and certainly doesn't make sense to me. so what i think these comments do underscore is why we shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women. and and although these particular comments have led governor romney and other republicans to distance themselves, i think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women's, for their health care decisions or

qualifying forceable rape versus nonforceable rape, i think tr -- there are broader issues and that is a significant difference and approach between me and the other party. but i don't think that they would agree with the senator from missouri in terms of his statement which was way out there. >> he was nominated by the republicans of missouri. i'll let them sort that out. nancy? >> mr. president, thank you. as you know your opponent recently accused of you waging a campaign filled with anger and hate and you told "entertainment tonight" that anyone who attends your rally can see they're not angry or hate-filled affairs but in recenty your campaign has suggested repeatedly without proof that mr. romney might be hiding something in his tax returns, they have suggested that mr. romney might be a felon for the way he handed over power of bain capital and your campaign and the white house have declined to condemn an ad by one of

the top supporters who linked mr. romney to a woman's death from cancer. have you asked them to change their tone when it comes to mr. romney. >> i'm not sure all the characterizations you laid out were accurate. for instance, nobody accused mr. romney of being a felon. and i think that what is absolutely true is if you watch me on the campaign trail, here's what i'm talking about. i'm talking about how we put americans back to work. and there are sharp differences between myself and mr. romney in terms of how we would do that. he thinks that if we roll back wall street reform, roll back the affordable care act, known affectionately as omabacare, that somehow people are going to be better off. i think that if we are putting teachers back to work and rebuilding america and reducing our deficit in a balanced way, that's how you put people back to work. that is a substantive

difference. that's what i talk about on the campaign. when it comes to taxes, governor romney thinks that we should be cutting taxes by another $5 trillion, and folks like me would benefit disproportionately from that. i think that it makes a lot more sense to put out a detailed plan for a balanced approach that tkpwaoeupbs tough spending cuts with -- combines tough spending cuts with asking people like me, millionaires and billionaires to do more. that makes a substantive difference on the campaign, whether it's wind energy or how we -- we would approachcation, those are the topics we're spending a lot of time talking about on the campaign. now, if you look at the overall trajectory of our campaign, and the ads that i've approved, and are produced by my campaign, you'll see that we point out sharp differences between the candidates, but we don't know out of bounds, and when it comes to releasing taxes, that's a precedent that was

set decades ago. including by governor romney's father. and for us to say that it makes sense to release your tax returns as i did, as john mccain did, as bill clinton did, as the two president bushes did, i don't think is in any way out of bounds. i think that is what the american people would rightly expect is a sense that if -- particularly when we're going to be having a huge debate about how we reform our tax code and how we pay for the government that we need. i think people want to know that, you know, everybody has been playing by the same rules, including people who are seeking the highest office in the land. this is not an entitlement, being president of the united states. this is a privilege. and we've got to put ourselves before the american people to make our case. >> why not send a message to

the top superpacs supporting you and say i think an ad like that is out of bounds? we shouldn't be suggesting -- >> so let's take that particular issue as opposed to -- because you hrufrpd -- lumped in a whole bunch of things that i don't think is entirely legitimate. i don't think that governor romney is somehow responsible for the death that was portrayed by the woman in that ad, but keep in mind, this is an ad that i didn't approve, i did not produce, and as far as i can tell, has barely run. i think it ran once? now, in contrast, you've got governor romney creating as a centerpiece of his campaign this notion that we're taking the work requirement out of welfare. which every single person here who's looked at it says is patently false. all right? he's arguing somehow we have changed the welfare requirement of the -- the work requirement in our

welfare laws and in fact what's happened was that my administration responding to the threats by five governors, including two republican governors, agreed to approve giving them those states some flexibility in how they managed their welfare rolls, as long as it produced 20 percent increases in the number of people who were getting work. so in other words, we would potentially give states more flexibility to put more people back to work, not to take them off the work requirement under welfare. everybody who has looked at this has said what tpw-pb -- what governor romney is saying is absolutely wrong. not only are his superpacs running millions of ads making this claim, governor romney himself is approving it and saying it on the stump so the contrast i think is pretty stark. that's -- they can run the campaign that they want, but

the truth of the matter is you can't just make stuff up. that's one of the things you learn as president of the united states. you get called into account. and i feel very comfortable with the fact that when you look at the campaign we're running, we are focused on the issues and the differences that matter to working families, all across america, and that's exactly the kind of debate the american people deserve. >> mr. president, a couple of questions. one, wondering if you could comment on the -- >> [inaudible] >> what is being done about it, why, your commanders tell you they think if there's been an uptick in violence and second, with the economy and unemployment still the focus of so many americans, what they can expect in the next couple of months out of washington, if anything, when it comes to supporting more economic growth. >> on afghanistan, obviously,

we've been watching with deep concern the so called green on blue effects, where you have afghan individuals, some of whom are actually enrolled in the afghan military, some being -- some in some cases dressing up as afghan military or police attacking coalition forces, including our own troops. i just spoke today to mary dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who happens to be in afghanistan. he is having intensive consultations not only with our commanders on the ground, but also with afghan counterparts. and i'll be reaching out to president karzai, as well. because we've got to make sure that we're on top of this. we are already doing a range of things, and we're seeing some success when it comes to better counter intelligence, making sure that the vetting process for afghan troops is

stronger, and we've got what's called the guardian angel program to make sure that our troops aren't in isolated situations that might make them more vulnerable. but obviously we're going to have to do more because there has been an uptick over the last 12 months on this. part of what's taken place is we are transitioning to afghan security, and for us to train them effectively, we are much closer contact, our troops are in much closer contact with afghan troops on an ongoing basis. and part of what we've got to do is to make sure that this model works, but it doesn't make our guys more vulnerable. in the long term, we will see fewer u.s. casualties and coalition casualties by sticking to our transition plan and making sure that we've got the most effective afghan security force possible. but we've got to do it in a

way that doesn't leave our guys vulnerable. so we are deeply concerned about this from top to bottom and hopefully over the next several weeks, we'll start seeing better progress on this front. in terms of the economy, you know, i would love to say that when congress comes back , they got a week or ten days before they go out and start campaigning again, that we're going to see a flurry of action. i can't guarantee that. i do think there are specific things they could do that would make a big difference. i'll given you a couple of examples. first of all, just making sure we've got what's called a continuing resolution so we don't have any disruptions and government shutdowns over the next couple of months. that's important. it appears there's agreement on that, but we want to make sure that gets done. number two, we have put forward an idea that i think

a lot of americans think makes sense, which is we've got historically low interest rates now and the housing market is beginning to tick back up but it's still not at all where it needs to be. there are a lot of families out there whose homes are under water, they owe more than the house is worth, because housing values dropped so precipitously, and they're having trouble refinancing. we're going to be pushing congress to see if they can pass a refinancing bill that puts $3000 into the pockets of the average family who hasn't yet refinanced their mortgage. that's a big deal. that $3000 can be used to strengthen the equity in that person's home, which would raise home values. alternatively, that's $3000 in peoples' pockets that they can spend on a new computer for their kids going back to school, or you know, school clothes for their kids. and so that would strengthen

the economy as well. obviously, the biggest thing that congress could do would be to come up with a sensible approach to reducing our deficit in ways that we had agreed to and talked about last year. and i continue to be open to seeing congress approach this with a balanced plan that has tough spending cuts, building on the trillion dollars worth of spending cuts that we've already made, but also, asks for additional revenue from folks like me, from folks in the top 1 percent or 2 percent, to make sure that folks who can least afford it aren't suddenly bearing the burden. and we're providing some additional certainty to small businesses and families going forward. alternatively, they could go

ahead and vote for a bill that we've said would definitely strengthen the economy and that is giving everybody who's making $250,000 a year or less certainty that their taxes aren't going to go down next year. that would make a big difference. obviously, republicans have voted that down already once. it's not likely, realistically, they're going to bring it back up again before election day. but my hope is after the election, people will step back and recognize that that's a sensible way to bring down our deficit and allow us to invest in things like education that are going to help the economy grow. >> chuck todd. >> [inaudible] >> in particular, whether you envision using u.s. military, if simply for not else, the safety from chemical weapons. following the answer you gave to nancy, you said that one of the reasons you wanted to

see mitt romney's tax returns was so everybody is playing by the sail set of rules. it goes to the question she asked which is the simplification, do you think there's something mitt romney is not telling us in his tax returns to suggest he's not playing by the rules? >> there's a difference between playing by the same sets of rules and doing something illegal, and in no way have we suggested the latter. but the first disclosure, the one year's of tax returns they disclosed, indicated that he has switched bank accounts, for example. well, that may be perfectly legal, but i suspect if you asked the average american do you have one, and is that part of how you manage your tax obligations, they would say no. they would find that relevant information. particularly when we're going into a time where we know

we're going to have to make tough choices, both about spending and about taxes. so you know, i think the idea that this is somehow exceptional, that there should be a rationale or a justification of doing more than the very bare minimum has it backwards. i mean, the assumption should be you do what previous presidential candidates did dating back for decades. and governor romney's own dad says well, the reason i put out ten or 12 years is because any single year might not tell you the whole story. and everybody's i think followed that custom ever since. the american people have assumed that if you want to be president of the united states, that your life's an open book. when it comes to things like your finances.

i'm not askingoisclose every detail of his medical records, although we normally do that as well. but -- >> [laughter] >> i mean, this is -- this isn't sort of overly personal here, guys. this is pretty standard stuff and i don't think we're being mean by asking you to do what every other presidential candidate has done, right? it's what the american people expect. on syria, obviously, this is a very tough issue. i have indicated repeatedly that president al assad has lost legitimacy, that he needs to step down. so far, he hasn't gotten the message and instead has doubled down in violence on his own people. the international community

has sent a clear message that rather than drag his country into civil war he should move in the direction of a political transition, but at this point, the likelihood of a soft landing seems pretty distant. what we've said is, number one, we want to make sure we're providing humanitarian assistance and we've tkhaupb to the tune of $82 million, i believe, so far, and we'll probably end up doing more because we want to make sure that hundreds of thousands of refugees that are fleeing the mayhem, that they don't end up creating -- or being in a terrible situation, or also, destabilizing some of syria's neighbors. the second thing we've done is we've said that we would provide, in consultation with the international community, some assistance to the

opposition in thinking about how would a political transition take place, and what are the principles that should be upheld in terms of looking out for minority rights and human rights. and that consultation is taking place. i have at this point not ordered military engagement in the situation, but the point that you made about chemical and biological weapons is critical. that's an issue that doesn't just concern syria. it concerns our close allies in the region, including israel, it concerns us. we cannot have a situation where a chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people. we have been very clear to the outside re -- to the assad regime, but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is we

start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. that would change my calculus. that would change my equation. >> is it somehow under -- >> in a situation this volatile, i wouldn't say that i am absolutely confident. what i'm saying is we're monitoring that situation very carefully. we have put together a range of t-pblg plans -- of contingency plans. we have communicated in no uncertain terms what every player in the region that that's a red line for us, and there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons. that would change my calculations significantly. >> thank you, everybody. >> [inaudible]

>> >> [inaudible conversations] >>

>> [inaudible conversations] >> now, republican presidential candidate mitt romney and his vice presidential running mate paul ryan at a manchester town hall meeting. this is mr. romney's 100th town hall since he began running for president. it's a little more than an hour. >> wow, it is wonderful being

here. what a welcome! thank you so much! now you haven't been counting like i've been counting, but this is our 100th town hall since i announced in june! so it's good to be here at saint ab e's for number 100, and i want you to know i brought someone with me who i don't think you've met in new hampshire. this is going to be the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. >> [applause] >> hey everybody!

great to be back at saint a's, good to see you. >> wow! look at this. how are you? good to see you. great thing about, you can say father how are you, they all say hi back. it's great. i was here with the sundayun knews -- sununus a couple of years ago and i serve in congress with very capable, conscientious legitimate slatures,o loge slaters. thank you for sending us frank gimpta to congress. what about charlie bass, -- bass, that's a man who knows responsibility and fought with us, and your rock star senator, kelly ayote, great to see you, kelly. you know, my cousin franceie lives in portssmith, my cousin mary lives in boston. so it's great to see family here today.

friends, we got a big decision to make. this is no ordinary time. it's no ordinary election. and the choice is basically this. we can stay on the same path we are on. a nation in debt, a nation in doubt, a nation in decline, or we can elect real leaders like mitt romney and get this country back on the right track. >> [applause] >> the problem we've been having in washington is that too many politicians like president obama -- just wait, i'm about to make a point -- >> [laughter] >> too many politicians like president obama have been

more worried about their next election than they've been worried about the next generation. that's not leadership. that's politics. we won't do that. we will lead. we want to earn your support. we want to deserve this victory. so that when we do this, we have the moral authority and the mandate to fix this country's problems, to reacquaint ourselves with the american idea and get people back to work. >> [applause] >> now, let's be very clear and fair. the president inherited a difficult situation. no two ways about that. problem is, he made things worse. and that's why the president has run out of ideas. and so his campaign has now been relegated to waging a campaign based on frustration and anger. dividing people.

distracting people. to try and win an election by default. of all times, when we need leadership, it is now. it is such an amazing moment in history, because i have rarely seen a moment where the man and the moment meet so well like mitt romney does at this moment in our history >> [applause] >> when you think of the challenges we confront, you need a leader. when you look at this man and his life, the example, it spells leadership. remember the olympics, back in the late '90s? all those stories at salt lake about the wasteful spending and bloated spending and the corruption? sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? who did they call? they called this man. mitt romney. and he went to salt lake, dropped who he was doing, he saved the olympics and he

made our country proud. >> [applause] >> look at what he's done in business. for me, i think it's a good thing that we have a leader who actually knows how to create jobs. >> [applause] >> his success in business is the american dream. it's the american success story. it's the thing we want to see happen to our own children. he took small businesses and grew them. he took struggling businesses and turned them around. and 80 percent success rate, that's astounding. i am proud to stand next to a man who created jobs, tens of thousands of which made more prosperity, more opportities for working men's *r americans and i'll proud to stand with a man who

from experience knows if you have a small business, you did build that. >> [applause] >> that's what drives our economy. that's what gives us prosperity. we should be proud of that. that's who we are. >> [applause] >> when we see people work hard, take risks, achieve success, we take pride in that. we don't see -- resent that. it's as if the president is speaking to people like they're stuck in their current station in life and only the government is here to help them cope with it. wrong. we believe in prosperity and opportunity and upward mobility. those are the things we want to see. take a look at the record, which is such a clear contrast between the record of mitt romney as a leader of the governor of massachusetts, and president obama. remember when the president said when he came into office

he would create jobs, unemployment would never get above 8 percent. it's been above 8 percent for 42 months running. twenty-three million americans -- >> [applause] >> back at you! twenty-three million americans are searching to find work. nearly one out of six americans are in poverty today. that's unacceptable. now, look at the record of this man. the credit rating was upgraded when he was governor of massachusetts. the credit rating was downgraded under president obama's failed leadership as president. >> [applause] >> unemployment went down. unemployment went down in massachusetts. and household income over the past four years, family income, has dropped by more than $4000 under president obama's failed leadership,

when this man was governor of massachusetts, family income went up by more than $5000. real results with real leadership. when he was governor of massachusetts, he worked with people across the aisle. look, we all come from states where you have to work with the other party to get things done. president obama came in and said we're not red states, we're not blue states, we're just the united states, we're going to put aside childish things. this is the third president i have served with. and i have never seen such bitter partisan rhetoric like the kind we have today. when mitt romney was governor, he reached across the aisle, he got things done, and he balanced the budget without raising taxes. now, we've heard a little bit about medicare lately from

the president. we want this debate, we need this debate and we are going to win this debate about medicare. you know, like you, when i think about medicare, it's not just a program with numbers and words. it's personal security that has been there for my family when we need it. you know i had my mom, betty, down with me in the villages in florida on saturday. she's been on medicare for over ten years. when my grandma moved in with my mom and me and we were her care givers when we were suffering alzheimer's, medicare was there when my family needed it then, it's there when she needs it now and what president obama will not tell you is his signature achievement, omabacare, raids $716 billion from medicare to

pay for omabacare. what's more, he puts this new board of 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats that he's about to appoint who are required to cut medicare every year which will clearly lead to denied care for current seniors. his campaign calls it an achievement. do you think raiding medicare to pay for omabacare and putting bureaucrats in charge of cutting it is an achievement? >> >> [shouting no". >> i don't think so, either. >> next time you get your paycheck, look at the line above payroll taxes. we pay our payroll taxes for two programs: social security and medicare. that's the law. that's how it's supposed to work. but now, because of president obama, it's being siphoned to partially fund omabacare as well. that's not an achievement. that's a raid on medicare.

and mitt romney and i are going to stop that raid of medicare, we're going to restore this program and get these bureaucrats out of the way that stand between our senior citizens and their medicare. >> [applause] >> medicare should not be a piggy bank for omabacare, it should be a guaranteed promise that our seniors can count on, and in order to save this program, for those who are already retired and people who are about to retire, you have to reform it for my generation, because it won't be there for us when we retire. the good news is there are bipartisan solutions to this problem. it originated in the clinton commission in the late 1990s, the bipartisan effort to save medicare. it has bipartisan support by congress today, for young

americans when they become medicare eligible let them have guaranteed coverage options including medicare that they can select from, just like i do as a member of congress, just like kelly and charlie and all the rest of us. we choose. i think the future to saving medicare is to let 50 million seniors decide how they get their health care, instead of relate gate thank decision to 15 unelected bureaucrats. that's the american way to save these programs, so that we can guarantee the promise of medicare for today's seniors. >> [applause] >> now, i won't go into all the things that we're proposing to do to get jobs back because i want to leave something for mitt to talk about. the point is we're offering you solutions. the president has a failed record. he clearly can't talk about that. he didn't change tune, he taxed far to the left, but it's not just that that we have to talk about. our solutions. how to get people back to

work. how to have more jobs, higher take-home pay. the romney-ryan plan for a stronger middle class is aimed at doing just that. >> thank you! >> now, it really comes down to this. are we going to stick with the path we're on or get this economy growing again. >> my dad said a lot of things that really stuck with me since i was a kid. he would always say son, you are either part of the problem or you're part of the solution. he usually was saying that to me when i was part of the problem. >> [laughter] >> right, francie? today, sadly, president obama is part of the problem, and mitt romney is the solution. [applause] >> it's just that clear. that's what it is.

