of people's dignity, freedom, and bread-and-butter issues. the other thing i want to commend on, the idea of thinking about what is going on in the region in terms of a crisis. this is not a crisis or a series of crises. this is a historic transformation. a historic transformation, as we have seen in europe in the 18th and 19th century, and in the u.s., those kinds of historic transformations are messy, they take a long time, and they need to run their course. the idea that they can be addressed or that we can seek mechanic conclusions between what people think and accordingly how we address it --

if we look at egypt and we see uphold -- and we see a poll that bread-and-butter issues are the priority this should not full less into thinking that people do not care about freedom and dignity. democracy is a means to an end. dignity and freedom -- if dignity and freedom will not come to a particular regime they are well aware that they need to it. this does not mean that they have a different set of values. there are universal values. no one wants to be beaten up in a police station. that's what human dignity translates into. the people who left their jobs to stand in front of phoning

stations throughout the region since 2011 are things we have never seen before. when they were given a choice to seek out freedom properly, they risk much more. thinking in terms that there are a number of priorities, it doesn't work this way. they need a number of things. all of them, at the same time. sometimes they have the urgent need of survival or bread and butter issues. but that for them, is not because they tend to not value

freedom or dignity. in is because, sometimes, they are pushed into having to make a choice. the final thing i want to comment on and then we can go to questions is the focus on procedural versus strategic issues. i think if you conceive of what is going on in the region and the urgency of asking people questions about procedural matters such as, do you want elections or not? do you the u.s. to intervene in syria or not? i think we are missing the point. in those transformations the important issues are much more structural.

they are not just procedural and technical. the idea is not to give them elections. the idea is to make sure that there is an environment that will lead to a system that reflects their choices that will be responsive. elections become a need to them. same thing with the issue of syria. intervention or no intervention misses the point because that is a technical issue. that is for people in the policymaking world to decide. this decision should be based on a more in-depth understanding of what is going on. the adia is not to put forward elections -- the idea is not to put forward elections or have an airstrike in order to momentarily solve problems. the idea is to guarantee to

allow the people in this region to work for what they have been striving for four years. -- for yhears. most of the people i talked to have made huge sacrifices for what they saw as a better future coming with the arab spring. this guy had lost his job. they are ready to make the sacrifices. up until a point where they can see if risking their life is ok, but as long as they can see a future. unfortunately, regional powers and international power's have put the majority of citizens of this region in a position

whereby they have to become more empathetic they need to resort to violence and extremism. from the euphoria that happened for a couple of years after 2011 i think the presentations that today are missing feelings of despair and intense frustration that the citizens of this region are feeling. thank you. mr. hadley: thank you very much.

that was extremely helpful. i think it showed the power of mixing polling data and then anecdotal data. you helped us understand, in the polling data, democracy and freedom could be a low priority in the face of bread and butter issues. as you point out, that does not mean it is not an important element of where the people in the region want to go. it is a question of priorities and responding to the circumstances in which they find themselves. i think we are off to a terrific start in terms of trying to get some input and appreciation from the region. i think this mixing of the anecdotal and the polling is a very powerful tool. we will try to use that in the course of the study. we are running behind. we have a firm 4:00 stop. what i would like to propose to

do is rather than conducting a dialogue within the panel, i would like to turn to secretary albright and give her a moment to comment on what she has heard. then, i think we will go right to the audience and to our twitter followers and get as many questions in as we can before the 4:00 stop. madeline, do you want to comment? former secretary albright: it truly was interesting. i made a lot of different notes. i think the question for our task force is to look at the data and then try to figure out how we approach the longer-term part. a lot of the issues have to do with immediate polling. the question in terms of security, jobs etc. and look a little bit. i make the suggestion -- there is a paradox here. we want to know what they want to do and how they can act.

they, to some extent, want us to have the united states do something but they don't particularly like some of the things we do. for the u.s., we are dammed if we do and dammed if we don't. i have done a lot of polling in eastern europe after the fall. it was very similar to what you were talking about, thriving versus suffering. how people see their own personal situation versus what's going on in the country. i would be interested, we don't have to get an answer now, in who you actually polled. what is the age group, their jobs because one of the things we found in eastern europe is that it really made a difference. if you are an intellectual versus somebody who is a worker and has a different approach to this and dividing that up. the other part that i think we need to know is to what extent the people in the country know

that this is up to them. that we can provide suggestions that i think we really need to figure out and institutional development is important. i find it hard to think that democracy is not important. but democracy has to deliver. people want to vote and eat. part of the issue is lack of faith in institutions. what has happened is that people are talking to their government on 21st century technology. the government hears them on 20th century technology and is providing 19th-century responses. there is no competence in the institution and yet institutions need to be built in order to be able to deliver the jobs, education, and health care.

jim: we have been asking the reagan questions, are you better off than you were? do you think you will be better off in the next few years? are your children going to be better off than you? are you better off than your parents? it's an interesting way of looking at people and then looking at the demographics within. we largely find not a big shift among the different age groups or gender groups. if there is hope in the country it is widespread. if there is a lack of hope, it seems to be widespread across the demographic groups great -- groups. mr. hadley: if the two of you are willing, i would like to have a dialogue between the two of you of other data you have.

that would be a wonderful parts in parallel tracks to the working groups and contributions to the studies. we can talk about that as a follow-up to this conference. let me open the floor for questions from the audience and via twitter. jessica is somewhere here and is our source of twitter questions. i will look to her when we have a twitter question. for those of you in the hall here, i know it is a little dark . if you would raise your hands, i will hopefully see it. after you are acknowledged please wait for the mike -- mic. would you state your name and affiliation. i would ask both the questioners and responders to be brief. we want to try to get as many questions in between now and 4:00 as we can.

let me begin. >> good afternoon. thank you for such a proactive task. i think there are a couple of timelines we need to have a better understanding of. the first time line is, i hope that the to discourse and discussion should lead to better in rich discussion with the 2016 elections in the united take -- united states. as to the timeline you have for your own project, it is important to understand the roadmap so that your description versus your prescription of what to take place. have -- at what stage has the

descriptions taken place versus when will the prescriptions take place? another issue is what the united states wants from a region versus what the region wants from the united states. i don't think the regions fully understand the dynamics inside the united dates. how is that evolving? further description of what is taking place here might help in at least setting expectations of the region. i think it is important. mr. hadley: those are very important points. i think one of the things is that it gets too much about the united states and the region and what the region wants from the

united states. we think a step back and look at needs to begin with what the region wants for itself. what is the conversation going on in the region, what are their thoughts and expectations of what they want for themselves? that seems to us to be the starting point to then have a conversation. what might the united states and europe and other countries be able to do to help and how to make that -- how to do it in a way that is acceptable and positive for the region. we will get to that interaction. we really want to start with a better appreciation of what is going on in the region. we say the region as if it was all one thing. of course, situations are very different country to country. that is something we need to get grounded on as well. thank you. in the back there.

