they also understand about being neighbors. and helping each other out. that is america. we have to make sure that this economy works for everybody who is willing to work. i want to spend the rest of my time talking about what that might mean for the 21st century. number one we got to help working families feel more secure in this world of constant change. that's why health care matters. if you've ever been locked out of the health care market just because you have a pre-existing condition, those days are over. [applause] so you can now change jobs, start a business, you've got affordable insurance if you needed. that's going to protect a lot of people in the new economy.

the same applies when it comes to wages and benefits. instead of treating childcare as a side issue are a women's issue, we have to treated like a national, economic priority. we got to make sure when we got families where the mom and dad were, that we are putting together ways for them to still make sure their kids are secure and safe. and we've got a lot of young people here who don't really think about that yet, and that's good. we've got to make sure we've got sick leave in place, so that families -- if somebody at home gets sick, you are not thinking, do i give up my paycheck, or do i take care of my loved ones? everybody should have that basic benefit. [applause] we need to boost the minimum wage.

give america a raise. [applause] we have to protect and not attack workers who like to organize for fair wages and a better workplace. folks forget sometimes, unions are what help bring about the 40 hour work week helped bring about the idea of the work -- of the weekend, and i know that's popular concept. as i said in milwaukee last fall, if i were looking for a good job, i would join the union, because i would want to

union looking out for me. we are stronger together than we are by ourselves. i would want congress looking out for me too, but you can always get what you want. when congress doesn't act on behalf of working people, i tried to partner with cities and states and mayors and governors, and acted on my own. over the past couple of years 17 states, almost 30 cities and counties have taken action to raise wages. other cities and states have started guaranteeing workers paid sick days and family leave. and just this week, we took action to protect a worker's right to overtime. [applause] this is an issue of basic fairness. if you work longer it and work

harder, you should get paid more. today, some companies take advantage of an exception in the rule to make their lower wage employees, who really should be paid hourly, they are making them work 50, 60, sometimes 70 hours a week without paying them an extra dime. in extreme cases, is possible for workers to actually learn less than the minimum wage -- earn less than the minimum wage. they might label someone as a manager instead of a worker, even if they're making $25,000, working a whole bunch of hours that is a way of getting around the minimum wage. it's not fair. so we are updating the rules. we are making more workers eligible for the overtime that you have earned. as one of the single most

important steps we can take to help grow middle-class wages. it's going to give as many as 5 million americans, including 80,000 folks right here in wisconsin, the overtime protections they deserve. it's the right thing to do. [applause] in america, a hard days work deserves of fair day's pay. in an economy that is constantly changing, we've also got to give every american the skills they need to stay competitive. that's why we have to invest in job training and apprenticeships that help folks on the skills for that new job or better paying job. that's why we should make community college free for responsible students like tammy baldwin no middle-class

families should be priced out of the education that they need. [applause] and we need to keep churning out highway jobs for better trained workforce to build. that means investing in basic research and development that leads to new business and industries. we should put more americans to work rebuilding our roads railways, bridges, ports, and air or. at a moment where our economy is in a position of global strength, because were growing faster than most other countries right now, advanced countries we have to rewrite the rules for the global economy book or countries like china do. the other day sunday couple of bipartisan bills that will help her businesses sell more goods in the united states than the rest of the world.

i will keep pushing for trade that is fair and that creates a race not to the bottom, but to the top, that creates better wages and better working conditions. because when the playing field is level, america's workers always win area they always win. we know how to work. americans know how to work. so that's what we need for this new economy. helping hard-working families make in's me. give them the tools they need to earn higher wages and better jobs. keep our businesses the most competitive. stay on the cutting edge of technology. invest in research. rebuild our roads and bridges. that's how we are going to help more than a class families succeed. in a new and changing economy we cannot stop the economy globally from changing, but we can make sure we are at the war front. i don't want to lie to you. this is hard. if it sounds hard, that's

because it is hard. i remember when we were working on health care, i had an advisor, we were in a meeting we were going around and around. how we were going to get this thing done. he said mr. president, the thing is, this is hard. [laughter] and hard things are hard. i said thank you for that astute observation. [laughter] when he left, he left me a plaque that i put on my desk that says "hard things are hard." just in case i forget. battling back from a recession has been hard. fixing a broken health care system has been hard. making our economy or competitive for the future, it's hard. but the last seven years shoot the last seven days, should remind us there is nothing

america cannot do. there is no challenge we can't solve. there are inspiring americans who prove this every single day. [applause] there's nothing we can do. there's nothing we can do. i've got to admit, i've been president for 6.5 years now. i do not watch the news area no offense, folks. but you would think like every day, the only thing going on our shark attack. just horrible things. but every day, i do get letters from americans from all walk of life, and they are doing such

amazing, inspiring things. sometimes just things. working hard, running a farm looking after their families teaching a child. then every once in a while, they do something that has an even broader impact. steve kittrell lives right here in look. going to use him as an example. steve is right there. is going to start blushing, but i'm going to talk about him anyway. in 2002, he started a small business out of his house to manage data for car companies and dealership. by 2007, he employed a hand all of people. in he was hit with a double whammy. the recession came and the auto industry almost with belly up. we refuse to walk away from people like steve. that shot in the arm he said was enough to keep his companies confidence going.

he invested in new people, new technologies, decided to double down. he was confident his business model was right. 2007, his revenue is up 1000%. his company has gone from 18 employees to more than 120. it's now one of america's fastest rolling private companies in downtown la crosse. i guarantee you, steve work

hard. he took enormous risks. but he's also somebody who recognizes that he didn't do it by himself. he's proud of what he has accomplished. he also talks about how can it he has been to be part of a community like la crosse. to be part of an industry that's determined to do things better and smarter. he pays his in ways they are wages. guarantees paid sick. for tuition of those folks when they decide to go back to school. he created a stock appreciation programs open the business does better, his workers do better also. then more importantly, there is free lunch friday. who doesn't like free lunch friday? he said you can't always do

everything everyone would like. if you treat everybody ought emily, that's good for us. true for steve's business is true for america. if you treat everybody like family, that's good or us. not just me, not just you, not just democrats not just republicans, not just old folks are young folks, black folks are white folks, it's good for us. we're not going to solve every problem in one fell swoop. but if we make things a little better for fellow americans were going to leave something better for us and for our kids. if her walking down the road together, were going to get there fast. that's what we are fighting for everybody. that's what we all have to fight

for. happy fourth of july, everybody. god bless. ♪

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>> president obama in the backyard of not yet declared wisconsin governor scott walker. if you missed any of what president obama had to say this afternoon, you can watch all of it in the seas in video library. go to www.c-span.org. former virginia governor jim webb announced today that he would be challenging hillary clinton and martin o'malley for the democratic nomination. former senator webb maybe announcement in a post on his website today. we have a link to that on her website, www.c-span.org. you can also find his recent remarks at the national sheriffs association conference which took place here recently in washington. we have warroad to the white

house coverage coming up tomorrow morning starting at 10:00 eastern. we will show you the campaign announcements from the 18 million women who have announced they are running for president of the united states next year beginning with texas senator ted cruz, who was the first to jump in the race, all the way through to new jersey governor chris christie, who announced earlier this week. there are 14 republicans and five democrats seeking the nomination it watch though starting at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, right here on c-span. tonight on c-span, conversations with some of the leading executives and regulators of the tech industry. the event provides an insider's view on the business deals in some of the trends shaping the internet. here's a quick preview. >> it's a computer, you just happen to make it yourself. it has the playability, the intuitiveness and accessibility of perhaps a toy, but it's powerful.

