atlantic" a look at the number of incarcerated black males and the impact on their families. kathy from new hampshire, to mclaughlin, good morning. caller: good morning. i am excited that the pope will be speaking to congress. i do not think he will -- i think his comments will be received well by everybody, universally. i hear all these callers saying they are pro-life and the pope is calling for people to help immigrants and the crisis. he is calling for people to be responsible to the poor and help the poor and the homeless. he is missing a prison when he goes to philadelphia. , and not about life just one part of it, but the whole picture. i'm just very excited to hear

what he has to say. when people say that he should not be political -- christ's whole life was political. he stood with the poor, the oppressed, the week, and the marginalized. this is what pope francis is calling out to do. it is just something, i believe really strongly that needs to be heard. he really believes in the gospel teachings and wants that to be communicated. host: what is one thing you want to hear from him this week? caller: primarily to help the poor. i would like him to say that we need to help people and stand with people, and help all. i think of you break down christ's message, that was the main part of it. that is what he did. he stood with the people who had left on away by society.

that encompasses a lot of people. that is what i would like him to stress and what i think his message will be. host: have you been listening over the last 45 minutes? i want to get your reaction on some of the negative comments. caller: ahead. i've listen to all that. i was also at the democratic convention yesterday. peoplelly horrified by saying that he is a path profit. i think there is a lot of anti-catholicism in this country . when i hear people say, like the previous caller saying he was pro-thatcher, and pro-john paul ii -- again, if we get back to being pro-life, it is all the living. the guy from texas who will not attend based on climate change, if you look at climate change across the globe, it is primarily affecting the poor. places like bangladesh are regularly destroyed by flooding.

it is all about life and helping the people who come after the current generation. his message is all about life, in all of the ways it is encompassed. host: by the way, it is a congressman from arizona, not texas. there may be others as well who boycott because of the pope's policies. twitter, i agree with the left caller, separation of church and state, no thanks, pope. a look at the pope's schedule. andrews,at joint base and greeted by the president and the first lady. two events we will be covering on c-span -- the white house welcoming ceremony and a mass at the basilica of the national shrine.

ever meeting first before a joint session of congress. the pope were just lawmakers at 10:00 eastern time. you can listen to it on c-span radio. the pope will be departing washington, d.c. on friday morning and will speak before a u.n. general assembly at 10:00 eastern time. he will travel to lower manhattan for a religious service at the 9/11 memorial. all of it on c-span. coming up in just a couple of minutes, our sunday roundtable, focusing on public opinion and the 2016 election. also, a look at incomes and the poverty rate, how many americans are living in the poverty rate, its impact on american society. that is coming up later on "washington journal." first, new mexico congressman ben ray lujan is our guest on

"newsmakers" at 10:00 eastern time. here is a portion. [video clip] >> the democrats in the house do not want to see a government shutdown. what we learned last week is there was a conversation in the republican conference where the republican leadership presented their members of the house that according to numbers and many articles that have been written, it is very clear that everybody knows who will be blamed, and who is causing what would be a government shutdown. it is the republicans in the house. i'm hopeful that the republicans see the damage that was done in 2013. a very sad and reduction into the u.s. economy, employees for urloughed across the country.

debate withe a real the differences between republicans and democrats in those districts. i think the american people know what is happening here. host: congressman ben ray lujan is our guest on c-span's , a democrat program from new mexico. the full interview is available at 10:00 eastern time, also on her website, and you can listen to it on c-span radio. joining us here in washington is democrat sena, a pollster and stratosphere. joining us from new york, kellyanne conway. thank you for joining us. there is some news this morning on vice president joe biden, getting a lot of attention, as he edges closer to join the

presence of race -- presidential race. your thoughts on this? guest: i think joe biden joining the race would shake things up. some of the polling other shows that if he joins, it takes away from clinton support -- clinton's support. he has infrastructure issues with starting later, fundraising issues. finding out what clinton's numbers are for this quarter could help with his decision. host: he is calling democratic donors to say that he is more likely than not to enter the race. does this surprise you? guest: i don't think so. seeing clinton's decline in polling numbers that we have recently seen, and the increase of support for bernie sanders definitely shows an opening in the race. the constant swirling of the e-mail scandal around the clinton campaign shows that

there is potentially an opening. host: kellyanne conway, when you look at the race from your vantage point, what impact does it have on the field? guest: it will have a huge impact, steve. i agree with elizabeth that really it is hillary clinton's failure to be the prohibitive front-runner for the democratic gomination that is invitin other competitors into the field. i see vice president biden as the only candidate to run for obama-biden.m hillary clinton will not do that and bernie sanders is tapping into a more populist streak in the democratic party to be the president to fulfill the liberal dreams that president obama has not. other democrats currently in the race do not seem to saying to the electorate, elect me, and

your nine of obama-biden would start tomorrow. vice president biden would also into the race with the most foreign policy experience. hillary clinton would try to claim that, but there would be no competition. he served many years in the senate and had he chairman roles, and has been as president for eight years. he is also an endearing figure. i would like to see what female voters would do. hillary clinton now has 42% of democratic women. she has lost -- inically had her lead cut eight weeks. that is concerning for democrats. host: i want to share with you one of the moments yesterday from new hampshire. we were live all morning and afternoon at the democratic

convention in downtown manchester. schultz address the crowd, and toward the end of her remarks, this happen. [video clip] >>, on, folks. we are all on the same side. let's make sure we focus on the republicans. we could not -- should not be arguing amongst ourselves. we have a job to do. we have a president to elect. we will have a healthy and ourselves,te amongst and we will take this to republicans to make sure they see it is our candidates that stand up for the middle-class and working families. we need to unite and come together. we need to make sure we show every voter in america that it is democrats who have had their back and will have their back. onward. unify. focus. a, the numberth senn

of debates has come up by martin o'malley, and then voters in that state. guest: the number of debates has increased when we see the .umbers for clinton slipping the worst thing that could happen for the democrats is a backdoor party when they come out of the nomination. we saw that in 2012, turnout levels were not as high as 2008. regardless of who the republican candidate is, that will be very competitive in the general election. democrats will need to have turnouts as high as possible. the democrats need to come out united. the call for more debate shows that there is some unrest among the democratic faithful. host: kellyanne conway, some more news over the weekend as straw poll.ns the

he won with 22%. carly fiorina at 50%. john kasich at 13%. ted cruz at 12%. jeb bush at 9%. donald trump at 6%. does this matter? focuses onstraw poll who spoke, what thought to they get. i did the straw poll last weekend in phoenix, arizona at the national convention of the national federation of republican women. , and tedrina won cruz came in second. they were the only two candidates they came and addressed women. other set videos. others ignored the convention altogether. i think it shows the increasing diversity and unsettled nature

of the republican field that someone like rand paul, who is struggling to stay in the top 10 or 11 on the debate stage, winning a straw poll. has a very strong michigander as his political strategists who probably knows very well how to win straw polls. other big story to you just reported is jeb bush continues to struggle to prove that he is electable, whether in the straw poll, national poll, iowa. it shows you the rise of the outsiders this year that it is the established candidates struggling to show they are electable. magazine, "time" bernie: socialize this." [video clip]

well, it certainly sounds like some people are ready for a political revolution. [applause] let me thank all of you, not only for being here today, but for the anonymously important ,ork you do day after day understanding that new hampshire plays an unique role in the political process. you are fighting not only to improve the lives of people in new hampshire, but people all over this country. thanks very much for what you do. [applause] when i announced my candidacy

for .5 months ago, i think it is fair to say that a lot of people did not take our campaign terribly seriously. that is set to say. it is also sad to say that in the last 4.5 months, change has taken place. host: elizabeth sena, i want to share with you this morning with the new york times writes. while mrs. clinton received an enthusiastic reception with people eating inflatable ks, theker stakes -- stic ovation for mr. sanders is striking because he is not a party member, he is a democratic socialist. convention true 1000 delegates, many of them traditional politicians. not unlike mrs. clinton.

one of the things that stands out about the rise of sanders and the republican primary is there is a thirst for outsiders. politicians are not well regarded right now. if you look at the ratings of the leaders of the parties, they are unfavorable. there is something about sanders's message and his coming from the outside that voters have a search for -- a thirst for. his speaking about inequality which we know is a growing issue in this country he is able to directly speak to. voters find that appealing. on the republican side, you have outsiders like trump and carly fiorina who are doing quite well. they are antiestablishment. we are seeing that in the democratic base. ist: our phone line 202-748-8000 four democrats,

