it is also my all modern. -- might allma mater. transition all of that into the work that has been ongoing in california and to join that system. i am excited yet it is not going to be easy to make that transition. pedro: our guest is the provost of xavier university of louisiana. he also serves as the senior vice president of academic affairs. lauren blanchard -- loren blanchard. dr. blanchard, thank you for joining us. dr. blanchard: thank you for this opportunity and for the spotlight you are placed on xavier and the other hbcus. it means a lot. pedro: eight total universities we have covered over the last month or so starting at howard university. fisk in that group.

tuskegee. if you want to see all of these interviews, you can do so if you go to our website at c-span.org. they are archived for you to view. you want to thank the work of these universities. thank you for your participation. that is the washington journal for today. ♪ >> are series on historically black colleges and universities has been re-air and the past couple of days. today on c-span two starting at 6:20 p.m., our program on

tuskegee university. coming up, president obama addresses the winter meeting of the democratic national committee in washington. our live coverage starts in about -- at about 11:10 a.m. eastern. next up, a potential -- a discussion on hillary clinton and a potential presidential bid. it is moderated by former abc news correspondent katie martin, author of hidden power. it is hosted by the new york historical society. >> good evening. it is a pleasure to be back in this forum. and to have three sting wished panelists -- three distinguished panelists to discuss a subject

that i think is of more than mild interest in this room. [laughter] >> our topic this evening is hillary rodham clinton and the white house. i think sean, john, and carl, we are working under the assumption that no formal announcement has been made, that this is a done deal. indeed, it is a deal that hillary rodham clinton has prepared for for a very long time. rarely have we ever had a candidate more prepared for the role in so many areas. for the sake of full disclosure. i will disclose that i have a personal relationship with hillary, but i will remain absolute decorum as moderator.

my husband was her advisor and was in president clinton's cabinet. ambassador to the united nations. gentleman, does she have that first-class temperament that the presidency requires? sean: sure. host: explain. sean: she also has a first-class mind. the second part of the equation. host: you know the reference to the -- temperament. sean: it has come across most clearly during her period as secretary of state. her temperament was one of calm in crisis. above all, i think that is one of the things that is required of any president of the united

states. it is not pacitti. -- it is not pacitti, it is calculating and acting appropriately. john: i think it is still an open question. i am an admirer of hillary clinton in many respects. she does have a first-class intellect. the scripture of fdr comes from the 92nd earth day -- birthday. the president went over to the justice's home to drink some bootleg champagne. should be a little bit like obama going over to a justice's home to smoke a little weed. [laughter] john: when roosevelt left, justice holmes said second-class

intellect, first last temperament. there are some historians who believe he was talking about it or roosevelt. [laughter] john: the question of temperament as the great political scientist said, temperament is the great separator. you can have all the right experience. you can be smart, but what separates the great presidents from the merely good or mediocre presidents is temperament. it is a complex quality. very elusive quality. a little bit in the way the supreme court defined pornography. you know it when you see it. i thought that he bomb had a first-class -- i thought that president obama had a first-class temperament. i now think that he has a second-class temperament. being calm in a crisis is not

enough. there is a public temperament that is important. to answer would hillary best dance with hillary is it is too soon to know. -- the answer with hillary is it is too soon to know. host: carl, she is often compared more to president obama and contrasted with her husband. the point being that she is more like obama in that she is very much an analytical mind. a first-class intellect. what john is lutes to -- what

john alludes to in terms of having that magic something which is so hard to quantify, which her husband had come at the she have that? carl: i think she is displayed it at times. i would have to reach back. finding a precedent whose evenhandedness perhaps like a firework may be not always a need or perhaps -- not a desire to blow her own sworn as much as get things done. somebody she admires, i remember her talking a lot about eisenhower. talking a lot about, for example

how eisenhower had no problems with the kennedy administration and justice department can credit for a lot of civil rights . it was eisenhower who appointed a lot of the moderate republicans who were in place in the south. circuit court judges. i also see her eight years as first lady being more instructive to us about what she would be like as the president. not that the years as secretary of state warrant. -- were not. when i look at how she handled health care and said this is of course a crush, but i will learn from this. and then went on to give those speeches in beijing on human rights. how during the president's impeachment crisis, during the

worst kind of personal storm still kept her eyes on the most sweeping adoption reform legislation that she was working with tom delay on and getting past and not letting that distract her. i see some of those -- that first-class temperament. the ability to keep one's eye on the big picture. i think she has that. sean: sean: the word i think his perseverance are you taking bad blows and moving on. i think of the 2008 campaign. she was sidelined by the campaign. after iowa, she campaigned, she did much better. she picked yourself up.

that is the hallmark of her career. kati: i can only think of two instances where she kind of lost it and one was in new hampshire. when the famous scene where somebody expressed sympathy and her eyes filled and she allowed yes it was tough. sean: that was a good thing. kati: the second time was when she was being hammered by -- during the senate hearings on benghazi. she just kind of threw her hands up and basically, i think one the audience that time too -- onewon the audience too. it was such a human reaction to

everyone was feeling this was a witchhunt. carl: the first time she did that was in 1992. i could've stayed home and bake cookies . kati: that was one of her notable gaffes. i think these shows of emotion and humanity have helped. i would like to see more of that. john: her resilience is one of her great qualities. an important quality for a president. the temperament thing gets very located for -- very complicated. it is complicated enough when it is a male. we do not have any real template for what a first-class feed

male temperament is like in high office. she is inventing it as she goes along. it is more than race, it is different. the temperament of a woman and how that connect and the chemistry of that with the american public is different. with roosevelt, they compared meeting him to opening a bottle of champagne. he just made you feel better. that optimism, that quality that raisin -- that reagan also had that made people feel better. we don't really know if hillary has that quality. she is never held an executive position. she's been in the senate and cabinet. if governor, we would've had a better idea which you would be like. -- what she would be like. kati: she has rewritten so many

templates. she has been our longest running public performer. i cannot think of anyone else who has sustained this level of public scrutiny. john: the one thing i think she has that's probably a temperament question. she has the habit of command. when she comes in, whether it was when she was just out of law school, when she went to arkansas to take control of no clinton's unsuccessful -- bill clinton's unsuccessful campaign in 1974, she came in and took charge. one of the reasons she is respected in the military and among a lot of her colleagues is that she knows how to take charge of the situation. i first saw her in 1992 when

bill clinton was under pressure for having dodged the draft and tried to get into the national guard and the gennifer flowers business. i remember being backstage at an event that clinton was taking part in. a television interview in the heat of the new hampshire campaign. i can't remember the specifics i just remember hillary clinton was totally in charge. she was going to take control of the situation. even worse, with lewinsky later on, all cases, she put the personal stuff aside, took charge of her husband's career, rescued him, pulled him up and figured out what needed to be done.

