freedom summit including wisconsin governor scott walker, former texas governor rick perry and donald trump. >> former florida governor jeb bush speaks at liberty university's commencement. the institution was founded by an angelical leader jerry falwell. the former governor talked about putting his christian faith into action. he is considering a run for the 20 16th republican nomination -- 2016 republican nomination. this is about 20 minutes. [applause] >> it is my pleasure to introduce the 2015 commencement speaker, governor jeb bush. [applause] jeb bush: thank you very much.

trustees, faculty, staff distinguished guests, faculty and friends i appreciate your hospitality. to all of the graduates, thank you for letting me share in this day as you become proud alumni of liberty university. it is good to be here, and to visit with the falwell family. my dad thought very highly of your father, president falwell. he turned his back on no one. his legacy endures, and it only begins with this great american university. my dad received an honorary degree here 25 years ago. many of you asked this morning how he is doing one month shy of his 91st birthday. i'm happy to say he is in good shape. it will stay that way if we can keep his mind off that darn

parachute. today was my first time to be able to meet with pastor jonathan falwell. jonathan has a unique place at liberty, because among other reasons, at this university his dad used to be president, then his brother was president. somehow, i don't know what it was, we really hit it off. [laughter] jeb bush: i'm not sure what is in store for you jonathan, but i am pulling for you, man. [laughter] jeb bush: the proudest people will not be collecting degrees. and maybe the parents of this class might be thinking of another time in your milestones in life were a little less ceremonious than today. things like standing up the

first time, or starting to read books instead of just chewing on them, or performing miracles like blowing your own nose were sitting still in church. it does not always feel that way to parents, but they must have done a lot of things right. today, by the thousands, liberty is sending forth civilized confident, true hearted then and -- men and women, which happens to be what america needs today. when the rest of the world hardly knew of you you were all of the world to your mom and dad. by the way, you still are. how about we show our gratitude to the parents and families of the graduating class of 2015. [applause] jeb bush: i might add, if you earned a liberty degree and have had active duty in the united states military, you are a credit to this university, your country, and we thank you from the bottom of our heart. [applause]

jeb bush: whether in the stadium, or an online student receiving a degree as of today liberty university is in your past. this school and the values it stands for will always be a part of who you are. if there's any useful role i can perform, maybe just to offer one last word of encouragement in the vocation you have taken up it is the same one, whatever degree you take, whatever work you will do, it is the greatest of all callings to know, love, and serve the lord, and it is yours by choice. you know how to choose a path and stay on it. that is useful knowledge when life can present more choices than we know what to do with. especially if you are young and trying to live out the word of the gospel. the world will never run short

of the competing offers. you've heard all of them and are not impressed. that wisdom can carry you a long way. the faith that brought you here, that matured here, does not give every answer to every question. nor of course does it promise a life spared from doubt or difficulty, but in the way of life's advantages, each of you has the best there is, and awakened conscience. when you have that going, there is no end to the good you can do, or the wrongs you can help overcome, or the hope you can bring into the lives of others. this does not always come as a welcome reminder, but is true all the same. the affliction, the injustice, there is no more powerful or liberating influence on earth than the christian conscious inaction -- christian conscience in action. how strange and our own time to hear christianity spoken as a backward force.

outside the 7000 acres of shared conviction, it is a depressing fact that when some people think of christianity and judeo-christian values they think of something static, narrow, and outdated. we can take this as unfair criticism as it typically is or , we can take it as a further challenge to show in our lives the most dynamic and inclusive and joyful message that ever came into the world. these are the days in which christians are expected to praise every faith but their own. he never accepted that limitation, and neither should we. least all of all -- least of all in reply to criticism. one of the great things about this faith is it staring. loving our neighbors seems like an easy call, especially if you like them already, but how about loving our enemies as a bold challenge to leave our comfort zone and lift our sites to

larger purposes. as to the suggestion that christianity is a static faith that is not how it reads in the original. i cannot think of any other subversive moral idea than the last shall be first, and the first last. likewise, is it really some premodern idea that god's favor is on the gentle, kind, and poor in spirit? a lot of people, including a few that command armies have not gotten the news. violence and fear and domination are their rules to live by as many persecuted christians in our time can attest. the matter what they is professed by cruel men, if we can imprint a few lines of truth on their heart we would surely start with the words of the carpenter born in bethlehem, blessed are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers.

it is a voice like no other. whether it is captured on scrolls, paper, or in bits of data, seeing in the example of francis the saint or francis the pope, affirmed by the witness of ancient martyrs, or by the witness of martyrs dying in his name today, no place with a message reaches, no heart it touches, is ever the same. across our own civilization, what a radically different story history would tell without it. consider an alternative universe of power without restraint conflict without reconciliation, oppression without deliverance corruption without reformation tragedy without renewal, achievement without grace. it is a glimpse of human experience without the christian influence.

no law in the world, said martin luther king, could produce such compassion, genuine love thorough altruism. the christian faith joins the assemblies of the hopeless and brings new light into the dark chambers of pessimism. it is not only untrue, but also ungrateful to dismiss the christian faith as some obstacle to enlightened thought. some ancient, irrelevant creed wearing out his welcome. whatever the source, it provides the moral vocabulary we only use in america and may it always be so. [applause] jeb bush: try to separate the ideals from the source, as cs lewis observed, is like a rebellion of the branches against the tree. justice, equality, the worth of

every life, the dignity of every person, rights no authority can take away, these are founding moral ideals in america, ma did not come out of nowhere. -- and they did not come out of nowhere. every day people are comforting the lonely, serving the weak and giving hope to the prisoner, and in every way they know, loving mercy and living with integrity. that doesn't happen by chance or because anyone ordered it, or because there is a federal program for it. the endless work of christian charity in america is what free people do when they have good news to share. it's how free people live when they have a living faith. there are no blinders on the christian conscience. try as the world might to try to make us look away from needs wrongs, and make us too comfortable to care, your generation is bringing the christian voice to where it is

needed and is not heard enough. this nation's efforts to fight poverty has sometimes taken on an air futility because so much has been tried and so much needs to be done. so many young christians today are showing the way. moved not by pity for what is, but by a vision of what can be. for all who would serve the poor and homeless, you set the standard with your belief that everyone matters, and that everyone has the right to rise. america's environmental debates can be coldly economical, to sterile of life. you remind us of what is at stake. christians see in nature requires grandeur. the endless glorious work of the lord of life.

