because that's exactly the reaction of the 30 other students that were in the classroom with me. they all laughed. now, i can laugh ant it today. but it really informs me about how i live my life and who i am. because while everybody was laughing, i never felt so small, so insignificant, so disconnected from everything around me so humiliated. it's difficult to describe how alien ated i felt everything around me. how alone i felt. but you know something, when the laughter stopped, [ speaking spanish ]

carmen like to introduce . he is the vice president and the head of the virginia program. he is the head of the national union and the local chapter. this is a service union with more than 120,000 members. thank you. >> all right. all, congressman, it is always a pleasure.

first of all, i want to say thank you. you be spending your day in virginia. spanish] [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish]

spanish] commemorating the 50th anniversary of the margin washington. -- the march on washington. he said something very important. today, we commemorate. tomorrow, we agitate. today, we commemorate. tomorrow, we agitate. today, we commemorate. tomorrow, and virginia, we agitate. tomorrow, we agitate. spanish]

[speaking spanish] [applause] [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish]

ok. [speaking spanish] [applause] [speaking spanish] si, se puede.

si, se puede. [indiscernable] >> coming up on c-span, first .adies features ida mckinley talks aboutkerry chemical weapons in the spanish civil war -- in this year in its civil war. syrian civil war. health care and immigration. calls to impeach president

obama. security issues and gridlock. a look at imminent domain loss. eagle.ss is steven washington journal is live every morning at 7:00 eastern. on c-span. secretary, security janet napolitano, delivers her address. she becomes the president of the university of california system. we have her remarks. >> c-span. we bring public affairs from washington to you. we put you in the room. complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the u.s. house as a

public house of -- as a public service of private industry. we are c-span. now, you can watch us in hd. of first ladies begins. tonight, we have an encore of the final program about ida mckinley. william mckinley. >> the story of ida mckinley can be told through an exploration between her husband william mckinley. they spent 30 years together which brought them happiness early on.

it changed their life into illness and devotion to shape the presidency at the turn of the new century. joining us tonight to tell the story of ida mckinley are two guests returning to the table, richard norton smith and carl anthony. we are going to start our program with film. this is the first time that a president and first lady have been captured on film in the the united states. this rare footage is mr. and mrs. mckinley coming on stage in 1901. that date is significant because the next day the president would be shot by an assassin's bullets. what was it about this exhibition that attracted the president to want to go? >> it was a world there. -- fair, it was a celebration of america's place in the new world. the presidency was very surprising in many ways. in fact, he was the president

who took the country to the world stage. the spanish-american war and turned america into a republican into an empire. at the end of his life in the last speech he gave, in effect he talks in ways that years later we can all appreciate about opening america to the world. >> we were looking at our posting and everybody is asking about what is known of ida mckinley, her ill health. here she is traveling with the president. what did the country think of the president to know about her?

>> it is an interesting dichotomy. this is the pattern of her life. she had been grossly miscast by history as this victorian invalid on the fainting couch. there were times when she was that way. she had chronic illnesses. one was seizure disorder, known as epilepsy. she had damage along her left leg which led to immobility. she also had a compromised immune system. she was susceptible to infections. they took a tour across the country, six months before he was shot. when they got to california, she almost died and sever cisco. the presidency -- in san francisco. the whole nation, and the world was focused on this. six months later, she was walking unassisted.

>> the very next day, an assassin struck and killed president mckinley. who was he? what were his motives? >> his name was leon czolgosz. i have trouble pronouncing it. you would call him a drifter. he was in an anarchist. >> what does that mean? >> it meant that people at that time thought existing monarchies was at the attachment of the common man. some and a press -- anarchists were against the system that was topped by the powerful. mckinley had power and he said

he had none in effect. he had planned on killing the president early in the year. the king of italy had been murdered. leon would stay up late at night reading newspapers about the death of the king. it may have triggered it. he made plans to kill the president. ironically, the people around mckinley -- the secret service protection and there was one guard at the white house that retired early that night. >> we asked this with the last assassination. this was the third president. >> and this is why we got

serious about protecting our presidents. the secret service was busy working on counterfeiters. the president's secretary wanted to cancel the reception at the fair. he worried about such a threat. ironically, leon czolgosz got in and wrapped a gun around a bandage around his hand so it was unnoticed. he shot the president twice. at first, it was thought that mckinley would recover. about a week later, he took a turn for the worse the -- for the worse. that was the last time the american people focus on william mckinley. >> we are showing an illustration of ida mckinley at the presidenct's deathbed. she was not at his side on day two when the assassination took place. how does it play out with her? >> at this point and we will get later on to the story of her epilepsy, finally among the string of doctors she had, she

had one who committed to helping her in controlling the seizures. part of that required a very strict regimen of food, diet, and rest. she had been with him in opening day. they went to niagara falls. then the doctor said, it is time for your rest. both the president and mrs. mckinley had bought off on that. she was taking her scheduled rest. she suspected something had happened when the hours started going by and he did not come back. she was very calm when she found out.

she rose to be extraordinary. she was going out walking. she was walking along the sidewalk in talking to reporters which defies perception of her. >> we have some video we are going to show of the mckinley in will. what was the country like at that time? >> the fact is if you talk to the man on the street in september of 1901, he would've told you mckinley was certainly the greatest president since lincoln. there were people who compared him to lincoln. he was not simply admired, he brought us out of the greatest depression since that date. he projected american power, economic and military onto the world stage. he is a very large presence for somebody to become almost forgotten. when he died, the enormous grief in the country and the reason

why people love to mckinley, even people who do not love -- vote for him because they saw his tenderness and devotion to this wife area >> we are going to go back in time and learning more about ida saxton and life with william mckinley. we are going to go back to her early days of canton, ohio. taking you to the saxton house which is what it is called today. and to the mckinley museum. this our first video tonight. [video clip] >> it is significant in the life of ida because this is the house in which she was born. she grew up in this house along with her sister and brother and

parents and grandmother. this was the house she lived in up until she met and married future president william mckinley. this is the family parlor where the family would have spent evenings reading and conversing with each other. this not a place where they would entertain. we have on the wall one of the earliest known those -- photos of the item her sister and brother. on the wall above the mantel, we have a portrait of ida's father, john. over on this wall, we have a photograph of ida's beloved mother, kate. this room was actually replicated from a photo that we received from a descendent that is one of the few interior photos that we have of the house. we are in the formal parlor of the house. in this room, we have examples of ida's love of music. we have heard -- her piano. she became the first first lady to provide entertainment after

state dinners and showing that love of music. that was part of her formal education. when she and her sister went on a grand tour of europe in 1869, one of the items she broke was this music a box which was donated by a descendent. she bought it in geneva. there are letters she wrote home to her parents throughout the trip talking about looking for music boxes. she sees them in different places but does not care for the quality. she said she would wait until she goes to switzerland and i will buy one there. this is the one she bought. >> we are going to see some of the letters. the letters that we have a written to her parents from her and her sister, mary.

they went to europe to see all of the countries that they could. the letters that we have detail a lot of the post was that they saw in the countries they went to. this one is from scotland. she said people should travel to see how much there is to learn to react how much i will enjoy anything that burns has written. she really made the most of her trip.

she was studying the different countries and seeing things you can see on the grand tour which took six months. we have other things that her life. this is what she would've carried when she went to church. this is before she married mckinley. these are some of the hymns she would have sung at church. this is one of my favorites. this is the actual wedding license that william mckinley jr. signed. he dropped the jr. after his father died. this is what they filed after they got married. at the time, it was not necessary for the woman to sign. william signed it, but i did not. -- ida did not. >> she was born to well-off parents. what is important to note that mark -- know? >> they were radical against slavery.

and also equal education for women. ida's mother was extremely well educated. ida mckinley is the most fully educated of all the first ladies up to that point. her father was friends with a fellow abolitionist. her grandfather was friends with horace greely. oh hi jo was the california of the day. -- ohio was the california of the day. it represented the far west. his movement for equal education for women. ida's father helps to bring a famed abolitionist whose name i cannot remember now. ida follows her with the teacher goes to teach at an academy

during the civil war. she goes on to study in cleveland. she studies at the brook hall in pennsylvania. what you see is a worldly, educated young woman with an interest and finance and a capability for mathematics and also great physical activity. she is an unusually fit young woman. she hikes up to 10 miles a day. two significant factors on that trip to europe. one is that she sees for the first time poor and working- class women working in belgium. she finds out how very little they make and have to live on. she is sort of devastated by this.

she reflects and a lot of letter. she buys a lot of lace to try and to do her part to help them. she sees an artist born with no hands who is painting in one of the galleries. at first, she is put off by this. a real sense of empathy for people with disabilities. >> her father who owned a bank gave her a job as a teller. was it normal for a woman to work or was it ok because it was for her father? >> certainly not in a managerial capacity like this. it does tell you a lot about the relationship with her father. >> we want to invite you to join in. we are using some of your tweets.

use the #first ladies. you can also go to our facebook page. we have a good old-fashioned telephone. the phone numbers on the screen and divided by the region. we welcome your participation. she met at the bank major william mckinley. >> it must be said that he married up. this is a young woman with a pretty cosmetologist back -- cosmopolitan background. he was born in ohio area from a family in the iron making business. people think that's where he got his attitude of protectionism. he came back home homesick.

that was the real classroom for somebody of his generation -- the war. he entered as a private. he exited as a major. along the way, along the patronage of hayes. he took a liking to this young man. years later, ida was spent a good deal of time in the hayes white house. that relationship became a significant one. >> they were married when she was 23 and he was 27. what were her early years like? >> they were conventional. she stopped working. he was interested in politics.

when i went rule breaking this new biography on her, you see the first legal cases in the business he was handling. the saxton family helped build canton. it became an important industrial center in ohio at that time. certainly ida's father and grandfather helped build it. mckinley helped to sustain it and make it famous. he was not -- he rose in prominence because of her. >> a few years after they got married in 1873 was an onset of problems for her. what were they? >> and they were living in a house that was described as their house -- her father had

bought it. she gave birth on christmas day to the first a daughter on katie who was very healthy and the central focus of their lives. ida's mother became very ill with cancer. i should say at that house, the saxton/mckinley house was the white house. it was owned by her maternal grandmother. it is passed through four generations of women. ida was very close to her mother and grandmother. she was pregnant for a second time when her mother had cancer. her mother died before she gave birth. there is a picture for falling her mother's burial service. from what we can tell, people were later on recalling it, she struck her head. she may have had a bad spinal

injury. she started developing seizure disorders. >> jennifer on facebook says -- i hope that she suffered -- i heard that she suffered from depression. were there more depression episodes? >> it comes and goes. the great discussion that this biography will point out is that for the entire first half of the mckinley's years in the white house, ida was fine. she was traveling on her own to new york. she was relatively active. she was still disabled that she had a mobility problems. she adapted to the role of first lady. she did not hide the fact is she

an occasional walking problem. the depression, you know, her physical problems and resulting emotional problems. sometimes frustrations with her husband because it was a loving and devoted relationship, there were like any marriage, times of strained. it is all good about being optimistic when you are the one who can get up and walk away. there are times when this young woman who was so active find her life and different. >> i have read and you know more about it. there was this amazing scandal of the murder of the first lady's brother supposedly by a mistress.

then a trial which had been sensational. the mistress was acquitted. there was a cause and effect. she went into a severe depression. >> that was a story that was largely put out in a book by margaret leach. it is actually not true. that happened in october of 1898. it is not until june of 1899, a good amount of time after the trial that other factors -- his reelection and campaign and not telling her he is running begins to cause this depression. >> will take a few phone calls. >> thank you for having this wonderful program. my question is really specifically to the hobart's and

mckinley's and more specifically to the role that jennie hobart played as an acting first lady during the years that they were in the white house. can you speak to that issue? >> i will summarize it by saying it is false. she was there more as a friend and support. ida mckinley never was absent from any of the official duties of first lady and had someone substitute for her. she had her younger nieces, mary barber, who she was very close to. sometimes they were frustrated because they did not want to undertake the obligation. mrs. hobart was very close to her. she advised the president, if you want to change the seating arrangement you can.

ida really considered her a very genuine friend. she never substituted for mrs. mckinley. >> maria is watching us from rhode island. >> thank you for having me on. my question is, how did ida mckinley deal with the death of her children in comparison to other first ladies such as mary todd lincoln? >> she was up in the attic of writing letters. it is the worst thing that a parent can go through. it is universal area -- universal. >> it became known as the mckinley home. it was seen through different euphemisms. they only lived there for two years. they moved into the saxton/mckinley house. mckinley lived longer and that house than any other place at all.

katie came with them. she died of scarlet fever. this is after ida has been through the trauma and is going through dealing with this very bewildering new factor in her life -- and the seizure disorder. some years later she began to take comfort in buddhism. it was reincarnation. you begin to see ida mckinley instead of writing letters to her dead child, she kept katie alive. she would always have a picture on the wall. she kept her close -- clothes and rocking chair and spoke sometimes as if the child was

still alive. there are first-hand accounts of her looking at young children because she tapped that perhaps katie had been reincarnated. >> we will return to the house to learn more about the political partnership between the mckinley's. >> during the years of william mckinley's political career, the house served as the residence. they had living quarters on the third floor of the house which was originally a ballroom and was turned into a living quarters with a bed room and entertaining area. off of that room that we used to conduct business. we are in his office right outside the ballroom which becomes the living quarters of ida and william mckinley.

