lex you. >> steve phillips talks about race, politics. our firstage of ladies series in one hour. conversation on the health care law and health care costs. on the next "washington journal," melanie sloan discusses the consequences of the supremes -- of the supreme court's decision on the fourth anniversary of the decision.

the heritage foundation talks about ongoing efforts in the house to update voting -- update voting rights and relation. your comments by phone, twitter, and facebook. it is live at 70 m eastern on c-span. >> steve phillips who cofounded a number of critical committees that support democratic candidates. month inearlier this cleveland.

>> good afternoon and welcome. my name is paul harrison, i am president of the city club board of directors. steveleased to introduce phillips, president and one of the first 50 founders. of power pac. it is a political organization established in 2004 to champion democracy and social justice in states and communities across the country. pacs i wantment on, to say a few words on his background. he grew up in cleveland heights so he is back home today and he has a lot of friends in the audience. stanforded standard -- university and was very active in student organizations. in sanhis law degree francisco. he worked for four years with a

public interest law firm public advocates. at the young age of 28, he was elected to the severn cisco board of education becoming the youngest elected official in san francisco history. he later became president of the -- of the board of -- of the board of education. it is timely as we enter an election year that is certain to be a very active one with pacs playing a role. a brief bit of history on pacs. they existed on the federal and state level. at the federal level, it was first formed in 1937 -- 1977. in the wake of court decisions including the united states supreme court's decision in citizens united which was rendered in january of 2010. super pacs have emerged.

they are able to make unlimited political spending independently in campaign. the money continues to be hotly debated. his ownker will present views on that subject as well as another hot topic from the 2012 presidential election. the impact of demographic shifts on the 2012 election and on future elections. pleased to i am present steve phillips. [applause] >> thank you. i am very grateful to be here. one of the things we created plus.year called pac

are things on the table that we have had here as well. thisre talking about how -- i have a lot of friends in and it is moving to me. the closest you can have of actually seeing what it would be like of who would come to your funeral without actually dying. hopefully, this won't be a near-death experience for me. i do want to give a special thank you to sandra who introduced me today. friends sincebeen the 1980's. he is a smart guy who has great potential but he really proved it when you decided to marry a woman from cleveland heights. i am proud of the leadership he has provided around issues of

equality and justice. i was pleased to work with them in 2008. i do want to thank all of you for coming out today. and great to be home to see all of my friends. i would like to dispel one rumor that i am not here to interview for the browns head-coaching position. [laughter] fan, my dade browns got my brothers and i season tickets when we were seven years old. i have been a passionate, longtime friend. == -- fan. i am always looking forward to next season. it is an honor to be invited to speak year. here. this is a prestigious platform.

i am humbled to stand here today. my father who is here today and grow up in texas told me he heard two people speak here --martin luther king and bobby kennedy so no pressure, dad. cleveland is a perfect place to have a discussion about the future of the u.s. politics. long before america elected a bracket -- a black president, cleveland blazed the trail by becoming the first major american city to elect a black mayor. that was in 1967. i still remember my mom making a point to drive us by his house when we were children. a lot has changed in america since 1967. many in national politics have

been slow to appreciate the changes. the fact of the matter is there is a new majority coalition in america and that coalition was built on the solid foundation of the country's growing number of people of color and that is what we mean by brown is the new white. so,the past 400 years or the united states has been a majority white country. it is worth noting the continent had many native americans and mexicans prior to the arrival of europeans. for the purposes of understanding contemporary american politics, the majority of the country have been white for a long time. theequently am i addressing needs of responding to the interest of whites has been an organizing principle of u.s. politics for a long time. when people talk about winning over swing voters, the picture

they have in their head is of suburban whites, often women, in ohio. in the 1960's it was nixon's file of majority. in the 80's was reagan. these constituencies have been seen as pivotal and have been the focus of politicians. public policy has been hypersensitive to polling and impressions of what might alienate modern white voters. we have seen a lot of articles of how americans feel about obamacare. my first thought was that those americans were getting health care for the first time would feel pretty good. question isof the how will middle-class whites react to the affordable care act? that premise is now outdated. one of the masters american politics was william brown, former mayor of san francisco. there was a failed coup against him in the late 1980's and i saw