men and women of your generation are striving to be the protectors of creation instead of users, good shepherds instead of hirelings, and that moral vision can make all the difference. you understand some moral standards are universal and do not bend under the weight of cultural differences. wherever there is child waiting to be born, we say choose life and we say it with love. [applause] jeb bush: wherever women and girls are brutally exploited or treated as possessions without rights and dignity is, we christians see that arrogance for what it is. wherever jews are subjected to the oldest bigotry we reject that sin and we defend them. [applause]

jeb bush: in all of these causes, and others, your generation is fully engaged, acting by the light of conscience. if any spirit is going to be welcomed in a free society, you think that would be one. at least the founding generation thought so and they wrote the first amendment. others have their own fashionable ideas, which can be a religion by themselves. it has to be a problem for christians. that makes it our problem, and our response has to be the forthright defense of the first freedom of the constitution of the united states. [applause] jeb bush: it can be a touchy subject. i'm sometimes asked if i would allow my decisions in government to be influenced by my christian faith. whenever i hear this i know what , they want me to say. the safe reply is no, never, of course not. if the game is political

correctness, that is the answer that moves you to the next round. the endpoint is a politician we've heard before. the guy whose moral convictions are so private, so deeply personal that he even refuses to impose them on himself. [laughter] [applause] jeb bush: the mistake is to confuse points of theology with moral principles. they are noble to reason. this confusion is part of a false narrative casting religious americans as intolerant. running around trying to impose their views on everyone. the stories vary year after year, but the storyline is getting familiar. the progressive political agenda is ready for its next great leap forward. religious people and churches are getting in the way. our friends on the left like to view themselves as the agents of change and reform, and we are

supposed to get with the program. there are consequences when you don't flex to the latest secular dogmas. they can be hard to keep up with. we find officials demanding pastors turnover copies of their sermons or federal judges mistaking themselves for legislators and imposing rights that do not exist in the constitution, or an agency dictating to a catholic charity, the little sisters of the poor what has to go in their health plan. and never mind objections of conscience. i don't know about you, but when it comes to doing the right and good thing, the little sisters of the poor no better than the regulators at the department of health and human services. [applause] jeb bush: from the standpoint of

religious freedom, you might even say it is a choice between the little sisters and big brother. i'm going with the little sisters. [applause] jeb bush: that case continues, and the present administration is supporting the use of coercive federal power. what should be easy calls in favor of religious freedom have become an aggressive stance against it. somebody here is being small minded and intolerant, and it is not the nuns, ministers, and laymen and women that only want to practice their faith. [applause] jeb bush: federal authorities are demanding obedience and complete disregard of religious conscience. in a free society, the answer is no. [applause] jeb bush: it strikes me that

most of the criticism reacted at -- directed at believers in our day is drawn from hostile character. that is an easy way of avoiding honest discussion. it deepens distrust instead of inviting understanding. so often we hear language that divides us and we need the language of goodwill. there's so much we share in common across lines of region, religion, and demography. in my experience, you find that the same good instincts, fair mindedness, and free spirit is found among americans of all types including the many hope belong to know church at all. there is a lot to work with if the aim is to accept differences instead of exploiting them and getting on with life in this free country. as for you graduates, getting on with life is the theme of the day. if your future prospects has anything to do with the sheer number of people wishing you well this morning, you could not

have asked for a better sendoff. may this mark one milestone in a long, purposeful, journey. at each turn may you find god's lovingkindness before your eyes and may you always be his instrument. from this place to wherever you are bound, in the words of isaiah may you go out with joy and be led forth with peace. congratulations to the class of 2015. [applause] >> we will show you some of the speakers at south carolina freedom summit including scott walker, rick perry, dump truck and market -- donald trump, and marco rubio.

>> on the next washington journal, formal pennsylvania governor tom ridge on the civility in public life and terror threats. and peter sullivan about state-run health exchanges facing financial troubles and an author and blogger looks at how some companies are changing their policies to attract and retain working mothers. we take your calls a you could join the conversation at facebook and twitter. "washington journal" at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> sunday night, former bloomberg news reporter kate anderson on the world of the white house through the eyes of the people work there from the kennedys through the obama for you >> who are the england's -- thicklands? >> they are an incredible

family. i interviewed the only current part-time butler, he is still there, he may be there right now. he works every week after the white house. nine members of the family work there. his uncle and brother were maitre d'. he told me my uncle read the white house. they brought him in when he was averaging years old during the eisenhower -- when he was 17 years old during the eisenhower administration. he used to work in the kitchen. they cap to give him ice cream to eat. it is incredible humor member what to the eisenhower's -- it is incredible remembers what the eisenhower's were like. >> sunday night on c-span's q&a. >> south carolina republican congressman and citizens united

cohosted this weekend's south carolina freedom summit. speakers including presidential candidate senator ted cruz of texas, senator marco rubio of florida, dr. ben carson and carly fiorina. also speaking was governor scott walker, former governor rick perry. we will show you some the speeches starting with governor walker's. [applause] ♪ gov. walker: freedom.

freedom. endowed by our creator, defined by our constitution, but defended each and every day by the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of these united states. let's begin by asking all those who have served, our veterans, all those who are serving, active-duty, the guard, or the reserve, and since it was military spouses day yesterday let's invite their spouses and family members, let's have them stand up and give them a round of applause. [applause] gov. walker: thank you to each and everyone of you. we are going to talk about

freedom today. i know you love your country. that's why you serve. we love this great country we call america. thank you for making it possible for us to have events like this. i have to begin by saying thanks, it's great to be back in south carolina. the last time i was here we talk to grassroots activists, i went over to the harley-davidson dealership and picked up a t-shirt. it is warm enough today that if i wasn't off to israel this afternoon, i might actually rent a motorcycle like a road king i have back home and go ride a bit. i can guarantee you sometime this summer, i will convince my team that i'm going to get on a bike and ride around the state of south carolina. [applause] gov. walker: it would be a lot of fun. looking at this crowd, thank you. i know many of you helped us just a few years ago and we faced quite a battle just that -- back that way in wisconsin.

back when we faced the one and only recall that has been successful in america. so many people here and across the state and across this country, you help us out. you made phone calls. some of you even physically came up and knocked on some doors for us. you sent in $20 or $30 along the way. we thank you for that. we appreciate how many of you told us you prayed for us. that meant the world to us. don't stop praying. we appreciate it. [applause] gov. walker: it's interesting. for us, that's how things started in 2009. we were sitting down and talking about and praying about getting into the race for governor. we knew it would be tough. in wisconsin, they're more democrats than republicans in our state. the last time a republican carried the state for president was 1984. that's when i was in high school, and i had a much bigger head of hair. [laughter] gov. walker: that's a tough state. we knew we had faced tough battles before.

dave mentioned even before running for governor, back in 2002, we were raising our sons in a place called milwaukee county. we live in a town called while the tosa where the family home is out. there was a big scandal, the guy who would been the county executive and got in the county into trouble, ironically there was attempts to recall him. he was about to be recalled and he resigned about a week after i announced that if you didn't get out of the way, i was going to run for county executive. i never thought about running for county executive before, a republican had never ever been in that spot before. but we knew for all of the sons and daughters like ours, we needed a better county. a few years later, after we had done eight consecutive years without raising the property tax from the previous year, after we reduce the size of the workforce and the debt by 25 plus percent. after we have gotten our economic and financial things in order, and we have done good things like our park system won

a gold medal. we knew if we could turn a place like milwaukee county around, we knew we could take on the kind of battles that would be needed at the state level. people asked why you would take on that challenge knowing how difficult it would be to win in wisconsin? two reasons, matt and alex. those are our two boys. as parents, was that it was unacceptable to think our sons would growth in a state that wasn't as great as the state we grew up in. so we got in that election, we won the battle. and then shortly thereafter we took office in january, 2011, we did some pretty big things. at one point we had more than 100,000 protesters in and around the capital. we had not just threats, we had death threats against me and my family, my kids were target on facebook, my parents even got grief at their home.

the attempt there was to intimidate us. that's what they do. they try and intimidate at the state and local level. it reminded us to refocus on why we got elected in the first place, to think more about the next generation. the great thing was it worked. it works. [applause] gov. walker: today, the state i am proud to lead had an unemployment rate of 9.2%. last month it was 4.2% unemployment. [applause] gov. walker: a state that when we took office, was ranking of the best and worst states to do business in. in 2010, wisconsin was 41st in the country. just a day ago, the ranking came out.

