talk about the governor's races and virginia and new jersey. and we discussed donald trump's trip to asia and♪ host: two democratic victories in the governor's race in new jersey and virginia. exit polling also showing was president trump who factored into the victory in new jersey. of highergn promises minimum wage, property tax relief for the middle class, theo in his speech saying " days of division are over." your thoughts on the democratic victories in the governor's races and what they might suggest for the 2018 midterm in the 2020 presidential election as well. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans.

independents, (202) 748-8002. virginia and new jersey residents, if you want to call us and let us know your thoughts , (202) 748-8003. you can also post on twitter or our facebook page, at facebook.com/c-span. here are the front pages from virginia and new jersey. only thelighted not governor's races but also the races in the house of delegates there and the bourbon county record this morning "a new era for new jersey," the subhead of one story saying the democrat stands as the anti-christie. take a look at the exit polling that out of the states, specific we political -- specifically politico looking at the exit polling.

among 57% of the voters who disapproved of the president's , they beat him 87% to 11%. nearly half of virginia voters, 47% strongly disapprove of trump, and northam 195% of that vote. in other words, nearly 45% of the votes cast were from strong race.disapprove half of virginia voters said trump was a reason for their vote, with twice as many saying there were voting to oppose trump am a 34 percent, as to support him, 17%. northam 197% of voters for whom opposing trump was a factor -- for whomf voters opposing trump was a factor. ralph northam is now the victor,

and -- in new jersey. some of the people commenting on twitter, chris saying if democratic turnout is enthusiastic as yesterday, the midterms are going to be extraordinary. twitter, he did not embrace the make america great again until the last moment, so he lost. politicians will correct course and make america great again. those are some of the comments on twitter. you can add your comments on our phone line as well. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. independents, (202) 748-8002. if you live in virginia or new jersey and would like to give us your thoughts, (202) 748-8003. president trump himself tweeting about the elections while he is in asia on his 12 day trip, saying he is looking at virginia specifically and saying that at the less be worked hard, but did

worked hard,lespie but did not embrace me work for what i stand for. republicans won four out of four house seats. he did a ruble call for forespie -- robo call gillespie leading up to it. shelley, go ahead. what did you think about last night? caller: i have thrilled. i am really happy that things worked out the way they did. beenanybody else, i have very, very, very concerned about toneountry, my state, the of the election was not pleasant. i just wanted to see a victory by ralph northam, and i think he can do the job and i think you can move things away from some of this awful rhetoric, this divisive politics, and hopefully

keep virginia on the right track. about thoseou talk politics, was it just the politics and the tone within the commonwealth there, or was it the larger issues of national politics that's way your boat? -- suede your vote? caller: i am a national employee, i worked in the federal government virtually my entire career. i believe in what we are doing, i believe in the things that we do here in washington. i know people want to "drain the swamp," i know people think that the fake news they hear on the news media are real, but i believe in truth. i believe in what we are doing, i believe in making our country better. i do not believe in finding scapegoats. host: let's hear from sean,

baltimore, maryland, independent line. caller: good morning, sir. i just want to say that the democrats need to take it one day at a time. it is good that they want virginia -- won virginia, but slow down and take it one day at a time and do not get too cocky. i will say northam -- he is a really good candidate. he will be a really good governor, especially since he is middle of the line. he is not too far left, and he forded for bush -- voted bush and i like his military background. i think the democrats need to slow down and just enjoy the victory. host: use a slowdown -- why do you offer that warning? caller: because they might get tunnel vision and think they have arrived. when a person celebrates too much, they might forget about the work that needs to be done.

that is why i said democrats need to slow down. at the same time, i think they should be happy, because if they ,ad had -- if northam have lost it would have been a very low point for the democrats. since they did win, slow down and enjoy the victory, but realize there is work that needs to be done. hillary did not have a message. i did not vote for hillary or trump, but at least trump had a message. so they need to realize they have work to do and get a message together. and one thing really quick about northam's victory -- i grew up in virginia beach, so i was a little surprised to see that he pretty much won the whole area. i think democrats could look at that like things are changing in virginia, because virginia beach -- i cannot think of the last time they voted for a democrat. pennsylvania, to

new kensington, pennsylvania, republican. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call and thank you for c-span. i watched some of the races, not too closely, but from the victory speeches, i gathered that i seem to like northam. i think he has a good message and that he had a good plan for virginia. on the other hand, from new jersey -- he seemed to be just bedivisive as trump seems to to the american public, and not necessarily good for virginia. some of the things like higher minimum wage, higher minimum wage and things that will not .elp business in new jersey for those reasons, i think that northam is a better choice -- they were both running the same

state. host: do you think this has any implications for the midterm elections next year or looking ahead to the presidential election of 2020? caller: i think it does. unfortunately, i am a trump supporter, and i think media's the major message about trump, which is that he is divisive, which i think is false , is getting through to a lot of people. a -- it wasitely definitely a -- it was definitely an objection to trump's policies and attitude, in those two states. i do not know if you could say that nationwide, but i think that is a definite problem. i think it is the mainstream media, once again, is driving the whole time. they never point to his successes. they are considerable. host: three people on the phone

lines this morning talking about the races in virginia and new jersey for the governor, both one i democrats yesterday. you can add your voice to the conversation,. (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans, independents, (202) 748-8002. if you live in virginia or new jersey, (202) 748-8003. yesterday with his victory speech. >> today, virginians have answered and have spoken. virginia has told us to and the thesiveness -- end divisiveness that we will not condone, hatred, and bigotry, and to end the politics that have torn this country apart. [cheers and applause] know int to let you

virginia, it will take a doctor to heal our differences. [cheering] >> to bring unity to our people, and i'm here to let you know that the doctor is in. host: if you want to watch that whole speech, including bill murphy, from yesterday as well, go to our website at www.c-span.org, and you can see those in their entirety. the washington post taking a look at exit polling in virginia, saying that northam had done what few democrats had achieved without barack obama on ballot -- re-saving the electorate -- reshaping the electorate. just 67% of the electorate was white. the cultural issues that came to dominate gillespie's ad campaign breaking in

northam's favor. voters most concerned with health care, and picked northam by 55 points off. crystal, philadelphia, democrat line. caller: good morning, and thank you for c-span. i'm getting over a cold, but it raining, cold, and i told everybody around me, my we getrs, friends, soaked for a day, but what is a day if you get soaked for four years? we are not sugarcoating this rotten fish. he lied to you republicans, he lied to the whole country, he has his own agenda. it is not the media making it up . to the one new jersey guy, we are not going to slow down.

deepe going to take a breath and keep moving forward. we are not going to let this country sink into a trump agenda. they can watch fox and friends sourness, but we are not being nasty to him. we are telling the truth. he lied to you guys. mexico is going to build the wall, mexico is going to pay for the wall, taking medicine out of the mouth of babies and stuff to pay for it. host: keller, virginia, this is chad. hello, check. go ahead. caller: good morning. first of all, i want to congratulate ralph northam on his win. i'm calling from his same district, he was our state representative and state ,enator, lieutenant governor and i voted republican yesterday. republican.e was a

this is goingis .o be a national trim for trump won the 2016on vote here in virginia, 50%-40 yesterday went 53%-40 in the state for ralph. you see the change there. gillespie asas ed a candidate or his campaign, how effective do you think it was? ad thati have seen the everyone was saying was controversial. host: the latino victory fund ad? caller: yes sir. i could say to a point -- honestly, the exit polling is showing there was a big

difference. there were some ads for the northam campaign that some people thought were controversial as well. as far as the midterms and how much this actually affects the trump, if trump has had any kind of national effect as far as having negativity across the country. host: we will hear from even in new jersey. hi. caller: i want to say thank you, c-span. jersey and virginia proved that votes speak louder than tweets. host: when it comes to the governor's race there, who did you vote for and why? caller: i voted for murphy, because jersey is back on track with murphy. host: how so? caller: i listened to his speech

