chairman of the ron paul campaign. he explains his support for the candidate and his pilot strategy. and at 9:30 a.m. eastern, presidential candidate michele bachmann talks about her campaign and our strategy heading into the new hampshire primary. ♪ ♪ host: we are looking at the image of the iowa state capital. the first contest of 2012 for the presidency. good morning and welcome to "washington journal" on this tuesday, january 3, 2012. our whole show is devoted to the iowa caucuses. our guests include michele

bachmann, and the editor in chief of "the iowa republican," craig robinson. we will be to into the caucuses tonight. c-span will be at the caucus events in iowa. we will also be covering the iowa caucuses issues throughout the day and you can find out more about that on our web site, c-span.org. this morning, we would like to hear more from you about the iowa caucuses. what is your take on the race? here are the numbers to call. you can also e-mail us or find

us on twitter. we are also on facebook. look for c-span. let's take a look at how "the des moines register" is covering the iowa caucuse today. "the race enters its final hours still unsettled." michele bachmann takes a stroll through valley junction. newt gingrich, jon huntsman, ron paul, mitt romney, rick perry, and rick santorum, who has been advancing in the polls and the reason week. we have some other headlines. "decision: iowa."

it goes through how folks can get involved in iowa. it also has this box down here. what about the democrats? because president obama is unopposed, the democratic caucuses are getting far less attention than the republican caucuses. moving on to some of the other papers. "the iowa city press citizen." let's get to the phones and hear from our first caller. we'll get to that in a moment.

the national papers are also looking at this race. "the wall street journal" headline, " the iowa race is down to the wire." host: tom is a democrat joining us from stillwater, oklahoma. good morning, tom. caller: good morning. with the people they have running in the republican party, it is obvious that none of them have been the idea about the constitution. none of them have any idea about freedom in america. none of them even have the right to be running.

as a registered democrat -- i am actually an independent, but they do not have anyone running in the democratic party either. i do not know what is going on with their government. i can tell you this. it absolutely does not pay attention to the american people. host: tom, what do you think about the viability of a third- party candidate this year? caller: if we had a third party candidate that was worth it. host: "usa today" looks at some of the scenarios that could happen. tom said he was not a fan of the candidates. here is how "usa today" plays out one scenario.

this report is given to us by cook. sarah palin or mitch daniels could cut deals. moving on to some of their scenarios. one is a quick finish. mitt romney could be the presumptive republican nominee by the end of the month. here is a path "usa today" lays out. umber two.enario no

here is the schedule as we look to the weeks ahead. today is iowa. january 10 is the new hampshire primary. january 21, south carolina. at the end of the month, florida. then we have the nevada caucuses and moving on from there. let's hear from robert, republican in north carolina. good morning. caller: hey, good morning. i was calling to say that i personally have been making calls for the ron paul campaign for the last couple of days host:. everyone i call in iowa, either

they agree with thwhat i have to say, or they are a little bit fuzzy on the issues. once i explained it to them, they think ron paul has a chance. host: where does he go from there? how good would he have to do tonight? do you think he would have to win to advance? would second or third be enough momentum? caller: one of the biggest things i would look to is the percentage of young people voting, as opposed to the older populations, which would support romney. i really think the under an independents -- the younger and independents want ron paul. host: good morning. caller: good morning. i do not see anybody in iowa

that has anything to offer. it looks like the old bush- cheney stuff recycled. they call themselves first conservative. prok santorum brought for back. mitt romney is just a businessman and basically did everything he could for his stockholders. he would do the same for this country, sell it out in a heartbeat. ron paul is the only one who says anything i really agree with. that is, we should not be agitating iran with the sanctions and we should get out of the war in afghanistan. that is the only thing that makes any sense at all. host: are you going to

participate in the caucuses? caller: i'm thinking about going to the democratic caucuses. host: why would you do that? caller: so i can hear what obama has to say. host: robert is a democrat in davenport, iowa. caller: i just wanted to say that i will be at the caucuses in davenport, iowa. i was wanting to make a comment yesterday. the governor of iowa was on yesterday and he kept making statements how well canada was doing as far as being able to have jobs and so forth. canada has national health insurance. he and all the rest of the republicans are fighting so against that. the other thing i wanted to say

is that we just got in the state of illinois the fast train that will be coming on the way to chicago. we shouldn't allow them to take it from iowa city. that's what he should be looking to do, to try to bring jobs back. i do not think he is interested in that. i know he mentioned canada was doing such a good job. if he does feel that way, they do have national health insurance. host: tom from iowa mentioned rick santorum and some of the votes he has taken. let's take a look at the perry campaign's release. >> i'm not saying earmarks are bad.

i am very proud of all the earmarks i put in bills. i will defend earmarks. i will defend earmarks. i will defend earmarks. i will defend earmarks. i am not saying earmarks are bad. i'm very proud of all the earmarks i put in bills. host: that is a rick perry campaign ad attacking rick santorum. let's go to mahomet on the line for independents.

are you focused on the iowa caucuses? caller: yes. host: what do you think? caller: undecided. it is still a kid got a situation. -- it is still a chaotic situation. for romney -- i think it is the best out of a bad job. host: new york city, new york. clarence joins us on the line for democrats. caller: i watch your show every day. i think it is a great show. host: thank you. do you think about the iowa caucuses? guecaller: i like ron paul law. i voted for obama. i thought obama was going to do like roosevelt. ron paul is more like -- he

sounds like obama in 2008. he wants to stop the wars. he has another issue that i really like. that is the drug policy. it is not fair that they arrest people for drugs that they want to use and they have legal drugs that kill people. there are lots of medicines that are not good for people. i think it is all the same period when people drink liquor, it is the same thing. it is kind of dumb. also, mitt romney. anybody who votes for him -- a guy that says corporations are people. that is a crazy idea. where did he get that from? ok, corporations are people.

corporations are not people. people are going to vote for that? they are voting against themselves. host: as a democrat, does it concern you that ron paul does not represent your party? caller: it does bother me, but his issues sound human. he does not sound like newt gingrich or any of those other guys. they sound like they are crazy. ron paul is talking about what is going on as far as the war s. host: since you brought up ron paul, let's take a look at "the washington post" story.

host: c-span is in iowa today, as we have been all week, looking at what is going on there. we will be at gop caucuses on c- span. on c-span2, also. caucuses start at 7:00 local time. we will bring that to you at 8:00 eastern time to you can see the iowa map. in "the washington post" we see a breakdown. "the washington post" looks at where they've focused much of

their efforts. rick perry has focused over the airwaves. many iowans have probably seen him in their living room because he has spent more money on it. newt gingrich has been going to the power precincts. ron paul has been focusing on university towns. looking at mitt romney. border towns and businessmen. the eastern and western borders, which are heavily republican areas with at the business community's. in the northwest, michele bachmann and rick santorum. michele bachmann has had her 99 counties fotour.

orlando, florida. democrats. line for republican we're talking about the iowa caucuses. caller: because i am an avid democrat, i'm watching which candidates -- they are un disciplined. most are not qualified. it looks like they are all on -- it looks like they did not take their medication for the week. these are the people we expect to represent us to the world?

i mean, it is a joke. who is the sacrificial lamb going to be for this un disciplined and weak field? host: who do you think would be the strongest competitor for president obama? who do you think would give him the biggest run? caller: that is the volatility of this group. none. host: is there someone you would like to see come out on top because you think president obama could defeat them easily? caller: it does not matter. this man we chose has kept his promises. unemployment is falling. the economy is beginning to stabilize. everything he said and did -- he

has brought the troops out of war. i am grateful. he is the man of the hour. we need to give him four more years to complete the task. host: let's go to vance, republican in oklahoma city. good morning. caller: hi. i think ron paul is probably the greatest hope for this country. he thinks in politics in three dimensions. people should not think it is the united states versus the rest of the world, but it is also the united states government versus the people of the united states. we now have a situation where congress has passed a law, the 2012 act, which gives the

president the right to detain a person indefinitely without a lawyer just on the basis of the president labeling that person a terrorist or a terrorist sympathizer. only ron paul is pointing this out. the other thing about ron paul making a third-party run -- i would encourage him to do so to bring the liberty movement forward. what we cannot afford is having to parties -- is having two parties that favor the ideology of progress of imperialism, rather than one party that favors progressive imperialism, the democratic party, and ron paul that favors a constitutional republicanism. host: all right. let's take a look at an e-mail.

host: let's look at a mitt restoread called ' america's greatness." >> i appreciate you all coming out this morning and caring. i think we all care right now. i think we're all concerned about our country. i believe in him. i believe he has the experience. i have seen him in every situation. i have seen him as a husband, as a father, as a governor, and a successful businessman. everything he does, he does well. he does it with his heart. if there's ever a time when this country needs someone like ms. romney, it is now. >> this election is about more than replacing the president. it is about the vision of

america of. we still believe in america that brings out the best in all of us, that challenges each of us to be better and believe in ourselves. it's time for this pessimistic president to step aside and let american optimism build a greater future for our children. if you can get out here in this cold and wind, you can sure get out on wednesday night and bring a few people to go with you. host: that is a video ad. folkd are weighing in about

the iowa caucuses -- folks are weighing in about the iowa caucuses. bachmann will be joining us on "washington journal" later on in our program. good morning, larry. caller: good morning. host: hi. caller: wishing all those that c-span a happy new year here. i think it will be a very volatile year. i have been bombarded with the republican calls. i think six or seven of them yesterday -- they are all robo- calls. i think ron paul will have a good showing in iowa. all the others have way too much baggage and history.