this is the kind of set up they had. everywhere they went during his political careers. the doors stayed open to the living quarters. ida stayed in the living quarters so she could hear what was going on. she would never take part in meetings. she would never express her political opinions. she would never join in. this the kind of set up they had when they were in columbus when he was the governor. there was no governor's mansion. >> william mckinley, u.s. congressman became the party's nominee in 1896. what were his party politics? what was the republican party like with him in it? what's it was the party of big business. -- >> it was the party of big business. protecting american industry. it is hard to believe but you can look at the political map in 1896 and it would flip-flop today. mckinley and the republicans

swept the industrial northeast. it is absolutely reverse of what we take for granted today. mckinley had become identified with this issue of the tariffs. he had been gerrymandered out of his job. the democrats tried twice and they got him. they should have reconsidered. the next year he was elected governor of ohio. he was reelected two years after that. one reason why he again is today out of a prisoner of big

business is his association -- >> there's a story that he had a ritual that he would get up from his desk at 3:00 and wave to ida. >> is actually the governor. he will go to their home, a residential hotel in front of the plaza and he would go out and do this. tourists new at 3:00 -- look at how devoted he is. none other than teacher president warren harding -- future president warren harding told the story. they knew that mrs. mckinley had been back in canton for a week. he was putting on a good show. that's devotion to ida he became to use as presidential timber. he was disciplined and focused and devoted and loyal.

these are the kinds of things you can look for in him. >> it seems strange that he would get up during meetings and way. it was very shrewd. >> shrewd political theater. he used this little bit of theatre because he would get off the train and carry her purse. he will put the shawl around her. people would clap. this became part of his persona. >> was he as popular in america as he was in ohio? >> he was. we are talking about the height

of the victorian era. apart from that, mckinley was a lovable political figure. they are always being petitioned. people want jobs. people want something. the governor of ohio was no different. mckinley had a disability, -- had an ability. he had developed he would change the subject. he would take a carnation off his coat and pin it to his petitioner and send the guy out who did not get what he wanted. he had this mode of connecting with the governor. this is what made his political genius.

it was not sophisticated. what ever it is, he had it. >> hi, charlotte. >> before you get to my question i want to say i really enjoyed the show. this a second time i've been been watching this with my mom. my question is did ida mckinley play anything else besides the piano? >> did she play anything else? >> i found no evidence. they think she took an interest in a wide variety of music. she loved the opera. she was big on the theater. she had a lot of friends. what you love about being first lady was having all of the stars of the stage, this was before hollywood, come to the white house. she had all kinds of music played at the white house. she had mexican music.

she had a british club. she had african american music. she even had a rack time performed at the first valentines dance. >> marilou in kansas. >> my question was answered already. i want to thank you for this program. i really enjoyed it. i want to ask if there will be a dvd of the programs available later? >> all of them are online. you can order dvds from our website. go to c-span.org. we have it all online for you to watch again. the 1896 campaign was jennings versus mckinley. jennings campaigned through many states. he was on the road all the time.

mckinley conducted what was known as the front porch campaign. we'll learn more in our next video. >> mckinley played an active role in in the campaign and in the front arch campaign. she would be seated on the porch. she would never speak. she was always there. there was a perception of by the public that ida was an invalid. campaign managers wanted to dispel that, they wanted to show that ida would serve her role as first lady. there have been many first ladies in the past that were ill that it did not really play an active role. now it is 1896. we are coming on the new century.

communication is better. people are learning more about the president and their first lady. they are starting to have expectations that that first lady play a role of. you do not want her to hide way. that is what the campaign managers wanted to do. they wanted to bring up that this is not an invalid, she was active and wanted to play that role. we have some of those items that were created for the campaign, for ida mckinley. we have been campaign biography. we have some ribbons that were put out by different organizations. we have a piece that is a paper tray and the wife of the other candidate. well the piece of china that has ida's image. all of these pieces were out there in the public. ida was out there in the public. she did not make speeches. she was always there and always present. >> how well was -- how well known were her illnesses known by the public? >> the greater problem which

william mckinley never ceased searching for a cure for the seizures. because visually he would see her with a gold handled cane and will chair did not, toward the end of his administration. he would always give his arm to her. it was easy to focus on that. she would talk to reporters and say, i have a lameness in my leg. that for a while cap things, kept the public satisfied. you start hearing expressions like nervous affliction. they never used the word epilepsy in her lifetime.

what was really going on and was tragic in and of itself was the ignorance of the vast population about the seizure disorder even when the agent knew balaji is donning, people got -- age of neurology is donning, people thought it was mental. mckinley was afraid people would and his wife had a mental illness. he contacted a doctor in new york, this was before the fda. this guy broke the code by giving a mckinley salts to control the onset of seizure. the doctor started writing and said i gave you the condition i would give a weekly report. it is a very precise measurement that has to change week to week

based on that. mckinley would never write. he did not want to put anything in writing. over time, it crated -- it created a greater harm. over time, it can damage the nerves. >> in an attempt to help her he made her condition worse? >> yes. >> can you define for people what to be salts are?

>> i cannot recall the chemical. i think it is potassium. a white powder that would be stirred into water. it was not a tablet. there were tablets that i made reference to. i found this largely by looking at his canceled checks. they wanted to get rid and he did not reply to the doctor, he did not agree of the checks. it is a sedative but it does the senses and nerves. >> we saw the use of campaign. was this a new trend, it into the country where the wives helped the candidates of pill to the public?

>> the last of the old-fashioned campaign. theodore roosevelt exploited it. they were very exploitable. edith roosevelt was the least willing to go along. the children had a great time. this is the hinge. you have newspapers with pictures. all of a sudden, presidents and their families who were very remote figures before, they have faces and personalities. that expanded to the families as well. it would take off as the media became course is physically. >> good evening. first of all, i want all the callers to know i have a comment to make. this program that you have put together on c-span has been phenomenal. i have watched most of the series and i've been educated and enlightened.

i have a couple of comments. >> the gentleman sitting across from you, it was decided to do the series and our producer worked very hard on this. thank you. >> you are absolutely right. richard norton smith, it is a pleasure and an honor to be up to talk to both of you folks. i have as a love of history i have followed both of your works for years. i'm just honored to bring to talk to you tonight. first of all, with regard to mrs. mckinley's help -- health, i noticed you comment about six months before mr. mckinley was assassinated she was gravely ill when they had a trip out to the west coast. i noticed there was a report

that was in the "new york times" about how near death she was. was that the first time that a first ladies held was publicly reported that mark i am curious to know why they felt the need to even get that out there. maybe 20 years since that a president or first lady would not have wanted that information to be released. >> thank you. >> a really great question and observation. the only other first lady would go through an element -- an illness was caroline harrison. that was toward the end. before she died, more details were learned.

in large part it was they were traveling. they went through tennessee down to new orleans to texas. ida mckinley got out of the other side of the train and ran away with a bunch of women who took her to a big breakfast across the border making her the first incumbent first lady to leave the united states. they came to the fiesta flowers. at that point should be shaking hands that she had cut her finger, she had a ring on. it became ineffective. as they were going up the coast

and i go through all the details in the new book, to summarize this debate about issue going to get better? mckinley said i've seen her, she is always gotten better. the doctors said this is pretty serious. when they had to cancel everything and she was really near death that is when, of coarse reporters were traveling with them. they had to tell the truth. they were very honest about it. they gave daily reports. >> with regards her seizure disorder, the president developed a technique when they were at events. it was described by taft who attended a home in canton. let me read how he described it. "at that moment we heard a hissing sound, mckinley through a nap and over his wife's face and without a trace of excitement handed me his pill so. -- pencil. not a word was said by the incident." people have heard the napkin

story. is it true? is it is true but has been exaggerated. here is what the truth is. that only occurred in private. his was at their home. -- this was at their home. the other accounts are in reference to private dinners. this never happened at state dinners. this never happened in public. and in a way, it would have been better. the reason it did not happen in public was because she was being kept on the drugs that were dulling her senses. when you people talking about how vague and distorted her

conversation was becoming, this is a 1099 and afterwards -- 1899 and afterwards. the of fact of the nerve damage that was occurring. >> we are going to return to canton, ohio and look at some of the dresses of the first lady that they have preserved their as a sense of how she preserved herself. >> in order to see some the most fragile and important pieces from ida mckinley, we have to go into our main storage area. this is where we keep her white house dresses and other artifacts. this dress is my favorite. and we are in the middle of a process so that we can have these dresses repaired so they can be on a mannequin. this one is my favorite because it is so heavily ornamented.

you can see on the beadwork. it has silver beats. -- beads. it has tiny little mirrors. it would have reflected light beautifully. this is typical of ida's style. the fashion would have been high collar. the puppy sleep -- puffy sleeves. it was her ivory -- favor ivory color. she did not have a lot in her life to be excited about. she was a semi invalid. fashion was important to her as reflected by the guilds in our collection. >> we are beginning to see first ladies club set the trends. was she a trendsetter? >> she was not.

she did get into a bit of trouble with the audubon society by wearing a feather in her hair. ms. cleveland and mrs. hayes, great lovers of animals. ida mckinley was not a great animal lover. let me clear up a stupid and untrue story was that she ordered the trunk of cats during the spanish-american war that been named after spanish leaders, political and military. i've really tried to track that down. there is zero evidence that she did not do it and that there were any cats. >> it was a busy time in the country. some of the major events that were occurring during the administration.

1898, the spanish-american war. it brought teddy roosevelt to prominence. [laughter] the war of revenue act. the open door policy. 1900, gold standard act. you talk about him as establishing the power of the presidency. >> two quick examples. 18 -- 1896 matters because it is an election. they cannot know it in 1901, when william mckinley -- for the next 40 years up until the new deal, republic had been the dominant party. he broke the logjam after the civil war when he went back and forth. that is important.

one other case of presidential power that is relevant is mckinley dispatched 5000 american soldiers to combat the boxer rebellion which was a secret society of chinese who were set up with the explication of the country by western imperial powers. they had laid siege. a young cunning couple -- honeymooning couple and hundreds of westerners and thousands were threatened. mckinley sent these troops as part of an international expedition in the nick of time they arrived and were able to save about 900 westerners who were there.

he did it on his own power. he never talked to congress. presidents would use that example in situations that may have been similar. that is one way in which he transformed his presidency and the presidency. >> i love this program and my question was when we learned in elementary school, they told us that when mckinley was assassinated and had died his wife sat in the white house quite a long time playing the piano and got up and took a canary and left the white house and everything else in it? is that true or false? that washat is false.

florence harding. ida mckinley -- well, it is shocking how so many of the simple request she made in regard of her husband and his coffin and his remains were ignored. she was not really treated much her requests as a widow were not honored. >> when he was looking at all of these issues, it was the custom to drink a mixture to stay awake that contained cocaine? >> americans drink coca-cola. it contained the same substance. >> the answer is yes? >> it is yes. >> the pope used it. >> was consumed with his wife's health. how does that affect his >> there are one or

.wo times the battleship maine was sunk in havana harbor in february. he is reluctant to go to war. the negotiations with spain are down. we go to war. there were times when he stayed up late at night but the truth was that was the period when she was worried about him. in fact, there is a strong record their shows she was trying to talk to his assistant we need to do something about him. she was playing the protective ole.this is a period when she is physically strong.

after the war is declared over, then the filipino american war because we took the philippines they did not welcome us. they resisted. it was bloody and horrifying. there were atrocities committed on both sides. that is when she was at her neediest. that is when the pressure really did get to him. he had to constantly make the choice between his work and his wife. >> surprising parallels between then and now. the 113 days it took to defeat a spanish empire. what we tend to forget is that like iraq and afghanistan, the immediate victory was followed by a protracted, very bloody insurrection which went on for four years.

70,000 american soldiers who were in the philippines trying to put down. while mckinley was preaching benevolence, the problem was the filipinos do not want to be assimilated. >> joshua in florida. >> first of all, i want to thank you you for this program i enjoy it. i want to talk a little bit about what you mentioned last week. last week this story and mentioned that many eisenhower was the first fashion icon and then jackie kennedy was. theynnot help to think that toe the first first lady's be seen on tv. he talk about the images especially ida mckinley?

