that was on that stage. how fantastic is it that we have so many young, passionate, dynamic leaders stepping up to leave this party and to lead the united states of america. [applause] contrast: and what a with the democrats. [laughter] sen. cruz: i'm pretty sure the first democratic the base is going to consist -- democratic debate is going to consist of hillary clinton and the chipotle clerk. that is not fair. we cannot forget about bernie sanders. so now the democratic field consists of a wild eyed socialist with ideas that are dangerous for america and the world, and bernie sanders. [laughter]

and it is striking that the democrats keep delaying their debates. first it was september, then october, then it was november. i think they just move it to 2017. it's not widely known, but the democrats had actually planned to have an earlier debate. the problem was, the debate invitation was e-mailed to hillary. [laughter] we are here today because our country is in crisis. we're here today because we are bankrupting our kids and grandkids. because our constitutional rights are under assault from washington. recedingse america is from leadership in the world. and yet i am here to bring you a word of hope and encouragement and optimism all across iowa. all across this country.

americans are waking up. and help is on the way. [applause] so i want to ask everyone here to look forward. look forward to january 2017. president, let me tell you what i intend to do on the first day of office. the first thing i intend to do in office is rescind every single illegal and unconstitutional executive action taken by this president. [applause] president says he has a phone and a pen, while he lived by the pen, die by the pen. eraser.en has got an sadly, the corruption has

not been limited to the white house. it has extended through every branch of the federal government. this department of justice is the most partisan and lawless department of justice we have ever seen. the second thing i intend to do on the first day of office is instruct the departed of justice to open an investigation into planned parenthood and these horrible videos. [applause] and to prosecute any and all criminal violations by that organization. the administration of justice should be blind to party or ideology. the only fidelity of the department of justice should be to the laws and constitution of the u.s. [applause] do third thing i intend to on the first day in office is

instruct the department of justice and the irs and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty and the today. -- ends today. [applause] that means for our servicemen and women that every one of them can pray and worship god almighty with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. a commanding officer has nothing to say about it. [applause] in january 2017, the federal government stops litigating against emperor security the sisters of the poor for standing for their faith. [applause] tonight, we have several thousand iowans coming for a rally for religious liberty.

featuring heroes from across the country. ownle like i will -- iowa's who have stood for their faith and have been persecuted. we are going to celebrate heroes who have had the courage and conviction's and let them tell their stories. we also have a concert by the newsboys. i would encourage everyone, come to the event tonight at 6:30 at the iowa event center. the fourth thing the intent to do on the first day in office is rip to shreds this catastrophic iranian nuclear deal. [applause] the single greatest national security threat racing america today is the threat of a nuclear iran. observedeeks ago, i that if this deal goes through, the obama administration would become, quite literally, the

world's leading financier of sen. cruz: in response, president obama got very upset. he interrupted his world travel in between the eighth and ninth hole to attack me, to come after me. he said, that is ridiculous. do not say that. it is interesting. in the course of his attack, the president did not bother to refute any of the substance of what i said. let me give you a simple point. truth is not rhetoric. [applause] so let's review the facts. number one, you ron is the

world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. goesr two, if this deal through, over $100 billion will flow directly to the ron. number three, if that happens, billions of those dollars will go directly to hamas, hezbollah, to radical terrorists throughout the world, and those jihadists will use that money to murder ,mericans, to murder israelis to murder europeans. if president obama doesn't like the rhetoric of his administration becoming the ofld's leading financier radical islamic terrorism, there is an easy solution. financing radical new -- radical islamic terrorism. [applause]

the fifth thing i intend to do on the first day in office is begin the process of moving the american embassy in israel to jerusalem, the once and eternal capital of israel. [applause] a lot of candidates both democrat and republican have made that promise. inevitably when they get to the white house, their team says, gosh, if you do that, other folks in the middle east will be unhappy with you. noticed, they are already pretty unhappy with us. the biggestyou difference between me and the other fine gentleman on that stage in cleveland. with me, when i tell you i am going to do something, i am going to do exactly what i said i would do. [applause]

that is day one. [laughter] are 365 days in a year. four years in a presidential term, four years in a second term. by the end of eight years, there are going to be a lot of newspaper editors and reporters who have checked themselves and the therapy. [laughter] themselves into therapy. [laughter] in the days that follow, i will go to congress and we will repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] in the days that follow, i will instruct the federal department of education which should be -- i will instruct the

department of education that common core and sedate. [applause] today. [applause] wille days that follow, we rebuild our military in honor the commitments we make to our soldiers and sailors and marines. [applause] allow our servicemen and women to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. [applause] means the next time a jihadist shows up better recruiting center in chattanooga , he is going to discover the business and of firearms wielded by dozens of marines. [applause] in the days that follow, we are

finally, finally, finally going to secure the border and and sanctuary. [applause] we are going to stop the obama administration's indispensable policy of releasing filing criminal illegal aliens and we are going to pass kate's law. [applause] follow, we aret going to take on the out-of-control regulators of the fourth branch of government, the department of labor, the alphabet soup that descends like locusts on farms and small businesses and we are going to bring back booming economic growth. [applause] in the days that follow, we will pass fundamental tax reform, adopting a simple flat tax.

