grandmother lives in africa. host: anything to respond to? guest: what is important to recognize about race is it is culturally constructive that if you are talking about genetics, there -- most americans frankly are blacks. we all have mixed heritage going back a long time. most african-americans have white heritage and lots of white americans have african-american heritage. there is nothing set in stone about a racial categories which is why you have very light skinned people who call themselves african americans and some who don't. it is a cultural construction. while some people can slip in and out of it, some people can't. host: southern states should be

overwhelmingly democratic but southern blacks and don't get out to vote. guest: i think that is partially true. it is true there are large numbers of african-americans that don't vote and the minority population of these states are growing. latinos are among the fastest- growing demographics. if you plot that on a limb here -- lanier path, you'll get to a point where democrats can win statewide office. as for voter turnout, it depends on the election. in 2008, african americans turned out in georgia in huge numbers which is part of the reason why people are asking it georgia could pull democrats. average american turnout was low in 2010. minority turnout was lower than

usual. host: thank you very much for being here. but does it for to "washington journal days." we will be back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. eastern time with more of your comments and phone calls. thanks for watching. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] . >> here is a look at our schedule. coming up next, speeches from mitt romney and rick santorum after primary assaults in wisconsin, maryland, and

washington, d.c.. then, a discussion on race and the upcoming presidential election. at noon, live comments from mitt romney, and later, the democratic steering and policy committee meets to discuss gas prices and speculation. on c-span 2, the head of the pension benefit guarantee program addresses a crisis facing baby boomers and why more flexibility is needed. also, president obama signs the stop trading on congressional knowledge act, insuring that members of congress call the same insider-trading laws as the general public. you can see the signing live at 11:55 a.m. eastern also on c- span to.

last night, presidential candidate mitt romney won primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and the district of columbia, and spoke with the supporters. he is introduced by paul ryan. >> it is investment, congressman paul ryan. -- ladies and gentlemen, congressman paul ryan. [applause] >> hello, and thank you, wisconsin. >> first off, we have a lot of special people we need to think. of maryland tonight. i want to thank my friend, the chairman of the romney campaign, bob ehrlich. i also want to thank co-chairmen paul. thank you for what you have done to deliver all of those votes for mitt romney tonight.

i want to thank senator ron johnson. [applause] i want to thank jensen brenner. i want to thank the romney cochairs here. thank you for all your hard work. i also want to thank my good buddy market grain for what he has done tonight. -- mark green for what he has done tonight. we all know that president obama cannot run on his record. we know that he cannot run on his broken promises. after the 2010 election, when the voters told him to go a

different direction to change course, did he moderate? did he do that? no. he doubled down on his partisan agenda. it cannot run on his record and if you will not change course, then what does he have left? we found out today he is going to try to divide us in order to distract us. i seem to remember him saying that he would be a nightmare, and not a divider. this is one and the worst of his broken promises. we do not need a campaigner in chief. we need a leader that america deserves.

the presidency is bigger than this. he was supposed to be bigger than this. we need solutions, not excuses. we have a president who takes the lead in not one that spreads the blame. we need someone who appeals to our dreams and aspirations, not our fears and anxieties. we as americans deserved to choose what kind of country we you want and what kind of country we want to be. it is not too late to get america back on track but our country on a path to prosperity. guess what? we have a leader who can do that. we have a leader that will give

americans that choice. we have a leader that will put our country back on the right track. tonight wisconsin have spoken. republicans are unifying. we are united because we believe in the american idea. we believe that we have a leader that is right for this moment. that is the man i am introducing to you as the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause] ♪ i was born free

♪ >> thank you. thank you. congressman ryan is a great leader, a wonderful speaker. thank you for providing this. this has been quite a night. we won a great victory tonight in our campaign to restore the promise of america. you're not like to find

americans with bigger hearts. [applause] as i have been traveling across the state, i visited with far too many whose hearts are filled with anxiety. so many good and decent people seem to be running hard just to stay in place. for many, every day it puts them a little further behind. it is that way across so much of america, too much of america. under this president to watch, more americans have lost their jobs than during any other time frame during the depression. many have lost their homes. a record number of americans are living in poverty. 30% of single moms are living in poverty.

new business start-ups are down to the lowest level in 30 years. you know our national debt is as a record high. when you drive from tonight and you stop by the gas station, just take a look at the prices. ask yourself, a former years of that? -- four more years of that? i agree. it is important to understand one extraordinary fact. president obama thinks he is doing a good job. he actually thinks he is doing a great job. he thinks he's doing is starkly great job. he did not say this on saturday night live. it is enough to make the think that years of flying around air force one, telling you that you are doing a great job, that is enough to make you think you may become a little untouched. that is what has happened.

this campaign will deal with many complicated issues. there is a basic choice we will face. the president has pledged to transform america. he spent the last four years laying the foundation for a new government centered society. i will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of a society led by free people and free enterprises. the different divisions we have -- [applause] >> you know, the different divisions we have i think are a product of the different lives we have led, the values we had. when you is a community organizer and communities were hurt, his reaction was to turn to the government for help. he saw free enterprise as the villain and government as the

solution. he never seem to grasp the basic point that a plant closes one a business loses money. he is also attacking the very communities he had wanted to help. at least that is how it works when america is working. under barack obama, america has not been working. the ironic tragedy is that the community organizer he wanted to of those hurt by a plant closing became the president on his watch more jobs has been lost since the great depression. in his government centered society, the government has to do more because the economy is said to do less. when you attack business of delphi success, you are going to have less this is an less success. the debate becomes about how much is to extend unemployment insurance. he guaranteed there will be

millions more unemployed. and barack obama's government centered society, of tax increases that only become a necessity but also a desire tool for social justice. there is a finite amount of money. in barack obama's government center society, government spending always succeeds. there are other nations that have followed this path. it leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debts, and stagnant wages.

this is beginning to sound familiar. i do not want to transform america. i want to restore the economic values of freedom and opportunity and limited government. [cheers and applause] >> it is opportunity. it is opportunity that is always driven america and defined as as americans. i am not naive enough to believe that free enterprise is a solution to all of our problems. nor am i naive enough to doubts that it is one of the graces forces for goods. free enterprise has done more to the people out of poverty to build a strong middle class, to

educate our kids, and to make our lives better than all of government combined. [applause] if we become one of those societies that attack success, why not become certain that there will be less success? the promise of america has always been that if you worked hard, and had the right values, it took risks, that there was an opportunity to build a better life for your family and next generation. this means that government has to be smaller and have strict limits. taxes have to be as low as possible. in line with those of competing nations, designed to foster

innovation and growth, i will cut marginal taxes across the board. i want to create good jobs in this country. let's get the taxes down for employers. [applause] >> we understand that regulations are necessary. they have to be continuously updated, a streamlined. regulators have to see their jobs as protecting economic freedom. washington has to be an ally of business, not the opposition of business. [applause] >> workers have the right to join unions. union should not be forced upon workers. union should not have the power to take money added members' paychecks to support politicians who are favored by the boss is.

[applause] >> out of touch liberals like barack obama say they want a strong economy. in everything they do, and they showed they did not like business very much. the economy is simply the product of all the businesses added together. we have to build successful businesses of every kind imaginable. we have always been a country of dreamers. one team helps another. if the streamers are rewarded

with prosperity, we use this as a a reason to dream big as well. this is a lot worse by the mistakes and failures of the president's leadership. if the bill before us a steeper, we always been a nation of big steppers. i then all of the country from student unions to kitchen tables, from bridegrooms to boardrooms. i've heard frustration and anger. rarely hopelessness. a lot of americans have given up on the president. they have not thought about giving up. we have a duty placed upon us to -- not on themselves, and not on america. [applause]

>> we have a duty placed on our shoulders by the founders of the nation, a sacred duty, to restore the promise of america, and we will do it because we believe in america. i'm asking good people of pennsylvania, new york, rhode island, delaware, and connecticut to join me in the next step toward the destination of november 6, one across america we can give a sigh of relief and all across america, the promise has been kept. the dreamers can dream bigger. help-wanted signs can be put in the front yard. this time, we will get it right. we will stop apologizing for success at home, and never again apologize for america abroad. [applause] [chanting]

>> together, we will build the greatest america we have ever known, where prosperity is grown and shared, not limited and divided. an america that guarantees ours is the door that innovation and greatness knocks on first. there was a time not so long ago when each of us could walk taller and stand straighter because we had a gets no one else in the world had. we are americans. it meant something different to each of us, but something special to all of us. we do it without question. so do the people in the rest of the world. those days are coming back. that is our destiny. join me. walk together. take another step every day until november 6. we believe in america.

we believe in ourselves. our greatest days are still ahead. we are, after rock, the americans had god bless this great country, god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> thank you, you guys. thank you. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ just to get this right work hard, hit hard, struggle, sacrifice time to blow it up lock and load take the field

start the shell this is our moment this is our time we are not holding back we are laying it on the line this is our destiny time after time this is our moment this is our time ♪ we have been playing guitars and banging drums since we were born trying to impress the pretty girls is time to turn it up time to rock and roll time to take the stage time to start the show this is our moment this is our time

we are not holding back we are laying it hit on the line this is our destiny time after time this is our moment this is our time ♪ it is time to turn it up time to rock and roll time to take the field time to start the show this is our moment this is our time we are not holding back we are laying it on the line this is our destiny , our time now to china

