Skip to main content

tv   Washington Journal  CSPAN  December 8, 2015 7:00am-10:01am EST

7:00 am
host: good morning, everyone. welcome to "the washington journal." we will begin with your reaction to donald trump calling for a ban on muslims entering into the united states. you can start calling right now. the fourth line this morning for muslim americans (202) 748-8003. you can join the conversation on twitter, facebook, or send an e-mail.
7:01 am
and wene lines are open will begin with your commentary but what to show you what the billionaire had to say at a rally in south carolina. [video clip] >> donald trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our countries representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. [applause] we have no choice. we have no choice. we have no choice. according to pew research, among others, there is a great hatred toward americans by large segments of the muslim population. host: donald trump yesterday
7:02 am
explaining, he would do a complete and total ban of muslims entering the united states. on fox news he eased off the thoseand complete saying that serve in the military would be allowed to return the. the other republican candidates denounced him. marco rubio said i disagree with donald trump's latest proposal. his habit of making offensive and outlandish statements will not bring americans together. that you have george pataki saying, remarks are idiotic, we will be banning loudmouth billionaires. says, donald trump is unhinged, his "policy close quote proposals -- -- icy" proposals
7:03 am
then a political correspondent who says this, here is the truth, whether you like it or not, donald trump is the only candidate to have the bravery to put out that statement on muslims. expect the donald trump statement on usa muslim ban to give him a boost with evangelical voters, the all-important voters in the iowa caucus which goes first in a couple months. up first.are caller: my comment about this is, he is a very scary person. his comment is outrageous, destructive, ignorant. i cannot get over that a candidate is saying things like this. it is the worst side of ourselves.
7:04 am
i am scared that this keeps going on. i don't know how this person can stop talking. -- it is platform embarrassing. it is not so much that it is embarrassing, but it is scary and destructive. to all the muslims in america, please, god, -- our fellow americans, i cannot tell you how upsetting this is to me. host: when you say it is destructive, explain that more. caller: our country was founded on people who came over here because of religious persecution. that is how we started. to have this person who is so ignorant, how can he be so espousing -- he is what started this country is us coming over here.
7:05 am
if we couldn't come here, we would not have america. destructive, he gives voice and allows this take some kindto of legitimacy. host: i will leave it there because i want to get a republican. mona in farmington, new mexico. you are on the air. hower: i just want to say, is it that all of those evangelicals in iowa can say they are christians and go along with him. that is not a christian. host: mona, you are a republican. who are you supporting? caller: i am supporting the democrats. all the republicans are saying
7:06 am
the same thing. they just not saying it as loud as he is. the: as we showed you from tweets, the republican candidates quickly denounced what he said. a conservative paper, trump gets rebukes for calling to ban muslims. trying to turn his rise in the polls. you have this from the front page of the new york times. block entry crop -- of all muslims. candidates denounced across party lines. it says in the new york times, mr. trump made his announcement shortly after a new monmouth university survey of likely iowa republican caucus-goers found he had slipped from his recent top which holdsstate, the first contest february 1.
7:07 am
he urged 21% in the polls. marco rubio had 17%. another iowa poll released by cnn showed mr. trump with a comfortable lead. as david brody said from the christian broadcasting network, mr. trump's comments, he believe will give him a boost in the polls with evangelical voters. then there is this with the new york types. cruz sees payoff in the polls. widely detested by the republican establishment has yet to do -- yet to demonstrate equivalent strength outside of iowa. in the first caucus state has not foretold national success in recent years, throwing it support behind mike huckabee in
7:08 am
2008. he has repeatedly courted evangelicals all year including a visit to some of the most theologically conservative pastors. he has won important endorsements and has lobbied opposition to same-sex marriage into a new fight which he calls efforts for religious liberty. than 2000 the des august featuring what he called christian victims of intolerance, like bakers and forest to have been sued for not serving same-sex couples where children were given ted cruz coloring books. a little bit about the presidential campaign in iowa. that nestoring trump made these comments. their daring republican candidates, specifically ted cruz, to match him on this.
7:09 am
mary, go ahead. caller: your freudian slip just a second ago, it is a game. these politics. what i have to say is a couple of things. i believe mr. trump is correct. believes that this country was founded on religious freedom would agree with me. these folks want to restrict your religious freedom, as well as your liberty, as well as our laws. host: you believe all muslims? [video clip] caller: hiding your head in the sand. not all of them, but if the media were being truthful, they would also play the portion of
7:10 am
trump's statement where he cited polls done by legitimate government agencies and other places in this country of muslims in this country, who more than 50% believe the should be sharia law and acted in this country. they also -- enacted in this country. they also believe violence against americans is ok. 25%, that is a lot. host: this is from pew research. significant muslim populations, there is much disdain for isis. in lebanon, 100% of those surveyed have an unfavorable view. 97% in israel. 94% in jordan. indonesia, 79%. turkey 73%.
7:11 am
nigeria 66%. overwhelmingly a negative unfavorable opinion of isis in those countries from the muslim population. the papers today, mr. bush was citing a poll, but some believe that the poll is islam a phobic. -- islamaphobic. found that 25% of muslim americans agree that violence against u.s. citizens was justified against global jihad and 51% agreed that they should have a choice of being governed according to shariah. a republican, go ahead. share your thoughts, you are on the air. early 20's. in my
7:12 am
my whole family is conservative. originally from texas. i was born and raised a christian, still am, and i find the hatred that this brings into the deplorable. a huge issue i find is that a lot of this is out of fear. playing on the fear of the people to move more to the right. it is hurting the party overall. host: tony in bethlehem, pennsylvania. what do you think? caller: good morning. i am a registered democrat, but i will never vote for a democrat again. i think the entire party has been infiltrated by a fifth column. i am attracted to donald trump. lovenk the unbelievable
7:13 am
shown in his rallies for america and its values no longer exists in the democratic already. -- democratic party. as far as people saying trump is against religious liberty, when i hear that, i go back to my christian values and i turn the other cheek so they can kiss both sides of my rear end. host: j in southern california. color. i liked that last -- caller. donald trump has history on his side. this is not about emotion or fear. migration toalted assimilate the great wife -- wave. ellis island was closed to jewsns, italians, and during world war ii, because it
7:14 am
would be insane to let people into this country even though the vast majority of the axis territories would have been great americans. we had to close it, because europe was a hornets nest. in 1913 we halted migration from germany. it never picked up again because of what was going on with the kaiser. we halted migration in 1965 because of the seven years war. just focusingut on radical islam? that is what senator ted cruz said. he was asked by a reporter yesterday and he said there are millions of people, muslims around the world, that is not my position. i am more focused on radical islam. host: -- caller: ok. the american people come first, unity comes first, assimilation,
7:15 am
not accommodation. we only allowed 6 million germans to ever come to this country. we have about 9 million muslims already. we have enough diversity. with themajority -- german-americans, there were senators. there was the buddhists movement -- the bundes movement. we interned 13,000 german-americans, thousands of italian-americans. we interned japanese americans, unfortunately. we never talk about the germans. they were nazi radicals. the majority would have loved to have escaped hitler, but you think about the security of your country first and your people first. party has turned their compassion outward instead of inward.
7:16 am
isn't it funny how we vilify the gun-toting so-called white christian all day long, but it is funny when as soon as a muslim kills somebody they go into damage control mode. they start to talk about that we have to love these people. i think they are out of their mind. host: let me show some reaction from the democrats. hillary clinton tweeting this is reprehensible, prejudiced, and divisive. donald trump, you don't get it. this makes us less safe. bernie sanders tweaking, demagogues throughout history have attempted to divide us based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or country of origin. waser: i think that trump citing the fact that we do not have a proper vetting solution for these people. the old lady who created this
7:17 am
situation in san bernardino lied on her application. maybe she was hooked up with iri, the pakistani intelligence organization. we don't know which way they will go sometimes. we had major hassan who showed signs of being radicalized in the military but nothing was done about it. i think he is calling for some kind of breathing period until we realize what is going on with the muslim community in america and he cited polls that showed a great distrust for the united states, a great dislike for our laws. ofmp was saying it out honest concern for what is going on in this country. there's this idea that it is ok to say whatever you have to say
7:18 am
to your enemy to get over on him and we are running into that situation. if weld become critical have homegrown and imported people coming in that will wreak havoc. trump is being courageous. host: you know that the house recently passed legislation that would put a pause on the refugee situation for syrians and iraqis coming to the united states. many want to include that language into an omnibus bill, to include all the different bills and all the federal agencies. their deadline is friday. to do so -- the speaker of the house saying that could slip past friday. he is not saying there will be a shutdown but the house and the senate will be here over the weekend. you also mentioned the san
7:19 am
bernardino killers. the story that the two killers were radicalized a long time ago. investigators say they have learned through interviews of people who knew mr. farook that he had militant views before he met miss maleic online -- miss malik and married her. the reactionw you from the council on islamic relations. their director who had a news he hadnce, here is what to say. outrageous coming from someone who wants to assume the highest office in the land. donald trump sounds more like the leader of a lynch mob than a great nation like ours. american muslims are part of the brick-and-mortar of this great nation. are doctors, first
7:20 am
respondents, police, social workers, teachers, members of the armed forces. this is who american muslims are. we stand united against americans against stigmatization, against islamophobia, and against terrorism. they must not pray on fear and fear mongering. his ideas are not just unconstitutional, they are un-american. host: the executive director on the council of islamic americans there. quarter ofp nearly a the world's population. at which point muslims will be nearly as numerous as questions -- christians. between 80,000 to 90,000 muslims immigrate to the united states each year.
