and i want to do what my parents did for me. >> let me ask you -- talking about immigration, trump finally putting out a paper. what are your thoughts on his plan? senator rubio: i have not read his plan. there are a couple ideas he shares with multiple people. i have not a -- i have not had a chance to read his plan. we need to start by enforcing immigration laws. once we do that, we need to modernize, so the people we allowed to come in come in on the basis of building a marriage. and then we have to deal with the reality that we have 13 million emigrants, many of whom have been here longer than 10 years. if there are criminals, they can't stay. that is the lesson from our efforts over the years.

>> you were here last night, writing the rise with your family. you are a young senator. a lot of iowans tell me they relate to you. senator rubio: that is why i was so focused on student loan debt. alternative educational plans. that is why we want to increase the child tax credit. that is why we want to cut the burden on small business. that is why we want to expand the childcare tax credit, so students going back to school have somewhere to put their kids. i think it is 35 out of 50 states, childcare is more expensive than higher education. these are challenges real americans are facing. we have an agenda we are very proud of. senator rubio: hey, how are you? >> good to see you.

senator rubio: we were here last night area -- last night, too. >> my daughters were here. senator rubio: they went to the concert and i rode rides with the boys. spent about $50 trying to knock down a bottle. it was fun. we had a great time. >> we appreciate your contribution to the iowa economy. senator rubio: maybe it was more to the carnival guys taking my money. >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: that's great. i'm glad we did our part. senator rubio: i'm glad you brought your camera. i think they are often looking at a giant pumpkin somewhere. >> the butter cow -- senator rubio: we have not seen the butter cow. we have to go see that.

>> we look forward to that. >> come in many have you had so far? senator rubio: i have had won just about every day. >> funnel cakes and cotton candy and all that stuff. >> sugar. senator rubio: well, good. i'm glad i saw you. >> [indiscernible] >> ok, ok. they are wearing their iowa state colors. >> oh! >> he is a good friend and he came for my birthday party. i am trying to be a good host. we appreciate all of the candidates. we are excited about him coming and giving them a chance to see iowa at its best, actually.

i support him, and i'm really impressed. i think he is definitely a rising star in the republican ranks. we are very proud of his record and appreciative of him coming. senator rubio: thank you so much. >> do you plan to spend more time here in iowa? senator rubio: where are we going? >> right over here. senator rubio: do you have an umbrella? what are you selling?

>> nachos. >> i have to point this out because television is visual -- fine sure choice today, sir. -- find shirt choice today, sir. enjoy, enjoy. shows what do you plan on reading trump's immigration plan? -- >> do you plan on reading trump's immigration plan? [indiscernible] can we borrow any corn here or no? -- senator rubio: can we buy any corn here or no?

>> [indiscernible] senator rubio: how long are you open? >> until 9:00. senator rubio: so, we have until 9:00 to stuff the ballot box. >> [indiscernible] >> you have to be 18. senator rubio: thank you. my sons are here, too. >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: amanda is 15. three more years. the next time i come -- maybe in three or four years, as president, i hope. thank you so much. i appreciate it. >> ready? which way are we going? senator rubio: daniela, come here, please.

>> [indiscernible] >> hey, can i get a picture? senator rubio: thank you, guys. >> [indiscernible] >> oh, dear. >> where is she? oh, over there? >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: the guy we are following, in white?

>> [indiscernible] senator rubio: it was like stop and start and stop and start. i was worried, on the radio they said that it was going to be lightning. >> where are we going? >> [speaking spanish] senator rubio: we are not going to be able to that thing. it's probably shut down. >> yeah, looks like it. [indiscernible] >> oh, there are goes. it is spinning again. this morning it was not moving at all.

>> i will get a photo. >> if elected president, how will you address global poverty? senator rubio: well, we do now. america does more than any country in the world. one of the goals we have -- the main things we can do, obviously is help develop the economy through literacy, health care, ultimately rule of law. i feel like america does more now than any place in the world. >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: people think it is more than it actually is. it's only 1% of our budget.

i have no problem with it. in some cases, i have called for increases. i would like to see more accountability on some of it. i have some reforms on some of it. for example, we did enact that required countries -- if they want to receive foreign aid, they have to make sure they get birth certificates. i would never propose cuts to it. what i'm looking for is ways to improve accountability. i would like the programs to get back to historic old -- historic numbers. >> [indiscernible]

>> [indiscernible] senator rubio: how are you? >> cheryl. senator rubio: cheryl. >> [indiscernible] [laughter] >> nice to see you. senator rubio: nice to see you? what have you got going? >> burgers. senator rubio: [indiscernible] >> thank you. i enjoy doing this. senator rubio: did you already flip these? >> you are going to be in my hometown tonight. senator rubio: i am. [indiscernible] senator rubio: yeah, these have

some time left. we do this every sunday. or most every sunday. [indiscernible] senator rubio: i got here as 7:00 a.m. [indiscernible] senator rubio: [indiscernible] are they all pretty much the same time? do you think the edges are hotter? it looks like the middle might -- >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: that is the key, is to only flip them once. what are these? what is the meat? >> pork burgers.

senator rubio: is there a particular reason? [indiscernible] you ever had a pork burger? >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: well, i have had a pork chop. i have not had it on a stick. it is pork, ground down. not as spicy, a lot thinner. they are just trying to see if i burn anything. i am not going to burn pork. >> you do this at home? senator rubio: i do.

right, guys? [laughter] senator rubio: these need a little more time. we like to grill. mostly hamburgers. other stuff. steak. we roast a whole hog on christmas. >> that's great. it's a lot of work. >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: yeah. we have plenty. we do plenty of pork. we're cuban. you want a pork chop? no? were these frozen? >> yeah. the second batch of burgers today.

