federal funding for medicaid and other programs are our lifeline. that lets us do what we do and do it well. it is true that in many areas, including highway maintenance, the university system, public safety, and work-force development. this funding is critical. i hope the platform will have a strong statement about increasing funding to state and local governments. i know that money does not fall from trees and does not fall from the sky, but we in wisconsin were thrilled that president obama is pushing to end the tax cuts for the richest 2% of our country. those two% did not pay close to their fair share. my family and the family is a work with -- we do pay our fair share. we're asking the democratic party to support getting rid of the special tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires. working families are still

struggling in this economy, and strengthening unions will help to make sure that workers let me and our voices get heard. making our tax system fair will top the federal government fully support the work that we do in our communities rely on. thank you. >> thank you for coming and thank you for the good work to do. are there questions? >> thank you for travel and hear from wisconsin to tell us your story. you all have had a really rough trip, starting with governor walker's assault on public employees. i really appreciate the importance of letting the bush tax cuts expired. i think those are crucial. can you say little about how the battles and wisconsin really brought out a lot of community support for public employees,

not just from unions -- there were a lot of people who were out at the capitol standing with you all. >> i was there on the first day trip happened in february of 2011. we were overwhelmed and tumbled and so honored that so many people realize that the work the other people do -- people came who were not union members, but they had kids who had teachers and things like that. it brought out the work that everybody has. together, we make its. >> other comments or questions? >> you do hard work and you surf people. we honor you today and thank you for being here. >> thanks. >> our next presenters are two

-- in the ward and ross daniels. amy and ross are from west des moines iowa. they are here to tell us about the impact of the affordable care act on their lives. we look forward to hearing their testimony. >> to the distinguished members of the committee, i want to say thank you for inviting my husband and i here to share our stories. particularly about how obamacare helped my family during a catastrophic illness. last summer, we took a vacation in northern minnesota. my husband likes to fish, i like to kayak. it was a great vacation. except, one day when i was getting out of my kayak s slipped and fell into the water and swallowed a small mouthful of water.

other than being so, i did not think anything else about the until two months later when i got a really bad cold and a terrible cough. my doctor said i had a case of pneumonia. i thought that, after a few days of antibiotics, i would be back to normal. but i was wrong. a week later, i was on life- support in a medically induced coma. it's terrible infection was raging in my body that doctors had no clue what was causing it. even though i was on a ventilator, my body could not get enough oxygen. my lungs had failed. i developed septic shock. my kidneys failed. my digestive system failed. and my liver was not working so well. multiple -- blood transfusions

-- because of my kidney failure, i was on constant dialysis for two weeks. i learned later that my chances for survival were very low. about one in three. finally, my doctors decided what was making me so sick -- i had contracted a rare fungal pneumonia in my lungs. that was from the one mouthful of lake water, just one. i was lucky -- there was a medication that could help me. that medication cost $3,000 a day. i was in a coma, overall, for six weeks. this is what it took to save my life. extremely expensive, cutting edge, bioengineered medications, the most advanced medical technology available, including

ventilators, dialysis machines, telemetry equipment, and more. also, the finest specialists in infectious disease, pulmo nology, nephrology -- and others. definitely the finest nurses, and nearly two months of intensive care. when i awoke from my,, i was shocked. almost all of my strength was gone. i needed help with everything. after those two months of intensive care, i had one month of inpatient physical therapy. later, i needed a home health nursing and home health equipment. my doctors recommended a tree

a trachaeostomy. as you can see, i still have it. due to complications, i had no voice for several months. i still need this to breathe while and speak well. i have had four surgery is to help me breathe and speak better. i know that i will -- i had to learn to walk and care for myself again. all of this was caused by one mouthful of lake water. the cost of my icu stay rapidly exceeded $1 million in less than two months. to date, the amount is now $1.5

million. i was really lucky that my health insurance now longer had a $1 million cap. before i got sick, i always thought $1 million would take care just about anything. i never imagined i would need $1 million of care. in fact, when i looked at that $1 million limit, and my health insurance card, that number seems just fine. i was wrong to think that $1 million will always be enough for a lifetime's worth of health care. i am so grateful that i had the resources to get well. before obamacare, we would have gone bankrupt trying to do something. in one day, i will be well

enough to -- one day, i'll be well enough to go back to work. my pre-existing conditions will not exclude me from employer insurance plans. although i am getting better, the battle for making health care available to all americans is still raging. so many people still need help. for that, we need all states to participate in the medicaid expansion. we need to scientists to make funding decisions to make future -- for the future by medical research to make sure that high- tech drugs like the one that saved my life will continue to be developed. we needed republic to understand their new obamacare privileges

-- tax credits and public exchanges will help reduce the impact of annual premium increases. that some employers had blamed on obamacare rather than taking responsibility for their own business decisions. as i look back, my illness has completely changed how i looke t health care in america. if you member anything i say today, please remember this -- i am just an average person. i'm a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend. my illness was a total fluke. but it could happen to anyone. our health-care system needs to be ready both for you and for all americans. thank you for listening.

>> my husband will not speak. -- now speak. >> distinguished members of the platform committee, i would first like to thank all the democratic members of congress and so many others who put their own political careers on the line to support the affordable care act for all americans. you represent the finest example set by two of my personal heroes, senator robert f. kennedy, who said there are those who look at things the way they are and ask why -- i dream of things that never were and asked why not. and senator edward kennedy, who made the passage of health care for all americans his life's work. any and i thank you from the bottom of our hearts and are at your service and imploring you to please enlist our help in whatever way you dean effective. there has been so much noise and

distortion surrounding the affordable care at, which are owned senator tom harkin called one of the most compassionate pieces of legislation in generations. amy and i believe that it is our personal and moral obligation to share our story in the hope that, by doing so, americans will finally be able to put real human names and faces and stories with a law that is already benefiting millions of middle-class and struggling americans while separating out the truth of the law from the militias, heinous, and inexcusable lice -- yes, lies -- surrounding this law. as amy eloquently and courageously shared, we know the truth about obamacare, a term i use with the utmost pride for we know the truth far better than most. amy and i are and have been

tremendously fortunate to have excellent health insurance through our employers. however, prior to the signing of obamacare, her insurance was capped, like that of over 105 million americans. had it not been for the immediate relief on those caps once the president signed this legislation, we would have almost certainly needed to declare bankruptcy to cover the expenses necessary to save amy's life. i asked you, panelists, to please imagine for just one moment the stress of sitting in intensive care and praying with your entire seoul for the life of your spouse, a partner, or child. this was my agony. now, add in worrying about how you will pay the amends'

hospital bill when your insurance finally runs out. i imagine the heartbreak of telling your partner or child as they finally waking from a life- threatening illness that, simply because of their bad luck or freak accident the dream of retirement, a college education, of even keeping our home are now gone. you may lose everything because you chose to keep them alive. imagine the feelings of shame and guilt at hearing what other illnesses caused their family. finally, imagine hearing what your life -- whiteflies in a, the harm -- the heart -- a heartless claims of let them buy during the discussions of a hypothetical situation. in one of the early gop presidential debates prior to our state's caucus. this, also, is unfortunately my

agony. these initial financial fears have not been part of the agony i have faced. our member that soon after, when amy was just beginning to understand -- we thought, what are we going to do? as a continued -- as i continue to stroke her beautiful red -- hair, i said, sweetie, don't you worry about a thing. saved us. the republicans would rather have voters hear anything other than the true story like ours of real middle-class americans been saved from financial ruin or even death by the president's signature achievement. amy and i both hope that by sharing our personal story about this landmark legislation that has been so ruthlessly distorted

for so long, that normal middle- class americans will finally learned and listen up to the truth about this law. i will happily put a real experience is up against any multi-millionaire political pundit anytime anywhere to help america do just that. thank you. >> i want to thank you, amy and ross, for sharing your story. we need to move along, folks, because we still have many people to hear from. what i'm going to do is start inviting a couple up at a time to testify to gather. are there any questions for in your ross at this point? thank you both for your testimony. is inviteoing to do

carol berman and leon krazinski to come together. carroll is a volunteer with the national committee to preserve social service -- security and medicare. leon is the president of the wisconsin alliance of retired americans. we're happy to hear from the two of you. we will be holding up the time card at an appropriate time, but please share from your heart and be as concise as you can. we look forward to hearing -- >> mr. chairman, to the extent that people could diminish repetition, i think that would be very helpful. >> thank you, congressman. we will hear first from carol. thank you, carol. >> i'm from west palm beach, florida.

mine is a sad but not very unique story. before moving to florida, i lived in ohio. well there, my husband became incapacitated with alzheimer's. for two years, i managed a 4- tom -- full-time job and -- to meet -- to make ends meet, i sold are modest, and moved into a small apartment. soon after, my husband broke his hip well in day care, and even after surgery and rehabilitation could no longer walk. i was forced to place him in a long-term care facility. the average cost per month rent $45,000, depending on medications and extra services such as laundry. each and every month, i was forced to sell something else of i knew just to get by.

for two more years, i managed by cashing in all of our assets except for my individual 401k which, since i was not yet dealt -- eligible for social security, was all had let -- all i had left. when it became clear funds would not last much longer and that my financial future was in serious jeopardy, i hired an attorney to advise me to contact a state welfare worker. to my chagrin, this person could not understand why i was concerned about depleting my funds down to the last dollar. she told me that the state of ohio would take care of me by making me eligible for section 8 housing, food stamps, and other welfare programs. in addition, they would take care of my husband and the

nursing home. i could not believe that, after working my entire life, this was my only option. it was not what i had dreamed of for my retirement years. i went back to the attorney and asked him if there was any way at all that i could avoid impoverishment and taking welfare benefits and still preserve my only remaining source of money, my 401k. that is when he told me that to do this i would have to do the unthinkable -- i would have to divorce my husband. so i did. thankfully, since my daily visits to the nursing home never wavered, my husband never knew the change in our marital status. he treated me the same way every day during this terrible. -- terrible her article, with, here comes the pretty lady, because he could not remember my

name. it is sad, i feel guilty to this very day that the only avenue left open to me was to take such a drastic measure to avoid poverty in my retirement years. this is why i simply do not understand why so many in washington want to cut already modest medicare and social security benefits. we should be looking for ways to improve these programs, including long-term care benefits, so that, if we get sick, we do not end up having to go on welfare to pay for our care. seniors want to remain independent, but that will become even harder with the programs we have -- if the programs we paid into our entire lives continue to be the focus of cost-cutting plans in washington. i lived on the edge of financial disaster for a long time just

because my husband needed long- term care. social security and medicare were the lifelines that i needed to come through that very difficult time. they are lifelines future generations will also need. they should be protected. they should be strengthened. they should not be cut, and they should not be privatized. i thank you for allowing me to testify. >> carol, thank you for your compelling testimony. i think your testimony has touched all of us. from we're ready to hear you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i am a member of the alliance of retired americans, a grass-roots organization of 4 million americans advocating for seniors, with over 500 local chapters. i'm also president of the wisconsin alliance for retired americans.