, i heard what he said, and it is everything i wanted to hear. host: as far as the eight years of chris christie, how would you highlight those years? caller: terrible. host: how so? caller: in every way possible. host: specifically, how? caller: you name it. the last picture of him sitting on the beach, right now he has plenty of time to go sit on the beach all he wants to. host: do you think that was a contributing factor to build -- bill murphy when yesterday? winill murphy's yesterday? caller: he is deaf, but he talks a lot. host: in maryland, jd, republican line. hi. caller: good morning, sir. thank you for having me on. new jersey residents, they deserve someone like murphy. i will give you an example. i look at private property of

their -- up there, the property taxes are so high. a little shack was $150,000. are $12,000,s $13,000 a year. they deserve murphy, because that is exactly what they will keep having. it really runs poor people out of that residents. afford $150,000 for a house with the property taxes. that is a fact. and that is the problem. they cannot see it. all they want our entitlements and so forth. they will get entitlements, they so it is sad. it is a sad day for virginia and new jersey. host: would you say that it means anything for next year's midterm? caller: no.

no, i think republicans are going to come back strong. we will survive it. -- they were not strong states for trump anyway, and he knows that. he never spent a lot of time there. host: that is jd in maryland. one of the analysis pieces coming out of new jersey, writing that murphy had outlined a progressive agenda that includes a $15 minimum wage, recreationalof marijuana, stricter gun laws, and the creation of a public bank. includes the possibility of making new jersey a stationary state for undocumented immigrants and considering universal health care for residents, to policy ideas he put on the table in response to republican efforts in washington. a large, looming question for murphy is how he will be able to pay for the grant progress of plans he has proposed. he knowledge tuesday night that it will be a challenge, even with a democratic legislator.

-- legislature. "it will be easy and it certainly won't be overnight, but let there be no doubt, starting here and starting now, new jersey is coming back." here is a portion of his speech from yesterday. the first one of major elections since donald trump was elected. tonight, new jersey sets an unmistakable message to the entire nation -- we are better than this. [cheering] >> whether it is the attacks on public education or our environment or attempts to demonize our immigrant neighbors or support our dreamers, or efforts to push through a federal tax plan that would hurt other,te more than any or mean-spirited actions to got ourhealth care -- gut health care. we will stand with steeled simply and firmly say

with all due respect, mr. president, you will not do that in the great state of new jersey. [cheering] it is this simple. it is this simple. with donald trump in the white jeff sessions as attorney general, polluters running the epa, zealots heading the department of education, and steve bannon holding republicans in congress hostage, governors will have never mattered more. host: in salem, oregon, line for democrats. caller: good night for the democrats. this governor-elect of new jersey, he sounds good. i was really impressed with the governor elect of virginia.

north am made a very good commentary that night. thank you. host: which comment was that? caller: his speech, his acceptance speech. host: what is it about him you particularly like? caller: he was passionate, he the liberal, democratic agenda, very and very well thought out, i thought. host: next to massachusetts, richard, on our independent line. what did you think of yesterday? caller: this is like a tennis match. and theblicans democrats, going around in circles all the time. nothing really getting done. it will be the same old rhetoric . i do not even vote. and i followold,

politicians because i cannot believe how the american people are so stupid. guide, republicans and democrats, all the time, and it is the same old garbage every time. that, going to do this, and fight against each other. nothing gets done and it is the same old rhetoric. host: why do you follow it so closely and yet you do not engage in voting? caller: a vote is nothing. a call my congresspeople, i call kennedy, -- elizabeth warren, kennedy, and they do nothing for me. -- i keepk about calling them all the time and get angry. i can tell the people answer the phone know me by name. but nothing gets done. you call all the congresspeople you want, but nothing gets done,

pedro. is next,hington, d.c. democrat line, bradley. hi there. caller: how is it going, thank you for having me on. the elections are really telling of the tone of the country. we are divided largely, and i think it is time that we stop and see what we are divided about as opposed to basing our arguments on bits and pieces. let's understand the politics locally, and the people really do have the power. that power we have is information. that is all around us. when we look at the elections and see the difference is that we have, let's see why we have those differences. if there are issues with the tax code and we do not agree with what has been said about health care, let's find out why, raise those concerns, and get that message across to our leaders. i think people are starting to use that voice and understand the power of voting, and beginning to use that voice and

lower-level elections. i think we will see things change over the next couple of years going forward. these two elections yesterday have some type of message going into the next year 's midterms and the presidential election of 2020? a little think it goes bit further back. i think we see this going back to 2008 a little bit, where people things wanted different things out of their leaders so we started making change. even as the most recent 2016 election, people did make a if it was hit by the electoral college. but we are going to think people understand the power of voting nationwide, and not voting because you disagree gives an adaptation -- is disadvantageous to your personal position as a constituents. -- a we have set of line line aside this morning for people in new jersey and

virginia, (202) 748-8003. i'm in western loudoun county, which is southern of d.c., but very rural 4 --. i'm a millennial voter. before the 2016 cycle, i considered myself an independent . i have that in common with a lot of my peers. but from the moment trump announced, it was obvious to all of us that he was a hard candidate -- horrid candidate. we were shocked at the support that he eventually got. so i would like to draw some attention to the swell of turnout among younger voters in the virginia general, and it solidifies the fact that for me, many of my friends and people i know, we are united in the fact that the rebuke to the gop has to be very pronounced, and allowing trump to become a candidate and the president of this country cannot stand.

i do not know what it would be -- i have voted for republicans and democrats in the past -- i do not know what it would take for me to vote for any republican up or down the line in the future. i cannot wrap my head around what it would take because of how bad myself and a lot of my peers think trump is and how much damage he has already done to our country. host: a lot of the storylines coming out of the virginia election yesterday focuses on the house of delegates. the richmond times dispatch reporting from a story in the washington post this morning roem became the first transgender person elected to the state house there. otherocus on traffic and local issues in prince william county, but also expose the fault lines or gender identity. guestted a local journey -- journalist against an outspoken conservative, who earlier this year introduced a bathroom bill that died in committee.

she raised nearly $500,000 in donations, most of it coming from lgbt advocates and other supporters across the country. they executed and ground game, knocking on doors or than 70,000 , spending public appearances and interviews and maintaining a steady social media presence. marshall, who was elected in and, refused to debate roem kept his schedule private. but they knocked on voter stories about 49,000 times this fall. campaigning mainly on local frustration with traffic conversion, but did speak about her identity. in the end, that tactic failed. led by 10 percentage

points, with nearly 90% of the vote counted. mount laurel, new jersey. go ahead. caller: i want to comment on governor christie enjoying himself on the beach while we have people who are losing their homes to foreclosure because he is not doing his job. he is not looking into situations where you have companies like wells fargo using fraudulent documents to foreclose. the judges allowing this to happen in the superior court systems, people are being forced into bankruptcy. new jersey is a way better state than that. people deserve to have justice, and you cannot have justice with governor christie. i believe that elect governor murphy will definitely take control of the situation to try and get the state of new jersey back where it needs to be long.

