and security issues, more and more veterans dealing with that. it do you think it will hear more from candidate talking about the issues of hunger and poverty, and meaningful solutions to these issues? governor christie: we should. a part of that is what underpins the entitlement reforms, the proposals i made this week. the underpinning of those proposals are that these programs we provide through the government should first take care of the folks that need it the most. and we should try to make sure that we do not have the elderly living in poverty. that they don't have to be -- have to decide between going to the doctor and buying food. we make sure that people are going to get health care who are indigent, not through the emergency room, which is the most ineffective and expensive way to provide health care. but that they should do it in a

-- care situation, where they see a doctor, an officer in a clinic. it is much more efficient for their health and as a result will be better for the taxpayer. but those are the tough conversations that we needed to have to deal the issues. anything else you might want to do to deal with those issues has to come out of that 29%. we are underselling of the national defense right now, we are going from a 600 ship navy to a 260 ship navy in a world that is more dangerous and then anytime and my life. the air force is a fine the most antiquated planes than they have in the air force's history. that is the national defense that we are not investing in. the programs that you are talking about, if we want to make tuition at more affordable, if we want to make sure that we cut taxes so people have more

money in their pockets rather than sending it to washington, we better deal with the other stuff as well. we have to have this honest conversation, because if we don't, nothing else will be possible. i heard someone say, before we take something away from someone we should eliminate all government waste. listen, i don't think there is anybody who is before government waste. including me. i am opposed to government waste. that is a wild statement, is a net? what amazing leadership i just showed. a buddy who comes and says that they are for government waste, do them off of the stage. of course everybody is opposed to it. you will do the best you can to cut it. and after that, it is time to get to work. some of the other stuff that is bankrupting us, government waste contributed to it absolutely. and there are some things that

come back that. we have fewer employees in the new jersey government van of the day i walked in. that is making the government smaller. but to deal with the issues you want to deal with, we better deal with these other things first. we are mortgaging our future in the process and we will have more people go hungry. >> governor, one last question. governor christie: ok, let's go over here. i haven't been over here. >> hello i'm christian slaying -- slaine. i agree with a lot of your social policies, but one thing that concerns me recently is the news articles about the job growth in new jersey, 49th in the nation last year, so i want to give you the opportunity to take a chance and answer that

criticism. governor christie: i'd be happy to answer that. first, when i became governor of new jersey in 2010, unemployment was 10%. we had had an entire decade of the 2000s without job growth. in the eight years before i became governor, the state government increased taxes 115 times. in eight years. there is no doubt in my mind that there is a direct correlation between the fact that we are the second highest tax state in america and the fact that, while i'm glad that we'll grow jobs since i've been governor, that we need to do better. here is part of the problem. i've been able to persuade my democratic legislature to do things cup property taxes, reform pensions, reform teacher tenure, to pass balanced budgets without raising taxes and

vetoing tax increases. one thing i haven't convinced them to do is cut individual taxes. you will see states that cut taxes, the ones that are not growing are the ones that are not growing fast enough. so, as governor of new jersey, i would love to just for another -- just for maybe a week to be in the legislature, or be the emperor. if i was, we would cut taxes grow jobs further and faster, then they are growing now. remember one other thing. with the awful situation we inherited, remember we had no private sector job growth for a decade it in a five year been governor, we have 175,000 new jobs in the private sector. we are working hard to do it. give me a republican legislature and we would finish the job.

thank you for your question. i want to thank all of you very much and i will see you again in new hampshire. [applause] >> fantastic, thank you so much. we enjoyed it. [applause] >> thank you, governor christie. great to have you with us. folks, i have two important things to talk about. i hope that you will give me a minute to bend your ear on the first one, particularly important to me, when we were putting this together and talk about having over 600 amazing engaged, carrying republican activists in all one place. the conversation we had was how can we make this means something even more?

how can we make all of us who share these values who care so much about our communities, how can we come together and make this event something bigger and more important man our daily political debates and exchange of ideas? what we decided is what -- we would use this opportunity to invite all of our friends. we are a rim full of friends family and friends who cared -- care about our community. we are helping to support the domestic violence coalition they have been out in the lobby all day, they will be out there all day tomorrow. it is an extraordinary nonpartisan organization that responds when women need help immediately. they are there for women who are in danger, for women who are of honorable, for women with children who have nowhere else to go. they are there and are they

advocate for them and public policy. they provide extraordinary services for them. please join me in supporting their efforts. they are collecting anything from diapers to gas cards grocery cards, think about the things you need when you have to literally grab your life and run. we are so pleased we have this opportunity to reach out in our community and i am asking you to join us in that. the easiest -- go ahead, thank you so much. [applause] the easiest thing is to give cards. when you are out tonight, run inside the store and grab a gas card, grab a gift card. go where you get the necessities every day. they have a table right outside feel free to stop by. they also accept contributions -- checks, cash.

they will be here tomorrow night. i know you will respond generously. i know where your hearts are and the compassion you have. i want to thank you in advance for what i know will be a generous response to this request. thank you for that. the other thing i want to talk about, this is exciting and fun. if you are in this room, you have been invited to attend a free open bar cocktail after hours, kick back, listen to music have a fun time kind of party. who knows where the 110 grill is? it's a new place it's a party being hosted by independent journal review. you can sign up online at ijreview.com. it's a fairly conservative source for news, and digital source. only walk out the front door of this hotel and turn left the third holding down on your right

is though -- the 110 grill. the food is excellent, the drinks are lovely and the independent journal review is inviting you to go there this evening as other guest. completely as their guest. open bar. i want to double check that i get the details right. cocktail kick off at o110 grill starting at 7:30 p.m. -- is it 8:00? let's go with 8:00. even if you are coming for dinner they will be there all night long. get out there and get a chance to get to know them. they have a great new music soars, it's all about the digital age. they are very -- and they are developing a footprint on the internet. please don't miss it. 8:00 at the 110 grill.

walk up the front door, turn left, third building on the right. we will give you exactly 17 minutes. hey, give me another 36 to -- 30 seconds. come up here phil. phil is going to be a host at the 110 grill tonight. phil: we are very proud to bring the newsmakers here, the news and that is happening here today to an audience all over the country. it is alive extreme platform we are putting together being streamed from the back of the room. on behalf of my partner alex, he was sitting here and we'll be here tomorrow on a panel, he will talk about the things we are doing. we hope you will join us tonight. a root -- a word on who we are. we started over two years ago and now -- how many people have

heard of us before? raise your hand. that is interesting, because that is reflective of our audience, on a monthly basis it reaches 30 million americans a month. that is 30 million americans a month and we try to give them topical content that is easily accessible from your mobile device. it is a new environment that we are living in and it is a great opportunity tomorrow to learn more about it. to give you context, a lot of us have not been heard of in the mainstream media. we are not a common name. a couple other statistics, we did a report last week, an original piece that 10.1 million americans viewed and one million americans shared on social platforms. this is an important thing because we are a news source that maybe you didn't hear of today, but in 2015 you will hear a lot more about us, because we

will help inform you america and we will do it in a creative way. people are taking notice. the speaker of the house has an exclusive op ed with us this morning and we are excited about the growth trajectory of us. facebook is our sponsor tonight so i want to give them a shout out. we could not do that without them. we hope that you will download our app and follow us and send us tips and ideas. [applause] thank you very much. [applause] >> fantastic. now you will have exactly 13 minutes to get up and stretch and then governor bush will join us to close out the afternoon. >> live in new hampshire for the