>> >> ladies and gentlemen, we're going to get this back, turn this economy around, we're going to be truthful to our founding principles. we will not blame others, we will take responsibility. we will not duck the tough issues or kick the can down the road. we will get things done. and the way we're going to do this is we're going to elect leadership. at the 11th hour. >> bells ringing] >> hear the bells! you know what, that reminds me of one of my favorite leaders in history, winston

churchill and i have a bust of winston churchill in my office. >> [applause] >> churchill said the americans can be counted upon to do the right thing, but only after they've exhausted all the other possibilities. >> [laughter] >> but i think that's kind of where we are right now. the good news is, it's not too late. we can get people back to work, we can get people out of poverty, we can reignite prosperity, we can save medicare, and we can do this by electing leadership. and the man who is going to lead this comeback for america is the man standing next to me. his name is mitt romney. and he is going to be the next president of the united states of america. >> [applause] >> thank you paul! oh, what a treat to be here! thank you! what an honor! thank you so much. you're terrific, thank you!

and to frank and charlie, kelly, what a team here. and only a catholic guy would be able to get the bells to toll just at the right time at saint anselm. father you did that for him, i know! oh my goodness. so many friends here in new hampshire. gosh, i feel like i'm almost a new hampshire resident. i come here and -- it would save me tax dollars, i think! but it's great to be here with you. you've been here for me on the day that i announced, you've been with me time and time again, at town meetings like this, and you voted for me when it counted most, and got me the nomination in a lot of respects, and i owe a great deal to the people of new hampshire and appreciate your willingness to be here with me today. thank you so much. >> [applause] >> it is delightful to have a guy, part of my team, who has

character and integrity, who has the capacity to take on tough issues, who's willing to take on tough issues, and not just kick the ball down the field and hope someone else will deal with america's challenges. i appreciate a man of courage, integrity and strength as paul ryan is. >> [applause] >> i appreciate the fact that he's learned how to work with people on the other side of the aisle. as you may appreciate, having served as governor of massachusetts, you either did that or you perished, and because my legislature was 87 percent democrat. and -- oh, they were okay, that's all right. anybody here from massachusetts? oh, my goodness, wow. i always comment, there's a border security problem here, all right? thanks for letting me across the border this morning. this is a guy who's been able to work with good democrats,

fine people that -- find people who could look kwrord partisanship to get things done and i'm planning to go to washington with paul ryan and we're going to get this country back on track for the american people. >> i am asked from time to time, why are you doing this, mitt, why did you get into this and you know the reason, you've heard me say this before. you see, i want to make sure that everybody in america who wants a job can get a good job. i want to make sure that everybody who is thinking about retirement or in retirement knows they have a secure retirement. i want people to know that if they get ill, they're going to be able to get treated. they're going to have health care that's affordable. and i want every mom and dad to know that their child will get the best education in the world. these things, we have to provide to americans across the country.

and i know what it takes to get those things done. i've had the experience of working in the real world, if you will, the private sector, and seeing how enterprises get started and how they change the lives of people when they're successful and how by the way sometimes they're not successful and how we lose jobs. i understand those things. i want to bring that understanding to make sure we can create good jobs for every american that wants a good job. we've got to do that. and so i have a deep desire to make a difference for the people of america, of the middle class, of all classes, that we love so deeply. this is a great land and we owe our people a bright and prosperous future and that's what paul ryan and i will do with every ounce of our energy, that's what we'll bring to the american people. >> [applause] >> now, i've seen something

about what it takes and one of the fun things of this campaign over the last year and some odd months has been to get to know the people of america, and see just how we tick and actually how new hampshire ticks as well. i was at the madison lumber yard. i don't know whether you know madison, new hampshire. and there are a couple of guys there, jim smith, ken moore, international paper owned the lumber mill there and they decided that lumber was not part of their future so they were going to close it down and these two guys went to the bank and got some investors and loans and they bought the lumber yard from -- lumber mill, rather, from international paper and they keep it in business and they employ a lot of people there, and i respect the entrepreneurship, the innovativeness of individuals who step in, who take a risk, who make things happen. i met a young woman, in high point, north carolina, a few days ago, and her name is melanie ma'am nam era, she's into the furniture making business and i'll tell you, the chinese have just killed one job after another in

furniture manufacturing for a lot of unfair reasons, but putting that aside, she figured she was going to lose her business and the jobs of the people that worked for her unless she could find some way to keep it in business and she had this idea, she's going to make furniture of a very specific nature, furniture that goes in the waiting rooms of hospitals. that's her niche. and she does that well. the 27 people who work for her are happy to have a job because she figured out how she could compete with the chinese and win and we're going to do that all over the country. [applause] >> >> i bet a guy in -- no, it's in southern illinois, jim leatode is his name, and jim graduated second in his class in high school, second from the bottom, that is, and -- >> [laughter] >> and he decided that college was not in his future, and so he went to his dad and said dad, can i

borrow some money, i want to start a little business and he and his dad worked something out, his dad would own half the business, he'd own half and they were going to serve food and they went out to guy a hamburger griddle and the rollers that make hot dogs and he needed this big hood to take out the smoke and all that. by the time he costed it out, he found he didn't begin to have enough money to buy all that stuff, so -- as a matter of fact, the conclusion was all he could really do was make sandwiches so he got some tables and went to a friend's garage and made sandwiches and then delivered them to peoples' homes. that was his idea. good sandwiches, delivered at work. now jimmy john's has 1500 restaurants and employs 60,000 people. >> [applause] >> isn't that amazing? it's just -- >> [applause] >> you see, it's just the way america works. it's individuals in their own ways, pursuing their own dreams, who take a risk in

some cases, who work harder than they ever imagined they would, who use all their brain power to come up with ideas like okay, we're going to make hospital furniture or we're going to find a way to make this lumber yard work, even though this big company that owns it can't make it work profitably and we're going to start this little restaurant and it's going to grow and go all over the country. this is the way america works i understood that. the founders understood that. you see, when they understood what america would look like, they had extraordinary, i'll call them gir spinnational thoughts, one is this, that our right that is did not come from government, our rights came from the creator. >> [applause] >> and among our rights were life and liberty, and by by the

way, that includes religious liberty. we respect the right of religions to practice in a free and tolerant way. >> [applause] >> and number three, the pursuit of happiness. americans should be free to pursue happiness as they choose. you see, the founders recognized that far more effective in guiding an economy than having burats tell people how to -- bureaucrats what to make and how to make it and what to charge for it, instead of that we let free people decide what they want to do, each person going off in their own way, building enterprises like making sandwiches or hospital furniture or cutting lumber and this would create as you know the most powerful economy in the history of the world. you see, america's economy is driven by freedom. freedom is what makes america work.

and the president -- the president said something and paul alluded to it just a moment ago, but the president said something extraordinarily revealing about himself, and about how he thinks about the economy. you could see where he was coming from with what he did. you know what the stimulus dollars -- do you know how much money he invested in so called green energy companies? $90 billion. $90 billion. i guess he likes to pick winners and losers, in his case, losers, and those businesses -- he thinks in some respects that he and his people, by picking businesses, can do a better job than free people, consumers, making the choice of what's better for them, and it hasn't worked. it's the wrong approach. and what he said underscored his philosophy. he said this, and you heard it. he said if you have a

business, you didn't build it, someone else did that. >> [booing] >> and i -- he said look, maybe you're taking me out of context. that's not really what i meant. so by the way, go on youtube and look the a the context, all right? the context is worse than the quote. all right? >> [laughter] >> he says if you're suckle, you think it's because you're smart but there a lot of smart people and if you're successful you may think it's because you work hard but there are a lot of people who work hard and i wonder where is he going with this, is there something wrong with being smart and working hard? you see, in america, we value people who are smart, who work hard, who take risk, who build things for themselves and for others. >> [applause] >> and we recognize we're in this together and we help one another and america is coming

together, by the way, out of many one. us coming together and uniting, that's creating a stronger nation. but nonetheless, we recognize and celebrate the success of each individual. and we acknowledge their success. we don't denigrate it. we don't divide americans based upon their level of success. we come together. the other day, you know, i thought about a kid that works hard to get the honor roll, and she works real hard. i know that to get the honor roll she had to go on a school bus to get to school, but when she makes the honor roll, i credit the kid, not the bus driver. >> [applause] >> and so as opposed to having a president who thinks that government creates our economy and allows it to grow, i understand that it's free people and freedom that drive our economy. i'm going to do five things when i'm in washington with paul ryan, five things we're

going to do. that are going to get this economy jump-started again. number one, we're going to take advantage of our energy resources, our coal, our oil, our gas, our renewables, even nuclear. number one, energy. we got a lot of energy. low cost, low cost natural gas is going to bring manufacturing jobs. and by the way, keep our utility bills down. number two, i'm going to make sure that our schools are second to none. we need our kids to have the skills to succeed. that's number two. number three, i want trade that works for america. that means we're going to open up new markets for our goods in latin america and other places and we're going to crack down on cheaters like china when they play on an unfair basis. >> [applause] >> number four, for people in this audience, to take a risk to start a business, or to invest with a friend that's got a good idea, or some big corporation overseas that's

thinking about building a factory maybe in the united states or maybe somewhere else, for them to put money and put it at risk in america, they have to know we're not on the road to greece so we're going to have to do something and do it soon and that is show america that this team can put america on track to a balanced budget and stop the deficit spending. >> [applause] >> and there's one more. and there's one more. and that's this. i want to champion small business. i want to make it easier for entrepreneurs and innovators, i want the small businesses you work in to find it easier to hold on to capital so they can grow their enterprise. the president wants to raise taxes on small business.

i want them lower. i want to make sure that regulators and regulations are designed to make sure we encourage small business. and by the way, i want to take off that big cloud that's hanging over a lot of small businesses. and that is i want to make sure that we get omabacare out of the way and replace it with something which will help encourage job growth in this country. >> [applause] >> you know how important this is. you know what a difference this will make in america, for the 23 million americans out of work, for the one in six out of poverty, we need to help those folks. we also need to do these things to help the coming generation. and one more thing. american strength is critical not just for us in this country but also for the world. i was fortunate enough to be in poland a couple of weeks ago and to have the chance to meet with lak wilessa, a

world hero. and i had just met with the prime minister and i came in and lak wilessa said you must be tired, you came from overseas. he said sit down, i talk, you listen. so i did. and he spoke for about 15 minutes, and he kept on hammering me with the same point. we need american leadership. where is american leadership. look at the challenges in the world. look what's happening in the middle east. look what's happening around the world. we need america to lead. let me tell you, if this man is your vice president and i'm your president, we will do everything in our power to keep america strong, to lead in the world, with strong values, strong homes, strong principles. we'll lead with a strong economy. get this economy going again. so people have good jobs and so that we can make sure we have a military that's second to none in the world.

it's essential that america is strong. >> [applause] >> that's my commitment to you. we're going to get america back. we're going to make sure it remains strong. and my request of you is that you also make it ate comment. i'd like you to find one person, one person, who voted for barack obama who you can convince to vote for paul ryan and me, all right? now you each know someone, you each know someone who voted for barack obama and i know there are a lot of them out there that aren't quite sure what they're going to do so you guys, i want you to meet with them, talk to them, i want you to tell them that we're going to help them get good jobs, we're going to restore, strengthen our homes and schools, we're going to get america's economy so strong that we can afford a military that protects liberty for ourselves and preserves peace on the planet

and i'll bet if you do that job we can make sure we win that job, not only for new hampshire, but help this man and i become the next vice president and president, and we can do that with your help. thank you very much. thank you! >> [applause] >> now it's your turn. now it's your turn here. we're going to take some questions, and a small audience back here, please. just shout it out. i'm not sure you need a microphone. >> our national debt -- >> [-- politicians often talk about ending the national deficit, but that's not really the real problem. it's our national tkefplt i'm wondering what you can say that will help us know that you will help end the national debt. not just the deficit but the actual debt. >> well, as you know, we have

about $16 trillion of debt, which is about the size of the total economy. and passing on this debt to our kids -- oh, and by the way, not just the debt, but also, unfunded promises for coming generations and to our generation, that's about another $62 trillion on top of that. we're passing these burdens on every year the folks at u.s.a. today calculate the amount of debt and unfunded promise her household. it's over $500,000 per household. you don't know you're carrying and will carry. and the interest on that. and most likely my generation will be gone. before all that interest and debt is paid off. these are burdens for things we've purchased during my lifetime that are going to get paid for by our kids. in my view, it's not just bad economic, it's immoral for us to pass these burdens on to coming generations. so what do i do? >> [applause] >> first you got to end the deficit, and then start

accumulating, if you will, reserves and growing. that's what we did -- well, most states figure out how to do this, they balance their budget. in my state, i came in, we had about a $3 billion budget gap, we balanced the budget and began building a rainy day fund that was over $2 billion when i left. that's how do you it. what do we do here. i have three things i would do to, one, get rid of the deficit and let me tell you how we're going to start pulling down the debt. three approaches: number one, we're going to get rid of programs we don't need. my test is this. i look at every program and say is this so critical as program it's worth borrowing money from chine ca to pay for it. on that basis we're going to get rid of programs like omabacare and some others. number two, we're going to take a lot of programs and send them back to the states where they can be run more efficiently and with less fraud and abuse. >> and number three, we're going to skinny down the size of the federal work force that remains with attrition to make sure it's more productive.

now, how do you actually get to a balanced budget and start paying off the debt? the answer is three are three mathematical ways to do that. one, you could raise taxes. not going to do that. that's a mathematical way. two, you could cut spending. i'm going to do that. number three and most important, you can grow the economy. all right? and so when democrats say oh, just raise tax, what they don't understand is that raising taxes slows down growth and like a dog chasing its tail, you're never going to get to the balanced budgets by raising taxes. you have to encourage growth. that's why our polices are focused on one, bringing down spending, and, two, encouraging growth. that's why we champion small business. that's why we champion our energy resources. we want to grow this economy and cut federal spending. do those two things, we get to a balanced budget and ultimately we get rid of this debt. thank you very much. thanks. now, this guy -- >> i want to hear what he has

to say on this topic. he's been working on this for the last 14 years. >> i can't really top that. that is the magic secret. progrowth economics to get people back to work. going from the unemployment check to creating and building businesses, to having a paycheck. that brings in more revenues through economic growth. cut spending, reform government programs, so that they are paid for. the problem is we've had decades of politicians from both political parties making lots of empty promises to voters to get reelected and what will happen if we have a debt crisis is those empty promises become broken promises with painful consequences unless we act. turn on your tv when you get home, look at europe. that's what happened. they made all the promises, they got a debt crisis, now they're in recession, now they're slashing health retirement benefits for current seniors, raising taxes, slowing down the economy, young people don't have jobs. we need to prevent and

preempt that and that is what this is dined to do, get people back to work, cut spending, reform government, revent us from being europe, and then we'll be the port in the storm in the global economy, america will be the place you want to create jobs, you want to have your company. this is the engine of economic growth we've had before, we can turn it around and if we do that, then we'll get our debt under control and get it paid off and our kids and our grandkids will have a debt-free nation, just like our parents. they took on the challenges in their generation, we do that and we revive the american idea and american legacy. >> [applause] >>: .

>> what will you do? >> i want to thank you. >> we will follow along. go figure. [applause] we have a budget law. the budget law that governs how congress taxes and spend your money. that law says that april 15 is not only tactic all-american, it

is budget day for congress. congress is supposed to pass a budget every year. kelly is in the minority. the senate has chosen to ignore this law for three years. we have not had a budget for three years because the senate has not passed a budget for three years. have you ever heard of a guy named harry reid? boo! >> you have. president obama has given us four budgets. each one of these adopt and the tough issues, kicked the can, and gave as a deficit of over a trillion dollars every single time. no solution in sight. we are still living under that obama budget from 2009 that paved the way for obamacare. we will institute a budget that solves this problem. kelly will get more help in the

senate. courageous people who helped us to this, we will get courageous men and women back in congress. we will fix this mess before it gets out of our control. [applause] >> i will _ one thing there. -- underscore one thing there. the role of leadership. i hope you have experienced that in your homes. you have seen it at the enterprise you may work at. there are times when there is strong leadership. there are other times in an enterprise you are associated with where you have not seen the kind of leadership you need. the president the other day was speaking about some issues he had tackled and congress had acted on. he said, they know where my office is and where the white house is. do you have to be kidding. you are the president. you know where they are.

go meet with them. go talk to them. >> he does not do that. >> he cannot point to harry reid and say they are not getting it done in the senate. he has to go to the senate and meet with them and talk to them. two different guys i cannot imagine worker important -- were important things in the country at that time. there are important things today. you have to get a president who is willing to sit down with people across the aisle and lead america. this is that kind of time. we cannot go on the way we are going on. we cannot do that. if i am there. , i will lead and we will have a budget. ultimately, we will get to a place where we do not have a debt. >> thank you, governor. when my son's boss asked why he wanted the day off, he said i get the chance to see romney and

ryan. his boss said, you mean the guy who will raise taxes? what are you going to do to combat the lies the left are telling. ? >> it seems the first victim of the obama campaign is the truth. [laughter] it has been sad and disappointing. when i became the presumptive nominee, the president called me and congratulated me in becoming the presumptive nominee and said america deserves an honest debate about the future course of the country. i agree. i am waiting to hear him begin that. [laughter] all we have heard so far is one attack after the other. frankly, the they are typically not honest. there may be one that is, i keep looking for a period has been a disappointment. for instance, let me make this clear. i signed a statement. i will not raise taxes on anybody.

