you can watch these any time by searching our video library at c-span.org. >> monday night on the communicators -- spectrum policy director carl medio on the importance of spectrum for the government and the public. >> the last two administrations have written presidential memoranda on spectrum. when i first started in spectrum management back in 1979, i came out of the marine corps being an artillery officer, i did not know anything about spectrum. most people i've met did not understand anything much about spectrum. but now everybody realizes it is a part of our daily lives. our ability to communicate and stay in touch with her family. >> monday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. >> former secretary of state hillary clinton officially

announced her candidacy for president today in a video posted online. that is next here on c-span. then a look at the role and influence of political spouses. later, former virginia senator jim webb and senator martin -- former maryland governor martin o'malley speak. >> i'm getting ready for a lot of things. a lot of things. >> it's spring, so we are starting to get the gardens ready. and my tomatoes are legendary here in my own neighborhood. >> my daughter is about to start kindergarten next year. so, we are moving. just so she can belong to a better school. >> [speaking spanish] >> after five years of raising my children, i am now going back to work. >> every day we are trying to get more and more ready and more

prepared. >> a baby boy. coming your way. >> right now, i'm applying for jobs. it's a look into what the real world will look like after college. >> i'm getting married this summer to someone i really care about. >> i'm going to be in the play, and i'm going to be in a fish costume. we're little tiny fishes. >> i'm getting ready to retire soon. retirement means reinventing yourself in many ways. >> we have been doing a lot of home renovations. >> but most importantly, we really just want to teach our dog to quit eating the trash. [laughter] >> so we have high hopes for 2015 that that is going to happen. [laughter] >> i've started a new career recently. this is a fifth-generation company, which means a lot to me. this country was founded on hard work and it really feels good to be a part of that. hillary clinton: i'm getting ready to do something, too. i'm running for president.

americans have fought their way back from tough economic times. but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. everyday americans need a champion. and i want to be that champion. so you can do more than just get by. you can get ahead. and stay ahead. because when families are strong, america is strong. so i'm hitting the road to earn your vote. because it is your time, and i hope you'll join me on this journey. >> there is reaction to hillary clinton's announcement today on our facebook page. that he writes, she is the most intelligent and has most experience of any other candidates. already knows a lot of has other

countries. i think she will make an excellent president. and doniell says she should not be able to run for president. she needs to be held accountable from the ghazi and e-mail gate. i still cannot leave people will actually vote for us. for more reaction, here is what some had to say on the sunday money -- sunday morning talk shows. mitt romney: you see the feeling that kerry clinton is not trustworthy. the story off her erasing all of her e-mails even though they were subject to recall and review by congress, i think that is what people remember with the clintons. it's always something. secretary kerry: secretary clinton did a great job rebuilding alliances that had been shredded over previous years. she has worked on a number of

issues, including the beginning of the effort with iran, as well as the gaza cease-fire. she will defend, i know, her own record for herself. it's not my job to do it. but i wish her well in this race and i look forward to being able to stay well away from it. >> are you for her now unequivocally, or d want to wait and see if she takes her if ice on moving to a more progressive agenda? >> it is time to see a clear bold vision for progressive economics. chuck todd: you're technically not endorsing her? >> i think she is a tremendous public servant. i think she is one of the most qualified people to ever run for this office. and by the way, thoroughly vetted. we can say that. but we need to see. >> she becomes the third candidate to officially enter the 20 16 presidential race,

joining republican senators ted cruz and rand paul who within the last month to clear their candidacy for president. the number of candidates is expected to begin again tomorrow with florida senator marco rubio announcing his candidacy at an event in miami. we will have that live at 5:30 p.m. eastern time on c-span. we also expect to hear more from spouses. on this morning's washington journal, we talked about the role of the political spouse by looking at former first ladies and those on the campaign trail. this is 40 minutes. >> ""washington journal" continues. host: and we want to welcome karen tumulty of the washington post -- "washington post." and anita mcbride. this is the book.