kids around the world can use it to automate solar panels. kids have created and shared over 5 million lines of code. the idea behind the project is to build a new kind of computer company that puts creativity in the front seat, rather than consumption. it starts with a simple kit, but your building a hardware system with speakers, servers, radios. you're hooking it up to the internet. i think it was inspired in many ways by the notion that making learning, and playing are all intimately connected and all of us at this curious and creative spirit of a nine-year-old inside of us. all you need are the simple steps and affordable tools and you can break out. play can often become one of the greatest accelerants of invention, in our view. >> you can see all of this conversation at the recent

techcrunch disrupt conference in new york, starting tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> here are a few of our future programs for the three-day holiday weekend on the c-span networks. on friday night at 8:00 eastern radio personalities and executives at the annual talkers magazine conference in new york. saturday night it 8:00, and interview with -- on the future of the times. sunday night in 9:30 eastern members of the church committee former vice president walter mondale and former senator gary hart, on their groundbreaking efforts to reform the intelligence community. on book tv on c-span2, friday night at 10:00 eastern author martin ford on how the increasing use of artificial intelligence can make good jobs obsolete.

sunday, live at new, join our three-hour conversation with the selling author and government accountability institute peers wiser. -- peter schweitzer. on american history tv on c-span3, friday evening at 6:30 the 70th anniversary of the united nations, with california governor jerry brown, house minority leader nancy pelosi, and you insecurity general ban ki-moon. how individual personalities, supplies, and timing often influenced the outcomes of major battles. sunday afternoon at 4:00 on real america, a look back at a 1960 film featuring actor and performer joe brown, about her nationwide search for old circus wagons and the circus world museum's to restore them in time

for a july 4 rate in milwaukee. get our complete schedule at c-span.org. >> coming up next, a congressional freshmen profile series continues with four new interviews. first is republican elise ste fanik. she was the youngest woman ever elected to congress. she previously worked for the romney residential campaign and for the bush administration. >> representative elise ste fanik, the youngest woman ever elected to congress. what is that like? >> i actually didn't know i was going to be the youngest woman ever elected until i won my primary. i went into the race not knowing about the historic nature, and after i won my primary, which is

very competitive, the media started covering the race in talking about how i was the youngest woman ever elected. what was interesting for me was a campaign rallies, particularly toward the end, parents started bringing their elementary school-age daughters. republicans, democrats unaffiliated voters, just to show their daughters an example and a role model that they can achieve. it's something i take very seriously as a role model in this country, not just for republican women, but for all women who want to break glass ceilings in whatever role it is whether politics or business or the arts. it's very important as a country that we be examples for our young women to see what they can achieve. on a weekly basis we have young women coming through my office whether junk candidates looking for advice. i had a great letter from a middle school-age girl who was running for student council from

washington state or oregon. i know it's on the west coast. it's really a humbling experience for me. i just hope i'm a role model for other young women. >> at what point did you say i'm going to run for congress? >> i decided to run after the 2012 election. i worked on governor romney's campaign. i was very disappointed in the outcome of the 2012 election. i spent time thinking of how the republican needs to run new generation candidates and to pass on message along to young and women voters. in new york state, i grew up with my family's small business that started as a kid. it is hard to grow business when they started over 20 years ago. i believe we need policies that promote entrepreneurialism and innovation and economic growth. we also need a new generation of leadership in congress.

after 2012, i started working at my family's business. i started as a completely no-name candidate taking on a seated incumbent. i made the rounds of a very large district. i met community leaders, local officials, business leaders to ask what they were looking for in congress. at first blush, i think many of them were shocked by my age. i was 29 at the time. that was an impossibility for a 29-year-old to even be remotely possible to win a primary and then general election. i turned my youth as a weakness into a strength. i really embraced the fact that i was a young candidate. it actually worked. >> your district borders vermont and canada -- how big is it? >> representative stefanik: it is one of the biggest districts on the east coast. over 16,000 square miles in the adirondack mountains, which are beautiful, right in the center of the district. in terms of population -- it is

sort of in a circle around the district. it goes from saratoga county to the canadian border, south of montreal over to watertown, the home of fort drum. i spend a lot of time doing retail grassroots politics. i put $100,000 -- 100,000 miles on my truck. that is a lot of hard work getting to events. >> what have you learned about you during the process? representative stefanik: any candidate that runs for office and has the courage to step up you learn a tremendous amount about yourself. you questioned why you are doing this, what you can bring to the table to make your case. particularly early on in my campaign, i was going alone to events. i was introducing myself to strangers. that takes something within your gut. there is a sense of doing it be

on yourself for a greater purpose. so i learned a lot. there are highs and lows on every campaign. it really test your inner self. >> talk about your mom and dad in the plywood business. where did you grow up, and tell us about your parents? representative stefanik: i was born in albany county. i am a proud new yorker. my family had a home in essex county since i was three years old. i spent a lot of time growing up between albany and essex county, up and down the northwest. -- northway. my dad started in the plywood and lumber business once he graduated from high school. he worked his way up from the warehouse. he ended up managing a local branch of a larger plywood and distribution company. when i was seven years old, my parents started their own business.

it was basically to focus on the local small business customers and bringing the highest quality products with the best customer service. 20 years+ later, we have over 1000 small business customers. my brother, five and a half years younger, is deeply involved with the business. when you grow up in that type of environment and see that type of risk that your parents go through when they risked everything we had as a family to start a business from scratch, and it was very difficult. as any small business owner would tell you, there are top times, and times when it is a bit easier. -- tough times. network ethic -- that work ethic has stayed with me. a lot of what we do in congress is constituent services. i try to treat that like a business in the sense that, it is customer service. we have to respond quickly to constituents. i really credit my parents with the values they instilled in me, just a strong weather -- strong work ethic, but also the idea

that you can achieve anything. my parents didn't have the opportunity to graduate college. they are both very smart and a -- very accomplished. they are from big families and it just wasn't economically feasible. they made sure they invested in my education to give me better opportunities than they had. >> what does your little brother think of his big sister? >> he is a big supporter of me running for office. he does a great job running the business. we are opposites in many respects. he is very supportive other and i am happy to have them on the stage when i won the primary in november. there is a picture that probably ran in the new york times of hus us hugging. >> did you talk about politics growing up?

did your dad talk about what it was like to do with taxes? representative stefanik: small business owners pay close attention to how policies affect the business, whether it is regulatory or tax issues. we are not a traditional political family in the sense that we have never run for office. they are not on a local committees. they have always voted and our civic minded. we did talk a lot about the changes -- challenges of running a business. new york state is not particularly easy to do busine ss. in fact, we ranked number 50 with states doing business. growing up, i did not necessarily hear the political implications of that. i thought we ought to be supporting policies that can

help small businesses grow. >> why are you a republican? representative stefanik: i believe in limited government. i believe the best way to grow the economy is by small businesses and entrepreneurs. i believe that individuals are the best people to make decisions. i think republican principles help the vast majority of all americans achieve the american dream. i believe in the constitution. >> you went to harvard. to study what? representative stefanik: i studied government. i was very involved at the institute of politics, which is an undergrad organization found in the memory of president john f. kennedy, and a nonpartisan. the mission is to encourage young people to get involved in public policy and be engaged civically. i spent a lot of time working with students at the institute of politics. as a freshman, i had a particularly amazing experience

