but that is a drop in a the bucket compared to what needs to be done. as long as he does not change his view that we cannot cut entitlements, it will not work. everybody knows you cannot balance this horrific $1.50 trillion a year deficit if you are not serious about entitlement reform and government reform across the spectrum. and so i hope he is serious. i hope that when he is right, that we find that common ground and cut government, but there is so much more to do. i do not think on the big stuff the president has a real interest in reducing government. most of the solutions are just the opposite -- a big government, as opposed to more freedom. >> thank you, governor. [applause] one of the great challenges we have had over the last year is that we like 80% of what he says, but we 89% of what he does.

next question comes from victoria williams. victoria? thank you for being here. victorious says, virginia has done a fantastic job as relates to the unemployment rate -- 6%. our state is 10%. our nation is at 8.5%. how can we model our economic attitude and our behavior is after the great state of virginia? >> i love the softball questions. thank you so much. keep throwing them up here. honestly, i do not think it is that hard. we know what works. we have been the greatest country on earth since our foundation 235 years ago. we understand these basic principles of freedom and federalism and limited government and understanding that free people, where we promise opportunity. that is what we guarantee -- opportunity. we do not guarantee outcome. a fundamental difference

between us and other socialist- style country. we promise opportunity to pursue the american dream. so i think that is what we need to do. the best way we can do that is some of the kinds of things that you do. we have the second highest corporate income tax in all of the world. no wonder capital is fleeing america for europe and asia. you've had one of the great ideas with your rising tide legislation to cut that 35% federal income tax so we do not force american businesses to go to singapore or china or taiwan or some other country, where those rates are lower. the president of coke said a couple of months ago says it is easier to do business in china then to do business in america with this president. shocking. i was in china on a trade mission six months ago, and they want to do business with america. they are cutting bureaucracy

and trying to find ways to model themselves after what we do in america. they are learning a lot from us. so we should not be having the kinds of policies. so what we have done is we have tried to cut taxes in those areas that impair the ability of businesses to create and grow access to capital. we tried to create some targeted incentives by looking at what is virginia good at. we are guided advanced manufacturing and cyber security and modeling and simulation and wine and tourism and film. we just had that steven spielberg do his lincoln movie in virginia. imagined a liberal democrat during a movie about a conservative republican president. we thought it was great. we are promoting new incentives focused on those industries. you know what is most important right now? this president is spending most of this time attacking people that are successful. the president is a nice guy. he is a good family man.

his wife was just in virginia with my wife doing things for veterans. that was common ground. but his policies are just flat wrong. he is attacking people that are successful. creating this class warfare argument that if you have been successful in taking risks and been blessed in return, that somehow you are stomping on other people's rights. we should condemn the. that is absolutely wrong. that is not the american formula for success. [applause] tim, what i say is, look, if you want to come to virginia and relocate your business, we love you. come on. we have people from california, people like hilton and northrop grumman and other major companies that have relocated because they do not get it when it comes to taxes and regulation and we do. we know this is a competitive marketplace, not only for ideas but also for jobs. the more you can make your state business and family friendly and bring in those job creators, the better off you are going to

be. these are pretty elementary concepts. tim gets it. we put them in place in virginia. your governor is trying to do that. chris christie and rick scott are doing that in their states. that is why you see that some of the most pro-business states in america are headed by republican governors. virginia has been ranked number one this year, but those other republican governors are doing the same things. >> thank you, governor. [applause] another amazing challenge comes from jason watson. are you here? thank you. he is a commercial fisherman. a lot of time, he deals with the regulatory environment that is getting worse and worse on commerce. specifically, catch limits of that impacts offshore fishing, but more important is the

regulatory environment that has stifled growth throughout this nation is doing it more because in the last 12 months we added 70,000 pages of the compliance cost of $95 billion just to comply. could you talk about that? >> yes. i mentioned i think the great cancer that undermines entrepreneurship is regulation. in some cases, it is unionization. because he cannot do certain things done on various environmental front like cap and trade and certain union areas like card check, he tried to use the administrative process act with bureaucrats, but you try to get them to pass