she was barking orders in a commanding way. here's what needs to happen. that is a lot of what a president needs to do. kati: you have raised several important points. time is short. first of all, let's spend a few minutes with bill clinton. an enormous factor in all of this. yet again, the clintons are on the brink of making history. if she is elected, we have our first gentleman which will be an interesting topic for us to write about. in the 2008 campaign, bill clinton's role was at best a mixed bag. what can we expect in a 2016 campaign? carl: i'm glad you brought that up. i think that is really

fascinating. the idea of not just potentially the first woman president, but the first former president's white as the president. that would help visual -- president's wife as the president. that would be a visual of them working as a team. there have been many a time when she was at the podium while he was president and he was standing behind her. it could also be said a lot of people would say that during the 1992 campaign, although a lot of people voted for him because of her, the general population it is not a clear-cut that she was an asset per se during the 92 campaign -- the 19 and two campaign. -- the 1992 campaign. kati: the clintons are about to

make history. sean, do we expect see a different bill clinton this time around? sean: in 2008, the obama campaign came out of nowhere. there was a lot inside the clinton campaign, a lot of scurrying. now, it is eight years later. he is the most admired man in the world. he comes with that. he spent a lot of time in the foundation world which is different from politics. it requires a different temperament. i think those eight years have seasoned everybody around that. he brings to the campaign that aura that was not quite there in 2008. mostly, the campaign -- we do

not know, we're going to have to see. john: his political skills betrayed him and he said some really stupid things that hurt the campaign. i think he is disciplined enough to avoid that this time and it will be more like what they ran on in 1992, two for the price of one. it will be comforting to voters to know if the country runs into tough times he is in the picture and, by the way he was president during the biggest boom times since right after world war ii. kati: what about obama's low poll numbers? is that a plus for hillary or is that a negative? sean: if the economy keeps getting better, it is going to

be a good thing to be having obama around. i also think the voters distinguish between the two of them. she is not martin van buren. kati: i think we can agree on that. sean: she will be distinct. i think that is clear. i do not think the president can hurt her particularly. the economy could help her. john: is interesting how their fates are bound up with each other. these candidates who wrestled so intensely in 2008. he needs her -- obama needs hillary to win to complete his legacy. kati: i think that is why he did that 60 minutes interview with her when she left the secretary of state job. john: he really needs it. she

needs him to be successful in the last two years if the economy were to tank or there were to be some huge foreign-policy mistake, that would be hung around her neck. he also is the greatest vote-getter in 60 years. he is the only president since eisenhower dealing democrats and fdr, -- the only democrat since fdr, who won an absolute majority both times. part of that is because of the third-party candidates, there is an obama coalition which he assembled twice which he very much needs to be elected. kati: will they come out for hillary clinton? the hard-core obama people? john: the clintons have been popular with black voters. i think they will come out. there will be a battle to drive

up hispanic turnout. a lot of it is a turnout question. they need -- a lot of that will depend on the way the immigration debate plays out. as far as young people go, that is the big? question. hillary might seem 20th-century to some of the young people . kati: except for young women. this is such a historic opportunity. they have none of the historic b baggage you guys have been alluding to. listening to my daughter and her friends, they are ready to go to work today for hillary. will she make more of the fact at she is possibly the first woman in the white house?

in 2008, she did not highlight that. carl: if she were to do that rather than focusing on the issues. i do not think she needs to do that. as we know, how rapidly and suddenly the world changes. when you pick about the fact that in less than one year, the presidential election was decided by the supreme court and in the world trade center and the pentagon were attacked. the world changes rapidly. we have to be sure if she is going to run. there is some discussion of some challenges. some discussion of martin o'malley. even though nobody at the moment looks like they can mount a credible campaign against her they will raise issues and perhaps provide a voice that

might suggest an appeal. kati: maybe that is not a bad thing. there is peril in being the front runner without anybody who is even near her. her numbers are, she has some 60% to biden's 10 and elizabeth warren's 12%. sean: we're not used to watching -- we may be seeing something that is different. we are used to seeing lots of primary battles and the rest of it. it is possible that the party -- i do not just mean the voters, i mean the machinery. if there is a cola since around her, -- a cola lesnce

around her. john: bernie sanders might run. jim webb, who is a war hero and very interesting. a little awkward candidate. martin o'malley might run. somebody will emerge and if they do not, it allows a lot of opportunity for mischiefmaking by the press. you have these 10,000 reporters they all want a story. i agree except that on the issue of women, i think in order to make herself seem new and in part because she failed to do enough of it in 2008, i think she will talk explicitly about being a woman and what that means and that she will not just leave it to people's knowledge.

carl: you think she will speak about her own experiences? john: yes. the historic quality of it. kati: that, she missed the last time. her historic opportunity was trumped by barack obama historic opportunity. a collision of two moments of history. we elected the first african-american. john: it makes her seem new. that is her big challenge. she is at a risk of seeming to 20th-century. being a woman makes her seem new and america likes new. kati: what is the worst thing that can be thrown at her? we have agreed that no contemporary political figure has been so scrutinized as hillary rodham clinton. what remains -- what could

possibly make her lose her balance? sean: where the money is coming from. the of seen amounts of money that need to be raised more and more. there was some trouble with the chinese-american bundler who ended up -- it was not a big story. i think that is always a potential problem. where is the money coming from? kati: that is not an issue republicans will raise. [laughter] john: she gave speeches to goldman sachs. i think that will be an issue. she is still giving paid speeches. there is a populist element in the democratic party that is growing. she is going to need to respond to it and the way she responds will be the big question about

her. her first outing on that was not encouraging for her supporters. she said at one point she was trying to show that she was not too close to wall street and she said businesses do not create jobs. it was a gaffe. similar to obama's gaffe in 2012 when he said you didn't build that. the difference was, this was something that might indicate some challenges ahead obama kind of said it when he was talking fast. he made a gaffe. when hillary said it, she was speaking slowly. if you watch it on youtube, it is really disturbing because her mind should have said, what are you saying? it was almost like she was overcompensating for the fact that she knows she needs to move

left. sean: i want to disagree on the populace question. that was a speech and it was not again and i was too bad. kati: only we are gaffe proof. sean: as an going to show you right now. [laughter] sean: she got an award from the kennedys, the ripple of hope award. that was coming after ferguson and all of that stuff where she was out online. she gave a speech that had that crowd up. i was watching them rather than her and she addressed the ferguson stuff. she said, we should not have a government where a banker can get away scott free and middle-class person has to struggle to get through to the next day. she was talking about those issues. if she addresses those issues, the 1% stuff, the press can come down on her for that occur she is in the 1%. if you say 1% cannot represent anyone else -- fdr being the

opposite example. she has defined her voice on those issues. i could hear her doing it in that speech in a way that was >> and she is conscious of it. >> absolutely. >> who would be her dream candidate to run against on the other side? >> ted cruz. [laughter] i like rand paul. >> michele bachmann has left. >> welcome and that is another matter. but no, the republican party they talk about the clown car, the primaries, they all come out. >> rick perry isn't back. >> a lot of people strong, powerful, ideological convictions. i think she was much stronger against someone like that. if they were to nominate somebody like that, she would have the opportunity to do something that hasn't been done

in american politics in a long time which is the 1964 campaign. if the republicans are crazy enough to nominate an ideologue like that -- >> a barry goldwater. >> exactly. and things look different. i do not think they will do that. >> i cannot imagine. hillary in a debate, she would have them for breakfast. with her range of experience, we have not touched on them she was , our senator after all. and she was a very good one. and having -- >> do not be so sure about the debates, they are hard to predict. we remember obama and the denver debate. >> mitt romney in the first debate. >> yes, but she did beatted cruz -- beat obama most of the time in 2008, but ted cruz for instance, i do not think he will be elected.