i guess saying -- their boats have gone against the american people. there for multinational corporations. they are the only ones making any money. in the last 30 years, i do not think wages have gone up. i think ron paul will be a breath of fresh air to the republican party. host: what is your plan for tonight? caller: probably go vote for ron paul. host: have you participated before? caller: i did four years ago. you go in and meet a lot of townfolk and break off into groups. one person of each group gets up and says why they are -- like

their candidate is the best to be the president. romney, they are just trying to push him down our throats. the republican establishment, they cannot have somebody like ron paul who is anti-war. i have listened to ron paul on c-span for 20 years now. when he gets up in front of congress, he makes sense. he has a whole lot more common sense about what can happen and what will happen in the world if congress does a certain vote or whatever. i do not see these republicans as being for the american people any more -- other than dr. paul. host: let's go to some comments on facebook.

host: charles, democratic caller calling us from illinois. good morning. caller: good morning. host: what do you think? caller: ever since i've been in school, they have always taught us to call the president "the president." why do people say "obama"? host: what do think that means for the election? ,?

caller: i think he will get reelected. the rest of it is just talked. host: looking at a story from "the hill." let's go to bristol, new york. frank on the line for independents. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call.

i would like to see ron paul win today. unfortunately, we have a president, mr. obama, who has been very dishonest with the american people. he has not opened up the truth process that the city was going to. host: c-span is in iowa. we have been this week. we will be covering the caucuses. c-span team will be in a couple of places. we will be in urbandale and trainer -- and treynor. we will also have information and news throughout the day about what is going on there. our next caller is from "the des moines rdes moines. thomas joins us. what do you think?

caller: in why are all the electrical -- the electable candidates idealizing someone like ronald reagan, when he was involved in something like iran contra, one of the most egregious crimes in this country. ron paul is the only candidate that wants to get rid of terrible things and the war funded by that. i'm just wondering why the electable candidates idealized ronald reagan and give religious-type comments toward him. host: why do you think that is? caller: personally, i think it's part of the corporation-funded, puppet-type people in the

establishment that want to keep that going. the nonsense comments regurgitated and regurgitated. people do not care. host: what are you going to do tonight? are you going to participate in the caucuses? what do you plan to do? caller: i'm definitely going to vote for ron paul. i am young and i do not want to be caught in a war in iran over some nonsense. host: how old are you? caller: 21 host:. host: is this your first time experience in this? caller: yes. host: nancy is a republican in austin, texas. caller: hi. i am a ron paul supporter. i am in my 50's. i have followed the man for over 20 years. he is the only conservative.

he is the real deal. the way i see this election as being for the heart and soul of the republican party. really, america. keep thee're going to status quo, more bailouts of wall street, and the destruction of the dollar. host: there is some coverage today, including an op-ed in "the washington post" and he calls attention to the old newsletters that have surfaced. what do you think about that? caller: i think he is responsible because his name is on the top of it.

a lot of people do not know how newsletters are written. ron paul said the other day that he wrote some of the economic pieces. he was practicing medicine at the time. i think it's very understandable he did not read every one of them. this was joined on 20 years ago. there were thousands of pages of newsletters. there were four or time at -- four or five at the time. they make it sound like there are racist statements all over them. that is a complete lie. there are seven sentences that have mostly been taken out of context out of thousands, tens of thousands of sentences. let's get this back in context here. there really stretching the

truth host: kinetic -- stretching the truth. host: connecticut? caller: i disagree so much. the republican party are strictly for corporations. to say ron paul would be somehow elected as the president is ridiculous. he is too old. he is a racist. the other one is a cheater. michele bachmann is so anti people of color. people who are not caucasians, we are well aware of the racism. we are not oblivious to it. it's ridiculous for you to think that we are. we know people that do not care to help. all of. we get that. there are people who are not out for the poor. they are not out for people of color. they are not out for people who are not caucasian. we get it.

do not shut it down our throats and tell us this is what we have to expect. ron paul is not going to be the winner. we all know obama it is -- obama is going to get reelected. keep the good guy in that seat. facias stop kidding themselves. we're not going back to the old regime of kill the poor, hate the poor, take everything they've got, and the rich get richer. robin hood is back and we're going to keep him in that seat. host: on twitter -- some -- at what some of the pundits had to say in "the washington post."

host: tom joins us from palm springs, california on the line for democrats.

let's move onto jackson, mississippi. maria is a republican. good morning. caller: good morning. am so upset because of what the lady before me said. lady, when are you going to stop worrying about yourself and start worrying about the united states of america? the united states of america is a lot more than just helping the poor and the blacks and the non- whites. do you not have the insight to see that this country is going bankrupt? someone in this country has to pay taxes. i m a middle-class, white, average person. i am not a corporation. i do have the insight to see that we have to look at the big picture. someone in this country has to pay taxes.

when are you people going to realize that it is nothing to do with racism? our objection to obama. by the way, i would like to throw in, he is half white. when are you people going to realize he is not all black? right toust as much say something about him as you do. host: what do you think about the iowa gop caucuses? caller: all the republicans better wake up and they'd better put someone in there that can stand up against obama. newt gingrich. obviously, the smartest one in a whole bunch. nothing against the rest of the candidates. they are all great people. we have to put someone in there that can stand up against this president and 50-something

percent of this country that is so blinded because he is half black. he is a good man. nothing personal against him. he is not a good president. host: we are focusing today on the iowa caucuses and what is happening especially on the gop side. let's go to hawaii, where the president has been vacationing. good morning. please turn down your tv. we cannot hear you with your tv on. james, democrat in chicago. good morning. . caller: caller: -- caller: great show. i wish people could remember how it was a few years ago. you cannot turn on tv without hearing that the stock market was plummeting. for people to suggest barack obama is a bad president -- some of the decisions he made, he had

to make them because of the economic situation he inherited. if you look at his accomplishments and how things have stabilized from the car industry to the private sector. they gained over 1 million jobs in three years. granted, there has been an increase in the debt. you have to address that. when people say he is a bad president, i look at that objectively. even if you philosophically different -- host: tell us about the gop caucuses today and what you would like to see happen there. caller: that is a great question. the inability for them to have a frontrunner on a consistent basis -- the one caller from iowa, the young caller -- i am

42. i am twice his age. he made a good point that they are regurgitating the same rhetoric. they continue to say there are too many regulations that preclude businesses from setting up shop in the united states. if you look at the data, that's not the case. the main reason businesses leave is because of wages. iraq has addressed -- barack has addressed some of the main reasons. that is just disingenuous. host: are you going to participate today? caller: in the precinct captain. in the past, i have always voted democrat.

i am hoping that there is a fair number of people that have done that this time. independents, as well. i hope we are flying under the radar screen here. i think a lot of the republicans kind of -- the reason they do not like ron paul is because he holds up a mirror to them and says, "here is what you are now ." we have troops in nigeria. we have advisers on the ground in libya. that all bothers me greatly. i think it is time to put all that nonsense and come home. host: let's look at "the des moines register" and how jennifer jacobs weighs in on what is going on. she says there are five questions to be answered in

tonight's caucuses. host: those are some questions

there. we are going to be talking with one of the candidates later on in "washington journal" today. representative michele bachmann will be joining us in just a couple of hours this morning. let's take a look at michele bachmann's latest ad. >> born and raised in iowa, only one candidate has been a consistent, a conservative fighter, even as others were cutting deals with obama. an expert in tax law that will reduce america's debt, restore our economy, and create real jobs. she will never back down. one of our own, michele bachmann for president. >> i am michele bachmann and i approve this message. host: michele bachmann, we will be talking to her later on this morning on "washington journal." in's hear from howie

philadelphia on the line for republicans. caller: have a new year. i want to wish all the candidates could love tonight, especially ron paul. i wonder where gary johnson is at. [inaudible] have a good day. host: let's look at a couple of other stories in the news before we talk more about the iowa caucuses. this is an opinion piece in "the wall street journal." he lays out differences in the republican side versus the democratic side there.

some other stories in "the new york times" -- host: we will see that develop over the week. "the new york times" has some of their proposed defense cuts. it goes through looking at what they would mean. here is another national story coming to us from "the baltimore sun."

ezra klein in "the washington post" picks up some points he found to be most useful looking back in 2011. another one looks at corporate profits are up and wages are down. i will move over to that right now. despite the growing threat of contagion from europe, the u.s. corporate profits continued to rebound in 2011. that outlook for wages and employment still look grim. we will be the iowa caucuses

talking iowa as we continue -- we will the iowa caucuses be iowa. we will be talking with michele bachmann. we will also talk to jesse benton. you can find all the coverage on c-span.org. next, we will look at the caucuses with craig robinson. we will be right back. ♪ >> that side has already made up his mind. this side has already made up its mind. >> rice is a university. >> you just be quiet. you be quiet. >> you did not know me.

