america are real, authentic people that want to serve with a pure heart and make a difference. the country always comes first. in the navy, as a prisoner of war, as a member of congress and a senator, and a presidential candidate, personal ambition has never come before the needs of the nation. for that, he is respected throughout the country, especially here in his home state where he has been serving the people of arizona proudly for many years. it is a privilege for me to introduce a man and an american hero who has never stopped fighting for the greatest country on the face of the earth. please join me in welcoming senator john mccain. [applause] >> very nice. thank you. thank you very much. thank you for that.

thank you. thank you. thank you very much. [applause] please. thank you for that warm welcome. thank you for kind introduction. hasn't this young man done a fantastic job at the helm of our party? [applause] i am grateful that you are here and i am proud that you have to was in the state of arizona to spend time with us. i want to say that, reince, you have done a fantastic job. you are making it easier for us to let our friend here -- to let our friend here as an ex- president of the united states -- to elect our friend here as the next president of the united states.

we need to regain the majority. we need to keep the majority that we have. i am confident that your leadership will make that possible. [applause] can i also said that i am most proud to be here with the next president of the united states? [applause] can i tell you that i am proud of his campaign? i have watched him go across this country, his wife, his sons, his grandchildren, crisscrossing this nation, working hard, selling them self -- themselves, his principles, his vision to the future of america, to the republican party. i am so gratified to see our

party coming together in a solid team that is going to be let him as president of the united states -- to elect him as the next president of the united states. [applause] i was looking at a magazine which said how nasty the campaign has become as far as the president's campaigning. the class warfare, the character attacks, the desperation. the desperation that is obama campaign is already showing. obviously, they will do anything. anything to divide this nation in class warfare, the likes of which i have seldom seen in any political campaign in our history. i wouldn't tell you -- i want to tell you that -- i am an old boxing fan. i was a lousy boxer at the naval academy. i still remember one of our

great heavyweight champions was a guy named joe louis. he was a great fighter. he was writing a guy whose name was billy. he was not -- fighting a guy who was named billy. he was a very agile fighter. joe louis was a puncher, not a boxer. he said -- they said to him, how are you going to catch him? he said, he can run, but he cannot hide. my friends, this president, barack obama, can run, but he cannot hide from a record -- [applause] he cannot hide from the record that has given our children and grandchildren of $5 trillion debt, the largest in the history of this nation. my friends, what would a path that this president has us on -- it is unsustainable. it is not sustainable. this country cannot end up like greece. this country cannot do that to

future generations of americans what we are doing today. every time there is a problem, what does barack obama think the answer is? throw more money at it, more government jobs. this race is about the fundamental difference between mitt romney and barack obama. barack obama believes that government creates jobs. mitt romney knows that business creates jobs in america today. [applause] and mitt romney has a record to prove it. my friends, there are a lot of people who like to attack people who get wealthy. the fact is that bain capital, under the stewardship of mitt romney, they saved companies. they turned places like staples into a place called -- into a place that employs thousands of americans.

that is the kind of success story that is there. [applause] word their failures? were there companies they could not save -- were there failures? were there companies they could not save? yes, there were. celeste country i knew where everybody state employe was the soviet union. when you look at success after success after success and then you look at the olympics in salt lake city -- there was corruption. there was bribery. that olympics was going to fail to the eternal embarrassment of the united states of america. a guy went out there and, yes, he had to fire people. but it was the most successful olympics in the history of this nation thanks to the leadership of mitt romney. [applause] now, my friend, the economy is broken. the economy is broken.

unfortunately, tragically, we are seeing signs that the improvement that we have seen in the last few months may be tailing off. those of you who have come from out of town, you have come to a state that was one of the hardest-hit states in america. nearly half of the homes in this state are under water. we had the furthest to fall. the state of arizona, don't worry, will be for mitt romney this november. [applause] so will a lot of other surrounding states. i want to talk about a couple of other points. the first thing that we're going to do with a majority in the senate and the majority in the house under the leadership of mitt romney is repealed and replaced obama care. we will repealed and replaced obama care -- is repeal and replace obama care. we will repeal and replace obama care.