>> i have a question. do you think that the growing anti-isis contingent throughout the region would be enough of a basis for the united states to create a relationship with those people or with people on social networks? do you think that would be enough of a groundwork for a stronger relationship between the united states and middle east countries? >> let me first very priestly comment on what secretary albright said. -- very briefly comment

people in the region are aware that they are the main actors and they don't look to the u.s. to bring them anything. the arab spring did not come out of any kind of u.s. plan or support. secretary clinton came on tv in january of 2011 to say -- to talk about it. the people of this region new very well what they wanted. the idea of doomed if you do, doomed if you don't, i think this has nothing to do with the perception in the region. this has to do with how the u.s. has positioned itself as the

police of the world. and with the continuing asking. how can the u.s. help? what are we supposed to do? in one of james -- in one of the parts of james' presentation, it was about leave us alone in a crisis. many people opted for that. in terms of anti-isis, i don't think that being anti-isis is enough for people of the region to bond with the u.s. and believe in the capacity of this administration or the following administration to deliver.

we can have common enemies, but that doesn't necessarily make us friends. plus there is a lot of talk in the region about isis being an outcome of different forms of u.s. policy from the invasion of iraq to the position on palestine. this is seen as an outcome that now the u.s. complains about. what you need to do is to be -- is to proactively seek to understand what they want, what they believe in, and to

understand that the u.s. cannot be the leader. it should just try to coordinate between its own national interests and what the people in the region might be striving for. >> i want to push back and say when you are the biggest actor in the room, you are always going to be dammed if you do damage if you don't. i say this as somebody who has committed a lot of time to public opinion. public opinion absolutely matters, but making the most appealing decision that will appease the streets and cairo, if you have and watching what is been happening, that is not a strategy. in many cases, public opinion is not very consistent with our values, democratic values, a lot of values. public opinion is extremely important, but when you craft

policy, i would caution against deciding which policy is going to be popular. what was very popular in egypt just 18 months ago was bashing u.s. aid. u.s. aid, nobody wanted to touch it. 80% of the egyptians didn't want it. the conversations now have a very different attitude. what we have seen in the region with public opinion is that it has been very effectively manipulated in some environments to provide a very convenient fact pattern for whatever pattern -- for whatever powers are trying to operate, from al qaeda to the muslim brotherhood to isis. following the ad and flow of public opinion can be extremely

disastrous. it doesn't mean we should ignore people's opinions, but it means that we should give a lot less credence to the stand if you do dammed if you don't as a problem. jim: i do have to take issue with that. it's important. my sense is that that is right. the policy actions have not been good ones for us to carry out. and yet, there is a reason why we are damned, and that is to do with our trajectory, our history in the region that has not been pretty. when i did my book, i went around the country asking americans about the myths about arabs. some but he would say to me what mr. they have about us? the first one is they think we are very smart.

i would get a giggle. i would say it's because they think we are all powerful and that we make decisions based on the time on our interest so that when something happens that is really stupid, they think we knew what we were doing and got the outcome we wanted. we invaded iraq so that iran would become more powerful so that the arabs would have to turn to us for more weapons and it was all part of the master plan. the master plan was because they couldn't explain our stupidity. thankfully, they couldn't. that is an issue we have to wrestle with. as americans, if we are going to look at ourselves as the agents of this change, this project ought to be -- we need to understand what the arab world wants. one of the things that confounds the whole study is that they don't look at us as the positive agent of change as much as we -- we look at ourselves in the mirror and we say we are a great bunch of guys. they don't see as an the same way. i think that is the problem we

have to wrestle with ourselves as americans. former secretary albright: people compare this to eastern europe. what happened in eastern europe is they wanted to be like the west. that is not what is happening here are eight -- happening here. jim: i love the speech that president obama made. he said that we didn't start the arab spring. he then said what we can do is help them in the ways that they want help from us. the conversation we need to have is that one. you hit the nail on the head a couple of times. when we ask people if this is true for the majority of countries, what is the number one thing you admire most about america, liberty and freedom are the first thing they say and technology is the second thing. >> i am in no way saying that people don't want the outcomes of democracy and good

government. i'm just saying that democracy has a really bad brand with those people right now. we have made a plethora of very bad policy decisions in the region, especially in the last 15 years. moving forward, i point was, we should not simply just do what is popular, because what is popular and what has become popular at this late date in the arab spring is not something that we can get behind in a lot of countries. mr. hadley: i'm going to bring this to a close and we will do some other questions. i think there are two cautions. just because it is short-term popularity that does not ensure a true chart for a future of a prosperous and stable middle east. secondly, i have to add a footnote. america does have its own interests, and sometimes, those interests contradicted the preferences of the people of the region. when you are -- when your

country is attacked from that region, you have to respond and do things that are many times going to be unpopular. one of the things we have to do if we get this kind of understanding of the region, we are going to have to put a filter on our own national interests. jessica, do we have any twitter questions at this point? no. >> i think the big issue that i have seen from these graphs and data, it is jobs, jobs, jobs. you have young people who want prosperity. the big short-term challenge is how do you create jobs. do you create jobs through innovation? the region has a lot of liquidity. they have $2.5 trillion in exchange returns.