[applause] so that every american fills out his or or taxes on a postcard. [applause] and when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause] there are about 90,000 employees at the irs. we need to padlock that building. and put them00 down in our southern border. [laughter] [applause] now to our friends in the media. i say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek. but if you think about it, imagine you traveled thousands of miles in the sun, you are swimming across the rio grande, and the first thing you see is 90,000 irs agents.

you would turn around and go home, too. [laughter] [applause] some of y'all may be thinking, all of that makes sense to me, it is simple common sense. kids andnkrupt your grandkids, follow the constitution. but can it happen? can we do it? scripture tells us there is nothing new under the sun. i think where we are today is very much like the late 1970's. the parallels between this administration and the carter administration are uncanny. domestic policy, same stagnation and malaise. same feckless and naive foreign policy. the exact same countries, russia , openly laughing at and

mocking the president of the u.s. why is it that that analogy gives me so much hope and encouragement yet kn? because we know how that story ended. all across this country, millions rose up and became the reagan revolution. [applause] and it did not come from washington. washington despised ronald reagan. if you see a candidate who washington embraces, run and hide. [laughter] [applause] it came from the american people and it turned this country around. we buy from stagnation to booming economic growth. we went from our hostages in iran to winning the cold war and

tearing the berlin wall to the ground. [applause] optimistic? because the same thing is happening today. millions of americans are waking up, saying, this doesn't make any sense, we just finished a bus tour through seven states. every stop, men and woman came up to me -- one woman in charleston said, i voted for barack obama in 2008. i stayed home in 2012. and this year, i am voting for you. [applause] another men and total suck, oklahoma -- a working men with calluses on his hand with greece and sweat on his shirt, walked up to me and said, i have been a registered democrat my entire life.

morning i went down to the county clerk and i registered as a republican to vote for you. [applause] that is happening all over this country. we winwe win this race? this race running a populist campaign of hard-working men and women against the bipartisan corruption of washington dc. clinton andary bodies. for all of us, freedom isn't some abstract concept. it is personal, it is real, it is our families. i think about my dad, pastor raphael cruz. [applause] time in iowa, of he will continue to spend a lot of time here in iowa.

my dad grew up in cuba, he was imprisoned and tortured as a teenager. to america with nothing. in 1957, 100 dollars in his underwear, he could not speak english. making $.50 an hour. that would be the obama justice department cutting off my microphone. [laughter] [applause] apparently they really, really don't want you to know that i dad washed dishes making $.50 an hour. [laughter] and he worked full-time, paying his way through school. he started a small business. today, he is up pastor. he travels the country preaching the gospel. [applause] when i was a kid, my father used to say to me over and over, when we faced oppression in cuba, i had a place to flee.

if we lose our freedom here, where do we go? and that is why we are here today. [applause] we are here because the men and women at this state fair, the men and women of iowa and america, we will not go quietly into the night. we are not prepared to give up on our children and grandchildren. we will stand and fight for freedom. we will stand and fight for the constitution. [applause] what we are doing now is not working. i have got to tell you, i can't wait to stand on that debate stage with hillary clinton. [applause]

because together, we did people are coming together and together i am convinced -- i'm certain -- we are going to restore that shining city on a hill that is the united states of america. thank you and god bless you. [applause] thank you. [applause] [indistinct conversations]

[applause]

answer is to get back to booming economic growth. moms, young people. everyone has the opportunity. >> would your policy support a maternity leave? is that on the table? i think maternity leave is wonderful but i don't think the federal government -- there are also things that are governmentthat the

shouldn't do because i think the constitution matters. it leaves that authority to states and local authorities. we have had 6.5 years of the big government policies and women have been left behind. [indiscernible]

>> what will you do to support early childhood education programs? is cruz: i think it acceptable that we stand at the roadblock point. every child deserves tools regardless of race, ethnicity, disability and wealth. we have never seen a republican candidate for president to make school a central issue in the national debate. that we will see educational opportunities and choices dramatically expanded for every child and parent in america. thank you. [indiscernible chatter]

>> are you having fun at the state fair? >> he hasn't got to have fun yet. grown-up time. ted cruz: are you looking forward to having it deep-fried twinkie? >> let's get the picture. look right here at dad's cell

phone. god it. there you go. >> thank you. god bless you. [indiscernible] >> can i shake your hand while you are waiting? senator cruz: thank you very much. god bless you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you for supporting our second amendment rights. thank you 100%. senator cruz: my view is i

support ethanol. but i don't think the federal but i don't think the federal government should pick winners or losers. that may have been the case 20 years ago. at this point now, there is considerable demand. i think without a federal mandate, that will continue to be demanded by the refiners. it is a competitive market. we don't need it mandated by the federal government. by the way, we have mandates for everything else as well. >> the oil companies [indiscernible] senator cruz: we need subsidies directed at any form of energy. >> thank you. senator cruz: i like your cowboy boots. they are really pretty.

what is your name? >> evelyn. senator cruz: how old are you? you are four? >> she has been eating corn. senator cruz: is that your brother? good to see you. >> big fans, we will be there tonight volunteering for the rally. senator cruz: by the way, i follow you on twitter. >> i follow you, too. thank you. senator cruz: i'm on my iphone constantly on twitter. >> we are from illinois, jacksonville. senator cruz: hold on. we will do the picture. what is your name? >> kelly. senator cruz: thank you very much. thank you.

thank you very much, sir. god bless you. >> see you tonight. >> senator, can i get a picture? senator cruz: sure. what is your name? >> money in politics, the influence? senator cruz: we need to end the corruption of career politicians in both parties who get in bed with lobbyists. we need a president who will take on the lobbyists and get government out of picking winners and losers. >> deregulation, is that the answer? senator cruz: both of those, absolutely. take something like taxes. there are more words the i.r.s. code than in the bible. it is a classic tool of the washington cartel because they carve out loopholes. they get in because the lobbyists push for it.

