president said out for the state of union to be different and, in previous years, he would have dealt with it. he did not want to give a that get at the direction of the country generally. pullmakes it harder to very important issues -- and they are important issues. one the president talked about all the time, my brother's keeper initiative, was not in the state of the union. this was thematic treatment of things you need to get right. puerto rico is an important policy issue, but it was more a symptom of it being a different state of the union. you did not find a lot of policy in it. korea, you know, i

patiencee strategic point is made as if there were an alternative that would make them denuclearize. this is another issue where it just is the case that we are not going to precipitate a conflict on the korean peninsula. any policy response is calibrating a mix of what diplomatic and economic pressure we can apply on north korea, how we can work with china to apply more pressure on north korea. how we can align our own capabilities with and our posture in northeast asia so we are best prepared to protect our allies and our own territory. where the area

effective -- there are a range of tools we have to apply pressure and create openings with the north koreans. it is really that calibration of those tools. ist of what we can get right encouraged japan and south korea to collaborate with one another. i think we have made progress on that. we would like the chinese to apply more pressure. i think there is more they can do. again, anyone who tells you there is a quick solution to the issue is not confronting the reality that this is something where we will have to set the table, apply pressure, create the off ramps for north korea, and take care of our own defense capabilities in east asia precisely because of the level of threat it poses. , bestms of moments

moments at the white house, it is hard to point to one. personally, cuba was a particular high point because i worked on it for a long time. all these things come together on december 17. years ago, wewo had to do a prisoner exchange, announced normalization of relations. cuba had to release other prisoners and take other steps. you know, part of what made that heard inl to me is i the coming weeks from people who would say, you know, i never thought that i would -- one person told me that they never

wanted to -- they were kind of hard line on the cuba issue. then they went to cuba for the first time after our announcement. they did not know how they were going to feel. it was a cuban-american. this person told me that he felt like something had reconciled for him. i have heard from individual cubans who say this changed their future. their thoughts on the future had changed. the point is, there are individual people's lives tied up in this. hekmati'sto amir sister. she had tears in her eyes describing her twin brother. we have these debates in washington like there is a

football game going on. whohis is some exercise in can sound the best in the news. but, like, there are individual lives underneath all of these debates and all of these decisions. the things that have given me the most satisfaction is when you realize that something the president has done has made somebody's life better. >> a wonderful note to end on. so veryu for being generous with our audience and thank you for your service. [applause] yes, unfortunately, you have to go back out in the cold. sorry about that. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> 25 years ago tomorrow, 52 american hostages in iran were released after 144 days in captivity in tehran. on the next washington journal, we take your calls about your memories of the iran hostage crisis. >> coming up on c-span, governor rick snyder addresses the drinking water contamination in flint. then, a look at efforts to court wealthy progressives in 2016. later, it discussion on the elections in taiwan. michigan governor rick snyder

delivered the state of the state address in lansing tuesday evening. he apologized to the residents of flint over drinking water contamination and vowed to fix it. other topics included investments in infrastructure and education. this is 50 minutes. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] governor snyder: thank you, thank you very much. thank you. of the joint

convention, the governor of the state of michigan, rick snyder. [applause] governorsnyder: synder: thank you, thank you very much. please, be seated. thank you. thank you for joining me tonight. governor brian kelly, speaker kevin cotter, senate majority cough -- mekoff, house minority leader tim greville, members of the supreme court, members of the court of appeals. secretary of state ruth johnson. attorney general bill judy. congressman fred upton. congresswoman brenda lawrence. my cabinet. ladies and gentlemen of the legislature, fellow public

servants, citizens of michigan, and my family, i welcome you here tonight. i would like to begin by also adding a special welcome to our active-duty military reserve and national guard members. members of law enforcement, and our veterans. let's give them a shout out. thank you. [applause] governor snyder: thank you. i do want to share one special situation with you, with respect to our military. last year we had deployed 127th air wing out of selfridge. they had two key elements in terms of their aircraft.

warthog, a close air support unit deployed in the middle east, dealing with terrorists over there. it also has the k-1 35 tanker which was deployed refueling aircraft to make sure they can run those missions. we should be so proud. our a-10 pilots actually flew the equivalent of three years of flying in six months. the 135 pilots, they did incredible work. they actually have a very special mission critical role. they had an inspection while they were deployed. they did something that had never been achieved in the history of the air force. not just the air guard.

they had an inspection which showed 100% of the members received 100%. they were perfect. that shows the spirit of michiganders. to recognize them, i am proud to say we have general leonard isabel, the commander of michigan air national guard, we have a brigadier general john slocum, the 127th commander from selfridge. we have command sergeant major, daniel lincoln, the state command sergeant major. if you could rise and give them recognition for their incredible efforts. [applause] governor snyder: they returned before christmas. i was happy to say i had the opportunity to attend the returning ceremony.

when i heard about their incredible accomplishments, i had to share it with you. they were in harm's way to keep a safe. in addition, it is important to recognize we have over 400 michigan national guard members serving overseas as i speak today. all of michigan should be glad mati, a that amir hek marine veteran of flint, was released from iran, and we will be walking him -- welcoming him home soon in michigan. [applause] governor snyder: before i begin in terms of the speech itself, i would like to ask for a moment of silence for all of those who have fallen in protection of our communities, and defense of our country. thank you. tonight will be a different state of the state address. there is so much we could discuss about how we could make

our great state even better, stronger over the next year. tonight i will address the crisis in flint first, and in-depth. to begin, i would like to address the people of flint. your families face a crisis. a crisis you did not create, and could not have prevented. i want to speak directly, honestly, and sincerely to let you know we are praying for you, we are working hard for you, and we are absolutely committed to taking the right steps to effectively solve this crisis. to you, the people of flint, i say tonight as i have before, i am sorry, and i will fix it. no citizen of this great state should endure this kind of catastrophe. the government failed you. federal, state, and local

leaders, by breaking the trust you placed in us. i am sorry most of all that i let you down. you deserve better. you deserve accountability. you deserve to know that the buck stops here with me. most of all, you deserve to know the truth, and i have a responsibility to tell the truth. the truth about what we have done, and what we will do to overcome this challenge. tomorrow i will release my 2014 and 2015 e-mails regarding flint to you. the citizens. you will have answers to your questions about what we have done and what we are doing to make this right for the families of flint. anyone will be able to read this information for themselves. at michigan.gov/snyder. the most important thing we can do right now is to work hard, and work together for the people of flint. [applause]

governor snyder: thank you. thank you. please be seated. i know apologies will not make up for the mistakes that were made. nothing will. but i take full responsibility to fix the problem so it will never happen again. let me tell you what has been done so far, and what we will be doing in the coming days, weeks, months, and years to keep our commitment to you. to make flint and even cleaner, safer, stronger city than it was before. because that is what you and your families deserve. we are working to do whatever we must until the crisis is resolved. the people of flint have chosen a new mayor.

