we have not the filled the task, thank you. >> i think the representative of chile for that statement. i now give the floor to the representative from argentina. >> thank you, madam president. the delegation of argentina believes that there is not much sense in talking about future events and political consequences. however, we have voted for the draft resolution because it is the primacy of territorial integrity. we have done this with the hope that this draft may contribute to implementing constructive dialogue in ukraine, seeking ways to a peaceful solution.

including all political and social actors, who today disagree. we trust that all of the parties in ukraine will refrain from unilateral action that could hamper dialogue or remove the opportunity for a peaceful solution. we believe that it is all up to the ukrainians to decide their internal affairs. it is not for the security council to define this situation. our responsibility is to maintain international peace and security. we then hope that all countries will respect the principle of non-interference and and internal affairs. and the commitment to act strictly in compliance with international law and the united

nations charter, with the goal of achieving a peaceful solution in this country. thank you. >> i think the representative of argentina. and now give the floor to the representative of australia. >> thank you, madam president. australia is seriously disturbed that the draft resolution before us has been vetoed. its purpose was to reaffirm the fundamental principles and norms governing relations the between the states in the post-1945 world. obligations that form the core of the united nations charter. respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states. the obligation to refrain from threat or use of force against territorial integrity and political independence of any state. the illegality of acquisition of territory through threat or use of force. any the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means. as the body mandated under the

u.n. charter, the primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security. this council has a primordial responsibility to uphold these obligations. as council members, we do so on behalf of all member states. the draft resolution, directly and carefully reflects the fundamental norms. there is nothing in it that any u.n. member states could reasonably oppose. the russian decision to veto the resolution profoundly unsettles. the referendum to be held tomorrow in crimea is dangerous and destabilizing. it is unauthorized and invalid. we will not recognize the results or any action taken on the basis of it. with or without a resolution, the message from council members and the wider international community has been overwhelming. the escalation of the current crisis is imperative. russia must collect its forces to their bases and decrease

their numbers to agreed levels. it must allow international observers access to crimea. it must demonstrate its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine, including by resisting any action on the basis of the results of the referendum. and a much engage in direct dialogue with ukraine. ukraine has repeatedly requested, either bilaterally or a diplomatic mechanism -- russia can be under no misapprehension about the action of the international community. should it fail to respond, there will be cuts quonset. the international community will man it. thank you. >> i think the representative of australia for that statement. i now give the floor to the representative of the republic of korea. >> thank you, madam president. the republic of korea voted in

favor of this draft resolution. we firmly believe that the unity and territorial integrity of the ukraine should be fully respected. the future of ukraine should be decided by the ukrainians themselves, without any intervention or influenced by outside forces. we think that this draft resolution clearly embodies these principles. it is regrettable that the draft resolution is not adopted by this counsel today. still, we very much hope that today's failure will not close the window of peace and diplomatic solution. thank you. >> i think the representative of the republic of korea for that statement. i now give the floor to the representative of nigeria.

>> thank you, madam president. nigeria has voted in favor of the resolution. it reflects the favors --printable the embodied in the charter of the united nations. we must refrain from international relations from the threat or use of force against territorial integrity of clinical independents have any amber state. the u.n. charter also states that we must settle disputes by peaceful means. all through the crisis in ukraine, nigeria has consistently and unequivocal goalie called on everyone to abide by these principles in the interest of international peace and security. the draft resolution, which is

not a's this book resolution, but one that is under a universally agreed-upon principle, and the sanctity of international law, also mentions the 1994 budapest memorandum. that provides the framework within which the crisis should be resolved. we have consistently called for dialogue, mediation, restraint, and an end to hostile rhetoric. therefore, nigerians fundamentally oppose the threat of use of force in settling international disputes. the lessons of history are not far-fetched. we are concerned that history must not be repeated by those alive today. nigeria has consistently advocated ideation and settlement of dispute, including territorial dispute.

we are in submission to the ruling of the international court of justice. this should serve as a beacon to law-abiding nations. nigeria is vehemently opposed to the decision designed to alter the consideration of states in their internationally recognized boundaries. standing on the fundamental principle, nigeria is opposed to any unilateral declaration by a set that will alter the states to which it appropriately bongs. -- belongs. the referendum and crimea is not in confidence with the

constitution of you crane. the consequences of any defiance are better imagined than described. thank you. >> i think the representative of nigeria. i now give the floor to the representative of chad. >> thank you, madam. since the beginning of ukrainian crisis, chad has consistently expressed its commitment to the territorial integrity and unity of ukraine. in line with united nations charter. the changing nature of borders and the territorial integrity of states -- it is a sacrosanct principle, and trine in the final act of the african union. thad is in favor of the draft resolution. it is to be explained by the commitment to the principles.

chad is very concerned to note the continuing escalation of the crisis in the ukraine despite of the repeated appeals of the international community, are to go really from the security council for restraint and calm. we think it is still possible for parties to open the way for national reconciliation and maintaining ukraine's territorial integrity by engaging explosive dialogue between the various components. and respect for diversity, human rights and the rights of minorities, chad reiterates its call for the upholding of the territorial integrity and nonuse of force and diesel settlement of disputes in step with united nations charter.

also, we would like to once again appeal to calm and restraint and believe the solution can only be a political and negotiated one. >> i now give the floor to the representative of jordan. >> thank you, madam president. jordan has voted in favor of the draft resolution mentions in the document 2014. out of the belief of jordan and respect of ukraine's sovereignty and political independence and noninterference in affairs. it comes upon the adherence of the charger, especially one there of.

and resorting to peaceful means to settle a dispute. jordan confirms the importance of holding the authority of ukraine including crimea to ukrainian sovereignty including the memorandum of understanding of 1994 and the agreement of a friendship between ukrain and russian federation of 1997. >>i thank the representative of

jordan for that statement. i shall make a statement, speaking as the representative of luxembourg. luxembourg deeply reset -- regrets of the resolution of prepared by the united states of the america was not adopted because of the member of the council russia. luxembourg voted in favor of the resolution. why? this draft resolution was anchored on principles of

dialogue. this draft resolution was intended to record the principles of the united nations, particularly in article two of the charger. it was intended to research the support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine with in its internationally recognized borders. the security council should be unanimous and upholding these principles. the united nations charter

stated that the security council shall act in accordance with the purposes and principles of the united nations. today they presented the security council from complying -- prevented the council from complying. now dialogue and implementation of chapter six, the draft resolution before the council this morning was intended to urge all parties immediately to seek a peaceful settlement i direct this. and to engage fully in international mediation efforts. the referendum organized for tomorrow is intended to amend the statutes against the will of ukraine. this would be a unilateral act which would run risk of seriously destabilizing ukraine in the entire region. the member states of the united nations have conferred on the council the chief responsibility for keeping this. we prevented the security council from carrying out this responsibility and interest in

ukraine and europe. the referendum organized tomorrow runs contrary to the constitution of ukraine that says the territory is indivisible. the referendum is contrary to the constitution of the autonomous republic of crimea. the international community can in no way recognize its result. this is part of a vicious cycle. to authorize the use of russian armed forces on ukrainian territory and subsequent actions consequent the international

law. these actions violate the commitments russia entered into within the framework of the budapest manure and him. -- referendum. had it been adopted, the draft resolution would have been a contribution to halt this vicious cycle and it's accompanying nationalism. essentially for russia. would it be naive to hope despite this failure we can find a peaceful resolution? luxembourg is not wish to abandon this hope. diplomatic efforts must continue to achieve a solution respecting the political independent territorial integrity with in ukraine within the interest of prosperity in europe.

i shall resume my function as president of the council. i now give the floor to the representative of ukraine. >> thank you, madam president, distinguished members of the security council. i would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the security council for the overwhelming support of the resolution as well as for your support in trying to resolve the crisis by diplomatic and political means. i would like to thank all of the cosponsors of the resolution for your support. we really need your support. i want to assure you that it is highly appreciated by the people of ukraine.