how do you bring -- have you get people to invest? i say innovation, not imitation. mr. hadley: we have a task force that is working on that very question. that is clearly part of the study. jessica, do you have a twitter question? jessica: we do. they want to know how can we harness public/private partnerships better to effectively meet the needs and wants of the people in the region? jim: i would refer you back to the same speech i am talking about, the may 2011 speech, the fifth anniversary of -- the fourth anniversary of the cairo speech. he talked about all of that. when he said here is what we can do, what he talked about was a fund that would promote the

private/public partnerships to create jobs, to help build the middle class in tunisia and egypt, because they were going to be the catalyst that would make democracy move forward. we couldn't teach democracy we could rather create the structures that would enable it. i thought that speech was very thoughtful in that regard. i think there are plenty of ideas out there. i think the question is getting the will on the part of government to make those programs available and actually pushed them forward. a id does have programs from our and like that. they are underfunded programs. -- aid does have programs like that. former secretary albright: what happened as a result of the cairo speech, secretary clinton wanted to have these partners

from the beginning. i chaired that. there is a local chapter in tunisia. we just had an investor conference in tunisia in order to bring public/private partnerships together. that is a model that works very well for trying to figure out how to develop the jobs. mr. hadley: we are now down to the 4:00 hour so i will take one more question and one more response and then we will adjourn. those of you who have to leave can do so. those who want to stay, we will have a reception out in the hall. hopefully, a number of you can continue this conversation. there was a hand up here. >> my name is erica and i am with u.s. aid. thank you for speaking to the

work we do. i was wondering if you could perhaps talk a little bit more about what role u.s. aid can have in thea lot of the findings were very interesting. and talk to, you know, some of the needs they had in terms of wellness and jobs. in addition to the question about public private partnership , some of the discussions that we have been having have been around, should we get back to more basic development projects like infrastructure building or education or some of the core basic, nitty-gritty projects. >> anyone want to take that?

>> i advise from the pulling and the anecdotal evidence, the current minister i don't even know how to pronounce. the basic subsidy needs that poor people go to in egypt has recently become a superstar for improving the way in which a mastic subsidized bread is processed through the ovens that people stand in front of every day. usaid should be helping fix that, the water system, and nursing. that is most active there. those are projects that nobody can blacklist. it will be very hard to convince people that the government has embarked on that because there hoping -- helping with the water system.

it's a crazy feeling that will probably not get too much play. you are not interested in any kind of short-term political gain. you are not doing this because there is a protest in to rear but because it's the long-term commitment. nothing what presidents have said. the american people moving forward in the long term. that's what has value. >> demand driven. make the projects demand driven. that is where partners are on the ground and they used to be more supply driven. and it is increasingly making the movement more demand driven. >> we have come to the end of our time. i want to thank ahmed and secretary albright. all of you in the audience. please join me in giving them around of applause.

-- a round of applause. [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] >> another chance to see rick perry's 2016 campaign announcement pillory -- announcement. and hillary clinton received an award and spoke about voting rights. on friday, senior energy and environmental and utility officials discuss how states will comply with the epa plan to limit carbon dioxide emissions. we will be live with the environmental study institute. on friday, the defense department will give operation

inherent resolve. the commander at the u.s. air forces central command at 11:30 a.m. eastern right here on c-span. >> any differences in these medicines have been considerable. he said that high cost was made and we pick from the top down. from the root up. and the only difference that i've found between the democratic leadership and the republican leadership was that one of them was stealing from

the year up and the other from the ear down. >> that flip was a perfect example of appealing to the masses with a good yarn. ultimately, i think, like a lot of characters, he became demagogic. served his own power. and was consumed by it. >> he was a maverick. he gave just as much grief to his party leadership as he did the opposition party. they are the east. if they were all mavericks nothing would get done. we were fortunate, to some degree. >> don ritchie and former house historian on the history of the house and senate. its leaders, characters, and scandals.

>> the son of vice president joe biden died of brain cancer. he was 46 years old and served as delaware attorney general and lay in honor of the delaware senate chamber in dover. vice president biden, jill biden, and more joined dignitaries for a memorial ceremony. president obama will deliver the unity -- the eulogy in wilmington on saturday.

>> the son of vice president joe biden died this past saturday of brain cancer. he was 46 years old and served as delaware attorney general and his casket lay and honor of the senate chamber in dover. vice president biden, jill biden, and family members joined for a memorial ceremony in legislative hall. president obama will deliver the eulogy in wilmington on saturday. >> former texas governor rick perry formally announced his

candidacy for the presidential nomination today. the tent gop candidate in the race. he talked about his record and criticized president obama's domestic and foreign-policy record. this is 35 minutes. >>[applause] >> my goodness. if i could kiss everyone of them standing behind me today, i would do it. i bet every woman would do it unless you are a man. thank you for coming to a hot hanger. it is heartwarming for me to see so many friends and family traveled to be with us today. we are excited to be here.

we are excited to be joined by our children and our granddaughters. we have been on quite a journey this man. it started about 55 years ago. i know, he looks it. 55 years ago, i sat by him at a pno recital. six years after that, he asked me on her first date. to his football game. he rode on the team bus. i wrote in the car with his parents and his sister. i figure that's about what every girl dreams about for their first date. dickstein years later with the blessing of my father finally i decided to marry him and go on a journey where i had no idea where it would take me. he was trying to farm, six

airplanes, we were living in hazlett, texas between abilene and the end of the earth. one day, he decided he would run for state representative. he ran and he won. we had griffin and sydney into the family. family has always come first for rick and me. but it's not just about bloodlines. it's about the family you adopt over time. friends that come into your life, cause you to live differently because of the mere fact that you met them. one such friend is with us today. [applause] marcus has been very kind in describing how we were there for him.

but in reality we learned as much from marcus as he could have ever learned from us. he taught us the importance of perseverance. of never giving up. [applause] never quit. we learned this when he came to us broken from having borne the brunt of battle. the other thing he reminds us of is it is not about us. there are causes greater than any one of us here today. causes for which we should all be willing to sacrifice our lives and our future. one such cause is the presidency of the united's dates.

