that we can make a profound difference in the lives of citizens of the district of columbia. i quit my job and enlisted in the i quit my job and enlisted in the barry army. his visionvered from of using government as a tool to make a profound difference in lives of citizens. he clearly was a champion for the least among us but he also was a champion for people who had abilities that could achieve more. like to leaveld you with is the idea that in a proper -- a proverb, we should not lament the fact that mr. barry is gone, we should rejoice in the fact he was with us. my take away is i'm going to continue to live my life and wise the woman -- in ways that in theke a difference lives of people in the district of columbia as marion barry tommy. >--taught me.

>> friends, washingtonians, and citizens listen up. i come here today not to bury marion but to praise him. when marion was born to the theme park we call life, he open the gate. he looked and left and saw the highest space marilyn. -- space mountain. helooked to the right and saw the highest of the fine roller coaster in the world. and he saw a big fares will in front of him. around and he said, i'm going to ride every ride in the park. and he did. twice. , it was sixarion months after the riots. i was in a three-piece suit wearing five foot eight jewish boy from baltimore who are just

purchased his first nightclub in the district. black baptist" from mississippi running a million-dollar corporation on u street. two years later, marion was wearing a three piece suit and i was wearing at the she -- a dashiki. we became friends. my friend was never a racist. my friend was against racism. thoseend gave a voice to people who had no voice. gave opportunity to qualify people that had nowhere to show they were qualified. my friend change the color of washington politics forever. my friend made many people rich but never himself.

my friend will be sorely missed but never forgotten. god bless you, marion. love you. thank all of the speakers. marion had a special love for young people. and so, we start to have one of the great youth groups of our city, the washington performing arts children of the gospel, to share with us today. give them a hand as they come, please. [applause] ♪

[applause] ♪ >> every voice till earth and heaven -- the harmony ♪

♪ let us march on let us march on till the race is run

spaciousutiful, for skies grainber waves of for purple mountain majesties the fruited plain america >> america >> america >> america grace on thees yeah and crown thy good with brotherhood

from sea to shining sea >> shining sea beautiful, for spacious skies grainber waves of for purple mountain majesties plainthe fruited america >> america >> america i'm talking about america god shed his grace on thee

>> his grace on thee >> and crown thy good >> crown thy good >> with brotherhood >> from sea to shining sea >> shining sea >> america america >> america >> america, america >> god shed his grace on thee yeah on thee >> and crown thy good >> crown thy good with brotherhood >> from sea to shining sea >> shining sea all o ver the world

shining >> sea to shining sea >> sea to shining sea sea >> yeah thy goodown brotherhood >> sea >> to shining >> sea yeah ♪ [applause]

♪ >> good evening. [applause]

and thank you. for those of you who know me, they know i am not shy. i'm not a person that is ever a loss for words. and i certainly, just like marion, i ain't scared. but this has been overwhelming. and everything that has been said, you know, there is nothing left to say except to you that marion was my dear friend. we have known each other since 1970. he was my partner. that everyin a way time i listen to i can think about is just one thing, the essence of him. that -- he was not fake. that everything he did big, he did little. thing he did for

people, he did little things for people. he was a person who felt passion every day of his life. he was a person that loved his people. people. his a person who took great pride in helping people get up. not the the stories you hear, but the little stories you hear. him go to theing gas station because he would spend all of his money -- not on the gas but the people. giving the people who were asking for money. i stopped letting him go to the grocery store, because he could not get out of the grocery store. i do not like the grocery store. so i want to go in and get out. where you been?

how long you been on that job? comedy shown you got? what church you go to -- this is him every single day. and the most important thing i want you to say about my husband was that as complicated as he was, he was a very simple man. none of the trappings of anything he was exposed to from all over the world affected him. to the extent that it was embarrassing. was first lady and he was mayor and we would get on the plane at first class, and i would look over and marion would actually have a supermarket bag, stuff in bag with his it. back at the house was 11 -- blah. atachtache cas. e. why do have a grocery bag?

"that don't make no difference." yes, it does. i used to say to him. that is the mississippi stuff. the last thing you need to know is that his heart was so pure that he had the forgiveness of jesus christ. he really did. do terriblele things to him. not only would he forgive them because you know we always say we're going to forget but we do not forget. marion forgot. it would not even stay in his mind. marion, why you talking to him? that was the person that just -- "he did." he was pure of heart. he was a man after god's own heart. and he was myid husband and he was christopher's father and thank you so much for honoring him. a great hand.

we will have a musical tribute. the most favorite song of marion ."rry "precious lord," present thew me to ulogist at -- the e this time. the word eulogy comes from the word eulogia which means to say good things about. a lot of people have said a lot of good things about, so we have had about 25 or 30 eulogies already. but we are about to receive and

have the primary eulogy today by one who is so well-known, you need only call his first name. andneed only say jesse, everybody knows who he is. nationally, you know him as a civil rights leader. dr. martinre when luther king was murdered. you know him in the march for montgomery to somelma. you know him in chicago, operation breadbasket, rainbow coalition. you know him internationally for his trip in 1983 to syria. of robertief goodman, a pilot for the united states. you know him as he traveled to cuba. of 22 americans

that were held captive there. you knew him as a presidential candidate in 1984, who marion barry released the city to work on his behalf. and gave his nomination speech as a democratic national convention in 1984. you know him most of all as a baptist preacher, a man of god. who dares to speak tuesday power the- truth to power in spirit of epsilon jones, and the spirit of richard allen, and the spirit of neil turner. following the special selection, " precious lord." then his daughter will sing "to god be the glory." and the next abortion will hear will be a great man of god who voice you-- the next will hear will be a great man of god who has tried the winepress alone. speaking truth.

inking to doubt have been prison bound physically, mentally and physically. feetyou stand on your right now, give in applause before he comes. the reverend jesse lewis jackson. "precious lord." "to god be the glory." and our eulogist the reverend jesse l. jackson. ♪ --precoius lord precious lord take my hand lead me on and let me stand tired

get so weak am through the storm through the night ond me to the light take my hand precious lord and lead

me home my way groweth drear precious lord, linger near when my life is almost gone ar my cry hear my call

handmy i fall take my hand precious lord lead me home ♪ darkness appears night draweth near when the day

and gone at the river stand won't you guide my feet hold my hand? take my hand precious lord and lead me lead me home