-- our time now to shine this is our moment this is our time this is our moment this is our time ♪ ♪ ♪ when you hear fiddles and a steel guitar you're listening to the sound of the american heart free music on a saturday night brings a smile to your face a tear to your eye

and sing a song about our land the only place i feel at home with sing a song about the good man working to the days are gone sing a song on the roof on the summer night play a song about the heartland play the song about my life ♪ ♪ sing a song about the heartland the only place i feel at home sing about the good man works until the days are gone sing the rain on the roof on a summer night sing a song about the heartland

sing a song about my life ♪ hey ♪ ♪ driving down the street today i saw a sign for lemonade they were the cutest kids i ever seen in this front yard as they handed me my glass smiling, thinking to myself man, what a picture-perfect

postcard this would make of america a high school prom a springsteen song a ride in a chevrolet kids selling lemonade open arms one nation under god it is america ♪ later on when i got home -with the tv on i saw a little town that some big twister tore apart people came from miles around just to help their neighbors out

i was thinking to myself i am so glad i think -- living in america it is a high school song a springsteen song kids selling lemonade open arms >> those remarks from mitt romney after he won primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and the district of columbia. rick santorum spoke with supporters in pennsylvania after results were announced. this is about 20 minutes. ♪ there is hope for our nation again may be the first time since ronald reagan there will be justice on our shore constitution rules of our land

yes, i believe rick santorum is our man ♪ ♪ >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you so much. it is fun to be home. [applause] here with karen and the kid, that is not all of karen's family bought most of it. her parents had 11 children. it is great to be here with friends and family. we have now reached the point where it is have time. have the delegates in this process have been selected. who is ready to charge out of the locker room for a strong second half? [applause] it is great to be here in

southwestern pennsylvania. i grew up in a steel town about 20 miles northeast of here. how about a shout out to? this area, like the town of people in it, forged steel to build this country to help win world wars and not if we just build it, we forged people with strong values about what made america great. you can applaud that, too. [applause] i can always be interrupted for applause. this is why we came here. this is what we want to go back

to southwestern pennsylvania to kick off the second half. this is a part of the country to where america started. not only do we forged steel in this day, we forge liberty. [applause] >> the symbol of the liberty bell, or the document that you have seen, the u.s. constitution and a declaration of independence -- this was forged right here in in pennsylvania. there is no place for this value is -- where the values are more and still been in this great commonwealth. ladies and gentlemen -- [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, this great commonwealth has given a tremendous amount to our country. if you look at the history of our great state, of not only the declaration and the constitution created here, but we won key battles. washington crossing the delaware to save. some have said that all of the significant people have spoken in this race so far. general washington knew that not all the cigna began people are those elites in society. the where rank officers. what general washington understood, some of the best plans for what made this country great.

we have listened to real significant voices of everyday americans. he crossed the delaware. he turned the tide of the revolution. ladies and gentlemen, pa. and tap the other people in this country have yet to be heard. -- and have the other people in this country have yet to be heard. we're going to go out and make sure they are heard. [applause] [ chanting]

>> we know who we are. we know who we are. we know the stock we are made of. we have contributed a lot. great pennsylvanians have been born here. i went to every one of those counties every year. i understand the greatness of the people of this state. i understand how important this race is in pennsylvania. this is called the keystone state for a reason. we are the keystone. we are the place for which our country was built and great things continue to happen here. great things like in manufacturing and oil and gas production that is turning our economy are around and creating opportunities for us to grow

our economy because of lower natural-gas prices. we're seeing manufacturing comeback in spite of the crushing burden barack obama and his administration has put on this nation. we need someone who understands what liberty is all about, someone he will go out and fight to make sure that the biggest and most crushing burden that this administration has put on us, one that was debated last week about government taking control of your health and dictating to you what you will do, how much you will pay, what insurance you will get, and even the practice of your faith will be dictated by the government. we need someone in this race

who will go out and make the clarion call for liberty, someone who has stood tall and oppose government health care. >> who could go out and make the case of what justice stevens suggested, this is what obamacare does and what his agenda of government control and his attempt to do cap and trade or he will dictate how much energy and health care he will use, this is a fundamental change in the and their government. if we're going to win this race, we cannot have little differences between our nominee an president obama. we have to have clear contrasting colors. in last 120 years -- [applause]

>> had one time or the republican party has defeated a democratic incumbent. time and time again, the republican establishment and aristocracy have shut down the threat of republican party and people across this country, moderate republicans, because we have to win by getting people in the middle, there's one person who understood we do not win by moving to the middle. we win by getting people in the middle to move to us and move this country forward. [applause]

>> not only do we know who we are and what we stand for, but you know who i am. you are going to hear a lot of things being thrown as happened in all the other states where we have seen a whole bunch of negative campaigning. we have gone across this country with the most improbable of odds and with limited resources except one in which we have had incredible resources. that is human resources. the people of this country have stood up and followed because they have seen someone with a positive vision, someone whose convictions are also forged in still not on an etch a sketch. [applause] >> ads.

shiller calls -- the robo calls. you know how hard i work. you know how strongly i believe in the games that the value of southwestern pennsylvania have instilled in me. i come from a steel town of immigrant parents. my grandfather worked in the mines, someone who lived in government housing on the d a grounds and saw the great sacrifice of our men and women, serving them as they served our country. you know me. they will say all the things that i am someone who does not stand up in what i believe in. you know me. [applause]

>> i ask you over the next threeno marching bands. the clock starts tonight. we have three weeks to go out there. we will win this state. after winning the state the field looks a little different in may. the one time that we did when in last 120 years, the republican party had the courage to go out and nominate someone who all the experts and contents and republican establishment costs said could not win. it was too conservative. he lost almost every early primary. he only won one until may. everybody told him to get out of the race.

this was that in 1976. we need a moderate. in 1976, he did not get out of the race. he was able to stand tall and when the state of texas, which we have every intention of doing. [chanting "go rick go"] he took that to the convention. he fell short. in the fall, republicans fell short. we nominated another moderate. cannot galvanize our party and

bring those votes to our side to get the change. four years later they fought him again. we need another moderate. we have to defeat this incumbents. let's not make the mistake of 1976. but bypassed that era -- let bypass that era. you can help me now go pennsylvania. thank you very much. god bless you. god bless you. thank you. [applause] ♪

game on join the fight we finally have a man that will stand for what is right victory is in sight ♪ ♪ >> rick santorum after coming in second in two of the presidential primaries. the delegate count so far -- ron paul has 51. newt gingrich, wondered 35. rick santorum has 278. 1144 are needed for the nomination. president obama hosted an easter breakfast this morning. before noon, he will sign the stock at. live coverage starts at 11:55 a.m. eastern this morning on c- span to. here on c-span, mitt romney will

be speaking at the annual convention of the american society of news editors, following the president's who spoke yesterday, criticizing mitt romney for the first time by name. later today, the democratic steering and policy committee will hold a hearing on gas prices. according to aaa, the current average is $3.92 a gallon. the hearing starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> last week, the panel set down

to discuss a voter i.d. laws, the african-american vote in 2012, and political responses to the trayvon martin shooting. held by harvard university, this is a little bit more than an hour. [applause] >> good afternoon. we want to welcome everyone to this afternoon's forum to kick off the black policy conference. i am pleased to introduce one of the organizers of the conference. gabriel is a fellow, specializing studies in urban education reform, and she has coordinated the public policy leadership conference and is

the kosher of keynotes and fund- raising for this conference. please join me in welcoming her. [applause] >> thank you, and on behalf of the black policy conference leadership team, welcome to the eighth annual black policy conference at harvard kennedy school. we of the pleasure of being against the backdrop of the kennedy school forum to celebrate the heritage and horizons. it is our hope that conference participants generate innovative solutions to our approach the world's most challenging problems. without further ado, we would like to begin the discussion here with our moderator karen thank you. >> thank you so much. >> i am thrilled to be here with you. i am one of the current fellows at the institute of politics here at the kennedy school of

government, and i'm having a fabulous time doing it. i want to introduce my panel, starting with the gentleman to my left. it is also a current resident fellow at harvard institute of politics, and a former crocker- term member of congress representing alabama. he was named by esquire magazine as one of the top-10 congressman in america. he graduated from harvard university in 1990 and harvard law school in 1993. he was named best oralist in a court competition than we have april ryan, a white house correspondent for american urban networks. she is a member of the national press club and a 23-year journalism's veteran. she began her career in

baltimore, maryland, my home town, at several radio stations and served as a news director. she is a graduate of morgan state university. to april's left, we have brought christie, though i do radio with. the theme is we have a small, colored world. he is a veteran senior adviser for the white house and congress. he served as a resident fellow at the white house as to the politics, and a visiting assistant professor and as a professor at the george washington university graduate school of political management. to his left, the host and executive editor and a former resident scholar at harvard as to the politics. she was an academy award nominee as a producer of the

documentary series "eyes on the prius." -- on the prius." she is a graduate of wellesley college. let's get a round of applause for the panel. [applause] >> so, we can the. the interconnection between us as we just booked people -- we can look at the interconnection between us as we just people we knew, but it is a small, colored world when it comes to political punditry and african-americans and people of color. to what extent it is it an advantage or disadvantage when you know so many of the players? i will start with you, april. you are dealing with the issues of the campaign. >> it is that an advantage to a certain extent. it is such a small number of us that have the ear of the

president, who are called by name by the president, and because of that, when there are issues, particularly for the black community or people of color, they are sure that they talk to you, they talk to you. for instance, during the bush years, hurricane katrina, i did not even have to raise my hand. he knew i had a question. issues during this presidency, particularly with black farmers, he knew i was one of the ones raising the issue, and because there are so few of us, there is an advantage. at the same time, it is a disadvantage because mainstream media is always there, particularly with this president as a universal approach, but

