the earth, and won a revolution as a ragtag bunch of colonists it was only with god's blessing that we did so. when we survived the horrible civil war that ripped us apart to expunge the original sin of slavery, it was only with god's blessing that we came back and were stitched together again as a nation. when we stood with winston churchill, to stand up against the nazis and defeat the scourge of evil, it was only with god's blessing that we saved freedom on this planet. and when president reagan stood before the brandenburg gate and said, mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall, it was only with god's grace and blessing. [applause] that we won the cold war -- we have done it before over and over again, and we can do it again. we can come together.

and the answer, the reason i am hopeful, the reason i am optimistic is because of each and every one of you. the answer is the grassroots the american people. we are working to build the grassroots of our nation all across this country. the answer will not come from washington. it will only come from the american people. i would ask everyone of you that has your cell phone -- i would ask you on your cell phone to text the word "constitution and quote to the number 33733. the word "constitution" to the number 33733. what we are working to do is to bring together that same coalition of men and women across iowa, across this

country, to say, we do not accept losing this country. we will together reignite the miracle of america. we will together bring back that shining city on a hill that is the united states of america. thank you, and god bless you. [applause] >> awesome job. >> ♪ only in america ♪ >> senator cruz spoke to members of the news media. this is 15 minutes.

[no audio] >> good afternoon everyone. welcome to iowa. thank you for coming out. it is great to be with you on an incredible gathering. the enthusiasm is electric. it bodes well for the energy in the enthusiasm of the people of iowa to help turn our country around. i'm happy to answer questions.

>> what you going to do with those phone numbers you collected? >> we are looking to build a grassroots army. feeling way we can turn this country around, it is not going to come from washington. it has to come from the american people. i am looking to mobilize and energize the american people, to hold every elected official accountable, republican and democrat, to get back to the basic principles, the free market principles that built our country. >> you believe jeb bush is a constitutional conservative? >> that is a determination for the voters to make. >> what do you think? >> i think that is a determination for the voters to make. with every candidate the voters are going to assess what is your record? one of the things i shared is that talk is cheap. every candidate will describe how conservative they are. far more relevant, when have you stood and fought, when have you

bled? what have you accomplished for conservative principles? >> you started your political career in the bush campaign. >> i have many friends in and out of politics and have had a great many conversations. [inaudible] i keep a practice of private conversations private. >> if abortion lies is criminalized again what you think the penalty should be for a doctor who performs an abortion? give me an example of a conservative taking a stand on that question. >> one of the things i am amazed by in the media world's questions when it comes to the right to live.

the majority of the americans support the right to live. questions that assume that is somehow an unusual position to hold. it is interesting. very few folks in the media, ask president obama about his vote in the illinois state legislature against the borderline legislation act. it said in the course of an abortion of a child is born alive, outside the mother's womb, breathing and crying, the physician can not been murder that infant. he voted against that. that is a radical, extreme physician -- extreme position. when the media's gathered around the president i don't recall anyone ask that question. at the end of the day i think we need to move to a culture that values and protects, and cherishes human life. >> are you for

decriminalization? >> i am pro-life. we need to protect every human life from the moment of conception to natural death. [inaudible question] >> when it comes to his ability to get the backtrack for nafta would you grant that for him? >> ima strong supporter -- i am a strong supporter of free trade. it produces jobs at home. america prospers when we open up new markets for our experts. it benefits manufacturers, it benefits farmers, it benefits ranchers. one of the few areas where there is some potential for bipartisan agreement is working together to expand free trade and open up new markets for our manufacturers. >> you would give [inaudible] >> i support fast-track.

[inaudible question] >> immigration reform is something on which in the long term i am very optimistic. in the short term i am pessimistic. in the long term i think there is a lot of bipartisan agreement outside of washington when it comes to immigration reform. outside of washington i think there is overwhelming bipartisan agreement that we have got to get serious about securing our borders, and stopping the problem of illegal immigration. i think there is also substantial bipartisan agreement outside of washington that we need to improve and streamline legal immigration. we need to remain in nation it doesn't is welcome but celebrates legal immigrants.

i am the son of an immigrant who came 58 years ago from cuba. there is no stronger advocate. one of the most unfortunate consequences is he has not sought to solve the problem. he has not sought to bring people together and fix the problem. the way you craft legislation commonsense legislation that would go through congress, you focus on areas of bipartisan agreement. that is a you craft legislation. what he has done is focused on the most dismissive, partisan elements of the debate. i believe he has done some political reasons, that political advantage. when it comes to the president's most recent amnesty order, this order was blatantly unconstitutional. the president stood up and said he intends to disregard that will immigration law

unilaterally change it to grant amnesty for some 5 million people here illegally. that is wrong. it undermines the rule of law. if the president can pick and choose which lost to follow, he did an interview where he was asked a simple question. the question was you justify this under prosecutorial discretion, saying you can choose not to enforce these laws. under that theory would that mean the next president could choose to use prosecutorial discretion not to collect capital gains taxes, to say we are not want to collect those laws. he had no response to that. you reach immigration reform through agreements. [inaudible question]

>> when it comes to energy i support all of the above. i believe we should be developing and exploring using all of our energy resources. that includes solar and wind and nuclear. i don't think the federal government should be picking winners and losers. i don't think the federal government should be deciding which lobbyist a favor and wish not to favor. instead, the marketplace should be allowed to operate. biofuel, even without a federal mandate, will remain an important part of the energy market. we don't need to have the federal government mandating it. it should be in a fair and market -- fair and open market. i think that is the decision for the voters to make. i will tell you this. i do think voters are looking for someone who will tell them the truth. we will do what they say they

will do. it is easy for a candidate to go to one state or another and to tell the voters exactly what they want to hear. one of the reasons so many voters distrust politicians is a no talk is cheap. sometimes politicians say one thing to one group and the opposite of the other group. what i have tried to do in the senate is number one, tell the truth, and number two, do what i said i would. i hope that has demonstrated to 27 million texans, those who voted for me and those that didn't, that i will follow through, and defend in stand by the principles i campaigned on. that is what a lot of voters are looking for. >> will mitt romney when the nomination? >> the question of who can win the nomination, we have a long time for that to play out. that is going to be off to the caucus in iowa, and south carolina, and across the country.

we are going have a national debate over the next year and a half over what direction the republican party should go and what direction the country should go. i very much agree with president reagan who said the way we win is to paint in bold colors and not pale pastels. that is the path to victory. where we are today is like the late 1970's. the parallels between jimmy carter and barack obama are uncanny. same misery, stagnation, malaise. same feckless and naïve foreign policy. i think 2016 is going to be an election very much like 1980. the way to win is to draw lines in the sand, to have a clear distinction with a positive optimistic, hopeful vision. i believe in 2016 americans are going to choose a very different path from the path we are on prepared one to choose to come together to reignite the miracle

of america. the way to do so it is with bold colors. that is the path to victory in turning the country around. thank you. [inaudible questions] >> is tom brady telling the truth? [laughter] >> andrew keen on how the public is being used by internet companies for their own profit. >> when people used to go to work in factories prepare pay for labor. they worked 9-to-5. they went home and did what they want with that money. today we are all working in these factories like google and facebook and twitter. we are unpaid labor. we are working 20 for hours a day. we're not rewarded. it is not even a we are creating the value for them. worse than that, we're the ones who are being packaged as the product.

