>> a view of the white house here. about halfway through the blizzard in the nation's capital, as the storm continues to move up the east coast. the nation's capital, washington, d.c. has come to a virtual standstill as the blizzard continues. high winds and heavy snow expected through the day today. , new hampshire today, a townhall with six presidential candidates. we are their lives with coverage voters get day, as ready for the first in the nation primary scheduled for february 9. coming up shortly, we will hear from former senator rick santorum. we also expect to hear from carly fiorina, jim gilmore, john kasich, jeb bush, and marco

rubio. jeb bush and marco rubio having spoken earlier this morning. we recorded those and will play those back as part of our coverage from new hampshire. ,"headline from "politico shadow looms over new hampshire conclave her." for its part, trumps campaign unveiled its own townhall on january 29. now, we take you live to new a republicanere republica representative of new hampshire is speaking.

>> we want to see a different system.health care we hear, in new hampshire, have an opportunity to change course, to send a message to the nation that we believe in the different kind of america, that leadership of leadership,-- and character, and helps our nation get stronger. i tell you, we need the help. i went to see a president in the white house that will work with us, that will represent each and every one of you. it is what i want to do each and every day. i think of my job down in jobington, i look at my down in washington through the lens of my children. , 12 andt colby and jack 11, home right now, and think about what kind of nation we are going to give to them, what kind

of challenges and problems we will give them, or what kind of opportunity and hope we will give them. makes a difference. the next president of the united states has to be someone who is standing on the stage today. we have a whole host of candidates. have aa lot of you certain choice that you want to see. i think the most important thing is to like someone who can beat either hillary clinton, or maybe, bernie sanders. this is a crossroads that we have. this is a challenge that we have as a nation. i'm thrilled that people in new hampshire get to continue to make the first in the nation primary decision. we have great people who ask important questions, who delve into important mainstreet issues that matter to everyday americans. that is what new hampshire is about. that is what the first in the nation primary is about. i commend you for being here.

i commend you for taking such a with thegagement person you are supporting, or if you are undecided, like a lot of us in new hampshire, trying to make an informed decision. i have listened to a number of the candidates today, and will listen for the rest of the primary season. what i find most interesting is the candidates on the republican side are serious and real and care about this nation. [applause] >> the amount of substance that is coming out of the debate, which actually happened during the week -- as opposed to what happens on the other side on a saturday or sunday, when no one is watching. the amount of substance that is coming from the candidates that we have is incredibly different from what is happening on the other side of the aisle. i hope that not just republicans, but independents and democrats, watch what is

going on. substance and ideas from our side attached with the emotional activity that we are making across the nation will give us a victory in november. i want to be part of that, i know you want to be part of it. it, requireseeds it, and demands it. but stay engaged. let's make sure to do our part. let's have the highest voter percen participation rate in the country. thank you all very much. have a great weekend. let's go get them in november. [applause] >> just a quick reminder, if you #fitn.cell phone, please

[applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, let us to senator welcome rick santorum. [applause] santorum: thank you. thank you very much. first, it is up -- great to be back in new hampshire. thank you for the opportunity to share some lots and answer some questions. just a brief comment on the video, and really what my campaign is focused on. i am the grandson of a coal miner, i grew up in a steel town . i saw the devastation that occurred in my area of the country. as i have traveled the country as a senator, and a presidential candidate, i remind everybody, andcampaign in 30 states --

came pretty close to winning the nomination against the establishment, against odds. we focused, four years ago, a lot of time and energy on the issue of what we could do to help working men and women rise again. there is a lack of hope, a lack of trust in our government, and our ability to be able to provide for american workers the opportunity to provide for themselves and their family. both political parties have ignore that reality. 9% of workers in america do not own their own business or run a company. republicans,as while we are very critical of the democrats with their big government approach, we do not spend a whole lot of talking about american workers, the 74% of americans aged 25-65, who do not have a college

degree. and, what we will do to provide opportunities for them to be able to live the american dream. book, andicated a you're in a half ago, called "blue-collar conservative talking about american workers and the republican party that needs to be. the democratic party is no longer the party of work, opportunity. , with theot see that candidate the focus is on that, then, what is going to happen this election is what happened last election -- a lot of will siting americans at home, and we will lose. we will lose what we have every opportunity and chance to win, especially in the states that i'm familiar with -- pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin. the heartland of america.

we have to start winning, or else we will not win elections for national office anymore. right? [applause] we better have a message. i just our national committee woman, and she will tell you, and in slovenia, the reason we congressman, 119 of 230 house members is because we nominate candidates who talk about healthy american workers, and we have a platform and plan that puts them first. one of the reasons i'm running ir president is because believe if we restore the manufacturing sector of our economy, if we can make america the number one manufacturer in america -- you say that is impossible -- if i said 10 years ago we would make america the number one energy reduce her in the world, you would have said it is impossible. america is now the number one energy producer in the world.

and, we can be the number one manufacturer in the world if we put good policy together and have good leadership to set our sights and make america the strongest most productive country again at making things. that is my commitment to you. if we go out there, and you give me the chance, we will go out there with a message that is focused on the 90% of people who work for a living, and get a from an employer, not the employer themselves. if you want to win, you can have a great idea for small business, you are talking about 10% of america. we need a candidate that can talk to 100% of america with values and plans on everything from tax policy to regulatory policy, and yes, immigration policy that is pro-american worker. if we do all those things, we are going to win this election, and america is going to be better off. i'm happy to take your

questions. [applause] sen. santorum: let's start over here. i always start to my right. go-ahead. that was a joke, by the way. [laughter] sen. santorum: come on. help me out here, a little bit. i'm not that far right. go ahead. >> my name is jose. i'm a u.s. army veteran. [applause] >> there are patriots who immigrated to this country and served in our military there being deported. as president, what would you do to create a path to citizenship for these veterans and their families who served and sacrificed so much for our nation? sen. santorum: look, as you know, it is a broad area of immigration. i understand you are talking a very small segment.

there are special circumstances that i would consider in that case. i was not familiar that there that made people that you are talking about. i'm never gotten the question before. i don't know how many people you are talking about. i will certainly look into that situation. i would say the broader question is what is our immigration policy with respect to -- should all of our policies be oriented towards. if i mention health care policy and say we're going to talk about health care policy, who would you immediately think of? you think of yourself, how will it affect me. when you think of tax policy, who do you think of? you think of how does it affect me. when i say immigration policy, unfortunately, most people think about someone who is here that is illegal. emigration policy should be no different than any any other

i respect your question, but it is consistent questions -- what will we do about people who are here illegally? for tax policy, it should not focus on people who cheat on their taxes. the broader issue is the one that is being lost. how is immigration policy affecting america and the ones americanacted by it -- wage earners. we have 35 million people, in this country over the last 25 years. that could be a good or bad thing. over those same 20 years, wages have flat line. they have grown at the slowest .ate we believe, as republicans, in supply and demand. yet, when it comes to immigration, we seem to ignore

that. we ignore the reality that almost all coming in the country are wage earners putting pressure on american workers and lowering the standard of living and their ability to provide for themselves and their family. one person in this race has taken a strong consistent position over a long period of time as to a policy that is pro-worker -- a pro-worker immigration policy. i wasack to what saying earlier, if we are going to be the party of the american worker -- which we better be if we want to win -- we have to that reflect those workers. can we do toy what have a system to help people who came in this country illegally, born in this country, to be able american dream.