first in the nation leaders conference. the first in the nation because this is the state that holds the first primary, hearing from the gop possible contenders for 2016. we will take your phone calls. a number of you holding on the line. we wanted to let those joining us on radio, that you can join the conversation, the republican line is -- for democrats it is going to be --, and for independence it will be --. a number of you are waiting. barb is on the line. barb who do you want to see in 2016? barb: i would like ben carson or huckabee. huckabee because i think that honesty is what republicans

should run on. and policy does change, and if it does change, they need to tell us why they changed their ideas to what they did. and that is my candidate that i think would be very honest. host: barb, to let you know we will be continuing to cover this conference tomorrow morning. we will hear from mike huckabee, so hopefully you can join us and then. we will also hear from rand paul and ted cruz, two candidates that declared officially. we will have them starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern. it will first be rand paul, then later in the afternoon, ted cruz. tonight, we will hear from the third candidate to officially declare, that will be marco

rubio here on c-span. we have a democrat on the line. caller: hello, this is terrence of omaha, nebraska. i support hillary clinton. i think she is best attuned to medicare, social security, the common man and woman. and with that we will get two-for-one. two presidents. this is a good cause for us. host: two-for-one because of her husband? caller: yes, two-for-one. host: ok, let's look at a tweet that says that hillary clinton will be swinging through new hampshire soon herself. we just heard from governor chris christie of new jersey.

here he was earlier greeting supporters. just note from media matters the media hype, a note from the democrats saying that christie just downgraded new jersey's bond rating. we heard a lot from him about the economy in new jersey and his ideas for the country. and now we have a caller walter. caller: thank you. i agree with the previous caller, we need a progressive. it we do not need a war mongering clown, but the idea that i think -- i thank god for c-span, we can hear it out of the horses mouth. what you just reported from new jersey, as opposed to the joke we heard from christie, i say, people. wake up america.

before christie you had another joke. republicans represent the clown car and i think -- and i think you c-span for exposing them. hillary clinton or at least a progressive candidate that is willing to talk to the rest of the world. we are not able to be the total opposite of the world stage. i do appreciate you and hillary and for any progressive candidate is better than republicans. host: that was walter. next democrat line, we have anne. host: -- caller: yes, i'm calling because i'm amazed to see -- and i think that maybe there are some poor republicans listening but they cannot seem to understand that the republican body seems to be most of focused on the wealthy.

it just yesterday the past a bill, the house passed a bill for a tax cut for the top five -- 5500 families in the country. it helps with those 5500, they are the wealthiest. and it looks like -- what is the republican party doing for me? it is interesting. the new jersey governor said it to give him a republican legislature so he can do things. i'm sure this president would love a democratic congress, so he could get things done. they have instructed -- obstructed him from day one. host: who would you like to see out there? caller: hillary clinton. host: we have a republican on the line from alabama. caller: i'm laughing, i'm sorry. these people who walk around in the clouds seem to be growing.

they have clouded eyes. hideo think makes the money to create jobs -- who do you think makes the money to create jobs, who creates jobs in this country, people who have money. and who are not having to give it all to taxes. yet, what do we do for taxes? where do they go? that is what the president wants democratic congress -- he has had a democratic congress for the past five years and look at what he has done. host: what do you think about the question, hootie do you want to see in 2016 -- who do you want to see in 2016? caller: walker.

walker has proven he has experience and he has done something with that experience. i like what christie says, he is not electable. that is unfortunate, because i think he could possibly good -- possibly be a good resident. he is not electable person. host: want to let people know that they can hear from scott walker tomorrow during our live coverage of the event in new hampshire. the first in the nation conference, the leaders conference. we will take a look at the conversation going on on facebook, here is a comment from jim. he says, great group leaving jeb and christie aside. and then jonah writes, hard to imagine that many clowns in one room. we are taking your phone calls about this conference. we will be back in a few minutes to the conference, but we have a caller from texas. caller: yes i would like to

take you back in time to about seven years ago when hillary clinton had her crying spell, do you remember? there were seven words that came out of her mouth that stuck in my mind. that is -- there are those of us who know. i'm tired of the ivy league. the intelligentsia thinking they know better. better than we do. so, i will vote for anybody except somebody who came out of and i would be -- an ivy league school, columbia, all that. now, who that is, i don't know. but these people that think they know more than we do, that is

not right. and another thing, i'm sorry to say that this is the state of the country right now. the republicans, if they run to white guys -- two white guys, the low information voters will think, two white guys. i don't care who they are, they will vote for whoever is running against him. host: thank you for the call. we have a him a crap on the line, victoria from new jersey. caller: hello. i just got finished watching governor christie. i back -- host: go ahead, victoria. caller: governor christie made

such a mess out of new jersey he would be the last person i would ever want to be president of the united states. i back hillary and i agree with the gentleman who spoke before, if we get hillary, we get two of them. hillary and her husband. this country was beautifully run when bill clinton ran the country. and believe me, i never saw a president as popular, to this day as bill clinton. and christie, as of today, we were downgraded again for the ninth time. he doesn't want people to know how the teachers doubled their pension when he made that agreement in 2011, then they had to make payments. he is not making payments and he keeps putting blame on corzine

he is nothing but a liar. he is a cheat. that is all he is. host: the torah, thank you for your call. you were referring to the bond rating that we should a tweet about earlier. ruth is calling the republican line. caller: hello, this is ruth and i am calling to tell you that i am behind ted cruz. i just don't go for some politicians who are trying to repeat history. i like his background. he has gone to the best of schools, even though his father came from a poor country, cuba. he worked hard. and if you see his background, he has worked with two republican administrations. what better experience can a man have at his young age? you have to's -- you have to

have a person to run this country, this is the greatest country in the world. i am a naturalized american, i come from -- my husband is an international diplomat, i have traveled drop the world -- throughout the world and i'm shocked to see america go down the hill in the last six years. every time ago to europe, i got discouraging words from people they joked about the leadership. this is shameful. this is not what the u.s. needs. we need a leader for the future, not a leader from the past. host: thank you, ruth. i will show you an article as we wait for the next speaker, jeb bush. a local republican leader says that jeb bush could have a problem in new hampshire. the former florida governor has not emerged as a favorite in the

crucial early primary state. in fact, this person that this article refers to, the chair of the -- county. he says that republicans prefer other options. bush is currently campaigning in new hampshire, this man came to hear him. perla said that local republicans don't have the bad things to say about bush, but they are gravitating toward other candidates. let us know what you think. what jeb bush be who you choose for 2016? host: we have a caller from prime mountain valley. caller: i have a degenerate bone disease and i have worked since i was 13 years old. i have always worked on jobs where i pay taxes, state taxes,

federal taxes. and social security. so, anyway i have earned it. but the thing about it is, i will vote for ted cruz or marco rubio. kiss i don't think -- because i don't think they will forget about people like me. host: richard, what kind of work did you do? caller: i have poured concrete most of my life. host: and you are interested in it ted cruz? caller: or marco rubio. host: why those two? host: -- caller: because ted cruz, his family, they are hard-working people. and marco rubio, his father was

a bartender and his mom was a waitress and i know how it is. to be on your feet 12-16 hours a day and i believe that is why i have this degenerate bone disease. but i am independent, but that is the way i am going. and i hope that they put a god idea back in the country, that is who i rely on the most. lord jesus christ. host: thank you for the call. we will get a couple more calls in here. ricky is on the line. a republican line. caller: hi, i agree with the last caller. i would like to -- like vice president rubio.

