of course parents first and foremost are responsible for their children. but we are all responsible for ensuring that children are raised in a nation that doesn't just talk about family values, but acts in ways that values families. [cheers and applause] just think, as christopher reeve so eloquently reminded us last night, we are all part of one family, the american family, and each one of us has value. each child who comes into this world should feel special -- every body and every girl.

our daughter chelsea will graduate from college in 2001 at the dawn of the next century. though that's not so far away, it is hard for any of us to know what the world will look like then, much less when chelsea is my age in the year 2028. but one thing we know for sure is that change is certain. progress is not. progress depends on the choices we make today for tomorrow and on whether we meet our challenges and protect our values. we can start by doing more to support parents and the job they have to do.

issues affecting children and families are some of the hardest we face as parents, as citizens, as a nation. in october, bill and i will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. [cheers and applause] bill was with me when chelsea was born in the delivery room, in my hospital room, and when we brought our baby daughter home. not only did i have lots of help, i was able to stay in the hospital as long as my doctor thought i needed to be there. [cheers and applause] but today, too many new mothers

are asked to get up and get out after 24 hours, and that is just not enough time for many new mothers and babies. that's why the president is right to support a bill that would prohibit the practice of forcing mothers and babies to leave the hospital in less than 48 hours. [cheers and applause] that's also why more hospitals ought to install 24-hour hotlines to answer questions once new mothers and fathers get home. that's why home nurses can make such a difference to parents who may not have grandparents or aunts and uncles around to help. we have to do whatever it takes

to help parents meet their responsibilities at home and at work. the very first piece of legislation that my husband signed into law had been vetoed twice -- the family and medical leave law. [cheers and applause] that law allows parents time off for the birth or adoption of a child or for family emergencies without fear of losing their jobs. already it has helped 12 million families, and it hasn't hurt the economy one bit. [cheers and applause]

you know, bill and i are fortunate that our jobs have allowed us to take breaks from work, not only when chelsea was born, but to attend her school events and take her to the doctor. but millions of other parents can't get time off. that's why my husband wants to expand the family and medical leave law, so that parents can take time off for children's doctors appointments and parent-teacher conferences at school. [cheers and applause] we all know that raising kids is a full-time job. and since most parents work, they are, we are, stretched thin.

just think about what many parents are responsible for on any given day -- packing lunches, dropping the kids off at school, going to work, checking to make sure that the kids get home from school safely, shopping for groceries, making dinner, doing the laundry, helping with homework, paying the bills. and i didn't even mention taking the dog to the vet. that's why my husband wants to pass a flex-time law that will give parents the option to take overtime pay either in extra income or in extra time off, depending upon which is ever best for your family. our family has been lucky to have been blessed with a child with good health. chelsea has spent only one night in the hospital after she

had her tonsils out. but bill and i couldn't sleep at all that night. but our experience was nothing like the emotional strain on parents when their children are seriously ill. they often worry about where they will get the money to pay the medical bills. that is why my husband has always felt that all american families should have affordable health insurance. [cheers and applause] just last week the president signed a bill sponsored by senators kennedy and kassebaum, a democrat and a republican, that will enable 25 million americans to keep their health

insurance even when they switch jobs or lose a job or have a family member who's been sick. this bill contains some of the key provisions from the president's proposal for health care reform. it was an important step achieved only after both parties agreed to build, not block, progress on making health care available to all americans. now the country must take the next step of helping unemployed americans and their children keep health insurance for six months after losing their jobs. [cheers and applause] if you loose your job, it's bad enough. but your daughter shouldn't have to loose her doctor too.

and our nation still must find a way to offer affordable health care coverage to the working poor and the 10 million children who lack health insurance today. [cheers and applause] the president also hasn't forgotten that there are thousands of children languishing in foster care who can't be returned home. that's why he signed legislation last week that provides for a $5,000 tax credit for parents who adopt a child. it also abolishes the barriers

to cross-racial adoptions. [cheers and applause] never again will a racial barrier stand in the way of a family's love. my husband also understands that parents are their child's first teachers. not only do we need to read to our children and talk to them in ways that encourage learning, we must support our teachers and our schools in deeds as well as words. [cheers and applause] the president announced today an important initiative, called

america reads. this initiative is aimed at making sure all children can read well by the third grade. [cheers and applause] it will require volunteers, but i know there are thousands and thousands of americans who will volunteer to help every child read well. [cheers and applause] for bill and me, there has been no experience more challenging, more rewarding, and more

humbling than raising our daughter. and we have learned that to raise a happy, healthy, and hopeful child, it takes a family. it takes teachers. it takes clergy. it takes business people. it takes community leaders. it takes those who protect our health and safety. it takes all of us. [cheers and applause] yes, it takes a village. [cheers and applause] and it takes a president. [cheers and applause]

it takes a president who believes not only in the potential of his own child, but of all children, who believes not only in the strength of his own family, but of the american family, who believes not only in the promise of each of us as individuals but in our promise together as a nation. it takes a president who not only holds these beliefs but acts on them. [cheers and applause]

it takes bill clinton. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting "four more years"] sometimes late at night, when i see chelsea doing her homework or watching tv or talking to a friend on the phone, i think to myself her life and the lives of millions of boys and girls will be better because of what

all of us are doing together. they will face fewer obstacles and more possibilities. that is something we should all be proud of. and that is what this election is all about. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> i am a producer at c-span. my job during the convention is to get your tweets on the air. i am gathering the tweets from the delegates come of yours, reporters, and making sure that

not only do we see what people are talking about but a little bit of what is going on behind the scenes as well as the topics that are trending. my goal is to make sure that you not only see what is happening that you can see what other people are fighting important. that is my job here during the convention. >> this is our convention have to -- this is our convention hub. all at c-span. >> senator edward kennedy speaking at the 1980 democratic convention. senator kennedy charged -- challenged jimmy carter and did not officially withdraw from the race until the convention. his remarks or about 35 minutes. -- his remarks are about 35 minutes. ♪