>> i would not place too much it was more a matter of her being captured as a matter of fact. these were shown more on nickelodeon's. a few of the movie theaters that would become an newsreels by the time of woodrow wilson. the very first one was the presidential campaign, his brother was always asking for railroad passes and looking to make good on his brother. his brother got involved and one of the first film companies. mckinley takes his notification. you see ida on the front porch walking. it was more of a haphazard fact that she appeared. it was not a factor. what i will add is there are

newspaper illustrations, hand drawn illustrations that allow for them to take photos that looks like a cut and paste of actual photographs with people's faces and drawings of them in various scenarios. the first impression cast of her in a wheelchair when she almost died in san francisco. >> that is 1899. rachel on facebook asked what was her view on woman's suffrage? she goes to massachusetts at smith college. do we learn about her views on women's rights? >> this is something i discovered. like everybody else, i had a general impression of her as the invalid.

in fact, she goes with the president and at smith college he becomes the first president of the united states to address the issue of women's education. today we do not think of it as a big deal. in that day, it could be the end of american society if women get jobs. the social fabric of the families will go away. we do not have the text of what her speech was. she delivered a short speech. and one of the rooms inside a building, presented with a silver cup and made some remarks. she was very decidedly in favor of women's rights to vote.

on one day, the anti-suffrage league came and president mckinley went with them. ida did not come down the stairs. and nothing further was said. when susan b anthony and the suffrage leaders came, ida said bring them up into my private suite. and went and gave a huge load of to susan b anthony. she told her i want you to say this is for me as a gift to all of you. later on, she corresponded with susan b anthony. a friend of hers later confirmed that she strongly believed in women's suffrage. that is the first incumbent first lady to publicly support suffrage. >> on this trip, she has a massive seizure. is this when her health really begins to to deteriorate? >> yes. what also happens, mckinley has purchased an original house that

they had the first three and a half years of their married life together. so, they had rented it, i should clarify, they rented it for a year during the 1896 campaign. the house, which still stands, and he lived there longer than anywhere else, that is not where the campaign was. the campaign was at the other house, they rented, and then it came up for sale. she is very depressed because of the onset of the seizures now, but there are these blueprints. i will expand it. he gets her into this idea that they will finally retire. she had a very strong fear of his assassination. it was very rational. it was because of the movement of the anarchists killing

leaders around the world. she did not want him to run for a second term, and he refused to say whether he was or not, and as that summer unfolded, she began to become -- it became very clear to her that they were getting the house not for the retirement use, but to house his campaign and campaign staff. there are letters that says this is the most depressed and the lowest she has ever been. >> one of the things ida could do is knit, counsel those who --d a political benefit. thousands of slippers that had a political benefit. we will learn more about that in our next video. >> we have this billfold.

this has never been on exhibit. this was recently donated. what is wonderful about this is inside, it has a picture of william mckinley, and this is something that we see in a lot of her personal belongings. this was her sewing bag, and she would keep her crochet items in here. this is one of her crochet needles. it is her favorite color, blue, and inside, we have a picture of william mckinley. even when he was away from her, she would have something to remind her of him. ida mckinley was known for her crocheted slippers and she would spend hours crocheting the slippers. we think she made approximately 4000 pairs in her lifetime. these are unique for the soles they have. she would make them in various sizes. we have a pair from, obviously, a child's size. they were usually made in a variation of blue, grey, or an ivory color.

these represent the basic colors that she would use. since she was not well and was not able to do other types of work as a first lady, this is one of the things she could contribute, one of the ways she could contribute. she would donate these to a charity, to needy children, war veterans, or she would donate them to the auctions to raise money for a charity. >> sheldon cooper wants to know, did william ever give knitted slippers to his political friends and adversaries? >> yes. there was actually, it was pretty brilliant. i understand she was a very witty woman.and a little bit subversive. if she did not like someone, and the one area where we do see her really having an influence is in judging the character of people that he is considering for

higher positions, to be around him. if she didn't like someone or if she didn't trust someone, it wasn't like she threw a fit. she gave him a very rational explanation. anyway, she also indicated how she felt about them by the color of the slippers she gave. she would give purple as a way of saying this guy is worried loyal, and yellow if she thought he was a yes-man, and a bit of a coward in expressing himself. >> well, the so-called friend was watching this relationship between the two more closely than the public could. she said the fact that her husband had been a shield between her and reality had made her a pathetically spoiled and difficult woman. mrs. mckinley knew what she liked and got it royally. >> i would say that is partially true.

it was more true and held up when she found out that he was going to run for reelection, and he had not told her. at this point, she is more physically disabled, which is now going into the year 1900, his reelection campaign. she was very frustrated. as a widow, she was really remarkable. she was basically saying, the longer i live without him, the more i realize how completely dependent i was. you know, the story has always been painted like, you know, he was a great hero and protector, but he was also controlling the situation. he controlled her medicine, he controlled a lot of things. you know, from her point of view, she was willing to accept her limitations and adapt herself, and there were times he didn't want that.

>> i will come back to you in a second. joe from kankakee, illinois. >> i have been enjoying the program a lot. i am looking forward to the second season, especially since i am a history geek. i meant to call with this question last week and didn't. i have been to the harrison home in indianapolis and the weekend i was there, there were actors. do any of the other homes do reenactors where they reenact the presidents and their families? >> at the mckinley home, you have a docent. i have not been there recently, but i know there were those in the past who did volunteer there. it serves a dual purpose of being a center of study for all the first ladies as well as --

there have been docents at the saxon mckinley house who have done that. >> jonathan from chicago. >> i grew up a few miles away from camden, ohio, and i visited the mckinley monument where --lliam and ida are married. are buried. my question, down the freeway in chicago, there is a southside area called the item mckinley homes. ida mckinley i was wondering, is it just a memorial named after her? i don't know if you would know that. >> specifically that, i don't know. i will say this. there was, you know, again, the story never gets fully written and people get miscast and caricatured. she was involved with two organizations.

one was the crittenden house and the other was the red cross. the crittenden house was interesting because it specifically helped women who had been battered, who were homeless, and it provided them with shelters, and with shelter, education, and really helps them reestablish their lives. she didn't, you know, willy- nilly support every group and everything. she did do the slippers. they fetched a lot of money at auction, but she was very careful about where she allowed her name to be used. it might well be that there was a connection either with the jane addams and hull house, the crittenden organization, but i am not sure entirely. >> we heard that the president didn't really consult ida on his decision to run for reelection. we have a quotation where she

said of him, i will be glad when he is out of public life. i do not want him to run a second time. i thought he had done enough for the country, and when his term expires, he will come home, and we will settle down quietly, and shewill belong to me. certainly did not get her wish. what was the 1900 election all about? >> the 1900 election was a rematch of 1896. mckinley ran against william jennings bryant.but the issues were different. it is a testament to how much mckinley had succeeded. prosperity, he was, by 1900, seen as the man who was out of the great depression of the 1890's. he knew america's place in the world. it was new to most americans -- imperialism. bryant and the democrats and good government republicans, liberal republicans, basically opposed to the idea of american

empire. mckinley, on the other hand, for a number of reasons, he was a reluctant convert. the question i have, we have been told, i believe by the white house military aid, the most important decision he had to make as president, after going to war, was deciding whether to keep the philippines. hugely important question. very controversial. the white house military aid said that, in fact, it was ida's constant hopping on all the good work done by methodist missionaries that heavily influenced her husband's ultimate decision, which he always said had religious connotations. to take the philippines, and "educate and civilize and does thatize" them. ring a bell? >> i actually found that

evidence not just by benjamin montgomery, the military agent who was there in the middle of the night tom of the guy transmitting all of the messages to and from the front with president mckinley in that little telegraph room upstairs at the white house, but also julia foraker, also a political operative, and there were several people. what is interesting is mrs. mckinley is not what you consider a traditionally religious person. she never went to church. she went to the theater a lot on sunday, but she sure didn't go to church. he was a very devout methodist. >> his mother thought he was going to be a minister. that never quite took, but he literally, all of his life, was a significant influence in his decision. >> he went alone. she did not go with him. the suggestion is, though, that

she really believed that, from the sub -- from the reports they were getting, they were intrigued because the whole population was summarized as if they were, you know, living in a primitive way, that their lives were less about christianity, more that their lives needed to be improved in a way that, you know, only the americans -- >> people believe that is why he was annexing the philippines. >> with ida's concerned about reelection, one of the stories was about potential assassination. she had good reason. here are stories of the assassinations happening all around the globe at that time. the president of france. the prime minister of bulgaria. 1897, the prime minister of spain. 1900, the king ability -- italy. those were all attributed to >> and there had been several attempts on the life of

queen victoria as well. anarchism was a worldwide -- it is terrorism today. >> and their choice for the leaders of the country. >> you cut off the head of the system, and the system will die. >> it was always a lone individual. it was not always cooked up by a large -- these were people acting on their own. >> can you speak to his decision to put theodore roosevelt on the ticket? >> it wasn't exactly his decision. they had managed to alienate political bosses in new york who had, in desperation, turned to him as the great hero of the war, the only one who could win election as governor of new york in 1898. he was a reformer. most of his reforms seem pretty mild to us today, but they were at the heart of the political bosses and the status quo that they wanted to preserve.

the united states senator from new york, the easy boss, as he was known, basically hatched the idea of getting rid of t.r. mckinley seems to have ambivalence about this. people might ask, why did you have him? he already had a vice president. hobart had died in 1899. so, there was an opening. the convention went wild for t.r., who had tried to indicate he didn't want to be vice president. he knew his own temperament. it was not his style. >> there is a very important factor in this about ida mckinley. she was crucial in at least two instances, at very important points in the rise of theodore roosevelt, perhaps the most dramatic one, i will just tell you that one, is when roosevelt was with the cavalry and was

trying to get on a train to get to the transport ships in florida so they could go to cuba, nobody would give him he was sending wires and telegraphs and he sent one to mrs. mckinley. she took it and she brought it to the president. she had met roosevelt and trusted him. that is what got roosevelt to the transports in florida. roosevelt responded to the president, please tell mrs. mckinley to think of the rough riders as her very own and we will make her proud. from that point on, roosevelt earned favor with ida mckinley. there was an event in 1899 where she came in, big dinner, thousands of people, roosevelt is speaking, and he thought she was coming and right at the right moment, three cheers for mrs. mckinley. she sort of gave favor to him.

>> 13 minutes left. a lot more story to tell. you are on the air. go ahead, please. >> i love your show. i love, love it. is it true that robert lincoln, abraham lincoln's son, who was at his bedside when he died, was also at mckinley's assassination? >> he was at garfield's. he was at the train station at the time when garfield was shot. he was in buffalo. >> before we get to the assassination, the question is asked, if she was frail, how did she function as first lady in the white house? we have talked so much about politics and bringing people together to perform politics. did the mckinley white house do

that? >> she was not interested -- this is interesting. apart from her illness, because even before she had gotten the seizures, she was not interested in housekeeping. she was not really interested in the menu or entertaining. they have basically lived in hotels in washington and in columbus. she was interested in him. again, that is a good question, but from the idea that she was always this invalid, and she was not. mckinley took control. mckinley was the one who actually planned a lot of the dinners. she was at them. she was at the receptions. she did a lot of the traditional stuff, but she was not particularly interested in making those decisions. >> presidents are being sworn in in march. it was six months later, in september, that they went to the

exhibition. we have more footage about the exposition. it is a new american century. is america beginning to change its place in the world? >> absolutely. the pan-american exposition was a celebration of the western hemisphere, but in a larger sense, it was a coming out party. america now owned most of the western hemisphere through the spanish-american war, cuba, puerto rico, and the pacific guam, of course, hawaii, and the philippines, all in one presidency. again, you have this remarkable explosion of activity, and the american people are having this debate, which in some ways goes on to this day, what is our role in the world? >> at that space and time, he was shot by this anarchist. how long did he linger before he

died? >> was it six days? eight days. >> what happened to ida mckinley after his death? >> well, you know, she -- it is very interesting. she wanted to be with him. she wanted privacy. she wanted to have a moment with him. on the day before he died, the night before -- in the late hours, she was brought in to be with him. they did have some private words together, and, you know, mckinley said something that i found that has never been quoted widely before, but after she was brought out, he said to the doctor,"what will become of her?" it is almost a little bit cold. it wasn't. he knew he was dying.

the doctor was really a good guy. he was the one who really got her on a regimen. they would not allow her to attend any of the public ceremonies. she was in the white house. she had time upstairs with a closed coffin in the east room, and then she was just brought to the train, brought back to canton. the coffin was an open coffin for the public to pay their respects to. she was not permitted. she said one thing. she said, i want him one last night in this house alone with me so i could look at him one more time. they brought the coffin and they sealed it. she was very bitter, frankly. she was very angry.

i have found instances of her saying things that were really sharp and frustrated. she did it after they did that. >> our final video is returning to ida mckinley -- the museum, learning more about mrs. mckinley in mourning. >> now we want to take a look at some of the things that happened to ida after the white house. her white house years were cut short by mckinley's assassination and she spent the next six years in mourning. there are not a lot of things that represent this time for her. she mostly was a recluse. she stayed at home almost all the time. when she left, it was usually only to visit her husband's grave. when mckinley first was assassinated, condolences poured in from all around the world, and she couldn't take care of each one of them personally. she sent out this card, which would acknowledge that she

appreciated what people had sent to her, and she often didn't sign these. this would've been something you would have received after you sent her a condolence. now, we also have a bound book. this is family and intimate friends. we have lots of professional and public condolences. this one is extremely special because these would have been closer friends of hers. they would have been family members, cousins, things like that. these would've been the types of things she would have wanted to keep close, and it would have been bound for her to have and look through. some of them are acknowledged on the corner. they will have a date on them. the secretary can keep track of which ones she had acknowledged. not all of them have that. these are also, this is a good one because it shows some of the mckinley family members. these would have been the most nearest and dearest friends and

family. >> as we close out here, john richardson asks a very interesting question to both of you on facebook. if ida mckinley had written a description of herself in the third person, what do you think she might have said about herself? >> a devoted wife by her own choice. >> i will leave it at that. [laughter] >> dave wants to know, were ida's daily trips to her husband's grave seen as a mentally therapeutic process for her? >> they began right after the services. he wasn't buried. they would bill that monument. -- build that monument. it looks like a church of stone. in it were large floral displays, then eventually banners of groups that came. everyday she went.