-- where it needs to belong, it needs to be. it is unfortunate that we live in a country where people do not realize we need each other. if you put people out in the streets, you are going to have a home full -- world full of homeless people. host: what do you think it will take to pay for those campaign promises? caller: it is going to take ,oney, people coming together it is going to take the powers that be not sitting there and fighting each other, going against each other. we will have to give a little to get a little, and that is the reality. reality is nobody is going to get everything they want, but if everybody gives a little, you get a little, everything seems to balance out. we can win at least comfortably without all of the -- live at least comfortably. it is truly time for change. people have to work together in order to get it done. host: employee, new jersey, a new jersey resident. caller: how are you doing. first, like to say that

about the republican government, we had chris christie. it is not about the beach. whens using jersey money he was running for president, and all of that he used running for president on jersey's money, jersey's payroll, he endorsed that money to donald trump. that is not the taxes, they do not want to pay for that. he is not doing a lot for new jersey. the only thing he is doing is he isg in his house, sitting around, getting fatter, [indiscernible] host: let's go to tom in sussex, new jersey. caller: how are you doing?

i do not know in sussex county as far as working people who cannot afford to live in new jersey, a lot of these people who have their houses foreclosed on took a second mortgage today for easy money. that was the federal government or what ever did that. if you want to blame things on christie -- i have been in new jersey my whole life, and i watched the governor's. most of them were democrats, and they did not do anything. they drove the country, the state into debt, just like the legislature. in my view, what will happen to the working-class people that -- especially people that are retired -- they will move out of new jersey because they do not want to give their money well of these entitlements people. that is what new jersey is becoming, a welfare state. i will be here for another six years and then i am moving. host: in light of the promises

that governor-elect murphy has made, you say that you are going to see tax rates go up and other things go up to keep those promises just to get through the legislature? caller: you are not going to get super richut of people. democrats have a problem. they think they are going to get this money out of the rich people. rich people have a way of not giving them money. people, what you think? you think they are going to want their retirement incomes so you can tax more? do you think you will be able to pay? they are getting to be outrageous. my taxes are not as bad as in bergen state's county, but the whole metropolitan area, the taxes have gone through the roof. ask anyone who would want to retire here, they cannot afford it. even if you have retirement programs, they eat so much out of it. and like i say, if this is going

to be a retiree spot soon, just the insurance -- we are figuring we will have to chop off part of our insurance as well. it is going to cost a lot of money for working people to stay. host: the eight years of chris christie, what do you think is the largest of, schmidt -- accomplishment? caller: i do not know how much he did about property tax. my property taxes did not go gradually up, i about here in sussex county for 30 years. they have been going gradually up. not seen it where one governor or the other did that. i'm kind of text that they all theyed that -- ticked that put out that gas tax, because it is going to hurt people appear because they are paying more. go, --as the compliments

accomplishments go, i think he kept things neutral. i do not know. let's hear from another republican in new jersey, somerset, new jersey. very goodod morning, show. first off, we will all be wishing we had christie back as governor after this guy. his numbers do not add up. he is going to destroy this state. let's take a look at what he wants with marijuana and how he thinks he can make loads of taxes and money off marijuana, and also being able to sell -- i think they are licenses to they can make marijuana farms? he thinks he is going to make loads of money off of that, but he does not realize when you make it legal, like in colorado, it is low tax. on the road, people are dying. hiss see what happens to family and some thing to his family and they are dead. , he wants toda tax raise everything. he does not understand that you have to worry about the american

people, the people of new jersey first. he only cares about foreigners. that is going to be a problem. he is going to destroy this state, just like all the other democratic governors have been. he is going to take this fine state and stick it into the ground with the taxes that he is going to do, and we are going to which we had christie back. host: another analysis piece taking a look of the new jersey election, saying bill murphy's victory has a repudiation of chris christie, and follows a familiar pattern in new jersey. voters have elected a democratic governor to succeed a two german public and governor in every opportunity since new jersey revise its constitution in 1947 to create for your terms and allow governors to run for reelection. murphy's challenge will be to break the other part of that pattern. no democrat in the last 40 years has won a second term as governor. don, republican line. go ahead. caller: thank you for having me

on the. i love your show. i do not know why democrats are so surprised that they won virginia last night. it is the home of government employees in the big state. that is a fact. california, hopefully one day we will turn the state read again.- red we just got taxed two dollars more on tobacco and gasoline, 12 $.12 more.- california is the number one state 4 -- right now. money foro borrow their unemployment fund, which they have paid $1.5 million to

it so far. host: ok. caller: turn the state read again. host: if you want to continue on, we will have a democratic representative from your state, john garamendi, joining us at 8:00 this morning to talk over look at theaking a foreign affairs issues. if you want to stay and watch that segment, you are welcome to do so. oregon, independent line, hi ellen. hi, my name is our land thank you for having me on. -- allen. i see a lot more about people wanting higher wages. i think they are not hitting the mark. i think what people really want are better benefits. they want to be able to take care of their health, they want to take good care of their children, they want safe places dolive, and in order to that, they are going to have to

focusing on the higher wages. everybody is talking about higher wages. what they need to do is start looking at the issues in each state and taking care of those issues one at a time. school so thatn they are better educated, better health. these are the things that people need. better transportation, we have to take that burden off of the people. right now, what i am seeing is that in politics, it is a war --inst democratsx an democrats and republicans. it has nothing to do with the people, although they are using the people as an excuse. i do not feel as though democrats or republicans are really focusing on the needs of the people.

i think they are, more or less, focusing on what the parties want. host: alan in oregon. reuters this morning takes a look at maine. voters their voting on initiative, a ballot initiative that takes a look at health care. he writes that name will be the first u.s. aid to approve medicaid expansion by ballot initiative. it is what of 19 states that has since theed medicaid affordable care act. about 60% of voters in maine ,pproved the ballot initiative and tuesday's ballot asked maine voters to approve or reject the carethat provided health coverage under medicaid for adults under the age of 65 with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, which was about $16,000 for a single person or $22,000 for a family of two. loretta, williamstown, new jersey. go ahead. caller: hi, how are you doing?

thank you for having me this morning. this was not an easy election. we do not have candidates as the independent gentleman said, we do not have candidates looking to focus on the people. two things that concerned me yesterday when i was voting -- i had to pray about it -- i am hoping that bill murphy does not legalize recreational marijuana. that he does do something about the taxes in new jersey, because they are so high. -- they areijuana telling us we have an opium epidemic, a but yet we want to legalize marijuana, which is where that starts from. we have young children from the governmentause the wants to -- drugs. i'm hoping that he does not recreational marijuana, and i am hoping that he do common there --, in their and --

come in there and do something about the taxes. people retire and cannot afford cannot affordhey to live in new jersey because the tax is so high. host: loretta, could you give me a sense of how much you pay in taxes and williamstown? caller: i pay $11,000 a year. i pay $950 a month. i started living there 23 years ago, my tax was only $4300. every year they go up, but the school system has three principles. that's the person but purpose of that? it is so top-heavy. it is really difficult to pay $950 month on taxes. that is ridiculous. something has to give, and we are hoping he is listening and .s taking heat that -- heed

host: what were your thoughts on chris christie over the last eight years? caller: he was absolutely awful. the only thing i can say -- two things he did do, he kept marijuana from the state. [laughter] caller: i have to give him that. he is going to keep marijuana out of the state. he was awful and did not do anything for the state, but that he did do, and the traffic lights. so that was the moneymaking machine, and cause more accidents. he had made sure that he did not renew their contract. i think those two things were good about him. host: when you say traffic lights, do you mean red light cameras? what do you mean? caller: yes, the red light cameras. he would not renew it after five years, because all the counties were doing it to make money and it cost more -- cause more accidents.