his speech after he defeated it. he said the first law of politics is you have to learn to count. inse that are most effective 2014 will be those who know how to count. as bill clinton said in his to the fastest 2012 democratic speech -- it is about arithmetic. onlineho are following or outside of the room, those documents we have -- you can download the data which is available at pacplus.org. arithmetic -- 29 plus 26 equals 55. that is the new equation for this new era. allow me to explain. the 2010 canton -- the census

confirms there has been a profound demographic revolution in america. latinos, asian-americans, a for -- african-americans, and mixed raced americans are now 36% of the entire u.s. population. not all people of color are progressive. leave me, i know. -- believe me, i know. the closest statistical measure we have in the country for political ideology is present to exit polls. -- presidential exit polls. that shows the majority of black people vote democratically. all people of color comprised 36% of the population. 80% of them, once you strip out the concert of a -- of the conservative part.

the percentages of whites have shrunk but they are still the majority. that would be correct. it brings us to another very important historically neglected and overlooked minority group in america. progressive whites. progressive whites are the rodney dangerfield of american politics, they don't get any respect. frequently belittled or dismissed as irrelevant tree huggers or vegetarians or both. the caricature of progressive whites was captured during the 2004 presidential campaign when a concert of -- a concert of -- a conservative attack ad by howard dean -- sushi eating, volvo driving, new york times reading, body piercing, hollywood loving,

left-wing freak show back to vermont. i live in a very liberal city and i must confess that some people do drink lattes and read the new york times. they are still lovely people. if we look back his stork lee, we will see that the role of progressive whites in american social lanes -- change has been heroic and vilified. in 1859 abolitionists to those who gave their lives in the 1960's civil rights movement. goodman in mississippi. her aggressive seven long rejecting the privilege, refusing to stand idly by, and courageously standing with disenfranchised people who are troubling for justice, equality, and democracy. this tradition has touched to improve my own life personally. as far back as 1964 when my

parents cannot buy the home they wanted in cleveland heights because they were black. lawyergressively white bought the house for them, deeded over to them. in terms of u.s. politics, people a voice. there are too few progressive whites to matter. latinos,growth of blacks, and asian populations but that is no longer the case. if you look back at the exit polls, anywhere from 30 per present -- 34% of whites have been murdered -- voted for democratic president. 41% of an average of whites voting democratic. 54% of the country is white. of that population, 41% are progressives. that means the rest of the white population in the country is 26%

of the entire united states. 26% and add that to the point i percent of the people of color which gives you the 55% which is the new majority in america. this demographic and mathematical theorem has been tested and proven twice at the national level with the election and reelection of president obama. what does this mean for u.s. politics going forward? ae census data is given geographic map that shows the future of u.s. politics is in the south and the southwest. the new battleground states are the old states in the southwest. in the land that used to be called mexico which we now call taxes in arizona and colorado. two last numbers. and 24. 19% of voters of colors is the threshold to whether a coalition of people in color -- of color

can win an election. states withstood the wave and reelected democrats in the senate. all three of those democrats who won those elections lost the white vote over able to reveal because of this coalition. the 5 -- its19% of population of voters in color -- of color. americae 24 states in that will soon have 90% voters of color. those states are overwhelmingly in the south and southwest. arizona, georgia, and texas are the new battleground states. yes, texas. one of the most board races in the country this year will be wendy davis's run for governor of texas. cut taxes,crats can they will cut the legs out of the concert of -- conservative machine.