i would like to particularly thank the member states under the budapest memorandum who supported ukraine. the united states, united kingdom, france, and china to several times a voice in favor -- who several times voice in favor of territorial integrity. the russian federation violated its own obligations. this appeals to the russian leadership. very successful. what we are discussing today, the crisis in ukraine in crimea. i got a call 40 minutes ago. russian troops entered the mainland on the south from

crimea. now we're facing new developments. we are to face further dangers. i ask you to find the means and measures as well as the bilateral level to do what is responsible to stop the aggressor. this is not a surprise this comes at custom for any measures to maintain international peace and security. it is giving commissions in syria. it brought thousands. i'm confident we will speak

about the reforms of the security council. two cases, syria and crimea will be considered of examples of how the council behaves when peace is needed. in that particular part of my intervention i would like to say some words in russian. >> the representative of the russian federation has a stated it's great to be to achieved through the blood of the second world war. i would like to recall that this was collective bloodshed. and to manipulate this bloodshed is in the miscible. -- inadmissible. you're manipulating the veto

right on new blood, the blood on your hands. georgian blood, now ukrainian. this should come to an end now. today i take an optimistic you of what is going on. i am sure that what the russian federation expressed was not the voice of the russian federation but that of the soviet union. thousands and thousands of people have come to express their desire to protect ukraine and the territorial integrity.

this the democratic future of russia them. it is on this basis we will build fraternal ties. there is the fall of the whole system of value established over the years. by the untiring work of members. a system of collective security. a process of nonproliferation. they demonstrated the unity, it ukrainian events. it protects the system. to protect the global security there is a new approach. i am confident we are capable of this. thank you. >> i think the representative of ukraine for that statement.

the represented -- the representative of the russian federation has asked for the floor. >> thank you. some colleagues today went to high levels. i have to note that the ukrainian colleague went far beyond anything permissible to forward to speak of blood. the blood is not on our hands but on the hands of your friends. the blood of the ukrainians who were shot by snipers in february of this year and to actually upheld certain ideals reasonably and said that they have fought

with the soviet union. i have to note that something jumps out at me. they have discussed not very developed argumentation on the whole but distorted elements of our position. i will not, and on everything which was heard today. i will make a few notes. it didn't not notice the smallest hint of violence. two citizens were killed by fighters. the violence had to be noted.

it hope it -- it happened over the month. violence. it threatens to spread to other regions. they blamed russia with the illegal pursuit of the ambitions. that does not go to us. this is from the political foreign-policy arsenal of the u.s.. they spoke of truth. they would be very interested to know if washington would pay --

play the truth about this. they spoke about the terrines and aspirations while you negating the right of the people in crimea to express their will during the referendum. my colleagues that they were pushing for but had not excepted responsibility. the people of the region were the ones that should have been involved rather than intimidating people who spoke russian there. why was this not convened? it would be proven that there is not any ideology of national radicals. unfortunately, much time was lost. we would repeal to all to stop this confrontation and to begin constructive confrontation. it includes the eastern and southeastern regions.

.southeaster regions. >> >> i think the representative of the russian federation for that statement. there are no further speakers. this has concluded the examination. the meeting stands adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> see you on monday.

it by partisan group of u.s. editors are in the ukraine this weekend. they are meeting with other groups. john mccain is leading the delegation. it includes various republican senators. three democratic seminars -- senators are also there. the senators held a news conference to discuss the situation. this is about 30 minutes. >> good afternoon. i am senator john mccain of arizona and i am pleased to be joined today with a bipartisan group of my colleagues, senator the durbin of illinois, senator chris murphy of connecticut, senator ron johnson of wisconsin, senator john barrasso of wyoming, senator sheldon whitehouse of rhode island, senator john holden of north dakota, and my fellow senator from arizona, jeff flake.

i won't forget when senator murphy and i were here months ago, we stood in the trade union building and watched as hundreds of thousands of ukrainian patriots stood in the freezing cold and demanded freedom, rule of law, and a european future. we are honored to be here to congratulate you on all that you have accomplished, and all of us joined the ukrainian people in mourning more than 100 brave souls who gave their lives for the ukraine's future. we met with the prime minister, government leaders, including the governor of dennis with leaders from across the political spectrum including the party's regions, and with representatives from ukraine's business communities, civil society, and the model movement.

we are here to express a strong bipartisan support for ukraine that exists in the u.s. congress and among the american people. we are united in our full support for ukraine sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity. then against russia's baseless violation of these principles and its efforts to divide this country. we are also deeply concerned about reports today of russian military movement into areas around eastern ukraine. these movements are deeply disturbing. ukrainian government is legitimate, constitutional, and have them portend popular mandate for change, but change will not be easy. it is essential now for the government here to reach out to all ukrainians and take steps to unify the country. among these are strengthening democracy, the rule of law,

reforming the economy, and the military and moving ukraine toward europe. we are confident the government is committed to these principles. the government must also prepare the country for elections on may 25. during our visit, we have heard overwhelming supports for proceeding with elections on schedule, and we believe it is critical. ukraine's journey will be difficult, but ukrainians will not make that journey alone. the united states and your other partners will be with you. many of us here serve on our foreign relations committee in the senate, and last week, we pass bipartisan legislation to support ukraine and support -- prepare for elections, enhance security cooperation it imposes severe sanctions on those responsible for violence and human rights abuses against peaceful ukrainian and those who threaten ukrainian stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and on russian officials, responsible for corruption here. we want to assure you the united states senate will pass this legislation imminently, and we are confident can soon become law.

finally, let me say up word about military assistance, and this is my personal view. ukraine is going to need a long-term military assistance program from the united states, equipment both lethal and nonlethal. i see ukraine has been invaded. russia is blasting forces on the border, provoking unrest, threatening to annex part of the sovereign nation and possibly worse. victims of aggression wish to protect themselves and their homes from further aggression and when they ask for some modest means that can help them

resist, i believe we should provide it. not to offer false hope -- not for ourselves, but simply because it is the right and decent thing to do. i also want to add there are now thousands of brave ukrainian members of the military who are surrounding bases in crimea. we are deeply concerned about after this phony referendum that is going to take place that the lives and welfare of these individuals could be in danger. we urgently urge the russians to be restrained and to respect the lives and welfare of these brave ukrainian servicemen and women who are serving in that country. senator durbin. >> i want to thank my colleague, john mccain, and others who joined me. this is on extraordinary visit

that we have made to ukraine. it is maybe the largest to senate delegation to visit ukraine in history. and the moment we came we thought was the right moment. we wanted to save the people of ukraine and million to support ukraine across the world that we stand shoulder to shoulder with ukrainian people who are seeking a new future in a new opportunity. we know that they have a new government, with many challenges, including economic challenges. and we know that they are committed to the rule of law, to open and free elections, and we stand by them in this commitment. we have met with the president, prime minister, and leaders of this government. and the message we have given them is that we will be by your side on a bipartisan basis in the united states senate.

the visit of the secretary of state john kerry, the meeting between the prime minister and the president just a few days ago are further indications of the strengthening alliance between the united states and ukraine. but we also, this moment because we know we are only hours away from the soviet style election in crimea. we know the outcome. we always knew the outcome of those elections long before they took place. keep in mind there was also a vote today just hours ago in the un security council where the nations of the world serving a security council were asked to stand with ukrainian project this referendum. of course, the russians voted no. he chinese abstained. all other nation stood with the ukraine and the united states. it is an indication of the growing world support for the future of ukraine and resistance to what the russians are threatening now in crimea. we owe it to the people of ukraine and those in crimea to speak up or them at this moment and to tell russia we will not return to a history of invasion and aggression, which is too common in this part of the

world. and we also need to make it clear that when countries like the united states, the united kingdom, russia, and ukraine enter into an agreement, the budapest memorandum, that it means something. when a country will step away from its nuclear arsenal, only asking for protection of its territories and its future, we need to stand by them, and that is why we are here as well. we want a more peaceful world and we believe that standing with ukraine is the way to achieve that. i am proud of my colleagues are with me. i'll hope you understand the significance of our visit to the ukraine at this moment in history. >> good afternoon. my name is chris murphy, senator from connecticut and chairman of the foreign relations subcommittee on europe. senator mccain and i had the opportunity in december to stand on the maidan looking out over the almost one million protesters assembling peacefully, all united by the temperament that they wanted to bring dignity back to their country and to their existence.