i am personally committed to work hand-in-hand with mayor weaver so we can rebuild the trust that has been broken. i have already taken steps to bring new leadership to the department of environmental quality. these are individuals that understand the severity of the problem, and will effectively communicate to the people of the state. for those whose mistakes contributed to this disaster, we are fully cooperating with investigations, and we will hold those individuals accountable. let me be perfectly clear to all of state government. in situations like this they must come to my desk immediately. no delays. no excuses. period. [applause]

governor snyder: thank you. we will provide resources to help anyone and everyone that is affected. just as we have provided since we first learned of the crisis. in addition to e-mails, tonight i am really leasing -- releasing a comprehensive timeline of the steps we have taken and the actions underway to solve the crisis. let me walk you through the facts. first, this crisis began in the spring of 2013 when he flint city council voted 7-1 to buy water from the kwa, the former mayor supported the move, and the emergency mayor approves the plan. the department of detroit water and sewer provided notice of termination effective one year later, and on april the fifth, 2014, flint began to use water from the flint river as an interim source. second, soon after the switch from detroit water to flint river water residents complained

about the water -- the color, the smell, rashes, and concerns with bacteria. ultimately localized boil water advisories were issued by flint, in august and september of 2014. each lasting several days. third, the department of environmental quality and the environmental protection agency began reporting led concerns. the epa did not act with sufficient urgency to address concerns of one of its experts about the approach and risk of lead contamination. service linesead to one resident were removed and replaced due to a high levels of lead. still, they both failed to systematically identify and solve the problem.

four, in july 2015, my office proactively asked about the , testy of flint's water results, and blood testing. they told us that flint was in compliance with the lead and copper rule. they said there was one concern with one house that was corrected, and there was nothing widespread to address. the department of health and human services also told us the elevated blood lead levels were to be expected because they follow the normal seasonal trends. these conclusions were later shown to be incorrect when the department of health and human services conducted a deeper analysis of the relevant data. fifth, in may, professor mark edwards from virginia tech, and dr. mona atisha sounded an alarm about lead in flint's water. tragically, based on what deq and the department of health and human services had seen on the

ground, they initially failed to reach the same conclusion. i want to thank the professor, the doctor, and the concerned pastors of flint for bringing the issue to light. we are actively investigating why the agencies got it so wrong. i believe we have the doctor with us tonight. i would like to recognize her. if you could rise, please. [applause] 28ernor snyder: on september , 2015, i was briefed on the potential scope and magnitude on a phone call with the department

of health and human services. dhhser 2015, epidemiologists validated the findings, confirming the lead problem in flint's water supply. at this point, i immediately ordered them to develop and implement a 10 point plan that includes the immediate dissolution of water filters, immediate testing of water in schools, expanded water and blood testing for anyone that might be exposed. distributedrs where . 700 water tests. and 2000 blood tests were conducted in the first two months. on october 8 i announced the flint water system would be reconnected with the detroit water system to minimize further damage. later that month i announced the independent flint water organization to address the crisis. the task force issued initial actionable

recommendations, and identify critical problems in mid-december, specifically, they pointed to a primary failure of leadership at the deq, and a culture that led to this crisis. the task force was right. i immediately took action, appointing new leadership of the department. ninth, i declared an emergency in flint on january 5 to access additional resources and mobilize additional support, including the michigan state police, and the michigan national guard. these critical resources were needed to help families get ofan water and any risk exposure for every resident of flint. i also requested a presidential recommendation for federal emergency which was granted. to the members of our congressional delegation here tonight, this is a challenge we must work together to solve. i look forward to working with you to bring additional support from the federal government to the people of flint.

10th, to date, more than 37,300 cases of water, more than 53,700 water filters, and more than 7300 water testing kits have been distributed. more than 21,300 homes have been visited. this is not enough. i am increasing the support from the michigan national guard starting tomorrow to ensure that every home we need to visit in flint is visited as soon as possible. i am appealing the president's decision not to grant a major disaster declaration. we will continue to deliver water filters. we will not stop working for the people of flint, until every single person has clean water every day, no matter what. [applause]

governor snyder: thank you. thank you. that is why today i made an official request to the legislature to fund a series of immediate actions to provide everyone in flint clean water and care for the children. in addition to the $9 million supplemental appropriation for flint made in october 2015, the request today is for $28 million with $22 million from the general fund. it includes additional bottled water, filters, replacement filters for anyone who needs these resources. assistance to the city of flint to help with utility related issues. testing and replacing fixtures in schools, day care facilities, and other high-risk locations. treatment of children with high lead levels, including diagnostic testing, nurse

visits, and environmental assessments. services will be available for the treatment of potential behavioral health issues such as adhd. for those who have had, or could have had elevated blood lead levels. we will also work with local primary care providers and hospitals to educate the committee about toxic stress, and how to identify developmental delays. support for children and adolescent health centers, and additional support for children's health care access. an infrastructure integrity study for pipes and connections using outside, independent experts. an important note -- this will not be the last budget request for flint. additional resources will be needed for water related needs, health-related needs, educational needs, economic needs and more. if you would like to help flint flint.com tor

volunteer or donate. if you are a flint resident who needs help getting the water you need, go to helpforflint.com . these are the facts of what we have done and what we are doing. just as important as solving short-term needs and improving long-term solutions, we need to make sure this never happens again in any michigan city. [applause] governor snyder: thank you. we began this process by creating the independent flint water task force, and asking them to report on exactly what happened, what accountability measures must be in place, and what investments need to be

implemented. this month i issued an executive order to make sure leaders had everything they need to clean up this mess. make sure that anyone with lingering health care concerns is quickly, compassionately, and effectively treated. i know there will be long-term consequences, but i want you to know that we will be there with long-term solutions, for as long as it takes to make this right. there can be no excuse. when michiganders turn on the tap they expect and deserve clean, safe, water. it is that simple. it is that straightforward. that is what we will deliver. to the families in flint, it is my responsibility, my commitment to deliver. i give you my commitment that michigan will not let you down. [applause]

governor snyder: in addition to the issues in flint, we have a statewide infrastructure challenge. flint is not alone. him michigan is not unique. we have a national problem with the infrastructure. michigan's infrastructure was ranked d by the american society for civil engineers, worse than the national ranking which was a d plus. we need to get this right in michigan for the long-term. we need to invest more and smarter in the infrastructure so we can avoid crises like this in the future. one illustration of success was roads. this last year we made the rotationnfrastructure in the last half-century.

i want to thank the speaker and a senate majority leader for all of that leadership in making this happen. thank you. [applause] governor snyder: but more than roads, we have a hidden problem, we have seen the rusty bridges. we drive on the roads, and feel the potholes, and cracked concrete. underground, some pipes are over 100 years old. some are made of wood, others are made of lead. many burst in the winter. out of sight, out of mind, until we have problems, or the freeway flood because the constant work. lead pipes, aging natural gas infrastructure, wastewater overflows, energy reliability, ports needing emergency dredging, line five underneath the great lakes, even the sioux locks. we need better solutions. we can come up with better solutions. one illustration -- we have made

progress with respect for iron pipes for natural gas transmission. across michigan we have many miles with the iron pipes for natural gas. this is not a theoretical risk, it is a real risk. i want to complement the michigan public service commission in 2011 for identifying this problem and starting to take action. they made a commitment that required raising rates. but we started to replace a number of those old cast-iron pipes to make it safer for people, the environment. we were smart. we began the process when costs were low so we could afford to replace the pipes. we still have many more pipes to go. this is the kind of problem solving we need in the future. here are some actions we can immediately take on the infrastructure. first i want to issue an executive order -- i will issue an executive order to the michigan department of transportation, that they will confer with local officials and utilities every time we do a new road project. because it is the best

opportunity quite often to replace the aging infrastructure underneath those roads, when the road is torn up. we can save money and do this smarter. i ask the legislature to consider looking at the same issue when local government does road projects. how we can partner to do more while we have the opportunity. ad investigations are made in the state, we do not currently do this, but we should be checking water sources and critical areas. in addition to checking for paint, dust, and other environment factors. we should be ensuring that all schools test for lead in michigan, putting a priority on those in areas where we know they have aging infrastructure, or problems in the past. we should be increasing led education efforts in schools as well. overall we need a smart, strategic plan for all of us. it requires an honest assessment of the challenges, opportunities, and costs.

