[general room >> the left does not like you, and they are trying to get rid of you. >> right. >> welcome to new hampshire. >> thank you, sir. >> it is the primary company. [unintelligible] >> that is pretty good for the east coast. that is pretty high.

>> good to see you. >> senator, how are you. -- how are you? >> just because you are eating does not mean you can ask a question. i have to talk to voters. >> i listened to you in iowa, and that is exactly what i wanted to hear for so many years. take care of that beautiful family of yours. good luck to you. >> thank you. it is so kind of you to come. >> good to see you again. >> you sign better than most

lawyers. >> thank you. [unintelligible] >> we are so banged up. [laughter] [unintelligible] >> all from maryland? what are you doing here? >> we came to see you.

>> good. >> i was in [unintelligible] when i was growing up as a kid we used to hate for -- i used to pay to the browns, but now i just feel bad for them. >> you are so mature. how are you? >> high. nice to meet you. do you like waffles? too.e like waffles,

>> thank you very much. very nice to me you. >> i will work my way back. [unintelligible] >> hi, nice to meet you. >> hello, everybody. good to have you here. nice to see a. -- see you. [unintelligible]

>> a pork-barrel spender -- on- camera of? >> it is simple. i voted and was very active on entitlement reform, the area where the big budget deficits are. that differentiated me from the senator john mccain. hi actively went out. john mccain focused on a small area of spending called earmarks that is not going to solve the deficit problems. i supported, but it will not solve budget problems. the budget problems are taking

on entitlement programs, which many members of congress did not do, and i did. >> how are you. congratulations on your way and in iowa. >> thank you. >> this is my best wife, priscilla. >> your best wife? how are you? >> when you can make it, it would be nice. >> we are going to get around. thank you very much. [unintelligible] >> senators, thank you for coming. i saw you on television the other night. i did not know much about you, but i was very impressed. [unintelligible]

>> thank you so much. you can come that in front of all of these cameras, right? you could give me a big boost in the campaign. >> senator, your position on the president of iran -- with president obama's position on iran, how did it differ? >> i put forth a plan on that. it is clear. i have a strong plan to make sure iran does not get nuclear weapons. >> i have a question about that. [unintelligible] >> i set as a last resort. >> go to war? >> [unintelligible]

>> israel took out a nuclear pact in syria. did not start a war. >> perrin -- iran is not scared. >> that is because they think they can push us around because they have. >> continue to keep working. [unintelligible] >> one of the big priorities i'm going to put up their is reforming the entitlement program.

that is what it is a point to take. you have to have an honest discussion with the american people. >> to you have any thoughts -- do you have any thoughts on senator john mccain's, you? >> i will put my record on entitlement reform and reducing spending against his. more important, governor romney's record on entitlement reform, which is not strong. [unintelligible] >> we are from poland.

>> we abandoned poland by not deploying them the style defense system there. [unintelligible] >> this is the photographer. he will get us. >> thank you so much. >> i feel bad for these people trying to eat their lunch. >> thank you for coming. >> you guys got to keep moving. [unintelligible] >> senator, are you taking

questions? senator, are you taking questions? i guess not, since you're totally ignoring me, not even making the pie contest. -- i contacted >> can i have a conversation and talk to you while i talked? [unintelligible] >> how many people would not have health insurance? [unintelligible] >> there are programs like that. there are programs that incentivize people to be hired. >> they do not give a dollar-for dollar tax cut. >> i did not think that is the best way you do it.

>> i will do one, then i have to move. there you go. >> thank you, good luck. >> you are welcome. i decided maybe i could take one day to see what kind of reaction i get. >> handsome guy. how're you come a little money? do you want your ball back? nice to see a. >> thank you. good luck. >> should i bother everybody else back here? >> sure. >> are we going to go this way? >> yes, we are going to go this way. >> good to see you. sorry. >> not a problem. >> how are you? >> good. >> hello, young lady, how are

you? >> i am charles. >> hi, charles. good to see a parent thank you. -- good to see you. thank you. >> can i ask you a question? >> sure. >> how do you keep health care costs down and make it affordable? >> you have to involve the consumer. right now the consumer is separated from the health-care system. a third party is basically paying every bill. that is the principal reason we see health-care costs continue to go up. if your auto insurance policy, and you have a $700 fender bender, and your insurance covers the first $500, will you turned in? now.

that is the problem. we need consumers taking partial responsibility. right now there was a law that if you have insurance any move from insurance to insurance that can not decline you. >> i just did that. i was working for an employer. they have to cover my daughter who has a pre-existing condition because the law says, rightfully, and i support this, that if you have insurance, no insurance can deny it. we should expand the law to say that if you're any insurance, not just group insurance, but also individual insurance. obama law says if you did not have insurance they have to cover you. what if we did that? they are waiting for the mandates. if you have a program that says you have to cover anybody,

whether they have insurance or not with a pre-existing condition, why are people going to do? they are going to wait until they get sick to buy insurance. how is that going to work? every young person says why my buying insurance, when i can wait until i am in the ambulance? you have to create an incentive so when you come off of your parent's policy, you can buy insurance and ensure they will never hit you with a pre- existing clause. so, it is an incentive for everyone to stay insured. that is a pre-existing conditions are supposed to do. >> what is your opinion on the recess appointments. >> the united states senate should shut down until an appeal pushes them back. >> good luck. >> i'm going to come right back.

how are you? >> hello. >> is a real new hampshire guy. >> how will the year? -- how old are you? [unintelligible] >> very nice to meet you. >> thank you. >> congratulations on a pile up. >> thank you. -- iowa. >> thank you.

>> how are you? >> this is my wife. >> high. -- hi. >> i am from pennsylvania. >> up in the northeast. there you go. >> nice to meet you. >> thank you. >> good luck. >> thank you. sorry to interrupt your lunch. >> i am checking it out. >> good luck. >> thank you. >> we are working. >> i am of the 99% of occupy new hampshire and i asked that those of you who wish to represent

listened to the voice of the 99%. >> i am going to do my best. i will listen to the 100%. >> i am the following years since 1994. 5 a good question for you and it is about executive experience. i've listened and read everything but have not heard a lot about your experience in that than you. >> it is truly leadership experience. if you look at my experience on the armed services committee, and a national security measures, i have more experience than anybody to be commander in chief. it is a unique set of principles. you did not get that in a corporate board room. was a principal purpose and responsibility -- what is the principal purpose of responsibility of the president? >> protecting our borders. >> with the experience that matters, i have more experience. it scares me when you hear people say i have business

experience, as the president of the united states runs the economy. the president of the united states runs our military and our national security policy, has some impact on the economy, but not as the leader. the congress passes legislation dealing with the economy, and your job is not to like a ceo -- no present -- president ordered me when i was in the senate. you have to persuade. that is not the job of a ceo. look at my track record. what i've been able to accomplish in persuading people to come to my position is a lot stronger. if you line up based on experience -- i love people that talk about executive experience. when you look at experience that i have for the role of the president, which is different than ceo, a high stack up much better than anybody else in this field at >> and will protect our borders? >> you bet i will.

>> thank you. >> thank you. >> good luck. >> how are you? nice to see both of you. >> doing great. >> can you guys get a picture? >> we would love to. >> thank you. >> thank you for spending the time doing the hard work. >> you bet. >> got it? >> do you see yourself as strong as michele bachmann was on getting rid of obama-care? >> i actually put forth a deal -- detailed plan to actually do it she never did that. i would not be in this race if it was not for obama-care. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> he would like your autograph.

>> you can just give it to me. >> next week we have the kids heading to south carolina. thank you. i appreciate your help. >> nice to meet you. >> thank you very much. >> yes. >> thank you. good luck, and god bless. >> how are you? >> good. >> nice to meet you, sir. >> thank you. i appreciate your help. >> we were joking about that on the phone. can i get my picture? >> absolutely.

everybody have their verizon phone? >> exactly. >> even better. >> that came out a beautiful. >> all right. >> thank you. >> i appreciate it. >> perfect. >> i appreciate your help. >> you bet. >>, this way? >> absolutely. >> share. how are you? >> i am worried about jobs.

>> me, too. >> [unintelligible] the people and normally do in manufacturing are sitting at home. >> i have been saying -- >> i have been saying what about santorum. >> coming up. >> good luck. >> thank you. [unintelligible]

[unintelligible] >> my goodness. you have a lot of stuff. >> i have a table. >> can we let bob through? >> this is just going to be a. >> ok. to you have a camera? >> ok. there we go. >> take a couple, if you do not mind. >> i will. >> hold on. >> he is holding me up. >> here we go.

>> got it? >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> you are very welcome. nice to meet you. >> thank you. >> thank you for coming. >> you bet. >> senator, senator? >> enjoy your lunch. >> thank you very much. >> nice to see. did you want to be in the picture? >> we have friends here. we can do a group one. >> you just pass it and let go. thank you. good luck.

[laughter] >> one, two. >> hold on. >> sneaking in. >> one, two, three. >> got it? >> thank you very much. >> you are what compared >> the best way out? >> -- you are welcome. >> the best way out? [unintelligible]

>> i am sorry. nice to see appeared >> i appreciate your help on tuesday. >> -- nice to see you. >> i impeach -- i appreciate your help and >> senator, your gained momentum since iowa. the thing he will keep it? >> we are getting a lot of great feedback, great enthusiasm, and a lot of folks saying they're excited i am here. i saw you can ask for. >> any thoughts on how you will fare in the primary? >> we have a long, long haul. we need to show momentum, that we are moving up, and not stop at 4%. >> yes, sir. god bless you. >> thank you. >> there is a light right behind you.

>> there we go. >> awesome. good luck. thank you. >> how are you? >> more than eight. you have a good crowd. >> we of cds news here. -- cbs news. >> go ahead. >> senator, everyone talks about jobs being the number one issue. when will you do to restore manufacturing, or can it be restored? >> absolutely it can. right now american is 20% more business -- more expensive to do business. government regulation, taxation, litigation -- what i've done is

look at that and said what can we do to level the playing field. i do not want to reduce our labour rates. i want good manufacturing jobs in this country. we have to get rid of the competitive disadvantage we have. the limit the corporate tax for manufacturers. if you do leave this country, if you bring that money back, you will not pay taxes on it. if you invest in equipment here in america. we also say that we eliminate all regulations that will cost over $100 million a year. some we will eliminate completely, but the ones that will shut down 60 coal-fired power plants. the state has absolutely phony statistics. that will drive up the cost of electricity which will make us

again less competitive from amend affecting point of the apparent regulations, energy costs, -- from pay electricity point of -- competitiveness point of view. regulations, energy costs, excess taxes have been hurting the economy, which are small town manufacturing towns spread all throughout america, but particularly in some important states like pennsylvania, ohio, michigan. people say you are doing it for political purposes. i am doing it because that is where i grew up. i grew up in pennsylvania. most of my friend's father's work in the mills and provided a good stable living for them. 21% of the people were employed in manufacturing when i was growing up. now it is down to 9% and it is

one of the principal reasons small town america has been struggling. we need to turn that around. >> how was your fundraising today? >> you got $1 million yesterday? >> it was amazing. we had a great day yesterday. >> are you looking for the small contributions? >> i think, yes. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> it looks like we are having some technical problems with our coverage of senator rick santorum. tonight, he is hosting a town hall meeting. with the new hampshire primary coming up next tuesday, this coming monday, c-span 3 web past concessions and the three speeches from 2000, 2004, and 2008.

speeches from al gore, bill bradley, john mccain, and george w. bush. that starts today on c-span 3 at two o'clock p.m. eastern. newt gingrich will be at a town hall meeting. we'll have live coverage at 7:00 p.m.. c-span two will be live as the nashua republican city committee holds their annual meeting. c-span two. the live coverage gets underway at 7:00 p.m. eastern. remarks now from former ambassador jon huntsman during a campaign appearance in manchester yesterday.