i really want him on the ticket. my first choice, if i lived in a dream world, would be huckabee, sarah palin, dr. carson, or cruise. those are the people i really admire. i think anyone who wants the clintons or bushes back in the white house is going to regret it. when i think of clinton in the white house, i think of benghazi , hillary lying in her book, and the blue just. who is going to let back bill and the white house? i really hope our country takes a turn and goes toward god and protecting our borders and our country and built up our military defense so that we are safe. this is -- this was a dreamless. a list of people i like. host: thank you for the call.

we are heading back to new hampshire, we will be with you throughout the night. then we will take you back on saturday. >> a member of one of the most decent families in america politics. i think all of us should recognize how descent the bush family is and how dedicated they are as public servants. [applause] jeb bush served as governor of florida from 1999-2007. during his years as governor, he reduced taxes cut the state government, and improved florida's bond rating. please join me and read -- welcoming governor jeb bush. [applause]

governor jeb bush: thank you. thank you very much. thank you for the great introduction, i've had a blast these last .4 hours here. you know how to be a magnet for candidates. there is only 55 people thinking of running for president, as i can tell. i believe we are probably going to be an economic driver for creating jobs for new hampshire for which i want to play my part today. thank you for letting me come. everybody knows me as george's boy, w's brother i have other family members, but if i'm going to run for the highest office in the land, have to share my heart and share my experience.

for those who have family members, i think you can appreciate this. we are not always like our mom and dad, our brother or sister we have unique dna and unique experiences. and when i woke up in midland, texas and there she was, the greatest mom, i didn't know at the time -- [applause] i am not a big gambler, it turns out i won the lottery. i wish everybody would have had the upbringing i had, the two decent parents i had who loves me with heart and soul. my life -- my transformation began in many ways when i was in mexico, at the age of 17, on a sunday afternoon where i met my wife. literally, she was in a car. i was sitting in a -- in the

time -- in the square and ice -- and i saw her and it was love at first sight. it happens. my life was organized in a way that i cannot describe for you. it wasn't love at first sight for my wife, sadly. in fact, it took a couple years for her to get going. some of you may have had that experience. but she finally consented and we have been together 41 years. we got married in austin. [applause] i had just turned 21 years old, she was 20. i got out of the university of texas and started my life's journey with her. it has been a great ride. we lived in venezuela, came back and it worked with my dad. we were in miami, i worked there as a business person. i forgot to mention three other important people, that is my three kids.

jeb is my business partner, he lives in miami. my daughter lives in orlando and my son is a statewide elected official in texas. i am proud of him, he brought a baby into the world four days ago. [applause] so as i think about this journey, i think about little georgia, little p -- prescott what will the world look like for them? will it be a world of abundance and purpose, or of greater security and fear where people feel compelled not to dream the biggest trains, where they sit back and wonder what it is like? my personal belief is we have a chance to make it -- this time to be the greatest time to be americans. my son also served, he

volunteered at the age of 30 to serve and naval reserves. he was an intelligence officer who served in afghanistan. i am proud of him, particular proud of that. and i'm proud of the men and women here and across the country that have served our country to keep us free and it is an obligation for all of us to pay our respects for them and with the best care that they deserve. and honor them by keeping america strong emma said that their sacrifice was not in vain. [applause] i did something when i started my life;s journey, i learned how to sign the front side of a paycheck. i built a business with my friend and it started with only three people. then we became the largest real estate company in florida.

it got up to about 260-280 people. it doesn't work the way that the progressives in washington want to make you believe. that we have to march 1 step forward, back and forth, do what you are told. that is not america. america looks like the life journey of many people here, it is dynamic. you take risks you may have a failure, but you dust yourself off. with all of us in pursuit of our unique dreams, in a free society, this has created the greatness of the society. now the top down german approach of the liberals. i learned this by doing it. i think it is important, if i have to take the one thing i value the most that makes me feel confident that the future of this country is bright, is the exact thing i said, citing the front side of a paycheck, growing jobs, having challenges that exist in the real world. i got to be governor of the

state of florida, some of you may know. maybe some of you secretly go down there in january, february. i have seen you on at the streets of miami and tampa. it is an incredible state, it's big, dynamics, it's kind of wacky, it is deftly purple. and -- definitely purple. it is a place where i got to apply conservative principles and moved the needle for people to have a chance at life. i did it with passion, conviction and the state is better off because we shifted toward a conservative philosophy, not just talking about it, but we did it. we did it in florida, when i was governor, i said we needed to cut taxes. we never raised taxes during a eight years. we cut them every year. [applause] $19 billion of the cumulative tax cuts, back into the pockets

of people who wanted to pursue their dreams. we reduced the government workforce by 13,000 people, more than 10%. [applause] not many states can make that claim, particularly a state that was growing at the pace of florida. we were built our reserves -- rebuilt our reserves. spending money you don't have and what liberals do, saving for a rainy day is what conservatives do. we started with $1 billion of reserves and when i left we had $9.5 billion of cash reserves. [applause] the result was we became the only state that went from aa to aaa bond rating. it used to be that the agencies would look at states and say you have to tax everything.

tax the air you breathe tax the broad-based tax code, that is the one that would generate the most solvent state. we went to the bond rating agencies and said no, we need a dynamic state limited government or the economy grows and personal income grows faster than the size and scope of government and in doing so you create more as a solvent state. and they rewarded us. the only state to go up to aaa bond rating. we went to -- and bar. we took a balanced approach to our court system. we did something that was important, i don't know how it is in new hampshire, but we had the second-highest premiums for workers compensation, a huge driver for lessening the opportunities for job growth. we reformed it to that those making money off the system, we

create a reduction in premiums. i guarantee you that money went into the pockets of small businesses and help, so that their businesses could expand in jobs were created. i was called veto corleone actually i was caught a lot of things. the left in my state did not agree with everything we did. i was called that because i vetoed 2000 separate line items in the budget, totaling $2 billion to bring order to the budget process that allowed for personal income to grow at about 4.5% and government income to grow at about 2.5% [applause] . and the result was, we created 1.3 million net new jobs in florida during my eight years. the business folks in florida 1.3 million, second only to

california. and we lead the nation in job growth. we did other things. we eliminated executive order and replaced it with a leadership model that didn't discriminate based on race, but applied leadership principles to allow for more minority students that were qualified to attend universities. during my eight years, more hispanics and more african-americans attended universities, but we did not use a policy that discriminated from one group against the other. we expanded second commandment -- second amendment rights. if you look at the record, florida is a model for those who believe in the protection of the second amendment. [applause] we defended the sanctity of life from beginning to end in our state. and we reformed the things that were most important, my set of values believes that the most vulnerable in society should be at the front of the line.

republicans do better when we show our consciousness to do the same thing, whether it is child welfare, the people that are struggling we should give them attention and help and reform the system's to make sure that they have a better chance to rise up. in florida, i do believe that more people had a chance to rise up, because we reformed the education system. we were languishing near the bottom or at the bottom, we were 50th in graduation rate when i started the journey. by expanding school choice, the most dramatic expansion of any state, we became the first date with a statewide voucher program. we expanded the scholarship program has begun here. we have 70,000 students taking advantage of that. we are the first state to have a voucher program for kids that have learning disabilities where their kids can send them to private options. we have the largest number of students attending virtual school in the country.