of volumes of the regulation that enact some of these policies. i think some of these are beyond the scope of what congress intended and permitted our people to do. so regulations, as long as they have of valid consumer protection or public safety impact and do it in the least intrusive way, upon the citizens, then it makes sense. but some of the regulations we have seen over these last couple years, particularly with the gobs of them being promulgated for obama-care are a hidden tax. they add to the cost of doing business. and who pays for it? you do, because it is passed on as part of the cost of doing business from the businessman. it is the same thing in the fishing area. i think we do need to balance the sensible goal of protecting our environment and protecting our natural resources with the

needs of commerce. and for a long time in most states in the nation we realize there has to be some limits on catches of all kinds of things. we have some of those limits in virginia. if they become excessive to achieve a political objective on behalf of people that are far left to it comes to environmental protection, then you stifle entrepreneurship. that's should be our goal. [applause] >> our next question comes from tom middleton. here's a question about voter fraud and the federal intrusion. in south carolina, our immigration law, our voter id, are some areas where we see the

federal government coming into our state or suing us were trying to steal our jobs. his question is, how do we stop the voter fraud and how do we stop the intrusion that the federal government seems to be doing rapidly throughout this nation? >> one of the great hallmarks of the american republic is that for the most part, people have confidence in the outcome of elections. you see these horrible images and other countries that were these totalitarian regimes get 99% of the vote and everybody knows what is going on there. and having that principle of one man, one vote, be counted is so important to our founders. it was one of the things our revolution was about -- those colonists were denied representation. they decided they would make their stand and fight for it. so making sure that everybody

cast one vote and not more than one vote is also important. we have done some things like some basic voter identification requirements at the polls, just to prove who you are without doing anything to suppress voter turnout. it is a common-sense way to do it. i think a lot of states are doing that. with regard to the overbearing federal government, that would take the rest of this town hall and beyond. you know, when the 10th amendment was adopted, it meant something. it meant that article i section 8 of the constitution was the box the federal government was suppose to be in. that articulated those limited powers of what washington was supposed to do. when the federal government gets outside of that box and tries to be all things to all people or to do what ever the courts allow them to do, it really tramples on what the 10th amendment was all about which

says what ever they cannot do it is left to you, the people and the states respectively. i think an important part of what we are trying to do at the republican governors' association is to help to re- balance those powers between state and federal government. what madison and mason and jefferson and others wrote a lot about. limiting the federal government is a lot of what those first 10 amendments were about. it is to guarantee those individual liberties to the citizens and to the states respectively. i think we need to have a louder voice. we will be doing a lot of that at the republican governors association, especially when we see the results that states are getting individually with republican governors compared to

what we are seeing coming out of this administration. individual governors are closer to the people. that is what jefferson really believe, the government closest to the people really does work. it is more responsive, more attentive. just like these meetings we are having here. tim believes that. these limitations that go into the constitution really do mean something and we should restore them. [applause] >> tom, thank you for the question on voter fraud. 91 people that died before 2008 were able to rise from the grave and vote for barack obama in 2008. let's turn our attention to the comments about who makes a good president. you suggested that being a governor is a very good road to the white house. [laughter]

>> of course. >> that's the easy part. governor perry, governor romney and governor huntsman. governors make a good president. virginia makes good presidents, too, but i am not running. the three things we talked about and frank, you talked about a lot of this is your focus groups, is when people say what we need to do to restore the great country of is it the american engine of opportunity back to work with more jobs. get our fiscal house in order. families and businesses are doing it. the federal government should do it, too. it is what states have to do. we have to balance our budget. they print money. tim has been a good voice for not doing that.