7:21 am
targeted bans on specific groups of immigrants are not unprecedented in u.s. history. the early 20th century, the united states passed a series of strict quotas on foreign in rivals, como knitting in the immigration acts of 1917 and 1994. -- coleman aiding in -- culminating in the immigration acts of 1917 and 1994. caller: i have a question, what kind of people are following him in the media and applauding what he is saying? and two weeks ago, when there was a shooting in colorado, how come there was no let's ban this and let's been that. because these people happen to be muslim, there is 24 hour coverage, and we are back to being scared and hysterical. muslim america -- for
7:22 am
muslim americans, we want to hear from you. democrats in maryland, you are on the air. caller: this is my first time coming onto c-span. as you can see, i have an accent. said, if you go out there and try to get isis to , thatand kill americans you can come back. there is nothing wrong with that. if you joint isis and kill american boys and bomb american women and rape american women, you want to come back to the same country? i don't see anything wrong with that. he didn't say ban muslims completely, he said let's hold on and see what is going on
7:23 am
until we find out what is going on. donald trump is not wrong. i grew up in a place where there are muslims and christians. most muslims are very good people. and killing people is nothing to them. no conscience. not all of them. some of them can be the best friend you can have. i don't see anything trump has said that is wrong. just hold on and let us make .ure you can see in paris, the one the other day in california. by the way, as we told you earlier, donald trump on fox news later clarified his remarks and said, this would not apply
7:24 am
to muslims who serve in the military or people already living in the country. douglas, a republican in kentucky. caller: good morning, how are you today? host: doing just fine, sir. caller: my comment is, according to the supreme court, this is a christian nation. muslims are enemies of the christians. it is evidenced all over the world, these people are barbarians. host: why do you say all muslims? what evidence do you have of that? caller: their religion teaches that they are to kill christians. host: you have heard from president obama yesterday, george w. bush, that muslim religion is peaceful. caller: muslim is not a peaceful religion. it is evidenced all over the
7:25 am
world. they are killing their own people. what more evidence do we need? we should deport all muslims. we should destroy all of their mosques. they are warriors for allah. they are against america. host: i want you to listen to what president obama had to say sunday night in his oval office address about muslims, isis, and islam. [video clip] we cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between america and islam. that is what groups like isil want. isil does not speak for islam. they are thugs and killers. part of a cult of death. they account for a tiny fraction of a more than billion muslims
7:26 am
around the world, including many of patriotic muslim americans who reject their hateful ideology. the vast majority of terror victims around the world are muslim. if we do see -- succeed in defeating terrorism, we must and list muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away with suspicion and hate. the does not mean denying fact that extremist ideology has spread within some communities. muslim leaders here and around the globe have to continue working with us to decisively and unequivocally reject the hateful ideology that groups like isil and al qaeda promote. against, not just acts of violence, but interpretations of islam that are incompatible with the values of tolerance, mutual respect and
7:27 am
human dignity. host: that was the president sunday night in his third oval office address reacting to the paris shootings and the shootings in san bernardino, california. for those who missed it, this is george w. bush in september 20, 2001 in his joint session to congress. [video clip] >> i want to speak tonight directly to muslims throughout the world. we respect your faith. it is practiced freely by many millions of americans, and millions more in countries that america counts as friends. these teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of allah, blaspheme the name of allah. [applause] the terrorists are traitors to their own faith. effect, to hijack
7:28 am
islam itself. the enemy of america is not our many muslim friends, it is not our many arab friends. our enemy is a radical network of terrorists, and every government that supports them. [applause] that was george w. bush in 2001. we are getting a reaction to donald trump yesterday saying there should be a shutdown on muslims entering the united states until representatives in government get an idea, he said, of what is going on. we are getting your reaction to that. blake, what senator jeff a republican from arizona had to say. just when you think donald trump can stoop no lower, he does. then you had a democrat from hawaii who said, he is a state
7:29 am
party -- he was a state party chair and i think there's a strong case for formal gop action against trump. otherwise, what is a party for? coats, once again, donald trump has chosen bombastic rhetoric over sound judgment. carl, what do you think? need toi think people try to understand what donald trump is about. raceme into this representing a caricature of what the republican ideas are. those who do not know what a caricature is, it is an exaggeration. a lot of the stuff that donald trump says, they have in feeding this throughout the republican rhetoric for a long time. they are not saying it as
7:30 am
bombastic as he has, but it has been growing for a long time. that is why a lot of republicans -- it sounds reasonable to them. today and yesterday, you got a lot of the republican politicians say, he is out of line. it is a little bit too late. if you spike the kool-aid with alcohol, you got everybody drunk. you cannot try to say, hey, sober up. a lot of this is basically the republicans creating a monster that they lost control of. they fed their base all of this nonsense, and now they have no control any longer. didn't just say about not allowing muslims, he also says, we want to register
7:31 am
them. if you look what he has talked about, all these different things about muslims, what you see is a theme that is not dissimilar of what happened to the jews in nazi germany. host: you bring up that he has said other things. he talked about profiling muslims, that he should do that as well. ken is a muslim and petersburg, virginia. what is your reaction? caller: i definitely think that plenty of action needs to be taken to make sure that actual terrorists, and actual threats do not come into the united states. i really don't see how painting every muslim, or even everyone from iraq and syria as a potential terrorist really helps. if anything, it seems to enarios thate scnear isis wants to build against us
7:32 am
of being anti-muslim. for myself, and line of muslims like me -- in my case, i am a convert. we reallymany who -- just want to be normal. host: why did you decide to convert? -- it wasconverted actually for a marriage. it was not even necessarily for religious reasons. i will be very open. i am not a very active, practicing muslim. but, that is how i identify. one thing i keep in mind closely muslimsever we say coming from overseas, there is no question about how devout are you? in the united states there is not a question of how devout are you?
7:33 am
if you mark that or are identified as that faith, now you fall into the box. it ends ups up -- creating a pool of people so large that it becomes ridiculous. one last thing i would like to know is, on the same week of san bernardino shootings, two days before there was a planned parenthood shooting. both of these seem to be terrorist acts. both seem to have a serious motivation, yet it seems as if --ething has to be kind committed by muslims to be considered a candidate for terrorism for many people. trump is playing to that demographic whenever he says these things. host: you converted because your wife is a muslim and practices? caller: she also didn't really
7:34 am
practice. that was the thing. it was just family requirement. host: how is she feeling and her family feeling? caller: frustrated. host: frustrated. caller: that is the best way to put it. once again, it is not like that's the center of their lives, but they get put into the box. host: that was ken, calling in on our line for muslim americans. al, you are next in massachusetts. an independent. caller: i agree with some of the things donald trump is saying. we are frustrated. earlier, your narrator said to a talk about the shooting in southern california. it is a terrorist attack. can c-span say that? that is why some of us are
7:35 am
interested in trouble. i don't think he will be president. he is not my choice, but i am very frustrated with this president. he is not standing up for the american way. there was a prison war camp in northern maine. germans came and worked the potato farms. they didn't realize what america was about. there is a big german community up there because they saw the american way of life. this is a christian nation. go back to the mayflower compact, which the constitution was derived from, that this country was dedicated to god in jesus christ to which this president is not standing up. this nation was expounded -- founded to expand the faith. host: front page of "the new york times" has this story about trying to thwart isis.
7:36 am
what social media companies are trying to do to block them using company -- websites like twitter. it says, in the hours after 14 people were killed, a familiar voice sell a writ on twitter. california, we have are ready arrived with our soldiers. decide how to be your end, with knife or bomb. the comment was posted from 335th twitter account from a pro-islamic state group calls itself asawitiri media. twitter has repeatedly tried to cut the author off from its account. as soon as they suspend one, a new one is created. after the 99th account was suspended, a time to twitter by 100ting at islamic state posting images of birth the candles, cake, trophies, and fireworks. i want to show you what senate minority leader harry reid had to say about what democrats want
7:37 am
to do to try to thwart isis and protect the homeland. sen. reed: one person is wholly empowered infighting isis. we did it with ebola, wiccan certainly do it with the scourge facing this country, isis. i am pleased that president obama has taken a first step in that direction. airstrikes,argeted local fighters on the ground, is part of our plan. we must also cut off isis through new sanctions. they run their reign of terror in iraq through extortion, oil sales, and theft. legislation imposes new sanctions and they are tough. if people knowingly facilitate financial transactions with isis, one thing that would help,
7:38 am
we have a person waiting for hundreds of days to be confirmed. what is his job? he works in the treasury department to stop the financing of terrorism. reasons areans totally not understood by anyone and are blocking our voting on this. the job is vacant. we believe you should improve intelligence between the united states and our fight against isis. some of that has ra started. -- has already started. europe is facing an unprecedented number of migrants landing on their shores. almost one million this year. they're screening systems have been overwhelmed by the large number. our bill would respond to the europeans request with technical assistance, to screen migrants, and improve border security.
7:39 am
in the middle east, democrats will help join a strong u.s. i lie -- ally on the forefront. instill stability inside jordan, our ally. also, harming the neighboring companies -- countries. democrat legislation includes a new fund for jordan and lebanon helping those in the conflict area state in the region. -- senatete leader minority leader harry reid talking about what democrats control on the floor. a little bit of an idea of what is coming from the democratic party. elijah cummings has told two of other fellow democrats that he will not seek the senate seat being vacated by barbara mikulski. according to "roll call."
7:40 am
in the washington post, president obama in his oval office address laid out what he would like congress to do. the headline in the washington post is that obama's anti-terror proposals face stiff odds in congress. we will talk about that here on the program with two members of congress. there is also this on the front page. we told you about this yesterday. the supreme court says they will not hear a challenge of a gun law of illinois. the refusal to hear a challenge on a chicago suburb's ban assault weapons keeps similar bands in place -- similar bans in place from massachusetts to hawaii. they feel it is a matter to be left up to states in california. similar bans are on the books in california, maryland, connecticut, and hawaii.
7:41 am
as we told you, democrats and republicans are trying to work out an agreement on the omnibus spending bill. part of the debate is on whether or not to improve the proposal that would defund planned parenthood. a poll, most oppose that idea. democratic voters are united in supporting planned parenthood, and republicans are more divided, although most oppose it. independents. of that is happening up on capitol hill this week. as we told you this well, paul ryan says congress may miss the friday funding deadline, but he was not talking about a government shutdown. he just said that work can continue through the weekend as they try to come to an agreement
7:42 am
about what so-called riders, unrelated policy language, are put into the spending bill. pat, good morning. give us your reaction to donald trump yesterday. caller: i think it is long overdue. we are being attacked by civilians. being attacked by individual muslims coming over here to wage their own jihad against america. it should not be up to us to figure out which ones are the good ones, which ones are the bad ones. if you think about it, what have we done since 9/11? we have been waging war in muslim countries and all we hear is that we are attacking innocent civilians. i think donald trump's idea is the least damaging. were not going to attack muslims with a live. if they want to fight isis, let them fight it in muslim
7:43 am
countries. not bring their fight over here. bar all american muslims who travel abroad from coming back, but those who travel to terrorist enclaves should have their passports taken away and they should be forced to stay. host: stephanie in rockville, maryland. go ahead. caller: i think what donald trump said is despicable. somebody, one of your recent collars stole my thunder, -- callers stole my thunder, but what about christian terrorists? what the young man who walked into a black church in charleston and shot him? what about the man who walked into planned parenthood? are they not christian terrorists? are we going to start rounding up christians who may also be
7:44 am
bent on killing people for their reasons? this is ridiculous. it harkens back to world war ii. demagoguery. i am afraid for the muslims. i feel like someone will get hurt. out the worst in people. the bigotry, the hatred is disgusting. host: rashad in sacramento, california. muslim american, you are on the air. caller: thank you for taking my call. by these disgusted words by donald trump. that i'm something surprised about. like i say, he is creating a clear and present danger on a slippery slope against muslims. because they keep throwing out, what is this definition of radical muslims? when people, particularly not muslims, talk about this term,
7:45 am
the basic elements of a practicing muslim could be radical to someone. we have to present this clear definition. what do they mean by radical muslim? when we talk about people committing criminal acts, terroristic acts, that could be a radical muslim. we don't even consider them a muslim by committing those acts. most of these terroristic activities of these groups like al qaeda and isis are committed against other muslims. the other point i wanted to make out -- there needs to be education of this. people need to understand that every day muslims, when we go to the mosques, and our community centers, we do not sit around talking about terrorism, and all of these other things. so if the government wishes to il, if there is
7:46 am
activity and they need to do surveillance on criminal activity, that is one thing. if they want to know about true islam, that's fine. they will hear peace. go to thead, when you mosque, what are the leaders saying? what are they talking about? caller: when we go to the mosque, they stick to islam. they talk about the history related to our prophet mohammed. they talk about the koran. and they explained to muslims how we should live our lives, our moral life. if the non-american public understood, they would know that muslims are the most morally characteristic people, because we stand against things that are divisive.
