tv U.S. House of Representatives CSPAN August 28, 2012 10:00am-1:00pm EDT
10:00 am
away from them. i don't see how anyone can see that is a particularly good thing, whether they beit is an t americans care about. >> i am looking for 8 q on timing, but i think it might be time to take it to questions from the audience. >> do we have microphones? there is one. >> everybody is getting their thoughts together. since we are on michigan, i am surprised that state is in play. why is that? >> the last vote in michigan. it is one -- when it is a home state, that is always helpful. it is a stake in the union that
10:01 am
understands what it takes to turn around. despite trends in the last few cycles. michigan is in play. >> thank you. >> my name is richard. it is a follow. -- it is a follow-up. on this welfare to work, question. i think the ad is false. the campaign insists that, forget the race part, it is accurate and true. my question for the journalist is, you try to push back. you said, no, you are wrong, and then you drop it. do you expect that is the weighty -- the way the dialogue will go with every false assertion? that is a moral equivalent? you say, fine.
10:02 am
what kind of lobbying -- what kind of an obligation to you see yourself having? >> if we have a huge obligation. democrats say the ad is wrong, with all due respect, the ad is wrong. once i say it, i'm not going to jump on him and throw punches. the ad is wrong. >> where you get into the moral equivalent problem, it is not the moral equivalent if ron says, no, it is right. were you get into problems is when you have the other campaign saying that mitt romney was controlling been three years after he was wrong. which is wrong. that is fine, you may say he controlled, but he did not order a box of paper clips. >> or that mitt romney contributed to a woman losing her life. that is wrong. or that the mitt romney campaign might have committed a felony. that was wrong.
10:03 am
>> who is putting up the wrong message more? this claim that romney led to this woman's death? how many times did it run and how many times in the welfare at runbacks -- welfare at a run -- ad run? >> the price of gasoline is going up. i am curious about the governor was the energy policy. he put it out last week. very heavy on the production side. does not even mention efficiency or conservation. when he was governor of massachusetts, he was a leader in driving energy efficiency to the good of the massachusetts economy. i am wondering if this is an oversight in terms of the full program or how you think he will come forward? >> thank you for your question.
10:04 am
i think if you go on the website, you will see. it is mostly about production. to make this independently free we are crazy not to do it. that is the best way to lower the price of gas. i think the overall energy package that mitt has, compares to with the white house wants to do, i will let you decide on that. conservation is a part of it. you and i know that conservation alone will not solve the problem. >> a question back there. >> my name is bill from the hoover institution. i want to ask the two gentlemen on this side, the statute says that there are to be no waivers on this workfare aspect
10:05 am
whatsoever. it explicitly says there are never any waivers initiated by the executive branch in this workfare. the obama administration has granted waivers similarly to what they have done in no child left behind were there is no statutory basis for the waivers. this is deep we cannot wait for congress attitude. you cannot just say that the romney people are wrong. the statute explicitly says never any waivers. >> where did they come from? >> that doesn't matter. they are granted by the executive branch. republican and democratic governors can have wish lists to have more power of their own, but the statute explicitly forbids it. >> but they are asked for by republican governor, the republican governor is wrong. so it is a bad idea to have governors make request and give
10:06 am
governor's flexibility. why, then, is it a weakening of it? couldn't, presumably, the waivers be granted to the states and the state could make them harder to interpret? >> off the statute forbids waivers in this area. >> it is a point. >> he claims it is weak. >> if you read what he does put out, it is clear they intended to weaken it. we will not require them to train, to work, we will send them a check while they deal with their barriers. if that is what romney said in the ad. the press is also full of themselves about how it will declare it is false. it is not false when you think about it. >> it is clear and different than it does. your interpretation that it does this, you do not know what it does. it could be interpreted in this
10:07 am
way. >> with all due respect, it is a lot like sang, she is a lot less credit than you think she is. wrong is wrong. both sides are making up lies. both sides are making the public -- including, the new media institution. that is one of the reasons the numbers are down. that is why voter turnout is going to be down. that is what we all have to take a look at how we present ourselves. >> i am an elected official in the ninth largest school district in california. in a trustee. however, my question to all of you is how do each side intend to deal with the extreme prejudice against my roman catholic church and a faith in this administration.
10:08 am
>> how so? >> the imposition of regulations that churches cannot control and our institutions cannot control their health care against our faith, against instituting that we must pay for things that as roman catholics we do not believe in. instituting a medical system that is damaging to the foundation of everything we believe in. so, that is extreme prejudice on the obama administration's side. i would like to know how, as a romney person, he would deal with this issue and why do we face this extreme prejudice out of the obama administration? >> thank you for your question. >> as you know, the governor feels very strong against with the obama administration has said. it is an important issue. we go around the country and talk to folks more and more. it is deep and uninvited.
10:09 am
it is important. mitt will do better with catholic latinos than people realize. >> how much does ryan help with catholics? >> he is popular. i think it is more important that no one in washington cares more about governing and then paul ryan. that is the main message of the campaign. to strengthen the concept. he is the perfect partner by having someone who can really help in that issue. wisconsin is now in place. >> will we see advertising in wisconsin and michigan this weekend? >> i would not be surprised. >> we have time for one more question.
10:10 am
>> i am with "the washington examiner." i want to ask you about the states. everybody goes to the states. i want to ask you on ron's question. are you guys lying? is everybody lying in this campaign, presumably on the added? >> no. the lot is the law. -- the law is the law. [indiscernible] they have spent more money on negative ads that all the other candidates for president combined. negative ads, everyone hates them. but unfortunately, they move people. we tried to be as accurate as possible.
10:11 am
we see it one way and they see it another way. saying that mitt killed a woman when he wasn't even there, i think that is wrong. it is unfortunate and it is not going to change. it drives ad guys crazy. >> let's talk about moving of voters. we will move on to our panel. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> we end of this break. we take you live to the white house. president obama speaking to reporters about tropical storm isaac. >> now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. you need to take this seriously. i won to thank everyone who is
10:12 am
in working -- i want to thank everyone who is in working around the clock. the federal government will do everything possible to help the american people prepare for and recover from this dangerous storm. as we get additional updates, as well as wellfema in terms of -- as well as from fema, we will be discussing it at the local and national level. thank you. >> president obama, in the diplomatic route of the white house with a brief update on tropical storm isaac. the president yesterday proving a disaster declaration for the state of louisiana. we will take you back live to tampa and the national journal discussion. coming up next, the second panel with a number of political pollsters. just to let to now, the president will be heading to
10:13 am
10:15 am
you now can. out of this? let's stick with this. thank you for sticking around for the second panel. this should be really interesting. this is an incredible election because of how the country is starting now, trying to figure how to get it unsorted. she is founder and president of the polling company which does a lot of political and consumer work. she is one of the most quoted on the political scene. she is on television shows and radio shows. prior to establishing the firm, would serve as the assistant to carroll campbell in south carolina and is served as a tenured member at the university of south carolina. to my left is my colleague and friend who has graciously joined
10:16 am
the national journal to help as we want our products. she is a veteran of florida politics. she knows the state better than just about anybody i know. >> all right. >> the you need this? >> is my mighc working? it is. ok. i thought i would start by asking -- i know there are a lot of political junkies in the audience. they are somewhat familiar with which demographic group of favor obama and which favor governor romney. tell me -- we will start with you. which is the scariest number for mitt romney. on the flip side, which is the scariest number for obama. which proves that they do better or worse? which give you the most pain or
10:17 am
pleasure? >> for governor romney, it would be unmarried women. any republican nominee will have a natural deficit of unmarried women, usually two-one. it is an actual market. years ago, many women had said i do. now, lots of women in their '30's will say, i probably will sometimes later. and later, heck, maybe i will not. if the republican party is in peril. what they should appreciate is that unmarried women are not all 20 on a college campus screaming about the environment and abortion. as i said previously, they could be women in their late 20's or 30's. by choice, not by circumstance, are not married and do not have children. but what are they doing?
10:18 am
they tend to be highly educated. they tend to be in charge of their own retirement security. they make that decision about age 40. they are very responsive to an ownership financial stewardship, successful entrepreneur oral message if it is so delivered. i think for president obama the one that would scare me the most are self-declared independence. for a couple of reasons. i've been doing this for 24 years. for years, people would say, i am an independent. i would ask them what that means. they say, i vote for the person, not the party. they haven't voted in a longtime barry now people are independent and not because they don't pay attention to politics, but because they do. to make a conscious decision to declare independence from either party and refused to pledge allegiance. if you can now with their numbers recently.
10:19 am
a 42% of men consider themselves to be independent. 43% of women. that number is on the rise. why that would worry me for president obama is that are skeptical of government and he is the chief executive officer. he carried them in 2008, but they favored republicans in 2010 in what is largely seen as a rebuff of his first two years of his agenda. >> you want to take that? what keeps you up at night? >> chris dodd, thank you for the opportunity to be here a bunch -- among a bunch of political junkies. nothing better to do than talk about politics. particularly with a dead heat presidential race in the balance. i cannot disagree with what she said, but there are so many groups, let me pick out two others. the one that troubles me more than anything else going forward in the long-term is the number
10:20 am
among hispanics. republican presidential candidates have done very well among hispanics. the peak was george w. bush in 2004 when he got 44% of the hispanic vote nationally. and a majority of the sun belt hispanic vote. he reached out. he was aggressive. he was pro active in going after hispanic voters. it is more troubling that 10 years down the road than it is for this election. every month, 50,000 hispanic youngsters turn 18 years old and to come eligible to vote. it will be that way for the next 20 years. is is very clear that republicans will need to do better among hispanics. not a majority, but more in the george bush at territory than where mitt romney is today, going forward. and we will.
10:21 am
we are not dumb. we can count. we did not flunk arithmetic. we can figure this out. it will be the way the republicans to do better among hispanics going forward. for president obama, the most troubling statistic is how weekly he is running among non- college educated whites. he got 42% of the white vote in 2008. he is well under that now. he is in the low to mid 30's. it has nothing to do with the country getting more racist. it has everything to do with the fact that president obama has governed like a liberal who has believed in demonstrate through his words that he believes blue- collar whites claim to their guns and religion. he sent these signals.