202-748-8001 four republicans. kellyanne conway is joining us from new york. she is a pollster and strategist. elizabeth sena covers democratic campaigns. this morning, the end of the donald. in the washington post, could this be the end of donald trump based on the comments he made in the question -- based on the question at a townhall meeting in new hampshire? many headlines have been written over the last three or four months saying the end of donald trump? far be it from me to predict the end of donald trump. i think we need to understand the four or five reasons that push a candidate out of a presidential race don't apply to donald trump. candidates can't raise enough money. they can't get traction in the

polls. they can't get traction on an issue. they have an inability to get our new media. five, they are stuck with a past transgression. relish pastipate or transgressions for mr. trump to at.on the hot se i think traditional rules don't apply to him. on the other hand, if it gets not so fun, we will take another look at the end of donald trump. competitors a fierce , and one who will not let others to find him when he gets in or out of the race. having said that, is it fun to stand on your feet for three hours in a debate? is it fun to travel around the country when you have a business to run? he is obviously made a calculation, but these campaigns are long halls.

donald trump does not need the media, he doesn't need donors, and he doesn't need consultants. this is a person who doesn't have 15 consultants learning up his campaign, and yet, he is a front runner. say it's the me to end of donald trump. , at: kellyanne conway student from oxford university, a vertical strategist. elizabeth sena earned her undergraduate from toronto and her masters from florida. are you involved in any campaigns in the cycle? guest: in terms of the presidential? host: no. what about you? guest: yes, for takers. -- ted cruz. caller: good morning. full disclosure, i am a longtime

pr person. i know spin. --re are a couple of names memes going around. hillary tanking. republicans like that. aboutly, when we talk wordiness and dishonesty, the media never ever puts that in trustworthiness of other candidates. i have seen it on the left. among democrats, hillary is about 64% trustworthiness despite the barrage of ridiculous -- everything from cattle futures for 21 years.

every democrat will expensive. , they sanders, o'malley will be scandalized by fox news. that pushes into the mainstream. all of this being said. voters, least be aware. hillary tanking is being pushed by fox and talk radio and makes its way into the mainstream. that., because of she was never going to stay at 71%. host: you are right about the national poll where she is up by 21%, but in iowa and new hampshire, bernie sanders is now either dead even or ahead. those early states, she is either dead even or behind. respond to those poll numbers

and we will let the guests respond. voters, it a lot of makes us crazy. particularly voters that reflect more of the diversity ideologically, ethnically, economically, socially that is america. hillary always going to struggle in iowa. iowa and new hampshire, and these pollsters know this, are two distinctly difficult, nonestablishment states. general.he winners in hillary won new hampshire last time. that was because barack obama was a front runner after iowa. santorum won iowa. those states do not reflect america. host: thank you for the call and sharing your perspective on all this. once again with elizabeth sena. guest: i think you raised valid

points. i was actually in iowa in 2008 for the caucus. i remember that experience quite well. you are right in terms of her national lead. she has a substantial nationally. she remains a for medical candidate. day, -- shef the remains a formidable candidate. with the infrastructure clinton is building or has built and her on the ground efforts, she is still the front runner and the candidate to beat. the nomineelikely at this point. national polls tell us one thing, the overall views. this is one on a state-by-state dow -- battle. we see her behind in iowa and new hampshire. voters and i lay new hampshire are different not only in photo composition but also the expectations from the candidate. every voter meets the candidate.

it is a different experience. being the nature of a caucus in iowa exit difference -- different than a primary. it on ato look at state-by-state basis, not national numbers. she hasng said, declined in those two states. looking into the next primary states, those are the ones to watch for how she performs. host: diana in new jersey, democrats line, good morning. caller: i want to put my two cents in. i support bernie sanders. they don't give him enough coverage for his message. they rationalize that because of hillary's troubles with all of these take e-mails and scandals. that is the reason why bernie sanders is surging. it isn't. it is because of his message. he is an authentic person. he did not make up his campaign platform last year.

he has been talking and fighting for the average citizen, the worker, a working class hero he is. he will fight for your pension. they call them entitlements, but that is their agenda. we know moderate democrats will compromise and give our kids away after we have -- our benefits away after we have worked so hard for them. the more exposure he gets, and we have to be careful because he is labeled a socialist which has become such a dirty word, but he is a democratic socialist which i beg people to look up the difference and look up what he is saying. where we some takeover will be just like europe. his message is for the working people and how unjust all of the wealth has onto the wealthy and how they have taken hold of our government with their lobbyists and political donations. that by our government -- that

buy our government and control the government with corporate tax breaks. i encourage people to look at bernie sanders. it is very misleading, he fights for the average person. i want to put that out there. thank you, have a nice day. host: let me turn to kellyanne conway for a response to this. guest: i love the passion from a fellow jersey girl. i think she said it fairly. the facts and figures requireand -- require no spin. bernie sanders is lighting up the democratic electorate in bringing and independence as well. people are blaming hillary clinton's problems on republicans. let me remind people that the people showing up for bernie sanders and swooning and banking others to run are

worried about clinton as their nominee. secondly, mrs. clinton was denied the nomination and her party in 2008. she came in third in the iowa caucus behind barack obama and john edwards. the nomination by democrats. a majority of the democratic , 56% of them in 2008 were women. it is democratic women who denied her the nomination. it is democrats who are elevating bernie sanders, looking for joe biden and elizabeth warren. i would say that hillary clinton has 99 problems, but republicans are not one of them. host: keith in michigan, good morning, welcome to the program. this is actually waukesha, wisconsin. caller: i am a republican. host: what do you think of your

governor, by the way? caller: i think he will rebound. he has not had a chance to get his message out. he only had three questions asked to him in three hours. host: actually, only two to be correct. said, i wantbeing to mention as kelly and mentioned in 2008. we don't need an old guy like john mccain. john mccain was so old. we need a young, dynamic person. here, we have bernie sanders who is older than mccain was at the time running. if joe biden gets in the race, he is even older. the hypocrisy is unbelievable. we haveepublican side young, dynamic, diverse fields. we have nothing but old people. is ae sanders, i think, classic communist. i think he will bankrupt the country. is what he wants to

spend, we are already $20 trillion in debt. i don't want to confuse the deficit and the debt. when you look at george washington to george bush, the debt was 10 chilean dollars. barack obama will double that by himself. -- $10 trillion. keep in mind that a trillion dollars is a thousand billion dollars. that is a lot of money. bernie sanders will run up $18 trillion by himself. this country is in a world of hurt. we need to get somebody who is more physically -- fiscally responsible than the democrats. hillary clinton has shown to she willrial liar and continue to fall, bernie sanders is a communist, have a great day. host: so, keith, what do you really think? [laughter] he said it well. i am glad you mentioned the clown car. derogatory terms are

more rating than the c lown car. democrats can't get any debates. at least republicans are willing to go on live tv for three hours. the voters can judge for themselves. two things were revealed in the democratic convention and new hampshire. to attackcontinue republicans. anger is not an agenda. it is not affirmative to say the other people are awful. allow theefuses to direct democratic process to take hold in her own party by letting the candidates debate. we in the republican side should welcome a debate. it allows the voters who can't write a check for thousands of dollars to meet a candidate and talk to them one-on-one, it is

their chance to see them up close and make their assessments. this democratic party is a century,y less being dragged by bernie sanders way across the center to the left. not come to a place for hillary clinton and her husband. that is what is difference -- different here. bernie sanders shows that. host: should there be more debate? guest: i think a few debates are good. what you see is happening on the republican side is the debates are chaotic three hours of the candidates standing up there. change the channel if you don't like it. the water. guest-- don't watch it. guest: it takes them off their

campaign, it also takes them off their message. i want to go back to something you said. he said anger is not a message. when you look at the republican front-runner, that is basically donald trump's message. he is angry and spending his entire time attacking the democrats. you say that about debbie scholz , but trump is doing the same thing. guest: i was going by the clip that c-span showed. that is where i got my information. i love her democratic national committee. i sent her a shipment of vitamins every month because i don't understand why she is the head of the democratic national committee. gains in theour state legislator and 19 seats -- nine seats in the senate. ,he can't escape the grassroots populist, ground up call to allow your voters, not mine, an

opportunity to get to know their candidates through a forum where issues are discussed. i think they are trying to protect hillary clinton. she does not seem very confident. this woman compares republicans to terrorists because they are pro-life. that is not an uplifting message. i have faith in voters. they go for people who are uplifting and firing and forward-looking. host: this morning, join the conversation with kellyanne conway and elizabeth sena. the front page of the new york imes, the headline -- let me read a portion.