[indiscernible] senator rubio: i'm trying to see -- these all look like they have already gone -- >> what is your favorite food at the fair here? senator rubio: i like the funnel cake. this is ready. i think this one is ready. don't you? >> i think they all are. senator rubio: you think they all are? are there any vegetarians? well, we are not trying today. [indiscernible] um, these are going to have to go a while though. [laughter] >> a you like your meat really raw. >> put diet pepsi -- >> don't trust him.

[laughter] senator rubio: we'll take some of these off here. >> you bet. >> thank you. senator rubio: i'm just wondering how many we are singeing right now. >> yeah, someone is going to get burned. they are walking backwards. senator rubio: what time do you start? >> generally we get here in the evening and things start happening right away. senator rubio: is there a target temperature you like to get to? >> yes, everything has to reach 145. >> hey, over here! senator rubio: hey. you want a pork burger?

>> a little bit more on that. senator rubio: the other white meat. >> that's right. [indiscernible] senator rubio: so, what do you think? do you think these are already? >> just give them a little -- senator rubio: what does the grill get to? >> pardon? senator rubio: what does the grill get to? >> oh, about 350, 400 degrees. senator rubio: are they frozen when they go on? >> yes. senator rubio: these take a lot longer. >> when they start bleeding -- it's time to flip them. the longer you cook it, the lower -- [indiscernible] senator rubio: right.

we roast a whole hog for christmas every year. [indiscernible] we spent 12 hours last year on the one we had. at some point, you're just guessing. you're just looking at it. >> my wife and i do a lot of cooking and i do a lot of smoking. senator rubio: you ever use a roaster? we roast with charcoal. they call it -- in spanish. they do it in cuba by digging a hole in the ground. no one was to dig a hole in the yard anymore. it takes a lot longer that way. >> right. senator rubio: we are ready when you are. all take that over to you. >> here, let me stir it for you. senator rubio: we've got to try it. >> you bet. [laughter] senator rubio: i think this is the one you made.

that's good. thanks for having us, chef. >> [indiscernible] [indistinct conversations] >> you got it working? >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: i did. i do that every sunday. >> thank you. we appreciate it. [indiscernible] >> how are you?

senator rubio: thanks for having us guys. i appreciate it. >> i am a pork guy, and i -- senator rubio: oh, you are? [laughter] >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: you are everywhere. they have a big distribution center in south florida, don't they? >> we do. i just retired. senator rubio: you did? so, you are here? >> i'm living around in atlanta. i'm having a good time. >> [indiscernible] >> i do. we have one if you would like 1 -- senator rubio: when i ran for

senate, we got really interested -- we worked with them on a bunch of things. >> we appreciate all of the support you have given us over the years. senator rubio: you guys do a great job. >> we appreciate it a lot. senator rubio: you create a lot of awareness. >> [indiscernible] senator rubio: where is your camera? you can download that online. you look ready to go. are they working here? >> they are. senator rubio: they don't get to go on rides? >> later. senator rubio: oh, later. thank you, guys. >> [indiscernible] [laughter] senator rubio: i might have overcooked them, not undercooked

to them. [laughter] senator rubio: thank you. thanks for having me. senator rubio: let me guess, they are having pork? [laughter] >> [indiscernible] >> hi. what is your plan to turn minnesota into a red state? senator rubio: you know, we have a plan for all americans. i think americans in minnesota and all of the country want their children to do better than themselves. the only way we will do that is to become globally competitive, modernize higher education, and make sure our military is the strongest in the world. we need to do at job of convincing them that we are the party that stands with them. >> thank you. >> [indiscernible]

>> senator, what did you learn today, anything? >> [indiscernible] our coverage continues from the iowa state fair on c-span, and c-span.org

as the candidates walk the fairgrounds in speaker the des moines register's soap box. on wednesday, rick perry. on friday morning, senator ted cruz. christie andchris bobby jindal. join the twitter conversation at #dmrsoapbox. announcer: now we will hear from ohio governor john kasich. he was recently endorsed i the alabama governor.

>> welcome to the des moines register soap box. our next speaker is governor john kasich of ohio. he held his first elected office as a state senator in ohio. then he served 18 years in the u.s. house including chairing the budget committee. after a stint in the private sector he was elected governor of ohio and was reelected in 2014. the governor kasich, welcome to the relocated soap box. [laughter] [applause]

mr. kasich: it's great to be with you. i just want to tell you a couple of things i've noticed at the fair today. number one, just a little bit about my background and my record, just so you know -- i grew up in a little town outside of pittsburgh. my father was a democrat all of his life. his father was a coal miner. my mother was a very opinionated and marked woman, but not highly educated because her mother could barely speak english. it was a town where if the wind blew the wrong way, people would find themselves out of work. i think it is important for people to know that i grew up in

a place where people never got the favored treatment. it was not a place where anything really special -- the promotions or those things -- it was just hard-working folks. i got elected to office without even really so much including the republican party. iran for office because i thought i could make a difference. i am a republican, but the party has always been my vehicle and has never been my master. i recruited a lady like you, ma'am, to help me and to go door-to-door. i have then throughout my entire career a pretty independent person. i believe in balanced budgets, but i believe in cleaning up waste no matter where it is. i was one of the original fighters against corporate welfare and the congress, and it was, at times, a lonely endeavor in the congress.

