father and a sicilian mother. now, for those of you hooting you know what that means right? my mom is the one who set the rules and the tone. no suffering in silence. you have a problem, tell me. she wouldn't tell us every time she had a problem to the point where he say do we need to hear this and she was at yes. i have to get this off my chest now. there will be no deathbed confessions in this family. in 2004, my mom got diagnosed with cancer. all of you who lost a family member to cancer, you understand the scene. she grabbed my hand and said christopher, there's nothing left unsaid between us. it was an incredibly powerful moment in my life. that moment was created by her her whole life. i knew she loved me and she knew i loved her.

when people wonder why i do the things i do, that moment affirmed for me, forever, the i am going to be this way. i know if my mom were still alive, she would say to me i ought -- i taught you that, in a trusting relationship, you do not hold anything back. and if you're going to run for president of the united states and you're going to ask these people for their vote, that is the most trusting thing they can do as a citizen. give you their support. you better tell them exactly what you're thinking and feeling. when you ask about my mortal kombat is, that is it. that is it. -- my moral compass, that is it. that is it. >> governor christie's expecting to focus on new hampshire in the early campaigning. that primary tentatively scheduled in early february of next year. governor christie making his candidacy announcement at his

new jersey high school. that will be at 11:00 eastern. we look for your comments after that on facebook or twitter. we also hear from president obama today, holding a news conference with the president of brazil just after noon eastern time on our companion network c-span 2. more from the road to the white house. democratic presidential candidate martin o'malley spoke about national security and his vision of homeland security. >> thank you very much. when i left the pentagon in 2012, i said no to a lot of tempting invitations that were presented, but i said an enthusiastic yes to the prospect of being part of the truman national security project and center for national policy. i did so, because i thought then and i am convinced now that this organization and its members throughout the country are

dedicated to one thing -- making a difference. your political members are dedicated to making things happen while governing. your policy members are dedicated to a strong, smart and principled approach to national security policies. and the returning veterans among you are applying your leadership values into the community to which you have returned. it is not often that all of those qualities can be embodied in one leader, and that is why it gives me particular pleasure to introduce the keynote of this 10th anniversary truman annual conference. martin o'malley comes not from a background of financial wealth. but a heritage of service. he is a descendent of a veteran of the war of 1812. he is the son of an army air force pilot and veteran of world war ii. the "washington post" called his mother barbara, who has served as a senator's gatekeeper for 27

years, perhaps the most well-known octogenarian on capitol hill never elected to office. his wife is a baltimore city district court judge. his father-in-law was maryland's attorney general. martin lost his very first race for public's office -- for public office for maryland state senate by 44 votes. he never lost again. he was elected to the baltimore city council in 1991 and served for eight years. he was elected mayor of baltimore in 1999 and served for eight years. he was elected governor of maryland in 2007 and served for eight years. do you see a pattern here? [laughter] as mayor of baltimore, martin made things happen. his city uses a tracking system based on accountability and results in government, saved baltimore hundreds of millions of dollars, and help generate the city's first budget surplus in years. he won his first mayoral

election with 90% of the vote. in reelection with 87% of the vote. in 2005, "time" magazine named him one of america's top five big-city mayors. as governor of maryland, martin made things happen. he recovered 100% of the jobs lost during the national recession. he held firm in the face of great pressure to keep college tuition costs down and education week recognized maryland as having the best public schools in america for five years in a row. he took action to restore the health of chesapeake bay and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. he worked to uplift the dignity of all of his constituents by signing marriage equality into law. he worked to pass the dream act to give more marylanders access to college education. and a little-known fact -- maryland, under martin o'malley ranked first in the united states in the percentage of

woman owned firms as a share of all firms. martin o'malley served two terms as the chair of the democratic governors association, where he carved out a position of leadership on homeland security, among other issues. and president obama chose him to be the democratic cochair of the council of governors to represent the states in dealing with homeland security. it is not a little-known fact that his irish catholic heritage has been a strong influence throughout his life. reflected in his determination perseverance, easy and natural connection with people, and the music which puts smiles on all of our faces throughout the years as the lead singer of o'malley's march. i met martin working for a political leader of irish heritage who influenced a generation of young men and women who have made significant differences in this country. but it is the words of another irish catholic politician that perhaps best sums up martin o'malley's approach to public service.

there are those who look at things the way they are and ask why, robert f. kennedy told the generation of americans, my generation. i dream of things that never were and ask why not? i'm very proud to call martin o'malley my friend. there are many in my generation and very many in yours who would be proud to call him the next president of the united states. please welcome martin o'malley. [applause] fmr. gov. o'malley: thank you. thank you very much. thank you. doug wilson, thank you very much for your kindness, your friendship, and your counsel through these years.

it is a great honor to be with all of you, so many people who have done so very much for the country that we love. for more than a decade, the truman national security project has been at the forefront of nurturing a new generation of leaders in foreign policy and national security. from military bases in san diego to federal agencies in washington, you are not only advocating for a strong, smart principles approach to national affairs, you're taking action. and you are doing it every day through operation free. you are mobilizing a coalition of veterans, activists, and experts who know our reliance on fossil fuels threatens the security of our country. through no exceptions, you are working to make sure our military recruits the most talented americans, regardless of gender. and through the front lines civilians initiative, you are supporting the diplomats

journalists, the ngo workers the development professionals, who are not in uniform but nonetheless put their lives on the line to alleviate human suffering around the world every day. thanks to all of you, the truman project has emerged as a valuable source of ideas on some of the toughest challenges facing our nation today. we need those bold ideas now more than ever. america's role in the world is to advance the cause of a rising global middle class. free from oppression. free from want. free from fear. but after 12 years on the battlefield of iraq and afghanistan, after a global financial crisis, and a long recession that our people are still struggling to fully recover from, it is understandable that many americans would like to disengage from the world around us. that is understandable, but it

is not responsible. because our nation's security and our children's prosperity demand that we actually be more engaged with the world around us and not less. we do this primarily by making our nation more prosperous and secure here at home. we do this by exercising our economic, diplomatic, military and healing power around the world in ways that are consistent with our most deeply held moral principles. in essence, we must create a more farsighted and proactive foreign policy based on engagement and collaboration rather than going it alone. we must construct a new framework for a national security strategy focused on the reduction of threats. today's challenges defy easy solutions. we may have the most sophisticated military in the

world, but we don't have a silver bullet. this morning, i want to share a vision with you of a more agile, innovative, and forward thinking approach, one that will enable us to master the challenges of our time rather than falling victim to them. my purpose in our short time today is not to offer soundbite solutions to a laundry list of crises around the world. my purpose here today instead is to lay out a long-term framework for pursuing our national interests in a fast-changing world. some important history -- as america and allies brought world war ii to a close, a plain-spoken man named harry truman became our president. having fought in the first world war, truman knew something about courage, service, and sacrifice.

it was truman who concluded world war ii. it was truman who brought forward the marshall plan that would turn our former enemies into longtime democratic allies. and it was truman who led the united states to recognize israel immediately upon her founding. and it was truman who crafted and signed into law the national security act of 1947, the most long-lasting overhaul of our national security strategies and institutions. we must take the broader lessons of what worked in truman's day and apply them to the emerging threats of our own time. because today we face an equally daunting array of threats. these threats are much different and in some instances for more -- far more complex than those we saw in the 1990's. what am i talking about?