>> hello, everyone. how are you. we are doing a first here today in our campaign in new hampshire outreach, where you know we strongly encourage employees to get involved with the political process. in new hampshire, what a better place to do it then be in a first in the nation primary state. i know we are accustomed to doing it. we are pleased to have a cabinet come to our home and spend some time with us today. we have with us governor jon huntsman, had to do an apology to earlier, he was understanding. he was to be here in october,

and do you remember what we were doing in october? we were restoring power to about to the 30,000 customers. we were out doing good works to get our customer service back. we are so happy to be able to meet with him now. let me tell you a little bit about the governor. some of you know that some point -- one point i live in utah while i was in the air force. it certainly brings back some memories. although, when i was there it was before the governor was governor. jon huntsman served as governor of utah from 2005, to 2009, and went on to be ambassador to china, which i think is a remarkable assignment and full of experiences, i'm sure. he also serves as the executive of this family business. he has business experience. then, he went on to be the ambassador to singapore. he also served as deputy

secretary of commerce, quite an impressive resonate, and quite a history of good civil service. we think and for all of those things. last year he decided he is going to run for president of the united states, and that is brought him here with us today. when he is not working, i am told, he enjoys riding his harley. so, for those of live in new hampshire, we know about our motorcycle event in june. it has been a lifelong passion. he is a graduate of the university of pennsylvania, and his wife is here with him. i acknowledge his wife, whom together they have seven children. they have two sons, three daughters, and two adopted daughters. i am so very pleased -- i am so

very pleased to have the governor with us >> thank you. thank you, gary. ladies and gentlemen, is a great honor to be here with all of you today. the new hampshire primary, give me a break. i am the guy from out west that never thought i would be doing this. involved in the new hampshire primary is an extraordinary experience. last night, i walked out to a town hall meeting that was packed with more people that i ever thought we would see. we started his journey with some beliefs had ideas in the deep love for this country. a few people come at a house

party 85 yourself with a town hall meeting as you did last night. the system works. you've got a message, you are able to connect with people, people turn out. now we will leave it to voters to do the rest. the day before i was in dover, i wasn't greeted by a former cabinet official as i was last life. -- night. i was greeted by a goat. a goat with huntsman stickers on it. a goat that previously bit my knee. i got a christmas card that said "sorry about the knee." and new hampshire politics. ladies and gentlemen, i am running for the united states -- for the president of the united

states of america. we are about the greatest nation that ever was, the next- generation. more divided, more settled with -- saddled with debt, less productive than any time in recent history. what have we done? how did we get here? we exported $3 for every $2 that we imported. science, technology, the highest standard of living in the world. i come from a manufacturing background and i appreciate that. it is a paltry 9%. what have we done. i am twice elected governor and

lived overseas for times. have i experienced every human emotion imaginable? i am not the kind of person to engage in nonsense and rhetoric, but i believe this country needs to begin a journey to get us out of the hole that we are in. in the end, we are a bunch of blue sky problem-solving how optimistic people. this is not who we are, finding ourselves in a hole with a cloud of malaise hanging over us. i don't care of your republican, an independent, a democrat. this is until we are. how we deserve better. -- this isn't who we are. we deserve better.

i want to tackle too incredible issues for the country. i think it will get us to where we need be and we need to begin the journey immediately. the issues are simply this: they're both deficits. the first as a financial deficit. $15 trillion in debt. what are we doing to the next generation of americans? this isn't a debt problem, this is a national security problem, ladies and gentlemen. when you get to 80% debt to gdp, your economy doesn't grow. i say we have to fix that part. i have embraced a credible spending program that takes up

over $6 trillion over six years. we can't afford the luxury of sacred cows. of these discussions that say you can't cut medicare or the department of defense. we are well beyond those days, ladies and gentlemen. we have to have everything on the table and take a very hard- hitting and open-minded luck. we have got to get our spending down to a more sustainable 19%. i want to do for this country when i was able to do, in part, by mistake. we took the state to number one in job creation in this country. we took it to where it was the

best place to the nation for business. we reformed education, we took a good shot at health care reform. we got it back in the game. how to get this country back in the game, and i believe we are on the cusp of the manufacturing revolution and we might not even know it. i come from manufacturing, and i looked for two years over in china. try that is going down in terms of its economic performance. it is going from a 8% or 9% gdp running down to maybe 4%, 5%, 6%. labor is on the rise, manufacturing is out, and so is unemployment. investment the fight itself and to the chinese marketplace is hooked into alternative.

this country would be crazy if we did not recognize what is about to play out in the international marketplace and moreover, and do what needs to be done fixing our taxes, creating a more hospitable regulatory environment and moving toward greater energy independence. there is an opening here in terms of an international economy that is a very important opportunity for this country and i want to take advantage of it. the best way to put people back to work, to close the gap that is so painful because of the lack of jobs and opportunity, we have to expand the economic base. we have to manufacture once again. i want to fix the nation's tax code like the was able to fix the tax code in the state of utah. the best tax policy in the

entire united states, a little bit of leadership and we can nail this economic deficit. we of got to be smart about how we fire the engines of this country. i am not about to leave the legacy of the $15 trillion for the next generation. the deficit number two is not economic. i and believe that it is equally corrosive for the people of this country. the trust deficit. we as people no longer have trusted our institutions of power. when no longer trust our elected officials. how pathetic is this? a nation founded on trust, a free society founded on trust and we are running on empty. congress, 8% approval rating?

where these people hiding? congress needs term limits. [applause] we haven't had a president who has been willing to take up this issue and to lead the charge around the country as i want to do. in harnessing what i believe to be the public will, taking us toward term limits. no one does anything about it. i want to lead the charge. i have seen that the institution called incumbency. it reaches up and grabs people, it grows very deep roots, and people find themselves part of the established order. we wonder why this trust, and this crony capitalism, i will also close the revolving door that allows congress to become lobbyists.

a look at the executive branch. no trust. a president of the criticized crony capitalism only to find himself participating in the same practice with selendra. a president that had a wonderful had bipartisan spending plan fall right on his death and he throws in the garbage can. no leadership when this nation so desperately needs it. a look at our tax code. no trust. if you could afford a lobbyist, we will do just fine. it is full of loopholes and deductions. you could imagine the kind of

dragging his on the economy's performance. no oversight, and just performance that affect about 7% of the population. i put forward a tax reform proposal that has been endorsed by the wall street journal. the only candidate to have his tax program endorsed by the wall street journal calls for the complete elimination of loopholes and deductions. because we can't afford them anymore. they distort the system and on the corporate side, they lead to nothing more than crony capitalism. i want to bring trust back to our tax code. public at our wars abroad and i said, no trust. i want to stand up and tell the

people of the country what we have been able to achieve because it is real, and significant. we've run the taliban from power, same to al qaeda. we've removed osama bin laden, and we've paid a high price as people. at this point, i want our troops home. if it is time for us to come home from afghanistan. [applause] i want to recognize that we don't need the nation building when this nation so desperately needs to be built. if it is weak, we project our values of human rights and open markets. that is the role the united states typically plays.

it isn't 100,000 troops nation building, it is counter terrorism. and how to stand up and tell the american people this. -- i want to stand up and tell the american people this. afghanistan is not this nation's future. iraq is not this nation's future. our future is how prepared we are as people to rise up and hit head-on, the competitive challenges of the twenty first century. the economics in education. that will play out in countries i have lived in before. all i am here to tell you

without a hint of hyperbole, unless we get our act together, rebuilding our core, we will see the end of the american century by 2050. that is not the legacy i am about to leave for the next generation. i look at wall street and i say, no trust. banks that are to been to fail. so we can fix our taxes and improve the regulatory environment. we can launch a manufacturing renaissance. if we are left with damocles hanging over our heads, banks that are too big to fail. six banks that have assets equal in value to 2/3 of our nation's gdp. if they go down, we all go down.

they will get a bailout if they get sick, and that is not fair. we are not going to do it again. until such time as we have a president, if you are too big to fail, you are too big. capitalism without failure isn't capitalism. we're building a bunch of banks that look like public utilities and this isn't serving our purposes going forward. it makes it near impossible for small businesses today to get a loan because of capital coverage requirements. i went to a place called lindey's diner. all of the presence of been there. and you were the first candidate this go around to walk again.

i like our chances. i went to the counter and i sat next to a middle-aged man, struck up a conversation. good man. ask him what he did. he said, i restore old motorcycles. i said, i have your vote already, i have a 40-year motorcycle rider. you also love guns in this state. with a name like huntsman, give me a break. i struck up a conversation. i repair old motorcycles. i would like to expandit, but i can't. i have no debt, but i can't get a loan because of the coverage requirements. if i could -- what are you doing about health care? he said, i can't afford it.

i haven't seen a doctor in 18 years. it is a good thing i have good genes. welcome to the state of small business in america. it is a tough go for people. and we need a president that will be brave enough to do what needs to be done. friends, you have a choice. the establish tee u willp mitt romney. -- will tee up mitt romney. mitt's a decent guy. i respect him. this nation can't afford a status quo president. you get 47 to 50 members of congress supporting you, will you be able to do what needs to be done closing the revolving

door and tackling trust? no way, no how. if you were the largest recipient of money from wall street, you will be able to take banks? -- take on the banks? no way, no how. in this country needs change, it needs a bold leadership. it needs a president that says, i don't care if i get reelected. it is on behalf of the next generation that we will make them. we have an economic problem called the deficit that is like a cancer eating us alive. we have a trust deficit that is equally corrosive. that is the kind of leadership we need. i am an optimist at the end of the day. i wouldn't be standing before

you if i want an optimist at heart. you look at america from china, you walk the streets to beijing and shanghai, economic growth for 30 years and they think their time has arrived. reflect on the greatest nation that ever was home and all i can tell you is, we are in a funk. we are a little dispirited. which is not who we are ready -- as people. we are optimistic problem solvers, and it will take leadership and it will take leadership with a plan. it is also going to take reminding ourselves that this nation has everything a nation would want to survive and received. that is the other thing you see from 10,000 miles away. this nation has its fall. the confidence and no leadership.

we have stability, rule of law, the longest surviving constitution and the world. we have private property rights even here in new hampshire. we have the greatest colleges and universities in the world. peoplefl stillock here -- people still flock here to attend them. we have the most creative people on earth sitting on their hands because they have no faith, no confidence in the future of this country. we need to re-fire it. we have courageous armed forces. we don't want people coming from the frontlines of combat to the unemployment line. it will be dignity, gratitude, and respect.

we have another greatest generation coming up, they are in your families and in line. they are the friends and neighbors where you can build the country like the greatest generation did. i can feel it coming already. ladies and gentlemen, i want your vote. i would shamelesslyask for it. -- shamelessly ask for it. i can do that, right? if you don't ask, you will never get it. vo to ate, your i have -- but to get your vote, i have to earn it. if you don't like me, i hope that is not the case, your my wife. if you don't like her, you are just crazy. but we have seven kids that can divide and conquer very easily. i want your vote, i need help

and support. in this is the new hampshire primary. this is the window through which the rest of the country can analyze and understand how those running for highest office in the land. give me a break, it is a big deal. you don't get to go out and change the course of the nation's history by a vote. look at iowa. eight votes, it's real. take your vote and invest it wisely. i am asked vo forte and you -- for your vote and your trust. i am asking for the most valuable thing a human being can get another.

i don't know -- for those of you that have never run for president of the united states before, could get up and ask someone for a vote is a big deal. when the meat folks that say, we have watched, look, and learn. i will vote for you. that is a gratifying moment. we are seeing more and more of that in the state. because i'm an underdog. the state gloves underdogs. what happened here? the people of new hampshire has sent us another signal that we can predict. i ask for your help, support, and i am very grateful for the time we have been able to spend your together. -- here together. [applause]

their questions that i would like to get through quickly, and there is a special gas call up. secretary, former governor, former congressman, a hero of mine, tom ridge, the former governor of pennsylvania. [applause] always good guy. it is the thrill of a lifetime to have somebody of tom ridge's stature believe in your cause and go around and introduce you from time to time. we will go to questions and i want to turn a few moments over to tom ridge, if that is a pet. -- if that is ok. yes, sir?

[unintelligible] it is fair to say that mary kay and i have embarked on one of the most comprehensive clinical trials in this particular area of anybody i know. i say that because we have raised seven kids. we have gone public, we have done private. one of my daughters was home schooled. she is a concert pianist. we have an international schools. i walk away from that experience, that and having been governor, with a couple of thoughts. i tried to implement some of them as governor. number one, i walk away with the idea, and we were at a charter school yesterday. do you remember the name of the charter school? the first i school in new england -- i as in ipad -- and i

delivered ipads to every student in that school. those students are now wired and fitted with the most high-tech classroom, i would say, in the world. their approach to learning has totally been transformed. it is a revolutionary concept. it came out in a little town in utah, southern part of the state just south of st. george guest: it was part of the charter school movement we launch. -- just south of st. george. it was part of the charter school movement we launch. we tended to say that the one- size-fits-all program is ok. it is not ok. we need more in the way of real options and choices for our kids. they're learning styles are many. i am also a believer in the idea, as i look in the eyes of these kids yesterday -- each one of these kids as a genius

inside, you know what i mean? sometimes we don't find that until it is too late in life. our job ought to be defined as early as possible what these kids have a talent for an out they can pursue an educational career that will maximize that. that means charter schools, more options for parents, more math, engineering, and science programs, but also more art and music programs, because kids have different learning styles. we have expanded options pretty aggressively in our state. second, i think we need to recognize that education policy is best to prevent at a local level. as governor, -- is best driven at a local level. as governor, i tried my best to discover the value added of education. i don't throw out bromides to throw out political bromides. i tried to figure out the value of the department of education. we have this sinkhole called no

child left behind. i was the first governor to opt out of no child left behind. i notice your governor here did the same thing a little bit later. it was designating some of our schools us not living up to adequate yearly progress based upon someone else's criteria of a good school. our schools were just great. i say that does not make any sense to me, because those of the local level, parents, teachers, school board members, local elected officials, they don't want their schools to fail. they just want tools with which to get it done. no. 3, i found that may be the most powerful programmatic priority for primary schools is early childhood development. we did this in our state and we had some experimental programs. our goal is to nail the pillars of literacy by six or seven. if you can -- your kids, by age

s six or seven, then nail the pillars of literacy, reading, and math, at some cognitive level, you will have given those kids the greatest imaginable. it wi -- you will love given the kids the gift of literacy did they will go on in their academic careers to do pretty good if you cannot catch kids by age six or seven, the pillars of cognitive development, you are going to pay a price. kids will fall through the cracks, you will have a less productive workforce long term. is not always about resources, is about priorities. that is regardless of the neighborhood you come from, your socioeconomic background. early childhood development is powerful and something that all schools ought to be focused on. finally, let me just say that i think our teachers are pretty special people in this country.