over 60% of american people do not support the takeover of 1/5 of our gross national product. let me remind you of something else. i was there for almost a year. it was the sleaziest process i have never seen in my years as the united states senator. the cornhuskers kickbacks, the louisiana purchase, taking lobbyists' into the blair house and bludgeoning them into supporting obama care -- no wonder the american people were sick and tired of that. that was not the kind of government that president obama promised people. that was an exercise in sleaze. we have to do away with that and give the american people real health care that is available and affordable to all americans. mitt romney will do that. [applause] i understand and there is a lot more i could tell you -- there is a lot more i would like to say. the person that you want to hear from is waiting. that is the importance speaker.

i do want to point out to you that i understand that this election will be about jobs and the economy. that is completely logical. but i also want to tell you about the great and grave concern i have about the lack of american leadership in the world today. and i think that, when i traveled around the world, i can tell you that leaders all over the world believe that the united states of america is in decline. this is not the country that ronald reagan had the stewardship of. this is not a shining city on a hill to the rest of the world. it is a country that has articulated a policy of "leading from behind." that, my friends, is not the role of the united states of america since the 20th-century and must have been the 21st century. i want to mention one aspect of it. i will give you some straight talk. relations between the united states and the state of israel

have never been worse since israel became a state. we have a country now that, instead of facing up to the iranian threat of the acquisition of nuclear weapons, which they are on the path to, the president of the united states sends his people to israel to tell them to be sure not to attack iran, thereby weakening very badly that is really position. -- the israeli position. put yourself in the position of the steve israel. you have a country in your neighborhood that is dedicated to open a wiping you off the map." they are on the past -- to "why did you off the map." they are on the path to doing so. they are a sovereign nation. we should be with the israelis, drawing red lines for the iranians, and telling them those are not lines they can cross.

we should be telling israeli government and people we are with them. that is what america is supposed to be about. [applause] so, could i say that not only am i most proud to have mitt as our standard bearer, but i also want to recognize what you all recognize, what a great partner in his wife. what a wonderful person. what a great example. [applause] so, every day that we are not out there campaigning in rounding up votes for mitt romney is a day lost. when we leave today, we are in the campaign. do not let an hour goes by that we are not getting votes. this is going to be a very close to election, my friends. i believe we're going to be up late on election night.

i really do. i believe it is going to depend -- the going to depend on how we get out our vote. i cannot be more proud to have a man of principle and vision, a man who can inspire all young americans as well as older ones, a man who i am convinced and get our country back on the path to prosperity, to freedom, and the kind of nation that we would want to hand off to our children. the greatness of america is that every generation has handed off to the next generation of better nation than the one that they inherited -- a better nation than the one that they inherited. i promise you, with mitt romney as the president of the united states, we will be able to hand off a better generation to march to -- the generation to our children and our grandchildren. thank you very much. [applause]

[applause] [applause] >> thank you, senator, for your vision and your kind words. we had a groundbreaking day yesterday. we passed our version of the stimulus plan at the republican national committee. that is to fire barack obama and help save this country. [applause] the stakes of this election are incredibly high. you know it. i know it. it is our job to make sure that every american citizen, everyone going to the polls knows that as well. we cannot afford four more miserable years of this president. our children cannot afford to spend a lifetime paying off his debts.

we know that a country that has to surrender its sovereignty to its bondholders cannot guarantee prosperity or freedom to anybody. and a country that buries its kids and grandkids in an avalanche of debt cannot rest in any vestige of the moral high ground. that is what this election is all about, the big things -- liberty, freedom, opportunity, the bill of rights. we have to end barack obama's presidency before his presidency ends our way of life. [applause] and we cannot trade the american dream for a european nightmare. europe does not work in europe. i would we want to talk to more years of barack obama -- why would we want four more years of barack obama?

he has no record to run on, so instead he is running on a parade of shiny objects. out on the campaign trail, barack obama is resorting to a strategy of divide and conquer, resources pour, republican versus democrat -- rich versus poor, republican versus democrat. he is running on fear and division. the president who so often said this is not about the state of america, the state -- the red state of america, the blue state of america, but the united states of america. where has that barack obama gone? he once promised to hold themselves accountable, but now he spends time making excuses -- hold himself accountable, but now he spends time the excuses for his failures. he blamed the arab spring. he blamed atm machines and earthquakes in japan and even

