviews. four. this is josh, father of five. >> your strategy on the way and, and here comes credit, the baby of the family, her father of two here -- in, you said work hard. sons. but you have spent more time here than anybody else. >> we spent more time in new you can give applause to these hampshire than anybody else. guys. thank you guys. that is what people want. our son ben is a doctor. >> appreciate that. he is in residency and cannot be here tonight, because he is hello. how are you? doing his job at the hospital. this is the youngest of the turn around, guys. children, and she is not my >> it is so nice to meet you. >> thank you. daughter. this is someone i must have seen >> wait a go, rick. in elementary school. when i was in fourth grade, she >> how you doing, rick? was in second grade. i would not have noticed, i don't imagine. but when she was just about 16, >> right here.

i went to a party and i saw her >> i ain't moving. there. i was impressed. she had come with someone else. >> give me a break. i said to the guy who brought >> let's go. her, "i live closer to ann than >> we have a great program and a you do -- why don't you let me country that wants it. absolutely. give her a ride home?" >> the national health care? we have been going steady ever since. my wife, ann romney. >> margaret thatcher said there was a reason she was never able to do what she did for this >> that was a warm welcome. we love that, and we need that. country. we need all of your passion to give us the wind in our sales we'll do our best to make sure and purchase all the way to the nomination to make sure this is that [unintelligible] the next president of the united states. [applause] >> should you become president, i am glad to be here. what will you do about the i am glad to have my son is eurozone? here. they look so nice and well- >> thank you very much. dressed and well behaved. appreciate you. i like to remind people that >> some nice to meet you. there is a time in their lives

when they were not like that. anyone here, i would love to >> i said you had better come know this. who. anyone who is the mother or father oklahoma all boys in the >> good to see you. audience? then you all know what i am talking about. >> senator, has the focusing on all they do is russell, he manufacturing help you or not? bounce a ball, and fight. >> i think it has. when i was a young mom, i think folks are looking for hindemith was traveling often. someone who understands. he would call home. >> we will be there working hard he would hear a very exasperated for you. wife on the phone, at her wit's >> that is what i am talking end. about. he would say, "hang in there. we will continue. i will be home soon. >> obviously, you grew up with and he would remind me of something i loved. that. do you feel you have a different he would say, "what you are perspective because of that? doing is more important than what i am doing. >> the guy is that i grew up your job is more important than with -- the values that i grew mine. i loved that. and he was right, by the way. up with -- >> what about governor romney? he reminded me that his job would come and go. but this would be forever. >> he is a nice guy, but and he is so right.

and i was so grateful to have [unintelligible] that kind of a partnership that kept us having the right perspective in those hard years. >> tomorrow night, iowa holds the first in the nation presidential caucuses. it has been a wonderful 42 years on "washington journal," our of marriage. we have a lot of grim kids now. guest is the actor in chief of and i would like to remind you "the iowa republican." the best part of being a he talks about the campaign in grandmother is watching my grandchildren misbehave. iowa in the predictions for the turnout. i just tell these boys, "you then we are joined by the deserve it. national chairman for the ron paul campaign. she discusses her support for it has been an exciting few the candidate and his i'll what days in iowa. strategy. in 24 hours, we need to get this then, congresswoman michele bachman explains her strategy in process started, and we need to the new hampshire primary. give mitt the energy he needs to push us forward to victory. "washington journal" take your calls and e-mails live every thank you all for being so great week, starting at 7:00 a.m. and being here. eastern, here on c-span. >> thank you, sweetheart. and voice, i was taking tomorrow at 7:00 p.m., a preview of the iowa caucuses. we look at the caucus prospects

videotapes on youtube, and -- process and the republican looking at candidates obama presidential race. going around iowa about four then, live coverage of the years ago, campaigning. caucus in central iowa, followed he was making a lot of promises. by candidates' speeches. there is a huge gap between his on c-span 2, coverage of another promises and his performance. carcass from western iowa. he said he was quick to get us working again. you can join the conversation on he talked about repairing the facebook and twitter. nation and preparing the world. the iowa caucuses, to stay on a lot has happened over the last three years, but those are not the c-span networks. the things that happened. one of the greatest threats we >> it is absolutely essential face is what is going on in iran that our spending habits take a as they move toward denuclearization. he has failed to put in place 180 degree turn, starting right crippling sanctions. now. tonight at midnight, the he failed to speak out when the government will shut down if congress does not pass a dissidents took to the streets. continuing resolution. he has failed to put together a >> forecasters at goldman sachs credible military plans that have warned a shutdown could would dissuade the iranians of their folly. shave off growth in our gdp and then there is the economy every single week. itself. he went to the american people they have warned about the and said, i am going to borrow impact on confidence in the u.s. economic recovery. $787 billion and keep >> with the possible government unemployment below 8%. it has not been below 8% since. shut down looming, the senate

section from april 8, 2011 was by the way, that 8% number is 25 the most watched a video of the million people who have stopped year. watch it on our homepage. looking for work, or who have part-time work and need full- click on "most watched" to view time employment. this is not just a statistic. other moments from the past year. it is what you want, when you these numbers mean real people. want. if you have been out of work for >> from the last night before an extended time, it means a the iowa caucuses, presidential depression, trouble in candidate mitt romney hosted a campaign rally in clive, iowa. marriage, and trouble at home. it was one of several events the in other cases, people lose campaign held across the state. their faith. being out of work is tough. this is 50 minutes. this president did not cause the recession, but he made it worse, and it lasted longer because of his policy. we faced another problem. the government was borrowing too much. he was critical of president bush are win more than he spent. he has borrowed three times that much every year. and he is on track -- by the end of his first term, his only term, by the way -- [applause]

by the end of that first term, he will have put together as much public debt, almost as all the presidents combined. i remember after he was inaugurated he went on the today show. and he said, "if i can get this economy to turn around in three years, i will be looking at a one term proposition." i am here to collect. we are taking it back. to get people working, i am convinced it helps to create jobs. it helps to have a job. i can use the private sector experience to get people working again. how do you do that? one estimate america once again the most attractive place in the world for innovators, pioneers, and businesses of all kinds, so they come and invest here.

i saw that the head of coca-cola >> good evening. have the new year, iowa. -- talk about an american iconic business. i have the privilege of he said that a more favorable representing the state of south business environment is in china dakota in the united states senate. than in the united states. i am going to change that. we will make it more attractive here than anywhere else in the world. i am delighted to be in iowa i will do that by getting our this evening on caucus eve. tax code right. i will do that by putting a stop tomorrow, you all are going to cast a very important vote. to all the obamacare regulations i would take seriously the and throwing out those that kill responsibility you have. american jobs. we all respect the prominent role you play in our democracy. [applause] i will do that by opening up new this year is a crossroads markets for american goods so we election for our nation. can sell around the world. we have to get this right. the reason i am here this i will cramdown on china, who of evening is because i believe we have an opportunity to elect a been stealing our designs, our know-how, our brands. leader who can take us in an entirely different direction. they have been hacking into our computers. we had a president who that has got to stop. campaigned for years ago in the i will stop it, if i am state of iowa who talked a lot president of the united states. about hope and change. there is one more thing we can people in this country are not

do to make this an attractive very hopeful today, because they place for enterprises, have received change, and it has businesses, pioneers, and job all been in the wrong direction. creators. if you look at what has happened that is to find a ticker since this president has taken advantage of our oil, our guests, our call. office in these past three let us get energy secure with years, you've seen unemployment go up. you have nearly 2 million more our own energy. [applause] unemployed people than when he took office. you have seen the fuel costs in this country that have attacked i also have to balance the budget. i have to cap federal spending everybody's pocket books almost doubled. and balance the budget. the cost of health care has gone up almost 25%, notwithstanding how do you go about doing that? let me tell you how you do that. the assertions that obama would drive health costs down. there we go. the number of people on food that is one idea. stamps is up by nearly 40%. he has got an idea. it is not the same as mine, but the debt we are handing to our children and grandchildren has i appreciate your right to gone up by nearly 40% since the express it. my view is this. when you do to get our budget in president took office. the only thing that has gone line is to take all the down is housing prices. programs the federal government but that is the obama record on has and you say, "which of these the economy. programs is so critical you have high unemployment and massive to have them," and those things amounts of debt. it is time for us to go in a we keep.