-- a fellow at harvard, ted sorensen, john f. kennedy's speechwriter. as a student, you could apply to be there lays on and work for them for a semester. -- you could apply to be there liaison -- their liaison. for someone like me, or for any student frankly, just to be able to work with someone and hear them tell stories, that is such a historic time that i had grown up reading about. he was a very formative moment for me. he worked for a very young president. >> the inaugural address, many of speeches that president kennedy delivered. you came to washington to work in the bush and ministration. how did that come about? representative stefanik: i didn't have a job until the week before i graduated. i was nervous at the time.

i graduated 2006 from college. many of my friends went the route of getting recruited early in finance or consulting jobs. that just wasn't the right fit for me. i wanted to do something involved in public policy. i interviewed think tanks in washington. a friend of mine who had graduated two years earlier than he, a great role model. it is still a great friend and my mentor in college. she told me about a staff assistant position at the white house that was open. i didn't get the first position i was passed on. there was a second one that opened up. i was offered the job a few days before i graduated. my first day of work, monday after graduation, i went in to meet the new head of the domestic policy council, who had just been appointed one month earlier. i was just going in to meet a bunch of new staff assistance,

the lowest members of the letter right out of college. he was looking for a west wing aid. it was actually kind of shocking at the time. typically before you work in the west wing, you had to work your way up. it was not a job for people right out of college. he took a huge risk of me. -- on me. interestingly, he is an amateur woodworker. talking about my family's business, i worked for the domestic policy council for a year. i moved downstairs, to the first floor of the western and worked for joel kaplan. >> was your first reaction? representative stefanik: i was very nervous. even when you are on staff particularly the first date when i went in and to meet my boss, you sit in the west wing lobby. i think anybody who sat there will tell you for a type of job interview, it is a very

nerve-racking experience, but also an incredibly awe-inspiring experience. i remember thinking to myself, i can't believe i am sitting in the west wing of the white house. i wouldn't have imagined that a year or even two weeks earlier. it is a moment where you pinch yourself. the person who i interviewed for in college, he was president reagan's chief of staff, he gave me a great piece of advice. he said no matter what you are doing in life or what job you have, pinch yourself every day you go into the west wing. it is a true privilege to work there. and i did that and it was a very informative experience for me. >> you helped prepare paul ryan for the debate president -- vice president joe biden. how did you go about that? representative stefanik: that was probably one of my most challenging jobs.

it was a real privilege working for someone like paul. no one knows more about the budget than paul ryan. as his staffer, what was interesting for me is that is that romney -- then-governor romney's team had gone through many debates. paul had only one debate historically. i worked with the romney campaign to make sure that paul has the separation she needed. what was interesting is that it was very unlike the way they prepared governor romney in terms of briefing materials. there was a lot of time spent with paul. we went through eight mock debates where we played a stand-in with joe biden. we prepped him and had specific questions and scenarios to play out. paul was very hands-on.

he edited all of the material with a constant work in progress. by the end of it, the briefing materials had an entire briefcase. it was a 40 pound case of briefing materials that would go on the plane every day. as we were flying to the various campaign stops, paul would practice areas parts of the debate. it was a great example for me, particularly because paul with so much younger than i was when he ran for office. paul's encouragement when i told him after the election that i was contemplating, what do you think about if i ran for congress? he completely encouraged me. i credit him as a turning point. >> on the night of the debate, where were you? representative stefanik: i was at college with paul. i was there in the back room. >> in kentucky. representative stefanik: in kentucky. i was there right afterwards when paul and his wife went to the room afterward. i thought he did a great job.

>> when he asked you about -- how do you structure your date when you are in session? you have meetings with constituents. what is your routine? representative stefanik: great question. i think it has changed since when i first got here. the first few months in congress is pretty overwhelming, just the breath of issues that you deal with. -- the breadth of issues that you deal with. >> were very responsive to all the constituent. i get morning clips from all of the local news outlets in my district. because the subject -- because it is such a geographically large district., i get three different clips. my days start very early. lately they start with congressional women's self a -- softball practice from 7:00

a.m.,. a great bipartisan way to get to know women from both sides of the aisle. i really enjoy that. i focused on my committee hearing and the education and workforce committee. at the beginning of every week i have a meeting with my legislative team to go over the week ahead, what legislation is pending, potential letters or legislation that i want to sign or cosponsor. the days are very busy. i have a lot of constituents part of groups, schools that are visiting washington. i always like to personally welcome them, even if i have a committee hearing, i will pop out of the hearing and make sure they are able to see their representative and raise any issues they have. >> it is not easy to run for congress. it's also not cheap. how much did you raising 2014, and did you start the process for 2016? representative stefanik: i raised $1.7 million.

this is a large district with a competitive primary and general election. in both cases, i was running against a self-funder. we built the fundraising structure at the grassroots level. i am off to a great start. i raised the great number in the first quarter. i think it shows the support and investment from people within the community. they believe in what you are doing and want to make sure this seat is protected. we have gotten a lot of support. >> you have heard in new york city, hillary clinton said there is too much money in politics. pointing to citizens united. is there much money in politics, and how do you correct it? representative stefanik: i think making a donation is a freedom of speech protected right.

we need more transparency in our federal elections system today. some states across the country have 100% transparency. you can donate one dollar up to $1000 or more than that, but it is disclosed to the voters. i believe in transparency. i think that is an import and step to take in the right direction. in terms of hillary clinton, she's actively fundraising for her super-pac to support her campaign. i think as a candidate, you ought to walk the walk and talk the talk. and she is not just doing that right in a. >> what's your relationship with the speaker boehner and leadership in the house? representative stefanik: i had a lot of support from leadership from the speaker who came to the district to support me, has been very supportive of my committee assignments. i spoke to him very early, ensuring that i would get the permits to the armed services committee. i made the case very early why

it was so important for me to have a seat at the table to protect the 10th mountain division, though -- the most deployed division of the u.s. army. i have support for chairman thornberry. i'm the vice chair of the readiness subcommittee. it's a great position to have as a freshman. it is very rare for freshmen to be subcommittee chairs. i work very well with chairman john kline on the workforce committee. i think that the leadership is very supportive. i understand that i am not a typical member of congress in the sense that the average age is 58. i am 30. slice that in half, pretty much. i am younger than some of their kids. but they are respectful and treat me as a yearpeer.

they understand the district i represent is very independent. i feel very comfortable voting on behalf of my district, which is why i was sent here. >> i want to go back to being 30, almost 31 years old. you sit in his office, surrounded by pictures of your campaign and your service so far in progress. do you pinch yourself? representative stefanik: i pinch myself everyday. i pinch myself for the state of the union. it was historic to be sitting on the house for when prime minister netanyahu delivered the joint session. once again, a moment where i thought i couldn't believe i was there. in february, i was on a congressional delegation to afghanistan and jordan. i was able to visit with soldiers deployed to afghanistan. one of the visits we had with with with president ghani, the newly elected president. i pinched myself at that moment

as well. so yes, it is a very awe-inspiring experience. but you understand the reason why you put it off is to represent the people from back home. when is top pinching myself -- stop pinching myself, it's time to go. >> what is the best device your parents have given you? -- advice your parents have given you? representative stefanik: my dad's advice since it was a kid, "don't tell me how smart you are, tell me how hard you work." especially when i was school-aged, the harder you work, the smarter you become because you spend so much time studying. that was something he would say to me even in elementary-high school. that served me well. my mom's advice is always maintain a moral compass. i think that's very good advice for anyone, particularly as a

elected official. it is very important to live by the values you espouse. sometimes people are very disappointed in what they see in their elected officials. particularly millennial's don't have a very high approval rating . that is part of the reason why they don't. it is important to live by a moral compass. >> you are running for reelection. anything next, any other glass cielings you want to break? representative stefanik: i am working hard to make sure the promises i made on the campaign are kept. i'm working on legislation. there's a lot more i can do on behalf of my district. i am not someone who plans 5-10 years in advance, if i do thies, then this will open up -- that's not who i am. if you asked me that i would be sitting in my office on behalf of new york's when residents, i would tell you you are crazy.