of course with these companies are doing is learning more and more about as from our behavior from what we publish, from our photographs, from our ideas and what we buy, promote we don't say. they are learning about us. they are creating expansive [indiscernible] and repackaging us as the product. we are the ones being sold. not only are we working for free, then we are being sold. it is the ultimate scam. it is the perfect hitchcock movie. >> we're showing you some speakers from the iowa freedom summit in des moines. next, carly fearfiorina, sarah palin, and rick perry. [applause]

>> thank you so much. thank you. thank you. so great to be with you here. when i was a little girl, my mother, who was my sunday school teacher that year, gave me and the rest of her sunday school class a little plaque. as it said, what you are is god's gift to you. what you make of yourself is your gift to god. i did not feel very gifted as a child. but i went on to college, and i graduated with a degree in medieval history and philosophy. that is right. all dressed up, and nowhere to go. [laughter] so with apologies to every lawyer here, i went off to law school. i hated it. i quit after a single semester. and so to earn a living, i went back to doing full-time what i

had done part time to put myself through school. i was a secretary. and i was hired by a little nine person real estate firm to type and file and answer the phones. i have traveled and lived all over the world, and i know that it is still true in 2015 that it is only in the united states of america that a young woman can start as a secretary and become the chief executive officer of the largest technology company in the world. [applause] that is only possible in the united states of america because our founders knew what my mother taught me. all of us have god-given gifts. everyone has potential. and our founders believed that here, everyone has the right to fulfill their potential. i know how proud all of you were the other night to see your

senator, joni ernst, stand up and deliver the response to president obama's state of the union. immediately after her response emily's list, the pro-abortion women's group -- emily's list describes senator ernst, a mother, a soldier, a sitting senator, as window dressing. let us talk, please, about who is waging a war on women. [applause] the next morning, the very next morning, valerie jarrett was on tv, talking about equal pay for equal work. i was on the same program, and i asked her why there was a wage gap between men and women in president obama's white house, as measured by the very numbers

that he has used to politicize the issue. and i asked her further why, if she was so concerned about equal pay for equal work -- why the white house was not tackling the seniority system which is in place in every federal government bureaucracy and every union shop. the seniority system which does not reward performance, merit, or hard work, but rewards instead time in grade. the seniority system, which is manages women. it is this hypocrisy, the hypocrisy of liberals, that enrages me most. [applause] while president obama urges us in his state of the union to invest in infrastructure, he is unwilling still to support the keystone xl pipeline. [applause]

and while the administration cheers when 7 million people sign up for obamacare, they ignore completely that more than that have lost their coverage or no longer have as good coverage as they once had. liberals will decry crony capitalism, but then they pile on the rules and regulations in dodd-frank, and the result, as we know, is that 10 banks too big to fail have become five banks too big to fail. meanwhile, community banks, the places were family-owned businesses, families, and small business owners get their credit -- community banks are struggling. they are struggling because community banks, like small and family-owned businesses, are not big enough, are not powerful enough, to hire all the accountants, the lawyers, and the lobbyists to understand all these rules and rates, or to influence them. liberals call is the party of

big business. but then they continue to increase the burden and the complexity of taxes and regulations, until only the wealthy and the well-connected can survive. i ran a big business. i did not like the regulations but i could handle them. i could hire accountants and lawyers. the nine person firm i started out in -- they cannot handle it. now, for the first time in u.s. history, we are destroying more small businesses than we are forming. small business is being crushed all across this country by big government. small business is the engine of economic growth in this country. it creates two thirds of the new jobs and employs half of our people. small business is being crushed, because only big business can

handle big government. [applause] i once lived in the state of california. my husband and i moved back to virginia three years ago. but in the state of california -- that state, as you well know, where liberals have been in charge for a very long time. the result? the highest poverty rates in the country. income inequality is soaring. the devastation and exodus of the middle class. the worst business climate in the nation. and in california, liberals expend enormous energy to protect frogs and fish. and yes, even flies.

and it is on the issue of life that the hypocrisy of liberals is at its most breathtaking. [applause] liberals believe that flies are worth protecting, but the life of an unborn child is not. the platform of the democratic party -- the platform of the democratic party asserts the right to an abortion at any point in a pregnancy, for any reason. and there are now people in the democratic party pushing to allow these abortions to be performed by non-doctors. vertro boxer once commented that a life is only a life when it leaves the hospital. we know that science supports those of us who believe in the sanctity of life. that means tax reform and regulatory reform. that means sending the locusts of the epa back to washington.

[applause] i was once out in west texas and i said -- you know, the >> i have thought very often how different my life would have been if my mother-in-law had made a different choice. a woman, any woman, who faces a difficult choice, or a prenatal diagnosis, this woman deserves our empathy, and our support. never our judgment where our condemnation. she knows she will face

difficulty and struggle. none of us can predict the future. none of us can predict the struggles we are going to face. i know this. having watched our younger daughter lori consumed by the demons of addiction, which ultimately took her life. i know from my own battle with cancer sometimes the greatest blessings in life come from times of struggle. the quality of a life is measured in love, in moments of grace, and positive contribution. i know that everyone has god-given gifts, and every life has potential. [applause] >> we know what separates liberals from conservatives.

we know as conservatives that no one of us is better than any one of us. liberals don't believe that. liberals think that some are better than others. some are smarter than others. so, some are going to have to take care of others, or decide for others. we know, we know that work, work brings dignity. family brings purpose. faith brings meaning to our lives. we know. [applause] we know that every person has the capacity, has the desire to live a life of dignity and purpose and meaning. yet, despite these clear differences, we get frustrated when these clear differences don't seem to translate into a different direction. government has gotten bigger

under obama. government has grown year after year, after year under both republicans and democrats for 50 years. i serve as the chairman of a christian-based organization called opportunity international. we have lent $6 billion to people in desperate poverty so that they could build better lives for themselves and their families, starting with $150 loans. today i can deliver a loan to a woman in mullally over a cell phone. a veteran returning from battlefields with grievous ones, a veteran must spend months filling out paperwork, then spend maybe more months waiting for a bureaucrat to check that paperwork and determine that this veteran has deserves the benefits they already have earned. and then, they have to wait

months more to be treated. we cannot tinker around the edges of this problem anymore. knowing that the problem has existed for decades, that is just one of the problems of our government. the v.a. has been a problem for decades, knowing that these problems have existed for this time, the sad truth is that legislators from both parties declared victory, not when they were able to guarantee a veteran the care that they have earned they declared victory when they did something they should have done a long time ago, they passed a bill allowing senior executives to be fired if they were not doing their jobs.

