rosa parks, shirley chisholm and geraldine ferraro, women like my mother, your mother, women like our mothers, our sisters, our way makers and door openers, strategy crafters and message mavens. we are the party of freedom fighters, day laborers and ceos, teachers and firefighters, the working poor, the middle class, and the folks who have a little extra. we work together to create opportunity for every american. we fight together for truth and justice, pressing the case for fairness and equality, honoring diversity in all of its forms because we understand that we don't all have to be the same to fight for the same things. we understand that diverse is not just for us -- not just a word on a paper or something we talk about, it is about what we do. it is a lived principle.

we are democrats. we are women. we make something out of nothing. we take little and make it much. [applause] can't out run,ou outthink, outwork, or outvote us. we are the backbone of our party and this nation. fight, because we believe that every american regardless of color, creed, or zip code should have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential. theight for the lost and least, the left out and the left behind. we fight for the american dream and the belief that the promise of america should be the presence of america. these are the values that we will present to you and the , inon, and to the world july 2016. there is no better place than philadelphia, the birthplace of

democracy. there is no better place to showcase our vision and our values. strengths as women and our priorities as a party. in julyin philadelphia 2016 and let's make history again. god bless. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ladies and gentlemen, hillary clinton. [cheering and applause] "brave" plays]'

ms. clinton: good morning. thank you all. thank you very much. [cheering and applause] ms. daughtry: well -- ms. clinton: well. it's been quite a week, hasn't it? much.thank you also -- all so much. i am delighted to be here. as some of you may know, i had a pretty long day yesterday. [cheering and applause] but i finally got to answer questions, something i have been pushing for literally a year. and i am just grateful i recovered my voice, which i lost a little bit. start, isaid at the

wanted to rise above partisanship and reach for statesmanship. that is what i tried to do. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: and now i am delighted to be here with all of the wlf, ahere with group that actually focuses on the issues. you are women after my own heart. i want to thank debbie wasserman , and allcarol, cynthia the terrific speakers you have heard from and will hear from, including my friend, leader nancy pelosi. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: i want to say another word about a great democrat -- vice president joe biden has been in the trenches with us for years. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: he fought for the

violence against women act and so much more. i am confident that history is not finished with joe biden. as he said the other day, there is more work to do and if i know joe, he will be right there with us on the front lining. i want to thank all of you for putting women's voices, women's ideas, women's lives right where they belong, at the heart of women's politics. it is sometimes hard to believe, but the notion that women should stillal partners is pretty new. that's why the women's leadership form was created, -- forum was created, to help make that ideally reality. campaign, tipper gore and i traveled all over the country together and we spent a lot of time in people's living rooms, their backyards, sitting around kitchen tables, talking

with mothers, daughters, and grandmothers about their lives. we heard so much. we heard about the dreams for the future that people had for themselves and their kids. we heard a lot about the struggles that made life harder than it should be. the problems that kept women up at night. again and again, we would hear, no one has ever asked us these things before. to a lot of them, it seemed like washington just was not very interested in the actual real lives of women in our country. so we decided we had to make sure that in this party, our party, women's voices would always be heard. party, this party, our the problems that keep women and their families up at night would .lways be front and center

and we wanted to bring more women into the electoral process, as voters, advocates, organizers, fundraisers, candidates, and elected officials, because we know that women are half the country, even slightly more. half the planet and more than half the democratic party. that womenmake sure and families are better represented in politics, so we need to get more of us more involved in politics at every level. as we like to say, when women lead, families succeed. and now, 22 years later -- [applause] women are a greater force in politics here in our country than ever before. we are voting in greater numbers. increasingly we are the decisive voters in national elections. more women are serving in high levels of government. there are not one, not two, but three women on the supreme

court. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: and the number of women who have served in the senate and the house has grown exponentially. -- now, of course, a number another presidential election season has begun. can toing everything i make sure that the issues that matter most to women and families are front and center in this race. i started my campaign last spring, doing the same thing that i did all those years ago when i ran for the senate. traveling across the country, visiting people's homes, schools, and businesses, and actually listening as they told me about their lives, the good and the bad, the hard. it was amazing and humbling.

if you find the time and space to give people a chance to talk to you instead of you talking at them, they will share what is in their hearts and hopes. many families do feel that things are a lot better for them , as theyy give credit should, to president obama and his administration. [applause] i believe the president's leadership and the hard work of the american people pulled our economy and nation back from the brink. in fact, we could have had a great depression, not a great recession. as i travel across the country, i try to tell the stories of what president obama inherited -- the worst financial crisis since the great depression. is standing again, but we are not yet running the way we should be. families are still stretched in

a million different directions, and so are their budgets. costs keep rising, but most people's paychecks have not moved in years. but corporate profits and ceo pay keep rising. childcare costs more than college tuition in many states. and the minimum wage is a poverty wage. millions of americans are held back by student debt. at a time when more women than families' main too often they do not get equal pay. and women of color earn less than others, right? and just this week, the department of labor released new data showing that as our economy gets stronger, men's pay is going up more than twice as fast as women's pay. at one of my town halls in

nevada, they called him a little .irl sitting with her father you never know what kids are going to ask you. this little girl said, if you are a girl president, will you be paid as much as a boy president? [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: i said, i think so. i think that's in the law. [laughter] think of thebut i single mom i met, who is juggling a job and classes at a community college while raising her free -- her three kids on her own. she is doing what she has to to give her children a better life, and she doesn't expect anything to come easy, but she asked me, isn't there anything we can do so it doesn't have to be quite so hard? i think of the student that told me that paying for college

should not be the hardest thing about going to college. for the man i met whose mother has alzheimer's. he's a teacher. he can't afford a full-time caretaker for her. he can't quit his job or he would not be able to support her . you know what he does? he brings her to work with him. there is nothing else he can think of to do. he told me this with so much , because, -- sadness this is not what he pictured for his mother's golden years. it is not just women taking care of aging parents, it is men too. all of our characters -- all of our caretakers deserve a lot more support. the same goes for other policies, like they -- like paid family leave, predictable shifts, higher wages, so you don't have to work two jobs to make ends meet and you can actually be home with your kids at night.

these are not just challenges for women, these are challenges for all americans. i firmly believe that when we fight for women, we are fighting for our country. the reverse is true as well. make-- when we fight to america more fair and prosperous, we are also fighting for women. when we fight to make college more affordable, and student debt less punishing, and to hold corporations accountable when they dow just with drug prices, pollute our environment, or exploit workers, that is fighting for men, women, and america. -- cleanight to claim a pathway to citizenship for millions of americans, make social security stronger, or protect and approve -- improve the affordable care act, because everyone deserves access to affordable care. [applause] ms. clinton: and yes, that should include basics, like

reproductive care, including birth control and prenatal care and cancer screenings. that's why we have to defend planned parenthood against the attacks that are being waged. [cheering and applause] fight toon: when we protect the equal rights of all our people, no matter what they look like, or who they love, and when we fight to stop the epidemic of gun violence that is claiming innocent lives every single day in every corner of our country -- [applause] ms. clinton: that's fighting for and fightingn for america. you know, i have been told to stop, and i quote, shouting about gun violence. first of all, i'm not shouting. [laughter] ms. clinton: it's just when women talk, some people think we are shouting. [cheering and applause]