it is important to do the best that you can at the job you have now, and that is what i am focused on. >> when you are not here, you do to relax? -- what do you to do relax? representative stefanik: i went snow skiing. gore mountain, which is in my district. i like doing that with my dad. i am an avid reader. i like doing the c-span book talk, that was a highlight for me. i really enjoyed theater. when i was a kid, i'm was very i like doing the c-span book involved in plays. i love going to broadway shows. every now and then my mom would take me to new york city. i love the arts. that is what i like to do outside of this job. >> congresswoman, thank you very much for being with us. >> are congressional freshmen profile series continues with democrat brad ashford of nebraska's second district.

he has run for political office in the past as an independent and as a republican. congressman ashford previously served in the nebraska state legislature, a nonpartisan governing body. >> congressman brad ashford freshmen democrat from the rest is second district. you did some thing quite unusual in a 2014. you defeated a republican member of the house. how did you do that? representative ashford: that's an interesting question. i spent many years in the nebraska legislature were presenting primarily republican districts. i was a republican for 40 years. i had a natural constituency in the center. and we were able take that to the congressional race, to reach out to moderate republicans and democrats. it helped having representatives

in those areas in the legislatures. >> why did you switch parties so often? representative ashford: it wasn't really so often. [laughter] i started out -- yes. i started out as a repubclianublican for most of my life. we had term limits in nebraska. i spent 16 years in the legislature. i ran for mayor of omaha as an independent because it was a nonpartisan race. i wanted to send a message that omaha's problems are not partisan problems. i chose to become a democrat primarily because of social issues that i have been engaged in for many years -- gay-rights issues that have worked on immigration issues. issues that i felt the

democratic party had a more po sitive policy response to. i didn't change parties with an idea of running again or anything, i just felt workable ending what i thought would be my career in that regard. >> finish the sentence -- the state of congress today is what? representative ashford: sad. i am very sad about it. i came from a nonpartisan place by constitution. it is surprising to see all of the dysfunction built around partisan politics. maybe i expected that. but the inability to do with the great issues of our time. in nebraska, we dealt with immigration. we did the best we could. we've dealt with some of the

social issues, health care issues, and other things that can be a cost here. i am just sad about it. i work here as a young person in the late 1960's, early 1970's. i was a much more idealistic then. i was young and idealistic, so maybe i was seeing it through rose-colored glasses, but i don't think so. there was a sense of moderation and solution. it is just sad, sad to see what is happened. things like immigration, these things just seem to linger. in a nebraska, we need an immigration solution. we needed it for 12 years, longer than that. i thought coming here we could grapple with some of those, and maybe we were wrong. but the sort of gotcha politics, the building up a book of votes in order to either gain campaign

contributions or gain favor with the party or disfavor with the other party -- it's justs sad. it makes me ill to think about. again, i come from a different place. from the 1930's onward, nebraska has had a unique governance and still has. i see so many young people here, reminding me of me in those years, doing all sorts of great things. they are idealistic, caring people. and then there are adults, employers acting silly. i think that's kind of sad. >> when you ran, he said you are part of the legislature of nebraska to congress. have you been able to do any of that, and if not, how can you do that? representative ashford: i hope so. i could care less what any party thinks.

i tried to create relationships with anybody i could find, no matter what party they are. what is ironic about it is, the people i work with are fabulous. the individual members that i work with our fabulous. they come from numerous backgrounds and are exceptional people. it is the system that directs them into these weird places. i have tried to reach out to them. i signed on to a number of bills with democrats and republicans about equally. we are a pro-business state. i have been attracted to some of the more pro-business initiatives, trade the one of the biggest ones. just trying to find relationships like i would. >> you said you wanted to make friends with 25 members. representative ashford: i exceeded that, i think. i have been here half a year now. i have made some good friends. i haven't met anybody i didn't like.

i try not not to not like people. [laughter] steve king from iowa, for ex ample, on the immigration issue, there is probably no one further from me, but we struck up interests between the both of us. to legislate, you have to pick your battles, find your alliances, find the people you can work with. it doesn't really matter what they think or don't think about some other issue, because you take each. once you pass something, hopefully, and move on to the next, you put that tpo bed. that is critical to legislating. i don't see that as much here. individuals may move on, but parties are not letting go of those things. it becomes, it's almost --

dysfunction, conflict, use that to raise money. it's not going to get us to a place where we're really great. it's going to take some exceptional leadership going forward over the next several years to get us out of this mess. >> with your schedule -- you're running a congressional office you're back in your district you are cosponsoring legislation -- how do you find time to make friends, and how do you do it? representative ashford: i've always legislated through relationships, not parties. i focused on that. i'm a member of the new dems coalition, a group of

pro-business, pro-trade democrats, who are very similar to my colleagues. i am one of the very --few left pro-business, pro-trade blue dogs. i spent a lot of my time thinking about policy by talking to people. if i was to say something over the years, what gets me in the most trouble is that i tend to think out loud. in order to do that, i need to find people to talk to. >> on fiscal issues, how would you define your ideology? representative ashford: i'm pretty conservative. nebraskans are pretty conservative. we need to balance the budget and a responsible way. if we do that effectively, we are going to be able to start planning for the future. i know we have one your budget -- i support a two-year budget cycle so that you can plan. we don't have that kind of

planning in our budget process that we should have. i'm conservative on business issues. i like to keep taxes at a responsible level and not overspend and try to be more efficient in how government operates. clearly that is my history. i don't think that's bad or not progressive to try to think about ways where you can -- it's actually quite challenging and fun to work with others to think about, what do you mean by social programs? we need many fewer than that that work better. i think getting to a balanced budget is really a great challenge and something we should keep working no. >> you talk about gay rights where would you put yourself ideologically on social issues? representative ashford: i support gay marriage and always have. i support gay rights. i support roe versus wade. i support a woman's right to choose.