we eliminated social promotion in third grade. that may not sound like a big deal, but it is a policy in our country that is shameful. we have a policy that says a third grader going to fifth grade, it's ok that they are functionally illiterate. moms and dads know this, if you can't read by the end of third grade, you can't acquire knowledge. and in some places, we don't have the courage to take on teachers. we need to move into a child centered system where their god-given abilities can learn. and the end result, we turn the system upside down, with accurate assessments, with school choice, with -- and florida has been a leader in that. i'm proud of that. it's not that washington, i'm

not advocating that the next president should be head of the school board, but it is important rather than just talking about things, it's important to look at people's records. have they moved the needle? have they focused on making sure that everybody has a chance to rise up? we are moving into a world, we are at an intersection today where we will be in decline, because we refuse to change things that are broken, or we are on the verge of the greatest time to be alive. if you think about it, today we are challenged. we are in recovery, but majority of americans believe we are in recession. we are in recovery, but business start up rates are lower than business failure rates. we are in a recovery and workforce participation rates and business participation rates are lower than they were in 1980.

i know we can do better. in fact, it has to be done better and we can do better. but it requires the kind of leadership to create strategy of high sustained economic growth where more people have a chance at earned success. that is how we will win. we will win if we offer a compelling alternative, grounded in principle using commonsense leadership to be a book to fix things. we are -- my little boy jack four day old jack will live until he is 130 years old. your children and grandchildren will as well. we are on the verge of finding cures of diseases, using science that defies our imagination. every sector of the economy is being transformed through innovation. the question is that we have in front of us is, are we capable of making disruption our friend or overwhelm us?

none of this will be possible unless we restore a sense of security in the lives of americans. a sense of security that is based on american leadership. this is the first president in the post world war ii era that does not believe that the us's presence in the world is a force for good. i do and i hope you do as well. [applause] we need to re-narration alliances that have kept us safe. we need a president that does not disrespect our friends, like israel, and it tries to cater to enemies like iran. we need a president that does not unilaterally give away things, but negotiates based on principle and strength and is engaged where our friends know we have their backs.

not just today, but over the long haul. that is how you create a more secure world. if we do those two things, it would be growing our economy at a rate where people no longer believe that the end is near, that their children will have more opportunities, that they are willing to take risks again. for filling capacity so that everyone has a chance to achieve success. and we abdicate a strong america, a presence in the world that creates greater security than what we have come of this will be the greatest time to be alive. i hope you agree with that and i hope you will support candidates that have this hopeful optimistic vision. that is how we will win. i know we will not win if we just complain about how bad things are. what we have to do is the principle of in our opposition for the status quo, but we also have to offer a compelling alternative so that more people join us in our cause. thank you very much.

[applause] thank you. thank you. thanks for coming. >> we welcome questions, raise your hand. hold on. we need new people who have not asked questions yet. jeb bush: this guy is clearly in charge. >> i have the clipboard. [laughter] governor jeb bush: i think i might move over here, just in case. [laughter] jeb bush: yes, sir. >> you have a wonderful family

let me say that first of all. you should be very proud. -- of the service of the service your family has a given. [applause] that being said. what concerns me and a lot of republicans for your candidacy, number one, we are obviously talking a lot about stop hillary, because essentially the democratic party is having a coronation and there is no competition. what concerns me is that it seems a little bit like the establishment is backing you as the candidate and we have a lot of viable candidate and i hope that there is more of a fight -- not a fight literally, but a spirited debate among republicans and may the best man or woman win. i don't want a coronation on our side, by any stretch of the

imagination. government jeb bush: i don't see any coronation coming my way. just running for president. >> i think after the last couple of elections, a lot of us are not looking for a republican in name only, somebody that claims to be a conservative, and when i say conservative i mean a free marketer, somebody who believes in capitalism. i'm just hoping that your candidacy and your platform is going to be more, not trying to appeal to everybody and please everybody and in a pleasing no one. can you comment on that? governor jeb bush: first of all, i hope you absorbed the record.

it is a conservative record, not a republican in name only record. the funny thing is in florida, those who are on the left are upset that people are calling me something i am not. it is amusing, the liberals in florida are angry that people do not see me as a conservative outside of florida. my record is a conservative one, it is a i'm not kidding conservative one. i did it, i didn't talk about it. i was in an era where you could do more things, we need to restore that in washington dc, we need to stop arguing about what we want to do and stop -- start doing it. which means we have to win. back to the question, i will have to earn it. if i get into the arena, i will have to earn it. nobody will give it to me. that is more than apparent, i will share my heart, i will share my ideas to help people move up. i will share my record, because

that is the leading indicator of what i can do in the future in terms of leadership. i think one of the differences for the presidency that other -- that somebody sitting behind that desk need to make decisions. he cannot be an empty slate. we have elected a president that was a phenomenal speaker, but he was two years as a senator and had no record of accomplishment, and before that, he was a state senator with a little record of accomplishment and what did we get? we got the most liberal president in modern history. i hope i will be able to share the belief that accomplishment matters, leadership matters. that who sits behind the desk at the presidency, is it different than other jobs. i appreciate what you are saying and i will work hard for your support if i get in the arena. [applause] >> hello governor, i'm a young

republican it -- and i feel that most young republicans are supportive of same-sex marriage as opposed to older generations, and i see this as an issue that will divide the party more and more. i want to hear your thoughts on that, the change and the culture of the country and -- what do you think will happen going forward? jeb bush: i think everyone is waiting for a supreme court decision. i am for traditional marriage, i believe that -- [applause] to be fair, this is a view that transcends politics, this is not a focus group, you poll in, this is informed by my faith. the architecture of my life is not driven by politics, it's just on by my faith.

traditional marriage has been part of the glue that has kept our society intact. having said that, i have no animosity, no hatred, no bitterness in my heart for people who have a different view. as i get involved in this, it will be about, how do we restored high sustained economic growth for our country? that will benefit everybody whether they agree with me or not. how do we create is more secure america for our children and grandchildren, so people can believe again that they are safe and free. while i may disagree with you on that subject, i think we need to be finding ways to unite behind broader issues, where there is broader support. >> the woman in the back. jeb bush: you are good. [laughter] >> thank you. that's good.

my name is linda. governor bush, where do you stand on court -- common core? jeb bush: i am for fixing a simple fact that will make it harder and harder for us to be successful. we have 80% graduation rate in high school, after spending more on students than any other country in the world, except for maybe luxembourg, maybe half of those students are college or career ready. think about that. think about how dreams are shattered, because we don't -- because we dumb down everything and we have low expectations for children and then we excuse it away. in florida, that is what happened. in florida, we had what my brother called a soft a country of low expectation so i am for raising standards, if you assess

them and ss them accurately, it means we have college and career readiness. whether it is common core or standards created at the state level, to me it is not as meaningful as the fact that it should be higher. high standards assess the right way, combined with account ability, that is what we need. here's what we don't need. we don't need the federal government involved in this at all. [applause] lamar alexander and his counterpart, in the cap -- a democrat, the reauthorization has been passed and in that provision, with my support and encouragement, they have provisions of that say the federal government should not be involved in the creation of standards. of the curriculum and content. that is the proper place for the government, to stay out of it. that means that state and local

communities have an obligation to raise the bar up, the cost of this for our society is daunting. if we are going to say, some kids will learn, that others can't, and that is the way it is, we will create social disruption like we have gone through for the last few months. it will be bigger and bigger and bigger. for us as conservatives, we need to challenge the orthodoxy of our times, that is focused on 13,000 government run unionized and politicized school district's, focus on the economic interests of the adult that allows children to languish. we should not tolerate this. every child should learn and we should organize ourselves in better ways to make sure that they do. [applause] >> rene plummer governor, tell us who you get along with on the other side, whatever -- what

democrats do you work well with? if you're are going to be president, i want to know that you work well with everybody. governor jeb bush: i do not have a lot of experience in washington, but in washington i have governor mansion who is a great guy. we have a solid relationship. tom and bill sacco was a governor and we had a good relationship, in fact mr. daniels and myself and those two governors traveled to iraq to see troops. we had guardsmen in afghanistan training national police, so we developed good working relationships. this is not as hard as it appears. this is what president have done since the beginning of time. if you develop trust first, you don't assume that the person who

doesn't agree with you, they may be wrong, you may disagree with them but it is not that they have bad motives they might just have a bad ideas. that is the attitude you start rebuild trust. this is where i think the president has let us down more than any other thing. put aside his rigid ideology. it's putting down people who disagree with him to make himself look better. the next president has to change that. my experience is most people in public life have a view about this that they care about the country. they want to move forward. we just have to assume that is the case and argue out where they are wrong and where we might be able to move and forge consensus. if we just keep arguing with the most complicated tax code in the world with the most bizarre

regulatory system in the world with an entitlement system that will explode into our lives where every young person in this room will not be able to pay for the sins of the past, and where we do nothing to address the energy revolution in our midst -- m, we are going to be in trouble. in my experience in florida, we strategically thought that way. there were a lot of times where we just won the argument, but i think the first instinct is to try to find support from the other side. it ought to be the first instinct every time. click's governor, what do you feel about president obama's --