this is from professors at harvard law school. one of the brightest students who ever went through harvard law school. >> what happened? >> there is a tendency because he is so nuts to say he is not smart, that is not true. and in the debate, you could be -- he could be effective and rand paul also has some political chops and is not to be underestimated. and the history of the presidential campaigns i have covered over the last 35 years is the careful what you wish for. >> i think also it would be weird but kind of interesting. if there was another bush-clinton challenge because there is sort of at this point what the two of them have been through in terms of seeing and understanding things. the fact also that the families

are somewhat close. they are in that sort of -- >>'s the elders. >> and it might actually create this vacuum where there is a little bit more stability in the debate and may be as ridiculous as this may sound, maybe there would be an opportunity to focus on more substance, unless the distraction area -- >> what an astonishing thing to have these dynasties pitted against each other. >> i wish i agreed with that. part of me agrees. maybe they can have a high tone debate. but i just remember the campaign that bush ran in 1988 against michael dukakis. someone called them the wasp corleones. >> little known facts, because

he always writes a thank you note afterwards. >> happened to be in mccain's hotel room when they got the returns in south carolina. his wife said how can people do this kind of thing? it was really low. the other problem i have as an american with the bush-clinton campaigns, it feels too much like a banana republic. [laughter] >> there are a lot more families that people can be picking. >> but people talk about clinton fatigue. apart from all of that it is , early but she has 62% of the democratic party. bush does not have anywhere near that much. there is more bush fatigue

in the republican party than you might suspect because george w. bush left office with a lot of people in the right wing disliking -- >> jeb is running, he was quote -- he was quoted as saying, don't you have a brother or a dad and he is try to carve out that he is his own man but good luck with that. >> and mint is running to the right of him if he runs. >> we're here to talk about hillary clinton. >> no one is saying don't you have a husband? she is proud of her husband's record in the white house. and proud of her own record. one thing i want to add is it is interesting in 2008, a really big mistake over the clinton campaign was they did not come forward and nobody really knew how to handle this.

i think you, in particularly will appreciate this because the first lady is not elected and unaccountable and hillary clinton was so much part of the behind-the-scenes with the executive staff, domestic legislation, working microloans. there was so much across the board that the campaign did not come out much and make a record of her years as first lady. a lot of the media did say what did you do? after health care you did not do anything. >> if she were going from being first lady to the presidency then i think it would be more valid here. it is more secondary. because meanwhile, she was secretary of state for four years and a u.s. senator. and so she has logged an awful lot of miles. it is worth examining. her record of first lady but not

with as minute attention. because she has these extremely powerful roles. >> yes, but they will use them. karl rove's mean insight as you go after your opponents strengths, not their weaknesses. he went after john kerry's war record. hillary's strength is her great experience. she is probably the best prepared of any modern candidate. you can already tell and john mccain just said this the other week, what did she do as secretary of state, what did she accomplish? so they will go after that resume and say she did not put the points on the board, did not really do anything. >> i have to believe she is ready. >> she will be ready for it, but it is tricky. i traveled to central asia with her which your secretary of state, and you could see in the

appearances what she was accomplishing which was an amazing connection with women all over the world and raising the status, stature of the u.s. in the eyes of the world after a disastrous administration. but those are kind of intangible. >> yet, but those are significant. she was the best public diplomat we have had since george marshall. >> there was a missed opportunity and that was her book. if she had written a book which was much more pointed. here are the points that have appeared here is osama bin laden, here is syria and told with more drama. they would not have been bogged down so much. the book is fine. it is not a page turner. in some was, more look important -- i'm going to say something that may sound blasphemous but the best book like this was

written by richard nixon. and, you know, you got a sense of a man embattled. if anything a noble richard nixon in those years, it was that book. hillary could have written something like that which would have been more effective. >> let's fast-forward to the white house. hillary clinton is in the white house now. let's start with her relationship with the hill which , of course, has been one of the most disappointing aspects of the obama years, not through his own fault, but the deadlock between congress and the white house. can we expect hillary to do better than obama? >> i say i vote for perhaps her greatest strength both because of the experience she had in

that second clinton administration working with opponents and passing a lot of domestic legislation and her full term in the senate which from the get-go she reached out across the aisle. >> so she is one of them and had a pretty successful turn. >> there are too many moving parts. it is hard to know what the composition of congress will be in 2017. will the democrats get control of the senate, that is an open question. the house is locked in for 10 years to republican control because of gerrymandering and those guys are pretty immune to hillary clinton's charms. she was popular in private with republicans, but then they would go home and bash her to their conservative constituents. so it is hard. i mean, she wants people to

think that she is an lbj type figure. even lbj, there is a new book. he needed that big 1964 victory. >> doesn't she enjoy sipping bourbon after hours with the guys on the hill? she is more of a politician. >> sure, but a lot of it depends on numbers. a lot of it depends if you have a 64 type election. if you get that type of switch over it will be different. we do not know. >> what i'm driving at is not her favorite drink but she is more of a politician. obama has almost contempt for his chosen field. >> she is a political leader and she knows how to do politics. in a way that i think, well, the

president ran as an anti-politician. >> he makes no bones about that. >> this goes back to temperament as well. she has a political temperament. she enjoys that type. >> and/or forget she spent 40 , years with our generation's most brilliant politicians. >> well, there's that. but as we were saying, she was sometimes calling the shots. she has a sense of how politics works. she has learned a lot more about how politics works. so in that respect we have a different approach to government than we have seen in the last eight years. and it would be different. >> the big question for me about hillary in the white house is it -- is it goes to her judgment. i think it is an open question. unlike sean, and i don't what your positions were, i was for the iraq war as was hillary clinton.