ms. clinton: and second, i will not be silenced because we will not be silenced will stop not buy the gun lobby, not by the size of the challenge, not by any of it. gun violence is worth fighting for. i am ready to go. i hope you are ready. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: none of these fights are new to me, and i know they are not new to many of you, but we do have our work cut out for us because there are so many people with a different vision for our country. they will say, do, and spend whatever it takes to advance their out of touch agenda. for people who say they hate the government, republicans sure spend a lot of time trying to restrict women's reproductive health and reproductive rights. [applause] ms. clinton: after my experience

yesterday, i am amazed that they are even talking about setting up another special investigation committee, this time to investigate planned parenthood. and i think we all know by now that that is code for a person witchhunt. -- a partisan witchhunt. haven't we seen enough of that? [applause] i like those republican candidates who are advocating against planned -- i would like the republicans advocating against planned parenthood to meet the mom who caught cancer at a planned parenthood, or the mom who avoided an unplanned currency -- pregnancy because she had access to birth control. i know that when i talk like this, republicans will say i am playing the gender card. here's what i say. if calling for equal pay, paid leave, and women's health is playing the gender card, then deal me in. [cheering and applause]

ms. clinton: now -- [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: there's a long campaign still at a bus -- still a head of us. other candidates may be out there hurling insults at about what'sking wrong with america, pointing fingers to try to blame people for it. me. stop me -- that is not i will keep doing what i have always done, and that is fighting for you and your family. i am so grateful for the hundreds of thousands of grassroots activists who are joining me in this campaign.

not only those fortunate enough in rooms like thisnat one, but the students, teachers, parents, and grandparents across this country, you are giving one dollar or five dollars at a time, because they too believe in what we are fighting for. theave come a long way in past 22 years. i am really proud of this organization and all it has achieved. haswomen's leadership forum changed the democratic party. [applause] ms. clinton: you have changed it for the better. we are stronger than we have ever been. let's keep fighting for that future for our children and grandchildren. --e of us i am sure you know know if us i am sure

have the most extraordinary granddaughter. she keeps me going. thankfully, my wonderful daughter and son-in-law show me great pictures that have been a great used along the campaign trail. i think a lot about her future. i think about what kind of opportunities she will have, but i also think about what kind of opportunities all the children of america will have, what kind of country will she become an adult in? what kind of world will be waiting for her? i don't think it's enough for anybody that my granddaughter, your children, your , should be able to pursue their dreams one summary of our other children in this country are feeling left behind -- when so many of our other children in this country are

feeling left behind and left out. for the first time in american history, as far as i know, more than half the kids in our public schools are eligible for free or reduced lunches. poverty has returned with a vengeance. we made a lot of progress lifting families out of property -- poverty back in the 1990's. i think it is a verifiable fact that our economy does better when we have a democrat in the white house. [applause] ms. clinton: both my husband in president obama inherited challenges from the republican predecessors. both were charged with my husband. it was dealing with an economy that was not growing fast enough, but it took off, incomes rising in all parts of our economy -- top, middle, working, low income people, all were doing better.

a balanced budget and a surplus to the incoming republican administration and they squandered of all. they cut taxes on the wealthy, but they basically got out of the way of corporations, they took their eye off the financial markets, they did not pay a penny for the wars that they waged, and you know what happened. it took another democratic president, who you will hear from later today -- [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: to come in and accept the responsibility, which he did, to try to repair the damage that had been done. everything i had talked about before -- all of our rights, our hopes, will be at risk, because the republicans are once again successful in making the same argument a always make. it is discredited, it doesn't

work, but that doesn't stop them. back talking about cutting taxes on the wealthy, getting out of the way of corporations. we know what that leads to. increasing inequality. exploitation of workers. pollution of our environment. denial of climate change. the 21sto move into century with clean energy. failure to provide early childhood education and universal prekindergarten so every kid has a chance to get ahead. you can listen to their debates for hours, and unfortunately some of us have to. [laughter] [applause] you won't hear a single solution to any of the problems we are facing here at home or around the world.

effortaign is really an to try to build an america where everyone, women and men, can rise as far as their talents and artwork take them. where everyone has a shot at achieving their dreams and living up to their potential. and yes, where a father can say to his daughter, you can be anything you want to be, even president of the united states. thank you all very much. [cheering and applause] ms. clinton: thank you. [cheering and applause] ♪ to theer: more road white house coverage of the 20 16th president told race tomorrow night, as bernie

sanders, martin o'malley, and hillary clinton up. at the dinner in des moines, iowa. live coverage here on c-span, also on c-span radio and online at c-span.org. c-span provides the at -- the best access for hillary clinton testifying before the house select committee on benghazi. ms. clinton: there was no credible threat known to our intelligence committee against our compound. announcer: our coverage without commercials or commentary will air in its entirety saturday and sunday at noon eastern on c-span. all campaign long, c-span takes you on the road to the white house. unfettered access to the candidates at town hall meetings, news conferences, rallies, and speeches. we are taking comments on twitter, facebook, and by phone. as always, every campaign

eventually cover is available on our website, c-span.org. president obama also addressed the democratic national committee's women's leadership forum. he outlined his achievements in office and encouraged young democrats to stay active in office. this is 25 minutes. ladies and gentlemen, the president, barack obama. [cheering and applause] hello, democrats! [cheering] pres. obama: hello! i love you too. thank you. all right. if you have a seat, have a seat. some of you don't. [laughter] pres. obama: it is so good to be

with all of you. [cheering] i like being in a room with democrats generally. i especially like being in a room with democratic women. [cheering and applause] let me begin by saying that nobody works harder to strengthen this party up and down the ballot in all 50 states that are chair, debbie wasserman schultz. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: debbie couldn't be here today because she is working to build up our party in tennessee. she is a relentless, she's got incredible partners. where's amy? she's around here. give amy a big round of applause. she's working hard. and the women's leadership forum co-founder, cynthia freedman and

carol pinsky. [cheering and applause] so it is good to see all of you. many of you have been friends for a long time, and then there are some of you who were cropped tro -- who were four when i first ran for the presidency. [laughter] pres. obama: she's all like, no, i was five. [laughter] pres. obama: the point, though, is that all of you are working hard to make sure that our party and our country moves forward. and for the younger people here, let me refresh your memory. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: when we came together seven years ago, we did so not just to elect the president, but to reaffirm our faith in that most fundamental, basic, american ideal. that people who love this country can change it. a lot of you were involved in that movement.

a lot of you stayed involved ever since. and that faith sometimes has been tested by war and recession and politics and by obstruction and by a lot of cynics who said it was foolish for us to keep believing, that it was naive for us to keep on trying, but thanks to folks like you, thanks to americans like you, this country is moving forward. think about the path we've traveled. yes! [cheering and applause] when i took office, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month. unemployment rate on its way to 10%. today, during the longest streak of job growth on record, our businesses is have created 13.2 million new jobs. unemployment is now at 5.1%. [cheering and applause] when i took office,

more than 15% of americans went without the security of health insurance. today we've covered another 17 million americans for the first time on record, more than 90% of americans have coverage. [applause] pres. obama: and for everybody who already had coverage, now insurance companies can't discriminate because of a pre-existing condition or charge women more just for being a woman. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: when i took office, we were hopelessly addicted to foreign ail. we cut oil imports by half. we have doubled the production of clean energy, tripled the amount of wind power we generate. 20 times more solar energy is now created than when i came into office, and all of that is generating good jobs that can't be outsourced and helping the environment. when i took office, our influence around the world was at a nadir.