my grandfather was a true rabble-rousers'. he was an educator, first and foremost. that was the highest rung possible in a society. when you connect the kid with a teacher, you have the best technology in the world, combined that with it an effective teacher, is an unbeatable combination. i would like to use the bully pulpit of the presidency to encourage our top graduates at our top universities, the top 1/3, but to encourage teaching as a career choice. we need the best and brightest in education. i have seen it in my own kids. mom and dad says in the, and it, "oh, i have heard enough, dad." a teacher says it, and a light goes on. it is a magical connection. i cannot explain it, but it is

real. i want the best teachers the weakening courage to go into the profession. -- the best teachers that we can encourage to go into the profession. i think we need to do a much better job in this country in rebuilding what i think we have hollowed out the last generation or two, and that is our job training, our vocational skill centers, expanding community colleges. if we are going to make this manufacturing renaissance of reality, and i know we can -- is absolutely possible for 25% of the world's gdp, which we are, the most productive workers on earth -- we need training to match up to those needs. i heard about the ball bearings plant in peterborough. they are looking for 60 workers. the job openings. i did two to three different jobs in the last few days. they are looking for workers.

they just cannot find people who are properly trained. we have to start matching our needs in the workforce with education and job skills, vocational acquisition development i love what i heard yesterday. they doing accustomed training program there, same thing we did in our state, where you online job training needs with the local manufacturing. these kids are trained based on a curriculum developed with the business. they walk right out of the program, they have a job. businesses are able to rely upon a flow of well-trained, dedicated workers, which is what they need as well. part in the rambling, but i've got a lot of thought about education reform, because as i said earlier, our long-term interests, our long-term reality as a country, is in fact how prepared we are as people to

meet the competitive challenges of the 21st century. that will mean we have an economy that works and it means we will have classrooms that are producing 21st century it literate people. i have every reason to think we can get there. thank you. another question, comment? yes, sir. >> governor, we are importing a lot of foreign oil exporting those dollars overseas. talk a little bit about your energy policy to reverse that can be morehow wea self sustaining with energy to support our economy. >> well, i want to start by leading a conversation in this nation that points out how ridiculous it is to maintain this heroin-like addiction to

the import of oil, and the transfer of wealth that lands in countries that have nothing more than a transactional relationship with the united states. we are losing a huge opportunity here when we can be doing it based upon what we have. we wake up to the reality in this country that -- we're that -- we are talking about this earlier -- we have more gas than saudi arabia has crude oil. how stupid are we? when are we going to wake up and get with the picture here and start converting more to transportation, converting more to power and electricity generation? and converting more to basic manufacturing? where we are maybe at 19%? they want to go higher, but if they need the clarion call from the bully pulpit that says, folks, it is not a mandate, but here is where the country is going with energy independence to jump on the bus, we are not moving back, we're moving forward. i cannot tell you how many

countries would move -- there is just no clarity. as the first governor to sign onto the pickens plan -- i like the natural gas part of the pickens plan. i have talked to keep and begins about our energy needs. you could talk about the multiplicity of -- i have talked to people and begins about our energy needs. you could talk about the multiplicity of products. sun and when it will play a role in the future. that is where science and technology takes us. the question becomes, if we do it in a non-subsidized fashion -- if you cannot, in crashes and burns. we have to build a bridge from today to the inevitable tomorrow, whenever that is. that's begin building the bridge with the products we have in abundance. when elected president -- i am not one who is going to promise the moon -- here is the one step we are going to take. i lifted this reality.

i never thought -- lived this reality. i never thought i would drive and natural gas card. i met someone who said, "i would love to take the black suburban of years and converted to natural gas." i never knew you could do that. around in the state. we started a wide-ranging conversation around the state about alternative fuels, only to find that the limiting feature was that there was no distribution, no philip stations. the last thing the governor wanted to have happened was to get caught 300 miles from nowhere did i went to public utilities and said, "folks, you can be added this debate or you can be behind. i need help in building infrastructure to get the marketplace moving, so people began buying up," which they did we ended up designating and natural gas corridor. the one thing i want to do as president -- i want to break up

this one-product distribution monopoly. it is not serving our needs. it favors oil and only oil. that is not right, that is not fair. all the other products we want to begin drawing from. it could be the most powerful contribution to its energy independence of anything. if we want energy independence, we have to have the infrastructure with which to do it. words are just words unless you can talk about the infrastructure. i want to deal with the distribution system -- i want to do to the distribution system what we did with the broadcast communications in the 1970's. we went from three stations to a multiplicity of the stations c. let's start the journey. that's get a president who can advocate in favor of making that very important step, without which is a whole lot of talk and we don't have the with

which to get something done -- and we don't have the infrastructure in place with which to get something done. this isn't uncommon, is a great honor and privilege to call up to this -- ladies and gentlemen, is a great honor and privilege to call up to the stand, congressman, governor, a great friend, tom ridge. [applause] >> thank you, great job. thanks, ladies and gentleman. about your bucket list, but i've got one, and i have always wanted to be introduced by the next president of the united states. i feel pretty good about that. thank you, governor huntsman. that isn't uncommon, it is a great pleasure to join you today. -- ladies and gents, and, it is a great pleasure to join you today. i'm not presumptuous to say that abouting i say

governor huntsman will change your mind, because hopefully it is made up. but likely -- potential reality you are still some undecided, let me add some might things to yours. -- some of my things to your spirit you see a lot of candidates, and they at a bunch of celebrities with them. as i told the governor huntsman, the only person i know politically in my life -- i have run for office eight times. i retired undefeated, like rocky marciano. i think i will keep it that way. is a good thing. -- it is a good thing. my father. my dad worked two jobs all his life. respect and integrity, and people say -- he worked with respect and integrity, people say, "that is tom ridge's kid, i

am going to a vote for him." we need in this country principled leadership that we can trust. i think the governor has said it probably more thoughtfully and responsibly than any other candidate has said. when you give him the vote, you just they will do everything as they possibly can to do what they promised you they would do when they saw that vote. when they saw to your support, when they ask for your trust. the governor has talked very beautifully about the two deficits, the financial and the trust deficit. at the end of the day, i think this country needs a principled leader that we can trust. i start off by being governor- centric. once a gov, always a gov.

every day was a good day did some were a little bit better than others, but every day was a good day to be gov. we have a couple of governors in the race. what governor is the most consistent conservative? what governor has had no epiphanies in terms of their approach towards really important and dramatic issues? what governor says to you today what he said to his utah constituents years ago and what he will say to the american public months and years from now? i want a consistent conservative. someone we can trust. governor huntsman. i want the governor who has the most effective record, the most accomplished record. take a look at the governor's. they have covered great states, at they have records. but look at the governor who, during his tenure, had the most progressive record with growth.

governor huntsman. he had the best-managed state. when you drive the entrepreneurs, you drive -- you have the most consistent conservative. which of all the candidates as the best economic plans the to generate the kind of momentum and energy in the economy? "the wall street journal" look at all the candidates and said it governor huntsman, his tax plan will do that. all right, is a pretty complicated world. we need a 21st century governor, a modern, to come our principled governor, a governor you can trust, a governor with a great record. how about foreign policy experience? 21st century is unlike anything we have lived before. america's future prosperity and security depends on how we engage the rest of the world, not withdrawing from 8. you cannot lead, he cannot

secure, he cannot create jobs domestically -- you cannot secure, you cannot create jobs domestically unless you are involved in a thoughtful and smart way across the rest of the world. here we have not only the most accomplished and season it candidate and governor, we have the only one. is not a high threshold. -- it is not a high threshold. nobody else has the kind of experience -- it does not mean it they are bad candidates, it means they are lacking and that an -- in an important area. and it is not a job for ojt, on- the-job training with foreign policy. i have relationships with friends on the other side of the aisle. i really appreciate governor huntsman's civility. i appreciate the thoughtfulness of his answers.

somebody asked a great question about a education. there is no sound bite. he's not going to turn himself into a pretzel to figure out a way to get everybody to agree. i know a lot of my democratic friends -- they have all said to me, "the candidate on your side of the aisle that we think is the most electable, the one that will probably keep us out at night -- up at night --" and let's face it, president obama is a formidable candidate, a formidable fund-raiser, has a formidable electoral machine. we know that. we need somebody who's electable. the most electable candidate of them all, if you combine all of those experiences and you are interested in unseating the president of the united states, is governor huntsman. i talked with many of you with my friend john mccain. he was running and in the face

of the "hope and change" presidential nominee on the other side, powerful rhetoric. i have adopted that. i hope we have changed, too. i hope you are part of that change. one of the beautiful parts of new hampshire, when the good governor decided he was going to focus on new hampshire, it is the first primary. i say this with enormous respect, because i know most of the candidates on the republican side of the aisle, good men and women all. a look at the iowa results -- never that bad at math, but if you have 25% of the registered republicans voting and you get 25% of that 25%, you have an excited about 6% of the registered republicans in iowa. i don't think that is a mandate for much. certainly not a coronation. what happens in new hampshire is you say to the national press

and to all of the pundits and analysts, there is a new game in town. this is a primary state. we are decision makers, a game changer is. i am quite confident that as of next tuesday night, there is one more fiscally conservative, principled, consisting conservative leader you can trust in the race part of that .ix gov. jon huntsman. happy new year to you all very by the way -- happy new year to you all. by the way, i appreciate the work you did great you work under a lot of scrutiny from regulators and legislators. you do call and i drove -- you sddo coal and hyrdo. -- hydro. as jon said, we should put

it all in one basket and figure out how to use it all. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] >> thank you, governor ridge. it is a pleasure to have you with us also. i want to thank you for sitting, particularly as homeland security secretary during a challenging time in our countries history. very pleased to meet even talk to you. [applause] if you could come up again, i would like to present you a token of our appreciation on a day like today, so cold, but this is for you to wear. governor, we thank you so much for your time, for your comments, for sharing your thoughts with us. we wish you well. i know that many in the crowd would like a moment to talk to you personally.

we will be here and enjoy our time with you. the governor will be available if you would like to do some one-on-one talk with the governor. you can learn more about him. thank you for joining us today. [applause] >> thanks for being here. >> it seems that nobody wants to -- [unintelligible] >> what you are elected as governor, you have a year-and-a- half of goodwill from people and some element of cooperation from the legislature, congress, and if you don't get it done and then, you are in trouble. with the president finds itself today is he has gone beyond the

year-and-a-half, and people have shut the door. we did not get enough done during that year and half. obamacare, which is about to be reversed, with good reason. we did not get the economic fixes that we need it. the next president, and i hope i am eight, needs to take advantage of that opening with a clear-cut and well defined ideas. >> enjoy your stay in the state. >> i appreciate that. thank you. thank you for giving us the listening -- >> i will have to look thoroughly into your positions . i am interested in what you do about iran. >> i think represents the most transcendent threat on the foreign policy standpoint. i think we need to take a hard line.

i think the implications of that in the middle east and israel are potentially catastrophic, and i don't think that is right. we need to do something about it. >> meddling -- meddle, meddle, meddle, and it is blowing up. >> we need to strike in areas clearly defined by national interests. we missed an opportunity with the persian spring in 2009. we went into libya, where i don't think we had a well- defined national security interest. we are that touring israel all the while. -- are lecturing israel all the while. no wonder it is a confused region. >> my view is that we don't need another war if we don't know what we are publishing and we don't know why we are there. >> now, if we are going to use national security assets,

elements of power, we need to make sure it is in our national security interests, and that we're not spread so thin that we cannot do it right. >> i was for going into iraq, but afterwards, you look back and say, "what did we do?" with afghanistan, things were going so well, and then, why are we there? we are spending tons and tons and tons of money. now we are going to go into another place? >> we need to make sure we are absolutely consistent with national security -- >> i don't want my boys -- yeah. you want to make sure you are doing something. >> you want to make sure it is worthwhile. >> pleasure to see you. i hope you take a look at our positions and find something to like. >> i want to wish you the very best i am very happy i came to listen to you. >> thank you for giving us a listening here. >> could --

>> of course. right in the middle here. >> thank you. >> i like that on the spot decision making. >> thank you. >> how are you? >> before you can persuade people on policy, how'd you get past the threshold -- >> the what now? >> the tactical threshold, getting people like me to pay attention. romney had a big crowd -- >> pdc the crowd last night? -- did you see the crowd last night? i don't think you get much bigger crowds than that break as we take up the momentum, we get you to pay attention people are paying attention and listening to the message, and as far as i can tell, they are

signing on. that is a pretty good return on the investment we made in the state. >> what we're saying about manufacturing overlap with some of the things that senator santorum was saying last night with what the party needs to do on that issue. do you think that is an omission from the rhetorical emphasis that campaigns have had so far of the whole field? >> you are not going to find another person in the race who did something as governor to expand economic performance and take the state to number one. senators don't do that. last time i looked, governor romney did not do that. i come from manufacturing. i live overseas four times trade in manufacturing powerhouses. i can identify the opportunity this nation has tgoing forward. you have to have the right policies to do that. >> what should the government do

to encourage steel manufacturing or whenever? >> > >pick winners -- you cannot pick winners. i hear people talking about a flat tax. i did it. entrepreneurs became more active, college graduates stayed in the state as opposed to funding opportunities where the grass was green. you have to start with the structural areas. our tax code, the at acquitted nature of our tax code, -- the antiquated nature of our tax code, that would be step one, along with the regulatory issues that provide an enormous uncertainty to the marketplace. dodd-frank, for example, that makes it darn near it possible for businesses to get a loan. >> thanks, governor.