wisconsin is the 12th best state in the country for doing new jobs. [applause] gov. walker: we inherited a $3.6 billion budget deficit. every year i have been in office, we have a surplus at the end of the budget. we are debating for the next two years of my state. we will end with a structural surplus of $499 million. nearly $.5 billion on the structural side of things. [applause] gov. walker: our pension is fully funded. the only one in the country. our bond rating is strong. our rainy day fund is 165 times bigger than we took office. but it's more than economic and fiscal issues. i am proud to say we took out another big challenges well. we took on regulations and litigation. we made it sane again so we enforce common sense, not just bureaucratic red tape. we took on things like defunding planned parenthood and passed pro-life legislation. [applause]

gov. walker: we believe in the sanctity of life. on top of that, we signed concealed carry and castle doctrine so people can protect themselves, their family, and their property. [applause] gov. walker: something you will -- all can appreciate here, who would think, in the midwest, we would be the 25th state in the country to have the right to work, the freedom to work where you want regardless of the labor union. [applause] gov. walker: i'm proud to say earlier this year, the united states of in court finally signed off and gives us the ability to enforce the law i signed a few years ago shortly after taking office, that says we want to make it easy to vote but hard to cheat. in wisconsin, you need a photo id to vote in the state of wisconsin.

[applause] gov. walker: the reason i tell you that here today is not to brag -- not much. [laughter] gov. walker: the rather to tell you if all those common sense conservative reforms can happen in a state that hasn't voted for republican for president since 1984, i have to tell you in america, if we have leadership that is willing to go big and go bold in washington, we can make america great again. [cheers and applause] gov. walker: i believe that is why you are here. i know i love this country. do you? and we love and not just for ourselves, we love it for our children and grandchildren and future generations. let me tell you three ways why i think it's important for us to try out a new half for leadership in this country.

first, when it comes to growth we need to be talking about growth, not just austerity. i'm all about balance budgets. we had to deal with the debt and deficits in this country, but we have to do it first by talking about growth. there is a stark contrast out there. the president and people like hillary clinton, when they talk about growth, they are talking about growing the economy in washington. think about it. last year, reports showed six of the top 10 wealthiest counties in america, you know where they are at? in around washington dc. the majority of us create jobs out in the cities and villages across this country that he will create jobs not for government. it's about time to get the government out of the way and start creating more of those jobs. gov. walker: is about empowering people and employers to do that. that means getting government out of the way, lower taxes, fewer regulations, repealing things like obamacare in putting patients back in charge again.

[applause] gov. walker: using the abundance of what god is given us for energy instead of relying on places around the world that hate us. all of those things are about growing the economy. i get a kick out of this. in my state, we cut the tax burden on the hard-working people of our state by some $2 billion over the past couple of years. property taxes today are lower than they were four years ago. what governor can say that across america? [applause] gov. walker: but sometimes i get people that say well why are you so obsessed with cutting taxes? i say it is simple. my wife is here with me tonight, today i should say. some 22 years ago, in 1993, we were married. we just celebrated on february 6, our wedding anniversary. i remember not long after we

were first married, i went out and committed a really bad act. i went to the kohl's department store near our house i bought some thing for the price was marked out. [laughter] gov. walker: big mistake. she said you can never go back to kohl's until you learn how to shop there. now i know, if i'm going to buy a shirt that was $29.99, i dep to the rack that says $19.99. i get the insert with a scratch off the gives me another 15% or 20%. or maybe i really get the flyer that's 50% or 20%, or if we're really lucky, 30%. and we go to the cash register and she will reach into her purse and pull out some of that kohl's cash. the next the you know, when we ring it up, they are paying us to buy the shirt. [applause] gov. walker: not quite, but it feels like it.

so how does a great american company like kohl's make money? they can sell a few of those shirts at $29.99 or they lower the price and broaden the value and more people can buy their products. that's all you feel about your money. the taxpayers money. we could charge high rates of him and a few of you might be able to afford it. or we could lower the rates and broaden the base and more people are participating in the economy. [applause] gov. walker: i call that the kohls curve. i was starting to an advisor for president reagan. we have to talk about growth in this country. secondly we need to talk more about reform. we need leadership when it comes to reform. this president and people like

hillary clinton tend to measure success in government by how my people are dependent on the government. food stamps, unemployment, medicaid, you name it. we measure success by just the opposite. by how many people are no longer dependent on the government. [applause] gov. walker: we understand in america that true freedom and prosperity do not come from the mighty hand of the government. they come from empowering people to live their own lives control their own destinies through the dignity born of work. [applause] gov. walker: dave in the introduction talked about the small town i was raised in. i first job was washing dishes. i moved up to the high school and started flipping hamburgers at mcdonald's. paul ryan grew up about 20 miles down the road for me, he

was flipping bureausers in janesville while i was in delevan. his manager told them he didn't have the interpersonal skills to work the front cash register. [applause] governor walker: i'm kidding about that. my dad was a preacher at the first baptist church, my mom was a part-time secretary who did some books in town for one of the great clothing stores. she raise my brother and i. my grandparents, my mom's parents were farmers who raise my mother at a farm that didn't have indoor plumbing until she went to junior high school. my dad's dad was a machinist for 42 years just over the state line in rockford. my brother and i look back in our lives as young kids, we realize that from our family we didn't inherit fame or fortune. what we inherited was the belief that if you work hard and you play by the rules, you can do and be anything you want. that is the american dream. [applause]

gov. walker: that is the american dream. we need to fight for that. sadly, there are many of our fellow americans who think that is out of reach. it's out of reach because of k street. we need to get government out of the way up with the power back in the hands of the american people. [applause] gov. walker: finally, i just want to spend a couple moments talking about the third thing i think is important, and that is safety. let me say safety. is that fire and police? that's important that the local level. safety to me is what some may call national security. i call it safety. in a few hours, we're going to head off to israel to meet with folks, including the prime minister and others to talk about the risk that they have. when i look it not just israel but that region in the world, i

call it safety because when i watch a jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage, when i see christians from egypt and elsewhere around the world shot were beheaded just because of their faith, that is something i feel right here. you feel in your heart and your soul. national security some thing you read about in the newspaper. safety is something you feel. you start to worry it's not just about some whirls around the world, and something that could happen anywhere. france, belgium, canada, texas. it can happen anywhere in the world. it's something that even as a governor, i don't deal with it they end and day out, it's been increasingly become one of the most important things for me to focus in on because i think about safety i think about my own children and yours as well. i can't tell you how frustrated i am with this president and the people who advised him because you have a president who drew a line in the sand and allowed people to cross it. you have a president who just in the past year has called

isis the jv squad, who calls yemen a success story, who called iran the place we could do business with. think about that. on monday, i just met with the family of a marine who has been held in iran since august of 2011. i met with his sister, i met with his mother and sister. he has been held in an iranian prison since august of 2011. it makes me think back to the fact that as a kid, i can remember time ribbons around the tree in front of her house when americans were held hostage for 444 days. i knew one of those, he was the youngest held for 444 days. iran has not changed much other than the rain -- the names are different. we need a president who will back away from that deal in iran and set the record straight. [applause]

gov. walker: we need -- [applause] gov. walker: we need a commander-in-chief who will once and for all call it what it is, and that is radical islamic terrorism is a threat to us all. [applause] gov. walker: we need a president who will affirm that israel is our ally and start acting like it. [applause]

gov. walker: and we need a leader in america who will have the courage to look the american people in the eye and tell them what might not be easy to say. and that is this will not take a day, it might not take a week, it might not take a month or even a year. but i have to tell you, it's not a matter of if another attempt is made on american soil, it is when another attempt is made on american soil. and on behalf of your children in mind, i want a leader who is will to take the fight to them before they take the fight to us. [applause] gov. walker: so let me just end by telling you a quick story for a minute or two.