that is what immigration policy should be focused on. it should not be focused on people who have broken the law or people over the seas that want to come to this country unless it is in the best interest of our country for them to come here. if you look at our plan, when it comes to yes, we have to secure the border, everyone is for that. what wehave to look at do with the people who are here. i'm the only one in this race who has been consistent over a saysperiod of time who that people who are here illegally must be returned. you say, that is an impossible task. no, it is not. half the people here illegally overstayed their visas. we know who they are. they made a promise to go home, and they didn't. as president of the united states, it is very simple, you say, you have three months to get your act together, and then you have to leave. if you leave during that time,

we will not prejudice you, you go throughck, and the normal course as everyone else. if you don't go home, then, when we find you and remove you, you will never be a will to come back to america. let me assure you, people will leave. ultimatum, the people will leave here you will not have to worry about deporting people. people will leave. you will create an opportunity for a lot of people -- a lot of the people who came over came on student visas, work visas. they are taking jobs, good jobs, away from americans. in the tech field, they are taking a lot of good jobs. you have people trained in size, technology, engineering, and math degrees or not in their study because of immigration. i could go on, but want to take other questions. if you're looking for someone who could go out and talk to american workers -- not for the

sake that we don't want a certain group of people here, that has nothing to do with it. we need rhetoric that focuses on putting american workers and s of our country first. thank you. feel free to interrupt with applause at any point in time in my comments. [laughter] [applause] sen. santorum: liberate yourself. get used to it. go ahead. >> as a very religious man, would you be willing to lead the party to not pursue overturning roe versus wade and gay marriage in order to preserve political capital? sen. santorum: i don't believe you put principles behind politics. that does not make sense to me. why would you do something that you believe -- i understand people disagree on this issue, and i respect people on both sides.

why would you asked me, as a candidate, to go out and advocate for something, or not talk about something that i believe is critically important for the health of our country. go that is not serving the country. why would i want to do that? people would say, because you can win. my answer is, what do you win? what do you win if you believe, as i do, that the nuclear family is essential for a healthy and strong society. it is not just what i believe. [applause] in many cases, i carry a copy of a book called "our kids" by robert putnam, a harvard sociologist. tobroke a book, i think support the democratic idea of income inequality, the lack of mobility, and the two americas idea. he wrote it to support that.

it does support that. the most fascinating conclusion he comes up with is that the principal problem that is stopping people from rising, the is creating a halloween of middle america, is actually the breakdown of the nuclear family. i think we all recognize -- we all sort of get that because we see it. go into a neighborhood in america where there is no doubt,e, and there is no and will you find a growing, prosperous neighborhood? no, you won't. will you find children rising to opportunities -- no, you won't. utnam says, if you come from a single-parent family , the chances that your child will ever be in the top 20% -- , andhe top 1% -- top 20% does not matter the color of

your skin. it is not about race or ethnicity, it is about family. we have not had the courage in america -- [applause] sen. santorum: we have not had the courage in america to go out until the truth, talk about what is going on in our poor neighborhoods today. is what wer on women have done to abandon single mothers in this country. what we have done to not support them and nurture a society that encourages strong healthy two-parent families. i wrote a book in 2005. it was in response to a book written by hillary clinton. "itwrote a book called takes a village." i wrote a book called, "it takes a family." [applause] on this issue, like every other issue you will

one of the things i say in my standard introduction on the road, i was introduced by chuck grassley this summer, and he got up and said, the best thing i can say about rick santorum is i have known him for 20 years, and he is not changed a bit. -- you here frustrated go to concord, or washington, don't do what they say they will do? we have a lot of great people running for president, but a lot of them don't have a very long track record, or none at all. many of them have not been consistent in the positions they have taken.

here is my point. if you are frustrated or upset that you had folks who told you one thing when they were campaigning, and then went to the legislator or the governor's house, or the presidency, and did something else, why wouldn't you trust someone who actually has a record that you can look to? consistent, andisten actually ken give themu ca your trust. i will go to the left. far left. >> thank you for coming. i was a big supporter of years back in 2012. we hear a lot from republicans about how they want to repeal obamacare. i don't think we hear a lot about how they will replace it. what would your plan b to not only repeal, but replace obamacare with a conservative health care system?

sen. santorum: great question. four years ago, i ran -- i thought we needed a candidate who could go out and talk about the problems of obamacare and why we need to repeal it and replace it. i thought that was barack obama's great vulnerability. we nominate a candidate who could not do that. i think it is why we were not successful. we will not be successful this time unless we nominate someone who can go out there and show not only why we have to repeal obamacare, but actually has ideas to make people comfortable that republicans are not just going to get rid of something and not provide a pathway for them to get a better quality health care. there is an opportunity here. the cato institute, which is a libertarian think tank, had a form just a week or so ago, where they were talking about replacing obamacare. one of the cosponsors of the few charitable

trusts. they are a liberal foundation that was a huge supporter of obamacare. they were asked by the media, why are you there, supporting this private sector libertarian think tank. the answer was after five years , it is ag at obamacare failure and chance to be fixed. that is what they said. [applause] it is a failure that can't be fixed. we need to repeal it. here is the great news, we can. the house and senate just prove that last week when they sent a bill to the president repealing and defunding obamacare completely. i guarantee you, we will be able to repeal obamacare, but that is not enough. we have to have a plan as to what we will do to provide opportunity. has anyone here heard of health savings accounts? you're welcome. [applause] sen. santorum: along with my

friend john kasich, we introduced a bill 23 years ago to create the concept of health savings accounts. in my career, i pushed, and the house and the senate, to put health savings accounts into law. ringi he cornerstone of putting patients in charge, along with their providers, doctors, and hospitals. , to me, isent's role very simple. it is providing equal tax treatment for all americans in order for them to purchase insurance. just like we do when it comes to housing, pensions. we provide a quality of treatment for all people, no matter their income, to help them purchase things that we think are vitally important for them and their safety, stability, prosperity. we need to do the same thing

with health care. if we do that, provide some transparency, and make sure the hospitals and doctors let you know not just the quality, but also the price, we start actually making health care into a marketplace, instead of a notaucracy, where it is transparent. we can improve the quality of health care, lower the cost, and be out there with a positive plan of how we will make america healthy and strong again. yes? go ahead, start talking. i will repeat your question. >> my question is do you believe the reason is there a shakedown money being paid, and these nations have been playing a duplicitous game with us? who is funding these people? sen. santorum: i would say there

are a couple of issues here. certainly, saudi arabia, in my fundings been a problem -- across the country. a fundamentalist version of islam that is highly problematic. they have spread fundamentalism across the world, and it is a huge problem. we have done very little. i understand why they do it. they made a deal with their you leave us in charge, and we will spread your version of islam to the world. it is a weed in the garden, a big problem. we have not done a good job working with the saudis to realize what they are doing is

erecting the guillotine that they will all lose their heads with. themmay be delaying because they're taking multiple there, but they are erecting an islamic world that is increasingly aligned with the radical version or fundamentalist version of islam. whether they are directly funding isis, i don't think they are directly funding isis. they may be helping other organizations. i think they are actually very concerned about isis. they are concerned the isis is taking their place as the leader of the sunni muslim world. that is why they are considering action going into iraq. anbar province borders saudi arabia.