different direction. those that do not pass, you have to get rid of. is this program so critical is worth far in money from china to do that? we are going to get rid of some programs, even some we like. this is what i would get rid of, day one. let us get rid of obamacare. [applause] amtrak ought to stand on its own feet, or its own wheels. i like the national endowment for the arts and for the humanities, but i am not willing to borrow money to pay for it. i like that my kid can watch big bird on tv. but because they do not have advertising, the government has to put in a check. i do not think that is right. i do not want to borrow money from china. [applause] i just do not think it is immoral for us as a nation to

borrow money, knowing that my generation will never pay it back, and the next generation will have to pay those burdens. it is wrong. we have to get america on track to a balanced budget. and i will do it. [applause] but i think you know this campaign is about even more than jobs, as important as that is, and even more than reining in the scale of the government, important as that is. this is also a campaign about two very different directions for america. one is represented by the vision of the founders. i love our patriotic music. there is a song, "america the beautiful." o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. if corn counts as an amber waves of grain, you are in that song. but one of the other versus says

this. o beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years. the idea is that the founders, in crafting america, in writing the declaration of independence and the constitution, created something that sees beyond the years, not something temporary -- something in during. the american experiment worked. they said god had endowed us with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the right in this nation for each individual to pursue happiness as he or she chooses. this circumstance of birth would not be a barrier to what we might achieve. instead, our own effort could be that -- [chanting "mitt is it"]

>> fence, guys. let's talk about the constitution again. [shouting] i am sorry? >> stop the war on the poor. [changing -- chanting "mitt"] [show to an -- shouting] [applause] [laughter] >> you guys, you know what? isn't it great to live in a country where people can express their views? this is a great country. i love it.

make it loud and clear. i will tell you one thing. when president obama is here, let us make sure the audience is making the same noise about his policies. [applause] i was talking about the course and direction of this nation, with the declaration of independence looking us choose our path in life. this became an opportunity nation, a place where based upon merit we could achieve our future. that meant that people got education and work hard, and took risks and had dreams. they could achieve great things. by virtue of their accomplishments, they did not make as poorer as a nation. they made us better off. an opportunity nation drew the best and brightest from all over the world to this extraordinary country. i want to our president today and do not think he gets it.

i think he wants to turn us into a european-style welfare state. i think he wants an entitlement society, our government's job is to get bigger and bigger, to take from some and give to others. the methodology of that approach is to create and the instead of ambition. -- is to create envy instead of ambition. i want america to remain one nation under god. [applause] as a boy, i was taken by my mom and dad. they put us in a car and drove us around the national parks. it was a rambler. do you remember ramblers? a couple of you do. we go to the national parks, and made it, actually. along the way, we fell in love with america. we saw the extraordinary people

of this country, the beauty of our mountains and our canyons and our rivers. we saw people who loved our country. america the beautiful -- there was another verse i loved. for he rose proved in the berating strife -- for heroes proved in liberating strife. do we have any veterans here? thank you, gentlemen, ladies. thank you for your service. thank you for your service. i love this country is beauty. i love this country's people. i love this country who if he rose. i believe it is time to bring america -- i believe this .ountry's heroes when president reagan spoke of the shining city on a hill, it is not just the present. it is the future. i want to restore those

principles to america. i want to make sure the light from that shining city is brighter than ever. i want our kids to know their future is bright. i'm not an optimist in the white house, not a pessimist. -- i want an optimist in the white house, not a pessimist. let us get the nomination and become the next president of the united states. let's win this thing. thank you guys. great to be with you. [applause] ♪ ♪

>> how are you? >> obama has been a lapdog of washington. >> i want to know what you are going to do. ♪ ♪ >> i am not going to try to kill and the americans. -- any americans. good to see you. thank you.

>> i will do my very best. very rarely. like once a year. [laughter] how are you?

thank you. appreciate it very much. how are you? thank you so much. thank you so much. i appreciate that. good to see you guys. >> can we get a picture real quick? i appreciate your help tonight. all right. thank you.

good to see you. thank you. how are you? good to see you. appreciate your help to buy. thank you. i am so happy. thanks.

how are you? good to see you. i am great. how are you guys doing? thank you. thank you. thank you. how're you doing? thank you. good to see you. how are you? i love it there. thank you. how are you?

what are you doing here? that is great. thank you so much. thank you. thanks for being here again. >> in 2007 -- since 2007, you've got my vote. >> i appreciate that. i see a hand. >> we love you parian -- we love

you. good to see you. thanks for your help.

>> thank you so much. >> good luck tomorrow night. >> thank you.

thank you. good night, guys. thank you, you guys.

>> he is not yelling parian --.

>> thank you.

>> governor -- and governor. tomorrow. >> thank you, governor. i it and voted for you for years ago. -- i voted for you four years ago. >> you have a first-time voter here.

>> martini, get in there. hold it. hold it.

>> mr. romney --

>> bank you so much. >> to your right. you're right. >> four years ago. thank you very much. >> mr. romney --

>> tomorrow night, iowa holds the first in the nation presidential caucuses. on washington journal, our guest is editor in chief of "the iowa republican." he talks about the final efforts by the campaigns in iowa, and his predictions for the turnout. then we have the national campaign chairman for the ron paul campaign. he discusses the support for the candidate and the iowa strategy. congresswoman michele bachman explains her campaign strategy in the new hampshire primary. we take calls and e-mails, live every morning starting at 7:00

a.m. eastern, here on c-span. coming up who, events leading up to the iowa caucuses continue, with candidate interviews with the the morning editorial board. first, michele bachman, followed by newt gingrich. later, and look inside the scott county caucus training, followed by mitt romney at a campaign stop in clive, iowa. michele bachman is interviewed by " des moines register." she said water boarding against terrorists may be uncomfortable but does not kill anyone. the newspaper invited each candidate to be interviewed. from november, this is just over 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 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 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 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. -- noam @ raese.

-- the validity of the race. -- fluidity 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. 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 -- vying to be the next leader of the free world. the voters need to know who we are, what we're made of. 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. i am grateful for it and i defend this process. >> 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 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. -- a unifier. i was elected in minnesota, which is not known to be a conservative state. the first woman to be elected 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 -- my 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 -- the right solutions 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 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 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 -- a significant portion out of the budget. it would be painful to have to make the cuts, but we need to do that because we cannot continue to borrow at the level we arei drew a line in the sand. a lone voice, saying here we are. downgraded, and here we are kicking the can down the road, maybe five months later, and

we're no closer to any sort of aif 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 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 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

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 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 accumulate that amount. here we are today just about at that $15 trillion bubble level

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 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. 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.

kenny finance the debt? >> which is how much per year? >> the interest on the debt? the interest on the debt is getting worse. i do not know what it is now. in 10 years. and we are on the military. >> but what we need to do is notthat 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 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. 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 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 shield. care costs. >> anything that you think should remain? >> absolutely not. i have brought americans to washington to fight obamacare. it will be more expensive than anyone begins to dream it will be. it will be terribly expensive.

just at that time that we do not need a new entitlement, we are getting one when we can least afford it. so number one, we cannot afford the cost of it. and well -- it will restrict doctors. how was in a town hall and a physician stood up, a family practice guy, and he said, michelle, let me tell you what just happened to me because of obamacare. the irs is enforcing obamacare. they are hiring 16,500 agents to enforce obamacare. i had to call the irs because i had a woman on medicare and i had to get a no. 4. guess how long i was on the phone with the irs while she waited? he said, two hours and 15 minutes. i am so frustrating. this is what obamacare means for me. and it was not just heard it waited, his time was wasted and all the other patients who were waiting, they had to get stacked

appeared this is the type of bureaucratic heavy system that we have. i want to give red of obamacare. i wrote the first legislation to repeal obamacare. now want to put my plan into effect that addresses the cost issue. >> will tax break tell someone who has a tax break and does not have a company provided healthcare planning cannot afford to buy one, how does that nonexistent tax break in that person's case work for him under your plan? >> it absolutely helps them. now they can buy the cheapest possible plan that they can get. i think a lot of people will buy catastrophic health insurance plans. then what we will be seen under my plan is encouraging new -- for example, like minute clinics to grow up, so that someone has a child at a soccer game and

have an injury, they can run their kid there and get them seen immediately by a doctor and pay for that. that is the biggest problem in health care right now, the third-party intermediaries. nobody even knows what health care costs anymore, because the government is involved. in the car and i by far is the largest provider of health care for one particular entity, and so i want to be able to reintroduce the free market into health care. so the people own their plan. >> what type of health care coverage a few head of your career? as it always been government? >> in. >> when you work for the irs and congress? >> we have been without and we a purchased on our own. one of the biggest problems with the tax cut is that individuals cannot deduct their health insurance on their income tax. businesses can but not people. that is wrong. i introduced the bill in

congress that is the health care freedom of choice act. that allows americans to be able to purchase health insurance policies and adopted on their income tax. they should be able to do that just like a company can. >> their people to the insurance company will not sell insurance to. what would you propose for people with preexisting conditions it cannot purchase health insurance? >> it is the marketplace that knows how best to terminals cause. right now government is determining the cost of health care and all we're seeing is escalated costs. the market needs to determine that determination. but it is not that people have to go without health care. insurance is one thing. health care is another thing. states have come up with various solutions of high risk pools are something of various states have come up with. there will always be people that have chronic conditions or they have pre-existing conditions. that does not limit the state.