how likely is this scenario? guest: i read that article this morning. it is becoming increasingly likely. every four years you hear there will be no clear winner. to impress the primary scheduled to try to get away with any possibility of a burger convention. the article points this out as well. which states in the republican primary side are awarding delegates proportionally based on what your percentages are in that state on the primary election day, and which are winner take all? we saw a combination of those last time, as well. when you get to the march 1 primary, this is a swing through the southern states. different candidates will be

advantaged by that phenomenon. march 1, after new hampshire and iowa and south carolina, you get to march 1 and something called the sec or waffle house primary. not my phrase, but i think it is clever. march 1, that will be fascinating. starting march 15, you are dealing with states that have winner take all delegates. e is aint of the articl front runner to get 25% of the delegates and still make it. we could push this all the way to june 7 for the last contest in big places like california and new jersey where they will be awarding 15% or so of the delegates. usually, the process is wrapped up far before that. the nature of the compressed process, plus, and unexpected field of more than a dozen people who have given super pac what get oxygen way past

some candidates could expect. i think it is anybody's call. i think for the pro-competition, pro-free market republican party, they ought to expect and accept and be excited about having voters say who is electable and not the insiders. host: robert has this tweet rate you can share your thoughts. he says both parties are more interested in criticizing each other rather than talking about real issues. john is joining us from houston, texas. republican line, good morning. caller: thank you, i am calling because all of these candidates are talking about how they represent the people. doseems like we are going to the same thing this election that we have done the past two. use all thes talking points that the republicans used on each other against the candidates. if all of these candidates are

concerned about america and their constituents, i am curious as to why nobody is going to lafayette, indiana, and talking to mitch daniel? he was director of the omb for george bush, he cut the state workforce, he cut state taxes. he signed a right to work bill. he is at home with his family, which he has done more than once. he is not in the news for doing anything outrageous. i don't understand. i was wondering how your what to meeel about is the perfect candidate for the republicans. host: thank you, john. elizabeth senkellyanne conway? guest: we all respect governor daniels. as the caller points out, he was a great to term governor and effective under george w. bush at the beginning of his presidency. there was a lot of talk about

mitch daniels running in 2012. those decisions are personal. that does mean that -- that doesn't mean that is influence is gone or candidates don't speak with him or take his counsel. what the caller pointed out is an incredibly often missed dynamic in the republican party. we have a majority of governors and state legislatures. that matters a great deal when you try to go in and organize states for the general election. when you try to message free market, individual responsibility, less government messages into a population that already accepted and rewarded them at the ballot box through their state legislatures and the like. indiana is one of those, he is a client of mine, full disclosure, i know a lot about indiana politics. there are 37 governors out there who are republicans. all of their voters have accepted that message. running for president is a personal decision. many people can say go, go, go.

but you need to raise the money, you need to do the travel, your family makes tremendous sacrifices. you, as a candidate, make the sacrifices in earning capacity and your ability to focus on anything else. slights, for all of the people have against politicians, these are people who truly want to serve and put themselves out there. host: a tweet from don ritchie. if hillary quentin wednesday nomination, i will not vote for -- if hillary clinton wins the nomination, i will not vote for democrats. i would rather elect a lousy gop. is,t: whoever the nominee and at this point in time for the democrats it is expected to , if we looklinton overall right now for clinton

and where she stands in relation to obama and her favorability among core democratic groups, she is at the same favorability level that obama was. among women and minorities remains very strong. democratic voters welcome home and vote for the democratic candidate. she has worked to do, but she will be there. is,rdless who the nominee republican voters will vote for republicans. the important thing for the democrats will be high turnout, increasing turnouts among the poor constituents which we don't typically see in the midterm. we know me turn -- midterm turnouts favor republicans. presidential years favor democrats. we will see those voters trap. sayingnother twitter

hillary is quite strong, but unfortunately, the media only reports the fake in a scandal instead. unfortunately, she is stuck in this cycle. initially, she did not confront it head on. i think her campaign has done a better job in the last little bit of trying to lay it to rest. it is difficult at times to control what the media does. they like scandals. they like talking about things that are bad. she is sort of stuck in this. she is right. she is having great speeches, she was talking about the issues, whether it is student loans are equal pay for women. that is what voters want to hear. democratic voters are paying attention to that. while we are talking about hillary clinton, the wall street journal reports on this as well and asked the question why the

clinton campaign would telegraph before hand that she would be more spontaneous? we saw this on the ellen degeneres show, jimmy fallon last week. guest: to be honest, i am not too sure. the authenticity, spontaneous, non-scripted has been an issue for her. it is a response saying that we understand that people want to see more of this. it may just be trying to point it out, that it is something they know they should do and that is what they are going to try to do. host: one other tweet. i will reluctantly support clinton if she is the nominee, solely because of supreme court nominations. she talked about that yesterday in her speech in new hampshire. you can watch the full speech .nline at www.c-span.org but go to democrats line, new hampshire, good morning. i'mer: some of the points

making a have already been made, but a democrat campaigns on aspiration. they want to expand health care, expand college. republicans campaign on fear, resentment, division. they want to tear up health care, etc. , ithe end of the process think it is easier for the democrats to hand off the votes to the eventual nominee as opposed to republicans who are angry. i think most of them will sit out because their particular one out of 17 did not get the nomination. i know i touched on a few things that your guests have said. that is my comment. thank you. host: kellyanne conway, your response? of things.uple i think when marco rubio talks about his father as a bartender, his mother as a maid, and his

grandfather spoke to him in spanish because that is the line she was most comfortable in telling his grandson, go for freedom, be whoever you want. i do not know what is angry or motivating about that. fleeing and his parents communist cuba. loads of republicans time personal stories. carly fiorina having to bury her stepdaughter with a lost her drug addiction. surviving best rancher -- surviving breast cancer. they are moving stories if you are willing to listen. if the caricature is left is great, right is back, i don't think the messages will break through. i don't think anger is a positive or willing or winning agenda for both sides. they told pollsters they voted for the candidate they saw who was more pleasant to be around. that makes sense. areon't want leaders who

not particularly positive about the future. i tended to think people with those messages do rise to the top, and i feel the search for that, including any democratic --cess are part of linton's clinton's problems. i am amazed at her candidacy. i thought she would be able to leverage her husband usually the milk and it benefit from three things. number one, they need to be fresh and new. number two, dated to be trustable. -- 1 -- they need to beat they need -- they need to be trustable. and of the three, they need to be one and good negotiators. -- be warm and good negotiators. i think she is a front-runner. i just can't understand how they haven't been able to leverage her considerable advantages as a

front-runner. host: do you think the vice president will enter the race? guest: i have no idea what anybody will do about me. i think you should enter the race. and he should do it full bore. he has a great affection within the democratic party, including the donors. anybody, including if not especially a sitting vice president, can cobble together a serious super pac that could give him oxygen from outside. as i say, national security and foreign affairs are on the rise as an important issue. he has a tremendous amount of foreign-policy experience. agree't agree with a -- with all of it, but you can't take away his experience. host: elizabeth sena, as you poll the public, the most domestic issue in this campaign, what is it? guest: i think the economy is

still the top issue. we have seen a rise in national security coming up as a top issue. the economy and jobs still remain the top issue. but -- kelly is correct, [indiscernible] -- is sort of in uncharted territory in terms of she has -- not only has she been a senator, she has been around a long time. said about the perceived freshness, i don't know if all of that applies to hillary clinton. i think you are correct on that. women candidates are perceived as being slightly more left, so they have the ability to benefit from some of that while being able to run and say things that are more moderate. clinton just -- she doesn't have -- she just doesn't have, i don't think, those benefits that

another female candidates would have. so i think that is part of her challenge and the complexity of her as a candidate. host: let's go to california, the republican line. our guests here in washington, a lizard with sena -- elizabeth sena. don, good morning. caller: good morning. my vote is for donald trump, and i want to let you guys know why to you can get some perspective. it is not a protest vote. it is because of the incompetence and corruption in both parties. on the democratic side, they are running as socialists. not even a registered democrat. i mean, come on, this is ridiculous. they don't even want to register as a democrat for president. and hillary and him and the other candidates, they call the republicans home of hope's and

hobes and racists and everything. i mean, get real. there is such a bunch of hypocrites. i just can't believe it. and on the republican side, a hear the same old story. we hear you, we feel you, we are going to do something, but every time we were -- elect a republican, they just fallen on with the democrats. we need somebody like donald trump who actually has created jobs, not just talked about it or wrote a piece of paper that said jobs bill on it and pretended like it was great to create jobs. host: who have devoted in past election cycles -- have you voted in past election cycles? caller: believe it or not, i have been a lifelong democrat who had it changed to republican. i started voting republican 15

or 20 years ago, and haven't looked back. for the reason the democratic party has been going insane for the last 20, 25 years. anything goes with them. god,ing that is against anything that is against normalcy is going great with those guys. and, you know, the republicans are getting just about that crazy. we need someone like donald trump to straighten this stuff out, to reset our country. host: thank you. comments ined his their entirety, and here is why. he is an excellent example. an excellent example of someone who has thought this through thoroughly. who refuses to pledge his allegiance now to either democrats or republicans. and voting what he feels is the best -- the best resume in the