-- united states. it is not about the individual that occupies it, but the optimism and the dreams for the people who work and elect that person. we need a president now perhaps more than ever. that puts the american people first. we put you and you and you and your grandchildren and my grandchildren. who puts one of -- everyone of these veterans behind us. we need that person that transcends the petty politics of washington to bring people together for the common good. and i think i might know a man who has all the right qualifications to make america great again.

please welcome my husband, rick perry. ♪ ♪

perry: thank you. thank you very much. i love you, honey. i was born five years after the end of a global war that killed more than 60 million people. i am the son of a veteran of that war that flew 35 missions over war-torn europe as a tail gunner on a b-17. when dad returned home and married mom, they started a life together. they were raised during a time of great hardship.

had a little expectation beyond living in peace. putting a roof over our head and food on our table. it was the center of my universe. for years, we had an outhouse. mom dazed us in a number two washtub. she also hand sewed my close until i went off to college. i attended paint creek rural school grades one through 12. played six man football. was a member of boy scout troop 48. he came in eagle scout. i went off to texas a&m. i got my degree in animal science.

i was proud to wear the uniform of our country as an air force officer as an aircraft commander. after serving, i returned home to those rolling plains and that big sky and i returned to farming. there is no person on earth more optimistic than a dry land cotton farmer. we always know that a good rain is just around the corner. the values learned on my family's cotton farm are timeless. the dignity of work. the integrity of your word. responsibility to community. the unbreakable bonds of families and duty to country. these are enduring values.

not the product of some idyllic past, but a touchstone of american life in our small towns. in our largest cities and booming suburbs. i have seen it from the red dirt of the west texas cotton field to a campus in college station texas. from the elevated view of the c-130 caulk it, and from the governor's office of the texas capital. i had the great privilege to serve a rural community in the texas legislature. and i led the world's 12th largest economy.

i know that america has experienced great change. what it means to be an american has never changed. we are the only nation in the world founded on the power of an idea. that all, that all are created equal. that they are endowed by their creator by certain inalienable right. among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. [applause] our rights come from god, not from government. our people are not the subjects of government, but instead, government is subject to the people.

it has always been the case that there has been the social compact between one generation of americans and the next. to pass along an inheritance of a stronger country full of greater promise and prosperity. it has been protected at great sacrifice. it was never more clear to me than when i took my father to the american cemetery that overlooks the bluffs. there lies 9000 graves, including 45 pairs -- 43 of whom are buried side-by-side.

at american cemetery, that is no accident. each headstone faces west. they look upon us and silent judgment. and we must ask ourselves, are we worthy of their sacrifice? the truth is, we are at the end of an era of failed leadership. we have been led by a divider who has sliced and diced the

electorate, pitting american against america for political purposes. six years into the so-called recovery and i might add our economy is barely growing. this winter, it actually got smaller. our economic slowdown is not inevitable. it just happens to be the direct result of bad economic policies. the president's tax and regulatory policies have slammed the door shot of opportunity for the average american who is trying to climb the economic ladder. resigning the middle class to stagnant wages and personal debt . deferred dreams. weakness at home has led to weakness abroad. the world has descended into a chaos

of this president's own making. while his white house lawyers, they construct an alternative universe, where isis is contained, that ramadi is merely a setback, where the nature of the enemy can't be acknowledged for fear of causing offense, where the world's largest state upon sore of terrorism, the islamic republic of iran can be trusted to live up to a nuclear agreement. no decision, no decision has done more harm than the president's withdrawal of the troops from iraq. let no one be mistaken, leaders of both parties have made grave mistakes in iraq, but in january of 2009, when barack obama became commander in chief, iraq had been largely pacified. america had won the war, but our president failed to secure the peace.

how callous it seems now. as cities once secured with american blood are now being taken by america's enemies, all because of a campaign slogan. i saw during vietnam, a war where politicians didn't keep faith with the sacrifices of america's fighting men and women, where men were ordered into combat without the full support of their civilian

commanders, to see it happen again, 40 years later, because of political gamesmanship and dishonesty, it's a national disgrace. [applause] mr. perry: but, my friends, we are a resilient country. you think about who we are. we have been through a civil war. we have been through two world wars. we have been through a great depression and made it through jimmy carter. we will make it through the obama years. we will do this. [applause] the fundamental nature of our country never say knock down, we get back up. we dust ourselves off and we move forward. and you know what? we will do it again. [applause] mr. perry: i want to share some important truths, starting with this truth, we don't have to settle for a world in chaos and america that shrinks from its responsibility. we don't have to apologize for american exceptionalism or western values.

we don't have to accept slow growth that leaves behind the middle class and leaves millions of americans out of work. we don't have to settle for crumbling bureaucracies that harm our taxpayers and veterans. we don't have to re-sign ourselves to debt, decay and slow growth. we have the power to make things new again, to project america's strength again and get our economy going again. [applause] mr. perry: and that is exactly why today i'm running for the presidency of the united states of america! [cheers and applause]

mr. perry: thank you. it's time. it's time. it's time to create real jobs, to raise wages, to create opportunity for all, to give every citizen a stake in this country to restore hope, real hope, real hope to forgotten americans. you know, there are millions of middle-class families that have given up hope of getting ahead, millions of workers who have given up hope for finding a job. yeah, it's time to reset, time to reset the relationship between government and citizens. [cheers and applause]

mr. perry: think of the arrogance of washington, d.c. representing itself as some beacon of wisdom with policies that are smothering this vast land with no regard what makes each state and community unique. that's just wrong. we need to return power to the states and freedom to the individual. [applause] mr. perry: today, our citizens and entrepreneurs are burdenened by overregulation and unspeakable debt and that's not just the physical nightmare. it's a moral failure. i want to speak to the millenials just a moment. this massive debt, passed on from our generation to yours. this is breaking of a social compact.