and that is i love this country. i an optimist -- i am an optimist. as challenging as these times are, i'm an optimist and i believe in the american people. i believe in your love in mind for this great country. i believe with the right leadership, we can make it better when it comes to our nations capital. let me tell you why. the examples we see across the country in the states is a great testimony to how things have gotten better with commonsense conservative leadership over the last two years and are statehouses. let me tell you one last thing about why i believe america will once again be great. that's because the part of our history. it's who we are. [applause] gov. walker: as a kid growing up, maybe i was a little geeky. i love history so much. i thought of our founders like superheroes.

bigger than life. and so years ago, when i was young, we never had a chance to go to philadelphia. a few years back when we got the chance to go to philadelphia for the first time, i was pumped up. i got up early in the morning, i went out with the national park service and went over and saw the liberty bell. and then we went to independence hall. and i thought here it is, the place where we did that incredible work. i was ready to be blown away. early on that morning in philadelphia, we get out and going to independence hall. it is smaller than the stage and i got out as the sun was rising and i look to the desk, and i looked at the chairs, and it dawned on me. these were ordinary people. these were ordinary people who did something quite extreme -- -- extraordinary. they didn't just risk their political careers. these were people who didn't

just risk their business ventures. these were patriots who literally risked their lives their lives for the freedoms we hold dear today. [applause] gov. walker: what makes me love this country so much as i think in moments like that it reminds me what makes america great. what makes us exceptional. what makes this the greatest country in the history of the world is that all throughout our nation's history, in times of crisis, be it economic or physical, be it military were spiritual, what has made america amazing has been all throughout those times, there have been men and women of

courage, who have been willing to think more about the future of their children and their grandchildren than they thought about their own futures. ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you once and for all, this is one of those times. this is one of those moments in american history. this is the time where we can look back and tell future generations we were there. we heeded the call, we did what was required to make america great again. thank you for being here. thank you for being a part of that movement. god bless you. let's go forward making america great again. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015]

gov. perry: oh, yeah. david, thank you. it is good to be in south carolina. [applause] gov. perry: texans are fond of south carolina. you'll sent us a little help through the years. there were some heroes at the alamo that you loaned us for a while. we appreciate that. the commander of the alamo william barrett travis. we appreciate that. thank you. [applause] gov. perry: i come to south carolina, because we are still looking for a few good patriots. once again to fight for this country, we have come to look

for patriots. we watched our country descend into record debt. we experience the slowest recovery we have ever seen, a recovery of record proportions needs to be on the table for us. we have seen this irs target our citizens. the architects of obamacare, they admit they lied. to sell us a bill of goods. you think about the bureaucrats. at the veterans administration leaving our veterans waiting in line for care. some of them have died. i want to take a moment. everyone of you who wore the

uniform of the country, those of you who have family members that have worn the uniform of the country, i want you to hold your hand up just a moment. so we can say thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice. god bless you. for what you have done. [applause] gov. perry: we watched our president. we watched an end a war without a plan to keep the peace. we watched an issue tough words without action to back it up. he has refused to admit even the nature of our enemy, let alone create a plan to defeat them. we have seen this gross incompetence, this naïve ideological ignorance, and we are here to declare that we are not going to take it anymore. america can do better. [applause] gov. perry: and when we elect a

republican president in 2016 america will do better. we need to return to common sense in america. it's really pretty simple. i grew up in a place where there was an abundance of common sense. it was a place called paint creek. it was 16 miles from the closest place in a post office. my mom and dad grew up growing cotton on a tenant farmer. my mom sewed my close for me all the way through college. washed us in an effort to washtub, until we got indoor plumbing. the greek is interesting, on farm to market road 618. there were two churches, a methodist church in a baptist

church. your choice. i went to paint creek rural school. i am very proud to share with you that i graduated in the top 10 of my graduate in class and i have to admit there were only 13. [laughter] gov. perry: we didn't have a lot of money. we never thought we were poor. the fact is we were rich. we were rich and values. we were taught the value of hard work and the importance of family. i was taught it was my duty to protect freedom. and that are the principles and values that directed me to volunteer and to be

commissioned as an officer in united states air force. i flew these extraordinary piece is a fabulous equipment called c-130. all around the globe as a tactical airlift or, to south america, to asia, to europe. i spent time in saudi arabia and bahrain. in turkey. it was then that i developed this profound love and appreciation for the freedom that we enjoy as americans. as republicans, we know human liberty is a gift from god. and as the guarantee of our constitution. we all believe the constitution -- we don't believe the constitution is a cafeteria plan, where you pick and choose the right you like and discard the ones inconvenient your political agenda. [applause] gov. perry: every word in that

bill of rights is sacred. and that includes the first amendment, the second amendment, and my personal favorite, the 10th amendment. [applause] gov. perry: i do not believe that we need more washington in our lives. we need less. [applause] gov. perry: we need to return power to the states. and freedom to the people. i think there are two types of thinking in american politics today. you have this delusional thinking of the left. it is epitomized by her president. -- our president. where criminals obey gun laws,

where state sponsors of terrorism will put down their arms to obey a nuclear agreement. where radical groups like isis are not religious in nature. now the rest of us, we subscribe to what i refer to as reality-based thinking. where terrorist armies must be defeated by strength not words. where radical nations should not be appeased, they've got to be opposed. where the best defense against crime is an armed citizen. [applause] gov. perry: amen. [applause]

gov. perry: i think it's time to tell the american people the truth. the obama administration is isolating our allies. it is embolden our enemies, and the agreement with iran doesn't limit iranian nuclear ambitions, it legitimizes it. the great lesson in history is the strength and resolve bring peace and order, and weakness in vacillation invite chaos and conflict. [applause] gov. perry: for the last 75 years, there has been a bipartisan consensus that america must project is values and its power. we must engage our allies and our competitors. and we need to confront our

adversaries. we cannot take for granted american power and american influence. the great issue of our time is a battle between the western values of freedom and this totalitarian worldview of islamic fanatics. we are in the early years of this long struggle with violence and islamic extremism. it's going to last for a long time. we must display the same resolve to feed them -- to defeat them that we did the soviet union. we've also got to recognize that homeland security starts with border security. [applause] gov. perry: america has the right to defend its borders.