[cheers and applause] >> thank you very much. [chanting "we want ted"]

>> thank you very much. thanks very much, barbara mikulski, for your very eloquent -- your eloquent introduction. distinguished legislator, great spokeswoman for economic democracy and social justice in this country, i thank you for your eloquent introduction. well, things worked out a little different from the way i thought, but let me tell you, i still love new york. [cheers and applause]

my fellow democrats and my fellow americans, i have come here tonight not to argue as a candidate but to affirm a cause. i'm asking you -- i am asking you to renew the commitment of the democratic party to economic justice. i am asking you to renew our commitment to a fair and lasting prosperity that can put america back to work. this is the cause that brought me into the campaign and that

sustained me for nine months across a 100,000 miles in 40 different states. we had our losses, but the pain of our defeats is far, far less than the pain of the people that i have met. we have learned that it is important to take issues seriously, but never to take ourselves too seriously. the serious issue before us tonight is the cause for which the democratic party has stood in its finest hours, the cause that keeps our party young and makes it, in the second century of its age, the largest

political party in this republic and the longest lasting political party on this planet. [applause] our cause has been, since the days of thomas jefferson, the cause of the common man and the common woman. [applause] our commitment has been, since the days of andrew jackson, to all those he called "the humble members of society -- the farmers, mechanics, and laborers." on this foundation we have defined our values, refined our policies, and refreshed our faith. now i take the unusual step of carrying the cause and the commitment of my campaign personally to our national

convention. i speak out of a deep sense of urgency about the anguish and anxiety i have seen across america. i speak out of a deep belief in the ideals of the democratic party, and in the potential of that party and of a president to make a difference. and i speak out of a deep trust in our capacity to proceed with boldness and a common vision that will feel and heal the suffering of our time and the divisions of our party. [applause] the economic plank of this platform on its face concerns only material things, but it is also a moral issue that i raise tonight.

it has taken many forms over many years. in this campaign and in this country that we seek to lead, the challenge in 1980 is to give our voice and our vote for these fundamental democratic principles. [cheers and applause] let us pledge that we will never misuse unemployment, high interest rates, and human misery as false weapons against inflation. [cheers and applause] let us pledge that employment will be the first priority of our economic policy. let us pledge that there will be security for all those who are now at work, and let us

pledge that there will be jobs for all who are out of work, and we will not compromise on the issues of jobs. [cheers and applause] these are not simplistic pledges. simply put, they are the heart of our tradition, and they hav been the soul of our party across the generations. it is the glory and the greatness of our tradition to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten, to respond to the frustrations and fulfill the

aspirations of all americans seeking a better life in a better land. we dare not forsake that tradition. we cannot let the great purposes of the democratic party become the bygone passages of history. [cheers and applause] we must not permit the republicans to seize and run on the slogans of prosperity. we heard the orators at their convention all trying to talk like democrats. they proved that even republican nominees can quote franklin roosevelt to their own purpose. [cheers and applause] the grand old party thinks it has found a great new trick,

but 40 years ago an earlier generation of republicans attempted the same trick. and franklin roosevelt himself replied, "most republican leaders have bitterly fought and blocked the forward surge of average men and women in their pursuit of happiness. let us not be deluded that overnight those leaders have suddenly become the friends of average men and women." [cheers and applause] "you know," he continued, "very few of us are that gullible." and four years later when the republicans tried that trick again, franklin roosevelt asked, "can the old guard pass itself off as the new deal? i think not. we have all seen many marvelous stunts in the circus, but no

performing elephant could turn a handspring without falling flat on its back." [cheers and applause] the 1980 republican convention was awash with crocodile tears for our economic distress, but it is by their long record and not their recent words that you shall know them. the same republicans who are talking about the crisis of unemployment have nominated a man who once said, and i quote, "unemployment insurance is a prepaid vacation plan for freeloaders."

and that nominee is no friend of labor. [applause] the same republicans who are talking about the problems of the inner cities have nominated a man who said, and i quote, "i have included in my morning and evening prayers every day the prayer that the federal government not bail out new york." and that nominee is no friend of this city and our great urban centers across this nation. [cheers and applause] the same republicans who are talking about security for the elderly have nominated a man

who said just four years ago that "participation in social security should be made voluntary." and that nominee is no friend of the senior citizens of this nation. [cheers and applause] the same republicans who are talking about preserving the environment have nominated a man who last year made the preposterous statement, and i quote, "eighty percent of our air pollution comes from plants and trees." . [laughter] and that nominee is no friend of the environment. [cheers and applause]

and the same republicans who are invoking franklin roosevelt have nominated a man who said in 1976, and these are his exact words, "fascism was really the basis of the new deal." and that nominee whose name is ronald reagan has no right to quote franklin delano roosevelt. [cheers and applause]

the great adventures which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. progress is our heritage, not theirs. what is right for us as democrats is also the right way for democrats to win. the commitment i seek is not to outworn views but to old values that will never wear out. programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. it is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. the poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. the middle class may be angry,

but they have not lost the dream that all americans can advance together. [cheers and applause] the demand of our people in 1980 is not for smaller government or bigger government but for better government. some say that government is always bad and that spending for basic social programs is the root of our economic evils. but we reply, the present inflation and recession cost our economy $200 billion a year. we reply, inflation and unemployment are the biggest spenders of all. [cheers and applause] the task of leadership in 1980 is not to parade scapegoats or

to seek refuge in reaction, but to match our power to the possibilities of progress. while others talked of free enterprise, it was the democratic party that acted and we ended excessive regulation in the airline and trucking industry, and we restored competition to the marketplace. and i take some satisfaction that this deregulation legislation that i sponsored and passed in the congress of the united states. as democrats we recognize that each generation of americans has a rendezvous with a different reality. the answers of one generation become the questions of the next generation. but there is a guiding star in the american firmament. it is as old as the revolutionary belief that all people are created equal, and as clear as the contemporary condition of liberty city and the south bronx. again and again democratic leaders have followed that star and they have given new meaning

to the old values of liberty and justice for all. [cheers and applause] we are the party -- we are the party of the new freedom, the new deal, and the new frontier. we have always been the party of hope. so this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an america uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future. to all those who are idle in the cities and industries of america let us provide new hope for the dignity of useful work. democrats have always believed that a basic civil right of all americans is that their right to earn their own way. the party of the people must always be the party of full employment.