bad luck. excuses will not pay the mortgage. his class warfare will not create a single job. like all of our candidates, our next speaker understands that. we're grateful, honored, and blessed to have governor romney with us today. the governor is running a remarkable campaign, unlike president obama. governor romney is not afraid on running on issues, solutions, and an incredible record. and what our record he has, as senator mccain just laid out, turning around companies, turning around the olympics, and turning around a state. if there was ever an entity that needed a turnaround, a new direction, it is the united states under barack obama. throughout his career, governor romney has been a fiscal, responsible, conservative

leader. he understands what this country needs -- lower taxes, less spending, an efficient, effective government. governor romney wants to restore the idea that, if you work hard in this country and your played by the rules, you can -- and you played by the rules, you can give the american dream. that is what this election is coming down to, the fundamental question. under barack obama, if you work hard and play by the rules, can you live the american dream? unfortunately, under this president, answering that question has become much, much more difficult. i applaud the governor for the campaign he has run, the experience that he brings to the table and his dedication to making barack obama a one-term president. it is an honor for me to welcome and introduce a businessman, a governor, a job

creator, public servant of father, grandfather -- public servant, father, grandfather. we want to welcome you in a formal way to a great family here that is willing and looks forward to working beyond anyone's imagination to making sure that we put a republican back in the white house. doing our part and not worrying about saving our party, but doing our part and working together to help save this great country. so, with that, would you all please welcome governor mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you.

thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you. please. thank you, guys. ok. thank you. thank you! [applause] thank you. thank you. well, it is good to see so many old friends. thank you. [applause] we haven't won yet. it is great to be here with you. i appreciate that generous response.

thank you, mr. chairman, for your introduction. thank you for the work that you are doing. looking from afar, this organization was troubled a couple of years ago. i look and see what you have accomplished over the past year. it is just extraordinary. i want to say how much i appreciate your germans' work and how much i appreciate all of your work -- chairman's work and all of your work to help get us ready to take back the white house. [applause] and let me also commend the people who had the courage to run for president on our side of the aisle this year. some still running, some have gotten out of the race, but each contributed to the process. each of them campaigned in an aggressive and dynamic way to spread our message of conservatism. each is going to play a vital role in making sure that we win in november. and you know their names. it is a long enough list that i

wrote it down. michele bachmann, tim pawlenty, jon huntsman, herman cain, rick perry, ron paul, rick santorum, and newt gingrich. thank you to this extraordinary team. we have all fought hard and well. we're going to fight for the things that we believe in. [applause] and i express my appreciation to senator mccain for his battle for the presidency, for standing true to the principles of our party, for the fact that he has been a fighter for america for decades. this is not someone who came late to the game. he has been a stalwart champion of the things that make america america from his earliest days. and he has sacrificed enormously and continues to battle to this day. i hope we can always count on seeing john mccain in the u.s. senate fighting for the things that we believe in the. thank you, senator. [applause]

i am surprised that senator mccain did not regale you with some of his favorite jokes. >> i am surprised that senator mccain did not regale you with some of his favorite jokes. i have heard a couple. he says this is the only state in america where mothers do not tell their children that someday they can grow up to be president. [laughter] i think i can join the millions of americans that wish you had proved them wrong, john. you would have been president right now. [applause] four years ago, the then- candidate obama was speaking in denver, not far from here, standing in front of greek columns. remember that? do not think he will be standing in front of greek columns this time. will not want to remind people of greece. [applause] [laughter] he laid out in his speech there,

at their convention, how he would measure progress. he literally used these words. he said, "we measure progress differently." it was the fact that he said, "we measure progress." he described how he and his party measured progress. it is interesting that he gave us a report card to go back and score him on the very report card he laid out. he said, for instance, the democrats' measure progress by whether people have good jobs that can pay for mortgages. we are 3.5 years later, and he has not created a single net new jobs in america. there have been job losses. 93% of the people who have lost jobs have been women. on the measure he put in place, creating jobs where people can pay mortgages, he fails. there was another measure he

laid out. he said in a setting where you are having progress you can measure it by whether people saw wages and income going up or go in belem. -- or going down. ok. for the last -- or going down. for the last four years, the median income has dropped by $3,000. -- 10%. health care costs have gone up. gas prices have doubled. food costs have gone up. the second measure he has failed. the third measure he spoke about -- he said to see progress, you would want to see people with a dream or idea of being able to take the risk to start a new business. what has happened in the world of business start-ups? they have dropped by about 150,000 a year under this president. again, on the measure he himself set out, he has failed.