violent extremism, nuclear proliferation, pandemics cyberattacks, rising inequality, failed nation states, the mega-droughts and the floods and the famines caused by climate change. and more refugees now on our planet than at anytime since world war ii. it is time for a new national security act, one focused on the reduction of threats like these. understanding precedes action. to understand, we must ask the right questions. among them -- how do we balance the use of our military, diplomatic, and economic tools to advance our national interests in ways that are consistent with the most deeply held american principles? what enhanced roles like the

institute for reduced defense threat and the centers for disease control play in looking over the horizon to alert us far earlier to threats? what are the forward-looking investments and new alliances that we can make with other nations that would stem the root causes of instability? how can we best prepare to defend ourselves from our enemies while doing all that we can to prevent conflict in the first place? the first and foremost responsibility of the president is to protect the people of the united states. today, this means transforming our military's structure to focus on 21st century challenges. it means protecting our privacy and our security at the same time. it means reducing security threats not only with better technology, but with better human intelligence on the ground and in the cultures that are so important for us to

understand. it means transforming the way we partner with the private sector and civil society. harnessing the energy and the talents of the american people to advance our values. it means joining with allies to deploy renewable energy technologies, both at home and around the world, to confront the very real and present danger of potentially reversible climate change. it means understanding that comprehensive immigration reform here at home is both an economic and national security imperative. it means protecting the united states from cyber attacks, on the digital battlefields of servers and smartphones. it means rethinking how we deal with nations like russia and the like china, which are neither trusted allies nor total adversaries. it means forging a new alliance for progress right here in our

own hemisphere, which we have undervalued and neglected for far too long. and it means forming regional partnerships to address emerging threats in places like the south china sea, the arctic, and the sea lanes of the middle east. there is urgent work to be done. nowhere is this more collaborative approach to this work more important than in confronting the growing and immediate challenge of severe climate change. for years, the pentagon has recognized global warming as an urgent national security threat. your organization's leader former army captain mike breen put it best at a recent congressional hearing when he said "over 97% of climate scientists say that man-made climate change is a reality. as a combat leader, if 97% of my intelligence indicated that i

was about to face a lethal danger that would risk the lives of my paratroopers, i would be committing malpractice if i did not listen and act." mike is right. the energy technologies needed to combat climate change exist today. it is only the political world that is lacking. america can and must lead the way by pursuing an ambitious plan to ensure that our country is powered 100% by clean energy by 2050. climate change is not only a real existential threat to human life, a is also the greatest business opportunity to come to our country in over 100 years. we must seize that opportunity by creating an american green jobs agenda. it is actually a match for the climate challenge.

we need to invest in resilience from the jersey shore to california's central valley. we need to spur innovation to develop cutting-edge technologies that will create jobs at home and unlock new markets abroad. we need to embrace new ideas at every level. in states that show that it to -- that it can work, like california, and as we did in maryland where in eight years we increased renewable energy capacity by 57% and made ourselves a clean tech jobs hub and cut carbon emissions by 10%. america's leadership and example are absolutely essential because climate change is a global challenge with global consequences. it is the transformation that transforms everything. by confronting this challenge, we can realize global economic opportunities and job opportunities for the united states. we must partner with emerging markets in our own hemisphere and beyond to distribute

renewable energy solutions in green design. we must push for global emissions agreement in venues like the upcoming u.n. climate summit in paris, and we must seed and scale and deploy american-made renewable energy technologies throughout the world to reduce mankind's carbon footprint, to preserve the living systems of this earth for ourselves and our posterity. like climate change, trade is a global challenge. and it also has global consequences. in our closely connected world prosperity is not a zero-sum game. while the cause of a rising global middle class is vital to our long-term economic and national security, our power our power is grounded in the strength here at home of our own middle-class. what gain is there for united states and secret trade deals that fast-track and export

american jobs and undermine wages for american workers? trade deals that actually raise standards for workers and the environment are trade deals that are good for the united states of america. trade deals that lowers standards for workers and the environment are trade deals that are bad for the united states of america. this is not a call for protectionism. i have led trade allegations all around the world. but it is a call for fair competition. the kind of competition that is consistent with our most deeply held american values and the cause we share. the national interests of the people of the united states is not measured by the bottom line profits of multinational corporations, however large. no nation ever offshored its way to greatness.

to rebuild the american dream, we must stop making it easier to ship american jobs abroad and start making better investments to grow our economy and build up our own country here at home. one such investment is a cyber security. a new domain that is an emerging opportunity and an emerging challenge to every facet of our society. for centuries, nation states sought to protect themselves from attacks by land and sea and later from attacks by air. now in this information age, we must defend yourselves and our economy from attacks carried out over the internet. last year, global cyber attacks jumped by nearly 50%. stolen intellectual property and other opportunities lost to cybercrime could cost us as many

as 200,000 american jobs annually. and our critical infrastructure remains extremely vulnerable to hackers. nuclear power plants, public transportation, air-traffic control, water systems and even the electric grid itself, all in danger of being shut down with a few lines of malicious code. the harm would extend far beyond just the loss of personal data. it could grind our national and our metro economies to a halt. we must have an follow through with a comprehensive new agenda for cyber security that protects every level of our society. to accomplish this goal, we must harness the skills of american engineers, designers and , scholars from silicon valley to fort meade in order to secure our networks. and we must empower our national guard with a new mission. a mission of protecting our cyber networks here in the

homeland on a state-by-state level. now i have seen this firsthand as doug mentioned, as the presidents appointed cochair in a group charged by act of congress to work with the secretary of defense and the secretary of homeland security. i advocated for a new national initiative to recruit and to equip and to train up cyber units in every state. -- in every state's national guard. these are highly paid skills highly sought after in the private sector, and therefore very difficult to compete with in the public sector. the quickest and most cost effective way, i believe, to stand up this needed capacity is in the citizen-soldier context of every state's national guard. furthermore, national guard cyber units, i believe, are best suited under our constitution for the homeland mission of collaborating with public and

private sector to protect vital networks. like a security. sustainable development. that is a national security imperative. it requires a long-term commitment to advance the cause. of our rising global middle class. this is not a sensible dream. hard-won progress is arathi being made. -- is already being made. all of us should take some pride in that. the u.s. in partnership with the global community has cut extreme poverty and child deaths in half over the last 25 years. that is one of the greatest measurable leaps ever achieved in human prosperity and health. and yet still, more than one billion people in asia and africa and here and our own hemisphere in latin america live on less than $1.29. all of them vulnerable to the

scourge of extreme poverty and violent extremism. is it any surprise that in liberia, a country with just one medical school and meager hospital supplies, that more than 10,000 people are infected with ebola? is it any surprise that in honduras, a country with the highest murder rate and the most brutal drug trafficking, that thousands of people have fled for their lives here to our hemisphere? our leadership and collaboration , our leadership and collaboration with other nations is essential. to be successful, we must involve more americans from all walks of life in the cause of development. scientists and students, and entrepreneurs and security experts, business executives and urban planners, we must better integrate our development and

our military teams in troubled hotspots, ensuring that we are tailoring our assistance to get things done within the local culture and local place. we must support american businesses that actually project our values in emerging markets and we must adequately find our diplomatic and development agencies, particularly u.s. id and the state department. we must achieve the goal of ending extreme poverty, hunger and preventable child and maternal deaths within the next 15 years. by promoting open societies, by protecting the dignity of human lives in fragile states, we are not only building the next generation of political and economic leaders, but we're also reducing the threat of being drawn into more costly conflicts in the decades to come. as james mattis, the former commander of the u.s. central command put it bluntly "if you