at first it was therapeutic and a way that was helping her to get out. but over time, it became rather ghoulish and grim for her because she was focused on death. she was even focused on the flowers that were dying and trying to keep them alive and trying to get new flowers that she would put and. -- put in. it was sort of grim. she wanted it done. there was a really incredible little moment that happened. i thought that was the rest of her story, and it is not. the nieces both have a daughter each. suddenly, at the end of her life, there are these two little girls in her life and she stops

going to the tomb every day. they start walking again in the middle of winter. they were talking about the flowers in the new buildings and she really returns to life. you have something here? >> queen victoria for 40 years grieves the death of prince albert. some of this is the victorian obsession with death. -- me, this is the earliest eeriest chapter in this whole story. allegedly, she never had another seizure. i won't get into it here, but seizures, you know, people still have seizures. there are many different types of seizures. i had material reviewed by members of the board of the national epilepsy foundation. it has to be handled well in describing it. we only know so much. the fact is that she had regulated her life to this point in terms of dress and diet, and

then expected the nurses to take care of her later on, kind of became secretaries, may account for that, but also the stress, the paradox of this. part of the reason they would get stressed out his she was worried about him being shot. by him now being gone, that stress was removed. >> he died in may of 1907, just shy of her 60th birthday. 59 years old. i wonder how the country reacted when she died. >> it reacted with, you know, as often happens in the context of this young family, the roosevelts in the white house, there was some sort of nasty little thing that, the roosevelts were aristocrats. the mckinley's were village people from ohio. there was almost nothing said about her as a person. everything that was said about her was a symbol.

it was all through the lens of him. the truth is, in their lifetime, she didn't really care what she didthought about her. not care whether the public loved her. she cared about what they >> t.r. about him. attended her funeral. >> they want to know about the fact that you have written a whole book about her without a picture. they want to know why you were so interested in this first lady to tackle a biography. >> it was inspired by the founder and president of the national first ladies library. the great intuition, she sensed there was a real story to tell here. that really began it. it was quite an undertaking. it was a lot of work. there is not one repository of the papers. the effort was far and wide. it was like taking a magnet, one

letter from here, one from here. it was pretty arduous, but like i said, even toward the end, you know, at the 11th hour, there is hope. at the end of her story, it was true. so, i hope what it will do is eventually wear away at that caricature and give history a little bit more of a fully developed human being. >> we will give the people the last word on this. we are running out of time here. where do you think she should sit in the pantheon of first ladies? >> the book is exactly what this series is all about. taking a fresh look, beyond the caricature, making the re- acquaintance of women, who we

may know very little about, or we may know broadly about. it is a wonderful note on which to end this first series and a wonderful springboard for part two. >> thanks to both of you for helping us learn more about mckinley's presidency and about the side effects on the first lady during that first term. we appreciate you helping us learn more. as we close here tonight, you have heard several times, this is the final installment of our first part. we will be back on september 9 to pick it up again, all the way through president's day of 2013 with a look at the modern first ladies. during the summer months, we will continue to have historical things on the first ladies during this time slot. we will continue to try to feed that interest. thanks for being with us. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

♪ aboutl me a little bit this painting and the women who are in it and how it came to be. spanhis was the idea of c-

for the upcoming program, which is now ongoing. the idea was to create some kind of image that could be used for the program that would be an mimetic of it. -- emblematic of it. it shows history and continuity. we decided on 4 figures and they would be the first first lady to the current first lady with a couple of recognizable faces in between. the idea was them placed tightly together, which is tough to do in reality. progressionhave the of the eyesights, the progression of the view going from looking at you to progressing to the right, left to right, off into the future kind of concept. it is not just the static image of 4 people looking at you. you have the first one looking and progressively, they are

looking further off to the right. some beautiful references of michelle came into play for that. i think it was mrs. idealy in terms of references. that is how they got placed. >> how old do you think these women are and why did you choose these versions of these women? >> from my perspective, that was fairly easy. i was relying on what would be a public memory, what we think of as the first lady in the white house. that can be easily traced through portraits. done fairly soon after they were there. it requirede obama, just opening up the paper and looking at all the photographs. but they were best represented from their time in the white house. >> how much research did you do

on the women featured in this painting before you began to work? history, i am familiar with all of them. the visual references are what i require the most. immediately to my collection of first lady portraits and things like that. i saw what they would like to be seen as publicly. then i went through the various images. martha was a lot harder. her portrait is probably the best likeness there is. so i simply went on that one. for the others, it was more on photography. , ih all of that information pieced together images i thought were good and representative. >> what is the process you go through in starting to work on a painting? how much work goes into the project before you start it? research andll the background. for a normal portrait of someone

i need to really represent d, i needfe-size and 2- to get to know them. in this case, it is different with public figures and i am using them for a relatively small portrait. a lot of the work happens first, the research and gathering images. what i rely on the most is pencil work. i paint right on the board to make it easier for me. i draw a right on the board with pencil and going and going until i like it. getting the scale right and all of those things and progressing from there. >> how long did you work on this painting, from research through the painting process and even break it up if you have recollection? with every project, i have the hardest time with knowing exactly how long it takes. i work in verses.

hard, put them away in the closet, do not look at them purposely. when i pull them out, i can be supremely critical. i try never to give track of how much time i spent on them because i will get depressed. i just refer not to. -- prefer n ot to. >> do political ideas or personal views factor into how you represent someone in a painting? how do you remain objective as an artist? >> it is fairly simple. you want to present the person. i am always looking, especially if i am doing a portrait or sculpture of an individual, i need to know what their personality is like, what that personal book is that i can relate to. i am trying to bring someone to life who looks like someone you want to meet. >> what other paintings or

sculptures have you done of first ladies? isthe most public one for me the official portrait of barbara bush that is in the white house. the absolute favorite of mine. the whole process was great. the subject was wonderful, very enjoyable. the end result i really liked. we revived milly for the painting and put her in the shadows. details are not grand, but it was very nicely done. i love it. dimensions, i actually sculpted nancy reagan for the reagan library in california. >> how long have you been working with these projects? give me a little bit of that relationship. >> it has been a long time.

i am a history buff so tantalizing me with these projects was not part. tocquevillewith the project. it was the tocqueville tour around the country. that was a part of -- that was supposed to be a painting and evolved into a sculpture, a small bust of tocqueville. what c-span did not know was that i had not sculpted since the third grade. i smile now because it was c- span and they push me towards sculpture without them knowing. that is how it started. it was really fun. the president series, i got to paint every president. the only tough part about that was the timeframe. the goal tv deadlines, 90 days to do 40-some men. but i love that kind of challenge. i also did the writers series.

less serious, almost cartoony versions of american writers. if nothing else, that was a great education. i got writers that i did not know and historical figures that i research. -- researched. and first lady portraits are such a huge part of what is now the pop culture, recognizable to people, as you mentioned. taking your own portrait of barbara bush, what are some others that stand out for you? exceptional for one reason or another? just like presidents, many people, the portrait of president kennedy where he is looking to the side. that is completely unorthodox and you feel a little detached

from him but you feel like you are there for him -- with him. it adds to the story. you feel the emotion of his presidency. i fall -- i thought that was very powerful and daring or a portrait. was juste washington this grand, historical piece. the roosevelt, teddy roosevelt. mainly the freshness of the painting. it wasurning, i think but it is that proud, very strong stance. from my memory, i think it was a struggle trying to get the composition right and the artist was having a hard time dealing with the president. at some point, he was walking down the stairs and he ordered him to stop. that was the moment he found opposed. pose.found the

you live with the person a little bit, discover what they are like, and find the pose that portrays them properly. >> and what were some of the standouts for the first ladies? >> the one that i really love as a painting, and i was surprised that the scale, was man deranged in. -- was nancy reagan. there was a lot of buildup, what could she possibly be wearing and things like that. in the end, it was a very sleek red dress. nothing truly extravagant or anything, but the lighting and the composition was fantastic. where you see light coming through a doorway. a little bit of almost action in the painting. to when you see it, you have step right up to it. it is an intimate painting, it is small. that is probably the standout for me because it was just so unexpected.

>> is there anything that you want to conclude with, any thoughts about this project or future projects, first ladies in general? lay a uniquees role. it is hard to put yourself in their shoes and how they would live day-to-day. each developed their own themes and projects and personalities that we get to know as a public. that is an interesting thing to watch. looks at the presidents wives, it is an interesting perspective on the white house. >> season two of first ladies begins monday, september 9 with a look at the life of edith roosevelt. visit our website for more about the series. a special section, "welcome to the white house."

also, the book "first ladies of the united states of america" is available at c-span.org. >> c-span, we bring public affairs events in washington directly to you, putting you in the room at congressional hearings, white house events, readings and conferences, and offering complete coverage of a publichouse all as service of private industry. we are c-span, created by the cable tv industry 34 years ago and funded by your local cable and satellite provider. now you can watch in hd. >> coming up, the republican national committee marks the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. that is followed by secretary of state john kerry on the use of chemical in the syrian civil war.

later, examining race in the u.s. 50 years after the march on washington. on the next "washington journal," michael steele discusses his party's stance on issues, including syria, healthcare, immigration, and calls to impeach president obama. senator --a byron senator byron dorgan on cyber security issues and gridlock. later, we will look at eminent domain laws and how state and federal governments use it. our guest is stephen eagle. liveington journal" is every morning on c-span. kellogg foundation forum on race in the u.s., a talk about civil rights and the republican party. you can see his remarks in their entirety any time on c-span.org. here is a look.

>> norm annetta represented san jose in congress for so long and went on to serve as transportation secretary under bush. i tell the story about coming home from the internment camps and anng a young child older person in a community meeting, standing up and saying that we could never afford to partyn anti-japanese again. i am going to pass my hat and you're all going to put money into it and we will sponsor our young people to go to the republican center every year and the democratic center every year. thank god i got to go to the democratic center. his point was, and there are similar stories told in the black community about men coming home from world war ii.

and deciding to join the democratic or republican party to push a civil rights agenda. we are on the verge of having an anti-civil rights party in this country, having civil rights be a one-party issue. there are still allies in the republican party. there are still governors making great strides. we have to think deeply not just about how we build bonds among each other, but how we civil rights to the republican party, which, for 100 years, was the party of civil rights, in many ways. cane, in the next 50 years, get more sophisticated about how we work our politics, if we can be a little more inspired -- quite frankly, by our grant rent -- our grandparents and the lessons that they understood very well, and we can get back to a place where civil rights is

a little bit less harsh, then we can move forward. right now, we have some opportunities with the criminal justice reform and the voting rights act. we need to see there is not one off exceptions but told holds to get to that place. that many come back from interment camps understood and lack soldiers coming back from world war ii comeback understood. civil rights has to be a universal thing in this country, a universal set of values. closest to that after world war ii, after the internment in the 1950s and 1960s. in the early 1970s is when things advanced quickly. we are going to have the hope to even talk to the other side of the aisle. --ht now, things are often we ourselves reinforce the

isolation of our agenda. republican national committee chairman says the republican party needs to know more in its outreach to minorities. at ade these comments march to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. this is one hour and 10 minutes. >> please have your seats. while you continue to enjoy your , we will continue the rest of our program. we are going to continue on with our program. right now, you will hear from our dynamic cochairman. she gives us our opening remarks. [applause]

>> thank you. i hope it works this time. thent to thank representative for his leadership in the republican party. good afternoon to everyone and thank you for being here. day.sharing day -- sharon on behalf of the entire republican national committee, i want to welcome you to our luncheon marking the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. i also want to thank the women here today. happy women's equality day. [applause] this is a day the 19th amendment was added to our constitution 93 years ago. part of this proud history was led by the introduction of this

amendment to congress by a republican senator in 1878. republican house and senate to finally pass that amendment in 1919. we are thrilled as women to have the vote. so thank you. we are thrilled and honored to have the chance to come together and to mark the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, which was a truly pivotal event in our countries history. to begin, i want to recognize some of our very special speakers and guests. mr. dwight washington. thank you for that beautiful rendition of the national anthem. brown, head of the associates who we also honor this year at our black republicans trailblazers luncheon. the president of the jack kemp foundation.

of thender and president center for neighborhood enterprises, who who is doing great work all across communities and all across our country. runnersman james since a james of wisconsin's fifth district. not loud enough? there we go. of the oklahoma house of representatives and one of our resume -- are recently- announced republican rising stars. you will see a lot more of him around the country and on television. the frederick douglass foundation. and it is an honor to have numbers of the king family and members of the big five here today. say thank you to the staff of the capitol hill club and everyone at the rnc who made this luncheon possible. especially our own national director for him -- for african-

american strategic initiatives, who has done a strategic -- a fantastic job. thank you. our world is better today. i can remember watching with my march the coverage of the and when i was a child i did not fully understand the importance of what i was seeing. i was experiencing something that was really special. to be here incial

washington, d.c. where it all happened and to mark this location with members of the king family today we honor the celebrate the future. we are thankful of the progress that has been made. and we look to the future and together we continue the hard wheref building a nation individual opportunity and individual freedom are in abundance and available to every american. where every child that hears those words that here is i have a dream and truly understands and truly believes that child and that individual has the opportunity and not only that opportunity to follow and succeed but to experience their own dreams. we thank you for being here and

we honor martin luther king and those words -- i have a dream. [applause] thank you so much for those remarks. right now we are going to start hours speaker part of the program. i am absolutely honored to present to you our first set of speakers. the first is mr. bob broman -- brown who serves as special advisor to president nixon. kempecond jimmy camp -- who was big by the legacy of his father. and we know him as the great football quarterback with a platinum smiled who led off the field as secretary of hud under president reagan and championed federal urban policies.