i don't think you are funding isis. what we need to do about isis is really clear. this president is not doing it. speechs ago, i gave a talking about how we need to define the enemy, how we had not , even underjob president bush, of defining the enemy. we ar were not at war with terrorists, we are at war with fundamentalist islam. enemydo not defined the as what it is, we will not have policy oriented towards beating them. caliphatestablished a , the first caliphate in 90

years. there was a sunni caliphate for over 1200 years. the order under islam is to convert the world, copper the world, for islam. why isis exists, to convert the world for islam. they create a state, it is functioning, and maintains jihad. if our policy towards isis is containment, we are helping isis. as long as isis maintains territorial integrity, and operates as a functioning state, isis can continue to say, we are legitimate, you must follow us. , and take their land

destroy the state, the may have no one to follow them because they are not consistent. we have leaders in this country who refuse to tell you the truth . we are afraid of being politically correct, or say something that may offend someone. between now and january, many americans, and many all over the world, are going to die because we have a president that will not tell the truth and put policies in place to defeat isis d throughthe sprea the world. [applause] sen. santorum: you elect me, and i guarantee you we will stop isis, and you know it. my final point. there is only one presence of isisdate who was put in magazine. they have an online magazine that they publish.

it is their primary tool of communicating with their fellow jihadists around the world. there has only been one presence of candidate featured in isis magazine, and described as an enemy crusader. it" of whowas and isis is. if you want someone who knows isis, i would appreciate your support. [applause] sen. santorum: with that, ladies and gentlemen, thank you all very much. have a wonderful day. god bless. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, we would like to take a quick five minute break. a little stretch. come back in five minutes, and we will be hearing from john kasich.

>> former pennsylvania senator rick santorum talking with some of the more than thousand grassroots activists attending the first in the nation town

hall today and nashua, new hampshire. the event should continue in just a few minutes. we expect to hear from ohio governor john kasich next. our live coverage continues on c-span. we will also hear from carly fiorina and jim gilmore today. we will also air couple of features that took place earlier, before a live coverage began. marco rubio jeb bush addressing the group today. we will show those to you as well. take your phone calls over the lunch hour. again, our live coverage from nashua, new hampshire continuing on the road to the white house on c-span.

>> again, we are waiting for ohio governor john kasich here in nashua, new hampshire. while we wait for the event to resume, here are some ads the gop candidates have been running

recently. donald trump: i'm donald trump and i approve this message. >> it sounded like you wanted the bill to pass. >> of course i wanted it to pass. what my amendment did is take citizenship off the table. what it doesn't mean is that i supported the other aspects of the bill. >> i want immigration reform to pass. it allows those who are here illegally to come out of the shadows. >> the amendment would have allowed undocumented immigrants obtainin in the u.s. and legal status. how do you square this circle? >> actually, it wouldn't have. >> people want to take back their country. we don't have a country right now. we have people pouring in. they are doing tremendous damage. if you look at the crime, the economy. we want to have borders. down the country, you have to

have borders. we do not have borders right now>. > can american sailors> captured videon and humiliated on -- when they were released, our country said thank you to iran. what about our troops? president,m elected no service man or woman will be on their knees. i will have your back. i'm ted cruz and i approve this message. >> it is time to get someone in the white house who represents me. someone like marco rubio. >> he understands my generation. >> he will get government off my farm. >> he will protect our rights. >> and help create jobs right here in iowa. >> he has our values.

marco rubio and i approve this message. in nashua, new hampshire today for the new hampshire republican party town hall. a number of republican theidates are addressing room here. john kasich is next. we will also hear from carly live.a and jim gilmore we will re-air for you a couple speeches that we recorded earlier today from marco rubio and jeb bush. all still to come here as our live coverage continues from new hampshire. a couple of candidates who are not in new hampshire today -- ted cruz and donald trump. we will be covering them. they are in iowa. tonight, a rally for senator beck andluding glenn steve king.

tomorrow, donald trump will be speaking to supporters at a rally in iowa. at 1:00have that live tomorrow, sunday, on c-span.

nashua,, we're live in new hampshire, the new hampshire republican party putting on what they call the first in the nation town hall today. we have heard from several presidential candidates, and expect to hear from several more as our life average continues here on c-span. john kasich, the ohio governor, coming up in just a few minutes. he is running a little late, but we will bring that to you as soon as he arrives to speak to in grassroots activists here new hampshire. while we way, an update on the democrats.

>> at boston globe.com, this is the headline, "who is on top, ranking the democrats in new hampshire." pindell, outames with some new numbers. walk us through the numbers for the democrats. guest: bernie sanders is the clear front runner with less than three weeks to go. our survey, which was conducted entirely after the last presidential debate was conducted tuesday through thursday shows sanders with a nine point lead. he is up 50-41 over hillary clinton, and martin o'malley comes in at 2%. these numbers do make sense for sanders. the lead makes sense. he is clearly the most likable ,andidate of the democrats people say, and the most

trustworthy. the problem for him will be that people are weary on his electability at his position on guns. it is something to watch. clinton is obviously making the case on both issues lately and will further to do so. further, his support is clustered geographically. he has a ton of support, and is most popular along the firm on border. that is not surprising, given that is his home state. there are not a lot of people who live in those areas. the more populous region is southern new hampshire, two counties that border the massachusetts border makeup 50% of the population and makeup a lot of the primary vote. that is where hillary clinton has been spending a lot of her time, and bernie sanders have spending his time. then newst off, iowa,

hampshire, and followed by south carolina and nevada. in your piece called "the ground game," you go through the evolution. you say that the granite state was firmly clinton's country. what happened? to say that bernie sanders is of course a head -- it is still we are to say that. the clintons have had such an intimate relationship with new hampshire, a state that has meant so much to them, and yet, she is slipping. i do have bernie sanders in first, clinton in second, and martin o'malley, as a distant third. if you look at three ways to there arehis pweeriod --