georgia with barack obama only lost six percentage points without contesting the race. these 24 states have 351 electoral votes. it takes to ordered 70 to be elected president. they have 303 congressional seats. the states have the power to elect the next president and secure the control of the congress. ran forse jackson president, he said the handle once picked cotton can now pick presidents, senators, and governors. democrats were smart, they would be massively invested in communities of color in the south and southwest. conservatives have done the math and it is no accident the art investing efforts to restrict in thewhites -- rights

south and southwest. while obama's campaign and did bring out voters, for several months, there is nonetheless still no lasting strategy, program, or leadership pipeline carried out by the democrats in these key areas. apparently too many democrats had trouble with math. there is a shocking underinvestment in the communities of color. there are too many campaigns continuing to chase the ever shrinking block of modern white voters instead of building up the coalition of the future. many republicans on the other hand are apparently better at math. on the surface it looks like republicans are locked in a fearsome battle. which isthe tea party fighting the last losing battle of the civil war. desperately indestructible he

tried to tear down the entire government rather than let barack obama, the president, addressed the nation's problems. the early indications are that the tea party movement has shifted with the implosion of the tea party challenger happening here in ohio. other more sophisticated republican forces are asserting themselves. forces who know arithmetic and know it well. eight years after losing to the first black president, the republicans will likely field candidates of color. marco rubio and others are running as fast as they can. although new jersey governor chris christie has a new set of s, he hason his hand spent the past few years meticulously visiting -- this himself.-- distancing

he assigned immigration reform into law in new jersey. democrats run the very real risk of getting complacent in the face of republican internal squabbles and have underestimated the republican threat. republican have been so bad on matters of race and equality the democrats have not had to do anything. soon they will actually have to contest for the votes of people of color and make an argument about why they are better than the republicans in addressing the needs of the community's of color. that is an argument that few democrats are familiar with for customer -- or comfortable making. what are the policy impatiens of the emerging new majority in america? as a general role, elected officials will support any policy that they think will get them reelected. it brings us back to the question of who they think they are doing the electing and the unelecting.

let's look at health care. if you are primarily concerned about moderate, middle-class white voters than you might be nervous about obamacare. there will be some people whose premiums go up and that the paper more robust coverage. objective is to solidify loyalty among the rapidly growing latino population in america, you should note that latinos have the least access to health care of any demographic group in the country. they have 35% lacking health insurance. rather than wringing your hands and worrying about obamacare, small -- smart politician to be out in the latino community every day championing how many people can get health care, how many sick people can finally get treatment. they should be smacking their opponents upside the head with ads asking why they think the richest nation in the world

should deny people access to basic health care. how is that moral or right or religious? in one stroke you can win over your growing base, put your opponent on the defensive, and also went over church going moderate whites by appealing to their sense of morality and religion as the bible commands us to care for the sick and address the needs of the needy. example is economic equal -- inequality. if you look at the map of the tradition of poverty in america, you will see the heaviest commerce -- concentration of poverty falls along the same black andhe rising latino population -- the south in the southwest. although these regions are seen as conservative, they were called unnaturally conservative. a smart politician would champion the minimum wage

increase, use that as an argument to win over low income whites as well as people of color. code willacks that rule politics for decades to come in this country. i wanted to get people's attention and i -- and to do that is to be explicit. part of why it gets attention is because addressing race touches on deep-seated fears and insecurities of how the country is changing. fears about how the way of life is perceived to be disappearing. you can't truly understand politics in america today without appreciating the interplay between the democratic revolution and those in congress to whip up fear in attempt

front the opposition. you have nothing to fear. you know that people of color like good food. you know we make good music and culture. turns out that many of us are sociable, smart, and same -- and share the same values. those of us who come from communities who have faced determination are actually often the most hopeful and idealistic of all. in dr. king's famous speech, he said even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, i still have a dream. a dream deeply rooted in the american dream. if you are worried, put aside your fears and let's work together to build a better america. if you are progressive white, your time has finally come. said, if blacks don't vote, they don't wind. if you are a person of color, let's grasp the role of responsibility.

