diggless from the group third way on how political parties try to attract hispanic voters. former u.s. ambassador to nigeria john campbell on the international efforts to find school or -- schoolgirls captured by boko haram. christian science monitor host: veterans affair secretary will be questioned about reports of veterans waiting for long periods of time for care. you can watch that at 10:00 live. this comes as the white house has appointed deputy chief of staff rob neighbors to oversee a review of v.a. practices. the president and the first lady will be in new york for a dedication of the memorial and mow seem. ou can see a live picture.

and turning to the papers this morning, former president bill clinton responding to claims by karl rove over the state of hillary clinton's health, especially in light of a potentialle presidential run by her in 2016, which leads us to ask the question about the candidate's health and age. would those factors impact how you would vote for them. ere's how you can let us know. the comments from the former president on the front page of the "washington post," their

lead story, taking a look at it, clintons take on critics and g.o.p., clear sign of a 2016 candidacy, they write under fire from republicans over her record as secretary of state and her health, she gay a robust defense wednesday of her tour of the nation's top diplomats. bill clinton revealed -- bill clinton reveled in mocking karl rove that hillary clinton may have suffered brain damage from a fall in late 2012 while a clinton spokesman said rove's remarks revealed that republicans were scared what she had to offer. he talked about those comments and expanded on them in a revent interview on fox news. here's a little bit of that exchange. >> no, no, i didn't say she had brain damage. she had a serious health episode. my point was that hillary clinton wants to run for president but she would not be

human if this didn't enter into a consideration. and my other point is this will be an issue in the 2016 race, whether she likes it or not, every presidential candidate is asked for all of their health records by "the new york times," they turn them over, and vice presidentle candidates, they turn them over. host: a follow-up, one of the first clear signs of the clintons re-entry into par san politics came tuesday, that's when a spokesman for hillary clinton responded to rove's analysis issuing a long statement saying quote -- both medical comments and issues of that, particularly targeted to hillary clinton, but overall we wanted to ask you this morning if a candidate, or a potential candidate's age or health would imact your votes for that person? and here's how you can give us a

call. give us a phone call on the line we've posted this on our facebook page as of last night, about 700 responded so far. you can make those comments known as well. if you want to send us a tweet, that's @cspan wj and you can send us email -- let's hear first ana in lakeland, florida. on our democrats line. ana, good morning, go ahead. caller: yes, good morning, thank you for having me. i'm really upset over democrats, republicans and anyone else that has the nerve to question or even make mockery out of a legit question about the health of somebody that's going to run our country. really. it has been done by every,

every, every election. the individuals are asked to produce their health records. what is wrong with democrats thinking it's such a bad thing to ask about hillary clinton and how she's doing? hello? what kind of world are we living in now adays? host: so how much weight do you give to a person's age or say their health when you choose whether he or she, you're going to vote for he or she for political office? caller: i can tell you, they can be fat or skinny, if their mind is good health and rationale and thinking like the rest of we the people think, there should be no question about the age or health. because it really comes down to if your mind is in good health, and your body follows it, fat or skinny, and you make rationale decisions, what the heck, what difference does it make at this time? host: on next, john, republican line, good morning.

caller: thanks. i think a lot of the physiological age does enter into it when it comes to mental acuity and any deterioration and faculties, but as long as they're physically able, i don't have a problem with it. now, when it comes to my main logical it's an idea choice of whether they think the individual is here to serve the government or if the government is a creation of the individual, and here to protect the individuals' rights. now, granted we've seen a lot of narcissism in the most recented a minute -- administration, and we've even other mental illnesses in leaders throughout history. but that would be my main consideration, is possible, you know, you don't want a sociopath

as the leader of a large country with nuclear weapons, and i'm sure everybody has their opinions on who might qualify on that, but when it comes to the physical age of the body, as long as they are able to mentally, how do you say, conduct business, and be effective, that doesn't have any problem for me. host: with the white house website providing information about a couple of presidential candidates and looking at their age. and so, age being a factor in these considerations on whether you would vote for a political candidate, their condition of health, the exchange from mr. cove on fox news, those factors being part of your decision making process when it comes to electing a political candidate.

and does it matter to you? again the numbers will be on your screen and reach out to us on social media. ronny from kentucky, independent line, good morning. caller: i just want to say that when someone puts their hat in no n for president, i see reason why they shouldn't have their records shown. but the way this all came out, i think this was done deliberately by karl rove. they are so scared of hillary clinton. why cannot the men on the republican side run on their own record, why do they seek the need to try to destroy someone before they ever declare they're running? i think if they're so afraid of the democrats, hillary clinton, hen they should run.

thank you. host: carol, up next, georgia, democrats line. carol, good morning, from georgia. caller: good morning! good morning! my opinion is yes, of course with health, you would automatically want to know, just like with a driver's license, if the isn't that good, you wouldn't want a person to drive. just like your age, if you're past a certain age, a person shouldn't drive past a certain age. so of course, yes, sir, i believe that health and age does make a difference. >> how much of that though factors into an ultimate decision on your part? >> i think that would make a big difference, sir. because why would i want a 92-year-old at age to become a president, we know that person may not have long to live? this is the person that's going to impact our life. host: up next is carl, carl's

from west virginia on our republican line. caller: good morning. host: hi. caller: you know, i'm somewhat amazed at the subject matter for this program every morning. i'll give you an example, yesterday emails were revealed that senator carl levin sent letters to the i.r.s. requesting they silence the teaparty. that's news, that's big news, because you're using the power of the federal government to silence the people in this country. host: and to the topic at hand? what do you think about this? i think he's left us. if you go to our twitter page, people responding off of twitter this morning, taking a look specifically at the age factor. he writes that age wasn't a factor for ron paul when he ran for president in 2008 and 2012. also weighing in this morning is

richard rogers, saying that a candidate's age or health should be more of an issue in the imary, by the general it should be less of a factor. two comments off twitter, you've heard some of the phone lines, people putting their responses on facebook too. some of those facebook postings

again, she directs her comments specifically to the former secretary of state. we're taking the larger issues of age and health, and if it would impact your vote for a political candidate, a presidential candidate or another candidate for that matter. larry from virginia, good morning on our republican line, hi. caller: hi. host: you're on, go ahead. caller: ok. age is not so much a factor, with me as long as the health is good. i think with rove's comments, i think the republicans are running scared right now. i think they're scared of hillary. host: so why is age not a factor? caller: well, look at reagan. how old, he was the oldest, and i didn't hear anything from republicans about his age when he ran, and he seemed to have a few mental problems in the second term there.

host: what about candidate's health? caller: health is big, yeah. as long as their health's good. host: we'll hear next from richard, louisville, kentucky. democrats line. caller: ronald reagan did really well, but then of course the alzeimers had set in. hillary clinton, no doubt your topic today is strictly, i believe, because she is in her late 60's. hillary clinton is as sharp now and will be through two terms of president. i'm not going to vote for her, i'm a democrat, i still have a problem with benghazi, not because of a video, not because of the rally or anything, the fact that the state department was neglect in protecting our people in the middle east, on 9/11 of all things. but, if she does win, she'll do fine with her health, i think.

and no, her age will not be a problem. ost: do you think additional questions about the fall and the impact on her head are fair game? caller: no, no. if the doctors give her a clean bill of health, that's good enough for me. like i said, nancy nursed ronald reagan through the last two and a half, three years of his presidency, and the -- hillary clinton, i think she'll be fine. host: other stories in the paper at 10:00, the veterans affairs secretary, this will be on the issue of veterans health care. that will be live today at 10:00. you can watch that right after this program on c-span. a couple of stories relating to this in "the new york times" say for many years the department of eterans affairs has been criticized for requiring veterans to wait long periods of medical appointments and for

having no foolproof system for holding hospital administrators. again that hearing at 10:00, also in light of what's been going on at veterans affairs, the white house stepping in, appointing a person from inside the white house to overlook things, that's white house deputy chief of staff rob nay bores. he will be treamlir assigned.

>> again, you can find out more in questions to those issues at 10:00 today at that hearing with eric shinseki. lily, is up next, from baytown, texas on our republican line. caller: hi, good morning. host: good morning. caller: i am a republican for sure, my particular thing is i'm only thinking this is a kind of a discrimination because hillary clinton is on the heels of everybody. we know that she will no doubt enter into the presidency. what difference does it make? why would this be something that somebody would say oh, if this were a male going to be the next guy coming up, reagan was very -- he had episodes of everything going on there, no one judged him.

it's discrimination because this is going to be a female in office. i really think this is one of those situations where they wouldn't have made a big deal, if this were a man. i don't hear anything going on when it's a male in there. ok? and that's my point today. it's discrimination, whether they believe it or not, rove didn't get on tv and make out like she had some kind of brain damage, which she doesn't, this would never be on a subject today. thank you. host: picture of hillary clinton in "washington times" other papers this morning, again comments from mr. rove targeted to her, but as far as age and health, any candidate or political candidate, particularly presidential is open for discussion. david ashburn in virginia, democrats line. caller: hello? host: hi, you're on. caller: yeah, i'm just disappointed that we're using karl rove's talking points as a discussion point.