[applause] really? really? is this the best we can do. the majority of americans, and the majority of women agree that abortion after five months for any reason is extreme. yet, politics, apparently, intervened to prevent the pain unborn child from being brought to a vote. it says once again politics has triumphed over principles and expediency has triumphed over courage. [applause] this is not leadership of the house. i am reminded, i am reminded of the difference between management and leadership, between managers and leadership. managers do the best they can.

within the system. leaders change constraints and conditions. [applause] leaders see possibilities, leaders mobilize others to seize possibilities. leaders do not accept what is broken simply because it has always been that way. [applause] you know, and every profession there is a hazard that you are so consumed by your profession that you do not see anything else. so you start to lose perspective. your judgment is clouded. you cannot see the forest through the trees. you cannot see the principles through the politics. you cannot recognize the dysfunctional around you.

in business people become obsessed with making quarterly numbers. they fail in that environment to see the long-term investments that need to be made. or they violate ethics, or the law to make the numbers. in politics, people can become obsessed with the back-and-forth, with the tactical advantage, with the vote in front of them, with the press coverage about them. they fail to see the principle at stake, or what is truly broken in our system. people who loved been in and around government and politics for their entire lives may no longer be able to see the truth. our government must be fundamentally reformed. [applause] the system has to be changed.

our politics can no longer tinker on the edges. and you know this, the bureaucratic monster that our government has become is not simply inefficient or ineffective. or corrupt. the truth now is that our government spies its complexity, it's cost, and its power over our lives now work against the interest of the people. the potential of america is being crushed by the weight of government of america. [applause] only citizens, only citizens like you and me can see what must be done. this will take courage and common sense. it will take character and

commitment. ours was always intended to be a citizen government. our founders never envisioned a professional political class. they envisioned that people, leaders would emerge from agriculture commerce, and would serve their nation when she called them to do so. to accomplish fundamental reform, we will take an understanding of the technology driving this century and changing our world. it will require an understanding of how the economy actually works. it will require an understanding, a knowledge of how bureaucracy functions, how real change can be accomplished. fundamental reform will take a

return to the values that have always been the bedrock of this nation. [applause] we must understand our role in the world. to lead. the nature of our allies, and especially the nature of adversaries, like hillary clinton, i have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe. unlike her i have accomplished something. [applause] you see, mrs. clinton, flying is not an accomplishment. it is an activity. [laughter] i have met vladimir putin. i know that it takes far more than a gimmick reset button to halt his ambition. having done business in 80 countries, having served as the

chairman of the experimental advisory board for several years, i know china and north korea and russia are state sponsors of cyber warfare. i know china has a strategy to steal our intellectual property. i know netanyahu. i know when he warns us that iran is a threat to our nation and to his own, we must listen. [applause] unlike hillary clinton, i know what difference it makes, that our american ambassador in three other brave americans were killed in a deliberate terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11 in libya. apparently, unlike hillary clinton and barack obama, i know our response must be more forceful than the arrest of a single individual one year later. [applause]

i am a conservative. after a lifetime of experience in all kinds of places, and all kinds of environments, i still know that our principles work better to unlock potential and others. i also know that this is the highest calling of leadership. [applause] i have had the great privilege to travel all across the nation, all across the state of iowa.

i sense a deep disquiet. americans fear we are losing something, and they know we are missing something. we fear we are losing the essence of who we are. we fear we are losing that uniquely american sense of limitless possibilities, for ourselves, for our children, for our grandchildren. but, all of our nations' wounds are self-inflicted. all of our problems can be solved. every american can live a life of dignity and purpose, and meaning. we have everything we need to make this time the greatest in america's history. [applause]

what is required now is citizenship and leadership. so, let us together rise to meet the challenges that confront us, let us together truly reform our government and our politics. let us together restore the promise of this, the greatest nation world has ever known. may god bless you all, may god continue to bless the united states of america. [applause] thank you so much. thank you.

[applause] ♪ >> thank you so much, iowa. thank you. thank you. i'm so happy to get to be here. thank you. i thank you so much. it is so great to be back in iowa. we have great memories here. many trips that we have been blessed to take here. the 2008 campaign. then even more fun, the tea party rally we had. that was fun. we have had fried everything your state fair. of course, one year thinking that after the say are, i was

going to work some of it off, we drive up to storm lake. i think there is a half marathon going on. i can go incognito and go see this race. incognito. it means for me no makeup. [laughter] i'm going to scare little children. i am running the race and jump in there. i'm incognito i'm thinking. i'm running in peace. no one is talking politics. i can't talk anyway. but no press there with suspicious thinking of their signals, she is in iowa, what is she doing? they are good at sensing who is coming, who is going and the significance of your state. i'm running, but no press

bugging me if i want to run for president or not. that was the year of that question. jumping into the race, i'm running across the finish line. boom, their im accused of running the race for political purposes. i find out that ok, i'm in iowa, the race happened to be called the jump right in and run race. i got a medal. the press is like you orchestrated that. i'm like oh yeah, asked todd. anyway. my best memories are of the wonderful friends we have made here, good people, hard workers with love for this great country. they show your work athletic -- work ethic. even driving by your homes with flags waving on the front porches, on any given night i think a lot of you may be found out there on your porches clinging to your guns, your god, your constitution.

it is because of that, because of you the rest of the country knows this part of america as the heartland. last time i was here to campaign, it was for one of those friends whom we have made, and you know her, the soldier, the farmer, a good neighbor, and back then i called her a pistol packing harley riding mama grizzly. now i am thrilled to call her your senator, joni ernst. >> other friends, it was here in iowa that i first met a big burly, but kind of sheepdog humble type of guy who wanted to help us out with security. so happy to get to bring them to iowa and get to know him well. he was a veteran.

my heart for the military. he was humbled. we became friends with them over the years, todd and him especially becoming friends. we learn more about his amazing story. it is the story of so many of our veterans. incredible sacrifice to protect our freedom. while we missed that particular friend now, we are so happy the rest of america is getting to know more and more the story of american sniper, chris kyle. it was here that we were introduced to chris. you know why that movie is breaking records all over the great nation?

america needs a hero again. chris kyle has been that man. screw the left in hollywood who can't understand what it is that we see in someone like chris kyle and our veterans. [applause] so the last couple of days my daughter and i have been at a run show in las vegas. at the gun show, getting to link up with thea, chris's wife. she was honoring veterans now that chris is gone. carrying on her husband's legacy, visiting with the veterans. like those military families having that sincere appreciation for what other military families go through. spending so much time with these other veterans. at this party, it seems that we

are always going rogue something always happens. we're at the priority -- we are signing books. in the back this young, very energetic, very bold young veteran holds up a sign, and it was a four letter message to michael moore. i call him up front. he is holding the poster. i am looking at it. he shows it to me. pictures started snapping. i'm giving the poster the old thumbs up. it was my thumb, not any other finger. [laughter] that poster though, you have heard the term swear like a sailor. i think this guy was a soldier. same thing. someone snaps that photo and we have taken a lot of heat over the last two days for being sing with it. it is a message he deserves. [applause]

i was thinking -- i was thinking we will take that heat. that is ok. what the poster said is what the rest of us are thinking. what really came down to was our message to those who don't understand again the opportunity they have to do whatever the heck they want to do even if they are jerks. it is our veterans, are active service members who are protecting their right to be jerks. if you love freedom you think of veterans. i'm glad to be in iowa because i'm amongst friends who understand that foundational aspect of america. [applause] we appreciate our veterans. ok. one other connection to iowa. someone else who else from the state, speaking of bristol

maybe you have seen her in the news recently. photos of herbert posted. they were candid photos of her just nothing on but leather. beautiful leather. [indiscernible] she was trained here in iowa. another scandal with the palin's. these pictures were posted because she has been trained as a companion for my youngest child, trig. this healthy labrador, she was trained by the same talents at the copy jake foundation that train service dogs for our

veterans. [applause] so we have an honor to be a part of that organization and that charity, and our dog. we are happy she is from puppy jake. these pictures, it was just scandalous that i would show our big, strapping, healthy lab letting my little boy use her as a stepping stool to get to reach the kitchen sink. i took a picture and said this is what turning a stumbling block until a stepping stone is about. who would have thought it would have become a scandal. they just let logo. they went absolutely crazy. this rest of the tinderbox of the world, everything that is

going on in it, this was the most outrageous thing that had happened. barking their tired old death threats against us. get in line, weasels. [laughter] [applause] yeah. they are howling to the press. cruelty to animals, sarah palin. which surprised me, considering what it does. what joni ernst does to those iowa hogs. [laughter] not to mention, but the president admitted to doing to those innocent indonesian puppies. jill adapted. she is another connection to iowa. her motto is better a stepping stone than a snack. [laughter] better stepped on been scarfed up. the media crucified us. we are getting used to that. thank you some much, citizens united, awesome group.