i do not want to raise taxes on the american people. this is a president who has proposed raising the tax rate from 35% to 40%. let me point out, you realize the great majority of enterprises that we all work in, americans work and across this country, are taxed as individuals. if they pay that rate. they do not pay the corporate tax rate. they pay the personal tax rate. they pay individual taxes. when you raise taxes on small business from 35% to 40%. , you will kill jobs. it does not sound they appeared only 2.3% of revenues. not a profit. of revenues. these businesses that are making medical happen devices, they have to pay taxes even if they are not making a profit. he has proposed raising taxes. harder my tax proposal -- i will

not raise taxes on the american people. i will not raise taxes on middle income americans. we will make sure americans have the money to pay their bills. we will not raise taxes. that slows down growth and kills jobs. we will get the economy going. mr. president, stop saying something that is not the truth. [applause] >> i tell you. if you add up all of the tax increases that president obama is promising, it does not even pay for one fifth of his proposed deficit spending increases. its taxing, borrowing, and even more spending and more regulating or the secret to economic growth, we would be entering a golden age along with today. bank toda where i come from, overseas,

lake superior -- [laughter] the canadiens just lowered their tax rate on all their businesses to 50% last january. president obama is adjusting the tax rate most are jobs come from will go up 40% next january. when we tax our job creators in america at much higher tax rates that our foreign competitors? there's, they win, we lose, and we do not create jobs. we might be talking to people based on emotions of fear, envy, and anxiety, speaking to people as if they are stuck in some station or class in life, that is not who we are in america. we believe an opportunity, prosperity, and we want people to succeed. we want businesses to grow. as they grow, as they compete and thrive and survive, they

give more people opportunities. our communities come together. they do not fall apart. that is the secret to the american idea. that is what we will claim and achieved when we get in charge and fix this mess in washington. [applause] >> question? >> mr. president, mr. vice president -- [applause] >> thank you for your service, sir. >> thank you for being here in good old new hampshire. home of the red sox. [applause] i have a very pressing question to ask. i have heard a lot of good things from you folks. i agree with it 100%. i have a grandson, my wife and i do it, that is headed to afghanistan -- afghanistan in 45 days. we have veterans, and i happen

to be one of the romney veterans here in new hampshire, and i am proud of it, but, i want to know what you guys will do about afghanistan to get those characters out there shooting our guys and our guys coming home in body bags. when you take over washington, what will you do about the mess in afghanistan. -- afghanistan? [applause] >> first, and you know i have said this before, thank you for your service, personally. for our veterans, will you raise your hands and be recognized? thank you. thank you for your service. new hampshire serves america. thank you. [applause] thank you.

let me say a couple of things in response. one is, when our men and women are in harm's way, i expect the president of the united states to address the nation, explain what is happening, why they're there, what the mission is. other presidents have done the spirit we have not heard this president do this. this is something he ought to do time and time again so people in america know where we stand. there are people thinking about what hat -- what is happening at home. i understand that. we should also recognize there are people overseas who are fighting for us. they are responding to the call of the commander in chief. he ought to read -- ought to be reporting to their parents. number 2. to send men and women in harm's way is a high hurdle. every time you see some he does

not like in the world, you say ok, we will send in our troops. these wars require a specific american interest. you have to understand and communicate to the american people what the mission is, what we want to accomplish, why we are there, and then how we would know why -- when the compound -- when the mission is completed. finally, you have to communicate to the american people what will happen after we go and how we will go. all of these things have to be communicated. i wish we had that from the beginning and all the way down the line. when i become commander in chief, if i am so lucky, i will address the american people about these issues. i will do everything in my power to transition from our military to their military as soon as possible, bring our men and women home, and do so in a way that keeps with our mission. to keep afghanistan from

becoming over run and becoming a lot to apply for terrorism like it was for 9/11. thank you. [applause] >> when you vote to send women and men into war, that is a vote you take very seriously, very solemnly. when you give the military a specific mission, and the military tells you, here is what we need to complete this mission to keep our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines safe, you give them what they ask for. it is very important. [applause] i was with the marines in december learning and listening to our marines who are fighting. it is amazing. there is not an army or troop that holds a candle to the american military.

audience: hey! [applause] [chanting "u.s.a."] >> the point that mitt was making is the president, in my opinion, has made decisions that are more political in nature than military in nature. in the middle of the fighting season when we are still giving our military the same mission, we do not want to do something that would put them in jeopardy. we want them to fulfill the mission in the safest way possible. that means you make decisions what is right for the country. end of story.

elections notwithstanding. that is what leadership is all about especially when you are sending men and women into harm's way. [applause] >> thank you. governor, i know my son is missing the first day of school to be here today. [applause] >> we are not going to clap for that. [laughter] >> i think one of the great disappointments of our current president is that he has done such damage to our relationships with foreign allies, and the titular, with israel. i would like both of you to address what you will do to rebuild that relationship and how you define what that relationship should even be. >> paul, i have been taking all of these first. it is not fair. i will take the next one. we will see. >> first off, israel is our

strongest ally in the middle east. vestry them -- let's treat them as if they are our strongest ally in the middle east. [applause] when president obama made the 1967 borders the precondition to the beginning of negotiations, it undercut our ally. it made it harder for the peace process to move forward. as a result, we have no peace process. it is very vital and important that the signals we send, that we strengthen the relationship with our allies, that we improve the relationship that has deteriorated so much under this president, so our allies are not under cut from the united states of america when they try to arrive to peace. that is critical. [applause] we have both been there.

we have traveled in this region. we have to recognize that perhaps the greatest threat in the world today is and i ran with nuclear capabilities. this is an exponential threat to israel, and it is a threat to our own national security. we need to be firm in our resolve preventing i ran from getting nuclear capability so we do not have a nuclear arms race in the middle east. [applause] >> i would just -- i agree. let me add just a couple of things. when the president of the united states speaks, he speaks to four audiences. one is the american people. that is the group that is important to him politically, to have their support, to win their support for the coming

elections. number two, when he speaks, he is speaking to our allies. if they sense any weakness on the part of the american president and his commitment to our friends, they began looking around to see where they can get support elsewhere to protect their own interests. he is also speaking in a way that is hard by our foes around the world. if the president speaks in a way that shows weakness, that emboldens them. they decide to take action, which furthers their interests and causes the retreat of our interests and the retreat of the interests of our friends in the world. when he speaks, he is heard loud and clear by the servicemen and women. i would never say anything to earn support in that first group that in any way harms our interests with regards to our friends, allies, that emboldens our enemies, or in any way

detract from the commitment of the men and women in uniform. [applause] like paul, i would say that you have to treat your friends like friends. if you have a disagreement, like to do with your family, you had it out in fighting. the president throwing someone underboss was totally unacceptable. -- under a bus was totally acceptable. at the conference, i laid out seven things i think have to be done in order to keep clear run from -- iran -- it should have been done ages ago. we should make it very clear we will place crippling sanctions.

when this was said last week about israel, i will not repeat it, the awful, offensives, obnoxious things he said about israel, should lead to him being indicted under the genocide convention. we should always make sure they recognize that to be knighted states of america, a run being -- i ran being nuclear is not an option. we will not allow them to become a nuclear threat to us or our friends. thank you. [applause] >> my 15-year-old brother started his own company and he made the bumper stickers for you guys. audience: aw! >> read it. >> obama is right. we need change. mitt romney, 2012.

>> her brother, the entrepreneur. can we run a marathon in there one way or the other. there we go. here comes the microphone. new hampshire -- vote free or die. >> i would like to thank you both for coming to our wonderful campus. it is a beautiful campus. [applause] as a junior here, i am lucky to say i am taking out my first loan. i am faced with the reality of how much debt i will have when i graduate. i question to you is what will you do to help the students of this campus, the state, and this wonderful country with their debt? what would you do to help my generation become this country's future? >> i am glad you raised that. there are some laws that have been taken out for you do not know about. [laughter] i want that also to be on your list.

every time you get a paycheck after you graduate, if you will be a maternity -- an attorney, you will see a line there that will go to the federal government. income taxes. that will be paying for the debt sea did not know about -- you did not know about. it is a huge number. you will be plant -- you will be paying the interest on that all of your life. the first thing i will do for you is make sure we do not keep adding more and more debt you do not know about. that is number one. number two. i will make sure when you graduate, you can get a job. [cheers and applause] half the kids coming out of college this year, half, cannot find a job that is consistent

with a college degree. it is unacceptable. we have to make sure young people coming into the work force can get a job. i think a little humorous -- humor was practiced yesterday. use the the american dream of owning your own home. now it is getting your kids out of your home. i want to make sure you are able to get a home of your own, that you will have a good job, that you can start paying back the debt. i know it is tempting as a politician to say, i will give you money, i will -- the government will give you money and repay loans back. i will not tell you that. that is taking money from your other pocket and giving it to the other pocket. [applause] i will not promise all sorts of free stuff i know you will end up paying for. a month to give you a great job so you will be able to pay it back yourself caria {cheer. , to get the government off your

back so you can keep more of what you learned. -- earned. thank you. >> i will tell you one other thing. when president obama talks about this, he makes all of these promises. he proposed a budget, and then cut off in two years. it is called a gimmick. we have to go off of inflation of tuition as well. tuition inflation is much faster than other inflation. we have to make sure we are not -- that your education dollars stretch farther than they have in the past. there are things we need to do to get more transparency so educators, institutions, like this great school of catholic higher indication, it is a great education, we want them to compete for your businesses as a student based on quality, outcome, affordability.

we want that kind of competition. my first time in this state was myigh school kid's revine brother. that is a great workout. it is pretty windy out there. when i grew up, education inflation was not quite what it is today. it is double digit in some cases. we need to cat -- we need to attack the real -- the root cause of inflation. in this generation, it is how we maintain the legacy of leaving the next generation better off. [applause] >> this goes against my nature. [laughter] this better be a good question for a yankee fan. i do not know. i have to tell you a story. i was in south carolina giving a speech.

all of the cadets were all lined up and sitting as if at attention. now and then in my speech i would tell a joke or two. they would look down the aisle and the guy would shake his head and no one would laugh. i could not get any laugh out of them. finally, i took questions from the audience. most of the people had written out their questions on a card. a note card. they read the question and i would respond. one guy stood up and said, what you think about the red sox having traded johnny to the yankees? everybody was astounded that somebody asked a question that had not been prepared. they all turned around to see who it was. it was a great opportunity. i said, if it proves one thing, -- hate yankees. >> but not you, sir.

>> i back winners. that is why i back you. [applause] >> thank you. >> isn't it time to audit the federal reserve? audience: yes! >> the answer is yes. the federal reserve should be accountable. we should see what they are doing. i would like to take a close look at a lot of things and are happening in government. i would like to take a close look at what this president is doing and where he is spending this -- his money. i think it would be interesting to see where the money is going to all the companies that are owned by campaign contributors of his. it's things. i am happy and would like to see -- and not want congress to run the fed. i want to keep it independent. there are very few groups i would not want to give the keys to parent i would not want to

give the keys to congress. i was told you have to go to work, and some have to go to school, but i want to thank you. i want to thank you for your help today, for your willingness to come out and spend some time with us, and i want to thank you for your love and passion for america. i know you are not here because we are your best buddy, but because you are concerned about your country. you are concerned about america. this country we love is facing some real challenges. this is a critical time for us. we will decide will kind of america of we are going to be. we will decide something about the soul of america and what it means to be an american. i believe in freedom, opportunity, and that people who came here over the centuries were looking for an america where the child they had would have a better experience than they had.

many americans do not believe that anymore. i believe if we get off this track that obama has put us on, i think we will see an economy that is coming back. i think we will see a brighter day in america. i want to ask you this. find one of those obama of voters and get them to support our team. we will do everything in our power and we will get this country back and america will remain the hope of the earth. thank you so much. thank you. >> let's get it done. thank you very much. [music playing] >> ♪ i was born free. free like river raging strong facing, chasing, chasing father time. deep like the grandest canyond

wild like an untamed stallion you can knock me down watch me bleed but you cannot keep no chang mayins on me i was born free i was born free i was born free born free and i am not good at long goodbyes but look at me into my eyes i was born for a ree

♪ ♪ the calm facing danger lost ♪ >> i know people criticize me for facing complexities. some issues are not all that simple. saying there are weapons of mass destruction in iraq does not make it so. saying we can fight a war does not make it so. claiming mission accomplished certainly does not make it so. >> three days after september

11, i stood where americans died. in the ruins of the twin towers. workers and hard hats were shouting to me, whatever it takes. a fellow grabbed me by the arm and said, do not let me down. since that day, i wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. i will never really -- never relent in defending america, whatever it takes. >> c-span has aired every minute of every major party convention since 1984. our countdown continues to our live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the conventions, live on c- span, c-span radio, and st. online. all starting next monday with the gop convention with chris christie. also, 2008 presidential nominee senator john mccain. former governor close.

julian castro, plus firstly obama, and 4 -- former president bill clinton. >> we are in the countdown to the conventions. in several it -- seven days, gavel-to-gavel coverage from tampa, live here on c-span. in a firm -- in a few moments, the republican platform committee meets in tampa. in more than an hour, president obama on the situation in syria. we will be air our new hampshire town hall meeting with mitt romney and his running mate paul ryan. >> on tomorrow's washington journal, we will look at house and senate races are run the country. we will look at the growing number of jobs that require post-secondary education with anthony of georgetown university's center of education

in the workforce. town hall.com's political editor. washington journal with today's headlines and your phone calls, live every day on c-span at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> the republican platform committee is meeting in tampa to draft and finalize its mission on a variety of issues, including the economy and foreign policy. the convention ends next monday. the meeting began by talking about the economy.

>>i would like to call on david barton from texas to lead us in prayer. >> thank you, mr. chairman. let me begin with a brief quote. george washington called the country to prayer, he said it was our duty to "technology providence of almighty god, to obey his will, to be grateful, and two hundley and for his protection and favor." let's do that today. father, as we gather from all over this country and territories to run a platform generations to come, you tell us this task. you also told a profit that he should write the vision down clearly so even those running would be able to read that vision. lord, we ask the same thing. help us to write the vision clearly so it is clearly writtenyou also tell us how good and pleasant it is when we can dwell together in unity. we pray for unity today and tomorrow as we undertake this work. we want to honor you and approve of our work here, father. let us submit it to you in that realm. we ask for your 80 come your protection, and your favor. we ask that of our leaders and we ask for our soldiers across

the world. keep those soldiers, airmen, and marines saved. bless america," but today that god, bless america. remember the covenants that were made centuries ago. we still honor those and for you continue to bless our country today. we ask all this in your name, amen. >> thank you, david. i call on ken from iowa to lead is in the pledge. >> 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. >> ladies and gentlemen, again a few reminders.

all of our proceedings beginning at this time are being covered by our friend that c- span. there are other people here from national and international media, but we asked to please quiet yourself funds. we have a lot to do in the next four hours. i mentioned last night, and i know my co-chairs agree. we are privileged to serve in the leadership position over the document of the heart and soul of the republican party. that is what we have all been called to do. we are the conservative party, the leaders of life, family, limited government, respect for the rule of law, and every thing that has made our country great for these last 236 years. we need to remember what has made us great and look at the it working on this morning. we will take your good work and

act on it as a body. it is exceptionally important work. it's important for people in america and people around the world to know what the republican party stands for, from the time of lankan to now the time of romney -- lincoln to romney. dream for so many people are job today's to encapsulate that and provide a blueprint for our party and our people for the next four years.

etthis will be a document that we can hand to our candidates, are standard bearer, and stay here are some great ideas about 112 representatives from 50 states and six territories believe in. we would like to adopt them in your message as you go about putting the country together over these next 80 days. i think we all know that this is an exceptionally important time and we're certainly at a crossroads whether we embrace an entitlement society or an opportunistic society that embraces free enterprise, limited government come and all those values are founders enshrined 236 years ago. those are what drives us. we want a document that will help us win an election. we want independent voters and other undecided voters to read

this document and say they want to be a part of this team. many of you have said you have never served on a committee or been to convention before. to me, that is exciting. the matter who you supported in the primaries, we have a great group of men and women who have been elected by the states to come and serve on this platform committee. we have a common desire to come up with a service-oriented document that speaks to our hopes and aspirations. with the report i got from my co-chairman, i think we have started to march down the road. as we go through this process today after hearing the committee reports and anticipating amendments, you

have already considered about two under 50 of them in the subcommittee. that's an awful lot. the constitutional committee got their fair share, i would add. everyone finished on time except for one, but they have a lot to talk about when you talk about the constitution. there's a lot to talk about. it's not surprising they took longer. great work by the subcommittee chairs to get us to this point where we have a tremendous working document. with that, is the chairman here? hearing no chairman, i would like to proceed with a brief slide presentation. as i mentioned yesterday, the reason we're here is to come up with a good working document. over the last two months, on your incredibly dedicated teams have met with literally

thousands of people, have heard from thousands more through twitter, facebook, email, text messages, have conducted countless meetings, have met with any number of groups that wanted to have any year. we have received 30,000 different ideas and processed them to incorporate in the work document you receive last night. i think it already was a very good grass-roots top-bottom document. i think you have made it better. just reflect on the process, if we could go ahead and outline that, it would be helpful for all of our members. ♪

[applause] >> the chairman will be here any minute. in the meantime, let me introduce my co-chairmen. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, i present the gentleman from wisconsin, the home of paul ryan, scott walker, and green bay packers. [applause] >> thank you. are we on?

ok. we're having a bit of a cheese had revolution. we cannot be prouder. thank you for your hard work. we're asking me to keep pressing on. this will be so important for the future of this country. a talk about last night, this election is about liberty, freedom, and the american dream. this election is about big things. we have a president, as you know, that promised he was going to be about big things. he promised he was going to carpet the world. he promised he would get unemployment under control. he promised he would cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. we are in a battle for freedom in this country. is the same battle that abound

in this country, that james madison reaffirmed in the bill of rights. we know that a country that has to surrender its sovereignty to its bondholders cannot guarantee prosperity or freedom to anybody. the country that buries its kids and grandkids in an avalanche of dead cannot rest on any vestiges of the moral high ground. we know, i know, everyone up here knows that none of you, nor i, are here because we're worried about the future of the american party. we are here on an important project because we're worried about the future of this country. mr. president has not followed through on his promises. we have gone down a road that is bound for this country and we know mitt romney and paul ryan will help save this country from the president whose priorities are not america's priorities.