>> thank you. pleasure to see you. >> this is the second of an of years that i've got to. -- second event of yours that i have gone to print i wanted a chance to personally meet you. >> glad that you have taken the time to be here, that it is your second listening, i held a wh -- and i hope you like what you see. >> pleasure to see you. >> take care that is the listening -- thanks for listening ear. >> i don't remember the town. teacher of the year last year. >> big deal. >> a is a big deal. -- it is a big deal. father won the nomination, maybe

it was for county -- >> that is a big deal. thank you for the time you have given as. i hope that after reflection, you like what you see and will be in support of us. we will be forever grateful. thank you much. hello, how are you doing? >> thank you for coming. it was enjoyable. >> it is a pleasure to have a listening ear. >> i do have a question. you talk about bringing manufacturing into the united states. what are some of your plans to do that? are you planning with these big companies to ship work overseas -- >> i want a tax code that closes the loopholes and deductions in welfare. sometimes companies are incentivize to engage in bad

behavior. that all needs to go. how much to the were the right and flat in the rate, the -- i flatten thenlower and rate and eliminate loopholes and deductions, similar to our tax code in our state aid that would be a signal to the marketplace that this c country is ready to get in business again at. if you can couple that with a president who can use the bully pulpit to sit down with manufacturing, ceo's and others, to say that it is time to rebuild and get back to work doing job training and vocational development, i want you c e l's, instead of investing all of your capital somewhere else, i want you to do it right here. i want you to do -- i want to do it our best on our site to improve the tax climate, work towards greater energy independence, and improve the regulatory environment.

i don't think you have a whole say,f it ceo's who would "i want to go somewhere else." they want to believe in this country, but we have not had a clarion call from the bully pulpit at the white house. >> we need to bring it back. we need to get the united states back on their feet. >> we need to do as americans pulling together. everybody has their party and everybody has their own alleyway. but in the end, we have to pull together as americans. the big issue is we are never going to be able to resolve on this we pull together and say that we might disagree on the journey but we all agreed that the idea -- on the idea that what we're giving the next generation is bad. every american can agree to that part. >> good luck. >> pleasure to see you.

thanks for your listening ear. thanks for being here. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> how old are you? >> 17. what be quite old enough -- won't be quite old enough. >> but the fact that you are following politics says a lot about you but the issues were talking about are about your generation. when you become a voting age and begin to participate actively, they will be yours. we have to make sure everything -- we have to make sure we do everything we can fto make sure that we pass on to you is with the exchange. pleasure to see you. bye-bye. >> newt gingrich unveiled today

his first campaign tv commercial, and ed mitt romney -- first campaign tv commercial aimed at mitt romney. former governor romney is in south carolina today, campaigning with the 2008 republican presidential nominee john mccain and the state's governor. senator mccain endorsed romney yesterday. rick santorum is on his way to concord, new hampshire, after finishing a campaign stop up the road. you can see that the pare and -- you can see that appearance on c-span.org. he focused today on president obama, saying the president it is not above the law after the recess appointments.

>> you are just this one in for your second term -- were just swarmed in for your second term. how do you prepare? >> we make sure that the restaurants are prepared and that they have enough food to feed everybody. you don't know how many people are coming in with crews, what parts of the world they are coming from. manchester is alive in this environment the hotels from here to the north country people -- are excited. >> i read in the paper the other day that you are expecting diplomats from other countries to be watching proceedings. what do you know about that? >> yesterday afternoon, looking out my window, you could see people walking around and getting excited by going into stores and and they did not have to pay a sales tax. >> what about the impact on local businesses? >> there is no question that

there is a big impact. we have in a little bit of a different buzz in manchester. we have not felt the pain that most of the rest of the country is feeling. manchester is the right thing, probably the envy a lot of places, because we are creating jobs and people are going to work. there is a real victory here, and people are happy and excited about it. >> i did read in "the union leader" that there is a $20 million budget gap. does this help at all? do you get taxes or anything from those that are visiting? [laughter] >> that all goes to the state, so hopefully we will help the state budget. >> any cost to the city itself for you all to prepare for the primary? >> there is no question that when you have big groups coming in, you have the detail and you have to worry about that. there was an event we had at central high school.

mitt romney paid for the details of the police officers and firemen at event. also, when there were also encouraged -- whatever else, incurred costs for the city, they picked up the tab. >> is that normal for the candidate to pick up the tab? >> no, but i wish it would be. new hampshire is still the place that the grass roots and the one-on-one campaigning is really important. if you don't have the ground game in new hampshire, you have a tough time. people want to see you, they want to talk to you, they want to touch you, they want to put a sign on their lawns so that they can be proud of who they are voting for. if you don't have the ground game, he will have a tough time in new hampshire. >> what is the ground game meet in new hampshire? >> going to the diners and the restaurant places in the morning. most politicians stop in. you will see that there is pictures of almost every

presidential candidate comes to new hampshire. the two that are most prevalent for people visiting. >> have you seen all the candidates? have you met with them as mayor? >> i met with all the presidential candidates. the only one i did not meet with was michele bachmann. but everyone else has been by to talk to us and get ideas. it is but retail politics in new hampshire. if you don't have that game and ready to go, it is not a place to be. that is what they want to do. they want to put you in the eye. they will not make a selection unless they have met you at least three times. >> i know you have endorsed former massachusetts gov. mitt romney, but as mayor, what is your role in the primary? >> i try to keep my door open to everybody. even though i have endorsed mitt, everybody is open to have

a conversation with me. new hampshire is all about going to town hall meetings and going to house parties and stopping in at the restaurants and the diners. >> thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> again, the first-in-the- nation primary is tuesday. this evening, former house speaker newt gingrich will be in meredith for a town hall meeting. we will bring that to you live on this network started at 7:00 eastern. on c-span2 later today, we will be live in nashua, new hampshire, with the republican city committee holds its meeting. mitt romney's son, jon huntsman's wife, a former reagan national security adviser to speaker newt gingrich. that is at 7:00 p.m. on c-span2. earlier today, we spoke with new

hampshire republican congressman to get his thoughts on the presidential field and his state post a primary next tuesday. tuesday.s primary next host: he is a republican congressman from new hampshire and he has endorsed mitt romney. congressman, why did you endorse mitt romney? guest: mitt romney is a rather remarkable individual. i been working in new hampshire politics since my dad was in congress in the 1950's. i endorsed howard baker in 1979. i endorsed somebody for president ever since then. like all have for people, we are interested in the political process and -- like all new

hampshire people, we are interested in the political process and getting involved. i have looked at all the candidates and they are all good candidates. mitt romney combines extraordinary experience in business, 25 years, he did an amazing job with the alan dixon, a nonprofit korea, and he has his record as -- amazing job qirwit hthe olympics, nonprofit area, and he has this record in massachusetts. we have an amazing opportunity to replace barack obama with somebody with extraordinary experience. clearly, he is a courageous leader. i came to the conclusion that in this big field we have, romney is head and shoulders above all of them. host: what is your role, if any, in helping the campaign strategizing get out about?

guest: i have a little cut on lawn knows -- my nose, a sign i was putting up yesterday when a ladder hit me in the face. i'm doing everything i can to make sure that the vote is a majority vote for romney on tuesday. as far as strategy is concerned, i am in touch with his campaign. i had a great event at my house last night for tyranny supporters -- for key romney supporters. senator mccain was there. at successful town meeting in peterborough afterwards. the momentum in support is there. i think mitt romney's supporters and friends are really ready to work. nobody is taking anything for granted in this race over the next six days. we will be out working and doing whatever we have to do, no matter who we are, to make sure we get the vote on tuesday.

host: we have the phone lines up, but we have set aside a fourth line this morning for new hampshire residents. congressman, you were elected in 1994, a senior republicans took over congress. newt gingrich was your speaker. you have not had nice things to say about mr. gingrich. guest: well, i have not been on friendly to newt gingrich. he and i are good friends. i was in congress during his entire speakership. newt gingrich has a lot of great qualities. he is a very smart guy. he is a great historian. i have read a couple of his books. he is an interesting fellow, a lot of new ideas. that is not the primary justification for candidacy for president. i think newt gingrich would be a

great secretary of new ideas in the new administration, our great commentator. the job of the president requires enormous self discipline. it requires certainly it the knowledge that newt gingrich has. that just isn't a fit. with all due respect to my friend newt gingrich, mitt romney has been governor of massachusetts, he has been in the business community. he has a very diverse background america is not in the situation where we can have somebody whose primary claim to fame is new ideas. it has got to be about turning this country around. to use a business term, america is not in a turnaround situation, it is in a workout situation. mitt romney knows what it takes to make america great again. i know that is just a sloping, but in this particular instance, it really matters -- just a slogan, but in this particular

instance, it really matters. newt gingrich is really articulate, he has great ideas, but the presidency is more than that. >host: a tweet in to us. you are on the record as saying -- tell me if i got this wrong -- that newt gingrich on the ticket would drag the entire party down in 2012. host: in my view, mitt romney is the candidate that can unite his party. if you add up the votes from the other candidates in iowa, that is the business of picking a nominee. i have no doubt the when mitt romney wins the nomination, all the republicans will conclude that he will be a prebetter

president than the current president. failing to vote for mitt romney for president will have the effect of electing president barack obama to a four-year term. i think republicans will unite behind it governor romney take his demonstrated that he can appeal to conservatives. obviously, he is not the best candidate for some in our party, but that is the nature of the process. one is over, we will be united paid for me in new hampshire, other -- when it is over, we will be united. he understands the problems that relate to the northeast. host: what is your relationship with rick santorum? guest: he was elected to the u.s. senate the same year i was elected to congress. he served in congress i believe four years prior to that. he and i know each other

personally. we have been on shows not like this one, but other shows, it together, advocating for conservative causes. i have a lot of respect for him. but again, he's a relative newcomer to this field. i am not suggesting that newcomers are not as qualified as those who have been around, but we do not know much about him. the purpose of this exercise is to nominate a candidate that we like the most, but also the candidate who is most likely to win in november. i don't know whether rick santorum has the shoulders, the money raising capacity, the ability to deal with $1 billion political machine that is going to come after republican nominee come july or august of this year. although i respect -- i certainly understand why a lot of people are supporting him, because he is a person of

tremendous conviction and passion. in the end, this is about winning in november, and mitt romney is the candidate who shares most of rick santorum's views on issues but he can win in november. host: our guest was in congress from 1995 to 2007. he was defeated in 2006, and then won again in 2010. is that correct, congressman? guest: that is absolutely correct. host: randy in illinois, go ahead. caller: hey. guest: hi, randy. caller: i am going to try to get ron paul in there, but are you or mitt romney or anybody going to do anything to keep factories in new hampshire? thank you. guest: first of all, randy, i am

a business person myself by trade. i and in manufacturing since 1981. -- i have been in manufacturing since 1981. i understand better than most the problems that manufacturers face. i have a somewhat different view of what it takes to succeed in manufacturing. it is not about complaining about china or complaining about competition. i discovered long ago that you beat the competition. the businesses that i've been involved with have succeeded primarily because we understand how to compete, how to close the sale, how to get a well-trained work force set up, etc. there are issues related to manufacturing that are not just about having the federal government be involved are not involved. we need to have a tax code that is friendly to manufacturing into business in general. second or third highest corporate income tax in the world.

we have a tax system that discourages companies from bringing foreign earnings back home to create jobs. if we can, with a new administration, simplify our tax code and make employers more competitive internationally, they are going to be less likely to want to see to it manufacturing facilities offshore. i also happen to believe that a free-trade agreements we have passed, the three bipartisan free-trade agreements, with panama, colombia, and south korea, are critical, because we in new hampshire or exporters. one out of every four jobs in this state is either directly or indirectly related to exports. not only in manufacturing, but also in services. we need to be able to compete, and when we pass these free trade agreements, we make them abide by our rules, not the other white around.

we will see a better competitive economy as a result of that. again, i have a somewhat different view of encouraging manufacturing. we need to do it by giving employers tools they need to compete. the federal government cannot create a competitive environment through the passage of mandates or edicts or stimulus bills of sorts. >> next call comes from new hampshire. doug on our independent line. caller: there is an old saying, how do you know when a politician is lying? whenever he is talking. you want to judge a candidate by their actions, not their words. romney is the establishment of though, no different than obama. romneycare, pro-abortion, anti- second amendment. you look at the massachusetts gun law, it is like communist china. ron paul, on the other hand, is

not running for power. he wants to legalize the constitution. that is why so many people are getting behind him. guest: well, thanks for your comments. if all that really true, i would not be endorsing mitt romney. nobody is more in favor of gun owners' rights, nobody understands or believes that the u.s. constitution is more important than i do. mitt romney was an active and successful governor of massachusetts. he had to work with a legislature in the senate that were very, very democrat. under those circumstances, and ordered to be effective, you have to compromise on occasion. mitt romney has explain himself adequately over and over and over again for the work that he did, and i believe the good work that he did, as governor of massachusetts.