many were there because they wanted an orientation with your. others were there because they wanted to leaders in government, but they all held in common the basic simple belief that it should be the people of this country, no outside entity, that dictates the future of this great nation. it is difficult in washington these days to get a group of senators as politically diverse as those that are standing here today to agree on much of anything. but we are standing here united, republicans and democrats, as we did in the foreign relations committee last week, making it clear that the united states is going to stand with a free and sovereign ukraine. that we are going to stand with this new government to help them do what it takes in order to prosper.

we pass, as a senator mccain said, a strong bill for the foreign relations committee, with republicans and democrats supporting it, that will offer aid to keep ukraine's economy on its feet and deliver a strong message to russia that there will be consequences for the actions that have already been taken, and we are confident well that we will be able to join with our european allies in delivering an economic blow to russia that will make it clear that there is a price to be paid for this type of aggression. the next several days will be critical. as we look at the broad scope of the history of this nation. we know that there are several thousand ukrainian troops whose lives are in jeopardy. we are here today to tell the russian forces that we hold them directly responsible for the safety of those brave young men and women who are now cornered in different parts of crimea. the world is watching, and the message that we bring today, both to ukraine and to russia, is that the united states senate

is watching as well. senator johnson. >> thank you, mike. my name is ron johnson. i'm a senator from the state of wisconsin. i want to thank senator mccain for leading this delegation. i want to thank my colleagues were standing together. the main reason we're here is to show that strong unified support for the courageous people of ukraine. unfortunately, i was not here for senator mccain and senator murphy when they stood with the ukrainians on the maidan, but we did walk down to the maidan. it was a moving experience. incredibly moving experience to understand what has happened, and i tell you what, my standpoint, there is one person i hold accountable for this aggression, and it is vladimir putin. and if there is further bloodshed, there is also one person i will hold responsible. there is one person that can stop it, that can prevent it,

and that is vladimir putin. now, senator mccain and senator murphy mentions the brave members of the ukrainian military now garrisoned in crimea and those stationed along the border. i have seen moving pictures of journalists that have real courage throughout this process. i want to thank all of you, and i want to ask you to maintain that courage, bring the pictures to the world of what is happening here, this aggression. it is probably the single most important thing that can be done to prevent further bloodshed. again, i want to thank our host, i want to thank my colleagues for showing the strong level of support, and i want to thank you for reporting and preview pictures to the world so that we can prevent further bloodshed. thank you.

>> i am senator whitehouse from rhode island, and i thank senator the cane and senator durbin for leading this delegation. we have all been moved and inspired by our visit to ukraine and by ukraine's commitment to freedom, a simplified by the bloodstained maidan. we hope our country can be helpful as ukraine rids itself of the shackles of corruption that have burdened its people and injures a new day. ukraine's new day is shadowed by minutes, however. russia's conduct is already outside the conduct of the civilized nation. and russia has failed to provide the world adequate assurances that its conduct will not yet be even worse. we intend to take a unified message back to our president that he should support ukraine with strongest action he feels

he can, to deter further aggression by russia, to protect ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, including imposing painful and damaging sanctions on russia and its industries and oligarchs. russia cannot expect to live in a halfway world in which it enjoys the benefits of a community of civilized nations without conducting itself like one. and in the days ahead, let us all remember the ukrainian marines and other ukrainian forces garrisoned in the crimea. thank you very much. >> my name is john barrasso. i am a united states senator from the state of wyoming. a number of us on wednesday had a chance to meet with your prime minister, a man of great courage and determination, and to do so in washington, d.c., to see how

the people in the united states could be helpful to the people of the ukraine. we told him that we did not think meeting with him about ukraine was enough just there. we wanted to come here to show our commitment. two people of ukraine, and that is why we are here in a unified way, bipartisan, republicans and democrats from all different spectrum of politics in the united states. we walked the maidan. we saw the bullet holes in the trees and in the buildings. we saw the faces and the pictures of over 100 martyrs, those who gave their lives, and those faces are burned into our brains, and they will never be forgotten. we had a chance to meet and listen to members of the leadership of various parties in the government. we have had a chance to visit with people from different parts

of the country, and what we heard from them and what we told them as well is a unified message of -- this will not stand. we cannot allow vladimir putin to do what he appears to be doing. we have great concerns for those who are surrounded right now in the military barracks in the crimea, and we will hold vladimir putin personally responsible for anything, the damage that may occur to them. brave men and women risking their lives for freedom. thank you. >> i am john hoeven from the state of north dakota. i served as the governor of my state for 10 years. during that tenure timeline, i organized several trade organizations to come to the ukraine.

last night, i had dinner with leaders from 10 different companies representing many other companies in many associations across the ukraine. that is from one state and our country, just one state. i make that point because we have so many relationships which we the united states and the ukraine. we have much in common. we're here to show our solidarity. and as a way of showing that we truly are united. as senators, representatives of our congress and of our country, i want to read a short note that i took a few minutes ago when we were meeting with the ukrainian prime minister. the reason want to go through this for just a minute is because it was said by senator dick durbin, who is a democrat, and i am a republican, and i want to show that the support is truly bipartisan because i could not have agreed more with the point that he was making to reassure your prime minister that we stand with you.

he said we need to take economic, diplomatic, and political sanctions against russia, that we need to use the magnitsky act to take strong action, and have it passed by the full sun as soon as we get back. we need to undertake economic assistance to the ukraine, and we need to work with the imf to make sure that we provide that economic assistance as well as loans, not only from our country but also from the european union. we need to work with the european union so that when we say we stand with ukraine, we mean not only the united states but all of the european union and the world as well. jeff flake, arizona.

>> thank you. my name is senator jeff flake from the state of arizona. my colleagues talk about walking the maidan, and to see the determination that is needed in the coming weeks and months, just they were to russia -- this is not your grandfather's war. people are watching today like they never have watched before. there is no drama in tomorrow's referendum. but what is left unsaid, what is still left unknown, is how russia will treat soldiers garrisoned in crimea and what they do thereafter or don't do in eastern ukraine. people are watching like ever before. people can organize like never before.

so we hope to have an outcome that is fitting and honors those who have fallen here. i am pleased to be here with my colleagues today. >> the time is running out for the referendum. we have talked about the opinions of the congress of the united states that it is better for ukraine to keep up crime here and concentrate on the eastern part of the country. do you agree with that? >> we do not agree at all. we do not agree that vladimir putin has a license to invade a sovereign nation, as was mentioned by senator durbin. an agreement in 1994 that was made when ukraine gave up its nuclear inventory and return for guarantees of its territorial integrity, so we do not, and the last thing we want to do is send any message to people in crimea that we have abandoned them. yes, sir.