10:22 am
as a result of that incredible weakness, mitt romney is going to have more of an advantage in places like west virginia. i think mitt romney could very well move the percentage of the total white vote to 54% that john mccain got up to 60% or more in 2012. if he does that, he stands a very good chance of getting elected president. >> to follow-up on that, when you looked at the blue-collar vote, that was about 61% of the vote. now is about 39%. if you just did blue-collar white males, it is even more pronounced so, that part of the republican base is strong. especially under president obama. i do not disagree, for some of the reasons you mentioned. but that is at should do.
10:23 am
-- but that is shrinking. since the last election, in which a republican can win with a coalition that is almost entirely dependent on of white voters. >> i do not know if we can save the] since the last one. what you can certainly say is the trend line is consistent. in 1980, 88% of the voters who elected ronald reagan president were white. in two dozen it, that is down to 74%. -- in 2008, that is down to a 74%. if we had the same demographics in it 2008, john mccain would be president. we're talking about fundamentally different outcomes. it is very clear that what you say is right. republicans, if it will remain competitive nationally will have to do better among non-white
10:24 am
voters and the greatest potential to do better is hispanic and asians. >> besides recruiting men and women of color, what else does the republican party have to do to improve those numbers? >> if the number one issue among hispanics is the economy and jobs. the number one issue among asians, the economy and jobs. you have to do is paint a compelling picture for how mitt romney has a better vision for how to turn this country around. i worked a lot what research in republic. we put out some numbers yesterday that just asked district of question, i do you think president obama's economic plan is working? is the economy growing? t you think president obama's plan is not working and it is time to try something else next off by a double-digit margin, the american voters think it is not working.
10:25 am
that is the opening that mitt romney has to drive the campaign through this week. >> there is something else the republican party will need to do. there is no question about that. when they look at a candid it, they ask, do i like you? are you like me? that is important to voters. these trusted business leaders are religious figures. to work in that information and exchange, the asian vote is something have been talking about for 10 years.
10:26 am
i have been sounding the alarm for 10 years. if we had been paying attention to hispanics 20 years ago, the way we should be paying attention to asians now, we would not have to be catching up. i think the worst way to reach these minority groups is taking a mediocre at in english and translating it into spanish. instead, it is having that value message. they have a high level first marriages. they own businesses. children go to college in grad school. they are very private people. george herbert walker bush lost to bill clinton but he won
10:27 am
asians by double digits. bill clinton won reelection against bob dole, but he carried asians. and then the numbers a switch. the fast-forward to 2008. president obama carried asians over senator mccain. >> he had 62% of the asian vote. isn't governor romney doing exactly with hispanic ads which you wished republicans wouldn't come taking and some are made for an english audience -- an anglo audience and transmitting them into spanish? >> it is not that simple. i have learned little about what they're hispanic outreach program is. what i say is your taking this to this point. jobs in the economy on the number one and two issues. there's not a single group up there, including women. you would not know it. they, too, care about jobs in the economy.
10:28 am
they're taking that bold, economic vision message to hispanics. i know his son speaks spanish as a big effort to make him available in different communities as well. >> would you like to see some advertisements done just for the hispanic community? of-the-a big options all- above strategists. the answer is, yes. most of what i know where four major league baseball. there is a real value message to their that resonates with hispanics, especially hispanic women. they're waiting for those types
10:29 am
of messages. there is no evidence that they are scared into leading certain things and issues. really bring a value of economic message. it seems to be higher among hispanics as a top issue. >> i want to ask you, we are going to see a video at the convention tonight. . obama supporters who have fallen out of love. you're seeing that type of person featured in a lot of that is. both of the romney campaign is using folks like that. tell me why you think those may be affected. are there really that many
10:30 am
people out there who voted for obama in 2008 who will switch and vote for romney? >> there are a number of people who somehow got taken in with the hope and change message of four years ago. they actually believed what he set about bringing us together and working across the aisle. the thought he might actually do it. they have been disappointed in the last 3.5 years. the poll i mentioned earlier shows that by margins of two- one, americans think the economy is worse than it was when president obama took office. the worldstanding in is worse and the federal's a government ability is worse. there are a number of people who help to give barack obama a 7.5% win who become disillusioned. i think it is a great message. i think there are a lot of people out there who need to be given a reason to vote for romney because they are ready to
10:31 am
vote against obama. >> off to have a demographic breakdown of the switches and how many there are? >> i cannot tell you this pacific of the breakdown. i can tell you i have some republican friends who rather sheepishly, in the quiet at night, estimate that they voted for barack obama off and it was one of the worst mistakes they ever made in their lives. >> the predominant aspect is disappointment. that is an important role. -- an important word. it is not, i made a mistake. no one will say that. it is the ability to find comfort in numbers. it is his fault. he promised xyz. if it turns out, he is another politician. disappointment is a very important word because it is pedestrian and accessible.
10:32 am
you cannot have to have a protracted debate about why you voted for him the first time and why you may not this time. it is just, he disappointed me. >> in this almost historic number, how is it possible that president obama could still win reelection? and if he does, whose fault will it be? how would you explain it? >> it is an incredible environment for a president running for reelection. we all know it will evolve into a referendum on his leadership. remember, he had a 7.5 lead four years ago. his lead has evaporated. now we have a dead heat race with both of the candidates in the mid 40's. >> will it be john mccain's
10:33 am
fallbacks for giving him the 7% lead? >> if he wins, it will be because he has somehow managed to overcome every historic but he marker that we have for people winning reelection. i am not one who says history is destiny. history is a guide. it governs until it does not anymore. given how close this race is, we would be foolish to some appear and the sick, i guarantee you that x is going to win. >> he had a head start, but there is no way it should be disclosed. how could he possibly -- again, whose fault would it be? >> nobody's fault. the reasons are the demographic changes you pointed to. we have a different country now than we did 15 or 20 years ago. demographically, if we had the
10:34 am
1980 demographics, mitt romney would have a 10-point lead and it would never be closed. >> is also because of shortcomings in mitt romney as a candidate and the way he comes across? we see a lot of electability. -- a lot about likability. >> likability is important. i think it is overstated in times. i do believe the more important barometer is not, do i like you? but, are you like me? do we have that shared connection to understand that i am not just trying to afford a luxurious vacation. i am trying to afford every day consumables like food and fuel. there is that connective tissue. i think they both a struggle on that one for different reasons. there is no question but that
10:35 am
female voters like president obama. i think this year, matt is a more important subject and chemistry or biology. people can do the math. something else i have to say that has changed over time for years, you look at the right direction, wrong track number. is it like the george herbert walker loss on the horizon. people, with all the uncertainty, do not want to invite more uncertainty at the top. the opposite used to be true. now, i wonder how true that is. some of voters are seduced into believing that for years is not enough to turn around a huge battleship. he is, trying hard, give him a little bit more time.
10:36 am
is it going to be -- it will be a cruel irony if he were to be reelected but he had to do so in playing the victim, rather than the prosperous president who brought us to the economic promise land that he committed. obama himself said that if they had not created x number of jobs, he would be a one-term president. that is a promise worth keeping if you are listening. he is being cast as a victim of everyone putting upon him scary, negative ads. the congress stood in his way. that would be ironic. that is no way to start a second term. >> i am old enough to remember richard nixon. i'm not even sure anyone like him. yet he won federal elections.
10:37 am
that is a time when 2/3 of the country, we run the wrong track. if 2/3 of the country things we are going beautifully, the economy is booming, people have work, like ability does not matter a lot. when reverses the case, when 68% of american voters think we're in a recession, if you have the choice of two variables, which one would you take. the guy who will turn the economy around, or is this the more likable? it is a no brainer. that is mitt romney's task to make sure he is the one. >> if i could interject, that is an important point. we hear that from voters. oh, i like so-and-so. fallen go to a ballgame or have a beer. now they talk about who can produce results. even the polling questions, it is not who sit next to at dinner.
10:38 am
my all-time favorite, who would you trust to watch your kids for a couple hours on a saturday morning. with four kids under the age of eight, i would pick any of them. it is not a fair question. why not? people have a very seriousness of purpose. it is almost purely economics. >> let's talk about the math. you talk about demographics. what has governor romney done to expand the playing field for the republican party? >> i think what governor romney has done is put many of those states that went for barack obama in 2008 back into play. indeed, he is taking one of them, indiana, pretty well off the map entirely. he has also put in place states like colorado. states like florida, north carolina, virginia, new hampshire.
10:39 am
michigan and wisconsin now are very much in play. wisconsin, particularly, after paul ryan's selection looks like a toss up states. you're talking about michigan being 47-47. he is the number of those states in play that brought obama won in 2008, plus he will keep all the ones john mccain got in 2008. >> an interesting column in "the washington post" today. the kicker was that governor and obama after a polarized nation and election, talking but the democrats, what does it say about no matter who comes in the office, how difficult it will be for him to lead? what does that say about what is ahead of us in the next four years? >> usually correct.
10:40 am
i think he is correct on that one. for those of you who are at the resurging conference, you heard them talking about a eighth democratically held a house and getting an enormous amount done. bill clinton working with the republican congress for the last eight years of his term, getting an enormous amount done. we have recent record of accomplishment working with the opposite party, if you have a president with the skill, desire, and the talent to do so. it can happen. >> i agree it can happen. if president romney or as bold and governing as he is in his new energy plan is very bold, for example. the selection of paul ryan has been often commented as bold. he can do that. there's also an argument that
10:41 am
you see people in the romney campaign saying that president romney would be like james k. polk, which is essentially a self-term limited. if you don't vote for me, at least i kept my promises. the polarization will continue. it is not just a political polarization. we are at a tipping point in this nation. households were able-bodied people work and able-bodied people do not. the federal tax income, household where it is not. it is now close to parity. is not 80 to 20. i think that polarization in terms of skin in the game and how people view the role of governments in their own minds is the true polarization. >> with that changing as much as
10:42 am
it has in the days of tip o'neill and ronald reagan, and also changes gerrymandering with technology. there are more democrats and republicans were the only worry about their primary. is it nike to think that barack obama -- is it and i even to think that rocco or mitt romney could work with the congress? >> most members of congress realize that they are going to get defeated, it will be in their own party, not the general election. makes it tough. back in 1979, talking about how americans were not governable. which could not fit the party together. we cannot do anything well. and yet ronald reagan came along and it showed that was not the case. i continue to believe that most americans do not want continual gridlock and partisan sniping. most americans will follow a president who shows the ability
10:43 am
to bring people together and try to get something accomplished. >> there are probably some better questions out there. do we have a microphone? >> i wonder if they could give us a scorecard of how the medicare issue has been playing since paul ryan was announced. what they think -- how they think it might develop during the campaign and what they think republicans might do with the criticism large against them. >> sure. seniors were the only age group that john mccain carried in 2008. there is a little bit of softening in some states among seniors. there is not an indication that ties directly to medicare. i will say that it puts the conversation on a different plane.