and you deserve better. i'm going to offer a responsible plan to fix the entitlement system and to stop this theft from your generation. [applause] mr. perry: per to those americans, to those forgotten americans drowning in personal debt, working harder for wages that don't keep up with the rising cost of living. i came here today to say i hear you. i know you face rising health care costs, rising child care costs, skyrocketing tuition costs, mounting student loan debt. i hear you. and i'm going to do something about it. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: to the one in five children and families who are on food stamps, one in seven americans living in poverty, to

the one in 10 workers that are unemployed or underemployed or giving up hope for finding a job, i hear you. you are not forgotten. [applause] mr. perry: i'm running to be your president. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: where small businesses on main street, those that are just struggling to just get by. they are targeted by dodd-frank. i hear you. you are not forgotten. your time is coming. the american people, they see this red game where the independencers get rich and the middle class pays the tab. there's something wrong when the dow is near record highs and businesses on main street can't get a loan. since when capitalism have the biggest while regulation strangle our community banks.

capitalism is not corporatism. it is not a guarantee of reward without risk. it's not about wall street at the expense of main street. the reason i'm running for president is i know for certain our country's best days lie ahead. there is nothing wrong in america today that a change of leadership will not make happen. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: we are just a few good decisions away from unleashing economic growth and reviving the american dream and need to fix the tax code that is riddled with loopholes that sends jobs overseas. we have the highest corporate tax rate in the western world. it's time to reduce it and bring

home jobs, lift wages for those working families. by the time this administration has finished with its experiment in big government, they will have added almost 600,000 pages of new regulations to the national register, the federal register. on my first day in office, i will issue an immediate freeze on pending regulations from the obama administration. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: that same day, that same day, i will send to congress a comprehensive reform and roll back of killing-job policies by obama policies. agencies will have to live under strict regulatory budgets, health insurers will have to earn the right to your money instead of lobbying washington to force you to hand it over.

on day one, i will also an executive order approving the construction of the keystone pie line. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: energy is vital to our economy and i might add to our national security. on day one, i will sign an executive order authorizing the export of american natural gas and freeing our european allies from the dependence of russia's energy supplies. [applause] mr. perry: vladimir putin uses energy to hold our allies hostage. if energy is going to be used as a weapon, america will have the largest arsenal. [applause] mr. perry: we will unleash an

era of economic growth and limitless opportunity. we will rebuild america industry and lift wages for american workers. it can be done because it has been done, in texas! [cheers and applause] mr. perry: during my 14 years as governor, texas companies created almost one-third of all new american jobs. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: in the last seven years of my tenure, texas created 1.5 million new jobs. as a matter of fact, without texas, america would have lost 400,000 jobs. we were the engine of growth because we had a simple formula, you control taxes and spending and implement regulations and

invest in an educated work force and stop frivolous lawsuits. [applause] mr. perry: texas now has the second highest high school graduation rate in the country. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: and it has the highest graduation rate for african-americans and hispanic students. we led the nation in exports. we passed historic tax relief and i'm proud to have signed balanced budgets for 14 years. [cheers and applause]

mr. perry: we not only created opportunity, we stood for law and order. when there was a crisis at our border last year and the president refused my invitation to see that challenge that we faced, i told him, mr. president, if you do not secure this border, texas will. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: because of that threat, because of that threat that was posed by the drug cartels and transnational gangs, i deployed the texas national guard. and the policy worked. apprehensions declined by 74%. if you elect me your president i will secure that border. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: homeland security begins were border security. the most basic compact between a president and the people is to keep the country safe. the great lesson of history is the strength and resolve bring peace and order and weakness and vascilation invite chaos and conflict.

my very first act as president will be to rescind any agreement with iran that legitimatizes their efforts to get a nuclear weapon. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: now's the time. now is the time for clear-sided proven leadership. we have seen what happens when we elect a president based on media acclaim rather than a record of accomplishment. this will be a show-me-don't-tell-me election where voters look past the rhetoric to the real record. the question of every conditioned will be this. when have you led? leadership is not a speech on the senate floor and not what you say, it is what you have done. [cheers and applause]

mr. perry: and we will not find the kind of leadership needed to revitalize the country by looking to the political class in washington. i have been tested. i've led the most successful state in america. [cheers and applause] mr. perry: i have dealt with crises after crises, to the diss integration of hurricanes and the first diagnosis of ebola in america. i have brought together first responders, charities and people of faith to house and heel vulnerable -- heal vulnerable citizens. the spirit of compassion demonstrated by texans rans is demonstrated.

there is a surplus of spirit. and among our great people there is a spirit of selflessness that we live to make the world better for our children and not just ourselves. it was said that when king george iii asked what general washington would do upon winning the war, he was told that he would return to his farm and relinquish power. and to that, the monarch replied, if he does that, he will be the greatest man of his age. george washington lived in the service of a cause greater than self. [applause] mr. perry: if anyone is wondering if america sill poses the character of selfless

heroes, i'm here today to say yes. i'm surrounded by heroes. they're in all generations. they are all in different generations, but would he haven together by the same thread of selfless sacrifice. there are heroes mike medal of honor recipients like mike thornton. made it back to the safety of a water rescue only to find out his fellow team member had been left behind, presumed dead, but mike didn't leave. he returned through enemy fire. he retrieved lieutenant norris who was still alive and then he swam for two hours keeping his wounded teammate afloat until they were rescued. chausechause mr. perry: he rose

like marcus lattrell. he survived a savage attack in afghanistan and lost fellow teammates. he is not just the lone survivor. next you are a hero, marcus! >> he is not just the lone survivor. to anita and me. he is a second son. and kyle who suffered the loss of her husband chris. when i think of taia kyle, i think of a brave woman who not only carries the legacy, but the

grief of every family, who has lost a loved one to the great tragedy of this war or its difficult aftermath. anita and i want to thank her for her tremendous courage. america, america is an extraordinary country. our greatness lies not only in our government but in our people. each day, americans demonstrate tremendous courage, but many of those americans have been knocked down and they are looking for a second chance. let's give them that second chance. let's give them real leadership. let's give them a future greater than the future days of our past. let's give them a president who leads us in the direction of our highest dreams, our best dreams, our highest hopes and our greatest promise. thank you. and god bless you.