people would see the red light and stop and the people behind them what hit them. they had no discretion. not like a police officer. so it is a good thing. those were two good things he did for new jersey. remote, cincinnati, ohio. hi, ramona. caller: hi, i would like to say that i have supported -- in ohio. i was rooting for murphy because i believe what he was saying. he supports the union, and i work for a large company in ohio that is very union based. the one thing i do not like about the country -- the company i work for is they do not pay for third shift workers. the other thing i want to say ofut murphy is -- i'm kind divided about the marijuana thing. i do not think you should support that. i do not support that, but i --.

if you does, i would not be upset about it, but i am happy and the governor in virginia. i think they are on the right track and this will have an impact on getting democrats to go to the polls to vote again in the midterm election. host: you think it was a moral tha victory for democrats? caller: i do, because a lot of people gave up once trump got in. a lot of people gave up after he won the election, and they decided that democrats were just giving up, so they decided they were not going to vote anymore. i think the victories from the two governments are going to help put that boost back in. after those two elections in virginia and new jersey, the editors of the new york times chose to use their whole editorial to write about the elimination of the electoral

college. this has been the subject of or amendment efforts, 595 as of 2004, then any other part of the constitution. but amending the constitution is a heavy lift. a quicker, more realistic fixes the national popular vote interstate compact thunder under which states agree to award all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. the agreement kicks in as soon as states representing a total of 200 electoral votes sign on -- 270 electoral votes sign-on, ensuring that the popular vote will always pick the president. so far, 10 states and the district of columbia have joined , representing 165 electoral votes. the problem is they are all solidly democratic, which is adds to the suspicion that it is a partisan game. it is not. when mr. trump is making out -- not making up stories about millions of illegal voters, he has argued that if the president 40 were decided, he would have

one. caller: i was a bernie sanders supporter. i did not want to vote for --, so i kept getting on the robo calls. to fallfor bill murphy in line with him. the other senators that were running, there were four or five other races. they were in office for 15-20 years, since 1990. i wanted them to leave, i felt they had served too long. democrats, it was a win for moderates, not the left wing. little bit more about -- you said you were falling in line for bill murphy. i know you were a bernie supporter, what kept you from fully embracing governor-elect murphy? -- i want to give

the minimum wage up, i do think that people are under worked in new jersey, that there is also 500,000 illegal immigrants here. you have to see who really deserves to pay and who does not deserve to pay. $15 -- if he does raise it to $15, there will be a lot of businesses going bad. the only reason the illegals are here is to go to business. downwant to keep illegals so business can run stable. again, for the next 15 minutes or so, we are taking your thoughts and calls on the elections that took place in virginia and new jersey. the governor's races there. they were both won by democrat yesterday. find more on our website, www.c-span.org. you can find a list beaches, read other information send the results as well about these elections if you go to our

website at www.c-span.org. if you want to give us a call, (202) 748-8000, democrats. (202) 748-8001, republicans. (202) 748-8002, independents. and if you want to give us a call and are from virginia or new jersey, (202) 748-8003. inocrats line next, mark glen bernie, maryland. go ahead. thank you so much for taking my call. i want to comment about the lady from new jersey referring to keeping the marijuana out of new jersey. the they have done is delay application of the medical marijuana so they can get their ducks in a row. what they do not want -- they make sure it is in every state law -- you can not use the marijuana for rehab purposes. to get them off of petty drugs .- of heavy drugs

it is useful in getting people off of heroin and cocaine, what they make sure it is in the law that you cannot use it for that. i think they are misusing it. ,ost: if you go to u.s. news two republicans and house of representatives announced they were going to retire, adding to several republicans over the last few weeks. also renouncing the -- frank lobiondo of new jersey declaring in a statement that "our nation is consumed by increasing political and there is no middle ground. several hours later, seven term representative ted poe of texas, a conservative, announced that he plans to retire rather than seek reelection. he is 69 years old, and his

district covers part of houston in the northern suburbs. he said "take to the lord, i am in good health, but it is time for the next step." those announcements taking place yesterday when it comes to the elections yesterday out of utah. victory therefore republicans, set to take place to take jason seat.tz's he announced his retirement as well. that is the republican mayor of the mormon stronghold in utah. democratis defeated catherine allen, and third-party jim bennett, a centrist and son of former longtime u.s. senator bob bennett. they tried to tie him to president donald trump, but curtis did not vote for trump but says he supports the president of the agenda. democrat line, new jersey. go ahead. caller: i have lived in new

jersey all my life, and i voted yesterday. i think it was an important election, not just because bill murphy won, which i am glad about. our present governor has not been an asset to the state of new jersey. it has taken 18 years, -- taken eight years, but he has kept the state -- as far as economics. hopefully, murphy will slowly start bailing us out. he will not be a miracle worker, he has a lot to undo before he can even get things moving here. host: give us an example of what he has to undo? caller: our financial situation is poor. he we -- we used to be one of the states with the highest per capita income.

new jersey was a driver of the national economy, and we are not that anymore, because everything -- for a republican, he is not very good with finances. he is good at having us pay his bills, like when he was running for governor, heading the republican governors association back to costs were set us to pay. not just his, but the security money could have been better spent here in new jersey rather than himself promoting somewhere else. -- him self-promoting somewhere else. we have not had a democrat elected to the board of freeholders for a few decades, i believe, and we got to yesterday. i think it has changed down the line that a lot was missed, because for whatever reason, the national media thought -- was

having an election last night. tony, staten island, new york. independent line. caller: good morning. i'm glad i do not live in mergers the, because i would have never -- new jersey, because i would have never voted for him. he wanted to say that he was going to make new jersey a sanctuary state. the cost of that to the people of new jersey will be phenomenal . how is he going to pay for that? in new jersey, the taxes are $16,000 a year. are they going to be higher because he thinks it is ok to do something like that? it is not fair that we have to pay that kind of money for a legal immigrants. immigrants.egal it is not fair. it is an invasion that the u.s. government has performed upon the american people, and it should be stopped. they can guard everybody else's borders, but they cannot guard hours. and now people like murphy want to keep them here, along with mr. lazio -- de blasio and mr.

cuomo. deblasio of new york winning a reelection as well, the state of the washington state senate, one of the elections that took place yesterday, saying that for the first time since 2012, democrats will retake control of the state senate next month off of a win in suburban king county. washington, oregon, and california. in a race that washington records for spending on a legislative race, the deputy county prosecutor beat a businesswoman and former aide to u.s. are presented of cathy mcmorris rodgers. her win gives washington democrats control of the governor's mansion and both state legislative bodies for the next year, potentially pushing a more progressive agenda in 2018. in votes collected on election was collecting