how many of you have been to the world war ii memorial? you would agree it's one of those places where you get in when you put out -- get back what you put in. our kids, jack and grace, we give our kids normal names. we went the opposite direction of my parents. [laughter] my little guy, jack, is just a fun little guy. he loves geography, history. we went to the world war ii memorial in washington. we walk around the memorial and there are these great quotes from heroes of that time. then we walked up to that wall with those 4,000 stars. with my little guy next to me,

we are walking up. you read what it all means you realize for every one of those stars, it is 100 little guys just like jack, a little older obviously. as a parent, you could never put yourself in the shoes of what that feels like. for that flicker, you try to figure out what it would be like if little jack did not come home and it just hits you. in front of that wall it says, "here we mark the price of freedom." we are in a battle for freedom

in this country. i just have to tell you that i wish all of god's blessings on you as you continue to work through this document. this will help us start the week in a way that lights the path to victory in november. thank you very much. i want to thank governor mcdonnell, represent a blackburn, senator -- rep blackburn, senator hoeven. appreciate all the hard work you're going to do. thank you man got bless you. -- thank you and god bless you. [applause] >> thank you, chairman priebus. here is senator hoeven from north dakota. >> thank you to gov. bob mcdonnell for his hard work. he did not know about the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. to his team in the whole staff.

it's not just that they have worked hard on this progress, they really care about it. the effort to set the process in place so that we could get input on the internet, more than 30,000 comments came in. my point is this -- they just did not go through the motions. they really worked to set up an inclusive project and all culminates with you being here this week and all of our delegates being here next week. as we talked about in the earlier sessions, this puts forward our republican ideals and philosophy. it is about our party, are candidates, and ultimately as the chairman just said, it's

about the future of our country. that is why you're here. that is why you are working hard to put forward the very best document, the very best plan, we can for america. this morning, i had an opportunity to be in a number of the subcommittee's and they reflect the conversations i have had. they demonstrate people who really care, more fully engaged, who have not only thought about what they are presenting, but people who come from all over america helping us build a better future for ourselves and our children.

i know we will go through the economic development piece, the economic approach, for the first several hours, then energy, and agriculture. if you think about it, it is very appropriate. job creation is a job number one. we need to get people back to work. we had 13 million people unemployed and another 10 million who are underemployed. it is the small businesses of this country, the people in this country, the creativity, the entrepreneur ship is in our people and our small businesses. our job is to foster that environment. when we talk about building a plan, that's what we are talking about. not more government but empowering the people of this great nation, the opportunities in energy and agriculture which

are unlimited. their limited by the creative power and work ethic of the people of this great country. it is truly unlimited. i look forward to the discussion. i commend all of you for what i saw in the subcommittee today, a willingness to work hard, reach out, bring forward your ideas, and to listen to work with others and build the very best document we can not just for our party and are candidates for the people of this great country. thank you so much. i look forward to a grin after noon today and a great day tomorrow as well. -- i look forward to a great afternoon today. >> rep blackburn. >> i can just sit here and say ditto. we are greatly appreciative to reach of you -- each of you for being here, taking our time and money and helping to come craft this. when i was growing up in south mississippi and my dad sold oil deal production equipment, i loved getting in the pickup

truck with my daddy and driving down into louisiana, alabama, florida, somewhere in south mississippi to deliver a drill bit or some part for an oil production rig. as we would make these drives, he would let me have a sip of coffee milk and i thought i was really grown up. we would talk about what i wanted to do. i could come up with some of the most outlandish, grandiose plans for my life and my dad would always kind of rain me in and help me focus. he would say, "now, honey. let's begin with the end in mind." let's begin with the end in mind. exactly where do we want to go with this? exactly what do you want to

accomplish with this? i think that's a pretty good line of thought for us to take now. let's begin with the end in mind. the end, in the near term, is winning in november. making sure that we have candidates, of course our presidential and vice- presidential candidates, but members of the senate, people running for the senate, people running for the house, state legislature. they can hold a document and say this is a great pathway. it adds up context to what they can talk about with their future constituents.

that is a worthy goal for us to have. i think it is so important for us as we move forward to realize that we want to begin end remember through our deliver tiv process -- deliberative process to win and chart a new pathway for this country so that we return this country to its greatness, so that people continue to believe in the american dream. don't you love it? people do not talk about the chinese dream or the australian dream. they talk about the american dream. each and every one of you have the opportunity to impact bat. you have the opportunity to impact the future generations to

experience that american dream. some of you have asked for the quotes that i used yesterday when we started. dr. joseph warren was one of our founders and this was his charge in the revolution as they headed into battle. i think it is appropriate for today. the full quote is this, "our nation is in danger, but not to be despaired of." on you depends teh futures of americans yet unborn. act worthy of yourselves. that is such a great charge for rust today. thank you for your diligence and the diligence to have done prior to coming here. we are appreciative of it and i look forward to a tremendous finished product. i yield back. >> well said, marsha.

ben, the have any other administrative announcements? then we will also call on the associate general counsel, john? >> we had an issue that came out this morning for the gentleman from the virgin islands that we should include the territories as well and less -- unless we carve it out otherwise. >> briefly, i just wanted to make sure that everyone seated has sections on the economy and energy that have been revised. denotation a that the bottom with the date and time of today at 1:30 p.m. if you do not have the economy or any deception that this time, let us know. -- do not have the economy or energy section that this time, let us know. we have all six sections ready.

if the volunteers to distribute the other four section that this time, it may take a minute, but we can go ahead and do that now. you will have all six sections instead of distributing them later on. john is here to address that issue, governor. >> do not spend a lot of time reading them right now. we're focusing on jobs and the economy, energy, agriculture, the environment. you will have a lot of time to read them in length to prepare amendments tomorrow. go ahead, john. take the issue on the territories. >> thank you, governor. for clarification purposes in defining the term "state" and "states" in the platform, we can look to guidance in the rules of the republican party,

specifically rule 1b where we deal with this issue in we incls and the district of columbia in that definition. i will very quickly read the relevant part of that definition for informative purposes. rule 1b of the rules of the republican party states, "for the purposes of this rule and other rules state or states shall be taken to include american samoa, the district of columbia, guam, and the northern mariana islands, puerto rico, and the virgin islands." so for clarification and guidance proceeding with the definition of "state/states" as it is turned generally in your use of the platform, you can look to the rules of the republican party for that guidance.

>> great. ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to conduct our first order of business, review the work product of the jobs and economic development subcommittee. if you could turn to that, i will just make a few comments to start. i will call on the subcommittee chairman for report. we will have a general overview of that area and then the amendments that have been submitted, we will take them up in order. as other things come up, you can submit written amendments as they come up so we have a full exchange. why did we start with jobs and the economy? that is self-evident. there is no bigger issue facing the country nor any greater divide between our team and the other team and it comes to getting the greatest country on

earth out of debt and back to work. as you have already seen from listening to the candidates, there's a tremendous bulk between the two. overwhelmingly, americans say this is the issue most important to them, for their kids and grandkids, and frankly their own future. everyone knows somebody that is out of work or underemployed or hasn't given up looking. the job gives a person a sense of self-worth, dignity. it is their ability to be self- reliant, the great american virtues cannot depend on the -- the great american virtues, to not have to depend on the government or government programs because they can take care of themselves and their families, something we strongly believe in a republican than americans. we look at what has happened over these last three years and

it has been tragic for the american dream. we are at 8.3% unemployment. we have been over 8.1% for 42 consecutive months. have had since the great massive unemployment or underemployment. the number may be higher when you count the people who were not factored in to the bureau of labor and statistics numbers because they have given up and they have not had the hope that they were promised. we have the lowest number of entrepreneurs that have started a new business in 30 years under the reign of this president, only 400,000 or so who have started a business in the last 12 months, so the spirit of entrepreneurship that is the -- is what made america great, what is the secret of a growing us out of this downturn, more prosperity, and therefore more growth, that engine is being shackled by the said

administration. -- by this administration. why? they want more stimulus, more bailouts, more taxes, more litigation, more unionization. we know that is not the ticket to prosperity and success so it's no wonder we have an unemployment rate that continues to hover over 8%. that is why this is a job number one. the first thing we are taking not -- taking up. getting people back to work is the essence of the american dream come using their talents in an opportunistic society to find work. that's exactly what congresswoman blackburn said. i'm very happy about the worked that has been done here. we will also be talking about balanced budgets and getting our great country out of debt. $16 trillion is a staggering amount of money. i think the american people and all of you need to know how difficult the situation is. our country is literally broke.

the president submitted a budget that was shut down 535-0 that would have gotten us to $25 trillion by the year 2021. the senate has not taken up a budget in three years because of harry reid refusal to have a budget document for the united states of america. so, those other problems well known to you. our job for this platform, in this section, in this document, is to chart the course about how we get out of debt and back to work. how do we honor the entrepreneurs who have always american economy? i think the team has done a great job outlining some oflet me introduce to you the leadership team from the jobs and economy section. andy posner from california. lynn fitch, the state treasurer

from mississippi. and jonathan barnett from arkansas, the republican national committee man from that legislature. so, with that, andy, i will turn it over totell us what you did. andy? >> how about now? >> ok. how about we can ask you to stand so we can see you and thank you for your work? [applause] you are going to deliver the report? >> i will. thank you, as well to senator hoeven. i want to thank my co-chairs.

it has been great working with you and the other committee members, a great group of people. i would like to thank matt and andrew for the great job they have done. in our subcommittee, we had a very open discussion and exchange of ideas related to the economy, job creation, and the deck, and the policies we should pursue, not the tactics, but the policies, to get us back on the path to growth and prosperity, there was the economic freedom and creating prosperity, as well as the economic role in the string so critical to the national security. we have acknowledged that the government's role is limited and supportive, not controlling. the best way to boost economic growth is to pursue free-market

policies as the last four years have shown, that the government directing the economy does not work. we call for, one, a simpler, transparent, flatter, and fairer tax system. two, a rating in of government spending and regulations that strangle business both large and small -- a reining in of government spending and regulations. four, a federal-state partnership to invest in our nation's infrastructure and to assure that infrastructure dollars are actually spent on infrastructure. 5, an overhaul of the federal training programs to make them relevant for a 21st-century workplace, and six, we support right to work laws at the state and federal level, although i seem to be getting emails on

that subject. [laughter] small businesses and entrepreneurs create 90% of the jobs in this great nation. we call for cooperation between the president and congress to create a positive certainty and predictability potential employers -- potential employers need to create the jobs that our economy is so desperately needs. we acknowledge that our massive federal government is structurally and financially broken. we call for reduced spending, a balanced budget, and sound monetary policy as the means to fix it. to conclude, as the congresswoman stated earlier today, we are the great opportunity party, so we pledge to workers without jobs, to families without savings, and to neighborhoods without hope that together, we can get our nation back on track and fulfill the promise of a better life and a

brighter future. because as a people, we built this nation. we built the roads and bridges. [applause] we build and created the businesses and the products, and rebuild our homes and our families. the government did not do that. we did. and because we built it, and because we understand where wealth and prosperity, from, president romney and vice president ryan, with a republican congress, will revitalize this nation and bring it back bigger and stronger and more prosperous than it has ever been. that is the message of the proposed platform and the job creation and debt. it was an honor to work on it, and we submit to the full committee for your consideration. thank you, mr. chairman.

[applause] >> would either of the co- chairmen like to make any comments? any comments before we go to the minutes? hearing none, let's go ahead and take up the amendments that have been offered from the floor. i'd like to recognize david from new hampshire. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate that you have gotten the pronunciation right. normally, it is "bough-ton." members of the platform committee, i propose an amendment that i think goes right to the heart of what i think we all stand for. we often talk about small business, that small businesses

are the engine of our economy and create jobs, and i think there is a second piece that is missing that i think needs to be emphasized, which is why is it important for small business to grow and prosper. it is because we want jobs created for our families, our friends, our neighbors, so i added those words to line 16 of page two, to say that we will reform the tax code to allow businesses to generate enough capital to grow and to create jobs for our family, friends, and neighbors all across america. i think that link is critical, and i took the other members of the committee will adopt the amendment. >> do you have the proper postures or a second? any discussion on the amendment? hearing none, all in favor of that amendment, saying >> -- say

aye. a ye. -- >> aye. >> that amendment is adopted. i wanted to make sure we have had a formal opportunity to review. while there were no amendments to subsection one, rebuilding the economy and creatingobs, i would like to see if there is any comment on this section before we close it. hearing none, then that section will be closed. second section, caption the job creation beginning on line 30. any discussion on that section? hearing none, the jobs section

will be closed. the amendment we just adopt it was for the small business and entrepreneurship section. any comment or discussion on that section? ok, hearing none, that section will also be closed. next session, starting page two, 21, tax relief to grow the economy and create jobs, carrying over to page 3. if any comment or discussion on that section? ok, hearing none, that section will be closed. next, page 3, lowering the corporate tax rate.

any comments on that section? >> i have an amendment. >> i am sorry. my amendments were out of order. >> from indiana. my amendment would be on page three to add -- >> excuse me, jim. the amendments should be in your packets in this order. we will let you know if there is a new one that is not. go ahead, jim. >> line 19, quote, "and donations to them should continue to be tax deductible." this sentence addresses the vital role that religious organizations and fraternal benefit associations serve in fostering many of the civic values that we affirm, and, of

course, very importantly, they are the principal means in america of private charities by which many of our citizens, who are less fortunate than others, can be afforded the assistance that they need. the obama administration has, very cynically, sought to eliminate the tax deduction for charities in order to shut down private charities in the united states said that the government would be the sole provider of what has traditionally been private, a charitable activity in the united states, so this would modify the sentence which currently of firms that these organizations should not be subject to taxation so that they continue to enjoy tax deductibility.

>> that has been moved and seconded that that amendment be adopted. is there any discussion? hearing none, all in favor of that amendment, say i -- say aye./ all opposed? that is adopted. the next section is page three, line 23. reining in out of control spending, assuring balance. we do have an amendment in that section, on page four. from mississippi, lynn. >> i am offering an amendment, page number four, number four. i strike the $800 billion and insert in place of that $1 trillion.

the congressional budget office and the joint committee on taxation has confirmed something we already know, that this obamacare is a $1 trillion tax hike that families and employers simply cannot afford. it contains 21 tax increases, 12 on the middle-class, and this new amount is nearly twice the advertised 10-year tax amount that was claimed by the democrats when they pushed the law through congress just two years ago. >> i have been informed that that is the right number by other experts up here, as well. >> mr. chairman, i said in the amendment. >> -- i second the amendment. >> the amendment has been seconded. any discussion?

all in favor, say aye. update, then that section will be closed. page four, line 12, balancing the budget. any discussion on that section? >> excuse me. i have an amendment that i would like to propose. >> ok. >> i did submit it. >> i am sorry. who is speaking? can you raise your hand, please? >> from the district of columbia. >> is your amended in writing? >> yes. >> procedurally, do you want to get back -- that? >> what we want to do is get copies for 112 people. we welcome back to this section. thank you. >> ok.

>> we will not close out that section so we can come back to the amendment of the gentle lady from d.c. any other discussion at this time? ok, at the bottom of page four, inflation and federal reserve, any discussion on that section? from virginia? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i just wanted to make a brief comment. balancing the budget, etc.. this is one of the reasons we are here today, one of the often forgotten facets of what drives our economy and what can sink

our economy, and the fact that we are doing this in the platform, i am grateful, and i just wanted to commend the committee for actually putting together some great stuff here regarding monetary policy. i just want to say thank you very much. >> you are welcome, and, hopefully, next year, we will start on the fed. any other discussion on that section? >> i have an answer to comment at the beginning of a line 37. >> mike, can you just raise your hand? >> go ahead. >> i have a comment that i would like to insert online 36. i have that written down if you would like to copy that. >> on line 36 of page 5? >> correct. >> ok, mike, we will come back

to you, because we are still on the previous -- i am sorry. page 36. that is at the beginning of the section. go ahead, mike. >> i would like to add after a sound monetary policy is critical for maintaining trust and a strong economy, one half of every voluntary transaction unless it is honest and transparent. that would be my amendment. >> mike, what we need you to do is come and get a submission form. we need it in writing on -- so everyone can have it. >> i have it on the submission form. >> great. we will leave that section open, as well. ok, so that section will remain open. on page 5, line 19, the housing

crisis. i know we have one amendment offered there. from kentucky. this one is not? ok. excuse me. those copies have not been -- that section will remain open, but let me just ask if there is any other discussion. sometimes, we have discussions that may answer them or might prod your need for one. are there any discussions are questions on the housing-crisis section? >> governor, if you have an amendment that you would like cemented and have copies, please raise your hand, and we will send runners up. you do have that? i am sorry. >> you have the one from kentucky? we have got that one. the chair will recognize ky. >> mr. chairman, shirley, from

lexington, ky. i would like to bring from page 5 and 6, 23 and 24 lines, in certificate we must preserve the mortgage interest deduction, period, because 95% of homeowners say they are happy with their opportunity to buy homes since the mortgage interest deduction has been in place since 1913, and because we have been in the housing recession for the past four years. we need to sustain what little liability we have left for future homebuyers. thank you. >> second the notion. april. >> is there any discussion on

that? i know for the average homeowner, that is obviously a significant issue. april? >> yes, mr. chairman, as a real estate broker for the last 30 years, i can tell you that the interest deduction is high on the list for all realtors across the country, and especially in light of the recent housing crisis, this is the last vestige as to why people would be interested in buying a home, because it is very difficult these days between making applications to the bank, having appraisers give proper appraisals, adding sellers seem realistic on the selling prices, having buyers having the opportunity to take advantage of some of the market prices, so the mortgage-interest deduction is paramount to the real-estate industry, excuse me, the home- builders industry, homebuyers, and sellers across the country, so i hope everyone will vote

favorably on this amendment. thank you. >> mr. chairman? >> yes? senator? >> thank you, mr. chairman. with respect to the amendment, and i certainly understand the impulse behind it, what we have now on tax relief and tax reform is a very simple, plain, and powerful statement of principle, that ends is in favor of the tax system that is simple, transparent, flatter, and fairer, promoting savings and innovation, and it goes on in that vein, avoiding getting into specifics about specific areas of the code which might be reformed or changed in the context of tax reform, and i am concerned about opening up subjects that they were not going to get into, because we could talk about these types of deductions and types of credits, and we can talk about caps and