[laughter] [applause] to all those who doubt the future of our economy, let us provide new hope for the reindustrialization of america. and let our vision reach beyond the next election or the next year to a new generation of prosperity. if we could rebuild germany and japan after world war ii, then surely we can reindustrialize our own nation and revive our inner cities in the 1980's. [applause] to all those who work hard for a living wage let us provide new hope that their price of their employment shall not be an unsafe workplace and a death

at an earlier age. to all those who inhabit our land from california to the new york island, from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters, let us provide new hope that prosperity shall not be purchased by poisoning the air, the rivers, and the natural resources that are the greatest gift of this continent. [applause] we must insist that our children and our grandchildren shall inherit a land which they can truly call america the beautiful. [applause] to all those who see the worth of their work and their savings taken by inflation, let us offer new hope for a stable

economy. we must meet the pressures of the present by invoking the full power of government to master increasing prices. in candor, we must say that the federal budget can be balanced only by policies that bring us to a balanced prosperity of full employment and price restraint. [applause] and to all those overburdened by an unfair tax structure, let us provide new hope for real tax reform. instead of shutting down classrooms, let us shut off tax shelters. [applause] instead of cutting out school lunches, let us cut off tax

subsidies for expensive business lunches that are nothing more than food stamps for the rich. the tax cut of our republican opponents takes the name of tax reform in vain. it is a wonderfully republican idea that would redistribute income in the wrong direction. it's good news for any of you with incomes over 200,000 dollars a year. for the few of you, it offers a pot of gold worth 14,000 dollars. but the republican tax cut is bad news for the middle income families. for the many of you, they plan a pittance of 200 dollars a year, and that is not what the

democratic party means when we say tax reform. the vast majority of americans cannot afford this panacea from a republican nominee who has denounced the progressive income tax as the invention of karl marx. i am afraid he has confused karl marx with theodore roosevelt -- [applause] that obscure republican president who sought and fought for a tax system based on ability to pay. theodore roosevelt was not karl marx, and the republican tax scheme is not tax reform. finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a

fair society. so i will continue to stand for a national health insurance. [cheers and applause] we must -- we must not surrender -- we must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth. [applause]

the president, the vice president, the members of congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot. we do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you think was the last time a member of congress asked for a bill from the federal government? and i say again, as i have before, if health insurance is good enough for the president, the vice president, the congress of the united states, then it's good enough for you and every family in america. [cheers and applause]

there were some -- there were some who said we should be silent about our differences on issues during this convention, but the heritage of the democratic party has been a history of democracy. we fight hard because we care deeply about our principles and purposes. we did not flee this struggle. we welcome the contrast with the empty and expedient spectacle last month in detroit where no nomination was contested, no question was

debated, and no one dared to raise any doubt or dissent. democrats can be proud that we chose a different course and a different platform. we can be proud that our party stands for investment in safe energy, instead of a nuclear future that may threaten the future itself. [applause] we must not permit the neighborhoods of america to be permanently shadowed by the fear of another three mile island. we can be proud that our party stands for a fair housing law to unlock the doors of discrimination once and for all. the american house will be divided against itself so long as there is prejudice against any american buying or renting a home.

[applause] and we can be proud that our party stands plainly and publicly and persistently for the ratification of the equal rights amendment. [cheers and applause] women hold their rightful place at our convention, and women must have their rightful place in the constitution of the united states. on this issue we will not yield; we will not equivocate. we will not rationalize, explain, or excuse. we will stand for e.r.a. and for the recognition at long last that our nation was made up of founding mothers as well as founding fathers.

[cheers and applause] a fair prosperity and a just society are within our vision and our grasp, and we do not have every answer. there are questions not yet asked, waiting for us in the recesses of the future. but of this much we can be certain because it is the lesson of all of our history. together a president and the people can make a difference. i have found that faith still alive wherever i have traveled across this land. so let us reject the counsel of retreat and the call to reaction. let us go forward in the knowledge that history only helps those who help themselves. there will be setbacks and sacrifices in the years ahead.

but i am convinced that we as a people are ready to give something back to our country in return for all it has given to us. let this -- let this be our commitment. whatever sacrifices must be made will be shared and shared fairly. and let this be our confidence. at the end of our journey and always before us shines that ideal of liberty and justice for all. [applause] in closing, let me say a few words to all those that i have met and to all those who have

supported me at this convention and across the country. there were hard hours on our journey, and often we sailed against the wind. but always we kept our rudder true, and there were so many of you who stayed the course and shared our hope. you gave your help. but even more, you gave your hearts. and because of you. this has been a happy campaign. you welcomed joan, me, and our family into your homes and neighborhoods, your churches, your campuses, your union halls. and when i think back of all the miles and all the months and all the memories, i think of you. and i recall the poet's words, and i say: "what golden friends i had." among you, my golden friends across this land, i have listened and learned. i have listened to kenny dubois, a glassblower in charleston, west virginia, who has ten children to support but has lost his job after 35 years,

just three years short of qualifying for his pension. i have listened to the trachta family who farm in iowa and who wonder whether they can pass the good life and the good earth on to their children. i have listened to the grandmother in east oakland who no longer has a phone to call her grandchildren because she gave it up to pay the rent on her small apartment. i have listened to young workers out of work, to students without the tuition for college, and to families without the chance to own a home. i have seen the closed factories and the stalled assembly lines of anderson, indiana and south gate, california, and i have seen too many, far too many idle men and women desperate to work. i have seen too many, far too many working families desperate to protect the value of their wages from the ravages of inflation. yet i have also sensed a