as much as i respect congressman paul, who, by the way, has been in washington very little this year as a congressman, i believe that he is running a little bit like newt gingrich. he has a lot of ideas, he cites a lot of people. -- he excites a lot of people. the question that potential voters ahave to ask themselves, is what all the kind of person who will end up in the oval office? the other day he was thrilled that a reporter asked him about the gold standard. well, that is not what this process is about. obviously, financial issues are big, but it is about replacing a president that we don't think has done a very good job or for the last four years. ron paul, although he has a lot of good ideas, will not be the

party's nominee. he knows that, a lot of people who support him know that. i hopefully will have the privilege of working with a successor to barack obama, i hope it isn't barack obama, is somebody else. that somebody i believe will be mitt romney. mitt romney will be a generational president, like ronald reagan or teddy roosevelt, because of his experience, because of his record, because of the fact that he is a good communicator, and because of the fact that he will be able to end, i believe, better than anybody on the ticket right now, the gridlock that exists in congress and the senate between the legislative and executive branches in washington. host: here is the front page of "the boston globe." mitt romney and rick santorum on the front page. delaware. barbara, republican. caller: good morning.

all these jobs that went overseas -- who owns these factories? you never hear that great china and all these other countries -- you never hear that. you hear a manufacturing in china and all these other countries. who owns it? if it is america, they have slit our throats. i would like romney and santorum. guest: well, thank you for your call. i certainly understand your frustration about losing jobs, any job that goes overseas is bad. it is a bad thing to have happen. there are, however, or it is, however, difficult to distinguish between companies that are american and companies and employers that are nine. -- that are not. some of the major foreign automobile companies and it will

buy now have facilities that are american. their manufacturing components for devices and things they are putting together a that are manufactured in america. it is impossible to distinguish between what is american-made and what isn't. the key to economic success in this country is to make sure that our employers are competitive -- the structure -- the economic front is competitive around the world. i understand that the job is lost to a country that is not domestic, that is bad. on the other hand, the way to combat that is we cannot pass an edict that says, home, because nothing will happen. we have to encourage and create incentives or eliminate disincentives that drives jobs offshore. i discussed a minute ago ways that can happen, primarily through our tax code, through trade, good education, making

sure that our businesses can compete with those elsewhere. host: associated press is reporting that the number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell further in the final week of 2011, "positive sign of hiring one day ahead of friday's december employment report. the labor department says weekly applications dropped 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 370,000 last week." next call, washington, to vote on our independent line. -- george on our independent line. caller: i voted for reagan the last time around. since then, i've concluded that the last good republican president we have had is dwight eisenhower. the grandeur. no 12-person trial juries in the state since duncan v.

louisiana, because the no. 12 is a mystical, superstitious, offensive will from a barrister in the 1500's -- host: guest: it is interesting that the calller would say that. i have a particular feeling about that. my dad was elected to congress in 1954, two years after eisenhower became president. my father and a couple of others were the people but promoted eisenhower's candidacy against senator taft back in 1952. my dad was president of new hampshire state senate. eisenhower was the state of

europe. there was a famous letter written by the famous attorney general on behalf of the secretary of state to the secretary of state kansas trying to determine whether judges -- general eisenhower was republican or democrat because he was being drafted to did you hampshire primary in did not know what ballot to put him on. i do not know what that says about modern politics vs. politics of that time, but the fact is there was not such a great gulf between republicans and democrats in those days, and eisenhower ran a very much as a populist canada it. stevenson really had never had a chance so i certainly understand the calller and agree with the calller's reminiscing that eisenhower was a great

president. he certainly was -- certainly one of the better times in american history was when he was commander in chief. host: the story "off to the races again" on his way to south carolina. a related story in "politico" this morning. an emergency meeting in texas will be held next weekend to come up with a consensus candidate. some of the people at the meeting will be james dobson, john wild men, gary bauer -- several of these people met with rick perry in the past. and want to get your thoughts on this consensus canada and the group beating. guest: fair enough. i do not want to be a political junkie and try to handicap what this means for that.

and i know you have guys that do this all the time. stayingve rick perry's in the race probably does hurt rick santorum. i will not speak for individuals, but those that -- or anybody but but mitt romney realizes if they do not get more of these kids out of the race sooner rather than later, that governor romney will be the nominee. it may be sooner rather than later. it has been my experience that this kind of thing usually does not work. this kind of thing usually does not work. candidates that run for any office do not duet because they want to be part of a team -- want to be part of a team. i have never discouraged or tried to talk somebody out of running for any political office.

you cannot manipulate the system that way. i wish these individuals well. i do not think the voters appreciate the advocates trying to settle on a particular candidate and transferring that support to that candidate. i do not think that works. republicans and independents will pick the candidate most likely to be the incumbent president in november. host: john on our independent line. caller: good morning. i would keep everybody's number on speed dial. i am involved issue why is it. the republican party is just losing it. the president passed recess

appointments yesterday that are not legal. we are so frustrated. i probably will vote for mitt romney. some like donald trump should take a 2-by-4 because of all of these lies. i think these recess appointments are potentially unconstitutional. guest: the president -- this reminds you of a political move on his part to attempt to exhibit leadership. he should never have done this. my response to the caller is that the way you'll be able to resolve this problem is through your vote next tuesday and in

november. if you believe that donald trump can beat barack obama in november, you should support him and vote for him. i don't want to live in an america with four more years of president obama. i am supporting the person that will have the kind of supports and ideas that john has to the white house. i agree with the frustration. members of congress and the speaker have put out statements condemning president obama for what he did yesterday. there probably will be some resolutions on this matter. i hope that you'll be out there working hard in the next five days and the next nine months to elect a different person to the white house.

host: we also take tweets on the "washington journal." this is from rick. guest: i do not know what the caller -- the tweeter is talking about brinksmanship. i guess the logic is that the tea party is somehow controlling the legislative process and things do not get done on to the last moment. that's the way this system has worked since i can remember. when you go to buy a new car, you did not say i will be back in two weeks to pick it up. you make the sale and you move

forward. you do the hard is studying in college at the end. i would suggest the brinksmanship that existed in the 1990's -- every time we had a recess, they have to get 15 different bills out. i think the debt limit vote, keeping government opened vote, and the temporary payroll tax extension -- this would have happened this way no matter who was in charge of congress. the rhetoric is so shrill. there is not buy partisanship in the public perception.

it looks worse than it is. i don't believe any advocacy group is trying to control any of the agenda in congress. the agenda is based on a job- creating economic turnaround, strong national security, less government, balancing the budget, lower taxes. host: chicago, carl, you are on. caller: good morning. i will call you congressman. my comment that i wanted to make goes like this. for two years, your party to a man voted no on everything that the president presented. you voted no on everything. 100% no.

you offered legislation that there was no support for it. how is your party doing anything to help this country? i am trying to understand your point of view. "we need to give business everything." business,an american you can do something for the country. business in this country right now is making profits. they have more that $3 trillion in profits. i did not see -- invested in america and pay our debts. host: congressman bass.

guest: businesses do have accumulated profits that they are holding onto. the government cannot or them to do something else. they are worried about what the future -- where the future lies for america. what will the new health care what do? what about the fact that year. we have run out of options to turn the economy around. you are right. the caller is right. the republicans voted no on the cap and trade bill and on the dodd-frank built because none of them were perceived as providing long-term economic stimulus that would put people back to work. the fact iswe have been proven

right. these other pieces of legislation passed, except for isn't it time to try something different? we need to try something different. the republicans have sent 27 different job-creating bills to the senate. some of them deal with taxes. i have not voted for all of them. they are legitimate concrete efforts to turn this economy around. now, we're faced with economic stagnation. the employers in this country are waiting to see what happens in this election. government does not create wealth. government creates an environment for potentially

wealth creation. the corporate taxes are too high. in my home state, new hampshire, we depend on a good, strong import-export market for economic vitality. our unemployment rate is about 420% over last year -- 4.2% over the last year, year and a half. we have relatively high education rates, and we export. there are other ways to attack this problem. i think it is time for a different direction and i believe we will be able to move

this ship in a different direction come november. it is the definition of a loyal minority. host: we are talking to congressman charlie bass from new hampshire. joseph from new hampshire on our republican line. caller: good morning. ever since the ross perot campaign, we have incurred everybody in the political arena. we need to take our country back. nobody has the courage to tell the truth and say who we need to take the country back from. you know as well as i do and all those people considered

insiders that the 13 wall street banks by way of the federal reserve are running the country. the reason why the democrats and republicans cannot get anything done is because democracy is dead. our way of life is gone. host: congressman bass. guest: fair enough. i appreciate your perspective. i support more transparency in the federal reserve. i think it operates in too much of a sphere of secrecy. that would be helpful for the economy. i do not want to be thought of as supporting the behavior of wall street over the last four years. the solution of the dodd-frank

bill does not solve the problem and creates more regulation and more cost and doesn't do anything about reforming the current six or seven agencies that have jurisdiction over the financial markets in this country. it creates a new agency which may or may not be successful. taking america back is turning this ship in a different direction. government has become bigger and bigger and more intrusive. when i entered congress, the federal budget was about $1.5 trillion. the deficit last year was 1.5 trillion dollars. it is article that close to 50% of americans -- it is arguable that 50% of americans do not pay any taxes at all and receives some benefit from the government.

we're the insurer of last resort. we have a safety net, but the safety net gets higher and higher. how much treasure is there to support those who cannot support themselves? we have to seek a balance. that balance has to be that taxes are kept low and that citizens have a chance -- my children have a decent chance to be successful and not have to turn to government to do that. that is taking america back. having a vision for america over the next four-eight years. my candidate for president has that vision and i hope that the majority of voters in this country feel that way as well. nobody is perfect. if i agree with governor romney on everything, there would not be a reason for both of us to be

here. we need to get together and show our votes in november to make that happen. caller: it has been a long time since i've talked to you. mr. bass said we will take the country back but i do believe we're taking the country back. my president barack obama brought iraq into the fight. he ghe fixed iraq. we were told there were weapons of mass destruction. we were told we would be greeted as liberators. we were told saddam hussein had something to do with the planning of 9/11.

wrong. four strikes. you're out. guest: i commend the president for getting osama bin laden. that is an enormous accomplishment. muammar gaddafi, successful operation the president was part of that. what the president did in iraq was almost the same as what president george w. bush planned to do before he left office. president obama has surged in afghanistan and now has problems that were faced in iraq. president obama's record as a leader in the foreign policy area is successful in some

areas but mixed in others. there were people in 2006 and 2008 that did what president bush planned to do and has increased our presence in another country in this troubled region of the world. host: congressman charlie bass is a republic and has endorsed mitt romney. we appreciate your time this morning on the "washington journal." >> looking at this evening's p.m. -- campaign coverage, we will be at a town hall meeting at 7:00. c-span to will be live at the same time as the national what the new venture, here's representatives of the major campaigns, mitt romney son, rick

barry's wife. santorum's wife. mitt romney, the winner of i was first in the nation caucus is not in new hampshire today. he is in south carolina for a campaign appearance this afternoon with john mccain to endorse did yesterday. you can see that endorsement out c-span.org. mr. romney accuses president obama of stacking the national labor relations board with union stooges after his recent appointment -- recess appointment yesterday. here is a look at its other advertisements on the air right now. >> this station has been downgraded. we've been kicked around as people. we are getting screwed as americans. we of an economic deficit as a country.

and we have to -- we of the trust deficit. i am the person who will lead on all of the above and fix the economic deficit. tore too good of the people be in the hole we're in. we deserve better. >> this election is about more than just replacing a president, it is an election to save the soul of america. we still believe in america that bring out the best of all of us, that challenges each of us to be better and bigger than ourselves. it is time for this pessimistic president to step aside and let american optimism build a greater future for our children. if you believe these appointments of the past three years are detour and not destiny, that i am asking for your vote. >> washington is a disgrace. >> government has become too big. >> we need to change our direction.

take a we cannot afford to make the same mistakes we have made in the past. >> he went the other way when he appeared it >> this election is about trust. >> there has been one true, consistent candidate, and that is ron paul. >> he seemed like a more honest tenant it. he tells the truth. -- he seems like a more honest can eddidate. >> if you do not like how things are going, tired of politicians, choose something different. ron paul. >> ron paul. >> ron paul is the one we of been looking for. >> c-span's "wrote to the white house" continues from new hampshire. -- "road to the white house"

continues from new hampshire. and see the latest videos of the candidates and read what they're saying from the campaign trail. it is c-span.org/campaign2012. >> here is our road to the white house coverage for tonight. newt gingrich will be inherited, new hampshire, for a townhou cal meeting. c-span to will be live at the same time as the republican city committee bearded representatives of the major campaigns. mitt romney's son, jon huns tsman wife, and others. on c-span3 tonight, speeches from past new hampshire primary candidates. that begins at 8:00 eastern on

c-span3. now an organizational meeting of occupied new hampshire, a group to talk about protest plans for the first emanation republican primary coming up tuesday. the planning session took place last month in manchester. this portion is about an hour and a half. >> >> we could start by going

around and saying our names. how about that? the go i will model that i sang my name is bernie of friend from new hampshire. >> unfair i am with the american transdermal committee. >> what is that? i cannot hear you. to >> [inaudible] >> i live in new hampshire.