7:47 am
and ifrican-american, grew up in south central los angeles. i was devastated in the 80's seeing the gang wars and everything, and i said, we need a more moralistic aspect of our lives. islam teaches you that. things.d for the right i am an advocate and an educator. when people say, where are the muslims at, there are plenty of muslims out there speaking against these things. there needs to be more education. we do have to fight this destructive ideologue within the muslim community. that it is seeking out this. there is a lot of issues in play. you talk about the middle east and we know america supports many of these countries, such as
7:48 am
saudi arabia, which is very destructive and has been for many years. this is what feeds into these groups. they feel they are up and above everybody else, and if you don't follow their type of islam, you are considered non-muslim or infidel, and they can do whatever they want. muslims themselves -- we are the victims of these radical people. it is not just something that will happen overnight, this will take a long time. these groups are in it for the long haul. they are in it for a 1000 year war. the royal community of people conscious has to understand that this is the investment we need. we have to partner up with good conscious muslims, conscious people. all stripes have to stick together. host: that is were shod in sacrament to, california -- that
7:49 am
is rashad in sacramento, california. we will leave it there for now. let's talk about iowa related to this presidential campaign. some people said that donald trump made these comments that he made about having a ban on s because he is seeing his lead in iowa drop a little bit. again --has taken taken a gain. it is the monmouth university poll. you can find out more about what is going on in iowa. this is of likely caucus-goers. it is the polls they did and who they talked to. some questions that are in this poll that you might find interesting is, which of the following issues is most important to you in deciding who to support for the republican
7:50 am
nomination. national security, 29% c-span.org that is the highest number of issues that they care about. when it comes to social issues like abortion or same-sex marriage, it is 6%. those numbers pre-much track as it did in july of 2016. hewe saw with david brody, believes that what donald trump says will give him a bump with evangelical voters and iowa -- in iowa. the likely caucus goers and an important portion of the voters in iowa. patrick murray, the director of the monmouth university institute joining us on the. phone to talk a little bit about this. patrick murray -- joining us on the phone to talk a little bit about this. patrick murray, what is going on? there has really been a
7:51 am
shift of folks supporting ben carson, over to mainly been -- ted cruz. there have been some who shifted to marco rubio ted cruz has been the main beneficiary. at one point he was -- carson was getting around 30% in the polls, to the month of october in iowa. that seems to have dropped. they were mainly evangelical voters. there were some other anti-establishment voters as well who did not like donald trump. those evangelical voters really strict it over to ted cruz's side. steve king played a small part. we did not see a lot of people but it certainly put a stamp on ted cruz's credibility in iowa. host: what do the evangelical voters like about ted cruz? we showed our viewers that the people you surveyed him a national security is 29% as their top issue -- surveyed,
7:52 am
national security is for 29% their top issue. test: there is a litmus you have to pass for some of .hese voters hock,those, who is a good but also good on social issues. ted cruz's it's good with both. trumpafter what donald said last night, many say that he said it has he saw his poll numbers slip,. he points to a cnn poll that shows him still up. what do you think this does for him? was always going to be a hard state for him anyway. it is much harder to get enthusiastic voters out who do not normally vote. the primary is a lot easier
7:53 am
because they walk in, cast their vote, and that sit. -- that's it. being sobout iowa important, but the all-time high in the republican caucus was 122,000 four years ago. that is not a lot of voters showing up. he needs a high turnout. our poll shows this will be the highest turnout on record. donald trump needs to get that turnout doubled. at this point if he is going to win the iowa caucus. think between the monmouth university poll, donald trump like the one that shows him ahead? guest: i think that is a difference. we drop our sample from people who vote, whereas cnn called all the adults in iowa and asked if they are likely to vote.
7:54 am
it relies on a self-report. indicates that about 28.7% default adults and iowa are likely caucus-goers. that translates to about 600,000 or so. our poll shows about 140,000 to 150,000 likely turnouts. that is the big gap. about of the people that you talked to, this undecided factor. have people locked into a candidate? they haven't. one in five voters said they were absolutely locked and would not change their mind. are still willing to consider other candidates. then three in 10 voters out there say i am naming a candidate now but there is a good chance i will switch. iowa voters are known for getting a lot of information up to the last minute and using it
7:55 am
to change their minds. host: what about marco rubio? guest: not a big surprise, for me. i have been to iowa and did some in depth interviews with iowa voters. even if they were not picking marco rubio at the time, they kept telling me they really liked him and his personal story. up by his bootstraps, and immigrant. there was always a lot of affection for marco rubio. it always seemed the ground was fertile. as the ground started to shake out that rubio would rise. all, thaturprised at seems to be the attraction for a lot of iowa voters. host: monmouth university and the latest poll showing ted cruz leading in iowa. caller: my pleasure. host: coming up next we will speak with the hill correspondent.
7:56 am
we will look at the gun measures president obama has proposed in the wake of the san bernardino terrorist shootings. representative will escrow from new jersey -- representative bill pascrell from new jersey will be here. then the case of baker v. carr. we want to show you a clip of last nights program. this relates to one person, one vote. ifore we show you the clip, want to show you usa today's newspaper this morning. the supreme court is going to be hearing oral arguments on a case that derives from this concept of one person, one vote. the supreme court must consider this question. when it comes to drawing election districts, who counts as a person? are civil rights
7:57 am
groups fighting to keep the rule that emerged from a series of high court cases in the 1960's -- everyone can be counted. on the other side conservatives groups who want tens of millions of children, noncitizens, prisoners, ex felons, and people with intellectual disabilities excluded in the count because they cannot vote. that michelle you this reference from usa today, it is from our landmark series from last night this case, baker v. carr. >> the question of whether a person had equal protection of the laws was a judicial question. we have the right to decide it. mustve the legislatures give equal representation to everyone. that is where the expression one man, one vote came into the game. i think that case
7:58 am
in which all the other cases are, is perhaps the most important case we have had since i have been on the court. host: ted olson, light with the chief justice think of this as the most important case. guest: the decision in this case open the door for a change in the way we govern ourselves. states had apportioned power in the state legislatures according to various different methods that in many cases fund up with much more power in the rural communities than urban communities. into cities,s grew the rural gained much more strengths of the power in state legislatures was confined to a smaller and smaller number of people in terms of their representation. changing how that was done changed how we are governed in this country in a dramatic way. host: be sure to tune in this
7:59 am
saturday night at 7:00 p.m. for the encore presentation warren court decision baker v. carr case. or go to our website to catch this and all the other programs. joining us now is jordan fabian of the hill newspaper, white house correspondent for them. i want to begin with what president obama had to say sunday night in his oval office address. talking about terrorism and the fight against isis. he uses it as an opportunity to talk about gun control, and terrorists getting access to that. [video clip] >> congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun. what could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect by a semiautomatic weapon. this is a measure of national
8:00 am
security. we also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones used in san bernardino. i know there are some who protect any and safety measures, but the fact is our intelligence and law enforcement agencies, no matter how effective, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter. whether motivated by isil or some other hateful ideology. what we can do and must do is make host: what is the president proposing here? heard him say, he is pressuring congress to pass a new law that would ban people on the no-fly list from purchasing weapons. he is also renewing calls for congress to pass an assault weapon ban, and expand universal background checks for all gun purchases. he is renewing these calls in the wake of the san bernardino shooting and the shooting we saw
8:01 am
last november in oregon. host: what is the likelihood that each of those get a vote on the senate floor? didt: the senate block an amendment from dianne to ban people on the no-fly list from buying weapons. house democrats are trying to force this issue to the floor, it issue of the no-fly list, will be difficult for them to get that vote. need at least 30 house republicans to go along with that, and they do not have that. with what could he do executive action? is he thinking about doing anything with that? guest: absolutely. one thing he is considering doing is expanding background checks. often those who sell guns at shows an online are exempt from the requirements.
