with a lot of families about the promises that have been made to consumers. >> self regulation is a tool that can be much more responsive to changes in the marketplace. it is a quicker way then regulation. >> a look at the federal change commission's role in dealing with privacy on the internet. "the communicators" at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> he criticized the leadership of president obama and raised the issue. he endorsed mitt romney for president in february and hosted a campaign fund-raiser and las vegas. later, at the national convention will be held in north carolina. this is about 45 minutes.

[applause] >> thank you. this is great. i have turned down many of these are the last couple months. they want me to do the little speech for the conventions and i love doing it, but i really love north carolina and i have to tell you -- [cheering] i am different from your average speaker because i really back of my words. i just bought a huge job in north carolina right outside of charlotte. it is a great job on lake norman, one of the greatest lakes anywhere. it is magnificent and we love it. it will be something really special. i am really happy because i was told by jon and others that you

broke your record tonight. and anything i can do to help really makes me feel good. by breaking records, that means you will raise more money than you ever anticipated. you will use the money wisely and you will defeat barack obama. [cheers and applause] today, when i left new york, happened to turn on the television and saw some news. the market had one of its worst days today. the very, very bad day. jobs numbers were absolutely terrible. 13 million people out of work. that is a helluva lot of people. 13 million. and the unemployment rate went up today. and all of this is bad news. frankly, you could say good news to the republicans in terms of very much -- an election.

but i don't care. we love the country first so it is bad news as far as i'm concerned. we really have difficulty in this country. so many things, if you just picked up today's paper -- in san francisco, they're building something called the bay bridge parent who is building it? the people of los angeles? the people of san francisco? the people of california? no. you know who is building it? the chinese are building the bay bridge. $1.8 billion and now they have tremendous cost overruns and it turns out that, if they would have used american labor, they could have done it cheaper. and this is the kind of thing

that is happening to our country. the united states has become a laughingstock and whipping post for the rest of the world. america today is clearly missing quality leadership like probably never, ever before. on numerous occasions, i have warned that countries like china, india, korea, mexico, the opec nations who are really having a field day with us, believe me -- i have been talking about for years. we cannot go on. we cannot continue to go on where countries are laughing at us, laughing yet our leaders, laughing yet every single thing we do. it used to be that we had the greatest negotiators. we were the kings and queens. now we are laughingstock. i can tell you, the people in this room don't like it and i don't like it. [applause] we are losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

china this year will make $350 billion on us. call it profit. call it whatever you want. the number will be $350 billion and is probably going up. today, if you read the newspaper, the devalued the currency. by the way, that does not sound good, but it is great for them and bad for us, as you can probably expect. they don't respect us. and then devaluation, which nobody believed was possible, but to have the audacity to do it, that the valuation will make it really hard for our companies to compete against chinese companies and china itself.

it is a terrible thing. and what do we do? we go out and we hold beautiful, beautiful receptions and dinners, black tie, for the president of china when he comes over. some people loved what i said and some people didn't. i said, if he came over when i was around, i wouldn't give him black tie dinners. i would talk to him first, bring him into the office, and we would discuss things. and we would see how he responds. and if he continues to take advantage of this country, there is no black-tie dinner. there's a mcdonald's. there is no nothing. it is thank you a lot folks. [applause] because the fact is we have all the cards. people don't realize this. we are rebuilding china. i usually say when was the last

time you see a major bridge like a george washington bridge a verrazano bridge -- was the -- when was the last time you saw a major bridge built in this country? but there is one, the bay bridge and that is being built by china. you go to the opec nations and it is unbelievable what you do. then fly back home and you land in new york. you lead the los angeles. you come to love or airport, kennedy airport, -- you come to love or area airport, kennedy airport, lax, and it is like a third world country. i have a lot of friends were leaders of these countries, that our leaders of the economy. they don't believe what they are getting away with. they cannot believe it. he is showing in airport, the

most pitiful airport have never seen and -- the most beautiful airport i have ever seen and he shows me that there is a sponsor of the people can get a massage before they get on an airplane. -- there is a spa so the people can get a massage before they get on an airplane. i said this is the most beautiful airport i have ever seen. he said, no, no, you don't understand. this is just temporary. we're tearing this down next year could look at the horizon. i saw 32 cranes building something i had never seen before, the real airport. then i landed in la guardia and i said can you believe this? it is a real disgrace. when i look at countries like

colombia, very good people, but you look and last year, the made $4 billion on us. we don't make money on anybody. and then you hear about social security and medicare and medicaid and i hear so many different theories and so many different ways and obviously we all agree that we have to stop the fraud and abuse. you know the greatest thing we can do? if we got this country roaring again and the potential is enormous, but if we got this country roaring, roaring, roaring, it solves the problems. but you cannot do that when china is taking our jobs. you cannot do it. [applause] when china is taking our jobs, we are a bunch of patsies. when they're making our products -- it is not only china. who abuses us more? opec would not be there if it was not for us. one of the things i find amazing -- they talk about barack obama and his foreign policy. what is his foreign policy? think of it.

he goes in and does not defend egypt. i don't know what they say behind our backs -- you can imagine -- but at least come out with lee, they were supporting israel and -- but at least, outwardly, they were supporting israel and we paid everybody a lot of money. we can do anything on our own, and we have to pay everybody. now that regime has been taken over by a group of people that make them look like babies, totally anti-united states, totally anti-israel, totally anti-everything. and the world sees how we acted.

and they cannot count on the united states. a look at what we have done in iraq. i get in trouble for saying this, but i am not changing my mind. the nice part of not being a politician is i can say whatever i want. if people like it, that is fine. if they don't, that is okay, too. but look at iraq. the smart people said, when we went in to iraq, we did it for the oil. it never made sense. they did not have the weapons of mass destruction. we knew that early on. we ended up in this absolute quagmire. $1.50 trillion, thousands of lives and our wounded veterans all of the united states -- you see them all over the united states. and i made the statement very strongly few years ago saying,

look, they have the second largest oil reserves in the world. people don't know that, right after saudi arabia. why are we not at least paying ourselves back out of that oil? [applause] and these stupid politicians said -- and some of the press, by the wycombe in all fairness. i think -- by the way, in all fairness. but the student politician -- the stupid politicians say, can you believe? how horrible it has been. we have given them democracy. they will not have democracy, folks. there will be the meanest and hardest and greatest hitter of the united states that will takeover. and what have we done and what have we gotten? i actually said take the oil, leave them plenty. at least give us back our $1.50 trillion good in the old days,

when we were smart and we were strong, we had a war and, if we won the war, we take it. we take what we need. it is called to the victor belongs the spoils. [applause] so look at iraq. we go in and spend $1.50 trillion. we're there for years. and we leave. we leave. we get nothing. whoever heard of this? take another one, libya. so libya starts and the rebels are being routed by gaddafi. so the rebels see obama, this man with the great foreign policy and the rebels see the obama representatives and say we are being eroded could if you remember, they could not have lasted another two days. those people were loyal to gaddafi. they died with gaddafi. they died with him.

and the rebels were gone. they gave them two days, three days, but they were gone. and the rebels, who we do not even know who they are -- who are these rebels? we don't even talk to them anymore. it sounds like a very romantic term, like "gone with the wind," the rebels. a lot of crap. the rebels say we are being routed, will you help us? and we say, yes, we will help you. and we spend hundreds of millions of dollars dropping these missiles all over the place, knocking the hell out of the army, knocking the hell out of the about the -- i mean, that guy got wiped out -- but we're spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. the rebels take over and you know who they sell their oil to? china. we don't buy oil from them. china is their primary customer. do you know how much china spends? nothing.

they were not involved. i say, before the end, before they made the deal -- because i am very instinctively a businessman. i made a lot of money. i love making money. i love creating jobs. i'd just like the system. but it is a hard system because regulation is so bad. i said to the representatives and whoever would listen to tell the rebels -- they would have given you anything. three days they had, maybe one day -- say, listen, we will help you, but we want 50% of royal -- of your oil. you know what they would have said? where do i sign? if you had said 75%, they would have said ok, too, but i want to be a nice person. i don't want to get greedy. [laughter] libby is a big oil-producing state.