the state can come up with a high risk plan and i believe that they will. they have in the past. i am not sure of the exact number but there are 30 states i think they have high risk pools. and that the state level, you can put together a subsidy so that people can pay what would be more of the normal price for health insurance and in the state comes in and pays the difference. if that is what a state chooses to do, i encourage that. again, we also want to offer a charitable organization for doctors or clinics to offer care to people who are indigent, or people in a difficult place. health care will be provided. the question is, what is the cheapest way, the most cost- effective way to get the highest quality care? we want the greatest number of people to have high as quality care at all lowest possible price. that is not what we are getting with government being the cheap

purchaser of health care in the -- chief purchaser of health care in the united states, that purchase is the greatest amount. we're not getting a good value for the 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 of my shell -- that is not a michele bachmann thing, one person recently said we cannot have a long-term component of the obamacare bill, the class that portion, because there is not enough money. they admit there is not enough money. we have not even got it off the ground yet. in norbert to make the numbers were for obamacare over a 10- year period, if they had have all the revenues of front and the expenditures coming in later. that is the only way to make the game were. we tried to expose the fraud that obamacare would never be able to pay for itself. we also see the stunning level of power that the government has

paired with obamacare there has already been over 6000 pages of rules and regulations written. it is not even just the bill. it will never finished being written. that is why ubs came out with a steady two months ago now, that the number one reason is that employers are not hiring is obamacare. it is because today employers know that every employee that they hire will have at least a $2,000 price on their head. if they do not offer health insurance, they will have to pay a fine to the government. and it will be at least $2,000. that is the teaser rate. government, any time and needs more revenue, it will dial up the rate that employers have to pay. it will be far more than $2,000. employers are reluctant to hire employees right now because they know the costs will be exponential dealing with health care. >> t think vaccines are dangerous and did you vaccinate your own children?

>> sure, we vaccinated our own children. they went too and had the normal courses for months and rubella. -- months and rubella and all the baby which jos that they added. but we've seen a marked difference in the number of vaccinations that children have, far more than they used to have, and more and more are being encouraged all the time. that is really a decision that parents need to make on behalf of that children. that is the point i was making at the debate. this is a decision not for a governor to make, not to abuses of executive authority, which gov. perry abetted that he had done. this is a decision rightfully that parents and children have to make. the more important issue in this is the issue of crony capitalism, the idea of politicians paying off their political donors. with either mandates or with government contracts. and that the federal level, the

biggest scandal that we hear a lot now is solyndra, the one coming up with. lightsquared, beacon power, this happens all the time and it is scandalous. no politician should be paying off their political donors. [inaudible] >> i am not a doctor, i am not a scientist, i am not making that point. my point was the abuse of executive power and also chronic capitalism. -- crony capitalism. >> the nuclear weapons report, how would you deal with that issue if you were president? >> going back to when president obama came into play, it was nit that best and deadly foolish at worst for the president to meet with iran with no preconditions. that was unprecedented. this is a nation that has violated one issue after

another with the iaea, had been unwilling to let inspectors in and there is also the problem with iran, and they have stated repeatedly over and over again that once they gain a nuclear weapon, they would use it to wipe israel off the face of the earth. so the president sat down and met with them -- or i should say, the administration's met with them with no pre-existing conditions. and they gave around 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 world because we know what iran will do. they will share the information and technology and power of a nuclear weapon not only with themselves, but it was shared with syria, a courier for them, a courier to their proxy organizations, has a lot in

lebanon and hamas in the gaza area, and they will share it with the sedan. president obama made what i view as a lot wrong treat -- are wrong decision in the treaty with russia last december. here sing and denuclearization if you will of the wealthy nations while the third world nations are getting you up. -- getting nuked up. we will be seeing nuclear rising in the league, and i do not think that that will lead to peace. what i want is the president of the united states is peace all the military i want to see peace not only for the united states but peace in the middle east region, peace around the world. and to be a world that peace, i think the united states has been a good global leader. we're not perfect and we have

made a lot of mistakes. but i think that we want to make sure that the united states is in a position of strength. >> how will we achieve peace in the middle east with iran as a nuclear power? >> very difficult, isn't? >> you are in the white house, what would you do? [inaudible] >> if likely to reason there is paired iran make a strike, israel makes a strike, or the u.s. makes a strike. i would hope it would not be the u.s. making a strike. hopefully no one would make that strike. right now iran has bought at a signal from anyone that they have something to lose -- has not gotten a signal from anyone that they have something they lose if they go forward. they have continued to develop not only the enriched uranium but the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon. they have continued to go

forward unabated any manner that has put not only the united states it risk, but the rest of the world at risk. to and what is the signal? what needs to be done right now? >> right now, again, president obama has taken this off of the table, which is extremely foolish in my opinion. we need to isolate iran economically. and we can. >> more so than we have already. >> he is not done anything -- and there are no sanctions in place? >> i am not saying any -- not any that are meaningful. the meaningful sanctions would be with the iranian central banking committee. so that they would not have access to funds. we could shut them down in a heartbeat if we were able to stop money from flowing to iran. if they could not sell oil and receive money in return, and have to have a banking system to do that, they would be done. and president obama has been

unwilling to do that to iran. i think that has been tragic. >> and you are? >> he failed to bring the russians and chinese and though that he needs to bear, because i believe he has taken off the eye of the central issue, the buildup of 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 bay, or was a fan, but libya was not posing a threat to the united states. at that time we had secretary of defense gates, and gates said there was no american national interest and there was no mission in libya. why are we going into a country when there is no vital american national interest and the mission? that was wrong for the united states to be there. >> if were we in that country? >> we started the effort.

we unilaterally began the bombing. president obama did that made that decision while congress was still in session. i was in washington this -- the week that he made that decision. he did not consult congress. he said he did not have to. i believed that he did. he went forward and made that effort and unilaterally we were there. only after the united states began the bombing did we've been joined up with nato. but do not forget, who provides the number one source of funding for native? we do. we provide that money and also the secretary of defense gates came out just before he resigned and said that nato needs to start paying their own freight. we have been paying their freight for them. we have been providing the defense for european than the stick and. europe needs to stand on their own 2 feet. we need to per stop providing their defense for them. we are far too extended beyond what we should be. we cannot afford that. and i'm not one who says that we

cannot cut back on defense. we can. let me tell you one area. we have a real problem when it comes to procurement. there is an immelt -- a military industrial complex in washington, d.c. in the issue of procurement is scandalous. today we had a cost plus fee basis. and we paid based upon how much time it takes to develop a weapon. if you go order couch, you do not pay more money if it takes longer to build that couch but that is what the federal government does. we pay more money based upon how much time it was. we need at that price system where we say we will pay you this amount of money for this carrier or weapon and that is said. and you figure it out and you get it developed. instead, we're getting played all the time on procurement. and this is wrong and that has to be changed. try care is something else that could be reformed. it is not that i want to cut back on benefits for service

members but tri is aca and thenr is to be reforme -- rtricare is something and is to be reformed. >> is waterboarding something that is consistent with your faith and values? >> i do not accept your premise that it is torture. called enhanced interrogation techniques used to bring about information. i would really 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 that he had to make. he made it. and he said, if i have to kill 1000 japanese to save one american life by will. and he made that this essential let me finish. in that vein, if i had someone who was a terrorist is the

united -- and waterboarding was done, on the admitted mastermind of 9/11, analysts said later by the vice-president that we did extract useful information from him that helped prevent other incidents, if i had knowledge that we could use something like all 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, it is uncomfortable but i am more concerned that we would prevent aircraft from going into the twin towers, taking them down, and taking out 3000 innocent american lives than i am about the comfort level of a terrorist. and what that means for them because again, this is done under monitored conditions. is it uncomfortable, yes, i do not deny that it is uncomfortable but a person is not going to lose their life nor will they be permanently injured or permanently impaired by this.