after him a we will have mr. wilson, activist and president of center of neighborhood enterprises. and also he continues to advocate that circumstances at birth do not determine one's destiny. this part of our program would like to call remembering our past. mr. brown, if you would please join us. [applause] >> thank you, crystal. she is a wonderful person that has done a great job. my colleague who has done all of .his

[applause] , i was here in washington with martin luther king jr. and mr. walker and all the rest of them and i was involved. marching and i did other things during those two are day -- two or three days we spent here. and it isevelation all over again. thank god for to today. we have come a long way. there have been so many people, many of them in this room, who has sacrificed to bring us to this point in our history.

and i want to thank the chairman of our party who has looked out and said we need to go up to another level and he is reaching out and taking a party to that level. [applause] i want to thank all of those people -- first, i want to thank god. then all of the people who gaveficed and the many who their lives that we may see this day. the years have been filled with andent and anger and death many, many successes. we have a lot to be thankful for. we need to be prayerful and reaffirming our commitment to do everything we can to make this a better nation. we still have to work on that. because we still have to -- we

still have people to understand especially people in power in the congress and the white house and everywhere else to know that this nation was built on compromise. and if we do not learn how to get it all together, we are going to sink the ship and we cannot afford to do that. [applause] room have in this paid some kind of price to be here. this tore and to have come so far and with so little so many times. i think of the black colleges who now are suffering because we cannot get together on what we are going to do and not just for them, but to help them help .heir sales -- themselves we are blocking that and that is not the right and we need to call it like it is.

i do not care if it is coming from a democrat or republican, this is a part of our legacy. if you are wrong, you are wrong. if you want to find what we believe in and fight with our forefathers brought to this front, we be too lifted up and carry it up. [applause] to havehat it's like all kind of roadblocks because life for me has not been crystal. i know what the billy club feels like on my head. and i know with the inside of a jell-o looks like because i have been there. ail looks like because i have been there. i know the mountaintop looks like it i have been to the white house and off -- and have worked there for many years under president nixon.

we started all the other programs that are now being cut out. and whatat we can do we are capable of doing the we need to get on with that. we need our organizations that are led by great people and many of them who are in this room. we need to support them more and get them more effective they can work with all of the different problems that they are working with. back over i look those 50 years -- as i look back and see what my grandmother used to say, she said to me, do not let anything to get it your way. carry god with you because in the end that will be the determination of who makes it who does not make it. he can give you everything and i know because i came from a small

town in north carolina with nothing -- with zero. and has been able to do a lot all over the world including going inside of the prison to see nelson mandela and bringing his children over here and educating them while the rest -- while he was imprisoned. i am asking you all of you here today, whether you are democrat or republican or independent, no matter what you are -- let's read determine who we are and what we are for. and all the organizations we belong to. let's develop around what we can do for our communities and how we can collectively work together -- a black and white, rich and poor, all of us." we have a job to do. i am asking all of you to use this and use this time and use our lives to get on what god wants us to do.

[applause] >> thank you so much, mr. brown. mr. kemp who was big but the legacy of his father. >> thank you and it is an incredible honor. i am not the ceo of the jack kemp foundation, i am only president. i will take the promotion. ago the march on washington was for jobs and freedom to place. my father was playing football for the buffalo bills and two heers -- two years later

would be put on the all-star team. that all-star team played a football game in new orleans, louisiana. i like talking loud. forve my father's genes talking loud. in 1965, when they went down to new orleans, there was a running gilchrist.cookie he used to drive around a milk truck in the off-season when they had to make money and the seller did not pay enough. candy and wholing knows what else. this truck would say lookie, lookie, here comes cookie. he was trying to get a taxi cap ante-health one and the cap -- the -- and he held one

-- hailed one. the driver said he would have to get a colored cab. african-american players decided to step up. marc morial is here and his father was president of the naacp at the time and he tried to work out a solution and cannot come up with want. all the white players agreed with the black players and said let's move it to houston and they did. privileged to serve with many of you. he would be huge supporter and encourager of you as the party reaches out as a party of lincoln as we all know that in this. it is no mistake that the march on washington was in front of

the lincoln memorial. know that because of this union was predicated on our declaration of the quality. .hat freedom for all he was the first president of united states to let blacks to the white house. and he was so sincere that frederick douglass said these words. i was impressed by his entire -- against the colored race. he and no single instance reminded me of the difference between himself and myself. ring so true of president lincoln. -- andwas an urban or honored to meet earlier dr. king's niece. the king family.

when i read one of his sermons recently, the word that rang true and in my heart was love. a man who demonstrated love. month, ando this chevron thank you for reminding us about women's equality and the contribute and that women have made to this country. 30 years ago, there was another seminal moment in my father's career. he did not change his mind terribly often. some people can't johnny one note. called him johnny one note. my dad changed his mind about something. the house of representatives was debating the creation of a holiday to honor dr. king. and dad stood up and of the house of the floor he said i have changed my position on this because i really think the american revolution will not become pleat until we commemorate the civil rights revolution and guaranteed those

of humanlaration rights for all americans and move those barriers that stand in the way of equal being what they were meant to be. people, all of us, we have a purpose. we are supposed to be something and that is what makes this country the united states of america. people can't come here and achieve whatever they set their achieveo -- can c whatever they set their minds to. i appreciate you allow me to share words of my father. with all of your parents will say to us, do not think about us. think about us and remember us but go do something. do not let the lessons that have been passed down over not. the jack kemp foundation won the most critical projects is the

legacy of dr. king and of my father. it is focusing on dietrich. -- detroit. through -- has gone and an opportunity for those of us who believe this is still the greatest country in the world for people to have the opportunity to become all that they can be. we can go to detroit and it is a city where we go the window which party has run that city for the past 50 years. and with can propose a different solutions that are based on our free enterprise system. we are busy encouraging enterprise to be strongly considered in detroit. we need ideas. if any by was to talk about detroit, that is where we think is one the most important places to have an impact and share in cause that calls --

each of us believe. i appreciate the opportunity and god bless you and america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, jimmy. now we hear room -- we will hear from mr. wilson. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. rememberedg that i was a man who was not content with reflecting majority opinion by the consensus of the majority but he challenged it. we forget that the civil rights movement was not monolithic that

we had great conflict in -- and challenge within. the students that sat in were protesting the slow pace of social regrets -- regress. -- kingas sent there was sent there to discourage the students. they were told to follow or get out of the way and we had all of the others who came to birmingham and all the black pastors and everybody opposed him and the young people who came out in support of him and they will was a bit and by the dogs and driven out. there was always great -- that is why we had all these organizations, the urban league, the naacp all competing with one another in this great debate. jhfact, dr. king confronted

jackson the head of the baptist convention and deposed him and he lost the vote as a result, dr. king left informed the national progressive baptist convention. the division. there was great division and conflict and tension that existed the defined the civil rights movement. one other thing in common and that is that many of those who suffered and sacrificed and struggle for civil rights did not benefit from the change. 1965, bill why in raspberry did this and i put this on my wall. many of those who suffered and sacrificed did not benefit from the change. article thatote an

said the same thing. today -- we are talking about the dream and for many the trend of poor people is a nightmare. every body has come in front of them on the bus -- gays, immigrants, women, environmentalists, we never hear any talk about the conditions affronted poor blacks and poor people in general. [applause] you know there is -- some years came to the klan demonstrate washington, d.c., the post went into the black neighborhoods and they asked an older brother what he thought and was he going to demonstrate

and he said bring them down here and see if they can get rid of the drug dealers. i want to talk to you briefly brother and is he insisted it to racism. he -- his biggest problem is not the clan but people who look like him. three days after king made his speech, for girls were blown apart by -- 4 girls were blown apart by the klan. and a white lawyer was beaten to death. the day of this demonstration we had six people shot in washington on the same day. black americans right now, young people, we lose 3000 every six months. we have a 9/11 every six months.

over 4000 died in 40 years of lynching. we lose more than that in way year. the priorities that we have are not racist just because i say that i have -- i need tires on my car and my mom needs heart surgery. need to have our priorities. the challenge is to we going to give voice to the least of god children as measured by effect in this and leadership? -- effectiveness and leadership? the answers will come by going into the community suffering the problem and finding out not from the 70% of the household that are raising children dropping out of school but what did happen in the arctic percent of the households of people who are not dropping out and going to % of the households

of people were not dropping to a going to jail? we just enrolled a young lady in tuskegee who is sleeping at bus stops because she is homeless. she was admitted from a shelter. we need to go on top communities and put a microphone in front of young people like this who are not dropping out of school and household that are successful in the midst of despair and we should invest time and resources to build up these communities because they individually are antibodies and they represent a new immune system. both political parties should be put on notice that the way forward is to compete for how you have served the least of gaza's children. children. uplifted those at the bottom. [applause]

on the billions we are spending on attack advertisements, let's take a small portion of that and invest in community building so that the people suffering will have the voice and there on up left. competition between democrats and republicans -- but how you have served the least of god children and of dr. king was just beday he would not talking for justice for trayvon martin but also give a prayer -- this18-year-old man little baby was shot in the face by two black kids or by the world war ii veteran who was beaten to death for $50. or the oklahoma player who was killed. was morally consistent.

he said the only way that a minority can survive is to insist upon moral equality. moral consistency is what we should insist upon. we should pray for the families of these following people as we do trayvon martin. in other words, we should not wait for evil to wear a white face before we get outraged. [applause] evil is our him he whether it wears a white face are not stop we must be honest about those black politicians who are standing on the shoulders of those who sacrificed and used that position for corrupt or buses -- [applause] -- we need to call them out because they are moral traders. -- they are moral traitors.

we are silent about that. --m sorry to be the skunk [laughter] if dr. king were alive today, he would step on somebody's sacred issues. when he brought the civil rights movement with the peace movement. rove labeled him a communist. the naacp who castigated him. i was on the dais and i was yce castigatedn ro dr. king. he was a man who was not just a popularreflected opinion or the consensus of the majority but he was a man who was willing to take the risk to shape it so i hope some of our leaders today that we will not be silent about these things that walk around. thank you.

[applause] >> thank you so much mr. woodson and mr. brown for sharing with us. leadership and your and thank you for sharing jimmy. we'll have another music selection.

>> ♪ let it shine. let it shine. let it shine. if i can help somebody as i pass along,

somebody with a word or song. somebody,how shall not be in vain. ♪ if i can do more duty as a christian,

if i can bring my duty to the world. if i can spread my message that the master taught, be iny living shall not vain. hall not be in sa vain. ll not be inng sha vain. if i can help somebody as i pass along,

be iny living shall not vain. then my living shall not be in vain. living shall not be in vain. as i passelp somebody along, then my living shall not be in vain. if i can help somebody as i pass

along, not be inving shall vain. let it shine. let it shine. let it shine. [applause] >> thank you so much, dwight. next in our program what house speaker of the oklahoma house of

representatives, mr. tw shannon. he represents the celebrant of her presence section and were delighted -- celebration of our sence section and we are delighted to have them. he became the first black and republicant of the house in oklahoma. we are delighted to have him. >> thank you for that kind introduction, crystal. beenepublican party has gracious enough to bust out this ow as astar -- best rising star. i'm going to tell you like i told them, i do not want to hear mr. speaker rising star, i treated like any

other leader of the free world. thank you so much. in light of our gathering here today to commemorate both the of an and an event individual, i am reminded of the dramatic close of having dreams speech. it was a close that shook the very foundation. oftentimes, one with considered the public and profound promises and printed in that close, we place great emphasis on the front of the dream and us with satisfying taste of solidarity. nevertheless, we must not overlook in the same place and in the same clothing, dr. king spoke about the root of his dream. acknowledging the difficulties that awaited those looking for freedom and the rights of all, dr. king went on to say i still have a dream. it is a dream deeply rooted in the american dream.

after citing the soil in which the jury was rooted, deeply rooted in the american dream. he quoted the first 14 words of the preamble to the declaration of independence. we hold these truths to be self- evident that all men are created equal and drawing from the rich soil of the american creek tom a dr. king's dream was no less american than the declaration of independence and self. no less american than the constitution. dr. king's dream was no less american than the dream itself. his dream was planted in the promises by prudent man who fought to form this very idea. it was indeed the same prolific words from that american gospel preacher that jolted the conscience of this nation reminded america that the true source of our beauty which is the resolve to let freedom ring and the face of all tyranny both foreign and domestic. desert what the

coincidence that it was before the little memorial that dr. king uttered the words of assuring -- lincoln memorial that dr. king uttered the words of his dreams? both men used a fountain prisons and the word of god to recalibrate america -- used the founding words and the word of god to recalibrate america. it was his unwavering service and sharing of his dream and his that dr. kingfice gave us not only a legacy to inspire, he also gave was inspired to guide. the lesson is this and it is simple. and liberty life and the pursuit of happiness and a harvest of the quality of education for all of our children whether public or private schools.