we would have gotten their oil. there would have had plenty for themselves. i don't want to take it all. and all you had to take it -- anybody in this room could have done it could just say we will help you, but we won 50% of your oil. hear,. they would have signed. now, by the way, it was suggested that they pay is that the money that we spent, which was peanuts, and they said how dare you ask us for that? we are sovereign nation. how dare you, and they throw them out of the room. by the way, this is the duty of all duties. -- the beauty of all beauties. in iraq, they said we have destroyed their country and we want retribution and we want you to pay us back for the damage you have done in iraq. do you believe this? our leaders, they don't have it -- i wouldn't be surprised if the media.

it is hard to even talk about. so you look at what is going on. you look at two cases -- i just use them as examples, iraq and libya. now, iraq was a very powerful nation. it took us three days in terms of wiping out their army. but we did not count on the people with the bombs and the this and the dirty pool that was played. but iraq was a counterbalance to iran. for years and years and decades and decades, one would go 3 yards over and the other would go 3 yards over. one would use poison gas and the other would use something. but they were basically a identical. and they could not do anything. this was a natural chess that took place over many, many years.

military check. we decapitated the iraqi army. so now iran is just waiting. at some point, there is no question, as sure as you're sitting here, unless something else happens first, like somebody wanting to get elected and the only way he will do it is to start a war with iran -- i will tell you what, if iran is negotiating now, they have to be crazy. i said this the other day. they are sitting on hot timber. they are really crazy if they are not negotiating. and, by the way, do, in my opinion, want to negotiate. if you have someone who wants to have war because he does not want to excepting negotiation that could turn out to be much stronger than war and you could

make a much better deal than war. but it could be better politics. i love this twitteromh smf -- the twittering and tweeting. it is the new-age. i always wanted to own a newspaper. now i own a newspaper and it did not cost me anything. it is unbelievable. [laughter] i predict there is a very good chance we will end up in a war with iran because i think it is politically possible we have a positive for obama, even though it is not a good thing for our country. and we're also talking about -- hey, look, i am the most militaristic person in this room and we got a lot of them, especially the sheriff who picked me up at the plant. tough guy. that is why your crime is down. i love people like that. but i am the most militaristic person in this room. but you have to know where and when to go with it.

i think we can do anything we want with iran. we don't even talk to them. the leader comes to new york city and nobody talked to him. he gets up at columbia university and a disgrace him with the worst statement. and you know what, i am only interested in the deal that is good for the country. let's see what happens with iran could but assuming it goes on or less the way it is going right now, iran will walk in and takeover rack like nothing to take over direct like nothing. and they will take over the second largest oilfield and reserves in the world. and we will have made that

possible with their $1.50 trillion dollars and -- on $0.50 trillion and the thousands of lives that are wounded and dead. people in washington don't know what they're doing. it is a very sad thing. [applause] during my lifetime, i have always been told that a person of great accomplishment, somebody that is really, really successful cannot get elected president could cannot even run for office. and i am starting to see that. as an example, i have great, great respect and have learned a lot about him -- i know him well. he is a fantastic man, a fantastic guy, mitt romney. he really is. [applause] he has had great success. in fact, president bill clinton, who i also like -- he said really nice things about me last night which shocked the hell out of everyone could he is a great guy. he is an honest guy in his own way. [laughter] but he said -- he is. but he was very, very, very positive on the business career of mitt romney.

us night, magic last night, -- last night, piers morgan interviewed last night. it has become the biggest story. he interviewed president clinton, which was a great interview. the president was correct, although i don't think barack obama think so. they talk about the business career of mitt romney. and the president, among other things, said it was sterling. the word "sterling" is powerful. that is a great word, especially nowadays with the dollar having problems with everything. [laughter] but the word "sterling" is a great word, a powerful word. i can imagine the white house

must be going nuts. but he was honest. and the man has had a great business career. over the years, have seen him. i have always heard that, if you have accomplished something, if you have done something that is terrific, if you are a great businessman, which this country really, really needs. as i said, we're just being ripped left -- we don't know what we're doing. and it is just so important. but when president clinton made that statement, the word is today that the white house is livid. if you know and if you have been watching -- and most of u.s. republicans have been watching the way i have been watching -- the original cell of -- the original salvo in the obama campaign was the romney

business acumen. it was an attack. now you have cory booker, the mayor of newark, who came out and said you should not do that. and then must not, you had president clinton really, really giving positive kudos and just fantastic words of praise to mitt romney. and he did that because it was the right thing to do. and i assume that ends that particular attack because it will be very hard to continue to attack mitt romney from a business standpoint. i'm sure there will find something else for the will try like hell. but it does tell you, when a man who has done so many wonderful things and can be attacked so viciously, it really is a tough life being a politician. i know we have plenty of politicians in the room. it is not easy. one of the reasons that i decided that i would not run -- as you know, was doing very well in the polls and i loved

doing it -- i had to make a decision because i had so many things going. i don't want to bring up a very successful show called "the apprentice." i assume you all watch "the apprentice." summary said, because i brought up the birth certificate, i am -- somebody said, because a product the birth certificate, i am a racist. i have arsenio hall. because i asked to see his college records, i would love to see them. there is one line called place of birth. i would like to see what he said. it would be very interesting. i don't care what his marks were could i just would like to

see place of birth. perhaps it will save hawaii. perhaps it will say kenya appeared i would like to see place of birth. and they said racist. what does this have to do with racism? people are writing stories about what does it have to do. all other presidents have given their records. so this is really the reverse. as you know, last week, i just happened to have been -- and just happen to have it in my pocket. this was from barack's publisher. it said, this is a book, printed -- this is printed. and it said barack obama was born in kenya and raised in

indonesia and hawaii. ok, that is what it says, 1991. he is very protective. it is hard to believe. bill clinton last night actually said on television that it is pretty well the tournament -- he used "pretty" and not the word "determined." he said it is pretty well determined that he was born in hawaii. i am not a believer. we will see what happens. but i am about jobs. i am about economic development. i don't really talking about the place of birth because, every time i get on a television show, i want to talk about jobs and what we can do and how we have all the cards. and they say, mr. trump -- i

want to show how many jobs we create and we don't need saudi arabia and these other countries. [cheers and applause] frankly, we don't even need the canadian pipeline. i think it is great to have it. we don't need it could we have the soil right under our feet. by the way, i love canada. but we don't need it. technology has become so incredible today in terms of getting things come in terms of getting what is under our feet give it has become so incredible that, 10 years ago, five years ago, nobody realized what we had. we are a tremendous power. you know, we should be a tremendous amount -- have number one customer of our coal -- to

china. they use our coal, but we cannot use it. we have something called clean coal. let's assume it is "pretty clean," ok? [laughter] but we have coal. we are the saudi arabia of natural gas. it is hard to get it because of the regulations. we are beyond saudi arabia for cole. we're the best, the biggest. and it goes to china. by the way, china talks about carbon content -- believe me, they talk. it is all talk. you know what it is? it is all laudable -- it is all a lot of bull. china is spewing more crack into the ear than ever before. i know more about it than barack obama will ever know. and green energy is fine. the problem is the great cost

prevent me give you a great example. when bills are a great disaster. when you need the energy, -- windmills are a great disaster. when you need the energy, the wind is not blowing. when the wind blows, the sucker's explode. did you see it? the suckers blowup. they'll want windmills' until they say to put them in their backyard. go to cape cod and see how the environmentalists feel about windmills. there was the consummate else's neighborhood, but not in there's a good look at what happened to palm springs, california. you feel like you're in a bad version of disneyland. what it does to the environment, windmills are a disaster for the environment. you put them near plants and factories, that is one thing.

but when you put them all over your countryside and the sort -- and destroy your countryside and it is a lousy form of energy -- you never heard of cylinder, i'm sure -- solyndra, i'm sure. i could see it going bed. but let it go back in three or four years, not like a couple of months later. [laughter] we'll run businesses. many of us have businesses big and you make good deals and you make bad deals, but they take years to go bad. it is not 15 seconds after the loan is approved. it is unbelievable. so i think that this country has enormous potential.