♪ ♪ ♪

[humming] >> soon i will be done the worldroubles of troubles of this world with the troubles of this world soon i will be done ofh the troubles this world

i'm going home to live with god more more weeping and wailing no more no more anding wailing no more

no more wailingand homeoing oh to live with god ♪ [applause]

♪

♪ how can i say thanks for the things me?have done for things so undeserved yet you gave to prove your love for me the voices of a million angels

cannot express my gratitude all that i am ever hope to be i give it all to thee to god be the glory ♪ come on, help to god glory

god be the glory for the things doneth with his blood he has saved you and me with his power raised me god be the glory things he has done

♪ [sax solo] ♪ >> oh [vocalizing] glorye for the things had has done oh with his blood oh >> he has saved me >> with his power mehe has raised >> goto god

glory for the things he has done ♪ ♪ [applause] ive the reverend jesse jackson at hand.

when you stand on your feet and give a hand to our eulogist, the reverend jesse jackson. ♪ --wilson ♪ caller friends. to my dear sister, cora, marion and christopher, the heart and soul of marion. mayor gray. former mayors. mayor elect the city council officials and ministers of the gospel, for all the youth. sendcame to make this a off. we wish to thank you. give her another hand, please.

and for her mother for whom she got the voice. stand up, jackie. that's jackie's daughter, too. ii timothy 4. my departure is at hand, i have finished my course and kept the faith. ofceforth there is a crown righteousness, which the lord the righteous judge should give me that day but not to me only but to all them that love his appearing." that's the blue ribbon, the ticket to the kingdom. i want to talk a minute about crown of jewels on marion's head. there is a song that says "watch ye therefore. you know not the day when the lord should call you away.

if you fight striving for the right you should wear robe and crown i'm going to wear a crown when the tropic sounds -- when the trumpet sound s put on my robe and glory. i'm going to wear a crown." be authentic, it must be authentic. where he was born in mississippi, a con plantation, 1936, 18 years before the brown decision. 19 years before the lynching -- was eight 1955 which year before the march of washington. august 28. in montgomery, alabama. years before the assassination of mr. evans. as a result of that struggle,

august 20 8, 2 thousand eight, barack obama gave his part of his acceptance speech. 28, march on washington. denver colorado. marion was born in the ugliness of the seats of -- the deep s outh in the throes of a revolution that reverberates on her streets today. to sum up the life of one who went from in dignity and disgrace to amazing grace. i never thought i would live long enough to say good evening and farewell to this fellow traveler. i met marion in 1960. we shared scars and stories about the -- we had to fight. we were so certain of victory tot the risks we took going jail, dogs biting, horses kicking, blasted by the press, it did not seem to matter. after greensboro and the student uprising, marion -- in north carolina in the -- along with

seven classmates, -- in the public library in south carolina. we became friends and blood brothers and the struggle. we lived is if life is certain and death is uncertain. the fact is death is certain and life is uncertain. sometimes death comes on us suddenly and sometimes later but always certain. as marion and i walked through our 50 your journey together, we were on a radio station two weeks ago. after his passing, i kept brother farrakhan about a baseball analogy. the baseball game has nine innings for a regular game. and there are hits and errors. plays in the hot sun. drama.acked with is always leagues, it against stiff competition. with the struggle he faced all his life -- the u.s. congress

congress and the white house -- habits oflaws anin oppression. that is a big with politics. the game is so tough if you get three hits out of 10 at bats, they take it to the hall of fame. babe ruth and reggie jackson were two of the great homerun hitters and yet they struck out a lot. whenever they can to the plate there were always expectations in the air. you had some commies like out some, you catch some balls and drop some. you are judged not by the catch or the dropped ball, you are judged by the bok score when it is all over. are you a winner or are you a loser? when the game israel tight, sometimes you play extra innings. get knocked out early. some pictures i have pitching relief. played extrarion innings. some players play with such

enthusiasm they lift up others as they climb. the odds were against him in the game was a rainout. because storms and thunder and lightning, and the summer. neither clear skies nor rain stopped him. he knew in the heat you had to take the heat. he knew deep water does not drown you. you only drawn when you to stop kicking. he never stopped taking. king wereand dr. down here for 39 years. marion twice as long. he had his highs and lows. but like job his -- came upon him. but he never lost faith. down, way down, but he got up because he knew something was -- nothing was too hard for god. as job said, i know marie redeemer lives because he lives within my soul. yet i willyou slay me, trust you.

he got up again because he knew the ground was no place for a champion. he did his best. his back was against the wall. he had three options. he could've chosen the easy way. marion chose to remain maladjusted to oppression. two, he could've walked around with the 10 minute anger with no action. he could've become better. but he chose the third way to resist and run on. he never stopped running he never stopped serving. it years at a of slower pace of walking, but he never took the focus of the poor and those with their backs against the wall. that is why the people loved him. and the lord cap blessing him. -- kept blessing him. jesus says the standard. the righteous judge for choosing those who made the all-star team. the standard is not perfection but dependability. you show up when the game is on the line. the jesus standard.

the son of the righteous judge, a fair referee. when i was hungry, did you feed me and the least of these? when i was naked did you clothe the naked? separate the, you sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the champions from the heroes. reelectedt on getting and the crowd stood in the rain to watch them go by because he was a hero more than a champion. a champion wins a contest. and they ride on the people shoulder. he knocked out someone. onn champions win, they rise people shoulder. the heroes win when the people write their shoulders. the live the quality of their whole game. he was a hero. a freedom fighter. there are a select group of players who volunteered to sacrifice. risk their careers and risk their lives. walked away from fear for

friends and hostile advertis adversaries. a freedom fighter looks at the whips and -- of terrorists. he gave up pursuing his phd for those ahead no d. their backs were against the wall. a freedom fighter. many pickup apples on trees that never should. a few are grateful but many are parasites. the wind blew the apples from the tree but few ever shake the tree. marion was a tree shaker. one of the architects of the new south, the day dr. king gave his address in washington, the south was under military occupation. do not stop talking about the dream. militaryunder occupation, lock down that day. troops had been ordered to be on guard at the train station. the bus station. the airport. d.c.,d not have a tag of

maryland or virginia they were stopped and profiled. the day he gave that speech from texas to florida to southern use the, we could not public toilet or rent a room at the holiday inn. we cannot buy ice cream at howard johnson. black soldiers and latino set behind -- our money was counterfeited. against those odds, marion volunteered to be an unarmed soldier in the army for justice. he was not killed as was better evarsce a -- as medgar and dr. king. when the war is over, the unknown soldier had one of war. in the same south, the carolina panthers can play the falcons and the cowboys can play the dolphins and in the south, boeing can build their plants. he made the south's investment worthy and a traffic.