>> governor, what you feel about president obama's plan to normalize relations with cuba? governor bush: i don't agree with the way he is doing it. i don't agree with doing it in secrecy. i don't agree with how he negotiated a sickly making unilateral concessions for our country with nothing in return. i think the objective ought to be that we do what we should do which is to say that here are the things that would change our relationship with you. more freedom. release political prisoners. allow elections. allow for the start of businesses. freedom of movement. freedom of religion. things that we know will move you but towards freedom. and until you release the terrorist's you are holding whether they are the eta bus

terrorist or the cop killers that have found refuge there until you do that, we can not open up relationships. had we done that, let me tell you what would have happened. had we shown enough restraint and made it clear what hour of jack gives work, which was the freedom of the island, cuba would be in is seriously different place right now because the main sponsor outside of our own hard currency that goes into cuba for the people who are traveling, the main benefit cuba gets is from subsidized oil from venezuela. that oil is about to make venezuela a completely different country that won't allow them to provide support for cuba. that would have allowed for better negotiations and just unilaterally doing this. believing that somehow through sheer force of personality there

will be a transformation -- desperate's don't go quietly into the night. thank you. -- despots don't go quietly into the night. thank you. appreciate it. you did a good job. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> ok, folks. can we get the mic back on? is years working? -- yours working? thank you.

tomorrow just tell them. tell them in the back room, the boardroom, and we will have it ready for you. that's fine, but we have five or six of them. have you been in the boardroom yet?

ok folks and know everybody is excited. if i could have your attention just for a moment, please. we have a great dinner coming up that a lot of you are going to be part of, but if we don't clear the room, we are going to be eating in the hallway sitting on the floor. i hope you have a great day great afternoon. we look forward to seeing you back here at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. we are doing a focus group with franklin's for breakfast. dinner is inherent 7:00. -- in here at 7:00. but i need you all to start moving out of the ballroom as quickly as possible, please.

i hope everyone had a great day. i appreciate your enthusiasm.

>> wrapping up here as they go to dinner. we will bring you back tonight for more live coverage from the summit. the first officially declared candidate to address the conference florida senator marco rubio is scheduled to speak. after his appearance, we will open the phone lines and get your take on who you want to see

in the 2016 race for the white house. if you don't join us on the phones you can always weigh in on facebook. lots of responses already. howard writes -- from stephen -- you can weigh in on facebook.com/c-span. >> this weekend is full of live event coverage on the c-span networks. with politics on c-span, l.a. times festival of books on book tv, and historians discuss the end of the civil war american history tv. on c-span beginning at 10:00 eastern, live all day coverage of the first in the nation leadership summit. speakers include ted cruz, scott

walker, john kasich and rand paul. saturday at 1:30 p.m. eastern on c-span two. book tv is live from the university of southern california at the los angeles times festival of books. we have call-in programs throughout the day. some of the authors you will hear from our scott burke, tavis smiley and hugh hewitt. our live coverage of the l.a. times festival of books continues sunday afternoon at 2:00 with panelists on crime and u.s. history, historian richard reid's, and authors will be taking your phone calls throughout the day. and on c-span three saturday morning, and all day event on the civil war. sunday at 8:00 a.m. and again at 10:00 p.m. eastern, the 150th anniversary of president lincoln's assassination with a ceremony at lincoln's college, a

re-creation of ford's theatre, and a tour of the house where he died. get the full schedule at c-span.org. post: joining us on "newsmakers," representative debbie wasserman schultz. thank you for joining us. debbie wasserman schultz: thank you for having me. post: kathy, you have the first question for our guest. kathy: congresswoman, it is good to see you. you are in new hampshire. what are you doing there? are you running for something we don't know about? congresswoman wasserman schultz: the reason i am here is because we have a veritable circus tent

of republican presidential candidates and potential candidates here in new hampshire for the first in the nation cavalcade. i thought it was important to be here to make sure we could draw out a contrast between our candidates and what our eventual nominee will stand for, and what this almost 20 group of presidential candidates and potential candidates stand for. very clearly, the republicans are demonstrating here that they are all promoting the failed trickle-down economics of the past that voters have rejected repeatedly and that got us into the worst economic crisis since the great depression that we are finally, thanks to barack obama and the democrats, climbing out of. i am here to make sure that new hampshire voters and voters across the country understand that if they want a candidate who will have their back and help the middle class, that will be the democratic candidate for

president. kathy: it sounds like from a lot of speakers in the room that they have already decided who your nominee is going to be. of course, hillary clinton is perceived as the front runner. a bloomberg poll shows that even voters who support secretary of state clinton think that she should be challenged, that she would be a better candidate if she has a primary challenge. do you agree with that, and who do you think would be the best challenger? congresswoman wasserman schultz: i am not in the business of handicapping any of our candidates. i have to effectively manage our primary, which i expect to have. we expect to have other candidates in the race. ligand chafe, martin o'malley

the vice president has said he would decide in the summer when his decision is. bernie sanders who has to make that decision, would have to decide that a well -- as well. i expect that primary voters will get there wish. >> right now, hillary is the front runner because she is the only candidate you have. she starts with a problem on the question of honesty and trust. we she -- we see polling showing voters thinking she is not honest or trustworthy. what is she have to do to change that? congresswoman wasserman schultz:

hillary clinton is one of the most admired women in america. i am certain her strength as a candidate will show through because of the issues she champions. she will also champion issues that matter to americans. they want a president they know will have their back. they want a president they know will create opportunities for them to reach the middle class. they want a president to say college should be more affordable. let's not cut tell grants like the republicans support. let's increase pell grants. let's make sure interest rates are lower on student loans. let's not repeal the affordable care act but make sure that the 16 million people who have health care now because of the affordable care act, let's make sure it continues to work for them and we can add more americans to the health care roles. that's the kind of thing our candidates should be talking about.