we have horrible leadership. [cheers and applause] if we had, as an example, the right people negotiating with some of the country's that are all laughing at our stupidity and who are all over the lot and everyone has a different deal and that is fine -- to me, it is very simple. i know people who are so horrible, that are so vicious -- in some cases, they're nice, but they're great business people. some of them are nice, some are not. most are happy, some are not good but business is all they think about. they have no life. their names that you would have heard of. they went in lot. -- they win a lot. i don't like to call them

friends. they almoscannot be friends. but i want the negotiating against the chinese, not a diplomat who has to be nice. you know what a double mass -- you noted diplomat does? they go to school and study how to be nice. you go home to your wife and say he was a nice person. china uses their best. they have a school system where, you are not good, boom, boom, boom, and they end up with their best people. they have a system. i am not saying we should have a system, but we do have a system in our own way. you have people who have made a lot of money and have been really good and know what they're doing. why are we not using those people to do our negotiations against other countries? look at brazil.

a friend of mine is buying an airplane. i said, a great, great. where are you buying it? brazil. i said, brazil? why are you buying it in brazil? i get a great tax credit. where do you get that tax credit? here. if i by the airplane, i can get a great tax credit. you mean, if they build their plan in brazil, you get a tax credit here? yes. it is like the bay bridge. it is like so many other things. and he didn't even think about it, but i thought about it. isn't that crazy? that is what is happening to our country. that is really what is happening to our country. what has happened is i was having a great time running. i really liked it.

i went up to new hampshire. great people. we had an amazing time. i was doing, as you all know, really well in the polls. i went to the white house correspondents' dinner. the press is so dishonest. the president of united states spent a lot of time talking about donald trump. i made -- i was in this room where i made this ballroom. the president spent time talking about donald trump. it must have been five or 6000 people. the president was telling very respectfully, donald trump jokes. when i walked in, the press would say, do you think he will mention you? i do not think so. why would he mentioned me? they're screaming and going nuts. i went in with my wife and i sat there. the president started with a joke after joke. it was nice. he did a great job and he was

respectful and i had a great time. as some of the men and women in the room will do, i kept my wife -- i was trying to act a little bit stone-faced. i am a neutral, like switzerland. i tapped my wife on the knee. i never told the story. i said, do you believe it? the president is devoting most of this speech to me. this is unbelievable. [applause] just so you are -- just so you know, i am a presbyterian. i swear to god this happened. do you believe this? this is the biggest ballroom in washington. it holds five or 6000. everyone is there and all he is talking about is me.

i said, do you believe this? she goes, no. i go, he is talking about me. i had a great time. people said, unbelievable. the next day, i wake up and i read, "donald trump had a miserable evening. i could see it all over his face. he felt humiliated. -- he felt humiliated." the biggest thing mitt romney has to fear is the press. i am not saying all of them. i know some great reporters. it is a great profession, but there are many dishonest reporters. i have done -- had stories down on me that were wrong. they said we have to go with that. why? more exciting. these are some of the most dishonest people ever. there is some good ones,

talented ones but there are some really bad ones and is the biggest fear that the republicans and mitt romney will have. the level of protection of barack amod -- barack obama. mitt romney has done many deals. they have done big deals. obama never did a deal except for one. his house. he got away without one. that tollhouse thing is a very bad situation. he got away with that. i guarantee you if he was a conservative republican or somebody else, he would be in deep, deep trouble, to put it mildly. we have had somebody in the white house who had no experience, who had no track record. who has made many bad deals.

they talk about bin laden. think about it. pakistan was getting billions of dollars from the united states. and yet they're supporting bin laden. he is living in the biggest house. i do not think it was much of a mansion but the call at a mansion. that would not want to live in it personally. it was big and the biggest house in the area. it was next to the military academy. the big house where all the best soldiers are and they are good military -- militarily. he has this huge house, he is living there for years with his three wives, this whole thing and we're giving him billions of dollars. now called it's made to the president. the call says, the following. we think we have osama bin laden. let's assume anybody in this

room as president. i give the military command escudos, the whole group. there's three things you can do. leave him alone, we do not want to touch him. i can believe some people would say that but you want to write them off. you leave him alone, we do not want to touch him, that is out because no one would do it. two other things left. go in and get him or drop a missile on him. i think a lot of people would say go in and get him. i would have said that. it would of been so nice. he said go in and get them. it was good. but who would not have made that decision? is there anybody who would not have made that decision? instead of in -- instead of sitting back and relaxing, he is bragging. i got bin laden. that is one of the things he did and give him some credit, but

anyone else would have made the same decision. you look at the polls of the military. mitt romney is way higher in terms of the polls. they did not like him grandstanding with osama bin laden. they did not like it. [applause] so, anyway. i am sure will get in trouble for the things i said but i do not care. [laughter] [applause] we have a lot of national press. who cares? we really have to do something. we have to do something soon. north carolina is one of the most, if not the most important

state in terms of who is going to become the next president. [applause] we need a president who is smart and tough and gets it. we need a president who has business acumen. we need a president who has business ability. we also need a president who has heart. mitt romney has a lot of heart. half the reason i decided not to run is i got to know him and i heard him on one of the debate saying, about china. china will not continue to manipulate their currency. there will not continue to destroy this country. [applause] and if they do, we're going to the world court and we will do things like, excuse me, we will taxer product and it will come to the table because it will

have -- tax your product and they will come to the table because they will have a depression in china at the likes of which have never seen. it is not only yes. europe is doing unbelievably badly. but, china is doing a number on them also. their manipulation of currency is sapping the europeans. one thing about europe i have to say. they created the euro. they got together. they created a currency. you know why? because they wanted to do harm to the united states. they wanted to compete better against the united states, now is coming back to haunt them. i have lot of friends in europe and i came from europe, i guess, a long time ago. meeting my mommy and my daddy. they did want to inflict harm on

us, economic harm and have they gotten screwed. what a mess. there were not counting on spain and greece and italy and everyone collapsing. what people say about the euro and europe, if your poes. it could be the reverse. the euro was created -- every economist disagrees. i was good at economics. the euro was created to take advantage of the united states and therefore be the united states at business. it is not working out so well. it is working at for germany. germany is trying to take over the world. it did not work out militarily. now they're buying out the debt. germany is doing nicely. you may end up with germany. i feel it is possible, it is very possible that with respect to europe, it gets weaker and

weaker which is probably happening, that is a positive thing. i am the only one who says that. the market went down 275. because europe is weak. it is sort of interesting. in a statement about europe, they talked about other countries that were taking advantage. but i am here because i love this country. i much prefer, as much as i love north carolina, i would not mind being home. this is important to me. i have heard, these are political pundits, most of, do not know what they're talking about but i tend to agree. i have heard numerous times by smart people, most of whom i do not respect, if we win

carolina we win the election. you're in a very, very important position. and you are the people that can bring it home. i hear the polls are pretty even. it will not be easy. whether you like barack obama as a president or not, and most people do not and most people see what is going on, and he is not doing well. he is a great campaigner. that you have to given credit for. -- give him credit for and you will have to fight like hell. probably it is true. you might at florida and ohio,. every time i am listening to some of the most respected people, they're talking about the importance of north carolina, the importance of the people in this room. with that, i leave you. i wish you luck. i really, really have enjoyed

being here. your great, great people. amazing people. and i'm really honored to be here with you tonight. have a good evening. thank you very much. thank you very much. [applause] thank you. >> playing on the trump. north carolina thanks a you, sir. >> ben bernanke will be on capitol hill this week to appear before the joint economic committee in congress. he is addressing the economy, unemployment, and the may jobs report. you can join us live thursday 10:00 a.m. eastern.