our standing was diminished. today america is leading the world in confronting new threats. making sure iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. america is leading the world in global action on climate change. americans are leading the world to write smarter and stronger trade rules for the 21st century. we are engaging with the cuban people. we have brought thousands of our brave troops home to be with their brave families. so we have made incredible progress on just about every front. you can't find a part of our economic life where we haven't seen significant progress. but we come here today because we know we've still got work to do. we can't just be complacent. we can't rest on our laurels. when cynics told us we couldn't change this country, they were wrong. but we know we've still got work to do. marriage equality is now a reality in all 50 states. [cheering] but we've still got

work to do to make sure that our lgbt community is getting fair treatment on the job. high school graduation rates are up, and college graduation rates are up, but we still have to help young people be able to go to college without being burdened by a mountain of debt. [applause] manufacturing is up, but we still have to do more to make sure that we're training our folks to get these new manufacturing jobs. our deficits are down, but we've got to make sure that we are making the investments that we need to grow in the future. our carbon pollution is down, but we're not moving as fast as we need to to control climate change. teen pregnancy rates are down, but we've got a lot of folks attacking the right of women just to have basic health care in this country and be able to make decisions about

reproductive freedom without having some member of congress or some governor or some other elected official try to intrude. the point is, overall, we're making enormous progress. and it does make you wonder, why is it that republican politicians are so down on america? [laughter] pres. obama: have you noticed that? [applause] pres. obama: i mean, they are gloomy. [laughter] pres. obama: they're like grumpy cat. [laughter] pres. obama: everything is terrible, according to them. we're doomed. i mean, i know it's political

season, but you listen to them, and they've constructed this entire separate reality, like the twilight zone. [laughter] pres. obama: and according to their story, their narrative, everything was terrific back in 2008. when unemployment was skyrocketing, and uninsured rates were rising, and folks were losing their homes and their jobs. we were engaged in two wars, bin laden was still at large. if you were listening to them, those are like the good old days. the golden years. and then, i came in and the democrats came in -- [cheers and applause] pres. obama: but according to them, that's when everything all went to heck. [laughter] pres. obama: which is strange. it's a hard argument to make. there was an article, i think in the "new york times" today or maybe yesterday, where they pointed out that it's very hard

for them to make the arguments they make about tax cuts for the wealthy and doing the same stuff that they been promoting, and trying to eliminate regulations on the big banks and all of that when the empirical evidence shows that when democrats control the white house, and we've got a democratic congress, the economy does better, and when they're in charge, it does worse. [laughter] pres. obama: just look at the facts. don't take my word for it. go back, take a look at, all right, here's bill clinton's presidency. then there's the bush presidency. then there's my presidency. take a look. [laughter] pres. obama: and you have to feel bad for the fact checkers for the republicans because they've got to spend hours trying to keep up with some of the crazy stuff that their

candidates are claiming. and the reason they have to make up stuff is because they don't have a record to run on. they're offering the same policies that caused so many problems in the first place. they ran on them in 2008, they ran on them in 2012, they're running on them now. more tax cuts for the folks at the very top, although there's no economic evidence to show that would grow the economy. they say that's going to grow the economy. nobody believes it, no economists think it, but they insist on it. fewer investments in things like education. even though there's no evidence that that would actually improve the lives of the american people. there's a lot of evidence it would make it worse. they want to repeal the affordable care act, which i know is a shocking development. [laughter] pres. obama: kick millions of hardworking americans off their health insurance. they've been promising since we passed the affordable care act

that they would replace it with something better, except they can't come up with anything. except to just have people uninsured. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: they want to got wall street reform and risk another crisis by letting the big banks run wild. they want to strip away regulations on polluters saying these are job killers, despite the fact as i pointed out -- did i point out that job growth happens under democratic administrations and was worse under their administrations? and they even deny that the planet is getting warmer. and that our climate is more dangerous. this is despite evidence to the contrary. they are fighting tooth and nail to unravel new rules on power plants to protect the air that our kids breathe and reduce

harmful carbon emissions. and i think the way they approach climate change is a good illustration of the problems that they're having. [laughter] pres. obama: now, let's just take an example. if you went to 100 doctors and 99 of them said, you are really sick, you've got, let's say, high cholesterol. what would you do? would you say those 99 doctors are crazy and part of a wild eyed socialist plot to prevent you from eating cheese? [laughter] pres. obama: or would you say, you know what, i'll bet those doctors know what they're talking about. i've got to modify my diet a little bit.

i mean, we laugh, but that's essentially how they're approaching this existential threat to our future. and the truth is, a majority of republican voters disagree with their own party on this. washington republicans are alone on their own shrinking island. so the point is, look, number one, we've got a lot of things to feel good about in this country. and it's a shame when politicians spend all their time trying to make people feel bad or more typically trying to make them feel scared. talking down the country all the time. because it serves your politics. we don't have time for that. we've got more work to do. and democrats are the ones with the right ideas and right plans to get the job done. we've got -- [applause] we've got an optimistic vision.

we've got an optimistic vision about where this country can go, if the politics of obstruction and fear mongering are set aside. and if we start working together as a country, there's no problem we can't solve. you've heard from some of our outstanding candidates. i'm going to be supporting whoever the nominee is, and i'm confident -- [laughter] pres. obama: what are you laughing about? [laughter] pres. obama: we've got some great candidates. but when you watch the debate between the democrats, it was logical, and civil, and people didn't agree with everything, but they weren't just saying crazy stuff. [laughter] pres. obama: and they weren't dividing the country into us and them. and tapping into people's, you

know, worst impulses. it made me proud because it said that we've got a party that's inclusive and wants everybody to join and get involved and showed that we can disagree without being disagreeable. as democrats, our economic plans would actually grow the economy for everybody, not just for folks at the top. we should not even be thinking about something as ridiculous as shutting down our government over planned parenthood. we should be talking about opening up new opportunities. investing in our schools. rebuilding the infrastructure that creates jobs. investing in the research that alleviates hunger or cures cancer once and for all, like vice president joe biden said. >> yes! [cheering and applause] pres. obama: as democrats, we're spending time thinking about the concrete challenges that families face.

so we have family leave plans that would actually guarantee family leave. [laughter] ms. fiorina: -- pres. obama: we have plans to raise people's wages, rather than trying to suppress people's wages. our plans make sure that women are paid fairly for doing the same work as men. [cheers and applause] which is why we vote for, not against a law that would make sure women are paid fairly for doing the same work as men. as democrats, our plans to combat climate change actually recognize the existence of climate change. [laughter] pres. obama: and it's not just a matter of trying to avert danger. we see opportunity and jobs in moving to a clean energy economy. we want america to be out front. we embrace our responsibility to leave our kids with a safe, prosperous, habitable planet.