thank you for the invitation and steve king, there he strong. he is going rogue in d.c. for being one of the brave to pull the lever for change in congressional leadership to have new energy and conservative movement, the policies that will get the country on the right track. mostly, i thank you for being here. thank you. you are hearing words for many different people. one thing is in common. we believe what ronald reagan believes, that we are a people who have a government, not a government that has a people. it was jefferson's warning, when the people fear their government, that is tyranny. when government fear the people,

there is freedom. [applause] we are here on the name of freedom. we are here in that name of freedom and you, even you get to decide who will fight for it. you will caucus to help choose our next resident a year from now. -- our next president a year from now. it can't come soon enough. candidates will come here to earn your vote. the rest of america watching and trusting iowa to put them through the test, to ensure they are ready for war. it is war. it is war for the future of our country, for the sovereignty and solvency of the united states of america. the other side, the far left they see a need for change. it is by offering real change, again. coronation, rinse, replay.

clinton rinse repeat. these leftist promoting these ready for campaigns, ready for hillary. well, these hope changey d.c. businesses disguised as grassroots, don't you wonder what the white house things of them out there prancing around squealing they are ready for someone else? they have to admit it even. [laughter] because they know that he who was the one, now with teatime on the mind, he is so over it. america, he is just not that into you. [laughter] the $18 trillion question though is, do the candidates think they

are ready for represent any hope or change? or is it more of the same old state-ism that we suffer from? what can we do differently to put an economy on the side of the middle class, instead of the side of their crony capitalists? will they worry more about securing our borders and less about securing a primo teatime? how will they protect our standing across the world when they cannot protect an ambassador? when will they listen to concerns of we the people instead of listening in on our phone calls? how will they [indiscernible] when will they let us control our own care? what will they do to stop causing our pain and stop stealing it again. [applause]

well, in other words, is hillary a new democrat or an old one? the press asks, can anyone stop hillary? this is different go a conclusion. it is to scare us. a pantsuit can crush patriots. that is what this is all about. hey iowa, can anyone stop hillary? yes we can. it starts here. it starts now. from back comes good. that has been my mantra. from very backing come very good. as we look back on history, the

last time that we suffered under such an out of touch presidency, we were lifted out by a charismatic solution oriented conservative who so loved this country and put his faith in her people. we can't have him back. but we can offer that study, smart, stiff spined leadership that reagan did. to give the people real hope now is the time for conservative colors, not establishment hail pastels -- pale pastels. [applause] we need to ask who carries on reagan's legacy? who will lead our freedom

movement to begin the restoration of america? you answer that by making the gop primary a competition, not foreign nation. our party is at a crossroads. many voters -- some in my family even -- they have lost faith in the gop machine. they are registering as independence. so many voters, independence. they are looking for principal and patriotism over political party. the good news is, in our party [indiscernible] that's a good thing. it is primary competition that will surface the candidate who is up to the task and can unify. this person has to. knowing what the media will do all throughout 2016 to all of

us, it is 20 the take more than a village to be hillary. [applause] here is how we do it. we go on offense. we go on offense now. we expect gop leaders in d.c. to get on offense. we the people, we realize this is more, it is war for the sovereignty of the united states america. we don't sit on our thumbs this next time when one of our own is being crucified, and falsely accused of whatever the hit accusation of the day happens to be, racism, sexism, whatever. it is orwellian observing how that works, that rule that the left employees. disgusting charges from the left, reverse them.

it is they who point a finger, not really -- they have tripled the amount of fingers pointed back at them. revealing they are the ones who really discriminate and divides, on color in class, and sex. [applause] we call them out and we don't let them get away with it. on gender, this one, it is they who deceive women. they shackle them to the good old boys running washington, and this promise that they have to provide for the little ladies every need because they are there, a woman is just not capable. it is the left that does that. it isn't the right.

it isn't conservatives. we go on offense, and we reveal the real war on women, with truth. because we can handle the truth. [applause] we give back, and we give hope. we give a real choice. we don't talk it, we walk it. by proving to voters what works. we do that by supporting those who have actually done the job who cut government, and incentivize the private sector and never compromise on freedom. look at the conservative governor. they are accountable. they administer. they have these results all across the united states and conservative governor's offices that results can be argued. we don't underestimate the wisdom of the people when we on offense give them the truth, and

the true state of the union, especially saying young people what is actually going on, and teaching young people there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. [applause] there is no free college. there is no free birth control. there is no free phone. someone pays. someone always pays. so we undo that leftist thinking and teaching, that enabling. we encounter it with empowering young kids again and bring them on our side, and make them know to get a buck, you get off your butt. we teach that again. [applause] and we get honest on national security. we give hope to the people that

we need not, we will not succumb to evil. there we call it as it is. the and -- down theand we call it as it is. we address it. that must be, that 800 pound elephant in the room of the white house, the radical left won't even name, won't even name the threat to our way of life today. we will hit it and name it. it is any muslim who would choose evil, whose loyalty to a death cult perversion is so darkened and has deceived their soul that they actually think they are welcome here, to transform here. no. what we do, we strengthen our military. we respect our troops. and we let them, our troops and gatekeepers, we let them tell

jihadists, uh-uh, this is our house, get the hell out. [applause] and amnesty. we have to be candid. and review gold reserve victim to the end of the people the candid -- and the people deserve the candidness. amnesty, no. the left and rhinos, they would report those whose first action is to break the law? we win with the wonderful immigrants who have built the country legally, and we secure their rights and their hearts ard-fought opportunities. together we show the deserving middle class that we will be decimated under this unconstitutional executive amnesty. we also have to school our president i guess on the rules. amn impatient president doesn't

just get to trample our constitution and ignore congress just because he doesn't get exactly what he wants every time he wants it. with all due respect to the office of the presidency, it is like an overgrown little boy who is just acting kind of spoiled and mom, we don't put up with that, do we? no. or dads, either. it reminds me of bristol. she can testify to this. she came home from preschool and her cool teacher, her awesome teacher, a sharp woman, whose family had gone from that come from mexico, bristol said her mother and dad are so happy they got to come to america, and the daughter she became a teacher. they are so happy. and they love this country so much. that they named her after our country. my teachers first name is land. and i thought land? maybe a palin kid would have to