>> i pay your salary. >> i will remain -- >> the confrontation at a congressional hearing between representative young of alaska and historian douglas brinkley rank does the fourth most watched video in the c-span video library. watch it former self at c- span.org/videolibrary. it is what you want, when you want. >> "washington journal" continues. host: craig robinson is th"the iowa republican" a different shape. thank you for being with us. what are you thinking and making of the latest polls showing mitt romney and ron paul fearing well right now? guest: when i looked at the polls, i see there are three candidates that are consistently

one, two, and three. mitt romney, ron paul, and now rick santorum. the thing all three of them have in common, in the case of ron paul and mitt romney, they have spent a lot of time in iowa, if you combine this election with the last election. obviously, rick santorum has done something like 380 town hall meetings this election. the three candidates on top of the polls are the three candidates that have given iowans the most opportunity to know them. i am not surprised that those three candidates are one, two, and three. host: if ron paul wiggins, what iowa that mean about de caucuses role? guest: some have complained it would be that. if anything, i think a ron paul

victory beats the establishment thought that it would be bad. he came into iowa. he campaigned hard. he has invested here. he has shown that any type of republican can go out, work hard, and build an organization as large enough to win. a ron paul mitt 3 tonight would be a good thing for the iowa caucuses -- a ron paul victory tonight would be a good thing for the iowa caucuses. host: the latest polls show -- our guest is craig robinson. he is the editor-in-chief of "the iowa republican." here are the numbers to call, if you would like to join in on the conversation.

if you are an iowa president, you can join the conversation -- an iowa resident, you can join the conversation. craig robinson, what is the most interesting story that you have done to date? guest: that's difficult to nail down. obviously, rick santorum has become something of a cinderella story. the coverage of that, having seen him with basically no croats to yesterday -- no crowds to yesterday, when he is filling up entire restaurants -- think it is amazing. being with newt gingrich as he was strolling all alone with no presence there, not allowed to speak inside the arena to where

he was a couple of months ago -- it is an amazing story. the thing that has impressed me the most about iowa this cycle, it seems like every single candidate has had their time in the sun and a have also been vetted. host: what seems to be reaching people? you mentioned rick santorum. he has been spending so much time in iowa. michele bachmann was born in iowa. she just visited 99 counties in your state. is retail politics still the way to win votes in iowa? are other people gaining traction and messages over the airwaves? retail politics still matter in iowa. it is a healthy combination.

other candidates do not need to do that, but i think they have made a mistake. newt gingrich and rick perry waited too long before they started to barnstorm the state and give iowans an opportunity to meet them in person. the things that matter the most, consistency in this election. that word matters a lot. trust. if you look at how ron paul has advertised, he has been the only one. i am the only one who was been consistent and right and you can trust me. rick santorum is out there with his advertising. in, "in the conservative leader you can trust." i think this election really boils down to one word. that distrust. host: -- at is trust.

caller: good morning. i just want to say to my fellow democrats, if i could take my vote back from obama, i would. ron paul is trying to give us back some civil liberties. these laws have been bent. we want to bend them back. guest: i think there are a lot of people who feel that way. if you look at the tea party movement and the occupy wall street movement, they are saying the same thing. government is too big. a lot of people share his feelings that we need to roll back government, not make it more intrusive in our lives. host: an iowa caller. welcome to the program. go ahead.

caller: i want to remind all the republican members and the democrats -- last year, when the budget was coming up [inaudible] those of us were concerned we might lose it. with everything going on, that is all they seem to care about. i guess that's pretty much it. host: what do you plan to do tonight? do you plan to participate in the caucus? caller: not in the slightest. i do not like obama, but he is still better than any of the others. host: craig robinson? caller: when he called in, i thought he might be a ron paul supporter. i was there a couple of weeks ago. maybe one of the biggest surprises on the campaign trail was jackson county in eastern iowa is not really a targeted county for these republican

campaigns. it is a decent size county, but no one puts in a huge effort in jackson county. i was shocked to see ron paul's satellite office over there. a few days later, he had a huge crowd. i thought he might be from there. one of the great stories i have seen or witnessed -- the strength of the ron paul campaign in terms of its ability to have passionate people where they can open and operate offices in counties where other candidates probably struggle to even organize. host: craig robinson, we have a comment on footer -- on twitter. is there valenti to what arnold said? caller: i went to his rally yesterday morning in downtown des moines. that was probably true of that crowd. four years ago, a lot of people

said that all these ron paul people are from out of town and it helps fill up the room, and his movement is not necessarily as large as it seems at these rallies. i think we have to be careful when we say that. that is probably true of a lot of campaigns. at this time in the race, there are a lot of people from outside of iowa who came into follow, to help, to be part of it. that is a criticism that would fit with every campaign at this time. rick perry is bringing up 200 or 300 texans to help them out tonight. ron paul has been impressive. at the university of iowa, over 1000 people. i think most of that crowd was iowans. i think he did the same thing at iowa state university. again, 1300 people.

he has had support on the ground. i do not think it is wise to write off ron paul saying his supporters are from out of state. i do not give a sense it is artificial at all. host: a comment on twitter. folks on our facebook page are waiting in -- are weighing in. roy writes in and says, "ron paul all the way." guest: i have a hard time saying ron paul is an establishment politician. we have a congressman, steve king, who has been in washington for a decade. i do not think anyone in congress or in iowa would ever call congressman steve king establishment. he goes to washington and fights the good fight.

i think ron paul has constantly been a thorn in the side of people in congress -- even his own party. they may not have always listened to him, but looking at the current situation we are in, i think he -- when we are talking fiscal policy in this country, he has done a phenomenal job and been very consistent with what he has argued for in congress. yes, he has been in congress. i do not think he is establishment. host: craig host: he created his own campaign and fund-raising firm and was a political director of the republican party of iowa in 2007 and was recallable for organizing the 2007 straw poll. he served as a field coordinator in 1999 and he has helped republican candidates implement strategies for their campaigns. let's hear some of your predictions.

a couple of days ago, you said you expect mitt romney to win by a nose. does that still hold? guest: i think this is what we have to see. it is tough when you put your predictions out there. i did not want to look like i was copying anyone so i cannot that morning with some predictions. i think the number one issue in this election is that republicans want to beat president obama in the fall. in mitt romney, they get a candidate who most people see is the most viable and long term so i think there are a lot of people who are going to go to the polls and vote for mitt romney, basically saying here is the guy that can go all the way. i think it is really a jump ball between mitt romney, ron paul, and rick santorum, but i

give mitt romney the edge. host: in baton rouge, louisiana, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say very quickly -- i am a supporter of ron paul. i supported him in 2008 in the primaries. i voted for john mccain. i think we are so brainwashed. i know that is a strong word. we are so used to having other people tell us who is legitimate and who is not legitimate and we naturally fall into a category of letting people choose our winners and losers. not only in politics but across the board. we seem like we are so dumb down in this country that we cannot have the ability to critically think and look at the candidates

whatever the circumstance may be and look at what we believe in and then think for ourselves what we like and what we do not like. we are so used to having people -- last year, i did not support president obama. he was way behind senator mccain. a lot of black african american were people were saying he should get out of the race. he has a planned. ron paul has a plan. everything is possible. thank you very much for the time. guest: i cannot agree more with the caller. being in iowa and covering this race, it is frustrating sometimes to hear people from the belt way and other parts of the country deem that the only viable candidate in this race is mitt romney. i do not believe that.

the only thing that makes a person bible is the amount of money they are able to raise -- the only thing that makes a person viable is the amount of money they are able to raise. rick perry has spent the most money in iowa in the amount of advertisement he has run on tv. i think this is an issues election. i would not write any candidate off. we are going to hear a lot of stories tonight whoever wins the caucuses if ron paul and rick santorum merge, i think a lot of people are going to brush it off. i think that ron paul has shown in this campaign to be a very aggressive -- very aggressive in

terms of his posture against other candidates. i think you could see ron paul go after mitt romney in a very serious way to bring him back down to earth in new hampshire. going forward in south carolina and even florida, this is not an easy cakewalk for mitt romney. i think that argument is foolish to make right now. we should sit back and watch what happens. if we are talking about the viability, and you get ability by raising a lot of money, president obama has more money than any republican candidate will ever have. i think those same people will say the republican nominee will always be viable against an incumbent. host: folks can join the conversation on twitter. jimmy weighs in with his predictions --

our guest is the editor in chief and sounder of the iowa republicans. this is what he says on the web site, talking about who can come in the lead looking at a squeeker with mitt romney pulling. what are you looking at in terms of numbers? are you thinking that will have more folks turning out tonight than four years ago which was the biggest number on record? guest: right. trying to predict turnout is always difficult. coming into this election, coming into this week or last week, i thought turnout would be similar to 2008 but slightly less. i changed my mind a little bit and i think we are going to have a higher turnout, around 127,000

people tonight. i think that is a good number and it is probably good for all the candidates in called. all of the attention that has been given to this contest, all of those campaigning -- turnout will be heavier than it was four years ago because these campaigns are doing more to reach out to voters. host: good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say that -- ok, so i voted for barack obama in the last election because he was the outside guy who promised to bring a lot of change to washington. in addition to that, i voted for him because i felt as though we were getting ready to turn into some of the worst times that the country has seen in many decades and wanted somebody in

the position of president who would be sensitive to the needs of folks who are running into hard times. having said that, this go- around, i am not going to vote for him because i feel like he overreached in a couple of areas. newt gingrich, and i realize he has a lot of that history behind him, but at this point, listening to the candidates, he is the one who in my opinion has come up with the greatest number of answers to the types of problems that we are facing, so i am really taken with him. having said that, i want to ask craig a question. i am looking for some education here. i will ask my question and then get off and listen to your answer. i get ron paul about where he

stands on wars, and i do like that, but isn't he not for any social security or medicare whatsoever or am i just wrong? thank you for your time. guest: i think what i have heard and i might not be fully briefed on this issue but i think ron paul supports medicare. i think it is social security that he does not like as a federal policy. i think that is where he is. i have not done a lot on that issue. i heard him defend medicare on a sunday morning show this week. host: "the new york times" listed all the candidates competing in the republican field and looked at their take on the issues.

they say that -- let's go to iowa where craig joins us on the line. caller: hello. i am supporting newt gingrich and i am going to the caucus tonight. i am hoping that iowans will see how newt has been demonized and millions and millions of dollars have been directed to knock him down. i think he is the right guy for the time and has the experience. a lot of the ads are all half- truths. i am hoping that fairness will show up tonight and he will do a

lot better than what people expect him to do. i think a lot of people know that he is a good debater. a lot of the mud that's been slung is just so over the top. guest: i think he is one of those candidates that we have to watch tonight. he has a chance to outperform his current polling numbers because this is a candidate who has spent a lot of time in iowa. we have seen it newt gingrich all the time in iowa. he comes to our state fair every year. he really does take in. even four years ago when we were drafting the republican party platform at the state convention, newt gingrich did a seminar with people who were working on the platform who care

about those issues about drafting a platform that is practical that we can use. he has given so much of his time and i think there are a lot of people out there despite all the negative attacks on him and his baggage, i think they like newt gingrich because he is a fighter and has ideas. they like him because he has a great perspective on history. i would not be surprised if newt gingrich surprises tonight. if he can get into the top three, i think it will be a huge night for newt gingrich. host: looking at a comment from twitter -- our caller a few moments ago asked about medicare and medicaid. let's look at a recent article from last month which says --

go ahead, craig. guest: i think there are a lot of people -- a lot of republican candidates who want to block grant money back to the states, so ron paul's position is pretty consistent. host: longview, texas, good morning. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. i just wanted to say that the majority of americans, the working-class americans, we need to open our eyes as to what is going on in our country. it is only getting worse.