10:44 am
if the romney-ryan ticket will do what it has not done, which is explained entitlement reform to any audience, particularly those who are receiving it, is you must literally for weeks and weeks keep repeating to people. if you were born this year, we are not even talking to you. this does not apply to you. it changed the channel. go read a book. if you want to listen to your -- four grandchildren, a terrific. but this does not apply to you. that is easier said than done. for some reason, that was not done when they're reforming that in 2005, for example. i will say that every member of the republican house that voted against a bombscare -- obamacare can legitimately say there were asked to support medicare cuts.
10:45 am
32 times, i said no to slashing medicare. people will with their heads around. that is a here and now statistic that is true, that is a resident, and that you will hear repeated buy smart people for the next 70 days. >> medicare was going to be an issue anyway. i do not have any doubt about that. now that paul ryan is on the ticket, we can be assured it will be an issue. there are two things at different about the debate this time. the first is what she mentioned. whenever a democratic president take money out of medicare to spend on other programs. that creates a vulnerability for this president that we have never had before. the second is you have a guy who has a republican plan to preserve and protect medicare and offer a choice. the resurging republic survey
10:46 am
asked the following question in a survey last week. he said, we should not balance the budget on the backs of our seniors. medicare should be off-limits. republican plans to privatize medicare are a trojan horse that will end medicare as we know it. congressman the says medicare will go broke if we do nothing because of all the retiring baby boomers by giving people age 55 and under the choice of joining traditional medicare or using the dollars to buy a private health insurance plan, we can preserve and protect this important program. the second argument, the to the first argument. it is not a landslide. what that tells you is the argument is in the hunt. you have a combination of a democratic president taking money out of debt -- out of medicare and republican with a plan to preserve and protect the program for future
10:47 am
generations. what that means is we can fight it to a draw at maybe till the in our direction. >> can you explain to me why it is that people cannot appear to blame the republicans more for the state that the economy is in? barack obama inherited an economy in free fall. the lowest single quarter loss that had been seen for decades. the worst banking bust. huge, unfunded liabilities. the costly wars that are not going well. how can republicans expect americans to trust them again with the triple keys of power -- >> he has made it so much worse. that is just for people believe.
10:48 am
>> people do not feel that way. people need to feel that way. people need to feel that jobs are available. the white working-class voters who favored republicans in 2008, only by about 10 points, and a 2010 by closer to 30, because they do not feel that is there. you have a president who is against all this energy development. people complain nothing is made in the usa. look around. there is plenty that is made in the usa. it is called natural gas and oil. it would unleash -- just to take those laws, the lawyers and doctors? no. people need to feel the statistic that you and the obama campaign are giving. they simply do not feel that way. >> can i answer that?
10:49 am
and with obama'sads the word for word. would you say america is moving forward? 39%, is moving forward. less than four out of 10 americans think we're moving forward. 3.5 years after he took office, they think we went to the other way and the economy is worse, rather than better. they think it is worse rather than better by 61%. that is why republicans are in the hunt. they think the president has done the things that made the situation worse, not better. you see congress's approval rating down. i think the president will double down and his supporters will double down on that strategy. the bush inheritance strategy does not work as well, but blaming -- like i said, he is
10:50 am
the victim of congressional obstruction. that is more affected. >> the bug stops here. -- buck stops here. >> a specific polling question understands the concerns of people like me. no matter how things are going, bill clinton made a living out of that question. it seems like something the president is persistently doing better than governor romney. how does this get turned around? >> are you talking about job approval? >> no. understanding the concerns. >> first of all, he is there. there is a huge advantage for being there and optimism being baked in the cake. 39% figure that people believe the country is moving forward.
10:51 am
that includes the people who want the country to move forward. imagine what the number really is when you extract that out of the equation. cares about people like me is great during a clinton economy that looks nothing like the obama economy. they may feel that obama is an but that, but they feel he is competent. one thing the vice president did, they made all these promises and more specific. this is a guy who got elected on a whole bunch of nonspecific words. when you get specific in those promises and you can reach those, and people remind everybody of those benchmarks, he may understand you, but he is not getting you a job any time soon. >> with bill clinton in 1994, he was winning with that number. but his party lost because there
10:52 am
were beginning to think he was not capable of leading. >> he tapped into people's feelings. now want somebody to tap into fixing the economy. >> my point is it did not help him in 1994. >> bingo. >> is the entire country is not conservative, then governor romney can't run a winning campaign on ideologies. how does he convinced of voters who are currently not his of voters to go ahead and vote for him? how much as ideology contrast with competence? >> mitt romney, a deal logically, is exactly where the american electorate is. most voters consider themselves
10:53 am
moderate, somewhat conservative. the dominant ones tend to be conservative. when you ask people how you view mitt romney, the number one response is, somewhat conservative. when you ask people how they view barack obama, the number one response, very want -- very liberal. barack obama is the candidate who has the problem being outside the mainstream of american political thinking. mitt romney is exactly where the voters are. he does not have to do anything different to demonstrate that he is where voters are in geologically. >> romney does have that advantage over obama and about 18% to 21%. liberals don't call themselves liberals. the call themselves progresses. either way, you get the same results. obviously, president obama does not only have a 21% basis
10:54 am
support. i think, to get your question, he must get people to look above or below ideology. they need to trust him and believe him, that he will be a good economic source. not everybody likes of the ball. not everybody likes the ceo. they do not need to fall in love with him. they need to believe and trust that he can do things they want done that are very solution based. to this point about feelings, there is a real disconnect between what we all think of of voters and the way they feel and how they think. they are very thoughtful. they are trying to avail themselves of facts and figures.
10:55 am
that is why the ads are not sure we end do we. you have a hard facts because people want that. >> with the "houston chronicle." who are the undecided voters? who has not decided right now? which groups have more undecided voters than others? >> undecided voters are ones who are in many ways just checking in right about now. that is hard for many of us to live, eat, and breathed politics to believe. some people are just now starting to pay attention to the fact that have a decision to make. there is a no one demographic group. it is a very small group. much smaller than we normally see right now. we are talking single digits,
10:56 am
undecided. there are more likely to say they are moderate, rather than conservative or liberal. there are much more likely to be liberals rather than a democratic or republican. you cannot pinpoint and say, these two demographic groups are undecided. >> we were in the field last week and the week before. every single survey, there was a single digits. imagine that. you make a big conclusions. there is that. i will say that women are late- in-the-game-the ciders. -- late-in-the-game-deciders.
10:57 am
you have this constant information cycle that you can access. women tend to be a late-in-but- game-deciders. there were out in full force for president obama. many of them are swing of voters. to think that messaging to them will cause women to go from 57% obama to republican. if i were republicans, i would look to 2010, not 2008. >> over the next couple of days we will be saying at the mitt romney campaign rolling out. mitt romney in the man.
10:58 am
his son will be talking. his wife will talk. people from the olympics that he helped. people from bain capital. what do you think -- if you had to look into a crystal ball and say, this is what is going to open up for him in terms of of voters, are the women going to like him more? what do you see coming up? >> people in this country, believe it or not, do not necessarily know him. he got out of the 2007 race in february. it was early. he was also in a protracted primary battle. a tough battle this cycle. known asever as well- the incumbent. the challenger has a great opportunity -- a peril, too, but a great opportunity. i think the most important
10:59 am
speech this week is mitt romney. he really needs to capture the imaginations, but provide of visions of evidence. if i were mitt romney, i would leave this convention. everything else that he helped contribute. they will know if he stands in front of those and says, i built this. we built this. and then down the street to a strip mall. i do think you can not overestimate what america is going to do. it is impressive. it is not unprecedented. you are kid-tested, mother
11:00 am
approved. you're not going to leave it there. the feeling are these concrete ideas and a decision that seems a workable. >> i want to thank all of you. this has been a great crowd. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you for joining us. we will be doing this again tomorrow. >> we will join them again tomorrow, here on c-span. we are bringing advance throughout the morning. as the republicans gather for their national convention this week. live of shots of
11:01 am
the tampa bay forum. we will be -- we will see things get underway this afternoon. we will see a number of speeches and events throughout the day. also, governor chris christie of new jersey. petthere are about 13,000 membes of the media in tending, making it one of the largest next to the olympics. there are more than 75 advent of venues under contract. the arena at uc right there. we will be speaking with the mayor of shortly on "washington journal." right now we go to a representative of a florida. a representative florida who is talking about the stand your ground a lot. something that he helped author.
11:02 am
good morning and thank you for being with us. tell us about what led to the creation of the stand your ground a lot. >> thank you for inviting me to be here. welcome to tampa. i am happy to talk about our doctrine that allows you to stand your ground in difficult situations. what led to this is that in 2005, when i was serving in the florida house at that time, when i returned to the florida house , we had just experienced five hurricanes in florida. there was a lot of losing and a perception of the possibility of losing and a lot of discourse. many people are trying to protect their property. there was a gentleman out in the northwest panhandle of florida who was living on his property. he and his wife were in an rv to make sure that to protect their
11:03 am
property, for which was open to looting. during that time, he was accosted by a gentleman entering their house during the night. he did respond to protect himself against this home invasion. it was a number of months before he knew whether he would be prosecuted for acting. this individual was shot and died. the senator from north west florida brought this issue to me. he knows that i am a protector of freedom for a long time. we agreed that should not be the situation in florida. if a law-abiding citizen is protecting their home or a place to have a right to be, from an attack, of a perpetrator, and they do act to stop an act of violence, we as a government should stand by them.