-- an attractive. the basic and hold the olympics and the new south. i repeat, no southern governor senator had his or her name of that new south. marion was one of the architects of the new south and the new america. based on the little rock nine. led by the greensboro four. martin king. his chairman became marion barry. ralph abernathy, john lewis. ivan -- donaldson. julius hobson. hilda mason. carmichael. brown. jim farmer. brendan jordan. eleanor holmes norton. wyatt t. walker. james babel -- marion barry. these of the soldiers that built

the new south. dorothy heights. marion berry. his name was on the honor roll freedom fighters. the honorbut a few of roll and the sacrificial service of the new south. no sudden governor or public has his name on that list. but that was not enough. stopped in 1965. they cast in their pensions. long.rion was a distance runner. d.c. did not have much. when black congressman robert nixon, william donaldson, they could not -- to the capitol. d.c. could only live in certain parts of town. they had never walked the carpets of city hall at any authority or served on commissions. helped emancipate

washington and much of southern maryland and northern virginia, all about the work of marion barry. [applause] never stopped fighting for d.c. statehood. 000 people living under occupation. had to get a budget passed with hostile attitude towards his people. congress governs d.c. without the consent of the governed. from havana, cuba, to beijing, moscow, the capitals representing the legislators but not washington, d.c. the the highest taxes. our children are sent to jail more often than those in most states. as well as to serve and bleed in the military. deserveve -- we woul

more. he always had big dreams. builder.s a for the first, got legal contracts, accounting contracts. radio stations. tv stations, construction contracts. architectural contract. marion was a builder. sometimes i would lefaughtat him, because of what way he would speak. my name is marion barry. should not judge him for his eloquence but for his dependability and protection and service in love for the people. some of the mayors -- maynard jackson. among freedom fighters of became mayors. marion was a freedom fighter and a long-distance runner. you can be on official but not as a show horse

but a workhorse. he came across the line with people in it. lifting up the seniors and the poor and those was a backs were against the wall. he was a hero. he has got scars from his scars. have only uniforms because they did not volunteer for the team. cowards. local changes a contact sport. some make the team but never, the field. those on the field have grass stains and blood on the uniforms. no one ever hit a homerun or scored a touchdown from the bench understands. you getlay baseball, hit with a fastball sometimes. if you play football, you get tackled over and over again. buton godt bloodied, never bowed. i started by asking the question, this mayor for life, marion barry have the jewels for the crown according to the juices standard? when you hire the most in people, that is a jewel.

you gave the most jobs to those with the been locked up before. that is a jewel. gave the most contracts for those of had been denied them. that is a jewel. there is hope for the most uncharted, and that -- the most downtrodden, that's a jewel. he visited the most hospitals. he visited the most jails. he endured the longest -- jewels.full of someone say he went to jail. so to jail. so did joseph. but he got out and fed families. broken.d the so did malcolm. so did dr. king. john sitting on the isle of patmos. i am left to die. i have no friends. sometimes you fight in the night. i see a new heaven, a new

earth, the old one passed away. marion, you have got a crown full of jewels. you're still reading. we are right behind you. by the way, you can feel good because we know the righteous judge will welcome you now. no writer matters today. no more pain, criticism does not matter now. you can now reconnect with your friends that most of us never got a chance to meet. so, say hello to the people you knew and worked with. say hello to make travis -- to medgar evars, you know him. tell julius hobson we missed him on the marches. cal held mason we are still working on statehood. hilda mason. to hosea and washington and ralph abernathy. and tell maya angelo we miss her

so much. tell them, the old friends, john lewis and roger wilkins and mary and tion barry. -- we are behind them. tell them it is not over. jurors are finding no justification to indict the shooters. tell them we have a second wind now. tell we have a brother beloved in the white house. they rejected his health plan to heal the sick. a standupwe have attorney general. they are keeping him busy. tell them we made progress but it is getting mean down here. tell them that we have -- on our backs and the jails are overcrowded, they cannot hold our body down. and michael brown and

medgar evars. tell them we are not giving up. tell them we are fighting back. tell them banks are robbing the people. not people robbing the bank's. tell them. but then tell them there is a new generation. . their children and grandchildren, the young dreamers are standing up. lying down, fighting back. tell them there is a young jamaal brian. tell them we are fighting back. tell them some young rappers, some standup preachers, some high school and college students and some ballplayers in st. louis holding up their hands say ing, don't shoot. way, tilde we celebrated 's birthday this week. say hello to mandela who got to have any year ago. most, hired thehe

most. you have endured the most. they will see your jules and your service to the crown. someone has to tell them that cora is still fighting for justice. christopher has a business now. they will be proud to hear this. tell them rest assured they will say well done the songwriter said it best he said "when you give the best of your service, he will say well done. you never stop talking poor people's talk. tell them you fought the good fight. and you have kept the faith and finished. tell them it is dark but the morning comes. tell them -- the light in our submission. tell them there is power in the blood. tell them if when you give, the best of your service, telling the world the savior has come. be not dismayed when men do not you willou because

understand the righteous judge will say well done. tell them, misunderstood the savior of sinners. s, he was god'ss only son. hear him calling his father in heaven, "let not my will but thine be done." when you fail, tell them your hands are sore. from the work he begun. tell them, pick up your cross and take it to jesus. he will understand. if my people -- love you, marion -- who are called by my name. will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, god will he ar your prayer and forgive your senate he will say, well done. god bless you, marion. i will see you in the morning. love you, marion. >> give reverend jackson,

another hand for that great eulogy. we want to take just a moment before our benediction to thank every person, city official, this great committee that work day in and day out putting these several days together. all of the financial supporters. everyone who in every way made these four days the most beorable and which will inscribed in all of our hearts and our minds. would the recessional, we asked her complete reverence and respect for the family. during their recess. and then all others as you will will recess. i want to ask everyone to stand at this time. for o ur benediction. and please hold your place after

the benediction for the official recessional. we thank every one of you for your presence here today. barry.k god for marion and we thank god for the great things that he has done. through his servant marion barry. let's looks to the lord -- look to the lord for the benediction. marion berry, may his tribe increase. woke one night from a deep team of peace. saw saw within the moonlight in his room an angel writing in the book of gold right hasd, what now? the angel replied the names of those who love the lord marion asked, is mine one?