this country -- some of us are still going through racism and sexism and all of those types of things. this country is going to the halves and the have-nots, and the main problem are these out of control corporations. and the congress and the senate who do not have the american people's interests in mind any longer because they serve these corporations. the wages is where the problems is. a lot of republicans and democrats do not address that. he laughed at that later went it was brought up when there was unequal wealth distribution and there needed to be universal minimum wage. there should be. there are a lot of corporations

in this country now where if you call for any service for anybody, you are not going to even -- you are not going to speak to even an american. get a response from our guest. let me mention that ted robinson has an op ed looking at the slush funds of iowa and how there is some major money coming in through the pacs. talk to us about the concern of big corporations and how the pacs are playing a role. guest: sure. i think there is a problem in an america where we focus on the two extremes. we need to focus on growing small business and local business and manufacturing jobs so we can lift all folks in america. i think there are candidates out

there who do that. i come from a blue-collar family. my dad is a diesel mechanic. i used to ride to work with him. thankfully i worked in the office. he would come home covered in grease. we have to realize that not everyone is going to have a white-collar job. there are a lot of people that are upset. they're all republicans, democrats, and independents who think -- we need people think -- all votes. are you asking a question about -- host: let me read from the op-ed piece today from "the new york times." it says the best example is mitt

romney who has spent more than a million dollars on up-beat ads. meanwhile, -- folks are saying that he has outsourced his negative advertising to a group that has raised millions of dollars to inundate his opponents with attacks. guest: absolutely. this is how campaigns have changed and how the 2012 cycle is different from the 2008 cycle. i think one of the things we need to do is to find a way to dentify the pac's and what candidates they support. they have to fly with who they

are advocating for and who they are advocating against. i think that should be -- they have to identify who they are advocating for and who they are advocating against. i think there has to be some sort of connection so the viewer can discern which pac the ligns with. lign they are attacking newt gingrich on two things that mitt romney has been attacked on. a lot of folks see this and think that romney is attacking newt gingrich on the things that romney is guilty of himself. we need to tweak some things a

little bit so you understand this is a pro-bromley group or pro-whoever candidate group so they cannot just fine clever names so you do not know who they are pushing or advocating for. host: c-span is in iowa today. tonight, c-span will be watching the caucuses as they unfold. we will be in a couple of places. you can find out more on our website at c-span.org. you can look at archived videos, interviews with candidates as well as members of their staff, and look at some of their closing arguments. some of the candidates were giving their final message, and you can see that at c-span.org. c-span will be at the caucus later on this evening on c-span

and c-span2. the caucuses kick off at 7:00 local time, 8:00 eastern time. what are you going to be doing and where are you going to be tonight? guest: good question. i am going to go to the caucus and then come back. we have a live webcast that we do. we will have live reaction of what is going on and we will be talking about what we need to be looking for in terms of as these results come in and who needs to do well in which part of the state and who needs to pick a party as the votes come in. host: john huntsman says -- the express confidence in his decision to skip iowa and bet the farm on new hampshire. what is your response?

guest: what if new hampshire does not pick john huntsman? is it over? look, to me, it has been frustrating to see some of these comments that the mint -- that have been made by other people from new hampshire, this kind of back-and-forth. i do not think there is any place for that. as someone who has participated in a major weight in three different caucuses, iowa has its role and we win on the field. i do not think -- i think we should work together to preserve this process because i think it is a really good process. this whole notion that we can write off iowa for any reason is i think absurd. i think it was a mistake for john huntsman to ignore the state because look at the media attention that has come out in

the last month and a half. the game is being played in iowa today. i think he has made a tactical error for his campaign. i do not think he should be discussing about predicting president. host: in the form of "usa today," -- you mentioned that iowa has played a traditional role, but is there a reason why you think it should be left to i what rather than rotating to other states? r -- to your residence -- guest: look at this race.

look at how this race is on folding. iowans are late-breaking. one reporter i talked to earlier this week -- i was asking him about the caucuses -- he said that iowans are great shoppers. if you go to a mitt romney event, you are going to see a mitt romney supporter but also supporters from other candidates because they want to see them on the ground. we really do take it seriously. i think we have to continue thi;s is iowa and new hampshire because it is where politics really matter. if we start this process in florida, it is all about money. you just heard the callers before who are upset about corporations. if you want corporations to run our elections, have this

process start in huge states with expensive media markets. i think iowa has done its job very well and i know it is always fun for people to kick iowa and the caucuses because they do not like who we pick. we take a presidential preference vote. is our opinion. i think it is a great place to start because of the type of state that we are and the seriousness that our people look at it. a candidate like barack obama has been -- we defy traditional fought for years ago on the republican side and we went with mike huckabee, but a guy like the george w. bush has won. i think we want our candidates to be hard-working and be able to look people in the eye and

really make a case on a one-on- one basis. i think if we get rid of the iowa caucus and the new hampshire primaries, i think we run the risk of making this all about tv ads and money which is all about influence of big dollar donors and corporations. host: indiana, terry is on our republican line. good morning. caller: i want to stick up for ron paul. -- cut the murder rate in half. he drug gangs.e broken by a was gang member and he was afraid to tell on them because he was afraid what would happen. i told the police his name and everything.

they are talking about the gang issues in the paper. there are something like 28 gangs in this town and they make most of their money from illegal drugs. guest: ron paul is probably the only candidate in the republican field or democratic field that will advocate on the legalization of some drugs, if not all. that is a position that most republicans do not agree with. however, i appreciate the caller share in his views this morning. host: welcome to the conversation. caller: my comment is i am all for the ron paul thing, and i understand what he is trying to say.

what can he really do? what is he going to get accomplished? he is like his only vote sometimes. i mean, it seems like he has a more radical view than everybody. what is he really going to get done? guest: that is a great question i think and one of the things as we have seen some of these candidates start to criticize or highlight what ron paul could actually accomplish as president. a week ago, we had an intense talk and i what about foreign policy and ron paul, and there was one candidate who said ron paul on his fiscal policy that we by and large agree with past to get congress to agree to pass those and move those things

forward which is going to be very difficult. the things he can do are easy. if he is the commander in chief, he can pull back the military and do a lot of things. i think that is why we have seen in the closing days his foreign- policy views have really concerned people because i think they are starting to understand that as president he would have a lot of power in dictating where our troops are and what our posture is in the rest of the world. host: another craig, this one on our democrats' line. caller: it seems like the republicans are just going through the motions. the good thing about the democrats is they had an infusion of young blood from obama.

you have a bunch of old fuddy duddies over there. they are a rehash of what has been going on. if people looked at what on paul supported, all of those caches would disappear. guest: there is nothing you can do about the field. as i travel the state of iowa, i think there are a lot of people who are happy with this field. there is a place for you -- i think people feel like they can find a home that is a natural fit for them with all these candidates. there are always going to be people dissatisfied with the field, but by and large this is a very good, deep and solid the

road and there is something for everyone. host: a couple of predictions from our guest. he predicts that michele bachmann will not win in the county of her birth. he also believes that ron paul will win double-digit counties, and rick santorum will win the most in total. tell us more. guest: excuse me. i am sorry. host: tell us more. guest: michele bachmann came into waterloo to announce her campaign. the reason i made that prediction is is i think that shows where sheet is strong, it just has not materialized. michele bachmann has had a lot

of trouble in the final weeks leading up to the caucuses. i think that she will probably have a disappointing night tonight. we can understand why when we see a major top tier county in the state, she will struggle. even though she announced her candidacy there, i do not see any way she can win it. in terms of other things that i predicted, four years ago, ron paul one jefferson county. this year, i think he is going to win 10 or 12 counties. he is going to be very strong tonight if he wins urban counties. if he wins second tier counties, i think it will be tough for him. i think rick santorum, even before his surge, i thought he was going to do well in rural

iowa so i expect him to win a lot of rural counties. i think he will be competitive with people like ron paul and mitt romney in these urban areas. rick santorum did an outside des moines. more he had a huge turnout. i think he is going to do pretty well in urban areas tonight as well and he needs to if he wants to have a chance to win. robinson, thank youig so much for joining us this morning. coming up, we will hear from the head of the ron paul for president campaign. we will talk about today's caucuses and campaign strategies. let's look at the democratic side of things. "usa today" article --

a lot of democrats are not even aware that we are caucusing." c-span talk to the democratic party chair about tonight's democratic caucuses and the president's involvement in them. let's hear some of that interview. >> we are going to be caucusing

in all precincts, 99 counties, corner to corner. we are so excited. we have an opportunity. we know who our nominee is, and he is going to be addressing all the democrats at the beginning of the caucus. we put the caucus together and grouped the precincts in locations so we can make that technology happen. the president is going to address democrats as seven o'clock 15 and talk about his record and his vision moving toward. he is going to ask them for his help the same way he did four years ago. we are excited about it. after that, the different precincts, the individual precincts will break into individual break out rooms and will conduct the business of the party. it is the foundational piece of the caucasus. the presidential preference and