[applause] gov. perry: i told the president last summer, if you want to the border, texas will. [applause] gov. perry: and that's when i deploy the texas national guard to the border, to stop the gunrunning, the drug trafficking by drug cartels and these transnational gangs. and you knew this, i knew this the strategy would work. and it did. border apprehensions declined by 74%. it is time for washington to do its job, secure the border. [applause] it's time for them to do their job.

deploy the resources needed to secure our border. it's time for them to do their job, to rebuild our military. to reassert american power abroad. and to do that we need to have economic growth at home. the fact is we cannot accept wanted american workers that are unemployed or underemployed or just have given up working at all. we can't accept one in five of our children in this country that are living on food stamps. it's time to revive the american economy. it's time to cut the corporate taxes, to bring the jobs back home that we drove overseas by overtaxation. it's time to stop the overregulation of our small businesses. it's time to bring prosperity to main street, not just wall street. [applause]

there's just something wrong when the dow jones is near record highs and businesses on main street can't even get a loan. that's just not right. i served on a small communityback board back in my -- community bank board back in my hometown. and that perspective really gives me a world view. and it cautses me to ask this question. since when did capitalism involve the elimination of moral hazard for biggest banks while regulations strangle our community banks? i think we're just a few good decisions away, and i might add a leadership change at the top, from reviving our economy all across this great country.

and i know it can be done. i know it can be done because we've done it in texas. during my 14 years as governor we created nearly 1/3 of all the new jobs in this country. in the last seven years in the last seven years from the end of 2007 through 2014, texas created 1.5 million new jobs. minus those jobs created in my home state, this country lost 400,000 jobs. and it's pretty simple how we did it. we prioritized education as a matter of fact now texas has the second highest high school graduation rate in the country. [applause] you want to tell a kid, you want to send a message to a family about how the best way

to give their children an opportunity, you graduate them from high school. the formula we put into place, it's really simple. you keep taxes and spending low, you implement smart regulations, you provide an educated work force and you stop frivolous lawsuits at the courthouse. that's how you do it. it will work anywhere, anywhere. [applause] we can do the same for america. once we have the leadership in the white house again. i believe this with all my heart. my friends, the issue of our time is not overregulation and the slowest economic recovery on history. it's not our failed foreign policy. it's not even the hollowing out of our military or our border. the greatest issue is the lack of leadership to deal with these crises.

[applause] 2016 will not be an election about lofty rhetoric, but a record of leadership. it will not be one of those, well i will suggest to you it will be one of those show me don't tell me elections. where voters are going to look past what you say to what you've done. they want a leader with firm resolve, a leader who says what he means and means what he says. and i happen to believe that america's best days are in front of us. i believe, as i said earlier, we're just a few good decisions away from reviving our economy, from rebuilding our military from restoring our place in the world. there is nothing wrong with america today that cannot be fixed with new leadership. [applause]

when americans and when historians look back at this era, i hope they will remark that a group of patriots rose up to meet the challenges of or time, that we didn't -- of our time that we didn't flifpblg in the face of threats to freedom and we let the american people dream again by putting them back to work again. that we stood on the bedrock of our constitutional principles and we protected the liberty and guaranteed every american, that, my friend, is what our challenge is. that is our goal. let's let america be america again. god bless you. thank you, brother. thank you. [cheers and applause] ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2015] donald trump: what a group what a crowd, what a nice introduction from david. he is a great guy. you are fired! [laughter] donald trump: i have been dealing with so many politicians lately. i see them all over the place. sadly, politicians are all talk and no action. they are not going to get you to the promised land. that i can tell you. i heard one of them today saying something i say all the time. you know what that is, you know the expression? right?

say it? no. well, they copy that too. [laughter] donald trump: right? make america great again. i say it. i actually have an application for copyright and have for a long time. a certain politician got up. he saw me make a speech. i was talking about making america great again, which is my thing, which is important. i could come up with other themes. so can they, but they copy my themes all the time. mike huckabee is a nice guy. scott walker is a nice guy also. he was in my office four or five weeks ago, gave me a plaque. but then he copied my theme, i don't like him. [laughter] mike huckabee, another one i

like a lot, said the other day he is not going to cut social security. i got this massive, crazy standing ovation. here is the problem. if they did not cut it, there is nothing they can do. i know where the money is. i know how to bring it in. that is what i do. i built an unbelievable company. i deal with europe, asia, china all the time. made a lot of money in china. the bank of america building, i own a big chunk of it. i beat china. that is how i got it. i have the biggest floor plates in manhattan. i beat china. they don't like me. i like them, actually.

[applause] donald trump: i have them in my buildings. the largest bank in the world is in trump tower. china bank, the largest in the world, a bank from china. when the chairman came to visit me, they sign a lease and the chairman comes from china. it is the head branch in the united states. they pay me a lot of rent. i like that. the chairman came in. i said, tell me how big is your bank? compare it to citibank. he goes, citibank is a small subsidiary. it's true. 400 million customers. so i respect china, but they are killing us because we have leaders that are incompetent. we have a president that either has bad wishes or is grossly incompetent and certainly cannot negotiate. the new trade deal by the way is a disaster.

they don't talk about currency manipulation. that is the tool where all of these countries are beating us, and they don't talk about it. the other thing is they talk about large areas where you have nine countries and 11 countries. that is not the way to do it. you have to do individual countries because nobody treats as well, because they have no respect for us, but some treat as better than others. you understand that. when you do a vast number of countries, the bad ones get what is called favored nations. they get something very positive for them. the good ones are the good ones. but the bad ones take advantage. the trade package is a disaster. they have to talk about currency manipulation. now, i have created tens of thousands of jobs over my career. i would be the greatest job president ever, in my opinion. [applause]

donald trump: but i really think i would be even better at security. when i look at what is happening and the stupidity of what we are doing, as an example, fairly recently we were helping what is left of iraq. think of that, what is left of it. by the way, iran has most of it. the rest of it is had by isis. we spent $2 trillion. we lost thousands of lives. and we have wounded warriors all over. i love the wounded warriors. they are the bravest people, the bravest people.

[applause] donald trump: i see them, the wounded warriors. so many of them are not even wounded. they have no legs. in some cases worse. but their hearts are unbelievable. they love the country. they are unbelievable people. i help them a lot and i love them. think about what they ended up getting. so the other day i am watching and seeing our great leaders. in particular, our president, explaining what we are going to do about a certain battle that took place a couple of months ago. he is saying we are going in two weeks and hit them here and there. i am saying, well, he must be smart. i bet he is telling them the opposite. it is subterfuge. but it wasn't! i'm saying to myself, can you imagine general douglas macarthur, was a big fan, of the best grades at west point to this day, i was a big

fan. general george patton, i was a big fan of his, he was tough to can you imagine if we had these guys today? forget it. our president is saying when we are going to attack and what we are going to be doing and how we are going to be doing it. i said, can you imagine these people? they must be spinning in their grave when they watch this. i actually think, and i will be making a decision soon, i think a lot of people will be happy and some very surprised. i have to say this. i have dealt with the financial press and found them to be great. of course, it is easier. i find many people in the political press to be great. but many people are very dishonest. the political media, i think they had a lower rating than congress, which is pretty hard to do. they have a lower rating than congress. [applause] donald trump: it's sort of funny.

some jerk wrote a story the other day about me. i built up a network that is probably over $10 billion. i have employed thousands of people, literally tens of thousands over my life. think of it. i have a show. by the way, they want to renew it so badly. i'm saying no. i gave up a lot. these politicians run, win, lose, run again. it doesn't matter. it is like a cycle. you have guys that did not win elections running for president. it's not supposed to be that way. but they run, and they lose or win. that is what they do. when i run, and if i say yes, and a few of you people know what i'm going to be doing, you know what happens? i give up hundreds of millions of dollars. they can scoff. but i give up a tremendous hit television show because they have equal time rules. you're not allowed to be

running for office. you cannot have a show and run for office. explain that. now obama can go into all the shows on television, but you cannot have a show. explain the equal time crap to me. [applause] donald trump: so we are going to do something i think is going to be earth shattering. a lot of times i will ask people, when was the last time you saw our great country -- i love this country. when was the last time you saw the united states win something? positive news? when did we beat china? they just overtook us last year as the number one economic power. we are now second, unthinkable. by the way, that is because they suck all the money out of us.