cheerily spoke, yet still nay, not so. marion, i pray thee, then write me as one who loves his fellow man the angel vanished returns the next night called the names of those who love the lord and yea marion barry's name led all the rest and let the people say -- amen amen. amen. ♪

♪

♪

>> i was the first in my family to get a bachelors degree, the first to get a masters degree, the first to spend three years at the all-white university of tennessee, and survive all that. ♪

>> i was taught a long time ago .hen i was growing up i would go to church with my mother and sit in the back of the church, and occasionally we quarters fromee and get somen boxe ice cream. when they my mother said, where have you been? ♪

>> i have led an incredible life . i have overcome so many obstacles, being for, and that's enough. ♪

>> if you find something to hold , that's the first thing. when you get out of the hole, don't have self pity and putting ,our head down and not praying believe in a strong god, whatever you call his name, and you have to be to yourself that you know your own self, and the you don't walk around with your head down, you develop courage, the resilience, the tenacity. ♪

>> i have apologized to my family, apologized masson, friends, my my

constituency, and become just of .he nation to they seal this work that i did. all this work i did. ♪ >> look at washington downtown now. in 1995, look at it now -- >> that concludes the memorial service for marion berry. he will be laid to rest later this afternoon a congressional cemetery in washington dc. today's service was the last of

a series of commemorative events that begin on thursday, when marion barry's casket was brought to the wilson building to lie in repose. we will sure you collected speeches from today's service later on c-span. up tonight we will bring you the results of today's runoff election in louisiana, including the senate race between three term democratic incumbent mary landrieu and republican candidate bill cassidy. there are also two races we will keep an eye on, louisiana's sixth congressional district between edwin edwards and garrett graves', who are running for cassidy's open seat. there is also a seat in the fifth congressional district, candidates and that race are ralph abraham. we will have the results from all those races and bring you

this speeches from senator landrieu and congressman cassidy later tonight on c-span. tumorsc-span cities takes book tv in american history tv on the road come in traveling to u.s. cities to learn about the literary life. this week and we partner with cableere -- time warner about waco, texas. over the d turning sides of the 45s we received. gospel music was not widely heard in the white community. it would only be the hits, if that. quickly wasovered how many of the b side songs were directly related to the civil rights movement. there are very few databases, none of them complete, all gospel music. we did not know that. we did not know the sheer number nosongs like, there ain't

segregation in heaven. it was a very dangerous thing in the deep south. song, outhat sort of loud, that is a risk. >> the texas ranger hall of fame was set up in 1976 on the hundred and 75th anniversary of the rangers. it honors 30 rangers who made major contributions to the service or gave their lives under her rock circumstances. portraits --ngs or a begin with stephen f austin. he was successful with his rangers. they fought not only -- managed to make the area reasonably safe from indian raids, but when the texas war for independence broke out, the rangers played a major gaining itss independence by keeping off the

mexican army long enough to develop a strategy. as a result, texas be came its nation, theent republic of texas, for 10 years. >> watch all our vince from waco on c-span twos book tv. >> we have learned that president obama went to walter reed national military medical center today to receive testing for a sore throat. josh earnest said the trip to the hospital was at the suggestion of the president's matter ofat the text convenience. president obama recently discusses economic agenda and ,riorities at a luncheon attended by business leaders in washington. he also talked about working with the republican congress come january and following --

foreign-policy issues regarding the middle east and russia. the event is one hour and a half. [applause] >> the president of the united states. no further introduction. >> well, good morning, everybody. happy holidays. i hope sales are good. i want to spend most of my time, as i usually do, taking questions. i want to thank randall and the rest of the executive committee for the opportunity to speak with you here today. let me just give you a sense of where i think our economy currently is, what's happening around the world and where i think it should be, and the chances for us here in washington to accelerate rather than impede some of the progress that we've made.

around this time six years ago, america's businesses were shedding about 800,000 jobs per month. today, our businesses, including some of the most important businesses in the world that are represented here today, have created over 10.6 million new jobs; 56 months of uninterrupted job growth, which is the longest private sector job growth in our history. we just saw the best six-month period of economic growth in over a decade. for the first time in six years, the unemployment rate is under 6 percent. all told, the united states of america, over the last six years, has put more people back to work than europe, japan, and the rest of the advanced world combined. and that's a record for us to build on. at the same time, what we've been doing is working on restructuring and rebuilding our economy for sustained long-term

growth. manufacturing has grown. the auto industry has the strongest sales since 2007. our deficits have shrunk by about two-thirds, something that very few people, i suspect, in the brt would have anticipated in some of our conversations three or four years ago. when it comes to health care costs, premiums have gone up at the lowest pace on record, which means that a lot of the businesses here are saving money, as are a lot of consumers. on the education front, high school graduations are up, college enrollments are up, math and reading scores have improved. internationally, our exports continue to hit record levels. on energy, we have seen a revolution that is changing not just the economy but also changing geopolitics. not only is oil and natural gas production up -- in part because of technological changes that

have taken place -- but we've also doubled our production of clean energy. and solar energy is up about tenfold, wind energy is up threefold. unit costs for the production of clean energy are dropping down to where they're getting close to being competitive to fossil fuels. and as a consequence, we've also been able to reduce carbon emissions that cause climate change faster than most of the other industrialized countries. so the bottom line is, is that america continues to lead. i was -- andrew liveris and i were talking -- i was with his people in brisbane, australia, and at the g20, what was striking was the degree of optimism that the world felt about the american economy -- an

optimism that in some ways is greater than how americans sometimes feel about the american economy. i think what you saw among world leaders was consistent with what we know from global surveys, which is when you ask people now, what is the number-one place to invest, it's the united states of america. it was china for quite some time. now folks want to put money back into this country. and a lot of that has to do with the fact that we've got the best workers in the world, we've got the best university system, and research and development and innovation in the world, and we've got the best businesses in the world. and so a lot of you can, i think, take great credit for the kind of bounce-back that we've seen over the last six years. having said all that, i think we recognize that we've got a lot more progress to make. and i put it in a couple of categories. there are some common-sense things that we should be doing