it is available this week. also available as an e-book. presidential historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women. anita mcbride, let me be -- begin with you, though, on the role of spouses. what is america looking for? guest: we are looking for someone who can help humanize the candidate that is running to be our leader. it shows them as a human being as a family person. i think that is really important and i think that the candidate spouse generally tends to be a lot more popular. they are not the one out there in every single position, but they are reaching out to the american people. they are also excellent surrogates as fundraisers, which is important to make a campaign. host: as you have covered this campaign, we are just beginning to get to know the spouses of these candidates. guest: except for one spouse.

one spouse we know very, very well. [laughter] it was kind of interesting to watch bill clinton the last time his wife ran for president. here is a guy who is so brilliant as being -- at being his own candidate. and he is not so great as being espouse. -- a spouse. the spouse is the validator. the spouse can go into places often with a candidate, himself or herself, cannot. again, what they are is a testament to the candidate's values to their priorities. host: where should the line be drawn between the public and private lives of these public officials or a president and first lady? guest: i think it is very first to have -- hard to have anything private anymore.

and we are already seeing that. the coverage has always been pretty wide and deep. as much as their public positions. guest: i think there is still a bit of a zone of privacy around the children. but i think that if there ever was one around the spouse, it is long gone. guest: agreed. host: let me read to you -- he told "town & country," -- anita mcbride? guest: i think there is no doubt

she will depend on him for advice. how could you not? someone who has read so many campaigns himself, there is value to the experience of campaigning. but the last time, the campaign around her tried to keep him out of the race. this time, i don't think that is going to be the case. i think that he will have a great influence. host: we are talking about spouses, including the wife of senator rand paul. the second of three candidates announcing. here is what she had to say about her husband. [video clip] >> rand is the middletown of five. from what i have heard from his siblings, he is a lot like he is today. he is opinionated, has a lot of energy, played a lot of sports. he also loved to collect coins which is something that he used to do with his grandmother. he was very close to her.

and through the years, as her eyesight began to fail, he became her eyes to spy the faint mint marks on the coins as they would go through them together. but rant never forgot how sad it was for him to watch his grandmother lose revision. and i think that really cemented in him the desire to be an ophthalmologist. host: all part of the rollout of the rand campaign humanizing rand paul as a person? guest: and introducing him as a family man. as a man whose first career was as a doctor. again, the spouse is in a position to sort of talk about this in a way that no one else really can hear -- again, these candidates are human beings. host: his not so secret weapon,

and yet her involvement with goldman sachs becomes a line of questioning. guest: well, she has been in the ministry that has somehow become demonized in our culture. we saw that in the last campaign. in 2012. ms. clinton will face that question, too, because she stayed very close to wall street heard so i think it would be may be fairly distributed, this kind of criticism. host: and one of the spouses will either become first gentleman or first lady in 2017. we will get to your phone calls at just a moment. you can also join us online at facebook.com/c-span. or send us a tweet @cspanwj. [video clip] >> i knew it.

i mean i do that, of course, the kazaa had seen my mother in law and what she had to talk about literacy, her particular industry -- interest. and how she had influenced me, even, here at home in texas because of her interest in plants. but i didn't really know it until i made the presidential radio address. the fall of 2001 after the terrorist attacks. to talk about the way women and children were treated by the telegram and afghanistan. good morning. i am laura bush and i'm delivering this week's radio address to kick off a worldwide effort to focus on the brutality against women and children by the al qaeda terrorist network and the regime it supports in afghanistan, the telegram. that regime is now in retreat across much of the country. and the people of afghanistan,

especially women, are rejoicing. afghan women know through hard experience what the rest of the world is discovering. the brutal oppression of women is a central goal of the terrace. host: and that moment is recounted in "first ladies." the book that is out this week. the forward by one of the individuals who gave us the idea for the series. but finding a platform. guest: that was a time of great consequence in our country after 9/11. laura bush rose to the occasion. she says in her book, after nine months of being in the administration, she had just held the first national book festival, choose getting ready to go up that the hill to give testimony on early childhood education and she felt like her voice found her. then this happened. and that became a comforter to our country.