suffer through that name the rest of their life. [laughter] but no, bristol hasn't got it right. the teacher's real name was america. the parents had named her america. so i was explaining that to bristol. it is not land or globe. it is america. mrs. huey taught bristol, so many kids, a lesson that our president must admit, when the must have missed -- must have missed. when students would whine about something not getting their way exactly as they wanted in that class, she would sing this little mantra, america said you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit. that is what our president must have missed growing up. [applause] because this insistence, this

lawlessness of he trying to get his way and trample our constitution. i won't even get into the details of everything. but from debt, when you are in a hole you don't want to be in the first thing they stop digging. i don't know what is wrong with the leaders in this country who understand we are in a hole we don't want to be in and they keep digging. but from debt to energy, proving that inherent link between american-made energy and prosperity, and energy insecurity to solutions like the flat tax that we need, to stop this unhealthy obsession that we are hearing about, even on our side of the aisle, the subjective income gap we are supposed to be so obsessed with, right now. no, we don't have to be obsessed with it. not when everyone rises together. with conservative, proven free market principles that incentivize pursuing capital and investment and innovation. it results in lasting prosperity for everyone.

and do finally -- and to finally stop this overreaching bureaucracy which we get on offense. we drive in solutions and we be bold. i remember it was here in iowa that i put forward in a speech some years ago, i guess they didn't listen because they didn't do anything about it, i said why don't we decentralize the federal government? we have to be bold. about this stuff. shuitter bureaucracy and move what is remaining across the country to the people. is there is the -- with the end pack up the u-haul. what better place for the department of agriculture than in ag countries so they see how policies affect the farmers and ranchers who feed our country? [applause] things like that. it must change. things must change for this government. look at it. it is not too big to fail. it is too big to succeed.

it is too big to succeed. so we can afford no retreads, or nothing will change. with the same people and same policies that got us into this status quo. another latin word. status quo. and it stands for, the middle class, everyday americans are really getting taken for a ride. that is status quo. gop leaders, by the way, the man can only ride you when your back is bent. strengthen it. then america will be taken for a ride. -- then america won't be taken for a ride. because so much is at stake. maybe just the next standing of theirs and the next election. we are not in the mood to get -- give politicians a pass because they have a party initial next to their name. evidence of this that it is not just us thinking this, across the country.

look at the number of governors elected without a majority of the vote. that is the result of fired up, independent and strong third-party candidates. it is at its highest level in the last hundred years. alaska elected a very strong conservative who formed an independent ticket in order to prove that he be beholden to the people, not to parties, politics that result in the titles and the hierarchies, and problems that come with that. be beholden to the people. it is their record then, not their standing in the party, but their record that needs to be considered. we tell them if we want a fired up, unified base to get the gop over the line, to thwart the lies of the left, and their politics of destruction, we have

to cut the candidates who don't fit the bill of being beholden to the people. [applause] you see, we will vote for those who have a record to prove it. and voters of all stripes are desiring something to vote for this time. for their american dream, not just against tired failed policies. we, they will vote for the american dream for their kids and grandkids. we have to be careful going through the primary process not to marginalize any independent commonsense conservative. let's take the sign up the door to the oval office, the one that said no girls allowed. take that off the wall. ok? and, we remember what margaret thatcher would always remind her

constituents, anyway that if you want something said, you ask a man. if you want something done, you ask a woman. and america is ready to get stuff done. so we take the ball, and we drive to victory. and we do give real hope with real solutions grounded in time-tested truths. these solutions that will be brought to you by competitor with a record to prove it. and then, we are ready for hillary. now, i'm ready for hillary. are you? are you coming? [applause] it was a few summers ago, my final thought here, a few summers ago, after a great day with friends, and farmers, and

farm animals at your iowa state fair, we loaded up the motor home and drove some hours over the border to illinois and stopped along the way the because my daughter had never got to run through a maze in a cornfield. that shows you how exciting my life is. piper and her little cousin get to run through this maze for the first time. it is like this all americana thrill for our family. and then driving through the small towns around here that glorify our nation, again, with those homes proudly waving the flag from the porch. and we pulled into dixon as we crossed the state line, and we turned on a street. we stopped at a modest, white, clapboard home, and it had a pair of rocking chairs on the front arch, and a neighbor came over and told us about the house. they told us about the little

boy who used to live in that house. and that his family could not afford the house, to own it. so they rented it. the little boy had a little tiny vegan off the front of the house. that is where he would listen to the radio. he would learn from that. he played football in the front yard and ride his bike up and down the sidewalk. just real life. and then as a teen he would work as a lifeguard on rock river where you saved -- he saved 77 souls. and he grew up to save a world from communism. he inspired a nation to once again believe in itself. this little boy from humble beginnings that wasn't that far from here, was of course ronald reagan. and he never forgot where he came from, those roots in the heartland, and his story is our story. it embodies the american dream. it is a dream that we all must be willing to sacrifice, and to

fight for, now more than ever. together, dreaming that, living it. working for it. we can make sure the dream lives, and that we know that our best days are still ahead. and i have every confidence that when we, when conservatives rise to that challenge, and offer a real choice, we will have a rebirth of successful conservative leadership like reagan gave us. and the american people will onc e again be inspired and be united as proud, secure citizens of the greatest nation in the history of the world. and i thank you iowa for being a center of that. i say god bless you iowa, god bless the united states of america. thank you. [inaudible] thank you guys. [applause]

♪ >> we are here. we are here. let's finish today up. yeah. thank you, sir. thank you all for being here today. it is great to be back in the great state of iowa. that happens to be the state that elected the first female combat veteran to the united states senate, miss joni ernst. [applause]

i was pretty proud to campaign over here through the fall for 2 fabulous people, governor terry branstad and terry reynolds. you have great people in those two. i also campaign for a guy in the first congressional district. a guy that they used to call coach. they call him congressman now. rob. he is a good one. i want to say a special thanks to another member of congress, one who's no holds barred is passionate conservatism, he is the reason i'm here today. brother steve king. most of all, i want to say thank you to the men and women here today who represent a grassroots movement to restore america to its central idea of why we get up every day.

and that is freedom. freedom is god's gift to mankind. and america's gift to the world. freedom made us most productive nation in the world at the turn of the 20th century. and for freedom, we sent our best and our bravest to fight on foreign soil. lifting the yoke of tyranny. america is and always will be the last great hope of the free world. and when freedom is imperiled at home, when it is threatened by big government, by massive debt and slow growth, it is the people have the power to make a great change. that is exactly what we did at the ballot box last november. [applause] we said enough to slow

growth tax policies. enough to smothering debt. enough to bureaucracy. enough to broken borders that undermine our security. the american people made a clean break from the economic policies that have slowed our recovery at home, and i might add the foreign policies that have weakened our standing abroad. i got a feeling that after six years of disappointment, of mediocrity and decline, a slow course correction is not what voters are going to be looking for in 2016. [applause] now, i might surprise a few of you today but i been thinking about 2016. [laughter] after six years of the most divisive president in our modern history, i believe americans are looking for leaders who will bring the country back together, to heal this nation. americans are sick of this partisan bickering on both

sides, over the grandstanding and gridlock. they want solutions. they don't want soundbites. they want results, not rhetoric. i'm here today to say that it's not good enough for conservatives to be just an opposition force. we've got to offer a vision for the future. we have this tremendous opportunity to put forward this pro-growth agenda that returns jobs from overseas increases wages, and allows middle-class families to once again climb the ladder of success after a lost decade of economic decline. the time has come to usher in a new era of prosperity, of reform, and revival. we can begin by unleashing the american arsenal of energy. step 1 -- [applause] step one for congress, authorize the building of the keystone pipeline.