11:04 am
they should not be prosecuted. it was at the discretion of prosecutors on how to respond. we felt this should be canonized in 2 statute and then for the would be an example. we did take this legislation after it passed before the house in 2005 to the american legislative exchange council. it was shared and went to 26 more states, so it really has become more of a national standard. we were a leader on this subject. what we have seen since 2005 is a decrease in violent crime. so i believe this statute was in order and what it has proven is that if you empower people to stop violent acts from occurring, they can and they
11:05 am
will and they did. host: here are the numbers to call if you would like to speak with one of the authors of florida's stand your ground law. we also have a phone line for florida residents. at an excerpt of the stand your ground law -- this got a lot of attention when trayvon martin was shot in florida in february. what was your reaction? and do you think the law should be changed in light of what happened? guest: when this particular case
11:06 am
came to national attention and a lot of questions were being asked about it, my first response to what information we had about the incident was i don't understand how this statute is being applied, because there is nothing in this statute that authorizes you to pursue, confront, or stalk anyone or initiate. so i did not see any way that this law actually applied. slot is very clear that it's about law-abiding citizens who are doing nothing wrong and become the subject of a violent attack. if they respond to stop that violent attack, there's no reason to expect they should be a victim of forcible felony to be raped, murdered, or beaten without response. what we have seen is a decrease in the number of violent cases. in that particular case, i think
11:07 am
the facts will bear it alex. the first commentary coming out was saying that your lawn is the problem and that this man cannot be charged. het's not true, because certainly can be charged. a thorough investigation resulted in better was a charge made. that does not mean that mr. zimmerman cannot still make a very valid standards self- defense case. but the last word i had in the case was that there attorney was not going to ask for a stand your ground hearing. that was a decision the night that no arrest was made. at the same time that did not preclude an arrest would not be made at a future time once the investigation proceeded. i think what we really uncovered in this situation, you had the statute, which really lays out what the public policy is. then you have the time of application, in this case seven
11:08 am
years since 2005, where the judiciary and law-enforcement and others are responding, how do we apply this statute. the judiciary has now developed a hearing process where you request a hearing to present the stand your ground defense. out of that hearing they decide whether you can be charged. host: the representative bubp is a republican in the florida state legislature. let's go to a collar on our independent line in port st. lucie, florida. caller: i think that is a good law. it says stand your ground. it does not say you go out there and kill someone. host: what do you think the law means? caller: it means if you are carjacked or mugged, you don't have to run away from the person. we have had several cases
11:09 am
throughout this area. we had one recently in port st. lucie. a man and his girlfriend were attacked after a movie. pulled out a gun. he did not shoot anybody. the teenager's then left. it was self-defense. host: all right. what do you think about his interpretation? guest: i think he is starting to get it. i think a lot of what's coming out of the case is good. of course it is always tragic when you have a needless death. we always regret whenever that happens. there's always going to be close calls near the foul line. what we want to see in terms of public policy is a safer populists, that they are safer because of public policy. what you are hearing is more and
11:10 am
more people are beginning to understand the application. you are an innocent person. we were dealing with this issue out there about the duty to retreat. this is one of the and valuations on whether you would be charged with an offense, was there some way you could have escaped. we did not feel that was a justified approach in looking at an individual who was a law- abiding citizen stopping an act of violence against themselves or their family. there it was in your home or your vehicle, you have a right to assume they are coming in to harm you. or whether you were in your vehicle and you are the subject of a car invasion, you have the right to assume they're coming in to hurt you. also, you should not lose those rights just because you are in a public parking garage or walking through a park. if you become the subject of a violent attack, you should be empowered by our public policy
11:11 am
that we would stand by you. this is really about the freedom to take responsibility for ourselves and others. that's the underlying principle that many people miss. it's very clear in the first part of this statute. that you have to be a law-abiding statute you cannot be in the middle of doing anything that is a violation of law. so it has never been intended that this could be used by folks that were gang fighting or drug trading or doing anything that would accelerate to violence. also, i think it's clear that it's without provocation that you were doing nothing wrong and were simply the subject of a violent attacks. host: the miami herald, tampa bay times, and others conducted a poll last month. here's the report from the-year- old ---- from the miami herald --
11:12 am
let's hear from ted from illinois on our independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. i don't think this is a very good law because even police officers trained to know to use necessary force, they have a problem with it. many times they use too much force. vigilante type of persons, that person cannot tell a lie. all you have is what the person says has happened to them. it's a very gray area. i think they need to reevaluate this law, because look at the
11:13 am
recent massacres that are happening. people have that in their minds because they watched too much television. unless they get this off the books, and you will continue to see more of these type of murders where an innocent person is shot and the person that did it just says i was -- my life was being threatened, i thought i was going to be killed. when even the police have a limit to how much force they can use. these people are not trained, so there's no one to guarantee that they are going to use this law properly. host: a tweet -- what is your response to those criticisms, representative? guest: well, the data defies that interpretation. what we have actually seen is violent crimes have gone down since 2005. i don't claim unique
11:14 am
responsibility for that with this particle statute. hopefully, a mosaic of statutes that offer good public policy in how we deal with violence. you will find rank-and-file law- enforcement very much support this. i can see why it's a problem for people in law-enforcement management and i can see why it's a problem sometimes for prosecutors. i might not like this statute because it gives them less discretion. if we sent a proceed and that if you stop a violent act and we will stand by you and your not going be treated as a criminal for defending yourself, for simply doing what was right, and that is stopping a violent act. i think there is difficulty that has to do with application. i do sit on this task force by the governor -- by the way, the task force is about public safety and protection. it is not just about a kangaroo
11:15 am
court to try stand your ground. we are there to take testimony across the state. we are there to take professional testimony from researchers who are studying the data in this arena. at the end of that process of those meetings, then we should evaluate and make recommendations about what, if anything, should be changed in this or other issues. i think we will see some consideration in the way things are applied, because i think what happens in particular in this case that made it so popular to look at this and examine this is it kind of pulled back the skin on a number of social issues. the real question is are we being equally treated before the law? in the rule of law and in the courtroom and in the purview of law enforcement as they work with us, are all of us being treated fairly in the situation? of course there will be people who tried to use the statute to protect bad decisions that they
11:16 am
made. simply by examining the facts of the case, and we are not limited just to testimony, there is a forensic evidence. even in this particular case it has been mentioned that brought this to the forefront and the limelight. we have seen a lot of new testimony. now we have 911 calls. now we have information from a girlfriend on the telephone. now we have information from neighbors who did see something or were around in the area. over a period of time in an investigation there are a number of ways that you can sort out exactly what happened and then someone has to make the call. of course that is ultimately a judge or an arresting officer or prosecutor, depending on where we are in the process. so we do need to examine those issues and say, are we safer when people take initiative and stop a violent act? i can think the day it is beginning to show us that it is
11:17 am
a safer place. i think americans understand we value freedom. one of the things i go to the legislature to do is to protect faith, family, freedom, and opportunity. freedom is not just a license to do what we want to do. freedom is this power to take responsibility for our lives, the safety and well-being and progress of the people around us. i think that has proven to be a very effective model. host: he is a republican in the florida state legislature in represents ocala. zero cal let's go to cleveland, ohio, carmen. caller: i was wondering how can you have a stand your ground laws when you have self-defense already on the books? but then for you to say stand
11:18 am
your ground, to me it is like you are saying i can just go out there and shoot somebody and then that incites more violence. another part of the question, about the lobbying that was done to get along on the books in the first place, we know that walmart was a big lobbyist. take the money out, mr. representative. would you have supported it? are you supporting these laws for money or because you really care about people? people can go-around and defend themselves, saying that is just self-defense. guest: thank you. that's a number of good questions that i would like to address. first, i can tell you that my public service is about serving my community. it is who certainly is is lobbying or not lobbying. i think we are there to solve
11:19 am
problems, to make life safer for our constituents. i'm a small business owner with over 100 employees. i have five children and seven grandchildren and an eighth grandchild two in october. i am very concerned about what kind of future we are giving the next generation and whether it will be a safe place for them to pursue their lives. absolutely, i am about empowerment. if i did not think this statute of saved lives, there's no way that i would have represented it. as far as stand your ground, that is a moniker that has been attacked the media and descriptions. i call it the capital doctrine, because that's really what it's about. if it's protecting yourself and others from harm. and for us to presume you are doing the right thing when you do that. that you're not going to be treated as a criminal and not going to be prosecuted. there's nothing about shooting
11:20 am
first or going out to shoot people, there's not even a gun in the bill pass. as i've said many times on the house or in presenting this bill, what i said at that time was there is not a fire arm, this is about your ability to protect yourself. the self protection was a matter of judgment by the prosecutor. it was interpreted. it was do you have a responsibility or a duty to retreat? i said, no. if somebody is attacking you, you should not have to evaluate can i run away? somebody asked me should you not just leave if that is easier? that is an armchair quarterback decision. that's monday morning quarterbacking when you can sit around and evaluated was there some way. you are looking at a man or woman in an individual situation where they have seconds to decide whether they will be a
11:21 am
victim of violence or not. if they make that decision that they are not going to be a victim without putting up a serious response, then we should stand with them. and it is a graduated. it says to meet force with force. i don't care if you are using a chair leg. we have over 20,000 gun laws regulating the use of who should have firearms and who should not. that's not what this is about. this is about self-defense. and it's about the resumption being in your favor if you are the victim of a. violent we're not going to monday morning quarterback and assess whether you could have run away. if someone has a firearm and you are under a violent attack, running away is a good way to get shot in back. host: the tampa bay times looked at almost 200 cases where the stand your ground law was invoked and they produced this
11:22 am
report in june that says -- what do you hope that the task force that your governor has convened will come to? how would you like to see a lot tailored to deal with what the tampa bay times is addressing in their story? guest: well, i definitely think that we should always have an attitude that we are ready to review and see what changes, if any, are needed. the legislation is an ongoing process. nothing is ever really finished there.
11:23 am
it has always been a process of change, depending on the society and the issues and challenges that we confront. i have always said i think it is presumptive to preempt the task force and say how these things should come out. the real value of this task force is they can take time, listen to public input, listen to situations that have occurred, listen to the data, listen to experts have studied the data, and then evaluate whether or not any recommendation should be made to the legislature and what those recommendations should look like for public safety panned protection of our citizens and our guests in florida. we want this to be a safer place. that is the ultimate objective. i think to preempt the task force and say it should go this way or that way it is inappropriate until all the task force work is complete. at the same time, there are people out there already advocating the abolition or the
11:24 am
appeal or the serious modification of this statute. with those kinds of advocac ies being made, an individual like me is going to be very cautious. once you open that statute on the floor, any kind of amendment can occur. so i become very cautious and say let's look at this very closely before we proceed, if we need to make recommendations. ultimately, the elected legislators are the ones who will make decisions on whether any changes will occur. until that time, whatever recommendations that we make should been after precautious consideration. host: let's get some more calls. matt from sandy springs, georgia, on our independent line. good morning. caller: good morning. thanks for c-span and good morning, representative.