governmentf limited and strong families and economically thriving nation. and a nation were even the least of these may have a chance to experience prosperity that can only be derived from the satisfaction and personal responsibility of hard work. in order to produce a harvest we must follow king's lead. the soil of freedom and justice not just for some but for everyone. -- androot of the dream the harvest will be went. it will protect the root of the drink and be original soil of human dignity for which it draws its strength it will be protected from contaminants and class warfare, socialism and any other polluted -- pollutant. if we would all resolve to do

that, we would fulfill not on the dream of a great man but also the dream of a great nation. there was an incident that took ince in anchorage, alaska 2012 that depicts the rowing nation -- nature -- humor with -- heroic nature. a couple went to take other dogs. when the husband was delayed, the wife came out and saw her husband was being attacked with a moose. she grabbed a shovel and she managed to get the most to back away -- the moves to back away. the resourcefulness depicts the nature of this nation and in spirit form when the odds are against us, we do not yield. if, -- if and when

everything fails, we go to our pickups. we're featuring and founded principles to guide us and let's use what we have. may god bless you and the dream and these united states of america. [applause] >> thank you so much. is congressmanr jim sensenbrenner. he has fought to protect the gains made. he introduced the reauthorization of the voting rights act. and amendments. after approximately 20 hearings and those of you who have worked

on the hilt know that is a lot of hearings. the measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. however, the supreme court struck down a key provision that congressman sensenbrenner has worked with his colleagues to right so the most sacred will not be jeopardized. , -- let us welcome, jim sensenbrenner. [applause] >> thank you very much and it is an honor to be here today. i wish it salute reince priebus for that out together -- getting of altogether. this is important getting together and it shows the concern that we republicans have with my nordisk and protected with minorities and in particular african-americans.

some people ask why i am so -- while i never knew dr. king personally and was able to see what is accomplished was worth as i was struggling to get out of law school and go to vietnam during those troubled times in our countries history. i hearkened back to a trip that my dad and i took one of the bot 12 years old. we drove from wisconsin for spring break. south, got into the deep i saw the very strange experience of two bathrooms and two water fountains and motels that said white only or colored only. and we stopped for gas there was usually an african-american who filled my dad's car with gas and a white man came out and collected the money. usually the filling of the tank

cost five dollars back in the good old days. thisly after experiencing for a better part of the day, i turned to my dad and said, what is wrong down here? the african- americans are people, too. almost in a be kept state of slavery even though we northerners fought a civil war to end slavery and to preserve the union led by the first republican president. when i got highly sensitive to the civil rights movement that dr. king was really a spark plug of. if you look at all of the civil rights bills that were passed in the 1950's and 1960's in the eisenhower, johnson, and kennedy administrations. the most important was the voting rights at.

it took away artificial barriers , register vote and gave my nordisk a clear shot at winning elective office -- and gave my nor is it clear shot at winning elective offices. andrevented them from doing that gave me my commitment to keep the voting rights at a live and well. i was able to broker the deal that kept it going in 1982 and to2006 i gave a commitment the naacp convention that we would reauthorize the voting rights act during that session of congress. and i was able to do that as chairman of the judiciary committee with the 20 hearings and 15,000 pages of testimony which the supreme court decided to either ignore or decide it was too much for them to read and look at what discrimination was still occurring in many of the sections.

i am committed to restoring voting rights act as an effective tool to prevent discrimination. or subtle discrimination than overt discrimination. this is going to be difficult because the way the court worded its decision. so far, this effort has been bipartisan and bicameral. a month and a half ago, congressman john lewis went and testified before the senate judiciary committee and how important the voting rights act is. at the end of the testament, mr. lewis turned around and put his arm on my shoulder and said, jim, you are my friend and my brother. and that was one the highest accomplishments i ever received an almost 46 years in elected public office. senator leahy said i am a civil rights -- i said, no am i am not

an icon. my job is to fix the voting rights act. the first thing we have to do is to take the monkey wrench that the court through in it out of the voting rights act and then use that monkey wrench to be able to fix it so it is alive, well, constitutional, and impervious to another challenge that will be filed by the usual suspects. i am with you on this. [applause] with all of the problems that we have over the budget problems the team the resolutions and the debt ceiling in the snooping by the nsa, this is something that has to be done by the end of the year so that a revised and constitutional voting rights act it and place before the 2014 election season both primaries and general elections start to

run. we have job number one that is before us. i know we are all here job number one. it is not going to be easy but when we are all together, we shall overcome. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. our next speaker really does not need an introduction. i would like to say suppress regards about our distinguished chairman, reince priebus. in march we released the growth and opportunity project and it is a 100 page document.

under his leadership, we will be engaging minority communities for the first time, we will be going to communities and being there three years before any election. reince priebus believes that every vote counts and i am so honored and so blessed to have the opportunity to work under him. --welcome reince priebus please welcome reince priebus. >> thank you to mcchrystal crystal and what a great job she has done. jim sensenbrenner just made some news. it is always -- you have to appreciate the wisconsin cheese had leadership. he has been a leader -- when i was a young guy in wisconsin,

jim ran the show. he was the leader of everything that we did and tommy thompson came around. he was a pioneer. obviously now it is scott walker , ron johnson. it is an incredible place. i am grateful for everything jim has done. i know in his heart and you heard him say it is at his core at the things he believes. rnc, i wanted the to take this opportunity that we had together to commemorate this historic week here in history. brief to keep my remarks and everybody has said so much and i am grateful for everybody here. if you look around this room, and you just about what this with the our party,

lessons we can learn and what i can learn as chairman of the party. you cannot make the sale if you do not show up for the order. [applause] this is a good example of something a few weeks ago, we need to be a part of this. we need to commemorate this historic day. how many people are going to come? we are in recess. i do not know. the rnc sending an invite. look around. it is a blessing to our party. [applause] and i want to tell you, i know that in this room -- it is not 100% republican and i know that. camew that few democrats up and said, you know what, we are supporting this because the republican party is not going to

fight like crazy for every single vote in this country and do not fight like crazy for the african-american vote, they guess what? the other side takes it for granted. we need both sides fighting for every vote in this country. -- bob brown has become a mentor to me. he sat down at the table with dr. king and worked with a quality. only you visited nelson mandela in prison. we want to keep learning from you. we want to grow and learn those lessons. [applause] bob woodson, you have dedicated your life to building communities and transforming lives in schools and neighborhoods will stop you have blessed so many people. to paula huge blessing ryan. he talks about you everywhere he

goes now. i thank you for that. ,peaker shannon, i mean tw we're not allowed to copy speaker anymore. you will see what we labeled him as a rising star of this party. the future of the republican party. tw shannon and members of our community and pat mullins and a few more and jill and we are thankful to you. jimmy camp m thank you for carrying on the vision of your beloved father that the american dream should be a reach for all americans. and it is wonderful to have representatives of the civil rights community, hilary shelton from the naacp and marc morial and the leadership conference. .nd so many other organizations at our core, we are fighting in our own ways for a better

country. it is so good that we can come together like this and something that quite prickly we do not do enough. and we are going to start doing more of it. today is a big lesson of what it means when you decide we are going to do anyway and put out an invitation and we have been overwhelmed today and this afternoon. i know today is not about partisan politics. i do want to take the chance that we have to share a few thoughts about wedding anniversary like this means to us as a party. today and in the future. when dr. king spoke to the crowd not far from here, he said, 1963 is not an end but a beginning. backars later, as we look this commemoration is not just about the past. 96 through was beginning and at the march for jobs was the first

step, where do we stand 50 years down the road? what we stand half a century along the journey? certainly, america has come a long way. to theesday, 50 years day when dr. king spoke on the steps of the lincoln memorial, america's first black president will address the crowd and all americans understand and recognize that incredible significance. but still, as many before me said, there is so much more work to do. marchers came to washington in 1963 to claim their right to the american dream. politics andus in public life today, we cannot rest until they join is in breach -- we cannot rest until that dream is a reach for everybody.

it is a call for action. as americans, what can we do for the cause of justice and opportunity? for the marcher's call for jobs. we have to keep working until every american has a first shot and untold jobs are plentiful and communities are thriving. that means helping the black and minority on businesses grow. hbcu can ensuring weather the hard times. and it means fixing our schools. every child in america deserves a quality education. the chance to attend a good school. to build a better life. a child's education should not be determined by their zip code.

--child should be stopped stuck in a failing school. it is unfair when children are stuck in failing schools -- america is failing its children will stop -- children. we have to fight for better schools for all kids because it is nothing less than a civil rights issue. education is essential to equal opportunity. and that is essential to the american dream. as republicans, this is one area where we can lead full but -- lead. i was raised in wisconsin. not far where the republican party was born in 1854. you ever wonder where a guy got a name like reince priebus. i am what happens when a greek any german gets married.

my kid name is jackson with the opposite direct ship. -- opposite direction. it was worth into the tradition. sudan and myrn in dad was in the army in if obeah and they moved back -- in ethiopia and they moved back eventually to wisconsin. i got involved in politics as a little kid and i was always interested in my grandfather in greece who loved politics and he came to love this country. she loved every little thing about it. i was in a state that the republican party was born in. beginning was born around issues of civil rights and equal opportunities. our party has a rich, proud history of equality, freedom,

opportunity. [applause] anymoret tell our story , will close the history of this party. we do not tell it, but we are going to. it's about time we do. i also know that passed the cultures do not address the issues of today. i get it. we'll do a better future is up to us. -- in building a better future is up to us. we have an opportunity is a god gave us. we are not here by accident. i am not here standing before you by accident will stop we have a lot of work to do. i want to make you proud of this party. it is going to take a lot of work. we are talking about building a republican party like we have never done, that is what we are doing. i am not interesting in doing a story here or there by hiring a couple of people and calling it in our rich. that is not going to do it.

reachinglking about from every corner of this country, and communities with influencingaders and telling our story. . if we start telling our story better and we can do i know that we can do better. that is the vision that we have. fromould draw inspiration the words of dr. king that echoed across the national mall in 1960ss this country three. words that called us to remember the basic promise of america's founding that god created us all equal and all of us deserve an equal chance at making it in this great country. thed dr. king spoke at march, he talked of standing and the symbolic shadow of the great

emancipator. stand we celebrate -- we in the shadow of the great civil rights leader. we recommit ourselves to his cost for a better america to the dream he spoke of when he quoted isaiah, chapter 40. imagine the day where every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain made a low and the rough places made plain and the crooked places made straight. may god bless the legacy of dr. king and the march on washington and may god guide us in the continued pursuit of what is just and right. thank you and god bless you. i appreciate it. thank you. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you so much for those remarks. thank you for joining us. if you will remain standing, will have the benediction.

>> we have to make sure we managed the change in the right way because we could miss the opportunity if we don't

politicize our communities, if we don't educate our communities about the history of this country. if we don't have a progressive idea of where we are going, we could actually really fail in that moment. i think that because of the work that has been happening together across all of those lines, we are moving in the right direction. when we see that shift, when we see the minority become the majority, that we are going to be in the right place to make a progressive america. oathcan't agree more with statements. the only thing i would add and create the framework for these ideas is civic engagement. we have got to find ways to empower a people. having been around in the 60s, i remember talking about people taking the power. well, we're going to have the power because of the numbers. what we have got to learn to do

is use the power in a responsible way, use the power in a way that we would want it used with us and use that power in the american way, which is what we are all striving for is to be engaged in building society as a valuable member of society. notave got to find ways only to register voters, but to make sure the turnout at the polls, to make sure they are informed about what is happening in their communities and to become the leaders that they are going to be set up for in the next 30 to 50 years. >> i have a personal story. building off of gail's, opening up on this story i think of my dad in this situation. in 1963i was five years old and he sat it down the night before i went to kindergarten and said to me you are going to american school tomorrow. i was born and raised in -- cleveland,

ohio, and he said you're going to have to do better than everybody else in school because you are chinese. he said everybody is going to judge you because you are different and you have to prove that you are smarter and better than everyone just to be treated equally. right? i know that resonates with a lot of folks. >> so, yes, it is all those things. it is also teaching our children that they will face racism. but what is their response? says a personal response to you have a responsibility to those beyond your family, to your community, to organize, to teach, to lead him and that is really the way that we will be able to make change. want to follow up on that

because my thought is we all do our work and i think we are doing a great job collaborating and working together. we could always work to improve it or it has a look at the next 50 years and i really think about this a lot, especially for my community, i take on this challenge like succession planning, with that same kind of fervor. andok at my next-generation realized that my responsibility as teaching the next generation. i can do this is my day job, but my full job is teaching the next generation. we need them to understand why this matters. we need them to understand sovereignty for country, we need them to understand the human rights movement. toneed them to feel under -- understand the history that is not holding our history books so that we can actually have the next generation more educated. so i spend the majority of my time thinking about the

succession plan and how i can keep working with that next generation. if we could do that more, not just with our families but within all the youth groups that we can touch, the next generation will have a lot more hope than this one might have to complete. minetta who represented san jose in congress for so long and went on to serve as trash -- as transportation secretary under bush and before that clinton, he tells the story about coming home from the internment camps. he says we can never afford for there to be an anti-japanese party again. so i'm going to pass my hat and you are all going to put money into it and you are going to sponsor our young people to go to the republican dinner every year and the democratic in every year. line was usually,

thank out i got to the democratic dinner. there are similar stories told in the black community about men coming home from world war ii and deciding in their community to join the democratic or republican party to push a civil rights agenda. we are on the verge of having an anti-civil rights party. there are still allies in the republican party and governors are making great strides. as a civil rights community think deeply not just how we build bonds among each other, but how we reintroduce civil rights to the republican party which for 100 years a party of civil rights in many ways. i believe that if we in the next 50 years can get more

sophisticated about how we work our politics, if we can be more ourired quite frankly by grandparents and lessons that they understood very well, we can get back to a place where civil rights is less partisan. in a wayve forward that everything is possible. we have opportunities with criminal justice reform, with the voting rights act and we need to see them as toe holds towards getting to that place where men and women coming back from internment camps understood, that soldiers coming back from world war ii understood. civil rights has to be a universal thing in this country, a universal set of values. that moment that we were closest to that after world war ii, the 70s,50s, and 60s, even the

the first courageous step would have to be with us saying that we are going to have the hope to even talk to the other side of the aisle. -- wenow things are even have self reinforced the isolation of our agenda in ways that are expedient in the short term but detrimental in the long term. >> poll just out for me, i promised this would be an interactive discussion. i need to call up my colleague et.m bd -- 's >> i want to thank our panel for what has been a great discussion. we have been taking your questions online, on social onbetand the et.com -- .com.