[laughter] >> i'm a republican. >> we have self and forced debt ceilings. they do not. we need voices like tim scott up there and being able to say how we get that in order. and then leadership. those of the three key issues i see coming up this year. i said i am somewhat partial to governors, because when i see the failures in leadership and a failure in direction this administration, the skillset that i think is best suited to fix that is what governors really have to do every day. and we have to balance budgets every year. you cannot spend more than you have. you have to account for. which means you have to increase taxes or cut spending. in virginia, we cut spending. that is our road to getting that balance. secondly, when your unemployment rate is 9%, you cannot be blaming congress or the man behind a tree, you to take direct responsibility for how competitive are you making your

state. what are your regulations? are using their business and jobs are a good thing? are you engaging in class warfare? we do not do that. and so, because governors are held directly responsible for the unemployment rate, they will have the best ideas on how to get that under control on business development, on energy policy. so i am a little partial to governors. i could say that you have three governors in the race. most of them have good records on jobs and business when there were governors of their state. governor romney in the private sector with what he has been able to accomplish, running the olympics. i think all of them have a good view when it comes to spending. they understand you cannot spend more than you bring in. they had to govern that way by their statutes or their constitution. and so that is exactly the kind of leadership that you need.

this administration thinks that you are their piggy bank. if they cannot get an of spending out of congress, there will run up the debt. and that is exactly the wrong approach. we are mortgaging the future. i think it is flat immoral that this of debt is running up, because some of us with gray hair, you are passing on to your kids and your grandkids. that is the wrong thing to do for america. moody's downgraded the federal government. s&p just downgraded about 8 european countries, starting with france and portugal. this is what is happening in the west now is that we have lost as a basic understanding of fiscal responsibility that most american families and small businessmen get. you have to live within your means and set parties and balance your budget. that is why i said that the governors will do well. we have a great canada its across the board. you'll see the monday night. everyone of them would be better

than what we have and the white house now. [applause] >> greg carter moon? sent us a question over facebook. do you support the webb-warner bill regarding offshore drilling near the coast of virginia, and what cautions which you take to protect the environment? >> absolutely. we have tried to position ourselves in virginia as the energy capital of the east coast. no offense to south carolina. we've got great coal and natural gas reserves. we've got major nuclear capacity in lynchburg, virginia. you know what the most productive nuclear reactor in the united states is? it is called the united states navy aircraft carrier.

that is where the nuclear power is the best. we have more of them and norfolk, virginia, then any place on the east coast. as an aside, i am the son of an army officer. i served 21. my daughter spent a year and a rock as an army platoon leader. we need to do everything that we can to make sure our veterans are protected and well served. [applause] and so, if we are going to have american energy independence, a lot of people talk about it. again, you have to deliver. and this administration has been hostile to coal. they have tried to prevent hydra fracking. they have failed to provide a suitable place for disposal of spent rods. they have pulled the rug out from under us in virginia in offshore drilling. you know what? that is 97% of the electricity generation capacity in america and this administration is

attacking it. i have never seen a windmill on top of a car be able to work. i'm for offshore wind, but not on top of my car. i think we have to realize it -- back to the question about the webb-warner bill -- i do want us to be able to drill off the atlantic coast. we need to use all of our resources in america as we do not have to depend on dictators around the world for oil. [applause] i think the people say we need in america first, domestic, red white and blue energy policy that uses everything. why should we hamstring our own country and force us to go and buy from other countries? offshore drilling, i think we did learn a lot of the deep water horizon incident. it was prudent to slow down and find out what new technology and new regulations were needed to put in place.

but to say after drilling 4000 wells on the gulf of mexico for 40 years, that we cannot do it safely off the atlantic coast i would say is flat wrong. that shows no confidence in the great american minds and technology and no confidence in the ability of government to get the regulations right. that is not america. we did not do that after the space shuttle disaster. that's absolutely wrong. i have more confidence in americans than the president. so i think we do some -- we ought to drill off the atlantic coast. the people leading the charge are senator mark warner and jim webb, two democratic senators from virginia, who are trying to get some common-sense regulations in place for offshore drilling. we can do it. we need to do it. it will be a tremendous job. there would be 18,000 jobs in virginia.