8:02 am
background checks is one area where they are looking to do that. when would he roll this out? what would be the reaction from lawmakers, if you made that move by executive action? guest: a lot of folks thought it we areome out soon as becom coming up on the anniversary of the new town shooting. the reaction would be quite swift. we saw the president took action on immigration reform, another area where he was foiled by congress, and republicans pulled that down with a lawsuit. we could see another lawsuit from republicans in congress. host: specifically on the not allowing people on the no-fly list to get a gun -- could that be something t that would get through congress if it got to the floor? guest: i think it would still be difficult. americanw that the
8:03 am
public are for greater governmental, but the votes are not there in congress. powerful. is very it is interesting, we have seen in the presidential race, candidates like donald trump and john kasich have come out and said, i would be ok with this no-fly list proposal. it is an interesting proposal because it is putting pressure on those candidates and scrambling the debate on gun rights that we have seen over the past two years. host: who are the gatekeepers in congress to putting these measures on the floor? how did republicans react on sunday night? guest: they did not react well. they said that president obama does not have his eye on the ball. we are talking about terrorism, and he is talking about gun unrelated issue. obvious the, president obama is arguing the cases are
8:04 am
intertwined. the majority leader, mitch mcconnell, a staunch supporter of gun rights. au remember him holding up large gun on the stage, showing where he is on the issue. host: we sat down with bob goodlatte and he says there are already enough laws on the books when it comes to guns, and if they enforced those, that itself would help. guest: the fbi and the dhs already monitors if a terror suspect is purchasing a weapon. that is something they should just do a better job at. one problem -- there was a report that showed that 2000 people on the government te rror watchlist by ammunition. host: not related to guns, but ise visa waiver program --
8:05 am
there bipartisan support their? guest: yes, i think the house could take action as early as today. the white house has said they would support the visa waiver program. that is one area where congress is reacting to the paris terror attacks. host: steve, indiana, a democrat. we have a fourth line this morning for gun owners, (202) 748-8003. go ahead, steve. caller: thank you for taking my call. as the young man stated, about how the republicans are blocking , good sense ideas, like the no-fly list, i do not know how republicans can block that yet, the republican callers who call in constantly trash
8:06 am
president obama. there is no cooperation on the .ill at all the strong gun advocates are the ones winning. here in indiana, and everywhere else, there are lines out the door. buying assault weapons are the number one guns being bought right now. it is a vicious cycle, a vicious circle, and the lobbyists are winning with all the strong gun out with, are coming and scaring people. it is the republicans blocking everything on the hill. it does not make any sense. next,we hear from ann florida, an independent. what are your thoughts this morning? caller: i would like to know about the no-fly list criteria, in terms of the european
8:07 am
countries, and how they share information with our country. second, i would like you to touch on the fbi information about the no-fly list, the black web. thank you. i think the no-fly list proposal is interesting because there has been some criticism of it from groups like the aclu that folks who have not belonged and up on it.list actually, senator ted kennedy ended up on the no-fly list. we see folks end up on this list that should not be on it, and we should not deprive them of their constitutional right to buy a firearm. been supported by the obama missed ration as well. twitter, is the
8:08 am
no-fly list of punitive action, that skips the due process clause? guest: that is what i was alluding to. these people have not committed crime. host: david is next, lexington, kentucky. a gun owner, is that right? caller: i am. i'm not a big barack obama by do agree, if you cannot fly, you should not own a gun. as far as gun shows, i do not like the idea of anybody walking into a gun show, not having a background check done, and being youe to purchase an ak-47 -- are asking for trouble with stuff like that. banning assault weapons is not going to stop the problem going on right now. kentucky, i live a in
8:09 am
we are waking up to one of the first republican governors. people are sick of the whole democratic party, not addressing what the main issues are, as far as gun control, muslims. i just want to say, people are giving muslims a bad name right now. famousa very muslim call louis farrakhan who basically taught hatred. he was american. i don't know. i hope it all works out. thank you for taking my call. host: that was david. bannings talking about assault weapons, but that will not solve the problem. they are rarely used in the murders and suicides that come
8:10 am
from the approximately 30,000 gun deaths in the country each year. most comfortable advocates, while supporting limits on high-powered rifles, place a higher priority on measures they say could tighten the the e availability of firearms. the president proposing what he says change the definition of high-volume dealer? guest: there are some small dealers that sell -- i think that threshold is less than 50, or somewhere around there. they are exempt from some of the legal requirements for background checks. fall under the list of those who impose strict background checks -- the last one had a lot of loopholes.
8:11 am
including18 states, california, required background checks for either all gun sales are handgun sales. good morning to you. caller: thank you for taking my call. the first statement i would like about the sensor attached to a gun that would allow only the gun owner to use the gun. i was also at a tradeshow, and there was a gps attached to the gun that would allow authorities to know when the gun is taken off the safety. that allows police to know exactly where you are with a gps . it kind of gives them a heads up where that gun will be used.
8:12 am
monitor kicks in. there are a lot of things we can do to help people feel safe with their guns, and at the same time . make the public feel safe dying.are constantly i will hang up and listen to the rest of the show. host: your reaction? guest: i think that would be another law that has to be on the books. i think the proposals on some good, but if you want to make that mandatory, you would have to pass a law that would require many fractures -- manufacturers to put features on the guns. host: bill, welcome to the conversation. isler: what you are missing
8:13 am
the nra does not want anything that would limit the sw of guns. gangs in america by a lot of guns. they are a major gun market. they stilsell guns. nt a gun.ven re they have paid our congress to make sure that gun sales cannot be limited. a murder mafia. it is a murder market. host: ok. take a look at this, from the "wall street journal," and affordable arsenal.
8:14 am
the weapons shows that the two shooters and san bernardino had. be about cost would $6,500. you can see the individual cost of the guns they found in their stockpile. president obama saying we have to make it harder for people who are terrorists and potential terrorists to get access to these guns. guest: what a lot of the critics point out, and i think is right, you can script these laws. the president said, we should try and try to make it harder, 3500 gunsare already skirting around. even if the shooters ended up on a watchlist, where they would be blocked from purchasing the firearms, they found a way around the law.
8:15 am
that is the case that republicans and guns rights groups are saying, new laws will not stop these incidents. host: the guns were obtained legally by a friend, however, the transfer of the gun to the terrorists who did the shooting would have been illegal if the governor of california had gone through with the tightening of the transfer of guns, but that was vetoed. we will go next to david in illinois, a republican. david, you are on the air. caller: how are you doing? hello? host: you have to turn that television down. we will move on to doug in new hampshire, independent. caller: as you were saying, all the laws obama wants are already in effect in california.
8:16 am
laws is not the answer. we have plenty. we have to enforce what we have. host: ok. does the president have any hill from thetol republican party on this? people he can reach out to to push this even more? guest: on the no-fly list , in the, pete king house, is one person who is supportive of this. it is a very small number. i think there are only three house republicans who support the no-fly list proposal. on the background check proposal, he has folks like pat toomey in the senate, who covert the legislation last time around. really, you can only point to a handful of allies that he can go to. frankly, these proposals have been defeated so many times, it seems unlikely at this point.
8:17 am
the president met for the first time with paul ryan yesterday at the white house. what we know about the conversation they had? guest: there was a congressional ball at the white house last night. i was bigger ryan's first or to the white house as speaker. we do not know much about what they said. be will have to ask josh earnest today because it was behind closed doors. host: they have not had a formal sit down to talk about the agenda going for? on thethey have spoken phone several times, but have not had the formal sit down meeting you would expect them to have. we go now agenda -- to virginia. caller: everybody was talking think if we take guns away, that will help. i do not think so. taking guns away is not damage
8:18 am
control. how is that going to help when all of these people -- muslims, and all that are out to destroy america have learned to make homemade bomb struck a they will try to destroy us one way or another, and they will succeed. host: why do believe that? caller: just because, they will. bibley that knows their will know that. leslie is a going a sentiment that many say president obama was trying to address on sunday night. office?he pick the oval what does that say about the optics of giving that speech and the words he used, and what he was trying to do? i think oval office address is always convey the seriousness of the subject.
8:19 am
i think the white house acknowledged that the president's numbers on terrorism are not good. even though he is not running for reelection, that is a political problem for the democratic party and hillary clinton. he needs to come out, and forcibly say, what his plan is to defeat the group. he chose a dramatic setting, in prime time, before a football game on sunday night to get his message out. host: jim, an independent. caller: good morning. i think they should register anybody who tries to buy galvanized steel hide fittings because that is what these people were doing. high ed'sw they make with pipe. host: tony, michigan. caller: good morning. i would just like to make a comment. i think what the problem is,
8:20 am
istty much, once the gun fired from people who have no business having them, there are no strict laws. at,e have been guys shot gotten shot, and they may do two years, they may do probation. after you do your two years, if you choose to shoot again, you should be shipped to afghanistan. we have a lot of kids over there dying. it is sad. this is not a race thing. only what we are putting out here. it is not just chicago. it is small towns as well. kalamazoo. . ann arbor
8:21 am
it goes on. what i will focus on is how do we get stricter laws for the ones who are out here who do not want to uphold the law and do right? thank you for letting me comments. it is interesting. right now, the president is talking about a criminal justice reform proposal that would reduce incidences for nonviolent offenders. perception among the public that there is a crime wave going on. we have seen that the murder rate has spiked, even here in washington, d.c.. host: president obama did a criminal justice tour, pushing to theorm changes criminal justice law. he promised, after one of the mass shootings, that he would
8:22 am
come out and speak after every single one of them. he hoped that accomplishes? guest: even if they will not say that gun control will not get , in congress, but maybe laying the groundwork that if hillary clinton is elected president, he conveyed the political groundwork to push that into 2017 and beyond. host: you mentioned changing the definition of high volume dealer, what else? guest: they have been very they areed about what considering. they are talking about behind-the-scenes. he did have a former congressman , who was shot in the tucson mass shooting, made america the shooting -- she was actually at
8:23 am
the white house on friday to meet with president obama in the oval office talk about this issue. host: michael bloomberg has a group as well. are these groups galvanizing? will they be able to match the fundraising an effort by the nra? guest: that is the big test. closed doors, they are leading this effort to galvanize this effort, but the nra has been very successful in fundraising and controlling or influencing members on capitol hill, and it remains to be seen if others can match their power. questiony asked this people by thousands of rounds of ammunition, but it is the law, you cannot by two bottles of sudafed. roy, good morning. caller: i think bush hadley
8:24 am
42,000 on the no-fly list, and president obama has 730,000 on the no-fly list. the nra has been all for the gun checks -- you know, they have to check to make sure you can buy weapon. as far as putting a gps on their , and people will, like obama, got complete control the united states, they could run you down, no matter where you are, and take your weapons. fernand, texas, gun owner. caller: the question i would like to pose is i think the loss control,as far as gun i think they just need to be enforced. process, ihe vetting
8:25 am
just think it needs to be a little more stringent. as they come into our country, not allowing them for a certain amount of years to obtain a weapon. it is not just them being able to buy one once they get in the country. that is not the reason they are coming here. they can go on the street and acquire a weapon. there was a little more stringent and lengthy time frame , i think if they were to filing within that time, we would be able to exclude them from being able to obtain a weapon. we have not heard any proposals like that on the books, but one thing we talked about earlier than we are looking to crack down on is the visa waiver program. then the fiance program -- shooter's wife came over using. it is more a question of
8:26 am
identifying who poses a national security threat, and making sure those people are not coming over in the first place, and not necessarily tying gun purchases to immigration. to florida,l go now brian, a democrat. caller: what i am thinking about justis should be treated like a car. it should be licensed. you should have insurance. you should show you are proficient in handling a weapon. liability insurance. all that good stuff. own 10 or more weapons, you should have a direct class of license. my father in law passed away, and he owned like a whole arsenal. that is the only time i came across weapons, and just knowing how many, and the prices, how you can just sell them to
8:27 am
another person without any kind of anybody knowing about it. able, ife would be they come across weapons that are not registered or licensed, like a car, they could impound them. that is all i got. is an i think it interesting proposal. again, we talked about, earlier, there are 300 million guns in the country. i think something like that could be incredibly hard to implement. how does the government track down all of those guns. we get into the question of what the nra likes to bring up which is is the government intruding on people's rights? it would be interesting to see whether people want to submit to something like that. host: the government was to create a database of gun owners, and that is something they have
8:28 am
opposed. guest: it is something that the nra is struggling against. we will go to des moines, iowa, roger, an independent. i am looking at this no-fly list that everybody says these people should be denied purchase of a gun. when george rush left office, there were 75,000 people on the no-fly list. today, there are 700,000. now, who is on the no-fly list? that 72eard reports people working for homeland security are on the no-fly list. allowed to work for homeland security? number two, gun laws.
