if there is something that happens with him and he becomes unacceptable to the party, maybe santorum can pick up the pieces and get the conservative voted. you will see santorum drop out before paul drops out. >> let me bring it back to the florida republican party. the white house would agree that they can win without florida. for republicans, it is a must win state. >> that was a notable statement. florida is a must win for the republican nominee. they see virginia in the play and colorado in play because the economies are good their relatively speaking. the hispanic vote is putting states like nat and new mexico -- like nevada and new mexico in play. florida amount for a must win. you have a lot of electrical

votes -- a electoral votes. >> quick follow-up? >> it means he knows his matte. if president obama wins nevada, new mexico, colorado, and he wins new hampshire, which may be unlikely if mitt romney is the nominee, and i will, he would be at 270. he would be able to win without ohio, virginia, florida. >> nbc news and the hotline represented at the table. thanks for being with us on "newsmakers." >> you can see newsmakers again with the chairman of the republican party at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span radio, a and c-span.org.

-- and c-span.org. live "road to the white house" continues here today on c-span. >> c-span's "road to the white house" takes you live to the candidates in florida through the weekend. >> our young people have a great deal of concern. they are concerned about issues like global warming and things of that nature. they are concerned about humanity. help them understand that if they take one of these drugs being smuggled into this country, they are partially responsible for deaths. tens of thousands of people are being killed by virtue of drug

use in this country. it is time for the united states of america to take responsibility for the pain, suffering, torture going on throughout latin america. we are not a good example in this regard. if i am president, i will campaign in an aggressive way to our young people. >> i am prepared to accept that. [applause] there have been few occasions in an administration filled with embarrassment, there have been few more embarrassing when president obama met chavez and chavez handed him an anti- american book. we should take an aggressive

strategy, a non-military strategy, but an aggressive strategy of replacing chavez and giving the people of the venezuela an opportunity to live in freedom. >> this tuesday, president obama delivers his last state of the union address of his first term in office. it comes after a year of legislative battles over the debt ceiling. during his remarks, he called for an extension of the payroll tax cut. the tax cut expires at the end of february. this is about one hour, 15 minutes.

>> members of congress, i have the distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you.

>> mr. speaker, mr. vice president, members of congress, distinguished guests, and fellow americans -- last month, i went to andrews air force base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in iraq. together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought -- and several thousand gave their lives. we gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the united states safer and more respected around the world. for the first time in nine years, there are no americans fighting in iraq.

for the first time in two decades, osama bin laden is not a threat to this country. most of al qaeda's top lieutenants have been defeated. the taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in afghanistan have begun to come home. these achievements are a testament to the courage,

selflessness, and teamwork of america's armed forces. at a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. they're not consumed with personal ambition. they don't obsess over their differences. they focus on the mission at hand. they work together. imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. think about the america within our reach -- a country that leads the world in educating its people. an america that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs.

a future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world. an economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded. we can do this. i know we can, because we've done it before. at the end of world war ii, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. my grandfather, a veteran of patton's army, got the chance to go to college on the gi bill. my grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on earth. the two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism.

they understood they were part of something larger -- that they were contributing to a story of success that every american had a chance to share -- the basic american promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement. the defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. no challenge is more urgent. no debate is more important. we can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of americans barely get by. or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair

share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. what's at stake are not democratic values or republican values, but american values. we have to reclaim them. let's remember how we got here. long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren't, and personal debt that kept piling up. in 2008, the house of cards collapsed. we learned that mortgages had been sold to people who

couldn't afford or understand them. banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior. it was wrong. it was irresponsible. and it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard- working americans holding the bag. in the six months before i took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. and we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect. those are the facts. but so are these. in the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs.

[applause] last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. american manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. cutther, we've agreed to the deficit by more than $2 trillion. and we've put in place new rules to hold wall street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again. the state of our union is getting stronger. turne've come too far to back now. as long as i'm president, i will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this

momentum. but i intend to fight obstruction with action, and i will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. [applause] no, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. tonight, i want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last -- an economy built on american manufacturing, american energy, skills for american workers, and a renewal of american values. this blueprint begins with american manufacturing.

on the day i took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. some even said we should let it die. with a million jobs at stake, i refused to let that happen. in exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. we got workers and automakers to settle their differences. we got the industry to retool and restructure. today, general motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. chrysler has grown faster in the u.s. than any major car company. ford is investing billions in u.s. plants and factories. and together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

we bet on american workers. we bet on american ingenuity. and tonight, the american auto industry is back. [applause] what's happening in detroit can happen in other industries. it can happen in cleveland and pittsburgh and raleigh. we can't bring back every job that's left our shores. but right now, it's getting more expensive to do business in places like china. meanwhile, america is more productive. a few weeks ago, the ceo of master lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. today, for the first time in

fifteen years, master lock's unionized plant in milwaukee is running at full capacity. so we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. but we have to seize it. tonight, my message to business leaders is simple -- ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed. [applause] we should start with our tax code. right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in america get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world.

it makes no sense, and everyone knows it. so let's change it. first, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. that money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like master lock that decide to bring jobs home. [applause] second, no american company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. from now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. and every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay

here and hire here. [applause] third, if you're an american manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. if you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. and if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers. my message is simple. it's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in america. send me these tax reforms, and i'll sign them right away. [applause]

we're also making it easier for american businesses to sell products all over the world. two years ago, i set a goal of doubling u.s. exports over five years. with the bipartisan trade agreements i signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal -- ahead of schedule. soon, there will be millions of new customers for american goods in panama, colombia, and south korea. soon, there will be new cars on the streets of seoul imported from detroit, and toledo, and chicago. [applause] i will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for american products. and i will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules.

we've brought trade cases against china at nearly twice the rate as the last administration -- and it's made a difference. over a thousand americans are working today because we stopped a surge in chinese tires. but we need to do more. another right when country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. it's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized. tonight, i'm announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like china. there will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. and this congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over american

manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like russia. our workers are the most productive on earth, and if the playing field is level, i promise you -- america will always win. i also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the united states but can't find workers with the right skills. growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. think about that -- openings at a time when millions of americans are looking for work. that's inexcusable. and we know how to fix it. jackie bray is a single mom from north carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic.

then siemens opened a gas turbine factory in charlotte, and formed a partnership with central piedmont community college. the company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. it paid jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant. i want every american looking for work to have the same opportunity as jackie did. join me in a national commitment to train two million americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. [applause] my administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. model partnerships between businesses like siemens and

community colleges in places like charlotte, orlando, and louisville are up and running. now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers -- places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing. and i want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. it's time to turn our unemployment system into a [applause] these reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. but to prepare for the jobs of

tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier. for less than one percent of what our nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every state in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning -- the first time that's happened in a generation. but challenges remain. and we know how to solve them. at a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced states to lay off thousands of teachers. we know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. a great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. most teachers work tirelessly,

with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies -- just to make a difference. teachers matter. so instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. [applause] in return, grant schools flexibility -- to teach with creativity and passion, to stop teaching to the test, and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn. [applause] we also know that when students aren't allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma.

so tonight, i call on every state to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen. [applause] when kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. at a time when americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in july. [applause]

extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle- class families thousands of dollars. and give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years. [applause] of course, it's not enough for us to increase student aid. we can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition. we'll run out of money. states also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. and colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. recently, i spoke with a group of college presidents who've done just that. some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. some use better technology.

the point is, it's possible. so let me put colleges and universities on notice -- if you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. higher education can't be a luxury -- it's an economic imperative that every family in america should be able to afford. let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge -- the fact that they aren't yet american citizens. many were brought here as small children, are american through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else. that doesn't make sense.

i believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. that's why my administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. that's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when i took office. the opponents of action are out of excuses. we should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. [applause] but if election-year politics keeps congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. i will sign it right away.

[applause] you see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. that means women should earn equal pay for equal work. [applause] it means we should support everyone who's willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next steve jobs. after all, innovation is what america has always been about. most new jobs are created in

start-ups and small businesses. so let's pass an agenda that helps them succeed. tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. both parties agree on these ideas. so put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year. [applause] innovation also demands basic research. today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. new lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. don't gut these investments in our budget. don't let other countries win

the race for the future. support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the internet, to new american jobs and new american industries. nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in american-made energy. over the last three years, we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, i'm directing my administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. [applause] right now, american oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years. that's right -- eight years. not only that -- last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen

years. [applause] but with only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, oil isn't enough. this country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of american energy -- a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. [applause] we have a supply of natural gas that can last america nearly one hundred years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs

by the end of the decade. and i'm requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. america will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk. the development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy. [applause] and by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock -- reminding us that government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. [applause] what's true for natural gas is true for clean energy.

in three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned america to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. and thousands of americans have jobs because of it. when bryan ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. but he found work at energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in michigan. before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. today, it's hiring workers like bryan, who said, "i'm proud to be working in the industry of the future." our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come right away. some technologies don't pan out.

some companies fail. but i will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. i will not walk away from workers like bryan. [applause] i will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to china or germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. we have subsidized oil companies for a century. that's long enough. it's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising. pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs. [applause]

we can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. the differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. but there's no reason why congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. so far, you haven't acted. well tonight, i will. [applause] i'm directing my administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. and i'm proud to announce that the department of defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history -- with the navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year. [applause]

of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. so here's another proposal -- help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and america will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. send me a bill that creates these jobs. [laughter] [applause] building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair america's infrastructure. so much of america needs to be rebuilt.