as democrats, we're proud that our plans to fix our broken immigration system are not rooted in anti-immigrant sentiment. [cheers and applause] pres. obama: they're rooted in what we know to be our own immigrant stories. we understand that america's greatness doesn't come from building walls, it comes from building opportunities. [cheers and applause] now, the good news is that there's a broad consensus within our party about what needs to happen, and what's also good news is the majority of the american people agree with us. but there's a danger coming up. and it's something we have to address. and that is, complacency and cynicism. a lot of times, it seems like our politics don't reflect the

commonsense and decency that we see in our neighbors, our communities, our friends, and it gets frustrating. we've got a system that too often rewards division and polarization and short-term thinking and rewards people for saying the most outrageous things. even though everybody knows they're not true. but we think of it as entertainment, somehow. and so attention grabbing and controversy is rewarded rather than folks who are rolling up their sleeves and dealing with sometimes really complicated issues that don't lend themselves to a sound bite. so people get cynical. sometimes folks just throw up their hands and say, washington doesn't work, a plague on both your houses, everybody is dysfunctional. [laughter] your job is to not succumb to that. ms. daughtry your job, more imps to convince your friends and neighbors and communities, your states, not to succumb to that.

we can't afford that. we have too much to do. our system only works when we realize that government is not some alien thing. government is not some conspiracy. or plot. it's not something to oppress you. government is us. in a democracy. government is us. the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen. it's you. and this has been the premise of my politics since we got to know each other. since i started running. i always have to remind people, when i ran for office, i didn't say, i got this. go home. [laughter] pres. obama: i didn't say, yes, i can. [laughter]

pres. obama: i said, yes, we can. i said yes, we can. [cheers and applause] pres. obama: yes, we can. we. we the people. yes, we can. [cheers and applause] pres. obama: so moving forward, getting our unfinished business done does not depend on me or congress or the democratic president that we intend to elect next year alone. it depends on all of us. it depends on what we, the people, do together. and that's why i'm so glad to see these young people here. [cheering and applause] because i want you -- i want the young people here to poke and prod and remind us,

who are getting gray hair -- [laughter] pres. obama: i want you to remind us of that sense of possibility. >> i will. [laughter] pres. obama: if you care about all the things that we fight for, you're going to have to be active, you're going to have to be involved, you're going to have to be passionate. not just at events like this. this is easy. come into a fancy ballroom and schmoozing and listening to the president. [laughter] pres. obama: we need you to go out and organize. we need you to go out and mobilize. we need you to knock on doors. we need you to work on referendums and ballot initiatives. we need you to work at the local level and the state level. we need you to inform people. you need to involve people. you need to turn them out to vote. we've got to make sure your friends across the country know where their leaders stand. if they don't know, then inform them. and make sure they're doing the right thing and hold them accountable. if they're not doing the right thing, we've got to vote them out. [cheering] [applause]

pres. obama: so, democrats, we are at our best, and america is at its best when we assume the best in others instead of the bad. when we're willing to try and recognize our own struggles and fears and hopes in other people. when we see some kid struggling to pay for college, we have to feel like that's our kid. or i remember how i had to struggle. when you see an immigrant hoping to contribute, that's my parent or grandparent or great grandparent. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: when you see that african-american denied the right to vote, you understand my democracy is at stake when that happens. when a worker is denied a living wage or equal pay for her efforts, that hurts everybody. their stories may not be exactly

like ours, but we're in the same fight. we care about the same things. we believe in each other. and that's what makes me proud to be a democrat. we are right on most policy issues. [laughter] pres. obama: our arguments are the right ones. but at our core, what i'm really proud of is the fact that we believe in this country that everybody has a fair shot. that everybody has got to be able to get ahead. [cheering and applause] pres. obama: that we've got a responsibility to uphold those highest ideals, to fight for everybody who hasn't had the same chances we had. and leave a country to our kids where, no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, who you love, you can make it if you try. that's what we stand for as democrats. that's what we stand for as americans. that's what's at stake in next year's election. that's why i need you to go out and get busy and get to work. thank you, everybody. god bless you.

[cheers and applause] ♪ >> ♪ next to me announcer: more road to the white house coverage of the 2016 presidential race tomorrow night as bernie sanders, martin o'malley, and hillary clinton appear at the jefferson jackson dinner in des moines, iowa. atwill have live coverage

9:00 p.m. eastern time on c-span, also on c-span radio and online at c-span.org. c-span,r: coming up on wrote of the white house coverage of campaign stops by texas senator ted cruz in council bluffs, iowa, and donald trump in miami. announcer: on the next washington journal, we will talk today leventhal about the -- today leventhal -- to dave levinthal about which candidates are winning the money race. plus, your phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets. washington journal live each

morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. weekend, theery c-span network features programs on politics, nonfiction books, and american history. on saturday night at 9:00 eastern, it is the jefferson jackson dinner life from des moines. speakers include bernie sanders, martin o'malley, and former secretary of state hillary clinton. at 6:30, carly fiorina will hold a town hall in beaufort, south carolina, and live this saturday beginning at 11:30 on c-span2's book tv, the wisconsin book festival, featuring interviews with nonfiction authors, including mary noris. -- sunday, former senator john danforth on how religion can be the country out of the better

state of politics. on c-span three, saturday evening at 6:00 eastern, espionage and intelligence gathering tactics during the so fewar, and why historical documents exist. sunday morning at 10:00, on oral histories, civil rights leader julian bond, who passed away in august, on his civil rights career, growing up in the segregated south, and his work as a student. get our complete schedule at c-span.org. republican candidate carly fiorina was in south carolina today for a town hall event, where she answered questions from her supporters. she talked about the economy, persecution of christians, and hillary clinton's testimony before the house benghazi committee. the university of north carolina's satellite campus in before. -- in beaufort.

[applause] ms. fiorina: thank you so much. thank you. it is great to be back here in south carolina. so much for that wonderful introduction, and thank you, children, for the pledge of allegiance that you did so well. how many of you watched the benghazi hearings a little bit? course, hillary clinton continues not to answer the ,undamental question, which is since she clearly knew that this was a purposeful terrorist attack on the night it was going up the nextshe get day and address the american

people and talk about a videotape that did not represent our values, and why did she continue to talk about that for many days and weeks to come? hearings i think those as admirable a job as trade dowdy did -- trey gowdy did. done,irable a job he has it is clear that mrs. clinton will not be held accountable for her actions there or elsewhere. until and unless we have a nominee that is prepared to hold her to account during a general election debate. [applause] maybe some of you haven't quite decided if you are ready to support me or not, but everyone of you i know in your heart of hearts cannot wait to see me debate hillary clinton. [cheering and applause]

and there's only one way that happens, folks. there's only one way. i do occasionally feel a certain amount of empathy for hillary clinton, as i have said publicly on other occasions, because there are things that are different about running for as a woman. for example, early on in my campaign, i was asked on a saturday morning television show whether i thought that a woman's hormones preventer from serving in the oval office. [laughter] was, gee,a: my answer can we think of a single instance in which a man's judgment might have been clouded by his hormones? [laughter] ms. fiorina: there are many differences between hillary clinton and i, and one of the men's ones -- one of the main

ones is this. your voteer ask for because i am a woman, although i am proud to be one. i will ask for your support and prayers, because i believe i am the most qualified candidate to win this job and do this job. [applause] when i launched my candidacy, honestly, nobody gave me a chance. oft voters had never heard me, i had never held office, nobody gave me a chance. i reminded george stephanopoulos this morning on good morning america of that, because i was on his show the day i announced. during the august 6 debate, i was not even on the main stage. at the cnn debate in september, i had to fight my way on stage. by the way, many of you helped. thank you so much. [applause] debate next in the

week, i am number four, so i am feeling pretty good. we have come a long way. [applause] but the truth is, i am still introducing myself to the american people. it is true that next week during that debate, 40% of republican voters don't know who i am, and they still don't know i'm running for president. allow me to take a moment if i may, before i talk about what is nation, to our introduce myself. i won't make this too long, but i must start when i was a little girl. i was in church on a sunday morning. the mother was my sunday school teacher, and she looked at me and said to me and the rest of my sunday school students, what you are is god's gift to you, what you make to yourself is your gift to god. those words have stayed with me all my life, perhaps because of that little girl, or even as a young woman -- i didn't feel particularly gifted -- and her

words were a promise that i have gifts and have a challenge to find and use those. i adore my father and i would sit at his knees and watch and watch the news every night when he came home from work. i would watch him yell at walter cronkite. and i would ask him, why? and he would explain. and the next morning, i would sit at the breakfast table and watch him yell at the new york times. i would ask him why. from both my mother and father, i learned that there is no substitute for hard work, there is dignity and all work is done with excellence. that family brings purpose to our lives and faith brings meaning. values are what guides your behavior when no one is looking. and that in the end, europe you tatian integrity are the most precious assets you have -- your reputation and integrity are the most precious assets you have.