best message for what his concerns are. i think his migration away from a lifelong democrat is typical. he is not in a swing state. to maybe people not paying attention, he is forecasting that he is not happy that the democratic party has gone left of center. fivelist of the can name a pro-life democratic female officeholders in this country, i am listening. we can sit here all day and cannot come up with 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. there are no pro-life democrats left. there is narrating a pro-second democrat -- amendment democrats left. but to be fair about this, there are also very few moderate republicans. look at new england. where other republican house members from? that brand -- guest: he lost even though he

was pro-choice. sorry to interrupt, but hold on, we have six female republican senators as we speak this morning. three are pro-life and three are pro-choice. we have a split of opinion on a hotly contested issue. this is a party that is welcoming three pro-life senator -- female senators and three pro-choice female senators. they have a single opinion on the issue of abortion. why is that? host: your response. let me the country is -- start again here. the senators represent their constituents. , you know, the public has moved towards being open towards abortion when it is needed. you have a look at the numbers and you have a majority who support abortion at all times or

in certain circumstances. i think the democratic party with flex that. host: let's go to joe in massachusetts. good morning. caller: good morning. , a little grammar lesson for you and your fellow republicans, the word democratic is a noun. but i understand why you want joe biden to get into the race. he can't win. of course, republicans want him to get in. i am a hillary clinton supporter for many reasons. but here is the main one. 20, 25 years ago, we have health insurance rates in this country going up 10% to 12%. saying, we had people employer saying, yeah we will give you a raise, but you have to pay more for your health insurance. in 1994, just by bill and hillary talking about it, health insurance premiums went down 2%.

and that made a different -- different in the lives of millions and millions of working families. i support them, and hope the other democrats will. have a great day. host: joe, thank you for the call. guest: absolutely. i think what of the key milestones of the obama administration has been the affordable care act. americans are split on it, but the recent numbers that just came out is the number of uninsured americans have dropped. -- has dropped. hillary and bill really did contribute to that contribution -- conversation. host: david is next. welcome to the conversation. caller: good morning, c-span. host: david, it has been a while. caller: good morning, steve. host: good morning. caller: it is good to see and

hear your again. good morning, ms. conway and ms. sena. guest: good morning. caller: i am a 91 year young world war ii vet. in every federal, state, and most municipal elections since president truman. president truman was the greatest president in my lifetime. concerned what is happening to our great country. we seem to be a country that is polarized. the republicans and the party,ts, 90% of each represent special interests. they don't represent the american voter. the money has overtaken

everything as far as our political system is concerned. and i would like to ask you 20 view this -- ask each one of you this, ms. conway, what do think of it ticket of marco rubio for president and carly fiorina for vice president? and ms. sena, a democratic ticket of vice president joe president and vice president elizabeth warren? thank you very much. host: thank you for the call. i should put not to our guests here that david calls in about once a month. he is diligent and we always love hearing from you. we will talk to you in a month. caller: thank you very much, and be well. host: thank you. elizabeth sena. guest: thank you feel -- thank

you. i feel honored to be asked a question by a regular guest. elizabeth one made it clear -- warren made it clear that she is not going to ron. i would be surprised if she accepted a vp nomination. i think the likely to get we are going to see is clinton our presidential nominee. and i'm interested to see who will become the vp nominee. host: let's go to joe in louisiana. the democrats lie. good morning. -- caller: good morning. [indiscernible] they put their marriage back together. do you understand me? she put a marriage back together. gotgot her life together, her job together, did all this

for what bill clinton did to her. do you understand me? what to the other candidates have to offer. she went through hell. and the only thing they can talk about is the server. you talk about the server like to talk about obama care. just talking points. hillary clinton would make a good president could a female -- good president, a female president. that is what we need, as far as standing up for women. [indiscernible] this is why we -- [indiscernible] host: joe, thank you for the call. kellyanne conway, is there a

double standard for female candidates and male candidates echo -- candidates? guest: oh, yes. host: does it apply to hillary clinton? passed-- i think having that test, she was still denied the nomination in her own party were 56% of the primary electorate were women. it would be the irony of all time if she became a two-time loser in 2016 through self-inflicted wounds, through problems of her own making, like the e-mail server, like ben ghazi. standards for fema candidates, it is seen in the coverage. if you look at the way women candidates are covered versus it is oftenates -- about does the color of their

hair match their shoes and their bag? it is much more of the hallmark card, the u.s. magazine story of the fema candidates and what she what she saidthan about iran or isis that day. that is a double standard that is a little bit more subtle. women have shown strength and leadership clearly in so many industries in this country. the lagging indicator has been politics. on the republican side, i can tell you the way hillary clinton was first mistreated about a major newspaper talking about her cleavage in 2008 i felt was a complete disgrace. but usually by female journalists. i want to point that out to the women watching. if you look at who is writing these articles, if you look at

who is doing the eye rolling on tv and making fun of fema candidates by large, it is -- of the female candidates by in large, it is often females. they offer many benefits. they are seen as good negotiators. if you put three of us in a room, we will get more done than congress does all your paid so they are seen as positive, uplifting. they are not seen as part of the old boys or new boys network. so they do have positive attributes, but you have to slog through a hole big mosque had sometimes over you can articulate those messages. host: and this is the gospel of bernie from "time" make a scene. we know the differences that will take place in the upcoming debates, but if joe biden does get in this race, where the seat cover out differences with hillary clinton? guest: i think he is going to be

able to talk about his eight years as a vice president. he has been a very active vice president. his experience and years in the senate. he will essentially be in a third term as one possible way he will distinguish himself from hillary clinton, -- [indiscernible] but i don't expect him to be in that debate. host: but a few gems in the race, he will be in a debate on the road. guest: yes, that is the correct. host: elizabeth sena and kellyanne conway, to both of you, think of a much for being with us. guest: thank you. host: we are going to take a short break. when we come back, we are to take a look at income inequality and poverty in america. goldendoar and olivia

will be joining us. and we will open our phone lines in the last 20 minutes. tell us what is on your mind. you are watching and listening journal"'s "washington for the sunday morning. we are back in a moment. >> the hopes of visit to the u.s. -- the pope's visit to the u.s.

c-span has live coverage. we are alive with the president and mrs. obama to greet the pontiff on his arrival at joint base andrews. the welcoming ceremony for the pope, as the obamas officially welcome him to the white house. live coverage begins at 8:45 eastern. at theer, the mass basilica at the national shrine of the immaculate conception. thursday morning at 8:30. pope francis makes history becoming the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of congress. and friday morning at 10:00, live coverage from new york as the pope speaks to the united nations general assembly aired -- assembly. and later at 11:30, the pontiff will hold a multi-religious service. follow c-span's coverage of the historic trip to the u.s..

>> tonight, "washington post" reporter robert costa on the 2016 presidential campaign and the similarities between donald 1992 candidate ross perot. >> i think ross perot as a distinct character that was different than from. throw themselves at trump for his autograph, a picture. there is a power with trumps personality -- trump's personality that perot didn't have. but the party's relationship with trump has been rocky this year. trump did not turn it down. now trump has signed this pledge, but who knows what the pledges with. it is a political document. we could see this year what happened with perot happen with trump.

he talks about wanting to be treated fairly. trump is, if anything, not believable. tonight at 8:00 eastern and pacific. "washington journal" continues. host: new census report of poverty in america, we want to welcome olivia golden, with the center for law and social policy. you serve as the executive director. guest: it is a nonprofit antipoverty organization. we get solutions out there for local, state, and federal governments. host: and robert doar, a local fellow. thank you. there are so many rings to talk about. this takes a look at under the age of 18, over the age of 65, and in between. you look at the poverty rate from 1959 to the present, and in the last 40 to 50 years, it has remained relatively unchanged. why? guest: i would say two things

about that. what that chart doesn't show because it is not in the official poverty rate is the effect that phasing out programs. when you look at those, you see considerable impacts in improving people's living conditions. but the other thing you see in that chart is the persistently elevated rates for children. it used to be that the highest rates of poverty were among the elderly, and now the highest rates are among children and young adults. for us, the most recent report, that is the most distressing thing. that i duration, more than one in five are poor. host: robert doar, why? guest: well, i think there are a couple reasons. but i would disagree with the premise a little bit. we had better years in 2000. offre two percentage points where we were at the beginning of the recession, before the

recession in 2000. and 3.5 percentage points, from where we were at 2000 and i, this from someone who spent 19 years working in social services. from my standpoint, this is a bad report, and it is not the way things have been always. it has worked and it has been in the not-too-distant past. guest: i would give a slightly different view of the history, in that the -- what we see in this report is that we have come back a little bit from the great recession, but not as much as we should have. the numbers are historically not good. they are better than they were in the recession. what is optimistic in the report is the dramatic improvement in health insurance as a result of the affordable care act, and the impacts of the safety net program. what has gotten worse over this long sweep, we have had public response getting stronger, but