and it is done on very unique strict circumstances. and here is the other problem. what is it that president obama is doing today? we no longer have interrogators and the cia. cia interrogators are no longer able to deal with enemy combatants. all we have is the army field manual and republish it online. so any terrorist can see what is going to happen to them when they are captured. and in effect, they know exactly what we're going to do to them. so they do not fear. there is no fear, there is no respect for the united states, because they know exactly what is going happen. and something else i brought up in the debate, we no longer have a place to put them in jail once we capture them. now there are ships, but that is not a long-term solution. we have of room air force base

but that is now really a detention facility -- bob rahm -- bagram air force base but that is not really -- that is not -- that is not really a detention center. we are at war, and we are acting like we are not at war. we are at war with an enemy that wants to see is defeated and dead, so much so that it was not that many weeks ago that we saw iran tried an 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 had no compunction about killing all of these innocent americans. here in washington, d.c. of our nation's capital. >> getting back to the question of waterboarding, you say it was being done on terrorist but it is used as an interrogation technique to determine if people were terrorist.

people have not been tried. >> it was on the admitted mastermind of nymex/11. he admitted his guilt. and also wanted to be executed. there is no reason why. and those determinations need to be made by the president and those who are in that hierarchy grid of authority. certainly not everyone is waterboarded, so -- it is an extraordinary technique and all i am saying is that i think that a president needs to have that technique on the table. >> if you think it is not that bad, which you willingly submit to it to see what it is like? >> i think it would be absurd to have the president of united states submit themselves to waterboarding. there are those who have submitted themselves to it and they can talk about it and speak about it afterwards. again, let's look at the context. the united states of america was attacked in an act of war.

we lost the twin towers. we lost 3000 innocent americans. plight 93 went down over pennsylvania, and innocent lives were lost. the pentagon had a flame plumbed into it and we lost hundreds of innocent lives there. this is a very real issue. i think -- 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 say. we're probably a greater risk now when president obama came into office, because you're looking at the specter of a nuclear iran. this changes the equation and could change the course of history. >> how you respond to someone like john mccain who says that he takes it seriously and says that by using torture, his definition of the word, as 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 a president of united states. limited use, and undoubtedly. but something nonetheless in the right circumstances that the president needs to employed this, should be in that tool box, and that is where we disagree. i do not believe they -- i think we are more safe if we're able to get the best intelligence and the best information. i think we're also seeing a different type of war. the level threats that we're looking at today are not as much a geopolitical nation state suited up in uniforms on battlefield. it is not as much like that. we still have that element but we're really dealing with the threat today through interrogation, and best answers

can be gone for detention, rendition, interrogation, and that is why we need to have the interrogation but we also need to have to attention. our continuing keep up in guantanamo bay because we have to have somewhere to have people who are in detention, and also are special forces. our special forces spend -- prove themselves. we need to make sure that we have the resources to have special forces because it is a very different kind of enemy, a different kind of war, a different kind of battlefield and we need to be able to adapt to that threat. >> the you think president obama has done a good job? >> i think he made a good decision to take out osama bin laden. i took on ron paul in the last debate on that issue. i felt that ron paul -- i disagree with them. he felt that it was wrong for the president to have made the decision to take out bin laden and to take out awlaki cruder,

he recruited major hassan, he was responsible for recruiting the underwear,, he was responsible for recruiting the times square, who was not successful, but he said before a federal judge that we are at war and we're going to continue to be a 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, and new marine one, because the procurement process was broken. it was far more expensive than he needed to be and he understood that and i appreciated him for doing that. it is not that every decision that president obama makes is wrong. they are not.

he makes decisions that i can agree with, but i think his general direction that he has taken the country has been a disaster. and i disagree with tempered their some decisions he has made that are right and i thank him for that. but i also think that certainly i do not believe he deserves to have a second term. he does not have a formal offer turning the economy around and i think he is weak in the united states and it is more vulnerable to enemy attack. >> what is your formula for turning the economy around? >> and my formula is found at michele bachmann, our website, an 11-point plan, and begins as a basis and a comprehensive plan, it is the tax code in more than a tax cut. i'm probably more commitment than any other than the repeal of obamacare, and dodd-frank, and i called the jobs and housing destruction act, i am committed to that.

dodd-frank, it mandated 400 rules be written. about 26% of those rules have been written so far. the estimate is that just the 26% written so far would require annually 11 million man- hours, just by way of comparison, building the empire state building, the tallest building of the world at that time, required 7 million man hours. at -- this is all level of costs that we're going to have added on to the economy. it will subtract that from the economy. this is one more reason why we have to get rid of it. our appeal both pieces of legislation. for four years i have been working on the process of legalizing american energy production. i will legalize american energy production, 1.4 million jobs that we can create the will increase the american domestic supply by 50%. i want to get that -- back to what gas was when barack obama

took office. i love to see get back to that. if we could increase supply and stabilize the value of the dollar, for strengthening, that will help. that is part the reason why we're seeing gas up. >> can i talk about my tax plan which might want to kill $1.8 trillion of job killing regulations, and deal with the illegal immigration problem. i'm the first candidate to sign a pledge that will build a fence on the southern border and i will deal with welfare benefits to illegal immigrants and make english the official language of the polis -- of the country. i am a for richard former federal tax lawyer and i want to have eight blacks tax system -- a flat tax system, one that recognizes that people who make more, pay more. they do not to pay any less than people who are at the lower and middle levels. that is unfortunately what

herman cain and rick perry plan did. they have people at the lower and pay more than a higher in. i also want to make sure that the same rules apply to everyone. and i also want to make sure that everyone pays something. and this is a departure from all the candidates. i believe everybody needs to pay something, even if it is only $10 a year, that might be all the some people can afford so you are in favor of raising taxes for the poor. >> i am in favor of doing away with the earned income tax credit. it takes millions of people off the tax rolls and sends them a check every year. something happens to people's minds at 140% of the american people pay zero income tax and 53% of the american people pay the rest of the income tax. a top 1% of income earners pay 4% of all the federal income

taxes. >> some pay nothing. >> and that is what is wrong. because today, i think it was purchased last year, the whirlpool corp. paid--11% in. >> you would eliminate tax credits to corporations. >> what i want to do it is to abolish the tax code that would deal with businesses as well. our taxes are too high, let's face it. combined effective rate of the federal and state tax burden, because all states of the offering, is about 40%. that is the only thing you need to know about why we see jobs leave the united states when a lot of countries have 25% corporate tax rates and we are weighing in a 40%. one manufacturer in westmoreland told me that he had a piece of

equipment for million dollars. he could put it in the morning or he could put it into canada with a lower tax base. when i sent that piece of equipment up there, it is not just a piece of equipment but the jobs that went with it. we have to be competitive. we need to be competitive in the world and we are stifling ourselves renown. and we are 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 that we used to laugh at, when we're doing that, then we're disadvantaging ourselves in terms of competitiveness. that is why we need to change the mind-set in the united states that everybody pays something. growing up in i love there are a couple of adages that my parents told me. one of them was, no one knows you're living. nobody goes to a living, you have got to work. and not everybody can work.