55.4% of the vote. john, go ahead. it was the union members who put donald trump in in the northern states, wisconsin, minnesota, what have you. they forgot that last time that happened was when -- endorsed ronald reagan and he ended up in jail. republicans hate unions, and why would a union member vote against his best interest? i cannot believe that they lost sight of our history. the nrb against labor, barack obama, under recent appointments, put favorable nrb people in there, congress sued them and lost. trump got in on a fluke, because people lost sight of who was in

their best interest. gary, indiana, democrat line. go ahead. caller: good morning. i would like to say that for many discouraged democratic voters out there, there is hope. there is hope for each and every one of us if we have the .umption to walk to the polls it is worth the effort, it is worth fighting for. i was watching a commercial on cnn last night, some guy was on, i cannot member his name. andas looking in the camera urging everybody hey, let's get out and vote. get this guy in check and later on get him out. i agree with him. donald trump is a crackpot. he is unstable, in collusion with russians, this whole nuclear arms deal and everything

-- it has us in a very precarious situation right now. we are walking on thin ice right now because of the sky -- this guy. there is a way out if we exercise our right to vote. the constitution has not changed. say ist thing i want to that i want bernie as my candidate for president. i think he is awesome and we would be better off with him. thank you. host: the washington time looks at a state ballot measure that was voted on in new york. it calls for a state constitutional convention. valerie richardson writing that call that measure to convention was defeated in tuesday's electorate, driven by opposition from labor unions and those worried about the consequences of rewriting the state constitution. the puzzle one went down in defeat with 81% voting against it and 20% -- proposal one went

down in defeat with 81% voting against it and 20% in support. they found that proposal one, which would require the state to n," losto-called "conco by a margin of 57% to 25%. statenew york law, the must decide every 20 years whether to hold a constitutional convention, but the last one was held in 1987 and before that, 1938. voters turned down a 1997 ballot measure to hold a concon. one group pushing for a convention was invited nys, which wants to see the state divided into two economist regions with their own governments. ralph, good morning. you are next. yes, how are you? one comment about the democratic election for bill murphy -- i think it was more of a statement by new jersey. we are going to be an inclusive

state and not a divisive state. not so much against kristi or any other republican, it is that we are going to move forward and be an inclusive state. host: one last call, this is joe. fredericksburg, virginia. caller: hi, first-time caller, first time listener, i was riding home from d.c.. i wanted to say that although i have a trump supporter, i was kind of looking forward to north from's message -- northra m's message. that got trouble elected was that we have to get away from the establishment republicans, as in the people in charge don't have the best interests at heart and eyes -- and i just wanted to say that. i think he will be able to bring us closer together and unite virginia. host: rob wittman, the

representative from the fredericksburg area is going to be on this program, later on, to talk about the governor's race amongst other things. hopefully you will stay tuned for that. that is it for this set of calls. coming up, we'll hear from democratic -- democratic representative john garamendi about the president's trip to asia among other things. look at, we will take a the new jersey and virginia governor races and what it may mean. josh kraushaar, coming up. ♪

>> this week on q&a, we look to the lives of the a jewish justices who served on the supreme court. our guest is author of, jewish justices of the supreme court. >> one of the theories of my the climbing anti-semitism within the butican legal profession, -- was notoriously anti-semitic and i was going to mention that famous portrait in 1924, in which he had to sit for, but from his vantage point, hoover had the audacity to nominate cardozo, he wrote a letter saying how dare you afflict the court with another hebrew. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a.

c-span, where history unfolds daily. as a79, c-span was created public service by america's cable television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. the house ways and means committee continues work on the gop tax reform bill. watch live coverage today at 9:00 eastern on c-span three, c-span.org or listen live on the free c-span radio app. >> washington journal continues. host: our first guest of the morning is representative john garamendi, democrat of california, a member of the house armed services committee. what the things coming of the president's trip to asia yesterday was statements about north korea. i will show you the headline.

part of the speech encapsulates the idea, do not underestimate the united states. what do you think about that message? rep. garamendi: the bellicose nature of the presidents remarks about north korea over the last several months is dangerous. are met by equally bellicose remarks by kim jong-un. these leaders are acting like a couple -- acting like a couple of third-graders, going after each other's parents. it is very dangerous because the tripwire on the korean peninsula is very taught -- very taut. every year, there is some incident between north korea and south korea. the president listed many of those, last night. one of those, given this very tense situation could lead to open warfare and that would be a disaster for south korea. it would mean that tens of thousands of american troops

would immediately begin harm's way and many would die. and their families. you have 25,000 american troops and families within 100 miles of the dmz. we know north korea has long-range artillery and ballistic missiles they could easily target seoul and the american bases. it is time to reduce the rhetoric, get the negotiations and tweak softly as well -- tweet softly as well as carry a big stick. there is no doubt the united states has a capable military and could take out north korea. it would be deadly and bloody and we could do it. the goal should be to get to the negotiation table. host: with those negotiations in mind, what is the impact of sanctions laid on north korea? rep. garamendi: the president spoke to that, yesterday. you and sanctions need to be enforced.

that is for china and russia as well as japan and the united states. those sanctions will continue to put economic pressure on north korea. china has significantly ramped up its sanctions against north korea, particularly the banking sanctions. that pressure needs to be continued. the president saying cut off all trade, all economic activity with north korea is not going to happen. lead to thearly economic collapse in north korea. china is very concerned about that. they know that would cause a very significant problem on their border, which is a very long border with north korea. host: if you want to ask our guest questions, (202)-748-8000 for democrats. republicans, (202)-748-8001. for independents, (202)-748-8002 . you can also tweak us -- tweet us.

let's get to the president addressing south korea. has. trump: the regime interpreted america's past restraint as weakness. fatalould be a miscalculation. this is a very different administration in the united states -- than the united states has had in the past. today i hope i speak not only for our countries, but for all civilized nations, when i say to the north, do not underestimate us and do not try us. we will defend our common security, our shared prosperity, and our sacred liberty. host: representative garamendi, the first part of that talked about the previous and

administration. how would you address that? rep. garamendi: north korea has been a problem for 70 years. to goes right back to the korean war and the armistice that followed. there have been tensions on the peninsula all along. we have had multiple presidents trying to deal with this issue. we have come to a point where it is extremely important. north korea with nuclear weapons is a huge problem for the united states, even a greater problem for south korea, japan and china. deal with it and the president is correct in saying that don't -- don't underestimate the strength of the united states, but also don't underestimate our desire to get to the negotiating table and solve this thing without a war. it is clear. the department of defense did a study and so we cannot successfully take out the north korean nuclear weapons system, militarily, unless we have a ground invasion of north and --

of north korea. that means all-out war on the korean peninsula that will make the 1949-1952 korean war look small. that is not a good option. would is a good option is to keep the pressure on, keep going with the sanctions to make sure they are in effect and get to the negotiating table. negotiated a freeze in the north korean nuclear system, back in the clinton administration and then carrying on for several years until the agreement fell apart. why that fell apart, you could talk about either side, but it did and north korea resumed, secretly, its nuclear program. countries those other that will prove the most ?ffective rep. garamendi: it is absolutely

essential that they be involved. russia, china and south korea all border on north korea in various ways. south korea had economic activities with north korea until very recently. all of those countries working together and put extreme pressure on north korea. not only economically with sanctions, but also diplomatically. they have sway and of course the united states and japan have significant interest. in six parties working together can bring about a resolution of this issue. i think the president was right when he said there has to be a freeze. from there, the elimination of nuclear weapons on the korean peninsula, which means both south korea as well as north korea. host: our first call comes from new york on our independent line. ken, you are on with representative john garamendi. caller: thank you.

