2008 as an exuberant, enthusiastic of event. the u.s. expect to see levels of enthusiasm this year, and if not, is it problematic? >> thank of america's stadium is going forward. we are monitoring the weather, and we have contingency plans, but we monitor on a regular basis, and we want to make sure everyone is safe, we makewe ar, and we have contingency plans, but we monitor on a regular basis, and we want to make sure everyone is safe, so we make a decision based on that. we could not be more excited. we have got thousands of people signed up to get community credentials. we are thrilled to be able to welcome tens of thousands more people than ever before, so we are going to do everything we can to stay there and continue that great evening. the second thing is enthusiasm.

i think i just answered that. the excitement and passion folks have not just for this convention but this president and the causes he believes in and the vision for our future is possible normally, and is a lot more so this week, and i think the energy and excitement for what is at stake and the importance of this election has really ratcheting enthusiasm, and we are seeing a great deal of excitement across the region. >> it is a question for mayor of year-ago 7 -- villairagosa. could you talk about the role hispanic voters have in this convention? the keynote speaker and how this translates into the

politics of the democratic party? >> i think a little different than republicans. we will have one all lot more delegates. latino delegates, african- americans, women, asians, people from every walk of life. i think you will see in addition to having very prominent roles as the keynote speaker, in my case sharing this convention -- chairing this convention, you will also see our platform expresses my values. we have a platform for comprehensive reform. these are our values, and i think you will see a reflection of that. you will see a reflection on the president's record on issues, whether it is the 9 million latinos that will benefit from the affordable care

act, 150,000 latinos that got student loans because of the work of president obama, the 2 million latinos hold out of poverty, so the face of our party will reflect the values of our party. the platform is open, accessible convention will reaffirm that. >> can someone tell me what role has the university of california played in funding the obama campaign and also in funding the obama campaign? >> thousands of individual contributions from students. i am not quite sure the answer to that question.

are you looking at no particular effort in charlatan? >> is it true that the university of california is one of the biggest funders of the obama campaign? >> i think that probably speaks to graduates' or students at the university who have contributed, but the you want to speak about what you are seeing on the ground in terms of support? >> i am a regent of the university of california and a graduate of ucla. go, bruins. they do not talk about what is

going on in california, but california is very strongly in support of president obama. people ask me when i am washington, d.c., or campaigning, why would the mayor of los angeles to be in florida, new mexico, nevada, and i said it is simple. it matters to the people of california who is in the white house. we believe we have benefited greatly by the policies of president obama. we believe strongly the bush policies set us back. you talk about enthusiasm. we know president obama will win. we have tens of thousands of volunteers across california who will be calling into nevada, colorado, every state here in california. this is why you ought to vote. there are two tabs, a crystal

clear choice before us. one man, our president, wants to invest in the middle class. another will take us back to the failed policies that got us the worst recession since the great depression, and there is a great deal of support. i do not know who they are talking to. talk to some of the volunteers here. there are kids, older folks like me, they are here and excited. my kids are coming. initially i said, this is a big day. i want my whole family there. they want to work.

they want to do what they can to make this a successful convention, so you see a lot of enthusiasm in california. i saw it in new mexico. i saw it in nevada. i see it in florida, and i will see it in texas when i go to the jefferson-jackson dinner. >> last question right over here. >> a gallon was reporting this morning governor romney's acceptance speech was the lowest rated since 1996. can you talk about whether the president believes an incumbent president's acceptance speech can help him win and what framework he is thinking about, and what measurement he would use to measure the success of it? >> let me start by addressing the piece about the gallup poll and governor romney's speech.

most americans are looking for answers to the questions about how we are going to restore economic security for the middle class. the middle class has been stretched thin, so they want to know how we are going to create good paying sustainable jobs for the middle class and insurer america wins a race to the talk, and the republican convention did not address those questions last week. we heard the same recycle and widely the bug attacks against the president we have being treated widely -- heard the same widely debunked attacks against president.

we are going to use this convention to answer those questions. we are going to have an honest question about where we were in 2008. manufacturing was in decline. the auto industry was on the brink. we have made progress. businesses created new jobs. we created more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs after that sector had been in decline, but now we need to lay on the pillars of how we are going to restore economic security for the middle class, and that involves paying out the deficit now in a balanced way. that involved in building the economy with education and infrastructure. every speaker chosen will address how we are going to build the economy, whether that

is one of the american heroes, someone who overcame adversity and made a contribution to rebuilding our economy. you are starting to see those on the president's trip. you start to see that in ohio, a gm worker who was laid off and has now been rehired, so the president believes his speech will be the opportunity it not to just talk about where we come from, but to lay down that vision, because that is the issue on top of most americans' minds. the speech is not final yet. it is something he will be working on throughout the trip, leading to charlotte. he has laid out the basis for the speech and the questions he will answer, and i think this race has been closed and

competitive all along. the chairman anticipated romney would get the visible bumped out of their convention. that has not happened. even florida has remained steady. this has been a tight race in key states over the last year and a half. i think if you are undecided you want to see that vision for the middle class. now that is what the president will lay out this week, and i think that will bring to a resolution that they would like to continue that progress instead of going to the same economic policies that caused the crisis in the first place. i think we have to wrap their. -- there. >> starting tomorrow, watch >> here is a live look at the time warner cable arena in charlotte, north carolina.

good on day one, speakers will include the san antonio mayor castro and first lady obama. we will be live. starting tomorrow, gavel-to- gavel coverage carolina. coming up tonight, we hear from president obama at a labor day rally with the united auto workers and then a campaign rally with paul ryan in greenville, north carolina. that is followed by the preview of the convention. heading into the democratic national convention,we will hear from delegates charlotte. >> i am from south carolina.

the most important issue for me is financial and immigration. >> and i am from burlington, vermont. we are having a wonderful time. host city.ceat >> i am the chairman of the democratic party, and i am pleased to be here for the convention, and i am supporting our rafik obama for president. >> i am with the colorado delegation. the most important issue for meat is health care. i was pleased we got a health care bill passed, and it is such an important issue, and we should be supporting the president for that reason. >> i am going to vote for president obama because of women's issues and latino issues, and i am proud to be

voting for him. >> you can visit c-span convention hub to watch videos and clips and up load your video. 2012. send a message to the president competition. in a short video, students will answer the question, what is the most important issue the president should consider in 2014 when amonte and this is open to students grades 6 through 12. for complete details and rules, go online. hosted by the united auto workers union.

who refuse to back the auto industry. >> hello, toledo. it is good to be in toledo, smiththank you.

>> obama, obama! >> thank you so much. first of all, i have got to say thank you for that outstanding introduction. give a round of applause. i was listening backstage, and i preaching going on. folks in the crowd were going, yes.

it is great to see so many good behalf of working families every day. we have got sheriff and brown, one of the best senators in the country, one of the bestwe have got my friend, your in the house. we have got your outstanding uaw president in the house. president of the national

education association, so we have got some working people in to everybody working hard each and every day, happy labor day. happy labor day. feel free to take a seat. i have got some things to say. for those of you who do not have knees a little bit. sometimes folks standing too long drops off. we are on the way to our convention in charlotte this week, but i wanted to stop in toledo to spend this day witha day the belongs to the working

men and women of america, teachers and factory workers and students and families and small have got some prada autoworkers toledo back. it is working folks like you who fought for jobs for generations of american workers. it is working people like you things we are taking for granted 40-hour work week, weekends, and no pension, minimum-wage, -- care, medicare.

those things happen because working people organized andit is unions like yours that help support the basic bargain of this country, the bargain that both the greatest middle- country and the most prosperous economy the world has ever known. you know what that is, because it is simple. work hard, if you are

responsible, your work should be rewarded. if you put in enough effort, you should be able to find a jobyou should be able to afford a home to call your own. can count on if you get sick, retire, maybe take a vacation every once in awhile -- nothing fancy, but you can enjoy your importantly, that you can provide your children with an education to make sure they do [applause] says no matter who you are, no on no matter where you come name is common on no matter who if

you tried. for. second term as president of the united states of america. their sales pitch at their convention down in florida. >> boo! vote. i have to say, it was something despite all the challenges we face in this new century, we saw agenda out of last century.

you might as well have watched it on black-and-white tv with some rabbit ears. it should have been on nick at nite. if you did not dvr it, let me give you a basic recap of what they said. good the economy is bad. it is all obama's fault, and governor romney has the secret to creating jobs and growing the economy.

they spent the most time on me. they were talking about me, and there was a lot of hard truths nobody bothered to tell you what romney had his chance to let you creation, he did not offer you a single new idea. policies that have been sticking it to the middle class four years, and after the convention governor romney came here to ohio, and he said he is going to be the coach that leads america to a winning season. playbook.

on first down, he hikes taxes by family with kids in order to pay roughness to me. [applause] on second down, he undoes reforms. that are there to protect our air and water and workers' rights, to make sure health care is there for you when you get calls for a hail mary.