we get that. people who are physically disabled or mentally disabled, they cannot. nobody begrudges anybody for that reason but nobody owes you a living is a pretty good high a lot added. -- iowa adage. it means taking a look at what lyndon johnson put in place in the 1960's. i want to go through a lot of the great society programs and and a lot of them. states need to make decisions about whether they want the manatt. we did not have food stands before 1964, but 1964 they came in and they have only escalated since then. the same with a lot programs is in the mid-1960s. we simply cannot afford them. when the federal government spends $3.6 trillion yen a year

but only takes into -- $2.6 trillion, we are in trouble. and that is not just one year, that is year after year after year. that has to cancel part of that is dismantling the modern welfare state. that is not a part of constitutional government and i want to give back to constitutional government and those programs in my opinion, the states can decide if they want to do that but we simply cannot afford them at the federal level anymore. >> i wanted talk about your five years in congress of four. can you cite for us three examples of legislative successes that you've had since you have been in congress prepares you for the white house? >> i have been in a minority until this january. nancy pelosi was not particularly interested in investing my pro-growth agenda. she should have because we would have been in a much better place today, as she embraced that pro- growth agenda. i have been involved in the american energy, legalizing

american energy, and a strong advocate for that. i also worked very hard like a said bringing 40,000 americans to washington to fight against obamacare. i worked very hard on that. i worked very hard against dodd- frank and worked very hard at putting fannie and freddie into receivership, an orderly wind down for bankruptcy. i oppose the part of bailout, the leader behind closed doors of posing the bush administration on the tarp bailout. and i worked with democrats across the aisle and actually brought down the first vote on the $700 billion wall street bailout. we did not prevail in the second one, but i tried in the best way that i could. now i'm working together with republicans and democrats and we're hoping to get a bridge built between wisconsin and minnesota, and we think we might get there for this historic first. and i'm praising president obama for that. los like the obama

administration is getting behind that. i just got off of the call with the secretary of transportation and the interior and also senators frank and club charge and other representatives. we think we're going to get that done. it is possible to get something done to work together as republicans and democrats, and i am looking forward to it. >> as the only woman in this race and one of the few that has ever run for president, how do you feel that you had been treated by the press as a public and by the other candidates? >> a public has been wonderful, absolutely wonderful. the people in i'll have been fantastic and all across the contrary i did not think that anyone has seen me as any lesser disqualified. and i want to give thanks to my parents for instilling that in me. i had three brothers and sisters, and i was treated just like my brothers. and by the way, it is the best preparation for politics any girl can grow up with three

brothers and sisters. -- and no sisters. they have all been gracious as candidates and very kind. certainly we have our differences and we do not really see each other it all because when we go to events, we're talking to people. in debates, we line up behind the curtain and then we're off talking to people. we cannot spend a lot of time together but people have been very nice and gracious and civil. there are certainly differences and we're not reticent about pulling them out. probably everyone wishes they could be treated better by the press but i am grateful for the fact that the media has covered our events and i'm grateful that they have covered our bins and as long as they report but happens, we are more than happy with the job that the media has to do and we understand that. we understand that. it is what it is.

have never wind or gripe about the press are the coverage because i am grateful they are there and that they are reporting. that is really the wonderful thing about the day and age that we live in, that almost anyone can be a journalist today, if you have a camera, you can make history, and with the advent of the internet, anyone can see what is going on at any given minute. even the 2012 race is so far different from even 2008. twitter were certainly used in 2008, but much more so now. people are even more familiar with it. it is interesting how level of expectation that the public in the media have, everything is instantaneous as a response and so we have to be conversant on almost every issue instantaneously as it happens. that is difficult to be able to do, to be conversant on every topic. but it is a good process. it is very good for us to go

through this. like i started our conversation today, one of the most difficult exercises i have ever gone through. but i defend to the hills because the job of the presidency will be extraordinarily difficult. it will take everything out of a person and then some. so it is important for person to go through this, to have to learn to be better all the time. i appreciate that. 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 of united states, the best president and become possibly have. obviously i have an opinion on that. i think i will be the best candidate in the best president. to get you been compared to sarah palin. >> i like governor palin. she is a wonderful woman and has raised five children. she has been the governor in alaska and she has made great contributions. i am grateful for everything that she has contributed.

she blazed a trail herself by being our first female vice presidential candidate on the republican side. she took a lot of abuse during the course of a time when she was a candidate. i appreciate her for her willingness to stand up and surfer country. >> guys, i think that is going to be it. congressman bachmann, thank you. >> that did not get a chance and ask a question down there. ask them how they are being treated by the media. >> can you give me one more question marks -- one more? >> you criticize the surge by saying that it should of been a 40,000 troops surge. what you see is the way ford in afghanistan? >> not what the president is doing, not just because he's a democrat and i'm republican and i'm running to oppose him. it was a big mistake for the president to dither for tw

rejected two months as he did. what could have been done is that the commander could head off on the eastern portion of afghanistan and on the southern portion. that is where the problem was to defeat the taliban and all the proxy militias that pakistan continues to send into afghanistan. that was not possible when president obama made his decision because it failed to fully fill the request that had been made. at that point, the decision had to be made only to focus on the south, particularly helmand province, but we saw success down there nonetheless, the troops did a good job, and we have seen better conditions on the ground, particularly around kandahar. but it lengthen the time that the united states had to stay in that area. my practice is to get in, get the job done, get out. get home. this is just lengthening that

amount time. the president has said he would be pulling the troops out by september next year. that is less than a year from now. when the president said those 30,000 troops, it was not just them, he also announced the date that we would be leaving. that is almost insisting that you are going to lose this effort. and you do not hear the president talked about winning. you do not hear the president talk about victory. but isn't that why you send troops, to win and have victory? we had won the peace in iraq, and the president is determined to lose it and we already know that because an iraqi general went to or ran to make friends with iran. the kurds did the same thing. iran will be coming into iraq. that's why i have been say to the president that he needs to go back to the negotiating table and demand that iraq, a wealthy country, should pay us

back. if we spent over $805 billion and iraq should pay us back. we lost a greater treasure, 4400 american lives. when it comes to afghanistan, at this point the president has made a tough situation almost impossible. almost impossible for general allen, because now that the troops coming out, what afghan would be in lessi to help us knowing that they will be left for the taliban? >> the taliban will stay there. they live there. so what they enlist to help us, they are a target. they did not see that there is any victory. the united states has let down our allies and we have invigorated our enemies. and that is the founder of the president's policy. he is choosing to fail in iraq. he is choosing to fail in afghanistan.

we cannot have this over with and see afghanistan stand on its own by next september. he is making a deliberate decision. there is a real problem with the haqqani network on the east. we have not even started dealing with the east. we cannot possibly hold this out and deal with the east when the president is pulling the troop levels out. >> the nominee will have to go in january 20, 2013, and increased troop levels? >> i intend not to be the nominee but the next president of the united states. how was inheriting a situation whereby 2012, the president conveniently enough just before the election, would have made sure that he holds -- pulls the troops out. really, it is more than obvious. the president is taking his orders from general axelrod. he is not listening to general allen in afghanistan. he is not listening to general

in iraq. s he is listening to general axelrod and has moved cantcom to chicago. that is the lowest of the low, 4 commander in chief to make military decisions based upon his political re-election can oculus versus making military decision based on what is in the best interest of the united states and our security and our defense. after all, that is what needs to be the number-one issue of the commander-in-chief. >> one last question before we say goodbye to you. looking at the calendar here, we will be heading to caucus night. we certainly will be sitting here and spending time talking about our endorsement. tell us why you should win our endorsement? >> i am most reflective of the values that i once told and what they're looking for in the next

president of united states. they want the next president be able to understand the economy and know what to do about turning it around. i do. i have that perspective and that background, both as a self-made individual who are family went below poverty at one point, and i had to work my way and work my way through college and establish myself. i know it is to be middle-class. i know what it is like to be below poverty and to come out of that. i have that american value of no one knows you a living and give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay and your word is your bond. those are very important iowa values. i have lived those in top those to my family and seven generations of my family that have lived in iowa since the 1850's. i have the practical knowledge is someone who started the business from scratch and runs it profitably today. i have that business acumen and

i have the background as a tax lawyer and someone who sat on the financial services committee and knows what do is to be done. i have formulated an inherent plan that makes sense and put that out of my website. i know what needs to be done in i can bring people together to make it happen. i cut my teeth on education reform as a mother. you're going ask me about foster children, my husband and i have been married 33 years and we have raised five children and 23 foster children. i got involved in politics because i was a mother. as a mother, was very concerned about what i saw my foster children bringing home the backpack. i decided to get involved and i got involved and ultimately i lead an education reform movement in minnesota, gave five years of my life to education reform. my husband and i were part of a group of parents who started the first charter k-12 school in the

united states. our school was focused on the kids.