[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] ♪ rick perry all the way ♪ ♪ there for the good lord ♪ ♪ i answer to no one ♪ [guitar solo] ♪ the weapon of my choice, don't stifle my voice ♪ ♪ i ain't backing down, i ain't

backing up ♪ ♪ i want back up ♪ ♪ i won't back down ♪ ♪ i have been raised up to stand my ground ♪ ♪ tax my check until i ain't got none ♪ ♪ i answer to no one ♪ ♪ i answer to no one ♪ announcer: on the next washington journal, a at the legislation changing the data collection program with julian sanchez, then a discussion with

the co-author of undercover jihadi, on how radical islam recruits of followers. and the executive director of the national center for transgender equality on transgender rights. washington journal life every morning. you can join the conversation with her cause and comments on facebook and twitter. announcer: this sunday, we will read error our interview with jim webb. you can watch it at 6:35 and 9:35 eastern on c-span. announcer: on thursday, former secretary of state hillary clinton spoke at texas southern university calling for automatic, universal voter registration for all 18-year-olds. she called up republicans including rick perry, jeb bush scott walker and chris christie

for their legislative work that she says makes it more difficult for people to vote. this is 30 minutes. >> wow, thank you so very much. i cannot tell you how personally honored i am to be here with all of you, to be at this historic institution. let me start by thanking president radley -- everybody at texas southern university. it is a great treat to be here, to have heard from dr. radley and others about the incredible programs and progress it and the fact that you have graduated more than 1000 young people into the world not so many days ago. this institution is the living legacy, the absolute embodiment

of the long struggle for civil rights. for me, to be surrounded by so many here in houston texas and indeed from across the country who were part of that movement it is especially touching. i am delighted to be here with my friend, sheila jackson lee. she has been a tireless champion for the people of the 18th district in the state and the country. i have to say, though, i expected her to tell you the most important news coming out of the congress and that is, she is finally a member of the grandmother's club.

as in member of little over eight months it is the greatest club you will ever be a member of. i also have to confess, i was excited about coming here to talk about an issue that is important to barbara jordan and should be important to all of us , but to do so in front of dr. friedman is daunting. i mean, anybody who knows what this man has meant, not just to barbara but to so many who have studied here, who have been in any way affected by his brilliant teaching of elocution and delivery would be a little daunted, too. i noticed that both dr. radley and sheila got off before dr. freeman came up. i also want to say my thoughts

and prayers are with the families houston and across texas who have been affected by the recent flooding. and i am confident that this community will embrace them. i remember very well coming here after katrina with my husband and we invited to come along a young senator from illinois by the name of of barack obama. and, with a sheila and other leaders, we toured the facilities that houston had provided to those who were fleeing that horrific storm and i saw how people open their hearts and homes. this is a city that knows how to pull it together and i am confident you will do so again on behalf of those who are suffering from this latest disaster. it is also a special moment to

be here, knowing that barbara jordan was succeeded by mickey leland. and the 18th district was so well represented for so long and i am delighted to be here with allison and to remember the pioneering work he did on behalf of children and the poor, and the hunger, so many issues that he was the champion of. i want to thank rosemary mcgowan and all the friends and loved ones of barbara jordan here today. this is such a particular honor for me because the award is in memory of one of my true personal heroes a woman who taught me and so many others the meeting of courage and

determination in the pursuit of justice. i first met barbara jordan when i was a young attorney and had been given a position working for the house of representatives judiciary committee investigating richard nixon. [laughter] and it was such a profound moment in american history. and there wasn't anyone who was a more effective eloquent inquisitor that barbara jordan. as a 26-year-old fresh out of law school has some of you are perhaps now having graduated from the thurgood marshall school here at tsu, i was riveted.

and a little intimidated, to tell the truth, by this unstoppable congresswoman from texas. i got to talk with her, which was thrilling. i got to hand her papers, which was equally exciting. but mostly, i got to watch and listen to her. at a time of shaken confidence, she stirred the entire nation with her words. remember what she said, my faith in the constitution is whole,, it is complete, it is total. it was that passion and moral clarity that took over jordan from tsu and the halls of the texas legislator all the way to congress. the first woman, the first african-american ever to elected

to represent texas in the house of representatives. and she defended and continued the civil rights legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. and her friend and mentor, president lyndon johnson. and in particular, she was a staunch advocate for the voting rights act, which had helped make it possible for her to be elected. in 1975, in the face of fierce opposition, barbara jordan led the fight to extend the special protection of the voting rights act too many more americans, including hispanic americans native americans, and asian americans, as well. and like every woman who has run

for national office in this country in the last four decades, i stand here on the shoulders of barbara jordan and so does our entire country. and, boy, do we miss her. we miss her courage, but we also miss her humor. she was funny. i remember talking to her and and ranchers one-time, and between the two of them, forget trying to get a word in at all and they were telling me about how they loved to go to the university of texas women's basketball game, right? and barbara would be there by that time in her wheelchair, on the sidelines, and ann would be holding court next to her, and barbara would be yelling

directions like she was, you know, the coach -- why are you doing that? jump higher. that's not a pass. all kinds of sideline comments. and so, anne was telling me this of barbara wright there, and i turned to her, and i said, barbara, and encourage these young women, don't just criticize them and barbara turned around and said, when he deserve it, i will. -- when they deserve it, i will. we sure could use her you resistible voice. i wish we could hear that voice one more time. here her express the outrage we feel about the fact that 40 years after barbara jordan fought to extend the voting rights act, it's a heart has been ripped out. and i wish we could hear her speak up for the student who has

to wait hours for his or her right to vote. for the grandmother who is turned away from the polls because her drivers license expired. for the father who has done his time and paid his debt to society but still hasn't gotten his rights back. now we know, unfortunately barbara is not here to speak up for them and so many others. but we are. and we have a responsibility to say clearly and directly, what is really going on in our country. because what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchised people of color, poor people, and young

people from one data of our country to the other. because since the supreme court eviscerated a key provision of the voting rights act in many of 2013 the states that previously faced special scrutiny because of a history of racial discrimination have proposed and passed new laws that make it harder than ever to vote.