what happens is even worse. they take it from us and loan it back to us. they have trillions of dollars of our debt and we are paying them interest. when was the last time you saw anything good? when did we be china? when did we beat japan? japan is rearing their head again. they are devaluing their currency, big-league. they are devaluing. we don't do anything. they send their cars and by the millions. they make a fortune. when was the last time you saw chevrolet be sold in tokyo? ok? it doesn't happen. it doesn't happen. they don't let them come in. if they did, the people would not buy them.

i don't mind the second part. but the first part is not acceptable. it is not acceptable. [applause] donald trump: a friend of mine is a great manufacturer. he calls me up. i told the story last week and people said please repeat it. he calls me up and says i am so distressed because i cannot get my product into china. i said, you can't? tell me about it, i want to make a speech about it. is that i cannot get it in. we are supposed to have free trade. he said i cannot get my product into china. he calls me up a week and a half later, they have accepted my product. they find all sorts of reasons, even though it is better than what they make. he calls me up. they took it that they are charging a surtax of 42%. i say, do people know this? if you look at boeing where they take all their technology, boeing is great. i happen to own a boeing. they wanted their technology.

you have heard that. be careful with boeing. they said we will buy airplanes, but we want your technology, everything, or we are not buying from you. now they are building massive plants to create and build airlines. ok? i'm not saying wrong. look, i love the chinese. i respect them. i told you i have tenets. they buy apartments. they pay me $25 million. i love them. i built apartments that sell for $35 million, and i'm supposed to dislike them? i like them, i respect them. there was a story in "business week magazine, the 10 things china most wants. their negotiators are much smarter and better than ours so it is respect. what happens is the 10 things that china wants, they want all of the united states but forget

that. one of the 10 things is anything trump. they love my product. my buildings, my everything. they love trump, because i think they respect me. i think they respect what i say. i have friends in china that call me. and i won't imitate the accent because they will say it is racist to do that. i have friends in china call me and say, donald, i can't believe we are able to do these things that we are doing to the united states. i can't even believe it, what we are doing. have you seen the deficits we have with china, japan, mexico? massive. we are losing fortunes, and we are losing our jobs and manufacturing. what do you do about it?

i had one person say you did not say what to do about it, a reporter i respect. he said you talk nicely read he gave me the highest mark for presentation. but not for content. i thought my content was better than my presentation. he said one thing that makes sense. he said you did not say what to do about china. you tax them 35% if they devalue their currency. if they don't get the currency up, you tax them more. the real number is 42%. that is the tax they people in some cases. you tax them 35%. you probably will not collect the tax because they will

behave so nicely. they will go down the tubes so quickly. we rebuilt china. they have taken so much. i love apple. i did well with apple stock. i'm not a stock person. i like to control my own destiny. i bought some stocks. it goes up like a rocket. do you consider it an american company where 100% of their product is made in china and other places? they said we will open up a factory in the united states. it is like a p.r. thing. this reporter i respect greatly. i would tax china big-league, and i hope they don't behave. a lot of it is the messenger. you can have one guy go in and say we are going to tax you, and they will laugh at him. you can have another guy go in and say we will tax you, and they will be petrified. i will give you an example. this deal with iran is a disaster, a disaster. [applause] donald trump: i wrote a book called "the art of the deal," which i think everybody in the room has read except for the people negotiating for us.

they are babies. we have four people over there. he's a christian, i'm protestant. he is a christian in a cell because he's a christian, he is a pastor. you know all about it. he should be out immediately. immediately! [applause] donald trump: so we are negotiating nuclear. the messenger, remember the messenger. i have people that work for me. they went to harvard and wharton school of finance. they don't do the job. i pay them a fortune. the same words, everything they don't come home. what you do is you go in and say, fellows -- now in all fairness to the ladies, they are all fellows. they have not figured out the ladies are smarter than the men. in 150 years, they will figure

it out. right now, it is all men on the other side of the table. i would say, fellas, you have four of our people. nothing more important than nuclear because of the power of the weapons. president obama talks about global warming as the biggest problem we have in the world. tell tom brady who had 12 feet of snow in front of his house in boston about global warming. he can't get out! they will say that is local. it is funny. they start off with climate change. now the new one is extreme weather. they had global warming. that did not work. got too cold. [laughter] donald trump: it's true. they then had climate change. that was not going great. now they came up with a beauty extreme weather. did you ever notice? that is the new word.

you will not believe it. i have gotten so many environmental awards. people don't believe it. i believe in clean air. i believe in everything. i go in and say very nicely, fellows, you got these people, let them out. you don't want them, you don't need them, in a vicious prison by the way. four people, it was three. you have four people, let them out. you don't need them. we want them. our people are going nuts over it. their families are devastated. let them out, a sign of good faith. a sign of good faith! [applause] donald trump: i tell you what will happen. remember, it is the messenger. they will say, great, we will let them out. and we don't even ask. we have never even brought up the pastor's name or the other names.

we have never even made them part of the negotiation. stupid. [applause] donald trump: i guarantee if i was in that position, they would let them out. if they didn't, 5% chance, maybe less. it's good for all of us. it's good for you if you want to make a deal. if they walked out of the room, i would say no deal because they are unreasonable. how about this? we are paying them $700 million a month. we are paying the rent. reparations. we are paying $700 million billions of dollars. the person in charge of negotiation, marie harf, very nice, i love her glasses. she said in a statement we did not want to talk about that.

i think we are giving them $710 million a month. that is serious money no matter how rich you are. marie said -- because the question was asked, why don't you make that part of the nuclear negotiation? we don't want to complicate the nuclear negotiation. excuse me? one thing has nothing to do with the other. we don't want to complicate the nuclear negotiation. do you believe that? so we are dealing with babies. i call our president the five to one president. we got bergdahl, they get five killers that want to kill us all. they are all back on the battlefield, by the way. we got this piece of garbage named bergdahl. [applause] donald trump: who years ago we would have shot for treason.

now they are saying, he doesn't feel good, he had a hard life. when i saw his father standing with obama, i said whoa! i love the guys of "duck dynasty." they stay at my luxury hotels. but this did not look like "duck dynasty." [applause] so even though some people are copying my expression of "make america great again," they will never be able to do it because they don't have the ability. if i run, i don't need any money. i made a lot of money. if i run, 110%, i don't care about a building. the pennsylvania avenue building, i just finished. i took an old, tired place and

made it the hottest resort in the country. the old post office on pennsylvania avenue between the white house and congress. i don't care. my daughter, ivanka, very smart, she can run it, enjoy it, have a good life. i would put 150% of my energy into making our country rich again. somebody said, don't say that! that is not nice! you are talking about money, you are talking about rich. if we don't become rich, these dopes that want to cut your social security because china is taking all our money -- and mexico, the worst. what they are doing to us on the border is incredible. people coming over and taking our jobs.