with that they want to make sure that they touch black media. it is a fine line to walk for every president, not just this president. i do not want to be perceived as trying to pander to an audience, but they want to make sure the audience gets their message and knows they're reaching out. >> ron, you do television, radio, you teach, you run a strategy company, there have been many times that many african-americans and other people of color have said to me be careful, do not be put in the black box, where you are only called upon to talk about race. you have had a career, particularly in republican administrations, or i am sure you transcended the black box in many ways, but how do you act in response to the inevitable questions of race in america,

but also make sure you are heard on other specialties of yours? >> it is interesting that you say that because when i joined the bush administration i was initially a deputy domestic policy adviser for the vice president, then i switched to the president. you go there and you think i will be the best policy adviser there is because i'm smart, i'm a lawyer, i am this, but then you look around and you recognize there are not as many folks that look like you, so you feel an obligation, particularly in the bush white house where i felt there were certain areas that could of been more sensitive on issues of race and if you do not speak up and offer your voice is an opportunity missed. for me, i went to our chief of staff right after trent lott made his infamous comments about the former senator strom thurmond, and the insinuation, of course, was that it strom thurmond had been elected president, perhaps a lot of us

in this room that look like those on the stage would be in a different place. i was so angry when that happened, and i thought special assistance to the president did not march over to the chief of staff of the president of the united states and say we are missing an opportunity, and i wrote him a four-page letter, saying deere secretary, i cannot rationalize it to myself, to my family, and not to anyone outside of this date if we remain silent and did not address an issue of racial sensitivity. i thought i was going to be fired, but instead it opened a dialogue. i found that as april pointed out, it is a double-edged sword, good in many respects because people are looking to you, and also a bad thing because people are also looking to you. >> artur, as a congressman in

alabama, you have been able to see many of the commonalities in the divisions that typified american politics, and your work here at the iop is sort of a blow-by-blow of what it takes to run for president. what did you learn from your terms in congress about the issues of race and how they play into politics, and do any of those lessons apply to the current presidential race? >> let me put it in the context of the conversation the first three analysts have talked about "put in the box." i was in congress for eight years, and it was a pretty good eight years for african american members of congress. at one point, i think there were seven african-american members who were chairman of committees, another seven who were chairman of subcommittees, about 15 or 16 walking around as

mr. chairman, and you want to be mr. chairman when you are on the hill. it is a good thing. what was always interesting was whenever their subjects of jurisdiction where a topic of controversy, it was amazing that the mainstream press never seemed to call on them. in a previous lifetime, i used to watch a lot of the shows on sunday morning. i do not do that stuff anymore. in a previous life i used to watch the sunday morning stuff, and they would often talk about tax policy, and there was this guy, i think you ever heard of him, his name is rangel, and he knew a lot about that, and became the chair of the committee, before that i would never see charles rangel talking

about tax policy. benny was the chairman of the homeland security committee, a broad topic we talk about after 9/11, when you guys at the white house did the terror alerts every few months -- we i would never see bennie thompson, the ranking member of the committee, the chairman of the committee, ever talking about homeland security. i could keep on going if we had enough time. you get my drift. i thought it was just pundits or talking heads, those of us who write blogs or that kind of thing. it is not just those of us who are talking heads, it is elected people and people who have proved their spurs by becoming committee chairmanships. we are going to talk about all

of these things about race and politics and probably something that happened in florida that happened a week ago, maybe you have heard something about it. and we have heard -- and we should talk about that. it is very important. but we have started on exactly the right note. by asking the question why are voices of color often put in a particular, limited context. my final point, i do not want to leave harvard out of the equation. i went here as an undergrad. i like it. it still looks good on a résume. i remember being in a class i enjoyed talking about -- it was a course about politics. the guy who ran the section was a good guy. he was a good section later.

he would start every week by doing a week in review of politics. i happen to be here when jeffrey was deciding, am i going to run for president a third time? marion barry got into some stuff in d.c. he would call on me and he would say, artur, what do black people think about the situation? what do black people think on him running a third time? the first couple times -- the first time, it hurt my feelings. the second time, it's good being offended. the third time, i thought, the chance to say what artur davis thinks. it is an incredible challenge that everyone who is black or brown or yellow or indian has to appreciate. there are a lot of people who are going to look at you and decide, you are smart, but i'd

bet your specialty is this. i think it is a normal problem, it limits us. >> callie, let me dig into media. you and i are both people who continue to persevere in what some people think of as a dying industry. of course, the level of competition, the mergers, the shrinkage, my first job was at newsweek which is no one but the daily beast -- which is now run by the daily beast. how does that affect the ability to have a good strong coverage during a political year, which includes important racial topics? >> it means that stuff gets

overlooked. i say all the time, there are many perspectives. what happens when you do not have the many voices in the room to talk about what is the central issue of the day -- you have lost something in terms of understanding what the issues are and how they impact all of us in a community. i see it over and over again. for those who say there is only one way to look at it, i have been in so many discussions. i have raised my voice to say, but what about -- it is a huge loss. back to the double edge sword, sometimes you are in the uncomfortable position of being the only voice to raise it. it does not just have to be about race, but a different way of looking at something that may be informed by the fact that i am a person of color. i look at things a little more

broadly. just by the nature of my experience as a human being and a journalist. i cannot say how valuable it is to have those other voices in the room. even those of us at this panel are weary, do i have to say it one more time? there is always somebody new in the room. >> speaking of an issue with one truth that many perspectives, i am going to go to the case in florida. trayvon martin's death. it has become a media firestorm. we are getting to the point where we need to focus in on what some of the central issues are. to me, this is my personal opinion, we have a very bad law that is influenced by lobbying patterns in america. it is not just an issue of

justice 41 young man, it is many unarmed people. i want to take this into the presidential carina. we are supposed to talk about the presidential race. president obama said if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. recently, robert zimmerman said i never foresaw so much hate coming from the president and the naacp. mitt romney says it is a tragedy, there needs to be a thorough investigation. rick santorum said that stand your ground is not doing what this man did. newt gingrich said the district

attorney had done the right thing and of zimmerman he said it was a guy who has a hobby that is dangerous, armed neighborhood watch. aside from zimmerman's father, you see some unanimity of critique. what impact does the trayvon martin case and these aha racial moments have on political races? go ahead. >> it has a lot to do with the presidential campaign. if you are president, you are president of all america. everything goes to the white house, from war to peace. trayvon martin is part of the white house. the president talked about his son. the white house had been working on crafting some kind of response. the justice department was

working on crafting some kind of response. what do you think about the trayvon martin issue? i said, i know you do not want this in your lap. there was a big mistake made with the henry gates situation. the new head -- then you had the shooting. they had to craft a statement that was general but with ownership. at the same time, the republican candidate for president, i am going to be blunt, it is not on the radar. we have seen it. numbers of black americans going to the polls during the primary and not even measurable. >> all of the candidates --

>> they had to. the president spoke. that forces them to say something about it, particularly in light of gun laws. they are strong proponents of the nra. they are courting the hispanic vote, not necessarily the black vote. they had to prepare something that would not push them out of the way, make it tea party like them -- make the tea party dislike them, something broad enough that whatever happens, they would be ok. with something of this magnitude, they had to come in and step in. they are the moral leaders of the country.

they set the tone in so many respects. >> 3 worth that april said, setting the tone. i think the president did not set the right tone. i think he should have gone further. the thing i took exception with what he said is that he said, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. what does that have to do with the price of tea in china? you could say, and a father. -- i am a father. i was upset he did not say, people need to chill out. this is a sensitive issue. we need to learn what all the facts are. by him saying, we need to have a soul-searching moment -- we

do not know what the facts are. the only thing we know is that a 17-year-old boy was shot dead. he was shot by a neighborhood watch person who was armed. that is all we know. he was told to stand down. the fact that our president said, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon, it only added a little more kerosene. see, it is a racial issue. folks need to get riled up on issues of race as opposed to being more compassionate. >> artur. >> there are 1000 things to be said about this. this is one of the big concerns i have about the trayvon martin controversy. one of the two eyewitnesses --

no one knows what happened. having said that, if it turns out that george zimmerman is telling the 100% gospel truth, if it turns l. that trayvon martin did slammed his head to the ground, if zimmerman's version is vindicated, it does not excuse the fact that all kind of people who look out of place, if they are not getting shot, they are getting detained. the of getting questioned. they are getting analyzed. they are getting profile. on the flip side, if it turns out that somebody comes forward and says, i saw this thing and

what zimmerman says is 100% false, if he is convicted and black folks are jumping up and down the street, that is not going to solve the fact that some other black kid is going to wander into the same situation. every time i hear us obsessing about one controversy, i do not care if it is this, if it is rodney king, i was a student here when that happened, we get so worked up over one person. of course we ought to care about the tragedy. we forget the fact that the resolution of that one person's saba still leaves us with the same problems. elected in a black president did not lift race off the backs of the american people. that is a reality. my final point, i will follow ron's instinct, you have to say

something controversial. this does remind me of one of the thing, may i use the we in the literal sense, meaning the folks of color. we have to be very careful about over-invoking racism and race and racial injustice. i will be very candid with you, we love to do it. african american politicians under investigation, we love to talk about a number of african american politicians under investigation. we love to talk about patterns. we love to invoke racial injustice. we love to say that every time a new measure is passed that says you have to do one extra thing, that is the ugly and of jim crow.