i support immigration reform, a pathway to citizenship. i think frankly that is good business. but it can be labeled as progressive, i guess, or soc ially progressive. but the congress agrees with me. >> walk us through your schedule. what is it like when you are here in washington and when you go back to your district? representative ashford: when i was in the cameras, i would always avoid my friends in the lobby by jogging. no lobbyist would ever job with me. -- jog with me. it sounds simple, but that is newborn part of my day. i do things around that. -- that is an important part of my day. we have had a nebraska breakfast going on for 70 years -- every

week we have 150 people every wednesday for breakfast. i certainly go to that. one of the things i try not to do is fund raise when i am working. the big thing of course is calling people on the phone for money all the time. it's a terrible distraction. not only does it get your mind off what you're doing into something that is not why you're here , i try to not miss a hea ring or anything to go raise money. i try to keep up with the demands of fun raising, but doing it outside my course is what i believe in. it does not make me better than anybody else, it just makes me comfortable. i'm here to go to this midi hearings. -- go to those committee

hearings. i need to be there to resent my district as much i can. >> was talk about your roots in a nebraska. where were you born and raised? representative ashford: i was born in omaha. my father's family is irish, came in 1856. my mother's family is swedish, coming in 1870's. family was in business unit nebraska for a few generations in the clothing business/ i had been a lawyer most of my career, practiced a lot of law. i've owned businesses. done quite a few other civic things. i've had a very following career doing varied things. to work in such an incredible, in my view, unique institution of government ishas been

something. >> were your parents political types? representative ashford: not r eally. my grandfather actually was very active. he started a national conference of christians and jews organization in omaha in the 1930's. combating discrimination against jews in omaha. he had raised money to get jews out of europe into sweden right before world war ii. he spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business, but by being very active in social issues. my father was a b 26 bomber on d-day, built in my district. he flew on d-day. he was a business guy. my mother was just a wonderful

woman. they were a lot of fun. very active in the community. instill a lot of values of community involvement into me. my brother is a judge, i have another brother that owns a bookstore and has for 30-40 years. >> why did you first decided to run for state legislature? representative ashford: that's a good question. i enjoyed policy and politics very much. i got involved in bob kerrey's 1982 gubernatorial and pain in a nebraska. -- gubernatorial campaign in nebraska. he was a good friend of mine. i think it was really 1986 -- my parents and grandparents involvement in the community, i saw an opportunity to give back and contribute. most everybody in omaha does

this, but i thought governance was what i could do to get back. in some fashion to what my family had done as long as we had been in nebraska. that is what had carried me on. i don't think i would have run again for anything. there was no one running on the democrat side. i thought about it. fear is the wrong word, but the apprehension of not being able to serve anymore. i think the mayor thing was fun, but quite frankly i think i am a

legislature, not an administrator. -- legistlator, not an administrator. i think it all worked up. >> would difference between nebraska and washington dc legislatures? representative ashford: i had never been to a party caucus before. it is sort of like a pregame pep talk, "let's go out and get the other side." that stuff is totally foreign to me. that was very different. even if though there were many more republicans and democrats in our legislature, it is nonpartisan. the committee chairs, by tradition, tend to be equally divided. the governor is elected by par ty but the unicameral isn't.

nebraska raised the gas tax. we did some things that are fairly progressive. it is like a bunch of us getting togetherm, working things out, putting partisan politics literally down the line of importance. there is a pride in that. when the governor vetoes something, like he did at this time, you can just override the governor on each one of these touch issues. we have done a significant amount of prison reform. i was involved in juvenile justice issues. we made some progress there. we can take on an issue and solve it fairly adeptly and quickly. there are some things i wish we could have done and haven't

done, but pretty much we work together and come up with solutions. nebraskans are common sense people. conservative on fiscal issues, but still the william james populist tradition. >> at the campaign begins to unfold, do you have a sense that republicans are moving to the right? representative ashford: i don't know that they are moving to the right, particularly. i think the democrats need to be careful. they've already lost a great swath of the middle of the country by not really appealing to people in nebraska, for example. when bob kerrey ran for the u.s. senate for governor, the number of democrats over republicans was just a handful. now it's over 200,000. my sense is that john boehner is

not a far-right conservative republican. he is a pragmatist. that is my sense. i think some of the candidates -- jeb bush, for example, i really admired his father, is a very appealing candidate. if the democrats bring themselves back to the center of the voting population, like bill clinton did. i think he was a master ast it. heated some pro-business things -- he did some pro-business things meaningful to the country. i do think the democrats--there is some fear. we are not going to get immigration reform done by pitting the far right against the far left. it will be done by being resolved in the center. george bush 43 shot at it -- had a shot at it. there are far right republican candidates and far left democrat

candidates. but i sense that secretary clinton seems to be charting somewhat of a left of center force. the country is somewhat right of center now. the sort of -- in order to have good paying jobs in the country, the private sector needs to be robust. the way to do that is for government to get out of the way. where it can make a difference is on trade. the more we can expand our market, the more we can have a robust business center, the more good jobs are going to be created. that is what we believe in nebraska. that is what john kennedy talked about when he ran in 1960, and bill clinton as well. we are a center to right of center country. i think that is where democrats

have to be cautious. >> but you are a democrat in a republican state. do you know the last time nebraska voted for a democrat in the white house? representative ashford: yes. [laughter] yes, it's actually a good story. we actually have an electoral college vote per district. i think it was 1991, senator bob nelson as then-governor. we had a reverse legislature vote. i was the 25th vote as a republican. in that electoral vote, my boat went for obama. -- my vote went for obama. >> you have three children. what are their ages, and what do

they think about their data -- their dad in congress? representative ashford: i think they are proud that i am in congress. i think they are proud of me which is quite something. you would always love to have your children be proud of you. they know that we work hard. the fact that we picked up the campaign from scratch with nine months to go. people say, you had been there 16 years, people wanted a change, i odn'tdon't know if people think of things exactly that way. i hope that they thought we offered something. maybe we purchased more optimistic. -- we were just more optimistic.

that by working together, we could get things done. i think they are proud of that. my children are proud of how i committed to the tough issues like gay rights, which to me is extremely important. i grew up in the clothing business. and the gay community was, to me, a very important part, of certainly the women's business. i grew up seeing the description against gays as a young child in new york. my grandfather's commitment to those issues at the national conference of questions and -- conference of christians and

jews. we have stuck with those issues. hopefully they are proud of that. >> when did you college? representative ashford: colgate. and i studied history. on the trade issue -- people ask, why are you so adamant about trade? you look back at the tariffs of 1880's and 1890's that caused the great depression and really hurt us in nebraska, it devastated nebraska's agricultural sector. and then in the 1830's again as a result of high tariffs in this country. i think history is important to know, where you have been and what lessons you can learn. i think about where we are today in the congress.

i don't know if there is such a parallel as there is today. how you line up your voting record in order to withstand television. there was a vote on a trade and it had to do with medicare that was part of the trade adjustment act. even though the trade adjustment act was fixed so that you would be voting against it, the argument against voting against it which would help the trade bill go forward, someone said they ran an ad aagainst me saying i wanted to take medicare away from seniors. you hear that again and again. the ad a few months ago was about that i was the chair of the judiciary committee and did prison reform. why we were doing is reform -- prison reform, one person got out of jail and killed four people. and that was the ad.

but we won. [laughter] if you worry about that stuff, you shouldn't be here. that is the focus of a lot of this. bernie sanders reminds me a lot of gene mccarthy. this sense to just say it as you will. everybody's different, everybody looks at policy differently. but i admire people on both sides of the aisle who can be forthright with their views. >> final question -- you just arrived in washington. how long will you stay? representative ashford: as far

as i can tell, i will stay as long as the voters want to send me back here. i just want to be myself. i don't want to be a partisan person. i want to vote in a way that i have been brought up with in the unicameral tradition of our state. i have not voted a party line fo so far. i will vote for democrat and republican measures as i see fit. hopefully the voters see that. if they do, hopefully we can come back and continue to govern. >> thank you for your time. >> up next congressman john

radcliffe of texas. congressman holt was the oldest serving member of congress at the time. >> congressman john ratcliffe the fourth convict congressional district of texas. you challenged the longest serving member of congress and also a world war ii veteran. why did you decide to run for congress, and why in the republican primary? mr. ratcliffe: i had been involved in public service before. i was as a u.s. attorney under president bush. i tried to help, and a lot of folks i was frustrated by obama's first term. i tried to help romenyney get elected, and obviously that didn't happen. i was extraordinarily frustrated. i thought i needed to check out of politics altogether or fight harder, and that ultimately led to the decision to run for

congress. congress and paul, -- con gressman paul was a friend of mine and has done a terrific job . but i also felt that it presented with a credible alternative, the majority of the district was looking for something else. congress and hall had served --congressman hall had served a longtime, was in his mid-90's. i thought people would do me the chance to serve with the credentials and experience that i have and the plans and solutions that are present. ultimately that proved to be the case. >> a transition between his office and your office -- did he give you any advice? mr. ratcliffe: he gave me a lot of advice.