don't fund the state department fully, then i need to buy more ammunition." development defense, diplomacy, they all stand together as equal an d essential parts of our national security, or at least they should. there also critical to reducing threats in what might be the most volatile and dangerous area of the world today -- the middle east. over the last several years, i have had the opportunity to talk with scores of patriotic americans. who have given their energies and talents to this trouble region of the world in service to our country. on our core national interests in the middle east, to protect

our allies and prevent a legion of war, to keep seaway's open and provide humanitarian assistance. to prevent terrorist safe havens and to prevent nuclear proliferation and indeed a nuclear armed iran is one of the most immediate threats we face. i believe negotiations are the best way to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon. the best way to avoid even greater conflict in the region and the best way to stop widespread nuclear proliferation across the middle east. it was for this purpose that the united states forged and unprecedented international partnership, including russia and china, to have the strongest set of sanctions iran has ever faced. those sanctions brought iran to the negotiating table. if we reach a verifiable enforceable agreement that cuts off iran's multiple pathways to a weapon and its ability to

sprint to a bomb, congress would be wise to support it. on the other hand if iran is found to be cheating, its leaders must know we stand ready to institute the full array of sanctions that decimated their economy. but no threat better illustrates the unintended consequences of a mindless rush to war and a lack of understanding than the emergence of isis. containing, degrading, and defeating isis will require an integrated approach. an approach focused not only on military power but on political solutions. the invasion of iraq, along with the subsequent disbanding of the iraqi army and military, will be remembered as one of the most tragic, deceitful, and costly blunders in u.s. history. and we are still paying the

price of a war pursued under false pretenses. in the words of dr. king, by the appalling silence of the good. in confronting isis, we must be mindful that american boots on the ground can be counterproductive to our desired outcome. we will not be successful in the grading isis if the number of militants taken off the battlefield is exceeded by the number of new recruits replacing them. but we must also ensure that our partners have what they need to contain, and a grade and ultimately -- and degrade and ultimately wear down and defeat isis. in partnership with other nations in the region and around the world, we must counter isis propaganda and use our own communication tools more effectively. you must do more to amplify credible, local voices in the

region to reveal isis for what it is. a gang of murderous thugs who have converted the name of one of the world's great religions. we must make every effort to encourage the iraqi government to govern far more inclusively as they train up the army with committed leadership and the will to defend their own country. addressing threats like isis will require new relationships and require better intelligence. this is true in every other theater of engagement as well. there is no substitute for human relationships and the work of patriotic americans in our foreign service and national security agencies. to succeed in a world of rapid change, we must adapt our national security institutions to better anticipate these fast emerging threats. we must recognize there are real

lessons to be learned from the tragedy in benghazi. namely, we need to know in advance, who is likely to take power once a dictator is toppled and not after. twitter and facebook are no substitute to personal relationships and human intelligence. we must recruit and retain a new generation of talented american diplomats and foreign service officers. and we must give them the tools they need to identify and engage with a new generation of leaders from different walks of life in often very hostile environments where we lack historic ties, where we lack relationships. that was the work, wasn't it? that ambassador chris stevens was about. he gave his life reaching out to those emerging from the rubble of gaddafi's leadership. in remembering him, his grieving

father said, "he died doing what he loved most. working to build bridges of understanding and mutual respect between the people of the united states and the people of the middle east. chris was successful because he embodied the traits that have always endeared america to the world. a commitment to democratic principles and respect for others regardless of race, religion, or culture." the greatest power we possess as americans is just that. it is the power of our principles. we project that power around the world, primarily through our own example of the inclusive society and inclusive economy that we build here at home. the challenges we face today to

rebuild the american dream, to craft a new foreign policy of engagement and collaboration, to refocus our national security strategies on 21st-century threats, these challenges are all connected. and their pursuits are all mutually reinforcing of one another. but ultimately, the source of america's global strife is our own prosperity. our prosperity at home. our economy isn't money. our economy is people. all of our people. only with a stronger, more inclusive economy can we maintain our security. only with a stronger, more inclusive economy, can we proceed to pursue a more effective economy for this -- because we share and lead of a rising middle class free from oppression want, and fear.

in thinking deep the about america's role in the world, i find myself drawing inspiration from the troubled world that my parents and their generation tamed. and the planet that they saved from the brink of nuclear annihilation. my parents were born during the great depression. they were part of that great generation of americans that went on to win in the second world war. my dad flew missions. he went to college only because of the g.i. bill. my mom flew and a civil air patrol at the age of 17. they raised their children, the six of us in a world secured by their sacrifices and choices and service of their generation. we must remember their success. our strength abroad depends on our strength at home.

no fighter jet or troop battalion will keep us as safe as a vibrant economy, strong democracy, and a growing and rising middle-class. by restoring an american economy that works for all of us again we will make ourselves a more prosperous and secure nation. we will give our children a future with more opportunity rather than less. and we will make our planet a healthier, more peaceful, and more just place for all of humanity. these are the ambitions worthy of a truly great people. this is why i am running for president of the united states. thank you all very much. [applause] thank you. [applause]

>> the governor will take a few questions. from truman members only. we do have microphones in the audience. they will come to you. raise your hand if you have a question. fmr. gov. o'malley: this time is not exquisitely for questions, if you should have answers. [laughter] we would truly love to hear your answers. yes, sir. >> governor, it a few years back, i was a baltimore resident. you served as my governor. fmr. gov. o'malley: what is your name? >> john. thank you for your service in maryland. you talked earlier about having

the fence development, diplomacy on equal levels. one thing on equal now is that developing lacks a cabinet level agency. is that something you would consider if you were president? gov. o'malley: yes. that might qualify as an answer. [laughter] yeah. i think that could raise a stable development to the level it should be. thank you for that. good one. i thought it would come to the truman project. [laughter] anybody else? thoughts questions? a gentleman over there. >> are you going to hold it? [laughter] good. i'm also a resident of maryland.

i actually saw you play in silver spring four years ago. gov. o'malley: and you came here anyway. [laughter] >> it was great. you brought up a new reform national security act to replace the one from 1947. what will be the major tenet asked tenets of that -- what would be the major tenets of that? what would you change? gov. o'malley: i think that we had not called the great minds of our country together to this task since 1947, really, in a holistic way. the threats that we face are different threats. i think that it is time. i think we should not presuppose the outcome of that understanding and that search for a better way to anticipate threats. a better way to, maybe, take agencies like the defense threat reduction agency or the centers for disease control and try to reimagine how we might create a

more robust function when it comes to looking over the horizon so we don't find ourselves outside of the turning radius of these events. i'm thinking of the pandemic and the outbreak of ebola in africa. and from the lessons i have learned as executive. 15 years of executive service as mayor. and as a governor, it is important you be able to develop the capacity to anticipate threats before they rise to the level of crises. frankly, i am not sure we are doing a good job of that. we tend to wait until it seems the only options left to us are military options before we focus on the things that need to be done. i also see the need for new alliances in places around the

world. i mentioned some of them. the arctic. south china sea. and other areas of pandemic. so i believe that the national security act of 1947 lasted a good long time. but the threats are different today. we should also, as our -- as a nation get our heads around this new domain we have to protect of cyber. we are sometimes struggling to catch up with events happening a lot faster than our intention is putting in place proactive measures to me it. -- meet it. we will go right left. >> thanks for being here governor. these are questions about sustainable development in looking at the future. one of the things you have been doing as governor that is intriguing and inspiring is

creating this genuine progress indicator in maryland. inking about ways we can think about externalities in -- and our core indicators to judge progress. the gdp and other indicators are incredibly short term but don't take into account environmental and social factors that really matter to people's lives. i was wondering if you think this is something worth scaling up at the federal level or at least starting a conversation about. gov. o'malley: absolutely. thank you for noticing. [laughter] honestly, sometimes you do these things, you think it is cutting edge, your whole cabinet gets into it, and in terms of public attention, it seems like no one saw. but we were the first state suit adopt age anyone progress index. instead of looking at state gross domestic product or -- we looked at our quality of life. the health of the air we breathe.