we've got crumbling roads and bridges. a power grid that wastes too much energy. an incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural america from selling her products all over the world. during the great depression, america built the hoover dam and the golden gate bridge. after world war ii, we connected our states with a system of highways. democratic and republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today. in the next few weeks, i will sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. but you need to fund these projects. take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-

building right here at home. [applause] there's never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. of course, construction workers weren't the only ones hurt. so were millions of innocent americans who've seen their home values decline. and while government can't fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief. that's why i'm sending this congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by

refinancing at historically low interest rates. no more red tape. no more runaround from the banks. a small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won't add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust. [applause] let's never forget -- millions of americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same. it's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom -- no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. an america built to last insists on responsibility from everybody. we've all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to

people who couldn't afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. that's why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. [applause] rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don't destroy the free market. they make the free market work better. there is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. in fact, i've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my republican predecessor did in his. [applause] i've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. we've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and

citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. we got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill -- because milk was somehow classified as an oil. with a rule like that, i guess it was worth crying over spilled milk. [laughter] i'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. [applause] but i will not back down from making sure an oil company can

contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the gulf two years ago. [applause] i will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. i will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men. [applause] and i will not go back to the days when wall street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. the new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's core purpose -- getting funding to entrepreneurs

with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college. so if you're a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers' deposits. you're required to write out a "living will" that details exactly how you'll pay the bills if you fail -- because the rest of us aren't bailing you out ever again. [applause] lenderyou're a mortgage or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can't afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. today, american consumers finally have a watchdog in richard cordray with one job -- to look out for them.

[applause] we will also establish a financial crimes unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there's no real penalty for being a repeat offender. that's bad for consumers, and it's bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. so pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count. and tonight, i am asking my attorney general to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. this new unit will hold accountable those who broke the

law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many americans. a return to the american values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. but it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future. right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working americans while the recovery is still fragile. [applause] people cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. there are plenty of ways to get this done. so let's agree right here, right

now -- no side issues. no drama. pass the payroll tax cut without delay. when it comes to the deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. but we need to do more, and that means making choices. right now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of americans. right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. right now, warren buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest americans? or do we want to keep our investments in everything else -- like education and medical research, a strong military and care for our veterans? because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both. the american people know what the right choice is. so do i. as i told the speaker this summer, i'm prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of medicare and medicaid, and strengthen social security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors. but in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of members of congress, pay our fair share of taxes.

[applause] tax reform should follow the buffett rule -- if you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. and my republican friend tom coburn is right -- washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. in fact, if you're earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn't get special tax subsidies or deductions. on the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of american families, your taxes shouldn't go up. [applause] you're the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages.

you're the ones who need relief. now, you can call this class warfare all you want. but asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? most americans would call that common sense. financialegrudge success in this country. we admire it. when americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. it's because they understand that when i get tax breaks i don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference -- like a senior on a fixed income, or a student trying to get through school, or a family trying to make ends meet. that's not right. americans know it's not right. they know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a

responsibility to each other, and to their country's future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. that's how we'll reduce our deficit. that's an america built to last. [applause] i recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt, energy and health care. but no matter what party they belong to, i bet most americans are thinking the same thing right now -- nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because washington is broken.

can you blame them for feeling a little cynical? the greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn't come from events beyond our control. it came from a debate in washington over whether the united states would pay its bills or not. who benefited from that fiasco? the talked tonight about deficit of trust between main street and wall street. but the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad -- and it seems to get worse every year. some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. so together, let's take some steps to fix that. send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of congress, and i will sign it tomorrow. [applause]

let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for congress can't lobby congress, and vice versa -- an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of washington. doe of what's broken has to with the way congress does its business these days. a simple majority is no longer enough to get anything -- even routine business -- passed through the senate. [applause] neither party has been blameless in these tactics. now both parties should put an end to it. [applause]

for starters, i ask the senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days. [applause] the executive branch also needs to change. too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote. thiss why i've asked congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the american people. [applause] finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town.

we need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction, that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas. i'm a democrat. but i believe what republican abraham lincoln believed -- that government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. [applause] [applause] that's why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and states. that's why we're getting rid of

regulations that don't work. that's why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program. on the other hand, even my republican friends who complain the most about government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home. the point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective government. and while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. with or without this congress, i will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. but i can do a whole lot more with your help. because when we act together, there is nothing the united states of america can't achieve. that is the lesson we've learned from our actions abroad

over the last few years. ending the iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. from pakistan to yemen, the al qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can't escape the reach of the united states of america. [applause] from this position of strength, we've begun to wind down the war in afghanistan. ten thousand of our troops have come home. twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. this transition to afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against america.

[applause] as the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the middle east and north africa, from tunis to cairo, from sana'a to tripoli. a year ago, qadhafi was one of the world's longest-serving dictators -- a murderer with american blood on his hands. today, he is gone. and in syria, i have no doubt that the assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed, and that human dignity can't be denied. [applause] how this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain.

but we have a huge stake in the outcome. and while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. we will stand against violence and intimidation. we will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings -- men and women, christians, muslims, and jews. we will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty. and we will safeguard america's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. look at iran. through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with iran's nuclear program now stands as one. the regime is more isolated than ever before. its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as

long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. let there be no doubt -- america is determined to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and i will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. [applause] but a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations. the renewal of american leadership can be felt across the globe. our oldest alliances in europe and asia are stronger than ever. our ties to the americas are deeper.

our iron-clad commitment to israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. we've made it clear that america is a pacific power, and a new beginning in burma has lit a new hope. from the coalitions we've built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we've led against hunger and disease, from the blows we've dealt to our enemies, to the enduring power of our moral example, america is back. anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that america is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about. [applause]

that's not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. that's not how people feel from tokyo to berlin, from cape town to rio, where opinions of america are higher than they've been in years. yes, the world is changing. no, we can't control every event. but america remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs -- and as long as i'm president, i intend to keep it that way. [applause] that's why, working with our military leaders, i have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world,

while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. to stay one step ahead of our adversaries, i have already sent this congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats. [applause] above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. [applause]

as they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. that includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned -- which is why we've increased annual va spending every year i've been president. [applause] and it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation. with the bipartisan support of this congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. michelle and jill biden have worked with american businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. and tonight, i'm proposing a veterans job corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that america is as strong as those who defend her. [applause]

which brings me back to where i began. those of us who've been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. when you put on that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're black or white, asian or latino, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, gay or straight. when you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. the you're in the thick of fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation,

leaving no one behind. one of my proudest possessions is the flag that the seal team took with them on the mission to get bin laden. on it are each of their names. some may be democrats. some may be republicans. but that doesn't matter. just like it didn't matter that day in the situation room, when i sat next to bob gates -- a man who was george bush's defense secretary, and hillary clinton, a woman who ran against me for president. all that mattered that day was the mission. no one thought about politics. no one thought about themselves. one of the young men involved in the raid later told me that

he didn't deserve credit for the mission. it only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job -- the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control, the translator who kept others from entering the compound, the troops who separated the women and children from the fight, the seals who charged up the stairs. more than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other -- because you can't charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there's someone behind you, watching your back. so it is with america. each time i look at that flag, i'm reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. no one built this country on

their own. this nation is great because we built it together. this nation is great because we worked as a team. this nation is great because we get each other's backs. and if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great, no mission too hard. as long as we're joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our union will always be strong. thank you, god bless you, and may god bless the united states of america. [applause]

[applause]

>> falling obama's remarks, mitch daniels gave a response to the address. he mostly focused on the

handling of the economy. this is about 10 minutes. >> greetings from the home of suitable 46. to show respect for the presidency and to express agreement. republicans tonight salute our president for his aggressive pursuit to the murders of 9/11. i personally would add to that list admiration for the strong family commitment that he and the first lady have displayed to a nation needing such examples. on these evenings, president's naturally speak on the sunny side of our condition. but when he claims it is anything but great, he must know it is hard this is not true. the president did not cause the

economic and fiscal crisis that continues tonight, but he was elected on a promise of fixing it. he cannot plant the last three years have made anything but worse. it borrows one of every $3 expense. economic recovery. he seems to believe we can build a middle-class out of

government jobs paid for by borrowed dollars. it is the other way. the government as big as bossy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class and those who vote to join it. those punished most are those under employed tonight. they have abandoned the search of work altogether. no one has been more tragically harm than the young people of this country. our first concern is the kind of lives latter. we do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have not. we're only a short distance behind greece and spain.

the world uses our dollar for trade. we have a short grace period to deal with are dangers. the time is running out. this is a moment of truth opportunity to restore an america of hope end up for mobility. the problems are mathematical. the answer is a purely practical. an opposition that would burn its way back, let's offer our was a plan to make light batter, particularly for those wanting to make themselves better.

the roots back to an america of promise that can pay its bills and protect it starts in the same place. the only way up for those suffering tonight and the only way out of the dead end of debts is a private economy that grows in creates jobs at a much faster rate than today. contrary to the constant disparagement of people in business, this is one of the noblest human pursuits. steve jobs created more of them then all of the stimulus jobs the president borrowed and blue. in indiana when a business person asks me what he can do, the first is make money and be successful. the make a profit, you have something left to hire someone else. they extremism that stifles the

energy tax of consumer utility bills with no improvement is a pro-positive policy. it must be replaced with a pro- growth approach and break all ties in favor of private sector jobs that restore opportunity for all and generate the public revenue to pay our bills. that means a dramatically simpler tax system of lower rates, a pause in the mindless piling on of new regulations that otherwise could be used. it means maximizing of the new economies. there is a second item on our must do list, we might remove the safety net.