8:29 am
there are 22,000 gun laws in this country. i mean, how many more do you want? assault weapons. weapons are fully automatic. people that we have here have had a fully automatic weapon. they have been banned in this country since 1934. we are talking about gun control. we just had 14 people killed in california by terrorists, and we're talking about gun control. they purchased these guns
8:30 am
legally in california. things areent, as going on, these people had connections to a lot of foreign people. you know? host: i heard your point. guest: i think the caller brought up a lot of inch same points. he pointed to the quantity of gun laws. the problem is that states have different from us. the second thing the caller pointed out is this idea about tois gun control tied terrorism? the case the president is making is terrorists in the middle east are not have the capacity to carry out these big operations anymore, and they are resorting to things like mass shootings. that is why he is tying gun
8:31 am
control to national security, saying that these attacks could be a tactic used more frequently by groups like isis. , you are on the air. caller: i just have a statement. i'm x military and my enforcement. the gun control they are seeking right now is useless. i used to be a democrat back in 1977, and then i changed to the republican party mainly because the democrats were calling for gun control. it is not going to work. obama keeps wanting to let more people in, and that will destroy our nation. host: donald, florida, democrat, what do you think? caller: i am a strong supporter of president obama, but i do not support more gun control. , ar 15, if blue of
8:32 am
weapons -- a slew of weapons. most of my guns sit unused. unless you can get them out of every criminals hand, where every sick person that will come in a movie theater and commit a crime, i want to be able to protect myself and my family. host: to carry a weapon in public? caller: sometimes. it depends on where i am going. ,f i think i'm going to an area a high crime area, yet, i carry my gun. on a daily basis, it is usually in the car locked up, or somewhere where i can get to it. host: if you go to a movie theater or a mall, you don't bring it with you? caller: no, i don't. only time is if i'm going to a
8:33 am
neighborhood where i know crime is there because i have a lot of family members that live in different areas -- good areas and bad areas. democrat, is donald, supporter of president obama. this issue of c gun control not restricting access -- all democrats are on board your you see how that plays out with lawmakers as well. guest: absolutely. .ike joe manchin host: he ran on guns. one of his campaign as was him shooting at a target. guest: exactly. where, in astration lot of states, it is a different culture. a lot of critics of president obama on gun control, even
8:34 am
within his own party, say he does not a knowledge that culture enough or the right of people to own guns. host: we will get one last call, fred, a republican. caller: hello. by all means, but in the same fashion, there should also be gun laws -- just like seatbelts in the car. it should be mandated, just like seatbelts in a car. whether or not people use it is a second story. all guns should have a gun lock before they are sold. it is a safety issue and could keep 30,000 people per year shot by about guns and owners. host: what is coming next on
8:35 am
this issue from the white house? within theink next month, or little longer, we will see the president, how and try to release this executive action they are working on. i think we can expect the president to keep speaking out issues.ontrol he wants to keep the issue in the spotlight and keep pressure on the republicans with the no-fly list issue. host: jordan fabian, thank you. guest: thinks. -- thanks. host: when we come back, we will talk with bill pascrell of new jersey to talk about congress is role in the fight against isis. later, we will be joined by louisiana senator, bill cassidy, to get his view on the president's oval office address. we will be right back.
8:36 am
♪ >> she was such an authentic person. i always thought there was more to the story of lady bird than anyone covered. she became, i think, the first modern first lady. she wrote her book as soon as she left the white house. she really invented the modern first lady. "q&a," a night on historian discusses her book, "lady bird and lyndon."
8:37 am
>> lady bird johnson, i think, is a perfect example of the conclusion i came to which is those women saw something in those men -- the opportunity to relate client and make a mark in the world, and they married them despite parental objection. she is a good example of that. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific. presents "landmark , a guide to our series which explores 12 historic supreme court decisions including marbury versus madison, korematsu versus united states, round versus board of education, miranda versus wade.a, and roe versus written by tony mauro, and
8:38 am
published by c-span, in cooperation with cq press, landmark cases is available for $8.95 plus shipping. get your copy today at c-span.org. >> "washington journal" continues. with billre back pascrell, democrat of new jersey. thanks for being here. guest: a pleasure to be here with you. host: the house and senate are working to be a friday deadline. what is the deadline and what is the holdup? fort: as you know, we voted a budget. now, we have to pay for it. we are waiting for the last few days to do that. we hope that by thursday we can do that. there are doubts as to whether we can. we may have to have a short-term patch.
8:39 am
interesting business on thursday may not be as easy as it looks. we may meet over the weekend or come back early next week. host: would there be a government shutdown? paul ryan says no. you say there could be a patch. guest: i think the speaker certainly does not want to shut the government down. he has some members, 30-40, who than doke nothing more that. last time, it was a blow to the economy, people lost jobs. it is not acceptable. host: the house freedom caucus once language put in this omnibus bill spending package that would halt the refugee program of syrians and iraqis. would you be ok with that? guest: no, i would not.
8:40 am
under no conditions would i be for that. i served in the military. i'm very proud of my service. i'm very proud of my country. i was an original cofounder of the homeland security committee. i know my responsibilities. the first priority is defend this country from without and within. i do not believe that coming down on refugees who have nothing -- they literally have nothing -- millions of people are dislocated, women and children, in particular. to specifically shut them down because we think that will protect the united states of america -- we are stronger than that, better than that, and our values, certainly, are the great values that make us the country that we are. to answer your question, i'm sorry that was a long answer, but i will not vote for a budget
8:41 am
that has that in the. host: there are other riders that could be included as well, defunding planned parenthood. today"nt page of "usa says that congress should not oppose planned parenthood. guest: that is just the tip of the iceberg. there are a lot of things in here. i think what the speaker is trying to do is listen to all of his members. tothe same time, he has got move gently through the understand, does it increased the risk of shutting down the government. host: we were talking to our viewers earlier this morning about what donald trump had to say yesterday. he was an south carolina. he said it twice.
8:42 am
i want to show our viewers again, and have your reaction. [video clip] donald trump: until our countries representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. [cheering] we have no choice. no choice. [applause] we have no choice. according to pew research, among others, there is a great hatred towards americans by large segments of the muslim population. host: congressman, he started saying that there should be a ban on muslims entering the
8:43 am
night stays until congress figures out what is going on. guest: what the hell is going on . what the hell is going on with donald trump is the question. i do not think we should make him the pincushion. i think he is kind of the summation of what has been going on for many years in this country with those who have sent up a lot of red flags about violations of human rights, ethnic pillaging. donald trump has something become a spokesperson, not that i'm trying to let him off the hope. i'm just saying that this should not surprise us. asked what they say. he comes out, i have to give him that credit. i think what he is saying is very dangerous. it fuels the problem, makes it
8:44 am
worse. host: his fellow republican candidates denounced what he had to say. guest: and different ways, yes. i thought that was just as interesting. they are no longer tiptoeing. if you remember, the criticism one-month to two months ago -- they all want his influence, in some way. i just want to hold us up for a second, if i may. refugees have to go through this maze of bureaucracy. host: let me show it under our camera, while you are talking. guest: there is nothing wrong with that. 13 or 14 steps. congress added a step. these are refugees, basically women and children. the ages of these folks are very
8:45 am
young, single moms. we know that single moms can be terror threats, but these are vetted. that is why we are looking at the visa waiver program, a program that is much different vet refugees. if you look at how they vet these refugees -- the likelihood of someone -- i mean, there is no such thing as a seamless program, but i think that this is the toughest screening i've ever seen for anyone who wants to get into this country. host: the visa waiver program -- guest: we agree with that. we have bipartisan support. i believe that we will vote on that this evening. i think it was a good move.
8:46 am
the president made it. he has bipartisan support. i would support that. would it be included in an omnibus bill? guest: it would be separate. host: let's get to the calls. mary? ative.tr i, represent i'm worried about this budget business. how many times have republicans gone along with raising taxes. it seems they always want to cut away from our programs. you know, i'm 68 years old. definitelyers would represent me because i think our country is in great danger. i'm very afraid of paul ryan. like weknow, i feel will be a futile society --
8:47 am
feudal society. i feel bad for the refugees. how horrible for those people to be homeless, to know that people in the country estate who do not want them here. host: i will have a congressman jump in. let me put a price tag on this budget bill -- $1.1 trillion. guest: that is correct. again, we voted on a two-year budget. we had good bipartisan support, healthy bipartisan support, but you have to pay for it. that is why, at the end of the , in the 11th year, we are trying to make a decision on how to do that. i'm sure we will come up with a solution. riders are simply going to complicate the matter.
8:48 am
we will go on and on, or perhaps shut the government down. ryan, while trying to listen to everybody, will have to make a decision and say, enough is enough. host: we will go to pennsylvania, rick, you are on the air. caller: how are you doing? want to comment. we are on the budget now, talking about how we have to defund the planned parenthood, but we are spending all this money to bring syrian refugees in. i myself am a vegan. like yourself, i served the country. why are we spending money to bring in these immigrants? while they need help, we did not spend money to bring in japanese immigrants after pearl harbor. guest: known facts, we had in
8:49 am
internment -- now, we have the california, san bernardino shooting by another muslim terrorists. the boston marathon bombing was children of muslim refugees. what are we going to learn and the enemy into our door, and spending are valuable money that we need at home? guest: i think that is a broad brush -- bring it in the enemy. no one wants to do that, democrats or republicans. these refugees are different from many other refugees. we take a lot of refugees. we do not just talk about syrian refugees. these refugees have families waiting for them here to take them in. united states citizens, for the most part, who will take them
8:50 am
in. there is an intricate, but process, towhile get them in this country. many organizations are helping with the process. they cannot, in the country until they are actually placed with a particular family. community american has been here for over 110 years. one point on this issue, i think it is very, very important for who we are. the cost is basically because of the private organizations involved in the process. that our safety will be sacrificed by allowing these refugees into this
8:51 am
country. host: what is the size of the muslim population in new jersey? has new jersey accepted syrian refugees? guest: yes, we have. in my town, a refugee came last week, and was welcomed. they live in the main street section of patterson, where i grew up, which is heavily muslim, heavily arabic. we are very proud of that family. we will get them a job, make sure that he will become productive. host: catherine, new jersey, democrat. , everybody. bill, i met you, a long time ago. guest: uh-oh. caller: with congressman cologne. guest: yes, a good friend. husband and i, my
8:52 am
are both democrats here. guest: there are not too many down in that county, right? [laughter] caller: i don't know. everyone here hates chris christie. i'm very antiwar. i'm antiwar. all that being said, i think you should run for governor. it's not funny. guest: we want a young or, a young man, a young woman. we will win next time, but we need a good candidate. host: she said she is antiwar. i want to pick up on that sentiment. it is not just about protecting the homeland. the president said you need to
8:53 am
pass a new authorization for military force. guest: he has asked does this since last year. -- $5 millionng of the $6 million we have spent is from the authorization from 2001. it does not make any sense to me. the governor from massachusetts tried to pass legislation this year. we should be discussing it. host: democrats and republicans alike say that no one can decide what the language should say. the president's draft proposal that he sent up in february ones to put a limit, years. guest: that is what he has recommended. he is thinking about the last authorization it lasted 14-15 years. he is worried about that.