giving seniors a voucher to pay out of their pocket. there is a flag on the play, loss of an additional $6,400 a get now. that is their economic and i the romney ryan game plan. it will not work. you do not need that. there was one person at the entirely on script.

folks how bad things are, your governor -- do not boo. john k. six stood up there and told everyone ohio is number one in the midwest in job creation, because if it is all obama's fault and nothing is going right, what is going on in ohio? all the governors doing, but i memory, because a lot of those

jobs are autoworkers' jobs like yours. supports one in eight jobs in ago when the auto industry was flat lining what was in his playbook? do you remember that? not just for ohio but forif america had thrown in the towel just like that, and gm and chrysler would not be there. as well, a production shutdown,once proud companies shut down and sold for scrap,

and all the men and women who built those spent for good. more than 1 million americans lost their jobs in the middle of the great depression. been another great depression, and it is not just workers. depends on you -- owners, the server in the diner who knows your order before you walk in, the bartender who knows your order before you walk-in. their livelihood is at stake as well, and so is something else. how many auto workers were on

dad's and granddads and mothers worked on the same line? and fourth generation? you hope to work on those same paycheck. they are ticket into middle- class life. they are a symbol of america's innovation. might. for, what is? we're not going to give up on your jobs and communities. we are not going to lead detroit go bankrupt or toledo go bankrupt.

manufacturing. i will make that bet any day of that is paying off for america out. audience: we love you, obama! >> three years later, the american auto industry comes back, 200 and -- nearly 350,000 new jobs, so it is funny seeing governor romney and governor casey, and others who have tried to rewrite history and now that you are back on your feet. these are the folks who said if we went back on our plan you can kiss the american automotive industry goodbye. now they are saying it was their idea all along. seriously.

or what they are saying is the problem is that you, the workers, made out like bandits in this whole thing, that we did this whole thing because it is all about paying back unions. really? even by the standard of political campaigns, that is a lot of you know what. workers made some of the biggest sacrifices. 700,000 retirees sought a reduction in the health benefits they earn. the hours were reduced, pay and wages were scaled back. you gave up of promise and was made for you for the sake of fellow workers and the company. you made sacrifices, which is why i do not understand why these folks have the nerve to talk about your life you are a greedy special interest to the needs to be beaten down, after all the unions have done to build and protect the middle class. they were saying you are responsible for what has taken place.

they make sure construction workers conduct fair trade. dayan blame teachers and public servants for what happened instead of what happened on wall street and the historic clash. what you need to know is when they are trying to take your collective bargaining rights away, when they are trying to pass a right to work cause, which really means the right to work for less and less, you should know this is not about economics. this is about politics. this notion that you should per soon anti-worker policies in the hopes that unions like yours will unravel. it is the same top down philosophy that says everyone should fend for themselves. on thursday i am going to offer what i believe is a better path forward. a path that is going to grow the economy and create more jobs and strengthen the middle class, and the good news is starting on october 2, as you get to vote early. [applause] then you can choose which path

to take. you can choose their plan. you can choose to give massive new tax cuts to those who have already made it, or you can choose my plan, to keep taxes low for every american in the middle class and every american striving to get into the middle class. four years ago i promise to cut taxes for a middle-class families, and i have cut taxes by a total of $3,600 for the typical family, and now i am

trying to make sure taxes are not raised a single dime on the firs $250,000 of any family's income. that is 98% of americans. it may be 98.9% of this auditorium. your taxes will not go up kebab because my belief is you need relief to the ragged i do not need to -- your taxes will not go up because my belief is you need relief. mitt romney does not need relief, but that is a choice in this election. you can choose whether we give

new jobs to ohio or whether we keep them in states like ohio. unlike my opponent, i want to stop giving tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas. i want to give those tax breaks to companies investing right here in toledo, right here in the united states, all across toledo and the midwest. you can decide whether borrowing money from your parents is an answer when a young person asks how they are going to go to college. you heard about that, right and mine this young college student says, how can i get help going

to college? they said, you need to borrow money from your parents. i guess that is one of approach. i have got a different approach that says let's make sure americans lead the world in educating our kids and training our workers for the jobs of tomorrow, and that means let's hire more teachers, especially in math and science. let's help more folks go to community colleges to get trained in the skills that employers are hiring for right now, because the truth is some sort of higher education, that is not a luxury anymore. that is an economic necessity that every family should be able to afford, and that is what i am going to be fighting for.

that is what i am going to be fighting for. you can choose an energy plan like the other guy is offering for that is written for the oil companies, or you can choose and all of the above strategy for american energy, which means we drill for more oil, but it also means we are going after the energy sources for the future. my opponent said renewable energy sources are imaginary, but folks here manufacturing solar panels might disagree. these jobs are not imaginary. now they are our future, and i want to stop giving a $4 billion a year subsidy to oil companies making money every time you go to the pump, and i want to use that money for

companies that are creating jobs right here in ohio. it is up to you whether we go to gold health care system and decide when to cover you and where to cover you and drops you when you need it most. i think we should move forward with the new health-care bill that is already cutting costs and saving lives. they call it obamacare. it is true i care. is true. -- it is true. [applause] i guess the other side of the plan is the romney does not care side.

now is not the time to fight the battle of the last four years. we need to move forward. you get to decide what the future of the war in afghanistan is. did you notice governor romney did not say a word about our troops who are in harm's way over there? because of my plan, 33,000 of them will have come home by the end of this month. [applause] he said ending the war in iraq was tragic. i think it was the right thing to do. i said we would end that war. we did. i said we would go after a al qaeda. we did. i said we would take out bin laden. we did. [applause]

our troops are out of iraq. we are bringing them out of afghanistan, and as long as i am commander in chief, we will serve our veterans as well as they served us, because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home. that is why i am running for a second term. we have got some big choices we have got to make, and the other side is going to spend the next two months fighting back with everything they have got. they are going to give you an avalanche of attack ads and insults and distractions, and they may mossad's the truth a little bit -- massage the truth a little bit, and they will be

given $10 million checks from wealthy donors. even if you do not vote for them, they say maybe we will discourage people with all these negative ads so you will decide to sit this one out. >> no! >> i am counting on something different. i am counting on you. if you are not registered to vote, you have got to go to gottaregister.com. not got to register. gotta.

if you want to find out how to vote early, starting on october 2, you need to go to gottavote.com. not got to vote. gotta. gotta register, gotta vote, because we got a whole lot more work to do. we have got more jobs to create. we have got more cars to build. we have got more schools and more great teachers to higher and more young people to send to college, and we have got more troops to bring home and more veterans we got to take care of and more doors of opportunity we have got to open up for everybody willing to

walk through them. that is what is at stake in this election. that is why i am asking for your vote. that is why i need you to knock on doors. that is why i need you to get on the phone. i need you to talk to your friends. i need you to talk to your neighbors. i need you to stand with me, ohio, and if we win toledo, we will win ohio, and if we win ohio, we will win this election. if we win this election, we will finish what we started, and we will remind the world why the united states of america is the greatest nation on earth. god bless you, and god bless america. [applause] ♪

>> ♪ knocking on the door ♪ ♪good hearts turned to stone ♪ we take care of our own ♪we take care of our own wherever this flag is flown ♪ we take care of our own ♪ from chicago to new orleans, from the muscle to the bone ♪

from the shotgun shack to the superdome ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we take care of our own ♪ we take care of our own ♪ wherever the fly is alone, -- the flag is flown, we take care of our own ♪ ♪ ♪ we are guys, the will to see ♪ where are the hearts, where is the love that has not forsaken me ♪ ♪ where is the spirit that will

reign over me ♪ ♪ wherever the flag is flown we take care of our own ♪ ♪ we take care of our own ♪ where ever the flag is flown ♪ we take care of our own ♪

fax after this rally, president obama went to louisiana to a survey ongoing who recovery efforts from hurricane isaac. the president will speak at the democratic convention on thursday, which you can see live on c-span. the democratic national convention starts tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 eastern. democrats will be presented with the convention platform. jimmy carter was the to the crowd on video. the keynote address will be delivered by the mayor of san antonio. then remarked from first lady michelle obama. live gavel-to-gavel recovered -- coverage is here on c-span.

first lady michelle obama will speak to the delegates at the national convention on tuesday. she visited the time warner cable are reno. -- arena. [no audio] [no audio]

♪ >> if we turn away from the

needs of others, we align ourselves with those forces that are bringing about the suffering. >> we ought to take advantage of it. >> obesity in this country is nothing short of a public health crisis. >> when somebody had their own agenda. >> i think they serve at -- as a window on the past to what is going on with american women. >> she becomes the chief confidante. she is really, the only one in the world he can trust. >> many of the women who work first ladies, a lot of the war writers, journalists. they wrote books. >> there are quite frankly, more interesting as human beings and their husbands. if only because they are not defined and politically limited

by ambition. >> dolly was politically savvy. >> dolly madison loved every minute of it. mrs. monroe absolutely hated it. >> you cannot rule without including what women want and what women have to contribute. >> there was too much looking down. i think it was a little too fast. not enough change of pace. >> probably the most tragic of all of our first ladies. they never shared a bed. >> she later wrote in her memoir that she said, i, myself never made any decision. my only decided what was important and when to presented to my husband. you stop and think about how much power that is. it is a lot of power.