that is why i will be recreating the commission for building the 21st century infrastructure. we need experts steeped in credibility, visionary leaders committed to michigan's future. they will study what michigan needs, develop a plan, for making the right investments in water, sewer, transportation, broadband, and other areas. and also to discuss how we will pay for the investments. i asked for the report in september of this year. in addition to infrastructure in flint, i now want to talk about detroit and education. great challenges cannot be addressed without hard work, long hours, and true partnership with the communities in need of new hope and a fresh start. solving them is not impossible, and certainly not without precedent. let's look at detroit, one year after leaving bankruptcy. as detroit continues to rebuild,

it should give every city in this great state a hope and belief that we can deliver new opportunities for everyone. who would've dreamed possible the idea that just a year after bankruptcy our state's largest city has become a hub or innovation and excitement. there is dynamic economic roads downtown and midtown. it is keeping and drawing young people to the state. it is important to note there is much more work that needs to be done, especially in the neighborhoods. but progress is evident everywhere. there are over 59,000 lights that have been turned on. more than 7600 structures demolished since 2014. violent crime is down 18% since 2012. we're showing what detroit can do. as part of that i would ask recognition for mayor mike duggan. please stand up. [applause]

governor snyder: thank you for your partnership and helping rebuild a great city. though our recent work at detroit gives us a measure of pride, the schools are in a crisis. the detroit schools are in need of a transformational change. too many schools are failing at their central task of preparing our young michiganders for a successful, rewarding life. simply put, not all detroit students are getting the education they deserve. this is a large problem. nearly 100 schools in detroit public schools, 60 charter schools in and around the city, 15 educational achievement schools, several adjacent charter and school districts, yet parents cannot find the quality education they seek.

one of the issues is detroit public schools are in debt. by this summer it will be over $515 million in debt. to achieve the needed academic outcomes, financial stability in detroit public schools must be achieved. over $1100 per student is going to debt service, and not to classrooms. let's solve this problem and help the kids. taking prompt legislative action is needed to minimize the fiscal impact on both detroit, and the rest of michigan. the time to act is now. and avoid court intervention that could cost all this much more and be more detrimental. i want to thank senator hanson for the legislation and the input of many legislators that they provided over the last several months. i asked you to move with great

haste. senator, please rise. [applause] governor snyder: we should be proud we have a michigan legislature taking the lead on solving detroit public school issues. the detroit education coalition also recommended a detroit education commission to help students achieve better result in all schools. this is a good idea, but has not drawn much support. we should keep looking at this key element to help detroit's kids. the school reform office, working with detroit public schools and local leaders will actively address the issues in lieu of the commission. all of us, from state and local officials, education to charitable, and civic leaders, parents to concerned citizens, need to work together quickly. the challenges are well-known. the alternatives are defined.

now is the time to get something done. great schools are critically important for the city of detroit, and the entire state of michigan. let's address this decade-long crisis now. [applause] ] governor snyder: every michigan child deserves an education that launches them into a successful career path in life. the best careers in the modern economy require training with access to programs that gives them the skills, and experience necessary to prepare them for college, career, and life. we have made progress. we have made some good reforms. we have added tougher academic standards without federal mandates. we've talked about teacher effectiveness. we are a national leader in funding preschool. we created early literacy programs in terms of pre-three reading.

in terms of stem programs, we are a leader with programs like first and square one. we have done wonderful things with early and middle college programs. we have made a commitment -- i have made a commitment to make sure that we are the nation's leader in career technical education. these are all great priorities. we can see the potential of our children. one illustration i would note tonight, hopefully you got that program, because i want to recognize the wonderful young student that designed the program cover. if you could rise, we have elena keele from seventh grade in new new baltimore anchor bay middle school. [applause] governor snyder: elena, you're the future of the state. i appreciate your parents bringing you here tonight. i like that thumbs up.

but, all of us, whether we are a policy leader, educator, or community leader, or a parent, or a student, we all have to have some accountability for achieving these outcomes, and to to be blunt, we have a 19th century education system in the 21st century. it is time to ask why. we have comprehensive studies to help with this issue. one on school funding and another on career technical education. we have had wonderful task force with actual items. i am proud of the one we did with pre-three reading. that was completed. we have another one coming soon in special education, in terms of recommendation. we also have one on stem coming. more needs to be done. i want to recognize the partnership of our state and the state board. brian winston has done a great job.

he went through a complicated process with multiple stakeholders and developed an excellent set of goals to make michigan a top 10 state in 10 years. brian, please stand up so we can recognize you. [applause] governor snyder: i want to show partnership with the state superintendent and the state board of education by creating a commission for 21st century education. again, let us do a bipartisan, multi-stakeholder effort. look at all of these studies and recommendations that investigate what have been the obstacles holding us back from greater success? and let us deliver recommendations to building michigan's educational future, the goals we want to achieve. what is the appropriate structure? what is the appropriate governance?

how do we fund it? i ask for results by the end of november. let me transition to talking about the economic future of the state. our economy might seem good today, but we need to take action to make sure it is good in the future. we should not take it for granted. that is how we had the mess up in the last decade. in terms of accomplishments, we should be proud from a job creation point of view. since december of 2010 we created over 420,000 private sector jobs. we ranked number six in the nation. that equates to 232 new jobs every single day in the state. [applause] governor snyder: we are number one in the nation and manufacturing job growth. our unemployment rate has been cut by more than half since

december 2010. we are third in the nation for the largest reduction on unemployment in that time. importantly with it though, it is not just about more people working, personal income is increasing again in michigan. we saw a huge drop in the last decade. i am proud to say in 2014 we increased 3.9%, more than doubling the prior year's growth rate of 1.4%. but it is important that we remember that not everyone has participated in this comeback. we need to take special efforts to make sure the people in places that have not participated join us. we have created programs that do this. but we need to continue to ramp them up, with respect to the urban areas. places like detroit and flint. is program i am proud of

community ventures. that was a program we built with state resources. we wanted the ability to find out what needed to be done and get it done. it has been successful. it has employed over 400,000 people by partnering with 110 companies. the retention rate after one year is nearly 70%, 69%. the wages on average are $11.80 an hour. if you think about it, what a great start. but what i will tell you is, that is not a final point. that is a point to get people successfully working that have not. then we can apply traditional programs to give them upward mobility. more opportunity for a bright, long-term future. in flint alone, this program has accounted for 618 jobs already. we need to help other places though. i mentioned urban areas. too often we forget we have

rural communities, we have smaller communities that also suffer poverty. we cannot leave them behind either. i am proud to say last year, we launched a program called rising tide. the program is based on the premise to go to each one of our 10 regions in the state and identify a challenge community. we have gone to those communities and said, we want to present a team of resources. it is not just about money, but people that can help. we have a collaborative effort between economic development resources, community development resources, and talent development resources all teaming together to go help those communities. join the rest of us. as soon as we get those communities succeeding and we are seeing progress, we will pick new communities to take their place. we will keep going down the list until we have covered every corner of michigan. that is what we should be doing.