only three ways of doing so. money raised, pulling numbers, and the ground game and organization. if you start to look at that metric, hillary clinton, by far, was the leader for months and .onths it is recently now the democrats are starting to get in their head that bernie sanders is actually raising the money, ahead in the polls, and tied or ahead since september, and actually putting together something of an organization, so i guess he is the front runner. host: hillary clinton was -- king with wolf blitzer how does hillary clinton attack someone like bernie sanders who ts popular without i backfiring? guest: his favorability has been

very high, how do you attack who has high favorability? a lot of people don't know bernie sanders. you saw hillary clinton, in the last debate, taking advantage of it, saying, "did you know this about bernie sanders?" while people like him, i think to educate people a little bit, and make this argument about electability. bernie sanders in poll after poll shows that he does better against donald trump and she does, but voters think that she is more electable and better on foreign-policy issues. the thing to watch is the issue grid. bernie sanders started to have a .it of a comeback

the economy and jobs is a good spot for someone like bernie sanders. host: lenny ask you about the likability of hillary clinton. there was a moment before the new hampshire primary in 2008 when barack obama said that hillary clinton was likable enough. that seems to be coming back in 2016, whether voters can relate to her, whether they like her? get overthink we can that. with the campaign is basically saying is she is the one who can actually be president, in and defeat donald trump or any republican nominee. underneath it all, you don't have to like there, but she is actually democrat. bernie sanders is not a democrat, they would argue. he has never run in the democratic primary --

> we break> away from this recorded interview to take you live to nashua, new hampshire and ohio governor john kasich. gov. kasich: thank you. , ais nice to be here -- wow lot of people here. you were think we are getting close to a big day. are we? i want to say a couple of things, then maybe we can do a few questions. how is that? by the end of business tomorrow night, i will have done 75 townhall meetings. how is that? [applause] john mccain, if you are watching, i'm catching you. plugging.ng to keep it's great to be here. this state,ou in the s i have been described as someone who does not do much pandering, like itas well tell you

is. i want to tell you this process in new hampshire is fantastic. the process of the town halls, it is great. regardless of how i do here, i believe that this first in the nation primary, where people really don't care if you are rich, famous, it doesn't matter. they want to look at you, poke you, maybe take a little smell once in a while, size you up, and try to figure out whether you have the right stuff to be president of the united states. i tell you, think it is a great process. the country needs to understand that this recommendation that comes out of new hampshire is really one that you have all thought carefully about. just a couple of things before i take questions. positive i'm very about the future of our country.

lookingspend much time in the rearview mirror. i don't know whether you know are not -- i'm sure there is reason to celebrate, but barack obama is only going to be president for a few more months. [applause] that is sort of like old news though. bus,like, i'm in this big big bus.bellum's you are in that bus, i'm talking to the bus driver about he drives it, i say, do you spend much time looking at ?he rearview mirrors he says, no, i don't, i don't look behind us, i look through the front windshield at the car. that red car climbing the hill, that is where i keep my eyes. that is exactly where i keep my

on the future. to be have serious problems? yet, we do. are they solvable? there is no doubt that they are solvable. i feel as though they are easier to solve when you are positive about the ability to get it done then when you are moping about where we are. [applause] i feel that why my way? what is it that i have seen that causes me to be optimistic about the future? in 1982, i was the only republican in america to defeat , and iran,t democrat in 1982, at a very down time. i think we lost like 26 seats in the united states house of representatives, and reagan lost in working majority, but 1982, i was elected running on the reagan agenda. reagan came in and the election

of 1980. you remember his famous line, "it is morning in america." america, and iin was there and worked with ronald reagan to see this country reached new heights, new strings, new optimism. overnight, buten it happened. america's confidence, america's , and our strength was restored because of ronald reagan. i was there to see it. i was there when ronald reagan was able to sit down with tip o'neill and be able to strengthen our social security program. everyone says they were great friends. they were great friends. ,hey like to have a drink nothing unusual about that, but they decided that they were americans before they were anything else. that program wasn't in so much trouble. they did not fix it forever.

we will have to fix it again. they worked together to get it done. you know, i went to the soviet union as a member of the defense committee. believe it may have been early 1989. i met these russian generals. i can actually remember going silo.nto a missile i remember jogging in the red square and having a couple of agents -- i don't know who they were -- trying to keep up with me in the red square. i remember when we were in berlin, getting off the bus, and having these soldiers in east or me -- youream at see, i also remember when the down. wall came tumbling what an accomplishment to see

people set free. it was not much after that that i saw us engaged in troubled central america. i saw things improve. it was not long after that that arabs andalition of shoveners get together to saddam hussein out of kuwait. i was there. i was in kuwait right after it happens. i was there when the oil fields were on fire. what a successful effort it was for the world itself to achieve success. of course, i was there in 1997. i was the chief architect of the last time we balanced the budget when people said it could not be done. we paid down half $1 trillion of

national debt. we were growing in this country with jobs and progress. i was there in 2010, after being elected, looking at a state that had lost 350,000 jobs. our credit was headed south. people were depressed. cutere running a 20% lower in the operating budget in ohio. they said it could not be fixed. i said, you just watch what happens in ohio. we are the sleeping giant. we go from a billion dollars in the hole to $2 billion in the black. our credit is rock solid. our pensions are secure. yesterday, i found out, since i have been governor of ohio, the private sector has created over 400,000 jobs.

[applause] what do i think about our country? we have conservative principles, conservative solutions. government is a last resort. the idea i have been saying for 25 years that we should run this country from the bottom up, from where we live up, not from the top down. i do believe we can send welfare to the states and bundle of the education program and empower states, locals, and school boards to fix our problems at the local level. i do believe we can have better infrastructure if we can move transportation programs out of washington and back here. i do believe we can have better health care when we shift medicaid to the states and let legislators figure out a more innovative way to

deliver services to the poor. i do believe with tax cuts we empower you and begin to drive america from the bottom up -- again to start to drive america from the bottom of. i know we have problems with the order. i know we have to give hope to on social security. i know we have to make greater efforts have commonsense legislation and a path to a balanced budget. i know we can do things that can fix the wage situation because in my state wages are growing faster than the national average. i know we can begin to contend with the problems of rising cost of health care and education. a lot of issues. you know what is fun? there is nothing more fun than putting a team together of people to fix those problems. we will fix those problems. we will find the answer to those

problems. [applause] i got an incredible opportunity to speak to the new hampshire house. they were on a bipartisan basis taking on the issue of drug state.on in the this i had a moment to say to them what i believe public service is all about. democrats., that was secondary. that day i was in that chamber because before they were republicans and democrats, they were citizens of new hampshire. they were going to pass this legislation overwhelmingly. i told them, sometimes when you get in your car, and drive home, you wonder what you got done being a public servant.