they are building factories. ford just announced a billion-dollar auto plant. they will take the jobs. we will not have the jobs. i know all the killers. i know everybody. i know the underrated once. some are overrated. i would call up the great guy and say congratulations on your plant in mexico. i think it's great, $2.5 billion. here is what i'm going to do. i'm going to charge you 35% on every car that comes into the country. [cheers and applause] donald trump: because you are not building it in the united states. we will not let you come across with the illegals, the

cars. we got everything coming across. we got no jobs. i'm going to charge you 35% for every car and part made in that factory, and you're going to pay it. he will say no way. the lobbyists will come and see me but i don't give a about lobbyists. [cheers and applause] donald trump: i don't care. [cheers and applause] donald trump: so the lobbyists will come and see me, or some guy that gave me $100,000 campaign contribution, puts it in a pac. how about these pacs? you are not allowed to talk to anybody.

they don't talk, they play golf. let's not talk about the pac. i don't need pacs. i use my own money. some guy puts the money in the pac, and they go to the president and say he gave you money. ok, you can build there, we won't charge you. that is the way country is run. look at hillary, look at all the deals. they're saying no deals. give me a break. every one is a deal. but every single person will be bought off by the lobbyists, the people, all of it. with me, you know what i would say? forget it. let me say it to end. here is what is going to happen. the head of ford will call me up. first he will be irate. how dare you, this is free trade!

no, stupid trade, not free trade. [laughter] [applause] donald trump: and i like him by the way. by the end of it, i would say maximum one week, probably one day, he will announce they are not building the plant in mexico. that they are going to build in south carolina or tennessee. [applause] donald trump: the politicians will never get you there believe me. so i am going to be making a decision very soon. i say it, it is very funny. i had the biggest crowds, the biggest standing ovations. not because they like me. i think i am a nice person. but it is not because they like me.

i have the biggest crowds come i get the biggest standing ovations. then i read these sleazebag reporters. they say donald trump got a smattering of applause. [laughter] donald trump: they will say about a loser politician no one is watching that he gave a brilliant speech! it is very dishonest. but i will service. our country does tremendous potential. we have to act quickly. we cannot let it continue to go down the drain. it can be turned very fast. for my friend of the reporter, china will be taxed and we will bring jobs back to the country. if we do not bring the jobs back we will bring the money back because the money relates to the

jobs. mexico will not be taking advantage of us. they will not be having open borders. and the greatest builder is me and i will build the greatest wall you have everjobs. seen. [applause] donald: the greatest. thank you. and just to finish, you know who is going to pay for the wall? mexico. with all of the money that they have taken from us, they will be paying for that will. ladies. -- wall. ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much, we will be talking to you soon. [applause]

senator rubio: wow, there are people on the balcony, all the way at the top, thank you for having me. it is a real honor to be here, thank you very much, it is a great to be back in south toronto, a place that believed in me, and your great former senator, jim demint, was the first person in washington to support me when the only people who thought i could when were -- could win all lived at my home. [applause] senator rubio: and four of them were under the age of 10. [applause] some the rubio: -- senator rubio this is a long way from where i : come from not just geographically but literally. both of my parents were born into poor families in cuba. my father never really got to go to school, by the way.

when he was nine years old, his mother passed away and he would have to go to work and he worked for the next 70 years of his life. my mother was one of seven girls raised by a disabled father who struggle to provide for them. they met and they got married and they worked hard, but they were like most people who ever lived, no matter how hard they tried, they could not get ahead because they did not come from a rich or politically connected family. in 1956, they made the decision to leave behind the only country they had ever known and come to the one place on earth where people like them could have a chance. here in america, my parents never became rich or famous, they worked hard and a preserve -- and they persevered. my father was a bartender, my mother was a cashier, a maid, a stock clerk at kmart, like i said, they were never rich or famous, but they were successful. we were successful because just last -- just less than a decade

removed from the despair that i described to you, they found good jobs, they owned a home they raised a family, and they left all four of their children better off than themselves. they lived what became to be known as the american dream. -- just the story is not that unusual in the 20th century. the 20th century is known as the american century. for starters, america was the most powerful nation on the earth, called upon not once but twice to help the world confront and defeat evil. our economy was the envy of the world. an economy that had millions of jobs including for people like my parents with limited skills that paid enough to help people achieve a better life. but now in the early years of this new century, everything feels so different. there are questions about whether america is still the most powerful country in the world. china is increasingly claiming territory in the south china

sea, vladimir putin invades his neighbor, and radical jihadists the head -- behead christians and even conducts attacks in texas. and barack obama appears unable to do anything about these things. at home, there are questions about whether the american dream can survive for much longer. you have millions of people living paycheck to paycheck, and one expensive place away from a catastrophe. many people went to school and got a degree and now that owe thousands of dollars in student loans and their degree did not lead to a job. for the first time in 35 years you have more small businesses dying than being born. so why is this happening? why is this happening to the greatest nation on earth? and at its core, the reason is this.

because the economy and the world all around us is undergoing historic and dramatic changes. but we are still led by too many people who are trapped in the past by ideas that no longer work. what this reminds us is that we are at a hinge moment at our nation's history where we will decide whether to embrace thethis future and confront its challenges or to be left behind by challenges. if we choose to embrace the future, i want you to believe as i do that the 21st century will not just be as good as the 20th century, it will be better, and the american dream will not just survive, it will reach more people and change more lives than ever before. but to do this, we have to wake up to the reality that yesterday is over. but the time has come to turn the page and to be proud of our history and to embrace the future. american has always been about the future. and put in place an agenda that allows us to not only continue the american dream but expanded -- expand it to reach more people and to change more lives than it ever has.

this begins by accepting the mantle of global leadership, by understanding that we have to because there is no nation and the world that can do it instead of us. that begins by having the strongest military power in the world. [applause] senator rubio: it continues by working with our allies in asia and the racing borders and -- and erasing borders and boundaries and control the sea and shipping lanes of asia. in europe, by reinvigorating a nato and to prevent vladimir putin by redrawing the lines of europe. in the middle east, by working with our allies to confront iran's ambitions to control the region and standing firmly with the only pro--american free enterprise democracy in the middle east the great state of israel. [applause] some of the rubio: -- senator

rubio: and perhaps as important as anything else, to rally the world to not just contain radical islamists, but to defeat them. people ask what should our strategy be on global jihadists and terrorists. i refer them to the movie "taken." have you seen the movie "taken," with liam neeson? the has a line, and this is what the strategy should be. he says, we will look for you, we will find you, and we will kill you. [applause] senator rubio: at home, we need leaders that understand, that understand we need investment in business, and for our government leaders, they think we can keep taxing and regulating, but we can't, because today we must

compete with dozens of other countries who are doing everything they can to be more competitive than us. that's why we need reforms to our tax euros m to our -- fax codes and to our regulations so that america once again becomes the best place in the world to work, to start a business, to buy a house, to raise a family. and we need reform to entitlements to allow us to want again

able to repay, but i believe that i must try to ensure that people who are trying to do what their children what my parents did for me and still do it in this new century. if we can achieve that, we will usher in that new american

century. the future will be better than our past. and our children and our grandchildren will be the freest and most prosperous americans of that ever lived. thank you so much and god bless you. [applause]

senator cruz: god bless the great state of south carolina. so is this the ready for hillary rally? [laughter] senator cruz: i think the men and women here are more than ready for hillary. what a blessing to be with so many incredible patriots on this day. you know, a couple of years ago, heidi and i had our grows up in washington for a weekend. -- our girls up in washington for a weekend. we decided to drive the girls down to mount vernon. we are driving down the george

washington parkway. it is one of those crisp fall days where you can smell the autumn air. our two girls are different. catherine, the baby, who is four, is sweet. caroline the seven-year-old, is a rascal. it is how god made her from the day she came into this world and how she will be every day on this planet. we are driving down the george washington parkway. catherine is sitting quietly in her car seats. cheryl line is behind me kicking the back of my seat like she usually does. the girls start to have a conversation. -- caroline is behind me kicking the back of my seat like she usually does. the girls start to have a conversation. heidi and i listened quietly. caroline asks her little sister she says, catherine, what do you want to do when you grow up? and catherine says, i want to work in the united states senate.