>> the gala is one of three fundraisers they're expected to attend together. the other includes a fund- raising concert, barack on broadway. here on c-span. >> the president has a hard time selling an argument of economic are -- optimism when at the same time, people are unemployed. the way they approach this election is the understand we did not get into this overnight and we will not get out of it overnight. >> it is what the people in ohio, florida, virginia, what they think, what they think about their lives is the, in better, getting worse, who is responsible? that is not quantifiable as

saying the unemployment is rec -- is down. >> watch the discussions on line at the c-span video library. >> president obama is scheduled to give an acceptance speech at the democratic convention in north carolina this september. at this news conference, debbie wasserman schultz talked about getting democrats involved in the convention and she answered questions for about 25 minutes. >> hello, everyone. it is an honor to be back in charlotte, our host city. in 100 days, president obama will accept the nomination as the democratic party's candidate for president of the united states here in the stadium in

front of tens of thousands of americans. i became chair two months after a shell that was elected. i have had the good fortune of visiting more than 90 cities in 33 different states. democrats are fired across the country and ready to work hard to reelect barack obama as president of the united states. they're ready to come to charlotte to gear up to do just that. they know that this convention is going to be unlike any in history and they are thrilled democrats made the bold move of putting on a convention in the south. it shows we're dedicated to expanding them maps and competing in states across the country. choosing charlotte to host our convention was no accident. north carolina is a critical battleground state. este where president obama's martin to victory came in to 14,177 votes. holding the convention here

provides us with a organizing tool enabling us to recruit volunteers and build their organization and ground game for the final push heading into november. using the convention as are launching pad, we will lay the groundwork for victory here and in key states across the country. that is how we will win on november 6 to send barack obama back to the white house. my home state of florida is hosting the convention as well. i am certain it will be a well executed event. for their delegates and donors to attend. what you can expect to see in tampa is what you have seen every four years at every convention. an event that only opens to the party faithful and their donors. here we're doing things differently than any convention you have seen. we are throwing the doors open and inviting thousands of americans convention in many

different ways. today with 100 days until president obama accepts our nomination here the stadium, we are unveiling our campaign. we're asking americans across the country to rsvp and tell us that you want to be part of this convention. send as a photo, tweet us, post on facebook. all you need to say is, i am there. this is not just for people who plan to partake in the convention and come to this beautiful city that you see is behind me. or just for people who plan to join us on monday at the charlotte motor speedway for our festival. or here at the stadium on thursday to see the president accept the nomination. no matter where you were, you can join us and be part of the convention. last week, we unveil our new web site which will allow anyone anywhere to participate. with streaming speeches,

comments, and a blog that tells the stories of americans who are engaged in this convention, where making the circumvention. i invite you to take a look at this video of people who are planning to be here with us. >> this will not just be about speeches and dropping plans. it will be about a transformational moment for the country and for this region. >> i am there because no more than ever, the country needs leadership. >> this is about engaging americans in a meaningful way. >> i want to be part of the solution. >> we have decided to hold the final leg of the convention right here so that folks from across the carolinas and virginia can come together and be part of history and -- as we re-nominate president obama. >> more people will have an opportunity. >> even though i cannot be there

in person, i will be watching at home. i will be there. >> i am there. >> i am there. >> i am there. >> let us know you will be there. >> i am there. tell us you will be there, too. >> whether you plan to attend in person or participate on-line, we're asking everyone today to visit demconvention.com let us know if you will be here. i am proud to introduce some people from the video. karen baldwin in durham or she works at north carolina central university. she has maintained at commitment

to public service and since 2007, she has been one of our top volunteers for obama for america's dirham office. -- durham office. i am honored to introduce karen baldwin. >> thank you. i am proud to be a resident of durham, north carolina. i am there for the 2012 democratic national convention. thank you all for inviting me to join you this morning. as a north carolinian and a community leader for more than two decades, it is an honor and privilege to be able to help post this convention. where we will be able to stand together as americans and re- nominate barack obama for president of the united states. i first became involved with

then-senator obama's campaign in 2007. i was inspired by his vision for this country. more importantly, by his leadership. and bring americans together. leadership has always been a priority in your life. i believe in leading by example. it is a belief i inherited through my family. as far back as you can -- we can remember. she also led example . she instilled in me as well as i and my brother the firm conviction we have a voice and our voice matters. that by standing engaged and working within our community, we can impact change and help decide how local, state, and federal governments will work for the people.

i am -- i probably follow in my mother's footsteps. i serve on several organizations and boards and my local mayor's task force. my education reaches further back in my family's history. my grandmother was an active part of the civil rights movement. she did not have the of virginity to go. i watched her as she went to marches and as she struggled. she always made sure that above all, we never took the right to vote for granted. today when i volunteer in my local art is for america office, i often feel as though i am an olympian getting the torture my grandmother passed to my mother.

that is the rich difference. our forces matter. t conventionhis is about increasing the influence of people like me. people who are in the background. people who are doing voter registration, getting plea -- people politically involved. it is about empowering americans to be more involved in the political process. i plan on bringing my family, my neighbors, my co-workers, anyone because it is for all this, really. this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our state to show the world what we're made of.

thank you very much for your time and allowing me to be here for i am there and i would like to take this moment to introduce to you of them mayor of charlotte, n.c.. >> thank you. so much for being here and for your support of this convention. thank you for your hard work to insure the people of north carolina will once again bring president obama back into office. thank you. welcome back to the queen city. it is always good to have you here and think you for being here to commemorate the smile -- this milestone as we look forward to the convention. i want to thank all of you for being here today. here we are now, 100 days out in the final stretch of what has been an incredible effort to

prepare charlotte and our region for tens of thousands of people including delegates, media, elected officials and special guests who will visit north carolina. the convention will be an incredible opportunity for the north carolina to demonstrate that we are dynamic, the verse, and vibrant that has looked beyond the present to ensure its people are stronger in the future. charlotte is a city that grew from a small trading post to a vibrant center of commerce based on hard work, shared sacrifice, and commitment. even when things got tough. north carolina is an incredible place to live and the shalit region is beautiful and its residents and visitors will find unexpected local conference and a forward thinking, diverse

culture. the fact i am standing here is one reflection of our city and of north carolina. i can trace my own family in north carolina back five generations. old girl860's, a 7-year- was sold on an auction block. she was my great, great grandmother. she has no formal education but she made sure her children got some education. as a result, my great- grandfather went as far as the fifth grade. the next generation went to college and the next generation went to graduate school. it has taken five generations but we have gone from the auction block in north carolina to leading the largest city in north carolina. the fact i am able to tell the story is less a reflection of me than of my forebears and of this

great new american city and of this great state. like my family, charlotte's success over the decades has been similarly defiant. every generation of charlotteans knows building the future is a choice. we have to make decisions today to help us get there. although this convention will be wrapping up in 100 days, its legacy will be our efforts to improve ourselves and our community for generations. we have established four legacies. we will help build a broader, more inclusive economy. we will help provide employment opportunities for our youth, we will help our communities implement innovative and sustainable practices. we will help our children and our families lived healthier

lives. thus far, we have done a lot to support these legacies. first, on the close of economy. charlotteans are becoming more diverse. we believe diversity should be reflected in the economic opportunities provided by this convention. therefore, we have adopted a diversity contract and policy for this convention. to represent unprecedented progress for both the inclusion and use of the first businesses. one-third of all contracts will go to disburse businesses. we have -- diverse businesses. we have enabled local and regional businesses to create profiles to ensure those businesses can connect with one another and organizers and third parties. on the use the employment, -- youth challenges, we want them

to aspire to a great future. we believe applied experiences can open them up to possibilities they otherwise may not have considered. that is why we have provided training and support for local youth. that program had 48 kids in it for the entire year. this year, we endeavor to have more than 3000 young people participate in the youth employment program. sustainability and healthy lifestyles. food desert create a huge health issue in our community. i can speak from experience, having grown up in an area where the nearest store sold plenty of honey buns and purdue chips but not fresh fruit and vegetables. that is why we grow community

gardens. at least we can ensure our children and families have access to fresh food. we have helped to refurbish local recreation centers that encourage our children to lead active and healthy life styles. i am proud to announce today that from now until the convention, you will see these legacies come to life and make a difference in the lives of our citizens. next week alone, we will sponsor the creation of a new community garden at the charlotte community health clinic. we will team up with schools and businesses and organizations to encourage healthy lifestyles by engaging hundreds of students in a city-wide reaching you can make it better event. partnering with generation nation, and the epicenter to

host hundreds of local youth at the kids convention at an event that will provide civic education and fun to engage the community youth. we will launch our access to american red dialogues series that will convene academic policy and civic leaders to discuss current challenges that charlotte, our region, our state, and our nation face and produce action items that policymakers can apply to strengthen communities moving forward. on top of these legacies, we are working hard to welcome our guests and introduce them to north carolina. i am excited about opening up the convention to more americans than ever before with a free, family friendly kick off event. our convention guests and citizens will have the opportunity to get a taste of