the labor market getting worse for the people at the bottom. you can see that when we get a chance to get deeper in the numbers. host: but over the 10 plus years, if you look at it percent of the population, it has been hovering around 15%. let's put the numbers on the screen. americansillion living in poverty in 2013 -- and poverty. in 2013, it was about 45 million. about 14.5% to 50% of the overall population. go back to 1959, 40 million americans lived in poverty. guest: well, again, and an effort to help people who are low income, small successes are important successes. the recession ended in june of 2009. that is not six years ago. and we now have 3 million more people in poverty. so i don't want to come away and

i don't think the right answer to come away from these poverty statistics is to just say it is the way it has always been paired we can do better and we should do better. especially given the fact that we have a progressive president, president obama, or you would think this would be a high priority. i think there is some disappointment, especially among people that are struggling. guest: i just want to add one more fact. when you look back to the 60's -- 1960's, you have to really think about numbers in addition to the poverty rate because the way the poverty rate is cap collated, it doesn't include the effect of those programs. it doesn't include the contributions of nutrition assistance or the earned income tax credit. so what has happened when you isok more in-depth -- important accomplishments, millions of people out of poverty, because of those programs. but had went because of low age work -- but a headwind because

of low age work. we have had big improvement in the 1990's, a stronger economy in particular and work by low income families. and then we had in the last three years, and really in the whole to thousands, this elevated level. when you look at what is going on behind that, you see that's the big -- the public safety net programs have made a big positive difference, but most of those low income kids are in families where there is a worker , just a worker who can't work enough hours and high enough wages to make their families -- to meet their family's needs. host: just want to remind our audience, about $50,000 a year is the medium income. -- median income. if you make under $50,000 a year, (202) 748-8000 fo0. for those of you earning $50,000 and higher, (202) 748-8001 fo.

the transfer payments that have been put in place over the years to shore up low-wage work and how people that are struggling have made the material well-being of americans much better than the numbers alone indicate, although they are still struggling. but what the poverty level does show is the extent to which people are not turning -- they are not able to work enough hours, i think is correct, and have enough opportunity in the labor market to advance on their own. i think that is important. i should also point out that only 3% of all the people in poverty work full-time. so jobs really are very important. 60% of the people in poverty didn't work at all last year. havethink we have to renewed efforts at increasing the number of jobs and the opportunities of jobs, and the opportunity for full-time work

would be the most important thing. host: let me jump in because that is one of the charts i am about to show. male and female workers are working more full-time positions, and yet the poverty rate remained relatively unchanged as a percent of the population. guest: when you look at families, and kids and parents, what you see is high rates of work. they reflect also the fact that a country is aging, that you have people getting older and experiencing some level of illness or disability. look at parenting kids, what you find is that 70% of porto did live in a family with a worker. of families live in a family with a worker. what you have at the lower end of the labor market, there are jobs, but they are low-wage jobs. they don't offer enough hours.

and so our agenda for what we should be doing next includes some public-sector investment and some work on safety nets. but it also includes improving the quality of jobs because people who work hard need to be able to support their families. i find this quite interesting, as you look at poverty in the u.s. from the early 1970's, and really the economy was so weak, the poverty rate came down in the 1970's, then up ticked in the 1980's and stayed relatively high as a percent of the population since then. what do you attribute that to? guest: the total poverty rate is together lots of different things. it brings together who is in a population, the effect of the economy, and as robert and i have both said, it doesn't show the effects of public programs. that is the reason you have to go deeper. when you look at children's poverty, what you see is that over those decades, what has

happened is that mothers are working far, far more. you have much more work effort going into the family income. but what you have is the headwind that is graded by changes in the economy, so that the jobs that were there in the early part of that period where one person could work and supportive family, the job market is very different now. that is what is creating this had went, and that -- headwind, and that is a reason why we need to look policy that will support higher minimum wage, better scheduling, paid leave, and investments in training and education and childcare. americans million living in poverty, accounting for about 14.8% of the population. here is the chart. the most recent numbers from the census bureau. from kentucky, your income over 50,000 others in your. good morning. caller: good morning.

thank you. host: sure. caller: and thank you that you put the charts on because it shows the 1980's. the 1980's is when began the trickle-down economics. in what that did was result all the money going directly to the top portions of the wealthiest of our country. that doesn't help anyone. outn used to be able to go and be a man and provide for his family. but that is not the case anymore. now, both parents have to work, and still are working under the poverty level. wages in had decent our industries that made, you

know, the auto manufacturing, paid good wages instead of hiring services now, that money would start in right there. and people could go out and buy washing machines and this and that, and that money would be taxed again. and it would come on up. we would have a tax base in which to build our infrastructure. host: we will get a response. they give a much for the call. guest: well, the economy is weak. 2% growth is not working for all americans, particularly networking for poor americans. i happen to think that some of that has to do with regulations and tax policies that are restricting the opportunities for business to grow. and i think that would give us back to a place -- get a spec to a place like the late 1990's when the black child poverty

reached an all-time low. what i think is happening is -- there are two things happening. employers are not providing full-time work because of regulations or rules that are restricting their abilities or adding to the cost of full-time work. and employees have access to certain benefit programs that make them think before they take that extra amount of hours work, or salary increase. and they say, i might lose it and benefits. i like the benefits. , want to support low-wage work but i also want those benefits and forms of assistance to grid in atmosphere where work is always better. sometimes i think our benefit programs don't make it that way. guest: this is something that i looked at the research really recently because i just booked the congress about it last summer. the programs like the earned income tax credit that help people earn more in low-wage jobs, or childcare that helps parents go to work, actually

help people work more. so i agree with the caller that the problem is more in the economy and business, and that the kinds of solutions -- i mean, we look a lot at the issues like what kinds of public policies would help address scheduling. for example, when somebody is only getting 15 hours week, they want 40 hours a week, not only are they getting 15, but they are being told that if they take a second job or go to school, they are going to get fired because they will not be available for work. that kind of thing really doesn't work. and many employers actually think that that kind of policy is bad. it lowers the -- it makes an uneven playing field for everybody. so improving our public policies and laws around issues like minimum wage and scheduling is really important. guest: and i just want to add one thing on minimum wage. i have focused in my career on those were struggling the most.

higher mandated minimum wages will hurt those in our society who struggle the most. the guy coming back from prison. the low income high school diploma man who has struggled in the labor market. you raise mandated minimum wages in communities were that situation is happening, they will not cap jobs and they won't get the first rung on the ladder and they won't move on. so i think it is very tricky to talk about the mandated minimum wage across the country. and we have some people that are really struggling. if you take that opportunity for that first job, you are going to really set them back. host: he has also served in the bloomberg administration. the commissioner for the department of social services. olivia golden is a graduate of harvard and the director of the center for law and social policy. let me go to brian from illinois. good morning. caller: hi, good morning.

globalization is a huge factor. let's remember the human population on earth has doubled in the last 50 years. we have a huge supply of workers now. and just to take the conversation in another direction, i believe the vast majority of families living below the poverty line are in reality single women with children. i wonder why it never gets brought out. why are women producing children that don't have any money? that is the problem. how do we discourage uneducated, young, poor women from producing children? there are not educated, they haven't finished their education, they don't really know how to raise children. how do we stop the cycle? what is the incentive to stop poor women from producing children? guest: can i start by commenting? the first thing out headline is that among poor families with

children, it is certainly more likely that single parents are poor because it is very hard to raise a child and work full-time or part-time a not to support your family. but about 5 million of those poor children live in married couple families. that ishose kids, particularly the case, for example, for hispanic families where two parent families have the poverty rate. for those 5 million children, the issue is all about hours and ranges. -- wages. teen birth rates are the lowest they have ever been. really we are talking about whether young adults in their 20's and 30's can achieve the economic security to support a family. from my own perspective is that those children are our future. irene the baby boom generation. i am aging. it is the children that women, and men, in the 20's and 30's have now who will be supporting

me in the whole country later on. so i don't -- i think the solution is that we invest in early childhood programs, in education, ineffective transitions to work, and make sure that people who have children in those younger. years are able to support their children and raise them. and just one more thing. i do think it is important not to be too pessimistic and to highlight that the census report includes a very big accomplishment, which is evidence of what we can do we put our minds to it, which is that almost 9 million americans had more health -- had health four -- 2014.000 these big things we put our minds to it. host: if you want to get more information, it is available online at census.gov. it is notould say,

more likely, it is much more likely that children and household raised by single parents are going to be poor and struggling life. so i agree with the caller that it is important to talk honestly about the challenges facing young people and junk parents thatthey make decisions lead to children being brought into the world without the benefit of 2 active and involved parents. also, not offer what i think is a false promise that the actions of the parents can be replaced by government programs or early childhood assistance. i like those programs. i want to help parents as much as anyone else. but i don't want to give them the sense that that alone will solve the problem. we need to talk honestly about making the decisions for the sake of children. children do better, they are less likely to be poor, if they are raised in two parent merit