8:54 am
number two, he does not want to send our sons and daughters on the ground there. we have special forces, and i'm sure there are more there than the president has said, or anyone else has said. we have to operate against people who want to do nothing but kill us and destroy our way of life. the president. i did not agree with him on his early decisions in syria. i thought we should have been helping the moderates there, even though we did have some fear about the weapons. i understand the situation. , but i think, because we did enough -- russia is now involved, assad has bunkered down. there is no question, we cannot leave assad in the position.
8:55 am
people say, isn't destroying isil, call it what you wish, more important to destroy -- it is, but there is no government there. this is what happened in iraq. if you do not have a viable government that will involve all the different sections and in iraq, or ifst you are talking about afghanistan, we are leaving a vacuum. this is what we are dealing with n iraq right now. with john mccain writes do not needam, you combat troops in iraq, what we do want is to improve and accelerate the training of iraqi units,:advise airstrikes, and conduct
8:56 am
counterterrorism operations. they write this, there is a role for u.s. ground combat in syria, indigenous fighters and the syrian kurds have fought bravely, but the reality is that no ground force exist today that ,s willing to retake raqqa norval one emerge -- nor will one emerge on its own. they go on to say, once you are there, the u.s. has to stay there, otherwise they will come back. host: that is one of the major problems we have to debate. that very issue of how long to be stay. to be stay until there is an organized government to control the situation? stay until the shots are stopped, and be say the war is over. of course, that did not happen in iraq, and certainly has not happened in afghanistan.
8:57 am
we know history, but do not know culture. we have blown in both afghanistan and iraq. we are all involved in this. as a viable nation, the greatest nation in the world, we can change strategies. the president is doing that. maybe not as quick as we would like him to do. what lindsay and john are recommending here, i can accept that, by the way, by will never ever vote, at this point in time, to send american ground troops into syria. i think that would be a big mistake. host: when could you vote for that? weest: if the coalition -- keep on talking about this -- thisn of forces should be their choice in the region.
8:58 am
they know, if it takes full in syria, it will take hold in other countries like our friends and tunisia -- in tunisia. we have to judge it. we cannot be absolute about this. right now, i would not send americans. we have operations and people on the ground. we have cia on the ground. we do not have to paint the picture. it will move, and perhaps it will change quicker than we think. bombingsade over 4000 and strikes in this area. i think we need to take that town. there is no question about it. how we do it is a coalition of thee nations have to lead way. then, i'm saying to you, if we get to the point where we need
8:59 am
american troops at that particular time, then we will do it. we should not do it now. host: charles is next, a republican. .aller: good morning, bill where is all the money coming from that will pay for these people coming over, and whose jobs will they take? also, norway is giving them money to go back and paying way back. sweden is having trouble with it. germany is having trouble with it. also, as far as safety goes, i think the best thing i have heard or read -- and i apologize to the person who said it or it -- if you had 10,000 m&ms, and theyemin are poisoned, how many would you
9:00 am
eat? guest: no. you are trying to make a comparison between and moms whoe nothing but the closing on their back -- the closing on their back. -- the closing on their back. these are refugees. their company -- their country is in the midst of a civil or. they need some help. i've heard some suggestions about, what we should do is create safe havens for them to live in different parts of syria. 1999 when the muslim community was being forced out by christian serfs, most of the refugees wound up in macedonia. that risen -- i went
9:01 am
to that camp. i rub her flying in on a helicopter and seeing item for item. i met with the very people who lost their mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. these are refugees. so they are us. when i look at a refugee, i say, this is us. -- and you go through the process, the likelihood of getting through in this process is unlikely. i want to be vigilant and i'm glad that you feel the way you don'tt i don't include -- conclude that we should put our hand up. we are better than donald trump and we are better than that.
9:02 am
we can exist and contain the enemy and destroy the enemy without turning our back on our values. host: an independent. mike. caller: good morning. -- ild like to preface sincerely appreciate anyone in senator -- congressman, , anyone -- who will state where they are coming from. , you couldn't drag them into c-span. they don't want to do any questions. now i will get to my comment. host: we have put out invitations. senator caution -- senator otton, when he was in the
9:03 am
house came on c-span. i watched the speeches, they are boring but i continue to watch them. now to my comment. there are many couples in this country who have never had a child, you cannot have a child. love toy wife would adopt one of these small the way youm syria. beat a person and change their indoctrinating. if they are in doctrine to hate america or whatever, the only way to change that is to instill in them that there is another way of life. and you let your light shine. i was raised on a farm and we have a farm. we have horses, chickens and
9:04 am
notes -- and goats. my childhood taught me to respect other animals and my fellow man. ideologyt change in unless you have a better ideology. host: ok. guest: i agree with what mike is saying here. i agree with the sentiment. adoption is one of the options. the war of charge council organization that is helping the refugees is perhaps someone you should reach out to. you say you and your wife would like to adopt one of these children. that is really great. that is what americans do. we don't turn our backs. we do not turn our backs. don't cross us. you will pay for that.
9:05 am
so good luck to you and your wife. and follow through on what you are talking about because i think you will do a great thing for this country. texas, bea guest: good morning young lady. caller: good morning. we send millions of dollars to egypt and they are not taking any refugees. the, i have watched all of hearings and i am in my late 70's. i have watched cia and homeland security and they have all said that there is no way to prevent these people and yet they are we are putting us -- holding very few women and children.
9:06 am
they were all young men. america, millions of children, decided to jump on top of a train and coming to the we still haveand not closed our borders. i want to thank you, over 100 bills have been put up in the last couple of years and harry reid would not even put them up for you to vote on. ofi am getting kind of tired being a taxpayer who has to pay for all of these people. you tell the united states americans how we are going to borrow more money to bring more people here. there are over 32 million muslims here before this started and he want us to take all of the refugees and the illegals? and you won't do anything as a
9:07 am
democrat? you want our tax dollars? guest: no one is adjusting we take all the refugees. let me correct you. there is missed -- there is misinformation about who these refugees are. 75% of all the syrian refugees are adult females or children under 18 years old. that is three out of every four. under 18.n less than 2% of syrian arrivals are young males of military age. let's get the facts straight. i respect everyone's opinion. host: how difficult is it to do that when americans don't trust what lawmakers are saying? and donald trump says there is no way to know who is coming into the country? guest: with donald trump, his philosophies, you don't have to prove anything.
9:08 am
you just say it. it is easy to move people's fears and move people by fear. i chose not to do that. i've never run a negative campaign in my life. i have run hard campaigns against some people. you make choices and these are choices. and the attitude that we paint with this wide brush -- i just gave you numbers. i did not make those numbers up. you can't make that up. i am more than willing to be challenged on these numbers and we move from there. isbe some people say that 2% too many. you may have a point. we look at these all the time, the vetting system. we go over and over again. in fact, there has been talks about a visa waiver holding it down a little bit for years.
9:09 am
special relationships with other countries and we allow those countries to have folks come here. host: the washington post said 20 million travelers to the vantage of the week the -- of -- 20 million travelers took advantage of the the sun waiver program last year. guest: we are going to toughen up on that. there are people out there who are hateful. but we have people in our own society who are hateful. inre was a report done -- became there head of homeland security about the domestic terrorism. people in this country who have nothing but death on their minds and hate in their mind.
9:10 am
and that was buried. is the legal right of the u.s. to wage war in syria against this government? why must the u.s. train middle east fighters? guest: we wanted to make sure that syrians fought against syrians in terms of a civil war. but then everybody else got involved. the president was hesitant to do that, one of the reasons why he and't do what i suggested, i understand that. i understand where he is going. he has a worldview. everyone says the president is going to slowly, the president should be moving quicker. is he awake? i think the president is following through on what he promised eight years ago and deliberative on these things. he should be. he took over in the midst of two wars.
9:11 am
he promised to and both of them and you don't just snap your fingers. we can and our involvement in those wars but it doesn't mean that it is over. alabama, howard. guest: hello howard. caller: i am an old man. -- and i think he is turning over in his grave. he loved the american people and the constitution and he would not have put up with all of the mess going on today. howugh migration, that is muslims take over countries. plans, the of their more people they get, they can migrate and take over. hillary clinton talking about open borders, that is when you start bringing them in here. clinton and bush have brought these people in here.
9:12 am
guest: first of all, fact check. muslims have been in the united states over 100 years. they didn't just get here, they didn't just arrive. they are a small portion of the people who come in from every continent in the world. so who the heck are we kidding? this fits into our game plan. plan andabout making a you have to deal with the facts before you make the plan. i'm disappointed as to the way you think. i respect it that i am disappointed. stretch,hat is a setting a caliphate up in syria. i would say america is the strongest country in the world's and we use our strengths in a reasonable fashion under the constitution of the united
9:13 am
states. and you can't have knee-jerk reactions to big problems. host: the washington post notes, this is a story written on sunday, that tens of thousands of muslims serve in the u.s. military and they always have. it notes that muslim americans have been serving the u.s. military dating back to the civil war. that is in the washington post. larry in indiana, a republican. caller: good morning. i would like to talk about your bureaucrat chart two months ago. congressmanart the has? guest: refugees, sir. caller: please straighten it out on abc, nbct i see
9:14 am
and fox news. i hear that these people are men and not women. larry, hold on. it is hard to hear you. i think he is talking about the line of refugees, the lines that you see, people marching or walking through europe to get to other countries. he says that most of them are young men. guest: many of them are. host: larry, what is your point? caller: are you lying to me? you said most of them are women and children. on television, 80% of them are men. host: hold on, larry. we are talking about the people who apply to come into this country as a refugee. there are 14 steps they have to go through, very different than
9:15 am
the pictures you are seeing and that growth are referred to before of syrian refugees and refugees from other countries who are going into jordan and other countries. they are going into europe and seeking refuge. they are seeking relief. smallerking about the group of those who want to come to the united states of america, they come with families here. they are the numbers that i pointed out before -- those are the facts. i didn't make it up. host: randall in minnesota. a democrat. i hear all about this talk of the vetting. but you do have to be a little bit older, the millennial's don't remember. wasn't certain answer can from syria? guest: i believe he is from the middle east. caller: i can and i can remember
9:16 am
that robert kennedy says some people look at things and ask how they are and say why and i look at things as how they aren't and say why not. better safe than sorry. set up interim state zones in the middle east were these people want to return to. evidently, sir, this conversation that we are having with you is falling on deaf years. every i am listening to single word. caller: you may be listening but you are not responding. listening --y be what is your question. do you not understand that you have to do what the populace wants? that is not to make us unsafe. all youclaim vetting want but it only takes one.