host: what about the issue as far as age and health are concern. does it matter to you as far as voting for a candidate? caller: yes, it does. i'm not really certain hillary should run because of the disconnect of her age, and the whole dynasty thing. however, you know, i just, karl rove upsets me greatly. host: when it comes to you choosing someone as far as age and health is concern, what would be concerns for you? as far as age and specifically health matters. hat would be of concern? caller: her disconnect with the younger population, i think ounger people would rather see someone who they could relate to. host: that's david from ashburn, virginia. again, the papers making comments to the secretary of

state's husband, bill clinton, appearing in town in washington, d.c. asking questions about several issues, including his wife's health and statements by karl rove. here's what he had to say. >> well, first of all, i got to give him credit. that embodies that old saying that consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. first they said she faked her concussion. and now they say she's auditioning for a part on "the walking dead." i mean, you know, whatever it takes. look, she works out every week, she is strong, she's doing great, as far as i can tell, she's in better shape an i am. she certainly seems to have more stamina now. and there's nothing to it. i was sort of dumbfounded. they went to all this trouble to had a she had

concussion that had six months of serious work to get over. nothing she didn't lowball or try to pretend what happened. now they say she really has brain damage. if she does, then i'm in bad shape, because she's still quicker than i am. host: taking a look at potential presidential candidates and their ages, on the democratic side, hillary clinton, 66, joe boyden, 71. senator warren, now at 64. and republican sides, looking at their age, rubio at 42, chris christie at 51, rande paul of kentucky 51, and jeb bush at 61. richard, is from florida, lake placid, florida, talking about

the age and health of presidential candidates. what do you think about these factors in your decision making process? caller: yes, good morning pedro. ost: good morning. naturally, you know, the health care and the health and the age of a candidate for the presidency would be a consideration. we look at history, we know woodrow wilson, he got sick in office and his wife was basically running the country. she blocked off the press and congress, and when they made decisions, presidential decisions, the people were wondering who was making the decision, if i remember correctly, he had only been married, his first wife had passed away, only been married for a short time. another, j.f.k., he had health problems, that was basically kept secret from the public. i think everything about a person, we have to remember, the

office of the presidency belongs to the people, not to the candidate, not to the party. not to the individual, but to all the people, the people have the right to elect and to remove and recall people from that office or any elected office at anytime. so definitely health care could be a consideration. what's going on now, the people have lost confidence in the president. two thirds of them believe that we are lied to on a daily basis from the obama administration. which is really a sad thing. -- to congress is protect the people from the abusive powers. host: that's richard. if you go to the front page of "washington times" there are pictures of the dedication services today in which

president obama is scheduled to speak, the first lady also in new york as well. these are pictures courtesy of the "washington times" but also cameras from all over the united states and across the world probably. some of the aspects of this memorial and museum. there's some of the shots live, and again, as the president will speak later, you can go to our website for more information on that event. for the remainder of our time today, about 25 minutes or so, taking a look at presidential candidates, specifically asking you the question, if their age, their health, would impact how you would vote for them. here's joe from spring, texas. democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning, pedro. there's a gentleman in florida,

his mind is sharp -- it depends on the individual. my grandmother is 101 years old, her mind is just as sharp -- you got people in congress now they're in their 50's, and seems like their minds are bad because they can't make decisions on how to help the country. host: so you were saying no age or health factors would weigh into your personal decision process? or there are exceptions to that? caller: there are exceptions to that. -- the l like republican party is just trying o deter hillary. that's all. host: you said there were exceptions to that. what are those exceptions? >> well, every person is how ent, and i don't see

they can say something is wrong with hillary when mccain was in his 07's when he ran and other president's too. so i don't understand -- i think it's all hype about hillary. host: saying that these people running for office have the best medical care in the nation. i don't think health would be an issue. again, you can make those thoughts on twitter and facebook as well. stories in the paper stemming, you've probably seen on the mores virus, warning labels being put at u.s. airports saying the c.d.c. posted 22 parents urges travelers to prevent spreading germs by washing their hands and avoid ouching their faces.

again, a little bit more from that story in the "u.s.a. today" taking a look at airports, information on airports being on the mers virus. martha from bronx, new york, republican line. caller: good morning, am i on? host: you're on, go ahead please. aller: so, i wanted to comment -- first of all, this lady, she just doesn't -- this is a liar, liar, liar. the whole scandal. this lady is showing disrespect to america -- host: we're talking about age and health of presidential candidates. do they weigh in importance as far as you're voting for them? caller: yeah, they raise an importance, like for example, it depends, younger age people are more connected with more people

and everything. and the older age people, they just for example getting more ways to be connected to the people. i'm should do more of -- just curious the younger age -- we ased to actually americans we have to realize americans grow old. should be legalized pot because the older people don't like it because they have asthma. they're trying to be selfish when it comes to voting, it makes no sense whatsoever. host: that's martha from bronx,

new york. on the front page of the washington post, a look at what will take place at the internet, writing -- >> that f.c.c. harg is stood, if you go to our web site, we will stream that hearing if you're interested in learning about that issue. you can find out more

information. up next is henry. henry from tulsa, oklahoma. independent line. good morning, go ahead. caller: good morning, sir. i'm just laughing at these republicans can't keep bringing up their fake benghazi scandal. but hillary clinton is a sharp woman. these women have a tendency to have sharper minds than men as they get older. how she handles the right wing in the senate hearing in regard to their fake benghazi scandal, she was just treating them like they were children. laughing at them. so this woman is sharp, and i don't think that america should lead f a trick by the water of the 21st century, karl rove. host: what about age and health? caller: absolutely, it matters. but with her, you can just look at this woman and tell that this woman is on top of everything! she is just, again sharp as a

whip. and she handled again those right-wingers in that senate benghazi fiasco, she handled them like they were second-grade kids. so no, i'm not concerned about her. what i would be concerned about are those four clowns you flashed their photo over the air, that are these republicans that are trying to run. they talk absolutely crazy. host: jodie, says this. the republicans have forgotten about dick cheney who had a bad heart since before he was elected. they have no credibility. she made her comments and you can make your comments known on twitter. joel from austin, texas. democrats line, hi. caller: hi. this is joel. i had a very difficult time, i've been a lifelong democrat, and will expect myself to democrat, i had

help to -- because of his age. now i have come through the j.f.k. presidency in which we were so deeply troubled by the young president that when the time came to vote for obama, i find had to struggle to myself able to vote for him because of his age. host: because you thought he was too young? caller: because i thought he was too young, yes. and i sort of made a vow that i would not vote for another young person because of all the problems that come from their candidacy. but in the case of obama, i find it to be an exception because of discrimination that has been played up against him for his presidency.

and i am not about to go along ith a person who discriminates by color about a candidate. host: so, when you're voting for a presidential candidate, does age factor into your decision making at all? caller: oh yes, it certainly does. as i explained -- host: yeah, i guess going forward, i guess, from your past experience going forward, i guess what's what i meant. caller: well, yes, i certainly will. i will definitely favor an older president than a younger one. host: harry is up next from sarasota, florida, republican line. caller: hello, i really like the younger voters, because they really send influence on people in the country because i mean, look at j.f.k., he really helped the people a lot, and i think

this country needs a younger president that can take for the country back what it was. host: senator rubio was on abc news this erl year this week, asked about his biggses for president, he talked about the issue, also mentioned his age during the course of the conversation. here's a bit of the exchange. >> i do. but i think that's true for most of all people. i'll be 43 this month, but the other thing that perhaps people don't realize, i've served now in public office for the better part of 14 years. most importantly i think a president has to have a clear vision of where the president has to go. i think we're very blessed in our party to have a number of people that fit that criteria. host: if you've been following along, age and health of a presidential candidate, doesn't matter in your decision-making process. here's how you can let us know your thoughts on it.

cal, good morning, he's on our republican line. go ahead. caller: thank you very much for c-span. very good show, i like to watch you almost every morning. you know, i don't think so much health is the problem, whether or not this woman is qualified, and she's not. benghazi shows her foreign policy is way off base, she's not respected throughout the world, as far as that goes. the problem like that, if you really want this century to recover, hillary clinton is not the answer. she's the woman you don't want to have her in office. host: take her out of equation and talk about the condition --

caller: it does, trying to do it in the office of presidency of the united states, but hillary clinton is not qualified, i don't know why anyone goes to pushing for her being the next president just because she's a woman, i think that's a mistake. i really do. i think we need to have probably a little bit younger, probably a little bit better off, who does know and has a real clear vision what this country needs. host: there is paul from warren, michigan. democrats line. go ahead. paul from michigan? caller: good morning, how are you? host: fine, thank you, go ahead. caller: i like hillary clinton, but i'd much rather see elizabeth warren run with bernie sanders. i'd like to see somebody that is actually for the people and not the corporations.

compingses are not people, they're corporations. i think that what's happening is just like a woman mentioned earlier, this is discrimination because hillary's a woman. but i think she's qualified to be president, although i'd rather see, again, elizabeth warren. and that's pretty much all i have to say. host: mary ann from pennsylvania, on our independent line. hello there. caller: hi, how are you? host: fine, thank you. caller: thank you. i think age and health of course have to factor into things. first of all, most people, a differenttures at age, and there's nothing wrong with hillary's age. she seems to be a very vibrant person and probably will continue until she dies. head injury or no. many people have had head injuries and go on. as long as you don't die, you're fine, you can keep doing what you're doing. health, we had a lot of

presidents in past times who have been -- look at f.d.r., look at j.f.k., and they managed just fine and dandy until whatever took them out, in case of president kennedy, an assassination. so i don't think those things should be brought up. that's all up to the person who's voting, but i think hillary would be fine and dandy as a president, thank you very much for your time. host: if you follow issues of media, you probably noted a story in all of the papers sourcing out of the "new york times" because it has a new executive editor. the story this morning by david somaiya saying joel abramson who served is out, now dean baquet is in. the chairman of the "new york times" told a sun nooze room that he made the decision because of an issue with

management in the newsroom, had been on the job since september of 2011. people briefed on the company describe serious tension and a relationship who was concerned about complaints from employees at she was polarizing, she also clashed with mr. baquet. back in 2011, when he was in his previous position at the "new york times," spoke here in washington, d.c. at a george washington university event. he talked about the demands that is met for managing print paper and an always changing website. here's mr. baquet's comments from 2011. >> it's tricky. it's funny. a lot of what we do today balancing the website and the print paper reminds me of the afternoon paper, where it started in new orleans, where it was remarkably similar. when you came in in the morning, you had to come up with a way to

move the ball for the afternoon editions in covering the story for the morning paper. it's tricky to manage. it requires a lot more decision-making, faster off the mark decision making. you asked earlier how i describe, what do i see my role at the front page meeting? and i said i see my role as sort of picking the two or three most important stories of the day. i think that that shifts constantly through the day. you have to work harder to manage, france, a white house reporter's time. a white house reporter now in the pre-web era, a white house reporter could go to a press conference at 10:30, and go to lunch after. >> no lunch. >> now the expectation, no lunch. >> no lunch. >> now the reasonable expectation is we have to figure out a way to file a story for

the web shortly after the press conference, assuming it's an important enough press conference. and then we have to start thinking about what are we going to provide the reeder for the print paper, and maybe the reader for later in the day. so it's trickier. host: dean baquet the new editor. if you're following the story, if you go to the pages of "the new yorker." there's a piece that severals everal we cans ago, discovered her benefits were considerably less than the pay and pension benefits of the male editor she replaced. one close associate said this may have fed into the managements narrative that she was quote pushy. those are in the pages of "the new yorker" you can find more of that story on the website. brian, from edgewood, maryland, republican line. hi. caller: good morning, pedro. i absolutely think that age and mental health have everything to

do with this. you know, we have a former first lady who was wrapped in scandal, you know, as her representatives for the united states, she was scandalous. i don't believe she's honest. so, i believe loyalty and honesty should be a question today. host: so in your mind, in your mind, when does age become a factor? caller: i think maturity has everything to do with it, not specifically age. host: so in your mind, also when does health become a factor? caller: anytime that you act deficient. louise fromweets -- indiana, democrats line, hello. caller: hello. host: you're on, go ahead.