it sounds good. it makes you feel nice and warm. the only problem is, as good as it sounds, and eventually the real wolf does come knocking at the door. when the real wolf shows up at the door, if it turns out that zimmerman is lying, that is what happened. then it sounds like what we are saying, it sounds like it is what we have said, and how we have said it before. it does not resonate the way it should. i will make those two cautionary point. do not think it is going to solve anything or and anything

-- end anything and be careful about how we talk about walz being at the door. -- wolves being at the door. >> recently a participated in a forum in new york. the african american studies library in new york, on the panel was randall kennedy. in the process of conversation, one of the things that came out was that, although we have this black president, president obama, in some ways, he is perhaps the least equipped to deal with structural racial injustice. it is a third rail for black politicians. inject whatever else you feel, do you think that in some ways there is a structure against black politicians? the wolf could be at your door 10 times in one night. the wolf could be at your door one time.

it could also be 10 times. it could be the wolf. under what circumstances can you challenge structural injustice, not just sporadic in justice? >> as a black politician, not very much. as leader of the free world, he has the justice department. it is under his power to say, let's go see what is going on in florida. that is what he can do. it flies back in his face. people are going to say, in this polarized -- i cannot call it a dialogue, discussion, ranting, that is going on in this country, if you bring to the table that you are black and speaking about race, it is translated into racism. i want to pick up on something

that artur said. the last person in the room that wants to call it racism is the black person. i do not want to be the person to say, did she not wait on me because -- i want to think of anything else but that. the way this gets translated it is that people imposed upon us, saying we scream racism. we are the less people who want to call it up. we want it to be anything else but that. upn it is there, let's face to it. that is the frustrating thing around the trayvon martin case, the negativity we have seen that is racially based, directed at president obama. i hear no other voices except black people saying, come on,

y'all. recognize this. to the extent we are still operating in the context, we are operating in the context of, this is going to go on today and tomorrow and the next day, we have to figure out how we are going to go forward. your point, that is what president obama said that trayvon could be my son. the undertone is about the ongoing racial conflict. to not say anything about that in the most carefully crafted way he could is disingenuous. i really do think so. >> let me respond and go in a different direction. we have a short attention span as an american community. we remember what happened this

morning and yesterday. i remember an episode about six months ago, i will not pick on the college by name, he is a prominent figure for the civil- rights community. he was talking about the phenomenon of "racism" and the response to barack obama. i think he made some points that were very good. he took one point too far. he said, two years ago, i am quoting him, "when the tea party folks were out there and they were holding up the signs showing obama with the hitler mustache, can you imagine a caucasian president being treated in a disrespectful way?" the host of this show paused for a moment. he said, i want to show you

something. he put up a clip of george bush with a hitler mustache and dick cheney with a hitler mustache. a lot of ugly things have been said about barack obama that a disrespectful, that a dumb, that have no basis. news flash, being president of the united states entitles a lot of people to feel they can say dumb things about you. i have this memory of another guy, he was once called the first black president until we got the first black president. his name is william jefferson clinton. at one point, people said that obama was a muslim. what was his name? pastor wright looked anything

but a muslim to me. that continues to float around. that he used to be the biggest drug dealer in arkansas and run drugs out of a private airport. that he had his white house aide it killed. that he had raped a woman, two. i will not even repeat some other things that were commonly said. i could go back through the charts. none of them -- there are some people who dislike barack obama. so many people walk around with race at the core of their heart, there is no reason to think it would stop.

we have to be mindful of this. we live in a time where contempt towards people would disagree with is a common political play. it is awful. the notion that if we do not agree with someone's politics, we ought to tear them down. that if someone does not think like us, there is something wrong with them. the left things, if you do not agree with me, there is something wrong with your brain. the right says, if you do not agree with me, there is something wrong with your soul. if we can get past the politics, i think it will be a lot better off. >> i have to it jump in here.

we are in the q&a time. we did not even get to big issues like, before we wrap up, we will go through it speed read on. -- a speed round. there was a poll that said his approval ratings have inched over the 50% mark since last may. there were others that were lower. the same poll said that if the general election were held today, president obama would win handily. there is the issue, another issue i find troubling, which is the black unemployment rate being double -- it rose, the overall unemployment rate stayed stable, the black

unemployment rate rose, it is at 14.1%. i hope some of the wise people will be able to craft questions. we have microphones here. i will give you the drill. all questioners must identify themselves. one brief question per person. no speeches. questions and with a question mark. >> good afternoon. my name is michelle wilson, i am from the epa. my question has to do with voter suppression, what you all believe will be the effect on the election of these laws and how we should, as a group of people of color, what should be our strategy to deal with these ideologues and their intention of reducing the number of people of color at the polls?

thank you. >> the assistant minority head, on the hill, he is also the head of the anti-voter suppression effort. he said, it is going to happen. the fact that you are going to have to have your id card. everyone needs to make sure that you get some kind of state id so that you can go to the polls. you do not just have that. you have the issue of the fact that this is not going to be

the big one. you will never have the big moment. there is an issue, the intensity, it did not just have the voter-suppression issue, you have the intent to the issue. 90% plus went to the polls for obama. obama is concerned about intensity. factoring in the unemployment numbers, the fact that black people -- i think some of this trayvon martin issue is a culmination of so much. there are so many african americans who are disenchanted by so many things. they are scared to speak out. they fear it could hurt the

president. this trayvon martin issue has evolved into a lot of things. this placed anxiety, the perfect term. -- displace anxiety, the perfect term. there are several factors that black america needs to face. why am i going to the polls? the big moment is gone. this is what black america have to deal with. >> let me ishaqi by saying something about voter i.d.. -- let me shock you by saying something about voter i.d. it does not bother me. let me say why. whenever i hear somebody say that and i d requirement is oppressive, i have to ask the question, how many times are we asked to present id in the course of citizenship? the department of justice is

challenging voter i.d. laws. you cannot get into the department of justice without a photo id. it so happens that you cannot get into a lot of private buildings in washington and new york without an id. if you try to get on a plan without an id, they have to make a whole bunch of phone calls. if you happen to be an arab person -- i have not seen any of those factors in vogue at rage in our society. whenever i say that, people say, the difference is we have a right to vote. britain not have the right to get on a plane. -- we do not have the right to get on a plane.

you may discover you feel you do have a right. there is this interesting notion that if you have a right in this country, that nobody can attach a burden to it. that is at the heart of what people say. they are saying, because i have a right, you cannot put a burden on that. when you turn 18, you do not become enrolled to vote. i did not see anybody saying that you should be auto- enrolled to vote. we have a registration. registration does not happen -- you have to fill a form out. you choose to vote. you have to stand in line. you have to get someone to

notarize your form. do you have a right to vote absentee? you bet you do. you have to jump through some groups. -- hoops. if you register people to vote and you are active politically, that is okay. here is how you handle the worry. make sure that folks have an id. you get out and register them. >> i have a feeling that other folks want to follow up. i am going to go to the next question. >> i am and alumni in the public policy program. it is interesting that black people talk so much about having our points of view heard and discussed and what we do not do is to make our thoughts

heard affectively. we do a lot of talking, when it comes to voting day, we are supposed to show up. we are there, registering our opinions as we were given the right to do and our forefathers blood so that could happen. we are not there. what is it about us that keeps us talking and raising the good fight philosophically, but we did not take care of business? >> callie? >> people have to feel the vote is connected to their lives. when they do, they vote. it cannot happen for barack obama, people felt -- the

turnout happened for barack obama, people felt it was connected to their lives. the inauguration -- he never gets up to do nothing. he felt connected. for pookie and many other people, the question is, will it make a difference if i get up? i did not see it will make a difference. he is not able to go to a federal building. he is part of the 25% without any government issued id. 70% of the elector for all votes are held in states with photo id laws. that is a political situation. whatever it is, it is a reality.

some laws are still yet to be enacted. i have to enter this about the photo id thing, there has not been demonstrated fraud. i am ok if you demonstrate there is fraud. that every second person is fraudulent. all right, let's take them through all the hoops. that is not the case. somehow, the story has to be connected with the folks who are not voting to make them understand that there is a lot at stake in this election and every election. in more alexian's than most, it is going to provide a stark contrast about policy. people need to be paying attention to that. >> we have two questions appear. i am going to start on the

right. the'm a sophomore at college. this is a follow up. race plays a different role in the democratic and republican parties, he may disagree with me. this might be controversial but, i wanted to ask, to what extent the believe that race is used as an instrument in politics. >> when we talk about the voter i.d. and voter suppression, it is being used as a wedge issue against republicans. somehow, republicans want to suppress the vote of the people of color. they are putting together this new jimc rowe era -- jimc rowe era poll tax. it is nonsense. you cannot exist without an id.