i spent 10 years of my life in washington to balance the federal budget. my first budget i presented after a guy challenge me -- i wrote my own budget, and there were votes on for budgets that year. the president cause budget, a republican, the black caucus budget, and the kasich budget. the vote on my budget was 405 no and 30 yes. i thought i was doing pretty well because i had 29 other people that thought it was not right to mortgage our young people's future. i also thought there was a good value, which is you do not live in debt. i spent 10 years of my life fighting for that. literally 10 years. in the late 1990's, i worked with the clinton administration, and i was one of the chief architects the first time we balanced the budget since man walked on the moon.

the economy was doing very well. i also was a military reformer. when i first went to congress, the only committee i was on was the defense committee, and i found hammers and screwdrivers and wrenches along with a couple of other congressmen that cost tens of thousands of dollars. i went about reforming the pentagon. most of my career, people called us cheap hawks -- that we were for a strong america but wanted to make sure we did not waste money there. after that budget episode, he had a $5 billion surplus, and i decided to leave. i went into the private sector, and then i've out the call to go back into public service. hopefully, i can get to this in just a few minutes. iran for governor, and the state was in very bad shape. we were $8 billion in the hole. we had lost 300 50,000 jobs. our credit was at risk. we're now up 350 thousand jobs and running a $2 billion surplus. we've cut taxes by the most amount of any sitting governor, including tax relief for small businesses, which are the engine

of economic growth. as we have grown and become stronger -- and this is an important thing for me to say to you -- we don't believe that anybody should be left in the shadows. we feel that with more economic progress, people who have mental illness, drug addiction, the working poor, development to leave disabled, the autistic, and our friends in the minority community, that everybody deserves a chance to live out their god-given purpose. we had a reelection, and i was able to receive twitty 6% of the african-american vote. 51% of union households, 61% of women, and the second largest electoral victory in modern ohio history, and it happened for, i think, two reasons. one, hope has come back to ohio.

the second reason is i like to think that many, many people in ohio do not feel as though they are being shut out, that they are being listened to, that they have a chance to get ahead. i think that is what we want in our country. i want to talk to you about something that is, i think, so critically important for me to suggest to you and you to listen. over the weekend, there were some articles printed about isis rounding up 12, 13, 14 year old girls and using them as sexual objects and trading them as an object to their fighters.

isis represents, in my opinion, with the beheadings, the attacks on people of eight, the abuse of women -- the attacks on people of faith, the abuse of women, and the attack on civilization, not just a national security threat to us, but something even deeper -- people who want to destroy our very way of life. that same weekend, i read about two young people who live in starkville, mississippi, the home of mississippi state university. it is a very sweet town. the story was about a young man and a young woman who were arrested because they were trying to board a plane to make a connection to fly to syria to join isis.

let me be clear on the military front. i have said for a long time now that america as part of a coalition needs to destroy these people. we need to go, even road them, and destroy them -- erode them, and destroy them. we even need to do it now, or it will cost us a lot more later. at the same time i say that, the military effort is only one part of what i believe we all need to think about. why would this 18 and 19-year-old seemingly normal -- two very attractive people wanting to go and join isis? why do we find some of the most successful people, and we read about them being attracted, and what isis tries to offer is a sense of family, a sense of importance, and a ticket to paradise. they are liars, distort her's,

murderers, and rapists -- they are liars, distorters, murderers, and rapists. what about us? for a while, western civilization has practiced two fundamental objectives. a "new york times" columnist wrote something about this. one, we worship freedom, and i don't mean just freedom to be free, but everybody can do whatever they want to do, and nobody -- there's no overarching rules. there's just do whatever you want to do. i think about my 15-year-old twin daughters. if my wife and i raised our daughters to do whatever they wanted to do, what do you think would happen? secondly, in the west, there seems to be an aggressive effort to find happiness. because we all want to be happy. but i have to suggest to you that we as human beings who represent the western ethic and the western tradition -- we need to realize that we have a

purpose here on earth. our purpose relates to healing those who live in our world, and i believe that our purpose involves justice in this world. we build a holocaust memorial on the grounds of our state house so that every day young people, people of all ages could recognize what happens with man's inhumanity to man. the inscription on one of the wall's says this -- "if you save one life, you have saved the world." our responsibility, in my opinion, as human beings and someone who has had a lot of experience and seen a lot of success and so many ways in which we all live together -- i believe that all of us have to be a center of justice and a center of healing, and to realize that life is not just about us alone.

life is about us doing something bigger in our lives for someone else. we have the former speaker here, brent secrest. he's a coach. i have a state senator here who coached in high school. he is now a state senator. their passion was to show young people the way, wasn't it? it was not necessarily to win the football games or the wrestling tournaments. it was to build character. some people ask what that is all about. i think there's some fundamental values we need to think about. i outlined them in my inaugural address. personal responsibility. we cannot make excuses for why

things don't work out. the dog it my homework went out in the fifth grade. secondly, the idea of resilience. you get knocked down, and you get yourself back up. i don't know about you, but i'm rooting for tim tebow to make the nfl. i'm rooting for him because i love to see the comeback story. third, empathy. too much anger in america today. too much division. you know what empathy really is? it's putting yourself in somebody else's shoes and understanding how difficult life can be. i just had a woman the other day tell me that she knows a bunch of young people who have -- they've now grown up. they committed felonies. they have nowhere to go, cannot get work. they were young when they made a mistake.