our region to participate in activity and enjoy first-rate entertainment. never in the history of host cities has a mayor, a city, a state, region had the opportunity to give some many people access to a free event to show off the local community. after the convention is over, we will have a great story to tell. a story about how our economy has been energized by business that is generated by in an international spotlight that will be focused on charlotte and north carolina. we will tell a story about how the city is a great place to live, work, and do business and tell that story to the world. we will have a story about a convention that is engaged -- has engaged more americans to participate in the most open and a successful convention ever. lastly, not least, a story about

a historic convention that provides the momentum to election day that will insure that president barack obama is re-elected. i cannot wait to welcome the world to charlotte, north carolina in some timber. i am happy to introduce our great partner who is working hard to ensure this convention is a success and we can involve more americans, many from the city in the carolinas than ever before. our ceo. welcome. >> thank you. good morning, everybody. i want to thank the mayor for once again his generous hospitality, not just today but every day since last story when we announced were coming year. he is a great leader not just here but around the country and we're grateful to have such a strong partner. i want to thank my chair, debbie

wasserman schultz who was always there on the front lines fighting for democratic causes and american causes and is always willing to come here and enjoy time in the queen city of. we're grateful she is here. and karen is an amazing inspiration to so many of us who spend so much time working on this convention. we do it to work with great people like karen and so many volunteers will be coming here in 100 days. as someone who has been involved in the convention since the beginning, it is hard to believe we have 100 days to go. i have a countdown clock that is ticking down and today it was reading hundred days to go. when we had over hundred -- 400 days to go -- there is so much we have accomplished since we got here with a staff that has

grown to over 100 people. we had a kick off event with over 2000 people. we unveil the our logo. we have announced our convention chair. the los angeles mayor. selection for over 6000 delegates. it is ongoing. these delegates represent our grass-roots community. neighborhoods and cities and towns. people will be coming from across the country as delegates. we established a robust and unique online vendor director. which continues to connect was with business up to -- as with business opportunities.

from day one, all our efforts form format to funding have maintained a singular focus. to put on the most open and accessible convention in history. we have accomplished many firsts. for the first time in history, convention week will began not with speeches or political pageantry but with a celebration of this region and how we can work together to strengthen our economies and build one that is built to last. for the first time ever, our convention made the decision not to accept cash from lobbyists and corporations but to give the american people a stronger voice. we announced a policy that represents an unprecedented progress for the inclusion and use of diverse businesses. i can tell you that our planning is on track. we have many more exciting

milestones to reach. next week we will welcome back to charlotte over 400 members of the national and international media for our walk through. it will allow organizations to come to town and plan what they're converge will be. -- what their coverage will be. we began the ou preparations to transform this arena. we will release a schedule for the charlotte convention center which will hold a caucus and convention meetings. convention are nots just about what is done on broadcast television. the caucus and state delegation is critical to provide delegates and guests with an opportunity to meet and discuss the important issues that is coming before the democratic party and the country.

we will release and it will be waiting for the program for the convention itself. that will be coming later this summer. we will continue to build and organize our volunteer corps of over 10,000 people. engage people from across the carolinas and the south and to ensure as many americans as possible take the pledge that karen took and so many of you will take. the in their pledge for the democratic national convention. whether it is in the first 100 days or last, one thing has remained the same. the enthusiasm and dedication of the people of the city of charlotte and the community around here they have for hosting this convention. from city leaders to our next- door neighbors, it is clear the committee is engaged and excited. charlotte is exactly where our convention should be and we cannot wait to welcome president barack obama right here to the stadium in 100 days to accept

the nomination of our party is to serve a second term of -- as the president of the united states. with that, i will take your questions. that was easy. thank you. [inaudible] >> what the states will look like? i do. next question. we're working with our construction and production team to make sure we have a great stage here and at the arena. we will unveil that later. [inaudible] >> it is a lot easier. what you'll hear from history, it is easier in a stadium. there's a lot more field space. we will have tassajara lil --

have as little impact on the arena. wow, mary. >> [inaudible] >> let me say the president came out against amendment 1. that was not something we would have liked to see passed. but it did. regardless of our feelings, we

are very confident and looking forward to, when we push the button on our grassroots operation, the opportunity we have to use the process of standing this convention up as an organizing tool with fantastic volunteers like karen and team leaders like karen, we look forward to using that grassroots operation to be able to turn out the vote here in support of president obama. we are confident north carolina will be in the blue column again and help with the electoral college vote to send president obama back to the white house. we were very clear and specific about how important it was to plan our flag in the south. we were not seeking any territory -- ceding any territory nor will we throw in the towel. we won the state and we were

proud we made progress here as democrats in the south and progress -- proud of the progress president obama has made and we look forward to north carolina voters affirming that pride in our president and making sure that north carolina is blue once again. >> thank you very much. >> thanks, everybody. >> the preview coming up with tuesday's governor recall election. followed by a house committee on the foreign intelligence surveillance act. and hearing on cyber threats to the financial industry. >> join us for live campaign fund-raiser in new york city with president obama and former president bill clinton. the gala is one of three

fundraisers they're expected to attend together in new york. the other includes the home of a hedge manager -- hedge fund manager and . >> the that has a hard time selling that argument of economic optimism when people are not feeling it. >> the way the american people approach this election is they understand we did not get into this crisis overnight and we will not get it -- out of it overnight. >> the question is what people in florida, ohio, virginia, what they think about their lives, is it getting better or getting worse, who is responsible? that is not quantifiable as saying the unemployment rate is down. >> the national journal focused on the 2012 presidential

election. watch the discussions on line at the c-span video library. >> nauert preview of -- now a preview of the governor recall election. >> democrats say it will depend on turnout. what can we expect? >> we do not have a lot to go

on. especially given the national interest in this race. people are expecting a big turnout. this is a political conflict that consumed the state. everything is building toward tuesday. you have 50 percent of voting age adults, to vote. we have not had a race where -- the turnout topped or reached to%. it will be fascinating to see how much higher 2010 goes. democrats think the closer it gets to presidential levels, the better off they are. host: the president is avoiding

wisconsin. he has not been in the state campaigning for the mayor although we did hear from bill clinton. >> it is important to note that president obama is trying to win wisconsin and the recall has repercussions for november and for the state of organized labor. president obama realizes to win wisconsin, he has to win over independent voters. the white house realizes there will need people who are supporting scott walker or who are not voting yet on the recall. it will need those boats. president obama cuts tv ads and they feel like it will take some of the hit. we saw -- i did not work out all

that well. the white house is trying to have a hands-off policy. >> le host: there was a poll that showed gov. walker ahead slightly. the president right now winning wisconsin. >> they have been leading in most of the polling for quite some time. obviously, two competitive, open-ended races. it would not be a shock to see both victorious in wisconsin because we're talking about two different elections. to the rio different elections -- electorates'. -- two different electorates. it will probably be a better electorate for president obama than the electorate that boats

on tuesday. they are being very risk-averse. not coming in here and playing. if we were -- he were to inject himself in the race, how much that really helps tom barrett or not. this is a state that is on the dividing line right now. even though they voted democratic for president last six times. since ronald reagan. if scott walker does win, you will see -- it will encourage the campaign to go after wisconsin. >> there are two debates in this election. we carried both of them. they went after each other on the records of jobs in the economy. here's a portion. >> a handful of special interests dictated what would happen. we drew a line in the sand and

put the problems back in the taxpayer. the mayor said repeatedly he wants to go back -- that means of doing savings and higher property taxes. property-tax as on working families. the first time in a dozen years of property tax. he has become the rock star. one of the 10 commandments of the far right is you have to be against unions. you have to be in favor of right to work wear unions do not exist. he would have a fall from grace if he said -- with the far right if he said he would veto that. he cannot say. he would no longer be the poster boy of the tea party. host: you have been following this closely in milwaukee and across the state. your reaction.