medicare and social security have served us well. it is the surprising they need some repair. we can preserve them untouched for those in retirement. we must fashion a new affordable safety nets of future americans are protected, too. decades ago, we could afford to send millionaires pension checks. there are those who continue to mislead americans that we should change nothing. these programs will implode. it will mean that coming generations are denied the protection they deserve in

their later years. it is absolutely so that everyone should contribute to our national recovery including the most affluent among the spirit there are smart ways in some ways to do this. the dumb way is to raise rates in a grossly complex tax system. the better course is to stop sending the what the benefits they do not need and stop providing them so many tax preferences that do little stop providing them so many tax preferences that distort our economy and do little or nothing to foster growth. it is not fair and not true for the president to attack republicans in concert -- congress as obstacles. they have encouraged a new job creation, only to be shot down time and again by the president.

this year, it falls to republicans to level with citizens about this reality. if we fail to act and grow the private sector and save the safety net, nothing else will matter much. to make such action happen, we also must work in ways we republicans have not always done to bring americans together. no feature of the obama presidency has been sadder than the constant efforts to curry favor. we americans are in the same boat. if we drift, we will all suffer regardless of income, race, gender, or other categories. if we fail to shift to a pro- jobs policy, there will never be in the public revenue to pay for our safety net. as a loyal opposition patriotism and national success ahead of parties or self-

interest, we say that anyone who will join us in because of growth insolvency is our ally and friend. we will speak the language of unity. it reopens the door to the stairway of birds. any other disagreements we have can wait. the most troubling contention in our national life is not about economics or policy at all. it is about us as a free people. this contention is that we americans cannot have it anymore. the president and his allies cannot handle ourselves in this complex world. left to ourselves, we might pick the wrong health insurance

or mortgage. some republicans seem to hold the view that we are no longer up to the jobless self- government. we cannot do the simple map of that proves the on affordability of today's safety net programs for all the government we now have. or fall for the con job that says we can plow ahead in someone else will pick of the tab. we will allow ourselves to be petted, one against the other. 2012 must be the year we prove the doubters wrong, the year we strike down baldly to say we do baldly tuesday to a new generation that america is a

land of new opportunity. republicans will speak to those who believe in the dignity of the individual citizens that believe that government is meant to serve the people read and supervise them, who trust americans enough to tell them the truth about the fix we are in. we will advance our positive suggestions with confidence. americans are still a people born with delivery. there is nothing wrong that the american people address that such a mature citizen cannot sit right. it makes our city on the hill shine once again. thanks for listening. good night.

>> just two republican presidential candidates are on the campaign trail today in florida. we will start with newt gingrich at 1:30 p.m. eastern time. later, brought -- mitt romney. tonight, the chairman of the republican party of florida. we will take a look at how the republican presidential candidates are campaigning in florida here on c-span, c-span radio, and. -- and c-span.org. >> leading up to the tuesday gop primary, we take you there, live. >> our young people are concerned. they're very humanitarian and are concerned with things like global warming. help them to understand that if they take one of these drugs being smuggled into this country, they are partially

responsible for death. i want them to understand the tens of thousands of people who are being killed by virtue of drug use in this country. it is time for the united states of america to take responsibility for the pain, suffering, and torture, and murder, happening in south america. i will campaign to our young people to stop taking drugs, because you're killing people. >> hugo chavez has said openly and publicly that he is our enemy. i am prepared to except that. [laughter] there have been few occasions in this of medications -- administration filled with embarrassment's, when the president attempted to be pleasant with him, hugo chavez smiled and handed him an anti- american book.

we need to understand that in hugo chavez and mahmoud ahmadinejad get together and want to harm on that -- other states, they mean it. we need to take an aggressive, non-military strategy of replacing hugo chavez and giving the people of venezuela an opportunity to live in freedom. >> see what the candidates are posting in social media, at c- span.org/2012. >> arizona rep gabrielle giffords submitted her resignation to john boehner on wednesday. in a recent video, she told constituents that she has more work to do to recover from the shooting that left her severely wounded. house members paid tribute to her service this week for about half of an hour.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. reichert: mr. speaker, as a former sheriff, i rise in strong support of h.r. 3801 because it would address the increasing use of ultralight aircraft in the smuggling of contraband across our borders. we also move this bill today in honor of congresswoman gabrielle giffords, the sponsor of this bill. she ably represented arizona's eighth congressional district since being elected to the united states house of representatives in november of 2006. in fact, our offices were next door to each other when she first arrived in congress, and we had an opportunity to walk and talk and share some stories. i learned from her that she came to congress for the right reasons. she is concerned about her constituents and cares and loves this country deeply. so we got to know each other just a little bit.

one of her foremost concerns has been the safety of her constituents. this bill is but one way in which she addressed those concerns. working together with her good friend and tireless colleague, representative flake. i'm delighted that we can move this bipartisan bill. we look forward to the day when gabrielle fully recovers. the use of ultralights which are small, slow, highly maneuverable, single seat recreation air vehicles is a proven way to smuggle contraband. these planes fly at a very low altitude, and do not even have to land. they simply drop their bundles of contraband at a predestined point and fly back undetected. a sheriff in new mexico was quoted as saying that we need the ability to detect smugglersers' flights before they cross the border to track

them and give us a good indication of where the dropping -- where they are dropping their contraband so we can preposition our response teams. this legislation provides the tools to stop these smugglers from using ultralight aircraft. first, the bill adds ultralights to the definition of aircraft for purposes of smuggling, and stiffens the penalties for using this type of aircraft to smuggle contraband. secondly, it enhances the ability of u.s. customs and border protection to detect, track, and halt illicit trafficking across the international borders between the united states and mexico and the united states and canada by calling for a collaborative effort between the department of defense, customs, and border protection. for these reasons i'm in favor of expanding our abilities to combat smuggling and support this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan.

mr. levin: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: i rise very much so in support of the ultralight aircraft smuggling prevention act of 2012. it's concurrent resolutionly important in two respects. -- it's crucially important in two respkts. it's clear we need to act, it's important of itself. every year hundreds of these aircrafts are flown across our borders. they are carrying drugs. smugglers favor them because they are hard to detect. they are inexpensive. and they can often avoid radar detection. and so the problem is that under current law, under current law immigration and customs enforcement, i.c.e.,

and the prosecutors don't have the authority to charge the users, these offenders with the existing statute. and so they can seek the higher penalties or lower the burden of proof. this bill, and this is the second significants -- significance, it was introduced by representative gabby giffords, and it would close this loophole. so i think for all of us colleagues and friends this is a special moment. this legislation was characteristic of the devotion, the dedication, the hard work of representative giffords. representing so ably the people of her district, the people of

her state, and the people of our entire nation. gabby giffords has been a spectacular star in the congressional galaxy. and we say as friends with love and affection we know that that star will continue to shine brightly and it will inspire us all. gabby giffords will be sorely missed, with you the example of her dedication -- but the example of her dedication, of her vitality and her courage, all of this has set an example that i think hopefully will lead us to undertake our duties with the same devotion as she has given to her work here and

at home. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: mr. speaker, i understand that their side may have some additional speakers. we have one additional speaker. would yield to mr. levin to continue with further speakers on his side. mr. levin: thank you, the gentleman from washington. it's my pleasure now to yield to another distinguished gentleman from the state of washington, a member of our committee, distinguished member of our committee, mr. mcdermott. the speaker pro tempore: for how much time will the gentleman be recognized? mr. levin: three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. mcdermott: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, i urge members to support h.r. 3801, which is the ultralight aircraft smuggling prevention act of 2012. this bill as you have heard

will help prevent drug smuggling across our borders and it does it really in three ways. it amends the current law to give our prosecutors the authority to charge smugglers who fly ultralight aircraft in the same way as they charge smugglers who fly conventional aircraft. second, the bill adds both an attempt and a, quote, conspiracy provision to the aviation smuggling law. that means our prosecutors will be able to seek higher penalties when it makes sense. and finally, the bill directs the defense department and the department of homeland security to collaborate in defying equipment and technology that could be used by our customs officials to detect these aircraft. this is a common sense piece of legislation that address as real problem and in a way that deserves broad bipartisan support. very similar bill passed the

congress -- passed the house in the last congress by a vote of 412-3. so this is a broad bipartisan bill. i expect this bill to pass with the same kind of bipartisan support today. what's unique about it is that it comes on the day when gabby giffords is going to resign from the congress, the woman who brought this bill to the floor. i want to congratulate her not only on this important piece of legislation but for the impressive record she developed over the five years that she was representing the eighth district of arizona. we all know gabby's spirit well. she has an office down the hall from me and i occasionally walk from office over here in the times when we came over to vote and got to know her on a newman basis, and she is truly a wonderful woman. and we will miss her. she had a bright future before her here. and it's sad to us that she's

leaving, but it's important for her to take care of herself. i'm a physician, a psychiatrist, and i have seen cases like hers in the past, and know that the possibilities for rehabilitation are very good. but it takes time. and running political campaigns and doing the kinds of things that you have to do in this business doesn't give you much time to take care of yourself. so we want gabby to go home and take care of herself and return to her highest level of ability because she has much to offer the people of the state of arizona and her husband and the country. so it's with a great deal of sadness that we say goodbye to her, but on the other hand we are very happy for her. and we very much urge everyone to vote for this bill. thank you.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: mr. speaker, at this timis time i'd like to yie the gentleman from arizona, mr. flake, and also take a moment to recognize him for his continuing efforts and doinged determination to ensure the safety of our country's borders. the speaker pro tempore: for how much time is the gentleman is recognized? mr. reichert: three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. flake: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in support of this legislation. it's been described it will help, it is needed on the border to close this loophole. to make sure we can better protect that border. i also want to pay tribute at this time to my friend and colleague, gabby giffords, for bringing this bill forward. for her work on this over the years. i have traveled to the border many times and meet with those property holders there. particularly the ranchers.