11:25 am
thank you for writing a very common sense law that is the best kind of lot and the best kind of laws are guarantees against government interference. -basic human rights that are either natural or god-given. laws in line with the second amendment, the fundamental freedoms. it is just common sense that people have a god-given right to self-defense and the law should not stand in their way or deter them from exercising that right. i would also like to thank the for the government for making it easier to travel with firearm licenses and for having open carry laws in florida for handguns. guest: thank you.
11:26 am
we have. it is interesting as the discussion goes. in 1986 when we adopted florida's right to carry or concealed weapon carry law. the discussion from critics and law enforcement at the time that were trying to evaluate this was we would rather have open carry because then we know who is armed and was not armed. instead we went along with that process and did "cymbeline a concealed weapon carry. and now open carey is being discussed again. there have been some bills proposed. nothing has passed yet. my viewpoint is the open carry is a deterrent to things occurring. we will look at the data more carefully as to what has gone on in open carry states and
11:27 am
concealed weapon states. there has been resistance from law-enforcement management on go tohat we don't want to a standing and somebody has a gun exposed. i can understand their concern about that and how that may raise tensions in some environments. but what i have seen is if you go into a jiffy store and the woman or man running that is working at at an all-night restaurant and has open carry, i would think that perpetrators who are thinking about organizing some action would immediately redirect their plans. i think we are going to find that there's a lot of support for open carry, but it will be a very careful discussion. i'm sure that it will be a lively discussion.
11:28 am
but that discussion is alive and florida as we look to some states and areas. i would resort to our basic documents. our constitution is based on the quite clear that our rights come from our creator in the declaration of independence and not from government. this was quite a radical departure. it is the basics of this american idea that our rights to protect ourselves and to pursue our own success and happiness f or freedom, that we give great strength to the individual. many of our law enforcement folks realized they cannot be everywhere. i have a son who is a deputy sheriff. he tells me that i should carry, that there are people who look for victims and they will look for the easiest way to approach the most honorable person. what we have done -- seen in the
11:29 am
research with a concealed weapon carriers is that when they are in a situation, they don't shoot people. they show a firearm and the attacker leaves and no one gets hurt. many of these things are never even reported. but what you do see if the data on the incidence of violent attacks going down. host: let's hear from denise in atlanta on the democratic line. caller: good morning. my question is at the beginning of this show you cited one person that was attacked in their home. and after that you said it's up to you to craft this law. what i am not understanding is how can one incident have led to have drafted this law that was later forced? enforced?-
11:30 am
i would like to know what relationship you had with this person that would lead you to act in such a drastic manner? you said because of this law there's been a drastic increase in crime -- decrease in crime? yet every day cities like miami and other cities and florida and across the country there is a dramatic increase in crime, especially in crimes where a firearm was used. guest: that's not true. in florida, we have seen a decrease in crime, particularly violent crimes, forcible crimes. so the data defies -- even
11:31 am
though you see a lot of reports and there is still activity and things that occur. as far as one incident shaping the policy, that's how things get started in the legislature. something happens to capture our attention. we begin to look at the subject matter and the issue behind that. then we ask the question, do we have the right policy? if we were not already doing it this way, how would we do it at? so we looked at the resumption and said why should this gentleman or anyone in his situation be concerned that he is going to be charged with a crime he protect himself and his wife from a violent attack, someone breaking into a this rv where his living on? so this individual case becomes an example of a circumstance, an example. then we look at the public policy and say do we have this right? i came to the conclusion that we
11:32 am
did not have that right, that we should make a change that says the presumption of innocence is with this person if they are simply defending themselves. they are doing nothing unlawful. they're not treating drugs or instigating or creating a bar fight. they are simply in a place they have a right to be, their home, their vehicle, or some public place where they come under the view of underwho would victimize them -- view of someone who would victimize them. i think about all the women who were not raped because they were empowered. i think about all the people that are living who would have been the subject of a violent act but instead are alive to tell. tell. i get hundreds of e-mails from individuals sharing incidents in
11:33 am
their lives where this authority and this empowerment and then acting on that in the proper setting stopped a violent act from occurring. it applies equally across the board to every man and woman who accepts a sense of responsibility for themselves and others, because we simply cannot wait until the police are there. they cannot be everywhere that things are occurring. they come to protect us and to investigate the situation to see if a valid offense occurred. anytime we can empower individuals to stop violence, i think this is a good public policy. and i think it has proved to be a good public policy. in fact, we see higher crime rates in some of the cities where they have the most strict gun laws and the most restrictive practices of anyone being able to have a firearm to protect themselves. thank you so much
11:34 am
for spending time with us this morning. is a republican in the florida state legislature, one of the lead authors of florida stand your ground laws. now we look at the tampa bay time storm. there are thousands of journalists covering the republican convention this week. -- now we look at the tampa bay forum. you can see broadcast journalists assembled at various booths where they conduct interviews, do live broadcasts. there are up to 13,000 members of the media covering the republican national convention this week. members ofo 15th thousan,000
11:35 am
the media covering the convention. we have mentioned before that there are thousands of volunteers on hand that helped to make prevention possible. over 7500 of them. and there are hundreds of charter buses, private vehicles being used during the convention by the convention folks and the media also brings a lot of equipment and vehicles and staff members. let's take a listen to what's going on right now. >> right now we have [applause] [inaudible]
11:36 am
[indistinct chatter] >host: that was a live shot of radio row in tampa at the convention. this is a behind-the-scenes look at all the journalists who gathered to tell the story of what happens this week in florida. they expect 13,000 people to 15,000 members of the media to be in tampa this week. this is one of the largest media events in the nation, if not the world. we will be bringing you more images live from the grounds in tampa throughout the week. our c-span crew is documented
11:37 am
what's happening behind-the- scenes as well as on the front of the scenes. we will bring gavel-to-gavel coverage of the conventions all week long. that's where the action is happening, the tampa bay time forum. the mayor of tampa is joining us now. sir, thanks for joining us today. how have you been able to rearrange things in the wake of yesterday's events being canceled because of the tropical storm? how has it affected business all the way to what conventioneers are doing? guest: when you live in florida you prepare for these tropical storms. it's just the nature of the environment. we train for it all year long and we anticipate it happening. we are prepared for it in the event that it does. when you throw in hosting the second largest, most viewed television event in the world
11:38 am
behind the olympics this year and trying to manage a hurricane preparations, if you see me in two weeks and i have nothing but white hair, you'll understand why. the weather has cleared and it's been a great event so far. the storm passed us by, thankfully. we are keeping our friends and brothers in the panhandle in our prayers and thoughts and hoping there's no destruction. but it really is our opportunity to shine on the world stage like we have never done before. we are thankful for the chance. i am a democrat, but i could not be proper to host the republican national convention. long-term i think it's a point to be a tremendous benefit for our city. host: you are perhaps the only democrat who will be speaking at the convention. you are on hand to welcome the delegates and be a part of this. how are you negotiating the politics of this event itself? guest: well, for me it has never been a political event. it's not a partisan event.
11:39 am
i'm less concerned with what happens inside than what happens outside the building. this is an economic development opportunities for our city. this is our time on the international stage like we have never been before. it is like are coming out party. care ift is -- i don't it was the republicans or democrats or vegetarians. the economic impact on my city in the short term is about $150 million. the long-term benefits of posting an event like this with the entire world watching is a measurable. i will be there today to welcome the convention and to thank them for choosing us, to tell them a little about our city, and to wish them well. i have not been partisan throughout this event. i've been agnostic if anything else, must to the chagrin of my democratic friends. we are honored to have been chosen to host this event. host:f you would like to join
11:40 am
the conversation, here are the numbers to call -- we saw some news reports saying that protests or less than expected yesterday in part due to the rain. protesters also retreated did it to what they said was a strong police presence. are you worried about one some protesters are calling militarization of the city? do you feel there's enough room for everyone? guest: there is. i also believe in a strong law enforcement presence. i believe in deploy overwhelming force. except the tenor for some of these discussions that will happen on the streets. i was down there yesterday in the middle of it when our officers were very respectful of protesters. it was an unplanned protest. they blocked a major intersection. we allow them to have their say
11:41 am
and we requested that they moved. we did it without incident. we did it respectfully. we will try to continue to do that through the course of this event. i will say this, i will tell you that we are not going to tolerate attacks on law enforcement personnel nor personal destruction, the likes of which we saw in seattle during the wto or in st. paul. we trained hard for this. we have studied the reports of every city that has hosted an event of this magnitude. we know who's coming and we know their tactics. we encourage anyone else to express themselves and we have provided a viewing area that's of "new york times the size of any previous city's efforts? for people the right to protest. we laid out great protests routes that give them close proximity to the forum. it's not our job to address the
11:42 am
content of their speech. it's our job to protect the city and make sure there's no harm done to police officers. we are providing water for them. we are providing pull its facilities and misting stations. the vast majority of the people that will be here are good americans who disagree with what's going on inside. it's a very small percentage of those folks who are intent on causing destruction and damage. we will deal with them respectfully but very efficiently. host: let's hear from michelle in tampa, a republican. caller: good morning. i want to thank you, although i may not agree with your politics. i think you're doing a great job for our city. i appreciate that you have been non-partisan. you have been great. we do appreciate -- our family has been here for generations --
11:43 am
your stance on law-enforcement. it was not something we have seen in tampa, protesting. so it's a little disheartening. it's kind of scary because we don't see that. i appreciate everything you have been doing. i have watched every time you been out on c-span or different panels. you have been an excellent mayor. thanks for presenting tampa. host: what's it like dealing with the influx of so many people? are you experiencing traffic problems? caller: of course we are going to have traffic. we all understand that, the mayor, the cities, counties, they have been really good with keeping us up to date, as well as the papers, about what to expect, for many months. we're glad everybody is here and we're glad the world gets to see tampa. i hope everybody enjoys it.