>> the union thing is interesting. probably 35% to 45% a republican. there is a bit of a gap. that is why this issue of right to work is interesting. he is trying to signal he will not touch the private unions when it comes to collective bargaining or union rules. how unions organize. it is important for him to hang on to that minority of the union vote he does have. it will be interesting to see what happens with that in the exit polls. scott walker 137%. >> we have a caller from madison, wisconsin.

host: good morning. -- caller: they had to break into the capital and threaten is the zandt cos. guest: that lead to the recall you are in on tuesday. host: what is occurring in that state, the state is pitched you see the most polarized electorate. again you look at where the caller -- you talk brought --

there are union folks who is angry -- who are angry about what scott walker did. you see their frustration on the fact this was something that walker did a campaign on in his 22 and gubernatorial election and this -- 2010 gubernatorial election. walker could have gone 95% of what he wanted. had he had the card on collective bargaining. democrats would have bent over backwards to have everything. and so much divisiveness in wisconsin. host: there is a difference between public sector unions and private sector unions. your reaction? guest: he made this

comment about divide and conquer. he -- the interpreted it as saying he is trying to divide the union. the has argued there is a difference. a fiscal difference in terms of the impact and republicans and conservatives argue about public-sector unions, not play the same role as the private- sector unions. they do not have the same kind of rationale. i think in the last -- in all the polling that market has done the democrats have dominated among public-sector union households. their lead is much narrower

among private-sector union households. it may not just the union issues. you have private union members who care about issues like guns, social issues, other kinds of issues that come into play. the real division there is the public employees whether they are union or not have been mobilized against scott walker in this debate. host: but go to our caller -- let's go to the caller. what do you think turnout will be among friends and neighbors? caller: high and everyone will be voting for governor walker. i wanted to start off here real quick. in 1959, wisconsin passed a law

that the teachers' union was the only one where the school district could get their insurance from. and since then in some school districts, they have been charging up to 78% more for the insurance and they could have gotten if they went on to the free market. so far, gov. walker has saved school district $600 million in the insurance part of it alone. that is a big of it right there. now if the teachers unions and the public unions no longer does the dues for the unions come automatically out of the check they have to pay for themselves and the teachers' union 50% of the people are not sending their checks in, and the public sector at 66%, they're not

sending their checks into the unions. guest: the collective bargaining pea's has gotten more attention. it difficult for unions to recertified the way the elections are held. the issue of automatic dues reduction. the short-term impact has been to drive down union membership and kind of lesson the incentive for people to join unions because they do not have the ability to collectively bargain the way they did before. it has been a dagger to the unions. they took the far-reaching step of organizing this recall because they are desperate to

stop this policy in its tracks for their own future and survival. in addition to having public policy implications, there are huge political implications. you have a republican party that has relied on the business sector and the democratic party that relied on unions for their fund-raising base. what happened is that that leg of the store has been kicked out from the democratic party. host: will have coverage of the election and the comments following the recall election. you can also follow online at c- span.org. this is the latest in a series of battleground state polls. determining whether or not the president is elected or mitt romney is elected president. mitt romney at 44%. i want to pick up -- this is the

one state that has been the most competitive in terms of the iowa caucuses from democrats and republicans. 12% undecided in iowa. colorado, 46 for the president and mitt romney 45. within the margin of error. guest: it tells you how much -- competitive the election is. what is interesting about these three states, these are states that are not hold as often as you see as others to look at what the snapshot is in colorado, iowa, and nevada. what was occurring in this time when we released these polls is some dampening about the economic mood. some not favorable job numbers and what did we end up getting on friday, a very tepid 69,000 jobs that were created. we released polls earlier on

florida, ohio, and virginia issuing president obama with a very slight lead. this is a very close race right now. i would expect it would remain close into the summer and we will see if there are external events. the will be incredibly crucial. theone of these in wisconsin is the -- one of the oddities is numbers have been volatile. you would expect the president being such a high-profile figure -- we have seen the polls in wisconsin flowed around. nbc had a poll earlier in which a bonnett -- obama had a 17- point lead. we had a series of polls a few weeks ago. the last poll was up by eight.

it has bounced around more whereas in the governor's race in has been consistent. you look at scott walker's numbers, they did not change. people are dug in about him. wisconsin is open ended. it is a tempting target. it has voted democratic six times in a row. host: let me go to some news of the week. they posted this on friday. mitt romney could take this early. they are sticking to the timing. they are pumping up party activists.

there is at least a small chance that mitt romney might break with tradition and named his e.nning mate becke the vetting process is already under way. guest: on the one hand you mention were they could have this very early. also someone you can send to the campaign trail. you get to double-team president obama. president obama has says sarah gets. it gives you one extra person to on the campaign trail. you use all the speculation about who you are going to be able to to build up your convention and get people excited.

if mitt romney decides to go in to have someone to go on the offensive and have your own attack dog, the one thing you would be giving up is a lot of the speculation going into the tampa convention. this is what we always do. there would be, his gun to be the vice presidential. -- who is going to be the vice presidential pick? out once thent betting is complete, italy met rummy with only a handful of potential running mates. -- it will be the mitt romney with only a potential of running mates. guest: one of the guys that has been on the list is paul ryan. he campaigned with romney for

several days during the wisconsin primary and was the first big-name republican to endorse him. there's speculation about whether he would have the ability to flip wisconsin for republicans. a lot of the candidates we do not think of them as being one state picks. it has been a long time since a vice presidential candidates has had an impact in a key electoral states. wisconsin is one of those places where it could come into play if someone like paul ryan were chosen. iran may have to have a a lot of ideas. >> thank you. what i would like to say is that i have to at least promise that i am somewhat prejudiced. i find the republican party morally and ethically just

bankrupt. i think that the coverage of this recall is so extremely important. obamacare thinks this is a union fight. that is wrong th. either they are buying that millions of air time, if they're trying to buy the country. that is what they are doing. did the media has been sold. i would have rather seen the media covered this very closely. because of the taxes that the republicans have used.

as far as someone saying that the union attacked walker's family, that sounds like a republican move. host: thank you. guest: this is getting a lot of attention. it was not a battle of their choosing. if you come and you play in you lose the risk is that you .levate it car you elevate the governor by taking him on. there are a lot of other issues in play besides just collective bargaining. they have a very aggressive agenda of. it had a lot of political and implications as well as public policy.

they did pass a far reaching a voter i.d. law that is held up in court. are in place. they argued that it will suppress the votes of students and poor people but are seen as part of the democratic coalition. stake.s e is a lot at this could have far-reaching implications in terms of the balance of power where the republicans sure an aggressive map. in mesa difficult for democrats to compete predict it makes it difficult for the democratic -- it makes it difficult for the democrats to compete. host: let me share with both of

you the latest. now on the hair-care part of this recall -- on the air, part of this recall. [video clip] >> they did not consider this a violent crime. >> violent crime is down 15.5%. >> they found that hundreds of beatings and jobs of these cases were never even counted. violent crime is here. >> scott walker is playing games with the numbers. just like the checks with the john doe scandal. over 1000 e-mails showing dollars used for his campaign.

if you received your send any of these e-mails, he is in deep trouble. he has hired criminal attorneys. he refuses to say what he has said to the prosecutors. doesn't he deserve to hear the teacher? -- hear the truth? guest: the callers have been talking about collective bargaining in organized labor. when you look at the television ads, it has been anything but. the one place where he was soft on crime, you have the democratic ad saying that he has not done a good job on the economy. to those are the issues being fought at. what has fired everyone up is what happened in 2011. it is interesting to see this dynamic play out. the walker ad was hitting air on being soft on crime using the two-year old.

this is a classic incumbent strategy on able to disqualify your opponent. he is doing less than a month to engage in a primary. his allies have been hitting him. that strategy is similar to one you will see from president obama come september or october. the classic situation where you want to turn the race into a choice. host: talk about the spending. but by the candidates and outside. who is spending what? guest: total spending is way beyond anything we have seen. it has been very lopsided. gov. walker has been able to raise more than $30 million.

it is a result of the recall law. he took contributions up $500,000 from individuals. tom barrett has raised about $4 million. there is no comparison between the amount of money they have been able to raise. there is outside money on both sides. i do not think we have a competitive race. there is a huge difference their pickere. one of the interesting things about the recall law in wisconsin, the only other gubernatorial recall was in california in 2003. the ballot was different. that was an up or down vote.

it was before you got to voting for his successor. this was a regular election ballots. that was helpful in terms of trying to cast this as a choice. host: good morning. caller: scott walker is doing a great thing in addressing spending. when it comes to soft on crime, republicans are as bad or worse as anything that has been seen in this country before. the financial crisis really drove be revenues into the toilet. neal was the inspector for the bailout program. he said it did not matter if they were cooking the books. treasure was giving the money anyway.