i appreciate this opportunity to see if you words about our organization. as you know, the 2012 elections to be first in which the majority of voters are aover 45. 45 years after president johnson signed medicare into law -- on august 14, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of social security, a lasting legacy of franklin delano roosevelt and one of the great social anti-poverty programs. they then are rooted in old- fashioned american values -- they embody the advice to give to young generations -- work hard, save some money, and when you are older you'll be able to relax and enjoy a break. after hard work, you'll be able to spend a little time with family and friends. the passage of the formal care act was also a victory for america's seniors and families. since 2010, millions of seniors and people with disabilities have saved $3.9 billion on

medications. in the last year, over 32 million seniors receive the least one new preventive care benefits to medicare. one of those, a task, is what discovered my cancer. i am happy to sit after two resigned cancer-free. -- after two years, i am cancer free. social security is a reward for hard work and fat -- our families and neighbors 3 sharing of risk. we reject the idea that we should turned social security from an earned right into we will. social security benefits are earned. when the time comes to retire, you are guaranteed benefits are there for you. as a member of the steering committee of the social security coalition, the alliance supports their platform submission to this committee. two wall thus, social security and medicare promises -- to all of us, social security promises

a reward for people who played by the rules, but to mid romney social security and medicare are disturbing more funds to be privatized and rated for personal gains. think about raising -- ronnie paucity of raising social security -- ronnie's policy of raising social security eligibility to 70. i cannot see myself doing that as an electrician. what does this mean for workers across the country? this would be a cruel and terrible way for people -- to treat people who work physically demanding jobs their lives. the lines for retired americans urges the democratic party to have a platform plank unconditionally committed to preserving and protecting social security and medicare. these programs are the bedrock of the democratic party. we 0 it to our children and grandchildren, the future older americans, that this party, the democratic party, stands ready

to keep them strong and vibrant. i would answer any questions. it would take the hour to tell you how i could save some security and medicare, but believe me, it is simple. >> are there questions from the committee? much for coming in for your testimony. next, we will hear from charlie morgan and karen morgan. they are here to discuss some of the obstacles that they are facing as a same-sex couple, despite the fact that they then are legally married in their home state of new hampshire. thank you for being here. we look forward to your testimony. >> good afternoon, mr. chairman and members of the committee.

my name is charlie morgan. this is my wife, karen. i am in new hampshire national guard -- i served a great nation for more than 17 years. i would like to congratulate rep frank on your recent marriage. my wife, karen, is a special education teacher who has been forced to quit work so she can care for our 5-year-old daughter, casey elena. i have stage four breast cancer. karen will do most of the talking today -- my voice is very weak due to a tumor pressing against my vocal chords. >> thank you. my wife, charlie, and i have been together for more than 15 years. throughout this time, we have been committed to each other in a way that is similar to how you have been committed to your own

spouses or life partners. we were joined in a civil union in 2000. when we finally felt it was safe to be legally married last year, following the repeal of don't ask don't tell, we did so immediately. celebrating our marriage with family and friends, affirming and strengthening our commitment to one another, and making universal promised to share all of life's joys and sorrows together has made our relationship stronger, and it has made are families stronger. that is just it -- we are a family, just like any other family. we have based our relationship and love and honor and respect. my commitment to charlie and our commitment to our daughter is the most important part of our life. when charlie and i swore our lives to reach other, we meant forever. for better or worse. in sickness and health. we also believe in serving their

country, and that is what charlie is an active guard reserve education officer. that is why we saw it as simply part of our duty as a military family when charlie deployed to training in wisconsin and then kuwait for one year as part of operation new dawn. that is why i took leave from my career as a special education teacher to support her deployment, take care of our daughter, and now, take care of charlie during her sickness. in spite of all that and the fact that we are legally married, the united states government still treats us as legal strangers. our government will not allow me to access health and dental insurance under charlie's coverage, meaning that we must shoulder the huge expense of purchasing dreadful cost or go without. sadly and quite frighteningly, right now i am without health insurance because we simply

cannot afford bread. i am unable to get a military i.d. to have access to the services that other families automatically enjoy. in fact, when charlie and our daughter go to the commissary to buy growth trees, i am forced to stand s -- groceries, i am forced to stand aside and wait. the government that charlie serves every day, even now with her cancer, will not provide survivors' benefits to me should she not win her battle. i need those benefits in order to care for our daughter. perhaps this is the scariest part of all. in 2008, charlie was diagnosed with breast cancer. a double mastectomy and model rounds of chemotherapy saved her life. declared fit to serve in 2010, she fulfilled her duty in kuwait and returned home to our family. the september, there was more bad news -- her cancer was back. it was metastatic and incurable.

she has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation since and, frankly, we do not know how long she will be with us. military survivor benefits cannot say charlie's life, but they can make sure that our family is able to keep going if she loses her battle with cancer. charlie travel to washington in february to meet with the staff of house speaker john boehner. she told them about her service to her country and her battle with cancer and ask him to drop his legal defense of the so- called a defense of marriage act, which renders our marriage a second-class union in the eyes of federal government. he ignored her pleas. hearing president obama expressed his support for the freedom to marry in may, we have new hope. he was our commander-in-chief, standing behind our family, asserting that we were just as deserving of the special commitment as any other family.

as a military family through and through, we carry that statement of solidarity with us as we keep pushing every day to be treated just like every other family in the united states. we're asking you today to stand with their family and some the other loving been committed sin- sex couples and families by -- same-sex couples and families by making marriage equality part of your platform. we're asking to take a stand for quality, love, and families like us all across the nation. >> i am not afraid to die. as a soldier, i accepted that possibility when night deployed. but i'm afraid that karen will not receive the benefits that we have earned as a family to take care of casey ileana when i am gone. thank you for the opportunity to share my story. >> charlie, karen, thank you so

very much for coming and sharing your personal story. you have, i am sure, touched all of our hearts. we certainly appreciate your service to our country and your commitment to each other. thank you for being here. >> there is no greater service to all can perform them to share their personal pain in the service of trying to help other people avoid it. we are deeply grateful. i want to put on the record some facts -- the house, as barbara remembers, one week ago on thursday, voted on a motion by a republican member of the house to reaffirm the defense of marriage act. one correction -- the federal government does not consider your marriage second-class. it considers it nonexistent. it is of no way whatsoever. the vote in the house to reaffirm doma -- 230 republicans

voted in favor of a reaffirmation. five voted against. and the democratic side, 17 voted to reaffirm it. 161 voted against it. one of the 17 was somebody who will be with us. the republicans' 98% continue to decline your rights. the democrats, 90% continue to support you. when the house leadership which makes this decision voted on whether or not to go to court to defend doma, -- i thank you. this is one where we are on the right side as far as the public is confirmed -- concerned. when we put this to the platform, we're reaffirming were the democrats already are. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you.

are there other questions? >> my husband. [phone ringing] [laughter] >> next, we will hear from aaron, who is on behalf of the stonewall democrats. he is in minneapolis-basedolgbt -- lgbt activist who works and local politics. he's here to speak with us about his experiences and especially about marriage equality. thank you so much for being here. >> good afternoon. thank you for allowing me to speak today. i am speaking on behalf of the national stonewall democrats, in national voice of lgbt democrats working with the democratic party. i represent a number of others

who wanted to testify today but due to time are not able to. we're here today to advocate for the passage on the plank that speaks specifically to full marriage equality in the national plot -- party's platform. some may believe this is a leap for the party, the party is not ready order may be politically unwise to do this now -- we say as lgbt individuals that we're ready for marriage. over 70 percent sign of democrats, including president obama, now agree. something -- some think we want to change the definition of the word marriage. we did not have to change the definition of the word army when lgbt individuals joined the army, we are seeing -- seeking sent to join marriage, the ideals built on love, commitment, responsibilities, supported by friends, family, and the larger community.

to link the idea of love and marriage equality is that -- laws. there are numerous practical matters, provisions that allow us to care for and protect our families -- in the state of minnesota alone, there are at least 515 loss to which committed lgbt couples have no access. an investigation by the government accountability office revealed over 1100 federal rights and protections from which lgbt couples are barred. these include and of life issues, health care, credit, taxes, legal relationships, public services, raising children, property ownership, and so on. it is important for me to tell you how much this means to be on a personal level. my brother adam will be getting

married this a tender to the woman he loves. it is heartwarming to see him plan for the day, but i also have to admit i am envious at the same time. i cannot wait to have the same opportunity that he does that some -- someday. i cannot wait for the data we all dream about, where i am able to get down on one knee and instead of saying, will you civil union the or, would you domestic partnership me, say the words that matter the most -- will you marry me? knowing that we have full support of the law and full support of the community. today, asking to say i do, allowing committed lgbt couples to be included in marriage equality. thank you for your time. >> thank you. could you introduce the person that you are right, please? >> i can introduce myself. i retired from the military in

2005 after serving almost 30 years in the active and reserve components. i have five children, 11 grandchildren. i'm also a retired police officer on the civilian side. i'm embarrassed of what i will say today -- i came here to thank you for what the democrat ic leadership has done as far as don't ask don't tell and repealing it. i want to express my gratitude and that of many others for the field -- repeal of don't ask don't tell. president obama, members of this committee -- they persevered until don't ask don't tell was repealed. the president will long be remembered for doing this, just as president truman was remembered for desegregating

the military in 1950 or so. i want to talk briefly about this whole thing and tell what the facts have been since then -- part of this relates to what admiral maugham said to the senate committee. this was an february 2, 2010 -- this was a brilliant stroke by the president to do that. it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. we cannot escape been troubled by the fact that women -- by the fact that we have in place a policy that forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend themselves -- their fellow citizens. it comes down to integrity. there's as individuals and there

is as -- hours as an institution. the great young man and woman of our military -- i do not have the words to express my gratitude to the admiral for what he said that day. it strengthened the resolve to bring about the day that don't ask don't tell was finally -- would finally ende. in some time in 2010, there was a model boat -- modeled of votes -- muddled vote. it strengthened their resolve, and wheat -- did just that, bombarded congress with phone calls. in the end, they did the right thing, bowden for equality, fairness, and common sense. since then, recruiting has not dropped. morale has continued to increase.

the world has not stopped turning, no matter what my friend michele bachmann might say. there were three significant defects. the first was the end of the daily fear of being ousted. put yourself in the place of a young kid who is far away from home. in a different part of the world for the first time in his life -- that kid just wants to serve his country, but he has beefier every day of being outed. -- and the fear every day of being added. what you did was and that fear, and that is a great thing. i witnessed that when a young man was sent home during basic training in a disgrace to his family in southern minnesota. repeal has brought about honesty in service, just as the

admiral alluded to in his speech. finally, and here is the most important thing. i want to to take this back to your fellow democrats. repeal give hope to be used. -- to gay youth. as a retired officer and father, i can tell you what happens to gay kids when they do not have hope. they often choose a tragic way out. my youngest son, who was straight and afghanistan veteran himself had a friend who came out when he was 19, . as it turns out, the young man gave up hope and took a tragic way out. that devastated the family and give me the impetus to keep speaking out for equality and to give hope to young kids. take that message back. what you have done here is given

hope to gay kids that they can live normal lives like their peers, friends, and family members. that is an incredible thing. people,ever meet these but by your actions you have saved lives. i want to dedicate this to a family friend, andrew wilford. he was killed in action in afghanistan in february of 2011. he was openly gay, but it did not make a bit of difference to those who served with. to his memory and the cause of equality -- i dedicate these words. thank you very much for what you have done. >> thank you. thank you for your service to our country -- sergeant, i believe. we really appreciate that and your testimony. are there questions from the

committee? >thank you both so very much for your testimony and for being here this afternoon. our next presenter is tim velde. tin is a grain farmer in -- team is a grain farmer in yellow madison county, minnesota. keeper -- curtis gates in the county zoning board and is active in the -- he participates in the county zoning board and is here to talk to us today about the strength of the rural economy under president obama. thank you for coming. we appreciate the opportunity to hear what you have to say to us. >> thank you. thank you for letting me come and speak to you. welcome to minnesota. as a brief introduction, i am a fourth-generation park --

former. i far on the land that my great- grandfather first bought in 1886. i farm with my son, and i have four kids and nine grandchildren and a couple of my grandson's are interested in coming to form. one of my real concerns is passing the farm on to win next generation and keeping things going. consolidation in agriculture has been growing and growing over the years, becoming more corporate, going away from family farms. years ago, the packers and stockyards act was passed and implemented, which said that packers could not be in farming and kept corporate farming from taking over the family farms -- those laws are still on the books, but they are not been completely enforced.