yearning for a new hope among the people in every state where i have been. and i have felt it in their handshakes, i saw it in their faces, and i shall never forget the mothers who carried children to our rallies. i shall always remember the elderly who have lived in an america of high purpose and who believe that it can all happen again. tonight, in their name, i have come here to speak for them. and for their sake, i ask you to stand with them. on their behalf i ask you to restate and reaffirm the timeless truth of our party. i congratulate president carter on his victory here. [applause] i am -- i am confident that the democratic party will reunite on the basis of democratic

principles, and that together we will march towards a democratic victory in 1980. [applause] and someday, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering, and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. may it be said of our party in 1980 that we found our faith again. and may it be said of us, both in dark passages and in bright days, in the words of tennyson that my brothers quoted and loved, and that have special meaning for me now.

"i am a part of all that i have met to, tho, much is taken, much abides that which we are, we are -- one equal temper of heroic hearts strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." for me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. [cheers and applause]

>> attorney general robert f. kennedy spoke at the convention less than a year after his brother's assassination. he did announce he would run for u.s. senate a few weeks after the convention. as this 15 minute speech begins, we're showing you the last couple of moments of an ovation that lasted nearly 10 minutes. [applause] >> mr. chairman.

[cheers and applause]

>> attorney general kennedy. [cheers and applause]

>> [inaudible] >> the delegates were aware of this would be an emotional night. [inaudible] 6000 delegates. >> mr. speaker. mr. johnson.

senator jackson. ladies and gentlemen. mr. chairman, mr. chairman. fewish to speak for a fune-- a moments. i want to thank all of you, delegates to the national convention and supporters of the democratic party, for all that you did for president john f. kennedy. [cheers and applause] >> that ovation, by the way,

read about 12 minutes. -- ran about 12 minutes. >> i want to -- express my appreciation to you for the average human on his behalf at the convention -- the average inmate on his behalf for his election in november of 1960. the encouragement and the strength that you gave him after he was elected president of the united states. [applause] it was the source of the greatest strength to him to know that there were 1000 people all over the united states who worked together with him,

dedicated to certain principles and certain ideas. no matter what talent and individual possesses, no matter how much integrity and honesty might have, he is a political figure. he can accomplish very little. if he was sustained by the the rec party, all over the united states, dedicated to the same things that he was attempting to accomplish, he can -- a can accomplish a great deal. no one knew that more than president john f. kennedy. he used to take great pride in the trip that thomas jefferson made. searching for butterflies. they ended up in new york city. he took great pride in the fact

that the democratic party was the oldest political party in the world. anhe knew -- [applause] of this linkage of madison and jefferson with the leaders of new york, combining the south, combining the industrial areas of the country with their rural farm. that this combination was always dedicated to progress. all of our presidents have been dedicated to progress. when thomas jefferson also realized the united states could not be remain on the eastern seaboard and said lois and clark to the west coast. of andrew jackson, woodrow wilson. our citizens were in despair because of the financial crisis.

of harry truman, who not only spoke but acted for freedom. [applause] so that when he became president, not only he had his own principles and ideas, but he had the strength of the democratic party so that when he became president, he wanted to do something for the mentally ill and mentally retarded. for those who were not covered by social security, for those who were not receiving an adequate minimum wage, for those who did not have adequate housing, for our elderly people who had difficulty paying their medical bills, for our fellow citizens who have difficulty living in this society. to all he dedicated himself but realized also in order for us to make progress at home, that we

have to be strong overseas. that our military strength had to be strong.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

. >> and the south, it's not getting better in the moment. the south was the only section of the country in the last that these figures got significantly worse. i think we've seen that rece recently. states refusing to accept stimulus money, for example. we're heavily loaded in the south. we're looking at support and opposition to the affordable care act very dominantly. the states with the highest level of uninsured expressed the greatest opposition to the affordable care act.

and almost vice versa in the outcome that would surprise madison. the state frequently expressed in the greatest opposition and similar arguments when it comes to medicaid expansion. great opposition so far. texas, florida, mississippi, louisiana, south carolina, and georgia. alabama apparent live there would be a 53% reduction in the uninsured. the medicaid expansion, texas, 49.9%. and yet a vehement opposition. so we could debate why this is so. why would it be that we have the most poor people and the politics which is most deadly opposed to doing things about it. that has been debated in the south for the last 100 years at least.

why is it that they treat it the way it does. different from w.j. cash and bob dylan. i'm not going to try to answer that. a lot of people here know much more than i do about it. including farrell and jackie. but i could say this -- just say first of all, the south has in common with the rest of the country the disability of poverty, the removal of poverty from our political agenda -- the removal of the concern of the bottom 30% sort of across the board. so if that's true of the united states, generally it is certainly true in the south. i think we have in the south the "what's the matter with kansas" phenomenon which is some version

of social conservative joining with economic conservatives. they end up not really getting their part of the bargain, but voting against the economic interest of those at the bottom. and then jackie has opened the door and sort of carried for me the heart of it which is the reaction to poverty is even more racialized in the south than it is in the rest of the country. it becomes more visible over time. we just saw political convention last week which is sort of remarkable on this front. and its rhetoric and in its outlook. i kept -- i'm going to end with this. but i kept having in my mind steven colbert coming to the republican national convention and hey yo white people.