the bible says that the rejected stone will be the cornerstone of the new order. let's use that cornerstone to build a new social structure in america that we can all be proud of. a structure of opportunity, equality, and justice for all. thank you very much. [applause] >> we are listening to our forum featuring steve phillips. we will return to our speaker in a moment for our traditional question-and-answer period. try to keep them brief answer the points we can get as many questions in as possible. we welcome all of you here.

wtam are one of the many broadcast partners we have -- partners we have. webcast are supported by the university of akron. they -- next friday, the city club will hold a breakfast program with a man who helped the city manage emotions and policies after the trayvon martin killing. we will also host a lunchtime forum with the chief economist of the united states department of commerce. for a complete list of our upcoming programs, to make a reservation, or to order a cd or dvd of one of our programs, please visit our website www.ci tyclub.org.

we welcome our many guests today. school is his high school moderate. policy matters ohio. thank you for your support today. today'sme students to program. student per dissipation was made from ae by a gift charitable foundation. we welcome students from cleveland heights high school and we also have students from hawken school. i will ask her and be recognized. [applause] just a reminder that students get to ask questions. we will return to our speaker for our traditional city club question-and-answer period. we welcome questions from everyone. holding the microphone today is

kristin. there she is. first question, please. >> i want to thank you for being here. your presentation was wonderful. there is this arrogance problem with a lot of people who feel like they know everything. even though what you are saying is really logical, it still is difficult to get some folks to say, you know, you are right. move,stion is how do you and i am speaking of democrats, how do you move them off that my way is the best way and i know what i am doing to begin to embrace some of your ideas. i know that is a hard question but i want to see what you have to say. >> i was hoping you would have

the answer for me for that question. that is one of the big challenges. it is almost endemic to a certain extent to the opposition which is that if you help elect you are as president, going to think you are a very big deal. that is part of the challenge. i don't think it is as much an issue of just making the logical argument. people know what they know and they know what they are familiar with. atouple of things we looked trying to move forward -- one is we have to be thinking about what is the pipeline and the leadership development work that we're doing. identifying people with diverse backgrounds, supporting them to be able to do that, and helping them to move forward. it applies at every level. i want to would knowledge and command -- i want to acknowledge and commend her.

we need more candidates that can do that. booker ran for his senate race, he had an african-american man help him. i do think we also have to make -- raise our voices. thisve to be asking about and pushing people at every level. i have seen a career path -- the woman who used to work with me and we were doing our super pack work. .e wanted to move to ohio that put her in the position to be the executive director in texas. you move up from level to level so it matters to be asking whatever level you are connected to, your county, your region, your state -- asking the question of who you are promoting and who are you investing in.

i think it will be incumbent upon those who want to see this happen to both be a squeaky wheel around it as well as trying to be nurturing and elevating the next generation of people who want to do this kind of work. >> your statistics seem to be based on the last two presidential elections. i very charismatic, african-american was up. how would those conditions -- statistics been skewed if we might have in the next presidential election a white candidate? that is a tough question in a lot of ways. we will see how that plays itself out.

that was very helpful and should not be minimized. lost of the understanding of what the obama campaign did. he was an aspiring african-american candidate, he had the technology and cutting-edge tools. they had thousands of paid staff worke doing the methodical of going door-to-door, contacting people, identifying people. the other part is that there is also the policy agenda. are they articulating a policy agenda that will speak to people and bring out people who don't usually vote. many of the minimum wage campaigns are under the theme of get yourself a raise. i would submit that for 2016 we saw in many ways the culmination of 40 years of the civil rights movement.

there was a reason that jesse jackson was crying. of what was pent within this country in terms of leadership is the issue of women's leadership and empowerment. i think as much as there is strong sentiment that repels people are run electing the first african american president, there will be a similar sentiment in electing the first woman president and that will be a big factor of turnout in 2016. back in the 1800s, there were signs irish need not apply. italians were not allowed in shaker heights. to what degree do you see what is happening with people of color as kind of an extension or not an extension of what is going happening -- of what is happening there used to be irish and italians used to be

considered outside the fold and now everybody thinks of them as white. >> i do think that is taking place. baldwin -- ames collection of his works. in his essay, he says the price of a ticket for european immigrants was to become a white. you do see it in different in termsparticularly of different elements of the hispanic group -- community desire to be treated in a mainstream fashion. is ahallenges -- color range in our society in terms of our perception. dr. king talked about the numbers of synonyms for the word black versus the number of synonyms for the word white.