i think that they -- if we are going to continue to have good, safe food produced by family farms, those need to be continuously implemented. if you want to look at one of the successes of agriculture, ethanol and biofuels -- we have home-grown energy products that has helped farmers to be more competitive in the marketplace, but it has also saves consumers millions of dollars and less expensive fuel. you do not have to protect a corn field like a battleship to get the products into your gas tank. home-grown energy is something that is very important and vital to this country. one thing that is important to the rural economy is, of

course, agriculture to --. the farm bill, -- i do not know if it should be considered a farm bill. the former part is a small fragment of the dollars, but those dollars are important. all of the mark. -- of them are. the school lunch programs are important all over this country and in the rural areas. a lot of the infrastructure being built as far as water and sewer plants in the country -- that comes to the farm bill. the total scope of the bill is very important. it probably should be renamed so that the farmers are not blamed for the millions of dollars that go into it. the bill that is currently waiting to -- awaiting passage -- the senate passed it, the house agricultural committee has

supported it, but it cannot get any for time to get a vote on it -- is as good a bill as can be had in these times when they are looking at cuts. one of the things that representative frank said earlier about -- that we need a message out there, we do need to increase the tax on the wealthy people, brought to mind my great-grandfather, who started the farm i am on. he came to this country with nothing. to him, he became successful and worked hard. to him, april 15 was the best of the entire year. you come to this country with nothing, work hard, and all you have to do is pay some taxes. i guess that is a follow through in our family. we all feel very fortunate to be here and do not see taxes is a

bad thing. the other thing that is very important in rural communities -- when i was introduced, yellow madison county is 150 miles west of the twin cities. some of the things important to us -- my home town is less than 300 people. the postal service has been looking at consolidating offices. our local post office gets to be a need to decide for people. everybody goes to pick up mail. it is a place for they can congregate and visit. another thing that is important in rural communities that i hope can stay and the platform is the meals on wheels -- many of the older people in towns do not have access -- we do not have the courage to store in town anymore. they do not have access to get

out of town for their grocery shopping unless somebody takes them for a ride. with meals on wheels -- it still comes to town. that is a very vital thing for rural communities. i guess one thing that all of us democrats need to keep in mind -- most of our problems have not been caused by us, but could be solved by electing more of us. i thank you for your time. i ask you to please continue to remember that us out in the rural communities are providing you with good, clean, safe food. so thank you. >> thank you for your testimony. we were happy to hear from the national farmers union spokesperson yesterday.

we're happy to have you here today. are there questions from the committee? thank you, and especially thank you for mentioning the importance of these smaller post offices. we think that is critically important. thank you. our next presenter is merck -- melissa spencer. melissa is the president of the day maureen education -- the morgan education association. she is a science teacher at the high school in des moines. we appreciate you have come to speak with us. >> good afternoon. thank you very much for the opportunity to speak. i'm a high-school science teacher from iowa. i'm here to speak about the increased resources and support for school reform that we have experienced in des moines i have taught there for 10 years. the success comes to a grant

received in the department of education. two years ago, it was a persistently low-achieving school. we were the lowest-performing high school in iowa. our demographics a similar to many urban schools. 25% of students qualify for english-language lerner services. are persistently low-achieving label did result in us receiving a $3 million school improvement grant beginning in 2011. in the fall of 2010, a new era began for us. we were demoralized and being labeled as persistently low- achieving, but we neutered was an opportunity for us to -- we knew it was an opportunity. we had an entirely new administration and our staff was mostly the same. what was different is that we put a renewed focus on

expectations for both students and staff. we started to focus more specifically on student learning and how we can measure and analyze it. a collaboration between the norm. teachers and the administration worked together. this became the foundation for the success we have seen of the past two years. we set aside specific time to analyze construction and student learning. we reorganized our schedule so that teachers who taught the same subject had 80 minutes to gather every other day. we have a specific focus on allies in student learning. we start with common assessment we have developed together. then, we look at how we can develop a curriculum standard that will target the areas we noticed students need more assistance with. we had four a school improvement leaders that were positions we could add to the team through these grants. they were able to work with the

data team. they have also been invaluable because they spend 90% of their days in classrooms with the teachers during coaching, claustrum walk-through is, and -- feedback. another area that the grant helped us is in the trustee. we have 90 minutes a week for professional development. we focused that time working on the right and to learn initiative. students get daily writing activities to further concept never class, even in peak. -- concepts from every class, even p/e. we also have a literacy course for students. all of these initiatives were coordinated by a literacy leader, which was another position we could add to the grand. -- three the grant.

-- through the grant. the goal was to increase in dayton in technology and level the playing field for students. many students did not have reliable access to technology. now, each student gets a macbook for them and the family to use, at school and at home. when the accident to pick up their computer and stephen used every day -- it was wonderful. in the past two years, we have gained 19 points in reading and 19 points in science. it has gained 9% in math. since task force should only be part of success, we have seen it -- test scores should only be part of success, we of seen other indicators -- higher attendance rate and less suspensions.

robotics, the catalog, and rotc team placed top-10 nationwide. our students and community are proud to be part of the family. i would like to see this in education policy across the nation -- targeting resources and emphasizing collaboration. we always believe we should help lead the change you want to see. throughout the school, we were part of the conversation about what kind of professional development we needed to grow as educators, as well as leading the discussion about student learning. we were able to get the feedback, support, and professional development we needed. i hope that you will consider continuing the school improvement grants. they have found a wonderful way to improve our nation's urban schools.

thank you very much. >> thank you. you have just illustrated what i think is very important -- if you want to improve education in america, we need to listen to the people who know most about. those are the teachers who work daily with the students. thank you for being here. are there questions and terre --? >> i really enjoy hearing about the initiatives. an interesting segue -- it is the opening of the olympics. the celebration of title ix, from my perspective, the fact that for the first time there are more women than men in the u.s. going to the olympics, hopefully bringing home gold, . these incentives and initiatives level the playing field, create opportunities, and are something we should celebrate and actively pursue in our platform and our

party. >> thank you, melissa. we appreciate you being here. thank you for sharing with us today. we have several friends from the labour community here. i am going to ask them to come together. they may have to bring chairs. i'll ask david, bob ryan, james samuelson, tom and adam robinson -- i will ask them to share the microphones. i'll tell you about each of them and what they are wanting to talk with us about. first, david is a member of the united steelworkers local 7263. he has come to talk about his efforts to secure the use of steel from his mail in the rebuilding of i-35 west bridge in minneapolis, the bridge which

collapsed in 2008. we will then hear from bob ryan. bob is a member of the united steelworkers local 264. he will discuss the importance of fair trade for industrial workers. then we will hear from james, a member of local 160. james is here to discuss the second american bill of rights, which i think will be revealed in a few weeks. we are happy to have you here. he has a copy with him. then, we will hear from leann, a member of the afl-cio affiliate working america and she will discuss the full employment living wage component of the labor second bill of rights.

then, tom robinson, another member of working america, who will explain the secure, healthy future component of the second bill of rights, and discussed participation in the electoral process component. finally, we will hear from ed m. robinson, who is a member of the international -- adam robinson, was a member of the international union of teamsters local 120 and as an organizer with the labor federation, afl-cio, and he is also the chair of the minnesota workers faith networks, which partners people of faith with unions and the labor movement to call for social, racial and economic justice. so, all of you folks share common concerns and represent common values.

we are happy to have you here and we look forward to hearing from you. we begin with david packard >> thank you, chairman. -- david. >> thank you, chairman, governor strickland, and each of you for giving me the opportunity to speak. and i am appearing as a steelworker and a 10-year employee. i am the father of two children. i've served in the national guard and i'm a registered democrat since 2006, i have been politically active on behalf of my family. the union officer, and also as an afl-cio labor federation vice president. i am on the minnesota fair trade steering committee, and all of this explains why i am here

today. excuse me. all this explains why i am here today to advocate inclusion in the convention platform, support for policies that sustain family support and manufacturing jobs. in 2007, during an evening rush hour, the entire span of the minneapolis bridge collapsed and broke into sections, plunging dozens of cars and occupants into the river. 13 were killed and dozens were injured. the interstate 35 replace the bridge was open to the public on december 18, 2008. as a steelworker whose job depends on making steel for infrastructure projects, i'm joined brother and sisters to workers in been proud to secure the new bridge.

my purpose in relating the disastrous bridge collapse and the part played by our steelworkers is emphasizing the importance of all the infrastructure, the strength of american steel, and the skills of all work force and the economics of all of those things combined as good economic policy. the democratic convention platform must give urgent attention to american manufacturing industries and jobs as the bedrock of our economy and communities. we need to make a national policy commitment to the infrastructure investment of our bridges, highways, water systems and other public projects that create good jobs and strengthen domestic manufacturing. it is a policy growing in importance in the local economy. if the steel industry is strengthening the act, and it is adopted by law individually in each of parlor states.

unfortunately, by american laws have been diluted to the free use of waivers, lack of transparency, and loopholes. that means some procurement policies support american workers, while other states stand hard-earned tax dollars to beijing and said of reinvesting them in our economy -- instead of reinvesting them in our economy. i've studied this issue and. in the minnesota legislature. we've yet to be successful in achieving legislation. a new bill introduced by democratic lawmakers earlier this year is awaiting action. other states are attempting to do the same on this policy. research in 2009 found when domestic content is maximized, and employment gains increased up to 33%. at a time when the u.s. manufacturing sector have lost

more than 6 million jobs since 2000, and should be a common sense, first step seeking to rejuvenate the productive, wealth-producing sector of our economy. doubt is spread by spreading myths that is inefficient, burdensome, and will create a trade war. with some understanding of the issues, these myths are easily discredited. critics argue the use of by american policy would cause trade wars with trading partners. most industrialized countries already utilized their own procurement. canada, the u.k. have their own laws. providing a preference for domestic content is fully within their rights of the united states. to remove uncertainty, by american language includes a clause that says the provision should be.

out in a manner consistent with our trade and -- should be carried out in a manner consistent with our trade obligations. it is utilizing to the fullest extent possible. thank you for hearing my comment on behalf of union steel workers and our local president. >> thank you, david, for your testimony. we appreciate you have come to share this with us. i like where you said. next, we'll hear from bob ryan. >> thank you, governor of the members of the committee. thank you for taking time to listen to us. my name is bob ryan and for 30 years i worked at iraq 10 paper mill in -- at the rock 10 . paper mill in -- paper mill in minneapolis. unfortunately, much of the paper collected that we need for our operations, and we consume a large volume of waste paper.