it was kind of an astonishing look even from the ecstatics of our polarization. i think it would be a great argument for why they have reached the stage that we have. we seem to have more poor folks in the south and a last powerful commitment to do something about it than the rest of the nation. [ applause ] >> provocative comments from five folks in a row. and i'm -- i'm going to warn all of you, i'm coming to you next. as soon as we hear from the final panelists, coming to you for comments. jesse white, you ran the coalition for many years, you looked at the rural areas in this town. was it scott who called them the

noncore counties? or maybe it was farrell. here we are the banking capital of the year in charlotte. are there two souths? the urban well-to-do south and the south we just heard gene nichol describe? >> i think that's a pretty good summary of where the south has come. and i think the comment i would like to leave you with is the south is no longer either mayberry rfd or the blooming n sunbelt. it's a lot more complicated than that. the images that the american people have been left with in the south neither one really obtain. what you've seen in economic development for the last 50 or 60 years you heard about today, the convergence of the relative

per capita income. the south was 50% of the u.s. average in the great depression. we got up to about 90% 20 years ago. we've seen the urbanization, the metro pollization of the metro south. we've seen successes in technology development. a lot of good things have changed the face of the south. but what these recessions have revealed over the last 30 years are the tremendous impact of globalization and technology. and it has ripped the covers off of the bed of the southern economy and has really revealed two souths, judy, like you were talking about. if you look at the investment patterns of perfect dollars in the south in the last 50 or 60 years, we have invested very well compared to other states and postsecondary education.

we invested poorly in secondary education until recently. there was a bifurcated workforce. the top half is competitive with anybody. the bottom third has been left behind. and as we moved away from the economy based on cost advantages and mass production which was tied to the branch plant recruitment strategy of economic development, and these jobs have started disappearing, it left this bottom third high and dry. there's been a tremendous spatial impact. we still have more distress in urban areas by numbers. but in terms of percentages and in terms of outlook and in terms of prospect, the rural areas are -- have been really left

behind. i won't take but another second just to conclude that in an election that is supposed to be all about the economy, as a southern white person from the same state as hotting, you'll notice a lot -- you run across a lot of mississippians because we don't live there anymore. we've got a kabal working to take over north carolina there. several of us. fellow white southerners almost consistently vote against the economic interest of the region from which they come. especially since reagan -- the broad policy of the republican party has been to reduce income taxes, which helps the southwest because we have lower incomes.

and reduce spending on social and economic programs which hurts it south more because we have more at-risk people and more people left behind. and time and time and time again, white southerners seem to be shooting their own toes off. i've never really quite understood it. except for these other factors that we talked about, which erase the guns, gays. you know, the social and cultural currents that are affecting voting behavior. it will be interesting to see how -- if southerners return to bolden their economic interest, i wouldn't hold my breath.

>> thank you. >> thank you. >> all right, i see the clock is ticking. it's up to you. turn it over. right here? >> okay -- [ inaudible ] >> yeah what? is it going to help carry north carolina or not? >> there was a great idea at the time for sure. i -- again, i hit on the point earlier and i'll be quick about this. racial coalition building was significant in this state.

can appeal to the folks has a racial constituency. it's true i should mention whites have done it traditionally in the south, also for african-americans. for a variety of reasons, both dealing with the external factors. the economy not doing well, has not been good for white working class voter, which is one part of that coalition. but also, again, given all of the changes if they are affected, likely will limit african-american voter turnout. that, too, could be a real threat to the democratic party. i think the extent to which one thinks in the long term, right, there have to be inroads in the south. one thing we talked ant, populations move westward. if you're going to win in the long terp, you have to have an imprint here. even if you're not going to win all of the south, be effective here. whether or not this is effective, i leave others to

disz. it was an initial decision. not a dumb one. >> hotting, do you want to add a thought to that? >> no. >> it goes on to some length and i won't. >> another question. another question right here. we talked about race, voting, taxes, poverty, education. we have not talked about the deficit. do you count on it in the context of the south or north carolina? >> peter, you want to jump on that first? >> i think we had a good solution in some ways to an initial approach to the deficit problem imparted from one of our native son, the bowles-simpson plan. i think it will be lost in some ways by january 1, 2013, some version of that will come back

regardless of who gets elected. i think the bigger problem right now, i think, and i think what you'll hear next week is it's too soon to worry right now about the deficit. they're so low right now. the economy is still in a very precarious position. in charlotte next week, there will be higher priority issues than the deficit. >> we do have an economic deficit which is -- but we have a priorities deficit, it seems to me. a country doesn't have to come to the conclusion, for example, that it impacts capital gains at half the rate that you're going to tax much of the income of the rest of the workforce.

it doesn't have to decide that we're going to have a great and powerful housing project in the united states. that's the mortgage production. 80% will go to making over $100,000 a year. our state legislature doesn't have to if they did a couple of weeks ago cut $350 million to wealthier corporations. as they decided to cut in half, the allocation to food banks, given everything that's going on in north carolina. so we do have an economic deficit. we have a -- we have sort of a moral deficit as well. >> it's amazing to me that we have managed in our life together take off of the table that has no relationship whatsoever that faces the

international threat. we're paying on our military side we faced five russias simultaneously and need to keep raising that budget. democrat and republican. now, look if the wise men of the bowles-simpson commission were serious about what they were doing as opposed to taking three from category a and three from -- they would have done something very serious. not get their attention by letting the budget be slashed arbitrarily, but doing something heavily on military spending. not that it's a solution like taxing people like you and me to pay everything out either. it's part of the solution. i don't see you have a solution yet. it's funny. except, of course, we live in north carolina, we live in virginia, we live in florida. you know what else lives in north carolina and virginia and

florida? the biggest allocation of federal spending that god could help for in location of servicemen who are the great pump prime whiching example that southerners love. and pretend it's not federal -- i mean -- anyway. >> we don't get a lot of the actual military construction. i mean it's mostly -- it's mostly base money, i think. >> we already paid it out, boy. come on. >> i think our defense budget is more than the next 17 countries combined, something like that? >> maybe 40. >> question, question -- yes, sir. >> i would like to ask the panelists, how long can we continue to go down this path that you have all described without addressing a single one of the issues that confront us today? how long can we continue down