we were both terribly wrong. you were with me as well. terribly wrong. it was the worst call i made in my career in punditry. not sure she has quite come to terms with the fact that it was her worst call, too. that she was for that. obama was nominated because he made the right call and was against it. >> he didn't have to vote on it. >> his position was clear. had he been in the senate he would not be in the war. his position was crystal-clear. so again, in 2009 when they had the big debate over escalation in afghanistan and the military wanted a 10 year open ended counterinsurgency commitment which would have us now only halfway through a commitment of 100,000 plus troops, hillary was

on the side of the 10 year open and the commitment and biden was on the other side and the relationship suffered. i think you could make the argument that she made the wrong call on that. on bin laden, she did not really take a strong position and it is not at all clear if she had been president whether she would have gone for it because it was a high risk operation. >> according to leon panetta's account it was leon panetta it -- who was the driver of that decision. >> she is a supremely cautious person. no question about that. the military really like her. they have -- she is their girl. i have had the opportunity to observe this and she gets along extremely well with the brass.

now, whether she is also a person who is constantly learning from her mistakes and in constant development. so, she is not going to replay i do not think, the iraq war decision if, god forbid, we have another such vote. >> remember you and a lot of people who supported it were doing it based on false information. strong, pulse information. >> i wish there was a more comforting excuse. because there were a lot of people who got the call right. the same thing applies to her choosing people which is one of the most important jobs of president has. again, it is an open question. i am not saying she would do a bad job but in the past, she sometimes has chosen people for their loyalty rather than for their talent.

not always but sometimes. >> this has been a real problem with the obama administration is that there has not been a real reaching out to the best and the brightest. he pretty much has the same people who he had on the hill who got him elected. i think three or four people basically run that white house. i think hillary who has been a victim of that closed shop as secretary of state, i cannot imagine that she would repeat that formula for governing keeping that small group and power. >> the white house these days is pretty insular. there is a small group around. >> and they do need at least one or two true range.

there are people who have been tried in true, they feel they can trust. >> not every president needs people around them the contrast -- they can trust. but you make a lot of apartment and you have a batting average in those appointments we do not know. she chose some really incompetent people to run her 2008 campaign. her record is much better at the state department. she had some very high-quality people who she did not choose on the basis of loyalty although there was still an inner circle. >> some going back to the white house. >> there is much more for us to cover, but we did promise our patient audience that we would take some questions. if you have a question, please ask a question. i am sure you have great speeches to deliver but let's not deliver them tonight.

and please identify yourself. we have two mics. sir. >> could you be specific as possible and identify the differences between hillary and bill with regard to first political beliefs and second administrative capability. >> who would like a shot at that? beliefs and -- >> i would say in general, at least during the white house years i thought of hillary clinton as extremely focused in terms of domestic at least domestic initiatives. certainly with health care and that priority shifted because her husband and his staff made that decision that was essentially abandoned. but administratively i would

give her an a and him a b. >> more analytical than her husband. not as intuitive. >> that is exactly right. in terms of their positions on issues and went to compromise, -- when to compromise, which is always a big thing in politics the reason i would definitely not give her an a is there were moments in the clinton white house when they could have compromised on health care and gotten a bill through and hillary insisted that her husband not compromise and so they got no bill. so there were moments she did not handle that process right. it was too secretive and she did not compromise. >> that was her single failure the health care. >> but the -- the analytical quality is important. i think she shares bill clinton's pragmatic streak. i think they are very close in terms of how they see public policy issues and they have had

this mind meld, part of the secret as why they are still married is they connect on policy. >> not only on policy. >> that is a potent thing. they described as quality that they have been having this conversation for 40 years. at home you and i might talk , about what we see on "mad men" and they talk about public policy issues in their connected -- and they are really connected on those and they develop great insights that are not really very different ideologically from one another. i think the answer to your question is they are very close on issues, even though they drill down into problems in a different way. >> different temperament. we have so many people. yes, sir? >> i am hoping 70 is the new 50 , but it is not.

no one has talked about health stamina, age, and whether one should be seeking the most demanding office in the world at a certain time in their lives. i would be interested in your views. >> i think of it -- i think, and johnson knows this, looking at franklin roosevelt. to a certain degree, you get up there and you know that your health can deteriorate. it is hard to predict. i mean, eisenhower had his greatest health problems in his first term and went on to serve a second term. there is no evidence that his age and health problems were detriment. ronald reagan in his first term, evidenced problems. it was more apparent to many in the second term. so, you know, i think it is an individual thing. rather than making a judgment, per se. >> i asked lee think it will be

a big issue. americans are very unsentimental when it comes to presidential health. if she has any kind of mishap, bill bradley's campaign against al gore was seriously hurt by him having a little hard issue -- heart issue in iowa. were she to have another health scare like she had, that could be very detrimental. >> i cannot imagine that she would run -- >> if something came up, of course. she would be reagan's age if she is elected. >> that could happen to any of us at any time. yes? >> i was wondering if hillary clinton ever caused a scandal, not that she would, with that -- with that, would that affect her differently because she is a woman? >> a personal scandal? >> would it affect her differently than when a man? >> because of our societies and

how we -- >> that is so beyond the realm of >> it is a great question. it depends on what the scandal is. [laughter] >> it depends on what the meaning of "is" is. >> to be serious, she is such a disciplined person. she has lived for 67 years without a personal peccadillo that i am aware of. i certainly do not think that at this stage when she is basking in being a grandmother -- >> that financial scandal that carl raised earlier, that could happen and the clintons did have a fairly scandal-prone administration compared to the obama presidency.

there were things coming up all the time, fundraising issues and lincoln bedroom issues and so forth that did not relate to sex, that were just financially related scandals, if you could call them that. it is a really intriguing question whether the face that she would present to the public if she was in a defensive mode if there was a scandal. the white house press corps is always looking for scandal. it is hard to imagine that she would go through eight years with no scandals. again, it is one of the fascinating things about this is that nobody can know the answer to your question because we never had a woman president. >> it is a gender question generally but we do not know , yet. >> i read hillary's book and she considered you and your husband good friends.

>> which of us? >> miss martin. i would like to know could you share with us some anecdotes of personal qualities that we in the mainstream would not know -- as a mainstream american we would not know and what -- would it surprise us. >> she is a very warm person. you forced me to reveal my biases here. but she is -- i would like her to exhibit more of that personal warmth that she exhibited toward me when my husband was very sick. i i think -- i think she knows how to be a friend. there is absolutely no calculation in her continued warmth towards me. it is all about her human qualities.

she sat beside me in the hospital when we were not sure that richard was going to make it and just sat there and held my hand and we did not exchange any words because it was not necessary. that to me was a very strong indicator of the person. yes, sir. >> you mentioned how hillary took over bill's campaign and was in charge. if she runs, would we say bill -- see bill clinton having that same ability to take over and why was it missing in 2008? >> he tried to take over a little bit and they had to bar him from the campaign headquarters. [laughter] his instincts were rusty and he was saying things like comparing obama to jesse jackson and things that were not helpful to the campaign.