9:17 am
guest: all i can say to you is this in a call fashion. -- onehe original member of the original members of the homeland security committee. the united states army. i know what my responsibilities are. i know what my oath of office is, by the way. it says that my first priority, and i tell that to seniors who i love, my chief priority is to keep the country safe and then help you with your medicare. i have to keep you safe. i understand what my responsibilities are and i see my responsibilities as not knee-jerk reactions to every kind of serious problem. i believe that the syrian refugees who can be into this country are going to be good people here and they are going to work hard. i know syrian americans. and are a great populist they serve in the armed forces.
9:18 am
they lose their lives protecting our country. who are you or who am i to question something before it even happens. people in this country who have caused hate and violence day in and day out? what do you want to do? what is your solution? host: an independent. bruce. caller: can you hear me now? we have 31 million illegal mexicans here in the united states. guest: how many? million.1 guest: where do you get that number from? donald trump? caller: they have been lying to you. guest: who is lying? the media and the government is lying about it. guest: i don't know that.
9:19 am
that is why i am an independent. take theseou refugees and send them to mexico and let them see how it feels to have somebody else instead of have them send all of their criminals to us. we live in colorado and my wife got their car towed out by illegals. host: ok. to listen to just the phone and on your tv. guest: first of all, first of all, most of the mexicans in this country are hard-working productive individuals. some of them are here undocumented. most of the times, these folks got here because they can work them,inesses that hired and should never have hired them in the first place. there is enough blame to go
9:20 am
around for everybody, democrats .nd republicans, independents the question is, how do you resolve this problem? we need to fix it. that is what the president has done. to the point that he has been -- has he used it too much? executive orders? perhaps. other presidents have used it too. to what ist it out legal. immigrants andan their contribution to this country. the population has not moved more and it has moved less. as the economies of these countries improve, we will find that. and then we won't have to talk about that. this next call comes from
9:21 am
your hometown, paterson, new jersey. tj. i've got to say, thank you for taking the onus for veterans. i like to say that. i keep hearing comments about sending 5000, 10,000, 200,000 -- people like lindsey graham and the senator from arizona, sending these troops into combat. look. we need to take care of our veterans. these people are not expendable or disposable. think from the perspective of our armed servicemen and women. they should not go into this volatile situation. we are already talking about how many different militaries are involved in this crisis. the fact of matter is, i keep hearing about how russia is bombing moderate rebels.
9:22 am
the moderates from the caliphate, the islamic state -- they are indistinguishable in the region. there are so many different factions vying for territory. if russia is bombing be moderates, why did isis plant a bomb on their airliner? people need to talk about solutions we can take instead of war. that is something i have never heard yet. that is sanctioning saudi arabia, qatar and turkey. allowed ahave relationship with these countries. we separate the good dictators from the ad dictators. to the majord chaos in the middle east. there is no two ways about it. but there is something about it now, we can go back in history and to determine how we got to
9:23 am
this point but we are -- with where we are at in this time. -- isord is my brethren my record. this country made a contract with the veterans and we must fulfill that. we must fulfill that obligation to everybody. look who has served in our armed forces. they are christians, jewish, should not in any shape or form slack off from our responsibility to be with them in their families forever. host: we are getting one last in north walnut cove carolina. rex. caller: good morning, how are you doing? guest: i'm doing great, it is great weather. caller: you want to talk about
9:24 am
how these people are coming in here and work but there are no jobs. they say that you need to go back to college and relearn for these jobs. of the old jobs, manufacturing, they are gone. but he keeps saying all of that but here come all of these people in here, they can't speak the language or do nothing, where are they going to work at? who comes into this country should learn the language, there are no two ways about it. most of the syrian refugees who are coming into this country are here and they get them a job. i've seen several in north jersey where i live. i think that is important. it can become a greater burden on the taxpayer to do that.
9:25 am
but we never shut our doors to the refugees who are in need. never. go back through the entire history of this country and yet there has always been a group with in our country, i don't think the majority, who say we are allowing these people in and they will take our jobs. that usually doesn't happen. i believe in making it in america. said, we, as hamilton cannot be a singularly financial country. and we have a service base and a manufacturing base and a farm base. so i am very proud of how we do this. it is not perfect. there is no question about it. but if we are strong and have faith in the country that we can overcome these things, then we will. that is why we still exist. this is why we still exist.
9:26 am
we should treat those who want to destroy us harshly, harshly. we should not turn the other cheek, we should treat them harshly. saying,mber, we are attack those people who want to kill us, let's not include those people who look like those people. because then we do in violate the american dream. you: as always, we thank for talking to our viewers. come back again. we will take a sure break and only come back, we will talk with senator bill cassidy. you'll get his views on what he heard on sunday night and on homeland security. right after this short break. ♪ >> abigail fillmore was the
9:27 am
first first lady to work outside the home, teaching in a private school. she lobbied congress for funds to create the first library, created fashion sensations. maybe pink was targeted as a color. wasueline kennedy responsible for the creation of the white house historical association. nancy reagan saw her name mistakenly on the blacklist of suspected communist sympathizers and she appealed to the screen actors guild had for help. she later became his wife. the stories are featured in the book, first ladies. presidential historians on the lives of iconic american women. it gives readers a look into the personal lives of every first lady in american history. stories of fascinating women and how their stories resonate today. the book is based on original
9:28 am
interviews. it has received numerous reviews including this one from michael peschel . he said that c-span is a national treasure and its pathbreaking series on america's first ladies is another reason why. -- says that c-span has performed and other valuable service with its series on the first ladies. nowhere else can one find such a useful and insightful look into the lives and influence of these women who played a crucial role in the country -- the history of our country. and noted biographer said that it is a valuable collection of insight on our nation's first ladies and the important role they played in shaping america during their husband's presidency. share it for the holidays. it is available as a hardcover or e-book from your favorite bookstore or online bookseller.
9:29 am
order your copy today. announcer: washington journal continues. on our program today, senator bill cassidy sits on appropriations committees, use it on several committees actually for a freshman senator. thank you for being here. i want to start with the president on sunday night and his oval office address. what was your initial reaction as you were watching. you want something more. passion for taking the fight to isis while recognition of radical islam and then a vigorous, this is how we are going to defeat. instead, it was more like, i don't want to say anything i don't want to say and let's tread water. that seems to be what was communicated. host: what would you do
9:30 am
differently? guest: you have to take inventory of what the president has been doing or not doing. clearly we have to cut off funding for isis. the fact that we have only began to bomb their oil facilities in the past few weeks -- it may only have begun after the paris -- paris- harris attacks. hundreds iskilling not thousands of civilians. so there is a first order inking it is truly their excuse, it is un-excusable. we have thousands of people killed -- if you don't shut off the oil tanker bringing oil to isis, those things can occur. host: what would you do differently? guest: you have to do in
9:31 am
inventory. you have to aggressively go after where they are getting their money from. , as severalcreate have suggested, setting up safe zones where coalition forces will protect syrians so they don't have to flee their country for safety. they can stay there and form a locality where we can come up with a replacement government. that is a good start. host: your colleagues in the paper today are writing that they would put, forces on the ground in syria because right now, there is no ground force that exists today that could shouldqqa, so the u.s. an effort to assemble a multinational force, including up to 10,000 american troops to help destroy isis in syria. guest: what i don't know is if
9:32 am
you starve isis of financial off -- and if you shut you have a feed to raqqa with our bombs. vine? wehey die on the need to take an inventory of what the president has done and what he has not done. host: are you taking a chance that while you are waiting for them to die on the vine that they can attack more people? guest: of course. i once heard that the best time is to -- the best time to plant and oaktree is 50 years ago and the second best time is today. if the president had done what he needed to do to deny the revenue to isis, we didn't. host: i want to get your
9:33 am
reaction to one part of the president's address where you docs about the mistake of going back into syria and iraq. be drawn onceot more into a long and costly ground war in iraq or syria. that is what groups like isil want. they know they can't defeat us on the battlefield. they were part of the insurgency we faced in iraq. but they know if we occupy lands, they can attain insurgencies for years and kill thousands of troops and drain our resources and use our presence to recruit. the strategy that we are using now, airstrikes and special forces and local forces, fighting to regain their own country, that is how we will achieve a more sustainable victory. and it won't require us sending a new generation of americans overseas to fight and die for another decade on foreign soil.
9:34 am
host: senator cassidy? guest: nobody wants to send our troops willy-nilly. but in afghanistan, al qaeda was able to set up an operation and hence, 9/11 happened. and after president obama made the decision to withdraw from iraq and start the schism , in an shiite and sunni vacuum, terrorists have the ability to plan attacks that spill over into the rest of the world. the saudi arabians said that us andisis comes after then europe and then united states. we are seeing impressions of that quote. we cannot allow the vacuum to exist. there is something in between 100,000 troops and doing what the president is doing which is
9:35 am
drabbles approach with the special ops forces. we need to stop that. overseasre is fighting but also the question of what to do to protect the homeland. donald trump said that we need to put a ban on muslims coming into united states. do you agree? i didn't see the quote but i will react to how you presented it. perhaps donald trump and others don't acknowledge that it is only a strain and not the totality. i am a doctor, i know a lot of my physician colleagues who are muslim, who are good americans. our armed forces and fight and die for our country. who go to communities that don't have other physicians. that is just my experience.