this path? >> i woke up one day and said to myself, why is it that in a set of circumstances within other places and other times would have had people out marching, would have had people out at levels of protest which would be hair raising, we don't have any of it. somehow we are at a stage at acceptance, resignation, intimidation? no, i don't think intimidation. somehow they're thinking they'll despite except for the one your friend is working with. one of the things you've got which you never had in society before was the ability to flip a switch, a quick thinking about anything except for the entertainment in front of you. you don't sit there plotting for

revolutions. i'm a horrible movie watcher, okay? so i know how it is. but we've got a lot of stuff that we are able to do, which is escape stuff, which will take you out of it. i honestly -- you know, being a mississippian, i think to myself, anything on kerry stanford six years ago, five years ago up here. there was a great thing about him. but the thing about terry which got us who were elsewhere was he went right to the heart and said, look, let's talk about education. let's talk about something that actually affects everybody. who the hell is talking about something that affects everybody? you ask the question how long i can go on? i do not know. i don't understand it. but y'all are all smart. why is it big boy? your ear the man who brings it

out to the streets. why? >> i guess the question is what comes next? >> yes, sir, i know. i know. >> who wants to tackle that? yes, right here. >> thank you. >> i'm the daughter of richmond, virginia. but from college on, i lived in the state of massachusetts. i'm struck again by my return to the south of how prominent about the racial lens is. and we know, lenses can illuminate but they can also obsicate. so without denying the importance of race as a factor of many of the south's trends, stories, narratives, how would you characterize the lens of

gender? of women? of white southern women. women from the south. are there differences based on -- based on, you know, oral history reports of women perspectives on life here compared to other regions of the country. >> if you want to weigh in, either scott or -- have some data as well. >> i was struck because -- >> why did you pick -- >> i was struck that in the beginning we were talking about really the polling data, we didn't -- gender didn't come up at all. we didn't hear anything about attrition and so on. and this is the really complicated question.

i would say two things about it. one is -- it comes from the work that the program is doing. we are now focusing on documenting the women's movement in the south. contrary to 5i7 sufrpgss that there wasn't a women's movement in the past, there was and is. there's been a powerful one which needs to be understood in seeing it more clearly. but it is also true that to my mind, this hasn't come up, one of the biggest things that obama has going for him is the jernd gap. this is so important. without the -- and women have been -- there's been a gender gap more i don't know how many of the last elections in which women went for -- including with imin the south went for bill clinton and much larger proportions than white women --

white men, i'm talking about. however, the gender gap has been marrowing in the south. so that in 2008, i think the jernd gap in the south unlike anywhere else almost closed. i don't think there was any difference between white men and white women in the voting in 2008. 2012, i don't know. in north carolina i noticed that the polls are showing that there still is a jernd gap with white women going for obama more than white men. but the gap is not as great as the rest of the country. when you look at women of color, then that changes completely and the gender gap opens back up again. so i think that one of the big challenges that the democrats have and the progressive forces have is to address themselves to

women in the south. and to open that gender gap back up. >> i'm told by the bosses here we're going to wrap up. it is just after 2:00. i want to thank all of you for coming. thank the extraordinary panelists for their presentation. [ applause ] and thanks farrell over there and scott with their hands up. but we've especially got to thank all of you. you have a question -- >> [ inaudible ] >> our road to the white house coverage continues today when president obama speaks at a uaw labor day campaign rally in toledo, ohio. live coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> hi, my name is simone. i'm a production assistant with washington journal. for the conventions, i. >> el be working in conjunction with the producers to help

research and edit sound bites that we'll be using throughout the show. i'll also be creating and editing graphics that we use and i'll be taking viewer phone calls throughout the show so that we can make sure we have an open discussion with the public about what's going on with the conventions, who's speaking, what they're saying. this is the first convention i'll be able to work on. the first production i've had a chance to produce. so very exciting and happy to be working with such a great team. >> "the washington journal" will be in charlotte talking to politician, activist, and our viewers, watch and call in beginning at 7:00 eastern time each morning on c-span. next, vice president biden on the campaign trail in green bay, wisconsin. speaking at a rally, he pointed out differents between the obama policies on taxes, medicare, education, and health care. for those in the repup

candidate, mitt romney. the city's national railway museum. ♪

by the way, i heard you have a team here. i heard it in eighth grade. green bay has, especially in the packers, a special place in my heart and a heart of all of the guys, serious, the heart of all of the guys i went to a catholic boys school. i went to 12 years of my catholic grade school and high school. the school i went to was taught by a group of priests call the norvateens. we always started home room with a prayer in catholic school. in our school, it was in the name of the father, and the son, and the holy ghost and vince lombardi and it would go from there. i tell you, i tell you, home

room in the fall was a lot different than any other time in the year. that's when we learned the names of the 12 aposs. bart starr, jimmy taylor, mack mcgee. don chandler, you get the point. that's all we heard about, man. you think i'm kidding, i'm not kidding. you know, you see this is how it works. our headmaster was from wisconsin. the headmaster used to sign everything g.e.d. we called him the "head jed." not to his face. he would come over the p.a. and he would say gentlemen, the packers won yesterday. therefore will there will be no last period today. that's why we love the packers,

man. if it wasn't your number one team, it's the number two team. let me start with the great congressman who will be the next great senator tam by baldwin. tammy? recognize all of the election officials here. jamie wall, you're the next congressman. where's jamie. i just -- i just want to make sure because i know how important the members of the house and the senate are, just remember, i recognize you, man. i don't want you to pretend i didn't know you when you're ther there. pret, thank you for that generous introduction. an honor to be with bret. to be with an organized labor guy on the eve of labor day is a good thing.