and they in turn give campaign contributions. one of the best reasons to have a flat tax, because if you have a flat tax it means when a lobbyist or small business owner comes to washington, a politician cannot extract favors because you pay the same taxes everyone else. and my hope is to get back to an arena where washington plays less of a role in our lives every day and we empower instead hard-working americans. >> that makes perfect sense. thank you so much. senator cruz: i will say if i were to make a list of things i never thought would exist, that would be very high on the list. >> thank you, senator cruz. >> mike leahy. we spent a lot of time in iowa. is he your secret weapon? senator cruz: i don't how much of a secret he is.

he has been my hero my whole life. 6-7 days a week, he is traveling the country. he has a real heart for ministry and encouraging them to stand up and lead. you know my dad is 76 years old. , he has a tougher schedule and tougher than most anyone i know, and he is having more fun than anyone else. because he is sharing stories. when you have seen freedom taken away as a child, it makes it very real and personal because you know what it means to lose it. >> what evangelicals are doing -- mainline christian, not evangelical. he got 8% of the vote. senator cruz: scripture commands scripture. you cannot be light if you are hidden under a bushel.

we are also commanded as christians to be watchmen. of the law. and what i am encouraging there , are about 90 million evangelicals, 30% of the population. the last election, 54 million evangelicals -- it is my hope the body of christ will stand up and vote biblical values. not the individual candidate, but rather the values of the individual candidate. christians, be they evangelical christians or reagan democrats, if you simply vote our values we will return the country. to the greatness it deserves. >> what would you do to reform the justice department? senator cruz: we are going to try. what is your name? john, it is good to see.

>> we were at the capital during the planned parenthood. thank you. >> thank you. >> can i get your autograph? senator cruz: sure. if you turn around, can i use your back for a second? there we go. >> thank you very much. senator cruz: what is your name? charlie, good to see. >> you have to push the button. senator cruz: thank you, charlie. >> thank you very much. senator cruz: thank you, sir. god bless you. >> god bless you. senator cruz: thank you. >> thank you.

senator cruz: thank you for being here. >> god bless you. senator cruz: god bless you. what is your name? mitchell? you got a camera? are you mom? >> no. i am not. but i will e-mail it to you. >> will you sign my arm? >> mr. cruz, we just hung out with cliven bundy. what do you think of him? the rancher. senator cruz: i know who he is but i have not met him so i don't know. >> he is really cool. you should come check him out. senator cruz: i'm going to try to visit with owners. what is your name? >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: thank you.

thank you very much and god bless you. thank you for being here. how old are you? you are tall for five. is that your sister behind you? what is your name? how old are you? eight? and are you the oldest sister? what is your name? 12. [laughter] aubrey 12 is a strange name. are you having fun at the fair? >> we just got here. senator cruz: is it kind of scary with all these people bouncing around, and they are too tall? i think. i'm glad you are here. i bet if you ask nice mom might let you try a fried twinkie. >> we are thinking about butter on a stick. >> there you go. senator cruz: excellent. do you want to get a picture? hop in front.

what is your name? >> teresa. thank you for your support of our second amendment rights. senator cruz: what is your name? >> anna. cruz hey, anna. : >> thank you. senator cruz: thank you for being here. >> we will be at the rally tonight. >> you want to get my friend in here? thank you. >> thank you so much. senator cruz: hold on. >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: very good to see you, sir. god bless you. it is good to see you. >> we were in our booth. we don't want to interrupt you. it is good to see you.

>> can i get a photo? a little selfie? how is everything going? senator cruz: fantastic. the energy we are seeing is incredible. >> thank you. senator cruz: sure. what did you do to your hand? >> i was in a bike accident. >> thank you so much. senator cruz: hope you feel better soon. >> right here. >> steve from kansas city, missouri. >> we have been driving across the country. we came all the way here to see you. senator cruz: fantastic. thank you for being here. i just gave a speech outlining all five things i'm going to do. [laughter] senator cruz: i like your shirt. thank you. >> catherine from new jersey. [laughter]

>> senator, right here. senator cruz: thank you very much. >> was it your dad i met in hampton, iowa, last week? senator cruz: yes, it was. >> very impressive. pat from hampton. nice to meet you. senator cruz: very good to meet you. thank you for coming out. >> thank you. >> hi. i am beverly. senator cruz: thank you for being here. >> thank you for all you do. senator cruz: thank you very much. thank you, sir. god bless you. how old are you?

fist bump. excellent. this is your brother? it is good to see you. what is your name? are you having fun at the state fair? >> good luck. senator cruz: thank you very much. what is your name? very good to see you. where are you from? very good. are you in school? >> i am. i'm going to be a sophomore. senator cruz: how has the state fair been? >> great. senator cruz: thanks for coming. what is your name? nolan, good to see you. are you a baseball player? do you have a 100-mile-an-hour fastball? are you a pitcher? nolan ryan had an arm on him that was something else. stick with it.

i saw him play. >> my name is nick. senator cruz: thank you for your hard work. what is your name? >> terry. senator cruz: i like your shirt. that is good advice. i'm going to visit with the grassroots. i am happy to do it. see you later. we are headed this way? >> first day in office, you're going to repeal obamacare? senator cruz: it will take longer than that. absolutely. >> you have our vote. thank you. go get them.

senator cruz: the white thing? >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: there we go. where? good to see you. you got it. i was talking to candy. [indiscernible] she said to tell you [indiscernible] senator cruz: excellent. >> [indiscernible] she said to tell you hi. senator cruz: they are wonderful people. i think very highly of them. thank you, sir. are you having fun?