.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> i thought about that. i asked our executive committee for any ideas. i didn't get a whole lot of response. my suggestion would be because -- without giving everybody a -- maybe take off your last color because it is likely you're not going to use your last color. initial it and give it to the people to use as their presidential person and then they just write their candidate's name on it. if anybody has a better suggestion, i'm open to it. you shouldn't need that. you could if you have to.

the key point is initialing it. which i know is another thing for you to do, but you need to do that so that if you run out of ballots you give it to somebody, they just don't give it to somebody else. >> we did run out of ballots last time. i had notebook paper. we cut it up. i did initial it and passed those out. i -- that's another, you know, process, hangup. to have something available. >> have a process. >> where he? -- yeah. >> the voters -- that everyone has -- anybody who registered afterward, if they had the registration card, do they still have to register at the door? >> yeah. if they are not on that list? >> even if they have the card with them?

>> yeah. if they are not on that list. you will get complaints. people will say i did it. i don't want to have to do it again. if they want to vote, they need to please fill out. we are really working hard to preserve the integrity of the process. so you can mention that to them. we just want to maintain integrity of the caucus voting process. >> that issue comes up all the time. i also work for the county doing the regular elections. that comes up all the time. they will come in and have a beat up old voter registration card they have had probably for 30 years and they are upset but they didn't vote -- there has been a period of time. they are off the roles. that's state law process. it is good that they get introduced to it now because it will save us time during the general election. >> we anticipate a 20% higher turnout. here is where d we -- kaye is

expecting almost 500 people at her caucus. we didn't give her 500 registration forms. we estimated half. so i would think that is a pretty good -- i'm hope hoping that is a pretty good -- we have given you enough blank registration forms to fulfill half of our projected attendance, so you should be good on that. if you want to bring more, you can bring some more. that's fine with us. kaye? >> i just wanted to emphasize you really need to have volunteers helping you with registration, maybe a separate little table if they have to fill out a new form, some place they can go do it so they are not standing in line. someone to help you collect the ballots. someone to help you count in the voting. do your timing for you. do recruit volunteers.

it will make the evening so much better. you can't handle it with just three people. it is not just because i'm from a big caucus. >> i understand. >> in advance. chris? as i said earlier, the doors will open at 5:00. we're asking the managers to be there at 5:00. if you want to get there at 5:00, you can. we're saying as a minimum, gets there at 5:30. [inaudible] >> yeah, they could help you. right. sure. sure. that's another point, i think i said earlier. people can come and observe. we have gotten calls from people

across the country who want to come and observe. that's fine. two other things and then we'll meet with the managers and then we'll be done. we have gotten calls from a lot of media. a lot of national media, which is very exciting. but it could also be confusing at some point. carol is going to be our media person for that night. we have these handy dandy media credentials. we are going to try to give these to people before that night. so that you know who they are. if somebody walks in with a camera or a microphone or whatever. however, it is not required. there will be media that show up that day and they might want to go from one caucus to another caucus and they might bring an extra cameraman or an extra person. it is not required. it is only an extra added benefit that we're trying for to alert all of you who that is.

any media questions in your pact, there is an important phone call liss. any media questions go that night to carol. her cell phone is listed. any caucus or facility questions shotgun to tom. his number is listed. -- should go to tom. his number is listed. we have melissa's number and john's number and greg. other than that, you can call any of those people for quorse problems. if there is any problem at your site, first contact your site manager because they will have a cell phone. they will have a cell phone number for somebody to call. if there are only 10 chairs set up and you're expecting 100 people. yes, linda? >> would you want to know who was reporting? >> that would be nice.

but i don't want to have to ask you to do something else. if that is something that you can do and you're not feeling like you're neglect registration or whatever. you can write out -- that would be good. the other thing is you may have noticed we have some cameras here today. we are lucky tonight and unfortunate to have c-span filming us tonight. and filming this training. soo i understand it will be aired at some time but the really neat thing that i would like to do with it is when they send me the link, i'm going to send the link to all of you regarding this training so if you feel like you might have a question next week, or you look at something and say what did she say about this? i can't remember. you can click on the link for the filming of tonight and hopefully get your question answered at that point. yes?

>> whatever they want to do -- >> sure. the question was what if somebody comes through with a laptop? >> it is likely they will not be able to get wireless anyway. that will probably be pass code protected. >> the media loves actuality. they are going to be sticking microphones if in people's faces wanting comments. >> if somebody comes up to you and says you're a caucus chairman, can we talk with you? of course talk with them. but if they -- if there is a question about what they can do or what they can't do or where they should go or if there is a question about the party or why this site was selected or how we came up with numbers or things to give to people, or any media question that perhaps you can't

answer, she's your gal. ok. any other questions? ok. yes? i had that same question in october from staff members of iowa came. i asked that same question. remember? i didn't really get an answer, did i? what happens if there is a blizzard? they really didn't give me a clear cut answer on that. he basically said we're just going to go with it. so watch the news. now before anybody leaves, if you could take a look -- if you're a site manager, if you're the only person in your building, you a site manager. if you could stay for just 10 more minutes, we have maps to give you and other information.

please come up here. have some coffee. a bottle of water. thank you, everybody. [applause] ok. site managers. let's get start sod that we can be done. -- get started so that we can be done. first of all, we are going to hand oul out packets for buildings. let's pass these out. we're going to name a building. we're going to give you your pact. armstrong. who is armstrong? can you pass that back? john, can you help? wood? bettendorf middle school.

philip mathews, where are you? and everybody gets maps also. some get two maps. kaye, you get two. blackhawk hotel? who got the blackhawks? who got the blackhawks? st. anne's church? he's not here. riverdale heights.

i think that is melissa. is the radison melissa? wait, wait, wait. here, kaye. can you help pass out those maps? the jr. shy ron sebastian, i think. he's in the here. mark twain, elementary. who is that one, tom? knights of columbus? he's not here. ivy center. well, that is a whole building. pat is helping you. you're going to be busy. you have a big one. hoover? hoover?

fair enough. central high school. hank, where are you? cody. would you pass that back? he's not here are you, tom? nice to meet you. we're passing out the maps. radison is melissa. julie, your map is on the wall. you can take it down when you leave. radison is julie. wood jr. high. riverdale. who is riverdale? is that you, brent?

armstrong? who is armstrong elementary? could you pass that back? you didn't get a bettendorf one? i thought i gave it to you. you were supposed to have one. ivy center. steve robinson, ivy center. blackhawk hotel. hank -- you're central, right? you know, we don't have to do that. they set it up for us. we don't have to. thank you, tom.

bettendorf high school. terry byer. can you pass that back? blackhawks. i think that is maybe tom. you didn't get your -- right. ok. can you stay and i'll -- we'll check that out so i can get these guys going? ok. everybody. we can try to get this going as fast as we can so you can get out of here. first of all, thank you all very much for your dual responsibly. as kaye indicated, please try to get more people to help you because you have another

responsibility being a site manager. tom has -- is going to be working on getting cell phone numbers for each of the facilities and will either send an email once you get all of that to all of you. so please make sure that we have your email address. if there is a problem with your facility, you'll know who to call. if you can arrive at 5:00, check out -- todd, i'm going to keep on picking on you. he has four precincts. he should -- when you get to your building, check each of your rooms where you're supposed to be. make sure the doors are unlooked. make sure the lights are on and make sure it is set up the way it is supposed to be set up. if not, then you call your emergency contact. gentlemen, gina? >> i was going to ask -- >> i'm sorry, if you remember, raise your hand. again, we gave everybody extra pens and stuff.

i want to suggest if you can to bring more. you all should have tape in your packets. now you all have a map. put the maps out. if you're a single precinct like kaye is, put it where she is going to register people. if you're a multiple precinct like todd, put your maps out, we're asking people to have like a registration table. put it out there so people with look. they only serve for people to look and figure out their precinct. >> tom? >> you have tables. i'm hoping multiple tables. >> depends on the location. in your location, probably at least three. he has also requested sound systems for a lot of the locations. for a lot of the systems. ok. then before you leave tonight, and where is mary? and mary earnhard's car, we have

these signs for you to take. each please take two of these signs. is there somebody here from west high school? you get three because those are bigger locations. then i'm going to give somebody my keys to my car. i'm parked in the back of the parking lot. if you could please go get a brick for each of your signs. if you already have yours, that's fine. ok. so check your entry way. put these out when you get to your site. put these out where you think would be an appropriate spot for people to see. um, check your entry areas to make sure you have enough registration forms. if not, call your emergency contact. put your precinct maps, the

caucus location sheet, so if people are not sure where they are supposed to go, they can look. all the managers have extra registration forms, extra of everything. just put those out at the registration table. as people enter, if they have questions, tell them they need to be a registered voter. went through all of that. complete a form if they can. if they are confused about where they recollected be going, they can either look on their map and determine their address and then look at all of our site locations or they can look and see where they voted last time, like i said. when the caulk us is ready to start -- caucus is ready to start, we would really need to have sboit start at that register somebody to start at that registration area. you need to have one of your volunteers stay there and direct people and answer questions. ok? what is your question?