there are a lot of other measures as well. we have record levels of people on food stamps, record levels of poverty. the number of people who dropped from the middle class into poverty has reached historic proportions. you have at the same time home values that have dropped by 30% or more in some places, and in some cases still going the wrong. on almost every measure, this president has failed. he has also failed overseas. senator mccain described israel and our relationship to that country, the need to show solidarity with our allies. we are not closer to peace in the middle east by virtue of his policies in israel. the arab spring has turned into an era of winter. he failed to execute the status of forces agreement to make sure the gains achieved at great cost in iraq would be sustained and secured. he entered an agreement with russia with regards to the new

start treaty, which i think was exceptionally one-step -- one- sided. iran is rushing toward denuclearization -- doward nuclearization. he made errors in afghanistan. he is clearly out of ideas and excuses. it is our job to make sure we put him out of office. [applause] i happen to have met him four or five years ago at a dinner in washington, d.c., where we were both invited to tell some jokes about our respective parties. i found him to be a nice guy. i think he is a nice person. i just do not think we can afford him any longer. i do not think the american

people can afford to have barack obama as their president. [applause] he points out he did not cause the recession. but he did make it worse. he says things are getting better. and i sure hope they are getting better. i hope that are getting better, but that is not because of them. that is despite of him. he has made this recession harder to come out of. [applause] for people who said, "why do you say that" -- go to his signature achievements. i ask yourself which of those are causing employment to rise right now. i hope it is rising. why would encourage employment? what about the stimulus? that was 3.5 years ago. he borrowed all that money, said he would hold unemployment below 8%. it has not been below 8% 6, 38 -- 8% since, 38 straight months. if unemployment is coming down,

it is in spite of that stimulus, and thanks to the entrepreneurship of the american individual. look at the other legislation. does obama encourage businesses to hire people? the opposite. i get the chance to talk to small business people. the thing they mentioned time and time again is their fear of obamacare. it is one reason businesses have held back on hiring. the labor policies -- does anybody think stacking the labor relations board with labor stooges encourages businesses to hire people? just the opposite. dodd-frank, remember that piece of legislation, 848 pages of legislation designed to deal with these two big to fail banks? how did that work out?

they are bigger. the big banks have gotten bigger since the legislation was passed. the banks that have been hurt are the community banks. guess which banks provide loans to start up businesses and small businesses. the community banks. it is one reason your seeing your start-ups. dodd-frank did not help create jobs. the so-called stimulus is not creating jobs. obama care did not create jobs. how about his tax policies? think about that. there are a bunch of taxes this president has been encouraging. one is to take the marginal tax rate from 35% to 40%. i know he thinks that will get a lot of support among people who want to tax folks they think are particularly prosperous. but do not forget who pays taxes at the marginal rate -- small business. do you know how many private- sector workers in america work for businesses that are taxed

not as corporations, but as individuals, and pay those marginal rates? 54% of america's workers work in businesses taxed at the individual level. if you raise marginal taxes, you will ultimately kill jobs. the putin obamacare, he has this tax on revenue -- deep within obamacare, he has this tax on revenue. this is a frightening thing. this is with a company and surgery's. they employ 1300 people. they say the tax will cause them to lay off between 102 hundred people to meet their earnings targets. -- between 100 and 200 people to meet their earnings targets. even businesses that are not profitable will be taxed. vice president said he is in favor of a new growth tax. he is the gift that keeps on

giving, this guy. [applause] i do not know how he intends exactly to apply that. but i do know that if he is planning on putting it on certain types of enterprises, groups of individuals we call companies or businesses, some of them will go elsewhere. that is the problem with democrats. they do not understand that some of their policies cause people to do different things. they create incentives to change behavior. when you apply taxes that other countries do not have, or make the tax is higher than other countries have them, inevitably, enterprises will start up in other places other than here. what we have here is an extraordinary economic engine that leads the world, in part because the founders recognized that in america we would be free to pursue happiness as we choose, and established a government that was limited and encourage individuals to build