7000 jobs in south carolina. tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues. that is how we grow. new industries and reduce our reliance on foreign countries. [applause] >> thank you, governor. we will have dr. frank luntz take over and get the audience involved. we will come back with a 10 minute wrap with the governor. >> i will ask you a question and i want you to respond. we have c-span cameras on. if you can move away from those things. it is ok. i want a show of hands. how many of you are better off than your parents were when they were your age? raise your hands if you are better off than your parents when they were your age. most hands go up. what ever happened to the four of you, please tell me who your broker is not.

now, tell me the truth. how many of you to believe that your children, not that you want them to be, how many of you believe the way things are going that your children will be better off than you when they get to your age? raise your hand. look around you. look at how few hands are up now. can someone explain to me why you're so pessimistic about your kids? >> the leadership we have today is not taking us where we need to go. >> why are you so pessimistic about the future for the next generation? >> the economy is down. real-estate values are down. there is no prospect for the future. >> why are you so pessimistic about the future for your kids? >> of lack of common sense in washington. >> why are you so pessimistic? >> a huge debt. governor, congressman, give them hope. make them feel more confident about the future. what would you tell them needs to happen so that they will have faith that their children

will have a better quality of life than them? >> i think you start with the premise, congressman, i know you believe it because that is why you ran for office. this is the greatest experiment in human freedom the world has ever known, the united states of america. [applause] what jefferson penned in 1776, and what we ratified in 1791, has stood the test of time. those ideas have spread ideas about freedom and liberty across the world. since the collapse of the iron curtain and the berlin wall, we've seen people not only in europe but also and other nations look to america for these ideas on human freedom and ideas on how to put together a constitution. so i think our system of government and the foundations of its republic, they are greater than any one president, one governor or congressman or anything else. because it has worked.

we have had some other dark periods in our history. the mid 1800's. through all of those challenges, the basic structure of america has remained unchanged. the basic secret of success, while we may have lost it for a period of time, while we have administrations that may not understand it like this administration does not get it, i think the people come around and make the right corrective action. just like the market has a correction, i think the electorate will have a correction in november. will get conservative leadership restored. because the small businessman are always going to be the linchpin -- 70% of all the businesses in america are created by that small business guy. bill gates. or the steve jobs.

the people that have a dream, dropped out of college. nobody thought it would happen. now they have created some of the greatest companies in america. that is america. that will not change even after enduring four years of this administration. that stays strong and we will recover and be better and stronger. [applause] >> sometimes the greatest opportunities are found in the greatest obstacles. there is no question that since 2008 we have seen one of the greatest opportunities of rise in the tea party. when you realize that you're taxed enough already, you realize that a less intrusive government is in your best interest and you realize that no matter where you start, your future will be dictated by yourself. that the greatest minority in the nation today is the individual. and unleashing the individual sets america right. i will tell you from personal experience, the starting a business. understanding that having an

equity position in this great nation made my life different. i could think my way out of poverty. if we realize that the hardest lessons we have to learn today are the ones ahead of us, that the federal guthrie cannot save us and we do not want it to save us. we want to be free, free to win, but also free to lose. [applause] that is why the future is very bright. our best days are ahead of us. there is no question that the greatest stand america will have to make is in our future. we will -- we have overcome two world wars, the great depression, recessions, and we will overcome barack obama, without question. [applause] >> i always feel like george costanza, get out on a high note. where are my moms? on monday, at 10:30 a.m., if you go to cafe mom, there will

be a town home specifically for you moms. as a mom, and what are you most concerned for your kids? >> just their future and their opportunities because our country has been taken in the wrong direction right now. >> what are you most concerned about for your kids? >> i have one son who is unemployed. and i have a 23-year-old who is still living at home. he has a job, but cannot afford to live on his own because of the economy. >> are you a mom? >> right now, i am mostly a grandmother. two young granddaughters. my concern is that there will be opportunities for them when they are at that age. my daughter and her husband have provided well for their college in the future, but will

be opportunities to be there for them when they are ready for them? >> i'm a mom. [laughter] i have three children, five grandchildren, all in the carolinas. what i want for them is to be educated to make the right decisions and be able to have the choices to make the decisions from. it's very important that they make right choices, including a career choice and job opportunity. >> governor, congressman? what can government do and what should government not do to ensure that they ge t-- there are two words that i heard consistently -- choices and opportunities. what should government do and not do when it comes to providing opportunities and choices? >> i will tell you that as a kid growing up in abject poverty,