sometimes we can shake our fist, but i think rather than shake our fists, we ought to think about how they get up on their heat, live their god-given purpose, think about the people that lose their jobs at 51 years of age, think about young kids who grow up in an environment when they wake up in the morning and here gunshot when they go to school. my mother told me that, as a young boy, it is a sin not to help people who need help, but is equally a sin to continue to help people who need to learn how to help themselves, and we can all be part of both ends of that. and then there is the value of teamwork. you want to fix the fence? you want to deal with immigration? you want to balance the budget? you want to deal with entitlements? you want to do any of those things? you've got to do it as a team. one party cannot do it all. while we may be republicans and democrats and liberals and

conservatives, above all, we are americans. this is not a game we play in public life. the purpose of it is to give people an opportunity to be lifted. then there's the issues of family. one of the great appeal that they lay out there to these young people -- you can come and be part of something. and i'm not going to apologize for faith. we've run faith to much out of our society. it's not about the don't's. in my opinion, it's about the do's. it's about loving your neighbor, loving people who don't like you. that can be a hard one. take it from me. it's about so many of the good things. so today, i'm walking around this fair, and i see a young man

there wearing an alzheimer's shirt. standing for something, huh? yeah, we do need to double the nih budget and do the medical research, and it should be a priority of the government. i just visited the no labels -- two young guys came scrambling in, and one of these young guys asked if he could take a picture with me because i'm here at this booth and standing up for no labels. earlier today walking through, a young man came up to me wearing a one t-shirt. do you know what that campaign is? i met bono back in the late 1990's, and he said, "i think we should help people in africa who have big debts who will never be

able to pay them back, and help those countries get on their feet to save lives. no handouts, just a hand up." i met with bono. i liked his idea. the song he sings, "i still haven't found what i'm looking for," is not a song about his car keys. [laughter] we worked together in washington, and then president bush, after i left, took up the mantle. because of simple things like vaccinations and mosquito nets and clean water, people on the other side of the globe now have a decent life. you know what? when a young boy or girl dies in africa, we all lose a little bit of ourselves. when we save a young boy or young girl's life in africa, the

world moves up. because we are all connected. what i want us to think about is what about us? everyone wants to run for president. we need to have a strong leader. it's absolutely vital that we have someone who can set the tone and bring us together, but you don't think, do you, that that is the answer? the answer is in this room. the answer is back in my hometown of mckees rocks. the answer is from one part of this country to the other, from one ocean to the other, from one border to the other. it's about us. it's about citizenship. it's about believing that we are the glue that holds america together, not somebody else. government can have its role,

and it is important that it has a role, but we cannot wait for ,omebody else to mentor a kid we cannot wait for someone else to grab one of these young people and say, "do not do drugs. it will lead to a life that you will always regret." we cannot wait. i just saw a man over here in the booth, 57 years married, his wife died on the fourth of august. why he was here today, he said, "i cannot stay at home." "anybody looking after you? anybody taking care of you?" i think if we can drive home that we all matter, that we all count, that the strength of this country rest upon us, and our commitment, young lady, our commitment to making a difference. we are not looking for sainthood. i'm the most flawed person in this room, but i'm doing this

election and this campaign for one basic reason -- the lord has been good to me. he has given me some tools, and i have an obligation to use them. people say, "what about these other candidates, what about this guy or that guy? " i do want to thank donald trump because he got 24 million people to watch the debate. that was good. [laughter] [laughter] but why don't we just as people holding office or running for office commit ourselves to just doing the right thing as we see it? realizing that we don't hold the monopoly on truth, that together we can build a stronger country. that's what i'm all about. if i am elected president, you invite me back here, right here, and i will tell you what i'm doing because i never run from my record.

i will come right here, and then i'm going to ask you what you are doing. if we do it together, we will have a stronger country and more inspired people, and that is what america is all about. thank you. [applause] -- bill the trustee will asked -- ask questions. mr. kasich: i haven't got my ice cream yet, and i laid out on my

posture. i sat on those beautiful chairs over there, and my staff is like, "you got to do this. you got to go to this." i was like, "i go to the fair, i go to the fair." bill: that was going to be my question. do you always eat like this or is it just because you are at the iowa state fair? kasich: honestly it's so crazy. , you wonder what it's like -- monday -- or sunday night, i flew to birmingham, alabama, and i went to church there where for -- four little black girls were killed in a bombing in the 1960's.

ministers showed up, and the history and the struggle was overwhelming to all of us. i was there with some friends who traveled with me, and they're sitting on the credenza was a bible that was on the altar that day of that explosion turned to the 23rd psalm. , that is pretty remarkable. the next morning, i got up, and i went to the -- think about this. i went to the university of alabama sportscenter. i graduated from ohio state university. you talk about -- huh? the governor of alabama endorsed me for president of the united states. i was flabbergasted. i did not even ask him. he called me up and said he wanted to do it. then we left there, and then we flew to columbia, south carolina, and we had meetings in columbia where i signed to get on the ballot and interview with cbs and some other things, some other meetings, and then we got back on the plane and flew to myrtle beach.