11:44 am
we are happy to have everybody except for the people who want to cause harm. other than that, i think everyone is happy and proud of the mayor. host: how are you advising citizens to deal with the traffic snarls and the reality of having so much action happening in your city? guest: first, thank you, michelle, you will make me blush on national tv. but thank you very much. we tried to be as transparent as we can. if we started months ago notifying people as to what to expect, to let them know that this was a major international event and we are mid-sized american market posting the biggest thing we have ever done,. we have posted four super bowl, but this is 10 times the size of that in the terms of the number of moving parts and cladistics. so we started months ago letting people know where road closures would be and what to expect from law-enforcement, and to
11:45 am
encourage them to plan their daily commutes around the traffic hindrances, and to start coming early. we were aggressive on facebook, twitter, and all local media. i did three town hall meetings where we invited people to come and hear the presentation and to know how solid waste pickup would be affected, to know what the transportation network was going to be, how the bus system was going to be impacted. so we really have tried to be very aggressive about the zero reached, about involving the community in what we were doing a. we have a 24-hour or call center that's up and running that is staffed full-time where people can call in and ask any kind of question. that's from where the best restaurant is to wear the latest protest is. we have thousands of people signed up for alert tampa where they will get real-time text messages or e-mails indicating if there is a situation or
11:46 am
temporary street closures because of a protest, or there's a delay in traffic. so we want everyone involved and to know what's going on. this community has really responded. they are taking great pride in this event in respect of of whether they are democrat, republican, or independent. host: scott is a democrat in mojave desert, california. good morning. caller: hi, good morning. i would like to know if the republicans are working with you as they go along with their convention plans just as if you were all working as americans? host: we could not have asked for better partners. we started this relationship year-and-a-half ago. in has been seamless. we don't do anything without consulting each other. certainly the potential hurricane put to wrinkle into
11:47 am
their proceedings that they had not anticipated. but throughout that discussion and through some of those decisions we were all on the same page together. i hope that when the republican national committee leaves here that they will say about me and my city and that this was the best working relationship they had ever had. i really don't care necessarily about the politics of this. i want this to run smoothly because the benefits my city. the relationship has been tremendous from chairman reince priebus all the way down to the volunteers on the street. host: cayce is a republican in wyoming. caller: good morning. i am very happy for your town and for your city. i live in wyoming, a pretty, wide open place. we don't have the population you do. i'm happy for your city that you are getting money that is
11:48 am
deserved to your american citizens over there during this economic time. but i want to say to you that i have looked on line and i have seen some pictures and i've seen attainments of people that were doing their american free right to film, to be around. if they were not in a suit and tie, they were detained. i've seen video. i fear for our country. i'm asking you if a vote is ra -- rigged in the american presidential system to where american votes don't count, does that affect your city when they come and tell you that you cannot defend yourself against anybody in the government? guest: let me start at the beginning. i wish i was in wyoming right about now, certainly after
11:49 am
dealing with the storm. i'm sure your environment is much nicer. the number of arrests of far has been less than five. those were people that clearly crossed the line. those were people that we had allowed to push the limit. they crossed the line. we have been very judicious in how we exercise it belote. exercised the law. i don't know what video unit scene of people being detained, but it's not happening on the streets of tampa. sunday and monday went relatively smoothly as protests took place. our police were handing out water to protesters and even some protesters commented publicly that it was hard to dislike the tampa police because
11:50 am
they've been so accommodating. and i'm referring to the anarchists making that. if they choose to exercise their first amendment rights, if they choose to protest irrespective of whatever cause it is they believe in, it does not matter to us. we will be helpful. the issue of a voter suppression and some other things, from my perspective, we want to encourage more people to vote. we want to encourage more people to participate. anything that gets in the way of that is un-american. i think it should be treated accordingly. host: al is an independent caller in st. cloud, florida. caller: banks for taking my call. i want to commend the mayor on the fantastic job he's been doing in the city.
11:51 am
i will hang up now. another thego to stabber resident. joe is a democrat from florida. -- another tampa residence. caller: bob is doing a great job. i am concerned about african- americans getting contracts from the rnc and the city. i just want to make sure that he has and accountability of thomas money was spent through the city's money on this and how much republicans dealt with african american businesses. that's one of the main things i am pushing for examin tampa. bob has done a great job over the years with african-american businesses. and thank you and keep up the great work, brother. guest: joe, thank you and i
11:52 am
appreciate the complement. we have tried to make sure the economic impact of this event floats all boats and that the rising tide of a short-term infusion of up words of $175 million is spread throughout the community. what we have tried to do in working with the republican national committee is to use our women and minority business lists to provide to them. we created the process, the same process we normally use for procurements. we wanted to make sure they all have an opportunity to share in this. there will be a lot of money spread around the community. we will deal with tracking this from our side. we cannot necessarily track where the delegates spend their money or what the host committee does. but we will know where we have spent our money, whether its catering or fencing or security- related things. we will have a good accounting
11:53 am
of that. anecdotally, i can tell you there are a lot of people out there who are really having a good week so far and it could be the best week of their entire year. restaurants are full. catering companies are as busy as could be. cab companies, transportation companies, limousine companies, restaurants, which means they're hiring bellhops and dishwashers and waiters. that economic ripple will spread throughout the community. i hope when it's all said and done we will see that everyone benefited. host: does a little time left. -- just a little time left. here are the numbers to call -- 202-628-0814 for florida residents.
11:54 am
let's look at money spent in florida on improvements and beautification projects to prepare for the republican convention. it looks at trees be planted and construction work being done and bridges being clipped olit up. where is the beautification money coming from and how big an investment do you hope it proved to be in the long run? guest: first, the federal government gave to the city of $50 millionharlotte each. that was all to take care of the security-related acquisitions and purchases. this event, because we are in's 9/11 world, is deemed a national special security event. there are certain dynamics and security concerns about this event that don't exist in a lot of others.
11:55 am
so the federal government covered that portion of it. the host committee is raising another $50 million to put on the party. they are the ones that private money, corporate money that will sell to entertain the delegations, to throw the party. they are a 501 (c)(3). the investment the city is made is an investment i would've made any way and had laid out a few years ago when i ran for office what i wanted to do in terms of the aesthetics and beautification. a city feels about itself the way it looks. much of the infrastructure improvements, much of the improvements, thec gateway coming into the downtown, the cleaning of the street and making the city presentable was a very small investment by comparison to the long-term residual impact. if you think about the 15,000 members of the media that will be here and all the cameras that will be turned on the city and
11:56 am
all the images that will be broadcast to the world in many places that don't even know about us, i wanted us to have our best foot forward. if this is are coming out party, i wanted to have on our ruby red slippers and our best prom dress. for me it was a very minor investment that will pay off in the long term. i was going to do it before. i was able to a shovel so much to work through the crocker see over the last year-and-a-half because we had the looming specter of the rnc coming and we knew we had to look good. if as a result, when i lifted the bridge's two weeks ago, i said this is not for the rnc, this is for us forever. host: let's hear from sarasota, florida on the republican line. caller: good morning. sir, and i would like to commend you on the way you have handled the police department. on sunday i was at the rally for liberty at the dome and i was
11:57 am
really impressed with the way the police handle people. there were very friendly and you get information from them when you needed it instead of being aggressive. in sarasota where i live our police tend to be more aggressive even if you just asked an innocent question. they are kind of angry. it's mainly the young rookies. i don't know if homeland security has anything to do with their training or not, but it seems over the last five years things have changed in attitude toward the public. what do you think about that? guest: thank you and i will pass that along to our officers. we are deploying 3500 or so officers and they're coming from all over the state to help us. the tampa police department will it tries to be user-friendly. we understand we are the front lines, we are the folks that you deal with in times of crisis,
11:58 am
when things are really going badly. officers see you at your best and at your worst, depending on the situation. for this particular event -- and some of your several officers and deputies are here helping us -- we went through extensive training because we knew that the world was going to judge us on how we reacted to the potential points of conflict with protesters. we all know that the media often times bull run the clips over and over again. how we were going to be perceived would be determined by how we reacted. so we trained very hard to be respectful. we trained very hard to be accommodating. i would much prefer our officers to be in a position to act as tour guides as opposed to enforcers. we trained for this day. i say that understanding and acknowledging that they are equally prepared to enforce the law vigorously if someone
11:59 am
chooses to make bad decisions. we are not going to tolerate what we saw in seattle when anarchists were running around breaking windows. we will be fluid but we will be firm. host: that is the democratic mayor representing the city of tampa. we have been talking about the convention on voting this week in his city. thanks for taking time to join us this morning. let's take a look right now at what's happening on the convention floor. we have a peak of what will be unfolding later on today. ann romney is on the floor in white at the podium a moment ago. it looked like they were doing or reversal of what she would anticipate tonight. that is where she will be this evening at 10:00 when she takes the stage at the republican convention. she will speak about your husband and their family and giving america a better sense of
12:00 pm
who is. she will be followed by governor chris christie giving the keynote address tonight. c-span will bring live gavel-to- gavel coverage of the republican convention all week long. in the background you can see thank you so much for joining us this morning. we will go to hear president obama. he made remarks earlier today from the diplomatic room at the white house addressing tropical storm isaac. >> good morning, everybody. i want to state -- say a few words about tropical storm isaac. i just got in not -- an update from secretary napolitano
12:01 pm
and the director of fema on preparations that are under way. this storm is scheduled to make land fall later today. at my direction, fema has been on the ground for over a week. from puerto rico to the u.s. virgin islands to florida and more recently, louisiana, alabama, and mississippi. yesterday, i approve date disaster declaration for the state of louisiana. we already have response teams and supplies are ready to help communities in the expected path of the storm. as we prepare, i want to encourage all residents of the gulf coast to listen to your local officials and follow their directions including if they
12:02 pm
tell you to evacuate. we are dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding. now is not the time to tempt fate. now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. you need to take this seriously. i want to thank everyone who has been working around the clock to get ready for isaac. the hardest work is still ahead. i will continue to make sure the federal government is doing everything possible to help the american people prepare for and recover from this dangerous storm. as we get additional updates from the hurricane center, as well as from fema, we will be providing continuous updates. thank you. >> president obama earlier today at the white house.
12:03 pm
he left the white house comment he has campaign appearances at iowa state and colada state universities. -- colorado state universities. that has already had an impact on the republican national convention. live coverage here on c-span. the chairman will gobelin the convention at 2:00 this afternoon. on the -- will double in the convention at 2:00 this afternoon. among the speakers, john boehner will lead things off. former presidential candidate rick santorum. his speech today is expected to focus on welfare reform and charges that the president wants to undermine welfare's work requirements. that is getting under way this evening with john boehner. later this evening, the keynote speech from chris christie. ahead of that, ann romney will
12:04 pm
12:05 pm
>> some of the radio reporters and the talk-show host gathered at radio wrote about half a mile from the site of the convention. coverage getting under way this afternoon starting at 2:00 eastern on c-span. this morning on the playbook breakfast, we were joined by the senator from missouri. it is about 20 minutes.