that she knows so well, that she has worked with over the years to develop legislation like this and the other legislation and initiatives she has pushed to make sure that we have a secure border. she met with these groups and then committed to have conference calls routinely to make sure that she was hearing their concerns. and she did so. over a long period of time. and i can tell you those who reside at the border, those who live there, who have property there, who work there, who have been there for generations, appreciation so deeply the work that she has done over these years. i want to pay tribute also to her family, especially her good husband, mark, for these difficult and challenging year for supporting her and for making sure that she had what she needed and that she is recovering. what a wonderful story they have together and will continue

to have. and also want to pay tribute to gabby giffords' wonderful staff. this has been a challenging year for them. and they have done everything possible to ensure that the people in the eighth district have received the representation that they deserve. they have worked long hours under difficult circumstances and made sure those constituents were well served. i was down in sierra vista earlier this week and -- last week and spoke to many of her constituents who recognize the efforts of gabby and her good staff in this difficult time. we of the arizona delegation will miss her in congress deeply. we are so appreciative of the service that she has rendered and we know that she will continue to serve whether in the future as an elected office or whatever capacity she will continue to serve the good people of arizona and this

country. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. reichert: i continue to reserve, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve his time. the gentleman from -- mr. levin: it's now my privilege to yield three minutes to a gentleman who has been very much involved in issues relating to this bill, mr. reyes of texas, three minutes. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. reyes: like my friend and colleague from washington, i, too, rise in support of this legislation, h.r. 3801, as a former federal law enforcement officer, retired border patrol agent, border patrol chief who had the opportunity as a co-chair of the border caucus to work very closely with gabby giffords. and it's a real privilege to be

able to support this piece of legislation which, as my colleague from washington mentioned, has previously passed the house and it's my understanding has already passed the senate. so i urge all my colleagues to support it. i, too, would like to pay tribute to gabby giffords because not only did i get a chance to work with her on border issues as members of the border caucus but also as members of the interparliamentary group and wanted to make sure that we know that we're not counting out gabby. i think those of us that know her, those of us that have had the privilege of working with her understand that she is determined to make a full

recovery. we all will miss her but we certainly agree with the decision she has made along with her husband, mark, and her family that she needs to take some time to fully recover. so we haven't seen the last of gabby giffords, i believe. i think whatever the future holds for her she has made this a better place because of her work, because of her thirst to seek out the facts. this piece of legislation is just one indicator of the work that she has done on behalf of not just her constituents and not just her state but work done on behalf of our nation to keep us safe, especially post -9/11. so i hope today we have a

unanimous vote of support for legislation that, yes, is needed because i've been on the border with our border patrol agents and i.c.e. agents and have seen some of these ultra lights that this legislation addresses. but more than that, because we have to continue the fight against these drug cartels and these drug trafficking organizations. so i urge all the members to vote yes and wish gabby and her family well and proud to have worked with her. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: i have no additional speakers and i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i now yield two minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman from michigan, and i thank the manager of the bill and rise today to support h.r. 3801. i serve on the homeland security committee and know the importance of emphasizing, utilizing resources in a partnership and in fact passing a law, an authorization for that. we all know there's a firewall between a civilian government and its department of defense, and that's why i think this bill is particularly astute and particularly important, authored by our friend, gabby giffords. i thank her for her thoughtfulness, to ensure that as we put assets together we have the act of law to ensure

that it is properly done. as a member of a border state or a resident of a border state, having been to the border many times, having walked the border from california to texas, having been on the border at night, having been on the border with the customs and border patrol, i can see what these assets can do to help stop the scourge of drug cartels and drug trafficking and certainly make sure that those who come into this country come in for the right reason. but i also had the privilege of serving as part of the region that we are associated with in the structure of this congress and served on the steering and policy committee with our friend. i consider her a gift that keeps on giving to this nation, and i really do believe that as she per sues her own health issues -- pursues her own health issues, as she continues to espouse those issues that she did when she was here, i think america is a great country and she's an example of that and her husband, mark, who

served so well in exploring our universe. we in houston owe her a debt of gratitude for you could not imagine the love and affection of houstonians who never met congresswoman giffords as she healed in our community. and so i would just like to -- mr. levin: an additional 15 seconds. ms. jackson lee: so i'd like to say thank you to her and wish her well. she is an american hero because of the courage and certainly we acknowledge those who lost their lives and those who were wounded on that tragic day but what a symbol that this congresswoman represents, this american represents to all who seek a better place. i ask our colleagues to enthusiastically support h.r. 3801. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: still no additional members seeking time. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan.

mr. levin: i guess we'll wrap up. i do show as i look about and think of this institution, it sometimes can be quite impersonal. i think for all of us today this is a very personal moment, and i think all of us join in saluting gabby and mark. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. reichert: i thank you, mr. speaker. i keep my closing statement short. this obviously is an important bill to this country, for our nation's security and is especially important on this day when our good friend, gabrielle giffords, has presented her resignation. i urge all members to join me in support of

>> you can find live senate coverage on our companion network, c-span 2. today, mitt romney and newt gingrich are campaigning. we will take you live to the villages for a newt gingrich rally in central florida. tonight, at 6:30, mitt romney, live from pompano beach. >> our road to the white house

coverage takes you live to the candidate events in florida, leading up to the tuesday gop primary. >> our young people are very concerned and humanitarian. they are concerned about global warming, things of that nature. help them to understand that if they take the drugs smuggled into this country, they are partially responsible for death. i want them to understand that tens of thousands of people are being killed by the virtue of drug use in this country. it is time for the united states of america to take responsibility for the pain, torture, suffering, and murder going on throughout latin america. if i am president, i will campaign aggressively to our young people, stop taking drugs because you are killing people. >> hugo chavez has said openly and publicly that he is our enemy.

i am prepared to accept that. [laughter] there have been few occasions, in an administration filled with embarrassments, few things are more embarrassing than when president hugo shot the -- that when hugo chavez meant -- met with president obama, he handed him an anti-american book as an act of deliberate discontent. when he says he wants to harm the united states, we have to understand that he means it. we need to take an aggressive, non-military strategy of replacing hugo chavez and giving the people of venezuela the opportunity to live in freedom. >> see what the candidates are posting on social media c- span.org -- at c-span.org/2012. >> we are going to take a look at the florida primary and beyond, issues with jobs and the

economy, and the obama election strategy. host: this is the sunday round table with carol lee. and aaron sharockman is joining us as well. let's begin with a lead story in your newspaper, a double digit lead for mitt romney at 42% in the statewide survey and 31% for newt gingrich, 14% for rick santorum and congressman ron paul at 6% for what do these numbers tell you beyond the obvious? guest: clearly, mitt romney is outspending newt gingrich 3-1 and the poll numbers are reflecting that. we see two decent debate performances by mitt romney and

the state and newt gingrich has struggled this week. we have the momentum that can at a south carolina has now staggered. we are a couple of days before the primary and mitt romney is holding an inevitable leave unless something happens. it looks like it will be a victory on tuesday for mitt romney. host: the panhandle tends to be more conservative, an area that mitt romney did fairly well in a few years ago and the corridor between orlando up for the jacksonville area and finally in south florida, both of reston, fort lauderdale, and miami. guest: this is a very diverse state geographically. there are different types of voters. you have your conservative core republican voters in the north part of the state. in the south part of the state, you have many cuban-americans and that has been a big play this week for both mitt romney and newt gingrich to appeal to the cuban-american voters.

the quarter will be your swing voters in november. -- the corridor. it acts as a type bustling area where you will have your suburban working-class white collar republicans will have to make a decision between romney and gingrich. host: the headline of "the miami herald" -- guest: mitt romney always had an advantage heading into florida over newt gingrich. he had a lot of money there and good organization on the ground there. he also had a lot of endorsements from various people in the state.

he already had that advantage heading into it and what you saw in the last couple of days is that the nude gingrich momentum slowed in the mitt romney campaign regrouped to go after newt gingrich more directly. that seems to have not to newt gingrich of his game. you have to have a lot of money to play there and it requires having a lot of organization and the mitt romney has been building the organization for one year as newt gingrich had not. host: look at the numbers -- there is a huge disparity between the romney campaign and a gingrich campaign. guest: you have to have a lot of money to play in florida and that is a complete and balanced. the other interesting thing is that romney had a bit of a

cushion but his campaign has been chasing absentee ballots weeks before gingrich was campaigning and got sort of any operation together to do that. that will provide in somewhat of a cushion heading into tuesday's primary host: we have an e-mail from one of our viewers -- guest: by moving its primary in florida and getting into the mix, negated from 99 delegates down to 50. part of rnc rules is that if you come in early, you're supposed to award those delegates proportionately. the florida republican party says that a letter from the rnc and they said this is winner- take-all and that is what ron paul is not campaigning here. there is a potential challenge year.

this is a hypothetical thing that if we come down into august and we are still fighting for every delegate that there is a telling someone could make that said florida broke the rules and could go toward these -- and should award these delegates proportionately. they're operating as a winner- take-all state and whether that remains will remain to be seen. michael steele has talked about this not being fair. mitt romney appears comparably and they're not talking about this as much.