>> part of the battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease. >> she transformed the way we looked at these bugaboos and made it possible for countless people to survive and to flourish as a result. i do not know how many presidents realistically have that kind of impact on the way we live our lives. >> just walking around the white house grounds, i am constantly reminded about all of the people who have lived there before, and particularly, all of the within. >> first ladies, influence and image, a new series on c-span produced in cooperation with the white house historical association. coming in february, 2013.

>> coming up next, paul ryan in greenville, north carolina. >> anytime want to get the real message on what is going on, c- span is the source. i do not have to filter through 10 million people. akin here through the horse's mouth. -- i can hear from the horse's mouth. >> c-span is brought to you by the public service of your

television provider. >> republican and vice presidential candidate paul ryan spoke in north carolina today. >> hey, hey. awesome. wow. thank you. you know, i was just talking to pat. he tells me you are going to win next week. go pirates! thank you so much, greenville. it is really nice to be here. i also hear that you have really good barbecue. my old buddy ron hayes is here, too.

i am so happy to be here with your next governor pat mccrory. [applause] friends, there is a little gathering going on in charlotte. [audience booing] we know your governor is over there and your lieutenant governor and we also know president obama is going to be there. and president obama is going to be giving it a big speech. and there are going to be a lot of speeches, a lot of words. let me quote president obama four years ago, "if you do not have our record to run on, then you paid your opponent as someone to run from." ladies and gentleman, that is exactly what president obama is doing today. [applause] you see, the president has no

record to run on. in fact, every president from the great depression who asked america to send them into a second term could say you were better off except for jimmy carter and except for president obama. [applause] in july of 1980, the unemployment rate was 7.8%. for the past 42 months, it has been above 8% under barack obama's failed leadership. when businesses go bankrupt -- when businesses go bankrupt, that means fewer paychecks. fewer jobs. carolina is 9.6%. in 1980, under jimmy carter 330 businesses filed for bankruptcy.

last year, 1.4 million businesses filed for bankruptcy. we have a very clear choice. take a look of people having a hard time making mortgage payments. 77,000 delinquent mortgages by the time jimmy carter left office. under president obama, 3 million. so, when you take a look here in charlotte today, the president can say a lot of things and he will, but he cannot tell you that you are better off. the jimmy carter years look like the good old days compared to where we are right now. [applause] and so, that is why we have a very crystal clear choice. we can either choose to stay on the path that we are on, the path of debt, the power of the

doubt and decline, the path of joblessness, or we can get things turned around. we can elect mitt romney the next president of united states. we can get america back on track. that is what we can do. [applause] after four -- i love you, too, man. [laughter] runaround, it is time for a turnaround. romney. [applause] what is missing is leadership. leadership to actually see the problem and fix the problem. mitt romney is the kind of person whose entire life story tells us this is the kind of leader we need. very few times before have i ever seen a situation where the man and the moment meet so perfectly.

look at what this man has done with his life. look at the beautiful family he has raised. look at the communities he has supported. look at the tens of thousands of jobs he has helped create. were back in salt lake? remember the stories of spending? sounds familiar, doesn't it? what did they do? in utah, they asked the man from massachusetts to drop everything and say the. he moved his family. he said the olympics. he turned around. he made it an american success it. [applause] look at what the man has done in business. and by the way -- is a good

thing to be successful in business. we do not think that is bad. we do not resent people who are successful in business. we want to emulate people. when what more people to be successful in business. that is how you create jobs and prosperity. [applause] mitt romney was a man who turned around struggling businesses, who started small businesses, who helped big businesses. i am so proud to stand up to -- next to a man who knows from experience that if you built a small business, you can have the small business. [applause] just line up the record of these two gentleman when they served in public life. under president obama, we have 23 million men and women in this country struggling to find work. 9.6% unemployment right here in

north carolina. one of every six americans today is living in poverty. that is the highest rate in the generation. take a look at family income. household income in this country as a result of these failed economic policies has gone down $4,000 over the last four years. the credit rating of united states of america, our precious credit rating, has been downgraded for the first time in the history of our country. when mitt romney was governor of massachusetts, he led. when he was governor of massachusetts, unemployment went down. when mitt romney was governor of massachusetts, household income rose $5,000. when mitt romney was governor of massachusetts, the credit rating improved in massachusetts. [applause] that is the kind of leadership

we need. and remember, when president obama about four years ago said we are not read states or blue states, we are just the united states of america. we will set aside job listings and get things done for the people. this is the most divisive atmosphere i have seen and this is the third president i have served with. when it mitt romney was the governor of massachusetts, nine of 10 legislators in his legislature were democrats. he did not demonize them. he did not demagogue. he reached across the aisle and he passed the budget withoutthat is the kind of leadership we need. [applause] now we are going to hear a lot of words this week. but here is the final word

we're not going to hear. we are not going to hear about how people are better off. you see the president cannot run on his record. that is why he will be running a campaign based on envy and division based on frustration guess what? we are not going to fall for it, are we? audience: no! >> and then he will talk about medicare. i am excited about this debate. we will win this debate on medicare. [applause] let me tell you why. would you probably -- under obamacare, president obama takes $716 billion from medicare to pay for obamacare. the call that an achievement.

i understand there are a lot of people who go to medical school here. medicare -- obamacare is the greatest threat to medicare and obamacare is among the greatest threats to young people who want a future in health care and the best way we can give people a future with health care and save medicare is if we repeal obamacare. that is what we are going to do. [cheers and applause] we want to be in control of our health care. we want to keep the promise. and so, we do not think it is just enough to point out terrible policies. we do not think it is just enough to point out the kind of ugly campaign that is being run. we owe you an alternative. we want to earn your support. we want to deserve victory. we want to make sure that when

you go to the polls, you know that you get a very clear choice of two futures. here is what we are going to do to get people back to work in this country. here are the ideas. that is what the romney-rights plan for a stronger middleclass get people from welfare to work. is about getting people back on their feet again. it is about free enterprise. [applause] we believe in the principles that made this country the greatest, the most freest, most prosperous country in this land.

that is what made this country great. [applause] hour at 5-point plan is really quite. one, we've got a lot of energy in this country. let's use that energy in this country. create jobs, lower gas prices. keystone pipeline, natural gas, oil, coal, nuclear. renewables, all of it. and look at the people struggling to find jobs. we want them to be able to go to great institutions like ecu to get in the education training system so they can get those jobs and get those skills.

[applause] and by the way, we know that if we make more things like these great boats you make here -- very cool boats, by the way. and we know if we grow more things with our fantastic agricultural prospects america has, we can sell more things overseas. that is why we need training that works. [applause] we need to level the playing field for our agricultural community. we need to level the playing field for our manufacturers. and we need to crack down on countries that she'd like china so we can make sure that americans play on a level

playing field and if we do that, we when. we need to create jobs right here. there is one issue that is something i have worked on a long time. it seems to me like common- sense. has escaped the president. he has been lacking in leadership. but all the things he has promised and he has done, it is basically this. we have got to stop spending money we just don't have. we have got to cut spending. we have got to get this budget deficit under control. we have got to get this deficit under control. it is draining jobs. it is hurting our economy. and it is clearly mortgaging our children's future. and the engine of economic growth, the job creators of this country, are the small businesses. need to champion small

businesses. we need to help them out. he will hear the president talk about this a lot. he will say that we just want to cut taxes for really well the people at the expense of everyone else. here's how the game works in washington. and by the way, the republicans are just as guilty of this as democrats. what happens is, you pay your taxes. you send your money to washington. been special interest groups, and they carve out the tax code. and if you do what they want you to do, then you might get some of that money back. we just want you to keep your money in the first place. [applause] it is really simple. we don't think jobs and prosperity and growth are pick winners and losers.

so what we are saying is plug all the loopholes so everyone is the tax rate down by least 20%. this means small businesses, families keep more of what they earn so they can keep their money, make their decisions, decide what they want to do with their lives, inst in businesses, create jobs. [applause] you can do this without even -- more importantly, you get people off the unemployment line and back to earning a paycheck. their lives are dignified. they are paying taxes. everybody wins. where i come from, we usually think of lake superior as overseas. other countries around the world, they figured this thing out. that figure out if they attack

their businesses all lot more than their competitors are, they will lose jobs. well guess what? canada, one of our biggest competitors, one of our biggest trade partners, they lowered the tax rates for all their businesses 15% last january. president obama is requiring, is pushing that the top tax rate on all the successful small businesses were most of our jobs come from are up by 40% in january. [audience boos] 8 out of 10 businesses in america file their taxes as individuals, as people. we call number -- call them llc's or partners. if we tax our businesses at a higher rate than our competitors, then we lose. and by the way, all these policies the president is spending in washington. that is not the way to createthe way to create prosperity is to unleash the entrepreneur. let them provide. let them build businesses that they build.

that is how you create jobs and prosperity. [applause] we don't think the president's idea of taking money from families, of taking money from successful small businesses, and constituencies -- solyndra and the rest -- picking the winners, is regulating. if this kind of economics works, then we would be enjoying a golden age along with greece. it does not work. but this campaign is not just about jobs or the economy or prosperity. it is much bigger than not. no matter what generation you come from, this really is the most important election in your lifetime. it is.