we were friends before and after this. i saw him on his 92nd birthday. he wished me well and told me he was proud of the the job i was doing. i came up in the summer and met with him on a number of occasions to get advice about things i didn't know about being a member of commerce, like staffing and office and fundraising, and getting to certain committees. he was incredibly gracious to me during the transition. he ultimately proved to be a big help to me., >> what makes a successful member of congress? representative mr. ratcliffe: more than anything else, you have to have passion for what you do. i found later in my life that i enjoy public service.

i really believe that if you enjoy what you do, you never work a day linin your life. you also have to work incredibly hard. we're expected to command an extraordinary amount of information on a breadth ofand depth of issues that come quickly to us here. you are surrounded by staff. i have sit downs with 57 different members of the republican caucus who gave me advice on those types of things. i felt prepared when i got here. i surround myself with good people. i learned as my positions as manager and mayor of a small town -- if you surround yourself with people smarter and better than you are, you can accomplish anything. >> have you had time to delve into the topics you are passionate about here? mr. ratcliffe: you have to think on your feet. even have the time you ordinarily expect or would like to have. it commands a constant commitment to educate yourself to take in an extraordinary

amount of information. but again, if you are passionate about the issues, i have the good fortune of getting on committees that cover the things that are important to me, and things that i have experience before. that has really helped me as well. i very much feel like i am doing what i'm supposed to be doing and doing what i told the people the fourth congressional district that i would be doing. >> where is heath, texas? mr. ratcliffe: about 25 miles east of texas in dallas. the goes to the oklahoma arkansas, and louisiana border. it is a terrific district. very diverse and is spread out. a lot of great folks throughout the district. i've really enjoyed getting to know so many of the 700,000 people that i have been privileged to represent. >> you served as mayor. was at full-time, part-time? representative mr. ratcliffe: it is an unpaid, nonpartisan job. it was a terrific experience. it's true public service.

i was not paid a nickel for my time. being mayor of a small town has its mayor of a small town has its rewards. i had the opportunity to vote on matters on tuesday and see them starting on a new park or neighborhood. i learned a lot about responding to constituent needs and concerns and it is something that benefited me and i moved up to a bigger stage appear in congress. i came down here when i was 20 years old for law school and fell in love with texas and i have been here for most of my life. >> you went to notre dame. why?

mr. ratcliffe: i was a fan of the school and of the people that went to school there. it was a tremendous institution and someplace i'll is dreamed of going and met a lot of great lifetime friends there and continue to have them. interviewer: how did you meet your wife? mr. ratcliffe: we are happy to reside in east texas. interviewer: what is it like having two daughters, one is a teenager and the other one can drive?

mr. ratcliffe: i wanted to make sure they had the same opportunities. it may not have caught up to . me but i knew it would catch up to them. they are adjusting to the transition of having a dad who spends his time in washington, d.c. and leaves on sunday nights for monday mornings and does not get home until thursday or friday. we talked about the shared sacrifice that being a member of congress takes but we are adjusting well. interviewer: when you are back in your district you have demands and you have to raise money and go to events. you also have family. mr. ratcliffe: you do have to carve out time. i have tried to reserve sundays for my family. i try not to do political events so we can go to church and spend time together as a family. i bring my wife and kids to political events throughout the district. it is an opportunity for us to spend time together. it is tough.

i am gone more than i would like to be. i understand the larger mission here and they have been incredibly supportive. i am grateful for that. interviewer: do they like politics? mr. ratcliffe: they like it because it is important to me. i would not expect either of my daughters to go into politics. they need to find their own calling in life. i do not know if -- what that will be. if it is politics or law or medicine, or raising a family, that is great. they will have to find their own way. they are supportive and learning a lot. thyeey were just up here, they were able to come up for a couple days and we spent some time in the capitol and did some things appear. they are learning about the importance of the federal government and the role it plays in our lives. interviewer: you grew up in illinois, where?

mr. ratcliffe: my mom was a great schoolteacher so i lived in different towns. i went to high school in carbondale, almost in kentucky. great people but texas is home now. interviewer: brothers, sisters how many? >> i am the youngest of six. interviewer: at family reunions, thanksgiving, a lot of different points of view? mr. ratcliffe: there are different opinions and we live in different parts of the country. we have in supportive of one another. all my brothers and sisters have been supportive of my desire to get involved in politics and they were supportive of me during the campaign so i continued to stay close and talk to them as much as i can. i have a limited amount of free

time these days but we have tried to stay as close as we possibly can. interviewer: would your friends in high school be surprised you are in congress? mr. ratcliffe: i was never a class officer. i never ran for class office. i got involved with students were reagan-bush in college. reagan was a figure that inspired me. he was president during the time i was in high school and college and shipped my political beliefs -- shaped my political beliefs. i do not think my high school friends saw me as a member of congress. i did not see myself as a member of congress. interviewer: you have a schedule that you have to keep. what is the daily routine like for you? mr. ratcliffe: one of the things that surprised me is how many people want to see me. we averaged 300 requests per day to get on my schedule. i often have 30 or 40 different

meetings during the course of the day with different groups, that includes also time for votes. we usually have a number of vote series during the day but i have different constituents that, from in the district and there are different outside groups that want to see me and talk about different matters of legislation that i will be ultimately voting on. it is incredibly busy. there is some time in there for fundraising, that is always an issue or members of congress as well. it is different every day. i see a variety of people but at the end of the day it ties back into my role of trying to legislate, to put this country back in a better path. interviewer: where would you put yourself ideologically on the political spectrum? mr. ratcliffe: i put myself as very conservative and most people would put myself is very conservative.

i represent one of the most conservative districts in the country. if you look at how i have voted in the per -- first six months i have over 300 recorded votes i would be considered by -- as one of the most conservative members. i think i am revisiting my district well. interviewer: how do you bridge the divide? mr. ratcliffe: my reality is the six months i have in here, we have gotten some important things done. i look forward -- i put forward a bill that went through the subcommittee that i chair. i worked very hard to garner bipartisan support and that bill passed before 355-63. a lot of republicans and some democrats supported it as well. you have to work hard to find common ground. that is one of the things that

all legislators need to keep in mind. if you are intent on just getting your way, nothing is going to happen. it is one of the criticisms i have of this president. when he does not get his way he essentially takes his ball and goes home. we often do not get things done because the president is not willing or able to bridge the gap as you talked about and bring parties together. interviewer: how do we get there? what will it take? mr. ratcliffe: one of the things that happens is you send better people to washington. there has been a change in the members of congress that reflects the will of the people. we have added to our numbers in terms of the conservatives that come to washington. that is helping the process. we are getting more done. i think you can be a conservative or you can be a liberal but if you are thoughtful, you can find common ground on issues. that is one of the things i have