in terms of michigan's economic future, if you look at the industries in michigan, we have automotive, agriculture, and tourism, i like to say our big three. they are all doing well, extraordinarily well in some ways. the one in particular is the automotive industry. we should be so proud. we set u.s. records for car sales in this country over the last 12 months. next year is expected to be even better. michigan has been the beneficiary of that. we are still the heart and soul of the auto industry, make no mistake about that. we should carry a special pride with that. over 70% of the research and development in the u.s. auto industry happens right here in michigan, in addition to building more cars than any other state. [applause] governor snyder: but i want to

share something with you, it has been a tremendous opportunity and privilege for us to help support that industry and the wonderful, hard-working people on the lines building the cars, the supplier base doing the hard work to make the world's best products. but we have a threat. i can tell you if we did what we did in the past, we could lose the auto industry out of our state, in terms of leadership. why is that? the auto industry is transforming to something new. the world is changing. the automobile industry of today in 10-20 years will be called the mobility industry. it will be about how people travel, not just about the vehicle they travel in. it is time now to understand we need to be looking towards the future, not just admiring the past. this area in particular, we need to make investments. we have started the process. we have made some good investments.

the primary being the area of intelligent vehicles. autonomous and connected vehicles, and smart infrastructure, and how it communicates with vehicles. several years ago we created something exciting, in partnership with the university michigan called the michigan mobility transportation center. this is a real project you might not realize was taking place in southeast michigan. they literally have a testbed of thousands of connected vehicles talking to infrastructure, even today. when i say connected vehicles, do not worry, many of you might confuse that with autonomous vehicles. these still have drivers. you can feel safe on the road. this is part of our future. and we need to do more. just this last year we did a partnership and launched something called the m city. it is a 32 acre campus at the university of michigan for testing autonomous and connected vehicles, a closed loop system

with many different environments. it is swamped. the auto industry has overwhelmed this place with demand. they are looking for a place to do this kind of work. m city is not good enough. what i propose to you, and i have already been working in partnership with the congressional delegation, and i thank them for their efforts is to look to create the american center for mobility at willow run. we have an opportunity to create over a 300 acre campus that would be the world's best place to test intelligent vehicles, whether autonomous and connected. this place is critically important. the industry needs it, but we need to bring in the federal government, and say, this is the place where the standards for safe operation should take place. right here in michigan at willow run. it can be the base for international standards.

that is how we can help keep leadership of the auto industry in michigan. by making that future looking investment, and doing the right thing. to make sure that exciting car you saw at the detroit auto show in 10 years -- just think. it will still have wheels, but it is a computer on wheels. we need a place like this to make sure we maintain our leadership for the long-term future. [applause] governor snyder: thank you. thank you. the last item i talked about, about automotive going to mobility, was an opportunity that could become a threat. now i want to talk about something that has been a great

opportunity for many years, but we face a major threat. it is the sioux locks. always talking we about but often we do not talk about how important it is to more than 400 ships annually use it. they are crucial to supplying the iron or that makes the steel for the vehicles i just talked about and many appliances. if you look at it, most of the tonnage goes through a specific law. the other ones cannot accommodate the carriers. it is absolutely critical to the future. the issue is, there is one. an analysis was done, what would happen if that one lock went down? it would devastate michigan's economy. to be blunt, it could devastate the national economy. think about it -- we would run

out of steel. this is the kind of steel that does not come from other places. it is based on the ore that comes through the sioux locks. it is interesting if you look at the history, a second thousand foot lock was actually authorized, believe it or not in 1986 by the federal government. congress approved the second lock. they just did not allocate the money to build it. this is something we need to work with congress on. i am proud to say we have partners in the federal government we have been working with to make sure we explain this issue to the public, to leaders in washington, and a commitment to get it done. twould like to recognize great partners in the gallery. we have captain steve, and lieutenant colonel michael sellers junior of the united

states army of corps of engineers. please rise. [applause] governor snyder: just as i mentioned a commission on infrastructure, a commission on education. when those commissions get their work done, we need to aggregate this to talk about the economy of the future. i am also going to appoint a commission on building a 21st century economy. our economy is more productive than it has been in years. we are doing better. but better is not good enough. we need to be committed to continuous improvement, delivering a healthy economy that michigan deserves. one that provides opportunities for every person that wants to work hard, get ahead, and stay ahead. let's build on the work of the

first two commissions, but let's also added the concept of innovation and long-term economic tools, and creating a culture of continuous innovation. i am proud to say, we have a group that really represents that here tonight. i made a trip to the upper peninsula last year. i visited northern michigan university. they took me to a place, i think it was an old bank branch, not even near campus. i walked in, and it was about students helping inventors. the inventors were walking in with ideas, the students were talking to those inventors about the ones that could be made into real products. it is happening. it is happening in marquette today. this should be all throughout michigan. think about this. engaging students with inventors. creating new economic opportunities. it is exciting. i ask that you give recognition. gallery is ain the

group of students and some of their leaders from nmu, please rise. [applause] governor snyder: we need to create an environment that supports economic development, and encourages businesses to grow. opportunity needs to be part of our dna and the state. i will ask for a report by the end of december. in summary, the challenges we face in flint, in detroit, and beyond are serious but solvable. the question is, can we come together today in a spirit of cooperation to find the solutions that people deserve? or will we succumb to crisis, and allow politics, and

finger-pointing to overcome the real needs of real people? we have to solve this challenge. because every single citizen depends on us. we need to give them a better, brighter future. they deserve it. to raise a family, to work hard, to get ahead. i am personally committing the next three years of my administration to tirelessly work to ensure the families of flint can heal from this wound, and every michigander enjoys the quality of life they deserve. to do this, i ask in return that your prayers include the people of flint. i ask for continuing strong partnership council and commitment of all of our legislators gathered here. i ask for the commitments of all

of our citizens to work together as michiganders with relentless, positive action, and to hold me accountable for results. -- sought the office of governor of michigan to reinvent the state. we were broken. we have repaired and reinvented many critical items in the last five years, including issues that many did not think could be solved. but the crisis in flint makes it clear to me that more needs to be done. it is truly a humbling expense to see the people you work for, and care for, harmed by the people that work for you. but michiganders do not quit. we do not give up. instead, we will work with more passion and commitment to truly

improve our state for everyone who has chosen to make michigan their home. this is more than a promise, this is my commitment. thank you, and god bless michigan, and our nation. [applause] [applause] [applause] >> the escort officers will

escort the first lady, the governor, the first family from the chamber. [applause] announcer: white house press secretary josh earnest out ined a press briefing on tuesday. here is a look. >> i want to ask you about flint. tomorrow, we find out that the disaster situation --does he plan to visit flint? josh: the president did sign this declaration that would allow the federal government to provide up to $5 million in assistance to state and local officials trying to manage that response.