>> cnbc. you wrote today, three u.s. presidents have sought to work with president putin when interests converge. those interests do not converge much. he will always insist on being our arrival. how far away is that rivalry between the u.s. and west and russia from becoming a new cold war? >> i do not believe there will be a reignition of the cold war. but i do believe it is long overdue that we understand vladimir putin for who he is and what he is and what his ambitions are. this is a person that stated that the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century was the breakup of the soviet union. this is a person who wants to restore it. this is a person that occupies arts of the sovereign nation of georgia, that occupies moldova,

that has now acted in an act of naked aggression. and again, all of us are concerned about recent reports of additional military buildup in this area, and so we have to treat him for what he is, and that does not reignite the cold war, but it means we enact steps that make it clear to vladimir putin that his images will not be -- his ambitions will not be realized by the great community of nations that would resist. i will give you a couple of things wrote quick. one, start the missile defense system again in poland and the czech republic that we abandoned once. look forward to perhaps moldova and georgia and ukraine, if they wish, to become partners in nato. have some military exercises with our baltic friends, latvia, estonia, lithuania, that are

under severe pressure by by putin. we can ask to counter vladimir putin's ambitions without reigniting a cold war and without reigniting a conflict. margaret thatcher's famous words about ronald reagan is that he won the cold war without firing a shot, and that can be accomplished. >> senator mccain, senator durbin mentioned that china today abstained from the bow. do you think there is a greater role that china can play in helping to defuse this crisis? >> why don't i let senator durbin -- >> i talked today to some powers, the member's -- the u.s. ambassador to the united

nations, and she was trying mightily to bring in china to vote with us. the abstention is something, but we with that they had been with us -- we wish that they had been with us. we will continue to work with them. we need to increase that family of nations across the world that are willing to stand up, and i hope they will be part of it in the future. >> mr. senators, [speaking foreign language] >> there is lots of information regarding the u.s. position on the crisis. particularly president obama that if russian forces crossed the border from the crimea into ukraine that this would mean a state of war exists, and the united states could potentially take part.

is that a possibility? >> senator durbin and i just got off the phone with secretary kerry. i can assure you that the congress and the president will be working with the president of the united states. this is too serious for any partisanship. i can't exactly say what the reaction would be because it would have to be the extent and size and other aspects of it, but i am confident that the united states of america with our european allies would have a very vigorous response. >> i would just say that when we met with the prime minister, arseniy yatsenyuk, in washington

last week and again today, he made it clear that he is not anticipating be so-called military action of boots on the ground. that is not being discussed. we are talking about other ways that we can help ukraine, other ways that we can put pressure on russia and other aggressors. >> i would just add that the line has already been crossed. there is no moving from crimea into ukraine. crimea as part of ukraine. so our message to russia and to vladimir putin is that he needs to take immediate steps to de-escalate a situation in crimea, and if he does not -- regardless of whether there is any additional incursion -- there is going to be an escalating series of steps from both the united states and europe to make it clear that the actions that have been undertaken already are completely unacceptable within the scope of the world community. china should be involved in this issue. every other nation should care

about this because this essentially reorders the roles of the game when nations are allowed to unilaterally change borders. that is why this moment in our world's history is so important. >> what i would like to add is -- i do not think we should prescribe all the things we will or won't do right here, right now. it is incumbent on russia and president putin to step back and defuse the situation. we will have to respond as that situation develops. the important point here is that we are together and we are solid with ukraine. >> can i just point out -- we have proven that economic sanctions can be very powerful weapons. we have seen the effect that it had on the iranians. most of us, all of us agree that it rot them to the bargaining table. the severe regimen of economic

sanctions on individuals, corporations, and even governments, i think, can have a significant beneficial impact. >> i can volunteer one other thing that can help will stop we are producing a lot of energy and our country. my state is a great example. we are producing more natural gas every day. we are flaring it up. we need markets. what better way then to start bringing some of that liquefied natural gas over here and putting some real pressure in an economic sense on russia and helping ukraine and the eu, which right now depend on russia for so much of their energy. there are many things we can do. that is just one example. and that is a solution that helps on a long-term basis. >> [microphone feedback] jimi hendrix. i'm from al jazeera america. there was a report of an -- an incursion into a ukrainian territory property. all of your ideas are very long-term, including economic and military aid.

the russians are actually moving today on the ground. do you have any reaction or response to the immediate incursion by the russians rather than the long-term economic and military aid? >> again, it is hard for any of us to respond to hypotheticals. but as i mentioned, we are deeply concerned about reports of russian military units moving closer and in a more tactical way around eastern ukraine. and i can't say exactly what our response will be, but i think it will be a breach of such enormous consequence that the united states of america and our european allies will be contemplating action that we have not ever in our relations with russia, to be honest with you.

>> we talked but unity. we are united, democrat, republican. we are united from the senate to the house. we are united from congress to the present, we are united from you america to the european union. the other thing we learned, and let's face it, the reason we came here was to show that unity, show that support for the ukrainian people. the one thing we learned, and one message that was given to us loud and clear is the ukrainians will defend themselves. they will defend themselves. even though the odds are against them, they will defend themselves, which is again why i will point out there is one person that can prevent further bloodshed. that person is vladimir putin.

we will hold them accountable. >> thank you very much. thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] asked what happens to hoover as the depression deepens and maybe people did not know it was "the -- theypression" probably thought it was a typical even. hoover found himself facing increasing pressure from the left for greater expenditures and intervention. he started to hold the line against that. he became a fiscal conservative. rigidity on his part as part of the reason that

he got attacked as supposedly not doing anything. he had some policies that might not have been effective. on the other hand, he was struggling against the total status turn such as he saw coming. on the missing link in herbert hoover's memoirs. sunday at 9:00. calls,t will take your comments, e-mails on the middle east and the wars in iraq and afghanistan. tv, join the book discussion on the new biography of stokely carmichael. go to book tv.org to enter the chat room. >> president obama talked about weakening overtime pay protection. congressman bill johnson has the republican address. the impact of the

affordable care act on senior citizens. >> hi everybody. in this year action, i'm doing everything i can, with or without congress, to expand opportunities. i ordered a review of our overtime rules to give more americans a chance to earn overtime pay that they work for. here's why this matters. our businesses have created a .7 million new jobs. -- 8.7 million new jobs. the trends that have battered the middle class have grown starker. average wages have barely budge. too many americans are working harder than ever just to keep up. we have to build an economy that works for everybody. we know from history that our economy grows best from the middle out. we have got to restore opportunity for all.

with hard work and responsibility, you can get ahead. for more than 75 years, the 40 hour workweek and the overtime protections that come with it have helped countless workers climb the ladder of success. exception metime for highly paid employees now applies to workers who earn as little as $23,000 a year. it does not matter if you do mostly physical labor or if you work 50 or 60 or 70 hours a week. your employer does not have to pay you a single extra time. in some cases, this role makes it possible for workers earning a salary to be paid less than the minimum wage. it means that business owners treat their employees fairly who can -- can be undercut by competitors. that is not right. we are going to update those rules to restore that basic principle.

if you have to work more, you should earn more. we will consult workers and businesses and simplify the system so it is easier for everybody. americans have spent too long working more and getting less. wherever i can make sure that our economy will work. that is what i am going to do. when every american wants is a paycheck that lets them support their families. and economic security. pass on hope and optimism to their kids. that is something we are fighting for. thank you and have a great weekend. >> good morning. my name is bill johnson. i am proud to represent ohio in the house of representatives. four years ago today, president obama came to our state and promised our seniors that his health care law would protect their benefits.

he said if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. i do not want to interfere with evil relationships. is that notlity only is the president's health care law interfering with these relationships, it is ending them altogether. because of obamacare, many seniors enrolled in the medicare advantage around are paying higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs. many are losing access to their physicians. many more will unless the president takes action. last month, republican leaders wrote a letter to the president asking him to develop a plan to deal with these problems. nothing was done. address, we urged him to listen to stories of seniors paying more money for fewer choices.

they have less access and far less peace of mind. it is still nothing. a bipartisan coalition of more than 200 members of the house and then it came together to press the obama administration on this issue. this transcends politics. this is about keeping the promises that we make to the american people. i sat down with a group of local doctors to talk about all of this. one told me that many seniors who need to see a specialist will now have to drive up to cleveland or pittsburgh to receive care. cited hundreds of cases in which nations were blindsided by these changes. -- patients were blindsided by these changes. i received a note from a cancer survivor who said that the health care law has made it so that she and her husband are losing the eye doctor they have been going to burn 30 years. here's what she had to say.