30% unemployment was the average unemployment in my community. and the government was consistently there to help us. 30% unemployment, and the government is there to help us. when the federal government shows up, it is not merely to help you. it is to create dependence. when the 47% of americans -- [applause] when you have 47% of americans not paying taxes, we do not want to start a cultural war. we want everybody to understand the real opportunity in this nation is having equity in america. that means that you have to pay into the system. if we were to lower the tax rate, broaden the base, and make everyone responsible for building this great country, i believe the country would grow faster, better, and broader because every american would

find it their responsibility, not the government's responsibility, to make things happen. communities would start depending on their neighbors and not the government. when it came time to take care of your family, it would not be the responsibility of the government to make us more secure. it would be the responsibility of your brothers, your sisters, and your family and your churches anderson about -- and your synagogue. what the government can do for us is take a step back and let us do what we do best. that is the great opportunity. >> i do not think there is a thing i can add to that. [applause] >> thank you, governor, for joining us. i will wrap this up in the next few minutes. at 7:00, there will be a party that starts behind you. you have real warmers with that

virginia natural gas. please join the fantastic shakers at 7:00 right behind us. america, we find ourselves of the crossroads one more time. this is the most important election in our lifetime. it is an amazing opportunity for us to gather the strength to preserve the great republic by moving as back towards capitalism and a further and further away from socialism. we've got to do it. and this is the year to get done. we are going to give the governor three minutes to close, and as he starts his close, i want him to answer one question as it relates to i-73. i-73, which connects six states together and gives us an opportunity to see an economic boon that would go from the coast of south carolina into the great mountains of virginia.

how do we get it done? you took a bipartisan approach to infrastructure funding, and you made it happen in virginia. what advice would you give to the rest of the country? and thank you for being here. >> the only problem is that have brought more people to myrtle beach and west virginia beach. that would not be good for me. other than that, i am all for. i mentioned at those times of getting off of 95. at 10 years old, it was dad, are we there yet. it seemed like we never got there because the small roads were the toughest part. what we did in virginia last year, we are not raising taxes. we will use surplus revenues and some general fund revenues because it is a priority in our budget. but we're also going to say, we have a very limited debt ceiling.

let's invest, dislike we do with our mortgages in our house, let's invest a little bit of money in bonds because we have the lowest interest rates. we are aaa bond rated state. we are getting the best deals ever for the taxpayer. we had $2 billion in projects last year. we created a transportation infrastructure banks. then have the private sector build some of those roads. and paid for with tolls. we would have a chunk of that 73 going to the southwestern part of virginia. i know that now you have an agreement with north carolina on a route, i think that south carolina, north carolina, west virginia, virginia route, connecting the midwest with myrtle beach would bring a few more sunbathers from the midwest down here and be a very good thing for them.

let me close by saying how much i've appreciated being here and talking to so many of you from the republican party, from the tea party. you all are the heart and soul of our effort. i have been in office 21 years. i have one of nine elections. does not matter how good we think we are, how many great ideas we have, if we do not have an army of people that believe in your cause and are willing to do the hard work of freedom, knocking on doors in making the phone calls and coming to the rallies, hanging up the literature on the doors, putting up the signs, you cannot win. this is the key to winning. in 2008, the president did a darn good job. we have to do a real good job in 2012 with having the energy and the enthusiasm on our side. i will close by saying this the greatest country on earth. but the highest gdp, the most

productive and brightest people. i think the most moral people because we still believe in the tenets of human -- basic freedom and traditional values and religious faith. we have more people that are advancing human condition in medicine and technology and science than any other country. but we have places like china and india that are not sitting around waiting for america. they are working and innovating and watching what we have done over 200 years and trying to copy it. i'd say this, i remember the way i was brought up and it was a little different than your story. i had a mother that grew up on a farm and dad that was an army officer, fought in the war. they taught me a couple of simple things. my mother always taught me to follow the golden rule. my dad taught me, you had

better work hard and get things done and do not make excuses, or i will smack you. i learned a lot from dad and mom, a wonderful balance. that is what tim was talking about. this is about opportunity, not government guarantees. the more that we can affect the culture by spreading that message that this is the kind of formula that has always made us a great people, whether it is a couple million that we started with or the 300-plus million today, the more we adopt those principles of human freedom and individual accountability, the better off we are going to be as a nation. so i am looking forward to working with you to support a conservative candidate for president. the sooner we get new leadership that has the vision of limited government and individual responsibility and supporting traditional values and letting

your keep as much of your hard- earned money as you can, the sooner we will return to the founders' vision for america, and the sooner we return to american greatness. thanks. [applause] >> governor bob mcdonnell. let's give him a great hand. also, let's thank dr. frank luntz for joining us this evening as well. god bless you and god bless america. >> hear, hear. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [indistinct conversations]