>> but going back to this question, is honesty and trustworthiness not an important characteristic when running for president? congresswoman: of course. the polling done now -- i mean we are in april the year before the election. any polling done now is not that credible, but beyond that, the decision that will be made by voters on who they want to be the next president of the united states is going to be based on who they think believes that if you play by the rules and work hard in this country you have a fair shot. it is democrats who have stood up and made sure we pulled ourselves out of the worst economic crisis since the great recession, had 61 straight growth -- straight months of growth in the private sector, a

stock market that is booming gas prices that are lower, the lowest we have had in recent memory, and those are the results of democratic policies. contrast that with republicans who would take us backwards. anyone of the clown car candidates among the republicans would take us back to the past. >> i will try one more time of the question of honesty and trustworthiness. when we talk to voters in iowa the reason they'll most all site are the stories about hillary clinton's e-mail server and how she has handled it or not handle it. a lot of frustration among democrats. do you use a personal e-mail account for anything you do politically or for government business? congresswoman: i use both official and a personal account

yes. >> and do you make any effort -- that is for both government business and party business? congresswoman: i use a personal e-mail and an official e-mail. and i have a dnc e-mail as well. i have several e-mails i use for various responsibilities. on e-mail specifically, your question about e-mail, i can assure you and i am confident number one that secretary clinton followed all the rules that were in place at the time for how she would communicate with her staff. she has made that clear. she has released 55,000 pages of e-mails. at the end of the day, american voters are not going to decide who they want to be president based on what e-mail address they use. that i am confident of. >> do you make an effort to make sure any business you do on a personal e-mail is copied for the records?

congresswoman: what i do is communicate -- depending on the issue -- with my staff on official e-mail and on political e-mail with my personal e-mail address. we separated in the appropriate way. there are times i use my personal e-mail for official business, but as you know, when it comes to e-mails in congress, we have constitutional restrictions that are little bit different than how it applies to the executive branch. the rules are not the same. kathy: you mentioned that hillary clinton is one of the most admired women in the country. how do you think gender plays in this election, if at all? is it an advantage or a disadvantage? do you think your -- do you think there is still a bias?

if you look at the numbers, it certainly is far less representative than the numbers of women in the country. is that a problem for hillary clinton? congresswoman: i don't think so at all. on the contrary, i think being a woman would be an asset. i am someone who believes and what my parents raised me to understand is that in america little curl can grow up and be anything she wants to be, even president of the united states. i think it is absolutely an asset. it's an obstinate -- an opportunity for a candidate hillary or anyone else, to talk about the issue of families through the lens of their experience. we have just come off equal pay day. it takes an extra four months for women in this country to earn what a man earned in a year doing the same work.

we have women candidates for president, c congress, governor who can talk about that. governor jeb bush said he didn't even know what the paycheck fairness act was. marco rubio said legislating equal pay was a waste of time. rand paul has also criticized it. there is not a single republican who believes we should pass legislation to make sure women get equal pay for equal work. that is even in spite of the fact, kathy, that 40% of households with ta families in this country are headed by women and a woman loses almost half $1 million over her working life when she isn't paying the same for equal -- paid the same for equal work. i think people who address

issues that are important to women specifically are more likely to rise. kathy: i assume, being a floridian, that you know both jeb bush and marco rubio. did you serve with rubio in the legislature? congresswoman: i was in the senate when marco was in the house. kathy: are you surprised to see the two of them as rivals? any insights into why that happened and how that will play out in your state and beyond? congresswoman: i served in the legislature for the six years that jeb bush was governor. in my 22 years and in office there was not a more inflexible unreasonable governor or elected official that i had the chance to work with. and i am not just talking about because i disagreed with him on issues. i have disagreed with plenty of people. i served a lot of years in the minority.

even in the minority, i found ways to be effective. jeb bush did not have any interest in working with anyone who didn't share his opinion. that is not a good harboring of your ability to be president and work together with people across the aisle. in addition to that, he decimated our tax base and focused on made making sure we could cut taxes almost exclusively for the wealthiest floridians. he left us in a very difficult spot when the bottom dropped out of the economy thanks to his brother's economic policies. it was much tougher in florida. we were hit harder. marco rubio, unfortunately is trying to market himself as a new type of republican with new ideas. he has only embraced all of the republican policies. his trickle-down economics increase taxes for the middle class and benefit the wealthy. he supports ending welfare as we

know it. to add insult to injury, he writes a comprehensive immigration reform plan, pushes it through the senate, and as soon as the right wing tea party extremists in his party got wind of it and were opposed to it he ran away. the last time i checked, there is a little bit of pressure on the president of the united states. if marco rubio couldn't hack pressure from his own party, how will he handle being president? steve: just to finish up on that subject, because of your florida expertise, which one is going to win the florida primary? can't: quite frankly, it is -- congresswoman: quite frankly, it doesn't matter. no matter who the republican nominee is in the field of 19 or 22 or whatever number end up throwing their hats in the ring,

they are all him saying and will prevent a very stark contrast between our democratic nominee -- embracing and will prevent a very stark contrast between our democratic nominee. the democratic nominee will fight for middle-class families, and sure college is affordable, ensure that people have access to quality health care, focus on job creation, help small businesses make sure we expand opportunities. the republicans focus on helping people who are the wealthiest and most fortunate, give them all the breaks, and maybe the crumbs will fall on the rest of us. that has been tried. it failed. and the voters rejected it as recently as 2012. i think it doesn't much matter who they nominate, just like it didn't matter in 2012. ultimately, the voters will reject their nominee because they know they don't have their back. steve: as you know, congress is going to start debating trade. particularly trade with asia.

this is not an automatically easy answer or question for debate with democrats. a lot of interest groups, labor unions in particular, are not in favor of free trade as the president is. i want to ask you a couple of questions. how would you vote on this trade partnership? and secondly, how do you think it would help low income wage earners in the united states. what would it do about the wage gap? congresswoman wasserman schultz: one thing i will tell you is that when it comes to negotiating a trade agreement, i have a lot more confidence in president obama handling those negotiations than i did when we had a republican as president. i voted against cast up. i voted for columbia and south korea. i am taking a close look at environmental considerations and

labor standards. i would give you a little pushback on your characterization that we have democrats who are against free trade. democrats are generally for fair trade. we want to make sure that when we passed the fair trade agreement in the united states we are getting a good deal and that when it comes to balance, we are addressing trade deficits we have with the nations involved, but at the same time, we make sure that we have labor standards that are up to par that environmental standards are strong that we don't have an agreement that runs roughshod over the environment, that when it comes to balance for businesses and regulations for consumers, that we have good, strong rules in place. those are things that i know president obama has been meticulously negotiating. i am confident we have a chance

to get the best possible agreement we can get and i am going to take a close look at it as are many of my colleagues. kathy: just to follow up on steve's questions, a lot of labor groups are suspicious of this because they feel burned by some of the agreements that have been supported by democrats in the past. how do you as the head of a party that relies heavily on labor and labor has provided a lot of money and legwork for your party, how do you -- how can you even consider it and why is this not a third rail when it comes to labor, a very important constituency for your party? congresswoman: remember, president obama as a candidate said that if he had a chance to be president, he would make sure we renegotiated nafta. that is what he is doing as part of this. i think because labor was so

concerned at the time about nafta and what a raw deal they thought it was, and how harmful they thought it was that now they have an opportunity to renegotiate those standards. look the democratic family is just like any other family. we have arguments. we have discussions. but we ultimately coalesce around the nominee and our candidates up and down the ballot because we know that our candidates are best suited and more likely to focus on making sure that if you work hard and play by the rules in this country, you have a chance to earn a living wage reach the middle class, provide for your family, have a good roof over your head, and that you don't have to spend your life wringing your hands over how you are going to negotiate all of that. republican policies have included none of those protections, have included terrible environmental

standards, have not made labor protections a priority. that is the kind of conversation we are having. we are listening to our friends in the labor movement. i have had numerous meetings with labor leaders both at home and in washington. kathy: have they given you any ultimatums on this? congresswoman: no, i have not heard any ultimatums from labor leaders we have spoken to. they feel very strongly about certain provisions, about priorities with in trade agreements, and they had said they could support the trade agreement being negotiated now but quite frankly, we don't have a trade agreement to show folks. we definitely should hear them out. i'm confident that if there is anyone going to bat on the