>> you can. i am if field reporter who goes out to those tons with there is nothing but a corner store at the intersection of tree and rock. >> i am only looking at my own example, my relatives. miraculously, my 98-year-old grandmother has a voter i.d.. it is nonsense that republicans are seeking to divide the country on race -- it is nonsense. the plan to the point that there is no proof that this is a republican witch hunt, that is where i am going.

you look at the election in minnesota. the congressman who had the seat, it is proven there are more folks who were legally registered to vote to cast their vote. i need to go no further. in minnesota, it is not a place where you a trying to suppress the minority vote. there is one instance where it is false to say it never happens and an instance where the democratic party is time to stir up interest by some republicans are racist. but -- saying republicans are racist perry >> there ought to be one of every two people are fraudulent voters. there is not that. when everybody leading the voter i.d. campaign is

republican, well, people say, what are you doing? and why? the only state where i know there were black people part of the discussion, was rhode island. rhode island has a voter i.d. law. there are black lawmakers who feel strongly about it. the rest, they a democrat. it was the black democrats involved in supporting the law in place in rhode island. everyplace else, i do not know. >> let me jump in. 15 seconds on this point. the guy who served in congress before i did, in the democratic primary in 1992, he got 130 votes, in the run-up to got

13,000 votes -- run-off he got 13,000 votes, you do the math. in a governor's race in louisiana there was a minority running. he was not a black person. he was an indian-brother. five days before the election, his opponent cichlid a fly air -- circulated a flier that showed him with long hair. they darkened the photo. the only place they want to hand out the photo was the george wallace area. that is where they handed out these fliers. his name was bobby jindal. he came back and won. he had a five point lead before they went had the race on him. the day was the democratic party.

-- they was the democratic party. jindal is a republican. there are folks in both political parties who use race when they feel like it as a political instrument. there are democrats who are as happy as republicans. there are some republicans who have a history of doing it too. it is not a partisan thing. >> i am a freshman here at the college. i would like to ask this question on behalf of the jfk forum. i am aiming this at mr. christie. could you describe what role your race played during a time

in the white house? do you feel you were treated differently, is the positive or negative, as a result? >> it is great to see you again. jacob was a but this event in my study group. -- a participant in my study group. it is great to see a friendly face. i will tell you a story. it is in the book. it upset me. it related to the ways we could have been more sensitive. i was ecstatic to be in the east room of the let us when coretta scott king presented president bush with a portrait of her husband. he was very fired up. he said, i can hardly wait to hang it. i waited a couple of weeks and there was no portrait. i went to the east room, the

west wing, i cannot find it. i went to the chief of staff and said, what happened to the portrait? he said, i do not know. someone had put it in a box and ship it to a federal facility. the portrait came back. the chief of staff said i want it back. i said we should hang it in the east room. perfect. hung up on the wall. two weeks later, yangon. it disappeared. i said, how is it that we have white house staff where we have been given a portrait of doctor martin luther king that someone continues to take this thing and put it somewhere -- is that with this is going? -- where this is going? it goes back to my earlier commentary, no one else seemed

to care that this portrait was not there. if we cannot even hang a picture of doctor martin luther king in the white house, what else are we doing wrong? that started my crusade in the white house to speak out and to be a focal figure -- vocal figure. >> the bust is still in the white house. it is still there. he is in the oval office. >> a good spot to be perry >> he is on the move. [laughter] >> i am a freshman at harvard. we have talked a lot about the problems rub in politics and the issue of race, what can be

done on capitol hill and on a personal level to try to rectify the problems as much as we can? i you optimistic that change will come? >> i have been at the white house for 15 years. bill clinton, the eight years and to which the the bush, to this president. -- the eight years of george w. bush, to this president. no matter what your agenda item is, your idea is grade -- >> can you explain to a. philip randolph is? >> a pullman porter. >> i need that explained. [laughter] >> i am time to give a synopsis of a synopsis. -- i am trying to give a

synopsis of a synopsis. he was told, i think your idea is great. you have to make me do it. that is what we have to do now, to make congressional leaders take notice. to make presidents take notice. i have not seen, i am saying we as a people, we do not have the stick-to-it-ness. change is still ongoing. people do not want to stand at the white house. i am telling you, the aggravation, the tension, for people to look at, that is what will bring change. in my opinion. >> i have to say, and industry. i worked in the technology industry. i have doubled and technology since 1995 have 1995dabbled -- have dabbled in technology since 1995.

when i worked at a biotech company, there were no black voters -- at a tech company, there were no black coders. you do see stratification. white, black, asian, native american, very different outcomes, sometimes it has to do with race and ethnicity. some of it has to do with, what i call, the social aspect of hiring. people conform to stereotypes about who is hirable. based on that -- if you want to put together a startup team, there are reasons why you want a homogenous team. you want people who you can

spend 23 hours a day with. when to start growing that, you should not have the homogenous company. we need to start looking at things from the industry's perspective which cycles back to the issue of jobs. >> can i say something quick. it is relevant to everyone who is here. this is the world we live in. washington, d.c., new york city are the two hubs of the legal world. an average major law firm has 1000 people.

do you know how many black partners are at those firms? you would be lucky if you had 10 to 15. that is fractional. we have not had an african american considered to be on the u.s. supreme court since clarence thomas. as not one of those three individuals, not one of them has interviewed anybody black for the u.s. supreme court since 1991. that is the reality. does that mean there are no qualified jurists who are african american? look at the appeals court. this is a problem that works its way through our system. how many times when african american candidates want to run do we hear the question, is he

electable? when barack obama was running for the senate in illinois, all the major democratic players in d.c. said he is a smart, a young man. he is very capable. we just wish she was electable. i did not hear anyone asked if a white guy is electable. >> i'm a student at the business school. my question concerns a longer- term view. can you discuss the impact that growth in asian and latino populations will have? >> that would be huge. [laughter] >> could you repeat the question? >> he said what about the demographic impact on asian and latino populations on electoral coloring.

my answer is it would be huge. we are talking in generalities. the asian community is growing too letter in larger political power. latinos have numbers. they are prepared to flex the numbers. >> [inaudible] >> we vote more than you think. 76 percent of blacks voted in alabama. there is this myth that blacks do not vote. blacks are voting. >> african americans have slightly lower floating rates than white americans, but above latino americans -- lower voting rates than white americans, but above latino americans. florida is different from massachusetts. >> i talked to michael steele before i walked in. he said, the black population is not even a consideration

anymore. in the republican party, they are going gung-ho for the hispanic population. when nixon became president, 40% of african-americans voted for him. when george bush became president, it was 9%. the former black congressman said to me -- republican congressman. [laughter] he never went to a meeting. >> i did not go to a whole lot. [laughter] >> yeah right. [laughter] he said to me, when president bush got in he said, i can see black america voting for a gop candidate, i can see that coming. now, the numbers are not measured at all. you cannot measure them. they said, forget the black

population. they of the win for the hispanic population. the obama administration -- they are go in for the hispanic population. the obama administration is also going for the hispanic population. >> mark rubio coming out to say he felt the republican party was losing the young latino voices. it was an opportunity for the republican party. because he is an attractive candidate, a vice presidential contender, to address immigration issues head on. let's let me point out a fact that will play something about -- >> let me point out a fact that will tell you why the latino demographic is so hard to point down. cuban-americans, 91% of a a certain age said they were white.

in the 2010 census, 41% of the children's generation said they were white. race is something that is a perception and ties to the motherland or fatherland depending on whether you are an immigrant or second or third generation. to a great extent, we may not know how the latino demographic evolves. do you think the republican party has given up on black people? >> no, but we have done a terrible job. we lost a golden opportunity. in april, it was 10% in butch's first election. you think, that is it? what are we not doing that a significant portion of the electorate are saying, i have written off the republican party.

i think you have to start small. when i was the policy director for george allen, i said, you have to make an effort to go to committees of color and go in there and keep your mouth shut. -- to communities of color and go in there and keep your mouth shut. politicians love to talk. the opposite of talking is listening. in politics, the opposite of talking is waiting to talk. [laughter] the people of the republican party, a thinking what they are going to say. stop and listen. go to committees of color and listen. say, what is on your mind?

what can i do better? we show up, hey, come vote for me. we go to the church. see you later. >> can i make one quick point. i want to be respectful. in the interest of fairness, there would not be a tim scott -- he is the only black member of congress who represents a predominantly white district. there are only two african american members of congress who represent predominantly white districts. i used to be the recruitment share for the democratic party. this is african american -- if an african american candidates in the democratic party surfaced it was always in a black district. the staff took a look at it and said, he is a good chap, but he is not electable. 20 and 25-year-olds are going to figure that out.

and eventually they are going to figure out that there are more of them advancing in the republican party today in predominantly white environments then black democrats are advancing in predominantly white environment. -- environments. >> i do agree with the. we have to try to get all the voices in. i am going to ask each of you to speak back-to-back. we will answer both of your

questions. please introduce yourself and ask a question. >> thank you. thank you for all coming out. i'm a first-time legislative from minnesota. -- a legislator from minnesota. i wanted some clarity on a comment i heard. it was a republican supreme justice that determined that there was no fraud in the election. 133 have been found to have committed fraud. but of those, -- out of those, they thought they could vote. fraud is not happening at all. if it is not fraud, the voter

i.d. deals it is a national agenda, if it is not fraud, why do you think we are attaching an id to your right to vote? >> i am going to take both questions. >> as a citizen of this of the congressional district, i felt some obligation to ask a question. [laughter] i do appreciate, you alluded to my question, talking about democrats and republicans and having african americans representing the district's with the majority are not african american. i observed the same thing. not being the chairman of the committee. as someone who observes

politics. how does the democratic party thickset moving forward? we have made efforts towards that -- party fix that moving forward? we have made efforts towards that. >> the democratic party needs to live up to its progressive ideals on racial inclusiveness. i am amazed how many democratic politicians talk a wonderful game. i am amazed how many white democratic politicians can get a little bit of rhythm. i can even do it. when you asked and the question, are you willing to get behind an african-american candidate for something behind a black district, it will be 50 reasons why they will not. -- they will give you 50 reasons why they will not. it is not just artur davis, virtually all of these states in the last several years, if you are thinking harold ford is

an example, let me tell you, they tried very hard to get the governor of tennessee. folks who ran the democratic party did not want him. i would love to see some good old white democrats stepped up and say, here is an african american politician we think we can get behind. >> we do not have time. what i want to do is get a response to our first question there. and then i want to do a speed run. a speed round. does anyone want to get to the fraud question? >> the question of the matter is there was allegations that

there was fraud. it did go to the court system. it was stolen by people who are not legally eligible to vote. the way it was adjudicated is the right way, going through the court system. for those who say it did not happen, that is one case. >> speed round, who do you think is going to win the presidency? >> i do not have a clue. barack obama should worry about, if the health-care log it struck down and the whole conversation is about what the next lot is going to look like, that is not good. >> that is artur davis, a >> as artur davis, a former congressman from alabama.

we will turn to april ryan. >> and there are eight months, and it is a long time in politics. anything could happen. president obama could be up today. next week he could be as low as he could go. i will tell you this. the economy, the economy, the economy. if one provision on health care is struck down, he is all right. if the individual mandate is struck down, and everything else in fact, that is okay. [laughter] >> that is april ryan, white house correspondent for american urban radio networks. will somebody give me a prediction, perhaps a ron christie? >> i asked for a fortune cookie.