caller: yes, i think hillary is very smart. she knows quite a bit. so, they can't say she's coming in without any knowledge. she's very knowledgeable person. i'm 75 years old, and i've been voting for years, and one thing have d like to say, women always been discriminated against to be a preacher in the pulpit, back when they couldn't smoke, and they still can't even decide whether they want to be on birth control pills or not. so, men still want to run women.

host: that's louise from indiana. to review health exchanges, top health care jobs, senate panel wednesday that the federal health agency should use the full extent of the law to recover funds deemed misspent, and mostly friendly confirmation hearing with the senate finance committee. one more call on this, and this

is phil from new hampshire, republican line. phil, are you there? caller: yes, i am. host: you're on, go ahead. caller: yeah, i don't believe age should factor into it, when you look at president reagan, and then you look at senator mccain, how well they're doing, i think what's kind of ironic is with f the candidates their income tax return, i don't believe anyone actually comes through with a clean bill of health certificate. so, i don't think it matters. i think the country has survived very well regardless of age, and i don't think it's an issue. host: that's the last call we'll take on this topic. coming up on our program, we'll take a look at hispanic americans in the united states, and particularly a new survey that asks the questions about how democrats and republicans are doing in reaching out to them.

michelle diggles will join us. later on, we'll hear from the former u.s. ambassador to nigeria, john campbell, he will talk about the search for the missing girls. also the extent to which the united states can assist. don't forget later on this morning, president obama scheduled to speak at the national museum and memorial for september 11 in new york. live pictures of the building there. "washington journal" will ontinue.

>> i saw at the top of the charts well beyond our price range the most expensive house in kt was priced at $34 million, but then marked down to $25 million. it was a bargain. >> what a deal! >> it was a cozy charmer with 14,000 square feet and 42 acres and a river. and i was curious who owned it. i imagined it might be the chairman of general electric perhaps. i looked in the town website and i saw a little note in the zoning record that said, this house has been unoccupied since his owner bought it in 1951. that didn't seem possible. so i went over the next day to see it, and the caretaker asked me, he said i've not seen any car, because this is mrs. clark's house, i get paid by the lawyer every month, her lawyer in new york sends me a check, no one's ever lived here, there's

no furniture in the house, i take care of it. , seemed more like a bird sinks and as i was leaving he said can i ask you a question? do you suppose she's been dead all these years? >> you can watch bill dedman starting saturday just after 10:30 a.m. steve vogel on the critical months at the end of the war of 812.

>> "washington journal" continues. host: as promised, joining us, michelle diggles from third way, serves as a social policy and politics senior analyst. good morning. guest: good morning! host: what is third way? guest: a think tank, we focus on the center of the leck rate, which is in short supply here in the beltway and we aim to have ideas, progressive ideas to help us have a strong national security grow our economy and support the middle class. host: so one of the things you turned your attention to in the recent survey takes a look at hispanic americans. why is that? guest: hispanics are the fastest growing groups in the american population. they've had a real impact on elections and i think they're vastly misunderstood by both parties. host: how so? guest: well, republicans seem to stereotype them as being undocumented imgrants, poor and being unwilling to assimilate into american values. democrats, while they've done

better at the ballot box in recent elections, tend to focus only on immigration reform when agressing the community, and tend to think that hispanics agree with the entire lib cal democratic agenda, which isn't true. host: if they take a look at hispanic that way, how do they view republicans and democrats in light of that? guest: i think many think the republican party is openly hostile to them and it affects the community. for example, 47% of hispanic republicans actually think the party is hostile to hispanics. but on the democratic side, only 27% of hispanics think democrats care a lot about the issues and needs of the hispanic community. host: those are big ratios either way. what does it mean for parties as far as outreach? guest: i think democrats have done better and partially that's because republicans aren't

really sitting at the table. they're not really part of the conversation right now. so by default, democrats have been able to win over large swaths of the his tan i think community and for sure democrats have proposed policies, including the comprehensive immigration reform that resonate among hispanic voters. but it's important to note that they care more about immigration reform and democrats make sure they're appealing on other issues such as growing the economy, health care and education. host: so looks at some statistic as far as hispanic population depoip l influence -- the two most vote rich states california, and texas hispanic make up nearly four in 10 voters. lls 50% of voters in new mexico and at least 20% in key swing

states like colorado and nevada. and so, what we're seeing is this community's growing and they have a lot of political muscle to flex. host: so michelle diggles, what does it mean as far as what you said about republicans and the front page of the washington times taking a place at the tea party leader. urges g.o.p. to fix immigration this is the quote, he said today a lot of conservatives when they hear immigration reform, what they really hear is am nesty and vocabulary needs to change. guest: i think that's absolutely right. i think they need to work on immigration reform and their language. they need to have a much better understanding of their community. the vast majority of hispanics are not undocumented, they are not all poor, attending college. so i think the republican understanding of hispanics is very outdated. but at the same time they need to go beyond immigration reform

and tackle the range of issues that appeal to the community. for example, hispanic entrepreneurism is up 17 times what it was in 1990. so, small business ownership has increased by 17 times since 1990 rate. that means policies aimed at small businesses should appeal to the community. host: would that appeal to a free market mess san, especially if they appealed to that kind of segment? guest: i think it could, but until republicans get over their anti-hispanic, anti-latina rhetoric, it will be difficult to make any end roads with the community. but the hispanics are trying to reach out to the community. i saw an article about the coke brothers making roads in the communities and look at the key leaders, cruz, rubio and martinez. obviously a rising number of hispanic stars. host: those factors, the "washington time" story, is there a change in the party

itself? guest: remains to be seen. folks are trying to change, we'll have to see how much traction that can get over the next few months and the next few years as we go into the 2016 election. host: our guest michelle diggles from third way, social policy and senior political analyst. want to ask her questions about this outreach, the survey taking a look at hispanic-americans and how republicans and democrats reach out to them, here's how you can do so. we've set aside a line for hispanic-americans. if you want to ask our guest questions. how do we define hispanic? guest: that is a very good question. something that's a little bit controversial because some people think of hispanic as a race, but generally, the census bureau thinks of it as an ethnicity. many people view hispanic as a

sense of common relatedness, usually somebody from latin america and also common language, in this case spanish. but it's self-identification, how people identify themselves as spanish, or hispanic, excuse me. so, with a census bureau question that was added in the 1970's, to try to count this growing population within the u.s. host: first call comes from our democrats line, this is tim for michelle diggles of third way. good morning, go ahead. tim, are you there? caller: yes, yes, i'm here. host: go ahead, please. caller: i was going to say the republicans need to get in good with the hispanics and the asians to save the party. ost: why so? caller: because their growing

demographics. host: ok tim, thanks. guest: i think i think that's true. the fastest growing group now is actually asian-americans, then hispanic-americans. so the republican party in the long term wants to attract a wide voter base, they're going to need to appeal outside of the nonwhite community where they've garnered most of their votes. i think everybody knows now the democratic party is the big tent party that has a very diverse array of supporters and voters, and republicans unfortunately haven't been able to attract that support because they've alienated many folks. and also with some of their policies and they're going to have to adjust to be viable in national elections long-term. host: you put a chart in the study taking a look at hispanic party identifications with leaners. what's that mean? guest: it means usually are you a republican, democrat or independent. if you say independent they say do you lean towards the

democrats or republicans? people tend to count these leaners as if they're democrats or republicans. unfortunately, we've taken a look at some survey data and found that people who say they've leaned toward the parties aren't reliable party voters. if you were an independent who leaned towards the democratic party in 2000, in 2004, 40% of those people voted republicans. so leaners are not the same as democrats and republicans. sometimes for short-hand we lump them all together in d.c. when you follow these people over the success of the election you find they're not loyal voters. so it's really important that we distinguish between independents and independent leaners overall. host: you have to take the look at the presidency of george w. bush, he attracted a large pers of hispanic voters. guest: he won the largest that the presidential has garnered since we have data. but here's something interesting

if president george w. bush and then senator john kerry had met with the 2012 and as diverse as 2012 was with all of these non-white and hispanic voters, but they won the same margins of white and non-whites as they did in 2004, bush would still beat kerry. host: why do you think that is? guest: because he did so well among the hispanic community. he didn't win the community, he just got 40% of the vote. he came a little bit closer and won a re-election. host: tess from st. james, new york, democrats line. hello, go ahead. caller: i would like to make a comment, hearing about this outreach every day outreach to reach the hispanic voters, hey, i'm lithuanian, why who reaches out to me? ok? we're kind of like a little tired of it, every single day this barrage of oh, we have to do this, we have to do that. we have to work on getting candidates that appeal to

everybody, ok? i don't understand this -- it's almost like -- you get a little recentful after a while, hearing this every day of your life. you get it? guest: yeah, i think it's true there are a lot of people who sense that what they hear coming out of washington, d.c., they hear coming out of the beltway is a focus on specific issues and specific communities. there's a whole variety, when a lot of americans actually want to hear all politicians put forward proposals that will impact the majority of americans. for example, getting the economy going, and improving the job situation. that's something i think applies hispanic, non-hispanic, lithuanian, italian, irish, all different communities within the u.s. host: kevin denver says the hispanic i know are conservative, religious and family-oriented. only vote democrat because the g.o.p. is obsessed with putting them in jail. ow does that factor into how

hispanics vote? comboip sure. one of the reasons i think democrats have done so well with hispanics is that republicans aren't part of the conversation, because they really have alienated the community. one of the reasons i say, and i argue in the report that democratic attachment to the community appears shallow rather than deep, is because there are -- and issues in which it is important to note 61% of hispanics believe that the bible is the literal word of god. this is a community of faith. who values faith within their family, and in their daily lives. i think that's something that democrats need to come to terms with and wrestle where. there are other members of the coalition, for example the african-american community for whom faith is also very important. this can lead to some conflicts on issues, for example, on the legality of abortion, that's one area where we can find some disagreement. host: how about, with that in

mind, generationally? do younger hispanics view those issues of religious belief and conservative values, does it change in a generational sense? guest: you know, i'm not 100% re how religious my len yals are compared to their parents or less religious, not atheists. them the unchurched. they just tend not to go to church on a regular basis or are not sure what they believe your they are less religious than their parents and grandparents overall. i would assume that is also true for hispanics. hispanic americans tend to be less catholic and more tend to.al and they attitudes on everything from the size of the role of the government to programs that are more mine with the average american.