not lending procedures is the focus of your attention at the national level. the caucuses on both sides are party organizational operations. we get together and we elect our precinct chairs and we start the process to get to charlotte. is going to be a great night for democrat. >> how did this come about for the president? >> at the iowa democratic party and with the president's campaign, we have spent all of this. preparing for it has been one of our primary goals this year. the technology to expand exponentially what you can do. this is a perfect night to try something like this. because we are not operating in a preferential -- selecting a president, selecting a nominee,

we had a little more leeway to try something new. the president wants to talk to to them inrats, in tha their caucus rooms. this is a way to get to everybody instead of having him in one location. he can be in all locations. >> let me ask you about this process and what is happening on the republican side. how different is it tonight than it was four years ago when we had a number of democratic candidate? >> there is a remarkable task to begin this election that would lead us to having the presidency of the united states, and we succeeded. there is a huge pride and advantage in having the incumbent. we do not have this struggle for our nominee which allows us to

focus on organization. that is what tonight is going to be about. we have the privilege of knowing who our nominee is. these things do not happen out of context. in the new fourth district, when democrats, to stand with the president, we are going to be standing with christie vilsack. they are also going to be standing for a state senator. we have a one seat majority in the iowa senate that is standing between us and what our neighbors have gone through in wisconsin and ohio. we do not want to go through that. this election is about the reelection of the president as well about the expansion of the state senate majority. leonard rockwell is in an

absolute historic battle for his seat against another incumbent. in that same congressional district is the state senate race of our majority leader. then over in another district, he is standing with the president. we begin that climb back out of our house of representatives. these things really are all connected. iowa democrats are ready to stand up for that and get organized and it started. we are excited. >> could you touch on why by what is a battleground state in the fall? >> we are just about as purple as you can be. we have a registration edge of more than 40,000 in the republican party, but this is a very evenly split state. people here are independent thinkers and they want to listen

to the message. >> the chair of the iowa democratic parties, thank you for spending time with us tonight. >> thank you. host: c-span is in iowa this week following the caucuses which will take place tonight at 7:00 local time, at 8:00 eastern time. c-span will be on the ground joining caucuses in the state watching everything on fold. on next guest is jesse benton, the ron paul for president national campaign chairman. thank you for joining us. who makes of the ron paul constituency? ? are you hearing from? guest: we bring together a very broad and diverse coalition. we have evangelical christians, home schoolers, working-class people, young people. we have probably the most diverse constituency out there

because ron paul supports liberty and freedom. freedom brings people together. there is a piece for everybody in freedom. that is what is so great about america and ron paul. host: "the washington post" as a blurb talking about rick santorum weighing in, taking some swings at your candidate ron paul -- what do you make of that? guest: well, rick santorum is willing to say a lot of crazy, wild things. ron is willing to work with broad coalitions. he can find common ground but is also the most conservative member of congress. he vote for the most limited government. to say he is in line with

dennis could send it is simply false. we want a president who can work with people across party lines. ron can bring together coalitions, and that is what we need in a president. someone who can deal with these horrible problems that we are facing. host: you mentioned some of the ways you see ron paul as having conservative values, but one feature of by what republicans is that they tend to poll as religious conservatives. how are you making inroads with the evangelical base? is a christian. we read the bible in their home, and ron is a religious conservative. i think the message that we send over and over again is that big government in washington is the biggest threat

to our conservative christian values out in the heartland. i think a lot of evangelicals get that, that washington is the engine behind notes have left behind -- behind no child left behind. host: jesse benton is the national campaign chairman for ron paul for president. here are the numbers to join our conversation. taking a look at a story from abc news, does ron paul -- here is what the post says.

so, jesse benton, is ron paul delivering the message of confidence that he can win this race? or does this article indicate that he might not think he can win the race? guest: we would not be in this race if we did not think ron paul could win. ron paul would not be doing this if he thought that he could not win. he is taking on the entire establishment. the neo conservative establishment, the big spending establishment in washington. we have to realize the hurdles that we face when we are taking all that on. we cannot promise everybody that ron paul is going to be

president tamara. he does not have a deep personal desire to be president. he is motivated by a severe desire to help fix this country and restore our principles of liberty and limited government. i think that is a very positive thing and means that he is more motivated by principal. he does not sit around when his head hits the pillow at night, fantasizing about being president. he fantasizes about returning our country back to traditions of limited government and personal responsibility. i think that is what we need in the president right now, someone who will put principle above personal politics. host: iowa representative steve king says that if elected president, ron paul would be

dangerous. this is what the congressman said. what is your response? guest: well, i think representative king is misguided. with our tactical military right now, we can have boots on the ground anywhere in the world. our submarines, our bombers, our air force. we do not need to have troops stationed all over the world. we have a around 900 bases scattered around the world, and it is bankrupting us. we continue to subsidize the

security of all other wealthy nations. president ron paul will bring troops home to save a ton of money and start taking care of people at home to make sure we have a stronger national defense. quite frankly, get back to a much more pro-american foreign policy. i think that is very pro- americans and the foreign policy that we need. no policing the world or nation- building. that is the foreign policy of the founding fathers. host: joe weighs in on twitter and says -- joe is responding to the article that we just mentioned from abc. ohio, ando cleveland, hear what justin has to say, a democratic call there. good morning. caller: good morning.

i thought the interview yesterday was a really good interview. one of my predictions is that ron paul will over perform due to the democrats and independents siding with us. i used to be a hillrich clinton supporter and not any more. thank you very much -- i used to be a hillary clinton supporter and not any more. guest: he has tremendous crossover support. the republicans will rally behind him, and he has tremendous appeal to independents and democrats. it will build the republican party for the future and it is how you win general elections. of our country needs someone who can unite people, bring them all together and get working on

these serious problems. host: do you expect independence and democrats to cross over tonight? guest: there will be a lot of independents coming out. we welcome anyone who wants to come and vote for ron paul and vote for liberty. i am not that optimistic that many registered democrats are going to want to come tonight and participate in the republican process. that said, they all are welcome to come. i hope i am wrong. i hope 20% of the democratic party changes to republican tonight and votes for ron paul and we build a strong coalition. host: steve on twitter writes -- there is it possible crossover vote. let's go to iowa city. good morning.

caller: good morning to you guys. i think ron paul is going to pull out a victory this evening. when people think of iowa, they might think of a lot of old country folks. but here we have a lot of young, well thought out individuals. host: tell us about what you are going to do tonight. caller: we are going to rally them together and lead him to a victory. host: the caucus is happening at a time when a lot of colleges are on break. a lot of not tha opportunity to get them out. is that going to affect things? caller: not necessarily. i was city has about 15,000 students still in town.

i am confident that the majority of them are pulling for ron paul and they're tired of the same old politics. obama ran on change and just ran us up on debt. thanks, guys. host: let's go to jesse benton. guest: we are really counting on the youth vote tonight. it is always assumed that they do not turn out. in past elections, it is true. i challenge young people in iowa tonight to take a look at the choices that they have, take a look at ron paul, and realize that their future depends on the change that ron paul can bring. i and 34. i have a young daughter. i look at the future of this country and i am worried. we are going to lose the promise

of america, and that is serious. host: what about this issue of schools being out of recession this semester not in full swing? will that have in effect? guest: we were projecting that the iowa caucuses were going to be january 3 with that in the summer. it adds an extra layer of organizational sophistication needed to make sure we have people called, to go walking through the doors and knocking on the doors. we are still contacting student and letting them know where their precinct locations are. we are ready for it. host: our guest is the national campaign chairman of ron paul for president. "politico" quoted him a couple of months ago, saying -- jesse benton, do you still feel

that way? guest: i do. that is still our goal. top three in iowa, top three in new hampshire. we have great organizations in the early caucus states in february and super tuesday. we are going to roll hard in louisiana. we are looking at minnesota, kansas, colorado, washington state, north dakota, just to name a few. we have boots on the ground, offices, sending mail, and contacting voters and working hard. we have this organization throughout the country. we are the only campaign outside the mitt romney that has a comprehensive plan to win the delegates necessary to be the republican nominee. that is why i make a strong argument that this campaign is coming down to mitt romney and ron paul. status quo versus will change

and grass-roots. host: a new study out of desmoines -- mitt romney said it is hard to predict what is going to happen. last night, he was more aggressive, telling hundreds of supporters that he would win tuesday's caucuses and the nomination for president. do you see that as giving ground to your camp? guest: they look at the same numbers that we do. they have a sophisticated polling operation as do we. we have it as a dead heat between mitt romney and ron paul. the worst thing you can do is over-promised and underperform, so i am sure gov. mitt romney was told by his staff to backpedal a little bit. if you want real change, come

out and caucus for ron paul. if you are happy with the status quo, gov. mitt romney is the choice. host: good morning, mike. are you supporting michele bachmann as in minnesotan? caller: no, i am not. ron paul wants to abolish the federal reserve or fix. we have some real serious problems with america, with our federal reserve. once i think he does get in there and starts to fix it, he is going to stimulate the economy. the second thing is -- this has nothing to do with ron paul. it is known that the united states government has contacts with aliens from other planets. if they do not come clean, their legacies are going to be affected. thank you.

guest: i do not know very much about aliens, but i do know about the federal reserve. we need to get a handle on around the federal reserve. most recently, he was able to lead a broad coalition to have some legislation passed. this is an example of his leadership. he brought together every single republican and over 100 democrats including the most conservative members of the house and the most progressive liberals and the house to audit the federal reserve. we were able to pass it and get it passed as part of the financial reform package. we need more transparency and a deeper audit of the federal reserve bank dr. ron paul is going to bring that leadership to the oval office. we need to stop bailing of wall street, foreign banks, and stop

doing that on the backs of the poor and the middle class of this country. host: this is an e-mail from maggie in florida -- how do marry his libertarian views with his pro-life views? guest: he is an ob-gyn and has delivered over 4000 babies. he knows that life begins at conception. he has a two-pronged approach. he would push legislation that could be passed by a simple majority, signed into law by the president to move jurisdiction over legislation combat federal courts and essentially turn it back to the states to allow them

to decide. iowa would be a pro-like state in six months and we would start saving the lives of millions of babies. dr. paul also supports a right to life on men in for the constitution. -- a right to life amendment for the constitution. dr. paul will advocate for that commit too. he will be the most pro-like president ever because people take a pragmatic steps to save life and start allowing states to pass their own laws. at the same time, he is going to work for a long time consensus solution by passing an amendment. host: let's hear from angela who joins us from arlington, va.. good morning. caller: good morning. i am an independent but i vote more along the republican lines.