>> it is awesome. [laughter] this guy is awesome. >> luanne. senator cruz: great to see you. >> great to see you. senator cruz: what is my favorite bible verse? "i can do all things through christ who strengthens me." isaiah 40:31. it is hard to pick one. >> i know. it is. thank you. senator cruz: god bless you. >> how are you? senator? good support? good to see you. senator cruz: how are you doing? what is your name? i like your shirt. >> keep up the good work. senator cruz: thank you. i appreciate it very much. people are waking up. i'm very encouraged. i definitely will.

take care. how are you doing, sir? good to see you. >> can we get a picture? senator cruz: what is your name? caitlin good to see you. , >> thank you very much. senator cruz: sure. >> my roommate. senator cruz: very good to see you. >> why should i vote for you? senator cruz: because what we are doing does not make sense and we need a conservative. more than anything what i have , tried to do in office is tell the truth. >> i'm looking forward to seeing some debates. i hope so, too. senator cruz: thank you, allen. what is your name? right here. senator cruz: excellent. >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: how are you doing, sir?

>> [indiscernible] >> teach you how to eat a donut. senator cruz: you want to hop in? we will do all of them. here is your donut. >> look at this camera right here. great shot. there you go. senator cruz: thank you. how are you doing, ma'am? >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: how are you doing, sir? how are you doing? lia, i like your pretty pink

hat. how old are you? >> [indiscernible] she is a little shy. senator cruz: are you having fun here with mom and dad? are you having fun at the state fair? >> oh, yeah. you, too. have fun. >> spider-man, senator. spider-man! senator cruz: let me shake your hand, connor. i like spiderman.

can i get a fist bump? do you like spiderman? that is ok. i'm glad you're here. you know what? amanda, he is precious. >> thank you. senator cruz: good to meet you. what is your name? >> amelia. amelia, how old are you? happy birthday in two days. are you going to have a party? cake and ice cream? perfect. you are doing them both. what grade are you in? >> [indiscernible] senator cruz: you are going to be in fifth. have you started school yet? i have two daughters. and my oldest is seven. caroline, she started day before yesterday.

are you having fun at the state fair? what is your favorite part? the food? what is the best? what should i try? excellent. you know what i'm going to do? i'm going to [indiscernible] i'm glad you are here. >> rob and laura here. senator cruz: very good to see you. hey, rob. noel, how old are you? >> four and a half. senator cruz: how old are you? >> nine? senator cruz: is this your brother? you just turned nine? when was your birthday? july 24. happy birthday. did you have a big party for your sister's birthday?

>> we did. [laughter] senator cruz: how about you? what is your name? >> dallas. senator cruz i like that name. : i am from texas. dallas is a big city there. how old are you? six and a half. awesome. are you going into first grade? very cool. >> i am in kindergarten. senator cruz: that is awesome. i have two little girls. caroline is seven. she is going into second grade. and hannah is four, and she is going to start kindergarten next year. i think those are awesome ages. yes, they are with their mommy right now. their mommy is back in houston with both girls. actually caroline started second , grade on wednesday, just two days ago. so she is in school right now. do you start monday?

what grade are you in? >> fourth. senator cruise: that is awesome. is it fun having a little brother or sister or is it kind of annoying sometimes? both. >> kind of fun, kind of annoying. senator cruz: that is the way it goes. you guys want to get a picture together? you can stand up and i will come down. >> i am with them. don't hide your sister. >> look right here. say fried butter. senator cruz: excellent. thank you very much. good to see you. >> bye. senator cruz: what is your name? good to see you. are you in school together? what grade? third? awesome. i like your matching pink shirts. what is your name?

>> let's get a picture right here, guys. senator cruz: where are we looking? which camera? >> this sunday night, the 20-year-old college student has been visiting the graves of u.s. presidents and vice presidents since he was nine and documenting his adventures on his website.

he talks about those visits and his interest in american history. >> the one gravesite everybody has trouble getting to that wants to do this is the rockefeller gravesite.

senator cruz: if you look at the last. this kind of had stagnation, historically cents world war ii, the economy has 3.3%. coming out of the carter atistration, and if you look the last time we faced this stagnation, how we turned it around. reagan came in a 1981, he pursued tax reform and regulatory reform. the result was incredibly great economic reform. growing 7.2%.s if you want to turn things around for farmers, we need robust economic growth. with a reduction of taxes and

booming economic growth, that would drive up demand. you have to do both. reduce costs, increase demand. and the way to do that is to bring back jobs and opportunities. >> how you get us there? senator cruz: it will take a lot of people to get it done. >> thanks for the time. senator cruz: absolutely. i tell you what, give them your

card. he will e-mail it to you. my prayers will be with you. my mother is a breast cancer survivor. it is amazing how more and more people are beating that disease. praise god. i'm glad you're here. what is your name? >> carter. senator cruz: thank you for coming out. thank you, carter. praise god.

my mother is a 15-year survivor. >> you have my vote, sir. senator cruz: thank you. we're going to do it together. i want to help everyone of those families. >> i was in iraq. i was injured. senator cruz: thank you for serving your country. what is your name? >> libya. senatorolivia. cruz: do you want to get a picture, olivia?

thank you sir, what is your name? >> you talked a bit about st. mary cities. you know minneapolis is one of those. can you talk more. ? senator cruz: most of the big cities are governed by democrats. they have democratic mayors and city councils. there are a lot of cities that have become sanctuary cities them.n we see the consequences, horrifically and san francisco. essentiallyhave invited illegal aliens to come to the city.