and this president needs to sign it into law. you know, the whole obama energy policy, it amounts to this long list of projects that we can't begin, permits that we can't grant, studies that we can't conclude, and resources we can't use. that is their policy. it would be tragic if he continues to play to his political base instead of revving up our economic base. we need to open up more of america to energy exploration, jumpstart the economy, provide lower energy costs for families. and we must realize the energy is not just critical to our economy. this is critical to our national security. so to create jobs, we also need to reform the tax code. you know, america has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the western world. and these policies, their

-- they are shipping hundreds of thousands of jobs overseas sending capital fleeing to foreign nations. our broken, outdated tax code has become this incubator of corruption, of favoritism, of bureaucratic harassment, and it has to be reformed. we need to stop strangling small businesses with overregulation. i want the folks on main street, and not just the folks on wall street, to be able to make a living in this market. [applause] we got runaway agencies like the epa that are harming business startups, slowing our economic recovery. if we are to drive economic growth, small business has to be that engine. and we've got to be honest with the american people about the immoral debt being forced on the next generation.

no great nation has ever spent and taxed its way to prosperity. never. let's get our fiscal house in order. it's time to make some tough choices about spending, stop putting off today's problems on tomorrow's americans. after six years of the obama presidency, we have a record number of americans on food stamps. we have a so-called recovery that is weighted down by this massive bureaucracy, crippling regulations, archaic tax laws, and record debts. the only way we will unleash it is to make major economic and fiscal reforms. and i happen to know something about this. as governor of texas, i signed seven balanced budgets. i led a state with one of the lowest tax burdens, and we created the best economic climate in america. [applause]

we kept spending under control. we provided smart regulations. we improved educational opportunities. and we stopped frivolous lawsuits at the courthouse. [applause] see, in the last 14 years, texas has created almost 1/3 of all the new jobs in america. think about that. if you just look at the last seven years alone, starting in december of 2007, you will see that 1.4 million jobs were created in my home state. and at the same time, the rest of the country lost 400,000 jobs. america can experience a season

of economic revival if we expend our energy production, if we reformed the tax code, if we reduce regulations on small businesses, and we control the size and scope of government starting with spending. i want to share something with you. in 2014, the american people sent a message that goes far beyond economic and fiscal reform. the institutions of our government are in crisis. and for years, our leaders have been lurching from one crisis to the next. take the tragedy at the border. this summer, the president was on an important mission, raising money for needy democrats. [laughter] so i invited him to chopper on down to the rio grande valley, to see the results of his policy that have brought tens of

thousands of unaccompanied minors to texas. now, he turned me down, saying he did not do photo ops, which really surprised his large gaggle of white house photographers, i will tell you that. it's really hard to describe the events of last summer. children were turning themselves in to federal border patrol agents, and ended up being sent over to these makeshift federal facilities. federal agents taken out of the field to change diapers and meet the basic needs of children without parents. on private ranch land, we were seeing and finding bodies, victims of human trafficking. these smugglers who exploited this human tragedy, these people are just a product to make a profit. you and i know these are human beings made in the image of god. it's a simple fact that the drug

cartels control every square inch of land on the mexican side of the border, and no one , no one crosses that border without their consent. it was because of this criminal threat that i took action last summer, and i deployed the texas national guard to the border with mexico. [applause] the drug cartels and the transnational gangs, they exploit children, enslave women, peddle their drugs and weapons in our country. they are the face of evil. and for the sake of the nation we did not stand idle against this threat. so here is what i say if washington refuses to secure the border. texas will. [applause]

this problem has dragged on long enough. the president bears much of the responsibility for a change in policy that brought more than 70,000 unaccompanied minors to texas. there's plenty of blame to go around. the fact is, congress should have acted on this many years ago. and that is the problem with washington today. congress has become this debating society, unable to act. they only talk. the institutions of government are failing while people are dying. and we need to send a message to congress, secure the border now, override this president's lawless executive order, restore law and order to or border with mexico, stand up to this face of evil and protect our citizens. [applause]

it is time. i will suggest to you it is also time for a major shift in our foreign policy. time and time again, this administration, this administration has chosen to abandon our friends and weaken our alliances. that is what this president is doing. [applause] yes, sir. that is the face of america. that is what they are going to see for the next two years. [cheers and applause] this is why we live in america today, to be able to stand up

and tell our government to do what we want to do. that is what we elected them for. [cheers and applause] take a look. think about those that -- think about our friends who have been abandoned. think about how we have weakened our alliances around the world. take israel. when peace talks between israel and the palestinians fell apart, did we stand with our greatest ally in the middle east? no! unnamed administration sources

were quoted attacking the israeli prime minister. and i might add the secretary of , state compared israel to the apartheid regime of south africa. that is not the america i know. the america i know stands for freedom. and it stands steadfast with israel. [cheers and applause] thank you. last year we saw isis terrorists enter iraq in american tanks using american weapons, taking cities, secured through the sacrifice of american blood. and this happened because of the president's inaction in syria,

where he allowed opposition forces to become radicalized. separately, he warned the syrian dictator that using chemical weapons on his own people was a red line he could not cross. and assad crossed that line without consequence, meaning a dictator remains in power today due to this administration's empty words. when a president makes promises that he won't back up, his statements are not a policy, they are just an opinion. and the world pays attention realizing they can test both our strength and our resolve. these brutal terrorists do not respect talk. they only respect force. what is at stake here? [applause] what is at stake is no less than the preservation of western values.

and what is required is not moral confusion, but moral clarity. and it matters, it matters that we understand all of this. for one reason. without confidence in the truth and goodness of our own values the great moral inheritance of our own culture, how are we going to deal with the falsehood of theirs? and let me tell you, what happened in paris reminds us that this is not a rhetorical question. this is a simple fact. when it comes to the western world fighting this great threat, this administration needs to stop leading from behind. [cheers and applause] what is needed at this time in history is a clear vision for the world, with america leading again and freedom on the march again on the most pressing issues of our time.

from jobs to energy security to national security, we don't have to settle for the present state of decline. we can usher in a new era of growth and strength and opportunity. i am proud to be an american. i am proud to be a citizen of a country that stands for freedom, and that defense is that the fact -- defends freedom around the globe. i am proud of our free enterprise system that allows people to risk their capital, to both succeed and fail, and get up, dust yourself off and try again. i'm a proud man who loves american industry and its innovations. i'm proud to have worn the uniform of the united states air force. [cheers and applause] i am proud of young men and women who travel to far-flung regions of the world to fight for all that is right in the world.