we have always taken care of ourselves. we have more children. we took care of their education and nebraska are handouts. now we are older. we have to be concerned about not having the doctors and services that we like. remember how the president said that he did not want to interfere? more than 794,000 seniors in ohio rely on medicare advantage. that is hundreds of thousands of broken promises. americans deserve better. they deserve the benefits they were promised. if the president will not help us repeal this law in its entirety, he should step up and do the right thing and protect our seniors. he should do that soon. a discussion on a pole concerning the attitudes of

millennial's in adulthood. then the veterans affairs secretary on his departments budget request. then the british defense secretary on the future of afghanistan. >> the suggestion is, what we say freedom of choice, let people go their own way, i think we often mean that they know best. the government does not know best. the notion of autonomy, and a lever were, is basically a way saying that people know better than outsiders do about what will make their lives go better. this sounds academic and abstract. i think the stakes are real and concrete. the question is when we think about our policies, at least a lot of the question is, are people going to be miserable?

are they going to be dead? if we have some policy, whether it involves savings for retirement or if it involves privacy on the internet, or if it involves air quality, if we can think of some way that makes them less likely to be sick or miserable her dad, -- or debt that is probably a good bargain. >> "why not? " on c-span q&a. >> next, the results of a new poll about millennial's. andle born between 1980 2000. from washington journal, this is 45 minutes. host: joining us on set, alex smith, college republican national committee chair.

just to let the viewers know, we plan to make this a roundtable with the college democrats of america. she is stuck in traffic out there. as soon as she gets here, we will bring her on and weave her into the conversation, but until then, thank you for joining us. we are talking about the millennials' view on politics. is there a view amongst people of your age, when it comes to politics in general do you think? guest: i think so. this is a generation that is uniquely burdened by increasing amounts of national debt, educational debt, personal debt. this is a generation that thinks differently than its predecessor. this is the first generation that does not believe it is going to do better than its parent generation in a long time. so i think there are unique challenges for the millennials generation, but there are also unique characteristics that give us cause for hope. this is a generation of

innovators, this is a generation of new thinkers that are on the cutting edge of technology and of using different resources than our parents did, so i think that, while at the same time we have challenges as a generation, we also have unique opportunities. host: one of those challenges being highlighted by the pew research center. they have done a poll on millennials and asking questions about it. one of the things they said is people who consider themselves independent, millenials weighing in at 50%. guest: in terms of party brand, obviously the republican party brand is not fair to well with young people. democrats do not do too much better with young people. party id for them is down. increasing amounts of millennials disagree with the president and his job approval. so what we are seeing is moving away from democrats and moving to the independent column, which for we as republicans, we think that is an opportunity for us to go in and capture millennials and capture their desire to have an alternative in politics.

host: how do you appeal to them? guest: we go where there are and we give them something to share. in the past, we have not focused on young people. our get out the vote strategies, messaging strategies have not targeted young people. when we are able to target a message clearly and directly to them, we will win them over. host: as far as your party, you said there were concerns about the brand itself, particularly about people your age. what is the concern? guest: with young people, because we have not talked to them, we have allowed the other side to come in and define us however they want. which has obviously been negative, but for us, we see a lot of opportunity in being able to reverse those trends based on what young people believed at their core. young people believe that we spend too much, they think the government is doing too much it would be better left to the private sector. based on those core beliefs, we think we have the ability to capture them. what we are not saying it's those least friendly to the brand, which as i said has been damaged by negative stereotypes.

in the absence of our presence on campus, online, and the other side's very active presence there. host: do you think people who are not millennials within the party are listening to your concerns, and are they responding to them at all? guest: absolutely. we are an independent organization at the college republican national committee, and we work closely with our sister organizations. we found a great home for our voice in this committee, and the planning sessions, and those different workgroups because they understand that young people are important. if voting has started age 30, governor romney would be president right now. young people make up 19% of the electorate, so the party understands this is a demographic that has to be addressed directly and softly. host: as far as the way you view politics and particularly maybe those older, what are the differences, what are the changes in philosophy? guest: i think that the party as

a whole embraces the diversity of thought, and i think that is growing with millennials and the party, bringing diversity into the party. host: on what areas? guest: some of the social issues, and obviously different issues like national security, for example. i think this generation believes a little differently than its predecessors within the party. host: in terms of what? guest: i think growing up in a different time. just being a different generation, and increasing concerns over privacy. our world becomes more online and more exposed. there is a diversity on that issue and many others within our party, and i think that the millennial presence really goes to highlight how big our party is to accommodate a number of different viewpoints. host: we will have a discussion not only with alex smith, but also with natasha mckenzie of the democrats of america. you are encouraged to ask about politics and the way they view it. (202) 585-3880 for democrats, (202) 585-3881 for republicans,

and (202) 585-3882 for independents. i think you had mentioned health care, taking a look at these issue. what do you think about the president's health care plan, and particularly what do millennials think about it? guest: they disagree with it. 54% disagree with the legislative achievement. this is a problem with the democrats. the problem is democrats that it would be ready on day one, that it would work, that the government would know better how to make health care decisions for the people, and it has not proven to work, and young people understand that. they understand when the president says if you like your doctor, you can keep it, if you like your plan, you can keep it. those statements and out not to be true, so now we have a lot of millennials out there looking for affordable health care. they cannot find it because they are paying for the old and sickly on the different plans out there. so we are seeing their premiums rise, deductibles rise, and young people are looking to take

that $95 penalty coming in the next two weeks. host: will that be you or do you have health care? guest: i have health care or my work, but i think a lot of young people are faced with tough decisions. a lot of my friends are independent contractors who turned to those so-called junk plans with a very thoughtfully researched and thought about before they purchased and that were canceled under obamacare, for they have to go and search for a new plan, and they are finding their premiums are rising, their deductibles are rising, and it has proven to be a bad situation. host: what anything about the president's appearance with zach galifianakis? guest: he might have been between two ferns, but democrats are between a rock and hard place this coming election. we saw that on a florida special, and health care was a serious issue in that campaign. democrats plan to run on in this election, and we are seeing the result of that special are

showing that people are very much in disagreement with this law and they do not trust the democrats can fix it. host: here is a little bit of that conversation took place with the president. [video clip] >> do you go to any website that are .coms or .nets, or do you mainly stick with .govs? >> we stick with .govs. have you heard of healthcare.gov? >> here we go. what did you come to plug? >> first of all, i would not be here today if i did not have something to plug. have you heard about the affordable care act? >> i heard about that. that is the thing that is not work. why did you get the guy who created the zune to create your website? >> it works right now. many people have health insurance plans. what we want is for people to know that you can get affordable health care, and most young

americans find out they are not covered, and the truth is they can get coverage all for what it costs you to pay your cell phone bill. >> is this what they mean by drones? >> the point is that a lot of young people think they are invincible. >> did you say invisible? >> no, not invisible, invincible, meaning that they do not think they can get hurt. >> nobody can be invisible. if you had said invisible -- >> i understand that. with health insurance forum, it can make a difference, and they have until march 31 to sign up. host: that was from earlier this week, now we want to introduce the other half of our rain table, the national vice president of the democrats of america, welcome. what do you think about the president's appearance and using that format to talk about health care issues? guest: i think young people are very connected to social media, so for them to use that lead, and especially to use the zach galifianakis, who is a very great actor, for everyday we use

twitter, facebook, and for us to see the president such an appealing manner -- it is something that matters. for us, the health-care law is something that is going to help young people. it is helping young people every single day like myself. i am a college student. i have health insurance through my school, but once i graduate, i would love to keep my health care with my parents until i am 26. and for him to talk about an issue that matters to young people on that venue, in a funny setting, not only does it humanize the law but it also makes it something that is very accessible for people to log on, go to healthcare.gov and sign-up for. host: we have a lot of people on the program, particularly democrats and republican, talking about changes to the health-care law. amongst your age, about your political structure, what do you think about these delays and changes and things like that? does it diminish the law