she realized she had this platform. guest: and i'm not just saying it because of a need a sitting care next to me, but she is really one of the best -- wrote one of the best political memoirs i have ever read. particularly overseas, she was doing some very brave and very controversial things, but she never really think it is country at the kind of credit that she deserved. host: third most traveled first lady in the country. guest: correct, after pat nixon and hillary clinton. host: which is interesting because pat nixon only had five and half years in the white house. guest: she had done an enormous a lot of travel with her husband, but also on solo trips. host: of course, our new book out this week, "first ladies." david is joining us for middletown, new jersey. good morning. caller: good morning, c-span.

the best channel on television. host: we didn't pay him to say that. [laughter] caller: good morning, ladies. i am a 91 year young american patriot. and i have voted in every federal, state, and most municipal elections since president harry truman. in my lifetime, the best president i feel was president truman. he was the president of the people. president kennedy and jacqueline kennedy brought legality to the white house. they were the closest to having a king and queen in the american history of our politics. and i remember the young people under president kennedy and jacqueline, how they worked at a peace corps and was proud at

that time to be american for what they tried to do for the american people. but i would like to ask you ladies what do you think about elizabeth ward -- warren? guest: i think of elizabeth ward -- warren -- she is not likely to run, but what you will continue to do, and people around her are very upset about it, is keep pressure on hillary clinton. she believes that hillary clinton is way too close to wall street. she wants her to surround herself with a different set of economic advisers. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. anita mcbride and karen

tumulty. let's go back to another first lady and in interview we did with nancy reagan. [video clip] >> they just had little antennas that went up when somebody had to own agenda. [indiscernible] he didn't always agree with me but i would tell him. >> what was one of the first things you would notice when somebody had the own agenda? >> you just know. you can't say. you just know if you have those antennas. host: that was from our interview back in 1999 with nancy reagan, who is now, i believe, 93 years old. she clearly had a big role behind the scenes in the reagan administration. guest: and most famously, she

tangled with the chief of staff. in that battle, he lost. he was -- he was out of his job primarily because she believed he was not serving her husband's interests. a young staffer in the reagan administration, of course. her presence was definitely felt. she was devoted to the president. they just want their husbands to succeed, and choose absolutely devoted to that. the question about it. host: if you look back at american history, how important is it to have your spouse support you maybe push you, or prod you into elective office? guest: i think it makes a huge difference for how you are able to conduct yourself, how you are able to be happy with your home life, till that your spouse support you in this because it is hard. and it should be.

you are the leader of the free world. every single problems -- problem comes to your desk. host: play is next. clay is next, the republican line. are you with us? we will try one more time for clay in louisiana. what do you think will be different in this 24/7 social media age with political spouses? guest: well, i think that the narratives are out there. for instance, jeb bush. his wife has the possibility of becoming this country's first hispanic first lady, and only the second do have born and a foreign country. the first being john quincy adam's wife. i think that is a story there campaign will want to tell. and i think the only person to tell that story is she herself.

we are going to see a number of spouses, as we saw with michelle obama, having to juggle raising small children. michelle obama had an almost unbreakable rule during the 2008 campaign that she had to be there for her children either when they woke up in the morning or when they went to bed tonight. and that really respected -- restricted her travel. ted cruz's wife -- these are very very modern roles that we are seeing these women play. host: mrs. bush was not a visible first lady in florida. was she visible on the campaign trail? guest: she was involved in issues that were important to people in the state of florida. substance abuse and drug a deck's in, violence. and she did make a difference there. she was very involved in

cultural activities and art activities in florida. so, she may have been quiet, and a lot like her sister in law people underestimated the value and the role that they can play. so, i think that given the opportunity, the family is coming around and supporting jeb for this. host: i am curious, we did an interview with barbara bush and she said i love bill clinton. george herbert walker bush and bill clinton have a close relationship did jeb bush and hillary clinton, what is that relationship going to be like next year? guest: george h.w. bush -- this relationship was developing. i said, what is it? he said, bill likes to talk and i like to listen. but i think i'm the father he never had.