the health of the rivers and the streams. the time we spend the most in traffic when we could he either with our families or doing productive things at work. we put all of these things together into a genuine progress index. it is our hope, that over time that genuine progress index will guide the decisions we make on our budget and the capital investments we make. our former secretary of transportation in maryland thought a very important cause was the different types of sustainable development. not paving over the land of the chesapeake bay. developing workhouse transit centers so you are able to improve the quality of life and reduce traffic congestion. i think that a genuine progress index on the national scale would also be important. as well as a development tool around the world. as i have talked to people who

do a lot of this work, it seems to me that human nature is the same the world over. people want to be able to raise their kids and have them actually lived to adulthood. and be able to feed their kids. they need clean water. there are certain building blocks to that quality of life. if people see even in conflict , prone parts of the world, that they're able to give their kids a better way forward, they will work hard, run through walls, sacrifice, in order to make that progress possible. i think a general progress index could very well be a tool at the national and international level. thanks for asking that. over here. it looks like the whole row. [laughter] >> you mentioned that russia today is neither an ally or true

adversary. you also focused quite a bit on cyber security. russia has emerged as one of the greatest threats in the cyber arena. could you comment on a little bit about your view on russia? and its growing resurgence in foreign policy? gov. o'malley: sure. we have all been reading in the newspaper and watching events of russian expansion and the events in ukraine. at the same time, in the iran nuclear negotiations, russia was one of those states that was part of that effort. they were involved pretty deeply over a year ago in events in syria. no doubt remain so.

what i was underscoring is that in some of these things, and in china as well we confront china , and other places as in partnering to scale up renewable energy solutions in this world. collaboration with china could well be the salvation of the planet. so where russia is concerned i'm also very aware of their capacity where cyber is concerned. a little known fact, maryland actually has had a national guard mission to estonia for some 20 years or more and was responsible for training up estonia for nato membership. i met with their head of state and also to word -- toured the nato center for excellence in cyber security. estonia is one of the few countries that has suffered a

full-scale cyber attack and shut down. that didn't stop them from using technology. they upped their defenses and became more proficient and better equipped. get this -- they actually vote online. that is how secure they have been able to make their country. so this is not the cold war anymore, where we were facing opponents that are totally adversarial in every realm. there are shifting interests in different regions and different alliances. we have to be adaptable and flexible, even as we are firm and understand our commitments to allies and put in place, as we have now with allies, that sanctions that show russia that they have a choice to make. they could either harm their economy by harming nations

around them, or they could respect international norms and have a better quality of life and economic life for their people. >> to your far right. 3:00. governor, i had a question. in my mind i am thinking about the quote that says the country that separates is warriors from its scholars will have its thinking done by cowards and its writing on -- fighting done by fools. gov. o'malley: who said that? >> i don't know. [laughter] but i will take credit if no one else does. [laughter] gov. o'malley: you should have just said cicero. [laughter] >> and it reminded me of an experience in my second tour of iraq. i was reclassified from armored officer to a civil authorities officer. as the army often does, without training. a little over tj to figure it

out on the ground. what i saw and was frustrating about it is it is putting the military in a role of nationbuilding without integration of effort with the three d's identified so clearly and accurately. have you anticipate being able to tie together the efforts of developmental, diplomatic, and defense organizations and a very functional way to make sure that you do have a circumstance where you have military members that are wise in the ways of diplomacy and development. you have people in development that understand defense and diplomacy. and seeing that functional integration. too often you see those cylinders of excellence. how do you envision the ability to break down those silos and seymour cross training and cross work within those agencies to make sure that when we go in, we go and holistically and not as a coalition of cylinders of

excellence but actually is and operating group of the same mission from the united states? governor o'malley: terrific question. thanks for what you have done for all of us. the problem you described is not limited to the military or sustainable development. or diplomacy. it is part of human nature. let me try this one on year -- everybody likes a common platform as long as they can maintain their own. that is the way that human nature is. it seems that since the days of the -- the pendulum has been swinging to specialization and evermore, to use your term cylinders of excellence, silos , of excellence. in the old days, governors used to be considered great governors based on how many different departments they could break down the big department into. supposition -- separating and

specialization. now you see not only in today's topic, but you see this in health, as we look to raise up wellness rather than disease as the focus. you see this also in education. you see this if you go on college campuses and ask kids what their majors are. half of them have teenagers. more and more we are realizing it is not the suppers asian -- the separation or's specialization but integration that allows us to be effect is as a team. on a football team, there is only so much an individual to do. when you start running plays then you run the ball down the field. i believe that the way to do this is to recognize that problem. i think we have to start in an intentional way. training. drilling. studying. working with each other long before we are deployed to a battlefield.

i think we have the ability to do that as a nation probably better than any other. but i think it will take intention and conscious effort. this is the problem. we could solve that by creating collaborative teams. teams that train together, deployed together, and work together. that is what i would envision. somebody over here, there are still people in the middle here. >> hello. christine vargas. thank you for being here. you touched on better humans which i found interesting. gov. o'malley: better human intelligence. i think i swallowed the second word. we all hoped to be better humans someday. >> we just had a terrific cap at

opm that they just started telling us about it. it has compromised a lot of things for people who want to join the effort you want. what would you do about that? how would you make that are to hire good humans safer practical, and pragmatic? opium could not do it before you took away their ability to have any sort of credible cyber security. gov. o'malley: before who took over the ability? [inaudible] gov. o'malley: we are rushing to catch up to this era of cyber threats and hacks and the fact -- theft of personal information. in our state, because of the location of nsa, we had a well trained eric garner unit that understood cyber security in our state. we had them do a a red team and

blue team work through our larger departments with the personnel records and personal information. i could see every state doing that. i think the u.s. needs to do that as well. there are some collaborative efforts underway on cyber security, but there does not seem to be the urgency of command and control, especially in the civilian realm, for putting up the robust defenses. it seems that we need to do a much better job of bringing in the experts in i.t. and private sector and private contractor world. from silicon valley to fort meade. in order to do better job of this. one of the big challenges we face and our government is the procurement of i.t. services. boy, are we awful at picturing i.t. services. no offense to any of you who have a gig. [laughter] if you have a gig, great.