9:36 am
not as to be careful, the president does, but also not to go the other way that to -- we are americans. americans are valued, no matter their religion. host: do you like the idea of pausing the refugee program? do you agree with that concept? guest: the fbi director said it will be impossible to fully vet. we need to have a better sense of who is actually coming over. once we are sure that we have a better sense, then i am all for that. we are reuniting a family, then i am all for that. if a family can vouch for a person coming over, i am for that. we need to be careful about those whom we have no idea who
9:37 am
they are. host: sydney in florida. you are up. caller: good morning. i agree with what you are saying and i think we do need to go to and clean up all of our past mistakes and make it right. guest: yes, yes. thank you. we are at war with isis. for the president to pretend that we are not, or to say that we can only do it in a measured off where we don't cut their funding because we don't want oil in the stand of syria, is to deny that we are at war. so we are in agreement. we win when we take the fight to them. let's do that. host: the congress said that if congress -- the president agreed that if congress agrees that they are for then --
9:38 am
guest: he wants to do what he wants to do. every american is supportive of defending the united states and the president in his reluctance to act and all of his mistakes point is nowis saying that it is someone else's fault. it stops at the president because he is the commander in chief. -- he is one to made the one who made the decision not to attack oil tankers. he is the one who made that decision. it is time for the president to knowledge that. host: susan, you are next. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. you are in louisiana and i am in texas. the president is going to do what he is going to do. is, if we have open investigations in every state
9:39 am
within our borders, why are we not putting our enforcement ande to enforce our rights to secure our own homeland? -- california was not on the radar. ,wo people who killed 14 people now they have left their daughter as an orphan. we need to clean up our own backyard. guest: yes, clearly. the president has been very lax on the southern border. have encouraged people to come from central america to the united states. it has been a magnet. representatives into the camps along the southern border, interviewing people why they same and they heard it was because the resident had a lenient policy when it came to immigrants. interrorist refugees came
9:40 am
through europe, it is a valid concern that people may come into united states who are those who we would rather not have ear. i agree with your concerns but a grand -- but i disagree with the president's immigration policy. but he is the president. he is the commander in chief have to live with his decisions. democrats, merit -- marot. caller: yes ma'am. i just walked through the door to work, but i just heard a few things and i would like to comment really quick. -- we are not waging war on but we have been bombing that region for 30 years. indirectly or directly, that is what we are doing.
9:41 am
of defeating isis, i'm not sure how far we can go to say we are defeating isis. toas listening [indiscernible] report that aa lot of iraqis are distrustful saying,they were basically, we are dropping supplies into prices. i cannot confirm that. host: that was a story in one of the papers last week, that there is this believe among iraqis that the u.s. is on the side of isis. yes, it is more than believe. quite a few said that this is what they saw. so this conversation is not just [indiscernible] means, but this conversation has been going on for some time.
9:42 am
toould like the senator respond to both of my comments and questions. whot: if there are those think that we support isis, it might be conspiracy theories, but on the other hand, any time an uncertain signal, people are going to interpret that signal in different ways. so if the president is not attacking the source of funding that isis is using to fund the troops and to expand terrorism across the world, you can see why somebody would feel justified in a conspiracy theory. if someone refuses to call radical islam radical, then you can see -- and by the way, that is unfair to the rest of islam. by not designating that this portion is prodigal eyes. you can see where they might
9:43 am
feel that he is on the side of isis. when he withdraws troops from iraq, allowing the shiite government to -- with the sunnis and they become part of the warrior class of isis, you can see why there is a conspiracy area we need a certain signal that isis is the enemy and we are going to do whatever it from theirolate it ability to wage war. by the way, thank you for .orking the dog leg yesterday you are working so the rest of us can do what we are doing. it will be evil and destroyed, however long it takes. host: we are talking with bill cassidy. he is also on energy, natural resources, veterans affairs,
9:44 am
joint economics -- he is a freshman senator joining us to take your questions. we have 15 minutes left with him. we will go to robert in michigan. good morning. caller: thank you for c-span. i have a few comments to make. am a retired auto executive up here in michigan. to the senator, i am appalled. you are a disgrace to your office, sir. to complain about the president how many people have isis killed in the united states? none. none. gop who want to go to war and our police at here in the public is that the gop knows what they did when they invaded iraq, it was an abomination.
9:45 am
so if you want to go to war, you go send your son. my daughter has been to afghanistan after we sent her through medical school. she was due to get out and luckily enough she came back. i look at this country as a country of contradictions. we are against planned parenthood, we are against abortion but we sent israel $5 allion a year and they are state-sponsored abortion state. then we have over 300 million guns in this country. and yet you want to make people go into the public that isis is going to come over here and take over our country and kill more murder us. dying a30,000 americans year from handguns and you have done nothing. host: that was robert in rochester, michigan. i will have you respond. -- gocusations there
9:46 am
ahead. guest: robert may think that that somehow we are conducting war on basis unfairly. we are at war with isis. aside from the attacks that he throws at me. we are disagreeing on fact. you have not heard me say that i want to commit all of our ground troops to the syrian or iraqi region. in fact, you heard me say that we need to do all things to cut off the ability of isis. but i am not about 100,000 troops going to iraq or syria area. maybe you just weren't listening earlier. and you hit a lot of different things.
9:47 am
iscan see that isis exploiting terrorism. it isn't just about killing americans. the act of terror can have a disproportionate effect. the act of terror is to terrorize. it makes people feel unsafe leaving or going to their christmas parties. it ignores what we are trying to do to our culture we don't have an understanding of the effort against us. we disagree on multiple fronts. host: the other thing the president brought up on sunday was working with congress to tighten gun laws to reduce terrorist access to guns. he talked about the visa waiver program. where do you stand on that? what did you hear from the president about those on the no-fly list having access to
9:48 am
guns? guest: there is a great article in the washington post regarding -- andfly list and the not being able to purchase guns, saying it is unfair. they point out that the fellow who just shot people in san bernardino county that his brother has the same first name and last name. his brother is a decorated navy veteran. if all you have is the first and last name, his brother would not be able to exercise his second amendment right to purchase a weapon. -- thehington poised washington post points out that they differ in the middle names. but the middle initial is the same. the no-fly zone is just picked. our chief of staff was formally on the watch list.
9:49 am
he would have to show up 30 minutes earlier to be screened. people do not understand the lack of specificity and sensitivity of the no-fly list. visa waivere program, yes, we need to tighten it up. creating a safe haven in syria would relieve the pressure of people to flee syria and go into your. programs are with european countries. if someone is a refugee and a terrorist's snakes in with them and the terrorist is in a european country and can access a visa waiver program and fly over here. that is wrong. upon thosent called countries to increase their screening. i agree. host: the other issue that
9:50 am
congress has you deal with this week is that we are working towards a budget deal. , there is talkou about other writers that would be put on. what do you want to see on the omnibus package? what writers would you like attached? the president is saying that he doesn't want them but that is because the president wants to do what he wants to do. congress is supposed to tell the executive branch how to smell -- how do spend money. that tilt the executive branch how to spend the money. constitutionally, this is our responsibility. really the president doesn't want to have interference by the elected people's representatives in terms of how he wants to spend money. it is not unconstitutional.
9:51 am
i think we need to export oil. the fact is that right now, the united states is producing a tremendous amount of oil. oil, the government agencies say we would lower gasoline prices in the united states because it would go to refineries and come back to the united states, lowering the gasoline prices. janet yellen spoke last week and lowsaid that part of the growth in our economy is because of low oil rises. our economy is being damaged. a town hall back home, there is a call from louisiana -- he said, i need this job because i need to feed my family. because of that, he is losing his job and has few other options. jobs and itate would help us lower gasoline
9:52 am
prices and it would help our gross semester product, our economy, according to janet yellen. the president opposes that. host: do you think it should r that wouldde defund planned parenthood. i personally do but i don't know if it will be accepted. interviewed voters say they disagree. state, there are two planned parenthood facilities. plannedy that parenthood gets is concentrated in a portion of my state. if you are in parrish, you are not driving to the northern part of indiana. those dollars and distribute them to the community
9:53 am
health centers so that the services that are not provided now can be provided and give soen with transportation that she can get her mammogram. fourot have to drive hours. host: let's get in a few more calls. philadelphia, lily is watching. caller: yes. i have been waiting patiently. i like to address the immigration issue. president withly the highest send back of the illegal aliens. in the history of the presidency. second of all, if you were so concerned about isis, why isn't -- that approving the congress had for the program for -- hacking to be stopped by to stop isis?
9:54 am
he has been waiting for approval for months. a republican, you are a liar as far as obama is concerned. i have to say that because the propaganda is bull. host: what is he lying about? caller: he's lying about the denigration. obama has doubled the immigration people from the borders -- host: oh, deporting. doubling the officials on the border. hast: the president returned people to mexico. but the president has opened up the doors for people to encourage people from central american countries for their children to come here. we can have our own opinions but we can't have our own facts. andas brought those folks
9:55 am
there is a lawsuit by the way, a lawsuit challenging his ability to do so. into pennsylvania and ohio, we can have our own opinion but not facts, 70% of the folks who have come have come across the mexican border and they are not showing up for their court date when they are supposed to be adjudicated for their right to stay in the united states. they are melting into our country. of course, you would expect this to happen if someone wishes to be here and they have a voluntary court date. the they are 1000 miles north of the border, they will melt into the population. we can have our own opinion but not our own facts. it has been successfully challenged. the court of appeals just will against him. so that is that. that --other thing is
9:56 am
if republicans say that obama promised it would lower our bynions -- our premiums $2500 -- that is a fact. i can go down a list. go ahead. host: her other question was about the i.t. person who the president wants approved by the senate. guest: i don't know why senator mcconnell is not scheduled to speak but isis attacks on the united states are not cyber. this person obviously is an important government official, it is not cyberattacks by which isis is striking terror. it is through social media and through terror. exposing us to the folder abilities of the visa waiver program.
9:57 am
that is not a hold up on the attack on isis. host: right in indiana. caller: thank you for taking my call. was trying very hard to get on when the congressman from new jersey was on. i was unsuccessful. but i would like to speak to a couple of the things that your senator has mentioned. first of all, regarding the oil tankers that were transporting oil, to my understanding, those oil tankers are driven by civilian drivers. many of whom are within that isis caliphate. and i think you are pretraining , a direct,a support voluntary, willing support of
9:58 am
crisis. i think that is way off. citizens and civilians inside that zone where isis has control are being terrorized as well. host: i want to take that point because our time is running short. guest: i agree with you totally. it is someone who may or may not be affiliated with isis driving the tanker and that is a terrible thing. on the other hand, isis is using that money for a person to drive the tanker out and they get all the revenue from selling the oil. that money, those millions of dollars, they are being used to kill thousands of civilians. to attempt to put law into a community. so the second order of thinking is, it is a terrible thing if it turns out the driver is not an isis affiliate. but by interrupting their flow
9:59 am
of money, we will save thousands of lives. that is the sort of calculation that the president has to make. it is routinely done in war. the president has not done it routinely. host: help create, make it quick. caller: if you want five dollar oil, keep bombing oil wells and get rid of the cia and views -- and those guys want to start wars for the military complex born from eisenhower. -- i am registered as one and people should register as a republican. host: i have to leave it there. a quick comment on about what this means for the price of oil. guest: let me take this a little bit. in the middle east and the price of oil, right now, by not exporting u.s. oil, we are
10:00 am
leaving the market open to middle eastern countries to sell their oil and take that revenue onto themselves. iran, once they increase the sale of their oil, the united states could easily apply that to the international market. if we do so, iran has less of a developed the way, we the oil much more environmentally friendly. it is estimated that there will be 36.5 million metric tons of co2 emitted a year that if you sell our oil. good for the economy and good for the economy. host: we need to go to the house. live coverage here on c-span. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 m.