>> good morning. caller: thank you very much for having this program on tv. americans, we are the oldest of the european americans in this country. weare looked upon as though just came across the border. my grandfather -- the reason we are not voting republican is because of the fact we have seen -- to lowere again the health-care bills in this country. i call my senator and i told them i want something for free, anything for free, but they said, we all picks and --

patient and parent taxes. is one of the main reasons i do -- vote at all republican at all. crisis is interesting. the hispanic -- of the affordable care act that was hispanic approval of the president was. much of this year, i seen the i think if weta want hispanics to support delivers, democrats can in these communities and solve problems. host: hispanics overwhelmingly

support your government and providing more services. sendems that will always them towards one party over the other. kuester medically more than other americans, they do support a larger government, much more in line with the denver that a few of the government. one of the things you'll notice is the longer a hispanic has been in the u.s., let -- the less they are to support a bigger government. only 58% support a bigger government providing more services over a smaller one. that is partly due to the experience. a lot of people in countries of origin where they do have a larger government that does provide more services. host: our guest to talk about political outreach to hispanic americans. a new survey looks at republican democrat outreach. you can ask her questions about it during our time about it in

the next half hour or so. up next from houston, texas, independent line. go ahead. yes.r: i believe this young lady is way out left. i came to the united states in 1969 as a nanny in california and works probably 18 hours some days, and big government is not the answer. answer.le are the the more things we get free from the government, you lose all of your independence and government was never formed to take care of everyone else. i had to go to the american embassy, have a background check on myself.

strip from the waist up. the catholic, i said, oh, no. me at the american embassy, if you want to go to the united states, you have to andess from the waist up take an x-ray to make sure you do not have tb. host: what would you like our guest to address? toler: i would like her address that ourselves are responsible to ourselves. guest: thank you. this is probably the first time i've ever been called a liberal and far out to the left. i do think the hispanic community, like the non-is in a community in the u.s., does value personal responsibility and hard work. i think hispanics want to work very hard and they do not want free handouts from the government.

of hispanics believe you can get ahead in america with hard work. that more than non-hispanic america. only 58% of all americans believe that with hard work, you can get ahead in the country. three quarters of hispanics believe that. they value the hard work and want the opportunity to achieve the american dream. >> a question about how well texans like ted cruz and rick parry speak spanish. what about the idea of republicans speaking spanish? does that factor in? >> there is a tradition in the country of believing if you speaks than it, you refuse to simulate. it means you are not somehow fully american or fully a citizen. one of the things i note in the report is you can speak spanish and english. it is additive and not reductive. we had st. patrick's day like we do every march. everybody drinks guinness, a lot

of americans think it should be a national holiday. people do not get that upset or riled up in the u.s. because of people claiming irish heritage. there's nothing wrong with claiming your mexican or guatemalan heritage. it does not mean it is one or the other. you can be both 100% american and also 100% latino. what is the ratio speaking spanish outside and inside the home? guest: in an overwhelming hispanics, -- of 80-90% speak english. they speak a lot of spanish in the home to preserve the culture and the ancestral legacy, but they usually speak english outside the home in their business going to and in their dealings with government and other officials. there is a way for people to be by language -- bilingual and hold onto both, to fit into the dominant culture here.

our independent line set aside for spanish americans. hello. i came from puerto rico watcher years ago and am currently working [indiscernible] i concur with the lady speaking right now. we speak spanish at home. home.ays speak spanish at outside of home, we always peeking which. another thing, where my background is, middle income family budget. my parents always make sure we study and work hard. that is the only way to make it in the united states. life,ls me a lot, in my my work life.

think culture, being bilingual, it is an advantage. josé, before you leave, you identify as independent. who do you say you vote for? caller: i am not sure. waiting if hillary clinton will be on the ballot, i will pick up on her really much. from the republican side, i do not have an idea. i only think i will be trendy to ron paul, who is more liberal. host: interesting mix. guest: thank you for those comments. i have cousins in miami raised .o speak spanish and hebrew they knew who they were supposed to speak spanish to, who they spoke english to and when. there is nothing wrong with being raised speaking multiple languages.

also, on the idea of being work,rs and into hard amongst recent high school graduates, how coulter has now his -- surpassed non-hispanic enrollment. spanish americans are going to college at a faster rate than others. >> he might support hillary clinton, he might support ron paul. talk about that diversity? it shows you hispanics are swing voters and up for grabs. if real people are wrestling with these ideas this far out, it shows you democrats cannot assume they will always get the hispanic vote. they will have to vote -- word for it. despite the republican party itself, there areitself, there l candidates that can appeal. we saw a rand paul went to howard university to a dress

students in the african-american community. various policy ideas. we will see he is successful. i think he has a lot of baggage and other problems. we should not count him out. from twitter -- i think george w. bush understood hispanic americans were just like all other americans. he was not condescending or to them like they were not all hard workers erie it he made it very clear that hispanic mothers love their children and that they will do whatever they can to provide for them, just like any other mother would. a lot of it has to do with tone and how you interact with the community and how you understand where they're coming from and what their values are. immigration was a little bit where they got into trouble in his administration, mainly coming from the house bill passed in 2005 that many in the

hispanic committee felt stepped over the line and really .lienated a lot of members there is a mixed bag on immigration during bush years. you take a number from the previous presidential campaign. you say hispanics are not the 47%. tend to assume all hispanics are poor and takers looking for handouts. that was what mitt romney said in 2012. that is what he alluded to. there is incredible variation within the hispanic community. median income is something around dirty $9,000 -- $39,000. there is a wide variation in communities. there is incredible variation within theit puts them well aboe

median income for all americans. a great diversity within the hispanic community on how much money they make, business ownership, college attendance, etc.. we really mask all this diversity within the community. >> here is edwin from north carolina on our republican line. go ahead. to say this sad notion that republicans do not have a clue on health care and the economy, is so wrong. will believe the old guard is still going to be in place, still run up the check as far as -- the checkbook, as far as services, republicans do have an if the greatest thing on the democrat side is hillary

clinton for president, i think republicans have a chance to have a strong candidate. from a person who is an american first and hispanic second, hispanics in my opinion always work hard in this country. because they lean toward the democratic side because the ofocrats have a history taking care of the poor and things of that nature, the thing about it is, whoever is the candidate needs to come out and say, this is what the problem is, how will we fix it? cannot have health care in this country. if we want that model, we will have to have a france model. we take 27% for salary and pay for health care. class lets you think about americanto hispanic

specifically? needs to be honest and pure, and not with a hidden agenda. talk about the real issues of the country. unemployment. .ealth care it does some parts, but the rates for it raised everybody who even has insurance already. >> that is edwin from north carolina. >> yes, a couple of points. it is important to note when you initially ask hispanics if you independent, or republican, 50% say independent. democrats only do better when you ask about the leaders -- leaners. hear about jobs and the economy. that is what hispanics have said are the top issues in the last

five or 10 years. all americans agree we want to more about how we get job creation. democrats only tend to talk about the poor. both sides sent to stereotype hispanics as war. one thing we need to talk more about his economic growth and hispanics as is the zone is a much been orders -- and entrepreneurs. between 1990 and 2012, hispanic unemployment increased 17 times faster than the rate of non-hispanics. >> the chain of commerce has great data about hispanic job creation over the last couple of decades and how much hispanics have really added to our economy. the data from this report is from a variety of his. there are a number of other organizations that have done rate survey work.

the hispanic chamber of commerce, etc.. there is a lot of data about the hispanic community to help understand them. >> i come from a diverse background. parents were immigrants but i moved to the country when i was three or four. my english is stronger than my spanish. racismexperienced some and different pigeonholes into different things. i'm an entrepreneur. i work for myself as an i.t.

consultant. it is unusual in some ways but i i think it is really interesting. i have not really been a part of -- she asked a lot of good questions. interesting questions, more than they usually ask a man on the form you get in the mail. it was a personal interview. identifying yourself as a democrat, what you think about outreach for hispanic americans? terrible fors been the republican party, personally. i have had a lot of friends who went tea party and would send e-mails about english only and

moved back to your own country. things that were very offensive. i voted republican a couple of times. i kind of down surround with my party. i never felt i had to be democratic or hispanic. to look at the individual and at the party. i didobama got in, and vote for obama twice, but since he has gotten in, the rhetoric has been so horrible that i did not the government ever go back to the republican party. a lot of them are kind of tea turned off by the tea party stuff. i do have evangelicals in my family. i understand the faith and religion. i would never mix that with politics. religiousver mix my beliefs with my political beliefs area -- believes. host: we will have to leave it there.

is a perfect demonstration that republicans are not at the table. they have so alienated this and a community, most hispanic voters are not even willing to entertain them right now. but they are thirsting for an alternative and another party. she is willing to look at individual candidates and has voted for republicans in the past and would in the future. hispanics are very open to supporting republican candidates, but it is the nastiness of the rhetoric at -- of late that has turned them off. any from illinois. >> you talked about the fact your research shows 90% of the hispanic population are bilingual and english very if i make a phone call, i am not prompted for russian, german, french, english. i am prompted for spanish,

english. i do not understand how you can have it will waste. thank you. class i think a lot of people speak spanish and english there in terms of distances that provide a spanish language option, not all of their customers and people using the service are as flow and. they are not made of english speakers so they do not necessarily understand all the language eric i used to live in wisconsin. there were a lot of fight about german only education there there was a large german population and they wanted their children to get educated and heritaged carry on the and link. the battles we see over language and are you allowed to keep your language, it is kind of as old as the country itself very host: a survey -- itself.