host: "the new york times is focusing on adelson and has contributed sap -- at least $70 million to the new gingrich campaign. it says he is a loyal friend and agrees with them on many issues. he agrees with his view on israel. guest: this is the man who could keep the new gingrich dream alive. he intends to fight on to the convention $5 million to sheldon adelson is not what it is to me and you. they have the ability to do this.

they have similar personalities in terms of their bombast and boldness and they have a longstanding friendship. can keep new gingrich a flood and certainly is in florida and could continue to do that. host: we will be there in florida as well. we are following the speeches including this one from mitt romney yesterday on the campaign trail. "washington journal >> he is and has started but that does not give them the right to rewrite history. he was given the opportunity to lead our party. he failed. we allowed him to lead our party and some of us remember that the contract with america was a good thing. what happened four years later? he was fined for ethics violations and had to resign in disgrace. he cannot rewrite history.

we have to go back and say that maybe he is a great guy with good ideas, but he is not the leader that we need at a critical time. >> let me follow up on that point. the comparison between newt gingrich and john boehner. from your vantage point, did he fail as a speaker? how do you assess boehner in what he is doing as speaker of the house? guest: i think that the newt gingrich record as speaker is being poured over once again. people have different opinions on how he served. john boehner is interesting in the sense that he -- i would compare him more to the same situation as mitt romney in terms of being trapped in a little bit not being beholden to the tea party movement in his

speakership. you see the same problem dogging mitt romney, whereas newt gingrich has managed to tap into that sentiment a little bit more on the campaign trail. host: i want to get your reaction to this headline -- guest: this is certainly an interesting narrative. you have the speaker, where many voters only remember the

contract with america and the sweeping into office. they forgot how things ended with him. some of my colleagues this week, we looked back and could not remember how he left office. we wanted to check that out and our colleagues. that is part of history once met romney felt this real threat, we have seen these lines and anyone in this state has been pilloried and are saying the same thing. what has really been smart on behalf of the romney campaign is the two debates leading up to this primary, we saw a lot of the same talking points.

a lot of people are getting this reinforced and it is taking its toll on a speaker that does not have the resources to come back at governor romney. host: we have more on this story from herman cain. [video clip] >> i hereby officially and enthusiastically endorse newt gingrich for president of the united states. [applause] one of the biggest reasons is the fact that i know that speaker gingrich is a patriot, speaker gingrich is not a parade -- is not afraid of bold ideas,

and i also know that speaker gingrich is running for president and going through this sausage grinder. i know what this sausage grinder is all about. [laughter] i know that he is going through this sausage grinder because he cares about the future of the united states of america. host: comments of herman cain. also, sarah palin weighing in, not officially endorsing newt gingrich, but critical of the republican establishment. how important will this be toward the vote? guest: the not-run the vote, who was a going to coalesce around, and that has been answered. when i was in florida two weeks ago talking to the newt gingrich office in orlando, a lot of voters are former herman cain supporters. he had already managed to siphon off those voters when herman cain dropped out of their race. this is definitely a good thing for new cream ridge.

host: aaron sharockman, let me point this out. unlike nikki haley campaigning, mr. scott has not endorsed a candidate and has scarcely acknowledge the fever pitch in building up for a primary race. -- in developing the florida primary race. guest: different from four years ago. charlie crist made a surprise endorsement of john mccain. he used his campaign operation to help john mccain, to win that and come back from the dead. and then go on to the gop nomination here in florida. conversely here in 2012, our governor is very unpopular.

the latest approval rating has and that 43%, disapproval at 47%. gov. scott without endorsing a candidate, he is generally supportive of rick perry. now that governor perry, who he considered a friend, is out of the race, he has sat on the sidelines. he is putting his head down and going to work for him. his battle is to win over florida voters for a potential reelection in 2014. it is unclear how much his endorsement, how much weight it would carry. an interesting story here as well, herman cain really launched on the national scene in part every he won a straw

poll in september unexpectedly. it forced voters across the country to take a look at herman cain. it launched into the next level. an endorsement from cane for gingrich could help in florida. what is strange about what happened last night is that the endorsement occurred in palm beach. newt gingrich was in orlando with all the national media and essentially the national media peeled off and the endorsement came after they were all gone. it was a strange thing that you do not think that people in romney-world would not have let happen. that would have more cameras and journalists around it. for some reason, in this case it did not happen. it is unclear what herman cain's staying power is come tuesday. they might one a coalesce around one conservative alternative, but it might be difficult to see whether herman

cain can deliver those votes. host: aaron sharockman joining us from tampa, and here in our studios, carol lee. you can send us comments on our twitter page or send us an e- mail. rick santorum has gone with his daughter to a hospital. in a statement from the center on campaign, rick are admitting his daughter to a hospital. guest: he has talked about his daughter a lot on the campaign trail. obviously she is not well. this is a blow to his campaign, clearly, because he has to leave the campaign trail. i don't think anyone begrudges him taking the time. host: we did an interview with rick santorum in which she talks tenderly about his daughter and

all loss of his son. part of a series of interviews we did with many of the republican candidates that you can see at our video library. click on senator rick santorum if you want to check it out. south carolina, republican line. caller: thank you for c-span. i can believe i got through. i think that in the long run, newt gingrich is 10 times better than the other three. i agree with what he said the other night on the debate about the space station and the state of nasa, that thing on the moon, i thought that was brilliant. if it comes to a debate between him and obama, i think he has the best shot. i think he has the most fire in him. they are so many things i like about him. he has an immaculate way. i also think that -- i think, i

mean, he has the the nichols on that man. host: we're going to eugene on the democrats' line. caller: has a god-fearing christian man and a gay person, i am praying for the santorum family. that they would have peace and that their daughter would get better. secondly, as a conservative democrat, i am actually more fearful of newt gingrich getting the nomination, because he does sound much more like ronald reagan. he does appeal to me. he appeals to the things that i believe then, and i believe that if the republican party chose him, it would spell almost doomed for mr. obama,

because america is more easily and more apt to forgive rather than promote someone who believes they are perfect and will lie to allow that preakness to be shown. host: thank you for the call. from the washington post, new gingrich vowing to go all the way to the republican convention. and the poll, showing that the former speaker does lead in some polls nationally. guest: the differences when you talk about who democrats are more fearful about going up against president obama, in a head-to-head, newt gingrich does not do as well as mitt romney against president obama. in terms of game birds having light and fire in the belly, that is something the republican voters want.

they want someone who can take it to barack obama and give him a run for his money in november. if you talk to people in the obama campaign, they do not think that person is newt gingrich. they would prefer to against newt gingrich than mitt romney. in terms of our polls, the very good news for the obama campaign showed that voters are much more optimistic about the economy. his numbers are on the way up. if you talk to the obama campaign, they are happy to sit back and let the republicans fight it out right now. but the economy get better -- let the economy gets better and get back on its feet. host: from north carolina, welcome to the conversation. caller: i understand that goldman sachs gave mitt romney millions of dollars to campaign.

i cannot understand why people would want to vote for him, knowing that every vote for him would be for wall street after we build them up. host: let me follow up with aaron sharockman on his comment and this from dave. guest: a couple of interesting comments there. quite frankly, both newt gingrich and mitt romney have a difficult questions to answer when it comes to where some of their money is coming from, and how they are spending their money. if you look at newt gingrich, $10 million coming from one casino family. that my rubs some people the wrong way, especially as we move down through the process.

no doubt that mitt romney is taking money from folks at bain capital, again, which might bring up some questions. but the fact is that it takes money to run campaigns. i don't think anyone will bear grudges either candid it too much. -- either candidate to much. as far as style, we talked about this a lot. newt gingrich has got a lot of ideas. the knock on him is that he has 10 ideas an hour and five of them are good and five might be terrible and he does not know which the good ones are. the caller talked about the moon base and a coloring joy that concept. in republican primary, i don't see how that plays well even in

florida. talking about committing huge amounts of resources to make something happen, quite speculative, and he had talked about the pride that if you deliver the moon base, you get a prize. most big companies would not be interested in the money because there is not enough money and cannot guarantee that you would when it set -- you would get its should you win. newt gingrich is a man of ideas. what happened in the newt gingrich presidency is tough to say. he has changed much of his rhetoric now that he has been on the campaign trail, and wants to be a conservative crusader repealing much of the work that the president has done in the last 3.5 years. we will see. host: this caricature, to the moon, romney. carol lee, your reaction to aaron sharockman. guest: the moon and idea is emblematic of what reporters

like about newt gingrich. he embraces the grandiose idea. but i want to go back to the goldman sachs point. the fact that mitt romney is getting all of these donations from goldman sachs, it is not a huge deal in and of itself, but it feeds into the overall narrative, that's certainly the obama people are trying to create in the campaign, this perception of income inequality, wall street versus main street. in a different election cycle where the mood was different, it might not be as big a deal. this year having goldman sachs being one of your largest contributors is a problem for him. host: aaron sharockman, you are inundated with television ads as you watch the programming.