today, you will know what public service is all about. when you are driving home, think the good lord that you are part of the body that work together saverked together to people of all ages who face the challenges of addiction. then, when you get home, you will see her spouse. your spouse is going to say, another trip to that building in concord, and you don't even get paid for going, what did you do today? made a difference today. i saved a life today. i created a legacy for our family because we were part of the solution to drug addiction in new hampshire. win the majority, the white house. we get to call the tunes, to push our ideas, but we will not

demonize the other side. we need them. we will not get most of them. we certainly will not do all of them. we are going to fix these problems. if i'm president of the united states, i'm going to convince them the reason they make the threat to washington is not to engage in warfare, but engage in solutions. all of the things we see out there -- rebuilding the military, performing the pentagon, assuming our proper place in the world -- you have to understand, this is all doable. the only thing that gets in the partisanship,go, and thinking about ourselves. what reagan was able to do was get everybody to lift their game a little higher, to serve the united states of america. one thing i don't like about ing business, you

talk too much about yourself. people who know me would say, john, that is never your problem. my skillsmatured, come from the lord. maybe he gave me one skill that was unique. the abilities to get people to do what they know they should do , but often times don't want to do. maybe the ability to somehow is part of together a movement to make our country better. someone asked me today, a toastmasters club, so sweet. andlked through the door, they said, you know how to speak don't you? i said, sometimes. they said, why did you go into politics? to change the world. to change the world. [applause] gov. kasich: that is not a

campaign talk. i believe all of us are capable in one way or another of changing the world. part of the great mosaic. we are together. we bring healing. that is what we are here for, to make the world a little better place. it has been great to be in new hampshire. for quite a long time. thank you all very much. let me take a few questions. [applause] how much time did ie.? i don't even know. how much? ok, right here. if someone'sd, hand goes up to quit, you ignore them. i will go with you. [laughter] >> governor, you are very inspirational. you speak from the heart. you have a great track record, a great resume. what do you think will happen? gov. kasich: i am running second

now in new hampshire. [applause] gov. kasich: listen, i want you to know that for all of my lifetime, i have been fighting the establishment, getting people upset because i want to bring change. penn here, ady tim former democrat, now an independent. he and i got together with a handful of republicans and democrats to cut one penny out of every dollar of federal spending. four votes. who worked against us? republicans and democrats. and, hillary clinton, by the way was up there lobbying against it. they all said, how would you do against hillary? come on. you can see, she is a fragile candidate.

us?know who stopped a republican appropriator who him, if youext to vote for the penny project, i will kill of projects in your district. in they won the battle, but 1997, they lost the war. we beat down the establishment, , and weced the budget provided a paid out over time of half $1 trillion of the national debt. [applause] gov. kasich: you see, what happens in washington is everybody has their own little thing. it is in every statehouse. why do you think that the mentally ill and the drug addicted get ignored? , the drug addicted, we are paying attention to because they are in our neighborhood, and you

are demanding action, but why do you think for so long the disabled have been ignored? they do not have a lot of voice. who has a lot of voice? and money.erests i will not beat them down, but i -- likeimes, you are sisyphus. do you know who that is? you push iraq to the hill, and as soon as you get to -- you to the top of the soon as you get

to the top, it comes down. i'm doing well in new hampshire. it was like teddy roosevelt. they made him governor of new to bethen they sent him vice president, because they could not stand him, then when mckinley was killed, he was president of the united states. butrked as hard as i can, it is in your hands. on my bus the other day, the bus we are writing in, a reporter comes on, and says, we go on people's buses, and it is all of time, and people are fighting, but on this bus, it is like zen, and how can you have a zenlike? that is in there is a lot of life left to

live. these votes for me. made.ease vote for yes, sir. veteran.combat wounded i was shot. i took a direct hit -- [applause] > i took a direct hit from> a suicide bomber three years ago. i was in a coma for two weeks. my wife was pregnant at the time. i want to say, thank you to every other veteran that is here today. [applause] >> and, in the shadows, the police officers who have been cr apped on by the media. thank you guys. [applause]

>> i don't want to sit here and waste time. i have a gazillion questions. the only question i have is could i have a two minute private conversation with you. goash: we have back ere a colonel, who was beaten. he is here today. you could walk over to see him. [applause] gov. kasich: thank you. ok. . yes, ma'am. >> good afternoon. .'m patricia

a good time to ask this question after that gentleman raised his comment. let me put my glasses on. mr. trump made a comment about senator john mccain's war record. hero, he is aar war hero because he was captured . i like people who weren't captured. do you think a possible candidate for commander in chief of united states should make a comment like that about a veteran who fought for our country? opinionis because in my a man or woman who has fought for country, our great country, captured, or not, is a hero. [applause]

>> do you agree with mr. trump? i'm hoping you don't. gov. kasich: you can't be serious asking me that question. [laughter] heardasich: look, we just from this man, and my friend -- well, so many of these folks -- you know what they do? coronelear, the and i -- he could not come off ie plane when he came home, appointed him to the head of veterans affairs in ohio. it is unbelievable what he has been through. year withsit every the families of people who have been lost serving in the military. you know, i tell them what

think. -- one thing. i cannot share directly in their grief, but feel their grief -- because you about one died in the service of others, the lord promises they will where the biggest crowds in the world yet to come. i believe that. [applause] our veterans, our police officers, anyone who puts himself in the line of duty -- unbelievable, isn't it? i tried to call john mccain i will out of the blue -- get john mccain to talk at some point today. he may be digging himself out of the snow storm in washington, him. but we need to honor no more of this screwing around with the veterans of menstruation. - veterans of

administration. last question. ok. well a student in a respected public school system, i'm want to for supporting common core? gov. kasich: i tell you what i believe. want in ohio and every state. high standards. local control. at the school board level. let me say a couple of things .ere about k-12 when you and i were students, kids did not have to do as well couldool, and then they graduate, and get a job at a steel mill, a textile plant, a there you go.t -- you could get a job there and make a decent living, and your spouse could get a part-time job, and it could be ok. it is now up to the local

schools, the local school board, to begin to make sure that number one, we are providing for vocational education, which we do, by the way, in ohio starting in the seventh grade. to train ourgin students in a much more flexible 21st century way for the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow. it is going to require a lot of change, a lot of six a flexibility. i will bundle up 104 federal programs and send it back to the states. you see, it is not even the states that can necessarily drive what we need, it is the local school boards and communities. we all have to realize, we have to do our job in the local schools and communities because it is about our children. none of the nonsense at the local level can keep us from

devising a curriculum and path to learning to success and skills -- nothing can stand in that way. you have to run the school board, and go in there with an agenda, and not stay too long. go in there and fix it, and get out. then, you can run for city council, fix that, and get out. one must think i will be doing tomorrow -- tomorrow, i'm rooting for the patriots. [applause]