host: give us a breakdown of what we are looking at. guest: one of the interesting things is how public opinion coalesced after around the immigration in 2006. in 2005, the house of representatives passed a very strict bill and would arrest anybody who knew anyone who was undocked mended. the result was to galvanize and .nite the hispanic community in 2004, there were distinct views in many policies. by 2006, the differences have really collapsed. there was near anonymity.

host: -- guest: they are really coalescing around a similar position. it is because the community gets mobilized and activated, around this really bad piece of legislation that those through the house, this and the they ary coalescing around a similar rhetoric that comes for republican office. factor ondoes this politics, with much discussion about the current administration? guest: it has a huge impact with the community. a very interesting surgery were pew asked hispanics and asian-americans what was more , relief fromthem deportation or path to citizenship. overwhelmingly, they wanted relief from deportation as their primary goal prior to granting any kind of path to citizenship. there is fear in the community

about deportation and dividing up families, which has been very problematic. we know the obama administration has taken a number of steps that securely with kids to try to halt the process and work through to see what they can do to lessen the number of deportations. joiningchelle diggles us. independent line next. caller: i wanted to make a comment on the issue they are just guessing. in this day and age, it is not a western of whether you are affiliating or waiting or if you're trying to be understanding and reaching out i dois panic community, not have a problem with anyone reaching the has any community. in this day and age, what has

happened to the entire political system, the democrats and republicans have quit trying to do anything to help the people who are in a power struggle. one wants to be better than the other, one wants more seats in the house. they do not care about the people. it matters not to me what they are, as long as they're trying to do something for the country was in the suburbs of san antonio, i would say 80% of people who live here are hispanic. the thing is, they have pushed understanding that we have to reach out to these people and those people. it used to be the african-americans and then it went to the gays, and went to the hispanics, it went to the jews, and now it is that to the muslims.

everybody you can imagine, they .ave lost focus in government guest: a lot of americans are not happy with gridlock. a brand-new poll today was released. you can see the results online. it is a micro website. it is focused on all americans, but the the the the the center of the electorate. one of the most widely restored -- reported statements was that people in politics should compromise and people want to see more compromise from leaders and the more getting done on all fronts, not just for either party to appeal to the base. full at thisase is point and maybe they could throw a bone to the middle of the electorate. >> what about spanish media? i have not delved that far into spanish media per se. what i will say there is a number of new outlets.

they'reunivision, trying to appeal specifically to the hispanic community and hispanic millennial's. growinga fast community, a young community very engaged online. it will be interesting to see how they shift our intimate -- entertainment and programming. host: carolina, on our democrats line. ralph, good morning. go ahead. caller: good morning. i would like to say america was set up on religious beliefs, warships the bible and confesses christianity. do unto others as you would have them do unto you. but the different people coming from these different countries do not treat america the same way. they do not go out of their way theyve them a job and say, will do jobs americans will not do when we have a high on them limit rate. you cannot put everybody on your back comes from different countries. guest: [inaudible] i think the golden role is very important america -- in america.

be a great guiding philosophy for politicians here in washington dc . denise from memphis, tennessee. republican line. parties andswing the obama administration are violating u.s. code eight, section 1324, which states it is a felony to encourage and harbor illegal aliens in this country. is nobody speaking about that, that what they're doing is against the law? i will let other people address more tech details of that, but we have found we have a situation with a number of undocumented immigrants in this country. we know the deep -- deporting everybody is just not a practical or feasible plan. most americans support comprehensive immigration reform that is tough on lawbreakers,

smart, and that is practical. what -- it will actually affect the problem. practical comprehensive immigration reform is what most americans actually afford at this time. what about hispanic americans in 2014 and 2016? guest: one of the things a lot of spanish americans are worried about is midterm drop-offs, that a lot of hispanic voters do not turn up in midterm elections but they do and presidential. it will be interesting to see how many turnout this year. there are key elections in states. toward 2016, it will be interesting to see which party will put forward a nominee that can appeal to the hispanic community. a lot of people are watching the republican side to see if the drawsican primary process their candidates further and further to the right, which happened to mitt romney in 2012,

where he made a lot of comments about deportation. it will be interesting to see how much ago they have to the rest of the hispanic community. marco rubio has a story that resonates with hispanic americans. or is it to unique? we will wait and see. host: independent line. thank you for waiting. caller: i would like to make a in instructions for years. hispanics i have working, coming onto my job, i was totally happy. i tell you, they picked up the work. not just the labor part, but the thinking part, quickly. they wanted to work. they did a great job. hear politicians, mainly

liberal politicians, say they will, and do the jobs americans -- not do, i believe that is the most degrading statement that could possibly be made. i do not hear understand how ane could say such a thing. hispanics, when the laws are fixed, they come in and be legal, but in the right way. they will not fall for promises for 50 years. promises -- they will see through that. they will not go on the war on oferty for six years because a bias vote. quest that is a good example of how both parties have alienated the hispanic vote. on the one side, the idea they are poor and they will not be hard workers.

on the other hand, the idea that they are not business owners and entrepreneurs. both democrats and republicans need to be careful. republicans more so have been stereotyping hispanics incorrectly. democrats need to appeal to this panic americans. quest the house want to see immigration done by august. what do you think about that push? collectively be great if they could get conference of immigration reform done this year. it would give a lot of relief to families. it would show commitment to american values airlines get the call about them to get that done. hopeful they should do that this time. host: those leaners may be leaning republican? polling suggests if

republicans pass comprehensive immigration reform in the house, many more hispanics would consider rewarding them with their votes. there is a correlation that if you a dress the needs of the community and tone down the but it -- until that happens, it will be unlikely. host: democrats line. caller: you used the term wanting free things from the government. both parties, league -- illegal immigrants against black people. both parties should consider illegal immigrants criminals. then being ignored for breaking the law, and not learning english when you come into america. if you do not know english, you cannot abide by the law very at you have to watch it when you say "others. "

i do not know if you're talking about black americans -- you could be clearer. apologize for being unclear. generally, i am talking about hispanics versus non-hispanics. then being ignored for breaking non-hispanics would include white people, black people, anybody who says they are not hispanic. i will try to be clearer on that in the future. host: in tennessee for our guest, republican line. this is politics 99%. 1965 immigration law was written to get more folks for democrats. doocrats cannot win if they not have foreign-born people. 1965, they broke the law to make sure no republicans were allowed to immigrate. all immigrants, including they vote 60% democrat because the state department is really accept many of the democratic party.

that is what hillary did over there for kocher years. ok, now, both candidates were assassinated by people carrying visas. all of the 9/11 hijackers did not sneak into the country. they just apply for the state department. middle eastern people vote to the left. there is a comic industry immigration, from latin america and asia in hundreds there there have been a number of different moments where we have been more generous and then retracted and been less generous pair that usually has to do with our and what the needs are in america in general. i want to caution us to think all of these immigrants from other countries are

automatically liberal or democrat. cuban-americans have benefited and they have overwhelmingly inported republicans elections. asian american side, number of folks from vietnam have immigrated in the country and they tend to use you also republican. immigration goes both ways. it is not necessarily a liberal priority. democrats line. caller: you stole my thunder. i was going to point out barack obama won the last vote, the black vote, by 90% in the asian vote by 74%. almost the same. it is not the hispanics. it is all americans. thank you for taking my call. is right. according to exit polls, president obama won a higher

percentage of the asian-american vote than he did hispanic. it is not inconsequential. but you are right that there are two different party coalitions. republican party voters have skewed whites and older and democratic voters have skewed and more diverse. that has emerged in recent elections. certainly, it is the current situation we are in eric >> are there specific oh grams on -- either parties have used of note , things that are working in your mind? deferred action for the dream act president obama adopted when we could not get any legislation through congress was very important in taking relief from deportation away, taking young kids who were brought here for no fault of their own, grew up and for all

intents and purposes, they are americans and american citizens and adopt it american values and they speak a much. it is important we hope them blameless. president obama has done a good job adopting that policy and acting when congress has been unwilling or incapable of acting in those issues. republicans have not place a lot of alternatives for immigration reform on the table. in terms of health care, there are flaws. a lot of people see there are flaws with the affordable care act and the rollout, but republicans did not offer an alternative and we know health to the hispanic community. they want to see greater education. hispanics have talked about that while republicans are unwilling to go there. i see more affinity on the democratic side but that is not to suggest there are not republican alternatives they can highlight to appeal to the community.

independent line, good morning. caller: i have a couple of comments, a shout out to my building seven friends. we need truth on the 9/11 things. way, essentially just an astroturf organization spreading wall street -- on the latino thing, i cannot wait and so we get a latino majority in the country. we need a majority of elected is caller said, who will get involved and start making changes in the country. we are in a ridiculous mess lyrically. i cannot wait until i get a latin majority. >> i am not sure how long it will take to get a hispanic and latino majority. current consensus suggests by