what have you seen in the greater tampa bay area? guest: a couple of interesting ads. one of my favorites is from deliver union group running anti-mitt romney adds trying to link the medicare fraud that occurred at a time when mitt romney was at bain capital, at one of the companies called damon corp. it is linking mitt romney to rick scott, who knows -- who was elected despite his company paid $1.7 million in medicare fraud fines. you have two things happening here. you have a liberal group supporting president obama in november of attacking and playing in this gop primary, and on top of that, they are trying to link the governor of massachusetts to the current governor of florida, to score political points. it is playing in heavy rotation. the ads that romney is playing, and his super pac, they are singularly focused on newt gingrich. he has been on tv since the

beginning of january in the state. earlier ads focused on rex santorum, but with him dropping into a distant third spot, he can focus all of his money and message on attacking newt gingrich. host: our sunday roundtable will aaron sharockman and carol lee. let's look at some of the ads. beginning with the romney campaign ad. cease and desist from nbc news and tom brought out. still getting attention. [video clip] >> good evening. newt gingrich came to power after preaching a higher standard. a man who brought down another speaker on ethics accusations, tonight he has on his own record the judgment of his peers, democrat and republican alike, by an overwhelming vote. they found him guilty of ethics violations. they charged him a very large financial penalty and they

raised several of them serious questions about its future effectiveness. >> i am mitt romney and i approve this message. ♪ >> a lot of reasons not to let me. -- to elect me. >> with medicare, the government says that con artists are draining the life blood by filing millions of dollars in false claims. >> we did not do that. >> we did not do any work with the government. ♪

>> winning our future is responsible for the content of this message. host: aaron sharockman, just how personal has this campaign and its primary gotten? can the wounds heal for the general election? guest: tough question. certainly ultimately the answer is yes. but the big question with mitt romney, since he has been running, which has really been since 2007, is can he consistently win over the conservative voters? in florida, i could speak specifically to what is happening here. you have many conservatives rallying around his campaign, some officially, some unofficially. for instance, a great back and forth down in south florida, miami, newt gingrich running a spanish-language radio edward heath called mitt romney anti-

immigrant. newt is trying to run to the left of mitt romney on immigration here in south florida. a big huge push back from the former governor, jeb bush, or really revered among republicans in the state as part -- as well as marco rubio who could be a vice-presidential candidate and president one day. both said it was out of bounds and came to mitt romney's defense. he is not a moderate. he is someone who can serve the conservative wing of this party. a similar attack made by the newt gingrich campaign over mitt romney hiring former charlie crist staffers. both jeb bush and more rubio came out and slapped him on the wrist. there will have to be some feeling that will likely occur. quite frankly, as much as republicans want to pick their primary choice, primary goal is to be -- is to defeat president obama in november.

we talk about this and every cycle, but in most cases we have a good uniting if that happens, july, august, and september. the biggest challenge would be you ron paul running as a third-party candidate. that would splinter away more libertarian-leaning republican votes than internal struggles between a conservative wing and the more establishment folks predominately supporting governor romney. host: jeb bush in washington last night for the annual out of a club dinner. it meets once a year. a political note -- he has not endorsed the republican and says he will not. guest: neither of the heavy -- half the republican heavyweights are weighing in, jeb bush and marco rubio. they do not want to stick to

their neck out for any of these guys at this point. the way that senator rubio has played this, he has relationships with both of these men. he has been friends with newt gingrich for years, exchanging e-mails and ideas and have talked over the years. newt gingrich single them out before he was speaker as a national start to watch. and then you have mitt romney, who flew down to florida and endorsed marco rubio when he was in a primary against charlie crist. he was one of the first people to do that, but for newt gingrich. -- for newt gingrich. rubio has chosen to stay out of the race and call balls and strikes when he thinks that candidates have gotten out of line.

but there is no genuine upside for either of these men to stick their neck out for either of these candidates. host: tuesday the president delivers his state of the union address followed by a three-day tour, including bipartisanship, part of the weekly address. here's a portion of what he had to say over the weekend. [video clip] >> just two days ago, a senator promised to obstruct every judgeship i have appointed unless they fire the consumer watchdog i put in place to protect the american people from financial schemes or malpractice. for the most part it is not that the senator thinks that the nominees are unqualified. in fact, all of the judicial nominees being blocked have bipartisan support. almost 90% had unanimous support from the judiciary committee. instead, one of the senator's aides told reporters that the senator plans to delay and slow the process in order to get the president's attention. well, this is not about me.

we were not sent here to wage paulette -- perpetual political campaigns against each other. we were sent here to serve the american people. and they deserve better than gridlock and games. one senator coming up the whole works for the entire country is certainly not what our founding fathers envisioned. the truth is, neither party is blameless and tactics like these, but it is time for both parties to put an end to them. i am asking congress both democrats and republicans to stop this kind of behavior by passing their rule that allows all of judicial and public service nominations a simple up or down vote within 90 days. host: carol lee, he was referring to orrin hatch. your response to what he was talking about. guest: you are seeing him trying to go back to post- partisan per sauna, -- persona. whether he is trying to be a fiery or consolatory, --

conciliatory, his whole goal was to lay out the argument that he wants to make in the campaign. he was able to do it in a way that did not seem overly partisan vote it was extremely partisan in terms of the policies he put forward, who he had set with the first lady, warren buffett secretary. that cap that they fought over last year. and richard cordray, who he did a recess appointment of an stuck it in the eye after republicans, and in the weekly address, he focused on congress and we know he will be running against congress, and is trying to get back to this idea opposed partisanship and being conciliatory in washington. look at his record, one of the big things he campaigned on,

one of the big things he has not been able to do since he came to washington. host: the white house correspondents' dinner is open but the alfalfa club is close. these are excerpts released by the white house. we will fit your reaction. it is great to be here tonight because i have 45 minutes more on the state of the union that i like to deliver this evening. he also said, you heard it from the pundits, obama is duluth, he is in the bubble, he is not connecting, and that is why one of my big goals this year is to be out among everyday ordinary americans like the men and women of the alfalfa club. guest: it is good for the president to be funny in an election year. he probably did have 45 minutes more the state of the union. he is very long winded. host: aaron sharockman, he also

said it was good to see jeb bush, who was accepting the presidency of the club again. he says, with jeb bush accepting the nomination, it is not fair to tease your friends like that. guest: certainly jeb is one of the real stars of the republican party. people suspected he ran in 2012, which he said he was not doing, the field might have cleared for him. certainly he remains young and up. the more we get away from the bush legacy, george w. bush, the more attractive i like governor jeb bush's, especially many conservative republicans. this time might be in 2016, depending on what happens. that is part of his gamble, i suppose.

there would be a shot for him in 2016. he and george h.w. bush were in the white house and in the oval office with president obama on friday. no doubt, an interesting conversation the three had. host: tom joins us from kentucky. caller: i just wanted to say to florida what a beautiful state and how close it is to my heart. i just wanted to say that christopher columbus discovered america there, and the space plane that carries the airliners and stuff. host: let me go back to the point about the space coast. we heard newt gingrich discussing it in mitt romney saying that we do not have the money for that kind of an effort. aaron sharockman, your reaction. guest: certainly on the east

coast of florida, space issues are huge. it is definitely a big issue and will be in the state. it is one of the reasons why unemployment numbers here are closer to 10%, the closing of the manned space shuttle program took a toll here. what happens going forward is another question. most people realize that whether you're democrat or republican, focusing resources on space is a difficult sell. even here in florida. one of the bigger questions is how to use that manpower, the resources, whether the engineers or whether it is the blue-collar types working on the east coast, how'd you find them good, solid employment jobs, and the answer may not ultimately be in space for a little while. i know the governor in this state, rick scott, is working on bringing high-tech companies

into that area to supplant what was lost when the man the space program left. certainly there will be investments and continue to be investments in space in florida. but there are many people preparing for the next cycle, or something may be replaced space, whether computer technology, some type of the it corridor. host: carol lee, a tweet to you. guest: he is obviously in texas. host: his name is not come up in this debate. ronald reagan has come up 50 times. no one has asked for his endorsement. guest: he is still not someone that a candidate wants to embrace. there is still bush fatigue out there. you've seen the white house and

the president bring him up, he has come back into the conversation a little bit. he is not someone that the party -- the party has not sorted out how they feel about george w. bush. they're still division within the party about that and no one is actively going to be seeking his endorsement. host: in the new york times, maureen dowd. talking about what the president faced with jan brodeur in arizona, and she concludes with one point, the president can be thin skinned but the governor can be that headed. -- fat headed. guest: if you remember that david axelrod memo about his

concerns with the president. he worries about what the people think about him. this is a president there reads everything, he digests everything, he did not read the entire book that he read that excerpt, and the meeting that she felt -- that he felt she had mischaracterized. it brought the -- when she handed him that letter, he brought that up. he plays a very close attention to that. he can be very thin skin. but the photographic came out of that interaction did not do her any favors for the idea of putting your finger into the face of the president of the united states is not something that will give you a lot of sympathy. it might fire a particular base. but if i were the broader

electorate, i would not think that was something that you should be doing to the president. host: aaron sharockman, this twitter says -- guest: the person who would not say that a is jeb. he was governor of florida for eight years. he says he likes making money. he is down in south florida, he has an hispanic leadership group, working very hard to get our reach so the republicans can potentially win over hispanic voters. his brother was able to do that to some degree in 2008. -- in 2008, literally no hispanic support for became. he is also working on education reform. he pushed through a huge educational reforms as governor.

trying to move to more of about your system, where he says students can choose the schools that want to go to. students and parents. he is happy in that private and semi-public life. if there is anything we have learned about this cycle, it is sometimes a lot better to be wanted them to throw your name in the rain and face all the scrutiny goes with it. host: i do not want to get too far ahead of the news cycle when it comes to running mates, but there is an article about the governor of virginia. he has come out early for mitt romney. there is a huge military vote in virginia. guest: and a very important state in the general election. the short list, you hear the names likemcdonnell, rubio, chris christie, and jeb bush, although i cannot imagine him being number two.