[cheers and applause] you know, there is nothing wrong in america today that can't be fixed with new leadership. the next two years are about hope and revival and a vision to restore america's place in the world. america is looking for a new path forward and starting today, right here in iowa, let's give it to them! god bless you, and god bless america. thank you. [cheers and applause] ♪

>> on "newsmakers," we look at president obama's tax proposals in the big issues expected in congress in 2015 including efforts to roll back the dodd frank law and the future of fannie mae. tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. on c-span. >> we are showing you some of the speakers from the iowa freedom summit in des moines.

the next, chris christie and mike huckabee. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thank you all for being here today. i want to thank my friend, steve king. and i wanted to you something about him. -- want to tell you something about him. he made me sound like a hero in front of that congressional committee in 2009. on that committee that day there was just one republican who sat there the entire time during that hearing while they were beating me up, and beat them up right back. that was steve king. [applause] when i, when i left that hearing room that day, he waited for me in the hallway. i said to him, congressman, i never met him in my life. i said, with the way you stood up for me, anything you ever

need from me again in my career, if anything comes of my career you just pick up the phone and call. he's a good man and a great friend. and i'm happy to be here with all of you today. [applause] so i have read a lot of stuff before i came out here to the summit. and i have heard the conventional wisdom. don't they know i am from new jersey? it doesn't bother me one bit. [cheers and applause] and this is a wonderful transition for me because i have heard and read the conventional wisdom that somehow a guy from new jersey would not be welcomed or understood at the iowa freedom summit.

that somehow i'm too loud, i'm too blunt and to direct. -- too direct. but let me say this. i have been to iowa 11 times in the last five years. i have been invited by the governor of your state. i have been invited by our congressman from the first district. i have been invited by the iowa republican party. i have been invited by the iowa republicans in the state legislature. and this is the fifth time i have been invited to this state by congressman steve king. [cheers and applause] now let me ask you this. if i was too blunt, too direct too loud, and too new jersey for ottawa then why do you people -- for ottawa, then -- for iowa,

then why do you people keep inviting me back? [cheers and applause] even more importantly, if the values i'm fighting for every day in new jersey and all across this country are not consistent with your values, why would i keep coming back? i wouldn't. i do because our values are consistent, and we are fighting together to make this a better country. [cheers and applause] we know what this is about. this is just the conventional wisdom for washington, d.c. that thinks that we are not friends. this is conventional wisdom for washington, d.c. that argues that a conservative republican governor from new jersey can't possibly share the same values with conservative republicans here in iowa. they were wrong every time they have said it over the last five years. and from your welcome today they are wrong again today. [cheers and applause] i'm here today because i have been a friend of iowa and iowa has been a friend to me. i am here today because our conservative values work not only in iowa, but i am living proof that they work in new jersey too. i have traveled this country the last year. i have been in 37 different states. i have traveled 106,000 miles to support republican governors and

republican candidates for governor in every corner of this country. and i have learned a lot about america in the last year. i would like to share with you a little bit of what i've learned. there is one emotion i have seen more than any other. it is the same emotion no matter where i've been, whether at my home in new jersey or illinois in pennsylvania, or here in iowa. the media will try to tell you that it is anger. it's not. it is anxiety. the people of this country are this anxious as they are today this uncertain and this unhappy about the course of our country for this long, then something has gone seriously wrong in america. the promise of america, the dream that brought so many of our forefathers across the oceans was that in america, the people rule. in america, the government does what we want. in america, the politicians and

the bureaucrats are the servants, not the masters. [cheers and applause] now, i have to give the voters credit. they have tried over and over to change this. in 2006 and 2008, they took power from republicans and gave it to democrats. in 2010 and 2014, they took power from democrats and gave it to republicans. yet no matter how many times the voters try, the anxiety is still there. and they have a right to that anxiety. according to the census bureau think about this. in 2011, 2012, and 2013, the real median household income in this country was less than $52,000. three years in a row -- we have not had three years in a row like that with no increase at all since 1993 to 1995. in other words the average , american is living just about

as well as they did before al gore invented the internet. [laughter] no wonder americans are anxious. no wonder they keep looking for change. there is economic stagnation in this country. but there is also an overwhelming feeling that it's just not possible in your family to get ahead, to really get ahead for your children and your grandchildren. that no matter how hard you work or no matter what you do, no matter what job you switch to, that a better opportunity is out of reach. there is uncertainty in our country. and it is a product of the failure of leadership by those we expect not just to set the tone, but to follow through and execute, and that failure has happened at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. [cheers and applause] and this doesn't just affect us here at home. this affects america around the world as well.

and there is persistent divisiveness in washington which has not only led to paralysis and failure to get anything done, but a culture of distrust that has begun to seep into our neighborhoods and our communities, to not trust this government can work any longer. i met lots of people over the last year. but the one i remember the most , who said something to me that really encapsulated this the best was an 82-year-old woman in florida. she said this to me in for a beach. she said, governor, i have to ask you a question. what has happened to our country? we used to control events. now events control us. now i don't want this type of , country. and i don't think most americans want that type of country either. we want a government that works the way the civics books tell us it is supposed to work, a government that works for the people, that helps make their

lives easier instead of making it harder every day. at my core, i remain optimistic about this country, and the reason i do is remember this about our country. we are the only country in modern times who has as one of its three founding principles the pursuit of happiness. think about what an extraordinary country this is. when its founding fathers not only put life and liberty as one of our founding principles, but that every american has a right to pursue happiness, happiness as they see it, as they define it, not as some emperor, king, or some imperial president tries to determine at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. [applause] we are not here to diagnose the

problems. we all know what the problems are. the question is how do we create that america again, how to renew our country. so each and every person and their children believes in the country our founders envisioned. let me say this, you don't do it by pandering, by telling people what they want to hear. you do it by telling people the truth. i know this because we did it in new jersey. when i first became governor u the establishment in trenton said it was impossible to stand up to the teachers union to demand they pay their fair share. those same people said it was impossible for a republican governor to bring a democratic legislature to the table to really reform pensions and benefits across the public sector. the conventional wisdom said after decades of raising spending 7%, 8%, 9% a year in my state, it would be impossible not to raise taxes and to actually reduce spending. and those same believers of the

conventional wisdom, and the talking heads that say this is the way it's always been done said we would never pass tenure reform, where bad teachers could be fired and great teachers would get merit pay. we surprise them all. when the same political consultants told me there was no way i could be elected governor of new jersey as a pro-life republican because it had never been done before, they were wrong. because the people of new jersey could see the sincerity of my beliefs on that issue. [cheers and applause] and despite what those conventional wisdom hawks may say to you, i can assure you that being pro-life is not a political liability anywhere in america. [cheers and applause] being honest, being honest with the people you hope to represent about the feelings you hold deeply is never, ever a

political liability, whether it is politically popular at the moment or not, and i will never change, doing it exactly that way. now i ran in new jersey as a pro-life candidate in 2009 and i won. and i ran for reelection as a pro-life governor in 2013 and won by 22 points. the notion that our party must abandon our belief in the sanctity of life to be competitive in blue states is simply not true, and i am living proof of that fact. [cheers and applause] you see, i do believe that every life is an individual gift from god, that no life is disposable. and i want to suggest all of you that truly being pro-life is not

just being pro-life when that life is in the womb. you see truly being pro-life is being pro-life for the entire period that god gives that life. [cheers and applause] and so, that is why in new jersey, we have said that those who fall victim to the scourge of drug addiction, that those lives are valuable too, and whether or not you are a teenager or young adult, drug addicted, lying on the floor of a prison cell, your life is no less precious, and you do not deserve any less a second chance at reclaiming your life. we need to make sure every life is treated with the love that god created it with. we need as a pro-life movement to not just be talking about those first nine months, but about every month that that life