he is way beyond that kind of nuts and bolts of managing a campaign, but he would still be so involved and he is so smart about politics that he would still be involved at some level . and the way she manages his involvement will be very interesting to watch. because obviously, he has a lot to contribute, but within certain parameters. and figuring out what this parameters are will be one of the great games of 2016. >> one of the great roles first ladies have played, spouses, is trying out the big speech the state of the union, the acceptance speech, the farewell speech. because sometimes the spouse who is not leading the country has more of a near -- ear for what

they hear on the street and the way people will react. i think that that is now interestingly more of a role that bill clinton will play for her and she would probably run by a lot of her major speeches by him first and he would say, don't say it that way, say it this way. >> the good ones always weighed in. a lot of the good first ladies and now the first gentlemen. can we pick any more questions? >> we are out of time today. [applause] >> think is a much. [applause] >> and coming up shortly here on c-span, we will continue our live political coverage. president obama will be addressing the democratic national meeting. his comments are expected to

start at about 11:10 eastern. we will have them live here on c-span. we will also have live weekend coverage of the governor's association starting at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. starting with the governor of colorado and is the governor of utah. denny myers, the chief executive officer will address the governor's tomorrow morning. in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m. more from the governor's meeting. they will hear a discussion among the governors about where the economy is headed. here on c-span, and just a couple of minutes, the house is coming up momentarily. they will gavel in for the second and final pro forma session of the week. no legislative business schedule today. the return on tuesday, and maybe taking up a college savings bill and a homeland security bill, as the funding runs out next friday. news from the house this friday morning, new york governor andrew cuomo has scheduled a

special election for may 5 to replace u.s. representative michael grimm, who represent -- resigned after pleading guilty for tax evasion. cuomo's announcement comes just days after a federal judge ordered him to set this date by noon on friday in a lawsuit brought by voters. former congressman graham is still awaiting sentencing. let's take a life not to the house. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms washington, d.c. february 20, 2015. i hereby appoint the honorable

luke messer to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. we thank you once again that we your creatures can come before you and ask guidance for the men and women of this assembly. send your spirit of peace honesty, and fairness during this week of constituent visits. may their ears and hearts be open to listen to the hopes and needs of those whom they represent. bless the people of this great nation with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that they might responsibly participate in our american democracy. please keep all who work for the people's house in good

health that they might faithfully fulfill the great responsibility given them in their service to the work of the capitol. bless us this day and every day . may all that is done here this day be fon your greater honor and glory. amen. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 2-a of house resolution 100 the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. will those on the house floor and those in the gallery please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all . the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 2-b of house resolution 100, the house stands adjourned until noon on

tuesday november 24, 2015, for morning hour debate. on the homeland to get a spending bill. that includes the president's bill on immigration. and on five -- they will vote on the 529 college savings program.

senate coverage is on c-span2 as the house here on c-span. also coming up here on c-span in just a few minutes, president obama speaking to the winter gathering of the democratic national committee. we will have those comments live. they are scheduled for 11:10 eastern. and is from the obama administration today. they say about 800,000 healthcare.gov customers got the wrong health care information from the government. the errors mean that one million people may have to wait longer to get their income tax refunds this year. and it could also affect the size of those refunds. the ap says that federal officials also announced today a special sign-up extension for uninsured people facing health care law tax penalties with time this year. that is from the ap in a story published here. we will hear from president obama, as we said, in just a few minutes. until then, part of today's "washington journal."

peter: now on "washington journal," a discussion of rail safety and what can happen when an oil tanker goes off the rails as it did in west virginia last week. joining us to have this discussion is bob deans of the national -- natural resources defense council. and also from dallas, brigham mccown, the active administrator of the united transportation advisers. mr. mccown, what happened in west virginia last week and how serious was it? guest: well, it was obviously sears. anytime we have a transportation accident, derailment, loss of fossil, it is serious. so we need to take it serious. the u.s. uses almost 19 million barrels of crude oil each and every day in our country, and as a consequence, we have to move it. we have to move it from where it is extracted from the ground to our refineries. because we're finding oil in

places where we lack traditional pipeline infrastructure, more and more of this material is finding itself on the railroads. although rail is mainly safe when you have had this type of exponential growth in moving crude oil by mail, you know, accidents can happen. they shouldn't happen. and we need to do a better job of have been doing so far. peter: before we get to bob deans, i want to ask you about this. the editorial this with the "washington post." safety goes off the rails. here is the conclusion. the oil industry, predictably, is pushing for less standards and longer timelines to fix its infrastructure. it's lobbyists argue that only a tiny fraction of oil transported by rail ever spills or worse, ignites. and raising transportation costs for oil companies operating in the u.s. would cripple domestic production at a time when crude oil prices are low. these arguments should be

rejected, the "washington post" right. do you agree with that? guest: i do largely agree with it. if you look at the safety record of railroads, and frankly, all transportation methods, they are safe. they become safer each year, but even if that accident rate stays the same, if you are transporting, you know, 400% more by rail, you're going to have more accidents. and that is something we can't let happen. i don't to come to the theory that it is either cost or safety. you can have both. we need both. and the american people, number one, they expect oil to get to the terminals, oil to get refined, to get to their gas tanks, and expected to be done safely. peter: bob deans is also with us. he is with the natural resources defense council. mr. deans do have an issue with

oil being transported via trains ? guest: we do have a problem peter, on our hands. we are not producing 12 at half billion barrels a date of petroleum products, which is more petroleum products than we have ever produced in our history. as bring them -- bringham said, much of that is coming from north dakota where the infrastructure is not in place. six years ago, we were moving about 10,000 tanker cars a year of oil. last year, or that 40 times that much. and a lot of this is, for one thing, the kind of product we are moving. oil from shale is more explosive than conventional crude oil. the industry can reduce the dangers of that explosion by using quick -- the clinical stabilizers. but a lot of the producers and north dakota have not done that. so we are putting a dangerous kind of crude oil on his trade. a lot of these tank cars were

designed decades ago, not for this purpose. and the national transportation safety board warned us of that 25 years ago. the obama administration is saying it is time to phase out those tank cars and put stronger, more durable cars and place. finally, where is it going through? this oil is going all over the country. the train that exploded in west virginia was on its way from north dakota to yorktown. yorktown, virginia. so i could get to the east coast refineries. on the road, it is going to small town localities, they don't have the equipment. they don't have the training. they don't have the chemical foam and place it there with one of these disasters. all three of those things need to be addressed. peter: so is this, in a sense, an argument for an xl pipeline? guest: it is not in argument for the pipeline for two reasons. everyone, pipelines themselves are risky.