>> good morning. i'm alan glassman. vice-chairman.ve i'm also the belmont county chairman. i'm really pleased to be introducing our next speaker. merrifield was elected mayor of franklin in 2007, then did something extraordinary. he was elected in 2009, to us

11, 2013, and this past october was elected again for his the term with 70% of the vote. he must be doing something right. prior to his election as mayor, he served on city council for three terms, and was also chairman of the board of education. he has been an elected official for 24 years in franklin. that is phenomenal. in was born right here nashua, not too far from here. he attended public and private schools. he also got his masters in business from franklin pierce university in 2007. in his professional life, he worked at both private industry as well as in state government. he served as the chief financial of the new have to

department of education, and is currently the financial manager for two divisions in state government. the014, he was actually vice chair of our state party. he was also awarded, just last year, the principal about politics award. it gives me great pleasure to introduce american merrifield -- merrifield. thank you veryd: much. i want to thank my good friend, alan glassman, for reading that biography, which i obviously wrote about myself. i'm very flattered to be here. one thing the alan said was true . that is that i am originally up within aand grew

mile of this building. my dad still lives about two miles from here. it is a very very nice homecoming for me. as a lifelong republican and activist here in new hampshire, it has been ingrained in me by my parents and others that we have a term of this responsibility. you have heard this over and over again this weekend. we have a great responsibility to not only vet candidates, but also raise important issues. the national attention and the attention of the president of the united states. i am here to very briefly -- know no one came here to hear me speak -- 10 very briefly raise an issue that is of great concern to citizens for responsible energy solutions. that is that we know, as republicans, that she abundant energy means -- cheap abundant

a lot to the economy. it is a prerequisite to any economy in the world. you have to have cheap abundant energy. citizens for responsible solutions would like the republican party to consider that, you can have abundant energy, and still be responsible for the environment. we are the party that can find solutions that are environmentally friendly, and at the same time can find prerequisites for a red-hot economy. that is what we are here to do. i am very grateful to have been asked to introduce a brief video that will explain what some new hampshire republicans are thinking about the subject erie thank you for your attention, and i hope you enjoy the video. [applause]

[video clip] >> my favorite place is probably webster lake. as the sun goes down over hanover, it is a really spectacular site. >> my favorite outdoor space is the mountains. >> my favorite spot is granite lake. >> i love new hampshire because i am a snowboarder. there is nothing that beats getting tracks after a big snowstorm. mayy favorite outdoor spot be my deck. i have a beautiful view. >> i believe, as a conservative, we have the duty to conserve. the thing is to give up that issue is so disappointing to me when our forefathers -- like ronald reagan and kenny roosevelt, good republicans, were conservationists.

they led the charge to make sure we have the resources that we have now. >> my husband and i always worked to protect our environment. >> for far too long, energy has been a partisan issue. toi don't think we need continue the argument about the cause of climate change, but start talking about solutions, such as clean alternative energy. >> clean energy is one way to protect our environment, and provide high-paying jobs for our state. >> i'm a republican who believes that our party should lead in protecting the environment. >> i have lived on the banks of the merrimack river all my life. i think that clean air, clean water, clean environment are incredibly important to all granite stators and future generations.

care about elected officials, especially republican elected officials, who care about those issues. >> i don't think it matters having a stance on climate change. i think what matters is having clean air, clean water. [applause] ♪ >> when the founders of new hampshire came up for the motto, "live free or die," they did not of wiggle room.

free.dmonished you to be a government that dig through your personal records does not leave you free. our great nation was founded on the extraordinary notion that government should be restrained and freedom should be maximized. [applause] >> america, to me, is that vehicle. we are unique among nations. freedom nurtured our country from a rebellious group of colonies into the world's greatest nation. the freedom fostered in america has unleashed advancement like never before. liberty,ge of opportunity, justice is for all americans, whether you are in a whether you are white or black, rich or poor. in order to restore america, one thing is certain. to global the fourth

under a banner that clutches the constitution in the one hand and the bill of rights and the other. [applause] >> i come to new hampshire to announce that i will fight for your right to be left alone. [applause] >> i will fight to keep the federal government out of new hampshire, out of your home. i will fight to lovo allow you o be fully free. let's give a big warm, granite state welcome to the senator from the beautiful state of kentucky, senator rand paul. [applause] mr. paul: thank you.

thank you. thank you. thank you. i would like to introduce my life, kelly, and my son, robert, who are here. [applause] i get to go to a lot of political barbecues. too many barbecues. i'm stretching out my suit, i believe. in front of me has got two plates of food and i am like , you are not going to live very long eating like that. he said, my granddaddy lived to be 105. and i said you will not live very long. -- by minding his own business. sometimes i wish my government were leading -- leaving me alone a little more and minding its

own business. i often say i want a government so small that you can barely get. a government that only does what it is supposed to do according to the constitution. there is something called enumerated power spirit we have forgotten about that and we have let government get literally out of control. thatve a government borrows $1 million every minute. most of us would say we are fiscal conservatives. everyone here probably says we are for a balanced budget amendment. when the balance budget amendment comes before the senate, every republican votes for it. the only problem is when you actually put a balance budget forward, only about one third of republicans vote for it. there is a dirty little secret that i will let you in on. that the media will not tell you. the problem with spending is really the responsibility of oath parties. this is something you will not

hear from any of the other truth,tes, but it is the the loudest voices for increasing federal spending right now are republicans. you say that that cannot be true. it is true. there are saying, we have got to have more military spending. the only way they can get it is they have to give the democrats more domestic and more welfare spending. i call it the unholy alliance. both sides want to raise spending. that is what happened area i kept them up until 3:00 in the morning here they were not happy with me. i was lecturing them until 3:00 and the morning that raising the idea ifling is a bad you are also raising spending at the same time. president, we will balance the budget and not have any more of this nonsense. [applause]

i have introduced three budgets that balanced, within five years. we get? votes do about one third of the republicans. this is once again the problem. republican leadership went along with the president to raise the debt ceiling. how much did we raise the debt ceiling? an unspecified amount. we did not raise it half a trillion. we did not raise it $1 trillion. we raised it an unspecified amount. and we raised the budget caps. it is the second time we did this. manybody in washington and on the right are saying, we cannot have a sequester and this is asterisk killing us. we will not have any national defense with a sequester. it is crazy. do you know how much money we spend on a national defense? i believe in a strong national defense. we had three nephews in the navy. my dad was in the air force and we believe in a strong

military and a strong national defense. you are not stronger from bankruptcy court. the biggest threat to our national security right now is our debt. who comeandidates before you, let's just say rubio, and they say they want $1 trillion more in militaries ending, ask them -- where they will get it. we had a vote on the budget. marco put forward an amendment to increase no terrorist any by $200 million. and ted cruz seconded it. i say, where will the money come from and what are we a verb if we are $200 billion more in debt? they said, we are strong, we are for strongest ends and we will just vote for more money. $200 million. i introduced a competing offsetnt that with have it with cuts. do you know how many voted for mine? about six. nobody wants to make the cut.