overall? guest: it is not diminished the law. those are just part of the conversation. many people in households are first-generation. i am first generation american. and many do not know much about the health-care law, so it is up to us to start become recession with older americans, with younger americans, for them to understand. first with them understanding, i think it is also important for us to branch out and identify the positives in the law because there are certainly positives, so for young women like me with pre-existing conditions, it is very important. it is something that we identify, something that is extremely important, but it is very apparent that there are so many benefits in this law. republicans try and doom and gloom it and say it is something that is horrible that needs

fixing. we need to repeal it. but what they do not notice is it is saving lives. and it shows a lot about their character and about the structure of the party. host: how old is the democrats of america? guest: the democrats of america is the official youth forum of the dnc. it is made up of about 10,000 young, active, brilliant, progressive young people that do a lot of great stuff on their campuses nationwide. we are a force to be reckoned with. republicans should watch out in 2014 because they say on our campus is, we are active, mobile, and we make sure the democratic voice is very much heard from people my age. host: natasha mckenzie. we are also talking to alex smith of the college republican national committee. both of these ladies are your to talk about politics from their perspective. again, the numbers of your to talk with them and ask questions, (202) 585-3880 for democrats, (202) 585-3881 for republicans, (202) 585-3882 for independents. boca raton, florida, you are up first, good morning, democrat line.

caller: hi. thank you for c-span. two terrific young guests there. i was going to make a comment about what the woman had said about the republican brand being stereotyped. sometimes there are stereotypes for a reason. the republican party really is the party of the tax break for the rich and for the corporations. but -- that is just what it is. talking now about health care, i will talk to quickly about my experience as a 56-year-old. i graduate college in 1979, and i had to get health care right out of college, and health care premiums have been going up through reagan, bush, clinton, bush again -- perhaps your guests have not been around, and i am not trying to pull rank, but health-care premiums have always been going up.

i recently went on to the exchange and purchased health insurance. it has never been easier. even though the rollout was a little sticky, i was able, through the affordable care act -- and i compared it to going directly to the companies themselves. the identical priced premium through the affordable care act gives you much better coverage, it is not a ripoff, whereas if you go directly to the insurance companies to do business, they have so many exclusions and stipulations that your head starts spinning and you find that the coverage of less and you are paying more. host: alex, what you take away from that? guest: with respect to

health-care reform, i am here to represent young people in the country, i mean, we are paying for that plan is the bottom line. we as young, healthy americans do not receive any benefit for being young and healthy. we finance the majority of the plans out there for older and sickly americans, so i think that is an unconscionable shift in our resources, and mortgaging our future away for the benefit of another generation. that being said, i don't think that there are republicans out there that don't think we need health-care reform. we do. and there have been a number of different proposals in the senate, in the house that have attempted to not just repeal obamacare but to replace it with something that works, something that pays a attention to tort reform, that pays attention to health savings accounts, purchasing plans across state lines. republicans know that we need reform.

we do not think that a one-size-fits-all, government solution is that. host: at least your age will bear eventually. guest: he has a very similar story to my aunt. i helped her sign up for health insurance. it was a very easy process. it is something that will take a long period of time, but if you sit down, have a nice time, just reading the p's and q's, it is very simple. there is nothing obligated about this. and i think that young people especially one not necessarily have to bear most of these cost. it is blamed on republicans for the past administration that is done things to rise up the premiums in the first place. as for young people to have that burden, it is not necessarily the cause. young people see this as an investment in their health and their future and it can be very prosperous for them. guest: i think they're paying for plans and services that they do not need. in order to finance plans and services for an older generation. that is just an empirical reality that our generation is paying for this health care

plan. this is a generation that voted for the president, they got him elected in 2012, yet we were not in the room where health-care lobbyists were designing the individual mandate, we are basically financing this plan off of our backs. young people do not have a voice in the backgrounds, data on a voice when the president brings his friends and to give a special exemption than special delays. young people are bearing the brunt of this health-care law, no question about it. host: here is david from orange park, florida, republican line. good morning. caller: we have two bright, attractive guests. i want to address my toward natasha. in 12 to 14 years, social security, medicare, medicaid, and interest on national debt, will be close to $3 trillion by then, is going to take up the entire budget. and then what? there is not going to be money for any other aspects of the government. and your generation,

unfortunately, is being thrown so far under the bus -- it is just criminal. really, some of these politicians ought to be thrown in jail for what they are doing to your generation. governments are not bottomless pit, natasha. you see it all over the world, and if you parse it down to the local and state government, you see what is happening on the local levels. they are running out of money. too much spending. you have got government employees retiring in their 30's with these fabulous pensions that they are receiving for the rest of their life. it is not sustainable. guest: young people are very much aware of the republican tactics that have led to us being in the situation in the first place. and for us, we see our future as something that is extremely bright and we have a voice at the table and president obama has taken upon themselves and also the daschle for young

people to have a strong voice at the table. that being said, young people know that they have to be aggressive when it comes to republican tactics and republican initiatives that have the largest to gain and to be moved forward. this is mainly a republican problem. democrats have tried and tried numerous times to address the national debt, to address the issues that are -- such as the student loan debt, which will be a huge burden for students. so for us to blame democrats for issues, that is not the case. it is republicans. guest: i think in terms of not having a voice at the table, or having the boys at the table, that simply has not been true.

on the same week that the president met with big business leaders and other special interests to cut delays and exemptions for them, he gave young people a google hang out with kal penn and the pajama voice shortly thereafter. this president has not taken young people seriously in terms of an actual conversation, having a meaningful voice in it with health care reform because he knows he has nothing to offer them. he knows that he financed this plan on their backs and that there is simply nothing he can do about it now. that is why republicans are going to present an alternative in 2014 and 2016 talking about our alternatives to health care and talking to young people about what that means for them and talking directly to them, something we will partner with them to do. host: as far as the republican alternatives, what are they in general? guest: address buying insurance across state lines, talk about health savings account, talking

about for reform, real, meaningful reform, but is it a one size fits solution? we have seen what that solution brings -- delays, ineptitude. and the government cannot handle this task on its own. guest: more and more people see government as a good thing. or us not to work with the government, for us not to see government as in the that benefits us is not true. more of the young people widely identified moving more toward the democratic party because it is a party that you can see locally, federally, as something that needs to benefits directly. host: i asked ms. smith earlier this morning, there was a pew poll taking a look at millennials, take a look at how they consider themselves as political independents. what does this mean? guest: we see that the term independent these days, only 20% of people actually identify as independent. we see that so many young people even though they might identify with liberal or independent,

they have issues that are very prominent, such as gay marriage, such as the health-care law. and things that they directly identify, is not aligned to the democratic party ideal? and that is why the republican party with these tactics, has seen time and time again why young people are distancing themselves from them. host: we are talking about millennials. you just heard from natascha mckenzie, she is the national vice president of the democrats of america. we also have alex smith joining us, the national chair of the college republican national committee. rose, independent line, good morning. caller: good morning. alex, pedro asked you a few specifics from the start and you just answer on that, but you sound almost as a mini puppet of the nrc. finance on your back is far as health care, you said that about 10 times.