north carolina passed a bill that went after pretty much anything that makes voting more convenient or more accessible. early voting. same-day registration. the ability of county election officials to even extend voting hours to accommodate long lines. what possible reason could there be to end preregistration for 16 and 17-year-olds and eliminate voter outreach in high school? we should be doing everything we can to get our young people more engaged in democracy, not less. in fact, i say it is a cruel irony but no coincidence that millenials, the most diverse tolerant, and inclusive generation in american history are now facing so much exclusion.

dash cam to marshal texas to attend one of the college and crystal takes her responsibilities as a citizen so seriously that not only did she register to vote in texas where she was living and would be for a number of years, she even became a deputy registrar to help other people vote as well. but, this past year, when she showed up at her local polling place with the why the college identification, she was turned away. experts estimate that hundreds

of thousands of registered voters in texas may well face similar situations. and while high-profile state laws like those in texas and north carolina get most of the attention, many of the worst offenses against the right to vote actually happened below the radar, like one authorities shift poll locations and election dates, or scrap language assistance for non-english speaking citizens, something barbara jordan fought so hard to provide. without the preclearance provision of the voting rights act, nobody outside the local community is likely ever to hear about these abuses. let alone have a chance to challenge them and and them.

it is not a surprise for you to hear that studies and everyday experiences confirm that minority voters are more likely than white voters to wait in long lines at polling places. they are also far more likely to vote in polling places with insufficient numbers of voting machines. in south carolina, for example there's supposed to be one machine for ever 150 voters but in minority areas, that rule is just often overlooked. in richland county, nearly 90% of precincts failed to meet the standard required by law in 2012.

instead of 250 voters per machine in win precinct, it was more than 430 voters per machine. not surprisingly, people trying to cast a ballot there face massive delays. there are many fair-minded well-intentioned election officials all over our country but this kind of disparity i just mentioned does not happen by accident. now some of you may have heard me or my husband say one of our favorite sayings from arkansas. of course i learned it from him. if you find a turtle on a fence post, it did not get there on its own. [applause] well, all of these problems with voting just didn't happen by accident. and it is just wrong. it's wrong to try to prevent, undermine, inhibit americans' rights to vote. it's counter to the values we

share and in a time when so many americans have lost trust in our political system, it's the opposite of what we should be doing in our country. this is the greatest, longest lasting democracy in the history of the world. we should be clearing the way for more people to vote, not putting up every roadblock anyone can imagine. [applause] yet, unfortunately, today there are people who offer themselves to be leaders, whose actions have undercut this fundamental american principle. here in texas, former governor rick perry signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with the purpose of discriminating against minority voters.

he applauded when the voting rights act was gutted. and said the law's protections were outdated and unnecessary. but governor perry is hardly alone in his crusade against voting rights. in wisconsin, governor scott walker cut back early voting and signed legislation that would make it harder for college students to vote. in new jersey, governor chris christie vetoed legislation to extend voting. and in florida, they purged rolls of voters before the presidential election in 2000. [applause] thankfully in 2004, a plan to purge even more voters was headed off. so today republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of american citizens from voting.

what part of democracy are they afraid of? i believe every citizen has the right to vote and i believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote. [applause] i call on republicans at all levels of government, with all manner of ambition, to stop fear mongering about a phantom epidemic of election fraud and start explaining why they're so scared of letting citizens have their say.

now, yes, this is about democracy, but it's also about dignity. about the ability to stand up and say, yes, i am a citizen. i am an american. my voice counts. and no matter where you come from or what you look like or how much money you have, that means something. in fact, it means a lot. i learned those lessons right here in texas. registering voters in south texas, down in the valley, in 1972. some of the people i met were understandably a little wary of a girl from chicago who didn't speak a word of spanish. but they wanted to vote. they were citizens. they knew they had a right to be heard. they wanted to exercise all the rights and responsibilities that citizenship conveys.

that's what should matter. because when those rights are denied to anyone, we're all the worse for it. it doesn't just hold back the aspirations of individual citizens, it holds back our entire country. that's why as a senator i championed a bill called the count every vote act. if it had become law, it would have made election day a federal holiday and mandated early voting opportunities. [applause] deceiving voters, including by sending flyers into minority neighborhoods with false voting times and places would have become a federal crime. and many americans with criminal convictions who had paid their debts to society would have finally gotten their voting rights back. [applause] well, today, with the damage the voting rights act so severe, the

need for action is even more urgent. first, congress should move quickly to pass legislation to repair that damage and restore the full protections that american voters need and deserve. i was serving in the senate in 2006. we voted 98-0 to re-authorize the voting rights act. after an exhaustive review process. there had been more than 20 hearings in both the house and senate judiciary committees. there had been testimony from so many expert witnesses, investigative reports documenting continuing discrimination in covered jurisdictions. there was more than 15,000 pages of legislative record. now that is how the system is supposed to work. you gather the evidence. you weigh it. and you decide and we did.

98-0. we put principle ahead of politics. that's what congress needs to do again. [applause] second, we should implement the recommendations of the bipartisan presidential commission to improve voting. that commission was chaired by president obama's campaign lawyer and by governor mitt romney's campaign lawyer and they actually agreed. and they set forth commonsense reform including expanding early, absentee, and mail voting providing online voter registration. establishing the principle that no one should ever have to wait more than 30 minutes to cast your vote. [applause] third, we should set a standard

across our country of at least 20 days of early, in-person voting, everywhere, including opportunities for weekend and evening voting. if families coming out of church on sunday are inspired to go vote, they should be free to do just that. [applause] and we know that early, in-person voting will reduce those long lines and give more citizens the chance to participate, especially those who have work or family obligations that make it difficult to get to the polls on election day. it's not just convenient, it's also more secure, more reliable,

and more affordable than absentee voting. so let's get this done. and i believe we should go even further to strengthen voting rights in america. today i'm calling for universal, automatic voter registration every citizen in every state in the union. [applause] everyone. every young man or young woman should be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18. unless they actively choose to opt out. i think this would have a profound impact on our elections and our democracy. between a quarter and a third of