[applause] and the reason is because we will be determining not who is going to be president for the next four years. we are going to be determining the path of america for at least a generation. what kind of country do we want to have? what kind of people do we want to be? that is what is on the ballot. if i could boil this down, it is basically this. our founders thought it right. our rights come from nature and god and not from government. that is the american idea. [applause] that is the entire vision of america. we believe government is there to secure all right. we believe the president has

compromised national security. we believe the goal of government is for -- to promote be equality of opportunity. we believe in freedom and liberty works. we want to stick with it. when we apply those principles and elect good men and women to go to washington to turn this around, we will look back on this moment and say we got it right. "the americans can be counted upon to do the right thing, but only after they have exhausted all the other possibility is," compared -- said winston churchill. i think he got it right about now. this is the commitment meet and mitt romney will make your fellow citizens. we will not kick the can down the road. we will leave. we will not blame others for the next four years and play

the policies of division. we will take responsibility. we will get that done. [applause] and we will not try to replace our founding principles or try something it was never intended to be. we will reapply our founding [applause] this is a defining moment. the president cannot tell you that you are better off. and if we want to improve things, then how would this administration to accomplish that? it would not. friends, north carolina is crucial. eastern north carolina is crucial. this is one of those kinds of elections where individual states may make the

determination not just of who the next governor is going to be or who the next president is going to be, but what kind of land your kids are going to inherit. this is it. we can do it. the point i want to make to you is it is in our control. we are americans. we can control our own destiny. we can do this. this is something we can get done. god bless you all and thank you for coming out today. we can do this. thank you very much. thank you very much. ♪

>> ♪ riding down the highway goin' to a show stop in all the byways playing rock n' roll getting robbed getting stoned getting beat uo broken boned getting had getting took i tell you folks it's harder than it looks it's a long way to the top if you want to rock n' roll it's a long way to the top if you want to rock n' roll one-night stands

if you want to rock and roll ♪ ♪ doud >> the democratic national convention starts tomorrow afternoon. former president jimmy carter will speak with the crop on video. the keynote address will be delivered by the mayor of san antonio. all our live gavel-to-gavel coverage, here on c-span. starting tomorrow, watch the coverage of the convention. every minute, every speech, live, here on c-span.

c-span previews the convention next. >> we are asking middle school and high-school students to send a message to the present -- to the president. students will answer the question -- what is the most important issue the president should consider in 2014. there is $50,000 in total prize available. this is open to students grades 6 through 12. go on line for more information. >> looking forward to hearing this week. jump on in. >> i will go ahead. >> i am looking for to hearing

presidency -- president clinton. a great motivator. >> i am looking forward to the congressman speaking right before the oakland and. >> i am looking forward to joe biden. he gets under republicans' scan. -- skin. >> my heart is always with my home state. i think he is so talented. we loved it. i cannot wait. >> joe biden. the republicans have made this guy out to be a clown. he has been around the block. he is a fighter. he is a middle-class guy. he will get out there and tell him what they -- tell them what he really thinks.

this is a real. i am excited to hear him fight back against paul ryan and mitt romney. >> we love joe. >> on washington journal, we will focus on the convention. at 11:00 a.m., the mayor of charlotte on how the city has prepared for the convention. that is followed by bob morgan. "washington journal" at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. a conversation tuesday with valerie jarrett. you can see it live starting at 7:55 a.m. eastern here on c- span.

>> c-span's gavel-to-cavill coverage starts tomorrow at 5:00 eastern. featured speakers include at the san antonio mayor and first lady michelle obama. wednesday, former president bill clinton. thursday, joe biden and president barack obama. >> this november, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of americans. for you, and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. the work begins anew. the hope rises again.

>> share your opinions. >> my name is dawn. i am here because i am supporting a visionary. looking forward rather than looking back. >> i am from vermont. i am supporting president obama because i believe we all need to reinvest in america to make it successful for the future. >> i am a delegate from south carolina. my main purpose for this convention is to reelect president obama because i know president obama cares for us. >> connect with other c-span viewers on a sweater. -- on twitter. ♪ >> on this labor day monday, the start of the fall presidential

campaign. tomorrow and wednesday, delegates will gather inside the arena. on thursday, the president will formally accept his party's it nomination. this is the first time charlotte has hosted a national convention. let's begin with a look at the convention scheduled for the next couple of days. tomorrow, the democrats will vote on the convention platform. then, a video address with jimmy carter. first lady michelle obama on day one of this convention. the nominating speech is by former president bill clinton. the roll call of states will

happen after 11:00 eastern time. thursday, from the stadium, senator john kerry, and then the acceptance speech by president obama. joining us here in the arena, thank you very much for being with us. >> hello. >> there seem to be two questions folks are asking. the obama campaign, and the romney campaign. what is going on here? >> i think what the obama campaign has been trying to argue all along, and whether people will by this i do not know, is not where you better off for years ago but are you better off with barack obama's policies.

how specific obama policies have helped them, but a lot of energy will be poured into schering the heck out of people. i do think that will be the balance here at this convention. >> you are talking to the obama campaign people. >> there are a couple of things that are going on. they are completely downplaying the idea the republicans got anything out of that convention. they understand they have to motivate their base, which is what they will be doing a lot of here. they really pioneered the use of a political convention as -- the a tool. they are going to try to do that

here. this is a swing state. they will try to use this convention to get their ground operation here and in virginia supercharged. >> the weather conditions look kilobit better. the forecast calling for partly cloudy conditions on thursday. the backup plan is to have a president here in the arena. certainly, hopefully the weather will go well. one of the questions is whether or not they will fill the stadium. >> the conventions really are and that the television audience. looking at the ratings numbers out of the republican convention, people are turning the channel and going elsewhere. there was a 40% drop off in the ratings between sarah palin's acceptance speech in 2008 and paul ryan's in 2000 -- paul ryan's last week.

they tend to be older, 55 years or older. what is the value of these conventions in the 21st century? >> the numbers coming out >> did the republican campaign get a bounce nationally? showing in north carolina, he is ahead at the moment? >> is really hard to measure a bounce. our polling director who i think is really one of the best in the business was saying that there are a couple of problems. conventions are back-to-back and the other problem is there is a holiday weekend in the middle. they are just notoriously hard for pollsters because people are doing other stuff. right now, and looks like they were pretty flat coming out of the convention but i think that the polls are particularly unreliable at this moment. >> new convictions matter? do they need to change? >> of the democrats have

skilled theirs back to three days from four days. the republicans had to do with them voluntarily thanks to a couple of hurricanes. i heard more and more people in tampa last week really questioning the value of this. that included the speaker saying that four days is just too long. even john sununu said i don't think we will be doing this again. at this point, there will be doing something like this, but given the amount of money that these cost, $100 million to put on, there will be a lot of rethinking. >> lee shared what the democrats are saying about republicans. today, the republicans aimed at the obama campaign. this video was released a couple hours ago. >> these are the steps that we must take. right out.

to start getting the economy back on track. to help create jobs and grow this economy. we are going to end our dependence on foreign oil. we will recruit an army of new teachers. we will make college affordable. we will repair are crumbling roads and bridges. tonight, more americans are out of work. families are looking for work. at a time when so many people are struggling to keep up. if you are willing to work with me and even harder in this direction, i promise you change will come. >> a republican national committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. >> its teams to carry out the

themes that people that were excited about the president may be disappointed in him today. >> i think the measures of looking at the democratic base suggested the democrats are not very excited about this election, but it is a different kind of excitement. four years ago, it was idealistic and i think, basically, a more of the kind of excitement. this time around it is fear and it is anger and it really reflects the nature of our politics. he i saw a lot of that negative energy in tampa, too. you don't have the aspirational sense that you had from both parties for years ago. >> carry this in charlotte, n.c., a correspondent for the washington post along with the team leading the coverage. their work is available on-line.