>> we need financial leadership to get that done. specificot rolled up a plan, but we really coming months. it needs to be a simple flat tax. when we do that we should abolish reallythe irs. >> do you have a plan to turn -- >> of course.

we need to get back to the basic principles. to me, you think about it, there regan republican, democrats. , heidn't turn those votes gave a positive image and got fdr democrats. say theympaign, people are coming over to our campaign who have been democrats their whole life. it cuts across racial, party lines. if we have the shared value,

that is how we win. states.purple, and blue >> we love the story. >> oh, sure. [indiscernible] >> thank you so much. >> of course. here.are we? oh, right [indiscernible]

you guys want a picture? blocking thes lens. photo-bombing? c'mon. >> you want a picture? yeah. >> what is your name? meetn? very nice to you. sir.good to see you, coming out.r

thank you for that. >> thank you for everything you do. >> wrote the white house coverage continues today. the result beginning at 11:00 a.m. on c-span. cities toure c-span as we go to communities across the america. is to take the

programming for our american history tv and the tv on the road beyond the beltway to produce pieces through the more visual, that provide a window into the cities of viewers were not normally go to, that also have rich history and a rich literary scene as well. >> a lot of people have already heard the entry of the big cities of a new york, elaine, chicago, but what about the small ones like albany, new york? 75we have been to over cities. we will hit 95 cities in april 2016. >> most of our covers on c-span event coverage. most of these are shoulders, they are not events. >> explore the history of various cultures. contractsle operator

the city, because it is the cable industry bringing us there. >> we are looking for great characters. you really want your viewers to be able to identify with these people that we are talking about. >> it is an experience a type of program where we are taking people on the road to places where they can touch things, see things, and learn about it is not just the local history, because a lot of the local history plays into the national story. this,someone is watching it should be enticing enough that they should get the idea of the story, but also feel as if it is in our backyard. >> we want viewers to get the sense that i know that place, just from watching one of our pieces. >> the c-span mission, as with all of our coverage, it leads into what we do on the road. >> you to be afflicting negate the message of this network to do this job. it is the one thing that we wanted to do, which is

build relationships with bay city and our cable partners and get some great programming for american history tv and book tv. tour to the cities see where we are going next. democratic residential candidate while senator bernie sanders spoke to supporters in a columbia, south carolina. questions from the c-span viewers. this is just under two hours.

[applause] >> come on, you can do better than that. how are you doing? all right. this is the last stop of the evening. we are excited to be in columbia, south carolina. i have the privilege of serving as the national press secretary for bernie 2016. i will be your mc for this evening. before i bring out the man of the hour, i want to chat with you all. did you know, america celebrated the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act? the voting rights act was a civil rights moment, landmark legislation. and we acknowledge how far we have come. but the supreme court 2013 decision gutting the voting rights act was a shameful step backwards. it was. today we know our voting rights,

family values, the quality of education and a black lives are under attack. we know we still have work to do. we need people we trust at leading this country to get the work done. am i right? we need new voices that are not afraid to speak truth about the injustices plaguing people of color and the plight of everyday hard-working americans. we need people who know the critical civil rights law which protected voters in places with a history of discrimination is as necessary today as it was during the jim crow era. we need people who understand economic inequality and racial inequality are parallel issues that must be addressed simultaneously.

people who are committed to reforming the juvenile justice and criminal justice system so we are not locking up all generations of people. but we are instead ending the disgrace that is the mass incarceration of african-americans in this country. people who truly believe and are working to ensure every single young person in this country receives a shot at a quality affordable education. people like bernie sanders. if you believe like i do that bernie sanders is the candidate for president we need in this country, there are a few things i want to encourage you to do. you have taken the first very

important step up by attending this town hall. thank you for being here. give yourselves a round of applause. [applause] >> this passion you feel, this burn, we want you to visit our website. sign up to volunteer. donate to the campaign. the second thing you can do to get involved is you can text to bernie to 82623. that will give you real time updates. the last thing you can do is follow us on twitter. @berniesanders on twitter. this is really about spreading

this message, this multiracial revolution, this fight for criminal justice reform. for social justice. economic justice. racial justice. are you ready? are you ready? [applause] >> at this point in time, it is my pleasure and honor to introduce to you the next president of the united states, united states senator bernie sanders. [applause] ♪ [applause]

mr. sanders: thank you. doesn't look like we could squeeze too many more people in this room. and let me say thank you to the hundreds of people in the overflow room. [applause] mr. sanders: we began this campaign about 3.5 months ago. when we began this campaign, people were saying bernie sanders, interesting guy but kind of a fringe type candidate.

i mean no one takes it seriously the idea that maybe, just maybe, we need a political revolution in america. [applause] [applause] mr. sanders: maybe, just maybe, something is wrong when almost all of the new income is going to the top 1%. [applause] maybe, just maybe, something is wrong when we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country and more people in jail than any other major country. [applause] all over the country, in new hampshire and iowa, all over the country, thousands of people

started coming out. a couple of weeks ago, we were on the west coast and we had 15,000 people in seattle. 28,000 people in portland, oregon. and we had 27,000 people in los angeles. it seems to me the ideas we are talking about are not fringe ideas, they are the ideas that the american people support. [applause] this is a campaign on the move. this is a campaign that is going to win in south carolina and across the country.