that we're not doing, and the reason primarily is because of politics and ideological gridlock. but i suspect that if we surveyed folks here, regardless of your party affiliation, you'd say, let's get this done. infrastructure is one area where we need to go ahead and make some significant investments. anybody who travels around the world and looks at what airports outside the united states now look like, and roads and trains and ports and airports now look like, recognize that it makes no sense for us to have a first-class economy but second class infrastructure. and that would not only help accelerate growth right now, it would also lay the foundation for growth in the future. tax reform -- an area which i know is of great interest to the business roundtable. i have consistently said that

for us to have a system in which we have, on paper, one of the two or three highest tax rates in the world when it comes to corporate taxation, but in practice, there are so many loopholes that you get huge variations between what companies pay, doesn't make sense. and we should be able to smooth the system out, streamline it in such a way that allows us to lower rates, close loopholes, and make for a much more efficient system, where folks aren't wasting a lot of time trying to hire accountants and lawyers to get out of paying taxes, but have some certainty and we are able to raise just as much money on a much simpler system. that's something that i think we should be doing. trade -- in asia, there is a great hunger for engagement with the united states of america, and the trans-pacific partnership is moving forward. michael froman, who is here, has

been working non-stop. i've promised his family that he will be home sometime soon. we are optimistic about being able to get a deal done and we are reinvigorating the negotiations with the europeans on a transatlantic trade deal. if we can get that done, that's good for american businesses, it's good for american jobs, and it's actually good for labor and environmental interests around the world. because what we're trying to do is raise standards so that everybody is on a higher, but level playing field. and i think that your help on that process can make an enormous difference. immigration reform -- i recognize that there's been some controversy about the executive actions that i've taken. on the other hand, i think the brt has been extraordinarily helpful in getting the country to recognize that this is the right thing to do for our economy. we know it will grow the economy

faster. we know it will help us reduce the deficit. we know that it gives us the capacity to bring in high-skilled folks who we should want to gravitate towards the united states to start businesses and to create new products and new services, and to innovate, and to continue the tradition of economic dynamism that's the hallmark of the united states of america. i am still hopeful that we can get legislation done, because if we get legislation done, it actually supplants a lot of the executive actions that i've already taken -- which i've acknowledged are incomplete, allow us to make some progress, but they're temporary, and we could be doing a lot better if we actually get legislation done. so, the good news, despite the fact that obviously the midterm elections did not turn out exactly as i had hoped, is that there remains enormous areas of

potential bipartisan action and progress. and i've already spoken to speaker boehner and senator mitch mcconnell, and what i've said to them is that i am prepared to work with them on areas where we agree, recognizing there are going to be some areas where we just don't agree. and i think one of the habits that this town has to break is this notion that if you disagree on one thing, then suddenly everybody takes their ball home and they don't play. i think that there's got to be the capacity for us to say, here's an area where we're going to have some vigorous disagreement, but here are some areas where we have a common vision -- let's go ahead and get that done, and build some momentum, start working those muscles to actually legislate, sign some legislation, give the american people some confidence that those of us who have this

extraordinary privilege of being placed in leadership are able to actually deliver for the american people. one final point that i'll make, i started off by talking about how generally optimistic i am about the economic trends. there are some concerns on the horizon -- obviously japan being weak, europe being weak, means that the united states, even as we chug along, could be pulled back by global weakness, not only in europe and japan but also the emerging markets. so we're monitoring that and we're working internationally to try to get europe in particular to see stronger growth. but, domestically, the area where i have the deepest concern is the fact that although corporate profits are at the

highest levels in 60 years, the stock market is up 150 percent, wages and incomes still haven't gone up significantly, and certainly have not picked up the way they did in earlier generations. that's part of what's causing disquiet in the general public even though the aggregate numbers look good. and one thing i'd like to work with the brt on is to ask some tricky questions, but important questions, about how we can make sure that prosperity is broad-based. i actually think when you look at the history of this country, when wages are good and consumers feel like they've got some money in their pocket, that ends up being good for business, not bad for business. i think most of you would agree to that. and we've got a lot of good

corporate citizens in this room, unfortunately, the overall trend lines, though, have been, even as productivity and profits go up, wages and incomes as a shared overall gdp have shrunk. and that's part of what is creating an undertow of pessimism despite generally good economic news. i think there are some concrete things we can do to address that, and i'm going to be looking forward to working with the brt to see if we can make progress on those fronts as well. all right? so with that, let's open it up for questions. randall, do you want to call on folks, or do you want me to just go ahead and start? >> if i could ask the first question and then we'll do that. your comments, sir, have been consistent as it relates to tax reform. we have been over the last couple of days talking a lot about what are those things that are most critical for driving job growth -- middle-income job growth -- and it always for us comes back to investment. the more we invest, the more we hire, the more middle-income wages grow. and as we think about what are those things that will drive business investment and that kind of job growth -- you've

touched on it and you have been consistent -- tax reform. and to us, there is no single factor that could be more important. and the question is, do you think it would be useful to have somebody within your administration that you appoint and say, this is a priority to me. we will work with the individual and congress, and just see if this is a priority, if we could drive this through. there's a time frame here, it seems like to us, where there's something that could be done. both sides of congress seem receptive. and so we'd be really open to working with you, somebody specifically in your administration, to help you drive this through. >> well, jack lew is here, our treasury secretary, and my understanding is, he doesn't have enough to do. [applause] [laughter] so i'm thinking maybe we need to put him to work. let me get a little more detailed about the prospects for tax reform. we put out a white paper, a

general concept on corporate tax reform, several years ago when tim geithner was still treasury secretary. i think brt has had an opportunity to take a look at what our basic principles have been. they've been consistent. the idea has been close loopholes, lower rates. we have discussed the possibility of being able to bring in some of the dollars that are trapped outside of the country right now, and in a one-time transaction, potentially use that to pay for some infrastructure improvements. i think there is some openness to that. and when you compare what we put forward with what dave camp, the current house ways and means chairman, put out, his principles for tax reform, there's a lot of overlap. there are some differences, but overall, conceptually, he also believes lower rates, close