the delegates continue to arrive on labor day. how much enthusiasm as this year to four years ago from the base of the party? those that go back and try to recruit supporters and get the vote to the folks on election day? >> we hear that the number of volunteers has fallen. and again, i think it is partly because of the difficult economic times. people have other concerns than politics in their lives. i think some people are turned off by the anchor. but the democratic base continues to tell pollsters that they are very enthusiastic about this election. for the first time in our washington post poling, we see a similar level of enthusiasm among republicans. the most conservative

republicans are as excited as the most liberal democrats are. i think the one reason for that is paul ryan. >> of denver, colorado and senator barack obama accepted the nomination. compare what he said then to what we might hear this thursday. >> four years ago, i stood before you ever told you my story. the brief union between a young man from kenya and a young woman from kansas that were not well off or well known. but shared the belief that america, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. it is that promise that has set this country apart. the through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams and still come together as one american family to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well. that is why i stand here

tonight. for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women, farmers at teachers, nurses -- they found the courage to keep it alive. we meet at one of those the fighting motions when our nation is at war had our economy is in turmoil. tonight, more americans are out of work. more of you have lost your homes in the even more are watching your home values plummet. more of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, those you can't afford to pay it tuition beyond your reach. these challenges are not all of government making. but the failure to response is a direct result of liberal and

politics in washington that the failed policies of george w. bush. [applause] america, we are better than this last eight years. we are a better country than this. >> that speech part of the video library. you can check it out with the last convention speeches. that was four years ago. the karen, what will we hear this week? >> barack obama was saying, let's go out and make history. he was also selling himself as an agent that could fix what was wrong with washington. we also saw that in the three presidents that were elected before him. they all were claiming, i can

bridge the gap, bridge the partisanship. the partisanship is worse than it has ever been. what we are hearing now is that washington is broken. the american voter are going to have to pick a side and break this high. one side or the other is right. it is a different kind of message this time around. whether we hear it this week, i assume we will. we are still trying to hear where he is going to sort of take this forward from here. >> we are going to go down to the floor with our colleague and a guest. >> lots of people on the floor right now out in the media folks with cameras pointed toward the podium because we heard first lady obama is coming out for her orientation. we have known for a long time,

the political editor. this media here shows the competition of people after increasingly useless events. >> we are trying to create more news events and we are focusing on a little more enterprise work. trying to stay away from the everyday things that go on and we build this new collection meter to be able to track the sentiment on twitter of people towards barack obama and governor romney. we want to see what people are saying about these guys. people are like, they are up and down. >> kinney said that the specific events that might cause people hosea attention? can you follow individual states? gosh you can't follow individual states because the pool was too small. what we have been able to do is

but to them. we are getting a score for 12 of the swing states that will be battlegrounds in this election as well as a national number for the states combined. and we are able to put some de- specific events on the meter so you can see why this number jumped so high or why obama is popular today. the democrats wanted to send nice things to the president on his birthday. >> there is a lot of excitement about whether on this convention. the people are here saying this is the first letter of election. untillly won't know election day how close a monitor is of voter sentiment. >> we are excited about the meter, we have no idea what it is telling us. we won't know. over time, we will be better at analyzing it and be able to

prepare the outcomes to see if it told us anything that what polling data did. we think that if nothing else, it is interesting to watch and see the conversation trending in the social media spaces can see how quickly it dissolves. by next week, they are on something else entirely. >> we have an active community today. >> the easiest way is to go to the usa today online and if you google yet, the twitter alexian meter, it is there. there are hash tags. i am happy to sell directions. >> the first lady waited until you were done. >> karen, we talked about the 24/7 news cycle. the news media has the of the process, hasn't it?

>> i am wondering this week if i need to shut down by twitter account while the speeches are under way because there is this entirely separate conversation going on simultaneously. it sharpens our understanding in some ways and in others, it distracts us. >> we saw that last week with clint eastwood. it created an avalanche, an explosion of tweets during the last hour of the republican convention. >> letter was valuable during the paul ryan speech that people were treating the factual errors as it was happening. one thing people don't understand is that in a print

publication, my deadline was 10:45 at night which meant that the press is start running even as the speakers are still speaking, essentially. it is a real challenge, but the web allows us to catch up with things before our next edition. >> i know you are a native of san antonio, but as a visitor and we look at some of the scenes, give our viewers a sense of what is happening on labor day monday and how this is leading up to what will occur tomorrow, wednesday, and thursday. >> and the democrats are trying to get a feel of openness about this event at a sort of community celebration. there is a lot of good music and food out there. and really a very diverse crowd of people. if they lower the temperature by 10 degrees, it would have been perfect.

>> this is labor day and in past campaigns cycles, democrats and republicans have been feverishly campaigning. how does it matter, should it be campaigning? or is it irrelevant? >> of the campaign is putting out this video, and we have to remember that these candidates are human beings. i can only imagine how completely exhausted governor romney and his family must feel right now. sometimes i feel like it is better for a candidate to recharge the batteries can get another burst of steam going, especially since this will be a week in which the democrats get first crack at dominating the message. >> a barack obama made his national debut in boston in july of 2004.

a lot of attention on the mayor of san antonio tomorrow as he delivers the keynote address. let's take a look back at what he said in 2004. >> is that fundamental belief, the fundamental belief that i am my brother's keeper. i am my sister's keeper that makes this country work. it is what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and still come together as one american family. out of many, one. even as we speak, there are those that are preparing to divide us. the spin masters that embraced the politics of anything goes. i say to them, tonight, there is not a liberal america and a conservative america.

there is the united states of america. there is not a black america and a white america and latin america and asia and america. a there is the united states of america. the pundits like to slice and dice and our country and to read states and blue states. red states for republicans and lose dates for democrats. we were shut off some got in the blue stated we don't like federal agents looking around in our libraries in the red states. we totally and the blue states and we have gay friends in the red states. there are patriots that oppose the war in iraq and there are patriots that support the war in iraq. we are one people, pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes. all of us defending the united states of america.

in the end, that is what this election is about. do we participate in a politics of cynicism? or do we participate in the politics of pe? >> eight years ago by what was that a little-known state senator from illinois, barack obama, a candidate for the senate. as he lived at the trajectory of his life, in 2000, he could not get a credential to get inside the convention. his credit card was rejected. four years later, he gets the key to the address and this week he will excess of the nomination for a second time. >> even as these parties are nominating a candidate for a

three-nominating a candidate, everybody has an eye on for years from now. a lot of people with presidential aspirations are making a point of going over and visiting iowa. these conventions are also about the future of the party. certainly in 2004, the speech that made a career. barack obama was not on anyone's radar. >> he has been just about everywhere including this network. gov. o'malley of maryland and delivering a speech primetime and performing with his help the band. we have not seen much from the governor of new york. >> i honestly don't know what his schedule is here. >> hillary clinton is secretary of state, traditionally the secretary of state does not

attend political events. her husband is delivering a prime-time address that will certainly get a lot of attention. >> that is one of the most highly anticipated speeches of this convention. >> what does he need to do? the new yorker has an extensive piece of of the cool relationship that has warmed up between these two presidents. >> people are close to clinton and they say essentially that divide he was getting from barack obama was, i don't need your advice until fairly recently. what bill clinton has that barack obama, for all of his guests as a politician lacks, ability to sort of reached out and touch white, blue-collar democrats. he can deliver that message in a way that barack obama has struggled to do. i think we are going to hear a

lot. a lot of those people are those that are most affected by this economy and are sort of the swing voter category. >> of the governor of arkansas delivering the speech, in conclusion, part of the video library. i suspect a different speech for president obama. >> i am sure president clinton was relieved that clint eastwood. his own speech will not be considered the biggest gaffe in recent convention speech making history. >> we will check in with you one more time. the democrats have released a time lapse video to show you the republican side, how the candidates * forum was transformed into a political arena. the same place where the bobcats play, the time warner are read out. let's watch. ♪

a time lapse view of the arena as it was transformed into a political arena. the first day as tomorrow. susan is next to the podium. >> i am here with melanie, the national press secretary and has been living in charlotte for six weeks? >> this will be weak seven. i have been here since the end of july. >> we just watched the time lapse video. what is the message that you want to leave america? >> the theme is americans coming together and we have really taken that to heart. we are opening the festivities today. it is an open event and free for all to come and kickoff with the labor day celebration.

we are closing the event at bank of america stadium where obama and vice president by then -- biden will explain and made clear the choice in the election between president obama as vision of moving the country forward and governor romney's vision of moving the country back to the failed economic policies. >> we heard "we did not build this." >> the counter is, that is not true. i find it remarkable that the republicans based an entire evening on false information. i am not shocked. we heard several lies. he was not honest about the plant that closed in wisconsin under the bush administration. not under president obama.