issues that matter to labor when it comes to a trade agreement, it's barack obama. let's give the negotiations some time, and let's take a look at the standards that come out that matter to us, and let's judge it at that point. steve: i want to come back quickly to politics. kathy talked about there being only one candidate in the primary, hillary clinton. you assume there will be a multi-candidate field. how active will you be in setting debates? the republican party has stepped forward after their debate cavalcade the last time and said we are going to limit the number this time. will you do the same thing or will you let it be a free-for-all, as many as possible? congresswoman: we are going to roll out a schedule for debates. we usually do that and this cycle will be no different. we have a series of sanctioned debates we expect our presidential candidates will

participate in, and we have been having conversations with both candidates in the race and potential candidates about what that schedule will look like. steve: when and where will we see the first one? congresswoman: we have not made that decision yet. we are still having those discussions and we will make an announcement in the near future. steve: how many -- host: how many do you think we will have? congresswoman: like i said, we are still having those discussions. when we reach a decision everyone will know. host: more than five? less than 10? congresswoman: like i said, we are still having those discussions, and when we reach a decision, we will let everybody know. but we are getting input from candidates who are talking about running as well as those in the race already eerie at --

already. we will make an announcement in the very near future. kathy: congresswoman, i have certainly picked up a theme here in your remarks about the middle class. how is it possible to convince voters that that is sincere rhetoric when you talk about the middle class and when you talk about the needs of folks who are trying to make ends meet and at the same time have to go out to fundraisers, whether you personally or people working on behalf of your candidates, asking people to write checks with lots of zeros behind them. i mean, we have seen so many super pac's already this year. there is already one keyed up for your potential nominee, the only candidate in the race hillary clinton. given that the candidates are going to be relying so heavily on money from big donors, either directly or indirectly how can they stay in touch with and how

can they make a priority of middle-class voters, and how can middle-class voters trust that they are being made a priority? why should they? congresswoman wasserman schultz: as you know, kathy, we, as a party, feel that there is too much money in politics, that we need more transparency, that citizens united was one of the worst decisions the supreme court has handed down. it is harmful to democracy because it makes it possible to have more than six or seven figure contributions that are opaque, that voters cannot see where spending doesn't have to be reported, and it allows a bleak attacks against candidates that -- oblique attacks against candidates that really poison the environment. we believe there should weekend -- there should be transparency.

we support the disclose act. president clinton said we might need to consider amending the constitution to roll back some of the worst changes that have occurred after citizens united. that's where our party is. under the rules of engagement as they are now we are not going to unilaterally disarm. we are operating under the rules as they are now while making it clear how we feel about campaign reform and transparency. our average contribution in 2012, for example, was about $54. 98% of the contributions, from what i remember in 2012, came into the obama campaign at less than $250. we feel very good about our grassroots fundraising, how many people we have reached, and who is contributing. host: this has to be the last question. kathy: would you tell your nominee not to accept dark money, meaning, not to the

unlimited contributions that go to super pac's but money that comes in through 501(c)(3)'s that doesn't have to be reported? congresswoman: our position, as i said, is that we need campaign finance reform. we need transparency written into the law so we can get that poisonous environment out and make sure we know that voters can choose their candidates and that you don't have donors buying their candidates, as republicans support, but at the end of the day, we are going to play by the rules as they exist now and fight for the change we know will be better for our democracy. host: our guest is congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz the chair of the democratic national committee and a representative of florida. thank you. turning to our reporters. the most important thing you

took from that conversation? kathy: she expects a multicandidate primary. the fact that she is preparing for debate indicates to me that she thinks hillary clinton will get challenged. how significantly is the question. i thought that was interesting. that and the fact that she would not commit to even barring dark money, not that you can bar third-party money from a campaign but even that, which is really the money you cannot trace at all to a donor, they are not going to say no. steve: she would not go anywhere near a question about hillary clinton's honesty. host: and you pressed her. steve: it is clearly a political challenge now. the notion that polls that are out now don't mean anything -- that is true of horserace polls. it is not true of questions

about characteristics. i think the overall impression is that this may be as good as her job gets today. talking to the three of us. the bad election of the last year is in the rearview mirror. she has one candidate running for president. despite these challenges, she still has an edge over any potential republican. it's going to get rocky in the next 6, 8, 10 months. you're going to get more candidates in her party particularly lincoln chafee, who is going to raise uncomfortable questions in the debates. things are going to get tougher from now on. host: uncomfortable questions in what regard? steve: he has said repeatedly that he will ask about her iraq war vote. that cost her the nomination the last time.

kathy: i agree. i think any kind of a challenge will be a challenge. i think there will be people asking about e-mails just as steve did. there will be people asking about the history of lack of transparency. you heard congresswoman wasserman schultz talk about the importance of transparency, and that is certainly a criticism that has been leveled at the clintons specifically hillary clinton, her desire to keep things secret, to control information, which has gotten her into trouble again and again. i think anybody out there is going to start to raise those questions, and that is going to be something that both hillary clinton and the party that i think fully expects her to be the nominee, are going to have to negotiate. host: what is the trend of the discussions going on in the last couple of days?

kathy: i think there was a lot of dancing around. i think this is a tough issue for democrats and will be on the campaign trail. labor remains a huge part of the consist -- of the can to chew and see -- of the constituency. we are talking about foot soldiers. that is one of the things that has been an asset that the democratic party has had. i think if you have labor feeling alienated from the party going into a presidential election, it's not a good thing. steve: she couldn't answer the question of how these trade deals would wage -- raise wages or address the income gap, which both parties are talking about a lot. unless you can say that it will raise wages in ohio or florida, i am not sure why they are going to push it. kathy: one thing we know about

these bills is that they are going to have huge support in the business community. big business wants big bills. that's not to say that there couldn't ultimately be a benefit, but i think what labor and a lot of middle-class voters feel is that passed trade agreements have led to job exodus. convincing people that it will not happen this time, and how is there any guarantee of these laudable goals of environmental protections, wage negotiation and worker protections, how is any of that going to be enforced? post: -- host: to both of you, thanks for being on the show. announcer: tonight, taking you

back to new hampshire for more coverage from the first of the nation summit. at 7:00 p.m. eastern, we will be hearing from congressman frank didn't tell -- from a congressman at about 7:00. marco rubio is slated to speak at 7:40 p.m. after his appearance, we will open the phone lines and get your take on who you want to see in the 2016 race for the white house. announcer: this weekend politics on c-span, l.a. times festival of books on book tv, and historians discuss the end of the civil war on history -- on american history tv. on c-span, live, all-day coverage of the first in the nation leadership summit. speakers include ted cruz, scott walker, john kasich, and rand

paul. saturday at 1:30 p.m. eastern on c-span two, book tv is live from the university of southern california for the los angeles times festival of books with panels on journalism and publishing and author call-in programs throughout the day. some of the authors you will hear from include selling biographer scott burke, tavis smiley, and radio talkshow host hugh hewitt. our live coverage from the festival of books continues at 2:00 with panels on crime and u.s. history. authors will be taking your phone calls throughout the day. on c-span three, saturday morning at eight 40 5 a.m. eastern, and all-day event on the end of the civil war. sunday at 8:00 a.m. and again at 10:00 p.m. eastern the 100 50th anniversary of president lincoln's assassination with a ceremony at lincoln's college.