worked to do and i think there is the fact that now more than half of the members of congress have served in this hottie for six years or less underscores the fact that everyone sees that we need to do business a little bit differently and a little bit better than we have done in recent times. to get more done. interviewer: you had key support from the tea party organizations when you ran for congress and a lot of them are not too happy with republican leadership here in the house. where does that put you? interviewer: what i campaigned on was getting support from all kinds of republicans and the district i represent includes some tea party support. some tea party constituents but also involves traditional chamber of commerce republicans, libertarians, constitutional

conservatives, i do not get hung up on labels. that is a washington insider's game. my goal up here is to represent the constituency well and to do the things i told people i was going to do. so far i have been able to vote my conscience and have garnered a lot of great support from the people back home and i have done things i have told them i was going to do. interviewer: do you feel that speaker boehner has an open door policy? mr. ratcliffe: i do. he has tried to persuade me to his point of view. sometimes i have supported that. sometimes i have not. i have tried to make the decisions that are best and most effective for this 700,000 texans i am privileged to

represent. if that decision and that vote coincides with what the speaker wants them a that is great. if it is not then he needs to understand that i got to go different way. so far i have communicated that and he seems to be accepting of that fact. interviewer: you talk about money and help -- politics and some say there is too much money in politics. what is your view? mr. ratcliffe: i have tried to focus on the things that i have the ability to change. i will let others do with much money is being spent with respect to campaigns. it seems and healthy to me -- unhealthy to me, but the realities are what they are at present. i have to generate a lot of income from outside groups and support to have the opportunity. as you know, it is very rare to beat an incumbent in your own

party. i was able to do that and i did that in part because i had the right message. if you have the right message you can overcome the amount of money, we have seen recent examples of that with other folks, so it is happening and sometimes money does not guarantee that someone will be successful. like everyone i think i would like to see some sanity applied to campaigns, the amount of money it takes for people to hold office. interviewer: some people say that texas will be much more of a swing state in the next 15 to 20 years. you're seeing the demographic changes. what is happening down there? mr. ratcliffe: we have a growing hispanic population in texas. a hope it is not a swing state. i hope -- it has been a conservative state that conservatives can

count on. and i think that can continue if we deliver the right message. notwithstanding the change in demographics. we have an opportunity to the hispanic population to grow them as republicans. i see it every day. certainly those that are constituents in my district, i have been effective in persuading them that it is republican values and ideas of opportunity that really work well with their work ethic and interests more so than what i see as failed strategies of dependency and entitlement that the democratic party and this administration in particular have been promoting for the last six years. interviewer: you mentioned your disappointment when mitt romney lost in 2012. on the issue of getting 270 electoral votes, your party has lost five of the six national elections when it came to the popular vote.

how do you turn that tide? mr. ratcliffe: the recent elections reflect the fact that a majority of this country still is conservative. we picked up seats in the midterm elections in the house and senate. we took the senate back. that is a reflection of the fact that people do see notwithstanding the recent presidential elections, i think that reflects the fact that this is a conservative country that still believes in the basic principles of opportunity that my party better presents. i think the problem with presidential elections has been our candidates and the messages they have. i was disappointed -- not that mitt romney did not win but republicans did not win. i am optimistic we will get a good republican candidate that will get people off the sidelines in presidential elections. i confident we will have a republican in the white house to go to with a republican house and senate in 2016 and we will get some things done. interviewer: have you given

further thought to what you want to do next? mr. ratcliffe: i do not know if there is a next for me in politics. i hold onto this opportunity very loosely. i am grateful every day that people of the fourth district have given me the opportunity to be the one voice on the floor of the house of representatives. god has a plan for all of us. as i said, i did not expect to be a member of congress. once i made the decision to run because i felt a calling, alloys believed i would eat here. i feel like i can better serve the public. i will look into that. i am happy to be the congressman for the fourth district of texas. interviewer: how important is your faith? mr. ratcliffe: my faith is the guiding principle of everything i do. i go through those 300-something

votes that i take in a run through a series of questions and one of those is, how did the vote i am about to cast coincide with my faith? just as i asked how does it coincide with the constitution how does it coincide with the people in the force -- fourth district? my faith is very important to me. i do think that god has a plan for all of us and i feel like i am doing what i am supposed to be doing right now. at this point in time. it has been and will continue to be at the forefront of all the decisions i make in my life, not just here in congress. interviewer: when john rock cliff has nothing on his schedule, a free day, what do you like to do? mr. ratcliffe: spend it with my wife and daughters. what we do is not important. just spending quality time with

family. family is very worried to me. i think i have talked about the fact that i want my daughters to have the same opportunity that we have had and i realize that time is precious. we do not know what the future holds for any of us my daughters are growing up very quickly. i want to take advantage of the time i have with them now while they are still under the roof and i have to take some direction from my wife and i. that is what we do on our time together. interviewer: do they listen to you? mr. ratcliffe: i was a terrorism prosecutor for george w. bush, one of the things i have learned is on occasion you can successfully negotiate with terrorists. interviewer: we appreciate your time. thank you. >> our congressional freshman profiles concludes with

representative don beyer. he won the seat vacated by jim rand. interviewer: congressman don beyer from virginia's eighth congressional district. when and why did you get a career in politics? mr. beyer: i was interested forever. i grew up here. three of my four grandparents came here to work for roosevelt. they were new dealers. they were sucked into political life. i can remember very well there was a convention in 1960. all the parents and grandparents were around the radio listening to the convention. i remember john kennedy's race in 1962.

it was the biggest thing in our family life. the fact that this catholic democrat who won the presidency. i had -- you grow up and find a career and find a way to get into public service. interviewer: your dad started a volvo dealership. those who live in washington d.c. are from there with -- familiar with don beyer volvo. mr. beyer: by the end of the summer i had fallen in love with the business and gotten cold feet about med school and i asked if i could stand at the weeks and it turned into 41 years. interviewer: where did you go to college? mr. beyer: a small liberal arts college that dates from 1793. and at dartmouth, majoring in economics which was formative for me because i had one graduate program in development economics. how do you raise poor countries out of pollard -- poverty and that has been relevant for the u.s. and relevant for leadership. interviewer: what makes a successful car dealership?

mr. beyer: there is integrity. just decide what the right thing to do is and do that. the strategy is to try to stay close to the customers. a good listeners, try to be attentive all the time. over the years, many crowded rooms -- who can remember the salesman who sold you your last car? our idea is take care of them. month in and month out.

make sure it is a good experience. at the sale does not and when they drive away the first time. we have massive repeat business. we surveyed the customers. the repeats are sent in by friends. we spend all this money on advertisement for that 10% of our customers. interviewer: how did that experience help you in politics? mr. beyer: a lot of people have asked how i made the transition. i have said it is a short step. a lot of the skills are the same. you try to find a way to be friendly and connect on something you have in common. a lot of it is sales. it is mostly about meeting people's needs. we have sold 65,000 cars over the years. i remember i do not -- i do not remember pressuring a customer into buying a car. the idea is what are your needs, what are your priorities, what works for your family, how can we meet that need? politics is much the same thing.

one of the crises in your life one of the things that do not function in our society, how do we move forward and try to listen carefully, and we're doing a telephone tall and -- townhall at 6 p.m. so we are trying to find out what the big concerns are. we can draw back and say what -- let's do something meaningful to make this different. interviewer: what has your dad taught you about business and politics? mr. beyer: we worked side by side for 13 or 14 years. six days a week.