>> these guys are hedging their bets. i think a brilliant columnist for a local the wall street journal" some get up exactly right where she said barack obama can lose, but he can only lose if the republicans beat themselves. was the economy as weak as it is, the president's record, the tenet healthcare initiative, he should be easily beatable, but republicans have a propensity to blow it. dwight mitt romney is going to win? yes, i do, do i think we have an extremely odd way losing it, and self-destruction? we have seen it before, and we could see it again, but i put my money on governor mitt romney. >> thank you, ron christie. callie crossley? >> you will not get a prediction

from me. >> why not? [unintelligible] >> you are afraid if you make the wrong prediction you lament get to the white house christmas press -- he will not get to the white house christmas party. >> this is such an interesting or will be an interesting race is the presumed candidate is mitt romney. what i said before about a stark contrast in policy will really be on the table. there will be now maybe you like this or you like this. for both parties, there are reasons for people to stay home, and reasons for the base. maybe people that are on unplowed, those frustrated, they are done with barack obama. on the republican side, i did

not 1 mitt romney, i am not going. those are reasons for people to stay at home care at the republican side, i did not want mitt romney, but i hate barack obama, he has to go. on the barack obama side, i am not aware i want to be, but listen to this racist stuff, and i have to get up and defend. there are reasons on both sides. there are reasons for folks to stay home. this will be a very, very interesting race, one of the most interesting we have seen in a while, and eight months is long time. >> i did not give your prediction. >> no. that was callie crossley, final word. >> callie crossley, who was the host of her own show. i just want to say thank you to callie crossley, ron christie, april ryan, and former

congressman artur davis 48 thrilling panel full of it -- spoke of surprises, -- for a thrilling panel full of surprises including one that we did not get a prediction. thank you so much. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> we are live this afternoon for remarks from republican presidential candidate mitt romney speaking at the american society of newspaper editors. he is coming off of wins in primaries in wisconsin, maryland, and washington, d.c. the american society of news editors is holding their convention this week.

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome naa chairman mike ried. [applause] ♪ >> good afternoon, everybody. welcome to this very special naa luncheon today. before we get started, i would like to give special thanks to fti consulting, a global business with specialized services in the newspaper and publishing sectors. their practices focused on thought leadership and digital

strategy, and audience yield, combined with expertise in organizational design, advertising performance, news and content, and fulfillment operations. ken harding from fti is here today if anyone would like to discuss their services further. for anyone who was opened a newspaper or turn on a television in recent months, our speaker does not need much in terms of an introduction. he is in good shape from a recognition standpoint and he is happy today given the events of last night with a clean sweep of the three primaries and a further widening of his delegate votes. however, his recognition is build some the on a career of accomplishment. as a businessman, he founded bain capital, a hugely successful investment firm that launched names like staples and sports authority.

he is widely credited with savaging the salt lake city winter olympics. he volunteered skills to take over an organizing committee mired in debt and controversy, leading to one of the most successful u.s. olympics ever, even with the massive security issues just months after 9/11. after -- as governor of massachusetts, he raced the budget deficit, and acted -- he embraced the budget deficit, and acted education reform, and health care reform that the state level. after last night he holds a wider and stronger delegate lead in one of the toughest and many say contentious political campaigns in recent memory. here to sara -- share thoughts on the campaign and the country it is my -- here to share some

thoughts on the campaign and the country, it is my pleasure to welcome governor mitt romney. ♪ >> good morning. thank you, good morning. thank you to the newspaper association and your board for the invitation to speak to you today. over the last 10 months, i have come to know a great deal about a number of your journalists part of your organizations. we have air our dirty laundry together, sometimes literally as well as figure to wait, we have david hour upon hour on the fine aroma of a campaign bus and shared birthdays and holidays more with each other than with our families. one of the reporters covering my

campaign enjoy her birthday, and for bad birthday i got her a cake and sank her eighth birthday song. -- sank her a birthday song. she reciprocated by telling me and my birthday that i was old enough to qualify for medicare. the changes in your industry have been striking. back then i would look online to see how stories were developing, and only hours after a speech it was dissected on the internet. now, we go to twitter. it is instantaneous. in 2008, the coverage was about what i might have said in a speech here today, it is about what brand jeans i'm wearing, or what i have for lunch. most people in my business are convinced it you are biased against all of us, identified with the famous quip from lbj

that if he were to walk on water your headline would read all call the president cannot swim -- "the president cannot swim." [laughter] >> frankly, in some of the new media, i find myself missing the presence of editors to exercise quality-control. and i missed the days of two or more sources for a story when it least one source was actually named. how your industry is going to change, i could not predict. i subscribe to the famous dictum for testing is very difficult, especially when it involves the future. i do know this. you will continue find ways to provide the american people with reliable information that is vital to our lives and to the nation, and i am confident that the press will remain free, but further, i salute this organization in your various institutions that make it up in

your effort to make it not only free, but also responsible, accurate, relevant and integral to the functioning democracy. thank you for that work. now, given the number and scale of our nation's challenges, this november's election will have particular consequence. it will be a defining event. president obama and i have very different visions for america, both of what it means to be an american today, and what it will mean in the future. the voters will expect each of us to put our respective views on the table. we will each make our case, buttressed by our life experience. the voters will hear the debates, there will be buffeted by advertising, and informed by your coverage, and hopefully after all of that they will have an understanding of the different directions we would take and the different choices

we would make. of course, for that to happen, the candidates have to be candid about their views and their plans. in that regard, president obama 's comments to president of the death a deeply troubling. -- president of reaching that should give -- president dmitry medvedev are deeply troubling. by flexibility he means that what the american public does not know will not hurt him. his intent is on hiding. uni will have to do the seeking. president obama exchange with the russian president raises all sorts of serious questions. what exactly does president obama intend to do differently once is no longer accountable to the voters? what is flexibility with foreign leaders require less accountability to the american people, and on what other issues

will he state his true position only after the election is over? instead of answering those vital questions, the president came here yesterday and railed against arguments no one was making, and criticize policies no one is proposing -- criticized policies no one is proposing. it distracts from his record. wilander stand the president does not want to run on his record, he cannot run from his record either. i have said many times before the president did not cause the economic crisis, but he did make it worse. he delayed the recovery, then he made it -- made it anemic. when he took office, many americans turned to him to turn around the economy and lead us to full employment. he failed these americans. the first three rules of any turnaround our focus, focus, and

focus, but instead of focusing on the economy, he delegated the stimulus to nancy pelosi and harry reid. the $780 billion stimulus included a grab bag of projects that languished in congress for good reason for years. it was less a jobs plan and more the mother of all earmarks. the administration pledged stimulus would keep the unemployment rate below 8%, and it has been a mob every month since. the president's attention, -- of of every month since. the president's attention was elsewhere like to government control -- takeover of health care, and apologizing for america abroad. he handed out billions of dollars to green energy companies including his friends at companies like solyndra, who are now bankrupt. the answer to the economic crisis was more spending, more

debt, and larger government, and by the end of his term in office he will have added nearly as much public debt as all of the prior presidents combined. no president has ever run a trillion-dollar deficit. the new normal the president would have less embraced is trillion dollar deficits and 8% unemployment. through all of this, president obama has failed to pass a budget. in february, he put forward a proposal that included the largest tax increase in history and still left the national debt spiraling out of control, and the house rejected it unanimously. of course, no fiscal challenge is greater than the one we faced with entitlements, as the president acknowledged three years ago, this is not a product which problem we can kick down the road for their -- problem we

can kick down the road further. i would be happy to consider his plan, but he does not have one. 3.5 years later he is failed to even propose a serious plan to solve the entitlement process. instead, he is taking a series of steps that end medicare as we know it. is the only present to ever cut $500 million from medicare, and as a result more than half of doctors will say they will cut back on treating seniors. he is destroying medicare advantage, eliminating coverage millions of seniors depend on and reducing choice by two/thirds. to control medicare costs he has created an unelected, unaccountable panel, what the power to prevent medicare from providing certain treatments, and the result will be fewer services available to patients. a couple months ago we saw a

fascinating exchange on capitol hill that epitomized not only this administration's inaction on entitlements, but also its appalling lack of leadership. treasury secretary timothy geithner testified before congress, congressman paul ryan, who unlike the president has had the courage to offer serious solutions, he was pressing timothy geithner on the administration's failure to lead an entitlement reform, and timothy geithner responded, we are not coming before you today to say we have a definitive solution to that long-term problem. what we do know is we do not like yours. take a moment. think about that. we do not a dissolution. all we know is you -- we do not like yours. it all makes us long for the day when the president simply read from behind. now, in the weakest recovery since the great depression, the

president has repeatedly called for tax increases on businesses. as a candidate obama, he decides that a lower corporate tax rate would be better. as president, he has added regulations at a staggering rate. as a candidate, he wants to find ways to reduce them. as president, he delayed the development of oil, coal, and natural gas. as candidate, he says he favors an energy policy to adopt an all-of-the-above approach. nancy pelosi said we would have to pass obama-care to find out what was in it. president obama has turned the buys into a campaign strategy. he wants to reelect him, so we can find out what he will do. with the challenges the nation faces, this is not the time for president obama as hide and seek campaign. he said he wants to transform america.