we have had nearly 6000 pipelines blowout or league over the past two decades that have spilled 100 million gallons of toxic crude oil or other has this liquid in our rivers, lakes, fields, and streams. most of it has never been cleaned up. keystone xl pipeline is a plan to take some of the dirtiest oil on the planet, pipe it through the bread basket of america, to refineries in the gulf coast. most of which will be sent overseas for export. it is not a plan to help this country. it is about big profits for big oil. peter: brigham mccown, should stand it for these railroad cars be increased? guest: well, two points. number one, i completely disagree on the keystone pipeline. the fact is, the environmental lobby, they don't like rail. they say pipelines are safer but then they don't like pipelines. we have to deal with reality and depoliticize the situation. anytime you hear these emotional

talking points about dirty oil or this or that, it is all a bunch of arc and we need to move beyond it. it doesn't help our safety, and undermines our safety blocking these type of projects. number two, years ago, i called for increased take car standards. the steps we have date back to the 1960's. they need to be updated. if you look at any industry in our country, we have got to serious technological revolutions, yet rail still kind of does what they have been doing for a very long time. we can do better, but the country is -- has been focused on how to make the package more robust. we ought to be asking the question, why can't the railroads keep the cars on the tracks echo because if we can -- tracks? because if we can prevent accidents in the first place, we don't have to get into the debate about is the tank are strong enough or armored enough.

peter: bob deans. guest: well, i agree with him and that we do need to improve safety on rail. but i do a lot of addresses point about the keystone situation. this is some of the dirtiest oil on the planet. that is not my opinion, that is the result of a state department analysis that shows that from the wells to the exhaust pipe this oil is 70% more carbon intensive more of a covered pollution that is driving climate change in this country. the state department found that this is the equivalent of putting almost 5.7 million additional cars on the road, which peter, is about the number of cars in the state of pennsylvania. we would have to park every car in the state of pennsylvania to offer that additional carbon pollution coming from this oil as compared to conventional oil. peter: do for c congress -- do you foresee congress doing anything with this derailment in west virginia?

>> "washington journal" is live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we'll take you now live to the democratic national meeting. [applause] [applause] [cheering] president obama: hello, democrats. [applause] good to see all of you. good to see a. this looks like a rowdy crowd. i think that i got you all, you know, you always got a watch out for donna. she will get you in trouble. have a seat. >> we love you obama!

president obama: i love you back. i want to thank shells -- for being an outstanding chair of our party. [applause] she is a great partner. i want to thank our ceo for the hard work she is doing day in and day out. [applause] to the governors and the legislatures, the mayors, state party leaders officers, and whoever else is here. [laughter] young democrats. [applause] i am thrilled to be with you. most importantly, thank you to every american in all 50 states who helps our party. that is part of who we are. grassroots.

it has been about a year since our last meeting. and as i have indicated, as i have predicted, it was a breakthrough year for america. lester, our economy created more than 3 million new jobs. the single best year for job growth since the 1990's. [applause] over the past five years, the longest stretch of private sector job creation in american history. businesses adding nearly 12 million new jobs. and in perhaps the most hopeful sign for middle-class families in a very long time, wages are beginning to rise again. so america is coming back. we have risen from recession, we have the capacity to write her own future. we are in a better position than any other nation on earth. all of that is thanks to the hard work of the american people

who we serve. but it is also thanks to the values and the policies at the core of this party. that all of you have fun four. as democrats, we believe in giving every child a world class education. and today, are younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record. i has go graduation rate is at an all-time high. more americans are graduated from college than ever before. [no audio] [applause] as democrats, we believe in reducing our dependence on foil -- foreign oil and reducing -- encouraging renewable energy. each week, we bring on more solar power than we did in the entire year of 2008. the typical family should save about $750 at the pump this year. [applause] as democrats, we believe in sensible rules that can prevent

financial crisis is. and shield families from road. and encourage fair competition. today, we have new tools to stop taxpayer-funded bailouts. a new consumer watchdog to protect families from predatory lending. to protect families from getting ripped off by critic at companies. we have extended the security and fundamental rights to affordable, accessible health care to more than 10 million uninsured americans. [applause] and we're counting each and every day, folks. signing up and benefiting because of what we fought for. [applause] because of what we fought for. [applause] because of what you fought for. [applause] now, sometimes because the new cycle is so quick, we forget how

all this came about and the debates we had last year or two years or four years or six years ago. i just want everybody to remember that at every step as we made these policies, as we made this progress, we were told by our good friends, the republicans, that her actions would question us. explode up. and destroy the country. i mean, i want everybody to do a fact check. [laughter] and go back, 2009, 2000 and -- 2010 2000 11, 2012 2013, go back and look at all these policies. because apparently they don't remember. [laughter]

but the facts are before us. the economy kept growing. the stock market has more than doubled, restoring the 401(k)s of millions of people. our deficits are down by two thirds. [applause] i always find it curious that when a democrat is president deficits go down. republican is president, and then the deficits are going up. and yet they try to take on the mantle of fiscal probity. [applause] our auto industry is firing on all cylinders. none of this is the next and. it is not an accident that america is creating jobs faster than since the last time a democrat was president. [applause]

it is not an accident that our manufactures accreting job since the first time the last time a democrat was president. it is not a next and that health care inflation is running at the lowest rates in him is 50 years and our deficits are falling faster than they haven't 60 years. >> we love you obama. president obama: thank you. it is because we believe in middle class economics. we believe in the idea that this country does best when everybody gets a fair shot. everybody is doing their fair share. everybody has to play by the same rules. not top-down economics. not trickle down economics. if we were actually to look at the evidence, it is pretty clear whose theory of how to grow -- who's theory of how to grow the economy, which the works. we know their ideas to work. we remember.

middle class economics, that works. expanding opportunities, that works. [applause] i tell this not to be complacent, but precisely because we have more work to do. our job is not done. we still have a lot of progress to make to ensure that prosperity reaches everybody who goes to work early. or studying late into the night, who is gripping and saving. from every paycheck to try and send their kids to college or try to recover -- retire with dignity and respect. everybody who has the privilege of serving the american people have to ask him or herself a fundamental question. are we going to accept an economy where only a few of us did spectacularly well, or will we build an economy that generates rising incomes and opportunities for everybody who is willing to work hard? everybody who is willing to make an effort. [applause] that is the question.

that we face at this moment. and now that their grand predictions of doom and gloom and armageddon having come true, the sky hasn't fallen, chicken little is quiet. [applause] [laughter] the new plan apparently of congressional republicans, and this is progress, the new plan is to rebrand themselves as the party of the middle class. not making this up. our republican leader in the senate, as he was coming in after trying to block every single thing that we have done to strengthen the economy starts looking at the job numbers and says, you know, it is getting better because we just got elected. [laughter] and people are feeling more optimistic. [laughter] ok.

i didn't know that is how the economy works, but maybe. [laughter] we will call some economists. [laughter] we have a republican congresswoman who says that she couldn't agree with you more that we need to be helping working moms and dads. that is good. that is progress. one republican senator wrote a policy memo saying that republicans must define themselves as the party of the american worker and the party of higher wages. that is good. i am glad they feel that way. rand paul -- he is an interesting guy. [laughter] no, he is. rand paul said that the republican party is to show up on the south side of chicago and shout at the top of its lungs that the gop is the ticket to the middle class. i think -- i think that is encouraging that he wants to go to the south side of chicago.

no, i want all -- i want parties to compete everywhere. i think that is a good thing. i was home on the south side of chicago yesterday. [applause] and i guarantee you that senator paul would be welcome there. we are a friendly bunch. i mean, it is a little strange of people show up and just start shouting at the top of their logs, but we are friendly. it would be ok. [laughter] but i will say this. i'm encouraged that they are speaking about middle-class and speaking about wages. but there is this old saying. that you can't just talk the talk. you got a do what? you got to walk the walk.