it is a very interesting dynamic. i think they all understand politics. they will handle it just fine. host: from savannah, georgia. good morning. caller: good morning. how we doing this morning? host: fine, thank you. caller: i am a c-span is my species. the ladies, talking about the first ladies. i just think they all did a remarkable job. it was just hard to get to know mrs. reagan, but all the other first ladies, they were wonderful. and i love the first bush wife. i really loved and admired her. host: thank you for the call. observations? guest: first ladies do tend to be very beloved, but it is not necessarily a role, like laura

bush was saying, but they understand when they were taking it on. michelle obama had some real problems when she was first in the public eye. and worked very hard on sort of finding the right role. people don't want to see the spouse as a copresident. as hillary clinton found in 1992. but they also want to hear from the spouse, they want to understand the spouse, and they want to believe that the spouse has at least a few issues to which he or she is deeply committed. (202) 748-8000 for host: how accessible host: -- host: how accessible are the spouse is right now? guest: not very at this point. in part because so many of these candidates are not yet officially declared candidates. and part because someone a of the spouses are often going jobs and small children. but we will be, again, seeing a lot of them. hillary clinton was the first lady -- and i was a white house

reporter. i took several overseas trips with her, and she would become very accessible once you were in this kind of foreign setting with just a small number of reporters around her. host: former governor margaret malley's wife is a judge. does her decision become politically game? guest: absolutely. as karen says, it is not the elected official. known wants them to be a copresident, but they have an expectation to have a mind of their own and being gauged in issues. and they will be judged on the kind of work that they do. i think it will be hard certainly to do it again. it will -- is the modern world we live in. people are going to want to know how they acted. host: the only single present we have had during the four years james buchanan, our 15th president.

i am wondering, could we elect a single individual, man or woman, without a spouse? guest: i think we can. i don't know, karen? guest: it is hard because i think we like to see family life around them. but i think we can. i think we are trying to elect the candidate, not the spouse. host: christian is joining us from oklahoma. the democrats line. good morning. caller: yes, i hope that you guys will talk about nancy reagan and that she was into astrology. she had astrology is. this woman would bring that lady to the white house and they would have discussions together. i care to this lady will not call me a liar because she knows it. nancy reagan was into astrology. i don't know why you guys as republicans always put ronald

reagan on a pedestal. look it up on your computer. nancy reagan is into astrology. astrology is from the devil. they give very much. republicans, really, you guys need to understand the history of people. don't just go by what somebody says. once again, i guarantee they will not say that reagan -- nancy reagan was not into astrology. host: ok, we get the point. it has been well documented. guest: it has been very well documented, absolutely. and we look at another first lady who did the same thing mrs. lincoln. i think it is hard to judge anyone whose person they love most in the world, if someone tried to take their life. and what they do to help support them and to get through that and try get through the public life where they feel they are fearing for their husbands' lives.

none of us that -- would say that didn't happen. host: by the way the "first lady -- ladies" series, that will begin to re-air next sunday at 8:00 eastern on c-span three. it will continue through december. the full schedule online. and the book, published by public affairs, "first ladies." available as a hardcover this week. also available as an e-book. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. if you look at this field and you look at the role that bill clinton will be playing on the democratic side, what stands out? guest: i think that -- what the obama campaign people told me after the 2008 campaign was that

-- bill clinton did have the authority to go places and chin up enthusiasm where his wife could not go forth. small towns in east texas. he could go and campaign there. it was a huge event when an ex-president would arrive. the obama people were really kind of surprised come primary day. some of the places where bill clinton was actually able to turn out votes by going under the radar. host: one of the earliest interviews we conducted with the first lady, michelle obama, back in 2009, she talked about how she was tied to get her sea legs. here is a portion. [video clip] >> i think every first lady brings their unique perspective to this job. if you didn't, you couldn't live through it. i think to the extent that this feels natural to me at any level and i would never have thought that living in the white house

and make first lady would be natural, it is because i try to make it me. i try to bring a little bit of michelle obama into this but at the same time, respecting and valuing the traditions that is america a -- america's. host: what has she brought to the position? guest: she has been very focused on issues that she cares about. she did take her time to roll out two or three signature initiatives that she will be forever remembered for. the let's move campaign, that did have an impact on how people think. i think that was actually an excellent interview. i think every single first lady they bring their own authenticity and credibility to the job. people can resonate with that. host: and she has made a lot of appearances on shows like