this comes on top of the assistance that the federal government has already provided. in the form of expertise and logistical support. obviously the city of flint, and the citizens of flint are going through a very difficult time. the u.s. government is determined to do what we can to support the state and local officials who are responsible for responding to the incident. let me tell you about a couple of things we're doing. i can tell you that later today the department of health and human services will designate an .ndividual dr. nocicolename is lorrie. she is assistant secretary of preparedness and response. she will be the lead federal appointee. the lead federal official to

coordinate the federal response to this particular situation. given the significant public health equities involved, it makes sense that somebody from hhs would play the role. she will be principally responsible for dealing with state and local officials, and coordinating the assistance that can be provided by the federal government, not just by hhs, but also federal agencies like the department of housing and urban development, the epa, and others that the united states department of agriculture -- they can provide some assistance here. i can also tell you that the mayor of flint, karen weaver is visiting the white house on a prescheduled trip. the u.s. conference of mayors is meeting in washington. there is a special session for newly elected mayors. and i know that in advance of that group meeting with other newly elected mayors, mayor weaver had the opportunity to sit down today with valerie jarrett, the president's senior advisor, to discuss some of the challenges the city is facing right now. obviously, as a newly elected

mayor, she has a lot of responsibilities she is trying to juggle. so we felt it was important for staff at the white house to have the opportunity to hear at some length the challenges facing the city. i would expect, before the end of the day, the president will have an opportunity to visit with mayor weaver as well, while she is here. again, it is an opportunity for the president to hear from the mayor of flint on the significant challenges facing that city. given all of that activity, i not expect the president to stop in flint on his trip tomorrow. he obviously has a full schedule where he will spend time talking about the tremendous economic recovery the city of detroit has made. and a lot of that economic strength and recovery was possible only because of the difficult decisions this administration made early on to make the recovery possible, and

reinvigorate the american manufacturing center. >> over the weekend, hillary clinton brought up race in relation to the flint water crisis. saying essentially because it is a majority black town, the issue is being ignored. does the president share that to you -- that race played a role? josh: i can tell you from the perspective of the obama administration, based on what i just told you about the fema response and the hhs leadership role, and meetings that will take place in the white house today, i think the situation is anything but being ignored by the white house. there have been questions raised about the conduct of state and local officials leading this particular situation. but i am quite limited about what i can say about back because the department of justice has indicated there is an ongoing investigation into this matter. in terms of the response on this

is obviously a response that is and should be led by state and local officials. the federal government is mobilizing significant resources to support that ongoing effort. announcer: coming up on c-span, a look at efforts to court wealthy progresses in 2016. and a discussion on the elections this weekend in taiwan. later, i conversation with deputy national security advisor ben rhodes. on the next washington journal, a look at the progressive agenda and 2016 with adam green, cofounder of the progressive change cae committee. and russell more talking about the role of evangelicals in the 2016 election. later, our spotlight on rachel: of the american prospect.

looking at planned parenthood and the abortion debate years after the decision in roe versus wade. washington journal is live every morning on c-span. you can join the conversation with your calls and comments on facebook and twitter. attorney general loretta lynch is on capitol hill wednesday to answer questions about the president's executive action on guns. you can see live coverage of her testimony at 10:30 eastern here on c-span. american history tv airs every weekend on c-span3 called day on saturday and sunday. some of the highlights this an interviewde with conservative commentator armstrong williams, part of the explorations in black leadership project.

armstrong: so many people recognize my father because he had a strong reputation in the county. out, i am my hand armstrong williams. i hear you are racist. [laughter] the senator said, you sound like a bright young man. when you graduate from washington, if you ever want to work for me, i will show you how racist iamb. announcersand re-create the scene of the boston tea party. and on the road to the white house rewind, the road to the white house with ronald reagan, anderson, bush, john and students that sharing for the first time on national television. and at 4:00, 35 years ago this hostagesn released

after holding them for 440 days. we will look back at the iranian hostage crisis, including president carter's announcement of the failed rescue attempt and the release of the hostages, just minutes after ronald reagan was sworn in. for a complete schedule, but a c-span.org. >> next, the head of the democracy alliance on efforts to recruit wealthy progressives for the 2016 elections. from washington journal, this is 40 minutes. host: joining us from new york is the president of democracy alliance, talking about the role of aggressive donors. good morning. could you start by describing the democracy alliance? >> it is an organization of

donors, many of them high net worth individuals active in politics and social change, and institutions like labor unions who came together about 10 years ago to try to counter what they believe the right had done in building up think tanks and policy centers that shape the landscape in which we all live. founded,when we were our founder and a bunch of the initial donors felt it was time for progressives to organize in the same way, build a lasting infrastructure to advance aggressive values. host: as you described it, and the washington post did a story looking at this time you reach out to wealthy donors. as far as groups that you work with, who do you align yourself with, and how much money to you plan to raise in the upcoming cycle? anit is really more

organization of like-minded people who share information about causes and institutions they think are important grade over the years, we have tried to help build up institutions like media matters or the center for american progress, the brennan center for american justice. they play critical roles in progressive policy infrastructure. what we do with a small staff, an advance progressive values. the donors give money directly. we are not a foundation. the donors do not give it directly to us, we advise them on how to give it, how to track what they give two. host: going back to 2004, talk little bit about that history. what was the driving force, certain series of incidences that cause you to bring the group together? werethink the incidents the fact that progressives were losing. and i think the bush reelection

in 2004, despite the efforts to come together to change that, was sobering to a lot of people. and i think a sense that the progressives were living in a country where conservatives dominated in many parts of the government and the public debate, we needed a response from progressives. if you look at the way of the some, and i say this with admiration even know i don't agree with the policies, i think the way the right beginning the late 1960's with the famous powell memo by lewis powell, who then became a supreme court justice theron, laying out what conservatives needed to do after the goldwater debacle in 1964 to rebuild their power that could challenge with a believe at the time were the liberal dominance of american public life when they did that very successfully. by the reagan administration you have the heritage foundation, the american constitution society, you had institutions

that actually had a great impact om laying out policies that the reagan administration had implement a great and more locally, in new york where i live, the giuliani administration was instituted to the manhattan institute. i think progressives have been behind the curve on those kinds of things. and the argument was made by our founders that laying out the money that was coming from the conservative side requires a response from the progressive side, a quite were needed response. we tried to do that, tried to lay out an agenda, and also instead of investments the donors to make tom we would even the score a bit. way toly, we have a long go. particularly, in the states where the right has made a norma's game, and general, i think we have institutions on the progressive side, like the american constitution society or the center for american progress that actually are playing really important roles in progressing

our values. host: our guest is talking about his organization and the support they give to like-minded groups. if you want to ask questions, host (202) 737-0001 . how do you know that you are making influence with all of the donations that you make and support that you get to these groups, how do you know you're making a difference? thelook around country today at some of the progressive policy gains and economics. you look at the fight for 15 and fast food workers and what is happening locally on the economic level, you can see it in the obama administration's actions, a new

overtime rule, that reflects the investments made in organizing and in policy work by groups that have been advancing these goals for a long time, whether it is the center for american progress, or the roosevelt institute, or the economic those aretitute, groups we urge our donors to support who have played a theical role in reframing debate around economics in this country and suggesting the right policy. those have been picked up an advanced by organizing groups like the sanity -- center for community change, or the working families organization, groups we are proud to have in our network to try to get our donors to support. alone, weat one area obviously have a long way to go. inequality andnd specific policies for dealing with it, we oh a great deal of infrastructure to policy

reorganizing. as far as campaign 2016, are we looking at nationwide rates for president and are you seeing direct influence in your groups for that? what is the breakdown of how much effort you will make him those fronts? democracy alliance is not a pack and does not support candidates in elections. range across the progressive spectrum. we have supporters of all candidates and causes. there is no direct involvement in elections. we are more concerned with the infrastructure of civic engagement. we have funds devoted to it t know and african-american and youth turnout to make sure donors in the progressive base are registered, mobilized, and able to participate in the election. we are also fighting really hard to the groups we support to make

sure voting rights are as strong as possible. one regrettable thing about conservative control of many of the states in recent years is that in one state after the other, they have done their best to curb access to the polls, voter id, things like that, changing election day policies to make it easier for people to vote, those are things our donors are working on. will beur donors participating as individuals in the presidential election and i am sure they will do what they can to make sure they turn out for their candidates. when the general election is at stake, i think all of them will be voting for progressive candidates. our basic approach at this point is to take a look at what the writer does in recent years and try to build there. we have a 2020 vision plan, trying to mobilize donors to organize around investments at the state level to make sure we can make gains there. the fact is conservatives