i am telling you sometimes there is no difference between right and left her they just want to spend it on different items. is the unholy alliances both come together and spend your money. in sequester was a slowdown the rate of growth spending. it was not a cut. they say draconian cuts and they are hollowing out the military. it was not a cut. the sequester was a gradual reduction of spending. is the chart for the spending. here is the chart we are spending with the sequester their they are both increasing. we could not even handle that. the republican leadership worked with democrats to get rid of the sequester. office. that republicans were doubling the debt.

now we will go from $10 trillion until $20 trillion. we will add more debt from president obama than all combined. if you do the same thing over and over again, you will get the same result. if you elect a president or nominate a republican who says, we will be the adults and preside over government and there will never be any hick ups we will not challenge the president on any ring because we always have to keep the government opened, the question you have to ask is, keeping something open that borrows $1 million per minute, is that really what you want, or would you rather have one who uses the leverage and the power of the persons as, enough is enough, let's let it all come to a screeching halt and let's start up only what we need and let's allen's the budget at the same time.

[applause] you may have heard a few candidates say, i will not talk to russia. i think that is what carly fiorina said. said heious speaker would punch them in the nose. this christie says he will shoot down russia's lane. fullyk we ought to think what kind of temperament we want in commander-in-chief. do we want a commander in chief ingrid to shoot down russia's lanes, punch russia in the nose, and not talk to putin? president to great spirit was ronald reagan a great president? i think so. my family supported him when i was 13. i went to the national convention in kansas city, the closest process in 20 years because we were reagan republicans. reagan talked to gorbachev. one of my favorite stories is he told his advisers he would tell him this torry.

they all said, do not do it. there will be an international incident. reagan did what he wanted to do. he told gorbachev a story. was an accountant and the accountant had won a car. in the soviet union, it was hard to get a carpenter one dealer owned by the government, socialism. he finally had enough money and went into the state run car dealership and he was so proud and he said, i would like my car. the bureaucrat sneered at him and said, you can come back and get it in a year. he did not miss a beat. he said, will that be on a tuesday or wednesday. the bureaucrat said, i just told you it is going to be year and you want to know if it will be a tuesday or wednesday? and he said yes, that number is coming on that tuesday. [laughter] it was a joke that gorbachev could really get here if you have ever lived under socialism,

it does not work. -- this is imagine what i worry about our country. the majority of new hampshire democrats think socialism and bernie sanders is just great. how could that happen? have they not read any history? have we not learn from the soviet union? have we not learned socialism is an abysmal failure? we have won the cold war, why? engine of capitalism defeated the engine of socialism. the engine of soap was -- socialism was a sputtering wreck. the one thing universal about socialism, it does not produce things well. it does not distribute goods well. on the other side, we have a candidate who may or may not be leading in the polls who tells you he will fix things. give him power and he will fix things. is used to having power. his business model is, he goes to the local government and says

justme land or can guess for casinos and i will build them. who cares of it takes eminent domain to take that land? [applause] but there is another tradition and i would venture to say that most of you and most republicans in new hampshire, are not part of that tradition. we are part of the tradition tot dates all the way back when the magna carta came forth. that you cannot have your property taken without due process. we were very conscious of that. we were conscious that capitalism is ace on property rights. has gotten court this wrong.

they allow for private property to be taken from one private property owner to another -- and give it to another. -- theyia or washington went to justice suitor's house and make it into a hotel, if you don't mind. property rights should not be relative. we should look at a candidate like trump at -- who says eminent domain is a great thing. they perfectly well decided decision and that is way i make my money. whohould think about she lived in a house for 13 years and when trump tried to take her house, she stood up to him and beat him in court. are we going to stand up to somebody who thinks

power is a good thing, that he is so smart and so rich that he that, if you give him power, he is going to fix things? i think most of us are of an opposite tradition. the constitution was written, patrick henry stated well, the constitution was written not to restrain you and the people, but to restrain the government. the history of our country is the history of trying to restrain despotism. it happened with the magna carta . they tried to limit the power of the king. when founding fathers wrote the constitution, they wanted to significantly limit the power of the presidency. go to war was given to congress. a declaration of war is supposed to come from congress. i can tell you one thing. if i am president, we will not go to war without a declaration of war. [applause]

you may have noticed the powers that be decided they did not want me in the debate last time. we object to that and we think it was a dirty, rotten, no good deal. we think the polls indicate we should have been there. we tied for fourth in the last poll. but for better or worse, i think i provide a unique perspective that is healthy for the party. we may not all agree on every issue. but if we want to grow the party, you need a liberty movement, somebody who will go to the southside of chicago, somebody talking about criminal justice and how it is unfair. [applause] i have been to chicago, detroit, highland park, flint, philadelphia, i have been taking that we are the party of the bill of rights, that we are the party and were the party of emancipation, the party of civil rights him of the party that can be bigger and better

and bolder. i do not think we have to give what we believe in it we do not have to delude any of our principles. we need to take our principles to new places. some come before you and say we do not need to do that. we have never been sufficiently conservative. some of that is true. rally the banks. i disagree. you have to do both. and then have, someone who says i will go get new audiences and see if the african-american audience will listen to us. i can tell you we are going crazy on college campuses with kids coming by the thousands to our rallies because i am willing to say the government went too far in collecting phone records. i am willing to say the government should not do that. [applause] john adams said the spark that led to the war for independence

was the idea that james was fighting against, generalized warrants, where the british soldiers wrote the warrant but did not have anybody's's name on it. it was a big deal. a much bigger deal than the second amendment. nobody could even imagine the government would take your guns in those days. they could imagine british soldiers coming into their house to see if they paid their taxes with a generalized warrant. it was a big deal and that is why they wrote the fourth amendment. people say, how will we catch terrorists? what we do is we target terrorists. we go after them and look at all of their records. difference between me and the other candidates. rubio, bush, christie, they all want more surveillance of you. if you come to me and i am the judge and you say, one of the others who did the marathon bombing, you say, the russians have tipped us off, and he went and we see onya,

these social postings -- that he is for a violence, can we see this on the computer, as slowly. can we look at his phone call, absolutely. can we keep digging until we find everybody he is connected with? absolutely. name the person. give me suspicion and not truth. probable cause, and the judge signs it. i am all for that. if you ask me if we can look at everybody's records in boston in new hampshire to try to find that, i am again maybe we are giving up something so fundamentally part of who we are that we are giving up something about america in the process. [applause] kelly and i have participated in where we build houses for wounded veterans. it is probably one of the most rewarding things i have done in office. in washington, you get