"ellen." guest: i think she is the first lady i have ever seen dance. [laughter] the other thing, though, is just by being in the office, michelle obama plays a unique role. for the first time, african children growing up in this country can look in the white house and see an african-american family in there. i think, in many ways, that is as much a part of her legacy as first lady as any of her policy initiatives. host: back to hillary clinton and the issue of health care because it was a public policy issue that she surrounded herself with. she testified before congress, initially talking about universal health care. [video clip] >> as the president said and as he believes, this is not a partisan issue. it is not an ideological battle. it is a problem to be solved

that affects all of us. and i'm looking forward over the next week and month to not only working with you, but to watching you craft the most important social policy that a nation will have presented in many decades. when i worked on health care, a lot of people thought i shouldn't be making recommendations on legislation or that i shouldn't be involved on working on behalf of what my husband asked me to work on, which is one of his primary objectives, because he felt that that was somehow inappropriate. that if you exercise influence do behind-the-scenes when no one can see you. i find that curious. to me, i would like to know what goes on in front of the scenes because i am very, very much the kind of person who believes that you should say what you mean and mean what you say. then take the consequences.

just like anybody else who is all in public life. host: early and late in the clinton administration. guest: there is a lot of history, especially in that second interview. she is the spyker's office just an advisor on health care. in fact, it was a disaster. she put together a 500 person task or that work together in secret. they completely cut out the congressional committees in the early going. and i think that the way it was handled -- remember, the clintons were new to washington. there were a lot of people at capitol hill who had worked on this issue for decades. the way it was handled turned it into a partisan, in ideological issue. and i think hillary clinton now acknowledges that she made some really big mistake there. rookie mistakes that essentially

doomed her husband's initiatives and owls cost of his presidency. guest: karen said it all. there was a lack of transparency there. host: was for -- her role any different? then say, eleanor roosevelt? guest: eleanor roosevelt was the eyes and ears for president roosevelt. she was the one who could get out there and travel. in a lot of ways, she opened up the white house to the american people and created that pond and the connection between the president and the people. and she was very vocal. it wasn't a cakewalk for her, as well. but i think, you know increasingly now in our modern age, it is 24/7 coverage of everything that anybody in the white house is saying, in living family members. so it is hard to walk way from it. host: christine is joining us from kingston, illinois.

good morning. caller: hi, there. i just want to say michelle obama is great. i think she is definitely the best first lady the country has ever had. but i don't know, the spouses -- i don't think hillary should really let, you know, spouses should not get involved too much. bill has already been president. i think that should be hillary's cloud -- crowd in iowa. but i wouldn't let him take the hillary show. but if she does go to waterloo she should definitely say, i know this is the town where -- is from, right? but i don't think those are gaudin talk to michelle is the wife of a president that is different. but in bill's case, he is too political. i wouldn't take him with me. also, hillary can do good on her own. thank you. host: christine, thank you very

much for the call. anita mcbride if you could go back in history and envision another first lady running for president, who would you put on that list? guest: i think definitely lady bird johnson. she was politically various dudes. she was a great communicator on her own. she would to rate her husband's speeches and give them a b plus at best. she knew what connected to the people. she was also very gutsy. she went to campaign for him for lyndon johnson, when he was running for reelection in the heat of the civil rights debate. i think she had what it took to be president of the united states. guest: -- she was basically running the country because of

her husband's incapacity from a stroke was virtually unknown. guest: she had a lot of -- did not have a lot of the knowledge base to do it, though, unfortunately. host: how big of a factor will the foundation be in 2016? guest: i think of the a few tractor because already the media, including some terrific reporting from my own newspaper is looking at sort of the source and the funds and the fact that it was taking for contributions at a time when hillary clinton was secretary of state. and some contradiction of what they said was their own policies. i think these are definitely worthwhile areas of reporting. they are going to continue to be. host: you have researched the subject and also have seen it firsthand. but at what point does the president listened to his wife? if he doesn't, order some of the consequences?