the have larger holes due to fraud. that would have been more reason for treasury to give the money. even by this at my website. host: thank you for this. wisconsin is about to become a subsidiary of the koch brothers. we will get your reaction furs. guest: they have been an interesting subplot. there's the famous call in which someone that they had a conversation. they made an announcement about his proposal to curb collective bargaining. they have been a big part of the conversation.

it will be interesting to see. i talked about the far reaching consequences. in terms of the financial parity comedy are significant. there is some question going forward, the degree to which the public sector unions are neutralized financially. there is some question going forward about the landscape about how competitive democrats are going to be financially. host: ago back to this earlier point. congratulations. he had managed to get half the citizens of wisconsin's to hate the other half. -- you have managed to get half the citizens of wisconsin to a the other half. guest: they have been polarized. you look at the high level of

polarization that has gone on. you look at what scott walker did in wisconsin. you look at what rick scott did. they pursued very specific things. there are trying to make reforms. they were using a political club. it makes it very politicized. that really has polarized this. these are looking at a governor for example in michigan. rex snyder to not pursue those policies. its approval ratings are not high. you do not see the political battle. bob macdonald has pursued reforms. he got caught up in some social

issues. they stayed away from these battles. it depends on what the agenda was actually going to be. the can make the argument that if they survive this recall, how much higher will he be able to have? is he going to be able to get the legislature to do anything t. it airs at 9:00 eastern time. greg is joining us from milwaukee. john is on the phone from virginia. the morning. caller: good morning. before i ask these people a question, how long has it been since tom harmon has been on your show?

host: i don't have an honest answer for you. caller: he has a show weeknights at 9:00 that is broadcast over the air. he has the most in-depth analysis of what is really going on. i would like to see him on again. this is kind of lopsided. the right wing will say anything. they make it sound like common sense. the rich are referred to as job creators.

host: thank you for the call. guest: on the divide and conquer strategy, walker is able to pull this off in able to survive, his party was able to achieve certain reforms. you look to see how the republicans did versus what president obama and congressional democrats did in 2009 and 2010. scott walker charged forward. they have a majority. as much as republicans criticized, it was interesting how the white house spent 2009

trying to win over the olympia snowes and get republican support. in some ways, of that proved utile. it'll be interesting to see when the dust has settled which strategy was action more successful. host: one of the appearances was on c-span. it is on our website at c- span.org. " q 7 a" every sunday.

goes for aarren' campaign. it was the worst week in washington award. guest: it is planned to be a competitive contest. it was about her designating herself as a native american and whether or not she was a native american and whether she got harvard to employ her because of that minority status. it was something she did not want to talk about pe.

this will be more decide about the margin of the boat. it is hard to say how scott brown is able to hold on when massachusetts would be voting for barack obama. in mitt romney wins, it be impossible to see how elizabeth warren would be able to win massachusetts. >> often editorials drive the conversation on a weekend. this may continue. this was inside the new york times.

on friday night, the capital was under a tornado watch. it was the best thing that happened to the white house all week. they are being rapped by the new york times by being too aggressive. they wonder how the best communicator in campaign history has lost his touch. they go on to talk about a super heroes. this has restrained him at times. barack obama is fighting himself. the white house is a very hard place to go on a vision quest, especially with a storm brewing.

guest: this has been a running discussion about president obama and his style of leadership. i remember a piece where he argued when the differences between 2004 and 2000 and 12 is that president bush got reelected on the strength of being perceived as a strong leader. on the other hand, president obama is going to point to the killing of osama bin laden to make the argument that he has led. this is a running discussion. it has even come up in wisconsin. he showed a lot of caution. these kinds of arguments are a part of the presidential campaigns. how important they are. how important personal perceptions are.

this is one of the things that is going to be dragging the presidential campaign and discussions. this is how people perceive the leadership. dibblit will shake the leadersh. host: dreaming of a super hero. it is important to note how quickly narratives can change prussic of the early here in washington or new york. -- can change, particularly here in washington or new york. he was out of touch as a candidates he made issues. when you look at the totality of what has happened it was by friday's jobs report's numbers. it is a surprising to see how the narrative has flipped. he is a weak leader.

he is indecisive. this campaign is going to have its up and downs. the obama campaign was able to weather a lot of the ups and downs. they never got too high when there was good news. never got too low when it was bad news. this race will continue to go up and down. there is no doubt that this past month has been a tough one for president obama. the economy has been hand in hand. >> i am only in the messenger. martin o'malley rallies in new hampshire. he has an eye on 2016. >> one of the great things about being a political reporter, we always have a tremendous amount of material to go with. if we decide we're too busy or tired with the wisconsin recall, we can always look forward to

2016. even the 2014 midterms. martin o'malley is on u.s. trade and national profile, particularly with his purchase as the governors association. a special about the gay marriage activity. it shall impact the republican side. any talk about this tax when you look at the democrats, martin o'malley is there. there will be some democratic names.

no one was even talking about barack obama. it is possible but there will be another name to pop up. democrats like to go with people who are fresher and newer rather than people who have been around. host: a few more minutes with our guests. >> i am a graduate of the university of wisconsin. >> money is never a subplot. the real point out of like to make is the amount of money this is post-thyssen's united. and money can flow into state coffers like this, the democrats will never have a chance again.

it is money that went into the coffers. >> we do know who gave the money. we do not know some of the money that is being spent independently. this was a candid recanted a contribution. it is a big part of this race.

also the question going forward of the financial parity or lack of parity. the question is in a purely partisan area whether they can compete with republicans financially in that environment. we can get blamed. >> a lot of time the media is wrong. there is a lot of sense that scott walker has a little bit of an advantage. we always get surprises. they can win a lot of the

narratives. walker will be victorious. we get some serious narratives. the entire idea is to make sense of what is going on. >> walk us through the next 48 hours. what are you looking for? >> we're in a familiar place. it is a very divided state. there is a lot of anger. wisconsin is a high turnout state. it has ratcheted it up even more. we're seeing everybody engaged. they have been doing this for the past decade.

lastre squeezing every vote out. this is going to be off the charts. has hadscott walker these hard-charging reforms. there's a lot on the line. you're going to see a referendum on those types of policies that we saw governor's% 2011. that is why you sing the national committee go in on this race. the big stakes have to do with organized labor. they organize the recall. they really wanted to make this happen. one of the dramas is that

organized labor would be able to fight back. we will be able to see the level to which it can fight back. a lot of state. thank you for being with us. >> tomorrow night, and by a campaign fund-raiser in new york city with president obama and former president bill clinton. the gala is one of three fundraisers they are expected to attend together. the other includes one of a hedge fund manager.

>> the president has a hard time selling and arguments when h people are not feeling it. we did not get into this overnight. we like it out of it overnight. >> what they think about their lives. is it getting better? is it getting worse tax that is not quantifiable. >> the national journal focused on the 2012 presidential election. watch these online at the c-span video library. >> they are an enforcement agency. they have had many good cases.

they have reached settlements and spoke about some of the privacy promises they made to consumers. quite self regulation is a tool that can be much more responsive to changes in the marketplace. in a quicker way than regulation. >> a look at the federal trade commission's role in privacy on the internet. >> now a hearing on the law that expanded the ability to spy on foreign nationals. this expires at the end of the year. the supreme court has agreed to hear a legal challenge. we will hear testimony from an adviser to george w. bush and a representative of the civil

liberties union. this subcommittee hearing is one hour and 50 minutes. -- one hour in 15 minutes. >> the subcommittee will be in order. this examines the amendment act of 2008 set to expire at the end of the year. fisa was enacted to provide procedures for the foreign intelligence. in the 40 years, communications technologies have changed dramatically and revolutionize communications. the shift from wireless satellite to fiber optics change the matter in which communications are transmitted. it can transmit a phone call that takes place overseas at the unintended consequence of

having a court order to monitor communications by non-u.s. persons. the act permits the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to target the reasonably be located outside the west to acquire information. it requires prior court approval. including court approval of the government's targetting and minimization procedures. this strengthens civil liberties protections for u.s. citizens by requiring the government to obtain an individualized court order and target them anywhere in the world. this was subject to oversight by