i am really disappointed about the republican presidential candidates that we have. i like dr. paul but he talks about small government. he has been in the government for over 35 years. his base salary was $44,000. now it is $180,000. it is like a family business. that is why we have bigger government. it is hypocrisy. what do you have to say to that? guest: that is a tough charge. that is why he has led the charge in congress to cut pay. another thing you might not know is he refuses to participate in the congressional pension program. he thinks it is too much on the

backs of the taxpayers. he does not participate. i think it is kind of sick that anthony weiner is going to retire to a $60,000 pension when he has had to resign in disgrace. dr. paul will not participate in that. if you look at his record, dr. paul has been fighting against the establishment, against the washington machine 4 years. if you are looking at him personally profiting, that is not the case. he has taken himself out of his medical practice. he would have stayed in taxes and would have been a lot wealthier today. he has a personal passion for liberty and felt he had an obligation to be involved and speak out, an obligation to work for real change now that our country is at the point where we need real change.

thankfully dr. paul is still there to help lead us back. host: jesse benton is the national campaign chairman for ron paul for president. he has worked on capitol hill most recently, a co-founder and senior vice president of campaign for liberty, and as campaign manager for senator rand paul. there is a question about the age of ron paul. it has not been talked about a lot. the congressman is 76, i believe. gary writes on twitter, 'can we count on him to live?" guest: ron is the fittest man i

have ever met. he walks 3 miles per day and bikes 15 miles per day. he is very active. his mind is sharp. his ideas are young. that's the most important thing. i also looked at his age as a real benefit. he has the wisdom and experience to look at the problems that we face to be able to be steady and unwavering in the face of all the challenges that he will face as president. whoever is the president of the united states will face a lot of scrutiny and a lot of challenges. in wisdom and experience will give him the backbone to stay the course and do the right things. host: sheila writes to us that

she thinks he is too old. you just answered some of her concerns. what do you think his age does for a reelection bid in four years? guest: again, he is the fittest guy i know. come down to our little town in august when it is about 100 degrees and go on a 20-mile bike ride with ron. line, goodrats' morning. good morning. let's move on to a republican caller in texas. caller: i am a newfound republican. i used to be a democrat. i used to be a democrat but i

have been watching ron paul. is there any way -- can you guys get any less shameless -- any more shameless, say, about hedging against ron paul? him.y angle is against the he must be doing really phenomenal in the online polls. just like in 2008, you would not even be reading his name if he was not getting 95% in the real polls. if it is not clear to you, perhaps someone should go in the other trailer and take a clear, objective look at how you come across.

guest: well, i think you raised a valid point. i do not think the mainstream media understands what is going on. i do not think the understand the depth of ron paul's support. i do not entirely blame them. i don't think we have seen anything like this before in american politics. we can get frustrated, or we can keep chopping wood and pressing forward. i choose the latter option. i'm human, just like you. i'm going to press on. we have to keep spreading the message. we are going to use our campaign resources, which due to the generosity of our donors, are very substantial. we're going to communicate to the people. we are going to work with the media and try to bring them around. there are some journalists who are starting to get it. we're going to keep pushing

ahead. host: silver spring, maryland. jake on the line for independents. good morning. caller: good morning. happy new year. i want to make a couple comments and maybe a question at the end. i am middle-aged family man. i have been married for eight years. my daughter will be five in a couple of weeks. that's what this is all about for me. we have an exciting day here. we have an opportunity to stand up for the real change we need in america. freedom, civil liberties, end the wars, and i am 100% behind dr. paul. we can push this through. i have one question. what is the campaign doing to monitor the results of the caucus? guest: well, the caller is an

example of why dr. paul is the most viable candidate against president obama. people say they want real change. this gentleman was a democrat. he is pulling for ron paul. he realizes that ron paul will bring real change. republicans, independents, democrats -- bring them together and work to solve our problems as the president. we are monitoring the results very closely. through our long term activism, we have had multiple supporters on the iowa state committee. they have been working very closely with the iowa republican party to make sure everything is above board. we have a lot of confidence in that. we have a lot of confidence in that. there will be a centralized location where we will have campaign representatives watching all the ballots and

totals. we are confident everything is above board. we will continue pressing through with the process. host: i do you think voters in iowa and nationally are still troubled by the newsletters that came out in the 1980's and 1990's? the newsletters that had representativron paul's name thd racially charged comments. guest: dr. paul did not write them. he did not see them before he went out. he detested that stuff. ,. it is not what he believes in. he has taken responsibility for them. as a publisher of the newsletter, he should have policed it better. he was in medicine full time. he was busy delivering babies. he should have been more on top of it. he has apologized and taken responsibility. anyone who is unsure or is

bothered by this stuff needs to go look at his speeches. he has given literally thousands speeches to hundreds of thousands of people. look at the speeches. look at the transcripts. dr. paul supports individual liberty and dignity of individual rights for everybody. host: robert is in connecticut on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. host: you are on the program, robert. caller: good morning. jesse, great job. thank you for the actual coverage. my question is to jesse. i am wondering how you are holding up to the bias and non biased media. i have seen some pretty interesting comments being mad

to the -- being made to the other candidates and almost nothing to ron paul. it seems like most of the people out there, most of the media, if you do not follow their ways, you are left behind. i'm wondering if you have any ideas, such as more media -- the internet -- or what are your ideas? guest: you've raised a very valid problem. that is, there's a lot of big special-interest establishment corporatism in the media and they are guarding their turf. they do not want to properly cover a candidate that challenges their status quo.

you brought up some of the best ways to challenge that. that is online media. c-span recently had on craig robinson from "the iowa republican." i do not always agree with what they say, but they are in excellent publication. real, grassroots kind of commentary. we need to have more independent journalism, more stuff on line, and i challenge people out there to supplement your reading every day by reading blogs. if you're eating your course of the news for the day, have some some the mainstream media, fo from cable, international news -- a full course every day. that's how we will stay ahead of this thing. we also have to realize that the news business, the news

industry, they are also in the entertainment business. they want to appeal to the people. a lot of what they do will reflect the attitudes of the people and what the people are demanding. contactees organizations rebut them -- contact these organizations. let them know what you want. there is a lot of competition out there for the advertising dollar and eyeballs of people. let the news organizations know when you are not pleased. let them know when you are happy, also. that has really helped dr. paul. when he gets a positive interview, we are told by the media outlets that it was amazing. we put ron paul online and it was the most watched video ever. we got 3000 e-mails thanking

us. be involved. host: let's listen to on cnn. >> i have not even thought about it. i have a race going. i am essentially tied for first place. why would i consider going for anything like that? i do not like absolutes. i do not like to say, "i will never do so and so." people should just be a little bit patient. on tuesday, we will find out a lot more about the future of this election. host: congressman ron paul on cnn. what do think about your candidate's viability as a third-party candidate? should he not be able to keep going forward in the republican field?

guest: he would be very viable, if he decided to be independent. that said, there's virtually no chance that ron will run independent. he does not want to do it. i do not blame him. our system is so biased toward independents. ron has his home in the republican party. senator rand paul would say that political parties are empty vessels, unless we can't imbue them with values -- we can imbue them with values. mission andpaul's goal right now. i don't see an independent bid in his future. host: an article in "the wall street journal" talks about how the seekers of peace --

what do you make of that? guest: sure. dr. paul is a the peace candidate. the peace candidate has a great chance of winning in american elections. barack obama won against mccain. george bush won criticizing the clinton policy. people want peace. dr. paul understands that peace requires strength.

he understands the need to bring our troops home and stop over extending them around the world. we need to rebuild our military. we need to quit these trillion dollar foreign wars. it does not help our defense. dr. paul will deliver a stronger national defense. he will make america strong. he will make sure we have the greatest military in the world. host: let's hear what jeremy has to say in sacramento, california, on the line for republicans. caller: the first one, of the newsletters, that's like arianna huffington for some of the controversial stuff in "the huffington post." my questions for you relate to

how ron paul communicates items to people. most of the public, i think, is pretty ignorant. they just follow whatever mainstream media has to say. when he constantly says we are broke, he never puts it to the point of explaining just exactly how we are broke and how it affects people personally. he does not say your money is worthless. he does not talk about the de valuation of our money. he does not talk about this. our standard of living will continue to decline. guest: you bring up a great point.

you hit the nail on the head. that is what we are trying to explain to people. that is what we are trying to communicate. it is difficult is tough. you are right. we can do better. we need to wake up this entire country. fortunately, we have woken up a good chunk of them. dr. paul always says he is striving to do better. he realizes he is not the perfect messenger. i think he is a wonderful messenger. i think he is a best messenger we have ever had. he realizes he can do better. we realize he can do better. the campaign can do better. we need to continue to fine- tune the message. you are right. we can continue to personalize the message and let people know how this will affect them. what does it mean that we have a $15 trillion deficit? what does it mean that the deficit exceeds the gdp? what does it mean that the fed is creating trillions of dollars out of thin air? what does it mean if we start to bail out the european debt

crisis? how will that affect our seniors? you are right. it is a big message. it is powerful. it is important. host: an e-mail from a viewer in illinois. guest: well, i would disagree that his legislative record is not impressive. i think congress is very unimpressive. ron paul has introduced big ideas and real change. he has advocated. he has voted no so many times, often standing by himself saying no. he has been a lone voice.