guest: i think the president can also -- always trust the spouse is going to be a person who will give him the straight and honest truth. no matter what. and, arguably, the only advisor can be fired. so they know that this person is most invested in their success. of course they are going to listen to them. they may not always follow, but we her nancy reagan say that they do clip, that doesn't diminish the value of that confidential relationship that nobody else has. host: (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. what are the damaging effects of that, if any? guest: wasn't mainly eisenhower who said basically i cleanse the country? [laughter] attorney linda porkchops. there is an expectation now that

there wasn't back then. if she doesn't, she has this enormous platform. and if she doesn't use it to do good, it is really squandering. host: it does go back to what hillary clinton said she wants that zone of privacy. guest: sure, of course they want personal privacy. you need that sanctuary to make all the rest of it very bearable. but that doesn't change the fact that there is an expectation when you have this proof opportunity that you do something with it did and you just -- this is the ultimate work-life balance in the white house. host: karen, you have spent a lot of time reporting on mitt romney. but what about his wife's role? guest: she used to repeat the family took which was that she

was the stabilizer. that her presence on the campaign trail relaxed him. he was in many ways a better candidate. interestingly, you got the sense publicly she was talking about how reluctant she was to see him run, to see him run yet again. but as he was torn with the possibility of a third campaign, we were hearing that it was in fact she who is egging him on and telling him nobody else out there is as qualified as you are to be the president of united states. host: this is a book put together by c-span's ceo and the staff here based on the "first ladies" series. john from vancouver, washington. good morning. caller: morning. i had a comment on ronald and nancy reagan. they were the classiest couple in washington dc.

the caller from oklahoma is absolutely wrong. ronald reagan defended liberty and freedom and spoke out against communism. obama and michelle obama are communist. thank you. host: ok. do you want to respond? guest: no. host: let's go on to bill joining us in langley, kentucky. the republican line. caller: good morning. since listening to the ladies and they are very articulated in their point, but what i don't understand is there is more women in the united states than there are men. and there was a time when women couldn't vote, couldn't own property here in the united states. so -- and vote as a blocking get rid of the men? host: anita mcbride, or you want to respond to that? guest: i think women and men have to work together.

i am definitely not of the mindset that mentioning continues be president. i thoroughly hope a woman will be president at some point. but i think we all have to work together. host: let's go back to 1984. elected as walter mondale's running mate. and her backup became part of the bear to. looking back, is that fair or unfair? guest: i think it is fair. your family income is, you know, it is a great potential source of conflicts of interest. it says something about your value system. and again, the spouse is -- we now have a situation now where we are seeing candidates like ted cruz, where the wife is the family breadwinner. i think it is actually something that can and should be explored. guest: are ethics reporting requires it.

any vest that worked in the white house sort of know that. we have to disclose our spouses income -- our spouse's income. it is what it is. it is fair game. guest: and look how much time hillary clinton -- time to untangle whitewater and their financial dealings. host: are less color is from north carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. my comment -- about michelle obama being the first lady to dance in the white house. if she will look back in her history, you will see that eddie ford -- betty ford danced on the table on -- in the cabinet room. and that was published. guest: the last thing she wanted

to do before she left the white house with stan on at table and dance. host: let me ask you about a new book that came out this past week -- does this, and anyway, affect future income until the white house knowing that butler's and staff may talk? guest: it does and i know a lot of those people through three administrations. they are terrific people. they make life bearable inside the white house. and i think anybody coming in and the current occupants certainly have to think twice. guest: i question the number the things that were in that book, including an episode where hillary clinton supposedly threw a book at bill. that rumor went around washington with so much regularity. the idea that the president of the united states could have been walking around with