-- married families. host: when you look at the poverty rate in the u.s., is statistically remained unchanged from 2013 to 2014. the real median household income also has not statistically changed from the 2 previous years. about 46.7 million americans living in poverty. when you look at median household income in 2014, it was just over $53,000 a year. in 2012, it is about $51,000 a year. at $56,900.re it is let's go to john in greenville, texas. good morning. caller: yeah. like to talk about the $50,000. like to see one of them live off of $10,000. host: what do you do for a living? caller: i've disabled at the

moment. host: so you get -- go ahead. caller: i had a car wreck and three surgeries. host: is your income from social security? caller: it is ssi. host: ok. guest: the medium -- median household income is particularly bad for african-americans in the united states. lesse down, $6,000 and 13% than it was in 2000. that is a distressing fact and i think we should be really refocused on -- i don't know that the answer is more government assistance. i also want to say that i think there are some forms of our assistant programs -- assistance programs that are not working as well. but the fact of the matter is -- our economy not producing jobs at the rate it should. guest: i just want to say thank you, john, for providing that

information because i know it can be a to talk about, but there are a lot of -- it can be awkward to talk about, but there are a lot of americans living at that level. i think not percent of children are living at the low half the poverty level. one thing i want to note, though , because of the extent of your disability and ssi, i am guessing you have health insurance that goes with it. but for many people in texas -- texas is a state that has not taken advantage of the opportunity under health insurance to provide health coverage to everybody at federal cost, and so somebody in texas who is in your situation who is a little less disabled but still perhaps has chronic illness were not be able to get health care. so it is important when we think about government policy to note that the census report shows a big improvement for health insurance, but it is much bigger in the states that have chosen

to take up the federal option. we need a commitment to helping people in your kind of situation that is national. host: we are talking about incomes and poverty in america. robert doar of the american enterprise institute, and ms. gold. keith from florida, good morning. how much do you make a year? caller: good morning. i wasn't going to comment on that. host: you make under $50,000 year, correct? caller: yes. i get $759 a month from ssdi. i have been pretty much homebound since 1998. between family friends and food stamps, i manage to make a living. my entertainment is dvd, and i call maybe once a month for the last 10 years on c-span, and i'm a registered republican. but my comment is that i have a

question. is there not a disconnect between education and skills? cnbc has been reporting for the last week that there is 5 million job openings right now that will start you with an apprenticeship or something that a six-figure salary coming out of high school for welders and plumbers. we seem to have a lot of graduated liberal arts students since -- student. i think a lot of kids should not be going to college. and counselors should be staying these people in the right way for skills where they can make just as much money as people going to college, and not even be in debt coming out of college because they are already making money. and i think our country needs to change back to where people live to be put in positions, they need to choose positions that they want to, but they need to be educated better. host: thank you for the call.

guest: your comments may be the best comment on the show so far. i absolutely agree. the extent to which our education programs direct people more towards a college degree and not towards apprenticeships back in the two jobs with real salaries and real opportunities, but are more fitting to the person who is looking for that job is an absolute important part of our public policy. we need to do better on that. i think republicans and democrats agree on that. thank you. guest: i would highlight a couple things. we work a lot in this area, but ,ow do we improve training career opportunities for young adults, how do we engage community colleges, how do we work with schools. when you have parts of the country with very high poverty rates, whether it is in a city or a rural area, one of the things that happens is that the schools often no provide the basic core courses that young

people need to succeed either in apprenticeships or in higher education. we just did a paper on how much less likely it is that high poverty schools will offer algebra 2, for example. so we have to build in the pieces that will enable young people, many of whom because of in theirlevels of lead families, they are not able to go to school full-time. do a lot to try to do that. but the other point in your call, i really appreciate you giving credit to food stamps for enabling you to put food on the table. the census report shows the important effect of food stamps. the millions of people it brings out of poverty. one of the big developments in recent research is we know now that would stamps can have an effect on the next generation. the children whose nutrition is better when they are young because they are in the families with food stamps grow up to have better work and other outcomes.

thank you for highlighting that it host: because some of -- highlighting that. host: class is the center of -- we also look of our listeners from xm channel 124. this program is carried live every sunday morning on that channel. stephanie, highland, california. good morning. caller: good morning. and good morning to c-span. i just wanted to be a part of this conversation. i just wanted to tell everyone that the opportunities that used to exist no longer exist because of the outsourcing, the trade agreements, the in sourcing of labor. i amve been -- you know -- an african-american. kids,married, had two ended up raising the kids by myself. and i have been working since i was 14 and i have been on my own with both my parents deceased at

the age of 14. i was able to climb the social ladder. i own a house. so, it is not necessarily single moms and low education. i graduated from high school. lot,e some college, not a but i was still able to get to be american dream. obtain the american gene. it is just the opportunity. because when you go to the warehouse, there are no longer paying a living wage. they are paying $12 an hour. those opportunities that were available for me without a college degree are no longer available for my kids. i have never been on welfare, food stamps, anything else. i have always worked. but i think god for those programs because i think my kids are probably going to need them when they grew up. guest: i think you really put

your finger on the story of many, many people. how hard you have worked, how many jobs you have worked, and succeeded yet dependent on the opportunities that were out there that it much less there. i want to highlight two things. for a lot ofthe -- different reasons rooted in our history, black and hispanic poverty rates are much higher than poverty rates for white adults or children. for children, almost 4 in 10 black children are poor, and about 1/3 of hispanic children. that,are many reasons for which include that you can't count on help from your parents at the same level, the kinds of opportunities available. the second thing i want to say is that i really appreciate your energy. my own sense is that it is not too late for us to build those opportunities for your children and all of our children, and we

have to do it because my generation is aging. the generation that will be moving into our labor force and taking care of us is very soon going to be half people of color. and so we cannot afford a nation where opportunities are only available to better off people or only available to some races. we need to work on the investments in education -- and education so those opportunities are there for everybody. host: and a follow-up to the isvious caller, the caller correct, this country has a great demand for skilled workers, however the wages in this area have been stagnant. guest: first of all, i want to say to the last caller, i want to congratulate her and say i understand her concerns about the economy. but what she has done is really remarkable. and i agree with olivia and that we want to have a country with opportunities for all, not for some.

i think the ingredient for that is to get our economy growing at a faster rate. and i don't think the key ingredient in that is to just expand the assistance programs that don't focus enough on work. snap is a great program. iran snap in new york city. i expanded it quite significantly. but i have been around the country in the past year and i have talked to many snap recipients who say snap is very good at giving me the benefits cut, but it is not good at asking me how do i get a job. and that is what has happened with some of our social programs. we are not focusing enough on employment. the overall economy is a hard one. i may poverty expert. i'm not a middle-class economy expert. is to help people

get to the first, second, third latter -- ladder. the bigger issues of the global economy and middle-class wages, the concern me, but if we don't focus on people who are really struggling, i think then we will be missing what i think is really a great tragedy in this country, and that is that people are struggling more than they have in the not-too-distant past. host: from cleveland, ohio, james is next. good morning. caller: good morning. i see that the labor 63%,cipation rate is only which means the real unemployment rate is 37%. and i think two big factors of that. the main factors of the fact that we have shipped out the majority of our good paying, industrial, manufacturing jobs through these disastrous free-trade agreements.

all the so-called economic experts come down from the ivy league schools, come down to congress and testify, don't worry, don't worry, if our manufacturing base goes overseas, it isn't going to hurt a thing. it is hurting nothing. how are people supposed to begin fully employed working for eight bucks an hour at a big box store? if we have to change policies to make business more friendly to operate in the united states, that is what we should do. and we should make a concentrated effort to bring heavy industrial manufacturing back into the united states. we have the greatest manufacturing base the world has ever seen. and we dismantled it, give it away, and that it like the fools that we are. you are certainly seeing that in your town of

cleveland, ohio, correct? caller: yes. yes. i used to work in manufacturing and i couldn't make what my father made in the 1970's. i was lucky enough to get into construction, where i'm doing a lot better now. very lucky and very fortunate to get into construction. the second part of my comment is with all these people that are already unemployed, we can no longer afford to take millions and millions and millions and millions of people into this country. i don't mean to get off on another subject. in the 1900s, there was a surplus of manufacturing jobs and there was a shortage of people to work those jobs. host: a lot done table, we will get a response. guest: labor force participation is at historic lows and have not come back. i think the real slack in the labor market is greater than is shown by the unemployment rate. i think you are right.