loopholes, a minimum tax globally that ensures that folks aren't gaming the system but also allows you to be competitive with folks based in other countries that are operating on a territorial basis. so there is definitely a deal to be done. i think two big hurdles that we're going to have to get over -- the first is the classic problem, which is people are in favor of tax reform in the abstract and sometimes more concerned with tax reform in the specifics. if we are, in fact, going to accomplish revenue-neutral corporate tax reform that substantially lowers the corporate rate, then we have to go after some deductions that

people are very comfortable with. and there are going to be some winners and there are going to be some losers in the short term. over the long term, there's going to be less distortion in the economy, and capital will be allocated more sensibly. but in the short term, there are going to be some winners and losers -- including in this room. the question then becomes, are folks willing and ready to go ahead and make that move for the sake of a simpler, more streamlined, more sensible tax system. because, if not, it's not going to happen. all of you represented in this room have employees and businesses and plants all across the country in every congressional district, and if we don't have consistency and unity coming out of our top companies, then we're going to have -- i think the likelihood of us being able to get

something done is low. the second problem is one that is solvable, but is tricky, and that is paul ryan, at least in the past, has stated that -- and i think boehner has echoed this -- that they don't want to just do corporate tax reform, they're interested in also combining that with individual tax reform, in part because they're concerned about pass-through corporations not being able to benefit the way larger companies do. and we are actually committed to providing simpler and lower tax rates for small businesses as well. but what we're not willing to do is to structure a tax deal in

which either it blows up the deficit -- essentially we can't pay for the revenue that's lost -- or, alternatively, that you get tax shifting from businesses to middle-class and working families. and so when you start introducing the individual side, it gets more complicated in terms of who's benefitting, what are the rates, how is it restructured. my view is, is that if we start with the corporate side, it's a more discrete problem, fewer variables, fewer moving parts. we may be able to get that done, and then we can potentially have a conversation about broader tax reform. that may not be how the republicans view the situation, and so that -- and that could end up being a hang-up. one last point i would make -- and this relates to the issue of

individual tax reform, but it also relates to one of the debates that was taking place during this lame-duck period, and that is about tax extenders. as a general rule, we are open to short-term extensions of many of those provisions to make sure that all of you are able to engage in basic tax planning at least for the next couple of years, and are not having to scramble during tax time, figuring out what exactly the rules are. but more broadly, we'd like to see if some of those tax extender provisions, including things that i strongly support like research and development, are incorporated into a broader, comprehensive tax reform package. in order to do that, though, i also want to make sure that some provisions that benefit working families are included in that package.

the child tax credit -- hugely important for a lot of working families. the eitc, earned income tax credit -- hugely important for a lot of working families, something that has historically been supported on a bipartisan basis because it encourages work, but it says if you're working full-time we're going to try to do everything we can to make sure that you're not in poverty when you're doing the right thing and taking responsibility. there is a college tuition tax credit that benefits a lot of families -- sometimes families who get caught, they're not quite poor enough to qualify for pell grants, but they don't have enough money to be able to really manage college costs. so there are going to be some working-class and middle-class and working-family provisions that have to be incorporated if we are to extend some of these

other tax deductions and tax breaks as well. but that, hopefully, gives you a sense of optimism on my part, but cautious optimism. i think that there are going to be some real challenges, but we are absolutely committed to working with speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell, as well as the brt and other interests in seeing if we can get this thing done. i think the time is right. and you're right, randall, that the window is not going to be open too wide and it's going to start narrowing the closer we get into the next presidential election -- which always seems to start the day after the last election. >> mr. president, maggie wilderotter with frontier communications. thank you for being with us. and also thank you for explaining a little bit more what you're thinking about for tax reform. i also want to just underline

that the tax extenders, until there is some reform that takes place, is really important to all of us in this room. >> right. >> as randall mentioned, it is about capital investment that really drives income growth for middle-class families. our company serves 30,000 communities in rural america, so that is important to us. one of the other things that's important to us is the continuing resolution to keep the government going. >> me, too. [laughter] >> yes. can you talk a little bit about how we make sure that we don't have fits and starts again on that subject? >> i've been encouraged by recent statements by speaker boehner and leader mcconnell about their interest in preventing another government shutdown and i take them at their word. the federal government budgeting process generally is -- how should i put it -- not ideal.

ideally, we would have longer time frames, greater certainty. we would be able to distinguish between capital investments that are going to have long-term payoffs and short-term operating expenses. historically, that's just not been how the budget process has been structured. and since the plane is constantly flying, it's hard to get in there -- maybe jim has advice about how to switch up engines while the plane is in the air. so the tendency is just to kick the can down the road with a series of continuing resolutions. there's been an effort to try to get back to regular procedures and to systematically look through these budgets. there was talk of an omnibus bill rather than a continuing resolution.

and i think it will be useful for you to get directly from the speaker what their intentions are at this point. but the one thing i can say for certain is that no one benefits by the government shutting down, and it is entirely unacceptable for us not to maintain the full faith and credit of the united states government. and we just cannot afford to engage in that kind of brinksmanship that we saw over the last couple years. each time that happened, consumer sentiment plunged. it was a self-inflicted wound and we had to dig ourselves back out of a hole, despite all the efforts that had been made, simply because people's confidence in the system overall was shaken. so my strong hope is, is that we don't repeat that. and part of the principle that can prevent that is what i

already articulated. we have to be able to disagree on some things while going ahead and managing the people's business and working on the things where we do agree. democracy is messy, but it doesn't have to be chaos. and i've been encouraged, as i said, so far by statements by republican leadership. and if, in fact, we can get some certainty on the budget at least for the next year, that then gives us the window to work on tax reform. the good news is in all this is the incredible progress we've made on our short-term deficits. nobody talks about them anymore. i will say that's one of the frustrating things about washington, is people are really good about hollering about problems, and then when we solve them nobody talks about them.