12:06 pm
12:07 pm
2000. i do not think i had a single member tommy in 2000, i do not know if i would be helpful or not. a lot of members in 2012 said, i am for the governor, but i do not know if my endorsement makes a difference, that 12 years, i think there is a sense that we have all seen the elected officials may be doesn't carry power they carried at one time. >> there is a theory that you cannot transfer enemies quicker than friends, and i think there was a sensitivity to that in 2011 that i did not see in 1999, when i basically did the same thing for governor bush that governor romney asked me to do 10 years later. >> even during the primaries, governor mitt romney was strong
12:08 pm
in the capital. tell me what that was like his you built that relationship with your colleagues? >> i think they did the same thing that i did, knowing governor romney in various ways over the years, but believing that he was the best person that we were offering to actually do the job at a time when the focus was on the economy, private-sector job creation, the kinds of things that solved the problems that we face today -- cost-control, getting the spending under control -- and i also thought he was the most likely of those candidates to get elected. with a couple of exceptions, i knew them all, and let them all, so it was not a matter of taking the one person that i know here, but trying to pick the one person that would be elected and could do the job. often, when you are helping someone in politics, you think that is a great candidate, i am not sure about the job, but in governor romney's case, all of us believe he will be a great president, and if he can combine that with the skills to be a
12:09 pm
great candidate, he will be elected president. >> you have worked closely with candidates. how will mitt romney govern? what will his west wing be like? >> he is a guy that is a natural executive. i thought the paul ryan take was an interesting picked because it says a lot about getting something done, and if mitt romney was hiring someone to be vice president, he would hire paul ryan.
12:10 pm
>> there is skepticism among your colleagues about that. >> there is always skepticism among my colleagues about any decision anyone makes, that way if it turns of not to produce the best result, you could say i told you so and that is what i told the press. it does not necessarily mean anything, frankly. [laughter] >> does this seem to be working out, or the people have qualms about elevating a tough issue for republicans? >> i think it is working out. paul ryan was in my home town the other day. he brings an element to this ticket of optimism, understanding the issue, being the next generation of leaders, but plenty of experience. this is a 42-year-old guy with one dozen years of experience in the congress and is willing to
12:11 pm
lead on ideas. i think the more republicans think about this, the more they like to be the party of solutions and ideas. it is easy to criticize whatever ideas anyone else has, but this is a time when people want to solve problems. the problems are big, but they are not necessarily that complicated. there is a difference. interestingly, most people understand the fundamental things that we have to do to be sure that social security and medicare last, to be sure that medicaid works better, to be sure that we continue to defend the country -- the jobs the federal government has either always had, or in the last 50- to-75 years has assumed. >> when you come back to working in november, you'll be facing the fiscal cliff. you will be at ground zero.
12:12 pm
do you think that congress will be able to miraculously changed in find a way to do that? >> from an appropriations process, it does appear that the speaker and senator harry reid, the majority leader, have made a decision that they will continue to extend the spending for six months to >> as a signal to the markets? we will not do something crazy? >> i think it is a signal to the markets, and that we do not get caught in some kind of showdown that the economy struggles with, and frankly, it is a realization that the
12:13 pm
current congress has not been good at getting its work done. >> how much time does that by you? >> that will get you from october 1 until the end of march, which means whoever is president january 20, should begin on the day after the election doing the work that it takes so that we quickly get the package together. we have to have the budget. the senate has not had a budget for three years, even though law requires it, and certainly, if republicans take control of the senate, we will not have 60 senators. there have not ever been 60 popularly elected senators. we will not have 60. 53 democrats couldn't pass the budget. they could have put markers out there.
12:14 pm
we do not know how that would have worked. the idea that the house has passed a budget, we do not agree with that, so we're not going to have one, it is just not acceptable. >> what do you think is the most in the least that could happen during a lame duck? >> it all depends on election day. >> let's assume there is a president romney. >> i think nothing happens in a lame duck. >> they will be waiting until they have more cards in january? >> i do not know they will be, but if there is a president romney, you would have to assume that the outgoing president would be willing in the last three months of his term to solve problems that have not
12:15 pm
been dealt with up until now, and also solve the problem rather than leave it for a new president. i do not see that happening. i do not see president obama stepping up and saying i want to make the world easier for mitt romney, and here is what i know he would like to do. i just do not think that is going to happen. i have consistently been of the view that this idea that a lame duck will be unbelievably busy is just wrong, unless it is an absolute status quo election. then, it will still be difficult. if the president is coming back, republicans are still the minority in the senate -- neither result is the result of a working for -- if that happens, maybe we did a few things done. i do not think the house will change.
12:16 pm
i think the majority in the house will still be republican. i think it is likely the majority in the senate will be republican, and combine that with a republican president. >> you think it is likely? >> i think it is slightly more likely than not. >> what gives you that confidence? >> you have to look the seats that are open. we have three republican seats that we need to be concerned about in the state of maine, massachusetts, and nevada. they have as many as 10 seats, certainly half of one dozen seats that are more likely to become republican than those three seats are likely to become a democrat. >> there has been a wind shear in the seat in missouri. what is the outlook on that? >> todd akin, who has served in
12:17 pm
the house for one dozen years, has managed to get into a situation where he has become an issue, so the four former republican senators all encouraged todd akin to step aside, and i hope he continues to look at that option. the national issues are as important as they have ever done. every generation we have an election that is bigger than others, and every 25 or 30 years we have that moment that is so big that it will define what we're going to be for a long ton, ended at -- long time. it happened in 1980, and i think it is happening again in 2012. the long-term interest, i believe, for congressman todd akin is to look at what the likely result is.
12:18 pm
interestingly, senator harry reid, and senator barbara mechanical, my colleague in missouri, spent a little over $2 million to get him as the opponent. senator harry reid spent $2 million attacking the front runner, and senator mechanical -- mechanical said in glowing terms that todd akin is the most conservative. >> did you talk to him personally to tell him to get out? >> i did. >> what did he say? >> he thought about it, and said he thought he was still the best candidate. >> we will see. >> how much hope you have that he will reconsider?
12:19 pm
>> if i had indications, i probably should not say what they are, but todd akin is an engineer by training. he understands them burns, polling numbers and contributors -- it understands numbers, polling numbers and contributors numbers, people that are lining up to volunteer, people that are writing checks, the things you need in politics. he has to consider that, and i am hopeful he continues to do that >> -- do that. you talked about what happens if he stays in. if he gets out, is there still hope for the sea? >> i think if he gets out, we win the seat. >> how quickly does it have to happen? >> in the next three or four weeks by our state law, but the
12:20 pm
sooner the better. i wish his family block as they went through this, but it is a moment where you have to realize is the natural -- national interest benefited by staying in the race. >> the fiscal super bowl but we have coming up this tax reform, and there seems to be agreement by both republicans and democrats that there needs to be comprehensive tax reform, personal and corporate, and there seems to be some agreement about how to do that, even. how optimistic are you the tax reform will get done, and how long will it take? one-year, two years? >> i think the country is ready for tax reform, how we compete internationally, and how the corporate structure impacts of that.
12:21 pm
they won a corporate structure that also has a greater sense of -- want a corporate structure that once -- that has a greater sense of fairness. whether you are the smallest corp. were the biggest, you will wind up paying the same percentage in that structure, and i think people are ready for a personal system that is more flat and more fair, and if you do that right it will encourage growth, produce more revenue, even though it might not in a static basis produce more revenue. the way to produce more revenue is more taxpayers and more people at work. a tax code and the right energy and regulatory policies are three of the key elements in putting people to work, and we should take advantage of the fact that people are ready, and as ready for a significant change that we have seen in a long time.
12:22 pm
the first six months of the new term are crucial, and i think this will be one of the things that you want to have done between the inauguration and the end of july. >> you think it is possible to get it done in that window? >> if you do not get it done in that window, you do not get it done at all. the more things you get done in that first 100 days, the first six months, you could buy more time, but if you do not get things done, you just do not have the opportunity that i hope president romney as to get things turned around. there is also an incredible pent-up desire out there to do things, and i think if mitt romney is elected president on
12:23 pm
election day in november, that the next day people start buying two-by-fours, and doing the things they need to do given the assurance that we will do the right thing. the former prime minister of australia said recently something like the united states of america is one responsible budget away from asserting itself as the dominant economic power in the world again, and not only do americans want to do the right thing, but people all over the world wanted us to do the right thing, and i believe we can do that. >> your son matt, a former governor, is a senior adviser the firm. do you know anything about that firm? >> i do not know much at all. >> do you know how that came
12:24 pm
about? >> in governor romney were good friends when they were governors together. governor romney was the chairman of the republican governors association, and my son was the vice-chairman. he has the highest regard for governor romney, and one of the reasons i was involved in the campaign is knowing governor run me through the as those -- association he had with governor blunt. >> we are about to get the hook, but you are a former teacher, tell us what we should be reading. >> i have been reading a lot of post-world war ii, and there is a great eisenhower book by jean smith. i was looking at that. i also think from a history perspective, as i told you
12:25 pm
earlier, about once every generation, starting with jefferson in 1800, jackson in 1828, lincoln in 1860, and theodore roosevelt,, lyndon johnson, and then ronald reagan, these are the point where we define who we are going to be, and in all of those cases the government almost ceases to function, and the federal government is as dysfunctional as i have seen it in a long time, probably as dysfunctional since 1980. the things we have heard in 1980 -- the presidency is too big for one man, the system does not work, we will never be as big as we were once, it just does not work -- we hear that now, and if we make the decision, we will have the same resurgence that we had in 1981 with ronald reagan.
12:26 pm
>> do you read on a kindle? >> i read books with pages and covers, but i read a lot on the ipad. >> senator roy blunt, thank you for the conversation. >> good to see you. [applause] >> to the floor of the tampa bay times forum. ann romney speaking on the floor of the convention center. practicing the speech this evening, working with the teleprompter. she did a bit of the gettysburg address. she just wrapped this up a few
12:27 pm
minutes ago. ann romney this morning, that was a few minutes ago. we understand also paul ryan has just arrived at the tampa airport. our live coverage getting under way on c-span at 2:00. her speech this evening about 10:00. you can get the full schedule at our c-span convention hub. >> the website is designed to complement your viewing it throughout the conventions. it is available on the web at c- span.org/campaign2012. video is front and center.