exists on the earth that god has given us. and we will continue to fight that way. [cheers and applause] for all those people who say voters don't respond to that, they are wrong. i got 61% of the vote for reelection, won 51% of hispanic voters, and 22% of african-american voters. 57% of independent voters, and 54% of women. if you read the conventional wisdom, they say there's no way that somebody who holds those principles would get those votes. they are wrong when they say it, and we are going to prove them wrong again and again and again by standing up for what we believe in. see, for too long, republicans have tried to squeeze out victories by running strong in red states and try to pick up a

u.s. promotes in places like -- pick up a few extra votes in places like ohio and florida. if our conservativism is really going to succeed, it must be able to defend itself in every part of this country. there are americans, i know this, in every state who share our goals, who want to work with us, and we should be appealing to all of them. you see, if we are going to truly restore and renew this country and its promise, we need a coalition that covers all parts of the country, all ethnicities, a coalition that is comprised at it's core of our proud yet underserved and underrepresented working-class in this country. you see, the rich are doing fine. that's great. we don't demonize the wealthy as so many folks in the democratic party do, but nor should we cater to the wealthy at the expense of our middle income workers and the working poor who are the backbone of every american community. [cheers and applause]

every domestic policy we advance, every decision we make , should be focused on making their lives better, renewing their future, renewing their faith, their belief in this country. because when we talk about our values and ideas, people respond. i have seen it all over the country. it is a belief that it is our job and the job of the government to give the people an opportunity to succeed, not stand in their way, a believe that what works best is a government that understands the value of that opportunity, and people's desire for it over the crippling diminishment of the entitlement state, a belief that celebrates the greatness of american ideals and principles not one that constrains americans' aspirations. that if you have the will and you have the drive to seek a better life, we will help you,

not get in your way. we need to renew our country i once again encouraging our citizens to believe that true success is within their power, not by the power of the hands of government in washington, d.c. you see, this is what conservatism offers the people of our country today and the hope it is always offered the people of our country. these are some of conservatism's most important principles to me, that placing the opportunity the optimism, and the hope that is in the minds and hearts of our fellow citizens must be ahead of the idea that government is both the divisor of all good ideas and the provider of all assistance. it is the type of conservative i am and will always be. that's the type of conservative that i believe can again inspire our party and our country. now, i'm sure you will not agree with me or any other candidate on every single issue.

in fact, let me give you some advice. if you want a candidate who agrees with you 100% of the time, i will give you one suggestion. go home and look in the mirror. you are the only person you agree with 100% of the time. [cheers and applause] and any of us who are married know for sure that is true. [laughter] and more importantly, if that is the standard we hold each other to as a party, we will never win another national election ever. i can tell you that you will always know who i am. you will always know what i believe, and you will always know where i stand. as much as anything else, what we lack in america today is a national leader who we feel we truly know. a national leader who will tell you who he or she is, where they are from, and how they have come to believe the things they believe in.

and so, you need to let people know who you are. and so, we will go back to where we started, the direct, blunt new jersey stuff, right? where did that come from? i have an irish father and i had a sicilian mother. [laughter] which means at a very young age, i got very good at conflict resolution. [laughter] now, my father who is sitting at home today watching this doesn't like this part of when i talk, but i have to say it's the truth. in the automobile of life, my mother was the driver. my father was a passenger. [laughter] she was a strong, tough woman, from a single mom who from 11 years old helped to raise her two younger siblings, and who would tell us all the time

chris, be yourself. because then tomorrow you don't have to try to remember who you pretended to be yesterday. [cheers and applause] she used to say to me when she would be giving me her litany of complaints about what i had done or my siblings -- mom, why do i hear about all this now? she said to me, i need to get it off my chest. there will be no deathbed confessions. you are hearing it now. [laughter] i talk about her in the past tense because i lost my mom a little over 10 years ago. she was diagnosed with lung cancer on valentine's day of 2004. and by the first few days of may of that same year, she was near death. and i was away on business in california. my younger brother called me and

asked me, you need to get home. mom's not going to last much longer. so i took the redeye flight home from california and i went directly to the hospital that morning. and i sat next to her, and she was kind of in and out of things. she finally woke up and as my mother would -- she had not seen me for five days -- she said what day is it? i said, it's friday. what time is it? i said, it is 9:30. she said, go to work. [laughter] i was u.s. attorney at the time. i said mom, i'm taking the day off. i'm going to spend it with you. she said, christopher it is a , work day. go to work. i said, i will make up the time. don't worry. i want to be with you. she reached over and grabbed my hand and said, christopher, go to work. it is where you belong. and then she looked at me and said there's nothing left unsaid between us.

my mother had raised us our whole lives to understand that in a trusting relationship, you need to tell people what you are really feeling and what you really believe, and sometimes it might be uncomfortable, but it's better than not saying it. and so at that moment -- and i lost her 48 hours later. and it was the last conversation we ever had. but so powerful to me that 10 years later, it's still defines the way i act in public life. i'm sure there are moments when she's looking down on me from heaven saying, don't say that . i did not mean that. but on balance, i'm sure she's pretty happy that her son is following her lessons. i know that she would believe this, and i know i do. it's not only within our power to make this country great

again, but it is our responsibility as americans to do so, given the gifts we have been given by our predecessors. everybody in this room would not have been here all day if you do not believe in this country, believe in hard work -- what we've got ahead of us to fix this country is going to be hard work, but the reward will be a second american century, a second american century. i want to end with this. one of the great founders of our country, when he was right near the end of his life, wrote for posterity in his diary because he was so concerned that the country he helped to found 50 years earlier was going off on the wrong track. so john adams wrote for posterity, for us.

he said, you shall never know the sacrifices we endured to secure for you your liberty. i pray you will make good use of it. four if you do not, i shall repent in heaven, forever having made the sacrifice at all. the next century does not have to be a chinese century. it can be an american century. we do not need to have a country that stands idly by in the face of russian aggression. we do not need to have a country that stands and watches as middle-class wages go down and our country's quality of life goes down. we do not need to have a country that looks at an entire class of children and says, you can't learn and we can't teach you and it's not our problem. the pursuit of happiness is a goal that we need to work every day to attain. the world can't do without a

second american century, and neither can my children or yours do without america being a strong, resolute leader in this world. i will guarantee you this, i for me. i will not be willingly a part of a generation that makes john adams repent in heaven for having made the sacrifices that he and our founding fathers made for the liberty we enjoy in the freedom we live under today, and i'm here today because i do not believe that any of the patriots in this room want to be a part of the generation that turns over to our children a lesser, smaller america than the one that was given to us. it is time for us to stand up and fight together for the country that we were given, for the country we believe in, for the country the world needs, and for the country i want my

children and your children to have. if you are willing to fight with me, i will always stand with you and fight with you and tell you the truth. god bless this country, and god bless all of you. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. considering how long you have been here today, i'm just glad when you stand up and sit back down. i was really worried about that. i think of the bible scripture that comes to mind for all of you who have been here since early this morning, they that endure to the end shall be saved. [cheers and applause] what a nice thing to be talking