stitches in his head and nobody knew it, quite frankly, i think that what is being repeated in that book as fact is actually gossip. host: let me conclude where we began, we look at political spouses, we are looking for what? guest: we are looking for someone that is -- humanizes the candidate. absolutely. we are looking for someone that we know is a stabilizing force behind what is arguably the most intense and most important position in the world. and we are looking for someone to take the platform and use it in a way that is good. host: the last word. guest: i absolutely agree with all of that. the spouse is a window into the values of the candidate. host: anita mcbride and karen tumulty. to both of you, thank you very

much for being with us. the >> "first ladies" is now a book. based on original interviews with more than 50 preeminent historians and biographers learn details of all 45 first ladies that made these women who they were. the book, "first ladies, presidential historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women," provides fascinating stories of these women who supported their families and famous husbands, and even changed history. c-span's "first ladies" is an illuminating, entertaining, and inspiring read and is now available from your favorite bookstore or online bookseller.

>> the bipartisan policy center will hear tomorrow from former homeland security secretary michael chertoff about immigration policy and border security. it will be part of a discussion that also includes former border patrol chief michael fisher. the event will focus on what improvements can be made to better protect u.s. borders. that is live at 11:00 a.m. eastern time on c-span2. and tomorrow, florida senator marco rubio is expected to announce his candidacy for president, making him the third republican to officially enter the 2016 race. we will have live coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. eastern here on c-span. the p county --polk county democrats hosted an event

including former virginia senator jim webb and former maryland governor martin o'malley. both of them have said they are considering a presidential run in 2016. this is part of c-span's road to the white house coverage. it is 45 minutes. [applause] senator webb: thank you very much. it is a pleasure to be able to spend a few minutes with you tonight. i would like to think the polk county democrats for inviting us to be here with you. i would also like to express my appreciation to the uaw for hosting this event. it can safely be said that i am the only person ever elected to statewide office in virginia with a union card, two purple hearts and three tattoos.

the only one in a statewide campaign ever to walk a picket line during a strike. i'm very proud of this support we have for organized labor. [applause] i would also like to say, that these videos were so extraordinarily well done. the one that really got to me was the first one about the veterans. i do not think that anyone who has had to watch friends be shipped away like that will ever forget it. i come from a family with a long military tradition. my dad was a world war ii bomber pilot. he was a pioneer in the missile program. i was a marine, my brother was a marine, my son was a marine. i would like to take this opportunity to ask those who are veterans to stand up and be recognized tonight. [applause]

we are happy to be here in iowa. i got here yesterday, my bags got here today. [laughter] i have to admit, last night, i am strong in my faith and i'm no apologetic for that, but i did suffer committing the sin of envy. i was sitting in a hotel room, coming from american airlines from chicago, sitting on the tarmac for six hours in the delay, and i got to omaha and my bag was not in omaha. i had to figure out who to get my bag to des moines. i called my wife, and i said i'd get here, i do not know where my bag is, and i look there and donald trump's aircraft is sitting on the runway.

what did i do with my life? i am stuck on american airlines well he is a plane coming in. she said to get over it. you were so in a hurry to get out of here you did not kiss me goodbye, so this is god's way of kicking you in the seat. [laughter] i had a great moment over in council bluffs. i spent my high school years in omaha. one of the greatest heroes of my life is one of the most underestimated amateur fighters in american history, hurley copeland. he was my coach my senior year in high school. more than that. he was a national golden globes champion that year. the had knockouts all the way to the national semi finals made the olympic team the next year and was an incredible mentor to me.

i have gone to nine schools in five years at one point. i needed some stability in my life, and i had to work all through my high school. that is why i started boxing. my senior year, i got an academic scholarship, went to the university of southern california before it went to the naval academy. i went out for track, and i ran the 880. the first meet i was in i came in second, and i was very proud of myself. i would buy to see harley, and he asked what i was doing. i got this scholarship and i ran in this race, and i came in second. he asked if i was bragging? i said yes, because i have never done this before, and i came in second. he said do not ever come and talk to me if you come in second. i said not everyone can be the national golden globes champion. he asked who ran the first