ok. what is it? >> do you have to be a resident of the presibt to be a volunteer? -- precinct to be a volunteer? >> not to be a volunteer. anybody can volunteer. but to vote, you must be in that precinct. ok. sure. we'll take volunteers. you can take younger people. that's fine. we're trying to get young people involved. yes, teenagers will be great. if they are responsible teenagers and you trust them, of course. at the end of the caucus, everybody needs to bring all of their stuff to you. then the next day, as i said, we have a 12-hour window from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. you have to bring all of your stuff to our headquarters.

if by chance, you can't, please call us and we'll make other arrangements. and then my last line, rest and recover. thank you very much. yes, we can talk about -- the other thing, about these signs. >> make sure you pick these up on your way out. >> because they did cost us some money and we want to be able to use them the next time. tom? >> did everybody here, since you're location managers got me email regarding the training for next thursday? obviously you don't have to go to that. >> now you're off the hook for thursday. when we go out to send out the cell phone contact numbers, i want to make sure -- i also want to acknowledge mary, tom, worked on the caucus committee.

they are the once securing the emergency contact people. >> they are all going visit their sites and their locations beforehand i think. isn't that what he is talking about? to make sure that everything -- the people at the facility know what we're expecting? so we are really trying to do whatever we can to make sure that everything is covered, although -- you know, there will be things a are not within our control. we're going to do the best that we can. other questions? >> in this pabt, i've got four precincts? right? >> i don't know. four or five. >> at the beginning, in your precinct packet, everybody got for each precinct, the chairman and the reporter and the secretary, their name and their phone numbers. so you know who all those people are. do so a way to get volunteers,

if you don't have any of your own, is maybe call your secretary or your reporter and say do you know three people that you could bring to help? that would be a good thing to do. >> emergency numbers again? are you going to send those to us? >> yes. other questions? ok. let's see. you need to get signs from mary and then can i give somebody my keys? john? can i give you my keys and then can you meet them at my car and take your bricks? ok, thank you all very much. i appreciate it. good night.

>> bettendorf high school? >> tonight, iowa holds the first in the nation presidential caucuses. on "washington journal," our guest is craig robinson, editor in chief of "the iowa republican." he talks about the campaigns in iowa and his predictions for the turnout. then we hear from jesse benton, national campaign chairman of the ron paul campaign. he discusses his support for the candidate and his iowa strategy. later, congresswoman michele bachmann explains her strategy heading into next week's nanch primary. "washington journal" takes your call and emails live every morning starting at 7:00 a.m.

eastern here on c-span. on the last night before the iowa caucuses, presidential candidate mitt romney hosted an event in clive, iowa. it was one of several across the state. this is 50 minutes.

>> ♪ >> good evening. happy new year, iowa. my name is john. i have the privilege of representing the state of south dakota in the united states senate. [applause]

and i am delighted to be in iowa this evening on caucus eve. tomorrow you all are going to cast a very important vote. iowa, i know, takes it very seriously, the responsibility that you have and we all respect the important and prominent role that you play in our democracy. this year is a crossroads elections for our nation. we have to get this right. the reason i'm here this evening is because i believe we have an opportunity to elect a leader this year whouck take us in an entirely different direction. we had a president who campaigned here four years ago in the state of iowa and around the country who talked a lot about hope and change. well, people in this country are not very hopeful today because they have seen some change and it has all been change in the wrong direction. if you look at what has happened since this president has taken office in these past three years, you have seen

unemployment go up. we have got nearly two million more unemployed people than we had when he took office. we have seen the fuel costs in this country, that impacts everybody's pokt pocketbooks, almost double. the cost of healthcare in this country has gone up almost 25%. not withstanding it was obama care that was going drive costs down. and the debt in this that we're handing to our children and grandchildren has gone up by over 40% since this president took office. the only thing, by the way, that has gone down, is housing prices. but that, ladies and gentlemen, is the obama record on the economy. chronic high unemployment and massive amounts of debt. it is time for us to go in a different direction. [applause]

we're very fortunate to have someone running for office who i hope ends up being the next president of the united states. who has the right experience, the right background, the right expertise and the know how the fix what ails this country. to grow jobs the old-fashioned way in the private economy is. to get this economy again by doing away all the regulation and taxation keeping this economy from getting back on its feet. we have someone who has experience creating jobs in the private sector who has turned failed enterprises around, turned failed businesses around, turned the olympics around, turned the state of massachusetts around, someone who i believe can get this country moving again and i hope that we will not miss an opportunity starting tomorrow night right here in iowa, to make mitt romney our nominee for president of the united states. [applause] so if you want president -- if you want a president who

understands that the greatness of this country isn't in its government institutions and you don't make this country better by massively expanding the size of government by what we have seen in this last presidency, we have seen the largest expansion in half a century. if you want a president who understands that to create jobs, you have to unleash the ingenuity, the creation, the small businesses who really create jobs in this country. if you want a president who is ready to put the american workers back to work in this country and to create jobs and get our economy going again, we have got the right person. and so when iowaian goes to vote tomorrow, i hope that you will think about two very important questions. one is the qualifications that we need in the white house in our next president. the kind of leader that we need. the kind of experience that we need. and then secondly, think about who, when it comes to november of 2012, can win this election.

defeat president obama and take this country in a new and different direction that is consistent with our historical heritagened that restores america's greatness. ladies and gentlemen, i believe and i hope that you will too, that the nominee for the republican party and the next president of the united states is none other than mitt romney. would you join me in giving a warm iowa welcome to the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause]

>> oh, my goodness. look at this. gosh, you are so kind to be here. [applause] wow! thank you des moines. thank west des moines. thank you. you guys are the best. thank you so much. what a thrill. what a way to get started. wow, this is exciting for me and my family. i say my family, because they are here. let me introduce a few people to you. you just saw senator john thune and by the way some other elected if i recalls here. one guy who has been organizing my effort. where is he hiding out over here? there he is. i want to say thank you to jason for the work he has done in congress. got 47 congressmen to help out. congressman blake also here to help out.

i appreciate his support. i want to introduce my family. my older son -- don't applaud. there are a lot of them. this is my son tag. father of four. my son matt, father of four. then comes number three son. josh, father of five. and here comes craig. this is the baby of the family. father of two sons. this is craig. you can give applause to these guys. [applause] thanks, you guys. our son ben is a doctor and he is in residencey and he can't be here tonight because he is doing his job at the hospital. oh, but here comes one more person. this one here is the youngest of all the children. my daughter anne. no, she is not my daughter. this is someone who i must have seen in elementary school. when i was in fourth grade, she was in second grade. i wouldn't have noticed, i don't imagine. but when she was just about 16,

i went to a party at stu white's house and saw her there and i was impressed. she had come with someone else. so i said to guy who brought her. i said i live closer to ann than you do. why don't i give her a ride home for you. he said fine, go ahead. we have been going steady ever since. my wife, ann romney. [applause] >> now that was a warm welcome. and we love that. and we need that because we need all of your energy and all of your passion to give us wind in our sails and push us all the way to the nomination to make sure that this is the next president of the united states. [applause] i'm glad to be here. i'm glad to have my sons here. they look so nice and well-dressed and well behaved. i like to remind people there

was a time in their lives when they were not like that. they were particularly, if anyone here, i would love to know this. any mother or father of all boys in the audience? then you all know what i'm talking about. all they do is wrestle, bounce balls and fight. and so when i was a young mom, mitt would -- was traveling often and consulting and he would call home and hear a very exasperated wife on the phone at her witt's end. he would remind me of something chi loved. he would say janne, what you're doing is more important than what i'm doing. your job is more important than mine. and i loved that and he was right, by the way. [applause] he reminded me that his job would come and go. but this -- this would be

forever. and he is so right. i was so grateful to have that kind of a partnership that kept us having the right perspective in those hard years. so it has been a wonderful 42 years of marriage and as mitt said, we have got a lot of grandkids now. and i would like to remind people the best part of being a grandmother is watching my grandchildren misbehave and then i just tell these boys, oh, you deserve it. it has been an exciting few days in iowa. you have an important job to do tomorrow. in 24 hours, we need to get this process started and we need to give mitt the energy that needs to push us forward to victory. thank you all for being so great in being here. [applause] >> thank you, sweetheart. and boys, you know, i was looking at some video tapes and

on youtube actually and looking at the president, then candidate obama going around iowa about four years ago campaigning and he was making a lot of promises and there is a huge gap between his promises and his performance. he said he was going to get us working again. he talked about repairing the nation and repairing the globe, the world. and a lot has happened over those last three years, but those are not the things that have happened. one of the greatest threats we face of course is what is going on in iran as they move towards nuclearizeation and threaten the entire world. he failed to speak out when the dissidents took to the streets and has failed to put together credible military plans that would convince the iranians to be disswaggede of their following. he went to the american people and said i'm going to borrow $ 787 billion.