the transformation in manufacturing in the united states also very difficult, very problematic. that is a big, long-term problem. it is related to globalization. i don't want to be associated with ivy league experts, although it was a bipartisan decision. so that is pre-much a bipartisan movement that has led to great transformations in our economy. and i difficult. and they also think that i don't think the answer is to shore up all of that with greater systems -- assistance programs. i think the answer is to free up businesses so they can grow at a faster rate than 2%. so i -- these are tough problems. i agree with your concern. i knowledge the problems it has caused. but i worry that if we rely on the traditional answer of more government assistance and don't

talk about how we get our economy growing again, we are making a mistake. host: let's go to maryland. missouri. good morning, kathy. caller: good morning. i was calling because -- excuse me -- i never finished high school, but my husband and i own our own business and we worked really hard to get here. one thing i found over time, even when we needed help back in the day, the assistance was never reaching the right people. because we may just a little bit of money, we only got a little bit of help with food stamps. host: what is your business and what is your income, if i may ask? it is over is -- $100,000. , we worksband and i really hard, but there are so many businesses. businesses are failing across the board. they are just dropping like flies. i think that a lot of times i

say, you know what, i cannot get anyone to come in here to help. because they are entry-level jobs, but the fact is that i started entry-level. i i learned the job and learned to do got another job and ammo to get better at that, and producer -- and pretty soon i learned to do my own. people are discouraged because there is so much government help out there that people cannot work because they cannot make that money. but in my day when i needed help, if the government quit giving away so much money and the only give a little bit of money -- let me rephrase that -- if they assisted someone to take on an entry-level job instead of giving them all the money, give them a little bit of assistance and help them get up on their feet, that would be so much better. it would keep us in business, which we help the economy. and it would also help the people that are out there who are trying to build a little self-esteem that they can do something out there in the world. host: olivia gold.

guest: i think, kathy, that that it defies that the congress and administration have taken over the last couple decades. those programs -- you mentioned you got a little bit of help from food stamps when he needed it. rats now, most of the people who could work on snap -- right now, most of the people who could work on snap are working. credits aretax primarily there. our problem has been a couple things. i think you and others have taken them. one, as we have said repeatedly, is there need of jobs. the other is the capacity to get the people the skills they need to be ini think that in some of the cases -- to be in there. i think that in some of the cases -- for example, the earned income

, which helps people supplement their low wages so they can move up, congress added some dollars that because it is such -- to that because it is such a proven success. the that expires in 2017. if they let that go way, they will be undercutting the piece of the public work support that does exactly what you want to do. so i show that idea that a lot of what we need to do is help people get going. i think the one last thing i would say is that when you think about people who are poor and low income now, where were you are -- where you were some years ago, they are working a lot of hours. mothers are working very early in their child's infancy. but it is very hard to put together jobs that will support a family. as you know, the pope will be

coming to washington next week. the story of one of the families was in the paper. a mother who has a two-year-old, she is working one part-time job, still homeless, just added another job. it is not that people aren't willing to work hard, it is that building those jobs that will give them that ladder to success in ensuring that jobs can sustain families of their is a key agenda. host: poverty is the reason government should not be outsourcing public government that they should not be outsourcing public, government jobs to corporations not workers. your comment? guest: i think outsourcing court functions is a really bad idea. but you have to make sure that

the quality of jobs and the wages of jobs are there. step issue,ave from im a former foodstamp administrator in new york. as as we haves done that, we have more who are reporting no earnings. they are able-bodied. they could work. my only concern about that is the food stamp program should focus on that, should provide referral and guidance and help people get into work. i associate myself with the comments the caller made about the extent to which benefits can do to incentivize people from working. they are afraid they will lose their benefits at they take an increase in salary or a job. that is a real issue for our economy. there are benefits to earning

through your own work better greater than the benefits. and more from both of these online. we will go to ralph next from valley, alabama. good morning. caller: good morning. i have something to say. bill clinton signed that free e with china and nafta with mexico. took a lot of specific free-trade deals. i work for a company, we make part and all. my wife worked for a textile company. i worked for a machine shop. my work boomed because we were making all of those machines to make stuff for the textile industry and sending them to china and bangladesh in places like that. my wife and them had to teach the foreigners to run the machines.

they give them unfair advantages. our companies here and the lobbyists move the companies overseas and they dehumanize labor. they dehumanize labor in america and they say it is like a worldwide thing, but the problem to workl expose people for us, the people in this country and they are working for .he lobbyists when you dehumanize labor and the people at the top that put their money into it, they get more and more because of the stock market and the labor gets dehumanize, demoralized. the moral of the country is getting less and less. you don't have no moral compass to rule the nation. for adding, thanks your voice to the conversation. guest: one thing i appreciate in all of the comments today, they are yours, ralph,

the human face behind the struggles and people who are working hard and struggling. that's really important because that is the face of poor and low income families in america today. many people, for example -- we have talked a lot about manufacturing, but i would highlight the retail industry, the health care industry. there are opportunities to move up. lots of people providing long-term care, older people in nursing homes or doing other types of work trying to support families. the only thing i would want to highlight that i think has not come out of the conversation so much is that a lot of callers have sounded as though you are worried there is nothing we can do. wealthy,power of the different reasons that there is nothing we can do. assistantn an

secretary and the federal government, i have run in the district of columbia, new york state. in all of those things, i have always been optimistic. one of the things in the census report that says you can make a difference is the health insurance numbers. we had a long time where employers were getting out of health insurance, and we have turned that around. that is a bit example along with worker training, better policies around scheduling and minimum wage, better education. of that's another example where we have been able to make a difference. i have always suspected that if americans commit to addressing these issues of low income poverty, we have to do it, because otherwise i'm next generation is not ready for the future. and we can do it. but the uninsured rate dropping to just under 10.4%.

your reaction? guest: my reaction that is fantastic. it's 10 million people. one of the reasons that many low income people struggle is because they have a health problem that is untreated, they cannot afford to go to a doctor. only that when you have insurance it will take a big load off your mind, but you can spend on rent and food and going to the doctor, but also people continuing their working careers. i think that's a huge compliment. that: i would add thecallers feel -- the callers feel insecure about the economy. in new york city, prior to the affordable care act, we had an

uninsured rate of under 5%. i think president obama made the decision to expand health insurance to folks in the middle class. that may have been a good decision. it may not have been. but what it wasn't was a focus on people who were poor in my judgment. to me, that is what has been missing. these poverty numbers is what is most troubling and discouraging. well i think it is good the uninsured rate had dropped, i wish it had come more from private provided health insurance rather than government provided health insurance, and i worry about the extent to which the affordable care act has imposed burdens on business. that's something we need to talk about. the information on the poverty rate is online at census.org.

and gloriar holden. thank you to both of you for being part of this conversation. the birthplace of american astronomy. coming up in just a couple minutes we will share with you a portion of a program that airs on c-span2 and every weekend on american history tv on c-span3. this weekend, we travel to cincinnati, ohio. [video clip]

>> this is the cincinnati observatory center situated in downtown cincinnati. we call ourselves the birthplace of american astronomy. the founder of the observatory ormsby mcknight mitchell was the carl sagan of his day. he erected the first public observatory -- observatory in the country at that time. -- host: make sure you check out book tv and c-span3 as we visit cincinnati, ohio. the full schedule is available online at www.c-span.org /citiestour.

here are the numbers if you want to begin diving in now -- we welcome our viewers on bbc and also on sirius channel four. we will be back in a moment. evening. i speak to you at a very serious moment in our history. the state department and army officials have been with the president all afternoon. in fact the japanese ambassador was talking to the president at the very time japan's airships were bombing our citizens in the philippines and a wife, and sinking one of our transports on

his way to hawaii. by tomorrow morning, the members of congress will have a full report and will be ready for action. >> eleanor roosevelt is the longest serving first lady for an unprecedented 12 years. all the while her husband, unknown to the public, was physically limited by the effects of polio. she dedicated most of her life to political and social changes and her legacy continues today as she is discussed as a possible face of the $10 bill. onanor roosevelt tonight c-span's original series "first image" influence an examining the public and private from of first ladies martha washington to michelle obama. tonight on 8:00 eastern on c-span three. washington journal" continues.