to come i lived in hampton. in marianna micki. and kurt smith, a manchester. and e d from durham. >> nicky from klamath, manchester. >> i am from occupy new hampshire manchester. >> i am when the of the 99% sen. and i live in franklin new hampshire. and. >> [inaudible] >> [inaudible]

mark from manchester. and >> >> i do not need -- know if we need a facilitator. something where we can go on a particular subject. we have structured the meeting around two-hour time slot. and i think we can start with will thomas for veterans for peace discussing what time slot their group has chosen and what they will speak about. >> we so far are scheduled for june 29, monday from january -- from 1:00 to 3:00 in veterans' park. i hope we do not have a snowstorm that day. we have chosen to talk about the

cost of the american empire in terms of how much money we have spent and hours -- and are spending on the military bases overseas. who knows, there are so many. we feel that money should be spent here at home as darned rigid dr. martin luther king said on programs of social oppressed, not having been military go around the world destroying country and people, and instead take the money and use it for job training and use it for affordable housing, use it for education, so we hope you come to our workshop. . other idea ofve

topics. we need to make sure we get this in in the time we have. and is that agenda item id appear yen to go i do not know if you already have one, but is there a bullet point list of things? to go to the press release that was distributed earlier has within it the general statements so far. probably it says in the press release that occupy new hampshire is concerned about the disproportionate power and influence of corporations and the wealthiest 1% over the political process. on thating to focus message.

whether you want to talk about the empire for two hours or the presentation on protecting the social program. so we will get more in step with the two hour time slot with the message for the whole entire event. . >> i see myself stepping in as a facilitator. and then i suggest we have an agenda items and then go back to talk about what people were envisioning for time slots. >> i thought what we were doing were talking about things that were already scheduled. >> ed healm has an ambitious plan to schedule an alternative

polling booth. people who vote would both for democracy, or they would vote for empire. he is as for other questions as well. what he is trying to do is organize that in every polling place around the state. you know how to get in touch with him if you want to get involved with that? >> i have this contact number. and i can give you that in just a second. is there a white ford we can write down stuff like this? there is a web site. democracyempire.org.

>> are there others that have things plan that you want to announce within that time? i asked for the time slot of 3:00 this afternoon. and i received a community building event. join us, because it is a wonderful. it is magical. it is a good time to let us be heard, literally. we have a group in the park to attract attention and build resolved together as one. i am looking for anyone. i posted on occupy new hampshire facebook page, and

people can show up at the allotted time at 3:00 on saturday. we will make it before the general assembly that day. i particularly would love professional drummers and native american drummers as well. everyone is welcome to bring their buckets, african drums -- whatever to join in. >> i do not think that time slot has been cleared yet. it will be from 1:00-2:30. from 1:00-2:30 wall street, and tentatively we have what maryann talked about earlier, the march. it is like a rights and gay families, their march from veterans park at 2:30 on

saturday. if you could incorporate that, we will bring your information. maybe mark you could clarify for people how we sign up for this and what is the process. the process is if you can -- we strongly encourage people to the meetings directly across the street from verizon. we meet every weeknight from 6:30-9:00. if you cannot make it, see me later. and you can call in a proposal and we can pass a probably right there. >> [inaudible] >> other things on the schedule that would be helpful for us to know about. our facilitator for the day and the chief primary point person

got bill this morning, so that is why we do not have a schedule with us at this point. if it is on the facebook. it is occupied the new hampshire primary on facebook. it is occupied the new hampshire primary. >> i am saying that so that people want to propose something, they will know the open slots. and to >> [inaudible] >> there is a standing invitation from the manchester and police. ccupiey

this will affect primary. this will affect the entire people. i want to let you know there is an outstanding invitation that we should agree to talk about it. or we can cancel the whole thing and ignore them. manchester does not know what to do with it. i think it is very important to discuss. >> if anyone is interested in

meeting with the police at the station or we will find more neutral ground after the meeting. once we find out information, we will keep you in touch so you can make it down for a meeting. brought to ours not attention. [inaudible] [inaudible] there is another group i thought that was going to be meeting to talk about legal stuff that is

happening. the woman who had the tentative information for the meeting for the manchester police, he has been great. he came down last time. he is very professional. he has proposed of time. and i cannot recall it. and until we have any information at all, what i suggest is it you are interested in meeting with the manchester police, please give your information to cecilia after this. other topics we need to talk about now? >> [inaudible] i will just bring up and talk primary.

i know we are going to get into more details later, but we are are doing. i will give a brief play out. we're going to be occupying the primary from friday january 6 through tuesday january 10, which is the day of the primary itself. i am sorry. >> people are trying to take notes. can we do a microphone check? friday, did you were six, 5:00 is a welcome. 6:30 is stan bernard music. sant -- saturday to no. 77 9:00 is open. 11:00 is still open. 1:00 is a lecture on how to build a strong movement. of 2:30 is the gay pride march.

and 5:00 is the general assembly. in 7:00 is the funeral procession for the american dream as the anthem college during the primary debate, and the new it is -- no is pleased where morning attire of possible. in 11:00 is open. 1:00 is open. 3:00 is open. 5 is the general assembly. and 7:00 is open. in one we have 9:00 as (at 11:00 is still open. 1:00 is the veterans for peace. the cost of u.s. policy. 3:00 is open. 5:00 is general assembly. 7:00 is open. and tuesday january 10, primary day.

everything is open as of 4 5:00 as the general assembly as of right now. and i can give you the e-mail address if you want to put anything on the schedule, and that is occupied the new hampshire primary. katie is the contact person. >> who is organizing the funeral for the american dream? to go that is saturday at 5:00. and that is a scrappy thing. we will not be there. we will be marching to there. we will be going to the debate itself. it will open up a little bit, so

the schedule is so is going to be updated and revise, so keep going to the facebook event page. it will continually get updated. it has contact information there as well. >> one of my dreams seeing i am alone on walls is to have a march that is again the, community building for all of occupied. all of the chants and science and walking to the candidates office. -- chants and signs in walking to the candidates' office. it's a move would like to facilitate that, i think that would be great. it attracts people. it gets the point across. just putting it out there.

>> who is occupy concord here? the national league of women voters president is having a function on patriarchy and they're asking george stephanopoulos to facilitate the forum after the movie, and the president will be in concord. but that this site will have national attention on sunday. >> just on january 8, that monday in concord will be the debate at the capital center for the arts. i did not hear there is anything scheduled for that time slot on the morning of the eighth. if not, i would like to propose to have some discussions with the agenda for later. >> sunday morning, during the

-- it is scheduled right now, it is not been updated, so we walk shifted marriage to corp., 9:00 in the morning, so it is what is going on. two big national debates, one on saturday and one sunday in concord in the morning. so on the morning of, we're not clear what the time is, but i know it is being hosted by -- nbc and facebook. meet the press program. i think it is -- i'm getting times like 9:00 and 10:00, but it is important to have our presence there.

it will be really important. it is going to be a lot of media there. i think that is really important to get some members there. i think it is a great idea to do it the wedding in that time slot in the morning. is that what you're talking about? >> if is scheduled for then so we will keep it open and see what happens. >> deal freed from the conquered groups to lobby hard for concord taking that time slot or another time slot. and also sergei and could have a chance to meet with their group on saturday and said way there. -- segue their. >> on saturday, we're going to be in the free speech area at the st. anselm's college. sometimes we leave the free- speech arianna and stand on the street and waited people. they cannot stop you from standing on the street. we hope to go to a location

near or on campus to watch the debate together and we will invite the media to come and interview the people who are watching the debate. it is an intergenerational, interracial group, college students watching the debate together and talking about how these issues affect their lives. and if you get a ticket, you do not have to pay for the ticket but you have to be registered as a republican or an independent and apply online to get the ticket. >> go to the website of the new hampshire institute of politics and navigate from there. that will get yourself into a lottery to get a ticket. it will be competitive in a might be too late already, but

it is worth a try. in and what you began, you cannot speak. >> or they will kick you out. >> they will reject it. >> disrupt the process, why not. >> if you cannot get in that way, for point of information, the website that has the ticket information, we put it on the facebook about two weeks ago, and several of us tried to get tickets. they allow you to get up to four tickets, but as sara jane said, all speculating myself, they are going to scream your name against who is an independent or republican. if your democratic registered, you will probably not get into that. how much more time to we have before we get back again with the main group? >> all of these blocks have to be in manchester?

>> they are in veterans park for four days straight, but at the national debate, we're going to be going there as well as at veterans park setting up satellite feeds of bird dog units. veterans park is a staging area, but also, it is a staging area for bird dogging throughout the area. >> veterans park or victory part? veterans. we wanted to do one more during one of the tuesday time slots. >> right now the plans for the march, the perception on saturday is one thing that is already on the schedule, to consider them songs. -- st. anselm's. there's -- it is a great that there is a coroneted presence,

but a people organize these and other parts of the state, it is up to them to do that and they do not need permission from ga in manchester to organize something in bethlehem or in concord or and conway. >> that conway group will -- jindal league of women voters is 4:00-6:00 that the community college auditorium. >> just to let you know about that, excellent, good. great. >> there will be a lot -- there will be tons of stuff going on and other national groups like the league tried to set things up with a group that you like, you might want to go and join them, and you might want to go in protest them. so pay attention to the news

and there will be lots of stuff for everybody to do. ed will talk about what he is doing. >> then i thought we could listen to ed talk about his ideas. >> i have to talk and some people with the manchester, it would be really great to organize the program, 2012 is the year of a couple of. there was a wonderful opinion piece about cooperative businesses. if anyone can connect with me about cooperatives at utility companies and the state or in new england, that i think and act with, other cooperative businesses, but do we get have a panel discussion. i think it would be a good program, maybe even in hanover. i'm elizabeth and get with me afterwards.

>> i would say that if anyone here, because it was not discussed, and the logistics, but if you're not from the manchester or part of an occupy group, please fill welcome to reach out and talk to people. if you have connections to community aphids to sigrid's, really reach out and tried to -- advocacy groups, really reach out and try to get them on board. the better integrated our movement will be in the primary, that is the reason why we're doing it, not just by the -- not just for the primary but to build a movement. i wanted to do a time check here. we would give ourselves and our? ok, we have about 15 minutes left in hopefully everyone can get together. tell us about your idea. >> yes, come closer.

all right. i have these pollens and they symbolize something important. is what politicians run on, isn't it? they are full and they are big of rigid big balloons and full of promises. but when the hot air is over, this is what we got. i am passing around something that is familiar to a number of you, including brother alfred here, the moderator of some of our tv programs on channel 23. they had been shared with all state for community access tv and the 35 community access channels all over the state. so let me pass this around, because i would encourage people to go to the website, democracyorempire.org.

hello. so there might not be enough for everybody, but we have enough for every person's need but not every person's agreed. look at this as it goes past. " we tried to do is provide reality to a great analyst, thomas johnson by name. thomas johnson or wrote a wonderful trollope's -- trilogy, starting with blowback, and nemesis. the last one. this brilliant man, a conservative and politically, said that the country needs to decide whether it is going to be an empire or democracy. cannot be both. and what we tried to present in

this series is the best analysis that we could by people that have a public interest to explore that. some of the first was the cost of four. the second, the cost of intelligence. then the cost of defense and finally democracy or empire. these will be broadcast on the day after christmas and the day after new year's. and this is supposed to be in one of the weekly newspapers. but as we talked about this, we ask, how will the rubber hits the road? even as we interviewed different president to candidates that we have been doing, and put this on our television program to try to share information, how are we really going to empower people to say, wait a minute, i do not like that? this is what i want, or i want democracy, very strongly. no wind pirate king. -- no empire thing.

when january 10, we would and by different groups that are also interested in democracy, for example, occupy, to contribute questions and put these on a ballot. and after people vote for president, they would be offered a ballot, hopefully at every polling place in new hampshire, how many people know how many that is? >> two to 35? >> not bad. you should get a candy bar. it is a little more than 300. but that is very doable. the person is offered a ballot to vote on the future of america. because adelaide thomas johnson's analysis is that we have already decided, we have decided on empire. and it is too late. i do not think so -- i do not

think that we would be here for not optimists. i see some gray hairs in the crowd and i remind you, for those of us that had education in the 1950's and were trained to duck and cover and thought that it meant any minute, added the second, this could be the end of life as we know it. really come alive on our planet, because suddenly the nuclear warheads started, who would have bet the family farm that in our lifetime, the soviet union, our archenemy and tools we would be a war with, and nuclear war, devastating, that suddenly it would disappear? it would become russia. i should know because my winter home in st. petersburg, florida, named after saints petersburg, russia. so on monday, i approached our

occupy and at a general assembly, we discussed occupy being a part of the severed. my hope is that occupy has two questions or three questions, no more than 10 questions, and our group will have one or two questions. we are inviting the afl-cio, the labor movement, to contribute a question, may be on should there be in new hampshire a living wage job guaranteed to every american car to mark remember, that was an fdr plank that never -- he died before he could really share that. but we are inviting, and there are three of us here that have a wonderful clipboard, and if you are from rockingham county, anybody here from rockingham? yes? well, ok.

we have a county coordinator for rockingham and he is going gangbusters. we do not need many volunteers but you are an angel. you could help him. we will put you up with him, ok? but for the other counties, we have the beginning of of organization here in hillsboro. we have a wonderful new leader in merrimack, and glenn is we are beginning to put to death this structure. my hope is that through beg, borrow, and stealing -- i have been saying stealing in a joking way -- which will be able to create sufficient funds so that at least at these places, there will be a veteran standing tall

and helping with this project, offering citizens pilots. preferably, either unemployed or homeless veterans, who will be paid at least minimum wage. and i think occupy new hampshire for reminding me that needs to be the standard, at least that much. we will be offering an occupant -- an opportunity for our citizens to weigh in. and you say yourself, this is a republican primary, and all the conservatives will turn out. isn't this going to be a message that i as an occupy person will be uncomfortable with? >> i trust my neighbors. i trust the people of new hampshire to take very seriously their responsibility for choosing the next president of the united states. i trust them to make these decisions and you know what?

there is a republican presidential candidate that is probably better than any democratic presidential candidate running on this. so why -- i invite any questions ford two and minutes, 3 minutes on this project, and i will pass around -- if you think you have anywhere two hours or more on election day. >> we're depilate going to help them. -- we are definitely going to help them. we will bring some people out there, he is asking for 20 volunteers and they will not be paid, and then there will be veterans and homeless veterans and unemployed veterans who will be paid at least minimum wage. we will still be get better in part with events, but this is one of those events that we're using as a staging the event.