but we are not terribly good at it. it is a capacity we probably need a task force to rapidly stack up. this sort of low bit thing that doesn't service very well. when it comes to i.t., we need to look at cyber security more as a service than a procurement. we should allow for more leeway in terms of exacting standards and responsiveness and things of that nature, rather than falling victim to the -- let's cross your fingers and hope it doesn't happen. we've got some people in the center. >> one more question. gov. o'malley: let's hope it is a good who has the best one. question? [laughter] gov. o'malley: there is a woman right here in the center who has a -- looks like she -- her eyes tell me she has a good question. [laughter]

>> angie lake young, maryland resident and frontline civilian. first of all, thank you for your support for frontline civilians. we appreciate it. i wanted to ask you, many of the challenges you mentioned whether it is that ebola crisis or the economy, countering violent extremism, all of these challenges were globally woman could play a vital role in addressing them. i'm wondering if in your vision of national security, there is a way we could elevate women's role in encountering those challenges and how you might do that. gov. o'malley: again to the thrust of i think jonathan's question about integration. one of the reasons we are such an innovative economy is because of this notion we sometimes take for granted as americans.

the full inclusion and participation exist better as a nation. it also allows us to develop human solutions to human problems because of the perspectives that are welcomed around that table. my father was a trial lawyer. he used to tell us at the dinner table i never once lost a case because a jury made up of men and women made a decision contrary to what the facts are. he would say he lost them for other reasons. usually appointed judges. i do believe in military, foreign, and sustainable development that the perspectives offered by teams of men and women is critically important. i found that in my service in city and state government, particularly when it came to public safety, which perhaps

might seem counterintuitive to some, but not to all of you. so how do we do that? how do we lift up the role of women? lift up the leaders. often times much is made of firing underperformers. i find you get organizations to change and transform their culture best when you lift up the leaders and celebrate the success of women and men. who are doing incredibly difficult things and doing them with a tremendous amount of innovation, creativity, and excellence. that is how you do it. we do by lifting up examples of the many strong and effective and creative women out there. throughout our defenses and foreign service and sustainable the moment let me say in closing that i really appreciate what so many of you had done throughout our country. -- for our country.

you give me a tremendous amount of hope for where our country is heading. as i travel around the nation talking to people under 40, i rarely ever meet people who want to bash immigrants, deny climate change is real, or discriminate against gay couples. that tells me the country is moving to a more compassionate and generous and connected place. the other thing i think -- i take a tremendous amount of hope and draw a lot of optimism from is that, for the next generation of americans, that word " foreign" almost becomes antique. there's nothing foreign in our world. there is just one human urine in the world over. we have, as a nation and as americans a tremendous responsibility at a tremendous amount of power to play in this direction of growth and life on this planet.

thank you guys for leading the way. thanks a lot. [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] gov. o'malley: that was really a wonderful discussion of so many of the problems and issues that the world and the country are facing and that this group is going to be wrestling with in this conference. thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. you have, i believe, really set the table for a really positive

tone for this conference and i know some very good things will come out of it and i think a lot of the issues that you have raised and told us we should be thinking about, we will be thinking and talking about for both of the two days. as i was talking about appreciation, we would like to present you with this harry truman inaugural metal. i think i speak for many of us in the room when i look forward to following your presidential campaign with interest and i hope you will continue to continue being a champion for liberal internationalism that unites this community and work and spirit and i hope you will get the california and maybe to come see the great universities and university of california and

to share your views with them. i think you will be warmly received. i you so much for being with us. [applause] >> another presidential candidate is expected to get into the race of a, new jersey governor chris christie taking office presidential campaign shortly with an official announcement from his high school in livingston, new jersey. they will be taking your calls facebook comments, and tweets immediately after the announcement. his announcement is starting shortly here on c-span. while we wait for the announcement to begin, take a look at some of the background on the new jersey governor. host: joining us is the statehouse bureau reporter with

the star-ledger. here to talk about chris christie's announcement today. let's begin with the theme of chris christie's 2016 bid. what are they? guest: the campaign is clear, it will be tell it as it is. the governor's campaign in waiting was as he was traveling through new hampshire and iowa tell it as it is town halls. we are just hours away from the official announcement. the video over the weekend, made it clear that telling it as it is is what the campaign will be going with. host: where is he in the polls? as he entered this race, becoming the 14th candidate, 13 others. they have argued that their hats in the ring.

where does he stand against the others? caller: that's a really good question. all things considered, more than a little over a year ago he was considered a front runner of the republican nominations. things have shifted quite dramatically for him. when he was considered maybe the front runner, people were talking about jeb bush jumping in the race. it is certainly complicated for the governor and he has a serious uphill battle if he wants to win the republican nomination. following the governor and talking with folks during the campaign, it is clear that he will be putting a lot of time in new hampshire. that is a make or break state for him. if he has a significant showing there, the thought is that his

campaign will gain a lot of attention from that. maybe also with the debates that's another point with a strong showing. host: what about his popularity in new jersey and how does that impact his presidential bid? caller: it is tough to know how it affects the presidential bid because governor christie is not alone. in new jersey right now, his popularity, he is at an all-time low. we have had a few polls coming out over the course of the last year that has shown his approval numbers and job approval have been ticking down. one of the most recent polls shows that governor christie is at a low, just below his predecessor, the one term in common democratic governor who he unseated. because of his unpopularity. things are not good right now. like i said, it's hard to say exactly what effect they will have on a presidential campaign

with folks like governor scott walker who has his own troubles in the state and similar poll numbers when it comes to unpopularity back at home. host: where does the investigation stand into governor christie? guest: at this point, in terms of the present -- the george washington bridge scandal, to folks have been indicted on crimes. one was a former top staffer to governor christie, and bill maroney was governor christie's top appointee to the clerk. it's a little bit unclear about whether that will be transpiring , whether it will get pushed back after the election, in terms of ongoing investigations concerning the governor, it is tough to say.

there is the outstanding investigation into the former top christie confidant. it's clear they are being investigated so it is tough to say where things stand with that and it -- in additional indictments. host: why did the governor decided get into the race as the 14th candidate? guest: i think the calculation is that the governor was poised as a person to jump into the race in the last cycle but ultimately decided not to. he ran for a second term and when he won in new jersey for a second term, the governor is out now, he cannot run again in new jersey so it is a top position to be and if you want to be relevant and in the conversation.

he can easily do that. once he is out of office, i don't know what the next move is in terms of how to stay relevant. it is sort of an expense that even if he is not in the best position he has been in years now is the time to do this. did the ships sail on that? some folks can rightfully have that debate but we will certainly know in the next few months depending on how he does how this fares. host: folks will be listening to what he has to say later this morning. thank you very much for your time. >> this morning c-span's live in northern new jersey where governor chris christie is expected to become the 14th presidential candidate seeking the gop nomination. we are live at his high school in livingston new jersey, and a high school math teacher speaking.