we are a 100% recycled mile. we have four paper machines, each the length of a football field that produced that paper. unfortunate, many communities are working for brokers that ticket paper and shipped it to china. scrap paper is the number one export out of the united states china is paying up to two and a half times market rate to get our paper, and that puts a huge burden on the paper industry. a manufacturing job at the paper mill has allowed me to live a comfortable, middle-class

lifestyle. i'm a third-generation worker. followed by my stepson, and hopefully next year by 17-year- old son will be able to enjoy a life style there, too. the republicans' vision is to cut taxes, services, and the budget, but the democrats' plans to be about building, competing and sustaining a better tomorrow. we must sustain current commitments to manufacturing. my mil in place over 500 people. when i started in 1981, there were 1300. because of different programs that have happened, particularly walmart, we have lost most of our manufacturing base in this country. >> if the auto industry collapsed, my mel would have shut down. -- my mil would have shut down. every day, china uses currency manipulation to steal our jobs

and destroy america -- american manufacturing industries. nationwide, we have lost 6 million jobs since 2010 and joined the wto. this must stop. we must rebuild our american manufacturing base before we become nothing more than any we did a colony to supply china coast and needs. earlier this year, i was active in responding to heat -- help keep good jobs in minnesota. my union supported an amendment to the proposed construction of the new minnesota vikings football stadium. it requires the stadium be built with 100% american steel. and the steel must be mined from northern minnesota. if all goes well, they will win

the super bowl. [laughter] revitalizing american manufacturing should be an urgent national priority. 55,000 factories have closed which resulted in a 6 million jobs lost. factories do not often reopen at their capacity but we do have hope. the u.s. now relies on foreign suppliers from everything from steel, cement, batteries to everyday medical supplies such as antibiotics and penicillin. the resilience risks include not having access to these materials and products, the late delivery times. the edge the democratic platform committee to examine the report preparing for the 21st century risks, revitalizing american manufacturing to protect, respond, and recover. i went to thank you for taking the time to listen to us today

please do everything you can to bring the manufacturing base back to the united states instead of shipping its overseas. >> thank you. we appreciate the of the system may factoring and everything alcee of shared with us. next, we will hear from james samuelsson. who belongs to the greatiedw -- the great iedw union. the mayor wants to move the microphone closer. >> thank you, ladies and gentleman for letting us present to you the -- america's second bill of rights.

my name is james samisen, i am a 27 member of the international brotherhood of electrical workers, local union 160, here in minneapolis. we have been asked to come here today to speak about the second bill of rights of america. i would like to start by saying it is time to start to change the conversation in america. the dying middle-class, a burdened job market, call it that levels out of control, a living wage, and a secure retirement is increasingly a thing of the past. the electoral process is now open to the highest bidder. these are tough times for american workers, for the american worker, tougher than it has been in many generations. as journalists recently wrote, on alternet, over the past 40 years, corporations and politicians have rolled back many of the gains made by working-class people over the previous century. we are at the highest level of income -- we have the highest level of income inequality in 90 years.

both private and public sector unions are under a concentrated attack in federal and state governments intent to cut the deficit by slashing services to the poor. we are creating the gilded age, the period of the 19th and early 20th centuries, where corporations rule the nation. by buying politicians, using violence against unions, and engaging in open corruption. if there was a time to change the national conversation in this country by focusing on putting the political agenda back on the needs of working americans, it is now. it is now time to change the conversation in america. at the national press club in washington, the afl-cio president richard trumka and the international brothers of electrical union president will pick up the workers and for america, once again, better known as the america's second bill of rights.

a national campaign to refocus the national priorities on the needs of the struggling middle class, demanding an economy that works for all, not just the top 1%. we will be asking both democrats and republicans to sign on as supporters. this is our way of asking those in leadership positions, are you with us? what we are saying here today is not new. what is new is how we propose to make the power structure in america pay attention to the needs of men and women whose labor drives this country. a worker stands for america will feature a major rally on saturday, august 11, in philadelphia.

i booked my ticket. bring to the working people, union and nonunion, in a run of two democrat and republican national conventions, to urge elected officials to stand with working families in support of a second bill of rights promoting individual freedom and economic opportunity for all. we have chosen philadelphia because it is the birthplace of the constitution and bill of rights. there is no better place to reduce a second bill of rights inspired by president franklin roosevelt, 1944 economic bill of rights, which includes many of the same issues. fdr said, "true, individual freedom cannot exist without economic tyranny and independence." right now across this country, this holds true than ever. we want to make this part of the everyday discourse on the campaign trail throughout this election and in the media. as president hill made it clear also, this is not about party or partisanship.

it is about the future of the american dream. our message is to both political parties to return to the basic values that created america's best days. our economy and our policies have become skewed almost beyond recognition. the recovery has been geared most entirely to corporations and the wealthiest americans. the rest of us are being left behind and opportunity, the greatest promise of america, is being lost. this is not acceptable out in a nation that was built on generations of labor. a strong and prosperous america cannot be measured by the stock market or the gdp. must be judged by the availability of good jobs, economic opportunity, and hope. hope that our children, grandchildren will have the same shot at the american dream that we did.

we have seen what happens when conserve the politicians back billionaires and right-wing ideologies take power. it is time to change the debate going on in this country and good working americans fired up for november and beyond. it is often said in an election year this is the most election -- most important election of our lifetime, but this time is ever so true. we only have to look at the radical changes in wisconsin, ohio, florida, to see what mitt romney's presidency would be like. august 11 will be the first of toward saving middle-class america. but we have to start somewhere. we hope you can join us in the streets of philadelphia, on twitter, on facebook, and in the months to come, building this grass-roots army to put the country back on the road towards economic opportunity for all.

thank you for the opportunity to present to you today. now i want to give my colleagues a chance to speak to the rest of this. >> thank you, james. leann, we are going to hear from you next. you may want to move over so that we can hear you. leanne is with working america. she is here to discuss the following wage component of labor's second bill of rights. thank you for being here. >> thank you for being here and taking for hearing me. i have heard some fantastic things said today. i agree with you strongly. i want to talk about my family history. i am a fourth generation american. over 400 years ago, my great grandfather emigrated here from mexico. he worked on the railroad here in minnesota. he was a union member. for all the generations, my

family has been raised with the importance of people standing together and the solidarity, and strength that americans have when we stand together and ask for our rights. on my maternal side, my great grandparents also came here both at the same time from czechoslovakia and austria. i grew up hearing stories from my grandfather and parents of all the world war ii era. my maternal grandfather was sent out with the navy to restore pearl harbor. he was a painter. when he returned, there were no jobs. we all know the depression was much worse than what we are going through now. my parents, again, like everyone else in that era, the families had food rations.

the government said, you can have this much server -- sugar, that much food, good luck to you. kids participated in the war effort. they would run around and get tires and tournament so that the military could turn them into weapons. the country was involved in everything going on here. it was not watching the news. it was being involved. when people were killed in the war, you would see a ribbon on the doorway of the people that lost someone, and everyone mourned. there were people working together. the nation stood together. at the same time, there were a lot of things -- we are hearing now -- communism, socialism, and a lot of fears. we all know that there were some bad things with that. the mccarthy era and so on. looking back, from when my grandfather came back from world -- pearl harbor, he joined the wpa, a government program put together to create jobs and infrastructure, to pay the people working.

we built the infrastructure, yes, on taxpayer dollars. the people that could not find work with people that did these jobs. in that era, the majority of citizens felt this country was worth investing in. now, there was national debt at that time. i think the main thing there is that we need you and the democratic party to help americans understand the investment, that it is not going to increase the debt. it will bring it back. the more money people make, more taxes they will personally pay. if we want to have people make - that are currently not paying in

or paying more -- we need to pay them a wage that they can live on so that they can also contribute to the country. when we have companies, like you mentioned, the richest people in the world, sending goes away and keeping wages low, instead of the company paying them a living wage that they can live off of, and then the employees take -- paying taxes, the employees are forced to decide whether they want to eat or get food stamps, which comes from the taxpayers' dime. if you could help to educate the american citizen, we need to increase wages so that more people can participate. thank you. >> thank you so much. we appreciate your work with working america. next we will hear from tom robinson. tom is another affiliate with working america. he will talk further about the second american bill of rights. >> thank you for inviting me to

speak. the specific issue i will talk about is the voter id amendment. we had one on the ballot in minnesota, there are a number of ballots and other states. it got on the ballot as an amendment to the constitution, partly because the republican legislature knew that the governor would veto it if they try to propose it as a law, so they decided to offer it as an amendment to the constitution. they did that with a number of issues. most of them were defeated from even getting on the ballot and only two -- the marriage amendment and this one -- got on the ballot. i have been doing some tone banking with working america on this issue, and it is a hard one. it will be a hard one to win but we need to try. many people that i talk to did not know it was on the ballots or they had no idea what that amendment was going to do.

what i hear from a lot of people is, what is wrong with it? all we want is a picture i.d. so that people can vote. there is a lot wrong with it. what this really is -- this is really a cynical, dishonest attempt by proponents. this is being presented as an amendment to protect the integrity of the a lot for process. actually, it is an attack on the electoral process. it is a deliberate effort to disenfranchise a lot of voters and groups of voters. the have the same data we do. our secretary of state has estimated that possibly 700,000 people will not take part -- eligible voters -- will not take part in this election, if this were to happen.

the specific groups it would affect our the poor, people of color, elderly, disabled people, are the main groups that this would affect. i think both parties know the majority of these groups tend to vote democratic. so this is purely political. there is nothing about protecting the electoral process here. i find it very distasteful, because the people know that, or they are really uninformed, which is hard for me to believe. how important is this? if this was in place six years ago, we would have different people in office. if that is not excited to get you out to talk about this, i do not know what will. you have to present your driver's license, why not for this? so it is hard to combat, but you

can do it. we do it every night with our phone banking. sometimes we get people that do not know anything about it, we get them thinking about it. sometimes we manage to change people's minds because we give them the evidence of what is going to happen if this is put into effect. any help that the committee can be, what the platform can do to help us here in minnesota and nationwide to prevent this amendment in minnesota and also other states, would be greatly appreciated. thank you. >> a thank you. we appreciate you sharing with us. -- thank you. now we are going to hear from adam robinson. he is a member of the teamsters union, brotherhood of local 130. he will talk about the minnesota faith network. we look forward to hear from you.

>> thank you, mr. chair, members of the committee, thank you for your time. i am the community organizer at the minneapolis regional federation of the afl-cio member teamsters local 120, chair of the minnesota workers interfaith network. i am proud and honored to get to talk to you for a few moments today. i am here on behalf of those organizations. my brothers and sisters are with me at the front of the room. we ask that the democratic party keep its lawn and additional support for the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively. we know the democratic party policy values are the values of labor. we share those values. the 2008 dnc platform states that every american, whatever their background or station of life, should have the chance to work at a good job with good wages to provide for a family and to retire with dignity and security. that belief, we feel, identifies the core of the american dream. that dream can be reclaimed for

millions of americans through the freedom of american workers to join together in unions and to bargain collectively. the 2008 dnc platform for their firms' workers rights by the necessity of organizing for a back of the class. in 2008, you said democrats are committed to an economic policy that produces good jobs with good pay and benefits. that is why we support the right to organize. we know when you is are a lot to do their job, making sure workers get their fair share, the pulpit of poverty and create a strong middle-class. you continue by saying we will fight vigorously to oppose so- called rights to work costs and paycheck detection efforts were their proposed. mr. chair, members of the committee, we know in this country the freedoms of our doing collectively have been under attack for decades, but it has really been so openly directed as in recent years. we see at the face of these attacks in wisconsin and ohio, across the nation, americans have come together to organize some of the largest and broadest labor mobilizations in recent memory.