businesses. as they do, that does not make us poorer. that makes us better off. america leads the world economically because we have always led the world in economic freedom. freedom drives the american economy. that is why we will win. [applause] i do not know whether you heard david axelrod the other day, on sunday. i do not have the exact quote, but he said something to the effect of we have to get off the economic road we are on and take a new direction. i could not agree more. [applause] we have to make sure that we get off this road, where more and more people are sunk into poverty, where it is tougher to be in the middle class, where gasoline prices go higher and

higher, where the unions are driving what is happening in our schools. this is a difficult road we are armed. it is time to get off it. i am also convinced the president was right when he said we are going to have two competing visions in the election in november. there is the vision which represents the road we are on, in david axelrod's words, and there is the vision we represent. i have just described some of the differences. the obama vision means trillion dollar deficits every year. it means a president who in four years has amassed almost as much public debt as all the former president's combined. -- presidents combined. under me, we will cut spending, reorganize agencies and departments, cap federal spending, and get on track to a balanced budget. [applause]

if we stay on the road we are on, you are going to see government getting larger and larger, and metastasizing into every aspect of american life. do you know how big government is as a percentage of our economy today? federal, state, and local government represents 38% of our government. obamacare would take that up to almost half of the total economy. are we still a free economy in a setting like that? if you take the things that government is trying to control indirectly -- natural services, automotive, energy, health care -- they will directly or indirectly control over half of the u.s. economy. that is where they are taking us. i do not believe in an economic system run by government and controlled by government. i will return to america the

principles of free enterprise and american freedom that drove us to be the most powerful economy in the world. [applause] one of the most dangerous aspects of the road we are on is represented by a president and a party who unfortunately take their direction, far too often, from union chief executive officers, union ceo's. that is where they get their money, hundreds of millions of dollars, and that is where they pay obedience. look at the president's agenda when he came in. all federal projects go to union labor. not fair rules, were the best compactor gets a chance to compete. we will give it to our friends. that stack the national labor relations board with people who decide to tell boeing the cannot build a factory in south carolina. in washington, d.c., where a

lot of our schools are just awful, people are standing in line to be able to go to a charter school. what does this administration do? shuts down that option. who do think was crying for that, but the teachers' union? we have opportunities to open in new markets. the productive nation like ours grows and is more successful if we can sell goods to other nations. everyone else has figured that out. china and european nations, over the last 3.5 years, have opened 44 trade agreements. guess how many this president has negotiated in the last 3.5 years? none. the three that were finally approved by the senate were negotiated by his predecessor. these are the demands of the union bosses. let me tell you -- if anything were to kill america's economy, if it were not our deficit and the massive debts, it is

obedience to union ceo's. it is dangerous. i believe in the right of people to join unions if they want to. i also believe we have to have a president who will stand up for the american people with large, -- writ large, not just a narrow segment. if elected, i will rein in the excesses by linking the pay of government workers with the pay and benefits in the private sector. [applause] you know the road we are on with regards to health care. it is a road that says that fed will bureaucrats can do a better job than you can deciding what kind of health insurance you ought to have. ultimately, i am convinced those bureaucrats will tell you what kind of treatment you can receive. that is where we are headed. if i become president, we will

repeal obamacare and return to the individuals of america the responsibility for their own health care. [applause] you know the road we are on with regard to energy. this is a president who says he likes all of the above. did you hear that? he keeps saying that. i scratch my head. his epa and other regulators have been trying to insinuate themselves into regulating natural gas and frakking. hopefully they are backing away from that. they made it harder to use coal. they put a moratorium on drilling for oil in the gulf, and more, and the intercontinental shelf -- anwar, and the international show. the president does like all of the above. he likes all of the energy that comes from above the ground. he does not like the stuff that comes from below the ground --

oil, coal, and gas. we also like wind and solar, but we like the stuff below the ground. we will have an energy policy focused on keeping the hundreds of billions of dollars we spend a year buying energy from other people, keeping it here. we will buy oil from canada, because i will build that pipeline if i have to do it myself. [applause] the road we are on is one where every four years the president or his party talk about entitlements, the fact that medicare and social security are nearing insolvency. the also talk about immigration, and the challenges for the immigration program, our immigration policies.