2050, three in 10 americans will be his attic area however, in states like california and texas, 40% is already hispanic. part of the huge percent of increase is due to birth by citizens and we expect those numbers to grow and soon california and texas will be sifting points there. there is a good chance the majority will be latino. in new mexico, his eyes are actually already about half of the relation. we are starting to see changes in states out west. a wonderful conversation this morning. i wanted to get confirmation from the guest and i think this is absolutely true, i do not think any of the demo attic push for immigration reform has anything to do with making about live goals -- more so, the benefit telekom from the desk bringing people into the tax is

him, people documented, that they are actually here. you havepublican side, to look at what the money aspect is. george bush did less on border security, less on going after employers that were hiring illegals. they love the fact they are illegal because a become cheap labor. i talked to friends who lost jobs because illegals are there. big business has a goal in people illegal because if you are illegal, you can pay them much of dollars an hour providing a good income for them. one last a very there are all these calls on the building seven and. i would not disregard them are the claimant actually crashed -- host: we want to keep our conversation about this. misnomer thata

says if you're undocumented am a do not pay taxes. there are a number of payroll sales and other taxes that non-hispanics pay into. i also agree for most demo that's, this is not purely a political artisan idea. it is something good for the american on a meet that will help grow our economy and create jobs are immigrants our job creators and business owners. a number of top companies in the country were started by immigrants and they wanted create safety in the communities and make sure families feel safe and will not be separated ear that is a key part of the motivation. we always think of everything as partisanship, but in the senate, we had both demo rats and republicans come together. they crafted a pipe artisan legislation for comprehensive immigration form. if we could just get a vote in the house, we would you this

issue resolved. caller: two things. we cannot support 12 million people or however many the estimate is. what i've never heard anybody give an estimate of how many we can't afford and why are we not trying to deport them? secondly, more in theans use way of natural resources, why are we not trying to have your class is and not more? am not a next bird on deportations. the number that we could do quarter my understanding is that deportations are at a record .igh. i am not sure frankly, resources for deportation should be focused on criminal elements, not children who were brought here very young and have essentially grown up as americans it is and. orlando, florida, antonio

on the democrats line. he identifies himself as his anti-american. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. i have a question about the republican party. it is nominating [indiscernible] called into the constitution in this country. sure about my desk marco rubio. what is your answer? class i am not an expert ifthe area. i can assure you there is any question about a presidential candidate aussies are voice, some political operatives will raise it and cable networks will have commentators ad nausea him on

the subject. from indiana, republican line. >> morning. i can see with our lax voting them how illegals could vote, but what is all this about, they want the health care? i thought they were exempt from health there unless you are a citizen? flex it is important to note --guest: it is important to know there's a big difference its name illegal's and hispanic americans. the vast majority are not undocumented. they citizens by birth right and born in the united aides, or legal residents and legal immigrants. for those american citizens, for those is than americans, health care is very important for them. in terms of voter fraud, the issue has been way overblown. we have no evidence of actual voter fraud. it is a red herring out there in

political debates. number of studies, the writings -- the running center does an excellent job with these issues. i did a big study last year looking at changing dynamic of the electorate, given all the demographic changes that occurred. americans, hispanic asian americans, and millennial speared millennial's are actually larger than the baby boom generation and may have different views. they are poised to shake up politics and change our country in new -- in unique and interesting ways. i spent a lot of time last year focused on this community. but i was actually a professor and researcher who lived in mexico and did a lot of work out it is really the change around 2005 and 2000 it's in the

how thec community and republican and anti-latino rhetoric unified the community and it was previously not present. i had not realized the effect that rhetoric had had to unify what had really been a diverse roof spread out of russ the u.s.. they do not have a lot of issues in common. you can really galvanize the community and encourage a new political identity to rise, when they feel they are being attacked by political leaders. joseph next from north carolina, independent line. made a commenty about children born here from an crossing the border. that is called on clean hands. the lady comes over, she traffics in another body inside of her body. the child is warned here. it

also makes him an illegal alien by being transported over the properwithout identification. he should not become an american citizen. that is a point of love. flex i am noteric sure about that particular point of law. i know before i was referencing children brought here when they're very young by their errands. through noo america fault of their own, and they grow up essentially as americans is. for us to suggest we will deport they do notcountry know, language they do not speak, it seems before public house he. >> crestline. >> hello. i have gotten involved. it is just talking about the action in the community since 2006 your i came along during that time. they will have a real problem reaching the electorate. i've done a lot of legislation

over the last couple of years. the reaction you get, the feeling walking into a republican office and reaction from the people who work at the office, representatives themselves, they do not want you to be there. when you go to democratic offices, it is a lot more friendly and welcoming. that is a huge difference. you hear a lot of collies today, their republican are mostly independent. that is how they really feel. it is very difficult for republicans to get the latino electorate. .here is too much bad blood i said you really got involved in 2000 eight spirit what drove that? >> hr 437. i was a high school student. immigration was a big issue for me and my family. that is what

sold me to get involved. i was in downtown l.a., filled with evil, not just los angeles, but all over the country, and because of that. but that was a key turning point. you are right that they do not decisions of hispanic and do not understand the unity at all there is it will take some time for republicans in congress to understand the community entry members of it with respect and dignity and appeal to them. , thankichelle diggles you for your time. up next, u.s. has manpower and drones missing -- we will hear more from the former ambassador of nigeria, john campbell. iraq,on, on the future of

rraf.aff [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] -- 60re appears to be years ago. that ordered an end to segregated schools here at ucla's civil rights project for -- progress report says african-americans are seeking more school segregation than they have in decades and half of attendingdents are schools that are majority latino. the afghanistan election they will face off in a second round on june 14. a member who garnered the most votes in the first round will take on the runner up very

finally -- runner-up. finally, it is predicted the summer business will pick up. the forecast from airlines for america expects 210 million millionrs, or 2.2 testers a day will fly between june 1 and august reversed, up 1.5% from last summer and the highest level in its years. some of the latest headlines on his band radio. -- on c-span radio. sundays at 8:00, a collection of interviews with the best storytellers. >> we are sitting here today. the city was designed by a frenchman. the french engineer and architect. the great, symbolic work of sculpture, a gateway to the statue of new york, the of liberty. countless rivers, and

universities and colleges all over the country with french names. we do not pronounce them the way ofy do, but the influence france in this country is far greater than most americans appreciate. >> read the interview with david, along with other noted storytellers in c-span's sundays at 8:00, now available at your favorite look seller. host: joining us now from new .ork, john campbell he is joining us to talk about the situation in nigeria with the u.s. offering assistance as well as other countries. thank you for joining us. with what theff u.s. has contributed so far for the search and what you think

about not only that but couldn't go further? -- could it go further? guest: we have offered to provide the nigerian government with assistance. the nigerian government has responded favorably. there is some intelligence sharing going on according to the media. u.s. surveillance equipment is being used in northern nigeria. perhaps more important is that there is an interagency chain, which is now on the ground consulting with the nigerian government about what it needs and what we can provide. it has to be borne in mind that,

though this has now become an international event, leadership nigerianmly with the government. it is a sovereign state. outsiders can operate their only at the request of the nigerian government. as far as diplomatic efforts are concerned, what goes on right now, in particular from someone now in the position you currently served in question -- formerly served in? team: the members of this would be talking to their opposite numbers within the nigerian government to work out a kind of strategy, to work out , whichs of requests week, the british, french, and israelis, would attempt to honor. the national security

advisor talking yesterday. here is what she had to say. we will get your comments in a it. >> job one is to try to find them. they are now missing in a search area roughly the size of the state in western virginia. the united states is actively involved and we have a team of up to ready people on the ground with the very closely nigerian government. our team consists of diplomats, military advisers, intelligence experts, law enforcement experts, and even development experts, all coordinating closely with the nigerian government. increasingly, with representatives from the reddish government, the french government, and the israeli government, all of whom are in search of the girls. we are also applying aerial assets, including manned and to doed aircraft,

intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance over the large area, so we can maximize resources devoted to trying to locate girls. -- the girls. the nationalrd security adviser talk about current resources. what about actual boots on the ground? manpower, do you think it should go that far? guest: to even conference -- come template -- to even contemplate that would require -- the question is whether it would be forthcoming. the national security advisor has it exactly right when she points out the territory involved is comparable to the state of west virginia. it is a huge area. that the firstht thing that must be done is to locate the girls. girls islocating the

only a first step in their rescue. victims isdnapped difficult. it is difficult because very often, kidnappers murdered their effort when there is an to secure their release through force. what did mitigate the threat is that the kidnapped victims who have been murdered up until now have all been males. they generally appeal -- appeared to be reluctant to murder females. you talked about the invitation from the government to do more. we have folks like senator john mccain in the united states saying that if it were him calling the shots, special

forces will be part of the strategy to rescue the girls. guest: that is extremely tricky. it is extremely tricky because of a widespread narrative in northern nigeria that the united .tates is at war with islam in fact, a military presence in northern nigeria will be seen by many through that particular object. that, of course, would be counterproductive to rescuing the girls. host: does that often -- also go to the fact we have astro, located in africa? does that complicate things? you may want to expand a little of what that is. command isafrican actually based -- it is not physically present in africa.

it sends assets to africa as required. and almost certainly, it has contributed to the personnel to the american personnel that is now in nigeria. yes they are viewed in suspicion by many in west africa. they are seen as part of that anti-islamic narrative. our guest is with us to u.s. effort in nigeria. if you want to ask them questions, the phonelines -- you can tweet us your thoughts at @cspanwj. is from craig in

texas on our independent line. .o ahead caller: thank you. this situation is not going to be solved overnight. not justrist group did come from nowhere. they are sponsored in that country. i've been listening to the media talk about how they are going to free the 200 girls from nigeria. governor -- he's the one responsible for all of this. everybody knows that.

what about -- i'm telling you you can stop this nonsense overnight. craig.hat is ambassador, go ahead. guest: well, it is widely believed, particularly in the southern part of the nigeria and amongst nigerians who are that there is a kind of relationship or sponsorship between vocal hall rom -- between boko haram and other political figures. it is frequently said that there is a relationship between the jonathan government and boko haram then essentially the jonathan government wants to make the north ungovernable .efore the 2015 elections

not not think boko haram is -- is the product of northern political figures. the widespread distrust in nigeria amongst the regions that make up the country, amongst the in islam andigions christianity, and also the distrust that many nigerians feel for both the federal government and the state governments.

host: here stanley from west mississippi on the democrats line. caller: it has been reported that these girls were for sale for $12 american. i'm not being flippant. i think we should make some perverted attempts to purchase them for $2400 and return them back to where they belong. i wonder what the the possibilities in that is? guest, i'm afraid not much. the rhetoric has been somewhat contradictory. initially the boko haram warlord who essentially holds center stage in this particular episode , first he talked about selling the girls as brides.

subsequently he has talked about tool them essentially as a to extract boko haram prisoners are being held by the nigerian government. the girls have become extremely important political ponds -- political pollen -- political pa wns. feasible tok it is talk about outsiders going in and essentially ransoming them. i wish that were possible. a headline saying nigeria has ruled out any idea of a prisoner swap. is that standard practice?

guest: yes, it is. the united states almost always opposes this kind of thing. a prisoner swap would increase the capacity to make war on the the number of operatives it would have would increase. a prisoner swap would almost certainly he followed by another round of kidnapping because kidnapping is shown to have worked. it might be useful to note in passing that there are more thosebeing held than just being held at chiba.