we have made extraordinary progress in reducing our short-term deficits. we still have some long-term liabilities that we've got to worry about, and some of those problems, though, have been addressed -- are being addressed by changes in the health care delivery system, which has been a huge driver of long-term federal debt. i think i mentioned earlier that health care inflation has gone up at the slowest rate in 50 years, far slower than had been projected by cbo or by the actuaries for medicare. as a consequence, we've already been able to book about $188 billion in savings over the next 10 years in reduced health care outlays. and i actually think that we can get more done as some of the delivery system reforms that we

talked about and are initiating through the affordable care act are put in place. so there's good news on the budget. but now what we've got to do is to create a framework in which not only do we keep our deficits low and we're able to start driving down our debt, but we're also able to make some core investments that i mentioned earlier -- in infrastructure, in education, and particularly early childhood education is an area where i think we can make a lot of progress, in basic research and science. i was out at nih yesterday talking to a woman who had worked 10 years on the ebola virus in great obscurity until suddenly everybody thought she was pretty interesting. and we're in the process now of phase two trials on an ebola vaccine. but that kind of basic research investment is part of what keeps

us at the leading edge. so if we can create a budget structure that allows us to make those investments, keep deficits low, streamline our tax system, then i think the opportunities for american preeminence economically are very, very high. yes, doug. >> mr. president, good morning. welcome. thank you for joining us. the four things you mentioned in your earlier comments -- infrastructure, immigration, tax and trade -- are sweet spots for this group. they're our highest priorities. any one, or any combination, or all of them would lead to economic growth, job creation. and everyone in here wants to grow and everyone wants to add jobs, and we all want to raise pay -- believe it or not. >> oh, i do believe it. >> we'd be interested in your comments on the priorities of those. as you look into '15 -- new congress, new faces, certainly a changed senate -- what's first, what's second? kind of what's the lineup?

>> i think it's going to be very important for me to consult with boehner and mcconnell to find out how they want to sequence their efforts, because ultimately the challenges on most of this stuff has not been my administration's unwillingness to engage or get it done, it's been the complications of congress and the challenges they have in their respective caucuses. my instinct, though, is to get a process started on tax reform early, because you need a pretty long runway for that. it takes some time.

engage with the critics, because i think some of the criticism of what we've been doing on the trans-pacific partnership is groups fighting the last war as opposed to looking forward. and so that may be something discrete that we can get done if

we're able to have a good, solid debate and everybody feels like it's been transparent and they understand exactly what it is that we're trying to do. infrastructure i think gets wrapped up in tax reform. the challenge for infrastructure has been that -- it's not that i think my republican friends don't want infrastructure. i notice whenever we get a project going, they're at the ribbon-cutting. i think it's the pay-fors, how do you pay for it. and they're very sensitive, as you know, to anything that might be construed as a tax. of course, it's hard to pay for things if you don't have some sort of revenue stream. and i've been exploring -- i had a conversation with larry fink a while back, and larry has been bringing together some people to see how we can do more in

attracting private investment into infrastructure construction -- which is done fairly effectively in a lot of other countries, but that's not been our tradition, so our tax structures and legal structures are not optimally designed to get private capital and infrastructure. but we're working on that. but i do think that if we are successful with tax reform that may give us an avenue for a one-time big push on infrastructure. but it's hard for me to envision this congress being able to vote on a big infrastructure bill on its own, because i don't know where they would get the money for it. i've got some proposals, but i don't think they're likely to adopt them. and finally, on immigration, i think that's something that probably comes last.

i suspect that temperatures need to cool a little bit in the wake of my executive action. certainly, there will be pressure initially within republican caucuses to try to reverse what i've done, despite the fact that what i'm doing i think is exactly the right thing to do. we have to prioritize how we allocate limited enforcement resources, and we should be focusing on felons we should not be focusing on breaking up families who are our neighbors and our friends and whose kids go to school with us. it's temporary, and as soon as congress passes comprehensive legislation, it goes away. but i don't think that that's something that this congress will be able to do right away. my suspicion is they'll take a couple of stabs at rolling back what i've done, and then perhaps

folks will step back and say, well, rather than just do something partial that we may not be completely satisfied with, let's engage with the president to see if we can do something more comprehensive that addresses some of our concerns, but also addresses my concerns as well. so i think that's probably the sequence -- get tax reform rolling. make sure that everybody understands, from my perspective, it's going to have to be balanced. we're not going to leave eitc or the child tax credit behind and just do a corporate piece on its own. but if we can get that ball rolling and we can get trade done -- and then there's some things that we haven't really talked about. i mentioned, for example, patent reform. there's still more work to do there. cybersecurity, an area that is

of great interest to a lot of people in this room. some areas that shouldn't be ideological at all, don't require huge expenditures of money, do require that we reorganize ourselves to respond to new challenges and new threats. then you could see an environment begin to emerge of productivity in washington -- which would be exciting. i love signing bills. [laughter] david? >> could you provide a global perspective for us? you were recently in china, and them now being the number-two economy in the world, us building peaceful commercial ties with them while not turning a blind eye to the things that we know are issues is important. and it feels like you made some progress there with greenhouse gases and other things. and then could you take a moment to talk about some of the

trouble spots in the world and how you're thinking about russia and the middle east and korea and what we have to deal with there? >> good. well, let me talk about economics and then i'll talk about geopolitics. i've touched on earlier the economics, and many of you have great analysts, so i'm probably not telling you anything you don't know or are not experiencing concretely in your businesses. the united states stands out as an economy that's going strong at the moment. japan is contracting in a way that has surprised many analysts and i know surprised prime minister abe. he's got new elections. there's a delay in the consumption tax, the second phase of it, that was slated to go into effect. they're pursuing fairly aggressive monetary policy. but i don't know whether they're going to be able to pull out of

the current variation on what's been a pretty long-term slump any time soon, and they've still got some debt overhang that they've got to address. in europe, the debate has generally been framed as austerity and prudence promoted by the germans, versus a desire for a looser set of fiscal policies among the southern countries. if you look, the truth is, is that spain, france, to a lesser extent italy -- most of the big countries in the south have been engaging in some pretty serious structural reforms. they haven't done everything that they need to do in terms of providing labor flexibility, for example, but they are making strides in addressing many of those issues. but right now, what you've got

is an environment in which the dangers of deflation and really weak demand in europe chronically, over a long period of time, i think are more significant than dangers of overheating economies and inflation in the european union. and we have -- i joke sometimes that i'm an honorary member of the european commission -- and jack certainly is, tim geithner before him -- we have spent a lot of time trying to manage through various crises that pop up in europe. and my concern is that because