i would start my career in a deep recession, typing and answering phones for a small real estate firm. one day, two men want to -- walked to my desk, and they said, we have been washing you -- watching you, and we think you can do more than type and file. that was my introduction to business.to the i would go on and work at at&t. i started in washington, d.c. a millionused to be employees, and it was there were i met my husband, frank. he brought together two little girls. --y have been under enormous ben and enormous blessing. an enormous blessing. we have been very blessed, freight and i. we have had good times and hard

times. you heard from shannon, i battled cancer. the power of my fate saw me through that. my fate saw us through the tough times of bearing i have been all over the world. i have lived come work, traveled all over the world. i am keenly aware that it is only in this nation that a young woman can start out the way i did, in the middle of a deep filing, goyping and on one day to become the chief executive of what we turned into the largest technology company in the world. and run for the presidency of the united states. that is only possible here. [applause] and i think it is worth asking why. the why.

the reason more things are possible here than anywhere else on earth. because i think it is forgetting the why that we go the wrong direction. and i think our nation is in a pivotal point. my mother was right. everybody has gifts. everyone has potential, far more than they realize. and yet, more things have been more possible for more people here because our founders knew what my mother taught me. our founders knew that everyone has potential, god-given gifts. and in this nation, you have a right -- it was quite a radical idea the time -- a right to the fill your potential, the use your gift. it is what they meant when they said the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and the really radical part of their idea, which founded a nation, was that this right to fulfill your potential -- to use

your god-given gifts -- comes from god. they cannot be taken away by man or government. [applause] i started on the journey of considering running for president when iran into a man after speech i had given -- when i ran into a man after speech i had given. he said, you know carly, we don't think of ourselves as a nation of limitless possibilities anymore. that really landed. because when we do not think of ourselves that way, we are losing the core of who we are. we used to know that if something were worth doing, we would figure out how to do it. if it were hard to do, even better. we would pull together and get it done. we just knew that our children and grandchildren's live s were filled with great

possibility. we doubt that now. the truth is we have reached the point where the possibility for americans -- the potential for this great nation -- are being crushed a government that has grown so big, so powerful, so costly, so complicated, so in so inept.- si in a country that refuses to do anything about it. [applause] those are really harsh words, ladies and gentlemen. but they are what the majority of americans believe. americans are smart. as citizens, we know that something is wrong now. and we know that it is about much more than replacing a d with an r. the system is not working anymore. of american people think the system is corrupt.

82% now think we have a professional political class that cares more about the protection of its own power, position, and privilege than getting anything done. and i agree. my fellow citizens, i think it is time to remember that we were intended to be a citizen government and to take our government back. [applause] and we need to take our government back because we have festering problems that never gets all. people solved. and never really gets better. we still are not caring for our veterans, those who have served us. how long have we been talking about tax reform? reducing the size of government? securing the border? how long have we been talking about holding people accountable? government has gotten bigger and more complicated, more powerful,

more corrupt every year for 50 years. about see, it is not just an r for a d. it is about putting someone in the oval office who is not afraid to challenge the status quo, and who has a track record of producing results in solving problems. [applause] there are a lot of good people who work hard every day. some of them are politicians. politicians are bad people necessarily. but a lot of politicians are managers, not leaders. there is a big difference between managers and leaders. managers are people who do the best they can within the existing system. they never really challenge the status quo. they operate within the system, even if it is broken.

and because they operate within the system, instead of trying to fix the system, the kind of tinker around the edges of the problems. leaders are different people. they say i am not going to accept a system because it is broken. they understand that it is their job to challenge the status quo. calling's highest always is service to others. it is always to unlock potential and others. and the only way that happens is to actually challenge the status quo, solve problems, reduce results. the difference between management and leadership reminds me of something margaret thatcher once said. i admire her greatly. she once said at a pivotal point in that nation's history, "i am not content to manage the decline of a great civilization." i think we have been managing

the decline of this great nation for quite long enough. [applause] i am prepared, though. with your votes and your support and your prayers, to lead the resurgence of a great nation. [applause] what is it we need to do? we know what we need to do. in order to get our economy growing again, we have to start thinking about small business. and quit protecting big business. the bigger and more powerful government gets, the more powerful the wealthy and well-connected get. it is called crony capitalism. progressives want you to believe that. [applause] we need to get our small

businesses and entrepreneurs growing again. we need to quit interdependence. and we have to encourage, indeed require, that people go to work. because dignity and purpose come from work. [applause] code,e to reform the tax quit talking about it and do it. to 3. pages that is the question. is so collocated that you do not understand it, what is the percentage you are getting taking advantage of? 100%. unless you have all the resources, you are getting taking advantage of. we know that we actually have to know where your money is being spent. we have to go to some zero-based budgeting.

when that be helpful? to actually know -- [applause] asterisk, how is it possible that every year the federal government spends more money and yet never has enough money to do the important things. yesterday, president obama vetoes the national defense authorization act. here is a dangerous time in our world, and basically what he says is, we do not have enough money. not for my priority. how is it that we always spend more money and never have enough? it is always spoken for. that is why we have to go to a system where every single dollar has to be justified every single year. the only way you spend less overall and prioritize what you spend. [applause] to hold people accountable in government. no one is ever held accountable

and government. not mrs. clinton, not be senior executives of the v.a. who tomit over 300,000 veterans die, not the people in the irs to target conservatives. no one is ever held to account. and we have to move to a system where there are consequences. [applause] and we also know we have to lead in the world. we have to get our economy growing again. we have to cut government down to size and hold it accountable, and we have to lead in the world. which means that not only do we have to take care of our veterans, those who have served us, because when we do not care for them it is a stain on our honor. but it also means that people feel as though military service is no longer honored and valued. we have a have the strongest military on the planet. everybody has to know it. [applause]

and we actually have to send a signal, a really powerful signal , to the world that the united states of america will lead again. [applause] and on day one in the oval office, i will make two phone calls. i will call netanyahu and tell him that we will stand with the state of israel. always. [applause] be to thecond will supreme leader of iran. who might not take my call. [laughter] but he will get my message. and the message is, new deal. new deal. [applause] until you open every military and every nuclear facility anytime to anywhere inspections,

aswill make it as difficult possible for you to move money around the global financial system. we can do that. we don't need permission to do that. and we must do it. because the money, the money is being used to build military capability, nuclear technology, and to sew murder and mayhem throughout the middle east. phone calls, the message will go out around the world loud and clear. the united states of america is back in the leadership business. [applause] i am want to finish up here in a minute so i can take your questions. but let me close by saying this, ladies and gentlemen, we must 2016.n 2016 -- win in [applause] so think carefully about who can

win. i have been tested. and iwill not falter, will not shrink from this fight, and it will be a fight. but we also have to have somebody to do the job. because the job needs doing now. and to do the job, it requires a leader to understands how the economy works. so we can get going again. [applause] we need a leader to understand how the world works, and who is in the world? and what our allies and adversaries expect and need from us. that is what our government has become -- a giant, bloated, corrupt bureaucracy. we need someone who understands technology. because technology is a tool that can be used to reengage citizens once again. it is a tool i will use.