who finances your health care from your job? as far as the republicans plan for 2014 and 2016, hsa's across state lines, tort reform, wow, that was set in 2009 and 2010. guest: first, my employer pays for my health care, because i am thankful to have a job. which is not something all millennials can say thanks to the obama economy. instead of staying on their parents insurance until i'm 26, putting a band-aid, those people want jobs to pay for their health care, they do not want to just say on their parents plan, they do not want to -- that is not my own personal health care. in terms of our plans, the goal going forward, 2009 when we were talking about health care reform, i agreed we should be more vocal, more direct and especially with young people and positive about those reforms with them, but in 2009, we did not the benefit of seeing what a disaster this health-care law

has proven to be. we have seen out what it looks like to have government controlled health care, and it is not pretty. host: georgia, democrat line, carol, up next, good morning. caller: good morning, pedro. she still has not answered your question. the thing is, she has health care, so -- and everything that she is saying is almost like talking points. this was a republican plan the president obama initiative. this planning he has initiative was a heritage plan, so baby, do not let her get away with that, and when she is talking, and any

time you find somebody that don't want somebody -- guest: in terms of me not wanting health care, that is simply not the case. a lot of the reforms out there right now and congress are talking about pre-existing conditions, talking about still staying on your parents' plan until you are 26. these are ideas that republicans are embracing in their own plans. but in terms of, you know, talking about health care, i mean, this is an unmitigated disaster, the rollout has been, and we see that voters are rejecting it. you can look again to the special elections. you can see the voters rejected the idea that democrats can fix the health care plan. i did way, it was a first-time

candidate that the statewide candidate, 100% name id in the district that president obama had won twice. i think that as we see the rhetoric for 2014, democrats know that they are losing on this issue. host: this essentially would become a political issue on how people would vote in the future? guest: democrats are not losing on this issue, democrats are winning on this issue. we have seen this time and time again statewide. if 63,000 people signed up for a law that was doom and gloom, then there's something wrong with it in the first place, which we see there is not. and we see that nationally going to 2014 at this will be something that many people benefit from. and alex, and the special election, can show that she can compete in this district, that no one thought the democrats could -- for her to even get to a place where next round in 2014, democrats will win again, we will see, but obviously i

think the democrats will be a champion in 2014 when it comes to this law. and yes, there are things we need to work on. yes. but time will tell if republicans will actually get to work and work with democrats to be a part of the process other than just saying no to everything, not necessarily wanting to work on anything in the first place. republicans are showing time and time again that they do not want to work. they come to washington and not want to work. host: 4 million people signed up. no clear indication of how many have paid, no clear indication of those who had showing in the first place, lower numbers of young people signing up. are those concerns? guest: young people are going to sign up and young people have been signing up. it is one of those things where we see numbers that are presented and from a republican perspective to make this law out to be doom and gloom but it not necessarily is. host: ms. smith?

guest: by the president's own assassination, he needs 43% of young healthy americans to sign up for this law. only 27% have done so. the deadline is two weeks away. to say that young people are going to sign up for something that they cannot afford -- i think this is a drastic -- i mean, it is not in touch with reality. the political reality for democrats is that the us health-care law is bad news for them, they promised they would run on a in 2014, and now they are stuck with it. i think in terms of the special election, it was a close race against 200 precincts that had voted for alex sink in her past statewide campaigns, then voted for first-time candidate david jolley. to me that is a clear indication of where people are standing on this law. host: our guests with us to talk about politics, alex smith, natasha mckenzie. here is jim from south carolina, republican line. good morning. caller: how are you? good morning. natasha, republicans do want word, they just do not want to work your way.

it is a major work. they are ready to work, ready to do things, but not everybody agrees with you. i have two quick points poor you. i hate to burst your bubble, but young people are clearly seeing this new government policy -- you say it is for your site, but they are not in favor of it because your programs tend to pay group against group, and now you're just saying that they do not want to ante up and pay this cost, but it is really frustrating, they are saying clearly young people, the effects of you voting for a democrat. one last thing, if a republican does when the presidency next time, if he or she changes, does a sweeping changes of the aca on their own self, then you should not say one thing because that would be very hypocritical, but that could happen, and i just wonder how you will react when the president, a republican

president just decides i am going to make sweeping changes to the aca. i bet your group is going to jump up with me that vitriol, yet at the same time this president can change anything he wants to keep this sad thing going. host: ms. mckenzie. guest: this president has tried to work with republicans many times and we have seen the effects. we have gotten nowhere with republicans in charge. this health-care law is something that is changing laws of millions of americans, so for us to deny something that could lead to the benefits and help millions of americans is something we should does not do. and this law is something that is extremely impactful in my life, and the life of my family members come in the lives of many people in my community, and in a lot of people nationally. it is something democrats will run on. it is something that is extremely important for democrats such as florida's 13th district. it is something we necessarily

need to acknowledge and work on together, republicans and democrats, if republicans are ready to work. host: let's be clear. your contention that the florida 13 race was not about the affordable care act? guest: it plays a role, but i am not necessarily saying that just because of the health-care law with the reason why ms. alex sink lost the race. host: here is danny from louisiana, independent line. go ahead. caller: good morning. i almost forgot what i was going to say, observing what is going on here. now the young lady, the republican young lady has been accused of being from -- representing the heritage foundation, so forth. what is disturbing is now universities, the koch brothers donated so much money to universities to build buildings and to have their point of view taught in college, and i find

that disturbing. secondly, this party of doom and gloom -- my god -- i hear all of these negative things coming from republican callers, and they listen to the doom and gloom news and they are scared to death. i call them the scaredy-cat party because they are just afraid of everything. host: what would you like our guest to address, sir? caller: i would like to address one thing. the republican party has to fight everyone. once this is over and we show that this does work and it is beneficial as a social security was, which republicans fought tooth and nail, once we show this is beneficial and it works, will all of you please -- uninformed, scare people, stop watching fox and listening to their bull? guest: in terms of talking about the koch brothers, to me, majority leader reid addressing

on the senate floor, calling on a private individual, calling them un-american on the senate floor, which is disturbing to me on a number of different levels, what are we not talking about when we are talking about the koch brothers? we are not talking about the fact that young people don't have jobs and that three in 10 millennials are moving back in with her parents. as they fact that -- the bottom line is the president has a democrat-controlled house of representatives are part of his presidency and all that we have gotten out of that is a complete failure of a health-care law. in terms of republicans being here or not want to work, i think it 2014, we are going to see a renewed sense of promise when we not only retain our majority in the house but also retake the senate and maintain our robust level of governorship, which i think is where we are really seeing reforms take place. host: for both of you, there's a person on twitter, ok, move on to the nsa.

the question i want to ask is other than the affordable care act, what other political thing do you find, especially among people your age, things that need to be addressed by your party. guest: the most important thing to me currently is gay marriage. it is something that we see is very apparent when it appeals to young people. i have many friends that are gay, i have many friends that are gay in the red states that we see clearly where we have republican majorities have done nothing but to stop the quality. it is something that very much resonates with me because of the fact that we have people that want to love someone and they can't. host: ms. smith, i should say before we talk to you about these things, that one would be few -- that when the pew research all, 51% even say of

republicans that they support gay marriage. guest: sure. i think that space to the diversity within our party on this issue and on other issues. when we are talking about the size and scope of government as it relates to marriage and other issues, it gives us credibility as a party to challenge those same premises that underlined the health-care law and underlined the president's national security programs and the economy -- and the economic decisions that he is making. when we have a discussion going on, it says to me that we are big enough as a party to embrace a diversity of thought and embrace a conversation, which is what i am drawn to as a young person. rather than myopic thoughts offered by the democratic party. get in line on the health-care plan. there is not room for thought in the democratic party.

it is one line, it is one string of thoughts, whereas republicans have many different viewpoints that we regularly talk about and we publicly talk about. host: as far as belief being one thing about same-sex marriage, would you like to see your party advocate more for gay marriage? guest: like i said, the number in the pew study shows empirically that there is a diversity within the party on that issue, and i think that time will show where we take that. host: what is your thinking on gay marriage? guest: like i said, there is a diversity of thought on that issue. i'm excited to see where the debate goes. host: do you supported personally? guest: i am here to represent college republican national committee, not my personal beliefs. caller: good morning. i would like to say to the democratic host, you are doing a good job, but our problem is the democratic party, we are our worst own in the me.