all eligible americans remain unregistered and therefore unable to vote. and we should modernize our entire approach to registration. the system we have is a relic from an earlier age that relies on a blizzard of paper records. it's full of errors. in fact, we can do better by making sure registration rolls are secure, up to date, and complete, so when you move, your registration should move with you. [applause] if you're an eligible voter and want to be registered, you should be registered. oregon is leading the way, modernizing its system and the rest of the country should follow. the technology is here. states have already a lot of the data that's needed. it's just a matter of syncing and streamlining. all these reforms from expanded early voting to modernized registration are commonsense ways to strengthen our

democracy. but i'll be candid here. none of them will come easily. it's going to take leadership at many levels. now more than ever, we need our citizens to actually get out and vote for people who want to hear what's on their minds. we need more activists working to expose abuses, educate americans about their rights, and hold authorities accountable for protecting them. some of the worst provisions in recent laws have b delayed by tireless advocates raising the alarm and filing legal challenges but they can't do it alone. we need more grassroots mobilization efforts like the moral monday movement in north carolina. to build momentum for reform. we need more justices on the supreme court who will protect every citizen's right to vote.

[applause] i mean, the principle underlying our constitution, which we had to fight for a long time to make apply to everybody, one american, one vote. and we need a supreme court that cares more about protecting the right to vote of a person than the right to buy an election of a corporation. [applause] but of course, you know what we really need? we need more elected leaders from houston to austin to washington, who will follow in the footsteps of barbara jordan and who will fight every day for the rights and opportunities of everyday americans, not just those at the top of the ladder and we need to remember that

progress is built on common ground, not scorched earth. when i traveled around as your secretary of state, one of the most frequent questions i was asked was how could you and president obama work together after you fought so hard in that campaign? people were genuinely amazed. which i suppose is understandable considering that in many places, when you lose an election or you oppose somebody who wins you could get imprisoned, exiled or even killed, not asked to be secretary of state. and it's true, i was surprised when the president asked me to serve. but he made that offer and i accepted it for the same reason -- we both love our country! [applause] so, my friends, here at this

historic institution, just let us remember, america was built by people who knew that our common interest was more important than our self-interest. they were fearless in pursuit of a stronger, freer, fairer nation. as barbara jordan famously reminded us, when the constitution was first written it left most of us here out. but generations of americans fought and marched and organized and prayed to expand the circle of freedom and opportunity. they never gave up and they never backed down. and nearly a century ago on this very day, after years of struggle, congress finally passed the 19th amendment to give women the right to vote in the united states. [applause]

so that is the story of progress, courageous men and women, expanding rights, not restricting them, and today we refuse, we refuse to allow our country and this generation of leaders to slow or reverse america's long march toward a more perfect union. we owe it to our children and our grandchildren to fight just as hard as those who came before us, to march just as far, organize just as well, to speak out just as loudly, and to vote every chance we get for the kind of future we want. that's what barbara jordan would do. that's what we should do in honor of her. thank you and may god bless you. [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] announcer: with the energy study institute starting at 10:30 on c-span. announcer: on friday the defense department will give an update on operation inherent resolve, the campaign by coalition nations to combat the terrorist group isis in iraq and syria. we are live with lieutenant general john has to meant. -- john hesterman.

on sunday night on first ladies , we look into the lives of jane pierce and harriet lane. jane pierce loses her son in a tragic train accident. grieving she does not attend her , husband's inauguration. and spends much of her time in the white house writing heartbreaking notes to her son. orphaned at a young age, harriet lane lived with her uncle, james buchanan. and later becomes hostess to the white house when he becomes president and the first first lady in print. examining the public and private lives of the women who for the position of first lady and their influence on the presidency from martha washington to michelle obama, sunday at 8:00 eastern. as a complement to this series c-span's new book.

first ladies, presidential historians of the lives of 45 iconic american women, it is available as a hardcover and an e-book in your favorite bookstore and online. next, c-span's interview with likely presidential candidate, jim webb. about his military service, time in congress, and family history. this is 35 minutes. mr. scully: former senator jim webb, if you decide to run for president, why do you want to serve? former senator webb: this country needs leadership. i think if you look anywhere in the country and ask what you think people are -- and ask them what you think is missing, it is leadership. people who have the experience a can show that they have a record and can work across the aisle to

get things done. i have had a blessing in my professional life in that i have been able to spend about half of my time in public service and half of my time doing other things, working for myself as a sole proprietor. i believe very strongly that we need to create a new environment in washington where we have leaders who can talk across the aisle and actually solve problems. mr. scully: if you look at george w. bush who said he would be a uniter, you talk about barack obama who said he would be a president for red white and blue america, this town is more partisan than ever. how do you change that? former senator webb: i think you change it with the right leadership. the best example for the present times is what ronald reagan was able to do. people in this country than were saying that the issues were too complex to have one people leading the country -- one person leading the country.

there were even proposals that there would be a three-person presidency. ronald reagan was the leader and he had a vision. he brought good people around him and gave them a sense of mission. he inspired the country. she created the right environment where we could get things done. mr. scully: you have written about reagan a lot. what made him unique to the presidency? former senator webb: i wouldn't say that he was unique, but i would say that he was a strong positive leader. in our environment here in washington, a lot of people forget that when we throw rhetorical issues around, one of the things you have to do is be able to manage the most complex byzantine bureaucracy in the world, and to communicate a sense of purpose in the country. i think president reagan did that very well. he brought in lyons. people with very strong careers and gave them the mission and let them do the job.

that is what we need right now. mr. scully: you have said you want to run your campaign with a message. what would those be? what would those be? former senator webb: if people look at what we have done throughout my professional career, we have been able to get things done in and out of government. in the time i was in the senate, i personally wrote the post 9/11 bill. we developed a leadership prototype which republicans and democrats listened to people. in 16 months, we put together the best g.i. bill in american history on the model of the world war ii g.i. bill. we brought criminal justice reform into the national debate.