he has had some real shining success, too. his passage of legislation to audit the federal reserve brought together a broad coalition of democrats and republicans. i think that's unprecedented to bring together such a broad coalition to pass such substantial, meaningful legislation. ron is very open that just electing him president will not be. a. electing him president would send a tremendous message to the people of washington. people are demanding real change. congress will follow, if the people demand it. sending ron paul to the oval office will send a tremendous message that there's time for change. one other thing. ron has some very pragmatic tools at his disposal to cut $1 trillion in one year to get the

budget balanced in his first term. that is the veto of the debt limit. his plan would eliminate $1.7 trillion in what we consider phonied debt to the federal reserve. the massive spending will probably put us less than $1 trillion under the federal debt limit. ron paul will introduce his plan to congress. it makes sense. bring people together from the left and right, democrats and republicans, and say, "lets have a dialogue about this." bring people together. major we honor our veterans and our seniors. fund our priorities. make sure we have the strongest national defense and the world. make sure we get this budget passed. you would have this one chance to pass a meaningful budget reform. if you do not, i will veto any

attempt to raise the debt limit. you will have an amazing bully pulpit. we will have to come together and work on cutting. get this budget balanced. i will veto any increase in the debt limit. host: 1 last caller ford jesse -- one last caller for jesse benton. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i feel we are broken when a presidential candidate cannot articulate liberty. recently in iowa, ron paul was not able to articulate the meaning of liberty. yesterday, he said, "protect liberty >' y." how can he protect liberty if he

does not know what liberty means in the united states. he does not have my votes. guest: ron paul is not going to get everybody. i think he is the most outspoken advocate of liberty. he says he is not always the perfect messenger, but he tries. i think he is wonderful. i do not think anyone has been speaking out more articulately or more passionately about liberty. host: jesse benton is the national campaign chairman of ron paul for president. we're watching to see how ron paul performs tonight in the iowa caucuses. jesse benton, thank you very much. glad you could be with us this morning. now we're going to matt schultz, iowa secretary of state, who joins us on the phone line. good morning. i wanted to ask you about the

caucus process. it is such a unique system. tell us what happens this evening. take us through how this works. guest: obviously, there is a lot of decision making going into the process. the candidates are here. iowans have a chance to visit with them and get to know them and ask them tough questions. a lot of people go to the caucasus. some people already know who they're going to support and some people do not. when you get there, most of the caucuses are broken down into precincts. there is a location for each voting precinct. there are some places where they come by the altogether and then you brink of. for example, you break off into a school, or into classrooms later. it has been done on a very grass roots, intimate level. when you get there, most of the campaigns have people who get up and speak on their behalf.

they tried to convince your neighbors to go with your candidate. there may be people who have showed up who have narrowed it down to two or three people. then there is a secret ballot. that is how it works in the republican caucus. the democratic caucus is a little bit different. they do not have a competitive caucus this time. they go into a corner of a room and everybody, publicly, tries to convince you to come to their side. the democrats and republicans do it in a little bit differently, but it is a very grass roots setting. you get to try to convince your neighbors to support your candidate. host: how long does the process usually take? guest: a kind of depends. there's party business that

happens at the same time. you choose people to be on the republican or democratic central committee's. those are people who then go to their districts and then the state's. they picked representative -- they pick representatives. sometimes there's arguing that goes on. for the most part, the voting goes on right away. for those people who are not interested in the party business, it can go fairly quick. those people who want to stay and are more active in the other processes, other than just picking the president, it can last a little longer. for most people, about 30 minutes to one hour. four other people, it can last longer. that is usually what it takes.

host: our last guest, jesse benton, chairman of the ron paul campaign, talked about who might come out tonight. they're hoping that some independents choose to register as republicans today so they can participate. can you wait? guest: we are same day voter registration in iowa. parties use that, as well, for purposes of the caucus. you show up. you have to re-register to vote as a republican. those people who do have to bring a photo id with them. that is the republican role. for the democrats, i'm not sure how they're running that, but i'm sure it's very similar. host: the caucuses begin tonight at 7:00 local time. who can watch? will the media be allowed in the role?

-- in the room? guest: my understanding is that you can have observers in the room, as long as they are respectful of the process. obviously, there have been threats by some groups to disrupt the caucus process. media and even people from out of state who are just interested in the process will be allowed to be observers. obviously, you can't vote. host: tell us about how the results are dealt with. the group, anonymous, has threatened to try to interfere and gain access. according to the associated press -- how are you fermenting that?

-- how are you preventing that? guest: the republican party and by what is dealing with that. they have several things they're doing with offsite locations and undisclosed locations for calculating the results. i believe they have gotten private firms involved, as well. they're doing everything they have everything safe and secure. host: when can we expect a final tally? guest: i'm not sure. it may take a little longer because of all the redundancy and all the different processes in place. usually, you know within an hour and half. that is what has happened in the past. host: matt schultz, iowa secretary of state, joining us

on the phone from iowa. thank you. guest: thank you. host: we are talking today about the iowa caucuses, which take place this evening. our guest is representative michele bachmann it one of the -- michele bachmann, one of the candidates. let's take a look and listen to one of her campaign ads. >> she thought obamacare -- she fought obamacare. she will work to reduce america's debt, and create jobs. one of our own. michele bachmann for president. guest: congresswoman michele bachmann. we will be hearing from her in just a few moments on "washington journal" in advance

of the iowa caucuses this evening. you want to join the conversation and ask her some questions, you can do that by e- mail or facebook. you can give some questions for michele bachmann. here is "usa today." reporting from des moines, former house speaker newt gingrich said monday that he did not expect to win today's iowa caucuses.

host: let's take a look at one of the others.

host: let's go to the phones and hear from tony in trenton, new jersey on the line for independents about the iowa caucuses. good morning. caller: i used to be a democrat, but my party has been taken over by liberals. they are destroying the country. i can no longer support a democrat. i am looking for someone in the republican party that can bring the country back together again. our nation is divided more today .han during the 1860's

i do not see any path to straighten it out unless i see someone with high moral standards. i've got my eye on mr santorum from pennsylvania. i recall the remarks he has made over the years. he is a christian, high morals person. i would love to see that man get nominated. host: thank you for your call. our next guest is congressman michele bachmann. she is one of the candidates in iowa and joins us this morning from des moines. we just heard from a caller who said moral fiber is very important to him. do you think you can convince him to come to you? guest: i think so. i am 55 years old. i have a proven record. i'm strong on traditional

marriage between one man and one woman. i have been married to my husband for 33 years. we have raised five biological children and 23 foster children in our home. we have broken hearts for children who are at risk. we have the first k-12 charter school in the country for at risk children. my wife speaks -- my life speaks to it. i came from poverty. i earn my way out of the poverty. when i was 16, i became a christian. i gave my life to jesus christ. he has given me a new hope. that is what this country needs, a new hope, and a new birth of freedom. when we are in hard times, in countering the difficulties that

our nation is encountering right now, whether it is death or the threat of war, nuclear iran, this is when people begin to pause and reflect on what works and what does not work. people need someone who can tell them the truth. i am a person who was very forthright. i say what i mean. i mean what i say. then i do it. people may not agree with me, but the one thing they know is i am real. i am sincere. that's part of what we're looking for for the next leader of the united states. someone who is not a politician. that is my calling card. i took on the establishment. i still and the girl who was raised and born in iowa. this is the value that created the greatness of the united states. those are the values that we need again. no one owes you a living.

i remember my parents and my grandparents say in that. it is important that we have opportunity, not the government guaranteed results. host: representative michele bachmann is running for president. she was the first republican woman to represent the state of minnesota. you led the iowa straw polls a few months ago. now you are pulling far below some of your competitors. react to your place in "the des moines register" poll on sunday. guest: this has been like wall street. no one has ever seen a presidential race like this where a candidate will shoot up to the top and be in first place for a matter of days or a couple of weeks and then drop. it is a very volatile time. wall street is like that. this is a political wall street. the question is, what about staying power? what the voters are looking for

has not changed. they want someone who is a true, core conservative. people have not found any political surprises in my past that would cause my candidacy to go down. they have seen candidates come into the race with money and a lot of excitement, but then people turn away from those candidates. i did what no other candidate did. i embarked on a 99 countiey tour. i am the only candidate with any current national security experience. this is a big issue. yesterday, iran announced that they have a nuclear fuel rods. they also tested a missile delivery system. it demonstrated two things. iran has the will to create a nuclear weapon. they have demonstrated the ability to transport that nuclear weapon to a target. this is very serious and highly

dangerous. i sit on the intelligence committee. we deal with the classified secrets of our country, just like president obama. we do not have time for the next president to get up to speed on dealing with these very serious issues in foreign policy. of all the candidates, i am the only one who is prepared, as commander-in-chief, to take over and assume the responsibility, and deal with the very real responsibility and threat of a nuclear iran. host: we were looking at "the des moines register" poll. you're in single digits. you come in fifth or sixth in iowa, what happens from there? guest: we have bought our tickets to south carolina. we will be campaigning there. then we will be in new hampshire. i will participate on the debate on saturday. these are snapshots in time.

i won early on. the only statewide race that anyone has won so far -- i am the only woman to ever win out of minnesota. i won as a minnesota member of congress. this is a long race. not only do we have iowa, we have new hampshire, south carolina, and florida. we are in this for the distance. i think america is ready for a new, bold, distinct president. it was someone who will follow in the footsteps of a ronald reagan or margaret thatcher. of all the candidates, i am the one who has been leading. i would ask the question, where were the other candidates during the fight for obamacare.