control most of the state houses state legislatures in this country. progressives control all three branches, really a handful, seven or eight states. that has resulted in terrible policies. progressives where rule a organ, minnesota, you see progressive immigration and economic and women's rights and labor policies. in places where conservatives have a lock on everything, you see progression and all of those areas. what we need to do in the next several cycles, we have to have a long-term view. by 2020, we need to take back power in many places to be positioned for the next decade to have a fair distribution of power in this country. redistricting in 2010, really favor conservatives. we have been living in that landscape. by the early part of the next decade, progressives can translate into district line the actual power they have. the house of representatives is

gerrymandered so even though democrats got a majority vote in the last midterm election, republicans i a lopsided margin control the house. it is all about redistricting and we are of the belief that the most important thing progressives can do over the next several cycles is focus on the state. host: gara lamarche of democracy alliance. go to the website and find out a little more about the organization. if you want to ask questions, -- we will start off this morning with diane, pennsylvania. live for our guest. republican. good morning. caller: i just have a very simple question for you and that rich, at 100%,he

how long would we be able to keep our government going? i will go off-line to hear your answer. thank you. sounds like a math question and i do not have a calculator with me. i do not know anybody talking about passing the rich at 100% to what we need is a fairer tax system in this country, and president obama in the last number of years has been able to tilt that a little back in a more progressive direction. typically in this country, we have had a progressive tax system where the rich pay a fairer share of the burden. it has ears the been out of whack in the last 20 years and all we are trying to do is balance that a little bit. no one is talking about 100%. we would have a fairer economy of wealthy people were tax at the rates they were taxed under the reagan administration. host: as far as the groups you support, are the ones that deal specifically with progressive tax policy? guest: there is the center on

budget and policy priorities, the economic policies institute, a number of progressive groups that deal with tax policy and social welfare benefits policy. there is the deal with wages and work and emerging issues around the country like minimum wage, paid sick leave, childcare. the affordable care act was a terrific advance, despite the criticisms of it, in the social safety net in this country. everything, it is working to make sure fewer people are not insured for health care coverage. seen over the long-term as a significant social policy. we have a long way to go in this country toward helping working neede get the support they to be productive in society,

whether that is a stronger childcare system nationwide and in the state, or stronger protections for paid sick leave, stronger over time protections, stronger our protections, all of those things where we see some incremental progress. the president is seeing what he can do by executive order in the face of a hostile congress, in some states that direct action by legislators and progressive by a ballotr initiative to whatever you put the stuff directly to the voters , they supported and we need to have a political system in the country which more closely asches what citizens want, big money over our ability to climate changen and economic inequality, a whole host of issues americans want to see action on, they are stymied because of the nature of our

politics. host: this is rita from tennessee, independent line. go ahead. caller: you say you are progressive. are you advocating that as a nation, we progress, too? thank you for your question. progressive is a term that has been around for over 100 years in american politics. it was a term in the 1912 presidential election that all three major candidates claimed, woodrow wilson, taft, the republican incumbent, and teddy roosevelt, running on the progressive party ticket. there is a long and distinguished history in this country. we are trying to aggress toward a country where there is economic opportunity for all , a country where civil liberties and civil rights are protected across the board, a country where women are paid the same for the work they do, as opportunitiesave

across society, a society where all individual rights are protected, a society that has a capacity to deal with social challenges of our time and the public challenges of our time, whether they are trying to save the planet from man-made lowell warming and climate change, or to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in this country. we're trying to progress toward a country where all of those things are dealt with and everybody plays an equal and vigorous role in society. that is what i think. host: our guest was a senior fellow of new york university and also a vice president and director of the program for the open society foundation. of democracy alliance. our next call, democrats line, illinois. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a statement. i think some of the problems we have in the way our country is run is because citizens have not

taken responsibility to make sure we put the right political people in office. america, i am sorry to say, we have got some people who are really smart in office but we are not following along to make as a 21st-century nation. that is why we have fallen behind. we have got china and all these big countries at our doorstep. and we have got a problem with immigration. we are falling behind because we just don't want everybody to succeed. we are hurting each other because we will not work together. when we work together and try to , thethis country going world will be much better off. well, thanks for the

statement. i think much of what the caller said makes a lot of sense. there is a lot of anger in this country. it is appropriate anger. you see it manifested in both the peoplesome of drawn to donald trump and some of the people drawn to bernie sanders. there is the anger that says wealthy corporations have control the country for too long and we need to have a democracy in which the citizens have more of a say. i take that to be the essentials spirit ofessential the caller. and there are people you want to keep out and tried to point the finger down the socioeconomic ladder to folks somehow getting what they do not deserve, or taking jobs americans take, all

of which is really false. we have a crossroads about what to do to channel that kind of legitimate anger many people feel. made a lot of gains in the last seven years under a toward ave president fairer society, whether it is marriage equality or the affordable care act or improvement in the economy and a lowered unemployment rate. but nobody on any side of the political spectrum believes enough progress has been made. i heard a caller in the early segment talking about how difficult it is to get a job after a long time. it was poignant and painful. you get a political system where people are more responsive to let working people in this country need, we would be a lot that are off. the challenge is to take anger over injustice, to take anger

over stalled opportunity, and turn it into policies and practices that will actually do something for the majority of working people in the country who can write that picture. it is really a crossroads for the country. election, looking at rhetoric on both sides of the debate, we will see where we are in the summertime. it will pose a starker choice about the future of the country that we have had in a long time. you have probably heard the idea of getting big money out of politics. from the organization you represent, what do you think especially for what you do? i think what you're getting at is, isn't it a little strange that a bunch of very rich people active in elections and who make significant investments in candidates and organizations trying to affect

social policy come are trying to get money out of politics. is our donors feel very strongly about that. fundamentally the issue underlying all the other issues. we have a politic that is polarized. a politic that is dysfunctional in large part because of the way money functions in the particle system. if you look at the two sides, the two principal sides, there a wealthy donors on the right and on the left side. right,lthy donors on the in general, certainly out of ideology in most cases, favor a system with very few controls over what money can be spent in elections. the others behind citizens united, were corporations are able to spend unlimited amounts of money. side, yougressive

have donors who participate heavily in elections. in the current system we have, unilateral disarmament by progressives would be suicidal. money actually does come in our current system. it is important people have progressive values and step up and participate in the political process. ideally what you would have is average people coming together to use hard-earned dollars to support the candidates of their choice. you saw that in the obama election of 2008 and in the sanders campaign of 2016. that is important. thisong-term solution to is things like in maine, the clean elections act, seattle, where the city council passed a voucher system to give ordinary people 20 dollars to contribute to candidates. theave to democratize campaign finance system so there is a power of big money that is cracked. if we do not do that, we will

not get the policy change we need on nonviolence or immigration reform or childcare or a host of other issues in this country. there is a little irony involved in a bunch of wealthy donors trying to get money out of the political system. but i can tell you the donors i represent and the donors who come together in democracy alliance, would like their wealth to have less influence in the political process. that is the difference between the right and the left in this debate. peopleright, you have only too happy, wealthy people calling the shots are on the progressive side, people like george soros, who i used to work for, they want money out of politics so their voice does not count as much as everybody else. the policies that are often their immediate, real and perceived economic interest. there is a difference between the two sides in the political debate. we are trying to do what we can

to make it a priority to get a system in which wealth counsel for less. karen lives in oklahoma, republican line, good morning. caller: i was calling like the other lady did. butess he sort of answered, what does the progressive wing want to do? do they want to take the money from the rich and give to other .eople they are not going to keep working. you just complain all the time about republicans. there are more republicans. you know what the citizens want. you have what citizens want. who voted always republicans in? republicans. really, you kind of look rich to me. i will stay off-line and give me an address and you can send me 90% of your money. i am not rich and 90% of

my money would probably not represent what you think it would. but thank you for your question and your concern. republicans in office? voters did. and there are ebbs and flows in the american political life. it is important to know that the way district lines are john, -- by people whorawn have the power already. we have more democrats and progressives registered in this country than is reflected in the composition of the u.s. congress and the way many state legislatures are organized. if that were organize more fairly, you would see more progressives and democrats in office. also i think republicans, when they have achieved power in almost every state they have done so, have moved as much as possible to make it more difficult or people to vote. i believe everybody in this country should find it easy to vote.