i do not want to transform america. i want to restore the values of economic freedom, opportunity, and small government that made this nation the way it is. it is opportunity that has always driven america, and defined us as americans. my grandfather was in the construction business. he never really made it himself, but he convinced my dad that he could accomplish anything he wanted to. my dad did not have the chance to finish a college degree, and he was an apprentice as a carpenter, and based on that experience he turned around a car company, and later became the governor of the state of michigan. my father made the most of the opportunities that came before him. by the time i came along, and i was the fourth of four brothers and sisters, i have the chance to get the education my father could not. i love cars, and i was tempted

to stay in michigan and go into the car business, but i always wondered if success i might have was due to my dad, so when i got out of business school if i stayed in massachusetts and got a job with the best company that would hire me, and perhaps, more importantly, i was married and on the way to having five sons. over the next 25 years my business career had ups and downs, great successes, definite failures, but each step of the way i learned more and more about the power of the free enterprise system. now, i am not naive enough to believe that free enterprise is the solution to all of our problems or to doubt that it is one of the greatest forces of good that the world has ever known. free enterprise has done more to lift people out of poverty, to help build a strong middle class, to help educate our kids, and to make our lives better

than all of the government's programs put together. if we become one of those societies that attack success, the outcome is certain. there will be less success. that is not who we are. the promise of america has always been that if you worked hard, took some risks, there was the opportunity to build a better life for your family and for the next generation. i am offering a clear choice, and a clear path. unlike the president, i have a record that i am proud to run on. after my years in business, i use my experience there to help save and olympics and turn around a state. when i became governor of massachusetts, the state budget was out of control, and the legislature was 85% democrat. we cut taxes 19 times and balance the budget every one of my four years.

we in raced a shortfall and left office with a rainy day fund. i cast over 800 vetoes. if there was a program or an agency that needed cutting, we caught it. one television commentator said i did not go after the sacred cows, i went after the whole herd, and i cannot wait to get my hands on washington. unlike president obama, you do not have to wait until after the election to find out what i believe what my plans are. i have a pro-growth agenda that would get our economy back on track, and get americans back to work. this administration thinks our economy is struggling because the stimulus was too small. the truth is we are struggling because our government has grown too big. as president, i will get the government out of the way and unleash the power of american enterprise and the innovation of the american people. seven months ago i presented a

detailed plan for jobs and economic growth. it included 59 different proposals that would help strengthen the economy. i understand some people are a news that i have so many ideas, but i think the american people will prefer it to president obama's grand total of zero. i will cut marginal tax rates across the board for individuals and corporations, and limit deductions and exclusions. i will repeal burdensome regulations and prevent the bureaucracy from writing new ones. i will unleash domestic energy resources so we can get the energy we need at a price we can afford and keep those dollars in this country. instead of picking winners and losers with taxpayer dollars, i will make sure every entrepreneur gets a fair shot and every business plays by the same rules. if i will create an environment where our businesses and workers will compete and win. i will welcome the best and brightest to our shores and

ensure that we have labour and training policies that help american workers to be more competitive. instead of growing the federal government, i will shrink it. i will repeal obama-care, and cut programs we simply cannot afford, and i will send the state's programs they can implement at lower cost with better results. i have already proposed a plan that would strengthen medicare and social security for future generations, and on like president obama i have the courage to stand behind my plan and the leadership experience to ncacy -- enact them, without tax increases. i will gradually raise the retirement age for social security and reduced the rate of benefit growth for higher-income seniors. i will introduce competition and

choice to medicare while preserving medicare coverage as an option so future seniors can get higher quality at lower costs. this november we will face the defining decision. our choice will not be one of party or personality. this election will be about principle, freedom, and opportunity. i am offering a real choice in a new beginning. i am running for president because i had the experience and the vision to get us out of this mess. we know what barack obama's vision of america is. we all lived these last three years. mine is very different. i see an america where we know the prospects for our children will be better than our own, where the pursuit of success unites us, where the values we pass on are greater than the debts we leave our children,

where poverty is defeated by opportunity, not enabled by a government check. i see an american government that is humble, but never humbled, that leads, but is never let. we wage this campaign as republicans and democrats, but we share a destiny as americans. together, we must ensure that america's greatest days are yet ahead. thank you, and god bless this great land. [applause] >> hello, ken. >> i'm ken paulsen.

governor romney has graciously agreed to answer some questions. these are from all across the country. we had a special guest here yesterday who had some views. president obama said the republican party has gone so extreme that ronald reagan could not win a gop primary. i know they you took a look at the president's remarks. did you have a response? >> i think ronald reagan would win handily in a primary, and frankly, in all the primaries. i think our party is intent on preserving the vitality and dynamism of the american spirit that i think is being deadened by a series of government programs that have been increasingly in evasive and have attacked economic freedom. i look at what the president said. there were so many things i found to be distortions and inaccuracies, and it is hard to give a full list, but let me

try. he looked at the budget and said if we were to pass the paul ryan budget, look at the terrible things that what happened if we cut programs and a proportional basis, but of course you would not cut programs on a proportional basis. some programs would be eliminated all right, obama-care being first on the list, and this is about $100 billion a year. he went through a series of strong men, saying the republicans are interested in corporations being able to do whatever they want to do with pollution, employees, with impunity and without regard to consequence. these things are strong men that have no relevance in reality. it is important for us to have discussions about the real issues that exist and how we would address them, and there are differences, but the idea of this rhetorical excess does not serve as terribly well in a process like this, and i hope in

the future we can talk about the real issues, the real differences between us, the failures of the last three years -- the president the other day said that his has done a great -- has been a great presidency, in line with great presidents of the past, as he defined them. i do not think this has been a great presidency. as you like the pieces of legislation he has enacted, they did not get the economy to work again. the economy has gotten better, some will say, but the rate of recovery under this president has been the most tepid. i saw an article in "the wall street journal" that said this is been the slowest economic recovery, including that of the great depression, following the great depression. so, this is has the records to be proud of. it is a record i think he will have a hard time defending, and

it is a vision i have yet to hear laid out. how can you run for president and the president and not put forward a plan to make sure medicare and social as attorney are solvent? >> a gallup poll showed you leading president obama by one percentage point by -- among men, but trailing him by 18 points among women. why do you think you face this gender gap? >> i know our party has faced a gender gap traditional repair if the democratic party has done an effective job mischaracterizing our reviews. in the final analysis i will win by having the support of men and women, in the battleground states and across the country. that will be by focusing on the issues that women and men care most about my wife has the occasion to campaign on her own and also with me, and she reports to meet regularly that the issue women care about most is the economy, and getting good

jobs for their kids and for themselves. they are concerned about gasoline prices, the cost of getting to and from work, taking their kids to school, or to practice and so forth. that is what women care about in this country, and my vision is to get america working again. short-term and long-term. look, we are on a path to becoming more and more like europe, and europe does not work in europe. it sure is not going to work here. [applause] >> we are going to have to maintain the unique features that make america the economic powerhouse that it has always bad, and a strong economy allows us to do a lot of good things. one, have good jobs, rising incomes, a growing middle class, and allows us to have revenue from taxpayers who now have jobs to pay for grade schools, a wonderful care for

our seniors, a strong military to defend us, but at the heart of these things is a strong and vibrant economy. the president, almost without exception, if you look at the policy had at -- he has pursued and the acts that he has signed, they have made it harder for our economy to rebuild. do you know any businesses that said let's hire more people because obama-care is coming, or in the financial-services sector do you find smaller banks saying i am willing to give more loans because of dodd-frank, or when they heard about cap and trade the energy industry said let's grow in america, or when they heard about the boeing decision they said it is a good time to hire people? in almost every measure the president has taken, it made it harder for small business to decide to grow, were big business to stay here. it has been an anti-business, anti-investment, anti-jobs

agenda. that is not what the president and tended, but that is what it has done. it is time for golf -- for us to go back and say we want to make america strong again with the best environment for business in the world -- small business, big business, and job creators of all time. when the head of coca-cola says america's business environment is less friendly than that of china, we know we have a problem. i said the other night that my liberal friends say they love a strong economy, but they do not like business very much. the economy is simply the addition of all the businesses in america, and what we will have to do is encourage enterprise, and, of course, encourage it with appropriate regulation, fair taxation, and without special breaks for friends of one party or another.