we have stood united to protect our right to bargain collectively. insidious attacks have come as carbon copy bills and so-called right to work legislation. they have been pushed onto the floor of state legislatures throughout the nation. here in minnesota, we have seen this attack, in the form of a proposed amendment to our state constitution. these attacks on humans and collective bargaining not only affect union members, but we know and have seen the effects of this in the wider economy. the economic policy institute estimates much of the economy can be attributed to collective bargaining. as union membership has decreased, american wages have stagnated, and that has meant skyrocketing prices of health care, education, housing, and

other necessities of life. we know we need to work together to protect the rights of workers to perform -- form unions and to collect -- and to bargain collectively. we know unions are carpal economic actors, but beyond that, unions are more than just organization that fights for economic justice. they help to bind us together as a community. during one of the conversations i facilitated in the state of minnesota during the battle here in our state, a union member stood up to thank me for bringing the community together. he put it this way. sometimes when they go home at night, we feel like we are alone. noaa shares our bellies or think about making a better future for our kids. but when we are union members, we know we can work together to make things better. to me, it is important that we have the right to form unions and to bargain collectively.

i would hope that the dnc include this in their platform as a move for this year. >> thank you. i want to thank each of you for joining together, as you have. you have spoken the truth. i am personally inspired by your individual work that you do, the work that you do collectively. now, are the members of the committee that would have a question for any or all of the members? >> thank you so much. i just want to thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to come today and for reinforcing what we have been talking about are the boss couple of days, the shared values of the labor movement, families, and the democratic party.

a lot of issues that you raised -- james put it in the context of the second bill of rights -- but many of these issues go to a living wage, full employment, and we can do so with the enforcement of trade policies that president obama has put in place, the importance of buy american. as americans use our tax dollars to rebuild our economy, we know we have to buy american products to the full extent possible to create good jobs at home. adam, the point you raise is good. the right to a voice at work, which is essential, not just to the economy, but to our democracy. the point that leann raised about strength and solidarity is important. tom, you raise the issue that has come up a couple of times in the past couple of days, the right to vote. the bedrock importance to not just the democratic party, but to the rest of the countrynot chipping away at american's right to express themselves at the workplace, at the polling place. if we had time, we could go on and on on each of these issues, but time is limited.

i wanted to personally thank each and one of you for coming and sharing your testimony. >> thank you. other questions from the committee? >> you are letting us off easy. >> well, you were very convincing in your testimony. i hope that means we're all in agreement. thank you for being here and sharing with us. we are nearing the end of our witness list. we have one additional person. that person is ken bradley. he is our final presenter of

on getting minnesota to generate 10% of its energy from solar by the year 2013. a noble goal. ken, we look forward to hearing from you. >> it is an honor to be here. it is exciting to have an opportunity to present our coalition story as well as present to the committee members, such thinking for the time. besides serving as the chair for the solo works coalition, i also serve as a director for the environmental groups in minnesota. we were looking at the amount of energy solar could provide our state. poll after poll indicated that solar energy was extremely popular with democrats, independents, and republican, which demonstrated to us the public was once again way out in front with many of our politicians. however, it was also the optimism of the town established

by president obama's election that provided us with hope that finally leadership in washington, d.c. would be able to transform our energy system that has been handcuffed by the fossil fuel industry, to a future supported by clean energy technologies for 2 to generations. u.s. imported $400 billion in petroleum in 2008, which accounted for 59% of our trade deficit. energy plays a significant role in our state and national trade debt, far outweigh the impact of china. minnesota and import $20 billion worth of fossil fuels. i want to think the obama administration for their leadership in increasing fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 mpg by 2025, support of electricity and the electric vehicle and battery technology. today, every major manufacturer, auto manufacturer, is producing

hybrid, plug in hybrid, or electric vehicles. we need the same level of commitment that was provided to transforming our transportation center -- sector, applied to our renewable energy industry. over the past few years, americans have installed to begin the more sick man -- solar energy than others, the progress is dwarfed by what is occurring in the global market, in places like germany and china. germany has installed the equivalent of 27 nuclear power plants worth of solar energy. in one day this year, solar produced half of germany's electricity. china just announced it is increasing its solar goal to 21 gigawatts by 2015, which demonstrates the growth occurring in the global marketplace. last year, the department of energy released the son shot initiative report which outlines how solar energy can provide 14% of u.s. electricity by 2030, 27% by 2015. the initiative is also an important collaborative to make solar competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade.

an indicator of progress that we have achieved occurred in 2012 when we were able to secure the endorsement of the afl-cio for our campaign to pass legislation to install solar on our schools, hospitals, and other public buildings. we also have support from the 3m corp., silicon energy, and other corporations. these unlikely allies would cover the common good that solar can provide our state. as of august 2011, there were over 100,000 so our workers in the u.s. more than double the estimated employment 2009. in minnesota, we have more than 50 companies providing various solar products and services, including companies located in bloomington, minn.. 10k was founded in 2008 and employs 158 employees.

they sell their products across the world. this is one example of a business that did not exist 10 years ago but is a flourishing industry in our state create new jobs. while all the progress is significant, we need to do so much more if we expect to compete in the global marketplace and leave the plan healthy for future generations. nasa announced that nearly all of greenland's massive ice sheets suddenly started melting. a freak event that surprised many scientists. the ice melt area went from 40% of the ice sheet to 97% in four days, according to nasa. the science is clear, the planet is warming. it now requires honest, political leadership to solve the problem. i am not sure what the wake of side need to be to move forward to transform our energy system, but none of us should be proud of the pace we are making.

i am asking the platform committee to support tax incentives for solar manufacturers and consumers, encourage you to consider passing aggressive national renewable energy standards to provide 25% of our win. in minnesota, which currently generates 13% of our power from wind, at least 10% of our energy from solar by 2013. we cannot wait another four years to pass without making significant progress. we should expect present and future generations to judge all of us as neglectful, the link with stewards of our nation if we do not take action. i appreciate you listening to me, but please do not retract. -- do not wait to act. >> thank you for your testimony. i could say that we save the best for last, but i will not do that. we appreciate all those that

have come to present today. to the committee members have questions? thank you so much. we appreciate you coming. well, my fellow committee members, we have had a good day of intent of testimony and conversation. i know that we all appreciate everyone that has come and presented to us. conversations like those that we have heard today are examples of what our president has been fighting for and won the democratic party prides itself on being the party of change and inclusion. so at this point, we will break for the day so that we can come back in the morning for a very productive conversation around the actual drafting of the 2012 platform. so we will now move to a member's only luncheon in the university a room. thank you for your attendance and attention. we are dismissed. >> if you go straight out the door and make a right, at it will be on your left hand side. you are welcome to leave your materials here at your seat.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> the deliberations on that third and final day of meetings. the chairman called this meeting historic because this year's draft platform as the first to endorse same-sex marriage rights. this part of the meeting is just under an hour.

>> good morning, everyone. it is time to resume our last meeting of the 2012 platform drafting committee. i would like for us all to please stand at this point for the pledge of allegiance. please join me. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. let me welcome everyone to this, our last session. we certainly had a busy but very informative weekend together. the input we have received yesterday will contribute to the drafting of the 2012 democratic platform, which outlines our party's positions on a host of issues, and also highlights president obama's administration's accomplishments, and the president's agenda to keep this country moving forward.

at this time, i would ask each of the committee members to briefly introduce themselves. >> andrew grossman, platform director. >> barney frank. >> [video clip] christen young. >> associate policy director on the president's reelection campaign. >> deputy director for the national security adviser campaign. >> tom wheeler. >> director of special projects at the new organizing institute. >> form of a special assistant to the president. >> director of education policy and practice at the national education association.

>> deputy chief of staff at the american federation of labour. >> congresswoman barbara lee. ninth congressional district of california. >> michael nutter. mayor of philadelphia. >> susan ness. senior fellow at the site center for transatlantic relations at john hopkins university, former fcc commissioner. >> senior staff attorney at the native american rights fund. >> director party affairs. >> karen kornbluh. i am helping to draft the platform. >> ted strickland, former governor of the great state of ohio. thank you, all. it has come to the time where we aren't going to draft platform. we are fortunate to have karen with us.

karen drafted the 2008 platform. she was the principal author and is doing the same for the 2012 platform. karen is well versed in the extensive range of policy issues that are central to our democratic party. the draft that she had prepared it is a starting point for us and i would like to proceed today by asking karen to give us an overview of the draft for our discussion. before karen does that, does anyone have any questions? thank you. karen, we would ask if you would at this time lead us through the platform. >> thank you, governor. it is nice for you to say that this is a draft i prepared, but this has really been assembled by input from committee members and will reflect the testimony that we heard over the last two days from the witnesses assembled for us. to get started, i thought what we might do is hear from kristin young from the campaign to tell us more about some of the themes

that the president is emphasizing in the campaign, so we have a context as to go through the document. >> thank you, karen. as many of you know, those of you that have been out with the president on stage, speaking with him on stage, much of this sound familiar. but i do think it will be helpful to go over the court vision of this election. we believe this election is

about two fundamentally in different visions of how you grow the american economy. our opponents believe in massive tax cuts for the wealthy. they believe in an america where wall street and insurance companies get to write their own rules. they have an agenda that is very much filled with the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. the democratic party and president obama reject that idea. and we cannot go back to the same failed policies of the past. we have a totally different idea about how we make america grow. from our perspective, we know we need to restore the security that the middle class has lost. we need to out-educate, and a bit, and out bill the rest of the world, make things up the rest of the world buys to remain competitive. it is making sure that harbored pays and responsibility is reported. the president believes in an america where everyone pays their fair share and plays by the same set of rules. in short, they believe you can grow the economy from the top down, but we know that you broken the middle out. that is the theme we try to build into this election, and that you will see reflected in the draft of the platform that we put together. does anyone have any comments or questions? >> just to walk through the structure of the draft in front of you, there will be a practice at the beginning that will try to cast the document, the choice in this election, not only in terms of the economy, focusing on the economy, but also talking about reform, our values very much so, and our achievements in

terms of foreign policy as well. then we will move on to write a section that does what kristin talked about, rebuilding the middle-class security and the theory of the case that we think, to have sustainable economic growth, you need a strong middle-class. you need to build up ladders for those aspiring up to middle- class. also, we have tried the alternative. this country has tried to top- down policies, and they got us into the mess we are in now. we start with a section on putting americans back to work.

talking about what are the immediate steps that have to be taken in the recovery act, what are some of the things that we are trying to do now -- the jobs bill and executive actions -- taken by the president while congress is not acting as much as he would like, so that we can move ahead with recovery. does anyone want to make any comments on that section? then we get into a much larger perception that makes sure hard work is paid off and rewards responsibility. this talks about middle-class security. middle-class tax cuts as a success story of the last few years. obviously, health care, which is enormously important for middle- class concerns. one-two hear about the economic repercussions of health care. rejuvenating the housing market. we talked about maybe stabilizing the housing market and market recovery. retirement and medicare, vision

of a secure retirement, not privatizing medicare. an economy that out-educates the world and offers greater access to higher education. we talked about perhaps changing the wording of that. we want to reflect that education is about helping everyone reached their full potential. it is not just about the economy, but it is an incredibly important ticket to the middle- class. does anyone have thoughts on that? >> congressman lee, did you want to talk about how we would want to talk about those not quite in the middle-class yet? >> yes, i think it is important to recognize, while the middle- class right now continues -- while we continue to reignite the american dream for the middle-class, support a middle- class moving upwards, we want to make sure we do not forget low income working people, the poor, and those aspiring to the middle class.

we are a big tent party, an inclusive party, and we want to make sure all americans are included in our platform, moving forward. >> i think that first section does a good job outlining the president's accomplishments and his aspirations for the next term. one thing i wanted to draw attention to that i think would be important, some of the testimony we heard yesterday. james spoke about building on president roosevelt's economic bill of rights for an american second bill of rights. if we can, see those things will interrupt the platform, the right to full employment, living wage, full participation in the electoral process.