of mountainican home dissent. concerned that we have two world leaders of dubious mental health, in my opinion. i am trying to get a handle on the idea of the launch codes and the president's immediate access to them. i understand he has constant access to the codes and that the codes change on a daily basis and i wonder, does that offer us a moment of sanity? rep. garamendi: there are two things we need to be aware of with regard to the president's ability to launch nuclear weapons. it requires the military engagement and we have already seen secretary mattis and chairman of the joint chiefs of tall, both standing very and very appropriately advising

the president. these are adults that understand what war is about and have a good understanding of what nuclear war is about. the u.s. congress must reassert its constitutional authority that only the congress has to wage war. that is to authorize the use of the art military to wage war, which we believe would be required to launch nuclear weapons against anybody in a first right. retaliation is another matter. therefore, many of us in congress are pushing back, trying to reassert our authority which has been turned over to the president, not only to this one, but others in the past. one of the things that many of passed a lawis that says the president does not

have first right authority for nuclear weapons. he would have to come to congress to get permission to use a first strike. the current law does allow the president to defend the nation if there is a eminent attack or if there is an attack at all which is a different situation. we are trying to do that, right now. congress has frankly been chicken to take on this fundamental responsibility. most of congress has abdicated the authority to wage war to not only this president, but to obama and bush and clinton. this is something that we are going to have to deal with, as memos of congress. and what wille we -- what would that look like compared to what we saw in the iraq war? rep. garamendi: the president's in africa, that broad swath below the sahara, using two

different authorities. one is a continuing authority to work with countries to train and equip their military and police. 2001 using the authorization to use force in afghanistan. it is a bit of a stretch to go from afghanistan to mali and niger. that is what the president and the military have been using in that part of africa, also in yemen. where are we with congress reasserting its authority? most of congress, many democrats and nearly all republicans are merely hiding. their not coming forth and saying we must take on our constitutional responsibility. -- they are not coming forth in saying what you -- we must take on our constitutional responsibility. our founding fathers and mothers were very clear on the cost of war. they did not want the president to have the power to authorize war.

host: let's hear next from our democrats line, in florida, joe. caller: i wonder how concerned you are -- we have three aircraft carriers that we explore every ocean with. there are some missiles in that area. i concerned about the assets we are putting their, to show off -- putting theire to show off. rep. garamendi: the u.s. navy shares your concern. they are providing the maximum defense possible for those three aircraft carriers which are absolutely essential to any of our military plans, wherever it may be. they share your concerns and certainly i do, also. there are many different ways in which we protect our aircraft carriers, both from any kind of attack you might imagine, from missiles to direct assault, as well as submarines and the like.

they are doing what they need to do, to protect them. as to the wisdom of having three of our major offensive and defensive pieces of equipment in one location, i share with you, the concern about that wisdom, just a show of power. he is certainly doing that, but i'm not sure it is the wisest deployment. it does pick up what the president said in his speech, don't mess with us. he is correct. we are not also military power. we are not too good -- we are an awesome military power. we are not too good in the sands of the samarra, but in the korean peninsula, we are powerful. host: our guest serves the third district of california which includes fayetteville. this is not a, california, next. democrats line.

caller: good morning. i was going to talk to you about the -- rep. garamendi: i cannot hear him. host: can we put on the speaker and rick, can you try one more time? caller: do you hear me now? rep. garamendi: i can. caller: i was going to talk about the agreed framework that bill clinton had with north korea and how george w. bush blew it up, by not following through with the agreement. rep. garamendi: your point is well put. i alluded to this, early on. in the clinton administration, there was an agreement in which north korea would not pursue its nuclear program and did shut it down. exactly why george w. bush's

administration moved away from that agreement is not clear. out andement did fall was pushed aside in the early 2000's and at that point, north korea resumed its nuclear program. it may have been doing it secretly, before that. they certainly did it, secretively after that 2000 period. host: we saw the obama administration make a big effort in this pivot to asia. rep. garamendi: asia remains a critical part of american economic and foreign policy. certainly our relationship with china, economically and politically is of utmost importance. asia is where the current action is. those in her was that pivot discussed and in part became a

reality, those three aircraft carriers are one example, then ukraine and prudent -- than and -- than ukraine and putin. putin took over crimea. all of that took place. the united states is the world's most important nation, and here is the mistake that trump made during his campaign when he said america first and we are not going to pay any attention to nato and other alliances. pulled out of the transpacific partnership and basically led china in charge of what was going on in that area. that was a serious mistake. i was not happy with the tpp. i thought it needed to be renegotiated in different areas. but the pull out of it basically gave china a free run in that area. that will be much of the discussion we are going to see

at the conference in vietnam, and the next couple of days. host: (202)-748-8000 for democrats. republicans, (202)-748-8001. independents, (202)-748-8002. if you are on twitter asks if you are ready to accept north korea as a nuclear armed nation. rep. garamendi: i am not. that would be a major problem for years to come. i don't believe it is necessary to assume it would happen. i believe there can be negotiations. there are things that north korea must have. been must have access to the world market. they must improve their economy and the social conditions in their country. the current regime is at constant risk of some sort of domestic revolt in north korea the cause of the circumstances that the north korean people find themselves in. i believe we could reach a negotiation, in which the long-term goals of north korea are assured.

that is, regime assurance which is fundamentally what kim jong-un is all about. it once those nuclear weapons to assure his continuation of his family's domination of that country. that is what they are for. are there other ways they could have that assurance? the answer, i think is yes and we must work to negotiate and get that done. host: we will hear from robert, next, in maryland. independent line. caller: good morning. how are you doing? rep. garamendi: it is a good day. caller: i think we are missing the whole point. aware, the russians interfered with our elections, this past presidential election. rep. garamendi: indeed they did. caller: they highlighted our hypocrisy. , in south africa, we

have imposed our will on people all over the planet. from notes -- from those 95 years, people all over the earth have gotten rid of white imperialistic control over their life. the middle east under gandhi, egypt, 54 countries in africa, they got rid of -- white imperialistic premises -- host: what would you like our guest to address, specifically? caller: i am a vietnam veteran. what i learned from that experience is that everybody on the planet wants to be treated the same way that we treat each other. do onto others what you do want to yourself. rep. garamendi: your point is

well taken. my wife and i were peace corps volunteer read -- volunteers in ethiopia in the 60's, during a time in which the african countries achieved their independence. thankfully, they did. colonialism throughout africa changed. unfortunately, the united states got wrapped up in the vietnamism of france in , and we took over the position of the french government, and vietnam, in the vietnam war. many different aspects of that, but the united states made a serious error in vietnam. it is a lesson for the united states. while we are the most important democracy and economy in the world and have a role around the world to push and make sure the values of freedom and democracy and economic and social justice are available to every person in the world, we cannot impose our

will upon other countries. in a wayrk with them that allows those countries to achieve those values that we hold dear in our own country. we do have a role around the world, but we cannot achieve imperialism orh the kind of activity that we engaged in, in vietnam and continue to do so. there are examples of this, today where we continue to attempt to -- impose our will. the iraq ii war. george w. bush's invasion in the early 2000's. that led to chaos in the region. there are many other pieces to this puzzle, but your point about people around the world wanting to set their own course and not be dominated by another country is quite accurate.