the administration. the justice department's conducted on-site reviews pursuant to the act. the attorney general conducted assessments within minimization procedures and provides these to congress twice a year. they're now required to submit to the intelligence committees a copy of any court order opinion or a decision and the compan accompanying pleas. the obama administration supports reauthorization of the amendment act for five years. eric holder has identified

reauthorization of the act as the top legislative priority. without objection, it february 8 letter will be made part of the record. terraced remain committed to the destruction of our company. it is essential that we have the necessary tools to detect and disrupt it. we have a duty to ensure that the intelligence community can gather the information they need to protect our country and its citizens. i look forward to hearing more about this issue and thank all of our witnesses. it is my pleasure to recognize the ranking member of the frommmittee, the gentlemean

virginia. >> thank you. the act established some parameters for the secrets and unconstitutional collection of intelligence information that had been ordered. some gaping holes were left and what is required to protect the privacy of the united states citizens. americans have the right to feel the belonging spent i am concerned that they do not meet that standard. the surveillance act was passed in 1978 to curb abuses that have been occurring. it was not pass with the purpose of excluding all foreign intelligence but to regulate in

separate foreign and domestic intelligence. there is a selection of foreign intelligence. it requires that there is probable cause to believe that an actor is an agent of the foreign government and that foreign intelligence is a significant purpose of the collection. foreign intelligence is only a significant purpose of the collection. we're left to wonder what the primary purpose is of the gathering. they have added this to the low threshold. fisa recognizes this falls under the requirements of the fourth amendment on the right of u.s. persons are collected. it had such a low threshold diligent oversight and reporting is required to ensure that the

collection is not for a broader purpose than is necessary to achieve the goals. we need clear it standards that are in force. i expect that the court is doing a good job. it operate in secrecy. the government is being held accountable for the constitution and the law. i do not believe they provide assurances to the public. we often hear the need for the government to expand the powers to meet the need of technology. seldom do we hear and the need

to protect privacy when technology advances. in 1978, there were little american communications picture what is rare is now commonplace. they processed this with massive amounts of information. when you talk about government collection of data, it is not just computers. if this government officials. it may be your neighbor. he may be talking about other neighbors you are getting access to your private information. the requirements are probable

cause of particularity. we hear complaints that it is too burdensome for the government to go through the procedures. we have to go through some of our privacy for greater safety. those who would give up the essential liberties to purchase temporary safety deserve is liberty nor safety. -- does not deserve liberty nor safety. the ease by which you can [unintelligible] emergency procedures are provided under the constitution. the exceptions and not become the world. a look forward to the testimony.

thank you. >> the chair now recognizes the ranking member of the committee. but thank you. this is a sensitive discussion. the fourth amendment is critical. i do not think the supreme court has finally rolled on what is going on. i come to this hearing disturbed by how little we know and how much more we need to know. we're going to have closed our hearings and the future. i hope that they will be productive in terms of saddling

the lack of information that we have about this subject. i guess it is going to be legitimate for us to ask how much do we need to know. how much can we talk about publicly? that fisa iske sure back not out of control? we have no way of knowing that carry i. one of the problems is the minimization strategy. i think that we need to shrink them minimization and make sure that this is a very

understandable fisa operation that is satisfactory. i hope the chair will support and even lead in this. we need to talk to fia officials. this whole hearing. nobody from fisa is here. it is part of the problem. we want to talk to the director publicly or privately. i have not had that opportunity yet. i hope the members of the committee share in my desire to

do that. i will put the rest of my statement into the record. i would hope that my dear friend bobby scott will not support been frank with -- ben franklin's motto, taking it too seriously. we will end up in a worse situation. i yield back the balance of my time. >> i thank the gentleman. let me say for those who missed it. this is a rare chance to see by partisanship and action. you have the republicans supporting the obama administration and republicans criticizing. i hope that everybody in the romroom notes that.

since the amendments of 2008, there has been no federal court that has declared any part of the amendment unconstitutional. there is a case with the supreme court has declared a clap or versus amnesty international. it is my pleasure to introduce the witnesses. he is a partner in the law firm. his practice focuses on corporate investigation. he served as a u.s. attorney.

he was assistant attorney general for this. he served as fbi director and as bush's homeland security adviser. he received his undergraduate degree from university of virginia. rotenberg is the president of the electronic privacy information center. he has served on several advisory panels. he is a founding board member and former chair which manages the domain. he is a graduate of harvard college. mr. jamel jaffer is the

director of the center for democracy. before joining the staff, he served as a law clerk on the court of appeals for the second circuit. then the chief justice of the supreme court canada. he is a graduate of williams college and harvard law school. this statement will be entered into the record in their entirety. i ask that you summarize your testimony of five minutes or left. to help you stay within the time limit, there are the lights before you. i think you all know what they mean. >> could you please? >> i thought i did. >> i want to thank you for the

invitation to appear before you today. before getting into the intricacies, it is a porch remind ourselves about the national security threats from terrorism that this legislation was designed to address. since the attacks of 9/11, we have been at war. we're making great progress against them. one development that has contributed significantly as in congress's decision to must rismonster is. in considering the reauthorization, we need to remember why it was that it was necessary to monetize this. fisa was passed in 1978. if required that any electronic surveillance of foreign powers

must first be approved. in crafting this law, congress recognize that it had to balance the need of a judicial review for domestic surveillance against the government need to conduct this overseas. it accomplished this by distinguishing between surveillance against persons within the united states and constitutional protections. in identifying those targets, it could be surveiled only after the government pressed together this application. the statute laid out a number of factors that the government of the cap including the information technology the target was using. the result was a car fell from the court approval project from communications that were being

made from overseas. with the change in technology, this has started to break down. the government found itself expanding manpower for surveillances outside the united states. as a result, the government was unnecessarily expanding significant resources and forced to make choices. congress recognizes that the situation was untenable in a post-9/11 world. this it three critical things. it authorized the course to approve surveillance.

it added to the protections for the u.s. persons by imposing a requirement for the very first time that the government seek and obtain an individualized order would ever it seeks to obtain overseas claim. in sum, the amendments act was particularly well calibrated. but the faa said to the buyer, a they have strongly urged congress to reauthorize this. i ask congress to focus on the three conversations. one, the vital importance of the faa authorities. the extreme care with which congress considered that authority when they pass this for years ago.

afford to answer any questions that may be going on. >> members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. i am the director of the privacy information center. i am very much concerned about

the government's use of electronic surveillance. i am also the former chair of a committee that looked at reform of the foreign intelligence act. it is enabling foreign intelligence information. they made three recommendations to also ensure the protection of important privacy. it is a recommendation that the public reporting requirements be expanded.

it to be used for the title three criminal wiretap laws. my testimony this morning really focuses on the need to promote this type of transparency. it details the use of wiretapping authority in the united states. it provides a great deal of information about the cost and effectiveness and jurisdictions that are using wiretap authority as well as the number of incriminating communications bar..

it provides a basis of criminal investigation. they recommended and supports the view that in your consideration of the act there should be greater public accountability for the use of these authorities. there is simply too little known by the american public about the circumstances under which fisa authorities are used. it was to authorize the use of these four categories of targets rather than particular individuals. in our testimony, we suggested

the internal procedures that had been established have been provided by the director of national intelligence reports to you about the use of section 7 of the act. it could be presented in such a way that they could be made available to the public. it could be made use of. we think of this information were made available, rises is the of whether they have a well- founded fear if they might be misused and that they might be subject to unlawful surveillance. we simply do not reaknow the

circumstances under which fisa the 30's are used. we have additional suggestions as well that we thing -- authorities are used. we have additional suggestions as well that we are using. we are reporting to the public but it is not enough. we ask you to consider these changes. thank you. >> thank you. >> could you please turn your microphone on? >> i think this is on now. thank you for inviting me to share the concerns about the amendment act. we urge you not to reauthorize the act in its current form and not to reauthorize the act in any form until the government discloses more about how it has been used.

it allows the surveillance of american international communications. it places no restrictions on targeting people overseas even if they are communicating with u.s. citizens and residents. it has been to be monitored that requiring them to comply with meaningful limitations on use and dissemination and it out requiring them to obtain individualized warrants are to make prior ones that the foreign agents are connected in any way to terrorism. the technology is more advanced out. it authorizes what they would have described as a general warrants. a general order can be used to

justify the millions of communications. it can authorize all phone calls to and from a policy interests.