we have a wonderful relationship. neither has ever raised our voice to the other. he would tease me all the time. i would come to work at 7:30 a.m. and he would say, good afternoon, young man. he is a far better mechanics and i am. -- than i am. i read all the magazines on what was happening. what was in horton were the values. i mentioned integrity earlier. i never saw him do anything slightly dishonest or unethical. never lied to a customer or an employee. he is a great role model in that sense. he is very optimistic. he never saw problem he did not think he could solve.

i think he was really good to the people that work for us and [inaudible] the customers. i remember i was working so hard and all the employees loved him and treated him like he was god. i realized -- [inaudible] is the projection of character. i think that is what i want to be as a political leader also. we want to get legislation done and get -- cast the right votes but it is important that we -- let your life be your argument. imo am living a life that draws people to the idea of public service. and the sounds too highfalutin but wanting to be a role model rather than the political leader

that people look at with disappointment and despair. interviewer: one of six children? mr. beyer: i lost a sister last summer to breast cancer which was a tragedy but also her funeral was a great celebration. my little brother joined the business in 1980. i remember resenting him ticking -- thinking this is dad and me get out of here. i did not say that. we have been partners all these years and mike's presents, -- presence gave me the latitude to run for congress, to do the public service things i wanted

to do. he has led the company through thick and thin. interviewer: you served as the lieutenant governor of virginia. you ran for governor and lost area do what did you learn from defeat? mr. beyer: that it is survivable. i loved that governor race. i spent years getting ready for it. we drove through every jurisdiction more times than once. had friends everywhere and felt -- the line that used to come to me is you can wake me up at any time and i would know where i was. all the rest of it was important and fun and you get to talk about the things that you think will make a difference. and you lose but there is an old piece of wisdom that you cannot serve if you do not run.

the next day the sun came up. all the things i have tried to accomplish in eight years did not go away because i lost. while i regretted not having a chance to be governor, it is our obligation to brush ourselves off and go back to work. interviewer: still interested in being governor? mr. beyer: not really. i love this job. as lieutenant governor, and was president of the senate. i got to vote if there was a tie. i did not get to participate in the debates. a lot of legislation was carried by members of the general assembly and i tried to fill that with as much leadership is a could. it is a very wonderful job. you do not make much policy there. now the greatest change agent role i have ever gotten.

i do not have an ambition to be governor. if i can do this well, this will be the great, last big chapter of my public life. interviewer: so many people talk about congress, the broken branch, dysfunctional, nothing gets done, no one works together. what has it been like for you? mr. beyer: not like any of those things. i sensed no hostility or animosity at all. it is easy to be with the democrats. so they have been welcoming and i have a lot of great new friends. i found that the other freshmen republicans that we met, we did the three days at harvard and in williamsburg.

i serve on three different committees with these republicans. i am getting to know and be friends with a number of them. if i have a major goal, it is to make as many good friendships across the aisle as i can. no one has been rude or evil or close minded. we vote along partisan lines but we can overcome that as we communicate better. when i look now, we got the so-called doc fix on sgr done. congress kicked in this one bill down the road and nancy pelosi and speaker bryner got together, bipartisan and got us a fix. they were all these memos about trade for the president. i think we will get that done. that is something where we have to cross party lines. i think there a lot more that we can get done area -- get done.

it is stimulating people to solve science problems we do not have answers for yet. we asked every member of the science committee to cosponsor the bill. we are in the middle of the trade promotion authority for the president. >> we came back to june of 2013. we were there almost four years. it meant a lot of crying and sleep loss before they found in love with the countries. it was a great experience. among the many things that i loved, all of a sudden, you are moving from the home and country

you are comfortable with two new food, new environment, new landscape, new language, a lot of new friends, but i think what i liked best was the public service, public policy challenges were very different every day. we started off trying to resettle guantánamo detainees that this administration decided could be released, but no other country would take them. we were dealing with secrecy every day. americans who had hidden their assets and switzerland. trying to get the swiss to obey the sanctions against iran so iran would come to the negotiating table. nancy pelosi was trying to get someone extra kitted back to california. every day was challenging, different, interesting. it was a very enriching x area. -- experience. host: switzerland plays such a unique role in world history and

in europe because of its location, its mountains, its culture, its government. how did that pose challenges for you? its independence. guest: they consider themselves the most americans of european country -- most american of european countries. they adopted our constitution in 1848. we took the idea of 13 states from their 13 cantons back at the time of the constitutional convention. they have the world's oldest democracy, going back to the 1200s. they don't have a majoritarian system, democrats versus republicans. they do everything by consensus. they are the only nation in the world that does everything by -- in the world that doesn't have a

head of state. they do everything by parties. it's very different than ours. 50,000 votes, they can take any law passed by congress and -- by parliament and put it up for a vote by the people. host: what he remember, for years and switzerland, i assume you traveled a fair amount? guest: we did. once the younger one went off to school, we would go on weekends. everyplace was an hour from zürich. i got to hike a lot and ski a lot. i love the mountains as a little kid.

it was a perfect place to be. host: you were appointed by the president. you are not a civil service career diplomat. explain the difference. guest: about 70% of ambassadors around the world are career, they have been in the foreign service all their lives. only a few countries have that system. our first ambassador was ben franklin. the second was thomas jefferson, then john adams. we have had political ambassadors for a long time. i like the system. if it were just political appointees, it would be problematic. there is a lot of diplomacy i didn't know. and i had a wonderful number two, the deputy chief of admission in finland, who was a career foreign service officer and we worked as a team. she knew how to work the

bureaucracy of the state department, for example, which reports needed to be done when. i had to generations worth of leadership experience, projecting goals, organizing cultures. i have long thought that the most important job of the leader is to get the culture right. so it worked out well. i saw it that way in much of the rest of europe. it tends to be not one to one, but the more important countries end up with political ambassadors who can afford it and have a lot of leadership experience to come in. one of the things federal government typically doesn't do well overall is train leaders. this is not a cut on federal employees. i love them. i have more in my district than

-- this is not a cut on federal employees. i love them. i have more in my district than any district in the country, but maximizing bureaucracy often means minimizing risk. you don't want to break things. you need a mix of inside and outside, i think. post: with the people you came across, european leaders, the people of europe in general, how do they view america and this president?

representative beyer: i think it has probably changed over the six and a half years. we do not have the fever pitch of euphoria about the obama presidency. after the bush presidency, there was a lot of dismay in europe. two wars, guantánamo, abu ghraib, our environmental policies, the death penalty. a lot of them saw the election as america had changed. after all the years of racism, we hit actually elected an african-american president. the president would point out that he was much more popular in print -- in switzerland then he was in the united states. he had a 90% approval rating there. we spent a lot of our time trying to re-brand, pointing out that we were bringing health care to tens of millions more people, that we had ended the wars, that no nation in the developed world had cut carbon emissions as much as we had after the obama election. it was a time of recovery in terms of the european understanding and imagination. we have had setbacks. all the confusion in syria and the rise of isis continues to confuse it. and now we are threatened by russia and crimea and eastern ukraine. once again, things that looked like great ideas in 2009, we are

trying to readjust on now. the recent is over. host: what have the first couple of years in congress been like for you? guest: i have really enjoyed it. it's easy to get up in the morning. host: first couple of months here and congress, what has it been like are you? -- like for you? rep. beyer: it is great, it is easy to get up in the morning. i really, really enjoy it. the key for me is little by little, develop relationships on the understanding to have some impacts as to how decisions come out. in the recent trade debates, i have been one of the few democrats who have a voted for the trade agreement to give the president