host: diane in maryland, democrats line. caller: good morning. i would like to thank you very much for explaining what the country is going to be doing in reference to the threat from north korea. my request to you, is to ask you as a congressman, when are -- what are you going to help our country do about a bigger issue? this country has a larger concern which is that we have a problem of white male violence. there are white men running around with guns, shooting up churches, schools, concerts in las vegas. to does not seem to end and i am concerned about the fact that we want to label that as mental illness but if it was anyone else doing it, it would be terrorism. we have a problem with domestic terrorism at the hands of white males with guns and my question is, when his -- what is the

democratic party going to do about that? rep. garamendi: the democratic party has been clear about gun safety legislation. we have been trying to get congress, controlled by the republicans, to take up the gun safety issue. howly, we are looking at did we make sure that people who are not stable, that they cannot get their hands on a gun. this most recent incident in texas illustrates the problem and many people, white other ethnic backgrounds do get their hands on very dangerous assault weapons. unfortunately, they use those weapons to commit mass murder. we have seen that occurred far -- occur far too often. here is the problem. we don't control congress. floor, which the

we did, to no avail. republicans control the congress. what legislation comes to the floor is only the legislation they want to see and they do not want to see gun safety legislation on the floor of the house. the senate has been somewhat better. they have moved some legislation, but it has never been brought to a vote in the house of representatives because republicans refuse allowed -- refused to allow a vote to be taken. host: one of the stories out of the texas shooting is the updating of the databases, especially from the air force. how will that be addressed? rep. garamendi: it is to be addressed very clearly. the military has an obligation to the judicial system to enter into that -- engine -- into the national database, men and women who have crossed the line. mental health, is a glib use,

abilities and the like. is this a systemic problem in the air force? we are investing that. the secretary of the air force has been notified by many of us, what is going on here? a one-off problem or a systemic problem in the air force? other branches of the military had a very serious and appropriate wake-up call with this very unfortunate incident. host: is your office directly contact in the air force? have you heard from them? rep. garamendi: we have contacted them, we have not heard from them. the armed services committee as a whole and some of us individually have sent a letter to the secretary of the air force. host: any hearings coming up? rep. garamendi: probably, there will be questions the next time the secretary or head of the air force appears or even one of the other major officers of the air

force. we ought not to just focus on the airports -- air force. this may be a systemic problem in all of the branches. host: representative john garamendi, joining us. kentucky, republican line. thank you for holding. caller: i would like the to tell us where in the peace corps he was during the vietnam war. the question i have for him is -- directly find -- behind korean that korea and the tolear capabilities because hold this country at bay with their trade and if you go back to the korean war, the chinese

fought us, there. vet.a vietnam combat that the chinese are our friends, but they send cheap goods over here and it was a democrat president that opened .rade to the chinese it was the democrats that once our president -- host: the caller is breaking up, so we will let our guest respond. rep. garamendi: about four different issues. the first one, my wife and i did serve in ethiopia for two years as peace corps volunteers after leaving the university of california. after four years of football, i was not going to go into the military with some injuries i

sustained. we decided to serve our country in the peace corps. substantially lowered my wife's expectations about how we might live the rest of our life. it was an extremely important part of our life and a very important way we were able to serve the country. vietnam, irvice in thank you and for other members of the american community that served in a very difficult and dangerous war, we appreciate your service. unfortunately, you and other this number veterans were not properly treated when you returned. fortunately, we are working with our current veterans from all of the wars, some of which have gone on for 17 years to make sure they have services they need. with regard to where we are with unitedchina and the states are linked, economically,

politically and unfortunately, we are also link -- we are also at odds, militarily. china, the united states and russia are involved in a major rebuilding of all of our country's nuclear weapon systems. trillion --d $1 $1.2 trillion over the next 15 years or so rebuilding our nuclear weapons at the same time that russia and china are and of a far smaller question with north korea. pakistan, iran and others, so this whole nuclear issue is a big one. host: democrats line, from missouri. hello. caller: good morning. on laststion is focused week's guest from the selective

service and the draft. trans-genders, gays and lesbians the excluded from imprisonment and fines if they don't sign up for the draft? if you could answer that i would appreciate it. rep. garamendi: a not quite sure i understand how your question would work out. are required to sign up for the -- all males are required to sign up for the draft when they turn 18. it continues. how that would apply to a transgender individual would be an interesting question. i suppose it would be the individual's own understanding of their sexuality. with they consider themselves mail? then they should sign up -- male ? then they should sign up. my view is any individual,

whatever their sexual circumstances are, their orientation, who wants to serve in the military should be able to do so. if they decided that is how they want to serve this country, they should have the opportunity to areo and those that have providing valuable services to the military and my hope is that they would be able to continue to serve in that situation. host: does the democratic victories in governor races, yesterday. of perhapsr optimism retaking the house in 2018? rep. garamendi: i can be optimistic and i am, but i am determined for the welfare of this nation that the democrats regain control and provide balance against the president. president trump is a threat, i believe, in many ways. policy as well as the bellicose nature of his interactions with north korea. i see that as a serious threat.

it needs to be balanced. the policies that the republicans have put forth in the congress, their tax policy is a terrible problem for the united states. it is a horrible economic problem. trillion reduction in taxes goes to the top 1% of americans. 1% to 50% of $3 trillion. it is a huge transfer of wealth and it creates -- increases the american deficit. we have a structural deficit of about $600 billion a year. now we are adding to that with this tax bill, another $100 billion and it increases every year, going forward. the deficit hawks have somehow left washington, d.c.. ago,ore than six months the republicans were talking about the debt problem.

we had the debt limit up and every republican says we have to deal with that. turnaround around two months later and proposing legislation that not only gives an extraordinary tax cut to the super wealthy, but blows up the deficit. i am going what happened, did it get cold in washington? what is going on? it is a major economic challenge. dot: on top of that, how californians feel about losing state and local the directions? host: how about new york, -- rep. garamendi: how about new york, maryland, other states that have large state and local tax detections. it is important for california. we have republicans, my neighbor for example, when hundred thousand constituents annually $7,298.000 -- if they lose that the duction,

their taxes go up by about $2000. i say beware, you are raising taxes on people in california. right now the republican members in congress are screaming about increasing the california gas tax which rate -- may raise the tax to about $150 per year in california. right now, they are advocating a tax bill that would increase taxes on their constituents to the tune of a couple thousand dollars a year. if i were up for election, i would be careful. host: representative john garamendi joining us for a discussion, we thank you. thethe result -- two of results of governor races in virginia and new jersey. national journals josh kraushaar will join us and take a look at last night. later on, we will hear from

public and congressman rob wittman on related issues. washington journal continues after this. ♪ >> 50 years ago, the united states was at war in vietnam and this veterans day weekend, american history tv looks back with 48 hours of coverage. starting saturday at 8:00 eastern, we are live in the national archives among the backdrop of three vietnam era helicopters to talk with veterans who flew them. we are taking your phone calls and tweets live. at 1:00 from washington, d.c.'s vietnam veterans memorial, a ceremony featuring remarks by