we do not vote in our midterm elections, so that is half of our problem. to alex, i was at a party a couple weeks ago and talked to a friend of mine who is a medical biller. she helps people find money to pay for their prescriptions and things of that nature. one of her patients got a bill for a cancer medication that would cost her -- it cost $30,000 for the medication, and her insurance -- i think she's said 30% of the bill, which left the remaining portion of the bill for the person that was sick, and it was like, $10,000, $12,000 a month. so health care, we need some kind of health care. if it is not obamacare or the affordable care act, we need something that is going to work.

guest: i agree. my older colleagues, like i said in the house in the senate are working on plans, they're are working on reform that will address health care in a number of different areas. not any comprehensive, unworkable government system. but in terms of my views on it, i'm here to represent young people who often don't have a voice in the rooms where those decisions are being made, and i am telling you that this plan -- by the numbers -- is unworkable for young people. it is unaffordable and those people are paying for the plans of older individuals. it is a very simple concept, and i'm here to advocate for the young people, as i said, who don't often have a voice in those decisions. host: what you think about his thoughts on participation in midterm election? guest: we saw in 2008 when present obama got elected, that young people were the driving force behind his election, and we saw in 2012 the younger goal also the driving force, but in 2010, when young people did not come out to the polls, we saw the republic is were able to take back the house, so we see that young people each and every time when they are active,

participating in elections, that they are the driving force that leads democrats to win, and young people are very impactful. young people have a definite voice, and we see that when young people have a voice, they vote democrat. host: is your organization active and not only supporting midterm candidates by getting out and voting? guest: yes, we are gearing up state-by-state, district by district. we are ready and willing at all parts for democrats to be elected. i join people on the ground, knocking on doors, making phone calls. democrats know the resources that college democrats are as a whole, and we see the benefit that our organization definitely contributes because our young people on college campuses through statewide organizations see the importance of their involvement in the first place.

host: are there any particular races of interest to you? guest: i am a native new yorker. i am very interested in sean eldridge, and i think that he will be a prime candidate. i am also very focused on hagan in north carolina. i think she has been a wonderful senator and contributes a lot of young people, the college democrats of north carolina, for example. senators like that are the reason why i am so active and just in my prime because in 2014, people are back -- young people will drive their voice. host: ms. smith, your organization's activities in these midterms. guest: our goal is to get on campus with young people, that means on campus, online, which is again where we as republicans traditionally have not been.

we have been away from the campus, we have been performing traditional get out the vote activities off of campus, but not to wear young people are. so it is our goal as an organization to get the college republicans energized, to get their peers moving on these issues. in terms of race i am excited about, i excited about an expanding map. cory gardner in colorado, scott brown in new hampshire, a number of different places where we are expanding the map. some interesting candidates with interesting stories, like dr. monica wehby in oregon, and of course our republican governor, we have a number of them up for reelection, and some others we are about to elect.

that is where the road changes are taking place for our party, those are the laboratories where we are seeing republican ideas that work and hopefully we can bring that to a national level. host: a call from denison, texas, republican line, hi. caller: perfect timing after going back and forth 100 times on what i wanted to ask and what is been answered. the affordable care act in a nutshell is probably the -- going to represent the best way more young, originally democrats will it turn into been or republican, i can imagine. people do not know what they don't know when you're 18, 20, 25 years old. you may be 18 to 25 in years, but you are one or two years to five or six years old actually in your time that you interact with the world. one of the old sayings attributed to winston churchill is if you are not a liberal when

you're young, you have no heart, if you're not a conservative when you're old, you have no brain. and we can argue whether that is a true quote of his, it's a pretty good reality. i had a sign of my yard when i was 21 in north florida when it was george wallace country, and a few years later after being self-employed, believe me, and change my political strife. i've been self-employed most of my life. i am 62 now. i get up daily and i just think -- do i want to keep doing this? it is like your earlier callers about the over something, talking about how self employed people are typically earning less than the people they pay because of the hours they put in. and as you watch government continue to pay more and more -- pick a number. it is only the difference of democrats and republicans -- host: thank you. his thoughts on people change

when they get older as far as their political views are concerned. guest: everyone changes, but one thing i want to bring to light is people that democrats have of candidates in the first place. speaking of sean, a young, gay candidate running in new york. democrats push candidates that represent their values. for young people to see someone like that, it resonates with them, but it also makes them see that we have a place in this party, and our point or our change will always be apparent. our views will change, but when things we see is that people are moving closer and closer to becoming a democrat because then only have candidates that look like them, candidates that resonate with them, but they also have issues that are very much relative towards them, and i think that young people will move closer and closer to becoming democrats. this independent notion is something that many people might

see, but the issues that they identify even as independents, as we move toward democratic. host: one call, then final thoughts. longmeadow, massachusetts, independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call and thank you for the guests. it is nice to have young people who are interested in politics. i want to mention something about the health care, something to talk about. specifically since the 1970's, a $3000 reduction in the average person 35 and under, while at the same time gdp has grown about 300%. there has been a major shift in pay for our young people. it is also captured by the fact that there are internships, which are often unpaid. most of these things would be

illegal in europe. there is a book that makes the argument that most the internships we have in this country are illegal -- so the effects on people in a direct way -- guest: under this president, we have 47 million people in poverty, we have only added 175,000 jobs in february. the economy is not good. it is particularly not good for young people who are really looking for an opportunity at this stage in their life and who need one to pay for all of those student loan's and all of the personal debt that they have accumulated. what the republicans are about, the message we will be communicating in 2014 to millennials is that we need to -- we are about creating opportunity for everyone, equal

opportunity for everyone, and not simply guaranteeing equal outcome for different measures like minimum wage hikes and artificial top-down measures that really will stifle job creation and harm small businesses that often hire young people. guest: i think young people see the 2014 election assuming that is free optimistic, especially if we can win back the house. we have a president who has always been a champion for young people. we have seen time and time again how strong he has been, especially with the democrats in the house and the senate to do things that benefit young people. minimum wage hikes -- i have many friends that will been working minimum-wage jobs for a very long time, and that hike will do so much for them. not only that, but we have a president and democrat that have been working very hard when it comes to student loan debt, when it comes to advancing the economy, but we always get pigeonholed by republicans and attacked.

at the end of the day, it is republicans and democrats. democrats have tried numerous times to work. republicans have not. and this is something that has been holding back the progress in the economy for young people. young people see social media, facebook, twitter, every time something hits, political or roll call, the players that are a part of us not getting anything for it, and those players are usually republicans. republicans that don't want to move forward. host: before we let you go, each of you have a snapshot of the biggest influence that has been on your life that kind of spurred on the political vision that you take. ms. smith. guest: i would say my parents. i parents always having on the news on sunday morning so i would come down a set of watching weekend cartoons, i was watching meet the press, and i really thank them for always having political books around, having interesting discussions, having a lot of family members with whom i disagree challenge me at the thanksgiving day table

and really engage me in the debate. host: ms. mckenzie. guest: definitely my parents also and my grandmother who watches television and a lot of fox news. she is actually a republican, oddly enough, but the thing about it that i was resonated with is that even though we disagree, i always use it as my driving force for something that always influenced me. anytime she caught me on the phone, i always have something to tell her right there. [laughter] host: the touch of mckenzie with the democrats of america, she is the national vice president postop we also have alex smith, the national chair of the college republican national committee. coming up, we will take a break and we will be right back as "washington journal" continues right after this. >> i think what happens to

hoover as the depression deepened, and people do not know that it is the great depression. they thought it was a typical cyclical event. when that pattern did not hold and the depression deepened, hoover saw himself leasing increasing pressure from the left for greater expenditures

and intervention in the economy. he began to hold the line against that. he became a fiscal conservative for public and. that perceived rigidity on his part as part of the reason that he got attacked a supposedly not doing anything.