non-caps and that would take away unanimity, so i would urge, and with respect, a no vote on this. >> let me ask, did this come up in the subcommittee, and how did you handle it? >> this particular issue did not come up. maintaining the charitable deduction that jim raised, it was my position in the meeting that we should not get into individual deductions and try to limit the candidates with respect to tax policy. we will have to amend the revenue code or toss it or replace it with policies, and i think those policies, in particular, i think this is more tactical. this is not policy. i think we should deal with the policy of a fairer, flatter

system. we did not get into that at the committee meeting. >> any other discussion on the amendment? april, do you want to be heard? >> mr. chairman, this has been a discussion in the congress and the senate for many years, and it sends a message to not only realtors but home buyers across the country, and i think it should be demonstrated and stated in the document, because it is so far reaching, and it really sends a signal that we care about homeownership. >> mr. chairman, if i may? >> i am sorry. raise your hand. >> clearance from columbus, ohio. i serve as the tax assessor for my county. my job, which is elected, is essentially to determine tax values, and in ohio, our school system is largely dependent on dollars raised from property

taxes, so we have a great need to ensure about purchasing homes. i am very supportive of the amendment because i support the concept of common ownership, and i know the economic value of responsible home ownership, particularly in ohio, mini are dependent in the school districts, so anything we can to to encourage and incentivize home ownership matters. >> i would say this is one of those areas that creates the conflict between the broad, uplifting policies of our party, where we stand on principle, versus talking about specific issues that we feel strongly about. one with a certain degree of specificity. the challenge is, i think, several of the candidates running think we need to have a flatter and fairer tax system, where we try to broaden the

base, and that is certainly an enterprise that maybe going. i would just suggest that if we do it, this amendment, where many others that i am sure are equally important, as well, deductions and senator talent to your point. this one is a matter of fair discussion because it gets right to the basis of the american dream, 2/3 of americans own a home. that is an industry that has a hit over the last six or seven years. it straddles that sense between principal and the practical policy that we might embrace and want to observe. we would entertain over discussion that we don't load it up with specific limitations on tax preferences and leave that up to the candidates. >> mr. chairman. >> mr. chairman, i would like to offer a friendly amendment

that we can maybe include some language before that says until we are successful in reforming our tax code and then we could add this. >> that would have to take, if we amend an amendment, we would need that in writing as well. all right. then following the rules -- if you would like to propose a discussion, there is another comment on the amendment. i'm having a little trouble seeing the lights go up because of the glare up here. when i recognize you, put your hand up and of course state your name and your state and then speak. yes, sir. >> mr. chairman, i believe that this particular amendment goes to the heart of policy rather than tactics. this shows the republican party policy supporting the middle class, supporting the uplifting of those who would like to

enter the middle class. i think this sends a very, very important policy statement to the rest of the nation as to what exactly the republican party stands for. >> yes, sir. >> kevin erickson of minnesota. this is exactly why we haven't been able to get any kind of comprehensive tax reform. as soon as we start talking about it, everyone has a pet one. i agree, it's an important deduction in our current system, but comprehensive tax reform that we're talking about that we stand for means the entire thing gets redone from the ground up. if it's a fair flat tax, then we don't need the deductions. >> any final comments before we act? everybody has heard both sides of this discussion. ok. >> mr. chairman, jane timkin from canton, ohio. i would oppose this amendment.

i believe and agree with senator talent that it does not produce the document that we need to produce if we get into specifics of tax policy. i suggest that we adopt an understanding of the general view of promoting home ownership for the middle class, but not weigh into the tax policy in our platform committee, thank you. >> can we act before we act on her amendment? >> ok, it's been moved and i believe there was a second on april's amendment on the mortgage interest deduction. i'm sorry, shirley, you spoke

in favor of it. ok, so the amendment is properly in front of us. all in favor of the amendment say aye. >> aye. >> all opposed. >> no. the chair is in doubt so we should have a show of hands. all in favor of the amendment raise your hand, please.

all opposed. ok, the amendment fails. ok, we had another amendment that was originally offered as a substitute. in light of that vote, do you want to pursue that amendment? >> i'll withdraw that amendment. >> ok, that amendment is withdrawn. any other discussion or comment on the housing crisis section beginning on page 5, line 19? yes, ma'am. >> may i request i'm writing an amendment that we move on and leave this open. >> we have another comment from that section, tammy, so we're

going to go ahead but get back to you before we close it out. >> ms. kennedy, do you have something on this section? >> cynthia kennedy from nevada. do you want any stronger censuring of fannie mae and freddy mac. they essentially created this housing bubble that they're dealing with. i wonder if there is any stronger language that could be put in there. these agencies be examined and perhaps some consideration to their viability as being a help to the housing market or being a hindrance. >> it appears to me to be reasonably clear about their role in creating a housing crisis. if you would like to offer an amendment, ms. kennedy, right -- write it up and we'll leave the section open. >> thank you. >> any discussion on this section? we'll leave this open, there was one other comment. anything else on this section? ok, moving on to page 6, line

29. i do not at this point then, i do not have any other written amendments that are in front of us for the remainder of the document. are there any others? >> others are being copied right now. >> they will be distributed once we get them. at this time on the infrastructure section on page 6, questions or discuss? are there any on this section that you're anticipating? hearing none, that section will be closed. page 7. ms. kennedy. >> cynthia kennedy from nevada. this is a minor problem. line 23, you left out a space. the federal government has a role. there is no space between a --

>> that's a technical correction and we will do that. thank you. >> ok, page 7, line 30, the trade section. questions or discussion? any amendments in the cue on that section? none, ok, hearing none, that section then will be closed. page 8, line 25, the 21st century workforce. that is the reminder of the document. any discussion or comments on that section?

ok, well, then that section will also be closed. we have now being distributed two additional, one additional amendment, excuse me. >> others are still coming. i would like to recognize mike wallace from maine, page 4, line 36. >> yes, i would like to propose an amendment. line 36 is read monitortry policy is critical for retaining a strong economy. i would like to strike a strong

economy and replace that with trust in the economy and begin a new sentence. currency is one half of very voluntary transaction that should be honest and transparent. end of sentence. >> there is a second to that amendment? >> i'll second that. >> mike, what exactly are we trying to accomplish then with this amendment that the document doesn't already say? >> i would like to expand on the language that is being used for inflation and reconfirm the republican party commitment that we're for voluntary exchanging and it should be genuine and free of fraud. >> ok, any discussion on the amendment? >> mr. chairman, i don't know

what it means. i don't understand it. i do think that it's a sound monetary policy is critical for maintaining a strong economy. i don't know if it's trust in the economy but maintaining a strong economy which is what we like. i don't know what the second sentence means. >> did it come up in the subcommittee? >> it did not. >> you are the governor of my state. to elaborate on this, currency is one half of every single transaction. i just want to be clear about this because people say they don't understand, when you go to a store and you purchase an item, what do you purchase that with, a dollar bill or credit card or whatever. you're using one item in exchange for another item. that's two parts. so the significance of this is,

this is often looked over a lot of times that the value of products is gauged on the supply and demand of the product itself and not so much the medium of exchange. this just recognizes that the medium of exchange also has an impact on the value of the price of a product if the value of the medium of exchange is diminished by through inflation, then the value of the product or the price of the product is going to go higher. that's simply what this says and i think it's a pretty significant point that a lot of people don't tend to think about, but something that certainly ought to be incorporated into the text of the document. >> i don't think anybody disagrees with that. it seems to me, these points seem to be reasonably cleared inferred from those first two sentences. any other discussion on the amendment? >> mr. chairman.

>> mr. talent. >> mr. chairman, i'm in the same position that the subcommittee chairman is in on this and as a read this, it suggests to me that half of every transaction has to be in currency is the way i would read it, which i don't know that that's what is intended, if it is intended, i don't think it's something that we should do. perhaps the sponsors could maybe try and redraft, if the subcommittee chairman wasn't certain what it meant, i don't know that people that are reading it are going to be certain what it meant and then we can all know what we're voting on. as it is, i couldn't support it because to me it seems like in saying you have to pay cash in half of your transactions. i just don't think that's correct. >> just further, mr. chairman, as a point of clarification, i'm curious as to what is honest and transparent.

is the currency honest and transparent or is the transaction honest and transparent? i don't think that this language clearly defines what it is that is supposed to be honest and transparent. i also share senator talent's concerns about the currency issue as well. >> final comments on this amendment? >> yeah, this is cris from tennessee. i'm on the subcommittee and i believe that this first sentence actually spells it out very well for us, a sound monetary policy is critical for maintaining a strong economy. i don't think it's important that we get into the minute -- minutia and it's distracting from the purpose we're trying to forge here. >> any final comments, ms. kennedy. >> cynthia kennedy from nevada. this amendment is more of a punctuation to what you were trying to say in the first sentence. i don't think it was misleading

to have people think that all transactions are done in catch. a dollar on a credit card is the same as a dollar on a federal reserve note. what the individual was trying to do here, mr. walls, was also punctuate the idea that the republican party is aware of the federal reserve's role in the value of our money. so many people think the federal reserve is a part of our government and don't realize it's a private corporation and the influence that they do have on the value of our money and how that has reached a state of crises actually. how many people are putting money in the bank anymore. when i was a little girl, my father took me down to the bank and i opened up a bank account and i put my $5 birthday presents and christmas money and i watched it grow through the years until i went to college. nowadays people cannot do that. you don't get any interest putting money in the bank. this is one of those things that is due to the federal

reserve. i think what the gentleman from maine was trying to do was punctuate that awareness. i don't know that the in the democrat platform you'll see anything in the federal reserve. money is very important to people and especially saving and having the idea of saving being an ingrained part of america's growth and people process spering. if we don't save money or we have no encouragement to money, where will he be? >> very good of the i don't think anyone disagrees with that or the importance of the federal reserve. i think the question to me was whether or not it's already not well said with these first two sentences. there is drafting clarity with the second sentence. that's my view. anything else we should act on this amendment? hearing none, it's been moved and seconded. this themselves be adopted. all in favor say aye. >> aye. >> all opposed no.

>> no. >> the nos have it, the amendment is rejected. there is an amendment that was offered and i think it's been distributed by d.c. you are withdrawing that? >> yes, i am. >> thank you. then are there any other amendments on anything in this section? any other discussion on the section on paying 4 captioned balancing the budget? hearing none, then that section will be closed. page 5, section captioned housing crisis, any further discussion on that? hearing none, no amendments pending, that section will be closed. is there anything else we have

left open then? ok, we have acted and accepted some and rejected some amendments. all of those sections are now close. is there any further discussion on this subcommittee report on jobs and the economy? >> mr. chairman. >> yes, sir. >> david bouton from new hampshire. mr. chairman, this is just a clarification matter and i would ask the staff in editing this for its final print not only in this section, but in all sections of the platform document where there is reference to administration, we want to be very clear that we're talking about the current administration so that there is no misunderstanding that there may be reference to what we all in this room hope will be in january 2013 the romney administration. if we could make sure that is

taken care of, i would appreciate it, mr. chairman. >> the chair is going to rule any criticism of an administration means the current administration and that we will make sure that is appropriately noted. any objection to that? i didn't think so. any discussion on the remainder of this section? you or your co-chairman have any comments before we act on the entire subsection? >> no, i want to thank everyone on the committee for given the full consideration. all comments were appreciated, even those that didn't get passed. we appreciate them and appreciate everybody's work. >> very good work. i think it speaks to what we believe and what is a solid prescription of principles to turn our economy around and get

us out of debt. i'm sure our candidates will appreciate this good work. is there a motion on the subcommittee report? moved and seconded the subcommittee report be adopted. can we have the name and the state of the individual who made the motion? >> april new land virgin islands was the second. daniel fay from wisconsin. we have a court reporter who needs to keep track of that, thank you very much. moved and second that the committee report be adopted. any discussion? all in favor of the report say aye? >> aye. >> all opposed? it is adopted. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, congratulations, you have earned a 10-minute break outside. please be back on time, thank you. there are refreshments set up outside and any additional

amendments for energy, please submit them right now. >> the r n.c. platform committee meets tomorrow morning. live coverage will be on spanier 2 at 8:00 a.m. eastern. >> now i know that there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities and i do because some issues just aren't all that simple. saying there are weapons of mass destruction in iraq doesn't make it so. saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so. and proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn't make it so. >> three days after september 11, i stood where americans died in the ruins of the twin towers.

workers in hard hats were shouting to me whatever it takes. i fellow grabbed me by the arm and he said do not let me down. since that day, i wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. i will never relent in defending america. whatever it takes. [cheers and applause] >> c-span has aired every minute of every party convention until 1984. live on c-season pap all starting next monday with the g.o.p. convention with chris christi and the keynote address and 2008 nominee john mccain and former governor of florida jeb bush. speakers including mayor cass row giving the keynote address and michelle obama and former

president bill clinton. >> the countdown to the conventions in seven days, gavel to gavel coverage of the republican convention from tampa live on c-span, your front row seats to the conventions. in a few moments, president obama on the situation in syria. in a little more than 20 minutes, a new hampshire town hall meeting with republican presidential candidate mitt romney and his vice presidential running mate paul ryan. the founder and editor of the "weekly standard" william crystal on the upcoming election. later we'll reair the republican platform committee here in tampa. on tomorrow's "washington journal," a look at house and senate contests around the country. our guest is "washington post" reporter ed o'keefe and we'll look at the growing number of jobs that require post secondary education. then as part of our week-long

series about online campaign coverage, townhall.com's political editor guy benson. "washington journal" with the day's headlines and your phone calls live every day on c-span at 7:00 eastern. >> from time to time i watch the proceedings of the house and the senate floor and interviews with people that are of interest i have the c-span app on my ipod so i can check with your schedule and see if stuff is on. in my american government class, i can get live feed from the floor of the house or senate and watch that for five or 10 minutes and then try to provoke some conversation. >> burnie davis watches c-span on comcast. c-span created by america's cable copies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider.

>> president obama says the u.s. is monitoring the situation in syria and that any use of chemical or biological weapons there could lead to u.s. military action. mr. obama made an unexpected visit to the white house briefing and spoke with reporters for a little more than 20 minutes. >> before i take some questions, let me just mention since medicare has been a little bit in the news lately, i thought it would be useful to start with some actual facts and news about the program. today h.h.s. announced that thanks to the health care law that we passed, nearly 5.4 million seniors with medicare have saved over $4.1 billion on prescription drugs. that's an average savings of more than $700 per person. this year alone, 18 million

seniors with medicare have taken advantage of new preventive care benefits like a mammogram or other cancer screening at no extra cost. these are big deals for a lot of americans and it represents two important ways that the improvements we made as part of the affordable care act have strengthened medicare and helped seniors everywhere get better care at less cost. that's been our goal from the very beginning and i'm going to continue to do everything i can to make sure that we keep our seniors healthy and the american people healthy. so with that, let me start off with jim. >> thank you, mr. president. thank you for being here. you're no doubt aware of the comments that the missouri candidate todd akin made on rape and abortion. i wonder if you think those views represent the views of the republican party in general

? they have been denounced by your own rival and republicans. are they an outlier or representative? >> let me first of all say the views expressed were offensive. rape is rape. and the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about doesn't make sense to the american people. it certainly doesn't make sense to me. so what i think these comments do underscore is why we shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women. and so although these particular comments have led governor romney and other republicans to distance themselves, i think the

underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women for their health care decisions or qualifying forcible rape versus nonforcible rape, i think those are broader issues and that is a significant difference and approach between me and the other party. i don't think they would agree with the senator from missouri in terms of his statement which was way out there. he was nominated by the republicans of missouri, i'll let them sort that out. nancy. >> yes, mr. president. thank you. as you know, your opponent recently accused of you waging a campaign filled with anger and hate and you told "entertainment tonight" that nine that tends your rally knows they aren't angry or hate-filled affairs. mr. romney might be hiding something in his tax returns. they have suggested that mr.

romney might be a felon for the way that he handed over power of bain capital and your campaign and the white house have declined to condemn an ad by one of your top supports that links mr. romney to a woman's death from cancer. are you comfortable with the tone of your campaign? have you asked them to change their tone as they define mr. romney? >> i don't think that is accurate. no one accused mr. romney of being a felon. i think that what is absolutely true is if you watch me on the campaign trail, here is what i'm talk about. i'm talking about how we put americans back to work and there are sharp differences between myself and mr. romney in terms of how we would do that. if we roll back wall street reform and roll back the affordable care act otherwise known affectionately as obama care that somehow people are going to be better off.

if we were putting teachers back to work and rebuilding america and reducing our deficit in a balanced way, that is how you put people back to work. that is a substantive difference. that's what i talk to on the campaign. when it comes to taxes, governor romney thinks we should be cutting taxes by $5 billion. folks like me would be -- a balanced approach combines tough spending cuts with asking people like me, millionaires and billionaires to do a little bit more. that's a substantive difference in this campaign. whether it's on wind energy or how we would approach funding education, those are the tops that we're spending a lot of time talking about on the campaign.