issues -- it is more difficult when you look that different than to be its -- assimilated in. the hope would be that we actually move to appoint not but to to segregate embrace and validate and leave that altogether. it is all in there because together and maintains the difference -- distinctive characteristics and flavor of the various communities. of -- as acert conservative, i probably come out as a different solution on some things but i accept the challenge is that those of us have a nomination to communicate with the brown community. my question is with respect to in akron, there was a semmel -- a seminar that

talked about the best predictors of voting patterns is religious race orion rather than anything else. there are a lot of folks of -- african-american churches, hispanics who are very active in their churches where polls suggest it is a different point than the progressive point of view on a number of issues whether it is the social issues, limited government, fiscal conservatism, and a lot of other things. isn't there the likelihood that what we need to do is come together somewhere more in the middle rather than the extremes of your and and had a conversation more about a range of ideas and solutions? >> i agree with that. not about left-wing or right wing, it is about the moral center. forof the critiques i have

the progressive faith communities that we don't associate the progressive agenda enough with the strong religious and biblical things of dealing with poverty in addressing health care, etc. that is a potential area to be able to come together. is also a challenge to progressives and democrats that they cannot take people of color for granted. very effective within texas around understanding invalidating the cultural reality, sentiment of the latino community. his faith-based initiative one over a number of different folks in those communities. it is no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, and is about interests. we are talking about improving the conditions of people and

extending the benefits of the american dream broadly. there are things that can be done in that regard. we are talking about how there is a lot more common ground among the conservatives and liberals around criminal justice issues. it is a very expensive opposition -- proposition. the republican leaders in the south are talking about incarceration, alternative ways to rehabilitate people. .e were very supportive he is looking out across the aisle and republicans about reform issues. where we can find agreement -- i am all for that. i am not arguing it should be a proposition. there are a lot of things that democrats have been slow on in

terms of validating the different pieces around the the values of peoples lives and building a jet -- building an agenda. >> hi. we are proud of you and what you of becoming a life. think 35iniscing -- to years ago, i used to sit in your small little tv room. we used to think you were kind of weird. i want to say how impressed and happy we are and what you are trying to achieve. i know you is -- talked about the browning of america and the new states like texas. seems to, ohio always

hold itself around election time to be an important state. that, we move on from what do you think or what would be your recommendations for ohio specifically because all it comes down to that last night and we never know which way we are going to swing. i would love to have maybe a blueprint or some plan or some device from your viewpoint as to what ohio could do for 2016. even now our government -- our governor election is coming up. maybe you can help with that. you didn't have much of a mouth, did you back in high school? remains one of the swing states in the country. because ohio is almost split down the middle in terms of its efforts inrends

ohio make a bigger difference because the margin is so ball -- so small. you can increase participation. worth studying in understanding better what obama did to be able to win here. the increased significance of the -- to the african-american turnout in ways that really people.the romney and karl rove. their models were wrong about how many people would turn out. is itf the challenge should not be episodic work. it should not be every four years in october. what is the civic engagement infrastructure and involvement in the ownership the relevant that is going on around the clock? it is almost back to the civic club type of days. people who were leaders in

caning out for obama -- they be supported to be civic leaders in getting people to the city council meeting or to be part of a club. you start to know who all of your neighbors are. you continue to have that relationship so when election time comes around, you know who the fault -- to the folks are. they were talking about how much had been preserved from the -- from the obama and infrastructure. sustain thelly activists, the organizers who get asked -- to get inspired to do this work between election times. that will enable us to continue to have the opportunities we want. in spite -- >> in spite of ohio's division between democrats and republicans, we have a portion of congressional districts done in such a way there is believed to be just one