small.bers are quite but if you add them all up it is a significant number. host: kerry is from st. charles missouri, republican line. good morning. >> this has been going all over the globe. people being killed by iird world countries create a couldn't send them any troops or anything. that is not our job. these countries have to come into play on their own, let them

do what they want to do in their country and just sit back and forget about it. guest: thank you for that common. -- that comment. i think the resolution of the kidnapped girls in nigeria is very much something the nigerian government has to take the lead on. we outsiders can assist. but the assistance is likely to be essentially at the margins. the effort has to be undertaken by the nigerian government. there have been previous examples of kidnapping but not at this magnitude and also murder. dozens of adolescent boys were murdered by boko haram who

attacked their dormitory a couple of months ago. while the magnitude of this episode is greater than what we have seem before, the collar is correct when he says it did not just drop out of the sky -- it did not just job out of the sky. host: what is the national interest in using military advisers to search for these girls? guest: i think americans care passionately about the fate of the kidnapped schoolgirls. and in a democracy that matters a lot. secondly we have had a long and

with therelationship nigerian state. this means an attack on the nigerian state. the nigerian state certainly impacts our interest, if not particularly on our security. host: the ambassador is joining us in new york, an event here in d.c.. she was deborah peter's -- told her story about her father being killed by the boko haram. here's a bit of that. >> my brother opened the door for them. i told him my dad was in the back room taking a shower.

it went ahead and dump him out of the bathroom, saying he is wasting time because they don't have other time to wait for him. i told him he cannot deny his fate. that his faith. -- his faith. he said anyone that denies him he will deny them. they shot him three times in his chest. host combat goes to the religious tensions between the state itself. guest: it does, indeed. tragedy that there is so much killing that seems to be

based on religious allegiances. religious -- sometimes it also corresponds to how land is used so that for example when -- for example in herdsmantate there are who fight christian perrone farmers. is the fight taking place because of religious ethnicity or land-use or is it because of all three? >> there is a senate hearing, that will be live at c-span3 on this issue of kidnapping nigerian schoolgirls.

john campbell, former u.s. ambassador to nigeria, samuel from texas, good morning. >> good morning particular call. you will agree with me that part of the problem in nigeria in regards to the kidnapping is corruption. troops seem to have been fighting across the globe in different piece keeping individual -- peacekeeping divisions. what would america do after now to stop these politicians that ?s meant for security thank you. guest: certainly corruption is a huge issue and ordinary

nigerians resent the amount of corruption to be found in official circles. quarter of thea nigerian budget is supposed to be going to the security services -- security services to respond to the boko haram in the north. there are repeated reports that outcome --is able to outgun them. that leads to the question of what is happening to the money that is being appropriated. the issue of what the united states or any outsider can do that such a profoundly internal and domestic issue as corruption is difficult to say.

we have actively supported various efforts, such as those by transparency international. a we also have -- we also have actively supported nigerian groups that have been working to counter corruption. corruption is primarily an internal nigerian matter. our next call a to defies as nigerian american. good morning. caller: i would like to comment about the issue of boko haram. when you look at the governor of the states, they can never be trusted.

the president might be back for reelection. host: we will get a response from the ambassador. guest: as to where they get their money and weapons, this is a -- this is shrouded with mistry. nevertheless i think it is possible that boko haram largely through banklf robberies, largely arms itself by stealing weapons for armories. the thing about terrorism,

particularly the kind of terrorism boko haram means involved with, is it doesn't cause much money. you steal a car, you loaded up with explosives, you attach a -- not a whole lot of money is required to do this. i tend to find allegations that funding,m is receiving either from politicians or other groupslities or from outside of nigeria. i find those allegations less than credible. guest: a question off of twitter --

guest: i have to go back to the fundamental point. nigeria is a sovereign state. word nigeria to go to nato and request assistance, that would produce another set of circumstances and how to nato would respond i would have absolutely no idea. i would not anticipate nigeria would do so. has issued a general request for systems, to which ourselves, the british, the french, and the israelis have responded. present efforts are underway to determine what the nigerians need or want. process is underway

for aerial surveillance. host: james from new york, democrats line. guest: good morning. [indiscernible] my permanent solution for such action is to change our policies --those others [indiscernible] guest: i would point out the religious leaders in saudi arabia have to announced boko haram violence and boko haram kidnapping. host: there was this picture of

first lady michelle obama that fostered this criticism about half -- about hash tagging foreign policy. guest: i think what the first lady was doing was expressing through social media that the feeling is widespread amongst americans. rule of a first family , to express publicly the deep-seated feelings of the american people. she was doing it through a relatively new medium but one which is of increasing importance. let me add that there are ongoing demonstrations by nature thend women holding onto

nigerian government to do more. tose demonstrations appear be organized by means of social media. this is an increasing lee to everyday mention lives around the world. host: this goes to critics of former secretary of state hillary clinton and washed in label boko haram a terrorist group. guest: i was one of those amongst 20 who signed a letter to secretary clinton who urged her not to designate boko haram as a foreign terrorist organization. made areents we then still valid. legislation,t the

it basically does two things. it denies the ability of boko haram at parents to get visas to go to the united states and it also blocks the transfer of funds from the united states to a designated terrorist organization. it wascase of boko haram hardly imaginable that operatives are going to show up at the american embassy and request a visa to go to the united states. assets, i have seen no evidence that there are any boko haram assets in the united states to nigeria. isentially designation irrelevant under the terms of the law.

it goes further than that. what designation also does is it essentially bans contact between and theamericans designated organization. easy to foresee at some point in the future where it might be useful for a private american to enter into some kind of dialogue with boko haram as .art of a larger settlement what designation does is it essentially deprives us of that possibility or that opportunity. therefore in effect it reduces the tools that we have to address the particular problem. is why i oppose designation

and that is why i think secretary clinton was correct. timeld add that at the designation was also opposed by the nigerian government. host: our guest has been ambassador john campbell, the former ambassador to nigeria. thank you for your time this morning. up, if you want to find out more about policy concerning -- kidnapping of nigerians you can see that live on c-span three. about not only recent elections that took place in iraq but the future of the country itself. arraf will give us your assessment. city todayork president obama will be joining

9/11 survivors, first responders, and families of victims to dedicate the national september 11 memorial museum. it opens to the public on may 21. the president will also be delivering remarks, in addition to you new york governor andrew and chris christie. you can watch the event live online at c-span.org. seeking onof people deployment benefits fell to the lowest level in seven years last week. a sign that the job market is improving. it labor department says weekly unemployment benefit applications dropped to 197,000. pushedfood and gas costs up prices. labor department says the consumer price index rose 3/10

of a percent after a 2/10% gain in march. finally gay couples in arkansas will not be able to get married on friday even though the state supreme court upheld a ruling that struck down the ban on same-sex marriage. law is still valid. some of the latest headlines from c-span radio. >> for over 35 years c-span brings public affairs offense from washington to you, putting you on the test putting you in the room for briefings and press conferences. and offering complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the u.s. house. by thec-span, created cable tv industry 35 years ago and brought to as a public service on your local cable or satellite provider. follow us on twitter.

>> the wonderful thing about the it gives us a lot to write about. if we were in new york and are -- new york or san francisco, those places are so well known. here in the gulf coast we think from texas to florida a similarthere is environment, similar types of .rees the gulf of mexico america shows and supplies us with wonderful seafood. and rivers. have been books and memoirs written around all these things for hundreds of years.

it is an extraordinarily rich subject to take. in 2010 all of a sudden we are at center stage and people are beginning to look at the gulf .oast the nation really became tuned in to how important the gulf is. the rich history and literary life of mobile alabama. sunday at two on c-span three. host: back recently from iraq, welcome. how did elections go?

guest: we have to member they are pretty low expectations. a substantial number of people voted. there weren't a lot of attacks, which is what everybody was looking at. it was quieter than a normal day. national elections, the first in four years -- a controversy real that controversial prime minister looking for a return. the kurds wanting independence, increasing violence, and incredible poverty. problems and not a lot of hope that elections can fix them.

host: where does the work go on from here you go guest: they are still telling -- still counting the ballots. they make a critical bid to put together a coalition. no party has won enough seats to win a majority. a lot of tough bargaining. last time it took him eight months to come up with the government. the primet four years minister has made a lot of political enemies. how much can you contribute to security forces and things in iraq that are there for security? i would say you can attribute some of the security to security forces and some of it you can attribute to lock. to be painfully honest, the security forces are not in great shape. they're using devices that have proved not to work.

really have the ability to launch investigations. obtained --ions are many concessions are obtained through the use of torture rather than investigations. frameworkot a strong of security in the country, particularly in baghdad. host: over you try to tackle with this story? all thessentially strains and divisions that were there since saddam hussein was toppled in 2003. there was a belief that we get rid of a dictator and we have a brand-new country. we found out that is not that easy. later, all decade those divisions are really widening and not in a way we would have thought. it is not just the kurds versus central government. it is sunni and shiite, it is

sunni parties. it is really fraying the fabric of the country. host: here is a map. a point is out the points we should pay attention to. they are now a semi-economist country. againstthey rose up saddam hussein and did not manage to break away. they did manage to carve out a semi-autonomous region. they're still dependent on iraq he government money. he killed his army in a campaign

against the kurds. massive destruction, demonstrations. that is the region that is thought to have been most likely to break away. down and goes north as iraq, that is the sunni area that has had a substantial portion of she is -- of shiites. religious andt of ethnic minorities. ae governor is advocating separate region of sunnis allied with the kurds. it is not the sunni shia thing. they are saying we don't have clean water, we don't have power a lot of time, why should we main -- why should we remain part of iraq?

we will remember the name from the war when american troops were there. marines fought one of the most bitter battles of the war. ift city is at war with iraq government forces. they say it is a war against terrorism with the islamic state of iraq. a lot of people say it is not a war against terrorism. those are the big flashpoints but not the only ones. what is the worst-case scenario? guest: the worst-case scenario is to have multiple weekend state in the region. you have the gulf which is sunni arab and has been dramatically opposed to shia led government.