but it is being used against us. and perhaps most importantly of all, we need someone who understands what leadership is. all of those many years ago when i was a receptionist, i thought the leader -- a leader -- was someone with a big office and a big parking space. a bunch of perks. and i realized there were people with big titles were not leading at all. leadership is not about those things. it is not about the size of your office, airplane, ego. it is about challenging the status quo. leadership -- [applause] leadership is about solving problems and producing results. others.ip in service to and the highest calling of leadership is to unlock potential and others. we now need a leader who will unlock the potential of

every american and of this nation. thank you so very much ladies and gentlemen. [applause] questions? yes, sir. mentioned crony capitalism. i know it is complicated. adm -- the farming industry takes away. knowe other side, i don't

with respect to, but how do you combat something like crony capitalism? that you is it true support corporate welfare? carly fiorina: democrats are worse. we have done it, too. the question was about crony capitalism. first of all, i understand really well. estateperson real company cannot understand government. 00 industry can. my husband frank and i have been very fortunate. we can hire an accountant. my husband started out as a tow truck driver.

they cannot handle it. this is the truth we must tell the american people. because the progressives want the american people believe that it is they that care about the small and the power less. but in truth, the impact and consequence of every one of their policies is to crush the small and the powerless. why? because when you have some thing big, complicated, yet to be big, wealthy, and complicated to deal with it. moore, dated the tax code gets, it is true that only the big can deal with it. republicans have been guilty of this, yes. there are a lot of candidates running for president who support subsidies of various kinds. subsidies, tax credits. i do not. i have been very honest. i have gone to iowa and said i know it matters a lot to you to have renewable -- e resources.

i support that level playing field. but by 2020, the government should be out of the business of setting prices, guaranteeing crisi prices to markets. ilet us give everyone a window to get prepared. but the only way to level the playing field between small and powerless, and big and powerful, is to simplify government dramatically. simplify the tax code, hack through the regulatory thc icket and get the government out of picking winners and losers. and that applies to everybody. [applause] this is why challenging the status quo is hard. guess what happens when you decide what happens? when you say the government should not be in the business of

picking winners and losers? everybody that has benefited from that status quo rushes into protected. it is human nature. it is why change is always hard. there have been people who benefit from the status quo. individuals, special interests -- every single one of those groups will come in to protect what they have. which is why the power of citizenship is so important. ours was intended to be a citizen government. we cannot take our government back unless, as citizens, we are prepared to participate. limit is user question to say let me use yourg to as question to say this. once a week, i will go into the oval office. the president has a weekly radio address. i'm going to ask you to take up

smartphone. anybody still use a flip phone? [laughter] you have about 18 months, start shopping. askll go into my office and citizens to take out their smartphones. do you think it is important that we know where your money is being spent? to go to somewhere near zero-based budget. press 1 for yes. do you think that instead of a 73,000 page tax code, maybe it should be 3. press 2 for no. after 50 years of not doing so, should we roll it back? no.s 1 for yes, 2 for

by the way, i know that a bunch of you are going to be sitting !" their saying " "1!" it means we found common ground between democrats and republicans, men and women, young and old. 75% is a huge majority. we can govern differently. one last thing on this. why do i say i am so confident? why do i say i'm so confident that the political class response to pressure? because we have evidence of it. 18entioned the v.a. scandal months ago. when we learned that veterans were dying before they got an appointment, the bureaucrats were cooking the books so we do

not find out. the american people were so outraged that congress reacted. and they passed a bipartisan bill in three weeks, demonstrating they can do something. in three weeks, passed a bill that said we can fire the top 400 senior executives. by the way, only one person has been fired because the pressure do not stay on. and the horrors just keep coming on. it is a proof point. with concerted effort, the political process will move. so go get your new phone. [laughter] yes, sir? >> you talked about the size of government. [inaudible] ,ith the kinds of bureaucracy how you do it? carly fiorina: it is hard.

first, we had not undertaken a major reform or rollback of regulation since ronald reagan. that is how long it has been. a can be done. done. it can be we have a veritable thicket of things to do. in the next five years, 256,000 baby boomers will retire out of the federal government. i will not replace a single one. it is a window in time to make a big move. [applause] second, if we go to zero-based budgeting and we establish that every dollar has to be justified, every single year, guess what? there will be a lot of dollars that we should not be spending. what does technology permit us to do? it permits us to put every single one of those budgets out

for everybody to see. re will beill b things that are outrageous. you need a whole lot less irs agents. if you start to roll back all of gs that this demonstration has put into place, ladies and tillman, we gentlemen, who are these role makers? they are bureaucrats. they're not elected by indianyo ne. when we roll it back, and we must, when we do a top to bottom review, we need a lot fewer people. and please be assured that one of the first questions i will ask you is, do you think that bill that got past that allowed us to fire the top 400 senior executives of the v.a. for

dereliction of duty, do you believe that process all to ght to apply? press 1 for yes. we get it done by taking advantage of every single person that retires. by making sure that as we simplify and examine government, that we do not replace. it on making sure every time we roll back, the people responsible for administering that are no longer there. and we make sure that there is consequence in the federal government for failure to perform. [applause] >> how do you prioritize to spend money on things that matter?

[inaudible] carly fiorina: the question was about priorities. if the goal is to reduce spending but invest properly, what are they? to strengthen our military and care for those who have already served. let me start by saying that the federal government's priorities need to be those things a are responsible for constitutionally. for example, the federal government is responsible for securing our borders. because if we cannot secure our borders, we cannot protect our sovereignty. [applause] that means a big priority has to be to actually make sure we understand who is coming into this country and who is not -- who should not becoming into this country. we have to put a huge priority on fixing the illegal immigration system, which has contributed to this problem for 50 years. what is another responsibility?

roads and bridges. guess what? we never have enough money to fix them, we are always asking taxpayers to pay more. we have aging infrastructure. i would not do it by saying you have to have a union contract to get the work. that is how the present government does it. education is a hugely important priority to the young lady's question. for 50 years, the department of education has gotten bigger under republicans and democrats alike. in fact, it has deteriorated. we have had goals of these centralized education programs to close the achievement gap between low income and high income children. now thangap is greater it was 20 years ago. what can you conclude?

that spending money does not have a lot to do with the quality of education. what does? [applause] what does? we know the answer to this. what are the two most important things in a child's education? a good teacher in the classroom and an involved parent document -- involvedommunity parent, community member. [applause] we need to have more power and control in the hands of community and family. when we take away choices, we take away their chances. these wonderful children who stood up and gave the pledge of allegiance are at a charter school. the truth is, every parent should have as many choices as possible. chargers, vouchers, parochial,

homeschooling. this is an area where we have to have a fight with the other side. because the other side is totally on the wrong side. but they are also robbing too many children of their chances. democrats are continuing to protect and preserve the status quo of the teachers' union. the result is that too many kids are trapped in failing schools. [applause] common core is a really bad idea. it is a version of crony capitalism. textbook companies helped write it. [applause] standardized bureaucratic program to teach teachers how to teach and students how to learn. the reason i say we have to have this fight is because we believe that every child has god-given

gifts. that every child wants to learn. that every child can learn. that a child's opportunity to learn prepares them for possibilities later in life. sometimes i tell people, progressives actually believe that. but they don't, not if you look at the consequence of the policies. i quote the head of the chicago teachers union who took to the microphone -- and of course the issue of teacher accountability -- she said this. "we cannot be held accountable for performance in our classroom because too many of them are poor and come from broken families." what was she saying? if you come from a broken family or art moore, yo -- or are poor, you cannot learn. that is not what i believe. that is not what you believe. and that is not the united of america.