but he was certainly a very early supporter of mitt romney and you can look to him as a vice-presidential running mate. host: the vice president has said that he is responsible for a half-dozen states, including pennsylvania where he was born. areas talking about that. [video clip] >> i have been given five states as a focus. i will be in a lot of states, but pennsylvania, ohio, michigan, iowa, new hampshire, and florida is where i spend most of my time. coincidentally, that is all -- that is where a lot of your targeted seats are. host: about 30 campaign visits scheduled between the spring in the summer. guest: if you look at where they are having him go, he is going to places where the president's struggle.

he is an emissary to places. the vice-president has been an active campaigner for the president. he is a big advocate. obviously he is a big draw when they send them out. and they are strategically using him to go to these places where the president is already struggling, and he has a connection with these types of voters in a way that the president may be does not have. host: from south carolina, the democrats' line. caller: i would like to have your guests address an issue that i do not hear very much about. we all know that citizens united, that corrosive force on politics and the unbelievable amount of money pouring in, but

no one has talked about the recipient of said unbelievable amount of money, which is you guys, the news media, television, radio, newspapers -- they are all just reaping the benefits of citizens united. they are forming new talk shows, everybody is writing books, and so what really scares me the most about citizens united, is its corrupted influence on media. how are we ever going to get money out of politics it if it is not only welcomed by the politicians but the news media is going to have to let go of all of the extra cash? host: aaron sharockman, let me go back to the numbers we posed to carol lee. roughly $70 million spent by the romney campaign.

guest: certainly a lot of money. and that is just the super pac. you can raise unlimited amount of money and spend unlimited amounts of money. for my company, the tampa bay times, we are a newspaper and i have not seen one super pac newspaper ad. we are not benefiting from the financially. that would be one point out what may. more generally, though, i think that our role in this campaign is to cover the ads and talk about what they are saying. most journalism organizations worth anything have a good fire wall between their advertising side and their business side. hopefully no news organization makes news judgments on advertising dollars. host: the wall street journal, a one a path -- point out a map of florida.

these are the results from 2008. you can see that mitt romney did extremely well in jacksonville, for myers, and panama city. he did ok in orlando, better in tampa, not very well in miami and fort lauderdale. this is from 2008. he lost the state debt john mccain with an all-important endorsement by charlie crist. that helped john mccain in his win over mitt romney. what changed four years later? guest: a couple things. primarily in south florida where mitt romney has spent a lot of time and a lot of big- name endorsements, essentially all the cuban american congressional delegation. he has the firepower down in south florida. he has been very aggressive courting the voters. he remains very strong and jacks t -- in jacksonville.

one of the stops it is the villages, a central florida mega-retirement community. he is supported by the developer of that community. mitt romney has a lot of advantages in the state. he has outspent newt gingrich by millions and millions of dollars. through his campaign in the super pac. he has been campaigning here essentially since 2007. he has the best crown came in 2008 and did not pay off. -- best ground game in 2008 and it did not pay off. but he has been here ever since. he has touted pfizer's in the state. the romney folks have been looking for every absentee ballot that they can. when it comes to the ground

game, it does matter. but in part because of the dynamic of this national race, if there is any help to a ground game, it is all going to run the other campaigns just cannot have it. guest: the question was whether ronnie's organization was going to trump the energy that was following newt gingrich into florida. we have seen a couple of things. his ground game does matter and the money does matter. and two, after the refocusing of the romney campaign to focus in on newt gingrich, it has knocked him off his game. he had that opportunity in thursday's debate and people were expecting him to come out swinging. he did not. he was lethargic and did not seem to be into the debate. now you're seeing that when

mitt romney puts all of his firepower out there, the energy that newt gingrich came into florida with has been sacked. -- tapped. host: a related story in the new york times. digging into the strategy of the mitt romney campaign. other headlines from fort myers, florida, undecided. a look at the long time supporters. rick santorum and ron paul, and from the orlando sentinel, who contends the dupont -- who can fix the economy? from the tampa bay times, the poll showing mitt romney with an 11-point lead according to the latest mason-dixon survey. another vote not in the primary but in the general election, the chair of the florida republican party, he joins us on newsmaker is at 10:00 eastern time.

[video clip] >> obama kennel win the presidency without florida. i do not think the republican nominee will be able to. florida is a must win. we have a heavy lift here. we are up to the task. host: as we heard in 2008, it was florida, florida, florida. guest: florida is a must-win for the republicans. the way that the demographics have changed in various states, the democrats have been able to put those in the play. obama in 2008, and david plouffe, now a senior adviser in the white house, was always saying that they had different strategies that do not include florida or ohio. they're looking at virginia and

north carolina. colorado is a huge gap for them. they would really like to win there. you hear them talking about playing places like arizona, or least forcing republicans going to defend that turf, which they had had not to do in the past. if your republican, you absolutely have to win florida. florida is the state or the independent voters really matter. you see the president making a play for the independent voters and whoever the republican nominee is, they have to have policies that appeal to independent voters. the obama campaign, uc mitt romney being the nominee who has a better shot at winning over the independent voters. host: there just over a 11 million registered voters in the state of florida. equally divided between

democrats and republicans. taking a look at those numbers and the state's unemployment numbers, just below 10%, the most current figures, 9.9% compared to the national average of 8.5%. how do those numbers play into the dynamics of florida in november? guest: you have to go back to 2008 and remember that president obama won florida through a huge amount of circumstances. his rhetoric, definitely one thing, but on top of that, the vote turnout, getting a huge african-american turnout in this state, any still only carried by three percentage points. in 2012, if you flip 2% of those folks, he loses this race.

our latest poll numbers show him trailing in a hypothetical against mitt romney, while defeating newt gingrich year. all the millet the state of florida comes down to the high-4 corridor, which cuts from tampa through orlando and over to the east coast. it is where the independent moderate voters are. the moms and dads raising kids who will vote on pocketbook issues. that is why president obama opened here as the underdog. but that the unemployment numbers in the state, 9.9%, people looking for work and not finding it. the housing market here is still very much depressed, more than four when 10 homes, the mortgages are under water. a lot of bad news still in the state largely because our economy is so dependent on tourism and housing market. the housing market certainly has not rebounded. an interesting state to see what happens. quite frankly, florida will be in play, but i can see s

chairman curry has said, he is absolutely right. republicans need this state and i think that for the president, to be reelected, i don't think florida is as critical this time. host: aaron sharockman, thank you for being with us from the tampa bay times. carol lee? guest: the biggest thing happened was that polls show that voters are feeling better about the economy. that is a huge thing for the president. if that continues, some of these other concerns about where the president is now are going to subside. the one sleeper is europe, something totally out of the president's control. but if there is a meltdown in europe, and the crisis deepened. back to throw the united states economy back into a bad place.

host: carol lee, whose beat is the white house for the wall street journal, thank you for being with us. we are live now in florida at the villages. it is a retirement community. newt gingrich is expected to speech -- is expected to speak. newt gingrich is trailing mitt romney by 11 points in the state. 42% to 31%. the other candidates, rick santorum, is in third place with 13% and ron paul is in third place. we do expect to see newt gingrich arriving shortly. later tonight on c-span we will have coverage for a rally for mitt romney. that is at 6:30.

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♪ >> this is the villages in central florida peers is a retirement community. newt gingrich is expected to speak here to the crowd.

after his appearance here in central florida, he will be heading to jacksonville for a 5:00 campaign event at a baptist church. surprise announcement last night -- former candidate herman cain endorsed newt gingrich. it was made at the lincoln day dinner hosted by the palm beach republican party. we did show that you last night life. if you did happen to miss it, you can always go on line to the c-span video library and check out newt gingrich's appearance at the lincoln day dinner. ♪

>> no newt yet. he was expected a few minutes ago. he is probably try to make his way to central florida now. last night a group of media outlets in florida announced some of the latest poll numbers that have been tracking. newt gingrich in second place behind mitt romney. he is behind by about 11 points here in florida -- 31% to 41%.

we will come back here to the villages, the retirement community, soon as it looks like newt gingrich has arrived. until then, we will hear more about that poll that was released last night. >> brad coker is joining us live on the phone. thank you for being with us. >> good morning. let's take a look of the numbers. right now mitt romney has a double digit lead. what has been happening? guest: mitt romney has been outspending newt gingrich by a very large margin on television advertising. we have 10 television markets down here. retail politics really is not as

effective as it is in the smaller states. those television ads are basically -- are what has brought romney back to the lead. caller: at wheat -- host: rick santorum is not actively campaigning this week. guest: if you cannot run television in florida in a statewide race, you have no chance of having any kind of significant showing. it will be interesting to see what santorum may have gone out of a debate performance on thursday night. his presence here has not been that great. host: the boston globe is reported about 10% of republicans have cast their

ballot tuesday. as a look at those that supported mitt romney compared to newt gingrich, 47% of the early voters supported mitt romney. 35% supported newt gingrich. what does that tell you? guest: it tells me that romney has a much better ground organization than newt gingrich. early voting has become increasingly popular in florida from election to election. based on our poll, the people we talked to who voted early, a romney, as you mentioned, was getting 47%. heat -- he has backed of votes that newt gingrich will have to overcome. we'll see how it holds out. it is a good, early sign for romney that you'll be able to turn these people out and get them to vote early.