but the enthusiasm and the excitement for this campaign hasn't just launched turnouts. people also understand there is something profoundly wrong when millionaires and billionaires control our political system. [applause] mr. sanders: let me be very clear. i do not represent the billionaires' agenda. i do not want their money. we are not going to have any superpac at all. [applause] mr. sanders: we are raising money for this campaign in the

old-fashioned way, small contributions from 400,000 americans. average contribution, $31. i'm proud of that. what this campaign is about is bringing people together with the understanding that if we do not allow ourselves to be divided, if we stand together as black and white and hispanic, native american, men and women, straight and gay, nativeborn and immigrant -- [applause] if we stand together, they may

have all the money and all of the power. but we have the people. when people stand together, we win. where ever i go around the country, media come up to me and say, we are surprised, why is there so much excitement and enthusiasm? why are you moving up in the polls? let me tell you what my answer is to them. my answer is the american people are sick and tired with establishment politics. [applause] mr. sanders: they are sick and tired with establishment economics. and frankly, they are sick and tired of establishment media.

[applause] the people of our country fully understand that corporate greed, this never ending greed of needing more and more no matter how much they have, that corporate greed is destroying our economy. [applause] [applause] mr. sanders: and they also understand, and i speak here as

the former chairman of the senate veterans committee, the american people understand that men and women throughout our history have put their lives on the line and sometimes lost their lives defending democracy and that there is something profoundly wrong when billionaires are buying elections. that is not democracy. [applause] the american people also understand that at a time when this country faces so many enormous problems, when we need serious discussion, that much of the corporate media will talk about everything in the world except the most important issues facing working americans. [applause]

let me be as clear as i can be. this campaign is not about bernie sanders or hillary clinton. it is not about donald trump, jeb bush or anyone else. it is about you, your kids, your parents, and the future of this country. [applause] >> bernie, bernie, bernie. mr. sanders: as someone who has run for office a number of times in vermont, i have never run a negative political ad in my life. [applause] because i believe that what politics and a democracy is about is to take a hard look at

the serious problems facing our country and propose ideas and let the american people discuss them. i think it is absurd for politicians to say, i am great, i am wonderful, everyone else is terrible. that is wrong. what we need is a serious discussion about the serious issues facing our country and that is what this campaign is about. [applause] mr. sanders: our campaign is different from other campaigns, not only in terms of the fact that it we have the most progressive vision, but more importantly in how we are running this campaign. i believe, and let me be honest with you and tell you what no other candidate for president will tell you, that no matter

who is elected president of the united states, no matter how good he or she may be, that person cannot address the enormous problems facing working families and the middle class because of the power of big money interests in this country. [applause] that is the truth and it is an uncomfortable truth. what i am calling for is not just your support to elect to me as president, i'm asking you to be part of a political revolution. [applause] a revolution which transforms our country economically, politically, socially, and environmentally. [applause]

let me tell you what this political movement is about. [applause] thank you. i love you, too. [applause] what this political movement is about is millions of people from coast to coast, standing up and saying loudly and clearly, enough is enough. this great nation and our government belong to all of us, not just to a handful of billionaires. [applause]

the truth is, the sad truth, the truth is our country faces more serious problems than at any time in the modern history of our country. and if you throw in the global crisis of climate change, the problems may be worse today. [applause] but we are not going to solve the problems unless we address those problems. [applause]

let me take this opportunity to talk a little bit about some of the major problems facing our country. i started with the issue of income and wealth inequality. today, as some of you know, we live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. the wealthiest country in the history of the world. most americans don't understand that, don't perceive that, don't feel that because they are too busy working two or three jobs while the rest are going to the top 1%. [applause]

mr. sanders: the truth is the united states today has more income and wealth inequality than any other major industrialized nation on earth. the inequality today if you can believe it is worse than at any time since 1928. so what is essentially happening in our country, the people at the top are getting richer and richer. everybody else is becoming poorer and poorer. the truth is no great nation can survive economically or politically when so few have so much and so many have so little. [applause]

there is something profoundly wrong and profoundly immoral. by the way, i think it is important we start injecting morality into our political discourse. [applause] there is something profoundly wrong when the top 1/10 of 1%. not 1%, 1/10 of 1% owns almost as much[,] as much wealth as the bottom 90%. there is something profoundly wrong when in recent years we have seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires but all over our country, millions of people are working longer hours for lower wages.

we end up with the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country on earth. there is something profoundly wrong when one family, one family, this is america not paraguay, not some small third world country, when one family, the walton family of walmart, owns more wealth than the bottom 40% of the american people. [applause] when millions of people are working longer hours for lower wages. when people are working two or three jobs, trying to get some income and health care to take care of their families. when that is going on, well, a handfull of billionaires are making out like bandits. this is a rigged economy. [applause]

mr. sanders: together, you and i and millions of other americans are going to change that. we are going to create an economy that works with the middle class and working families, not just a handful of billionaires. [applause] this campaign is sending a simple and straightforward message to the billionaire class. that is you cannot, you will not have it all. [applause]

the ceos of large corporations and billionaire class are not going to continue to get huge tax breaks when children in america go hungry. [applause] they are not going to continue to send our jobs to china and other low-wage countries when millions of americans are in desperate need of work right here. [applause] mr. sanders: corporate america and the billionaire class are not going to hide their many billions in profits by putting them in the cayman islands and other tax havens. they are going to start paying their fair share of taxes. [applause]