we creations of ford's theater, and we will take a tour of the house where the president died. get the full schedule is c-span.org. announcer: president obama held a joint news conference earlier today at the white house with the prime minister of italy, matteo renzi. he criticized republicans for delaying the nomination of loretta lynch as his attorney general. this is about an hour. president obama: please have a seat. it is a great pleasure to welcome my partner and friend prime minister renzi [speaking italian]

i should say, welcome back. not many people know, but matteo came to the white house several years ago when he was the young, dynamic mayor of florence. today he is the young, dynamic prime minister of italy. even then i think people recognized he brought an energy and a sense of vision to where he wanted to see his country go. today is an opportunity for me to return the incredible hospitality that matteo and the italian people showed me in rome. one of the great cities of the world. italy is one of our closest and strongest allies. anytime italians and americans get together it is a chance to celebrate the deep bonds of history, friendship, and family. as i've said before, i'm not lucky enough to have any italian ancestry that i know of, but i consider myself an honorary italian because i love all things italian.

the united states would not be what we are or who we are without the contributions of generations of italian-americans. in rome last year matteo spoke of his visit to the american military cemetery in florence. that is a reminder of how italians and americans have made sacrifices for the freedom we cherish. i'm grateful for my partnership, personally, with prime minister renzi. we have worked together on several occasions from rome to the nato g7 and g-20 summits. i know he is committed to the alliance. i have been impressed with the energy and vision and reforms that he is pursuing to unleash the potential of the italian people and economy. his willingness to challenge the status quo and look to the future has made him a leading voice in europe. we are seeing progress being

made with respect to italy. i want to thank you again for the seriousness and sense of purpose a you bring to our work today. this morning, we focused on our shared security starting in europe. we agree the international community needs to support ukraine as it pursues reforms along with the international partners. we support the minsk agreements and agree that russia and ukraine must fulfill all the obligations under these agreements. i thank the prime minister of italy's strong support for the international coalition against isil. italy is one of the largest contributors of advisors and trainers to build up the iraqi security forces. italy is leading the effort to ensure the area is liberated and stabilized.

we also spent an amount of time discussing our shared concern for the situation in libya where we continue to support efforts to form a unity government. given italy's leadership role across the mediterranean we will work together more intensively to encourage cooperation on threats coming from libya, including the growing isil presence as well as additional coordination with other partners on stabilizing what has become a very deadly and difficult situation. more broadly, italian forces play a vital role from kosovo, to lebanon, to afghanistan. the coalition forces continue to train and assist afghan forces and we want to transition responsibly as we complete our consolidation of the end of next year.

i updated by minister renzi on the framework that we reached with iran. the progress toward a comprehensive deal that prevents iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. we agree that until any final deal is reached sanctions must continue to be fully enforced. that is what we talked about in the morning. after this press conference we will have lunch and they'll give us a chance to focus on what is the top priority of both our peoples, a strong inclusive economy that creates jobs and opportunity on both sides of the atlantic. like me, prime minister renzi is a strong supporter of the transatlantic and investment partnership, which would boost jobs and exports in europe and the united states, and include

protections for workers and public health, safety, and the environment. congress is considering bipartisan support. i'm looking forward to hearing the prime minister's assessment of the ambitious economic reforms to make italy more competitive and to reinvigorate the italian economy as a sort of t -- as a source of growth in europe. and reforms to return greece to growth in the euro zone. we will discuss the importance of the main economies taking ambitious action on climate change. italy showed leadership in the eu as they committed to targets for reducing emissions. my work with prime minister renzi is continuing in paris. i want to congratulate italy and the people of malan as they prepare to host the 2015 world expo. the focus is on food. something that italy know something about, along with wine.

the expo and the u.s. pavilion is focused not only on outstanding cuisine, like italy's, but how to feed a growing planet. how to combat hunger malnutrition, and how to put healthy food on tables. that is something that is very close to michelle's heart. we commend italy's leadership. i suspect many americans will visit milan and sample the food and wine. matteo, gratzi for your leadership on many pressing issues. i assure you it is a friendship and partnership that americans treasure. we are grateful that we have such strong bonds between our peoples. prime minister? prime minister renzi: thank you

so much. it is an honor for me and for every member of the italian government to be here in the white house. translator: i will speak in italian quickly to thank the president of the united states of america for the extraordinary leadership that he has displayed. both in terms of his foreign-policy and in the economic and development models. the last time we met was in brisbane during the g-20. i can only say that as a partner and ally, have to express my appreciation for the work that has been carried out by the united states of america in the complex cubit issue.

-- cuba issue. this has been a very complex issue. it has been difficult for the american people and the cuban people. i would like to congratulate the president for the iranian issues because at least there is a framework, an agreement, which we hope will reach a conclusion by june 30. i would like to add, when i came to the white house i brought on my behalf and on behalf of the italians the feelings of pride for what the president mentioned earlier. for the role of so many italians in the history of the united states of america. from christopher columbus on ward as well as the appreciation and great on this -- gratefulness for the sacrifice of young men and women of the united states whom in the next few days we will remember for having liberated italy.

we are very proud of what the fighters did. they fought against a fascism. they went out into the mountains and struggled. this would not have been possible without the commitment and sacrifice of the american army. young men and women who died for my grandfather, my father, my family, and my children. this is why during the days of celebration i will be sure, this is the 70th year after the liberation, i will go to a place i love. the american cemetery in order to honor all of the american people. i would like to thank you on behalf of all italians. we spoke quite a bit about a number of topics. i am anxious to talk with

president obama about everything that has to do with the economy. if you look at the last seven years, 2000 8-2015, the american economy has had and a reduction of the unemployed and there has been growth in the gdp. the european economy has increased and its employment -- unemployed and the gdp went down. something did not work at home. there's is why i believe the experience of the united states government is a model for the european economy, and that we have to be careful about budgets and limitations. about our commitments. at the same time we have to go through a new season of growth and investments. in 2014 we started with the first provisions. there is much to be done. american leadership, for me, is a point of reference. we spoke about libya.

i just had a meeting and during this meeting i'm convinced that the president and i are on the same page. in the next few weeks we will see that we will reach the fruit of all this commitment. everything that happens in the mediterranean sea is not merely something that has to do with security. at the same time it deals with justice and dignity of mankind. this is why the authoritative cooperation that the united states can offer is, for italy extremely important. we talked about ukraine and russia, as the president mentioned. we also mentioned the issues having to do with iran and the complex framework in the middle east. i believe, it is important for

us to underscore how, as part of this alliance, guided by the united states which is a reference point not only for choices but for the ideal, the cultural battle that we all have to fight. this is why, dear president, that i decided to leave georgetown university. i went to visit. when i leave the white house i will go to the national gallery, because i know there's an exhibition on the florentine italian renaissance. this is a clear message that tells us how culture is important for young boy or girl. this is the basis of our civilization and future. this is a great occasion. the expo.

i have brought a few bottles of wine because i know that he is a great expert. prime minister renzi: i remember an interview, when you are a candidate, i remember very well an important interview. translator: i also believe it is important for us. aside from any jokes, we have to make sure the expo is a great occasion for the quality of life, the lifestyle, and at the same time to declare war against poverty. it is not possible to have a world where one billion people died because they are obese or do not have enough to eat. this is what the expo will be and the presence of the united states will be an element of great importance. thank you from the bottom of my heart. if i can finish i would like to say if it does not have anything

to do with the relationship between governments, i said i wanted to thank president obama for his speech. at selma. this is a personal observation but a political issue. there are moments in which history can be extraordinary. one of these moments is what this country has lived through over the last 50 years. for those who love politics, for those who love politics that speech was a moment of great inspiration and strong affection. thank you kindly mr. president and thank you for your warm welcome to the white house. president obama: with respect to the wine i felt it would be insulting for me not to sample it.