if you look at the overall trajectory of our campaign, and the ads i have approved and are produced by my campaign, you will see they point out sharp differences between the candidates, but we do not go out of bounds. but when it comes releasing taxes, that is a precedent that was set decades ago by mr. romney's father. to say it makes sense to release your tax returns, as john mccain did, as president clinton did, i do not think that is in any way out of bounds. that is what the american people would rightly expect, that when we are going to be having a huge debate about how we reform our tax code and how we pay for the government that we need, i think people want to know that everybody has been playing by the same rules, including people who are seeking the highest office in the land. this is not an entitlement, it is a privilege, and we have to

put ourselves in front of the people to make our case. >> you should not be suggesting -- >> that's the issue, because you said a whole bunch of other stuff that was legitimate. i do not think the governor is responsible for the death of a woman that was portrayed in that ad. keep in mind, this is an ad that i did not approve, i did not produce, and as far as i can tell, has barely run. i think it ran once. in contrast, you have governor romney creating as a centerpiece of his campaign this notion that we are taking the

work requirement out of welfare, in which every single person here who has looked at it says it is patently false. to say we have changed the welfare requirement, the work requirement, in our welfare law, and in fact what happened was that my administration, responding to requests of five governors, including two republican governors, agreed to approve giving them, those states, some flexibility in how they manage their welfare rolls as long as it produced 20% increases in the number of people who are getting work. we would potentially give states more flexibility to put more people back to work, not to take them off the work requirement under welfare. everybody who has looked at this as much governor romney is saying is absolutely wrong. not only are his super pac's running millions of dollars'

worth of claims, governor romney is saying it on the stump. the contrast is stark. they can run the campaign they want, but the truth of the matter is you cannot make stuff up. that is one thing you learn as president of the united states. you get called into account. i feel comfortable with the fact that when you look at the campaign we are running, we're focused on issues and the differences that matter to working families all across america, and that is exactly the kind of debate the american people deserve. jake? >> a couple questions, could you comment on the recent steps -- [unintelligible] in afghanistan', why your

commanders think there has been an uptick in the attacks and, with the economy still the focus, about what can you expect in the next month out of washington when it comes to any attempt supporting some more economic growth for the country. >> on afghanistan, we have been watching with the concern the so-called green-on-blue attacks, where you have afghan individuals, some of whom are enrolled in the afghan military, in some cases dressing up as afghan military or police, attack the coalition forces, including our own troops. i spoke today to martin dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who is in afghanistan. he is having consultations not only with our commander on the ground, but also with afghan counterparts, and i will be reach out to president karzai as well, because to make sure we are on top of this. we are already doing a range of things, and we're seeing some success when it comes to better counterintelligence, making sure the vetting process for

afghan troops is stronger, and we have what is called the guardian angel program to make sure that our troops are not in isolated areas that might might make them more vulnerable. we will have to do more because there has been an uptick over the last 12 months on this. part of what is taking place is we are transitioning to afghan security, and for us to train effectively, we are much closer -- and our troops are in much closer contact with afghan troops on an ongoing basis. part of what we have got to do is make sure that this model works, but it does not make our guys more vulnerable. in the long term, we will see

fewer u.s. and coalition casualties by sticking to our transition plan and making sure that we have the most effective afghan security force possible. we have to do it in a way that does not leave our guys vulnerable. hopefully in the next few weeks we will see progress on this front. in terms of the economy, i would love to say that when congress comes back they had a week or 10 days before they go out and start campaigning again, that we will see a flurry of action. i cannot guarantee that.

i think there are specific things they could do that would make a big difference. i will give you a couple examples. making sure we have a continuing resolution so we do not have any disruptions and government shutdowns of the next couple months -- that is important. it appears there is an agreement on that, but we want to make sure that gets done. number two, we have put forward an idea that a lot of americans think makes sense, which is we have historically low interest rates now, and the housing market is beginning to come back, but it is still not where it needs to be. there are a lot of families out there whose homes are underwater. they owe more than their house is worth. they are having trouble refinancing. we will be pushing congress to see if they can pass a refinancing bill that puts $3,000 into the pockets of the average family who have not yet refinanced their mortgage.

that is a big deal. that $3,000 can be used to strengthen the equity in that person's home, which would raise home values. that $3,000 in people's pockets will allow them to buy computer for their kids to go to school. the big thing that congress could do is come up with a sensible approach to reducing our deficit in ways that we had agreed to and talked about last year. we continue to be open to seeing congress approach this with a balanced plan that has tough spending cuts, building on the trillions dollars of spending cuts we have already made, but asks for additional revenue from folks like me, from foiks in the top 1% to 2%, to make sure people who can least afford it are not suddenly bearing the burden and we are providing an

additional certainty to small businesses and families going forward. alternatively, they could go ahead and vote for a bill that we have said would strengthen the economy, and that is getting everybody who is making $250,000 a year or less that their taxes are going to go down this year. republicans have voted that down already once. it is not likely that it will bring it back up again before election day, but my hope is after the election, people will step back and recognize that the sensible way to bring down our deficit and allow us to still invest in things like education better or to help the economy

grow. chuck todd? >> what is your latest thinking on where you think things are in syria, and do you envision using u.s. military -- i would like to follow up on an answer you gave. he said one of the reasons you wanted to see mitt romney's tax returns is to see that everybody is playing by the same set of rules. do you think there's something mitt romney is not telling us in his tax returns that he is not playing by the rules? >> there's a difference between playing by the same set of rules and doing something illegal. in no way have we suggested the latter. first, disclosure. the one year that they have disclosed indicated that he used swiss bank accounts, for example.

that may be perfectly legal, but i suspect if you ask the average american do you have one, and is that part of how you manage your tax obligations, they would say no. they would find that relevant information, particularly when we are going into a time where we know we are going to have to make tough choices about spending and about taxes. i think the idea that this is somehow exceptional, that there should be a rationale for a justification for doing more than the very bare minimum, has it backwards. the assumption should be you'd do what previous presidential candidates did dating back for decades, and his own dad said the reasons he put out 10 or 12 years is because any single year might not tell you the whole story.

everybody has followed the custom ever since. the american people have assumed if you want to be president of united states, that your life is an open book when it comes to things like your finances. i am not asking to disclose every detail of his medical records, although we normally do that as well -- [laughter] you know? this is not overly personal here, guys. this pretty standard stuff. i do not think we are being mean by asking you to do what every presidential candidate has done, right? it is what the american people expect. on syria, obviously, this is a very tough issue.

i have indicated repeatedly that bashar al-assad has lost his legitimacy, that he needs to step down. so far he has not gotten the message and has doubled down in violence on his own people. the international community has sent a clear message that rather than drag his country into civil war he should move in the direction of the political transition, but at this point, the likelihood of a soft landing is pretty distant. what we have said is, number one, we want to make sure we are providing humanitarian assistance, and we have done that to the tune of $82 million so far, and we will probably end up doing more because we want to make sure that the hundreds of thousands of refugees that are fleeing the mayhem, that they do not end up creating -- or being in a

terrible situation or, also, destabilizing some of syria's neighbors. the second thing we have done that we have done is we have provided some assistance to the opposition in thinking about how would a political transition take place -- what are the principles that should be upheld in terms of looking out for minority rights and human rights -- and that consultation is taking place. i have at this point not ordered military engagement in the situation, but the point that you made about chemical and biological weapons is critical. that is an issue that does not just concern syria. it concerns our close allies in the region, including israel. it concerns us. we cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people. we have been very clear to the assad regime, but also the other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we

start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. that would change my calculus, change my approach. >> somehow -- >> the situation this fall will -- i would not say that i am absolutely confident. i am saying we are monitoring that situation carefully. we have put together a range of contingency plans. we have communicated in no uncertain terms with every player in the region that that is a red line for us, and that there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing a movement on the chemical weapons front, or the use of

chemical weapons. that would change my calculations significantly. thank you, everybody. >> do not be a stranger. come on back. >> going to leave. look at that. >> the whole front row.

>> republican presidential candidate mitt romney and his vice-presidential running mate paul ryan have any hampshire town hall meeting. this is mitt romney's 100th town hall since he began running for president. this is a little more than an hour.

[music playing] >> hello.

thank you. wow, it is amazing to be here. thank you so much. now a have not been counted like i have been counting but this is our 100th town hall since i announced in june. t good to be here for number 100. i brought some with me. this will be the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. >> it is great to be here. great to see you. look at this. they'll say hi back. i was back here a couple of years ago. i served in congress with some capable legislators. thank you for sending us frank to congress. [applause] he is an awesome guy. what about charlie? he has fought with us. and your rock star senator, kelly ayotte. great to see you. great to see some family here today. friends, we have a big decision to make. this is no ordinary time. it is no ordinary election. and the choice is basically this -- we can stay on the same path we're on, a nation in debt, a nation in decline, or we can elect real leaders like mitt

romney and get this country back on the right track. [cheers and applause] the problem we have been having in washington is that two many politicians like president obama -- [boos] too many politicians have been more worried about their next election than they have been worrying about the next generation.

that is not leadership. that's politics. we will not do that. we will lead. we want to earn your support. we want to deserve this victory. so that when we do this, we have the mandate to fix this country's problems, to reacquaint ourselves with the american ideal and get people back to work. [cheers] [applause] let's be very clear and fair. the president inherited a difficult situation. the problem is he made things worse. that is why the president has run out of ideas. and so his campaign has been relegated to waging a campaign based on frustration and anger, dividing people, to try to win an election by default.

it is such an amazing moment in history. the man at the moment meet so well like mitt romney does at this moment in history. [cheers] when you think of the challenges we confront, you need a leader. when you look at this man and his wife, the example, it spells "leadership." do you remember the olympics? all the stories about the corruption and the bloated spending. sounds kind of familiar. who did they call? they called this man, mitt romney. look at what he has done in business. for me, i think it is a good

thing that we have a leader that knows how to create jobs. [cheers] his success in business is the american dream. it is the american success story. it is the thing we want to see happen to our own children. he took small businesses and prove them. 80% success rate. that is astounding. i am proud to stand next to a man -- i am proud to stand with a man who knows that if you have a small business, you did

build that. [cheers] that is what drives our economy. that is what gives us prosperity. we should be proud of that. that is who we are. when we see people work hard, take risks, achieved success, we take pride in that. we do not resent that. it's as if the president is speaking to people like they are stuck in their current station in life. we believe in prosperity and upward mobility. those are the things we want to see. take a look at the record which is a contrast between the record mitt romney as the governor of massachusetts and president obama. remember when the president said when he came in office he would create jobs?

unemployment would never get above 8%. 23 million americans -- back at you. 23 million americans are struggling to find work. nearly one out of every six americans. on poverty today. that is unacceptable. look at the record of this man. the credit rating was upgraded when he was governor of massachusetts. the credit rating was downgraded under president obama's fail to leadership as president. unemployment went down in massachusetts. household income over the past four years has dropped by more than $4,000 under president obama's failed leadership. family income was up by more

than $5,000. real results with real leadership. [applause] when he was governor of massachusetts, he worked with the people across the aisle. you have to work with the other people to get things done. president obama said we are the united states. we will put aside childish things. this is the third president i've served with and i've never seen such bitter partisan rhetoric like the kind we have today. when mitt romney was governor, he reached across the aisle and got things done and he balance the budget without raising

taxes. now, we have heard a little about medicaid from the president. we want this debate, we need this debate, and we're going to win this debate about medicare. [applause] like you, when i think about medicare, it is not just a program with numbers and words. it is personal security that has been there for my family when we needed it. i had my mom betty with me in florida. she has been on medicare for over 10 years.

when my grandmother moved in with my mom and me when she was suffering alzheimer's, medicare was there when my family needed it and it is their for my mom when she needs it. the signature achievement, obamacare, raised $716 billion from medicare to pay for obamacare. [boos] he puts a new board of 15 unaccountable bureaucrats that he is about to appoint who are required to cut medicare and that will lead to denied care for current seniors. his campaign calls this an achievement. do you think rating care to pay for obamacare is an achievement? >> no! >> i don't think so, either. pay our payroll taxes for two programs -- social security and medicare. that is how the law is supposed to work. it is being siphoned off to pay for obamacare as well. that is a raid on medicare and

mitt romney are going to restore this program and get these bureaucrats out of the way stand between our senior citizens and their medicare. [cheers and applause] >> whoo! >> medicare should not be a big bang for obamacare. -- piggy bank for obamacare. it should be a guarantee for our seniors to count on. you have to reform it from my generation. it will not be there for us when we retire. the good news is there are bipartisan solutions to this problem. it originated in the current commission and has bipartisan support in congress today. for younger americans went they become medicare eligible, let them have a choice of coverage

options including a traditional medicare that they can select from, just like i do as a member of congress. we choose. i think the future a city medicare is to let the seniors decide how they go get their health care. that is the american way to say these programs so that we can guarantee the promise of medicare for today's seniors. i will not go into all the things we are proposing to do to get jobs back because i want to leave something for mitt romney to talk about. we're offering you solutions. the president has a failed record. he cannot talk about that. it is not just that we have to talk about. how to get people back to work. how to have more jobs and higher take-home pay.

the romney-ryan will do that. will we stick with the path we're on or get the economy growing again? my dad said a lot of things that stuck with me. "son, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution." today, president obama is part of the problem at mitt romney is the solution. [cheers] it is just that clear. that is what it is. [applause] >> [chanting "mitt"] >> ladies and gentlemen, we're going to get this back. we'll turn this economy around.

we will be truthful to our founding principles. we will not blame others. we'll take responsibility. we will not kick the can down the road. we will get things done. the way we will do this is we will elect leadership at the 11th hour -- [cheers] cue the bells. you know what, that reminds me of one of my favorite leaders in history, winston churchill and i have a bust of winston churchill in my office.

>> [applause] >> churchill said the americans can be counted upon to do the right thing, but only after they've exhausted all the other possibilities. >> [laughter] ofbut i think that's kind where we are right now. the good news is, it's not too late. we can get people back to work, we can get people out of poverty, we can reignite prosperity, we can save medicare, and we can do this by electing leadership.

and the man who is going to lead this comeback for america is the man standing next to me. his name is mitt romney. and he is going to be the next president of the united states of america. >> [applause] >> thank you paul! oh, what a treat to be here! thank you! what an honor! thank you so much. you're terrific, thank you! and to frank and charlie, kelly, what a team here. and only a catholic guy would be able to get the bells to toll just at the right time at saint anselm. father you did that for him, i know! oh my goodness. so many friends here in new hampshire. gosh, i feel like i'm almost a new hampshire resident. i come here and -- it would save me tax dollars, i think! but it's great to be here with you. you've been here for me on the day that i announced, you've been with me time and time again, at town meetings like this, and you voted for me when it counted most, and got me the nomination in a lot of respects, and i owe a great deal to the

people of new hampshire and appreciate your willingness to be here with me today. thank you so much. >> [applause] >> it is delightful to have a guy, part of my team, who has character and integrity, who has the capacity to take on tough issues, who's willing to take on tough issues, and not just kick the ball down the field and hope someone else will deal with america's challenges. i appreciate a man of courage, integrity and strength as paul ryan is. >> [applause] >> i appreciate the fact that he's learned how to work with people on the other side of the aisle. as you may appreciate, having served as governor of massachusetts, you either did that or you perished, and because my legislature was 87 percent democrat. and -- oh, they were okay, that's all right. anybody here from massachusetts? oh, my goodness, wow. i always comment, there's a border security problem here, all right?

thanks for letting me across the border this morning. this is a guy who's been able to work with good democrats, fine people that -- find people who could look beyond partisanship to get things done and i'm planning to go to washington with paul ryan and we're going to get this country back on track for the american people. >> i am asked from time to time, why are you doing this, mitt, why did you get into this and you know the reason, you've heard me say this before. you see, i want to make sure that everybody in america who wants a job can get a good job. i want to make sure that everybody who is thinking about retirement or in retirement knows they have a secure retirement. i want people to know that if they get ill, they're going to be able to get treated. they're going to have health care that's affordable.

and i want every mom and dad to know that their child will get the best education in the world. these things, we have to provide to americans across the country. and i know what it takes to get those things done. i've had the experience of working in the real world, if you will, the private sector, and seeing how enterprises get started and how they change the lives of people when they're successful and how by the way sometimes they're not successful and how we lose jobs. i understand those things. i want to bring that understanding to make sure we can create good jobs for every american that wants a good job.

we've got to do that. and so i have a deep desire to make a difference for the people of america, of the middle class, of all classes, that we love so deeply. this is a great land and we owe our people a bright and prosperous future and that's what paul ryan and i will do with every ounce of our energy, that's what we'll bring to the american people. >> [applause] >> now, i've seen something about what it takes and one of the fun things of this campaign over the last year and some odd months has been to get to know the people of america, and see just how we tick and actually how new hampshire ticks as well. i was at the madison lumber yard. i don't know whether you know madison, new hampshire. and there are a couple of guys there, jim smith, ken moore, international paper owned the lumber mill there and they decided that lumber was not part of their future so they were going to close it down and these two guys went to the bank and got some investors and loans and they bought the lumber yard from -- lumber mill, rather, from international paper and they keep it in business and they employ a lot of people there, and i respect the entrepreneurship, the innovativeness of individuals who step in, who take a risk, who make things happen. i met a young woman, in high point, north carolina, a few days ago, and her name is melanie mcnamara, she's into the furniture making business and i'll tell you, the chinese have

just killed one job after another in furniture manufacturing for a lot of unfair reasons, but putting that aside, she figured she was going to lose her business and the jobs of the people that worked for her unless she could find some way to keep it in business and she had this idea, she's going to make furniture of a very specific nature, furniture that goes in the waiting rooms of hospitals. that's her niche. and she does that well. the people who work for her are happy to have a job because she figured out how she could compete with the chinese and win and we're going to do that all over the country. [applause] >> i bet a guy in -- no, it's in southern illinois, jim leatode is his name, and jim graduated second in his class in high school, second from the bottom, that is, and -- >> [laughter] >> and he decided that college was not in his future, and so he went to his dad and said dad, can i borrow some money, i want

to start a little business and he and his dad worked something out, his dad would own half the business, he'd own half and they were going to serve food and they went out to guy a hamburger griddle and the rollers that make hot dogs and he needed this big hood to take out the smoke and all that. by the time he costed it out, he found he didn't begin to have enough money to buy all that stuff, so -- as a matter of fact, the conclusion was all he could really do was make sandwiches so he got some tables and went to a friend's garage and made sandwiches and then delivered them to peoples' homes. that was his idea. good sandwiches, delivered at work. now jimmy john's has 1500 restaurants and employs 60,000 people. >> [applause] >> isn't that amazing?

it's just -- >> [applause] >> you see, it's just the way america works. it's individuals in their own ways, pursuing their own dreams, who take a risk in some cases, who work harder than they ever imagined they would, who use all their brain power to come up with ideas like okay, we're going to make hospital furniture or we're going to find a way to make this lumber yard work, even though this big company that owns it can't make it work profitably and we're going to start this little restaurant and it's going to grow and go all over the country. this is the way america works. i understood that. the founders understood that. you see, when they understood what america would look like, they had extraordinary, i'll call them inspirational thoughts, one is this, that our right that is did not come from government, our rights came from the creator. >> [applause] >> and among our rights were life and liberty, and by the way, that includes religious liberty.