that is certainly going to be a major factor in what comes out on tuesday. host: the hispanic vote is critical for any candidate, democrat or republican. mitt romney put it on the table and was marked by newt gingrich. about two to one by newt gingrich. would you attribute that to? >> guest: the hispanic vote in the republican primary is very different than the hispanic vote nationwide. there are americans of been here for generations. people come here from cuba are automatically granted political asylum. it is not really an issue in that part of the -- in that part of florida. the establishment community is

almost uniformly all lined up behind mitt romney. on two occasions this week, he called out speaker gingrich on a couple of things that he was trying to do. it's almost created the perception that he was more inclined to support romney. but that is the big difference between florida and, say, texas. this hispanic vote here -- the hispanic vote here is not as in tuned to the immigration issue as they are in places like texas. host: let's take a look at two hypothetical matchups in florida. in a head to head a matchup in florida, mitt romney would get 40%. the president would get 44% in florida. if you look at the president bursa's newt gingrich, he would win by nine percentage points over newt gingrich.

explain these numbers. guest: the takeaway is that romney, at least as of today, would be a stronger general action can't it then speaker gingrich. his problem is that once again outside of republican voters and bring in independents and democrats, his negative rating is unfavorable. as a're going to leave blastemas of the conversation to take you live back to the villages, the retirement community in central florida where newt gingrich's boss has just arrived. he is expected to speak to supporters here. you're watching live coverage on c-span. ♪

[applause] >> a good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> what a crowd. we are really appreciative.

my wife and partner are the cochairs for sumter county. [applause] thank you. before we get started, i like to have the reverend from the assembly of god church lead us in prayer. gone from the conservative liberal usually destiny pledge of allegiance. let's pray. >> dear heavenly father, we thank you for the gorgeous day. god, we need you to guide and direct our nation. we need your help for one nation under god. father, we just pray that your blessings would be upon this time today. we pray that you would guide the selection process and let your will be accomplished.

that you would bless america again under this fall and leadership. we ask all these things in the name of jesus christ, our lord and savior, amen. >> if you remove your hats please, we will say the pledge of allegiance. of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. [applause] >> it is our pleasure, and all the supporters today, to welcome you, mr. speaker, and your lovely wife, to the villages. america's friendliest hometown. [applause]

susan and i would like to take one minute to recognize and thank all of the volunteers who worked so hard to not only get this crap out here today, but they have been working the phones and working -- to get this crowd out here today, but they have been working the phones and working to get people to vote. i know it will be difficult in this crowd. if they can hold their hand up somewhere and let us know where they are. thank you very much. [applause] i would also like to give a special thank you to the conservative liberty alliance who gave a lot of help and support to the effort we put in here. [laughter] i also really, really appreciate all of you coming out today to welcome and spend your afternoon with the man who is

going to make obama a one-term president. [applause] and it will lead us in the bold change that is necessary to restore our country to the former greatness that we all knew. [applause] but before that happens, we have a primary to work on here. we need all the help we can get over the next couple of days. phone calls, we found out today we need 100,000 phone calls in the next few days to really get ourselves a chance at winning this primary. i would appreciate any of you after we finish here, if you do a couple things. if you would go to www.newt.org. there's a place for you can click and it will tell you how to start making calls. when you leader, we need to get

the word out. we need to get the boat out on tuesday. -- get the vote out on tuesday. here to make the introduction is vice president of the villages. >> what a fabulous day. what a beautiful crowd. what a great community in the greatest nation in history of humankind, the united states. [applause] greats, let's give a villages welcome to speaker gingrich. [applause] ♪ [applause] >> well, it really is a great day in the villages.

[applause] what an amazing crowd. we are delighted to have a chance to be with you. we are down to the last couple of days of a very, very important primary. i want to share some ideas with you and talk about what we have to get done. i want to ask your help on facebook, on the printer -- on twitter, on e-mail, on the telephone, even seen people face to face old fashioned way. i think if we can get the message out, we will have a very powerful tuesday. [applause] now, i am asking for your help, in part, because i think it is pretty clear if you look at the volume of ads, my opponent who

has the money power. we need people power to upset money power. [applause] why does that matter? it matters because this is the most important election of your lifetime. four more years of obama will be a total disaster for the united states of america. [applause] if, with his unemployment, his deficits, his problems, he can get reelected -- can you imagine how radical he will be in a second term? that is why this campaign really, really matters. it comes down to a question of who we think can win? and how can he win? in 1980, we were involved in a campaign like this. it was clear that you needed a conservative who was a long way from jimmy carter in order to

win. you had to show the difference. i would argue that we tried a moderate in 1996. they could not show the difference. we tried a moderate in 2008. they could not show the difference. if we are going to beat obama, he is going to have $1 billion. almost all that is going to be spent negatively because he does not have a positive record to run on. he has gone from "yes we can" to "why we could not." [applause] we need to have somebody who can draw a sharp distinction. romneycare and obamacare are about this far apart -- you cannot make the difference. where we are as conservative it is about this far apart -- obama will not be able to hide from the difference. after the billions of dollars of ads are over, he is still over

here. it is pretty straightforward. i am for free enterprise, small business, creating jobs, and paychecks. he is for big government, big bureaucracy, and food stamps. that big of a gap. i got asked again this morning on television. the news guys see past this. they say, you use the word food stamps like there is some deep, racial preference. no. it is a fact. this is the most effective of food stamps president in history. his policies of killing jobs have pushed more americans onto food stamps than any president in american history. anyone who thinks that as an except will future where you want to be depend on the government, to have recanted it -- barack obama. if you would like your children to be able to get a job, to have a paycheck, to be independent, sought to build a better future, if you're going to have

recanted, too -- called newt gingrich. [applause] you know, there is a big difference in core values. i believe in the declaration of independence. i believe in the constitution. i believe in the federalist papers. obama believes in their ideas of the european socialist bureaucratic system. he is that far apart. let me make this quite clear. i am prepared to defend america -- when he was asked in europe, what you think about american exceptional listen? he said, but britain problem things they're exceptional. the greeks public think they're exceptional. he did not have any clue. american exceptional as an comes from the declaration of independence that says we hold these truths to be self-evident. a very important concept that

there is truth in what we stand for. not ideology, not philosophy. an effort by the founding fathers to get to the very heart of what governs human beings. that all men are created equal -- remember, this was a very radical idea. in 1776 we were at war with kings and the czars and emperors and here were these americans saying, no. we're all create equally. the rule is for all of us. then it says, we are in doubt by our creator with certain unalienable rights. this is the heart of american exception was an. we are the only society in history that says power comes from got to each one of you personally -- from god to each one of you personally. [applause] you are personally sovereign. you loan power to the state.

the state never loans power to you. [applause] that is why the constitution begins, "we the people of the united states of america." it does not say, we the politicians, we the lawyers, with the bureaucrats -- it says we the people. in america, we defined the contract of our government. that is why when judges start behaving outside the constitution they are a threat to the very fabric of american society because they are violating the constitution. [applause] it goes on to say that the rights are inalienable. that means that no politician, no judge, no bureaucrat can come between you and god. that is and we have a big discussion about in washington.

[applause] then it says, the rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. a very important concept. notice, first of all, happiness in the 18th century meant wisdom and virtue, not hedonism and acquisition. the founding fathers thought wise people could remain free. notice what it guarantees. it does not guarantee happiness. it guarantees the right to pursue. an active concept. there is no provision for a federal department of happiness. [laughter] there is no suggestion that we should have happiness stamps. [laughter] if you had said to the founding fathers that someday we would have a president who would say that he would take from the overly happy and redistribute to the under lee -- underly happy,

they would say, what kind of ignorance would lead someone to be so arrogant to believe they have the kind of wisdom to take away from americans and give to others? that violates the very concept of america. [applause] finally, in addition to economics and in addition to the core nature of america, there is a gap this big about how we approach the world. my father was an soldier in the infantry wars. i believe we to be stronger. [applause] the president lives in a fantasy world where there are no enemies. they are just misguided people

with whom he has not yet had a coffee. [laughter] you watched him go see hugo chavez while he deliberately and cynically and insultingly gave him an anti-american book. obama did not have a clue that he had been in salted. you know, the dictator of iran, he said that he wants to wipe out israel and drive america out of the middle east. as a historian, i have a pretty good sense of what that means. it means he wants to wipe out israel and drive america out of the middle east. [laughter] but if i were a left wing, harvard law graduate surrounded by left-wing academics, i would know that this is actually a sign that he probably had a bad childhood. that his training was probably inadequate and that he is trying to come to grips with his mother is better to love him enough.

and then if in some manner we can only and locked him and we could be closer to him and be friends together. [laughter] [applause] this is madness. people need to take this seriously. remember on 9/11 when planes hit the world stage center and hit the pentagon. the next day, somebody said, we had not thought about the use of commercial airliners as a weapon. i thought to myself, tom clancy wrote a novel about eight years older in which a boeing 747 crashes into the capital. there is a complete failure of imagination among our leaders. they cannot get in their head the fact that is the iranians get nuclear weapons, they do not have to fire a missile. they can just drive a boat into jacksonville or into the new or

harbor or into long beach. they can come across the border in a van. there are lots of ways to deliver a nuclear weapon. we live in a world where if we are not careful, we are going to lose one or more american citizens. we were shaken by 3100 dead. a nuclear could leave a quarter of a million dead and half more wounded. you have an administration which at every level is kidding itself. they talk about cutting the defense budget dramatically. they're talking about weakening our intelligence capabilities. they consistently tried to appease our enemies. they had a meeting of the organization of islamic countries in the state department's to talk about how the government of the united states could censored those of us who had inappropriately said something that might be offensive to somebody who was islamic. a concept whis