we had meetings there. i had about four meetings there including a forum, and then we flew to iowa. and then tonight, i fly to new hampshire. now if i'm not eating, i ain't functioning, ok? [laughter] there are a couple things you have to do if you are doing this, i'm a believer you've got to be awake. some people want to get 3, 4 hours of sleep. i'm not going there. i want to be rested because i want to be happy when i do this. so i exercise. i eat. i call friends. i say my prayers. daughtersmy wife and -- well, you will know how hard it is to get two 15-year-olds on the phone. i had to come, it is a great fair. ohio state has a great there. we had 980,000 people. you will have 1.1 million. i love it. it has been great.

and i ain't leaving until i get my ice cream, ok? [laughter] bill: this is a celebration of agriculture. what is your vision for agriculture and would you make changes in the usda? mr. kasich: i'm for agriculture, let's be clear. we are a big agriculture state, too. it is our largest industry, and oh how -- in ohio. you know, you think about agriculture, and we think about traditional agriculture, but what we really have to begin to news think about what agriculture is going to look like in the next 20 or 25 years. i have the former head of the ohio farm bureau with me, and i believe there are so many products you can come from traditional agriculture that can improve the lives of americans, and i keep pushing our people to think about that, to use universities to do the research, to make sure that agriculture and businesses closely linked together so that we can spawn new industries out of agriculture. we're lucky in ohio.

we found natural gas. one of the great things about that as it is allowing us to become energy independent so we do not have to kowtow to the saudi's anymore when it comes to conducting our foreign policy. it is nice to be energy independent. yes you can clap for that , because it is a good and. i look in industries and ask what are the new industries. what can come from it? back after 9/11 -- i'm giving you a long answer. is it ok if i give you a long answer? after 9/11, i was invited to the pentagon with former secretaries of defense to talk about the threat against us, and i began to realize that people who lived in caves in some ways had a technology advantage over us, and i suggested to donald rumsfeld that maybe we get some of the best minds in the country to come in. two of the people showed up and called me back and said they

want to do it. i took a group in. two of the guys i took in the went back to california and i went back with them, and they showed up for dinner with their in-line skates tied to the top of their volkswagen. now they tied the top of their skates to the top of the boeing 707. their names are larry page and sir j brennan -- sergei brennan. they started a little company called google. we need to look into the future on all of these things, agriculture, energy. one other thing we have to do in government, this notion that government cannot work is baloney. just treat it like a business. fix it. i read the other day -- and you know this to be true -- how dare uber out in order to protect the taxi industry. that's just wrong. are you going to stand in the way of progress?

so free uber. [laughter] bill: you briefly touched on the issue of people who have committed felonies having trouble finding work. this is a country that incarcerates about as many people as any place in the world, should there be changes in the nation's criminal justice system? mr. kasich: let me tell you a bunch of things about that. we have performed our criminal justice system, and i was meeting with attorney generals and other states saying that the system of blocking people up when it is not even appropriate -- locking people up when it is not even appropriate does not make any sense. second, we are performing all of -- reforming all of our systems inside our prisons now where we have a 37% recidivism with national recidivism being 47%. we're giving people a chance to work their way out of prison and work there way into jobs so when they get out, they can find work. let me tell you another thing, i have been criticized by some in my party for having expanded medicaid. i want to talk to you about this

-- we have 80% of the people in our prisons involved in substance abuse. 10,000 people in our prisons have mental illness. let me ask you a question -- does anybody here think we ought to lock up somebody who is bipolar and schizophrenic and put them in prison? we are treating them now in ohio. we are giving them a way to get on their feet. for the drug addicted, we take this money and we rehab -- we brought our substance abuse people right into the prisons, and they work with them and release them into the community so they do not come out and meet the drug dealer on the street corner, and the recidivism rate is 10%. that's a miracle. the fact is we give people a chance. i want to tell you, if you are a drug dealer or gang banger, we will lock you up for a thousand years. that's the way it's going to be. but if you want to try to get your life in order, we're going to give you a chance, and i think that's what we ought to

do. i was with some people the other day, and a guy says, "i'm a conservative -- this guy talking to me, i'm a conservative but i , have a big heart." i said, "why don't you change that? what are you say at this way -- i'm a conservative with a very big heart." because they are not mutually exclusive. so thank you. i'm going to tell you one last story, and then we got to get going. i want to tell you how i got started in politics. i told you about that little town, and i left to go to ohio state, and i was in a dormitory 23 floors high, and i had 15 college roommates. i was there for a short period of time. there were things i wanted to get changed, and my uncle told me favor when the to change anything, start at the top, so i called the president of the university's office and asked for a meeting, and they would not let me in, but i kept calling, and they and only let

-- and they finally let me in. i went in, and the president of the university was a very impressive guy. very tall, a deep baritone voice , big office. very impressive. i gave my concerns to him, and i looked at him and said i had been in school about a month and i was undecided. looking at the rugs, the desk, the furniture, the assistant and all this, maybe this is the job for me. what exactly do you do? [laughter] so he told me about his fundraising responsibilities, his academic responsibilities, and he said tomorrow he was going to fly down to washington and have a meeting with president nixon. i said, well sir, there were a number of things that i would like to talk to him about also. could i go with you? and he said no. i said but if i write a letter would you give it to the president. he had never seen me before and