we respect the right of religions to practice in a free and tolerant way. >> [applause] >> and number three, the pursuit of happiness. americans should be free to pursue happiness as they choose. you see, the founders recognized that far more effective in guiding an economy than having bureaucrats tell people people what to make and how to make it and what to charge for it, instead of that we let free people decide what they want to do, each person going off in their own way, building enterprises like making sandwiches or hospital furniture or cutting lumber and this would create as you know the most powerful economy in the history of the world. you see, america's economy is driven by freedom. freedom is what makes america work.

and the president -- the president said something and paul alluded to it just a moment ago, but the president said something extraordinarily revealing about himself, and about how he thinks about the economy. you could see where he was coming from with what he did. you know what the stimulus dollars -- do you know how much money he invested in so called green energy companies? $90 billion. $90 billion. i guess he likes to pick winners and losers, in his case, losers, and those businesses -- he thinks in some respects that he and his people, by picking businesses, can do a better job than free people, consumers, making the choice of what's better for them, and it hasn't worked. it's the wrong approach. and what he said underscored his philosophy. he said this, and you heard it. he said if you have a business,

you didn't build it, someone else did that. >> [booing] >> and i -- he said look, maybe you're taking me out of context. that's not really what i meant. so by the way, go on youtube and look the a the context, all right? the context is worse than the quote. all right? >> [laughter] >> he says if you're suckle, you think it's because you're smart but there a lot of smart people and if you're successful you may think it's because you work hard but there are a lot of people who work hard and i wonder where is he going with this, is there something wrong with being smart and working hard? you see, in america, we value people who are smart, who work hard, who take risk, who build things for themselves and for others. >> [applause] >> and we recognize we're in this together and we help one another and america is coming together, by the way, out of many one. us coming together and uniting, that's creating a stronger nation. but nonetheless, we recognize and celebrate the success of

each individual. and we acknowledge their success. we don't denigrate it. we don't divide americans based upon their level of success. we come together. the other day, you know, i thought about a kid that works hard to get the honor roll, and she works real hard. i know that to get the honor roll she had to go on a school bus to get to school, but when she makes the honor roll, i credit the kid, not the bus driver. >> [applause] >> and so as opposed to having a president who thinks that government creates our economy and allows it to grow, i understand that it's free people and freedom that drive our economy. i'm going to do five things when i'm in washington with paul ryan, five things we're going to do. that are going to get this

economy jump-started again. number one, we're going to take advantage of our energy resources, our coal, our oil, our gas, our renewables, even nuclear. number one, energy. we got a lot of energy. low cost, low cost natural gas is going to bring manufacturing jobs. and by the way, keep our utility bills down. number two, i'm going to make sure that our schools are second to none. we need our kids to have the skills to succeed. that's number two. number three, i want trade that works for america. that means we're going to open up new markets for our goods in latin america and other places and we're going to crack down on cheaters like china when they play on an unfair basis. >> [applause] >> number four, for people in this audience, to take a risk to start a business, or to invest with a friend that's got a good idea, or some big corporation overseas that's thinking about building a factory maybe in the united states or maybe somewhere else, for them to put

money and put it at risk in america, they have to know we're not on the road to greece so we're going to have to do something and do it soon and that is show america that this team can put america on track to a balanced budget and stop the deficit spending. >> [applause] >> and there's one more. and there's one more. and that's this. i want to champion small business. i want to make it easier for entrepreneurs and innovators, i want the small businesses you work in to find it easier to hold on to capital so they can grow their enterprise. the president wants to raise taxes on small business.

i want them lower. i want to make sure that regulators and regulations are designed to make sure we encourage small business. and by the way, i want to take off that big cloud that's hanging over a lot of small businesses. and that is i want to make sure that we get omabacare out of the way and replace it with something which will help encourage job growth in this country. >> [applause] >> you know how important this is. you know what a difference this will make in america, for the 23 million americans out of work, for the one in six out of poverty, we need to help those folks. we also need to do these things to help the coming generation. and one more thing. american strength is critical not just for us in this country but also for the world. i was fortunate enough to be in poland a couple of weeks ago and to have the chance to meet with lech walesa, a world hero. and i had just met with the prime minister and i came in and lech walesa said you must be

tired, you came from overseas. he said sit down, i talk, you listen. so i did. and he spoke for about 15 minutes, and he kept on hammering me with the same point. we need american leadership. where is american leadership. look at the challenges in the world. look what's happening in the middle east. look what's happening around the world. we need america to lead. let me tell you, if this man is your vice president and i'm your president, we will do everything in our power to keep america strong, to lead in the world, with strong values, strong homes, strong principles. we'll lead with a strong economy. get this economy going again. so people have good jobs and so that we can make sure we have a military that's second to none in the world. it's essential that america is strong. >> [applause]

>> that's my commitment to you. we're going to get america back. we're going to make sure it remains strong. and my request of you is that you also make a commitment. i'd like you to find one person, one person, who voted for barack obama who you can convince to vote for paul ryan and me, all right? now you each know someone, you each know someone who voted for barack obama and i know there are a lot of them out there that aren't quite sure what they're going to do so you guys, i want you to meet with them, talk to them, i want you to tell them that we're going to help them get good jobs, we're going to restore, strengthen our homes and schools, we're going

to get america's economy so strong that we can afford a military that protects liberty for ourselves and preserves peace on the planet and i'll bet if you do that job we can make sure we win that job, not only for new hampshire, but help this man and i become the next vice president and president, and we can do that with your help. thank you very much. thank you! >> [applause] >> now it's your turn. now it's your turn here. we're going to take some questions, and a small audience back here, please. just shout it out. i'm not sure you need a microphone. >> our national debt -- >> politicians often talk about ending the national deficit, but that's not really the real problem. it's our national debt. i'm wondering what you can say that will help us know that you will help end the national debt. not just the deficit but the actual debt. >> well, as you know, we have

about $16 trillion of debt, which is about the size of the total economy. and passing on this debt to our kids -- oh, and by the way, not just the debt, but also, unfunded promises for coming generations and to our generation, that's about another $62 trillion on top of that. we're passing these burdens on every year the folks at u.s.a. today calculate the amount of debt and unfunded promise her household. it's over $500,000 per household. you don't know you're carrying and will carry. and the interest on that. and most likely my generation will be gone. before all that interest and debt is paid off. these are burdens for things we've purchased during my lifetime that are going to get paid for by our kids. in my view, it's not just bad economic, it's immoral for us to pass these burdens on to coming generations. so what do i do? >> [applause]

>> first you got to end the deficit, and then start accumulating, if you will, reserves and growing. that's what we did -- well, most states figure out how to do this, they balance their budget. in my state, i came in, we had about a $3 billion budget gap, we balanced the budget and began building a rainy day fund that was over $2 billion when i left. that's how do you it. what do we do here. i have three things i would do to, one, get rid of the deficit and let me tell you how we're going to start pulling down the debt. three approaches: number one, we're going to get rid of programs we don't need. my test is this. i look at every program and say is this so critical as program it's worth borrowing money from china to pay for it. on that basis we're going to get rid of programs like omabacare and some others.

number two, we're going to take a lot of programs and send them back to the states where they can be run more efficiently and with less fraud and abuse. >> and number three, we're going to skinny down the size of the federal work force that remains with attrition to make sure it's more productive. now, how do you actually get to a balanced budget and start paying off the debt? the answer is three are three mathematical ways to do that. one, you could raise taxes. not going to do that. that's a mathematical way. two, you could cut spending. i'm going to do that. number three and most important, you can grow the economy. all right? and so when democrats say oh, just raise tax, what they don't understand is that raising taxes slows down growth and like a dog chasing its tail, you're never going to get to the balanced budgets by raising taxes. you have to encourage growth. that's why our polices are focused on one, bringing down spending, and, two, encouraging growth. that's why we champion small business. that's why we champion our energy resources. we want to grow this economy and cut federal spending. do those two things, we get to a balanced budget and ultimately we get rid of this debt. thank you very much. thanks. now, this guy -- >> i want to hear what he has to say on this topic. he's been working on this for

the last 14 years. >> i can't really top that. that is the magic secret. progrowth economics to get people back to work. going from the unemployment check to creating and building businesses, to having a paycheck. that brings in more revenues through economic growth. cut spending, reform government programs, so that they are paid for. the problem is we've had decades of politicians from both political parties making lots of empty promises to voters to get reelected and what will happen if we have a debt crisis is those empty promises become broken promises with painful consequences unless we act. turn on your tv when you get home, look at europe. that's what happened. they made all the promises, they got a debt crisis, now they're in recession, now they're slashing health retirement benefits for current seniors, raising taxes, slowing down the economy, young people don't have jobs. we need to prevent and preempt that and that is what this is designed to do, get people back

to work, cut spending, reform government, prevent us from being europe, and then we'll be the port in the storm in the global economy, america will be the place you want to create jobs, you want to have your company. this is the engine of economic growth we've had before, we can turn it around and if we do that, then we'll get our debt under control and get it paid off and our kids and our grandkids will have a debt-free nation, just like our parents. they took on the challenges in their generation, we do that and we revive the american idea and american legacy. [applause] >> we have not had a budget at the federal level for three years. there is an absence of a rapport with constituents and congress, and that is the problem with our current

president. what will you do when you are in the white house to get a budget in place that will give confidence to the financial markets and the business community and the world economy that you have just spoken about? >> i want to thank you. >> we will follow along. go figure. [applause] we have a budget law. the budget law that governs how congress taxes and spends your money. that law says that april 15 is not only tactic all americans. it is budget day for congress. congress is supposed to pass a budget every year. kelly is in the minority. the senate has chosen to ignore this law for three years.

we have not had a budget for three years because the senate has not passed a budget for three years. have you ever heard of a guy named harry reid? audience: boo! >> you have. i rest my cse. -- case. president obama has given us four budgets. each one of these ducked and the tough issues, kicked the can, and gave as a deficit of over a trillion dollars every single time. no solution in sight. we are still living under that obama budget from 2009 that paved the way for obamacare. we will institute a budget that solves this problem. kelly will get more help in the senate. courageous people who helped us do this, we will get courageous men and women back in congress. we will fix this mess before it gets out of our control. [applause]

>> i will underscore one thing there. courageous people who helped us do this, we will get courageous men and women back in congress. we will fix this mess before it gets out of our control. [applause] >> i will underscore one thing there. the role of leadership. i hope you have experienced that in your homes. you have seen it at the enterprise you may work at. there are times when there is strong leadership. there are other times in an enterprise you are associated with where you have not seen the kind of leadership you need. the president the other day was speaking about some issues he had tackled and congress had acted on. he said, they know where my office is and where the white house is. you have to be kidding. you are the president. you know where they are. go meet with them. go talk to them. >> he does not do that. >> he cannot point to harry reid and say they are not getting it done in the senate. he has to go to the senate and

meet with them and talk to them. two different guys i cannot imagine -- were important things in the country at that time. there are important things today. you have to get a president who is willing to sit down with people across the aisle and lead america. this is that kind of time. we cannot go on the way we are going on. we cannot do that. if i am there, i will lead and we will have a budget. ultimately, we will get to a place where we do not have a debt. >> thank you, governor. when my son's boss asked why he wanted the day off, he said i get the chance to see romney and ryan. his boss said, you mean the guy who will raise taxes? what are you going to do to combat the lies the left are telling?

>> it seems the first victim of the obama campaign is the truth. [laughter] it has been sad and disappointing. when i became the presumptive nominee, the president called me and congratulated me in becoming the presumptive nominee and said america deserves an honest debate about the future course of the country. i agree. i am waiting to hear him begin that. [laughter] all we have heard so far is one attack after the other. frankly, they are typically not honest. there may be one that is. i keep looking for it. it has been a disappointment. for instance, let me make this clear. i signed a statement. i will not raise taxes on anybody. i do not want to raise taxes on the american people. this is a president who has proposed raising the tax rate from 35% to 40%. let me point out, you realize

the great majority of enterprises that we all work in, americans work in across this country, are taxed as individuals. they pay that rate. they do not pay the corporate tax rate. they pay the personal tax rate. they pay individual taxes. when you raise taxes on small business from 35% to 40%, you will kill jobs. it does not sound big. only 2.3% of revenues. not a profit. of revenues. these businesses that are making medical devices, they have to pay taxes even if they are not making a profit. he has proposed raising taxes. the harder my tax proposal -- i will not raise taxes on the american people. i will not raise taxes on middle

income americans. we will make sure americans have the money to pay their bills. we will not raise taxes. that slows down growth and kills jobs. we will get the economy going. mr. president, stop saying something that is not the truth. [applause] >> i tell you. if you add up all of the tax increases that president obama is promising, it does not even pay for one fifth of his proposed deficit spending increases. if taxing, borrowing, and even more spending and more regulating or the secret to economic growth, we would be entering a golden age along with greece today. where i come from, overseas, lake superior -- [laughter] the canadians just lowered their tax rate on all their businesses to 50% last january.

president obama is adjusting the tax rate most jobs come from will go up 40% next january. when we tax our job creators in america at much higher tax rates than our foreign competitors theirs, they win, we lose, and we do not create jobs. we might be talking to people based on emotions of fear, envy, and anxiety, speaking to people as if they are stuck in some station or class in life, that is not who we are in america. we believe in opportunity, prosperity, and we want people to succeed. we want businesses to grow. as they grow, as they compete and thrive and survive, they give more people opportunities. our communities come together. they do not fall apart. that is the secret to the american idea. that is what we will claim and achieve when we get in charge

and fix this mess in washington. [applause] >> question? >> mr. president, mr. vice president -- [applause] >> thank you for your service, sir. >> thank you for being here in good old new hampshire. home of the red sox. [applause] i have a very pressing question to ask. i have heard a lot of good things from you folks. i agree with it 100%. i have a grandson, my wife and i do, that is headed to afghanistan in 45 days. we have veterans, and i happen to be one of the romney veterans here in new hampshire,

and i am proud of it, but, i want to know what you guys will do about afghanistan to get those characters out there shooting our guys and our guys coming home in body bags. when you take over washington, what will you do about the mess in afghanistan? [applause] >> first, and you know i have said this before, thank you for your service, personally. for our veterans, will you raise your hands and be recognized? thank you. thank you for your service. new hampshire serves america. thank you. [applause] thank you. let me say a couple of things in response. one is when our men and women are in harm's way, i expect the president of the united states

to address the nation, explain what is happening, why they are there, what the mission is. other presidents have done this. we have not heard this president do this. this is something he ought to do time and time again so people in america know where we stand. there are people thinking about what is happening at home. i understand that. we should also recognize there are people overseas who are fighting for us. they are responding to the call of the commander in chief. he ought to be reporting to their parents. number two. to send men and women in harm's way is a high hurdle. every time you see someone you do not like in the world, you say ok, we will send in our troops. these wars require a specific american interest. you have to understand and

communicate to the american people what the mission is, what we want to accomplish, why we are there, and then how we would know when the mission is completed. finally, you have to communicate to the american people what will happen after we go and how we will go. all of these things have to be communicated. i wish we had that from the beginning and all the way down the line. when i become commander in chief, if i am so lucky, i will address the american people about these issues. i will do everything in my power to transition from our military to their military as soon as possible, bring our men and women home, and do so in a way that keeps with our mission. to keep afghanistan from becoming overrun and becoming a launching point for terrorism like it was for 9/11. thank you. [applause]

>> when you vote to send women and men into war, that is a vote you take very seriously, very solemnly. when you give the military a specific mission, and the military tells you, here is what we need to complete this mission to keep our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines safe, you give them what they ask for. it is very important. [applause] i was with the marines in december learning and listening to our marines who are fighting. it is amazing. there is not an army or troop that holds a candle to the american military. audience: hey! [applause]

[chanting "u.s.a."] >> the point that mitt was making is the president, in my opinion, has made decisions that are more political in nature than military in nature. in the middle of the fighting season when we are still giving our military the same mission, we do not want to do something that would put them in jeopardy. we want them to fulfill the mission in the safest way possible. that means you make decisions based on what is right for the country. end of story. elections notwithstanding. that is what leadership is all about especially when you are sending men and women into harm's way. [applause]

>> thank you. governor, i know my son is missing the first day of school to be here today. [applause] >> we are not going to clap for that. [lghter] >> i think one of the great disappointments of our current president is that he has done such damage to our relationships with foreign allies, in particular, with israel. i would like both of you to address what you will do to rebuild that relationship and how you define what that relationship should even be. >> paul, i have been taking all of these first. it is not fair. i will take the next one. we will see. >> first off, israel is our strongest ally in the middle east. ares treat them as if they

our strongest ally in the middle east. [applause] when president obama made the 1967 borders the precondition to the beginning of negotiations, it undercut our ally. it made it harder for the peace process to move forward. as a result, we have no peace process. it is very vital and important that the signals we send, that we strengthen the relationship with our allies, that we improve the relationship that has deteriorated so much under this president, so our allies are not undercut from the united states of america when they try to arrive to peace. that is critical. [applause] we have both been there. we have traveled in this region. we have to recognize that perhaps the greatest threat in the world today is in iran with

nuclear capabilities. this is an exponential threat to israel, and it is a threat to our own national security. we need to be firm in our resolve preventing iran from getting nuclear capability so we do not have a nuclear arms race in the middle east. [applause] >> i would just -- i agree. let me add just a couple of things. when the president of the united states speaks, he speaks to four audiences. one is the american people. that is the group that is important to him politically, to have their support, to win their support for the coming elections. number two, when he speaks, he is speaking to our allies. if they sense any weakness on the part of the american president and his commitment to

our friends, they begin looking around to see where they can get support elsewhere to protect their own interests. he is also speaking in a way that is heard by our foes around the world. if the president speaks in a way that shows weakness, that emboldens them. they decide to take action, which furthers their interests and causes the retreat of our interests and the retreat of the interests of our friends in the world. when he speaks, he is heard loud and clear by the servicemen and women. i would never say anything to earn support in that first group that in any way harms our interests with regards to our friends, allies, that emboldens our enemies, or in any way detracts from the commitment of the men and women in uniform. [applause]

like paul, i would say that you have to treat your friends like friends. if you have a disagreement, like you do with your family, you hash it out in private. the president throwing someone under a bus was totally acceptable. at the conference, i laid out seven things i think have to be done in order to keep clear from iran from pursuing their nuclear folly. we are now just getting around to tough sanctions. it should have been done ages ago. we should make it very clear we will place crippling sanctions. when this was said last week about israel, i will not repeat it, the awful, offensive, obnoxious things he said about israel, should lead to him being indicted under the

genocide convention. we should always make sure they recognize that to the united states of america, iran being nuclear is not an option. we will not allow them to become a nuclear threat to us or our friends. thank you. [applause] >> my 15-year-old brother started his own company and he made the bumper stickers for you guys. audience: aw! >> read it. >> obama is right. we need change. mitt romney, 2012. >> her brother, the entrepreneur. can we run a microphone in there one way or the other? there we go.