i'm going to bring out the highlights. we're going to make one brief disclaimer that all the comments are independent of the wk kellogg foundation andbet. susan gamboa asks if you can address how much regression that we have seen. what tangible effects have we seen yet? since the shelby county case in the supreme court, clearly we have seen a number of states move very quickly to restrict the right to vote. you had texas literally in the moments after the decision, the thatney general tweeting they would immediately enforce voter id. north carolina actually had that we are alsodly --

seeing it at the very local level. decisions like in north carolina one of the counties that was covered by section five where a theyge campus immediately, close the polling place and that was a place that had elected president obama. so we are seeing these little places bubble up in little counties where things that are as closing a polling place so communities of color cannot access the voting booth is happening. what we are doing with the civil rights community and those of us who do voting rights litigation, but also with organizations like is to monitor that. it is popping up in every little hamlet and town across the country that these kinds of small changes are happening.

i'm hearing stories on the ground. what we are focused on right 12 hundredvating our units to serve as an intelligence network. we have brought in folks from all 38 of our state and multistate conferences. a couple of weeks ago. they are doing the training right now with those units. >> we are dealing with polling places that are shifting, we are shifting with attorneys general. i do think we need to understand that this is, in many ways, a long fight. do that, we will win battles in various states. we will still be fighting. folks have decided to take a very old playbook off the shelf

which is using the law to suppress the vote. was most of us grew up with breaking the law to suppress the vote. his is an older playbook that goes back to the founding of the country itself. we talk about the disenfranchisement of blacks, but the first group to be disenfranchised, somewhat surprisingly, were the privates in the revolutionary army who they were not going to be able to vote. land was only the property of white men. we need to understand that virtually all of us in this knew somebody who was categorically denied the right to vote, who was suppressed. whether that was a black person or a native person or a poor white man or a woman, at the very least we all descend from

women. what we are doing right now -- what they are doing right now is they took a page out from right after the civil war which is attached which has continued to be a tactic. >> our next question comes from the social media world, twitter. a question.mas has what specific steps can we take with coworkers to address and acknowledged in place in bias? steps that we few can take when our coworkers -- with our coworkers. the sequence might vary depending on your particular workplace and what you are dealing with, but some of the , one option is to have a direct conversation with a coworker and if you are going to do that, try to remember

focusing on impact rather than on intention. my colleague jason move who does the great online videos under ill doctrine says he wants to focus on what people did rather than on who they are. the second thing you can do though is try to get your workplace, your employer and management to take a deeper look at the workplace culture and at the kinds of, both the written thes, the policies but also unwritten rules and practices that might be creating exclusion or disparity or in equity in the workplace. asike to think of workplaces parties. you can invite people to a party but if they have no ability to change the music and the music

doesn't suit them, they are not going to stay at the party very long. we can argue about what -- about whether we wanted them at the party in the first place. the way that works out in a professional setting is that you can be a person of color and get to the meeting and the table but if there isn't a real equity, no one is going to listen to anything you say. --getting your employer maybe they have a diversity program more diversity training or a committee, think of that as an equity and inclusion committee rather than as just a diversity committee that may help to have your whole workplace begin to think about some of the structures that you can put in place so that everybody in that work is can actually participate fully. because the rcult word racism can be a doorway closer. what other techniques can you use to bring up. >> i use the keyword, equity.

-- we are doing antiracist worked which says that i'm going to be against you the racist. i am thinking about racial equity work and racial inclusion work and it is a very subtle shift, but sometimes it opens up and gets us out of that cycle of accusation and defense. it is hard to get our way out of that when we are in it. focusing on impact, thinking about structures as a collect if workplace and knowing that it is going to take some real time and energy. it is not a discussion you can have wants and move on from. -- tying to prepare your coworkers for an ongoing set of work will help her it of course for yourself if you are the person making that intervention, just really taking doing yourrself, meditation, making sure you get

your exercise and get enough sleep. in fact you have to have the internal capacity to deal with very difficult things and keep your cool while you do it. those are all some tips and at alor lines.com folks can read lot of stories of people who are making that kind of change happen in their neighborhoods and in their communities. there is a lot to learn from their examples as well. >> question that a lot of the local sports fans will definitely want to hear your thoughts on. 50 years after the march on washington will we see a change to the d.c. football teams names. >> wow, i would love to answer that question. [laughter] so, to the local team, as we call it, i absolutely think so. i am feeling very optimistic because i believe that more and

more voices of the people are stepping up. i think it will get down to economics of the owner. who has definitely put his line in the sand. league andl football other sponsors of the team have been starting to urge the team to reconsider action. i want to be able to say one other thing. we always want to create winning opportunities. i am more than willing to sit down and figure out how we can create a winning opportunity for the fans who should the excited about their local team, to come up with a name that is heroic and honorary that we can all stand behind. i would love to be part of that process and have an open invitation to do so. >> any other thoughts?

i love sports, right? here's the deal, vote for d.c. statehood, and give d.c. two united states senators in the and celebrategton removing d.c. as a colony. look it is these sorts of things that will happen and need to happen. it is time for it to happen and the awareness has been raised and i love football. i am probably obsessed with it. when i watch it, it goes to my time has come for this image and this name to be changed. the football team here is an institution and needs to understand what is best for the nature -- for the nation. roles someone speak to the

of media, music and entertainment. we'll summon speak to the role that it plays in formulating our ideas about race? what is the responsibility of music, media and entertainment? >> i started to talk about that earlier, about the power of media, toent, the really move hearts and minds. i think that is really important because art really touches one's thanin a different way policy analysis or any other kind of thing that stimulates our thinking. the progress of has to be made in terms of policy and other articulations of change, but really touching people's souls and touching their hearts is really the way to open people up, to really engage in the type of conversation that we are encouraged to have or that i am trying to encourage between chip children and their families.

think it is very important. we have also seen the flipside of how harmful media and entertainment can be to our own psyches, our own self-esteem when you don't see yourself represented in the media. certainly in the asian-american community this has been a huge issue. you don't really see asian- americans except as foreigners, that whole perpetual myth of being a perpetual foreigner. that can be really harmful to howle in -- two people and they understand their place in the world and also their community. i think there isn't a very important part. if there's a way we can bring together art and the civil rights community even more strongly with the media and entertainment industries, i would be a wonderful partnership. i was just at a tech conference and talked to somebody who works with like

girls code. i was reminded that while we are talking about the influence of , i think itp videos is important that we actually expand our analysis to include the content of those games. blackointed out that portrait --ery tiny a very tiny portion of who is being portrayed. all of the black females who are portrayed are there to be evicted. things like that are very powerful. people end up playing video games and maybe wrong or some sort of space invaders. [laughter] the game zone people applying are so hyper lifelike and we

should be paying more attention. >> i want to add that the media pieces clearly important because after the acquittal of george zimmerman there was a discussion of race on tv. depending on what station you are watching it determined what that discussion was going to be heard was a discussion about race going to be about african- american males being more violent? all of thatants and or was the discussion going to be about the systems that create some of the problems that young black men face? then you have the stations that did a mix where you had a rantcular person who had a , an african-american anchor who had a rant which started with a discussion about what happened on another channel.

he decided to have a discussion about baggy pants, etc.. -- it was opened up very offensive. i happen to be at an airport watching and was screaming at the tv. that conversation about race is not the conversation we should be having at this moment trade is about why young black men are seen as less than human and are being killed on the streets and stock and killed. frame ourrly can politics and frame how people engage with our politics in the moment. that responsibility is very important. >> let's head back to the twitterverse. aboutis the discussion monetarily supporting primary education as a necessary step in educating america on race. >> perhaps you didn't hear the discussion because i think all of us believe it is a given that

that is what we have to do. way andoing to another never seemed to carry it through. this time is our opportunity to make sure that not only the federal government but also the state accepts responsibility to young children because we all know the research that talks about the fact that if you have got a good, solid preschool education you're less likely to drop out of high school. you're less likely to end up in less likely turn more money than this gives you an with two preschool. >> we do have a crisis right now. black and latino children are more likely to be in school then and to be an closed. we see the fiscal crisis thing out in cities across our country where our children are on the short end of that stick. we have to recognize that this is part and parcel of the tip -- of the missed dismantling of

public education. if we allow this to happen, what we will see is more privatization, more charters that are run by nonprofits and private companies, more testing, more money being made out of education than what we are putting in in terms of actually teaching our children and giving them our sound basis for becoming citizens. we have to keep, that is really one of our main crises as public -- as publics educators. >> we see privatization not just in the private schools and charter schools but in the public school system itself. the opportunity structure is such that it creates private schools in predominantly white suburban communities. sociologist doug massey cause this diversion of opportunity.

racism is closely tied. we are not going to achieve the goals we are all seeking here without raking down the structural privileges. folks who are sending their kids to the schools are not going to give this up without a fight because two separate structures for porches of color and the rest of society right now. that is most prominent in the public school system. just pouring more money into that system is not going to address the problem, ultimately. this is being reproduced also in higher education. i read a study last week that from georgetown university. huge disproportion between white kids graduating from high school attending elite colleges. the vast majority of new enrollments from black and latino kids are in the noncompetitive two and four-year schools that are open to enrollment. there's a huge spit huge racialre is a

split going on with more whites going to elite colleges and black latino kids getting sent to schools that have lower resources per kid and lower quality outcomes in terms of graduation and employment. that is one of the things that present obama spoke to this week ien he talked about colleges. think we need to look at those structures and realize that the folks of the one percent in the 10% who are getting the benefits of these opportunity structures are not going to give those up without a fight heard >> from the church us to the schoolhouse now. lisa harper one of our attendees today says the march on washington in 1963 is fundamentally led by the church. what is the role of the state community today. thatwould say bit about heard i think historically, none of the ways in which we have gotten of course is for the

religious community, the black church specifically has in some ways been separated from the movement we are building. i think reconnecting this and understanding it and not forgetting it is fundamentally immoral fight that we are in to define what kind of country we live in and that it needs to be led by religious leaders. i think we are seeing some of the most powerful organizing on the ground in response to trayvon, in response to levels of urban gun violence, being led multi-phasedity, multiracial. i think it is important that as a post-civil rights movement and a movement for racial and social justice in this company, entertainment, religion, even sports, we have to connect to people where they are at and make sure we are not disconnected from the things that are moving people.