and there were other things that weren't truthful at the convention, it is not shocking at all. what you will hear is the president's vision for moving the country forward, building an economy that is built to last from the middle class out. how different from what we heard in tampa where they want to build an economy from the top down. we will talk about the economy and the to the speakers were selected because they can personally defined in the choice in this election whether it is about the economy or women's health. we're going to hear from a range of speakers. again, moving forward, from the ones to go back to the failed policies of the past. >> of the discussions from the political pundit class, are you better off than four years ago, how do you want to frame the question for voters? >> everyone remembers when the

president of office and we were bleeding 700,000 jobs a month. we are better off than where we were four years ago. do we have more work to do? absolutely. the president is prepared to do that work to continue moving us forward. we have had job growth for the last 28 months. >> you mentioned last night in denver will be the big stadium event. that is a risky and rain storms every afternoon. if you have to move that inside, what does that do for the sendoff with a large crowd? >> we are prepared to go forward rain or shine. we will monitor the weather for the safety of delegates and our friends coming from all over the country. and if there are severe weather warnings, we have contingency plans in place.

right now we are planning to go forward rain or shine. we have lots of people in town that are ready to send the president off for the last stretch of the campaign. >> of the set up for the today show, very critical real estate. will that be there throughout the convention? >> i think being in the middle of the delegates and in the middle, that is where the action is. that is where the shots are and where the excitement will be. each of the speakers talk about how president obama's vision will move the country forward. there will be delegates from all across the country. it is about the grass-roots activists. we have a large delegation, nearly half of which are women. we are proud of the diversity in our delegation. the camera locations all around

to be a part of that action. >> what is your biggest concern as the gavel comes down tomorrow night? >> i do not know if i am as concerned as i am excited to get things rolling. and to send president obama off for the rest of the campaign with a big sendoff. we are really excited. >> six weeks of personal planning all comes down tomorrow. thank you for setting the stage. >> thank you for having me. >> let's go back to caring for a final thought. last week, chuck todd said that his benchmark would be looking at the polls around september 15. that would give him a sense of where the campaign is moving ahead. what are your benchmarks? >> i am looking at those three debates. these conventions are about spelling out broad themes. those three debates are going to be absolutely crucial in seeing

the candidates side by side and in positions where they not only have to defend their own ideas but to explain and get into the details in a way that you just do not see at a convention. >> karen, as always, thank you for being gracious with your time in charlotte. we are going to move a couple of blocks away to a familiar face from the republican convention. the chairman of the republican national committee is here in charlotte. thank you for being with us. >> happy to be on. happy to be in charlotte. >> what is your agenda for the next couple of days? what do you want to accomplish? >> we want to get the stories, so we need to be here in person. we have a room that has a rapid response team. press conferences, surrogates. one of the biggest counter convention operations that we

have seen on either party here in charlotte. we have had a full day of press conferences and meetings. we need to get in the story, tell the truth about where we are at in this economy, what the president promised and delivered. and ask the famous question -- are you better off today than you were four years ago? that is the question we are going task and ask and ask until election day. >> the democrats are countering by saying, will you be better off for years from now? they are taking a twist on that question. >> they have had a pretty lousy run at it. the president promised to corporate the world. the unemployment below 8%. the debt and the deficit are through the moon and he did not even touch those problems. there is very little that he can point to that is better today than it was four years ago. we are all tired of the

hypotheticals and the twists and turns. the facts lined up. he did not do the job. it is not good for america. nobody is happy about that. it is time for a new president. >> one of the metrics -- we have now had --

i am excited about the prospects. i could not let this moment slip away without making special mention of the section on page 28 that talks about individual's freedom to marry. the idea that couples who come together and want to take responsibility for each other in their lives together and build a life together should be taken as an affirmation of something that we all value in cherished and that is what marriage means and that marriage really matters. to be sure, this is a significant moment, but when we consider the breadth of this document, however affirms the values we all share as democrats and as americans,

everyone enjoys the freedoms that are guaranteed in our constitution. that everyone has the right to live their lives in dignity to pursue their dreams into become their best selves, that our families, our communities, and our entire country are strengthened when we come together and support each other to support the lives we built together. this has been a journey for many people in this country. it has been a journey for our president. i am very proud of him saying that all families matter. mr. cherry and madam chair and members, young people are looking for a political home right now. this has become one of the defining moral questions of our time. just like in 1948, the democratic national convention led by hubert humphrey, when it was time to step forward and build a vital coalition that serves the party and our country, this is one of those

moments for our party. i am extremely pleased by the inclusion of this in the platform. i am excited and looking forward to its ratification. i am looking forward to the election on november 6. thank you. >> we are very grateful for your work. thank you very much. we now have the last speaker on this topic. somebody we should all pay attention to because she is the leader of the young democrats. >> as a young american, i can say our home is in the democratic party. i want to speak on the dream act. i get to travel across the country and meet with college student. the young people i meet are dreamers and they possess such strong passion, talent, and love for this country.

it astonishes me every time. i am about to start law school in the first phone call i received was from a fellow student who is a dreamer. she told me about her life as a dreamer. she told me working as a migrant worker to support her family and her dream to one day be an immigration attorney to support young people like herself. i am so proud to stand with the party that stands with her and i am proud to organize young americans to support latinos across this country. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] it is my pleasure to bring up my co-chairwomen. we are talking about the stronger in the world section. >> we are ready to address the final session.

the chair will recognize speakers to the microphone that want to talk about amendments to the stronger in the world safer and more secure at home section. general speakers in support. are there any people that want to come up and -- thank you. >> i did not introduce myself last time. i am from detroit. four years ago when president obama was a candidate and went to europe, he got a great reception from the world. the opponent this year, not so much. ok? what president obama did four years ago on our foreign policy and defense, he has built on that.

we have more respect now than we did before and we have to continue that movement to get everybody involved in the global economy to make this place a safer place. i see president obama doing that. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. i am on the board of the council's political world. i am on the board of veterans alliance for security and democracy. the previous president of the u.s. made the world a very scary place for americans. nuclear policy was all but decimated. this president has moved us forward in every domain with regard to our national security. this platform speaks to the national security implications of climate change, nuclear

drawdowns, as well as getting us out of wars that have not supported our national security. this platform speaks to everything that our country needs to move forward and work together. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> i am from the state of pennsylvania. i want to commend the entire platform committee on this effort. i want to speak on president obama's last three and a half years in office. he has kept us safe.

end of discussion. there has not been a tax on the homeland. we have not heard most of what he has done. with his team, they have been tremendous. they brought our troops home from iraq. they have a pragmatic approach to getting is out of afghanistan. the strong leadership on iran, and he has been a supporter of israel. not surprising for someone who started as a grass-roots organizer. he used force as necessary for the arab spring moment. i want to thank you and thank the drafting committee. thank you very much. [applause] >> i come from the great state of california. i rise today in support of this

president and applaud him for his leadership in humanitarian crisis in particular. i worked for the president when i worked in the white house during the haiti devastating earthquake. i had the honor and pleasure of watching this president lead the international effort in making sure that haiti got what they needed in order to move forward. today there are still 2 million people who are homeless, 200,000 people lost their lives. that year he committed $3.1 billion. it was an honor to watch our president lead this effort. i applaud the drafting committee for making sure this was included.

as we say in haiti, "with the unity there is strength." i applaud all of you for that. >> thank you very much. there are many reasons to support what you said beyond humanitarian and all the important things out there. there is also the business of we have many people in america that are haitian-american. that was a very personal master when that earthquake occurred and a continuing effort to do something to help those people and children. do you want to read the amendment? >> thank you.

amendment 2, page 39, line 22. this amendment was withdrawn by the sponsor previously on the floor. amendment no. 9, page 43, line 24. this amendment has been withdrawn. amendment no. 37, page 49, line 26. this amendment has been withdrawn. that concludes the amendment for this section. >> i think we are ready to move so we can make a vote. good.

thank you. let's have mrs. baskerville come forward to be recognized for the two motion she has put forward. after each amendment, the clerk will read them. >> thank you very much. i am from the district of columbia. i support the chairwoman from the democratic party. i rise on behalf of the national congress of black women under the able leadership of dr. williams on behalf of the

black leadership forum and a coalition of black civic participation. i rise to request a motion for reconsideration with regard to the two amendment that were adopted. i would like to amend them slightly. i would also like to recognize that my first amendment, number 28, represents matt from california. relative to amendment 28, i would like to commend my amendment to read "to make college affordable to students of all backgrounds and confront the loan burden our students shoulder." it is to reflect the

administration to give education to all students at a time when the congress and house of representatives decided not to invest in human capital and education. president obama fought and succeeded in getting greater opportunities for all students who aspire to higher education. at a time that the pell institute is reporting that states are disinvesting. president obama said we must invest in all students. he doubled the investment in pell scholarships.

whether you live in rural america or an appellation of are in the mississippi delta. all low-income students that are prepared will be able to obtain a higher education. president obama past the american opportunity tax credit act worth up to $10,000 over four years of college to american families so that college will be possible to a much larger group of students. president obama put capped student loan payments so as a student does not required to pay more than 10% of what here or she gets in a month and capped the limits of interest on student loans. he expanded opportunities so students can work their way is through college.

students and families will make possible for hundreds of thousands of students to access and succeed in college. everyone who believes investing in human capital will make in america built to last much support president obama. for that reason i rise to request a motion to reconsider and have a friendly amendment to my motion. >> she has made a motion. do we have 15 seconds or more? and that is more than 15. all those in favor? >> aye. >> now your back to the main motion.

now we are back at the main motion. would you read the amendment as it is written? >> the new language states "to make college affordable -- excuse me. it is amendment 28. it is found on page number 9, lines 25 and 29. new language states "to make college affordable to students of all backgrounds and confront the loan burden our student shoulder." this is inserted before the section on pell grant scholarships.