we heard people mr. did talk about how democrats believe in the right to vote and how every citizen has that right. that is crucial. the right to a voice at work. in particular, protecting rights to collectively bargain. the right to quality education. that is in this section as well, an important section of the platform that talks about how crucial it is that every child in america have access to a quality public education. finally, a right to a secure and help the future, retirement, health care, and so on. these are areas where the president has done an amazing job in challenging the economic times and trying to expand these protections, but there is also work that needs to be done. in terms of the testimony we heard yesterday, there were so many interesting and important points made by people. >> thank you. the next section is about the need to reduce the deficit,

cutting waste, asking all to pay their fair share. then there is another section about how we build an economy that generates a good jobs, called an economy built to last. there are a few sections to that. one is all the above energy policy. meaning we do not take anything off the table. talk about some of the successes we have had in reducing our dependence on foreign oil. out-innovating and out-building the rest of the world. successes in terms of the auto industry, the supply chain for the lot of industry, infrastructure, and any innovation as well. then we will touch on the insourcing. how the president would like to create jobs here, reverse the process of outsourcing to other countries. standing up for workers and workers rights.

opening up markets around the world for american products. that is about our trade agenda, export promotion and enforcement. and then helping small business and often nurse -- entrepreneurs. >> i think this is an example of what we heard from kristin -- you mentioned the auto industry. there is no better illustration in specific, -- the opposition by mitt romney to saving the process of the automobile manufacturing in the u.s. versus the effective intervention by the president. we have hundreds of thousands of people employed today not just that the automobile companies, but it an enormously successful example. american automobiles are now at

the front rank of the world. this is a perfect example of the general theme, which is how you do this. there has been no better way for americans to get into the middle-class and the auto industry, with the kinds of jobs they offered. we want to stress again, while general motors and chrysler were direct beneficiaries, ford was also a beneficiary. much of the manufacturer has to go through the supply chain. there is just a perfect example of this, of mitt romney's top down approach. his point was, we should have found a few wealthy people that would of been willing to invest, except that none of them, including bain capital, were willing to do that. the automobile industry is really the best illustration of this campaign team. >> congressman, i want to join those remarks and say that ohio is a big manufacturing state, a big auto parts production state, as well as an assembly state.

we believe one out of every eight jobs in the state of ohio is related, in some way, to the auto industry. the president deserves total support from the people who have benefited from this great decision. it was a difficult decision. at the time, certainly, among republicans, an unpopular decision, but the president had the courage to do the right thing. today, in toledo, ohio, chrysler is investing multiple millions of dollars to create new jobs. in the cleveland area, ford is bringing back light truck production from mexico appeared in youngstown, ohio, they are working three shifts a day to produce the cruze. thousands of jobs have been saved, and it was only because of the president's leadership and support he received --

>> and over mitt romney's objection. >> and we should not forget it is not just ohio and michigan parts of the country the benefit. we heard testimony yesterday from a gentleman working here in minnesota, it in a paperboard packaging company, who said if president obama had not taken these steps with regards to retract -- detroit, his operations in minnesota would have gone bankrupt, because of the way they supply boxes that carry the parts and other things into the auto business. >> i just want to reiterate, too, the insourcing section provides another big accomplishment by the president and contrasts between the president and mitt romney. mitt romney wants to give more tax breaks to companies that outsource products. that is how he has made a lot of this money. president obama held a day-long forum at the white house to celebrate and encourage those companies that are bringing good jobs back to the united states. he has been very supportive of the manufacturing sector, wants

to create a tax code that will benefit those families at home. that is an important contrast. >> very helpful comments. the next section it is the reform section. the first one is the economy. next is reform. again, it is through this lens of creating economic opportunity and making sure people play by the same rules. there are several sections to this. one on wall street reform. there is another one on 21st century government. there we are going to talk about some of the values about government that we heard yesterday and the day before. then we are going to talk about transparency and accountability and lobbying reform and campaign finance reform.

does anyone have any comments? the next section we were calling reclaiming america's values. i think there was a suggestion to call it "greater together." do people feel ok about that? perhaps if he wanted to run through the subsections you mentioned.

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all right, guys. b.a. yourself tonight. b.a. yourself tonight. thk you so much for coming here in culver city. a beautiful venue. please walk amongst the space, enjoy yourselves. behavior cells also because you don't want to break anything. a lot of valuables. pretty excited.

before i introduce our guests ever want to talk about the new faces in the room. who i am, i am michael davidson, ceo of h.j. next. i help run the thing. but really our purpose is in our name. we are trying really hard to focus on treating of virginities for future generations and confront challenges. we don't want to kick the can down the road for things that w could have solved that with the soda passed off. another will have their own challenges and we want to get as much out of the way as possible. to do that we try to attract and develop and leverage talented. we focus on successful, busy people. it is a part of that process like tonight. we know that the political process is extraordinarily important, either in ended with potical ads or male or evoke or you just pay taxes, so you

know that the political process certainly matters because you are affected by it every day with the now we cannot. a very influential actor soo speak is with us tonight. he is able oklahoma and. at 1 years old he got involved in a pr firm and had three people. within a few yea it had over 50, and the involved in the u.s. senate race that his uncle was running and it forever changed his life. since then he was the creative director for the 2008 republican national convention, a chief media strategist for u.s. senator john main presidential race, advised corporations, loews corporation and arco and. [inaudible] [laughter] >> maybe you worked for the opposition. i don't know.

but in terms of sort of the messaging, and this word message, that campaign style, he is an architect in so many ways of how they communicate with you and how they motivate you to vote for them or f -- against their opponents or care about a certain issue. you name it. very fascinating because you are affected by them, by them i mean him, more than you ever were realized. so hopefully we will kind of pulled low over your eyes a little bit tonight to talk about that issue. before he gets into the content of want to mention, the is a behind-the-scenes celebrity who is moving out. i guess their is a book called game change at many of you may or may not have read. figured prominently. also turned into a movie on hbo which is a fascinating movie and book. and so he is a character in and a very -- and actor who looks a lot different then embed.

the movie. after tonight you can watch it. stickout fred davis. please, it is a rare opportunity to really engage somebody like him who has -- literally playing at highest levels of political power and influence and getting messages to you. so rare opportunities to engage in have a dialogue with somebody like him. please have an open mind. challenge, inquire, enjoy. this ishy we do what we do. give you that kind of exposure. take advantage of it and we will bring it up for questions. i will come back up in moderate. thank you for coming and i will pass it on to fred davis. >> thank you, michael. [applause] well, well, well. good to be back. several of you came up and heard me speak at the geisha house. seems like that was a long time ago. i thought i was in sharp answer something. what i thought i would do is

talk very briefly and let you ask any questions that you want. what is happening right now in the presidential race happened exactly like it is now four years ago. right now i am not involved in the presidential race, but it was out to my eyeballs four years ago. this is because michael suggested that this is what i talk about. this -- that 27, two days from now there was that team of about five or six people, i hope i'm not leaving somebody out. we met once a month in phoenix. the greatest thing inolitics is being here a not being in washington. you don't have to give get beat

up every day. there would all fly and little chartered planes. flight to phoenix early in the morning from ten to six. if the four seasons. in this bagram we would plan the next month basically. and then hey would go backnd i would catch the 8:00 flight. at 6:00 when we finish our planning senator mccain would come and, often with his wife and the secret service and bring tacos from his favorite targets stand. so we would present. this particular time was a particularly grueling day. it was on a sunday. barack obama was a guy who had come from nowhere to be of very, very prominent hamas likely tough challenger in europe right

now. on what we call the ram boats or . his momentum was so i let our little gruber thought we have to break it. how on earth do we breakhis momentum. so we -- steve schmidt who was sitting next to me. we are running against the greatest celebrity in the world. no one knows anything about m -- hammett. what are we going to do? somewhere in that day we determined the paris hilton approach. i am a republican. i would say the answer is no, but at that time nobody knew.

it was less for me to have to a explain to john mccain a wonderful brownson that his future lay in the hands of opponents of paris hilton. mom it was a long story about what happened at the beginning of that meeting. i will bore you with that. it was certainly in there. he was a little gas. what we did in august was the entire paris hilton's strategy, question his ability to lead, acknowledged to a great extent and expand his flamboyant as of fabulous actor and celebrity. second was how we did the

republican convention. obama's was 70 or 80. a mile high stadium, whatever it's called now in denver. we were in a smaller, much smaller facility. st. paul. minneapolis. and so things looked really bleak, but we had to take -- the third was the vice-presidential choice and the fourth was debate. we covered all four of those. he approved. he signed off. not because of the budget, because the times are so tough. the petition. he did not want a big, gary staying.

up tell you that part inhe second. we decide a small convention. we thought -- we talked about vice-presidential choice. not chosen at that meeti. what was discussed was that john needed to do something maverick d. that was needed. you know, you can tell people you are maverick all you want, but until the rubber hits the road when that came out. my recollection is that he did not know who that was when the name came up, but that is right before he chose, not terribly long. so we made this choice is scott told john, did that. youould build a case that because of the legacy at the time, george w. bush which was troubled and being a republican

that this was an impossible race to win. yet july 27 tse four things, we won august. paris hilton worked. adds did work. it was not just an ad but a campaign. you saw her a lot. she did not hurt matters when she responded with their own ad. paris hilton's at a pool. we won august. we won the bout coming out of the convention. wead a big bounce. they had minor bounces. they had to get rid of parts of their set because it was so grandiose. ours was designed by a company here in hollywood. it looked like aresidential said. i don't know if you remember

when it ended up looking like, but writing notes back-and-forth we were seeing this. this looks like every cent i have ever seen. i wrote back, i'll take care of it. let's into the room. he did, and i went over to this guy who was so proud of the model he had built. you know, the column. all we ended up with was a bck stage and a very simple podium. at the time the world's largest tv screen which was back there so we could pu any images that we wanted on it. sarah palin, for better or worse, the time that she was named vice president was a huge home run. so we won august. even -- it came back. i'm expecting ticker-tape parades and he came back to being behind. we won the convention. when the vice presidential choice we were ahead by two or three points, not a dramatic. shocking amount which had to drive them insane up until that

day the world economy collapsed. and then, you know, the debate, from that point on was an impossible thing. one guy in office, think of him as john mccain he and the legacy of jurors w. bush woods right now is spectacular. at the time it was a bit of a burden. the bush campaign, too. so very perturbed without that was ptrayed. nonetheless, he had that problem that obama has now, a troubled economy. the outsider, mitt romney, he's in europe, right there. several people asked me tonight when i thought romney would make his vice-presidential choice. well, it's funny, he didn't ask me, but obviously it will be before the convention. you know, it is le a giant

chess game. it is a test says game and it changes every minute. brux know who the vice presidential choices. that was the case in our world. the work order came through our shop to design the lapel ads. rick davis. anything that is not mentioned. that is a spoof. and up to his eyeballs. a miserable job. something a wasonored to do once.

i the river going to die in that process. the big speaking roles at the convention. there is a big community theater in tulsa. and that same people have been in the costn department at that community theater all of their lives. they would die in the cost in department. it would work their way up to the better and better role and convince them. somebody that was born into the limo decision committee. all that going on. rowley two or 300 ads that had already been produced. everybody on the little team on the inside had seen those. arguing and fighting and scratching.