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>> happy anniversary. how many years? >> 35 >> 31. >> we want to thank you for passing the ijr. all ready to go for 95. >> with a couple little details with the federal government to work up. >> thank you. >> it is unbelievable the virginians that have relocated.

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>> you will of virginia beach. i lived there for 21 years. very nice to see you. very good. [unintelligible] >> at this point i do not think so. a judge ruled against that. >> we have to get ballots up to the military next week. i have not endorsed anybody yet. [unintelligible]

we have some tough qualifications in this country. it takes a lot of work but we have got on the of signatures. -- plenty of signatures. there is not an appetite in the legislature to do it. [unintelligible] i was up and we will have all six on the ballot. -- i was hoping we would have all six on the ballot. unless they won on appeal. in other roles. -- you know the rules. >> very nice to see you. first-generation?

[unintelligible] >> we came over here from cuba and. didn't you have got a great story. -- >> you have got a great story. children and grandson's? how many grandchildren? four four.

ok. very nice to see you. i thank you. take care. play a thing or something? [unintelligible] -- on the education front in virginia. [unintelligible] >> i think it would be helpful. you're just on the other side of the potomac. >> i would like for you to come over. [unintelligible] >> thank you so much. >> thank you.

>> i am back again. >> are you driving a bmw? >> i get. -- not yet. >> all right. thanks. >> i came down to volunteer. >> smiled. >> i worked with espn. in my son's favorite show. "or around the horne. [unintelligible]

a pleasure. you are doing a good job. [unintelligible] >> thank you. ok, ok. one, two, three. all right. thanks. [unintelligible] >> great to do that. a great young man. [unintelligible] >> we will try to do our part in virginian. thank you very much. how are you?

[unintelligible] >> one of the best civic organizations for young man in america, the boy scouts. we served -- [unintelligible] >> you guys keep doing well. what you like the best? -- what do you like the best? >> fund-raiser. >> really? in pennsylvania. ♪

[indistinct conversations] ♪ >> best of luck. >> good to see you. >> i want to introduce you to some friends of mine.

>> how are you doing? good. ♪ >> it is january. ♪

>> the south carolina primary as saturday, january 31. since 1980, the winner has gone on to be the republican nominee. we take it to the candidate events. >> i think we have to say that this has been a failed presidency. i do not think that he tried to make a bad, he just does not know what to do. he is over as head. >> if we have a message that will appeal not just in south carolina but across this nation and in particular in the states necessary for us to win this election. >> as canada's get their message out and meet voters. >> yet another war that we do not know we're at -- what we are accomplishing. we just leave and it is a bigger mass. if we use our national security assets, we need to make sure that it is in our national security interest and we are not

so rigid that we're not spread so sick man. -- and we are not spread so thin. >> take a picture. we want to put this on our paths with new page. >> find more resources at our campaign website, with more video from the campaign trail, and read the latest from the candidates, political reporters, and people like you from social media sites, c-span.org /campaign2012. >> next, your calls and comments on "washington journal." then news makers with richard land, and a speech on the state of american business by thomas donahue, president ceo of the u.s. chamber of commerce. >> in this episode of that text video, we will look at the surprising comments on climate change and the scientists behind the research. >> i think there are substantial

numbers of scientists who have manipulated data. >> what i do is that i rate different comments by politicians on a 1-4 scale. peace is something really outrages and completely inaccurate, you get four pinocchios. if you say something slightly misleading, you could get as low as 1 pin of the. >> in his column, glenn kessler rates the truthfulness of political figures and others. >> whether or not someone is deliberately lying? i think that a politician says the same thing over and over again, even when it has been pointed out that it is untrue, that they know that they're saying something untrue, and they're just going to say it anyway. >> glenn kessler >> this morning the political reporter for "the state"