that has to be done. making business thrived in america is one good way of getting people jobs and growing middle class. >> today you once again referred to president obama apologizing for america around the world. if our country's -- country truly errors, if our troops engage in something that is truly wrong, is there a time when a president should apologize? >> when mistakes happen, you acknowledged the mistakes, but this is different than the apology to the middle east, not talking about a mistake that was made, he was instead talking about america. he says that america has dictated to other nations. he said that america has been divisive and arrested. look, america has not dictated. america has freed other nations from dictators. america's history is not only of having listed people out of

tyranny through extraordinary -- listed people out of tyranny through extraordinary sacrifices of our sons and daughters, but also our principles of free enterprise, human rights, freedom and democracy, that have helped to lift millions out of poverty. america is the greatest nation in the history of the earth, so on the list, on the balance sheet, it is not appropriate for the president of the united states to apologize for america, america's history, and america's role in the world, but that is of course different than acknowledging mistakes. >> this might be a question of self-interest. four years ago senator john mccain struck it spoke to us and he pledged to support a federal law -- spoke to us and pledged to support a federal law. >> i have not looked at that. i will give it consideration.

i have an unusual background perhaps for politics, and i will describe a circumstance. we faced a decision about whether to extend a line of our subway system. it was an expensive decision, in my senior staff and a number of cabinet members, and have our legal department came in and said we of all met, gone to the pros and cons, and decided it was something we all endorse, and they expected me to say fine, go ahead. i said as anyone of you disagree with this, and they said no, and i said i cannot make a decision to go ahead with the project unless someone in the room vehemently opposes. with regards to something of this nature, i would want to hear the pros and cons. i would like to hear the back- and-forth. >> i respect that, and i do

wonder, then, early in your remarks you mentioned the good old days of multiple sources. givingbonds are about reporters the rights. d.c. a role for confidential sources in america -- do you see a role for confidential sources in america? >> yes. can i ever imagine a time when a source would need to be revealed? i can imagine that, too. i know that sounds like a conflict, which is why i have to give this more thought to understand which side of that i would come down on. i would want to hear from people in the industry. is there ever a time you would think a confidential source should be revealed? if the answer is no, i would like to understand why that is the case, and what the alternative is. >> we have time for just a couple more quick questions.

you promised to use any means necessary to prevent iran from using a nuclear weapon. with you seek congressional authorization before a military attack? >> i will follow the constitution and determine what is the authorization to take any kind of military action. with regards to iran, and their nuclear program, this is not something which can be guaranteed to be solved through diplomacy. i certainly hope we can dissuade iran from their nuclear folly to crippling sanctions, which should have been put in place all long time ago, threw him in guiding -- and died in -- indicting ahmadinejad, and to have support of dissidents are run the -- among the iranian

people. the president was silent when they took to the streets following a stolen election, and i think we would have to decide we would take military action if necessary, and the degree of congressional involvement that would be in accordance with the law. >> one final question. you had a very good day yesterday. you have had your supporters, paul ryan, marco rubio among them, and they're called on republican opponents to get out of the race. have you asked them yourself? >> no, i have not. [laughter] >> now that you bring it up. [laughter] >> people are free to make their own decision. they have each invested a major part of their lives into the campaign. i hope we are able to resolve or nomination process as soon as possible because i would like to focus time and attention on the key battleground states and

raising the funds to be somewhat competitive with the president and his billion dollar request. we have a challenging road ahead of us, but i believe we will rise to the occasion. >> governor, thank you for sharing your time and your comments. >> thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪

>> former the winner mitt romney, wrapping up after winning the wisconsin, maryland, and washington, d.c. primaries last night. the ap reports the food and drug administration is warning

doctors at a counterfeit version of avestan has been found in the u.s.. coming up in 50 minutes, the institute of medicine will likely discuss this instance as they unveiled a report expected to address stronger regulatory measures abroad. you can see the event live at 1:00 p.m. eastern on our companion network, c-span2. after that, the brookings institution holds a discussion on drone surveillance. you will hear from speakers on the impact of the new policy on privacy, safety, and national security collided 2:00 p.m. eastern, also on c-span2. later today, the democratic steering and policy committee will hold a hearing on rising gas prices and whether speculators are driving the

price up. the hearing begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> this year's studentcam video competition asked students to create a video telling us which part of the constitution is most important to them and why. we will take it to colorado where our third place winner is a senior arab -- senior. hi, and vinny. why did you make a freedom about religious freedom -- video about religious freedom? >> of this system it will play a role -- obviously, it will play a role whether we try to have in government or not. i wanted to see the different aspects of it. even though i am not religious, i find it fascinating. >> in your documentary, you spend time with various

religious groups. how would you describe those experiences? >> i found them and lightning. i go to a church lunch every week, and i stay in contact with a pastor i interviewed. they are nice people. they gave up about three hours of their time in the middle of the day on a wednesday. i tried to stay there the whole time, and i found it interesting to talk to him and pick his brain and exact views about religion. on the other side, i interviewed an atheist group. i did not know what to expect, and they were some of the nicest people i have met. >> why do you think it was important to spend time with both groups? >> i think it is important that people look at both sides of the issue before taking a side. i try to look at both sides of any issue, economic, or personal, because if you look at

one side, you will only get half of the message, half of the information you could be getting, and i feel that ignorance could be a problem with society that i do not want to contribute to. >> what do you think about the involvement of religion in government? >> i found -- find no real problem with it because in america there is a model of majority whip role, minority right. our country is 75% christian, so i do not find any problem with having "in god we trust" as our model. the same thing with a cult under god" -- "under god" in the pledge. i about forced to say it. i find it insulting when politicians use it as their sole

calling card and call other is immoral. i find that wrong because you did not need to be religious to have a moral background, but i see it as a effective campaign strategy, so there is not much i can do about that. >> what would you want a viewer to take away from your video? >> there is no true, 100% guarantee that any side is right, so we should not be fighting about an issue that is only a matter of personal faith -- more personal than it is a society issue, and i feel people need to see that a lot more. >> thank you for your time, and congratulations again. >> thank you. >> here is a brief portion from the documentary, "in god we trust." >> our founders did have religious backgrounds, and it seems we're going a little too

far in keeping got out of government. >> if you do not have a right to be protected from exposure to religion, whether it be a christmas tree, or some kind of display by someone who believes in god. once we get to the point where we are that sensitive, we are missing the point of what our freedoms are. >> the constitution protect our rights, whether we are christian, jewish, muslim, atheist. i do not see any reason we should eradicate got from the government founded by christian. people are touchy when it comes to their beliefs. we need a mutual understanding that we were a country founded by christians. nobody is right or wrong. we can practice what we wish. >> you can see this entire video as well as the wedding documentary's at student

cam.org continue the conversation at face looks -- facebook and twitter. >> yesterday, a number of first responders gathered for a government security council. discuss measures and priorities are wrong potential threats in combating cyber fraud. this is about one hour 15 minutes. >> we are proud to have both topics delivered by our team out experts, the assistant directors of the fbi counter-terrorism and cyber division. at the end of the keynotes, we will hold eighth question and answer session. it is my pleasure to introduce

our first keynote this morning, the assistant director of the counter-terrorism the division of the federal bureau of announced the investigation. he began with the fbi in 1991 and served throughout various leadership positions. in april, 2011, he was appointed deputy assistant director of the strategic operations branch, counter- terrorism division at fbi headquarters. on december 12 of last year, he was appointed by the fbi director and as assistant director of the fbi's counter- terrorism division. in his keynote session, the assistant director will highlight the top priorities of the fbi in regard to terrorism threats, in various ways the fbi mitigates potential threats. he will also share with the audience some recent successes

the fbi has had in stopping terrorist attacks. please give a warm welcome. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. can i be heard? if i try very hard, i can almost see the back row. thank you for coming today. it is an important topic. we are now 10 years plus after the tragic attack on 9/11, 2001, so i often wonder if there is terrorism fatigue out there in the country. i am pleased to see that we have

quite a crowd today to listen to my address and my colleague's address, which will follow. again, good morning to all. is a pleasure to be here today, and to speak to you about the fbi's continuing efforts to address the persistent threat of terrorism to the united states and her interests are around the world. terrorism, as i like to say, is the national security issue or challenge of our era. it is a complex, asymmetric threat that has challenged and hurt us both overseas and at home. in the years since 9/11, we have come a long way, to be sure. we have accomplished much in that time. even so, on the road forward, there is much to do. as our adversaries a just and

evolve their strategies and their tactics, as they move to greater degrees into cyberspace, for instance, where physical differences between people and places are less relevant, there are challenges before us, significant challenges. after the demise of osama bin laden last may, president obama reminded the world, in essence, that america and her allies would continue to be relentless in pursuit of al qaeda, its affiliates, and its adherents. to be sure, the achievements that stand as a reflection of that commitment are significant. the ranks of al qaeda's core leadership, for instance, has been degraded substantially during the last few years. likewise, many prominent figures or operatives and plots of

groups affiliated with core al qaeda have been disrupted. in the meantime, numerous violent extremist plots in the homeland have been identified and disrupted, including a recent plot by a home-grown extremist in tampa, florida, who plans to attack a popular commercial district, filled with restaurants and clubs during its busiest hours to inflict mass casualties. to engage in plot, a suicide attack, it was disrupted just a few weeks ago at the state capital. these are the composite of actions and have improved the effectiveness of the fbi and its many partner agencies through enhanced intelligence analysis and information-sharing, and the protocols and infrastructure

that facilitate that. through those improvements, and a high- -- high degree of inter agency cooperation that exists today, we are better able to identify and locate our adversaries. we are better able to discern existing and emerging threats, threats that we can strategizing and mobilize against, and disrupt before harm is inflicted on americans, its interest, or its allies. the director often the describes the fbi's remarkable transformation over the past 10 years, from a largely reactive organization, primarily focused on criminal matters, not exclusively, but primarily focused on criminal