frustrated a lot. housee actually seen the and seen our neighbors come together, coming to a fundraiser and saying, thank you for inviting me. i would like to give more. call me again. au do not often go to fundraiser with people are thanking you for taking their money. we see the houses these people live in and the horror of the injuries. a young man is very brave and saved many of lives. we hope to build him a house. what were youim fighting for, what did you go to war for, he says i took an oath. i took an oath to defend the constitution. i took an oath to defend the bill of rights. what i'm asking you is, wouldn't it be sad, wouldn't we all be sad if he came home and we gave up on the bill of rights while he was gone fighting for it? we should not do that. [applause] in the debate before last, when

it was alet me come, good debate over foreign policy and it was whether or not regime changes are a good idea. this is a healthy debate not only for the party but for the country. whatve to ask ourselves things have worked and what things have not worked. to ask ourselves, barack obama and hillary clinton and marco rubio and jeb bush, and john mccain and lindsey graham, all said, let's topple gadhafi in libya. we will somehow be better. what happened? we toppled gadhafi and we got chaos. we got the rise of radical islam, one third of libya now pledges allegiance to isis. they killed our ambassador. i'm having trouble understanding what the good part of that is. has it ever is, been a good idea? we now have another situation. the same situation in syria. there are people in our party, let's just call them john mccain

-- [laughter] bomb both sides of the syrian war, isis and assad. ask yourself, if you get rid of assad, who will replace him? thomas jefferson? [laughter] likely you are much more to have ice is in charge. i have met hundreds if not thousands of syrian christians who live in our country now. they have been there for a long time. i went to medical school with one. you ask them, who would you prefer, they are not jumping up and down saying i love us. or that he is thomas jefferson am a but they will say without question, they want us. versus isis. we have to be careful about saying, we know what is best. we will topple assad. i am saying this for three years now and when the foreign relations committee voted to send arms in there, i raised my hand and i said, the great irony is, we will be back in a year or two fighting against our own weapons area we have been funding the islamic rebels.

people explicitly will tell you, we need to fund the allies of al qaeda. and i'm like, really? i thought that was who attacked us on 9/11. we are going to fund the people who attacked us? yes, because they're not quite as bad as isis. i am like, i think we are talking about predations of evil here. it is a good debate to have because we disagree on this. it makes for a's air to and you have to decide. do you think a regime change is a good idea or maybe, we are to think more along the lines of reagan. people say reagan did it all the time. no, he had a little more nuanced foreign policy. he spoke with gorbachev, he never cut off communications with russia. he never said he would punch russia in the nose. you never said we will no longer talk to gorbachev. he negotiated with the soviet union and also believed in peace through strength and negotiated from a position of strength. i think that is what we need. a sensible foreign policy.

we need to balance our budget, that there can be no sacred cow for right or left, that we have to put our books in order. and i will do it. i will, from day one, say that we have to balance our budget. no exceptions. [applause] i would like to close with a story about criminal justice. the thing we have to understand people who do not understand and never be the republican party. the way we resonate is that we have to understand what it is like to be poor, african-american, and living in our big cities. a 16-year-old black it from the bronx was arrested and accused of a crime. by somebody who did not even live in the country, was not here legally and never again showed up to testify.

he was kept for three years in prison with no trial. he was beaten. who knows what else happened to him. he was kept in solitary confinement for two years. a 16-year-old kid. for two years in solitary confinement. trying to commit suicide multiple times. they finally let him go after three years. are his family, what you think about justice. he finally did commit suicide months ago. if you went to high school him and the bronx, or you are his parents or parents friend, i think you could start to imagine there is a great anger about feeling that was not justice in our country. if you look at the war on drugs is using drugs? white kids and black kids are at about the same rate. but white kids are about 80% of the public. if you look at the jail, the jail is three out of four black, poor, living in a

neighborhood that has more crime and i am not saying it is racism. it is just the police is there all the time but it adds up. we have to look at the world on drugs because it decimated a whole generation of young african-american males. theou know were some of rules came from? bill clinton. i'm the only one that could ever challenge the clintons and say, i will go to the african-american community and i will get votes for republicans like we have never gotten before. [applause] as we take our message around the country, i would say we have to prevent -- present our message with hope and optimism. there is a painter by the name of robert and he said as he exhorted young painters, he said, painted like a man coming over the hill singing. i like that image. i think when we become the party that proclaims our message, with the passion of patrick henry, but also the optimism and hope

of a man coming over the hill singing, then we will rock and roll to victory. i want to be a part of that and i hope you do. thank you very much. [applause] thank you. thank you. they told me i got carried away and i used up all my time except for one question. this lady right here. >> thank you. my name is kelly. i am in iraq veteran. when i was in iraq -- [applause] when i was in iraq, we put our lives on the line, starting private contractors so they could make money. corporations that profit for more, spent millions of dollars lobbying on campaigns and would youn area what

do to limit corporate influence on our politicians, who they treat like they are for hire. mr. paul: a great question. anybody who would get there government in the form of a contract should be limited in what they can do to lobby to get more of our money. i going on nonstop here it think there is a possibility for campaign finance reform as long as we understand what the compromise has to be. if we say it is only big business doing this, you will never get any legislation. if we admit it is a business and big unions, and you will write the role such that we control both, i think we could pass it area -- pass it. [applause] i am a court ruled if pro-second amendment group and want to spend money, that is each and you cannot limit it. the way i would say we get haved that, in order to

limitations on people purchasing and influencing government, i comessay, if a contractor and i'm getting a billion-dollar contract to build tanks or whatever, we need tanks. we have got to have armament. $1 billion. the person building the tanks would have a contract they signed to get the billion dollars. it would same a contract i agree not to lobby or give contributions to legislators. i think you could restrict special interests by voluntary contract when they do business with government. it is something i have been try to get the democrats interested in. it is ultimately the one fix the supreme court would approve because it would be voluntary. you do not have a right to a government contract. it is a problem. the biggest problem we have is the government spends money and a lot of that money comes back to lobby for more money. i biggest objection with the federal reserve right now is they lobby against oversight on themselves. them, they are enormously powerful, and they

come to the senate and congress and lobby against us overseeing them. that should not happen. i have got a bill to make that happen also. [applause] i think we should place limits on those. thank you, everybody. thank you. [applause] and we have one announcement from jennifer to jennifer want to make an announcement. >> i need my microphone. very good. thank you. thank you, very much, senator. i want to introduce everybody to julie, a high school navy cadet who came here today to meet candidates and present them. here.appy to have her she particularly wanted to see senator paul. thank you. thank you. thank you, sweetheart. [applause] very quickly, before i lose your attention, senator paul will have a chance to say hi and shake it you hand. it is time for lunch. you know, if you purchased a ticket for the daily lunch, and

it says it on the back of your credentials, or if you purchased a ticket for a lunch with governor bevan, you can go back to registration. if you would like to purchase lunch and you have not done so yet, there is also a restaurant here. we will come back right on schedule. please enjoy lunch. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016]