and that we should have ballot practices that allow people to vote on the same day, to mail in their ballots, to have voting not on a weekday. there are all kinds of things itt could be done to make easier for people, particularly working people, to vote. if we did that, i would be pleased with the results. let me go back to the question of tax policy, which some seem to think of as complication. we crossed the bridge that almost every civilized country , whichworld has crossed is that if we are going to have support for infrastructure like roads, education, up with benefits, or the military, all the kinds of things a civilized society has, you're going to have to have taxation to do that. a fair system of taxation imposes taxation more heavily on than who are well off

those who work very hard for a living. a better tax system. that is not a new thing. i do not know anybody who is arguing right now for a return to tax policies that tax the did more heavily than they under the republican administrations like the eisenhower administration or do we live with that kind of tax system. but a steady john beat of right-wing policy work -- drum right-wing policy work has put that seriously out of lack so we have a hard time in this country supporting the needs of working we need to get back to a situation where we can do that. progressive policies as i are meant tolier be fairer to all citizens of this country, protect rights,

give more access to the political process. left or the's a right thing, i think it's an american thing. took a if you actually deep look at it and thought about it, you would find that we probably agree. we would probably agree on a lot of things need to make a fair and just society. think the current media environment and the political environment with away money works in politics and the way the system of television debates and political advertising drives polarization is a whole number of things. it's pulling people apart in this country more than they ought to be a part. there's broad public support for a lot of policies i am describing as progressive. host: william, you're up next. caller: i like to ask your guest if he can give me three or four of the biggest differences between a progressive and a socialist. i watched the democratic debate

between a progressive, hillary clinton, and bernie sanders, a socialist. i really did not see any difference. also, i'm sure he is aware that president kennedy signed a law for equal pay for equal work. it's not happening now. it's not being prosecuted. mccain-feingold was supposed a fixed the campaign-finance laws could -- to fix the campaign-finance laws. could you helping with this? guest: thanks for the questions that cover a couple of topics. was actually a significant advance in trying to deal with the problem of money in politics p the problem is that wealthy donors and corporations on the right have been trying to do their best to get that for the last couple of decades. there's the citizens united ruling that was a big blow to that. we have a supreme court in the

country with a 5-4 majority that is almost routinely siding with the needs of big business and corporations. one of the key priorities of those groups has been to enhance the role of money in politics and suffocate mccain feingold. we have made progress in the past and the post-watergate area. until we get either a constitutional amendment or state-by-state reform or a difference of in court, which is one of the reasons the next election is so critical, because a lot is at stake of the composition of the supreme court and the next president will certainly make it a conservative majority on the supreme court or maybe tilt that balance in the other direction. that is the answer on mccain-feingold. -- it'sy for equal work a long time since the kennedy administration. it is still the case in this country that women on the urge

70% -- on average $.70 for every dollar a man earns. the fair pay act was on the first things the president signed when he came to office in 2009. it was a step in the right direction. we need vigorous enforcement and new legislation where necessary. in terms of the differences between progressives and socialists, i'm not sure i'm a political scientist. sanders,k that bernie though a self-described socialist, most of the policies that he advocates dealing with economic inequality are well --hin maine's dream mainstream progressive thought in the country. it does not surprise me that he and hillary clinton house and -- have some significant differences in opinion. somebody more expert than me and socialist doctrine would have to sketch out some of those differences for you. there is ao say that

significant alignment on the progressive side on some of the values that i talked about earlier. but i do not want to give the thatssion to anybody anymore on the proposed inside, where there is a huge family feud going on or maybe a schism. that is something that i am sure a lot of republicans, and i have a lot of friends who are republicans that i respect a lot even though i don't agree with them a lot, they feel that do not range -- represent mainstream conservatism. because huge problem this country needs to responsible article parties and one of them is an dangers of going off the rails. i do not need to suggest that on the democratic side there is a monolith. i'm not sitting here as somebody who has a catechism of what is progressive and is telling what to think. i think there is a basic broad donors thathere are

we support. we have differences of opinion on the progressive side, as well we should on public policy issues, national security, and free trade. not represent organizations and donors that move in lockstep on this. they have differences and debate them an air them. that is very healthy. ideology that thinks that everything is decided for all time and that there are no strands of opinion and you cannot have debates, that is not a healthy society. i think progressives are not monolithic by any means. springs,om russell kentucky. say some kind to of requirements. jon tester, make them -- drug tested, make them responsible for the children. the fed should also be responsible.

think if they work, they'd have more pride in themselves and they have better citizens and their counties were states. -- or states. guest: thank you very much for that intervention. i think it proves since it came on the democrat line that we have a difference of opinion on the progressive side as well as on the other side of the spectrum. what --ake the koran is that work is important and provide statement the as well as a means of supporting yourself and your family. the policies that we favor of china make sure that all americans -- are trying to make sure that all americans have meaningful work and can support themselves. some of the conditions that the caller attach themselves with i do not agree with. i do not think there is any denying that the most fundamental thing that they want

this country is meaningful work. everybody wants that. we have had a problem in this country providing that. the unemployment rate is improving steadily, but for too many people, work is out of reach or the work that they can get is really poorly compensated and lacks the social safety net protections and basic amount of money they need to support a family in the society. that's got to be at the core of this election campaign and what every progressive stands for. lamarche isest gara the president. our next caller is from tallahassee, florida. c-span andd morning, mr. gara lamarche. i wish i was half as articulate as you are. you are very good at expressing

yourself and your point of view. a little lacking in that court a category could i le . i like to start off with a quote from ronald reagan. it's not that liberals are stupid it's the just what they think is wrong. bye you ever read a book " the road tot, serfdom?" guest: i've not read it, but i know it's had a lot of influence on conservative thinking and politicians. i've not read it though. caller: i would highly recommend that you read it because you seem to be an honest person. i would like for you to become familiar with his writing. man, the fallen nature of

i do not think your political --losophy will other result ever result in an improved society. host: thanks, caller. guest: i'm sorry to be outed as not having read that on national television, but i know that his ease have a lot of -- the views have a lot of weight on the republican side. i thought the caller was articulate and expressing his own views and do not really need to apologize for that in any way. there is a clash of philosophies a very,country between what i would say, brutal individual individual unlike iran -- like i and rand would represent. well, --u can relate accumulate wealth and the rich

get richer, everyone else would be lifted up. we tried that policy in the reagan and bush administrations. it is not workday well. that it and i understand it's an unsuccessful flossie. liberals and progressives had mistakes over the years as well. we are not perfect. the core progressive view the world is that we are in this together. it's about community. whether that reflects itself in the tax system more public education system, the idea that in the 21st century united states in a world in which every other country we like to think of as comparable provides health care for its citizens that the single most vigorous and intense argument that we have been happening over the last eight or nine years is whether people ought to have access to health care, it just seems crazy to me. i think it's fundamental.