host: welcome back. let us know what is on your mind. we have about 20 minutes. pope francis visiting, also a state visit by the chinese president that will take place friday with a dinner at the white house. we will have live coverage of all of these events. cnn.com,ll from cnn, showing that carly fiorina is number two behind donald trump in a national survey. the poll finds out that donald trump is favored by 44%. in second is carly fiorina at 15%. that is up significantly from previous poll numbers. -- and in siegel digits, rick santorum, ron paul, chris christie, mike huckabee, john kasich. headline, carly fiorina coming in a strong second. marco rubio at 14%. governor jeb bush at 9%. full details online at

cnn.com. bloomberg politics is writing about carly fiorina and her business career. it is her hp career in one chart. look at hp prices after the compaq merger, which led to her ouster after 13 years as ceo of hewlett-packard. good morning. good morning. how are you this morning? host: i'm good. how are you? comment is, regardless what party you are affiliated, educate yourself. find out what the politicians have to offer. don't go with your say we have so much technology these days. posted, makeat is sure it is credible, whatever information you are getting, and we want to vote with our hearts, but we have to vote with what

the politician could do for the united states, regardless of what party you belong to. thank you for your time. thank you for the call. michael has this tweet with regard to our reviews conversation about income inequality and poverty, when you have an economy that is driven by how well investors do, it is hard for the average person to get ahead quickly. alan is next for moran, ohio, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. two comments real quick. do not -- the democrats want jeb bush in there. the democrats should not be tired of the clintons. if she don't get elected and just don't get elected, we don't have to hear from them again, think of this. host: who is your candidate? caller: i don't have one. bill clinton, i voted for, that

was the last to regret i voted too. my other comment, on health care. you have people for messages is going a couple segments ago saying, hillary, she was single payer health care. you know that, everybody knows that. i want people to take the time like the last lady who just called. educate yourself. the v.a.. look what is going on in the va hospital in the medicare, all that. that single-payer. of theonly 3% 300-something million? imagine if we all did dingell payer health care -- if we all did single-payer health care like hillary would want. it would be a total mess. we don't want this area -- we don't want this. it just don't make sense anymore. i appreciate you letting me talk. for thelen, thank you call. a couple headlines, the l.a. times focusing on b's situation in syria, called "a perilous journey."

of 22 million syrians are adrift. and this from the los angeles times, why los angeles and new york city have far fewer homicides. the piece is called "chicago under the gun." aller from athens, alabama. what is on your mind this morning? good morning, steve and america. i noticed earlier, people talking about folks coming to america, the california caller who said black people in america -- thepanic people hebrew people. and you kind of smirked at that, but the truth of it is, if you thereieve in the bible, are no other people who fit the .rophecy they are put on ships and spread all over.

and black people, hispanic people fit that prophecy. and there was a woman who called and the catholic religion spreads a. term. they call him father, but there is only the heavenly father. so, those are two points and two truths that you can laugh about, but if you read that bible, and you read those prophecies, frankly, the hispanic people fit the prophecy of being put on slave ships and spread them around the world. thank you. host: thank you. this is a story this morning from the miami herald. pope francis lauds the relations with president raul castro.

at tuesday the holy father will arrive in saint andrews at -- at joint base andrews. the president and first lady will greet the pope. then live coverage of the welcoming ceremony gets underway at 8:45 eastern time. there will be a mass at the basilica of the national shrine. we will have coverage of that service at 4:00 eastern time and thursday for the first time ever, a pope will address a joint meeting of congress at 10:00 eastern time. the pope then travels to new york city to speak before the u.n. on friday morning and then to the 9/11 memorial for a multireligious service. 11:30 a.m.nderway at eastern time. he will also spend time in philadelphia before returning to the vatican. our caller from hastings, england. we are glad to hear from you. it is the afternoon your time. caller: i would like to comment

on something and your country. in the opposition party we just elected a very left wing person , and a lotmy corbyn of people are saying you so terrible because he is so left-wing. i watched and listened to your program, and i listen sometimes to the political party about who is nominated in america, who might be the next president. i have listened to donald trump and his talk about how he is going to sort out russia and he , anding to sort out iran he's when to show the world who was in charge. i think listening to the donald trump, i do not think this country will need to worry about jeremy corbyn. because if you get somebody who

is going to tell the rest of the world what to do, i just think sometimes people need to look at the bigger picture, ok? hastings, of from england. firste it you missed the prime ministers questions with german corbyn, there will be a chance to watch it tonight at 9:00 eastern time here on c-span and also c-span radio. gary is joining us from michigan. good morning. welcome to program, gary. go ahead. good morning. caller: that's cool. hello. i just want to make a few quick points, if i may. to say something with regard to that lady who said get more educated. [indiscernible] i want to say something else in regard to what the republicans

have to say about the common man. i belong to an organization of nerds. there's a lot more of us than there are of you. at the risk of sounding like joe , whoever wins, i guarantee it. new republican rules to pick the nominee could backfire. a look at some of the changes put in place after the republican lost five mitt romney in 2012. the m it could have on 2016, and even the possibility -- the impact it could have on 2016, even the possibility of a broker convention next summer in which the nominee is not determined before the republicans gather in cleveland, ohio. this is a good chance to tell you that we are the only network gavelrovides gavel to coverage of the party conventions. we have been doing that since the 1980's.

jim, from texas, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. thank god for c-span. i have to call in defense of mr. trump. it is irrelevant whether the president is a christian or not. his policies are those of an le.amic file -- islamophi and that's my comment. host: thank you. the democratic party leader receiving chance for more debates. debbie wasserman schultz, and she was on to do that by saying we should be debating the republicans, not each other. event, hillary clinton. here is a portion. [video clip] clinton: do not be distracted by their front runner, trying to bully and buy his way into his presidency. his latest outrage, the way that he answer that question about

president obama was shocking, but not surprising. he has been trafficking and prejudice and paranoia throughout this campaign. [applause] tell you, if you look at the policies of the other republican candidates, they are just from without the pizzazz or the hair. [laughter] clinton: he says hateful things about immigrants. a path not support to citizenship. we do not support demagoguery. [applause] trump have heard mr. insult and demean women. donald,, by the way, when you say you cherish women, that really doesn't make it any better. [laughter] cherishingou stop

women and start respecting women? [applause] host: hillary clinton yesterday, one of five speakers at the new hampshire state party convention. one of our viewers saying "i would rather have trump speak what is on his mind then have other politicians tell us one lie after another." moralinsisting has no obligation to defend obama. charlie is joining us from new york, new york, the independent library good morning. hello. i heard someone call before putting down these single-payer health care, and that's the health care that the entire civilized world has been rated takes insurance companies out of the picture. they have no business in our health care. look back -- if you in history, it's people like hitler and mussolini who really call other people extremists, when in fact they were the extremists.

they need to take a look in the mirror at the wrong politics. call.thank you for the a new book out on pope francis is being reviewed this morning. "the pope is a passionate argentine patriot," and points out france's seems to have -- have a seems to view of society that there should not be competition within society which is why he rejected and a structure of class conflict. pope francis "the struggle for the soul of catholicism" being reviewed this morning. ller from ohio. good morning. caller: good morning. let's talk about benghazi for a moment. in the 1980's, they did a study. it came out with stark conclusions that if there is a

mob attack on an mse, a terrorist attack on an embassy and the host country is not defending the embassy, the embassy cannot be secured. the same thing happen 13 times during the bush administration with 60 dead. the benghazi commission has been blaming hillary clinton for something she had no control over. in theould have read commission report, because that is their conclusion. if they haven't, they are derelict in their attacks. usingy do, they are public money to finance a campaign against henry clinton that is fraudulent and illegal. anyone can read the commission report named by commission in i cannot believeman. -- the commission report named for commissioner inman. i cannot believe they are doing

it. in cuba, pope arriving seeking to revive the church, and a special section inside a popeshington post," for all seasons. robert, good morning. what's on your mind? iller: i just want to say think a major problem facing the united states economy is it is way too difficult for recent college graduates with liberal arts degrees in english, history, political science to find adequate employment to support themselves. went to say -- want to say as a republican i do not support gay marriage or the social welfare system. i think labor unions are a valuable part of our society that really helps work hours

have a fair voice, you know, in the employment sector. what candidate best mirror zero views? , if theyou know election were today, i would have to go with trump, because i platform.verall i know trump is not big on the unions, but for me, getting the -- i wouldk strong have to go with trump if the election were being held today. ,ost: robert, from birmingham alabama, thank you. think you do all of our colors. we are back tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern time, 4:00 for those of you on the west coast. hasson.have mary rice

she will join us to talk about pope's -- pope francis's visit to the u.s. eric karen mills will be talking about the issue of income inequality and u.s. competitiveness. rin from bloomberg news to talk about federal student loans. also advised to parents with kids headed off to college. thanks for being with us on the sunday. i hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. be sure to check out the rest of withoverage this weekend pope francis. please enjoy the rest of your week. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015]

>> here is a look at our schedule today on c-span. next is "newsmakers" with new .exico congressman ben lujan after that president obama speaks about the federal budget with business leaders at a summit held here in washington. been republican presidential candidate donald trump holds a town hall meeting in new hampshire, and finally, a debate with general election scheduled for october 19. >> this week on newsmakers, congressman ben lujan. thank you for being here, sir. >> thank you for having me.