four-minute mile. i said roger bannister. he said who came in second? i never forgot that. it was terrific to see him yesterday. he is 81 years old, he was on his way to the gym. we are happy to be here in iowa. we are going to come back to iowa. we're going to go over the whole state, and we're going to come back as many times as we can. you'll be seeing more of us. i would like to take a few minutes tonight to talk to you about three things that i care deeply about. what are the challenges that are facing us as a nation? where do i see the need for us to really focus in the next several years? the first is restoring fairness, economic fairness. social justice in our system. i talked about this when i ran

for the senate. it was the principal issue i was talking about when i ran for the senate. we have had an economic recovery since the great recession that has only helped a partial element in our society. we have to be honest about that. particularly as democrats we have to be honest about that. if you go to april 2009, and look at the recovery. if you own stocks and capital assets, you're probably doing pretty well. the stock market bottomed out as -- out at a little over 6000 and as recently as a couple of weeks ago has been up to 18,000, almost tripling since april of 2009. working people's wages have gone down since 2009. assets of working people have actually decreased. we have to fix this problem. we have to put our leadership efforts into fixing this challenge. we have to reshape our national security.

i am proud that i was able to serve as a marine during a very tough time in our country's history. i was also able to spend five years in the pentagon. i sat on the armed services committee, the foreign relations committee when i was in the senate. i have been privileged to be a journalist in the time that i am not been in public service. i was in beirut when the marines were in beirut in 1983, covering it for pbs. i was in afghanistan in 2004 as an embedded journalist. i can tell you, from these years of observation and involvement that we need to have a new doctrine that articulates for us the national security policy of the united states. and from that doctrine, we can reshape the united states military. you cannot reshape the military without a strategy, clearly understood. the third area we really need to focus on is basic governance. we need to be working toward a

governing style that will allow the congress and the presidency to work together, and also people of different parties to work together. what should you be looking for in terms of leadership? first of all, when i go around the country and i talk to people, i hear over and over again that we need leaders that we can trust. we need leaders that will tell us what the problems are, with -- tell us what their beliefs are about the problems, and how they want to fix it. there is a consistency in that. this kind of leadership course the willingness to take a risk to take the hits. to stand up for what you believe, not from a poll that helps you to shape an issue politically, but what you need

to do is put out these issues in a way that is not simply smart or safe, but from your heart. and i have to say, the one comment that i have been the proudest of in the leadership positions i've had is when people tell me i do not agree with you all the time, but i know what you say is what you mean. that is not always easy to do. when i look at the issue of the iraq war, it was not easy to say early that this was going to be a strategic error. i wrote the first piece in a major national newspaper, "the washington post," that this is going to be a strategic problem. there are ways to address our national security without being an occupying force in that part

of the world. you do not take a hornets nest out by sitting on it. [laughter] it was not an easy thing to do to take on criminal justice reform. when i started talking about our broken criminal justice system i had advisers tell me you are committing suicide. virginia second only to texas in terms of capital punishment. but it is clear that it is broken from the point of apprehension to how people are arrested, to prison administration, to the reentry process. i held two and a half years of hearings on it, and we'd brought this issue out of the shadows into the national debate. the great irony is this is in issue that the democratic party should own. criminal justice reform, social justice. know who is making the most mileage out of it right now? rand paul. rand paul.

when you look at the american conservative political action conference, it was the number three issue to be focusing on. we need to get the issue back. the comprehensive issue of criminal justice reform, not one little piece of it or another. when i introduced the g.i. bill, my first day in office, i had written it with counsel. and the comment i was making even before i ran for the senate, is give them the same educational opportunities of the greatest generation. pay their tuition, buy their books. and i had people saying that you're a freshman, you've only been here two weeks, there are bills from others first. but this was a comprehensive piece of legislation. we developed a partisan

consensus. and in 16 months, we were able to pass the most comprehensive piece of veterans legislation since world war ii.one of the great drives of my life is one of the million post-9/11 veterans have been able to take advantage of our g.i. bill. [applause] how can we make america a better place? let's look into the future here. i will say something that troubles me a lot, and i think there are a lot of people in this room who will agree. money is ruining our political process. [applause] particularly -- particularly