i know how to say unions. i know how to say unions. the steal workers were the first to ever endorse me. but there's something more special and a bit more special and you can say more special and it is. this guy -- this guy was an aviator, one of the most decorated and celebrated divisions of the united states army, the screaming eagles in the 101st division. these guys are rail men. for years of service, thank you. folks, this country, as y'all know, and i apologize -- i've been here for a half an hour. i want you to know that. i don't want any record to say i was late. but the good news was there are still 250 people trying to get in. i apologize for y'all standing this long. but folks, folks, to state the

obvious, this country faces the starkest choice of president in my memory. and now governor ryan -- excuse me, governor romney and congressman ryan have been nominated. >> boo! >> no, we don't need your boos. just votes. not boos, just votes. now that they're a team -- i mean this sincerely, those stark differences are even more stark. because congressman ryan has now given an absolutely clear definition to governor romney's vague convictions he been been making. we know exactly what the other team is going to do. i'm not joking. the reason we do is the house republican party has always passed the ryan budget. it's already put in place everything that romney says he's

promising to do for the whole nation. take a look at what they did. we're going to point out what they did in the republican house. it's honestly the best way to show the differences. they call their plan, "new, bold, and gutsy." that's how they characterize it. but the neighborhood i come from, there's nothing gutsy about giving $1 trillion new tax cut for millionaires only. look, folks, there's nothing bold about cutting medicare and turning it to a vouching system in order to pay for the cuts in taxes and millionaires. what's new about the plan? not only is it not new, fair, it's simply not right. and they will not grow the economy. they tried it before and it didn't work before. folks, we've seen this movie before. and we know how it ends.

it ends. it sends. jobs, staggering wages. watching the equity home evacuate, watching the amounts get desi mated. it ends in catastrophe for the middle class. it ends in the great recession of 2008. listen to the theme they're running on, boom, restore the dreams and greatness of this country. restore the dreams and greatness of this country. why do we have to restore those dreams and greatness? well, what they're not telling you, what they're not telling you is who took them away. what they're not telling you -- what they're not telling you is the various proposals the congress voted for in the last

14 years. the policies that the governor supported, as governor and a businessman. they're the very poll spis that put america's greatest in jeopardy. ladies and gentlemen, if you listen to the convention, you talk about state of the nation and all the things that happen in 2009, how do they think we got there? no, really, think about it? do they think we have amnesia? how do they think this happened? did it just fall from the sky on september 15, 2008 when lehman brothers went under? ladies and gentlemen, my little -- my grandson hunter, his little sister is a little older than he. and she was -- did casper the friendly ghost do it? who did it? how did we get here? there's a lot more they didn't tell you at their convention.

when congressman ryan was elected in 1988, and took office in '99, there was a democratic administration. we had a balanced budget. the middle class was thriving. what they didn't say was that the day they were sworn in before the president sat behind the desk to resolute in his office, he was handed a tab for $1 trillion in deficit for that year before we got started. and the american middle class was devastated. much of what they did tell you wasn't on the level at that convention. you heard congressman ryan on wednesday night blame the president -- now listen to this now, he blamed the president because the recommendation of the bipartisan debt commission that we appointed weren't acted

on. the so-called simpson-bowles commission. the president appointed this commission and the recommendations were never acted upon. what he didn't tell you is he sat on that commission. he sat on that commission. were he and the house republican friends he leads, had they voted with the commission, it would have been voted on. he voted no. he would not let it go to the floor. he walked away. by the way, the commission he's talking about recommended a balanced approach to bring down our debt and control the debt crisis. here's what they said. they said we recommend you cut $3 in spending for every $1 in

revenue you raise. the president's plan calls for a similar approach. but governor romney and congressman ryan reject that balanced approach. romney has repeatedly said that he would reject any deal to bring down the debt, that included $10 in spending cuts, even if it would add $1 in taxes for the wealthy. and congressman ryan failed to mention any of that. a convenient omission, i'd say. i love these guys, oh, i love these guys. i love these guys how they claim to care about the deficit. when we left office, it was in balance. ladies and gentlemen, the thing i most love about him is how they discovered the middle class of their convention. wasn't that amazing? all of a sudden, heart was

bleeding for the middle class. whoa! i was impressed. i thought where have i been the last four years, i must have gotten it all wrong. listen to what congressman ryan had to say in his speech. a good guy, by the way. a great father as is romney, they're good men. and listen to what he had so say -- he said, and i quote -- the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves ms. the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves. that's what he said. well, folks, so let's measure what he and governor romney wants to do for those who cannot defend or care for themselves. and the best way to do that, as my dad would say -- my dad in a great expression. any time someone would say this is what i value this, is what i care about.

he said, wait, don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, i'll tell you what you value. show me your budget, i'll tell you what you value. where -- folks? they'll cry foul. let's take a look at their budget to understand what they value. massive cuts in medicaid throwing 19 million people off of health care, including the million seniors and several million children. i'm not making this stuff up. massive cuts in medicare. folks, let's be honest. what the president and i are talking about is protecting medicare. i find it fascinating these guys expect the people to believe that guys like me have spent their whole life and my party have spent their whole time generating, creating, and caring for medicare are somehow against

it now and they're for it. when they've been against it or want to do less of it for the past 40 years. when governor romney and congressman ryan are creating a new system, what some are calling a voucher care system, that is what it is. what the voucher care system will replace the medicare system. it will give a seep your a voucher worst less than their medicare costs now. that's going say say to them you go out and shop for the best insurance you can buy with the voucher. if it weren't so serious, you'd think we were making it up. my m-- mom, god love her.

i can't picture her handing her a voucher and saying you go to the insurance market and you figure out what's best for you. ladies and gentlemen, it's that simple. we are for medicare, they are for voucher care. it's basic. they are for massive cuts in social security for future generations, massive cuts in education, eliminating tax credits to send your kids to colleg college. tens of thousands take advantage to keep their kids in school. pell grants they cut by an average of $1,000 for the 9 million working class kids that are in college now benefitting themselves and soon to benefit america. and they put insurance companies. these are the facts. they get rid of obama care. what does that mean? insurance companies are back in charge of their health care allowing them to cut off your coverage when you get sick or when you hit what they call your

limit. allowing them to change -- change the rates that they charge for women versus men. knocking $6.6 million young adults off their parents' health care coverage. folks, this is not your father's republican party. this is free. this is not even mitt romney's republican party. 3wi the way. there's another thing they didn't tell you at the convention. they didn't tell you why they're eviscerating all of these efforts to help the working and middle class people of america. they're doing it all in the service of massive tax cuts for the very wealthy.