[applause] and if we do away with all of these department of education programs and put the money and resources and the choices and the cap ability and the power back where it belongs -- and the responsibility and the power back where it belongs, we need a whole lot less people in the department of education. [applause] yes, go ahead. you are trying to hand a mic to this nice lady. >> you spoke about defense, how specifically would you to s strengthen the u.s. armed forces? let me sayna: first, that in the defense department, i have advised two secretaries. there is something called the tooth decay ratio. ip, the tip of the scale.

the end. we have the worst ratio, not enough at the tip of the spear. not enough in the caboose. we have to invest in reform. what does that mean? let me start with the fundamental thing, ladies and government, we must honor, we must value, we must care for, we must listen to the members of our military services. [applause] this administration does not. it is pretty clear. nt toit is importa

understand how terrible the situation is for so many of our armed services who are out there. i know moms, maybe some of you do too, who have sons and afghanistan. they are not shipping chocolate chip cookies. ankets,hipping bl pillows, mres. i was watching a young man graduated from the academy -- the marines. i watched his family. they had that combination of happiness and sadness, of pride and fear. we have to care for those who serve for us. the armylly, however, battalions -- we need about 36. we need 440 new naval vessels. the air force is in relatively

good shape. we need to stand with our allies and stand with our adversaries. we have a plan. there is a priority in which this has to be done. i have said that i would talk to netanyahu, the supreme leader of iran. i will not talk to vladimir putin. although i have met him. i will not speak to him until we are in a position of strength. [applause] specifically, one the places i will start is rebuilding the fleet under his nose. rebuilding the defense missile program under his nose in poland. and conducting regulatory military exercises in the baltic states. we must impose no-fly zones in syria because the president of russia cannot tell america when and where to fly. [applause]

we have a whole series of allies were asking us for help in some or. and support. i just got up phone with the foreign minister of australia. -- all of philippines asked for specific support. technology, intelligence sharing, weaponry in some instances the pushback back on the rising adversary of ch ina. we have a whole set of allies in the middle east you know that isis is evil. but we had denied the most basic request. we have denied the kurds, king abdullah of jordan -- i have known him for a long time. we have denied intelligence sharing. there is a whole set of things that we must do to build up our own military capability, not only to honor those who serve, but to help our allies help us.

and they will help us. but they need to see leadership, support, resolve, and strength on the part of the united states of america. [applause] are you handing the microphone to someone? last question. >> thank you. my name is caitlin. i am a homeschooled student. one of my classes is debate. we got an interesting question this week, i was hoping you could answer it. oh?y fiorina: caitlin: the persecution of christians -- carly fiorina: it is a great question. by the way, the first thing i would say is we must condemn the persecution of christians. and visit ministration has been

silent -- and this administration has been silent. [applause] kerry announces with great fanfare that we are going to accept into this country 100,000 syrian refugees. thanks a lot, you will not be around to figure out who these people are. and we do not know how to figure out who they are. this is a dangerous thing. our hearts break when we see the pictures, we cannot simply let people in here if we do not know who they are or what they plan to do. but what is amazing to me -- [applause] thatis amazing to me is this administration has been utterly silent about not just the persecution of christians, the crucifixion of christians, the heading of christians, the mass exodus throughout the middle east.

we cannot be silent. and the short answer, of course, is no. but it is also true that we have influence over some of these nations. when we say nothing, when we do nothing, we lose all of our influence. so not only will i speak out, but my actions will be consistent with my words. and that is what the world needs to see from the u.s. action that is consistent with words. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, i appreciate very much you being here this afternoon. it is a beautiful friday afternoon. and you are exercising citizenship by being here. and i hope i can continue to count on your citizenship, as well as your support and your votes and prayers.

and i want to close by reminding you of who we are. because i think we remember who we are, we can do everything that must be done to solve all of our problems. and to heal all of our wounds. it is easy to get discouraged and say the problems are so huge, there is nothing we can do. but the truth is, yes, the problems are huge. but the answers are clear. i said that we have to remember we were intended to be a citizen government. that is true. i also want to remind you of who we are in more detail by asking you to think about two of the most powerful symbols of our democracy. because i think they tell us everything we need to know about who we are. picture in your mind's lady liberty and lady justice. lady liberty stands tall and strong, which is the way america must always be. she is clear eyed and resolute. she does not shield her eyes

from the realities or the evils of the world. and yet, she faces out into the world. which is the way america must always face. and she holds her torch high because she knows she is a begin of hope in a very troubled -- a beacon of hope in a very troubled world. lady justice holds a sword by her side, a warrior for the values and principles that has made this country great. with that scale, she is reminding us that all of us are equal in the eyes of god. and so all of us must be equal in the eyes of government -- powerful and powerless alike. and she wears a blindfold. and with a blindfold, i think she is reminding us -- he is saying to us -- that it can be true, it must be true. that in this nation, this century it does not matter what you look like. it doesn't matter who you are.

it does not matter how you start. it does not matter your circumstances. here in this nation, every american life must be filled with the possibility that comes from their god-given gifts. and we must be one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you so very much ladies and gentlemen. [applause] announcer: all campaign long, c-span takes you on the road to the white house. unfettered access to the candidates at town halls, news conferences, rallies, and speeches. we are your comments on twitter, facebook, phone. as always, every event we cover is available on our website at c-span.org.

announcer: a signature feature of book tv is our coverage of book fairs and festivals from across the country, with top-notch authors. here is our schedule this weekend. we are live in the nation's heartland for the wisconsin book fair. at the end of the month, we will be in national for the southern festival of books. at the start of november, we're back on the east coast for the boston book festival. in the middle of the month, it is the louisiana book festival in baton rouge. at the end of the november, we are live for the 18th year in row for the miami book fair international. at the national book awards from new york city. just some of the festivals this fall on c-span2's book tv. >> republican presidential candidate ted cruz held a town hall meeting in council bluffs, iowa. he talked about his campaign platform and took questions from

supporters in the audience. at the end of this event, he set down with us and answered questions from c-span viewers. this is one hour and 40 minutes. [indiscernible] evening, i am chairman of the pottawatomie county republicans. i want to welcome you to the town hall meeting with senator ted cruz. impressed as i am by senator ted cruz, he is very impressive to watch. and i tell you what, we are here

to appreciate him tonight. i know why you are here. you want to hear the senator addressed the issues, the things that we care about is republicans. i reach it you being here this evening. obamacare, kate's law, illegal immigration, i will tell you that senator cruz has taken the lead on all of these issues that we passion we care about. not too long ago, it are cruise was scheduled to be here for a meeting great event. because of the late arrival, he was not able to make that event, but i was assured that he would be back, and he did tonight make good on that promise, and we really appreciate him being here. so, without further delay, this evening, i would like you all to give a council bluffs, pottawatomie county, western iowa reading to texas senator ted cruz.