[applause] we have been walking the walk. and if republicans are serious about taking on the specific challenges that face the middle class, if they are prepared to walk the walk, we should welcome them. i will welcome their ideas. there is nothing i like more than an opposition party that is willing to engage with us and work with us on these issues. maybe they got different ideas but genuine ideas about how young people can go to college or how we can make sure that workers are getting raises when the ceo of the company has seen their compensation go up 50% or 100%. if they have concrete ideas on these issues, i want to hear them. i have been saying that to them

since i came into office. but so far at least, the rhetoric has not matched the reality. if you want to help working moms and dads, you cannot just dismiss things like tell care and paid leave. [applause] work with us to treat them like the economic working powers that families know they are. [applause] if you want to be the party of higher wages, come on, join the dozens of cities and states and companies. now walmart. raising wages. not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is good for business. don't stand in the way. you have votes in congress. you have votes in the house. work with us. join the rest of the country. give america a race. let's go! [applause] let's go! [applause] let's go!

i'm ready. [applause] i'm ready. [applause] if you are serious, if you are really troubled with income inequality, then you can't put forth a proposal that gives tax breaks to the folks who are doing the best. the millionaires and billionaires. the programs that help working americans get ahead. if you want to be the party that is paving the way for people to get into the middle-class, a good way to start is stop trying to strip health insurance for millions of americans. contraceptive care for millions of women. and stop trying to deport

millions of young kids who just want to earn a shot at the american dream like the rest of us. help us fix a broken immigration system. [applause] there are a lot of ways to help. [applause] [applause] so, -- look, i think -- i think the shift in rhetoric that they are engaging it is good. if it actually leads them to take different actions. if it doesn't, then it is just silly. if it doesn't, if you're just try to repackage the same top-down economics and use the words middle-class attached to it, if you're just going to keep on cutting taxes at the top and not raise minimum wages for folks who are struggling, then

it is just spin. try to bamboozle folks. and looking backwards is not the answer. we have to look forward. all of us, as americans. as democrats, we have to be the party that recognizes and responds to what americans really face in the 21st century economy. our brand of middle-class economics is very specific. we detail it. here is what we are going to do. we can show you how it is going to help middle-class families and folks striving to get into the middle class. we want to offer young people a stronger start. we want to work to make sure that families have more security in a world of constant change. so we list out how we are going to help folks afford college. we specify how we are going to provide health insurance to

folks who don't have it. we talk about how we can help the young family by home or a family entering into middle-age or retirement that they can count on. and that means we have to's -- have to stop leaving issue to the side. we have to stand up for unions. [applause] it means that we have to make sure that women are earning what men do for doing the same job. [applause] it means we support a fair living wage. we are very specific about how we want to help ordinary folks. [applause] what when we talk about making people

earn higher wages, we put forward specific programs. here is more opportunity for job training. here are programs that give workers a chance to have higher paying jobs even if they do not have higher education. here is how we will help america's burden with student loans and reduce monthly payments. here is how we will make community college free for every responsible student. here is our program. what is yours? tell us how you are helping middle-class families because we have an agenda we know works. [applause] don't just talk about it. [applause] we know middle-class economics means we have to have the most competitive economy in the world. we are very clear. here is how we will help businesses turn of good jobs for americans. that means working to build a

modern transportation and communication system. it needs helping more companies sell goods overseas that not just free but fair and levels the playing field for americans. it means research and technology that unleashes new businesses right here in america. we are very clear and specific. it is. we know we can do it and we know works. we know middle-class economics means getting rid of special interest giveaways and our tax code for folks who do not need them so that we could to give tax breaks to middle-class families who do need them. we know that if we close loopholes that reward businesses, we can reward companies that invest here in america. we know that if we close loopholes that allow the top 1% to pay taxes on their accumulated wealth, we can use that money to help middle-class families pay for childcare and send their kids to college. that will help the entire economy grow.

we needed tax code for the ms i do get a leg up in this new economy. that is what we are fighting for. we do not just talk the talk. we walk the walk. every day. i'm tell you democrats, we should never worry about fighting for these issues. they are not only right. the american people stand right but beside us on most of these issues. sometimes that got lost with all the money getting spanked, the distortion and the confusion. when you actually look at it, do americans agree with our policies? do they think these policies will help them? when there is a fair presentation of the policies of the other side is offering, american people are with us every time. maybe we will bring them around.

i think the actual places where we can work together like reforming america's criminal justice system so that it protects and serves all of us. and it is fair. [applause] i'm looking forward to working with them. unless they want to walk and not just talk, we will keep offering the american people something better. we will offer the american people s a vision that believe the opportunity, not just for a few, but for everybody. we have to be the party that believes that knowing gets treated like a second-class citizen, no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love. we need to be the party about not only recognizes the threat of climate change, but does something about for the sake of our kids. we are the party that is willing to make tough decisions. we are the party that

practices a better type of policies. not just in washington, but in america. appeals to the decency of the american people. seas are differences as a source of strength. give young people a sense of purses at -- sense of purpose and possibility. appeals two feet -- appeals not the fear, but to hope. this is not a sports contest. this is not about who is up and down at a certain given point. not about notches on about. not an ideological battle or trying to prove how smart you are. not about the back-and-forth of politics. it is about doing things that make people's lives better. about doing things that make

people confident that americans will continue on this upward trajectory that began so many years ago. it is about making this nation that we love more perfect. [applause] we are democrats. we do not just want people to share an american success, we want to see everyone can shooting to america's success and build a better economy and a more fair society, and write the next great chapter of this great nation story. that is what we are doing together. moving forward. thank you, democrats. god bless you. god bless america. let's get to work. [applause] ♪

>> president obama speaking to democrats in washington. the annual winter meeting. ♪

♪

♪[phillip phillips - home] ♪

i president obama wrapping up his meeting with the democrats.

their winter meeting in washington. the president, say, will be in miami. he will be holding a town hall on the texas judges injunction against his executive action. the town hall meeting, hosted by telemundo, will give him a chance to show that that action is still a priority. tonight on c-span, u.s. cuban relations and the obama administration. the group gathered recently in florida, hosted by the tall form. here is a look at what they had to say. >> early on, the president talked about transparency. for 18 months, he conducted a secret negotiation. i also said, frankly, as a cuban, i do not know why this

president thinking that talking with raul castro, the two of them could determine the future of cuba. the future of cuba depends on the cuban people, they need to be at the negotiating table. the president also announced a posi policy full of misconceptions. he read some things that are really nonsense. i'm sorry to say. when people say that the president wants to reestablish relations with cuba, united states has had diplomatic relations with cuba since 1977. the american mission in cuba where the ambassador served -- there are more american diplomats in cuba than canadians or russians. it is not for a lack of diplomatic relations with cuba that we are where we are. the notion of saying, is

something hasn't worked and we have to do something else. the something else has to work. just because something doesn't work the venue turned to another option. >> that form on u.s. cuban relations coming up tonight on c-span at 8:00. next up, more road to the white house for 2016 coverage. governor chris christie spoke last week. after giving his remarks, he took questions from guests. [applause] >> good evening. thank you very much. thank you. i have all but one town in merrimack county.