yet when they have a super majority in the house and senate and the white house, what did they do about social security, medicare, and immigration? nothing. for them, these are campaign issues. these are not issues to deal with and improved. when i am president of the united states, we will work together to preserve and protect social security, medicare, and legal immigration. [applause] i just want to mention the military for a moment. there does seem to be one place where the president is willing to cut back, and that is our military. i do not see the world as a safer place. when i look at pakistan and a nuclear weapons, and the state of their government, when i consider iran and their rush to go nuclear, when i consider china and their claim to the south china sea, when i look at

what is happening in the middle east, i do not think america should dramatically cut back on military capabilities. we have fewer ships in our navy today than any time since 1917. our air force fleet is older and smaller than any time since 1947, when it was formed. our troops are, as you know, stretched to the breaking point in the conflicts we have, yet the president wants to cut our number of troops. my own view is very much consistent with that of ronald reagan. that is the best i like peace has ever known is a strong america -- the best ally peace has ever known is a strong america. and i will defend our military. [applause] the road we are on is one of planning and dividing -- blaming and dividing. the president is looking for

someone to blame for his failures, someone to scapegoat. chairman reince priebus just described some of the groups he has tried to blame. the list is getting longer and more intense as he feels himself more unsuccessful, whether it is congress or speculators. he always has someone to blame for how he has failed so obviously on all the measures he described for himself. i will not apologize for success at home. and i will never apologize for american greatness abroad. [applause] and i will endeavor, in every way possible, to bring americans together. i subscribe fully, as our party does, to the principle of america being one nation under god. this is a great land and a

great people, with a great purpose. the president said we have alternative visions. true. we see where his vision lins. -- leads. job losses. losses of homes. losses of savings. we have seen the vision of obama. open your eyes to see where his vision leads. the vision i have, the vision we share, is one where again the middle class is growing, and people are earning more money, where kids can afford college. when they come out of college, they can find a job. soldiers coming out of the military know there is a good job waiting for them that respects their talents and skills the received in the military. the americans in our vision is one where we are known and respected around the world, knowing our military is the strongest in the world, so strong that no one would ever think of attacking us.

that is the great thing about a strong military. you do not have to use it. just having it keeps bad people from doing bad things. [applause] this is america that i see, that we see, with bright prospects for our kids. when you ask parents, "do you think the future will be brighter than the past," they say the debt is getting smaller, we are balancing budgets, the number of start-ups is going up, income is going up. that is the vision i see. i also see a vision that is united. for me, the image of america comes to mind in a different mental pictures i have had over the years. let me mention one to you. i was serving as the governor of my state, and i got a call

from the airport. they said that the remains of one of our servicemen killed in iraq was coming in on a u.s. airways flight to logan airport. the have asked the parents if they could come to the airport to receive their son's body, but the parents could not get there in time. they asked if i could go instead to receive the body. i said of course. our state capitol is close to the airport. we drove over and went out on the tarmac. the u.s. airways jet stopped in front of the terminal. people disembarked. the conveyor came down and all the luggage came off. finally, when everything was clear, the casket appeared. it was brought down the conveyor. the soldiers that were there picked it up. i put my hand on my heart. the state troopers who were there with me saluted. as i was standing there and looking at that casket as it was in the hearse, i happened

to glance up at the terminal. up to my right is a big glass wall at the u.s. airways terminal in the boston airport. it seems the people who had come off the aircraft had seen the police cars out there, so they had stopped against the glass wall to see what was happening. people walking down the halls all those people lined up against the glass, -- hall saw those people lined up against the glass and crowded behind them. every person i could see had their hand on the heart. that is the image that comes to mind when i think about america. i do not think about an america divided. i think about an america that is patriotic, the respect the sacrifice of heroes proved in liberating strife, and mercy more than life. that kind of pride in america -- we bring it back again and

again, by virtue of restoring the principles that made america the hope of the earth -- our commitment to freedom, unity, respect, free enterprise, people being able to pursue happiness in the way they choose. these commitments are profound, defining, exceptional. this is the greatest nation in the history of the earth because of our people, our place, and the principles that made us this great nation. we will restore them together with a great win in november. thank you so much. great to be with you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