>> she told me to stay true to my convictions, write everything down, and listen to what the people in the community had to say. it was excellent advice which i took to heart. to this day, so many of us who knew sandy with her strength, and compassion, and her drive. this would be, no, this is a very proud day for her. i first met chris christie when he served our state as the new jersey u.s. attorney. i realized then that they apple did not fall from the tree. he shares a lot of his mother's special traits. qualities that many do not have the courage or conviction to stand by. in the interest of full

disclosure as a registered democrat, i don't always see i tie with the governor on everything. but i absolutely know that he looks the people of new jersey in the eye. [applause] >> it is my honor and privilege as a livingston resident, as a new jersey and, and most of all as an american, to welcome all of you here today to share in some special moments to follow. [applause] ♪

>> >> i am so honored to be here to a truce one of my oldest and most honored friends. when people find out that chris and i have been friends for over 35 years, they often ask if chris has changed. those of you who have known him that long can confirm that he has not changed much at all. the fact that i am here to introduce him is evidence of that. he has given honor to so many people far more famous and polished than i but when it came down to deciding who would be around on possibly the biggest day of his life so far, he felt that when being with family and friends was most important. choosing livingston high school for today's announcement also illustrates that chris has not forgotten where he came from and what a significant influence growing up here has had on his life. the importance of family and friends has been very important.

he has been son, brother husband, and dad. he often speaks of his mom and dad and the role they play in shaping him into the man he became. his mom was a no-nonsense kind of gal. she may have had a hard shell but once you penetrated it and were counted among her friends she remained your friend forever. she was known to tell it like it is and the apple has not fallen very far from the tree. given the demands of his office and an incredibly rigorous schedule, it is astonishing that chris is able to maintain many longtime friendships as well as foster new relationships. it is not easy to get him on the phone these days but the governor manages to stay connected to those he holds dear. the other question i am often asked is if i knew he would have a successful career in public service. the answer to this question is a resounding yes. starting back in his days at heritage junior high school,

chris's interest in helping and advocating or others was evident. he was elected class president every year he was here at livingston high school and went on to become the president of the student government at the university of delaware. during our sophomore year at delaware chris had an opportunity to speak before the delaware state legislature. watching him speak to the legislature and advocate forcefully on behalf of students and universities programs when he was only 19 years old solidified in my mind that he would be a powerful voice for the public good. i saw that close his passion for improving the lives of students. he encouraged everyone no matter of the background for academic discipline to bring their talents forward. he thought out ways to deepen their participation and university life and government. the campus action quality had a solid platform and a secret weapon. our candidate for secretary mary pat foster.

working with chris and mary pat on behalf of our fellow students was my first opportunity to see what an incredible team chris and mary pat are. it was a foreshadowing of great things to come for both of them. when chris and mary pat first got married, they lived in a tiny apartment over a liquor store. like many young couples, they didn't have a lot of spare cash. chris was still in law school, mary had just graduated from highs -- college and is working at her first job. over the last 30 years, chris and mary pat had built that great life and not just for themselves and their families. they have helped, as other families in new jersey to do the same. we all know that they can do the same for families across america. [applause] >> thank you.

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the united states, chris christie.

gov. christie: thank you. thank you. thank you new jersey. and thank you to livingston. lots of people have asked me over the course of the last week why here? why here? because everything started here for me.

the confidence, the education the friends, the family, and the love that i have always felt for and from this community. when i decided to make this announcement, there was not any choice. i had to come home and livingston's home for me. [applause] gov. christie: i want to thank sheila, a good friend of my mom and a wonderful representative of this town for welcoming us here today. i want to thank my friend, you may be confused, you may think she was being booed by her high school classmates, she was not. for reasons that i will not explain, linz nickname in high

school was the juice. hence, it is not a boom, it is the juice. and lynn, thank you for being here. i am also here because this is where my family raised meat. you will -- me. you will hear a lot about me from my mother and father and you must know for good or bad that where come from is our parents. you heard sheila and lynn both talk about my mom today. i am here in livingston because all of those years ago, my mother and father became the first of either of their families to leave the city of newark and come here. my mom is not with us today but i feel her. my dad is with me here today and i am really privileged to have him. [applause]

gov. christie: they raised my brother and i come up brought us here to livingston when we were four years old and two years old and then our sister don joined us a few years later -- our sister dawn. this is where we played on, this is the school we built our friends with and came and learned with. and up until i left to share a room with mary pat it was a smooth transition. and my sister dawn and todd are as big a part of today as anybody else and they are both here and i love them both. [applause]

everyone thinks i'm the politician in the family. we did a coin flip only got married. i called tales, tales never fails to i'm the guy who ran. a politician just as good as me and the family is the woman i met all the years ago at the university of delaware from a family of 10 people. people say why are you shout -- shy in a crowd? you should see the family i married to. my wife has been a fantastic part of everything i have done with my life over the last 30 years./ she is largely responsible for the four amazing people that you see standing here with her. [applause] ever since i haven't governor i have been happy to use the veto at home as well. so far so good i have not been

overwritten there. i am glad they are here today and for andrew and sarah and patrick and bridget, i could not be prouder of your children -- four children as i am of them. i told you my parents moved to livingston and they moved to livingston to make this part of their fulfillment of their dreams. of their version of the american dream. they both lost their fathers at a young age. they were raised by extraordinarily strong women. under very difficult circumstances. my dad, one of the best students in his high school class, admitted to columbia university because his father passed away he could not go. they did have the money.

he went to work and got drafted into the army and came home. he went to work at the breyers ice cream plant in north new jersey. he then decided, after he met my mother, that it was time for him to make more of his life. he went to school at night at rutgers for six years while working at those jobs during the day to get his degree in accounting and my mother, one of the proudest pictures she had was the one she called our first family picture. it was my mom and dad on the same day that he graduated from rutgers in june of 1962. the first person in either of the families to ever get a college degree. it was the first family picture because she was six months pregnant with me. the smiles on both of their faces that they were indicative of what not that they had accomplished, but what they saw coming ahead of them. their smiles were about the fact

that they thought that nothing was out of reach for them now. they had each other, they were building a family, they worked together, and then with the help of those strong women, they gave them $5,000 each, with all the money they had in the world, to put a down payment on a house in this town to give their children a chance to take the dream they had started to build and to make it even bigger and even better. i not only think about my mom and dad today, i think about my two grandmothers. women who raised children largely on their own, women who knew how to work hard, and knew that their hard work would deliver something for their children. i know that both of them are watching down today and that part of today is the fulfillment of their dream as well. i am thinking about both of them. [applause] gov. christie: one of the things

my mother always used to say was if you work hard enough, you can be anything. she said god has given you so many gifts, if you just work hard enough, you can be anything. that story is proof, parents who came from nearly nothing, except for that hard work. parents that brought little to their marriage except for their love for each other and hard work. that hard work not only produced a great life for me and my brother and sister, but think about how amazing this country is, that one generation removed from the guy who was working on the floor of the plant of the breyers ice cream plant his son is the two-term governor of the state that he was born and raised in. [applause]

gov. christie: that is not only what my parents have done for me, but it is what new jersey has done for us. this place that represents the most ethnically diverse state in the country. the most densely populated state in the country. we are all different and we are all top of each other in places like this gem. [laughter] gov. christie: what has come from that is the absolute belief that not only can all of us achieve whatever dream you want to achieve because of the place where relive and the opportunities it gives us, but that we not only can do it together but we have to do it together. we have no choice but to work together, this country needs to work together again, not against each other.