it's very hard to be successful in society if you have to worry about health security for yourself and your family. there is a class of philosophies that passes extremes that are very starts -- that at its extremes are very stark. the last caller was trying to engage on the level ideas and invective that usually see in political debate. i continue to believe that if we do things like we're doing now and if we have dialogues and discussions among people who are ostensibly of different political viewpoints, whether calling in on a republican line or democratic line, most people in this country do not sort themselves and to those kinds of boxes. i think the 2016 election is scrambling that up a bit. i happen to be a very about progressive. i have always voted democrat. in the past when i first started -- to voteears ago

40 years ago, there were moderate or liberal republicans that i would be happy to vote for. the way that the party has aligned itself in recent years, it is hard to look over at the other side of the aisle and see many people if any people that i would feel couples comfortable supporting. i would like to see a country that has more diversity that people have used across the political spectrum. some of them may be considered traditionally progressive or conservative. i do not think it's a level where most people living in this country think of ideology. they think of how to make lives better for themselves and for their families. host: one more call and this will be ashley in florida on the independent line. caller: good morning. thanks for c-span. mr. lamarche, i've heard previously that you were associated with the open society, which is the foundation that began and started with george soros. i like to get your opinion on

george soros. the man actually has never really done a whole lot of good for america. with my brief knowledge of him, he doesn't have a whole lot of good things to say about america. one of the things that you mentioned that really kind of got to me -- because i used to bureau pumpkin and now i'm an independent -- be a republican and now i'm an independent, is that the only way to a true happiness is to have complete life, liberty, and the pursuit of that. with all freedoms given to everybody and to their god-given talent. i don't think people need handouts. i don't believe in that sort of thing. i think the word progressive is a code word for let us control you. let us give you what we think you should have. woodrow wilson, and my opinion, was one of the worst presidents we had. he was a discriminatory.

he did not like a lot of people. of people.like races i do not see how the progressives have a lot of good in this country. host: we are running out of time. let us get his response. mr. lamarche? guest: woodrow wilson as we have all learned was a highly flawed president. he did good things, but he was also a racist. are complicated. it was 100 years ago. i'm not here to defend woodrow wilson's racism or his reinstitution of segregation and federal government. say that i do not think progressives are all about control. i do not know where that comes from. i would say that some people on the conservative side of the spectrum try to control a lot of aspects of people's lives, including women's reproductive lives. that is the control i'm most concerned about. when we get to george soros -- let me get to george soros for a minute because i think he was unfairly maligned there.

george soros has done a lot of good things in this country. he has critiques of this country. , thereten to the debate were a lot of critiques of what is wrong with united states of america. that is not unpatriotic. people on the left and right side of the political spectrum, true patriots hold their country to the highest values or standards, whether it is george soros or someone on the other side of the spectrum. as to the good that george soros has done, it would be very hard to find someone of his means who is given as much of it away and supported democracy around the world and the revolution in , and in almost every continent, george soros has the for the side of liberty and it open society. while people focus more on his public like to the, the changes we have seen in the criminal justice system, which right

and left have come around on, george soros was there before others. the fact that we never been debate programs and after school of georgeecause soros, that is a record everyone should be proud of. i think it was a very important figure in both philanthropy and civic life. lamarche is our guest to talk about progressives and what they're looking for in the upcoming election. announcer: asking students to tell us what issues they want to hear from the candidate. follow our road to the white house coverage, and get all of the details at a c-span.org. on the next washington journal, a look at the progressive agenda and campaign 2016 with adam

green, cofounder of the progressive change campaign committee. and russell moore, president of the southern baptists religious committee. he talks about the role of evangelicals in 2016. and our spotlight on magazines features rachel cohen, and the planned parenthood and abortion debate after the roe versus wade decision. a.m.every morning at 7 eastern. join the conversation with facebook and twitter. attorney general loretta lynch is on capitol hill wednesday to answer questions about the president's executive actions on guns. at can see live testimony 10:30 a.m. eastern here on c-span.

>> as i have been watching the campaign, it is far more interesting to look at the republicans than the democratic side. that may have something to do with why there is more interest in these candidates and their books. announcer: sunday night, the nonfiction book critic for the washington post's discusses books written by the candidates. >> everyone does have interesting lives, and politicians who are so single-minded in this pursuit of power and ideology, they could have particularly interesting ones. when they put out these memoirs, they are sanitized. they are vetted, you know? they are therefore sort of minimum controversy.

announcer: sunday night at 8:00 on c-span q&a. taiwanst weekend, elected its first female president. the secretary-general of that party spoke at the event hosted by the center for strategic and international studies and the brookings institution. this is one hour and 20 minutes. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. great to see such terrific turnout on a cold day in washington, d.c. but we are very warm in here.

we want to give you a warm welcome and give a warm welcome to our speaker. director ofglazer, the china project here. it is our custom here to make a brief safety announcement at the beginning of our events, not that we expect to have incident, but in the event that there is an emergency, we will be going down the stairs, out the door that you came in. you should be mindful of where the exit signs are. so, with that, this is an is cosponsored with the brookings institution. so, i am going to turn the floor over to dr. richard bush, who is the director for the center of east asia policy and studies at brookings. thank you very much,

bonnie. it is a pleasure to once again cosponsor a taiwan event. with csis, this is really a special occasion. it is my great privilege to introduce the program and introduced dr. joseph woo. and before i do that, i think we should step back and marvel what happened in taiwan on saturday. this was a we the people, moment. there was no central committee and organization department that picked tsai ing-wen as type aiwan's next president. there was no selection committee.

and, you know, if you look at all of the ethnic chinese political systems around, taiwan is the only one that does free and fair elections. mainland china, hong kong, singapore, they all deviate from that standard. in this case, over 1200 men and women went to the polls in the voting booths, each individual voter registered their preferences about who should be taiwan's president and who should serve them in the legislation. and it was the aggregation of these separate personal acts that culminated in the result that taiwan's central election committee announced sunday

evening. no election reflects precisely the public's will. but popular elections are the institutional expression of government by the people. politics and taiwan will soon shift to other institutions and other issues, each having their own dynamics. but for just a moment, i think small-d democrats around the world should marvel and applaud at what happened saturday in taiwan. now, we are very fortunate this morning that dr. joseph woo, our our speaker, did not take a vacation, did not go home to sleep for 24 hours, but he came here. to give us a report on what happened and what the future holds.

now, i think many of us know joseph, so i am not going to too much time going through his long resume. i will just note a couple of high points. he received his phd in political science from the ohio state university. he was an academic for a while, and then he learned how to be an official of the party and the government. he served in a variety of posts in the administration from 2000 to 2008. among other things, he was deck secretary-general, responsible for external affairs. he was chairman for the mainland affairs council. in that capacity, he managed to work with others to create a mechanism that allows holiday charter flights to go between

taiwan and the mainland, even though underlying political relations were not so good. finally, he was a representative here in washington. so, please join me in welcoming our guest. dr. joseph woo. thanks. [applause] >> thank you very much for inviting me. thank you very much for the very generous introduction, richard. ladies and gentlemen, i am very happy to be back to washington dc and to brief you on how we see the elections that just came out over the weekend.