[applause] [applause] >> thank you, governor, and thank you, senator mccain. we can assure you we are not going to trade division of the founding fathers for the dreams of obama. we have a lot of work to do. this is not going to happen automatically. it is going to happen by being unified as a party. because if this is not just a bunch of talk, and it really is a fight for the very idea of america, then we are committed to building this party to the

concepts of addition and multiplication, and not division and subtraction. with that, our commitment is to make this election about the big things -- liberty, freedom, the constitution, jobs, and america. we are going to have a great afternoon for everybody as well. we have got breakout sessions. governor samdpv -- sandoval tonight. we have a lot of work to do. with that, i wish to god -- you god's blessings, and we will see you soon. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> watch the house oversight meeting looking into the practices of the general

services administration. >> this year's studentcam competition asked students took part of the constitution was important to them and why. the second prize winner selected the first amendment. >> ♪ we shall overcome we shall overcome ♪ sunday. >> let me start with an allegory of a poker game. this game involves two individuals, one white and the

other black, and again has been in progress for about 350 years. during this time, one of the players, the white player, has been cheating. at the end of 3.5 centuries, the white player stands up and stretches and says," from this day forward, no march --. will play affair ends where." the black player looks up from the table and says, "great, i have been waiting 350 years to hear you say that but what you're going to do with all those poker chips that have accumulated on your side of the table?" >> i am a birmingham native and today i am and as a historical park in which 1963, the public safety commission confronted marchers, most of them children and he's told them to start marching.

they use their first amendment rights with said they had the freedom of speech, religion, assembly and freedom to work as they please. i will visit three destinations important to alabama history that utilize the first amendment. i'm going to the baptist church which was formally a high school and i'm glad to one more place that will be disclosed at the end of the documentary. our first destination is the 16th street baptist church. ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> [inaudible]

>> our first destination is the 16th street baptist church where assemblies were held. the southern leadership conference demonstrated and gave uplifting sermons right in that pulpit. >> we had several meetings at the church and in other places. we sang, we prayed, we heard good sermons being preached and we heard sermons concerning a person's or write and have a person has a right and they should assume that right to speak out against what is wrong and speak up for what is right. we had a right to peaceful assembly and all those things.

it took place in this church. demonstrations were led out of this church, we marched out of this church downtown to picket the segregated stores, businesses like that, i believe people born again in this church. they got on the side of justice. this meeting tonight, a few people are still left, some of them have gone on to glory but others have been added to the choir. they were singing praises to god and prayer was a big part of getting people motivated and strong enough to stand up against segregation. >> our next location is this high school. it is a big part of the civil rights movement. in 1957, the rev. tried to

enroll his daughter in the school and klansmen were waiting nearby and he was beaten. this is crucial to the history of the school. it was later integrated. it became john herbert's phillips academy. the principle of this school would not be in the position he is in now. >> brown vs. board of education past and the freedom of speech was used. those things are important in our school because of the history we have. the children like yourself were coming along, they are able to have the freedoms that many in the people have not had. one thing we are proud of is that prior to the rev. passing, he came to our school and at the

time he was very ill but as children came and there were able to explain the history of them trying to register in our school and the mob that attacks their father. one thing that kept the rev. focused was the fact that he was correct a morally and constitutionally. the first amendment was the underlying support for his his commitment to getting his children into the school. >> kelly ingram park, 16th street baptist church, and john harbert phillips academy -- what do these things happen, and? for one thing, it represents a struggle between african- americans and the civil rights movement. it also means that right here in

our secret location, this is a place where history has been collected for the civil-rights movement. you are wondering how this benefits me. had it not been for more and luther king who spoke or reverence shuttlesworth or for the the southern christian leadership conference to held assemblies, i would not be here. i would not have this chance to be in this contest or make a documentary or have a chance to be on the debate team, i would not have the chance to get the same facilities or meet other people of another ethnicity. thanks to them, i can do that. i want you to know. thank you for watching the documentary and i hope you understand how important this is. >> go to studentcam.org to watch

all the winning videos and continued our conversation on our facebook page is. >> coming up next, your calls and comments live on "washington journal." then a senate hearing on long- term care for the elderly and after that, citizens against government waste issues its annual report on your marks. -- on your marks. >> -- on earmarks. >> the state department said

we're going to give you a whole lot of money. colonel coward said don't send money, send people. send me contract officers. i don't need more money. >> on bankrolling the enemy, sunday night and 8:00 eastern on "q &a." and on may 6, look for our interview with robert caro on his book on lyndon johnson. a look at the 2012 congressional book. our guest is thomas schatz. at 8:30, we hear from bob deans. he will discuss falling fuel consumption in the u.s. and in two and a half hours, a