the article today in bloomberg. the difference betweenhe super pak and the campaign. left out half the story. what i said was it is much more enjoyable in a way to do the super pak because you don't have 50 people approving every word you right in every ad and every picture. i was doing jn hanson presidential race. we decided bear not going to get the money to give him a shot in the campaign. i left to form the super pak. actually, the end of july. and it was like going to my you

know what school was like, some of you m still no. crazy. crazy. crazy. the first day of summer is there and you have been looking forward to it for so long, but you have nothing to do. it's like you're chomping at the bit for something to do. that is what happens when you go from the campaign world there are three board members, including me, and an attorney. we talked every day for, not ours, but five minutes, ten minutes, 15 minutes was a really long call. and we would make all of the decisions we needed to make, approved everything. the campaign could not approve anything legally. the candidate could not see ads. the candidates wife could not see ads which was our big issue. it was almost like a giant let down. on the one hand it was controlled and easier and a homer and nicer, but the part thathey often left out is you miss the adrenaline. yuma is that crazy excitement

that kevin soon begin. and then it is a trade-off. that is what is going on. what's different is we did not have super packs four years ago. so that has made an incredible difference when the funding of romney in particular. and who is winding the most? the obama campaign. what happened four years ago? they had a double and triple the money that we had. so i give them no room, no road to wind because it -- we were ahead. all of us were really proud that we were ahead for such a long time with such limited resources that is all i'm going to talk about there, and then we would get into any subject that you want, but that is what is happening in those crazy presidential campaigns. >> any questions? you have your instructions on the microphone. time --

>> thank you. it seems as effective warning, it looks like there was a lot. the personality. so you had ts charismatic person. this time around it seems less of a formality and hopefully the issues about the economy. hmm still in response. to you see that bng maintained on issues are do you ultimately see it as a campaign becoming about personality? >> think of that two players. which one wants it to be about personality in which one wants it to be about issues? that is -- so you're going to

see a bottle, and that will be a fascinating battle between barack obama trying to your shed the black cloud of despair that he had ever is said. he was one of the most incredible speakers i have ever seen. it's like he lost the ability. he released a and/or video a couple of days ago. i cannot remember the name. it's called choice. mine little inside scoop tells me than last sunday. it was really well done. a simple, direct contrast between how he sees your choice in america and how mitt romney caesar choice. mitt romney's team tried to be a

republican. they tried to develop a more everyman personality. that did not work so well. on some tv show a while back. a very smart man. forget the personality thing. the it professional that we need to get this country out. so i think you'll see obama reverting to personality and trying to move the campaign that went. you will see mitt romney doing the opposite trying desperately keep it on the economy. y poll anybody takes, that's what they care about. >> ultimately winning strategy,

in times like this, a different time than we found in 2008, do you see -- i think personality has always played something in the way that america votes. have a conversation wh. because things are so difficult right now, that very serious tone being a winning strategy? >> they both have the potential to win. obama has the potential to win with his enthusiasm and a grass-roots network and he gets rid of the teleprompter and gets back to talking. mitt romney clearly has a pass to win. he found the economy. kind of marking him out because does he want to be president to make more money and put more money in these offshore counts? all that kind of stuff. clever strategy as we were talking earlier. maybe a little early for that.

there is only one time that it matters who is ahead, and this race is going to go back and forth and back and forth nipponalk, fascinating to watch. great for me to watch because i don't have to -- i can actually sleep at night. >> i'm sorry. your job to point to that sentiment. >> i would never. >> two is the vice-presidential nominee that does have only just complimenting well, but i have given the boo in the polls that you want to see with a choice like that. who among the potential candidates would you advise him to select? >> i would advise him to take one that i don't think he's going to take. i think he will take an extremely competent skybox that may be complement's and but certainly does not overshadow him.

bearing ohio. a great skill. he's not going to win because of excitement. i would look for somebody that is bring some excitement. sarah palin brought excitement. chris christie would bring excitement to mitt romney. i have nothing to do with that decision. that is nothing but a guess. >> this eleion and the last several, having beaten mccain and originally just run off, he goes back. loses. romney runs against the same

candid it's over and over again. a reelection in the middle of the term for president, the candidates for coming forward for wanting to run? people not wanting to change. not wanting to just jump in front of the camera quite yet. >> a great question, and a lot of people, so and so is not ready yet. there is an element to that in the chris christie. but it's bigger than that. you hit the nail on the head. the biggest issue is you're ing to get to do this once. you don't normally get the nomination and the nomination and then the nomination. you get one i've been through this with several candidates. it is a tough issue. i give you an example. the huntsman people first call me several years ago, i m him once. and i thought he was a really

great guy. environmental defense. fabulous night. a small group that is studying him or helping him more time to get in to run in 2016. no mention of 12. and i said, well, yeah. that sounds interesting. i signed on. in typical fason we did that. and after. also, he's no fool. we started studying 2014. 2016, i'm sorry by all the games. as the more likely to run out? newt gingrich, will he slang out, do well? so it's like a giant chess game.

and you're trying to figure out more than anything, they will tell you it is not highly the -- i need a little more experience. they're trying to figure out, and are you in the game to lose? no. politicians, anybody, nobody plays the game to lose. i don't play at my business to lose. they try to find -- it is a miserable chore to win. they try to find the shortest path to the chance for victory. >> have a question. there is farley somebody on facebook right now. the best and most qualified to much exposure and the angry years.

the brightest and most qualified. i want to take a step to that office. >> dan quayle's presidential race. the heir apparent. vice president. it does is turn. the republican party intends to nominate intern's. think of bob dole. there is a guy in texas, the governor, george. bush, who very wisely dropped hints that he would run but never said that he would. never said he would. that was a tough presidential race. i got out of. one of my very bt friends. dog him for ever. he runs one of the largest companies in the world. one day we were going up a ski lift in telluride where h has a

home. it was a miserable day. no one is skiing. dan quayle does not know miserable days. he skis from sunup to sundown. adelle rumor what happened. kind of forgetting who was with i looked over. why o earth would anyone want to be president. he did not miss a beat. the only time he's ever been mad at me that i know of. he said, because if you think you have the skills that make life better for people in this world it's your duty to run, and he was dead serious. i'm not sure all of them approached it from that or of the standpoint. great senator from georgia. passed away now. he was the same way. atlanta. on a sunday. he was out there writing his

lawn mower. light 110 degrees out. be dragging in. we could talk about. again, snapped at me. respect and honor me enough. i walked out of my house. i should be addressed properly. i thought that was insane. the fact that he thought that i thought was just an incredible those of character for him. it more character than anyone i know. so many things that i wanted to do in the race and the some of the rest was wanted to do that he would not consider doing. >> not necessarily individuals, but put them out there for their own character to be scrutinized. obviously he knew firsthand. as a family that was potentially

attacked. >> i've had a lot of clients. you mentioned facebook. it's not the client so much. because they are of a certain ag that that was not around. maybe a photo. and many did you know have kids, and colorful. colorful college years. you don't want those pictures out there. denture doesn't want the pictures out. most of the time they have no control over it. we have to stamp that down. john hanson came back from china , a conquering hero, a returning hero. because of the laws he could not know that there washis effort for him to run for president. he had a clue that people were talking about it. he got back on a saturday night and went straight to the white house press corps correspondence to neck. totally jet lag from china.

goes to that. the next morning, i talked a meeting was on monday, so i missed this. an update on what people were thinking. well, he had a lot of full-time employees. the at a major operation going, and he had no clue. he wasn't necessarily really happy about that. as a matter of fact, for quite a while i remember two or three weeks later. newport, we were sitting out on the fans between meetings are something. he loves the beach. sitting in the sun. he said, i've been back three weeks from china and i have yet to have my laury done. things like that. he got pushed into that. him eventually his daughters and it up becoming famous.

i think he thought correctly that he would be a spectacular president. unless you want to go through the process it's horrible, and a big part of it is what you're talking about. i chuckled to myself. i couldn't run for dog catcher. these guys, you know, they get scrutinized. notice this is the quiet part. >> quick question. in this presidential campaign do you think it will be more ardor scnce? and what i mean by that, the data side and then there is the personality side. how would you -- >> i think it goes a little bit back to this question. you have a date candid it's the who is mitt romney.

you have a personality candid if it comes back, which i think it will, barack obama. now, both sides have both of those operations going completely. massive data operations. massive social networking operations. all that is huge. at the top one guy that is very much data driven. they are different as night and day, i think. we will see what wins. you're going to get a great example of both of them./h >> a couple of tughts and the question. this whole issue of a tax return , it seems that romney is not really running to win. i get the sense that his approach is more less o obama of loose. why is he running away from his

success? at the success was that up as ap get the? >> it to you and everyone in this room. barack oba's base is not necessarily in this room. mlb voters. they're very well could be. her the average voter and now is an mitt romney vote. you have to be a little careful on these things. i don't think mitt romney is not in it to win he has wanted this to opportunities to see was a child and had two or three other

corrupt thinking that i want to be president because i get a coal plant, but because i think i can do the job. it would be a fascinating, the most important job in the world, and i could do a great job and leave a great legacy from my kids a family. what you're talking about is the aggressiveness of the campaign. you and i talked a little bit earlier. one thing that you want to a remember, how many people would rathere ahead of right now? so the money, you saw obama spending more and he's bringing in the money to arguably do a pretty good job taking some of the window of romney's business success is telling him not just a success and wealthy guy, but a questionable guy. offshore accounts and do this,

don't do that. it's troublesome. you know. it leaves this? there is never -- i have never heard a good answer on why you don't. tt romney's answer is the standard answer, i don't want to get -- give them fuel. well, most people look at that and think, well, i wonder what is really in it. that is going to haunt him. he made that decision and he is a guy who sticks with his decisions. i don't know. a think the tax return birds and badly. i know we will and this other race. it is kind of a murky issue.

not being up front, that's the scary thing. >> in order voters have been credited largely with having created a lot of the force that elected obama. something we have seen, rampant unemployment that has hit them in record numbers. my question is, what do you see happenin with the youth vote in this cycle? do you think republicans embraced their relationship with the younger voters enough to eat and to sway the other side? >> in geral would you say and her voters are richer report? they don't have their careers yet. so the tendency is for them to lean toward the person who is not going to increase taxes, who

will increase -- the opposite, will increase taxes on the rich to help provide for the less rich. let's ordered the way. buthat happens? you're right. all of those people really helped along,. a lot of them did not vote, but it was the momentum and enthusiasm, and that just add this groundswell that swept barack obama into office. burst their bubble. at that he would pay my car mortgage. at that would get a new car. allow the people think that. the question is, to those people not vote this time would they move to another option? he brought a lot of new voters you may never the again because they're disappointed.

they might vote for romney, but they're probably not going to vote for obama. they're not trying to make good in their brain is called a second mistake twice. the youth vote will be less level this time around. time to capture of the use of -- use of his kids. a great asset. the fervor began some how. don't count would you are seeing el as indicative of company where the race would go. >> pay off student loans orange panera funding a businesses are attaching an pple to health care. do you see that next -- if the republicans are to come in right now, do you see them continuing that kind of policy where they

will put specific people in place to address younger voters when -- and younger constituents when you have people make up a significant part of the population. >> republicans are going to be dying on the vine and less they address the kids and some of the minoriti in this country. you know, you look back, the spanish in particular. those families have the same values and ideals that most republican damage to. this incredible time. the whole immigration issue has ruined republican parties in their eyes. it is a big issue. they have those tough immigration laws and the supreme court. all kinds of issues going back and forth. the very top of line for me. the republicans, if there are two things they can do it is

target the kids d target hispanics. been absolutely dead person. so do most hispanic families and kids. >> the man who broke his glass much smarter. much smarter. >> a question, a stream of consciousness and comments. >> recently there were changes in government. would you deal to name who ran in each of these elections? >> what i? >> yes,. >> oh, heavens, no.