here comes the microphone. "new hampshire -- vote free or die." >> i would like to thank you both for coming to our wonderful campus. it is a beautiful campus. [applause] as a junior here, i am lucky to say i am taking out my first loan. i am faced with the reality of how much debt i will have when i graduate. my question to you is what will you do to help the students of this campus, the state, and this wonderful country with their debt? what would you do to help my generation become this country's future? >> i am glad you raised that. there are some loans that have been taken out for you do not know about. [laughter] i want that also to be on your list. every time you get a paycheck after you graduate, if you will be an attorney, you will see a line there that will go to the federal government. income taxes.

that will be paying for the debt you did not know about. it is a huge number. you will be paying the interest on that all of your life. the first thing i will do for you is make sure we do not keep adding more and more debt you do not know about. that is number one. number two. i will make sure when you graduate, you can get a job. [cheers and applause] half the kids coming out of college this year, half, cannot find a job that is consistent with a college degree. it is unacceptable. we have to make sure young people coming into the work

force can get a job. i think a little humor was practiced yesterday. it used to be the american dream of owning your own home. now it is getting your kids out of your home. i want to make sure you are able to get a home of your own, that you will have a good job, that you can start paying back the debt. i know it is tempting as a politician to say, i will give you money, the government will give you money and repay loans back. i will not tell you that. that is taking money from your other pocket and giving it to the other pocket. [applause] i will not promise all sorts of free stuff i know you will end up paying for. a month to give you a great job so you will be able to pay it back yourself. to get the government off your back so you can keep more of what you earned. thank you.

i will tell you one other thing. when president obama talks about this, he makes all of these promises. he proposed a budget, and then cut off in two years. it is called a gimmick. we have to go off of inflation of tuition as well. tuition inflation is much faster than other inflation. we have to make sure we are not -- that your education dollars stretch farther than they have in the past. there are things we need to do to get more transparency so educators, institutions, like this great school of catholic higher indication, it is a great education, we want them to compete for your businesses as a student based on quality, outcome, and affordability. we want that kind of competition. my first time in this state was a high school kid's -- my

brother. that is a great workout. it is pretty windy out there. when i grew up, education inflation was not quite what it is today. it is double digit in some cases. we need to attack the root cause of inflation. in this generation, it is how we maintain the legacy of leaving the next generation better off. [applause] >> this goes against my nature. [laughter] this better be a good question for a yankee fan. i do not know. i have to tell you a story. i was in south carolina giving a speech. all of the cadets were all lined up and sitting as if at

attention. now and then in my speech i would tell a joke or two. they would look down the aisle and the guy would shake his head and no one would laugh. i could not get any laugh out of them. finally, i took questions from the audience. most of the people had written out their questions on a card. a note card. they read the question and i would respond. one guy stood up and said, what you think about the red sox having traded johnny to the yankees? everybody was astounded that somebody asked a question that had not been prepared. they all turned around to see who it was. it was a great opportunity. i said, if it proves one thing, we all hate yankees. >> but not you, sir. >> i back winners. that is why i back you. [applause] >> thank you.

>> isn't it time to audit the federal reserve? audience: yes! >> the answer is yes. the federal reserve should be accountable. we should see what they are doing. i would like to take a close look at a lot of things and are happening in government. i would like to take a close look at what this president is doing and where he is spending his money. i think it would be interesting to see where the money is going to all the companies that are owned by campaign contributors of his.

it stinks. i am happy and would like to see -- and not want congress to run the fed. i want to keep it independent. there are very few groups i would not want to give the keys to. i would not want to give the keys to congress. i was told you have to go to work, and some have to go to school, but i want to thank you. i want to thank you for your help today, for your willingness to come out and spend some time with us, and i want to thank you for your love and passion for america. i know you are not here because we are your best buddy, but because you are concerned about your country. you are concerned about america. this country we love is facing some real challenges. this is a critical time for us. we will decide what kind of america of we are going to be. we will decide something about the soul of america and what it means to be an american. i believe in freedom, opportunity, and that people who came here over the centuries were looking for an america where the child they had would have a better experience than they had. many americans do not believe that anymore. i believe if we get off this track that obama has put us on, i think we will see an economy that is coming back. i think we will see a brighter day in america. i want to ask you this.

find one of those obama voters and get them to support our team. we will do everything in our power and we will get this country back and america will remain the hope of the earth. thank you so much. thank you. >> let's get it done. thank you very much. [music playing] >> ♪ i was born free free like river raging strong facing, chasing father time deep like the grandest canyon wild like an untamed stallion you can knock me down

watch me bleed but you cannot keep no chains on me i was born free i was born free i was born free born free and i am not good at long goodbyes but look at me into my eyes i was born free ♪

♪ >> i know there are those who criticize me for saying complexities and i do. some issues are not all that simple. saying their ribbons of mass destruction in iraq does not make it so. saying we can fight a war does not make it so and proclaiming mission accomplished does not make it so. >> three days after september 11, i stood where americans died in the ruins of the twin towers. workers in hard hats were shouting to me, whatever it takes. a fellow grabbed me by the arm and said, did not let me down. since that day, i wake up every

morning thinking about how to better protect our country. i will never relent in defending america. whatever it takes. >> c-span has aired every minute of every major party conventions since 1984 and our countdown to the conventions continues with the week to go until our live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the republican and democratic national conventions. live on c-span and streamline. all starting next monday with the gop convention with new jersey gov. chris christie on the keynote address and also senator john mccain and former governor of florida, jeb bush prayed democratic convention speakers include julian castro and first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton. >> we're in the countdown to the conventions. in seven days, gavel-to-gavel coverage from tampa here on c-

span. your front row seat to the conventions. in a few moments, the founder and editor of the weekly standard, william kristol and the upcoming election. the republican pat former committee meets in tampa. -- platform committee meets in tampa. more now on this year's election from the weekly standard founder and editor william kristol, our guest on " washington journal for an hour. >> joining us this morning, thank you for coming in. and your piece, why ryan matters. guest: they have mattered third or fourth race. more because of what they said about the president. reagan picked the leader of the

opposing republican party. he did not want a yes man on the ticket. when clinton picked gore, we lost to them, that reinforced the message it was a new kind of democrat, moderate democrats. i think in this big, romney showed strength and he wanted to present the voters with a clear choice. he picked someone will young. -- someone young. the ticket looks more like a cause that a campaign. before it was a tough campaign. people were trying to help from the get over [inaudible] and if you are a moderate or independent who wants a different vision for the country, it may not -- you may not agree. there is a positive, a forward-

looking agenda. not just that we're sick of president obama. i have always felt the problems were negative. there was enough of a positive for the king message. >> your dan quayle's chief of staff. the caption says reporters pounced. what did you learn in terms of picking a vice presidential candidate? i watched it, he was -- did a very good job but had been there for eight years at that point. and suddenly he gets introduced to the public. this is the tuesday of the convention. in the middle of chaos in new

orleans. the bush campaign was not prepared to explain achievements and explain parts of this record and a biography that needed support that could be challenged. dan quayle had a lot of time to prepare for this. he had a fairly tough campaign. partly as he would say, he probably did not handle everything as well as he should have. a lot of it was the campaign now being readied. i am struck by the contrast. ryan was the same age. in this case they picked more than two weeks before the convention. romney and his team have known about the pick. there was no question about that the biography ready to go, the introduction. it was a good rollout. what strikes me the most -- i am

fans of both of them but what is striking about the picks and the management is how much different than have done. bush won easily in 1988. host: here are the numbers to call. as you mentioned, paul ryan's appeal. how far can he move generation x? the other issue is medicare and his stance on medicare. his plan to put out. let's take a look at and obama tv spot. one of the ads taking him to task and criticizing the team. [video clip] >> the aarp says obamacare quex

down on medicare fraud, waste, and abuse and strengthens guaranteed benefits. the ryan plan, aarp says it would undermine medicare and could lead to higher costs. experts say the plan could cost more than $6,000. but the facts. >> is an amazing add. it should be a tribute. that is the president with an ad defending himself against the right and plan. how many times has this happened? not the presidential nominee. his plan, his policy agenda becomes the center of gravity. debating it to some degree. this is striking. the normal attack is republicans

want to kill medicare. they do not have a plan, they just hate us. that is the debate. even having that debate is very good i think for romney and ryan. it shows the strength of the ticket. also how unusual a moment this is against the vice- presidential nominee to be the center of gravity of the campaign. this is toward seniors and the obama campaign, many people have -- they are incredibly narrow minded and keeping every benefit they can. they do not care about their kids our grandchildren, that is not the way people at 60 or 55 and over are. they want to make sure that medicare is there and ryan leave it alone. they care about the debt in the deficit. they know we can i go on this way. the care about the future. there is something too simple-

minded that if you save medicare, seniors will panic and flock to the polls for whoever is the demagogue in the issue. there are almost as many voters 18-30. the electric president obama won 18-30 by 2-1. obama won by seven points. six of those seven came from people aged 18 to 30. if romney-ryan can minimize president obama's edge among young voters, it can make a big difference. those are the most changeable voters. you voted fewer times for one party or another, are less said in your political views, young

people being more changeable. a lot of swing voters 58 or 68 are not up in the air. the voters 25 or younger really could move. they may not agree with paul ryan in everything, but he's not your grandfather's republican party. the republican party has nominated a lot of older candidates in the last 20 years. there was ronald reagan, bush, john mccain, bob dole. people in their 60s and early '70s. and i liked many of them. mitt romney is a vigorous kind. it changes the image of the party. when they highlight marco rubio

and chris christie and others at the republican convention, and the convention does not matter much, but if you turn on the tv and see chris christie one night and marco rubio one night and paul ryan one night and susana martinez and kelly ayotte and others, that's a different looking republican party from bush, dole, mccain and it will resonate with younger voters. host: jack is a republican in manhattan. one last time. moving on to ricky in baltimore. caller: good morning. the first thing i want to say is i'm a 57-year-old african american. i probably have seen more racism, bigotry, and discrimination in the first 30 years of my life then you'll

probably go through in your whole life. the thing that really stands out about the republican party that people just hate is the fact that they are a party of no diversity. 88% to 90% of the republican party is quite. -- white. you are not going to get this banner vote. 70% or 75% of hispanic voters will vote democratic. at least 90% of african american vote will be democratic. 75% of the jewish vote will go there. the asian vote is the same. diversity is what kills this party. do you think that people don't understand what they mean? every time we see a republican, where ever romney goes, you never see any people of color. you might see a handful. maybe just a handful of people

that our minorities. you don't see them. guest: i wish more african- americans voted republican. it's a free country and most african-americans feel the democrats present their interests better. i am jewish. i know how long historical allegiances can last. i don't think the republican party will look like the republican party from previous years. 44% of hispanics voted for george w. bush in 2004. and there are swing voters. with marco rubio, the senator from florida, and susana martinez of mexico, brines and of all of nevada, plenty of young hispanic leaders in the republican party. i think there are some good young african americans in the

republican party. tim scott, the republican from south carolina is a very interesting guy. i think they will win in florida. i wish more of my fellow jews would vote republican. but at some point you have to present your ideas and arguments. you can make the case they are good for the different communities people belong to, and what's good for one community is mostly good for others. if you really believe less government and more pro-growth policies and stronger foreign policy is good for the country, i think eventually some of these old barriers will break down. caller: good morning. the general growth in

can you talk about the connection and how it helps the agenda and whether there will be effective when seniors and young people realize? >> they want a strong america and we should have been much more active earlier on. they deserve better than assad. in terms of defense spending, we're not an empire. the obama administration has entirely pulled out of iraq. in germany, to help stabilize the situation and that worked

out well for them. defense spending is low, much lower than it was and we're in -- and make no apologies of being for a strong defense. it is a dangerous world. maybe people think we can hide from it. tried to hide and we did not

care what happened in afghanistan. host: you have called for mitt romney to release his taxes. [video clip] >> 23 million people are out of work. iran about to become nuclear. one out of six americans is in poverty. i did go back and look to my taxes and never paid less than 13%. i paid taxes every year. i'm waiting for harry reid to put up who he said told him. i've paid 13%. the number is above 20% when you add the amount that went to charity. host: what do you make about his not releasing his tax

returns? guest: he will release his 2011 tax returns. we'll see 2011 and 2010. i personally do not care. when i just released five of the years and get it over with? he doesn't want to and it doesn't bother me much. we may be passed the ability of the obama campaign to gin up that issue. he is done everything legally and paid a relatively low tax rate because of the tax code. i would encourage him to be stronger in his tax reform message.

i think he's for it much simpler tax code which would have been pay more taxes and he should make that clear and make a little more of it in terms of tax reform. host: "usa today" has a piece about how the candidates compared to the average american's tax situation. it has what americans buy large pay. a typical family has a rate of 16.7 %. a typical upper income, 23.8. the tax rate, a 24% for a typical single person with no children. looking at the numbers. guest: a huge amount has been in capital gains and carried interest, which i did not defend and think should be

changed in the tax code. he should come out for change. there is a question of whether there should be a capital gains tax. of ambivalence on that myself. i was a supporter of the reagan tax rate which tried to simplify it to one set of rates. maybe a lot of this was the silliness of summer. i do not think people think mitt romney is some kind of a tax cheat. one of the agenda item should be to fix it andpresident obama has been president for four years and had total control of congress for a first two and where is his tax reform proposal? is that his idea before tax reform? he has been president for four years.

it is not very impressive. that's the case for mitt romney and paul ryan can be the more forward-looking ticket. that is the dynamic that is possible now and romney needs to embrace. they have the chance to be the ticket for folks in change. president obama is defending the status quo and defending his record. he is saying mitt romney and paul ryan want to change medicare. romney and ryan can be the forward-looking ticket. caller: he is trying to do a good job this morning. political is nothing but a democratic -- that is all the

callers were trying to make and you were siding with them. host: we were just listening to your comments charles. caller: this leak in the white house is big and we need to get to the bottom of this. on the platform for the democratic party, will this be the first homosexual that they will have a platform and say at a party in north carolina, the homosexual platform? my last comment is, i am sick and tired of people calling in to c-span and knocking the military. there has been a lot of wrong decisions, maybe some wrong decisions but america is so good. america is great.

god bless america and our military. i'm sick of these people knocking our military. damn it. god bless you, bill. guest: a huge majority of americans have a huge appreciation for our military. the military does say a spectacular job. we have the drawdown now by the defense cuts that president obama has ordered and that now loom ahead with the sequester. i am friends with politico and i would defend them. no one really is perfectly unbiased and they have their own blinders from conventional wisdom.

i encourage people to look at different new sites and read different newspapers. there is some good reporting @ politico. do not just roll it out even if you think they're mostly liberals. host: this is from the web page at politico, the headline. guest: this seems to be some good reporting, not happy with vice-president biden. that would not be hard to discover. a big fight with david axelrod that is inside baseball. there is room for that kind of fighting. they have good reporters trying to get the inside dope. host: let's look at a piece you recently did an "the weekly

standard." this is from last week. host: do you think that impact on the outcome of the election? guest: the press secretary said he decided to and i think he deserved a little praise. slightly tongue in cheek. it would be embarrassing. i don't believe that. i think that would be a rough one or two days. than a week later, there be an obama-clinton ticket instead of

van obama-biden tickets. i do not know anyone that does not believe an obama-clinton ticket would be stronger. warner to bring us an important state. i think the conventional wisdom is wrong. i would say, you can do better than biden. he has been loyal and deserves a gold watch. you didn't need to have him as vice president. maybe he likes biden and maybe he doesn't want hillary clinton

at the vice president's residents. may be a 1% chance of a last- minute switch. i think it conveys -- it makes him more on the defensive and more politics as usual. if obama wanted to recapture some of the fresh and new, it would be to get a new vice president. hillary clinton is not young but to be an exciting vice- presidential bid. ken salazar, warner would add something to the ticket. i suspect if the democrats in president obama's circle have thought a little bit of dumping biden. it sounds like it is not going to happen.

think the ryan-biden matchup is good for republicans. host: this is an ad that takes an attack and joe biden. [video clip] >> america needs a vice president americans can count on. >> three-letter word, "jobs." they will put you back in chains. you cannot go to a 7-eleven or dunkin' donuts unless you have an indian accent. rape continue to rise. >> we say joe should stay.

>> they are going to put you back in chains. host: that is an ad by american crossroads. guest: that is sort of amusing. president obama and joe biden has a record and that is what voters are going to judge. sometimes people stress the gaffes. none of that matters too much. the web is a great thing. you can make these ads and put them up. sometimes they can influence the debate. the conventional wisdom in washington is it doesn't matter.

bush won by nine points in 1988. vice presidents do not make much difference at the end of the day. it leaves president obama on the defensive. the ryan card was a big card. i would bet that most voters have never seen mitt romney for more than 20 seconds and now they will see them both to give speeches. what to the democrats have left? i think republicans have a chance to help define the race.

host: robert from maryland, good morning. caller: it is so nice your concern about obama campaigning and that mr. biden might be a detriment to the campaign. it is nice of you to be concerned. i enjoyed watching you on television and i think you are a low divorce from reality. that romney needed somebody to protect him. he is a weak candidate. he has no ideas and he brings nothing to the discourse. ryan should be running for president and romney should be running for vice president. he was introduced to the public as the new president and he was telling the truth. telling the truth. we have a trickle-down