>> we are half the process to take shifts. what will be the process? >> we are reaching out. we have a number of different lists. when michael moore came to a preview in manchester hearing four years, i saw him in his town hall meeting in his press conference. i became a zealot on single payer health care and i signed petition. >> let me repeat the question. how will people sign up for ships? >> if they sign this -- you mean these people here? if they're not here today, they can go to our website democracyorempire.org. we will have other ways to do it and we expect michael moore away and saying to let's do this.

>> [unintelligible] we're just about, can you check with the other groups? does anyone have any questions? please ask questions for anything at all. cover this. the actual the ballot or survey, whatever you might call it, pal is that being designed and who is working on the actual content? we will work together peridots coalition members including occupy will be able to identify present -- questions that they want asked. i urge occupy to give those out. we have invited the afl-cio to contributed? two. our group will have a question or two. organizations.

and their representatives -- occupy, that is math, he is-- matt, he is still linked. we will work those questions of. for people. we have some of the other flyers. we can show you that handsome shirt on that handsome man, it is going to be modified with the following -- maybe i can just -- >> i need to interrupt. mic check. >> mic check. >> the time is expired. do we need to continue with the work groups are go with the meeting? >> 5 minutes. and then we will return -- and

there is no firm date but it has to be in time to printed and distributed. i'm hoping that by the end of this month that we will have the questions submitted and we will have the meeting to work out and hammer out a final question list. i think our drop date is the second root third of january. but you did not hear me say that. that is when the questions will happen. the earlier the better. we have some moderator's around the state and i should say that we met with secretary gardner yesterday, three people from occupy, several of us from democracy or empire, jan grossman, who designed that

beautiful logo on the front of his shirt, there because. she is the leader in new department of peace. so i think we have cleared the air. he knows what we're up to end our shirts are not electioneering. we can walk around polling places with them. we think all of what we want. but getting some of the the moderator said been contacted, what are we going to have? so we want to follow through. something to say? we have covered the ballot for 10 minutes. we have four weather days. anyone with questions our success -- for other days.

>> i am still trying to understand this. is it highly tactical or philosophical? in other words, if i am favor of collective bargaining rights for all american workers or i am in favor, i am opposed to new venture being a right to work state. i'll say that that is tactical on the other is philosophical. is it both, any, or all? >> this is going to be decided by the groups coming. what they want to ask. >> i hope it is more tactical. >> any other things that people want to bring up before we come back together to the full group? >> i can get myself down to the manchester meetings but, the notion of indirect action that we could collect cans for the new hampshire food bank, ford

to a trickle of action at veterans, another concept that i had, which i would gladly court made. >> someone who would like to be a reporter for our group to give a quick summary of what we talked about during our time to get it? but for me begin with the full -- as we meet together with the full word? -- full group? >> how are we going handle that? >> i can give it a shot. >> all right, great. >> until we meet again. while we're waiting for the other groups to come together, i want to suggest a quick dollar around if you want to say what you intended to during the period leading up to the primary, what are you excited about? please go around.

>> occupy durham. >> mic check. >> as following along the lines for citizens for tax justice, making the point that the american oligarch should not hijacked the u.s. economy. >> pass. >> because it cannot afford our own lobbyist, i see the occupy group as one big lobbyists. >> what you excited about doing? i am hoping to help people to do affected bird dogging about these issues and the 99%. >> pass. >> our attorney general finally opened his eyes and is best to getting the fraud in this country. it was announced on friday. so i intend to continue to pressure him to investigate this

further for the citizens of new hampshire. doing leading up to the new hampshire's primary? >> my focus is on getting corporate money out of politics. i'm going to show up and support. i am just going to go. >> on going to assist in getting housing for people who may need it during those nights. it during the night. i am also supporting ed's project. >> what are you going to do? >> i am working with a group that is just beginning. we are hoping to organize a march in washington, d.c. this spring. it is essentially a retired people's group at this point. i do not know if it will stay that way.

through occupy. >> we are getting together in the room to get new offense going. >> we are meeting people and talking with people on public access show to educate people about the military-industrial complex and how many of the 1% our military contractors who are robbing and lying. >> you? >> i am very excited for the funeral. i don't know. i am excited. >> i am wendy. >> i will be working on dealing with sopa for the next few weeks. it is dealing with censorship. that is what i am working on on my end. i am also working with occupy. >> i am looking forward to the

thing the republicans know that the movement exists here in new hampshire, not just for those city slickers. it is with these countryfolk. >> check out the fliers and information. we have several fliers for the primary. you just to point and click, polluted never heard. you are responsible for making this movement big. thank you, everybody. >> somebody left their keys in the bathroom. >> keys check. >> keys check.

>> mic chek. >> mic check. >> could you please reorganize? >> could you please reorganize? >> ok. this meeting here, after the work groups, we are going to have a member from each of the work groups come up and discuss what was covered in their work groups to let the rest of the

meeting know what is being discussed and things that are being proposed. as we finish, we want to try to finish around 4:00. we want to get out of the building by 4:15. afterward, we can discuss amongst each other and exchange contact data. if we can have a presentation from -- i will start, i guess. our group, some of the things we were discussing -- somebody has proposed that people use the color green as a color for designating support for occupy, for those who are in the community but cannot come to the events on a regular basis. it is based on the concept of a proposal by a ruler in some part of europe during world war two, where they had a designation of armed bands that

could be put on so that all of the jewish people could be put into concentration camps and tracked down by those armbands. we have is a case in this situation and where the ruler of that particular kingdom said to all his people we are all going to wear this armband so they cannot figure out who is and who isn't. that was the original proposal. there was the idea of arm bands to show we are all part of it, even if you cannot find us in an encampment. >> everybody would wear it all the time. if you are going to work, wear an armband. if you are going to a banquet or something, you wear the armband.

people would ask about the green arm band. then you can talk about occupy. i have a whole bunch if somebody wants them. >> trying to keep with the theme of moving quickly. you can see there is discussion of a gay pride rally, and a potential dance at the end of that. the arrangements for that are in the process. so if you want to contact, nashua is having a lot of it right now. we are looking for perhaps getting access through new hampshire institute of art for potentially doing arts and cultural events in an auditorium.

we have been discussing a people's art event, which would be a display of art by local community members, and art around occupy. at the same time, we could have poetry. satire is a form of art. there has been discussion of doing a film show of a couple of different films relative to the movement and activism in general, those types of things. there was discussion of what we have suddenly come across as an idea for what we call the people's law. that is a means by which communities of people who cannot make it to events, or disabled individuals who cannot get out and supplied a piece of their name artistically, or the

hand print or something -- it will be put onto a surface that can be carried from location to location. we are the 99 that march. these are the 99 that are the country. the idea is a mandala transport. theoretically, if we can get this to go further than new hampshire, we could get a wall with the names of all the people who support it built somewhere. i think that pretty much covered it, unless i missed anything. >> the people that are going to be making banners and posters will be starting pretty soon, so we have a humongous amount of banners, posters, and stuff like that.

>> i think we can have individuals do that as part of a committee on a regular basis, perhaps, in our individual locations. i think we also have to have a place to store them. but if people want to do this on an individual basis, i do not think we have to divide into a committee of five people them will handle all the signage. >> what about "welcome to the new hampshire occupy primaries"? >> i have atm's for the credit union still in the basement. i recommend if you make signs, keep them in your car, or a friend's cart your traveling, so you cannot just grab them, like i did today.

>> who is ready to go next? anybody? >> i am sure i did. >> the events leading up to the primary and the primary itself, the most important thing to say is all of the events you can find on facebook under "occupy new hampshire primary." that site has all of the events. here is some of them. january 9, from 1:00 to 3:00, the veterans for peace. saturday, 1:00 to 2:30 -- the events are in two hour slots. there is a march after that. there will be a band after that.

marriage to a corporation is going to be one event. funeral for the american dream is going to be one event. there will be a sale at the college. the organizing project will have a slot. we spent time talking about a project for an alternate voting place, and potentially as many potential polling places as possible. democracy or empire will be a series of questions. empire dot org, all one word. >> i think you covered it all.

tell us about the facebook event page. hoti would give you an idea of what i am doing, and how i nudge people. i would like you to join me, because i do not want to do much more. the event page has already 350 people attending and has 5000 invited. many are part of occupy new hampshire. open the invited list and open a tab for each person. you say, "hello, jim smith. i am from occupy new hampshire. i hope your doing well. please rsvp join for this event, even if you cannot attend." the perception of large attendance will create a large attendance. you are creating messages for people on the invited list, try to nudge them on to the joy and west.

anybody who could help with that, or if you have proposals of anything, just type occupy the nh primary at gmail. and community advocacy groups, call anybody you know and connect people. it is all about connection. >> there are lots of open slots in the schedule. keep checking the facebook page to get an update. >> media/tech? >> that is not even connected to anything. we had a pretty small group, so we did not get to cover a whole lot. "we came up with was a list of resources we want to make

available to every occupy throughout the state. that will be posted in the coming days, also on occupy your media dot com. it is a new system we are working on developing. please check that out. the resources that are going to be listed are the obvious ones like the website. there are some others that people might not know about, like the radio show. it is always looking for people to come on and speak. there are also tv shows across the state that expressed interest in having as come and speak to them on their shows. that information will be available as well. content for occupy radio is something we were talking about. it is a radio show.

they are always looking for people in the weekly show, i believe. the media team for occupy has professionals from video and audio. we came up with the idea of having a workshop before the primary. we have not worked out a location or date yet. we are just trying to gauge interest in a workshop to teach people to make professional- looking video on a shoestring budget, so that we do not get youtube videos with shaky stuff and poor audio. with a few small adjustments, we can get engaging content. that is something we are trying to hammer out. is there anything i missed? does anybody know the number? we have an occupy new hampshire hot line. >> [inaudible]

>> that is something to look into. there are a few people who know how to do that. that is something we might bring up in me -- the ga's throughout the week. >> this is informational. some people are not comfortable with the media. >> i want to throw this out here. we are looking for guests on our public access show december 27 or january 3. >> i think that is it. clarifying question? >> i have only heard men talk.