>> now we are voting to adopt the amendment as it is read. if you are in favor say aye. thank you very much. >> can i commend this past amendment? i had the privilege of in younger days to work for clay when the pell grants were created. i had the opportunity to meet senator obama when he was running for president. president obama is a recipient of pell grants. he is a recipient of student aid. there is no stronger contrast between our party and the party who will try to run in on

november on an issue such as this. president obama knows the importance of student aid. it enables him to get where he is today. gov. romney does not. this is such a contrast between the two parties. thank you for the amendment. [applause] >> thank you for those comments. we are going to ask you to make the movement, the motion you want to make on amendment 32. >> i move for a motion to reconsider amendment 32 and to amend the language of my amendment to read "we invested more than 2.5 billion in savings from reforming our student loan system to strengthen our nation's historically black colleges, tribal colleges, universities,

alaskan, asian american, and pacific islander institutions and other minorities serving institutions." these girls create a diverse work force, educating new teachers and producing the next generation of workers. this is an area where i thought it was to underscore the remarkable leadership of the president of the united states, president barack obama, in 2007 state of the union address. he called for training 100,000 new stem teachers over the years. in his 2012 address, president obama called on congress to send him legislation that would

create an america that is built to last, a country that believes in educating its peeper, an america that tracks a new generation of high tech manufacturing and high paying jobs. in order to realize his vision for an america that is built to last, we must educate 8 million additional americans between now and 2020. we cannot recognize his goal with out black colleges, a hispanic serving institutions that are doing be lion's share. 3% of universities are graduating 50% of african- american teachers today. they are graduating 22% with

engineering undergraduate degrees. 14% with phds. they're similar stories with tribal colleges, asia and pacific islander institutions. these are preparing a disproportionate numbers of tomorrow's excellent work force. for those reasons i rise to underscore the remarkable work of president obama in creating an excellent work force an opportunity for an excellent work force. thank you so very much. >> thank you so much. [applause] i see we have speakers lining up. are you on the same subject or are you waiting on the next

call? >> i rise to speak in support of my sister. good afternoon. maryland. i rise to support this amendment. we talk about the work force of this country. i think our party has got it right. our president has gotten it right in order for us to be competitive in global world unless we produce men and women of all nationalities and races to be able to come forward with the skills to compete. all we are doing is giving lip service. i rise in support of this amendment. thank you. >> we have had a motion to reconsider the amendment.

now we need seconds. all those in favor? all those opposed? we have adopted reconsideration. let's have the reading of the proposed amendment. >> this is amendment 32, page 9, line 33. the amended language now state "we invested more than $2.5 billion of in savings from reforming our student loan system to strengthen the black colleges and universities, hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges, alaska, hawaii, asian american pacific islander institutions, and other minority asserting institutions. they create a diverse workforce educating new teachers and

creating the next generation of stem workers." >> all in favor? all oppose? thank you. that is concluded. we have a couple of people who would like to say few words. would you like to take it? >> what i actually have a motion to suspend the rules for a brief discussion and hopefully adoption of language dealing with the section on america's security. i know the motion has to be ratified.

>> is there a second? we need 2/3 to suspend the rules. i saw a hand. is there something we need to deal with? >> we are not going back. it is not new language. it would be a sense of resolution regarding the national document. it is friendly. >> thank you. >> thank you. on page 33 of our documents, rightfully so, it says the democratic party knows there is

no greater responsibility than protecting the american people. we understand the indispensable role the united states must continue in promoting international peace. because of the steps we have taken, the united states is leading once again. rather than to just have that, i felt we would amplify it with a sense of this conference resolution. i would like to read that wording. it says "it is the sense of this body that the president, our intelligence agencies, our armed forces and men and women in uniform be congratulated in effort in striking major blows against international terrorist operations and for rebuilding

and helping to rebalance our foreign policy and american relationships worldwide." >> is that something we are just excepting? >> we have to vote. >> we are going to vote on that. it is not an amendment to the platform. we want to have a vote. you are moving to include this as a resolution. we need people to second this. it is not changing the platform. >> it is accompanying the language. it does not deal with the platform. >> thank goodness you know these rules. now we need people to vote in favor. >> we are the platform committee

of the democratic party. this is not part of the official document. it is a sense of the group that is gathered today, our sentiment being expressed in formal fashion. when the platform is presented in north carolina, we will present the platform as we are voting upon. as we adjourned, we will have a platform and now a statement that was just articulated by the statesman and congressman about the issue in which he discussed. is that clear? i want everybody to be exactly clear what you are voting on. it might be helpful if you read what everybody here is affirming. it is not an official part of the democratic national committee's platform. >> thank you. it is a sense of this body that the president, our agencies,

our armed forces, our men and women in uniform be congratulated for their efforts in the last four years in striking major blows against international terrorist organizations and helping to rebalance and rebuild our foreign-policy, relationships worldwide. >> tobias, would you like to offer comment on this? >> i asked for a request for education. [inaudible] is it appropriate to [inaudible] [no microphone]

>> i am going to take a privilege here, especially with the indulgence of a former congressman. i was coming up in politics. i am going to indulge him that now that he has articulated it and we have seen the sense of the room and none of the word we find contrary to our hearts and spirits. i feel the embrace of that sentiment. i will like to ask that we leave at that incident giving a formal underlying to this incredibly appropriate statement. now that it has been heard and

recorded in minutes and seen on national television by a least 149 people -- [laughter] i would like to indulge on the words of the congressman. would you indulge me in that? >> absolutely. since it was not an amendment cannot be withdrawn. i appreciate the body's affirmation of that. i think it is important in debate going into the next several days. >> you not only reflected the spirit of this room but also of the democratic party. >> thank you. [applause]

>> i am sorry. >> please speak closer to the microphone. >> what i wanted to mention is i submitted some amendments. they are a part of the dialogue. i wanted to draw attention to the president's efforts on in sourcing? >> i want to draw attention to his efforts. i'm not a public speaker. i am going to read this. i am product is effort to out build the rest of the world and bring jobs back to our beautiful country. many factions have been involved from a labor-intensive industry to a highly sophisticated industry where we

need that technical talent. the president recognized this and asked them how we can recapture our competitive global edge. a imperative in u.s. is that we must in courage stem education. students educated will have greater opportunities to participate in myriad of industry. as an indian-american women, my education is my most prized asset. it is in technology. i am from an immigrant family, that was the key to getting

ahead in life. we can address outsourcing right now today by recognizing our veterans as a capable talent pool that can be retrained since they have the leadership qualities. we can place them in advance manufacturing jobs and we can start to keep the jobs right here at home today. >> would you please clarify s.t.e.m.? >> science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. >> thank you very much. [applause] we're going to vote on the main amendment. before we do that, do you have any typographical corrections you like to make? does anyone want to make one of those kinds of clerical changes?

>> i just want a clarification. i did not get withdrawn on an amendment we had, no. 34. i want to make sure that was withdrawn. >> we are going to have the clerk read amendment 34. you are quite correct. we need to deal with 34. >> just go straight into it. >> ok. we have not yet taken up this amendment. >> we need to take it up? >> yes. there are two to follow. >> would you please read one at a time? >> amendment 34. the summary is as follows.

"all references to state in platform will include all u.s. territories unless specifically excluded." >> is there any discussion on this? would anyone like to make a motion to accept this? any second? all in favor? all opposed? it is accepted. the next amendment. >> the next amendment is no. 35. this amendment has been withdrawn. >> thank you very much. do you have anything? i am sorry. >> on page 50, line 26 i think it should read "from" not "form." >> thank you. we have had a lot of help. we appreciate it.

this is the overall -- wait. more comments. please speak into the microphone. >> on page 7, line 3. continue to invest. on page 13, line 22 "entrepreneurs and manufacturers." it's as manufacturer. >> is this a grammatical error are something more than that? >> i think it is a clarification question. >> is it appropriate to ask with respect to amendment 34 to get

confidence from the drafters that it is the case in all places this language of state and territories has been accounted for through out the platform? it is always a welcome amendment. we did not have a discussion. i want to be clear that the points are distinguished. >> as i understand it, there has been an amendment to this amendment that we probably need to clarify to include all u.s. territories where appropriate. those two additional words need to be added. with the sponsors approval, i move reconsideration to allow.