[applause] gov. christie: when i became governor six years ago we had a state that was an economic calamity and $11 billion deficit on a $29 billion budget, a state that had a taxes and fees rates raised a hundred 15 times in the eight years before became governor, a state that no longer believed that any one person could make a difference in the lives of the people of this state and so we rolled up our sleeves and went to work and balance this budget. we have refused to raise taxes on the people of this state for six years. [applause] gov. christie: we made the hard decisions that had to be made to improve our education system. we made the difficult decision to reform pensions and health

benefits to continue that fight today, we have stood together against each and every person, every cynic who said why are you wasting your time? the state is not governable, the last x years we proved not only can you govern the state, you can leave it to a better day and that is what we have done together. [applause] gov. christie: and now we face a country that is not angry. when i hear the media say our country is angry i know they are wrong. last year i want to 37 different states across this country in one year. i met people in every corner of america. they are not angry. americans are not angry. americans are filled with anxiety. they are filled with anxiety because they look to washington, d.c. and they see a government that not only doesn't work anymore, it doesn't even talk to itself. it doesn't even pretend to work. we have a president in the oval

office who ignores the congress and a congress that ignores the president. we need a government and washington, d.c. that remembers you went there to work for us, not the other way around. [applause] [chanting] gov. christie: both parties have failed our country. both parties have stood in the corner and held their breath waiting get their way, oath have led us to believe that our country, that was built on compromise, that somehow compromises a dirty word. if washington and adams and jefferson had believed that was a dirty word we would still be under the crown of england. this dysfunction, this lack of leadership, has led to an economy that is weak and has not

recovered the way it should. it has led to an educational system that is 27th in math and 24th in science. it has led us to weak leadership around the world, where our friends can no longer trust us and our adversaries the longer fear us. this weakness and indecisiveness in the oval office has sent away way of anxiety drug country but i am here to say that anxiety can be swept away. we can find the decisiveness to lead america again. [applause] gov. christie: we just need to have the courage to choose. we just need to have the courage to stand up and say enough. we need to have the courage chart a new path for america.

america knows that and knows where we need to go. it must start with this. we must tell each other the truth about the problems we have and the difficulty of the solutions but if we tell each other the truth, we recognize that truth and hard decisions today will lead to growth and opportunity tomorrow for every american in this country. [applause] gov. christie: what are those truths? those truths are that we have to ignore knowledge government isn't working anymore for us. we have to say that out loud and acknowledged it is the fault of our bickering leaders and washington, d.c. who no longer listen to us and no longer know they are supposed be serving us. we need to acknowledge all of that anxiety and those failures are not the end. there the beginning. the beginning of what we can do together. what we need to decide is that

we can make a difference. that we can stand up and make a difference in this country. you see, that's why i love the job i have. that's why i love my job as governor because kids ask me all the time, the fourth-grader succumbed to the state house every week, they asked me one what is your favorite color. always. second they asked me what's the best part of your job? iowa's tell them that it's that i wake up every morning knowing that i have an opportunity to do something great. i don't do something great everyday because i'm human but every morning i wake up with an opportunity to do something great. that's why this job is a great job and that's why the president of the united states is an even greater job for a greater number of people. [applause]

i have spent the last 13 years of my life as u.s. attorney and governor of the state, fighting for fairness and justice and opportunity for the people of the state of new jersey. that fight has not made me more weary, it has made me stronger and i am now ready to fight for the people of the united states of america. [applause] america is tired of handwringing and evasiveness and weakness in the oval office. we need strength and decision-making and authority back in the oval office and that is why today i am proud to announce my candidacy for the republican nomination for president of the united states of america. [applause]

[cheering] gov. christie: and now, as livingston and new jersey turns its gaze to the west best rest of americans what do we see and what can we confront? we need a campaign of big ideas and hard troops and real opportunities -- hard truths andriy opportunities. we need to fix the broken entitlement system, we have candidates who say we can't confront this because if we do we will be lying and stealing from the american people. let me fill everybody else in the lying and stealing has already happened. the horse is out of the barn. you can only get back in by force. [applause]

we need to get our economy growing again at 4% or greater and the reason we do is because we have to make this once again the country my mother and father told me it was. as hard as you work, that is as high as you will rise. that is not the case anymore, we cannot honestly look at our children and say that to them because we have an economy that is weak and doesn't present them with the same opportunities that mary pat and i were presented in the mid-1980's only graduated from college. when we graduated, we didn't worry about getting a job, we worried up picking which job was the best for us. we didn't worry about whether we were going to be successful, we know we worked hard we would. this country and its leadership does the same thing to my children and yours and i am ready to give it to you. [applause]

gov. christie: we need a tax system that is simplified and will put cpas like my dad out of business. we need to get government off the back of our people and business regulation and encourage businesses to invest in america again, not overseas. invest in our country and our people. and in a world that is as dangerous and as frightening as anytime i've seen it and my lifetime. there is only one indispensable force for good in the world. it is a strong, unequivocal america that will lead the world and not be afraid to tell us we will be with you no matter what and until our adversaries there are limits to your conduct and

america will enforce the limits to that conduct. [applause] [no audio] [applause] gov. christie: here it comes after seven years, i heard the president of the united states say that the world respect america more because of his leadership. this convinces me it is the final confirmation that president obama lives in his own world, not in hours. -- ours. after seven years of a week and feckless foreign policy run by barack obama, we better not turn it over to his second mate hillary clinton. [applause]

gov. christie: in the end leadership matters. it matters for our country, and american leadership matters for the world. if we are going to lead, we have to stop worrying about being loved and start worrying about a respected again both at home and around the world. i am not running for president of the united states as a surrogate for the elected prom king of america. i am not looking to be the most popular guy who looks in your eyes every day and says what you want to hear and turn around and do something else. when i stand up on estates like this in front of all of you, there is one thing you will know for sure. i mean what i say and i say what

i mean and that is what america needs right now. [applause] gov. christie: unlike some people who offer themselves for the presidency in 2016, you won't have to wonder whether i can do it or not. in new jersey as governor, i have stood up against economic calamity and unprecedented natural disaster, we have brought ourselves together and pushed back that economic calamity and we are recovering from that natural disaster and that's because we have lead and work together to do it. as governor i have proven that you can stand up and fight the most powerful special interest this state has to have and stand up and stop them but at the same

time reach across the aisle to our friends in the democratic party and say if you have a good idea, i'm willing to work with you because that's what our country needs. [applause] gov. christie: as governor i never wavered from telling you the truth as i see it and then acting to make sure that you know that it's the truth as i believe it in my heart. as a candidate for president, i want to promise you a few things. first, a campaign without spin and without pandering or focus group tested answers. you get what i think whether you like it or not or whether it makes you cringe every once in a while. a campaign when i'm asked a question, i will give the answer to the question asked, not the answer my political consultants told me to get backstage.

a campaign that, every day will not worry about whether or not as popular but because it's right. what is right will fix america not what is popular. [applause] gov. christie: a campaign that believes in america that is as great as the hopes and dreams that we want everyone of our children to have. not a campaign that tears people down, but a campaign that rebuilds america as a place where you and i grew up and where we want our children to grow up in again and where we want free people around the world to grow up in an their countries as well. that's what america has a wasted for and that's what this campaign will stand for. -- that's what america has standed for. all the signs say tell it like

it is. we're going to tell it like it is today so that we can create greater opportunity for every american tomorrow. the truth will set us free everybody. [applause] gov. christie: all the years all 52 years that i have spent in the state with our people have prepared me for this moment. we have no idea where and how this journey will end. but we know that it's only in this country, only in america where someone like me could have the opportunity to seek the highest office the world has to offer. only in america could all of you believe that your voices and

your efforts could make it different, to change a country as big and fast as powerful as this one. only in america. only in america have we seen time after time after time, the truth of the words that one person can make a difference. the reason that's true is because it's the only thing that's ever made a difference in the history of the world. one person, reaching out to another to change their circumstance and to improve the lot of their children and grandchildren. i don't seek the presidency for any other reason than because i believe in my heart that i am ready to work with you to restore america to its rightful place in the world and to

restore the american dream to each one of our children whether they live in livingston or newark or camden, patterson, or jersey city, no matter where they live across this country we need to make sure that everyone of those children believes that they have a president who not only speaks to them, but who hears them. who hears them and understands that their voices are what makes any american president great. if you give me the privilege to be your president, i will wake up every day, not only with my heart strong and my mind sharp but with my ears open and my arms open to welcome the american people no matter what party, race, creed color, to make sure that you know this is your country, as well.