i'm not running for anything. i wanted to come here and spend some time with good americans and good republicans. i'm very pleased that governor christie traveled up in this weather to be with us this evening as well. he is obviously not afraid of a little bit of snow. nor are we here in the granite state. i want to talk for a few minutes before a have the pleasure of introducing governor christie. i want to talk a little bit about why we are here and what we celebrate. this is presidents' day. as i think of great leadership in america, i think of different time periods, different leaders that we acquired over building our great nation. i think of quotes, so many that we could pull from, but i've a few that i want to mention a talk about. the first, i think it's from our

founding father, first president george washington. something i hope we all regardless of party affiliation, can and should live by. it is a very very simple quote. it has very different meaning to a lot of different people. to me, i think it is part of not just being a strong leader but a quote that i think embodies the republican party. it is very simple. "the constitution is the guide which i will never abandon." think about george washington speaking about the importance of the constitution. as we endeavor on the challenges today, both here in concord and in washington dc, for two people ignore the basic premise of following the constitution.

it is in part why we're here today. the other quotes from great leaders, the first president that i remember, that i grew up with, ronald reagan. "america is too great for small dreams are co-he was a visionary. someone who thought that america could be better than what we were being offered at the time. something that i think is again a big talents that we have facing america today. far too american -- too many americans feel that our best days are behind us and not ahead of us. that is why the next election, the 2016 election is such a big election, not just for the country. requiring new leadership, old leadership. that is why we are excited in new hampshire to once again host the face the nation primary.

then there are people like teddy roosevelt. he said, "we must dare to be brave and greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage to go another leader that took the -- another leader that took the world by his hands. i've had the fortune, the good fortune, of representing the first congressional district for about six weeks now. during that. of time, there are many quotes that i could quote from our current president. the one that i think frustrates americans the most is "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." not exactly a bold statement of leadership. in the first six weeks that i have served in congress, the

president has issued more veto threats in the state of the union there any other president in the history of the state of the union. think about that for a moment. think of the difference between a ronald reagan, george washington, and what we have today as the current occupant of the white house. in the house of representatives, we have started, i think, on a pretty good h passed. we are green conservative, thoughtful, pragmatic leadership . and thoughtful, pragmatic initiatives to the floor of the house. that, by the way, i getting high partisan support. we are actually getting moderate democrats who realize the error of their ways and are voting with us on things like the keystone pipeline, reinstatement of the 40 hour work week

energy legislation that streamlines the energy process in america. we actually voted in bipartisan ways to de-fund the president's amnesty proposal. this is just in the first six weeks. [applause] we also voted to eliminate obamacare, which we will continue to focus our efforts on because we know a top-down system is wrong for america. just last week, i filed legislation to eliminate the cadillac tax. it would hurt every property owner in the country. we're only just getting started. try to find, not just common ground amongst republicans, but finding common sense solutions for america. i'm thrilled and pleased that i have the opportunity to represent our great state, and i will continue to do everything i

can to not just represent you but represent the best interest of the state of new hampshire. i would like to -- [applause] thank you. i would like to get on with the introduction. governor christie was sworn in as governor of new jersey on generate 19, 2010 and reelected to a second term on november 5 2013. under governor christie, new jersey is taken on the biggest and toughest challenges with the real solutions in bipartisan cooperation. he has implemented an aggressive reform agenda to instill -- he has improved public education to assure that every child has access to quality education.

in his first term, governor christie five four and at the passage of a 2% property tax cap, landmark public pension benefit reform that will save taxpayers $130 billion, for balanced budgets, and did not raise taxes. after years of decline, new jersey's economy has turned around. more than 143,000 private sector jobs have been created under his tenure. in addition, governor christie has made a to reform a top priority for his education. working to turn around failing schools, improving ability creating a fair and meaningful evaluation system for principals and teachers endi and improve school choice. he has provided aid for new jersey's goals, and created a

historic high. in august 2012, he signed into law legislation to modernize the oldest tenure law and increase accountability in new jersey classrooms. since superstorm sandy struck in 2012, the governor has made strides towards recovery and retailing. the christia ministration has launched dozens of programs and services at an unprecedented pace. to put new jerseyans back in their homes, reopen businesses and reverse damage from sandy. a lifelong new jersey and governor christie has deep affection and a strong commitment to the state in which he has spent his entire life. born in newark, raised in livingston, he lives in new jersey's for his entire life with the exception going to the university of delaware. he and his wife have been

married since 1986, reside in mems and where they raise their four children. we are veiled -- we are thrilled to have new jersey governor christie here in new hampshire. we hope that he returns to new hampshire many times. we wish him great success in whatever endeavor he chooses. help me lend a warm welcome, a grand state welcome to governor chris christie. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. it is good to be back. frank, thank you for your introduction. thank you most of all for your continued service, not only did people new hampshire, but to the country. i was happy to lend my support to frank and his races. he is exactly the type of person

that we need down and washing team -- down in washington dc. i want to thank carrie and kathy. i want to thank state terror, jennifer horn. it was great to see jennifer again after being here many times before. thank you for your service on the national committee into our party. one thing i would like to make sure we do, i was talking about this to a number of folks i met with earlier today any of the veterans from the armed forces that we have a naughty, would you please and to be recognized from us. [applause]

thank you for your service to our country. thank you for making the world a better and safer place as well. i'm happy, really happy, to be back in new hampshire. i was here half a dozen times last year, into lesson 14. i help support the candidacy of my friend will hammerstein. [applause] walt enjoy yet, you know are great people. he was an outstanding candidate for governor. i can remember when i first started coming up here, i was getting all kinds of slacking commentary from the press corps in my state. they were saying, what you doing up in new hampshire? they would say, we know what you are doing, you are getting ready for wr running for president.

i know while hammerstein, and i know what kind of man he is in the candidate he could be once the people of new hampshire got to know him better. i let them keep talking about that, and i kept coming. as chairman of the rga, i was proud to have our organizations as $3 million in his campaign. he ran a great campaign against the incumbent governor. we ran just a bit short of victory. nothing like the blowout that people in the press were predicting. it was a close race. when i watch what you're governor's up to here now, and presenting their budget, you need walt more now than you did last november. i love these politicians who run one way and the governor another. you're governor is not tying the any of this stuff. i was appear a lot. imagine if she had campaign on