competitive district in the state of ohio. i would like you to address of the issue on a broader basis of malapportion of the districts. redistricting will be the most important political fight of the next 20 years. much underappreciated how with the republican wave of 2010 taking over all these different state houses and then drawing the lines of 2011 is locked in an undemocratic configuration. democrats won more people -- more people voted for democrats for congress than voted for

republicans. they still have an 18 seat majority in the house and that is just the configuration of redistricting and gerrymandering. i feel like progressives are like a flip of a switch. there is lots of effort. very little resources, efforts, organizing and engaging in actual drawing of the lines. we need to be vigilant and proactive around that. seven years from now, we shall market our calendars, we have to be engaged in that process. are there ways to democratize the lines? resolutions to pass in california which to get out of the hands of the legislature. it was done by a neutral commission. ironically, it has actually helped the democrats in toifornia because you have

see how the previous lines were drawn to protect particular individuals. they weren't as concerned about the overall configuration. if you take that personal consideration out, cut the lines according to what the data actually shows, you actually get better results. it is something to think about. we will try to get a commission here that was not successful but it is something not to give up on. you can have more of an objective piece. in the state that is divided, you shouldn't have a two thirds of the majority of one party. that is not reflective of who was in the state. engaging in that fight to be able to draw lines that are fair and effective. >> you mentioned some of the issues of the republican party seems to be having.

you mentioned fighting but you also cited -- i think you call them sophisticated republican forces that are emerging and i was hoping to ask you to educate us a little bit about these forces and what we might want to know about them and watch what they are doing. i think chris christie has been quite masterful at his political route he is taking within new jersey. quite the contrary of all the hostility we see about the president, he is literally embracing the president and working together across party lines on problems addressing the state of new jersey. that creates a certain image. he has been very meticulous around reaching out to leaders

within the different communities of color and that he actually -- the house refuses to even take up immigration reform that they passed a state based act in new jersey. he signed that deal. i know more -- one of the more atavistic -- latino advocacy groups has on their facebook page -- good job, chris christie. rubio iserday, marco starting to pick up -- speak up about poverty issues. we have to be able to do what this. pushes around the minimum wage so rubio is talking about other ways to deal with this. people have not addressed those issues. we stand for ending poverty and we stand for multicultural

inclusion. -- itas been the defining is important to define the dissensions between the parties. you have both parties saying they are for ending poverty as big then you have to beaver. democrats are not used to doing that and are going to have to be more assertive around putting forward what they think should be the agenda. looking at our current senate, they are notorious for not being able to pass any bills at all. this is an issue that it seems like both political parties are going to have to address. you see an area where we could start to copper mines around and issue of colored voters were both parties come together to create a mutually beneficial agreement that benefits both the parties and the people that are voting?

>> give me a minute. quite frankly, i think it is no accident that there are so many efforts to -- to suppress the vote right now. there is a very clear understanding that the more diverse the voting population becomes, the expectation is the worst it will be for the republicans. that is why you see these efforts to -- one would think that this is a democracy and that in a democracy, you want everybody to vote. we should be doing everything we can to encourage people to vote. people standing in line in florida for hours trying to vote -- the governor, his own constituents, not seeming to care that is people are going through that kind of difficulty. it was a political end.

a challenge.o be i think the one thing that i can think about is some of the folks who are trying to get ahead. the marco rubios of the world. he is trying to get this immigration reform and fight against poverty. can you look at those folks to partner -- it would be in their interest to be seen within these communities as being concerned about the needs of people. i wonder how much we can actually try to achieve common ground around the application of technology. when you go to a department store, you don't have to wait. you can buy whatever you want to buy right there. why is it difficult to vote? to verify who you are, why can't we verify when we want them to

vote? can we look at partnering with google and apple to be able to have that technological validation in ways that might cross the partisan boundaries. >> welcome home. we now understand your thesis that brown is the new white and that is going to fundamentally change the political dynamic. can you tell us more about what your organization is doing to leverage that opportunity, what they are doing specifically in ohio, around the country, what they are planning on doing, and how people can get involved if they want to? to create aning infrastructure and a vehicle to respond to this change in demographic. we want to connect and coordinate the rest of people across the country. used ecological tools to pull war that pull resources.