said we'll keep unemployment below 8%. hasn't been below 8% since. by the way, that 8% number, that's 25 million people without work or who have stopped looking for work or just got part time work and need full time employment. this is not just a statistic. these numbers mean real people. if you have ever been out of work for an extended period of time, it means in some cases depression, trouble in marriages, losing a home. being out of work is you have tough. this american president didn't cause the recession, but he made it worse and it lasted longer because of his policies. and then we face another problem and that was a government bother borrowing too much. he was critical of president bush saying borrowing 450 million more than you spent was i don't think. he has board three times that much every year.

he is on -- borrowed three times that much every year. at the end of his first term. his only term by the way. by the end of that first term, he will have put together as much public debt as all the prior presidents combined. this has been a failed presidency. and i remember after he was inaugurated, he went on "the today show" and he said if i can't get this economy to turn around in three years, i'll be looking at a one-term proposition. i'm here to collect. i'm here to collect. we're taking it back. [applause] you see, to get people working, i'm convinced to help create jobs, it helps to have had a job. and i have. i'm going use that private sector experience to get people working again. how do you do that? one is to make america once again the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs and innovators and pioneers and businesses of all kinds so they

come and invest here. [applause] i saw that the head of coca-cola talk about an american iconic business, coca-cola, said that it is a more favorable business environment in china than in the united states. i'm going to change that. we'll make it more attractive here than anywhere else in the world. [applause] i'll do that by getting our tax code right. i'll do that by putting a stop to all the obama era regulations and throwing out those that kill american jobs. [applause] i'll do that by opening up new markets for american good so that we can set around the world and clamp down on china that has been cheating. they have been stealing our designs, patents, our know how and brands. they have been hacking into our computers. i will stop it in i'm president of the united states. [applause]

there is one more thing we can do to make this an attractive place for enterprises and businesses and pioneers and job creators. that is to finally take advantage of our oil, our gas, our coal, our nuclear, our renewables. let's get energy secure in this country with our own energy. [applause] now i've also got to balance the budget. i've got to cut spending. i've got to cap federal spending and then i've got to balance the budget. how do you go about doing that? let me tell you how to do that. there we go. ok. that's one idea. ok. good. he has an idea. it is not the same as mine. but i appreciate your right to express your view. [applause] my view is this. what you do to get our budget in line, you take all the programs that the federal government has and say which of these programs is so critical that we have got

to have it, and those things we keep. those that don't pass the following test, we get rid of. is the program so critical it is worth borrowing money from china to pay for it? on that basis, we're going to get rid of some programs even some we like. the easy ones we get rid of. like this one. let's get rid of obama care. i'll get rid of that right away. [applause] and there are some other things. look, amtrak ought to stand on its own feet, wheels whatever you say. i would like the national endowment for the arts but i'm not willing to borrow money from china to pay for it. i like the fact that my grandchildren can watch big bird on tv. i think that is wonderful. because they don't have advertising, the government has to put in a check. i don't think that is right. wire going to have big bird with advertising probably because i don't want to borrow money from

china. i just don't think it is moral for us as a nation to borrow money knowing that my generation will never pay it back and the nextgen ration will have to pay those burdens. it is wrong. we will finally get america on track to a balanced budget and i will do it. [applause] but i think you know that this campaign is about even more than jobs, important as that is, and even more than reigning in the scale of the government, important as that is. this is also a campaign about two very different directions for america. one is represented by the vision of the founders. i love -- i love our patriotic music. there is a song, "america the beautiful" you know well. oh beautiful for spacious guys for amber wave s of grain, if corn counts as an amber wave of

grain, you're in that song. but one of the verses says this. oh beautiful for patriot dream that cease beyond the years the -- sees beyond the years. the idea is that the founders in crafting america, in writing the declaration of independence, created something that sees beyond the years. not something temporary. that's the american sperm and it worked. when they crafted this country, they said god endowed us with certain unalienable rights among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. the right in this nation for each individual to pursue happiness as he or she chooses. the circumstances of birth would not be a barrier to what we might achieve. instead our own effort could be that.

thanks, guys. let's talk about the constitution again. and by the way, sorry? i'm sorry? mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! mitt! [applause] >> hey, you guys. you know what? isn't it great to live in a country where people with express their views?

that's this is a great country. i love it. make it loud and clear. i'll tell you one thing. when president obama is here, i hope we're in the audience making the same sounds about his policies. let's make sure we hear our voice loud and clear. [applause] i was talking about the course and direction this nation with the declaration of independence letting us choose our path in life, this nation became an opportunity nation, a placed where based upon merit, we could achieve our future. that innocent the people who got education -- meant the people who got education and worked hard and took risks and had dreams could achieve great things. by virtue of their accomplishments, they did not make us poorer as a nation. they made us better off. we lifted the entire country. an opportunity nation drew the best and brightest from all over the world of this extraordinary country. i love what the founders saw,

but i watch our president today. i don't think he gets it. i think he is over his head. i think he wants to turn us into a european-style welfare state. i think hepts an entitlesment society -- he wants an entitlement society where the government takes from some to give to others. the methodology is to create envy in the american people instead of ambition. it is to poison our respect for one other and divide us person by person. i want america to be as it has always been, one nation under god. i will unify this great country. [applause] as a boy, i was taken by my mom and dad. they put us in our car and drove us around the national parks and it was a rambler. any of you remember ramblers? yeah, a couple of you do. with drove to the national parks and made it actually. along the way, we fell in love with america.

we saw the extraordinary people of this country and the beauty of our mountains and canyons and rivers. we saw people who love their country as we do. that hymn i spoke of, "america the beautiful". there was another verse i love. oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife who more than self their country love and mercy more than life. do we have any veterans here? heroes proved in liberating strife. thank you gentlemen, ladies. thank you for your service. thank you. [applause] i love this country's beauty. i love this country's people. i love this country's heroes. i believe that it is time for us to bring america back to the principles that made us the hope of the earth, when ronald reagan spoke of a shining city on the hill, that was not in the past. it is not just in the present. it is in the future. i know we have taken a doe tour

these -- detour these last three years. i want to make sure that light from the shining city britheser than ever. i want kids who know their future is bright. i want to have an opt history in the office, not a mess mist. -- not a pessimist. let's become the next president of the united states. let's win this thing for the entire nation. thank you, guys. thank you for your help. great to be with you. [applause] thank you. >> ♪ ♪

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>> good to see you. thank you. appreciate it. thank you.

thank you. very rarely. like once a year.

thank you. appreciate it very much. thank you. thank you so much. appreciate that. thanks a lot. good to see you guys. >> with can we get a picture real quick? >> sure. thank you. thank you for coming. appreciate your help tonight. thank you. thank you. >> good luck. >> i may need that. thank you.

good to see you again. take care. good to see you again. hi, there. how are you? good to see you. appreciate your help tonight. thank you. thank you. how are you? thank you.

thanks. hi. how are you? i'm great. how are you guys doing? thanks so much for your help. thank you. thank you. thank you. there you go. thank you. thanks for your help. i love it there. thank you.

hi. how are you? oh, that's great. thank you so much for being here. good to see you again. thanks for being here again. thanks for being here again. >> in