i want to work with daddy. and caroline says, that is boring. she says, we will be rock stars. and then she tosses out the zinger. she says, besides, daddy will be dead by then. [laughter] senator cruz: this is a real conversation. i kind of wondered if caroline had been speaking with republican leadership. [laughter] senator cruz: maybe she knew something i did not know. you know, the reason so many of us are here in this great gathering is because we love our kids. [applause]

some of your cruise: -- senator cruz: we love our grandkids and this nation is in crisis. this is not a typical time in politics. we are at the edge of a precipice. i don't think we have hit the point of no return yet but it is close. it is now or never. we either pull this country back or we risk losing the greatest country in the history of the world. you know today, for the first time in history, a majority of americans believe that our kids will have a worse life than we do. 65%, that has never been true in history of america until this instant right now. maybe the most un-american idea you can imagine. i think the central issue in 2016 is going to be how do we reignite the promise of america.

how do we get back to that fundamental american ideal that our kids will have a better life than we did and their kids will have a better life than they did? i am here today with a word of encouragement of hope and optimism. three simple things that we can do to reignite the promise of america. number one. bring back jobs and growth and opportunity. [applause] senator cruz: the men and women here understand cause and effect. every time we go down this path of out-of-control spending taxes, regulation, what results is stagnation and misery. it doesn't work.

on the other hand, the two lovers -- lewevers government has to unleash small businesses and job creation. every time we have seen incredible growth in the 20's or the 60's or the 80's. tax reform. the right now spend billions. when lawyers and accountants -- on lawyers and accountants. the simplest and best tax reform, we should adopt a simple flat tax. [applause] senator: where every american can feel out his or her taxes on a postcard.

and when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause] senator cruz there are about : 90,000 employees at the irs. we need to padlock that building and take every one of those 90000 and put them on our southern border. [applause] senator cruz: now to our friends in the media, i say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek. but think about it for a second, a mentioned you had traveled thousands of miles in the blazing sun, you are swimming across the rio grande and the first thing you see is 90,000 irs agents.

you would turn around and go home too. [applause] senator cruz and the second tool : for jobs and growth and opportunity is regulatory reform. you know, i was out in west texas and i asked folks there, what is the difference between regulators and locusts? i said, the thing is, you can't use pesticide on the regulators. [laughter] senator cruz: and this old farmer leaned back and he said wanna bet? [applause] senator cruz: we have seen regulators descend like locusts, killing jobs all across this country.

and the simplest and most important regulatory reform, we need to repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] senator cruz: the second key to regarding the promise of america is to defend our constitutional rights. [applause] senator cruz: all of them. we need to defend the first amendment, the free speech, our religious liberty. you know, all of us, our hearts

are breaking as we saw what unfolded in indiana and in arkansas as those states stood up to defend religious liberty and the democrats joined with business to say that their commitment to mandatory gay marriage in all of the united states trumps any commitment of the first amendment. you know it wasn't too long ago there was bipartisan consensus on the first amendment. we might disagree between democrats and republicans on marginal tax rates, but when it came to religious liberty, we stood as one. how far we have come. and let me say, indiana was a sorting moment as reagan would say. a time for choosing. there are candidates running in 2016, even candidates in the republican field who, when

indiana's was being embattled they were nowhere to be found. i can tell you this, when it comes to standing for the religious liberty of americans will always, always, always stand with the first amendment. [applause] senator cruz: we need to defend the second amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. [applause] senator cruz: a couple of weeks ago, we talk in new hampshire, went to a firing range, my wife heidi was on a full auto with a patch that said armed and fabulous.

[laughter] senator cruz: we need to defend the 10th amendment. the right to privacy. [applause] senator cruz: and we need to defend the 10th amendment. [applause] senator cruise: or as president obama calls it, the what? [laughter] senator cruz: the fundamental protection that says the powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states and to the people. [applause] senator cruz: that means that the core responsibilities that the government has to do. they need to defend this nation and we need to stand with the men and women of our military, we need to secure the borders. [applause]

senator cruz: there are other areas the federal government has no business being involved and right at the top of that list is education. [applause] similar cruise: -- senator cruz: and we need to repeal every word of common core. [applause] senator cruz: education is too important for it to be covered by unelected bureaucrats in washington. it needs to be at the state level or even better at the local level where we have direct control over it. [applause] senator cruz: number three, we need to restore america's leadership in the world. [applause] senator cruz: for the last six years, we have seen the consequences of the obama clinton foreign-policy.

leading from behind does not work. [applause] senator cruz: and we cannot win a war on radical islamic terrorism with a president who is unwilling to utter the words radical islamic terrorism. [applause] senator cruz: instead of a president who boycotts prime minister netanyahu, imagine america standing unapologetically with the nation of israel. [applause] senator cruz: we saw the ugly face of islamic terrorism in my home state of texas. in garland, where two jihadists

came to commit murder. thankfully one police officer helped them meet their virgins. [applause] senator cruz: what when given the choice between free speech and the political correctness of refusing to a knowledge radical islamic terrorism it is a time for choosing where we stand. just a few weeks ago i was down in fort hood, where the soldiers who were shot finally awarded the purple heart. down in fort hood, where the soldiers

[applause] senator cruz: it took over five years for that to happen because the obama administration refused to knowledge that was terrorism. instead, it was workplace violence. now i tell you the reason those purple hearts were awarded, i was very proud last year to introduce legislation in the senate to mandate that the pentagon award those purple hearts. [applause] [applause] senator cruz: on the senate armed services committee, we won support over the active opposition of the obama pentagon and finally, those awards were given. i will tell you, i shook the hands of each soldier, i shook the hand of each wife or child of the 14 innocent souls who

were murdered that day, all i could say was i am sorry. i am sorry this took five years. this should have been acknowledged the day it happened, not five years tooso, you are going to see presidential candidates to send upon you like those federal regulators and locusts. my one request is to please hold late. [applause] back on the pesticide. [laughter] senator cruz: i will tell you the responsibility of this great state in the republican party is to ensure that we nominate a conservative. [applause]

senator cruz: how do you tell? because every candidate, and i don't know, there might be 15, 20, 30 50, it might take a phonebook by the end of it. but every one of them, i am the most conservative guy who ever lived. i am pretty confident, if you had any speakers today who stood up here and said, i'm an establishment moderate who stands for nothing. [laughter] senator cruz: they don't say that. so, how do you tell the difference? well, the scriptures tell us you shall know them by their fruits. [applause] senator cruz: and i would

encourage each of you to ask every single candidate who stands up in front of you, you say you believe these principles, show me. when have you stood up and fought for them, when have you bled for them, what have you accomplished? [applause] senator cruz: if you say you oppose obamacare, when have you stood up and fought to stop it? [applause] senator cruz: if you say you oppose president obama's unconstitutional executive amnesty, when have you stood up and fought to stop it? [applause] senator cruz if you say you : support the first amendment, where were you in indiana? [applause] senator cruz: if you say you support the second amendment where were you when harry reid and the president were coming after our gun rights? [applause]