whether they like it or not, their greed is going to end because we are going to end it for them. [applause] when we talk about the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality, let me bring it on home to what it means for the people in south carolina. in the last two years, the wealthiest 14 people in america, 14 people, saw their wealth increase by $156 billion. here in south carolina, while 14 people saw an unbelievable

increase in their wealth, 27% of the children here are living in poverty. almost 300,000 children. 14 people increased wealth $156 billion. 27% of the kids in south carolina living in poverty. of those children living in poverty, 138,000 are black, 95,000 are white and 34,000 are hispanic. childhood poverty impacts people all across the board. it is a national disgrace. [applause] here is the reality. let's lay it on the table. billionaires become richer while children in south carolina and all over america lack adequate

nutrition. in the year 2015 in south carolina, in vermont and throughout america, children are going hungry. it is not acceptable that billionaires become richer when kids in this country are starving. [applause]

if we are a moral people, we give the most vulnerable people in our society. to turn our backs on the children while billionaires get richer is not what this country is supposed to be about. [applause] when we talk about human rights and when we talk about basic needs, let us not forget that we are the only major industrialized country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all people as a right. [applause]

now i live in burlington, vermont, an hour away from the canadian border. the canadians guarantee health care to every people. in the u.k., they guarantee health care to all of their people. germany, france, scandinavia does it. every major country does it accept us and that is why i strongly believe in a medicare for all. [applause] i believe in single payment but that is not what congress believes in, but the congress did pass, and the president did

find, the affordable care act. a modest but important step forward. by expanding eligibility for medicaid, millions of americans now have health insurance who previously lacked it. that is a good thing. [applause] the affordable care act, for example, has cut arkansas' uninsured population almost in half. it has reduced the number of uninsured in kentucky from 20% to 12%. in south carolina, in south carolina, over 200,000 people would gain health insurance if the governor and legislature approved the expansion. [applause]

not only would several hundred thousand people gain health insurance, the state would create tens of thousands of decent paying jobs. [applause] and the federal government picks up almost all of the bill. pretty good deal. [applause] in my view, it is terribly wrong to allow a rigid, right-wing, political ideology to stand in the way of health care for hundreds of thousands of south

carolinians. [applause] it is wrong to allow hundreds of people in your beautiful state to die unnecessarily because they cannot go to a doctor when they should. it is wrong and immoral to have a situation where people will suffer and become much sicker than they otherwise would have been because they don't have medicaid. that is wrong. [applause] and i would hope very much that not only here in south carolina, but all across this country, republican governors and legislatures would let go for

one minute of the right wing ideology and take care of the people of their state. [applause] i understand that some of these legislatures and governors hate president obama. you can hate president obama, but do not hate the kids and the working families in your state. [applause] mr. sanders: the issues we are talking about are not just the grotesque level of income inequality. it is the realities that for the last 40 years the great middle class of our country, once the envy of the world, has been disappearing. the truth is we are much better

off economically today than we were when george bush left office. [applause] let us not forget that when bush left office, we were hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs a month. our financial system was on the verge of collapse and we were running up a $1.4 trillion deficit. i find it interesting republicans complain they are only growing 250,000 jobs a month. that is a lot better than losing 800,000 jobs. [applause] mr. sanders: here is the point

-- yes, we are better off today than we were when bush left office, but the reality is that millions of americans today are working longer hours for lower wages. all of you know there has been an explosion in technology making workers far more productive than they used to be. and yet, many of those workers have seen their real wages go down. since 1999, medium family income today is almost $5,000 less than it was in 1999. that is our reality. we are better off than we were 6.5 years ago but we continue to find and see the disappearance of our middle-class. what we have to do is come up with proposal after proposal that rebuilds the crumbling middle-class in this country and that is what we intend to do.

[applause] let me tell you something that very few people will tell you. every month, the u.s. government comes out with things. unemployment in america is 5.3%. wrong. that official statistic does not include the people that have given up looking for work and the millions of people working part-time. add that altogether, real unemployment is over 10%. this is really something that we must deal with. we cannot continue to push under the rug. i asked the economic policy institute to do a study on youth unemployment. you know what it is in this country? in terms of kid to have no jobs, or are working part-time when they want to work full-time, what they told us is the kids 17

to 20 who graduated high school, if they were white, youth unemployment is 33%. if they were hispanic, youth unemployment is 36%. if they were african-american, youth unemployment is 51%. [booing] we are turning our backs on an entire generation of young people who want to stand on their own two feet. [applause] let me tell you something else. one of the great shames in our country, one of the great international embarrassment is we as a nation have more people in jail than any other country. [applause]

china, a nation three times larger than us, a communist, authoritarian country has fewer people in jail than we do. if anybody here thinks there is not a connection between huge rates of youth unemployment and kids that end up in jail, you would be very mistaken. right now, right now, in my state, your state, we are 5.5 million young people who are not in school, who are not working, who are hanging out in street corners and getting into trouble. in my view, it makes a lot more sense for us to be investing in education and in jobs. [applause]

it makes more sense to be investing in our young people than in jails and incarceration. [applause] when we talk about the economy, it is not just income and wealth inequality and it is not just high rates of unemployment we have to address. it is the simple fact that everybody in this room knows that millions of our people are working at wages that are too damn low. [applause]

the current minimum wage at the federal level of $7.25 an hour, $7.25 an hour -- [booing] mr. sanders: -- is a starvation wage. our job is to raise the federal minimum wage to a living wage -- $15 an hour over the next several years. [applause] it is not a radical idea to say that if somebody works 40 hours a week, that person should not be living in poverty. [applause]