there's not a current financial crisis and the markets are relatively calm, that we're not paying enough attention to just the overall weakness of the european economy. and we keep on poking and prodding, suggesting to them that -- in our own circumstances, for example, we were able to reduce our deficits in part because, yes, we raised some taxes, but in part because we grew faster. and if you've just got weaker demand chronically, then it's actually harder to get out of a hole than if you had stronger investment and stronger demand there. the emerging markets i think have been slower than anticipated. china has a fairly good rationale for that. they're trying to shift away from a model that was entirely export driven to a model that recognizes they need stronger demand inside of china. and they've got a nascent, but growing middle class start to have enough confidence to spend

some money. but that requires a complete reorganization of their economy. they've got a real estate situation, in part because of state-sponsored spending, that is always at risk of overheating. and so the new normal that they're anticipating means that they won't be growing quite as fast as they had before. if they grow at 7 percent, we'd take it, but for them, that's significantly slower. and that then has ramifications in terms of demand for commodities, which, in turn, affects a whole lot of emerging markets. india -- modi has impressed me so far with his willingness to shake up the bureaucratic inertia inside of india. but that is a long-term project and we'll have to see how successful he is.

brazil -- challenges, but they just completed an election and i think they recognize they need to grow faster. so i guess the overall global picture -- and, jack, you can correct me if there's anything that i'm saying that's wrong -- is people continue to look to america for economic leadership. we need some other engines to be pulling the global economy along and we're pursuing diplomatic policies and consultations to try to encourage that. on the geopolitics, my meeting with president xi i thought was very productive and obviously we had some significant deliverables. he has consolidated power faster and more comprehensively than probably anybody since i think deng xiaoping.

and everybody has been impressed by his clout inside of china after only a year and a half or two years. there are dangers in that -- on issues of human rights, on issues of clamping down on dissent. he taps into a nationalism that worries his neighbors and that we've seen manifest in these maritime disputes in the south china sea as well as the senkaku islands. on the other hand, i think they have a very strong interest in maintaining good relations with the united states. and my visit was a demonstration of their interest in managing

this relationship effectively. our goal with china has been to say to them, we, too, want a constructive relationship. we've got an integrated world economy and the two largest economies in the world have to have an effective relationship together. it can be a win-win for both sides, but there are some things we need them to fix. and we are pressing them very hard on issues of cybersecurity and cyber theft, mostly in the commercial area. it is indisputable that they engage in it, and it is a problem. and we push them hard on it. one thing the brt can do is to help us by speaking out when you're getting strong-armed about some of these issues. and i know it's sensitive because you don't want to be necessarily penalized in your operations in china, but that's an area that's important. same thing with intellectual property. we are pushing them hard on that. one of the ancillary benefits of

the trans-pacific partnership is to create high standards in the region that then china has to adapt to, as opposed to a race to the bottom where there's no ip protection, for example, and china is really setting the terms for how trade and investment should operate. president xi is interested in a business investment treaty. that could be significant because it could help to change the environment in which you are able to invest in china without being discriminated against relative to domestic firms. we've got a lot of work to do on that, but that's a work stream that we've set up. so i think we have to be cautious and clear-eyed about our relationship with china, but there's no reason why we should not be able to manage that relationship in a way that is productive for us and productive

for the world. i'm less optimistic about russia. i have a very direct, blunt and businesslike relationship with putin. we had a very productive relationship when medvedev was president, even though putin was still the power behind the thrown. in part because i think the situation in ukraine caught him by surprise, he has been improvising himself into a nationalist, backward-looking approach to russian policy that is scaring the heck out of his neighbors and is badly damaging his economy. and sanctions are having a big bite on their economy. we continue to offer them a pathway to a diplomatic

resolution of the problem. but the challenge is this is working for him politically inside of russia, even though it is isolating russia completely internationally. and i think people should take note of how unified we have been able to keep the europeans on sanctions and penalizing russia for its behavior, despite the fact that it's tough on the russian economy -- or on the european economy. but people have recognized there's a core principle at stake that helped to establish peace in europe and prosperity in europe that can't be ignored. but if you ask me, am i optimistic that putin suddenly changes his mind-set, i don't think that will happen until the politics inside of russia catch up to what's happening in the economy inside of russia -- which is part of the reason why we're going to continue to maintain that pressure. and finally, in the middle east,

you are going through a generational shift, a tectonic shift in the middle east, and it is messy and it is dangerous. part of it is sectarian schisms between shia and sunni, and conflicts between states that engage in proxy fights that are far more bloody and vicious and significant now than the conflict between arabs and jews. and you're seeing that primarily in iraq and syria. and i am confident about our ability to push isil back in iraq. syria i think is a broader and longer-term -- more difficult,

long-term proposition, in part because the civil war has gotten so bad and the interests of outside parties are so conflicting that it may take time to let that thing settle down. but obviously we're very active not just militarily, but diplomatically. the longer-term problem in the middle east is -- and this relates to the economy -- the whole region in some ways has gone down a blind alley where too often islam is now equated with rejection of education, modernity, women's participation -- all the things that allow you to thrive in a modern economy. and that's not uniformly true, but too often those forces

inside of islam have been elevated, and moderate voices and voices that recognize islam should be compatible with science, education, tolerance, openness, global commerce, productivity -- too often those voices have been silenced. so the question now becomes are we able to strengthen some of those voices. that is a generational problem. -- that is a generational project. and some of the things we're doing, for example, are entrepreneurial summits for muslim small business leaders, and that's the kind of thing that we want to continue to promote and where we thing the brt can be very helpful. but in the meantime, a big chunk of my job is just making sure that we help to contain the damage that's being done inside

of the middle east and then hopefully, over time, build towards a better future there. that's not a two-year project, that's going to be a longer-term project. that was a long answer, but it was a big question. he said he wanted to go around he said he wanted to go around the world and i did that pretty fast. all right. in the back. fred. >> mr. president, you mentioned infrastructure in your opening remarks, and the brt i think would echo the fact that our highways and bridges are deteriorating, and the lack of investment is creating congestion, which is retarding economic activity. >> i want my fedex package moving smooth through our infrastructure. >> "60 minutes" did a very good piece on this problem the other day. so the highway trust fund, which provides the funding for all of