>> i was going to add, there is a practical reason why civil rights leadership was distinctly ministers, because they had independent jobs. for didn't owe their job working for a company or institution so they took a position that might be controversial. they couldn't be fired. there was a practical reason. sometimes in a community those who have a degree of economic independence can play a large role, so there's another reason which his philosophical but there's another one which is practical. >> i just have to say also that absolutely in the work of unity we also have to look at non- judeo-christian dates. vince 9/11, many americans have the level of and hate violence has increased significantly.

so whether it is a buddhist or muslim or other faith these communities, those have to be incorporated in our sense of justice and our sense of bringing our communities together. >> let's give the panel a hand. thank you, it has been a pleasure. [applause] >> i really can't adequately sum up how wonderful and historic, and as my godmother said precious, this morning has been with all of you. it is amazing. five years ago we could not have had this conversation. this conversation today with this audience represents progress. we need to take heart right now and realize that we are not where we were five years ago. we could not have had his kind of honesty and inclusive representation of the future of our country and we can have it now.

we must seize the momentum of now as our panelists have said -- we wouldn't have the need for this work if there wasn't the residual belief that some people are better than others. when we talk about what it will look like when we have a thick tree, i have started saying when, not if, but when there racism has been eradicated in race is a social construct. it does not exist or it every branch of science tells us that we are one human family. -- theome has deadens genome has demonstrated that there's less than one percent difference in us. so what does that mean? we have to teach our children that you have to open their books and see that there was a time when america believed in racial hierarchy. this is all the harm that we

created because of that the lease, but we are now a different america. that is what our children have to learn. the wk kellogg foundation is humbled and privileged to be able to partner with these ,rganizations and remember hundreds and tens of hundreds more people in this country have the courage. i really want to emphasize courage. it still does take courage to do this work. so we applaud all of those who have the courage, but we know if we took all the money that exists in the world of philanthropy in every foundation , we would be putting a drop in the ocean that is required to do this work. so i say to you, the public sector or must invest in this work. the private sector there must invest in this work. the future of our country right,s that we get it that we eradicate the scourge

and its consequences of this absurd notion that some children have less value than others. when you leave here today, please leave here with the sense of determination and commitment, knowing that his is our work. it is the work of this century. please take on that work as a part of your everyday new life, not just on memorial in remembrance of dr. king's wonderful leadership and courage and sacrifice and the hundreds and thousands sacrifice with him , but this is our work. it is everyday work. , our health and the health of the nation will be greatly enhanced when we have done this work. a result of health and well-being. anwill do much more than

affordable care act will ever do. i love the affordable care act. it has to happen, but it is a wonderful victory. true health for our country depends on healing our hearts and allowing our most fundamental human need to be addressed. int is the need to be relationship, to be loved and to be connect it and not to be discriminated against as an other. so thank you all very much for being with us today. [applause] >> on c-span this morning, the conversation between former vice president dick cheney and his daughter liz. live at 7:00 eastern, washington journal of features former rnc chairman michael steele. how federalsion on

government's use federal domain laws. marvin calpine host the discussion today on the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. with congressman john lewis of georgia. former naacp chairman marvin beaumont. this is live at 8:00 eastern on c-span. republican national committee chairman rights. this talks about his work on the civil rights movement. work in itsis entirety any time at c-span.org. here is some of what he said or >> the parties to getting was born around issues of civil rights and equal

opportunity. our party has a rich, proud history of equality, freedom, opportunity. we don't tell our story anymore or if we have lost the history of this party. we don't tell it, but we are going to. it is about time we do. i also know that has to compos mentis don't address the issues of the day. i get it. i am building a better future -- building a better future is up to us. we have an opportunity here that god gave us. none of us are here by accident rate i am not here standing before you by accident, you didn't come here by accident. we've got a lot of work to do. i want to make you proud of this party. it is going to take a lot of work. so when we are talking about building a republican party like we have never done before, that is exactly what we are doing. i'm not interested in a story

here or there by hiring a couple of able down the hallway and calling it out reach. it is not going to do it. what we are talking about is reaching out from every corner of this country in communities with community leaders from those communities influencing the communities and telling our story. we are not going to carpet the world in three or four months, but i think if we work really we can do better, and i know we can do better. and that is the vision that we have. 'sacks today, a form on egypt political future and its relationship with the u.s.. you can see it live at 10 a spank a.m. eastern on c- two. now a conversation between former vice president cheney and his daughter liz. deputyney is a former

assistant secretary state who is running for senate state in wyoming. from steamboat springs, colorado, this is an hour and 20 minutes. [applause] >> thank you. whoo! -- quacks -- >> we are delighted to be here tonight heard i am watching the development of the organization and bill and tony thompson's are

close friends. i probably would not have got elected to congress in 1978 if tony had not help me carry cheyenne. and -- you maygh or may not agree with the out come but it was all their fault. ,t has been a privilege obviously, to have the opportunity to spend some time with my daughter. up my time ind the white house and decided to write a book, it is nice to have your oldest child interested in listening to all of your old war stories. and then helping you write them down. that is what liz did or i noticed she had the book in her lap tonight hurried avner idea what is planned for it i'm not sure where this is going. but it is all good. i am delighted to be here

tonight to have the opportunity to spend some time with all of you. with that i will introduce my cheney, who is seeking political office but this is not a political event, all right? >> is a way to turn it on? all right. i'm guessing we will have the opportunity -- hello? >> move the mic up. nope. >> it is green. quacks well, talk into it. >> hello? thank you.

i think the nsa does not operating these microphones, clearly. or maybe barack obama is, that is a good point. it is wonderful to be here tonight. wonderful to be here with steamboat institute. i think it is long past time that the aspen institute got a dose of truth and reality and facts. we are thrilled to be part of that effort here tonight. we thought we were doing couple of things. to talk about current events, but the most important current event in our lives, in our family has been the fact that my we all weresed and blessed because my dad was a recipient of a new heart a little over one year ago. [applause] his story, he talked about his

first campaign for office when he was a like it in 1978 when he was running the first time. it was also the first time he had a heart attack. i have been going back for reasons you can imagine, looking at some old news clippings about political campaigns in wyoming and came across one where my dad was asked about his heart attack in 1978 after he had had the attack and decided he was going to stay in the race. he was interviewed and somebody said to him, are you concerned that having had this heart packet might hurt your ability to get a like it? he said no, nobody has tried that shtick before. book andst finished a i want them to talk a little bit about the book which is about his heart. it is called heart.

it talks about a 35 year struggle with and challenge and dealing with and overcoming heart disease. so i want to start tonight, dad, by having you talk a little bit about that. cardiache most famous patient in the country and maybe the world and you certainly accomplish great things while you dealt with the challenge of heart disease. maybe you could talk a little bit about how you dealt with it i think what is interesting in particular is a mental attitude you always had about the disease and not letting it hold you back. -- quacks obviously i dealt with a few problem's in the miss america. -- in the midst of my career very. came to me, john

reiner, and he suggested that there was a book that he and i might do together. if you look back at the historical record, between 1968 in 2000 eight we reduced the incidence of death from heart disease by about 60% in this country. the fact that i'm here tonight at all and that i survived through that. of time and he described to me at that point as the only heart patient still alive who had his first heart attack rack in the 1970s. experience a couple of years ago that basically what happened was i had lived with it and out with that in this from 1978 through my career in congress. as chairman and ceo of

, then iton and so forth went into end-stage heart failure 17 months after i left the -- after i left the white house. they put in a pump to supplement my heart that got me 20 months, that got me to transplant six months ago. it is nothing short of a miracle. it is also an interesting story as a way john told it. i got a phone call one day just before the transplant from the cleveland clinic. they were going to put on a conference on innovation in cardiology. i said we've got all the suppliers coming, the makers of the devices and so forth. we've got a lot of the docs coming. they said we decided we need a patient. somebody said let's get cheney. had everything dent in which you can do to heart payment. a to that point i hadn't had

transplant yet. this gave us the idea that you can tell the story of that 40 year miracle of what has happened with respect or our ability to deal with heart disease in this country. to my story in my case history. most of the things that saved my life over the last 35 years work even around when i had that first heart attack in 1978. the treatment i got and was about like lightweight eisenhower got 22 or 23 years before in 1955 when he had a heart attack in colorado. with jonathan reiter writing as a physician, i write as the patient and we tell the story of all those developments including the historical background of where stents came from and defibrillators came and the left-center taylor devices saved my life. the whole body of technology and

ofelopment of medicine, cholesterol-lowering drugs, et cetera. we tell that story through my case. also then laid against the background of my time in public service. i was uniquely blessed in many respects. obviously you can never express enough gratitude for a donor or the donor's family. you can not talk about what i went through and how i survived it without talking about liz and her sister mary and her mother, my wife lynn. we will celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary next week. when you go through everything we went through as a family the only way to go through it is as a family if it is at all possible. i wake up every morning with a big smile on my face, thankful for a new day and never expected to see.

that is basically what the book is about. it is -- simon & schuster bought it heard it it will be out october 8. it is called heart, and american medical odyssey and i think it is a very good book heard it is not political, it has nothing to do with politics. i suppose you could say that all my critics who said i never had have thaty want to proposition challenged now that i have proof that i do have one. it has been a very important part of my life. you don't really talk about it while it is going on. people weren't interested in me as a vice president or secretary of defense if i had a bad heart. they wanted somebody to do the job. because of the great support that i had from my family and from friends all over america who prayed for me and who were there when i needed support and help made it possible for me to

live a very full and act as an otherwise normal life in spite of the fact that for 35 years i was a cardiac patient. as the folks at the cleveland clinic said had everything done to me that you could have as a heart patient. i'm grateful to be here tonight, rachel for all of the support that people are provided over the years, including many of the people in this room tonight. i'm grateful to be here with my child's. my first i will leave it at that and go back to liz. you're supposed to tell another story. liz has got five of our grandchildren.

kate is the oldest. she is a sophomore at colorado college starting this fall. her youngest is my namesake, richard. transplant,had the the rule is you can't sit in the front seat of the car because they don't want you to get hit with an airbag. is a little hard on the plumbing. i was sitting in the backseat of a car with my six-year-old grandson richard and he was asking me if i got a new heart. i said yes i did. he started asking questions and so i did the best i could to explain the process and so forth and how it all came about to my six-year- old grandson. he listened very carefully for about five or 10 minutes and then he said yeah, i had one of those when i swallowed the quarter. story,r favorite richard he was in kindergarten and came home from school one day and

told his mom, mom, tomorrow i have to stand up in front of the whole class and say what is special about me, why am i special. she said what are you going to say. she said i have two choices. i can say that my grandpa was vice president of the united and she said yeah that is a good answer. what is the other one? he said i could tell them i got my cats at the dump. [applause] [laughter] and you can guess which one he -- which one he used. >> caring for my dad has brought the family together. that objects has

brought together over the years. the chance to campaign together as a family when my sister and i were young and we traveled wyoming with my mom and dad and my grandparents. it really did bring us together and gave us the chance as kids to see how democracy works, to understand how important it rss is. it is a process that i am going through again with my own kids. people have asked me, my goodness you have five kids. how is it that you are able to run for office with five kids? wax -- one of the things i know for sure is that the exposure i had and the chances i had is a little girl to see what democracy looks like was an invaluable lesson for me. it is a lesson that i am honored now to be able to share with my own kids. the latest event that we all did together was the wyoming state

fair parade in douglas wyoming last weekend. we had my kids and my cousin's kids, so we had a real cagle of little kids walking in the parade with baskets full of candy. my campaign manager decided it would be very important before the parade began for us to brief the kids. when you are out there talking candy it can get dangerous. togetherought them all and she said ok now we are going to talk about the rules of being givingrade, the rule of candy and parades. my older son said don't check the candy heart rate she said that is right, that is a very important role. what is rule number two? one of my cousins little girls raised her hand and said note throwing at people's faces, don't draw the faces. my campaign manager said that his right. now rule number three opinion parades and throwing

candy. saidrd raised his hand and no 14. farting. that is a good life lesson [laughter] to the life lessons that you learned any campaign, we do want to talk about current affairs and what is happening and about the concerns that i know the steamboat institute has an about the concerns that people across this nation have, about the direction of the country. do ae not here to political event, but it is very concerned that made me decide to run for office this time around. i believe that we are living very clearly at this moment through a critical point in our nation's history.

back at other nations and at our own in other periods of time and see when it was that countries came to a fork in the road, when it was that they came to turning point. you can think about winston churchill and his election as prime minister in britain in 1940. the extent to which people around him said you have to seek terms with adolf hitler. if you don't seek terms or surrender you will be destroyed. he refused. he refused to capitulate. he knew the odds were against him but he saved civilization and he saved freedom by doing that great you can look at margaret hatcher when she was able, in 1979, to save the country from the ravages of socialism, to say she was going to turn the nation around against all odds and to people who said she should sit down and own nation, our

ronald reagan provides that same example. a president who came to office and saved us from the malaise of the jimmy carter era. i think that many times in history when you look back you have the ability to see those moments. you don't always know them when you are living through them. we know right now as we sit here tonight that we are living through one of those moments. it is a moment that we have all, that we have to make a decision. are we going to let this president take this country down a path which very well could lead to its destruction, or are we going to stand and fight and defend our freedom? [laughter] [applause] i know that you all think of this like i do when you think of it in terms of the blessing that we have. is nation that we live in, the legacy that we have inherited,

the unbelievable miracle of our founding when for the first time in the history of the world the founding fathers said this nation will have its people be the sovereign. it never happened before and it is an unbelievable blessing that we get to live in a nation where we are free and where men and women have died for our right to be free. that fact imposes an incredible obligation and duty on every single person in this room, every american across this country. that is a duty to defend that freedom. to defend that freedom against , againstrnal enemies terrorism, against threats or national security, but also to defend it against presidents like this radical man in the oval office today who believes that the government is the answer to every problem, does

not believe we are an exceptional nation, who thinks that he ought to control at least 1/6 of our economy. that's what he believes. i think that we have the opportunity today, i think we have the opportunity over the next year to be in a position where we send a strong message to washington. that is a message that we are not knowing along to get along anymore. we are not content with business as usual. we are taking back our freedom, our values and we are going to fight to defend what everyone of us knows this country was built on. [applause] before i give the mic back to my dad, don't lose hope. ,t is going to be really easy particularly if you listen to the mainstream media, to think that conservatives are the

,inority, that we are powerless that we ought to just be discouraged about 2012 and give up the fight and sit on the quiet. if you start to lose hope, think about this. the president of the united irs, abused the power of his office to go after political opponents. conservatives, republicans, members of the tea party. he had the irs asking people what they say in their prayers. now that is un-american. it also tells you something about our power. the president of the united states would not other wherever you live, you have the opportunity to cast a vote, work for an important cause, to work

for an important organization, dedicate yourselves over the course of the next year to making sure that 2014 will be critical for us, critical for taking back the nation, and it is going to be a moment when everybody around the country can hear especially from those of us in the rocky mountain west, that we are not going to stand for it [applause] longer. one of the questions i get a lot and then i will ask my dad, because i would like to hear his view, the media in particular likes to talk about how the republican party is in disarray. we are facing these huge challenges, but we have got this disputes going on inside our party.