said i guess i could do that. i penned out the letter basically inviting myself to the white house. sincerely john kasich, ps, if you want to discuss this further, let me know. he carries the letter to washington. a couple weeks later, i go down to my mailbox, and there is a letter from the white house office of the president. i open it up, i go up stairs to my dorm and i call home, and my mother answers the phone, and i said i'm going to need an airline ticket because the president of the united states would like a meeting with me in the oval office. my mom is shouting, "honey, pick up the phone. something is really wrong with johnny." [laughter] i went home at the end of my first quarter, and my parents finally agreed to buy me an airline ticket. i fly down to washington and go through the gates, and i'm sitting on a little bench right outside the oval office. the bench is still there today. a guy walks up to me and says, "young man, you are going to get

five minutes alone with the president of the united states. what do you think? pretty amazing." i'm thinking new jacket, new tie, new pants, i'm not coming out in five lousy minutes. i did not come all of this way. they opened a door, and i walked in, there is the president, and he greets me, and i greet him, and i sit down at his desk. the good news is i spent 20 minutes alone with the president of the united states as an 18-year-old first-quarter freshman in college. the bad news is i spent 18 years in congress, and if you add up all the time i spent in the oval office, i peeked out at the age of 18. i will see you all, thank you very much. [applause]

[indiscernible] >> as president, what would you do? think special ed has to be taken care of. i think it should not be mixed with others.

i don't tie you that because it is what you want to hear. thank you. are you kidding? it is unbelievable. on --nd all of that time >> what are your comments on the debate? kasich: it was good. all the way from new york? republicanthe first -- positive. been?sich: where have you

>> joshua tree. the mojave desert. mr. kasich: you want to go up north. [indiscernible]

mr. kasich: what are you doing now? >> studying communications and public relations. mr. kasich: what about you? >> i minored in politics and law. thank you. >> i have met all of the candidates. god bless you. mr. kasich: thank you. >> what do you think of the candidates coming out -- >> do you have plans to get big money on a political elections? mr. kasich: i have something that makes sense.

>> let's talk to everyone at once. governor, what here in iowa translates to all of the others? mr. kasich: everything i talked about. i do not think people are different no matter where they live. people have the same concerns and want solutions. some people may have a different view of how you solve problems, but in south carolina, i do not treat people different than iowa. everyone has the same concerns. yourave to give them solutions, they may like you, if they like you, great. if they don't like you, you move on. that's the way it works i think. i am free about all of this. talking about polls, or this or that, i do what i think i want to do and stay focused.

i am very focused on the big issue. trust and performance. i do not know who i trust anymore. just because you tell me something, i do not know if i believe it. i think the record matters. i think if you have a good record people look at you a second time. i have been in this race for three weeks, and i am tied for second place in new hampshire because i spent a lot of time there. hopefully we will spend more time in iowa. have you had the chance to look at a long-term immigration plan? mr. kasich: i have my own plan. i don't talk about their plans. fence, is to finish the make it clear, once it is done, we are sending you back, no more debate. robust worker programs that people can come in and go back. the 11 -- 12 million who are people if they have not

committed a crime, they can pay a penalty and reach legal status . that is the heart of it. i think it is a common sense approach for congress and the american people. spent a lot of time talking about -- showing there are more pathetic people. other people wondered what you would do to make americans more apathetic? -- empathetic? mr. kasich: it is important that we care about our neighbor. when we do things better -- bigger than ourselves, we get that a section -- satisfaction, don't you? you feel good about doing something good for someone else. we are not looking for sainthood, i am the farthest from it.

i we feel good when people come up to me and say my child was autistic, now i can get insurance. that makes me feel good. i think it is about people realizing they can make a difference. sometimes people feel like the system is so big, i cannot do anything, i think it is vital that people realize that what they do does make a difference. it is in us, we have to bring it back out. leaders can help. help realize we honor. -- we matter. i will do my job as a president. [indiscernible]

>> she is giving it to you. mr. kasich: thank you. where is the camera? >> i have a phone. mr. kasich: there we go. >> do you want to take a selfie? mr. kasich: thank you. >> thank you.

>> thank you. mr. kasich: thank you. mr. kasich: thank you. >> good luck, sir. mr. kasich: thank you. >> where is the place? >> right up here. >> here is ice cream. mr. kasich: i want regular ice cream. >> a cohen --cone?

mr. kasich: yes. >> farm strong. mr. kasich: i had a great time here. [tractor noise] >> the door is locked. mr. kasich: can i get up? >> the other door. cream?ich: how about ice

[tractor running] announcer: ohio governor john kasich will be back on the trail tomorrow, he will be in salem, new hampshire for a town hall meeting where we will have coverage at 1:00 eastern. chris christie is also campaigning in new hampshire0 that is also live on c-span.

-- new hampshire. that is also live on c-span. gathered forivists the left for him, that his next. scott walker unveils his health care plan later. this sunday night on "q and a" grave hunter kurt dion documents his adventures of visiting the gravesites of every president and vice president. >> the one gravesites they have trouble getting to is the rockefeller. >> how did you do it? throughre able to get it my father describes, "an act of god." my father walked down the perimeter and found a gigantic tree had crushed the fence.

he went in and saw rockefeller's grave. night onion, sunday c-span's "q and a." a conference calling itself the gathers each year in new york city. topics include civil rights and the criminal justice system. we will hear from a hip-hop artist, and the founding person from bernie sanders campaign. this is two hours. >> good evening.

good evening everyone. spanish translation is available if you would like to listen to it in spanish, you can pick up equipment at the back table. [spanish translation] >> good evening, and welcome. leftevening and welcome to forum 2015. i'm rob robinson. >> and i am maria. [applause] rob: we want to thank you all for attending. this conference was i success. -- a success.