when we talk about fairness in wages, i hope very much that every man in this room will stand with the women and pay equity for women workers. [applause] there are too many women in america trying to bring up their families who are making $.78 on the dollar compared to men. pay equity will take a huge chunk out of poverty in america and we must fight to establish

pay equity. [applause] i think all of you know that many of my republican colleagues run around the country and they talk about family values. they just love families. but, you know, you all know what they mean when they talk about family values. what they are saying is women in america should not be able to control their own bodies. i disagree. [applause]

what they are saying in their concept of family values is that women are too dumb to be able to buy the contraceptive they need. i disagree. what they are also saying in their understanding of family values is that are gay brothers and sisters should not be able to get married and enjoy all of the benefits of american citizenship. i disagree. [applause] i am very fortunate to have four kids, seven grandchildren. jane and i have been married for 27 years. [applause]

we believe, we believe in family and we believe in strongly protecting the needs of families, but my family values are a little bit different than republican family values. [applause] when i talk about family values, i believe that the united states must end the international embarrassment of being the only, only major country on earth that does not guarantee workers paid medical and family leave. [applause] when a woman has a baby today,

if she has the income and the financial support, she can stay home and get to love her baby, bond with her baby. for those of us who are parents, it is one of the most amazing experiences of being human. [applause] it is pretty important for the baby as well. [laughter] that is a family value. it is a family value when mom stays home, nourishes the baby, gets to know her baby and dad is there as well. it is not a family value to tell that mom that just because you don't have money, you have to separate yourself from your baby and go back to work in five days or eight days. that is not a family value. [applause]

and that is why i have supported and will fight for legislation that guarantees every family in america 12 weeks of paid family or medical leave. [applause] that is a family value. if every other major country on earth could do it, the united states of america could do it, too. [applause] by the way, we remain the only major country on earth that does not guarantee sick time to our workers or paid vacation. that has got to change, too. [applause]

with real unemployment over 10%, youth unemployment much higher than that, we need on major federal jobs program to put millions of people back to work. [applause] at a time when our infrastructure is crumbling, our roads, our bridges, our water systems, waste water plants, airports, levies, dams -- there is more than enough work to do. a $1 trillion investment over five years could create over 13 million decent paying jobs. [applause]

but when we talk about -- it is not only the absolute imperative of having to create millions of jobs, it is also the absolute need to prevent the loss of more jobs because of our disastrous trade policies. [applause] you are looking at a senator and a former member of the house who voted against nafta, capfa, and trade relations with china. [applause] and you are looking at a senator who will help lead the effort against the transpacific partnership. [applause] we need, we need trade policies

which create jobs in america, not in countries around the world. [applause] mr. sanders: and when we use words like greed and recklessness and arrogance and dishonesty, we only have some of the adjectives to describe wall street. all of you know that as a result of the greed and recklessness of wall street, our economy was brought to its knees, millions of people lost their jobs, their houses and their life savings. today, after bailing out wall street because they were too big to fail, three out of the four largest banks are bigger now than they were before we bailed them out. [booing]

mr. sanders: in my view -- let me be very clear about this -- when you have six banks issuing two thirds of the credit cards in this country, 35% of the mortgages in this country, when you have banks that are too big to fail, they are too big to exist. [applause] mr. sanders: we need a financial system which provides affordable loans to small and medium-sized businesses so they can create the jobs we need.

we do not need a financial system on wall street which is an island unto itself which is only concerned about profits for a handful of people. [applause] i am often asked, well, bernie, which of the issues out there is the most important and it is impossible to answer because all of these issues are enormously important. here is one issue that impacts every other issue and that is five years ago, as you all know, the supreme court by a 5-4 decision in the citizens united -- [booing] mr. sanders: in the citizens united case, what they said to the wealthiest people in the country, they said you guys already own much of the economy. we are now going to allow you to

own the united states government and that is exactly what they are trying to do right now. we have a situation right now where one family, the extreme right wing koch brothers. [booing] mr. sanders: the second wealthiest family in america is prepared to spend $900 million in this election cycle. that is more money than either party will spend. when you have one family spending more money than either of the major political parties, that is not democracy. that is oligarchy. [applause]

mr. sanders: i have not made many campaign promises, but this is one i have made and will repeat to you. no nominee of mine to the united states supreme court will get that position unless he or she is loud and clear in saying that one of their first orders of business will in fact be re-hear and to overturn citizens united. [applause] mr. sanders: i am a passionate believer in democracy. i really believe in democracy.

and what that means, what that very radical idea means -- only a few hundred years old -- what that idea means is that you and people all over this country, poor people, old people, anybody has the right to determine and shape the future of our country and not just a king or queen or a handful of billionaires. that is a radical idea that i believe. [applause] mr. sanders: and in my view, not only must we overturn citizens united, we have to go further. i want to see this country have the most vibrant democracy of any country on earth. i want to see us have one of the highest voter turnouts, not one of the lowest voter turnouts. [applause]

mr. sanders: i want to see a process in which anybody in this room, anybody in america whether you are conservative, progressive, moderate -- if you believe you want to get into public service, you want to run for office, you believe in your ideas, i want to see you be able to run for office without begging money from the wealthy and the powerful. [applause] mr. sanders: a couple of weeks ago in washington, i was at an event with martin luther king, iii and people with the southern christian leadership congress. a very good civil rights organization. and what we talked about at that meeting was to, first of all, celebrate the 50th anniversary