we move money last year to support wendy davis when she was running for reelection in texas. we have pulled resources, put money behind corey victor. we are looking for people like that across the country. there trying to diversify electiven of volitional stats officials in the country in a way we can have people who are both inspired and committed to address the needs of the country's new majority. to people ofed color as a model. we are also trying to put good information and data out there so people can really understand

what is actually happening. we can make public policy and political plans based upon the appreciation of actual good arithmetic. that is the basic work. people can learn more on our website. enjoyable time creating this vehicle with being connected with lots of idealistic people across the country. collects you said -- >> you said earlier that a lot of communities of colors want to be treated as part of the mainstream and as a result they may shy away from grouping together to have these hard discussions about politics and race. how can communities of colors overcome this barrier and have to these discussions? we have to be able to identify, support, and then connect leaders within these communities. , we saw theback

movie mandela over the holidays. you had understand how the south african freedom struggle came together. leaders create organizations and those organizations relate to the committees. without those leaders who are connecting people, educating people, encouraging others to participate, it will be very difficult. -- when folkss are trying to identify energetic, committed, conscientious, talented, younger people to take on a leadership role and to be able to encourage and move the community s. to get people within those committees doing things for the communities, they have relationships with one another. that is when you start to create a broad movement that will move

the country forward. >> i would like to ask since you said about 80% of all brown america is democratic leaning. how would you see it if republicans were smart enough to run a candidate like condoleezza rice, with a brown to many support her? why has the affordable care act created such a rift in america? it is not created a rift among corporate america, but it is among americans themselves. it is a topic you don't want to ever bring up. >> on the condoleezza rice thing, my first thought is to not give them any ideas. there was talk about her running for senator or governor in california.

not the ideological figure, she is a woman, she would be an appealing candidate. not have the concert of -- the conservative orthodoxy. she couldn't get the support to move that forward. colin powell was thinking about running for president and 96, he would've been formidable as well. -- a contentious history within the country. we don't like to talk about it but we come together through taking land away from's -- from native americans, enslaving africans. the way the country has been built with all that history is still very challenging. people like condoleezza rice or

colin powell or more sensitive to that history and want to be -- want to address the neck with his within our society. vociferousother very far right political movement that wants to preserve it as it is. that is a big part of the attention. piece -- healthcare piece -- when bobby kennedy went to west virginia and talked that we have poverty, touched something and everybody about these children. we should do something about this. it touched the morality and conscience of the nation. is that we challenge feel a sense of otherness. when a child looks differently or doesn't speak our language,

there is not the same empathetic response. this notion around everyone should have health care because we are great nation has the capacity. that is not the way the conversation is playing out. instead it is those people are taking -- getting health care and taking money from me. --t is tied to the distort the distort -- the historic division. my hope is we can elevate that debate to the level of who are we as a nation that is inclusive of all of us. these are valleys that embraces all of us regardless of what we look like and sound like. thank you. [applause] >> we have been listening to

steve phillips, president and cofounder of power pac. thank you ladies and gentlemen. this form is now adjourned. [applause] >> russia says it is planning the toughest security in the history of the olympics as it prepares to host the lobby games next month. the center for strategic and international studies will look at the security in politics at the winter games. at 8:30 a.m.is eastern on c-span2. a first ladylive

series continues. we will look at the life and influence of barbara bush. ♪ >> did i feel prepared? yes. did notice the difference between being the vice president's wife and the president's wife is huge because the vice president's wife can say anything and nobody cares. the minute you say one thing as the president's wife, you have made the news. used the office of first lady to promote literacy and to raise awareness about aids and