we will win this country and i love each and every one of you. thank you very much. [applause] ♪

>> chris christie becoming the 14th candidate seeking the nomination has been as tell it like it is visiting states like new hampshire, ila, south carolina, over a year ago he would've been considered a front-runner but polls of the last year, his job approval are similar to wisconsin governor scott walker. let us know what you think and specifically on governor christie. the republicans line 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. and independents 202-748-8002. on the line for us, a democrat. caller: thank you, a pleasure to be on your show. my reaction to what he said was if you had asked me a year ago i

would've been in support, but after the bridge scandal not supportive. another thing i noticed was his speech was all fluff. he didn't go into his foreign policy, he just -- obama. i remember reading a new york times article when he went to mexico and london, he wasn't recognized. not even by citizens. his argument that he needs to make a foreign policy, that he is strong, i think it's completely with -- wrong. it's weird when you're playing bon jovi when bruce springsteen is your national hero. i'm sorry, i like springsteen. >> democrats, who are you vying for president? caller: for president? it's a tossup. maybe hillary clinton. maybe martin o'malley but there i say it, marco rubio or rand

paul. i'm really waiting to see what rand has to say. i thought he brought up some good points. we are early in the process. host: definitely, thanks for the call. sue is on the line from massachusetts. caller: hi. host: go ahead. caller: i thought it was odd, i was surprised, i may chris christie supporter but it away it really speaks to him going to his own high school. i think you'll have trouble with teachers. i live in a democratic state. teachers are complaining about what he did with their pensions but i like him, i really like his platform and we are in tough times. host: do you know who you're most interested in? caller: he is my front-runner. i have been watching jim webb

who is on the democratic side to see if he steps into the race. he is also a no-nonsense peers this person. host: thanks a lot. she mentioned chris christie, he will be traveling through new hampshire, one of the very important states for him to get if he hopes to beat out the likes of jim bush. jeremy is calling out of edinburg, texas. caller: good morning, america. i don't know if you noticed the expressions in his family. if that's the kind of look i give my father when i know, you look at the expressions of the daughters. they looked terrified. the brothers seem bored. some might say that's normal but that's not normal. they look kind of weird.

also that bridge scandal, people don't remember the bridge scandal that he was a part of. he was also a part of the jerry jones family, that's another big topic. people did research about this and i feel bad with what's going on here. host: we did speak to someone this morning from one of the papers in new jersey talking about the indictment that maybe people don't quite are member where everything is with that. one of his staff members and an appointee were indicted and it's possible but we don't know yet whether more indictments would come from that bridge scandal where he had perhaps allegedly shut down a bridge in order to because of political reasons not because of any actual construction work that needed to be going on there. that was one of the big hits that he took as governor early on.

new york, new jersey, democrats line. caller: i have many comments about governor christie's speech . it is too bad it wasn't given in 2011 or 2012, it might have sounded better before people knew so much about him. the other thing is i looked at the extent the cameras allowed us and the audience wasn't very diverse. he spoke as if you would be the leader of diverse america, but it certainly wasn't represented in his audience. thank you for taking my call. host: you mentioned maybe it's too little too late for christie, that's what national journal is reporting as well, a possibility, chris christie is running for president, if you too late? announcing his campaign in new jersey this morning and the article says chris christie is running for president, the question is if he is four years too late. their new jersey governor shut the national prominence on his bravado and force of personality after his 2009 election.

he took on the unions and touted his ability to get things done in a democratic-controlled state. by 2011 many of the gop financiers were trying to recruit him to run against mitt romney for the gop presidential nomination. he took a pass then and on tuesday he entered the 2016 presidential sweepstakes and the high school gym of his own town of livingston, new jersey. john is on the line, republicans from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. caller: i think he's got a good run. host: so you like him? if you were the nominee he would be your choice? caller: yes ma'am, i think you still doing a heckuva job. he's doing a great job in new jersey. host: chris is calling from china, north carolina. -- charlotte, north carolina.

caller: i am just shocked at the last guy, saying he is doing a good job in new jersey. i have been watching him since before he was actually governor of new jersey. i just think he is so alienated -- alienating, lacks manners. i can't get over how he told that schoolteacher, a woman, a white,- - wife, to shut up. i have never heard a man of that statute to say something like that. he bashed obama in 20 15, he was kind of making his legacy, also, playing bon jovi versus bruce springsteen. i think the people of new jersey hate him and this bridge gate thing will burst wide open and he will get what he really needs because he needs to be shut down, he is alienating and he's

just a bully. he's a bad example of what we want our children to be and i think he's not going to go anywhere fast. if you have listened to jeb. host: that's a texan accent? caller: i'm a native new yorker. host: something along the lines of what chris was saying as well is washington and adams and jefferson believed compromise was a dirty work, we would still be under the crown of england, that's one of the lines from a few minutes ago. but jonathan allen pointing out party leaders should stop attacking each other and compromise. right before he attacked obama for weakness and indecisiveness. democrats line. caller: hello. what i think about this, i am

definitely democrat, i can agree with donald trump. i love that it's the truth but my vote? i'm going for hillary clinton because i want to look for somebody experienced and i feel safe. i'm trying to avoid -- these husbands to quit dying? it's only right. it is too many poor people. not middle-class to me anymore. how rich can you be? help where you live. quit sending money way over there. help where you live and you might change things. host: thanks for the call. beer is calling from north carolina. -- peter. caller: i want to say that i

really like christie's style. he is very blunt. i think you need that. unfortunately, i agree with an earlier caller. what i'm concerned with is the foreign policy all the republicans etc. rand paul. you can't be a bully around the world and we have to treat issues with delicacy. one more comment, new jersey is my favorite state because air-traffic, people from all over the world tend to live together in various

circumstances and i'm from london, england and the same thing applies there. it teaches people tolerance and that we are all human beings. i am just concerned about his politics. thank you very much. host: republicans line, tony is waiting from tampa, florida. caller: i'd like to say chris christie's time has passed and by that i mean, they gave that speech around the, it was awful. -- for romney, it was awful. the week before the election was more like obama was his idol, he did not act like a republican or leader, he acted like a child. another thing about this is if you look at his record in new jersey, the unemployment rate is high, he appointed more liberal judges.

when i start tearing apart, you will see that this guy is not a true conservative. the one thing i say is positive is he's a great debater and this is the kind of guy and 2012 that would have tied obama into knots. obama would have been scared of this guy, he is not mccain or romney. he's not a lightweight like john boehner, mitch mcconnell, or paul ryan. he doesn't have a chance and i think donald trump is going to be the only choice republicans can make because he can cut through the mustard. he speaks in a way that ordinary people understand. he is u ordinary people understand. he reaches out to everybody. i think he will do a lot of damage. host: some of the earlier moments during hurricane sandy when president