the board of directors would like to thank the administration from john jay college for their hospitality. [applause] year here,r second based on the early returns, attendees seem to enjoy it. said the conference was a success, here are the numbers. we had over 400 panels. 1300 speakers. 70 exhibitors, and close to 5000 attendees. [applause] a conference of this size does not happen without a committed staff, committed volunteers, and committed interns. i will name some names. i want to start with volunteer coordination. i want to start out with video coordination.

with registration, public relations and media with a host of folks. program guide steve matthews. program coordinator marcus. marcus comes from berlin to service -- serve us. primary and link -- logistics coordinator. the media liaison. outreach and administration, exhibition, event operations. editorial and graphic design matt kennedy. lori bogart. av and technology, nancy castro.

art and social media, darrell king. administrations and operations coordinator, ashley abbott. a big hand for her. we have looked -- worked together for several years. [laughter] -- [applause] coordinator,erence steph adler. [applause] finally, we would like to acknowledge some of the 150 volunteers that made the conference operations and left ar him a reality --forum reality. [applause] maria: we have committed to an increased chance for cost.

we are proud to announce free childcare this year. [applause] rob: we made the commitment last year, we lived up to it. maria: and free entry to interested high school students so they could join in. exciting and in challenging times, where new possibilities of resistance and new forms of repression are hard at work, willing to do what they always attempt to do, and now they are more sophisticated. more than ever before, capitalism and the crisis of income inequality are being pressed. with the capital system failing, the cry for social justice is growing louder. this is a critical time for the left to organize. was created, and exist to create a dialogue on important matters affecting our

world. with so much happening all over the world we decided to make the issues, the hot topics, the stars. had a discussion on anti-austerity policy. on saturday we heard from speakers who explored social transformation in relation to the black my -- lack lives lives matter. and finally, we have this evening's plenary. we are moving away from the traditional format and instead we will feature discussion, each with two speakers and a moderator. them share a wealth of

culture, and intellectual knowledge. this evening we will discuss a national left presence, a national left politics, national and international left organizing. enduring national organization structure and power. rob: i would like to offer an apology, stanley lives close to where a crane fell in new york city, it is stuck in his apartment in midtown manhattan. he cannot be here. tom hayden suffered a stroke. our apologies and all of the best wishes. maria: i will begin with an introduction of the host. is the leadlin organizer for the fight for souls for the city which

includes community rights campaigns, and she co-leads a staff organizing team for a space building program. training students and organizing, campaign development and political theories, she also leads a taking action front in south delay -- los angeles. afterganized it in 2009 graduating from the national school of strategic organizers. she first got involved as a high school student in the script college academy, a program for first generation and low income students. she was active in the community rights program in college. our second host immortal technique.

he is known as a writer, and activist. , he is one oferu the highest selling independent artist, putting together a globally themed music with street hip-hop. not only an artist, but also human rights activist having traveled to haiti and afghanistan to provide relief for nonprofits. he has also participated in teaching workshops for adult prisons and juvenile facilities. albums,r gold studio and 250,000 records sold, he has the hip-hop community highly anticipating his next album. he recently completed his national tour. turn it over to ashley and immortal technique. [applause]

immortal technique: good evening. i said before that i wanted to see everyone bring a child, or a grandchild with them. i just want to say to the people that came with someone young and they want to educate reveal the depth of the corruption that we live in. i want to say that i appreciate that. if you have not done at this

time, don't worry, there will be next year him --forum because the problems will not be resolved then. when they tell people who criticize the america -- the states of america that we hate america because we want a better place, inc. about how illogical that is. if you have ever had children or a small child in your care, imagine that it steals from a store. to break youring child's arm or kick them down a flight of stairs because they stole something. you are going to take them aside and say i love you, i care about you, and i think you are a better human being in the actions you are taking now. that is the way we are looking at america, we do not hate america, if we hate it, we would let it be corrupt, and the feeling republic that it is becoming. , that is why we choose to put ourselves on the

front line and say, this is what may change -- must change. even if people do not look like me, do not worship the same god, and they have different customs, if those people are facing in justice, i will face it with them as if i was one of them. that is what i am here to do. i hope that is what you are going to do as well. [applause] technique: i want to introduce ashley from the labor community strategy center. [applause] ashley: good afternoon. i name is ashley franklin and am an organizer with the labor community strategies enter based in los angeles, california. i spent the last seven years of my life organizing young people and high school -- in high schools against the mass

incarcerations of the black and latino community, specifically fighting against the militarized police state. tonight we talked about how many workshops we were able to see. , we are going to get deep and talk about building . we are going to delve into questions of what is the national left presence politics, organizing ? we are going to analyze what is our power, and our organizing present. we are going to talk about strategies and actions so we have a slew of amazing people that will talk to about their expenses on the ground -- experiences on the ground. i want to mention some of their

names, of course you will see and hear more from them today. let me go down the list, we have adams.ms -- m we have reverend from the fellowship. is ave miss brown who cohost of the morning show on wba i. taylor --ve missed missed taylor who is about to release a book. windsor who charles is part of organizing 2.0. .e also have glenn ford know, stanley is not

here, oh he is? he is here in spirit. who willwe have seen be the people that we get to hear from and listen to. i want to break down how that will happen. we have dynamic political theorist, activists, and people who have been building movement. three going to break into pairs or ability -- there will be a moderator. as you have read in their bios, we do not have to do so much work. thank you for being amazing and putting out amazing political theory and ideas that will make this go fast and easy. the idea and the focus of this

panel is to talk about what have been some of our hopes and dreams, challenges that we faced while trying to build the left. and particularly, how to build a left. could you all welcome me in joining our first panelist, it tech, reverend, and adams. [applause] immortal technique: order to the stage, it's just hip-hop.

reverend and m adams, i appreciate you being with us here. i appreciate the audience through this incredible, difficult, nasty weather. i wanted to asked question -- asking a question, feel free to jump in. what do you see on the grounds that indicates the emerging and radical transformative politics that we were talking about come what havels been your personal experiences?