senator? [applause] senator cruz: thank you so much.

thank you for your tremendous friendship and leadership. thank you everyone for coming out tonight. god bless the great state of iowa. [applause] i spent most of this week and washington, d.c., -- [booing] senator cruz: so it is great to be back in america. [applause] senator cruz: it has been an interesting couple of weeks in washington. the speaker of the house is stepping down. [applause] the media has been filled with speculation on who the next week or is going to be. they have been asking me over and over again who i think the next eager should be. my answer consistently has been, i'm going to stay out of that. that is a decision for house republicans, but i will tell you clever the next eager is, he or she should be a strong conservative and someone

committed to honoring the promises we made to the men and women who elected us. [applause] senator cruz: the media did not like that answer. they kept pressing and pressing and pressing, saying we want a name. we want a name. finally, last week in iowa, i said you one a name, i will give you a name. for the next big of a house, how about mark levin? [applause] can you imagine the great one? to just picture the first conference with the senate? [laughter] senator cruz: where mark goes, which, we are not going to do it, we're going to follow the constitution, and we are not going to give in exhibition point -- [applause]

senator cruz: now, that would be real leadership. well, also, in the last couple of weeks, pope francis was in washington. i have to say it was really extraordinary to sit on the floor of the house of representatives, to listen to the pope address a joint session of congress. i will note the week before, or the day before, rather, the press conference at the white house -- it got a little awkward. every time the reporters would address a question to your holiness, obama would answer. [laughter] senator cruz: then the day after that, the chinese president was in washington. he was meeting with president obama, and media outlets all across the world reported on this momentous meeting between the world's most powerful communist and the president of

china. [laughter] [applause] senator cruz: all of us are here tonight because our country is in crisis. we are here because we are bankrupting our kids and grandkids. because our constitutional rights are under assault each and every day from washington. and because america has receded from leadership in the world and it has made the world a much more dangerous place. i'm here tonight with a word of hope and encouragement. i want to tell you all across iowa, all across this country, americans are waking up. and so i want to ask everyone here to look forward. to january, 2017. if i am elected president, let

me tell you what i intend to do on the first day in office: the first thing that i intend to do is to resend every single illegal and unconstitutional executive action. [applause] senator cruz: this president likes to say that he has got a phone and he has a pen. well, you live by the pen, you die by the pen. and my pen has got an eraser. [laughter] [applause] but, sadly, the corruption has not just been limited to the white house. it has extended across every branch of the federal government. the second thing i intend to do on the first day in office is instructed the united states department of justice to open an investigation in two planned parenthood and these were both videos. [applause]

and to prosecute any and all come in a violations by that organization. [applause] senator cruz: the administration of justice should be blind to party ideology. the soul fidelity of the department of justice should be to the laws and constitution of the united states. thing, i intend to do on the first day in office, is instructed the department of and everyd the irs other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today. [applause] senator cruz: that means that every service man and woman has the right to seek out and worship god almighty with all of

their hearts, minds, and soul, and their superior officer has nothing to say about it. [applause] senator cruz: that means that the little sisters of the poor, a catholic charity that the obama administration is currently persecuting, will find that the case against them has been dismissed. [applause] senator cruz: the fourth thing, i intend to do on the first in office, is ripped to shreds this catastrophic iranian nuclear deal. [applause] senator cruz: the single greatest national security threat that america faces is the threat of a nuclear iran. we need a commander in chief who stands up and says, under no

circumstances will we allow iran, a nation led right a theocratic ayatollah who chanced death to america, under no circumstances will they be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. [applause] senator cruz: the fifth thing, i intend to do on the first day in office, is begin the process of moving the american embassy in israel to jerusalem, the once and eternal capital of israel. [applause] senator cruz: a lot of presidential candidates, both democrats and republicans, have made that same promise. but, inevitably, when they get to the white house, they do not do it. and what happens is that their team comes to them and they say, you know, if we do this, it is going to make other people in

the middle east really, really unhappy. -- , if you had not noticed [laughter] senator cruz: they are already pretty unhappy with us. the single biggest difference between me and the other very fine men and women on that debate stage, is that with me, when i tell you that i'm going to do something, i'm going to do exactly what i said i would do. [applause] senator cruz: that is day one. [laughter] senator cruz: there are 365 days in a year. presidential a term, and four years and a second term. years, there eight are going to be a whole lot of journalists and newspaper reporters and editors who have

checked themselves into therapy. [laughter] [applause] senator cruz: in the days that ,ollow, i will go to congress that is president obama calling -- [laughter] senator cruz: he is very disturbed, he heard that there are a bunch of people here seeking the peaceable overthrow of the government. [laughter] senator cruz: and he is right. [laughter] senator cruz: in the days that follow, i will go to congress and we will repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] senator cruz: we will pass commonsense health care reform that makes health insurance personal and portable and

affordable and keeps the government from getting in between us and our doctors. [applause] senator cruz: in the days that follow, i will instruct the united states department of education, which should be abolished, -- [applause] senator cruz: i will instruct the department of education that common core in today. [applause] senator cruz: in the days that follow, we will rebuild our military, and we will honor their commitments made to our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines. [applause] senator cruz: that includes protecting the constitutional rights that every service man

and woman to keep and bear arms and defend themselves. [applause] that means the next time a jihadist walks into a recruiting center in chattanooga, he is going to encounter the business and of firearms will did a dozen marines. [applause] senator cruz: in the days that follow, we will finally, finally, finally secure the borders and and sanctuary cities. [applause] we will stop releasing violent criminals, illegal aliens, and we will pass kate's law. [applause] senator cruz: in the days that

follow, we will take on the epa. and the cfp be. and the alphabet soup of federal agencies that have defended, like locusts, that are struggling farms and ranches and small businesses and killing jobs all across this country. [applause] senator cruz: a few years back, i was out in west texas, and i people, i said, what is the difference between regulators and locusts? is, you cannotng use pesticide on the regulators. [laughter] and this old west texas farmer leaned back and said, want to bet? [laughter] [applause] you know what i'm talking about.

follow, i willt go to congress and we will pass fundamental tax reform. we will pass a simple, flat tax. [applause] senator cruz: where every american can fill out his or her taxes on a postcard. [applause] and when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause] senator cruz: they are about 90,000 employees at the irs, and we need to padlock that building. take all 90,000 and put them down on our southern border. [laughter]

[applause] senator cruz: now, to our friends in the media, i say that somewhat tongue in cheek. but, if you think about it, imagine traveling thousands of miles in the blazing sun. you are soaring across the rio grande, and the first thing that you see is 90,000 irs agents. you would turn around and go home, too. [applause] senator cruz: some of you guys may be thinking that all of this makes sense to me. it is basic common sense. live within your means. don't encrypt our kids and grandkids -- don't bankrupt our kids and grandkids. follow the constitution. but, can it be done? can