we use phrases like massive. let me give you two examples, $500 billion of the extension of the bush tax cuts of the wealthy goes to 120,000 families. one half trillion dollars dolla go to 120,000 american families. on top of that, they want to add $250,000 tax cut per year for anybody making $1 million or more. look, guys, they talked about the middle class in their convention. what they didn't tell you is this tax policy there carries a big price tag. as a nonpartisan tax policy center points out, middle-class families with children will pay

an average of there are 2,000 a year more to pay for those tax cuts for 120,000 families and beyond. that's a fact. and on top of that, governor romney says in the first 100 days, he would repeal wall street reform. he'd let the banks begin to write their own rules again. listen to what he said and briefly skirted about foreign policy in his speech. in iraq, where my son served for a year, we lost 4,488 fallen angels. 32,227 wounded over 16,000 requiring care for the rest of their lives. and romney said it was a mistake to end that war by bringing all of our warriors home.

in afghanistan, we have lost 1,980 fallen angels as of yesterday. and i'm precise because every single one of those lives deserves some recognition. god only knows what happen in the last 24 hours. and as of yesterday, 17,382 of our warriors had been wounded, some mortally. and romney thought the decision that the president of the united states -- we have 50 allies working with us, nato an afghanistan. the president organized them. all 50 of them said, it's time to set a date to hand over the responsibility to the afghans

and bring our 90,000 troops home. what did romney say? he said that was a mistake. look, i've seen these warriors. i'm travelling in and around afghanistan and iraq over 20 time ms. i've seen these kids. they're not kids. i've seen these men and women. i've been up in the so-called fog before an operating base. among the mountains and the konar valley, kids on the hill top getting shot at every single night. holding people off. the deserts of iraq. i wish i could remember the american public see what i saw. these kids -- these kids are

incredible. this generation, over 2,800,000 young men and women since 9/11 raised the right hand with the recruiter and said i want to join knowing certainly they would go to iraq or afghanistan. 2,200,000 of them are gone. ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the finest generations in the history of america, and they should be recognized who they are. we only have one sacred obligation. we have a lot of only dpags, only one sacred obligation -- to prepare those we send for war and care for them when they come home. and now -- now he wants to move

from cooperation with russia to exon frontation with putin's russia. and these guys say president obama is out of touch? whoa! how many of y'all have a swiss bank account? untold millions in the cayman islands. how many of you refuse to let the american people see your tax returns. out of touch? whoa. what romney and ryan espouse, and i know they believe it and mean it, what they espouse is a social policy right out of the '60s, a foreign policy with echoes in the cold war, and the economic policies that brought us the great recession. ladies and gentlemen, this is no time to turn back. we must continue to move forward. your very standard of living is at stake. folks, i'm absolutely certain there's not a single doubt in my mind that we're on our way to rebuilding this country stronger

than it was before this recession. we're on the way to building the middle class more vibrant than they were in this expression. given half a chance, the american people never ever let the country down. we believe in the american people. because i know you, we know you. it's never, never, ever been a good bet to bet against america. so, ladies and gentlemen, join us, help us finish what we started. with your help, we'll win wisconsin and we'll win the presidency. se thank you all, may god bless you. and may god protect our troops on wisconsin.

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♪ keep on rolling keep on rolling ♪ ♪ keep on rolling keep on rolling ♪ ♪ ♪ i pulled into nazareth feeling about half past dead ♪ ♪ i need a place where i can lay my head ♪ ♪ mister can you tell me

where a girl might find a bed ♪ ♪ shook my head lord ♪ ♪ ♪ take a load off annie take a load for free ♪ ♪ take a load off annie and put the load on me ♪ ♪ i picked up my bag i went looking for a place to hide ♪ ♪ but i was with the devil walking five-by-five ♪ ♪ after that call-in put it on down ♪ ♪ >> watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the democratic convention from charlotte, north carolina every minute, every speech, live here on c-span. next, q&a with ami horowitz. and live at 7:00 a.m., your cause and comments on washington journal.

the national journal hosted the discussion on the impact of social media on the 2012 elections. live coverage begins today at 1:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> c-span's gavel-to-gavel coverage of the democratic national convention starts this week, every minute, every speech live on c-span, c-span radio, andline at c-span.org. featured speakers include mayor julianne castro and and first lady michelle obama. and thursday, vice president joe biden and president barack obama. and use our convention hub to make and share video clips. >> in the end, in the end that's what this election is about. do we participate in a politics of cynicism? or do we participate in a politics of hope.

>> hope! >> john kerry callsen us to hope. john edwards calls on us to hope. i'm not talking about blind optimism, the willful ignorance that thinks health care will go away if we just don't think about it. i'm talking about something more substantial. >> count your own opinion and connect with other c-span hit earles. c-span.org/campaign2012. >> this week on "q&a," first time director ami horowitz discusses the newly released documentary film titled, "you and me."

>> ami horowitz, you made a documentary, then you left your apartment one day at the new york city and somebody said something to you. what was the story? >> first of all, thank you very much for having me on. i appreciate it. we had something in common. you started the first nonprofit cable company and i started this knew vied as a for profit documentary that ended up being nonprofit. >> how do you like being nonprofit? >> i don't like it at all, actually. >> what's the name of the document first? >> the you and me. we banned the word "documentary." we call it docutainment. i walked out of my apartment, a nice place to live, nothing particularly exciting generally happens there. and i came out and i was greeted by a man who was waiting very nicely dressed. you know, nice -- nice well made su