>> i think the couple of things indicate a movement being built. people are answering the calls, i have a couple things, we have the same group of people organizing before. we have people both -- building political platforms and people pushing out amazing things. we also have an entire group of who are energized and prepared and who want to be part of the organization. i think we see an expansion. ofnot fully an expansion base building, the possibility. we have always said we need more people, i think that call is being answered. not only do we have more people, we have more people willing to do more work.

it suddenly makes the movement building mechanism possible. i also think we see a whole generation of thinkers putting out their own theory on the world. proposing radical solutions to --ress a radical politics politics. happening allgs over the country where we are at a good time for social movements. >> i see that a lot of times, people's initial reaction, they automatically assume it will be only elderly people. we need that, we need guidance and direction from the elders, but i have seen, within the course of -- this reemergence of the movement. the movement never went away. technique: there are so

many young people, what would you attribute that to? is it just because it is in a young person's face? is it a growing pain? from your experience in working closely with his children in ferguson, or wherever you may find them being the victims of systemic brutality and the taking away of civil rights, what has been the catalyst of moving the youth? >> i think a couple of things. aack people have always had tenuous agreement with america. we always know you will impress --oppress us.ss baby,lack person told you white folks are dangerous.

we are told we have to be twice as good and smart just to get the opportunity to be told no. wb to boys had a degree from had a degreeois from harvard and could not teach their -- there. it is not better, it is different. this is part of the struggle. part of that tenuous agreement is that you will not disrespect us. as we look at the slave rebellion's, they have been after children who have died at the hands of masters. that is what we thought ferguson -- saw at ferguson. leadershipeen black with access to material things

subjecting themselves in which individual attention replaces community progress. [applause] for a younger generation of folk in which have emerged under a electedesident, black officials, black ceos, black police chief, essentially their life has gotten worse. they broke that agreement, -- theolks was like young folks had not read any of the papers we had passed out. they said -- that. we are not going home. at one level, you cannot get the level of youth resistance without the objective material conditions as they black person

in charge of the american empire. they look at it and say, oh, the emperor has no clothes. unique isso what is that this moment -- i said it earlier -- the day that a system r, black-cisgende messiah leading us to the promised land is over. embodiedhave witches in young folk organizing, the new leadership will be clear -- queer, woman led, lots of single transnational, you have black lives matter chapters in

london, paris. it will be anti-imperialist. without the critique of capitalism. what we are seeing is the embodiment among young people -- a generation of leadership that are incarnate. it is embodied. of a radically queer anti-capitalist discourse, and is doing so with limited resources. you remember, one of the things we talked about when we romanticize the civil rights movement, everyone over 40 said they marched with dr. king. [applause] -- [laughter] you meet everyone in this room and they said they were in selma on the bridge am a it would have collapsed. [laughter] part of the mythology people are coming up against is nostalgia is a form of morning because the

present is unbearable and the future is unforeseeable. a lot of young people are struggling against with limited fiscal resources is a mythology in which everyone participated in the movement of the 60's, which hampers their possibilities because it is untrue. there was plenty of fighting. plenty of folks who don't like it, some of y'all still not talking to each other because of something in 1963. part of the challenge that we , is ferguson, madison, baltimore -- baltimore, are actually indictments of the left. because the left as a place of premium on poor black people -- not placed a premium on poor black people.

[applause] power, idon't have wish i could issue a statement that you could not pass up papers, you cannot asked -- ask anyone to come to your meeting until you have broke bread at a black funeral because people -- lack people trust you enough that they want you standing there when they put their parents in the ground. lives, papersover over people has disempowered and hindered the possibility of building an effective left in america because we have embodied a level of racism and respect ability in our movement that cannot handle kids with tattoos, sagging pants, saying -- the police. until we resolve that

contradiction, i do not think we can build a significant left, i do not think young people will respect it. [applause] technique: the reverend brought up race, gender, class struggles -- you see the interception alley -- interception of these things being a driving force to get the movement together. >> that is one of those questions, how do you see that -- answer that? how does it matter. one, thisf things -- is not just my belief, there is evidence and bodies of belief, we are dealing with all of this. if we are thinking about my life specifically, i am dealing with

sexuality, race -- what we have no is the leadership of people who are talked about as being intersectional lives. we are not settling. we will not be bought off. if theynot be convinced give us houses -- we want everything. we want freedom, our freedom includes all of that. [applause] >> going to trial. >> we want everything. that is what we are excited about now. leaving until we get everything. not only freedom, but that includes something queer centered, woman led, one that accounts for folks who have been

incarcerated or are stuck in the system. homeless, the whole host of other things. that is the movement. ,> is about all black people all identities, issues related to that. using theee people human rights framework to explain the rights of black people, what they deserve. you hear them say, we are giving this or we are taking this. the abilitying for to walk safely down the street, not be marked, not be assaulted -- not be mugged