>> i am going to term that as a clerical addition. this is to stop all my grammatically empowered friend from finding the grammatical errors. i assure you there will be a well versed, cleaned up, certified by randy winegarden someone that will go through this and shake it really hard for any kind of grammatical things. we recently heard in the congress some republicans forgot the word "un" in front of employment. we're not going to make those mistakes. i want to get an all encompassing resolution to

empower and make sure we have taken a blue booking eye to make sure this is dramatically tight. i would like to make a motion. >> seconded. i would like 15 seconds. >> i would like to hear a hearty all in favor. all right. we're all done with that. i feel empowered. >> that is leadership. >> we're about to take the vote. this is the moment where we vote on the entire platform and all amendments. all the amendments have been considered. we want to vote on whether or not to approve the draft platform as amended for recommendation by adoption at

the 2012 democratic national convention. all in favor say aye. all opposed? the ayes have it. the platform is approved. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> [chanting "four more years."] >> i will make a few concluding remarks and then mayor booker will adjourn us. you must file within 48 hours.

forms are available from staff. on behalf of the chairs, we thank the members of the drafting committee for their hard work in preparing the draft platform. i would also like to thank the staff. i would like to thank the amazing hotel staff, the court reporter, r. sign language interpreters, and everyone here. we appreciate all you have done to make this meeting a success. one team, one fight. that is what this is for the next 90 days. we want to make sure we communicate the values we believe.

we want to watch them be represented by the democratic party and our president. >> how is everybody doing? i think we have hit some records for speed and efficiency. please give yourselves a round of applause. [applause] 1 person who deserves recognition, we are in the great state of michigan. i want to recognize the party chairman of this great state. please give a warm democratic round of applause for mark brewer. thank you, mark. [applause] i do not feel enough love for this extraordinary person who provided leadership today leading up to this event. it is one of the great trailblazing leaders. a woman who stood for this country, led with distinction. would you give it up for the lieutenant?

before adjourn, let's make it clear what we have accomplished. we are a party because we stand on principle, ideals, values, and ideas. what we did today is codifying the sentiment that runs through the core of the american dream. we should be proud of what we have accomplished. this is the platform that will energize and excite not the democratic party but the united states of america and provide the momentum and clarity of purpose to drive the next 87

days to ensure that president barack obama is reelected. [applause] before i adjourn this meeting, let us be clear. this is a platform. what do you have to do with a platform? you must stand upon it. we must stand as democrats. we must and for the middle- class and expand the opportunity for all americans. we must stand for a quality and inclusion and whether you are a single mother in detroit, whether you are a gay man in san francisco, whether you are a blue-collar worker at in new jersey, this is the party for you. we must stand for your rights and values and your american dreams, too.

we are the democratic party. our platform is upon which we must stand for a responsible for policy. we must stand with the president that is making us say for each and every day, stand with the man who found the terrorist organizations and dismantle al qaeda. stand with the man who keep america safe economically, spiritually, and health care, and keep the freedom of the united states of america alive and well into the 21st century. [applause] we are democrats. this is our platform. we stand for the most vulnerable. we stand because we believe we are a party that opens up its doors for everyone from the poor child dreaming and yearning of having an education, from the person without skills that helping the economy will provide them a pathway to a career, we know the importance

of health care and living without that fear. we are the party that says american it can be america for everyone. that is what this platform is about. [applause] as we prepared to adjourn, it does not codify a platform we will pass through in e-mails. as martin luther king said, "change will not roll in on the wheels of inevitability. it must be carried in on the back of soldiers willing to work for it." we cannot hope this platform is made real. that is not just going to happen by us thinking about it. remember what a great abolitionist what said. i prayed for years for by freedom on my knees. it was not until i prayed with i feet and hands that i found my freedom.

freedom is what this nation is about. our ideals have not just forced the history but it has inspired countries all around the globe. it is time that we not take our country back to where it was before. it is time we look forward to progress. it is time we embraced change. it is time we make real on health. it is time we reelect president obama barack obama into the white house. let us now go forward from detroit. let us march. let us re-nominate president obama barack obama. [applause] god is blessing our country. we are democrats for america.

[cheers and applause] with that, as a co-chair of the dnc, i ask this great body as its last action, would you please entertain a motion to adjourn? the ayes have it. this concludes the platform committee. you are adjourned. god bless president barack obama and god bless america. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the democratic convention on c-span. coming up next, a preview of the convention. washington journal focuses on the dnc. the mayor of charlotte and bob morgan. >> our gavel-to-gavel coverage starts today at 5:00 p.m. eastern. every minute, every speech, live on c-span radio and online. featured speakers include the san antonio mania -- san antonio mayor and michelle obama. thursday, vice-president joe biden and president barack obama. >> this november, the torch will

be passed again to a new generation of americans, so with barack obama and forming, our country will be committed to his cause. the work -- the hope rises again and the dream lives on. >> share your opinion. >> i am from vermont. i am here because i am supporting a very inclusive america. >> i am from vermont. i support president obama for reelection because of police we need to work together to be successful for the future. >> i'm from south carolina. my main purpose is to reelect

senator obama because i know president obama cares for us. >> connect with other c-span viewers with twitter and google hang out. >> you're from massachusetts. what you're looking for? >> we have a very responsibility. we want to give people excited about elizabeth warren. you are in for a real treat. >> i am from fort lauderdale, florida. how will your voice be heard? >> >> i'm attending the caucasus and now will be up front and personal experience in that energy. >> the convention hub at c-span said website. >> when did these first come to charlotte? >> a long history of the bank's

growing up in north carolina. the first was in the early 1800's. they're related to have multiple branches around the states. the banks started getting bigger than some of their peers around the country. what soviet in winston-salem, they started getting bigger -- while kobe of -- wachovia, which became bank of america and the other big bank was union national which became first union. those were the big banks competing with each other, doing deals, making acquisitions, a lot of the regulations about going outside the boundaries, they came -- it became bigger and bigger. bank of america is the biggest in the country. it had some troubles, to dollars trillion in assets.

it merged with wachovia and took its name and got in trouble during the financial crisis. it is now run by wells fargo out of sound francisco. it is the only big bank based here. although wachovia as part of wells fargo, they have their base here in charlotte. >> he mentioned some of the problems they were having. >> most of these banks stumbled on their last big acquisition. wachovia bought a lender called golden west financial. it had a lot of mortgage issues that they inherited, $100 billion in mortgages in california where housing prices were falling apart. they had some investment banking issues as well.

that put them into trouble going into the financial crisis. bank of america had bought first countrywide, and then merrill lynch, the biggest investment bank. a lot of concern about the merrill lynch deal led to a government bailout and a lot of congressional hearings and what happened there. now the countrywide deal was going through in causing problem. there was a lot of trauma during the financial crisis. wachovia over one weekend was ready to fail. they were trying to figure out who to sell it to. eventually wells fargo came back with another deal. and there were moments where wachovia was close to failing and they did not know what was happening. a deal came through in the last minute, and there were

consultations between the lawyers and they were going to sue for millions of dollars. they settled not too long ago for 100 may in dollars. >> what effect does this have on the city of charlotte and the state of north carolina? >> we have lost about 300,000 -- 3000 financial service jobs. some of the wages have started to come back but you still have some lost jobs. some of the investment banking jobs, they are not going to come back because they are mortgage- related type stuff that nobody does any more, which is probably good thing. this was a big mortgage hub of another company. you had some big companies coming into town warning to move operations here and take advantage of some of the financial-services folks that are here. smaller firms have spun off from

the investment banks and private equity firms. we have a more diverse financial sector, but it was a stain to liz are big banks in california -- to california. >> what is having all of these banks in charlotte have -- mean for charlotte was a margin they grew up with the city. the leaders of the bank's help build the community. they're really known for going -- building up the town area and trying to improve the arts scene. have their own self-interest, they wanted people to move here. they are trying to build up the city as they build up the banks. when one plate would build a skyscraper, the other bank would build another. it would help to build the skyline over time.

it has a royal lasting effect on the city. we will see how everything happens going forward. the democratic national committee comes here. one leader was the leader who helped bring that here. we had an energy company instead of a banker doing that. that was a change for us. the bankingvering industry since 2001, a big deal for these doors carolina banks to merge together. then we're in the thick of it with the financial crisis unfolding in 2008 and 2009. we are still paying close attention to bank of america. just last week, warren buffett decided to invest in the bag. i was a bit of confidence. still questions about whether they have the capital they need to get through all of their losses. and then wells fargo and w

achovia are finishing up their merger, we will see wells fargo sign showing up here in north carolina. that will be a bittersweet moment for north carolina. >> from charlotte, a democratic national convention preview. they look good speeches for jimmy carter, and first lady michelle obama. this is an hour. this is an hour.