still there is that attention. syria is imploding. that border where suicide bombers came, that border is open again. battle hardened iraq is coming to launch attacks. going to fights with syrian regime forces. it is a very delicate balance and a complicated region, especially when you throw in iran and turkey. host: you can ask her questions on one of three lines for democrats. that's on one of three lines. for democrats --

if you want to send your thoughts via twitter, that is @cspanwj. potentialthe fracturing of iraq, what does it mean for u.s. policy echo are there still policy concerns? guest: this is a country that could contribute to destabilizing the region in the same way the united states thought toppling saddam hussein would help stabilize it. it has got huge oil reserves. it has a huge army. destabilized or devolved into weekend states with fighting along the edges, that could actually spill over even more into the rest of the region. scramblingtration is to figure out what to do. for a long time they wanted to believe that it had gone away, that at -- that americans could stop thinking about iraq.

it is still a huge potential problem. the leverage has declined. there is the diplomatic leverage, which is questionable. a there is certainly the leverage you have when iraq wants to buy billions of dollars of your weapons. that is a powerful incentive. a lot of those weapons are being .sed in falluja derek he government is showing -- the iraqi government is showing the outskirts. from our first call comes bernie in columbus, ohio. caller: good morning. i'm a vietnam veteran but i work a lot with iraq he veterans.

i am deeply concerned that this iraqme of division within is falling along the same lines , in thated in vietnam indochina was terribly disrupted after the united states troops left that area in 1973. now we have a similar situation. i am curious, do you think it will be another 10 or so years bordersption within the that will finally been resolved and have some reconciliation with united states so that could trade and good options can possibly come out of it? guest: that is a great vantage point. it will take a long time. possibly not even 10 years. maybe generational. what is left in iraq is a country without a lot of functioning institutions.

pretty much everything there has been broken. backdrop ofnst the , ofence in the region incredible corruption, of a lot of sectarian sentiment. a lot of people still leaving the country. iraq ease are still arriving because they do not have hope in their country. it will take a long time. host: and -- a question from twitter. guest: it depends on where you as an individual are coming from. whether your individuals -- whether your family was killed or imprisoned by saddam hussein, whether they were killed by american forces or whether you lost people last week or last

month in an explosion. i think the only thing you can safely say is iraq has the possibility to be a better place for most of the citizens. that possibility hasn't translated yet into reality. host: sally is up next from fort lauderdale, florida. i think it was one of the biggest mistakes we have made in our lives, jumping into that war with no real reason to do so. aside from that, do you feel -- do you think iraq, compared to when saddam hussein was their, keeping the peace at

least, do you think there really better off now? we need something from this catastrophe that we have caused. guest: the good that has come out of it is the possibility that the country can be put back together again. it will never again be what many iraqis believe it was, which was despite saddam hussein, a country where people do not have to worry about walking out the door and being blown up on the way to work. it was a country where it didn't matter quite so much on a day to day this is whether you are sunni or shia or christian.

must iraq is would not trade for a second having saddam hussein back. host: we heard about the ability of electricity and water. hasn't it changed since then? iraq ease are getting electricity almost all the time, which is very good news. it's those other things combined the lack of security that are leading to a very fragile nation. there's almost no job creation. half of the people work for the government. amounts of oil revenue.

it just doesn't trickle down. streets, trash in the there are kids working in the street because they can't afford to go to school. there is little access to clean water. has the leasthat amount of clean oil reserves in the world, that it has the most amount of clean oil reserves in the world, the kids are not getting enough to eat. the u.s. is one of the buyers of iraq he oil. it helps stabilize to some extent. it benefits a lot a certain segment of the iraq he state. that keeps programs those bloated bureaucracies. it also benefit the ability to

buy billions of dollars of united not just for the states but russia and other places. it bodes well for the future of iraq that oil money is not enough. oilhave to come find that money with a government that is not corrupt. on theere is rick independent line. caller: good morning. know -- [indiscernible] it was created without any regard for sectarian nature of the country as several countries in the middle east were. you can tell that by the straight lines of their borders. democracy.had a they were ruled by kings and military dictators. what, in your opinion, is the

future for a country that is so divided in its loyalties to tribes and to religion? is there a possibility the country will revert back to being a dictatorship with a strong central government able to hold the country together in peace because the people simply disaster theyhe have right now? guest: one of the problems was essentially throughout the years it has been created on the basis of a sunni leadership. sunni arabs did have major positions of power. that is why the shia led government sees this as a struggle for survival. really to create a foundation

for a state that is at all democratic, that has freedoms, a youmum number of freedoms, really need to instill a sense, you need politicians that have the since they are iraq he first. things are so threatened that you don't get that. politicians identify themselves as being sunni or shia or kurdish, there are policies that spanned all of those. now with security so bad, when people went to the polls they were voting on security. they were voting for shia candidates if they were shia. the kind of fallback on that and i think that will be the case for a while. host: jolt from washington, maryland. you're on the line. caller:. on whatant your opinion are the benefits of america such notwhen it did on

stable evidence. we went in and district some of we alwaysorking considered any country outside of europe as being dictators. guest: i guess one of those is the definition of a dictator really is are there checks and balances that will keep a person from assuming absolute power? it is not so easy to become dictatorial. in the middle east it is much more easier. we have seen in the past couple of turns is people believe a weakening of the powers of

parliament. for instance if parliament wants to hear from a defense minister they would have a hard time. first because there is no defense minister. it the prime minister is acting defense minister. cannot get a military official to brief them. he has created a system where a lot of the military, top military institutions and intelligence institutions answered directly to him. that would be much harder to do in europe. it is a case of you have the system, does it actually work? in iraq it is not working. host: what they say themselves it is not working? guest: i think it is one of the few things that everyone agrees on. even in a system that is not of peopleou get a lot

who benefit from the fact it is not working. if you consolidated power and you have that power in your hands you probably will not give it up quite that easily. that is why this postelection time is so important and why it will be so messy. >> what is the perception of the united states in iraq these days? guest: it is interesting. warvet iraq from before the and during the war. when there was no electricity and no clean water, when there desk ins in the three's the streets they blamed everything on the united states. the united states is all-powerful and they can fix things if they wanted to. they can bring electricity if they wanted to. what they do blame the united states for is coming in and -- and saddam hussein toppling saddam hussein without a plan, or at least a plan that

fit the reality of what iraq was. they want to be friends with the united states. they want to be friends with pretty much everybody. you will see a lot of people try to get the united states still. one of the places they're coming to is the u.s.. host: our next calls come in from texas. caller: there were a group of iranians that helped with -- helped americans. i am wondering what their status is. it is such a complicated story. it was a group fostered by saddam hussein. their role was to topple the iranian government. they were invited in by saddam hussein, given a camp and heavy weapons. when saddam was toppled they were temporarily put under u.s. protection. sad and troubled and

complicated story since then. their major campaign's been shut down. there have been attempts with directly government forces to shut them at camp. in doing so dozens of people appeared to have been killed in the incidence by iraqi security forces. the problem is other countries won't take them. people who belonged to an organization that does have a lot of cultlike ax specs -- cultlike aspects. it has been problematic trying to figure out what to do with them for the international community, for the united states, for the united nations. they want to be able to resettle them but it is proving very hard. host: al qaeda, is still a presence or issue in iraq?

guest: it has moved into the islamic state of iraq and syria. it is still fundamentally the same ideology. the thing about al qaeda and iraq is they have taken control of some of those cities. i was with the u.s. marines when they were fighting al qaeda in falluja. the entire city had been taken over. there were houses rigged to explode. the u.s. put in more troops during the military surge and they managed to drive al qaeda out. near the syrian border. then they came back. there is a security vacuum. there is not an effective security force.

there isn't a counterinsurgency campaign in the sense that you would need. some of the tribes have begun reverting back to working with al qaeda because they feel it is the only option. they claim responsibility for most of the suicide bombings and most of the bombings that are detonated. host: birmingham, alabama, this is sean. go ahead. caller: my question is about the economy of iraq. in the u.s. dos business with the middle east. i know espn is opening a business in yemen. guest: the iraq he currency has been pretty consistently trading in the same range.

there is no indication that it will dramatically train -- dramatically change. there is a lot of opportunity but it is very difficult to do business. huge influx of companies doing business. a lot of big american companies are coming in but it is really quite cold, still. host: what is the reporting like ?here guest: it is fascinating if you are willing to tolerate a bit of risk. you have to be even more careful than you did in the past. elections ip to the was covering one of the major rallies of the shia party that was a breakaway party. three suicide car bombs went off, three suicide bombings went off in the parking lot as we

were covering it. it becomes the kind of thing where you really have to make the decision if this is so important that you should be there. it was the party's first foray into politics. in retrospect you really have to think hard about where you are going and what you are doing. it is still so hugely important. we need reporters there. we need reports coming out of there. on every level they are fascinating and compelling that are important to the united states. a source ofraq have independent media? guess, there are incredibly -- guest: there are incredibly brave and porters. you run the risk of being ,rrested, put in jail

disappearing. that still happens. journalistsill many who try to report credibly. there are hundreds of television stations and media type to businesses and political parties. caller: good morning, what is the approximate number of meant -- number of -- since we invaded? guest: it depends on how you defined fatalities. other organizations are tracking civilian deaths. they seem to be 1000 per month. it is not as bad as it was during the sectarian violence when there were bombings in the streets every day and there were upwards of 3000 civilians being killed every month then. if you look at the total is up for debate. it depends on how you find

violence. that's how you define violence. one thing that has stood out is the reluctance of the united states took knowledge the extent of the people being killed. the we were covering military in iraq, when the military was essentially in charge, u.s. military said we would not track civilian deaths. how could they not to? it is a huge indicator of how well they are doing. they changed that line later on and they began to acknowledge that large numbers of people were being killed. exact numbers are up for debate. certainly tens of thousands is a conservative estimate. i just wanted to ask you if you see any hope in any of the transnational collaborations that are going on? they seem to be doing some pretty effective state building there. given the arbitrary nature of some of these national lines, i

just wanted to see if you see any hope there. guest: do you mean bringing in syrian kurds? was under the assumption there was collaboration between the kurdish government and the kurds in syria. guest: there is some collaboration. it is a complication -- it is a public and picture because there are factions fighting in that region of iraq. president things the as the most do powerful unifying kurdish figure -- as you know there are kurds in iran, kurds in syria, kurds in iraq. but it is only in iraq that they have managed to run their own province.

in many syrian refugees but it remains to be seen what happens on the other side of the border. host: looking at the future of iraq, thank you so much. shinseki is walking into the room right now. that hearing starts live on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]