i walked in the day after sarah palin was named buzz presidential nominee, and i got her for three hours. a game changed, so i'm not speaking out of school. i went up to her sweet in minneapolis or st. paul, in an odd spot. as i walked in the front you remember the blacks of close the same. there they were. in the seamstresses were tearing cease, adding sleeves. and i hear her yell from the back room, fred, come on back. ound the corner. in a white robe. upon his desk. she had to stylus behind her, one was doing a perfect hairdo and end on this side a perfect eru down to test them both. behind her nicole wallace and

tucker as you in breezing, trying to get her to properly pronounce the names of all of those people you just asked me to renounce. this little element. one of them was using a curler of some sort. almost coming up. the hen was on fire. the research you ever seen my life. all these people are back there telling her. she lifted me. okay. which will it be? up or down? i picked up. i got it wrong. they said down. that librarian look, you know cumbersome but -- >> the reason i ask is because you obviously have a presidential race. you talk to anyone in russia, italy, japan, they know who is running for president. they have known for the past two

years. a lot of them it's insane, but my question is, in bed mid-20s fdr contracted a paralytic disease. and i doubt that most americans knew he was in a welchair. how did or how does the marketing bli that has become the political campaign, how does it benefit and it detract from the actual political process? >> well, the goal, of course, is to let you know more of the campus. it is my job to let you know what we want you to know about my candid and to find the things that you don't, you know, that the other guy does not want you to know and amplify those. guess what, it works both ways. that is what jim messina or whoever is on the other side is doing. and another big issue now, everybody talks about the

newspapers are right off. you would vote for whomever your favorite columnist with so you about. they would do the research. well, that hasn' really changed. it is ju where you get the information that is changed. so if i want to know who the president is akin. -- if you want to know who the president is i can find that on my iphone. we did not havehat anymore -- before. about the same with the exception of those details. you're exactly right. i have gotten in a little trouble cently wanting to get more in affirmation out about people's. so whatever -- believe it or not i think the system works well. at some plants learn thaty

the end of the campaign will wall i was questioning whether they would make a great congressman or never leave i had some clients learn that by those people invariably do not wind. somehow, not all moi theoters get it right. unwed they had all the innovatin the world. in you can't speak yet. and what. >> thank you for coming. my question for you, simply a multiple choice with a bit of an explanation. has the media lost credibility this time around with their coverage of the obama campaign or is their credibility about the same?

i am going to assume, perhaps, that their credibility over the last four years of their coverage of this president and the eyes of the american republic. >> well, there are the rest of the world stops. and, as we know, i don't think the media properly vted barack obama. i think he was one of the -- we were talking earlier. there time isn't yet. i think there might have been a time frame to be president, but not when you have been in the state senate in illinois and now when you have been a u.s. senator for two years. what does that take to think he should be present at that point? me beside dan quayle, felt it in his heart. was it vetted to the extent that every single thing was? absolute not.

had they vetted and over the last three and a half years, i don't think so. a big they you have to, but, you know, what is fascinating to me is that will that happen between september and the end october? and i don't know. it's not going to be just the media. it will be both campaigns. >> from where you sit, your experience, do you think the american peoplehood are on to what should be a lack of credibility of the media coverage of obama in the last four years? >> i don't think so. i think that the news of the world, we know that. we care more about it than the average guy, but if you talk to the averaget home i don't think so. i think they see simple things. the really important simple things.

they see that an extra never does not have a job. those kind of things. and not just that the economy is bad, but this guy told me he was going to make it better and then it did not get better. that is the biggest, you know, one of the things, i always say that we do a good job and my company because a man of very smart. we are simple. this is a simple issue. did it is the economy. well, it is. the flaw is it is the opposite side. this economy, somebody is going to have to make some of the most miserable, hard choices on earth they're going to have to get them through congress which is another near impossibility unless the composition of congress changes. if the republicans elect mitt romney and get control of the senate and maintain control the house, a vast changes will take

place. i think it will be -- a lot of change will take place. if, you know, obama retains the presidency the republicans maintain the house. the senate stays in democratic hands, you're not going to see a whole lot of changes. at the least the republicans will pick up enough seats to make it very difficult to pass sweeping legislation. i like that fact because i would not want -- i am not an obamacare fan. i would not want to see what it became

x how can the republican party to change its rhetoric -- >> out and the republican party changed its rhetoric to be more appealing? >> if i could answer that, i would be a wealthy man. [laughter] you mail that. i think your question sums up this race. i am probably not going to start today and i think i pay and of taxes. i'm not real excited about paying more to help somebody that maybe does not work as hard as i do.

but in barack obama's brain, he is not been given the same opportunities i have, or at least the way they sell it. they have not have those opportunities. i started my business when i was 19. i wore a coat and tie every day for 20 years. you would kill me to put a thai army now, but i did that. my first year, i made $3,200. total. this is not a month. i thought that was the greatest success i could ever have in my life. arthur brooks talks about earned a success is the greatest gift that a person could have. i have seen that 1 million times. i have had clients and friends who inherited a bunch of money. i have had clients and friends

who made a bunch of money. i worked my tail off and made money. but i am ok. but he has at some the air that we did but bob wrote. he is talking about earned a success and that he made this dramatic amount of money really quickly in the construction business, but it was not enough. he could not figure out what was missing. there are very interesting ads. his basically just talking really directly and tight to the camera on why did he turn to politics. it wasn't politics he turned to. it was the ability to help others. he made his money and he thought that was the answer, but it was not the answer. he went on a church trip. he started building homes. he started helping 10,000

families there. he was shocked to find that people in tennessee live as poorly as those in haiti. at their elected him as mayor. he was able to do more for those people. he gets happier in his life. this goes on. he goes to the senate. he is frustrated because it is hard to get anything accomplished. he has to go back and remember why he got into this at first. if he was out of their making those tough decisions and obeying his head against lowell, it might be somebody else will take the easy route. that, to me, sums up politics in a way. the once under their for the right reasons will make our world better. we if you more of them because the world is not perfect yet.

>> i presume this one might be difficult to answer, but i'm hoping to get the best i can. >> i am leaving now. >> yes. [laughter] but we bring in a lot of compelling an interesting speakers. >> and then there was me. >> and you are one of them. we benefit in the non-partisan position. we focus on issues and therefore we build coalitions around those issues. we work with some people on the right, some the ball on the left. it's kind of depends. co-star to sue people aren't thinking or we have a substantial debate. i tend to think there are not -- there is not enough true, rich debate in this country. or there is a push to be compromise instead of real, true debate.

one of the reasons i excuse it is you have the republicans -- when the affordable care act was going through, -- >> union obama care. >> yes. they're running ads about obamacare stealing money from seniors. it was untrue. and then you have the democrats criticizing mitt romney and even republicans do it to been a vulture capitalist to shifts jobs overseas. patently untrue. this is just that what they are giving us is completely dishonest, in a sense. so, my question is, us as voters, i get it. that's a people are and how they're going to do it out. how do voters know when they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes and when it is dishonest?

is there some trick we can watch for? >> yes. call me and ask who to vote for. give me a state. give me a title. comptroller. north carolina. i don't think the examples you gave are dishonest. they are selective. there is a big difference. there is always truth in what is said because of a fact checks. something of interest about today. -- came out today. he mentioned something he thought we should promote. it was true, but it was a shockingly stressed. and i said, i just do not think i could put that on the air. direct mail is not subject to

fact shack. lesson one, do not read your direct mail. just watch tv. [laughter] it is like anything else. you have to make up your own mind. we have this great gift called the internet. it do not as good to michael's website or kevin's website off to find out what he wants you to know. that is what i will be telling you. whatever is on their website, that is a guy like me that has decided based on the polls would you need to know. just type in kevin's name. reid of those things. does what i do when somebody calls us and wants us to join a campaign. we do not go to see anybody that we have not checked out. i will no one year later or two years later when they run. how did you? it is hard.

you have to work. do not take what fox news tells you as gospel. i do not think there is many middle-of-the-road compotators -- commentators. i kept suggesting that cnn take the middle of the road. fox obviously has the conservative. there is nobody in the middle. it took somebody like wolf pulitzer -- wolf blitzer and put them on a network that was blatantly nonpartisan, i think that would be an incredible gift to america. i think that would be a great business model. if you have a bunch of money to invest, i will help you do it. >> i will find the money.

that was a good answer. thank you. [applause] >> so, we have of for you, just a nifty little gen next think it to write down your ideas. hopefully, this is like your compass. >> it will be. i love these. i keep these. in take these to client meetings. a few years ago, i went to a meeting with a guy i had not met yet but i had been hired to do his campaign. he is the new governor of michigan. i remember i always knew everything before i got there. i got tired of the day before. he goes, you are in. you just go up there, you fell on him on wednesday.

-- you film him on wednesday. i take this book with me i pull it out. i go to the restaurant. he is a good-looking guy who looks like a governor. a good sign. his wife was there. some campaign people are with him. and i went over and egoandhe go, oh, hi. i did my little book out. at the end of the dinner, i loved him. he is smart. he is a great genius. he helped save gateway computers and all the stuff. i envisioned him as the next governor of michigan. at the end of dinner, he said, well, friend, have you come up with any great ideas?

we were filming the next morning. i said, well, and i opened my little non-gen next book. the store has been out. i opened it up and the word was nerd. that was the one word i had written. there was deadly silence at the table. but and i said, but the way i look at it, michigan has tried everything else. you have tried republicans, the most recent governor was a female. they tried male, female. but barnyard animals that had not tried yet and they had not tried a murder. i said, i think it is time for a nerd. i purposely did not look over here, because that was his wife. if he had this look on his face. but the second i said, she looked up and said, oh, honey,

that is you. every ad was about nerds and you won a victory. thank you. >> thank you all of you and have a very nice night. [applause] >> this morning on "washington journal." stephen more on the wall street journal and the congressional agenda. then, gerald connally explants when he was one of 19 democrats who went across the aisle and voted to extend the bush-era tax cuts at all income levels. after that, our spotlight on magazine series continues andy kroll discussing the history of campaign finance laws. "washington journal" live today

at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> in the weeks ahead, the political parties are holding their platform hearings. with democrats voting on their final platform in detroit and mid month the republicans start at the tampa convention site. c-span2 is a complete coverage begins monday, august 27, with a live, gavel-to-gavel coverage in tampa. starting monday, september 3. it's sunday, look for our "q&a" interview with andrew nagorski. >> i had no idea about the people who were essentially my predecessors. despite all the time spent in germany, i had not spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to see a correspondent there in that

1920's and a 1930's. what would you have noticed and not notice? and how would you have acted? >> federal reserve chairman ben bernanke said that the debt does not pose the same threats to the financial system that mortgage debt did during the 2008 crisis. the fed chairman answered questions from educators across the country during a meeting that focused on financial education. he also urged state and local governments in general. this is one hour. >> thank you for joining us in

washington, d.c. today for a conversation with federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. it will take questions from teachers about the economy. i work here at the board of governors. i look forward to moderating today's session. here in the board room of the federal reserve, we are pleased to host a group of 60 educators to teach economics and personal finance to young people. we're also joined via videoconference by educators from all over the country who are participating in local events at the regional reserve banks and work regional offices as well as those watching a webcast. the federal reserve system seeks to advance the conversation about the importance of financial education for young people. we also hope to provide insight into the federal reserve policy goals and activities so we can support the work youo