12:28 pm
on the left side is the live simulcast of c-span. on the right side of the page, four video on demand options. these are programs you might have missed. all of these videos are share of oil throughout your social networks. -- all these city as you can share throughout your social networks. -- videos you can share to about your social networks. all of the convention speeches will be available on the website. you can pull out a short clip on any of the speeches, e-mail it to your friends. we're going to offer two distinct twitter feeds you can participate in. you can participate in the
12:29 pm
conversation and monitor what people are saying about the conventions while you watch. on the right side, we will have a list of delegates from both conventions. have itso going to every day a google plus that you can watch on the convention hub. 15-second videos you can produce on the website that will give you the opportunity to participate in the conversation. we also are producing a series of income graphics you'll be able to view and share -- info graphics you will be able to view and share. be puttinggoing to together highlights from blog postings so you can stay up on the recent news.
12:30 pm
we also published are complete conventions scheduled. click on any one of the days. event be presented by an list and a time. we put together a convention library, where we archive all the events that take place throughout both conventions. he can see any and all the conventions you might have missed. you can access our video library because we have covered every minute of every convention since 1984. just as a desk at c-span.org -- just visit us at c-span.org. >> live coverage getting under way this afternoon at 2:00. live coverage at 2:00 eastern. the proceedings today, the delay because of what was tropical storm isaac. it has now been upgraded.
12:31 pm
it has strengthened into a category 1 hurricane. it makes its way towards louisiana. we will keep you posted. live coverage from the convention in about an hour and a half. earlier today, the chief white house correspondent talked with the senior adviser for the mitt romney campaign. >> thank you very much for coming in. senior adviser to the romney campaign, every the republican convention going back to 1976. after that, when to work for george h. w. bush. tell us about your boots. >> good morning to you, too.
12:32 pm
these are made in houston, texas. when we left office, he made a pair for myself and for 41. kind of special. >> absolutely. >> president bush, you know him so well. you have become close with the romney family as well. what can you see between the two men. what will be the difference in the style of governing for president romney? how will his west wing be different? >> good question. similar men. they are family first. they would rather be with their families then at a white house
12:33 pm
correspondents' dinner. they're both free methodical. they're both intellectually curious. they like to have people around them who have different views on an issue. if you all have the same point of view -- he likes to have diversity of opinion. they both like to make decisions. they both have a good sense of where they want to go. they both have a great knack of attracting pretty good people. in the end, governing is very complicated. you need to have a good people.
12:34 pm
it is great to have good ideas and different kinds of ideas, but you cannot have -- implement them if there is no difference. >> we have heard that governor romney will argue the other side. >> i was with a woman who was the cfo of the winter olympics. she said the great thing about working for mitt romney is when you drive to work every day, you feel like you owe him being better than you were yesterday. that is a great thing. the co-founder of staples, he said, the great thing about mitt romney, -- that is what makes
12:35 pm
him a special person. that is why he has been so successful in business and the olympics. he makes every one around him better than they were. you were kind of born with it a little bit, michael. he is a really smart guy who tracks very smart guys. there are so many bright, articulate people who are volunteering. a deaf people who are dying to work for mitt romney. -- there are so busy people who are dying to work for mitt romney.
12:36 pm
12:37 pm
you had jimmy carter. his policies were not popular, particularly his economic policies. they stopped listening to carter on policy. they started to look at ronald reagan. they were not sure about ronald reagan yet. people became short of ronald reagan. -- sure of ronald reagan. i think the narrative is very similar for this election. people like the president, but not his policies.
12:38 pm
they have turned him off, i think. despite all the advertising. they're looking at mitt romney, we do not really know mitt romney, yet. >> do you think after thursday night, things will be different friday morning? >> the nomination of the vice- president. picking paul ryan was a good pick. you have the speech and then you have the debates. people will be watching.
12:39 pm
they're looking for the numbers of the last convention. the biggest audience last time, four years ago, was not for barack obama comment not for sarah palin, it was for john mccain. -- barack obama, not for sarah palin, it was for john mccain. >> it sounds like if you pull back the cameras, you are not worried about the shortened convention and the destruction. it sounds like -- distraction. it sounds like -- >> i think we took four days -- there are a lot of good things happening. people walk away thinking that
12:40 pm
was a good show. >> you are part of the mitt romney secret service package. >> this is an air ahead. >> you often travel on his plane. what is he like on the plane? >> good question. the public perceptions tend to be different than the reality. she has a spectacular sense of humor. -- he has a spectacular sense of humor. >> i am from california, what does that mean? >> jerry seinfeld. big prankster. we were in a car going somewhere.
12:41 pm
he spent an hour going through who is a better prankster. >> have you ever been the victim of a romney prank? >> yes. >> we played some good tricks on him. >> that his old school. >> perkin him for an event, when there is actually no event. >> tell us where you think the party is at the moment. >> the press does not get the
12:42 pm
tea party movement. >> talk about how many different fractions. they're a lot of different schools of thought. >> there is one school of thought in the party right now. they are voting for mitt. the party has been unified by governor romney. smaller governing, taxing less, spending less. those are the things that define the party. it is about the essence of creating more jobs and letting
12:43 pm
more people keep more money in their pockets. mitchum romney won twice as many tea party but as any -- mitt romney won twice as many tea party votes as anybody else. he is the tea party movement. he is the outside candidate, not the inside candidate. >> if you have a question, we will hand you a microphone. we're talking about senator
12:44 pm
blunt about the fiscal issues. all the indications from the team, you've been extremely aggressive he plans to have very specific metrics. he is willing to take a lot of political risks to get something done. >> i think he understands that everything he says on the campaign trail israel. not just rhetoric. -- is real. not just rhetoric. he is dying to roll up his sleeves. picking paul ryan as his vice president underscores this. these two men will make the hard choices. they will tackle a lot of things
12:45 pm
that have not been done before. why would someone with his background and success do this, give up four years of his life if he wasn't going to fix it? it will be painful couple of years of doing those hard things. our grandkids are going to inherit a country which is far less powerful than we have. we cannot let that happen. >> you talk about those people, part of the pain, house republicans will be asked to do things they would rather not do, have refused to do. the believe he will have the stomach for that? >> michael -- do you believe he will have the stomach for that? >> it is not just the
12:46 pm
republicans. if you want to watch how people are going to react, if you go back to mitt governed mass., his platform was very similar to the president right now. i will fix the fiscal mess. he did every one of those things. he did it by attracting really good people. he did all those things in four short years. the legislature is 87% democrat. to give you the right to cut the budget.
12:47 pm
i do not think any president -- the bottom line is, willing to work across the table to solve problems, you make a difference. go back to 1980. 1976, 1977. i believe in mitt. he will done everything possible to do everything he sets out to do. >> i hear you talk about what's a president romney would be like. it illustrates pretty starkly that the qualities that go into
12:48 pm
running for office, the political conflict, the person who is great at giving a speech is a very different skill sets in and actually doing the job. >> people always say you have to get mitt to be more comfortable. you have to get in to be more comfortable with himself. mitt romney is his own person. he is very comfortable being his own person. someone mentioned the fact that he was the same concept as offset. it is true.
12:49 pm
they want him to be something he is not. back in 1998, when gov. bush of florida was elected i had the pleasure of going to -- i watched jeb and w back-to-back. jeb is very polite and very nice. you could see he wanted to be in tallahassee working on the budget. that is mitt. he would much rather be working on the budget. this is the year of the anti- politician. this is the year of the tea party movement.
12:50 pm
>> he seems to be getting increasingly comfortable dismissing the second-guessing, i got an e-mail that said, we have heard advisers say to us, the more you try, the more you look more foolish. >> you have to be what you are. he is really good at being who he is. your interview today is better than it was three years ago.
12:51 pm
mitt romney makes himself better every day. you are getting comfortable with him, too. it is a two-way street. it is a little bit of both. he is getting better and you were getting better at covering it. >> you said, you are talking about the coverage -- >> i am losing my voice. making sure that you cover him better because you know him better. >> when was the first time he met mitt romney? >> 1994, he ran against our candidate. i supported the opponent.
12:52 pm
in 2001, when folks for starting to recruit him, we had a rocky start. the great thing about him, he does not care. it is about who can help make a difference. he builds a great team. i am sure there have been better teams over history in american politics, but i do not know the team who is more loyal. it is going to make a difference in this business. >> what will your will be this fall? -- role be this fall?
12:53 pm
>> i am kind of the old guy. i play where i want to play. special projects, and things like that. >> what do you try to do for him? >> taping a show like this, for one. i tried to bring some experience to the table. i understand the party. special projects, helping the rnc, things like that. >> let's reminisce a little bit. the 1976 convention, tell us about that. >> i went with a friend of mine.
12:54 pm
we had a great time. after the election, i went back to boston. my friend said, i want to run for governor in 1982. i said, i will help you. he worked hard to find somebody to help the campaign. between the two of us, we have 23 cents. we needed someone else's money and time. it all worked out pretty well. pretty involved in the campaign. afterwards, he did run for
12:55 pm
governor. my favorite moment in the convention probably was in 1980. there were saying on the floor of the convention that -- the phone rang and it was governor reagan for bush. we heard her scream. >> what do you miss about the old style of the convention? >> we're doing the same thing in this condition -- in this convention as we did in the
12:56 pm
12:57 pm
>> thank you for your time. >> our convention coverage coming up in just a few minutes. coverage starting at 2:00 eastern. tonight, we will secure from -- we will hear from chris christie and ann romney. once every minute of every speech of both conventions on c- span. this february, c-span begins its new weekly series "first ladies." here is a preview. >> if we turn away from the needs of others, we align ourselves with those forces which are bringing about this suffering. >> you want to take advantage of
12:58 pm
did. >> is nothing short of a public health crisis. >> tell me when somebody had their own agenda. >> i think they serve as a window on the past to what is going on with american women. >> she becomes the chief confidante. she's the only one in the world he can trust. >> many of the women were writers, journalists. >> they are more interesting as human beings than their husbands. >> they are not limited by political ambition. >> dolly was socially adept and politically savvy. >> dolly madison loved every
12:59 pm
minute coverage. >> she warned her husband, you cannot rule without including what women blunt. >> during the -- what women want. >> it was too much looking down and it was a little too fast. not enough change of pace. >> probably the most tragic of all of our first ladies. >> they never should have married her. >> she later wrote in her memoirs. "i only decide what was important and when to presented to my husband." it is a lot of power. >> part of the ballot -- battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease. disease.
80 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CSPAN Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on