>> ok. can we get legal aid? that is the police. >> there is an outstanding invitation from -- >> come to the microphone. >> there you go. >> there is an outstanding invitation from the manchester pd. we should take this seriously. whoever went to the manchester pd m dialogues with them would have no clue. there is an opportunity for me to tell all of you. all of us is going to be on the

new hampshire primary and are going to be affected with this. all of our programming and planning, if we get arrested, there is no new hampshire primary. discuss anything you like about whether we should go or we should ignore it. but we will take the risk of whatever comes up. we will take it. in the manchester ga, we have not gotten the chance to talk about it are making a resolution. and this is the best place for this, statewide. occupy manchester are going to be affected. also, the people coming to the new hampshire primary. i wanted to let everybody know

that we're not going to speak up for you there. i do not want to be the spoken here and somebody took for me. i want to talk for myself. >> clarifying question. we do record names and numbers, so maybe monday we can have a little more clarity on this. could people call and give a name and number if they were interested in meeting with the police, so we can call them monday with clarification? >> i have no problem with that. but i think it is very important that people know, because there will be affected by this. >> a response? >> i just want to point out it is quite difficult to get arrested at these events.

it is extraordinary. so do not worry much. >> we still have an aclu lawyer who is one to represent us, right? i do not know who it is. i am just saying. >> we are going to be represented by the lawyer? monday, if you are interested. just leave your name and number. it will happen this week, the meeting with police, if you are interested. [inaudible] would be logistics. >> my name is paul.

i am sure most of you know me. wrong meeting for that. nuts and bolts. we are discussing a lot of stuff, the details of when to get together. some people are in on this that are not part of our meeting. kurt talked about we need more spaces for sleeping, because we will be host to a lot of people. we need to get a central log on that. we need to communicate with other people locating food donations. also, i believe we had donation sites set up for people around the country. we will have other groups treating. they are spreading their social presence of there. people want to donate from all over the country.

we should be able to set up an account for that an update that. we also discussed possibly putting together some sort of visitor worksheet for people coming here who need to come into contact with us. if they are not want to depend on somebody's hospitality, contact info for hotels or motels, if there are availability is, and the general quality of the place. also talking about conduct and other groups. bathrooms as well. contacting local people that would be able to -- we have talked to some local businesses, and they are not that interested. but we need to approach the legality of getting port-a- potties. also, people are offering their homes to people. >> [inaudible]

>> very rarely. often very dirty. i will say it is dirty. i am not going to clarify. >> there is a sheet curtis has. it is a small request for sleeping arrangements. i was wondering -- would you be willing to record a list of people who are here at this meeting who are willing to bring people into their home? it will just be a night. i think that is going to be the crucial thing that will allow policy organizers to sleep easier, knowing the people coming to this have sleeping arrangements. everyone here, if you can try to secure for yourself a list of homes. >> the was the next list of was coined to bring up. i would like to get anybody in contact with me who would open

their home or knows somebody else that would. we need a bare minimum of bathrooms to use. we are looking for any outreach, any help that can be generated. over on the left, a point of information. >> i guess if we were to solicit churches for housing and number of people -- do we have any idea of what to expect people will be bringing and what the church must provide? >> at this point, i believe most -- we will try to provide food for as many people as possible. we will try to communicate a certain level of self-reliance. from the churches themselves, the only thing we really should need is space, heat, and bathrooms. basic toiletries and space.

>> for private homes, if you have do not have a bed, a place to put them. >> this is a time between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. >> photocopies? >> i believe we it had that the other day. that is another thing we also brought up. thank you for reminding me. if you can offer your place for visitors, we need food preparation areas as well. >> tomorrow, i will pass this out at my church. there is already something written down that is very clear. you can make your own photocopies.

you can give it to whoever -- your school, your teachers. >> i will forward you this. >> i am a unh student. >> point of information. do we have any other things? >> how far out are we talking about wanting people to be? >> that is a good question. i know we have some people who offered space in exeter. within a 30 or 40 minute drive. that is not much, transportation wise. we have people who are willing to drive and people willing to stay in place. it is a totally subjective thing, i believe. >> what is the public

transportation situation? >> the bus in manchester, i do not know when it runs. >> monday through saturday from about 5:30 in the morning to 5:30 in the evening. on saturday, it runs until 8:00 at night and runs fewer routes. the run once an hour. the >> we are not taking it on ourselves to provide transportation. >> no. the impact on hosts will be very minimum. it is a place for them to stay, with a basic understanding that you keep it the way you came. you pick up your stuff. you do not trash the place. obviously, with the same

interest and mood we have of trying to help everybody out and be good. >> to we have availability? >> i believe this will be a supply-side thing. we will tell people we have this many spots, come down. >> slowly, we will be able to build it up. we need to have a definitive number of sleeping spots. >> the official events leading up to the primary? >> exactly. that is one of the policies that has been named on wall street, boston, etc. -- be a nice person. anybody else have a question, points of process, or general rebuttals? i will be quiet now.

>> this is just for people to know. we do have a very substantial donation. i am trying to work in contact with her. i know she has been giving money generally. you can always hope a drive for donations. do not push yourself if you do not have the money. >> if we do get up to a certain threshold, we will possibly need food donations space. preferably, it will be dry and cool. >> also, we will be looking for -- >> to different aspects. if you are interested in being involved, there is sanitation, possibly closing.

i do not know if that will be a big issue. yes. it seems it has been enough. thank you. >> last minute, does anybody have anything that needs to be covered before we close out? ok. i think that's -- all right. >> don't put that on me, dude. that's you guys. >> unless you want to do it friday. maybe monday. >> the 26th?

>> christmas eve will be hectic. either friday or monday, i think, we could do it. i am giving you the days. >> let's just do friday. saturday? sunday? monday? tuesday? wednesday? i am just trying to see. we are not getting a lot of consensus on this. >> we could take this next week off for the holiday and meet some time before the new year. >> it is just an idea. >> do we want to meet this week or after? let us go with monday the 26. the location -- do you want to make it rick's place for now? it is?

>> i don't even know. >> the same time? 1:00? >> do we need a vote on that? >> yes. >> any blocks? monday at 1:00. >> has everybody got that? >> i had one very quick thing. this is remarkable. it is a wonderful opportunity and experience. i appreciate you talking here and giving this time. this is wicked cool. >> announcement to make. december 21 is be sure to state

of the year. it is observed nationally. there been times when those in our community have died because we cannot make sure everybody has a place to live. there will be vigils on wednesday in a concord, newport, lebanon, manchester, and another. thank you. i know the one in manchester will be in the park, i think at 6:00 p.m. back in the first phase of the encampment, we had to organize and we think all of them for their participation. >> are we good? ok. let's clean up and get out.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] look not a campaign

coverage this evening. a former house speaker newt gingrich will speak in meredith, new hampshire for a town hall meeting. we'll have live coverage at 7 east 10th -- 7:00 p.m. eastern. the committee hears from representatives of the major campaigns, including the wife of john huntsman, and a former reagan national security adviser who will speak for newt gingrich. tonight on c-span 3, speakers in past new hampshire primary campaigns. you concede victory and concession speeches of the candidates who ran in 2000.

that is it 8:00 eastern on c- span 3. on his first day on the job today as director of the consumer financial bureau, richard cordray visited the brookings institute and gave his vision. he was installed yesterday through a recess appointment, after republicans blocked the appointment, seeking changes in the agency put structure. >> good morning. thank you for joining us today, which officially marks our guest's first day on the job. richard cordray is the chief of the financial protection bureau, an agency that began six months ago, created in the dodd-frank wall street consumer protection

act of the financial crisis. the role is to regulate consumer financial products and services, including mortgages and credit cards. in its first six months, the bureau took steps to make consumer financial products more transparent, including a campaign to improve disclosures and making the costs and benefits of financial transactions easier to understand. in addition, the bureau has launched its bank supervision program, with examiners now on the ground at the nation's largest banks. the bureau has been without a head since its founding, due to senate opposition for the way it was set up -- what they believe is a lack of congressional oversight and accountability and funding. director cordray's recess appointment has ignited controversy, with some raising questions about whether it will stand up in court. prior to the appointment, the director had been at the bureau

as head of the enforcement division. prior to this, he served as attorney general of ohio, where he recovered more than $2 billion for retirees, investors, and business owners, and took steps to protect consumers from foreclosures and predatory creditors. he spent two years as ohio treasurer, and more as treasurer in franklin county. he was an adjunct professor in the ohio state university college of law, served as a state representative in ohio, was the first ohio solicitor general, and had private practice. he is a graduate of michigan state, oxford, and the university of chicago law school. i will leave you with a tidbit not on the official biography. he has the distinction of being an undefeated 5-time champion on jeopardy. [applause] there you go.

with that, please welcome richard cordray. [applause] >> that was unexpected. thank you, karen, and thanks to brookings for hosting me to discuss the work of the new consumer financial protection bureau. i am honored to serve as the first director of the bureau, and to work with the talented and committed teams we have been building there. i will seek to answer three questions today. first, why does this bureau matter, not just to me, but to people across this country? second, what have we already been doing for our first six months? and third, what does it mean for the consumer bureau to have a director, and how will we use our authority to protect consumers? to the first question -- why does this bear a matter?

consumer finance is a big part of this economy and plays a large role in the daily life of almost every american, whether it is to pay bills or finance larger investments in the future. most people use credit. credit cards give quick access to money when we need it. student loans help us obtain college education. mortgages make it possible to buy a home and spread payments over many years. no doubt about it. consumer financial products to make our lives better and create opportunities to make something of ourselves. but these same financial products can also make life harder. when i served as treasurer in ohio at both state and local level, i saw good people with good intentions drowning in debts they could not afford. some people have tough breaks in life. nobody ever plans on losing their jobs, being laid off by serious illness or injury, but these hard blows can be devastating.

sometimes, people make the wrong choices and get in over their heads. others get swindled by scams. i have seen senior citizens defrauded of their savings. i have seen families been corrupted by complex mortgages with spiralling interest costs they could not understand or afford. these things can happen to anyone. we need to understand that we are not talking about some impersonal abstraction, not about somebody else. we are talking about each one of us, our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, our sons and daughters -- people who simply want to make the right choices for themselves and their families. picture the faces of your own extended family. did any of them ever have money troubles, opportunities the could not pursue because they lacked the means and could not borrow the money? what about our children? what will happen to them when they have to fend for themselves

in the financial marketplace? we are rightly concerned about these things, because consumer finance clearly has become more complicated and risky in recent years. hidden fees and exploding interest rates have infected more products and services. nobble and exotic mortgages battle -- battered housing markets, wrecked the economy, and hurt millions of people. aggressive debt collection and credit reporting magnifies the money problems people experience, which now follow them for many years. bad credit can bar people from getting a job, cost them more money on car and home loans, or block them from borrowing at all. with the stakes so high, consumers need better information about the costs and risks of darwin, and they need to be able to comparison shop for a good deal. consumers often need the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the deal they were promised

is the deal that are actually getting, not just tomorrow, but next month and next year. consumers deserve to have someone who will stand on their side, who will protect against fraud, and who will ensure than they are treated fairly in the marketplace. the consumer bureau was created to make sure these things are achieved for all americans. the good news is that we have already gotten started. importantly, in our first six months, our team has been answering calls and collecting e-mails from american consumers. their stories to illustrate the issues people face around the country. we heard from mary in louisiana, who took out a paid a loan, which turned into a long-term exorbitantly expensive loan she was unable to pay off. mary simply wanted a reasonable chance to repay. instead, the lender told her the only option was to file for bankruptcy. we also heard from rebecca in

north carolina. she missed a mortgage payment 9 months after her husband lost his job. in the two years since, her mortgage servicer has increased from monthly payments, even though she believes a modification was supposed to reduce them. she said she was charged for inspections and appraisals she did not ask for and that have never occurred, leading to increased debts and threats of foreclosure. she says she has been frantically complying with these demands because she is so afraid of losing her home. in just a short time, we have heard thousands of these kind of stories. some are outrageous. they are willing up everywhere, from small towns to big cities, coast to coast. these nightmares are happening to people from all walks of life, from people who have fallen on hard times to people who still consider themselves financially secure. they do not expect special

favors. they just want a fair shake. i want a consumer financial system that actually works for consumers. that is exactly what the consumer bureau is here to do. one of our primary objectives is to bring clarity to the financial markets. people have a hard time understanding the terms of a deal when the half to pore over reams of fine print. we launched a campaign to provide easy-to-understand is closures that make the risks clear up front. the premises of a well- functioning market are that buyers and sellers understand the terms of the deal and that buyers are able to compare possible to reduce possible alternatives. honest businesses want to compete in such a market, and they are satisfied to win market share based on fair competition and customer service, not through deception or fraud. we started our "no before you

go "to a campaign by tackling the estimate when you go for a home run. with the department of education, we released a financial aid shopping sheet that makes it easy to compare aid packages and understand the payments students will be facing after graduation. last month, we released an example credit card agreement that is short and written in plain language, to explain the key terms. we strongly believe that financial institutions can speak to their customers more simply and clearly. this kind of straightforward transparency promotes responsible decision making by consumers. but transparency alone is not enough. another key objective is making sure financial institutions are playing by the rules. when we launched in july, our bureau inherited the responsibility to supervise the largest banks to make sure they are following the law. in practical terms, that means

examiners on the ground today with broad authority to review loan documents, ask tough questions, and bring problems to light. the consumer bureau will make clear there are real consequences to breaking the law. we have given informants and whistleblowers direct access to us. we took over a number of investigations from other agencies in july, and are pursuing some investigations jointly with them. we have also started our own investigations. some may be resolved through cooperative efforts to correct problems. others may require enforcement actions to stop illegal behavior. my last question is, now we have a director, how we will protect consumers. one of the difficulties we face up to now was that without a director we were unable to address all the problems we were created to tackle. the twin promises of the dodd- frank act which established us are that the bureau will have a singular focus on protecting

consumers in the financial marketplace, and will make sure that large banks and non-banks are held to the same standards. in the run-up to the financial crisis, unsupervised firms led a race to the bottom that pushed aside responsible businesses, including community banks and credit unions, and greatly harmed consumers. for the first time, we can exercise our full authorities granted under the new law. that is a specific difference having a director makes. today, we are launching a program for supervising non- banks. we will begin dealing face to face with palin errors, mortgage servicers, private student lenders, and other firms that often compete with banks, but have largely escaped meaningful federal oversight. these are important markets. many provide valuable services to customers who lack access to other forms of credit. they are big markets. they are big markets.