mitt romney, who instituted socialized medicine. rick perry, who also got behind health-care mandates. they are never going to repeal obamacare. i'm the only one who will. host: let's get to the phones and hear what america has to say. virgil on the line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning, c-span. my question for representative bachmann is, with the majority of our financial support going towards ron paul than any other candidate -- how can you justify your comments that ron paul's foreign policy is dangerous and that he would wait until one of our cities got nuked before responding? i do not understand how our own

military can support ron paul. guest: i do not know how our military could support ron paul either. he would be the most dangerous precedent that we could have. he is to the left of barack obama. he is more liberal bethan barack obama. when it comes to legalizing heroin and cocaine, not standing up at the federal liberal to protect marriage -- overall level to protect marriage between a man and woman. the most frightening aspect of his foreign policy, the fact that he thinks it is just fine for iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. this is madness. as recently as august and september of this year, the president of iran stated unequivocally that he wants to see israel eradicated. in other words, he wants to wipe israel off the face of the earth. imagine. ron paul would stand by and

watch iran take out the nation of israel and murder millions of innocent people. also, iraq has stated unequivocally in august and also in september when the president of iran came to the u.n. general assembly -- they would also take out the united states. they would kill millions of people and then ron paul would act in self-defense. as commander-in-chief, i would do everything within my power. i would use everything at my fingertips to prevent that sort of a tragedy from occurring in the united states. we need a president who has taken off their politically correct cglasses. you need to look no further than the iranian constitution. it states unequivocally -- a

religious system based upon violent radicalism. that is what the constitution of the ron states -- of iran states. we need to stop it. host: matt asks in footer if you believe a war with iran is inevitable -- on twitter if you believe a war with iran is inevitable. guest: i hope not. unfortunately, barack obama has weakened the united states more than any other president. a terrible mistake on the part of barack obama. it parallels the mystics jimmy carter made in the late 1970 -- it parallels the mistakes jimmy carter made in the late 1970's.

that was the rise of modern jihad. we have seen thousands of americans killed because the modern jihad. we need to stand against the price of the islamists. we need to stand up so the united states remains free, safe, and sovereign. i will do that as commander-in- chief. host: tim on the line for independents joins us from denver, colorado. caller: thank you. i worked on the reagan campaign. i think that george w. bush, in terms of raising taxes, -- i voted for clinton and obama ever since. i will vote for obama again. my question to you -- i think you are an extremely intelligent woman. i think ron paul is an extremely

intelligent person producing -- person. you both seem pragmatic. you're going into environment where it will be very difficult to win on the very right edge of the party. is there any rationale -- does it make any sense for you to reading for the campaign and take a more pragmatic -- to retinker the campaign and tell approach?re pragmatic here is the middle ground that makes the most sense. host: let's get a response from our guest. guest: it is important for you and the viewers to know why i'm running for president of the united states. again, i am a real person. i earn my way up out of poverty by god's grace. i became a federal tax lawyer. my husband and i raised five kids.

host: what do think about the idea of tailoring a message to make it softer around the edges and talk about the good and bad that has come out of the last few administrations? guest: i have talked extensively about the hope that we have. we have one shot to turn the country around. the one thing we have to do is repeal obamacare. that is what employers say -- the reason they are not hiring. they fear the cost and the regulatory burden associated with obamacare. there is no other candidate that is willing to stand and have the resolve to get rid of it. i really do care about the next generation and the kids and the opportunities that america has. we will fall behind if we do not repeal socialized medicine. that was barack obama's

intention. that was bill clinton's plan. socialized medicine. that will not work for america. we need freedom. we need liberty. where were the other candidates during these fights? i have been in the middle of the fight against obamacare. why? what am i for? freedom. liberty. a higher standard of living. a better life for the next generation. that is what i am for. i'm giving that message because the american people the true hope and true change. they were told they were going to get that under barack obama. instead, we have misery under an economy that cannot recover. i can do that. i have the practical experience, background, and know-how, and the heart of love and compassion to stand up for this next generation of americans who deserve so much better. host: howards asked on facebook

-- which government departments would you close or downside? guest: we need to pull about $1.5 trillion out of spending this year alone. the federal government spent $3.7 trillion. they brought in $2.2 trillion in revenue. it's 10 times more than 2007, the last year republicans handle the budget. that was $160 billion in deficit. this is the $1.5 trillion. it is 10 times more. i will repeal the legislation that anax these departments. the department of education. epa. we already have 50 epa's across this country. same with the department of interior, energy, and commerce. there are functions that need to

go back to the states that the federal government should get out of. only need to look at article one, section eight of the constitution to see the limits on congress. congress has ignored the constitution. i will not. if we get back to following the constitution, we will not be in deficit spending any more. host: lloyd from virginia joins us on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. guest: good morning. caller: you keep saying that you rally against government. you keep saying by the grace of god you came up from poverty. my question is, how much money have you gotten from the government for those 28 foster kids of yours? you and i both know that you will never be president of the united states of america.

guest: i earned my way out of poverty by god's grace. my mother and father divorced, as has happened to millions of other americans. my family went from middle-class to below poverty overnight. my mother did the very best that she could. she could not even afford to buy my glasses. i started babysitting to fill the gap. it is not unusual. a lot of americans go through that. i work thened and did everythini could. what i did was not forget children who are in challenging circumstances. we did the best thing we could. we open our hearts. we opened our home. we brought children into our home. we raise them up. they were great kids. they have just come on hard times. reaching out to people who are

in trouble and try to make them live their lives better. host: do you think foster families should get funding to take care of kids like that? i think the caller asked how much you received. guest: well, it may be different in every state. in our case, there's a reimbursement for the food and clothing. it is not minimum-wage. it's not intended to pay anyone. no one is paid to do foster care. it is something where a person voluntarily takes children into their homes but i want to urge your viewers this morning to consider foster care -- into their home. i want to urge your viewers this morning to consider foster care. the state will reimburse for food and clothing. cannot put a price tag on loving a child. that is what i think is important. been there for kids who need someone in their lives. host: "the new york times" has a

story. it says it is unclear what kind of grass roots lift your campaign gained. what do you think about that? was it a worthwhile endeavor to take the cross state trip that you did? guest: we think it was. we demonstrated that commitment to iowans. we're thrilled that we did it. we saw thousands of people make a decision and go our way in the last few weeks. host: do you think it will make a difference? guest: of course it will. when i took it to ron paul over his dangerous policies over allowing a nuclear iran -- that is what energized people. people saw that this is becoming

a much bigger issue now. the volatility and the violence intended on the world's stage by the part of those that are radical islamists. i stand up against that. people see in me an individual that can take barack obama in the debates, the feed him come and go want to be the next president -- debates, defeat him, and go on to be the next president. guest: i do not deny your sincerity but i think you are stating the obvious. people already know the problems. the people who caused this are still in office. john boehner and his group are much like bill clinton and all the rest of them. they started these problems. in my line of work, a retired police worked -- if you make those kind of mistakes, you get fired. lookout terrible things have to

be before people -- look how terrible things have to be. it is a continued roller coaster. it is ridiculous. i am all in favor of going to war with iran, if you and mitt romney send your children first. i will be right behind you. thank you. guest: we need to take a look at who the commander-in-chief is, barack obama. we need to look at with the head of the senate is, harry reid. their effort has been to spend $1 trillion on building up big government. $1 trillion in "stimulus money." barack obama told us we would have unemployment down and it would never reach 8%. that was obviously a failed policy on the part of barack obama. barack obama told us we would

see a reduction in health insurance premium of $2,500 per year, per household, if we passed obamacare. instead, the opposite happened. every prescription he has put forward has been an absolute failure. rather than taking responsibility for his poor decisions as the president of the united states, he has been blaming everyone else. these are his policies. i will stand on the stage and hold barack obama accountable for those failures. that's what we need. i have thought barack obama. he knows me. we need someone who has already taken him on. that is what i have done. i have lived that life, as well. we need someone who knows what to do and who will stand up. host: sheila asks what you would do if you got rid of the affordable health care law.

she asks if that is the christian way? guest: we have not had a national health-care system prior to this. we have had the finest health care system world. unfortunately, obamacare will destroy the finest health care system in the world. that is why i am actively working to repeal obamacare. every state has a monopoly in the insurance industry. i would and that monopoly the insurance companies have been instead, i would allow any american to buy any health insurance they want anywhere in the united states with no minimum federal requirements. you cannot do that today. i want to take the real issue in health care, which is cost. that will help enormously. secondly, i want people to pay for their health insurance with their own tax-free money.

what ever their health need is, i want them to be able to pay for it with their own tax-free money. that is also cheaper. i want true medical malpractice reform. if you do those three items alone, you will significantly drop the cost of health care. you will have higher quality health care for a greater pool of people at a lower price. we have to get government out of health care and let the free market determine the products. host: what about the poorer americans that cannot afford that? guest: we have always had charitable organizations. that's how hospital started. churches began the first hospitals. if you have a federal liability shield so that doctors, nurses, and hospitals could offer free care to people who cannot afford

it, they will end. they used to. when i was a little girl in iowa, my mother did not take us to the doctor -- except when we needed it, but when we went, a doctor's visit was $5. what doctors and nurses used to do is just offer free care. when they knew the people and knew that truly through no fault of their own they could not afford the care -- now costs are artificially high because government is intervening and telling all of us who are paying for health care that we have to pay more. personal responsibility is a big part of the united states. healthcare is within range, if we just allow the free market to prevail. host: michelle, democratic caller, good morning. are you with us? go ahead. you have a moment to ask your

question of representative bachmann. caller: why do we have to interfere in iran and other quiecountries, worrying about wt kind of bombs they are building when we are doing it ourselves? what gives you the right to judge people on shoowho should e allowed to get married and who should not? host: a question on iran and a question on gay marriage. guest: the united states has never said that they want to use a nuclear bomb to wide another nation of the face of the earth. that's very different from iran , a nation that has stated unequivocally in their constitution that they believe in jihad, and they believe in establishing a dominance of their religion and of their governance structure. it is