former defense secretary chuck hagel. on sunday at 4:00 eastern on real america, a 1967 cbs news vietnam war special report. >> whether it is due to the mac -- enemy's clever tactics for the fighting conditions, it seems clear that the american down, likes bogged marines in the mud. >> then at 6:00 on american artifacts, we will tour the national archives exhibit, remembering vietnam. at 8:00, on the presidency, the 1967 president lyndon johnson vietnam war press conference. >> we made our statement of what -- inld do if we had 1954. we said we would stand with those people in the face of common danger and the time came a had to put up or shut up and we put up and we are there. >> what's the vietnam war, 50

years later, this weekend on american history tv, on c-span3. c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. washington journal continues. ,ost: this is josh kraushaar national journals political editor to talk about the results of last night. let's start in virginia. was the most interesting thing to come out of the governor's race? guest: this pricing thing was that the democrats are within striking distance and could possibly win with the house of delegates. they were trailing badly, but

they make it up to 51 seats when all of the results are counted and the scope of ralph northam's victory was better than some of the most bullish democratic operatives expected. host: contrast his victory to previous victories on the presidential level with president obama and hillary clinton during the election, last year. northam do. differently? was a sharp educational divide in the state were college-educated voters swung more democrat and non-college-educated voters became more republican. the race exacerbated those divides even more so. northam carried college-educated whites which is a pretty significant, for a democrat to do in virginia. continued gillespie the republican trend of gaining ground with what -- blue-collar workers. northam was able to exploit the divide to the democrats advantage.

are in new jersey, these people with high levels of education. they were playing on their home turf. host: talk about president trump and how much of an influence he was in these elections. guest: a big influence. the turnout and high was -- was high in virginia. every ballot turnout was through the roof. up by about 16% since the last governor's election. clearly, democrats were enthused, they wanted to get out and show their and to the president trump -- show their antipathy to president trump. it is a combination of the democratic base being supercharged, while democrats also nominated a very moderate, pragmatic candidate in ralph northam.

the republican nominee was trying to have it both ways. he was the academy of the establishment. a former committee chair, a lobbyist. he ran on a more pragmatic message in 2014. his advertising was distinctly trumpian. he talked about immigration, crime and he thought he could get the base out while also maintaining his share of the more moderate republican vote. if you look at the suburban results, moderate republicans and democrats alike turned away from the republican ticket. host: our guest stays with us to talk about these results. if you want to ask questions, you can do so. (202)-748-8000 for democrats. (202)-748-8001 for applicants. -- republicans. (202)-748-8002. former president obama tweeting about last night and this is

what he had to say. congratulations to all victors in state, legislative and county races. every office in a democracy counts. traveling to campaign for northam. what was the influence? guest: african-american turnout was pretty strong according to exit polls. obama helped get the democratic base out. he saw a lot of these -- you saw a lot of these health -- house delegates he flipped because of that turnout. -- delegate seats flip because of that turnout. clearly obama helped get the cities. in the big host: one of the big stories you wrote about. you called northam's campaign risk-averse.

what did you mean? guest: the fundamentals in virginia always favored democrats. for genia has a historical tendency to vote against the president's party. the election is always held a year after the election and with the exception of 2013, almost always the governor of the other party wins the election. when you look at trump's job approval rating and the fact that the democrats nominated a very pragmatic candidate in rough north of. the fundamentals were in his favor. he did not want to shake that up . he did not want to excite the base too much or alienate the moderates leaning in his direction. ultimately that worked out very well. north at the -- northam had the best performance of any democratic canada in virginia since 1985 -- democratic candidate in virginia since 1985.

negativity was on the airwaves. and gillespie's campaign needed to get more of the rural voters to show up. you would see ads about crime, ms 13, confederate statues. needed the base to show up and they did not do so. that sets an ominous sign for the publicans. it is not just about this year's governor's race. republicans are a badly divided party. you have the truck weighing and the establishment wing. gillespie sought to thread the needle. as it turned out, he did not get the base energized and the establishment republicans did not show up. host: greenbelt, maryland, democrats line. your first call for our guest. caller: good morning.

i applaud the entire democratic for relentlessly telling people to go out and vote. they have not been going out to vote and i was told in -- telling my friends. i told them go out and vote. if you don't vote, there is no way the democrats will win this election. i applaud them. anytime there is no election, we should not take it as a joke. guest: turnout was key for democrats in virginia. you look at prince william county, where all of the house of delicate seats flipped -- where most of the house of delicate -- delegate seats flipped.

races, when they lost special elections in very conservative states and districts. virginia is a blue state. when that based shows up in large numbers, it is hard for democrats to lose. host: years before, it was a purple state and read. is it solid blue? guest: i would not say solid blue. it is purple turning blue. democrats swept all the statewide offices in 2009 -- last night. it is looking more and more blue. trump won bank decisively in last year's presidential elections. virginia was one of the few swing states that went the other way. host: how would you describe the ground games? guest: the democratic run game diverting resources into these house of delegates races.

a sort of test run scenario for the down the -- down ballot democratic races. no one thought the house of delegates was in play. a few recounts and close races. it is very promising for democrats to take over control. races,n those delegate but the first time, a transgender woman takes the race. guest: that's correct. in the 13th district, around manassas. ran against one of the most socially conservative state legislators in bob marshall. this is about as polarizing election as you can get. host: he scripted the bathroom bill as it was known. guest: transgender issues, abortion, one of the most conservative legislators in all of virginia. he lost by 11 points. host: this is from oakland, new york, republican line, michelle.

caller: good morning. thank you for having me. i would like to comment on a comment that josh made earlier, when he said that most republicans are less educated than democrats. that makes me feel like hillary talking, putting me into her basket of deplorables. i have to disagree with you. i went to college and i learned critical thinking and i have republicans,st for but for whom i feel is the best candidate for the job and this divisiveness in our country, republicans versus democrats, that is why our house is so divided. guest: i apologize if i offended the color. pointmaking an academic and that there is a big educational divide in the inntry with our politics

that educated white voters are going in a different direction and trending democratic and non-college-educated voters are becoming more republican. that is the reality of politics and the reality of why our country is so polarized. we saw those trends in virginia and new jersey where even though the democratic governor elect won by a double-digit margin, the republican challenger did ok in some of the working counties and working-class towns. there is a educational divide. if there was a way i can look at a voter and say who are you going to vote for, it would be if they had a four-year degree. chris christie had a 19% job approval rating according to exit polls. the lowest i believe of any governor in the country. jersey is always going to be a democratic state, but when you

have your outgoing governor with a 19% job approval rating and the lieutenant governor is the candidate on the ballot, it is going to be difficult to win. host: katie is in woodbridge, virginia. i just want to say i normally vote straight republican that i voted for ralph northam specifically because at gillespie aligned himself so much with trump and those ms-13 ads just turned me off so much. guest: exit polls in virginia, of democratsnt voted for northam and 95 plus percent of republicans voted for gillespie. there were many who identified themselves as republicans 10 years ago who may have a divide themselves as independents or voted for northam. host: glenn, independent line.

caller: i would like to know why do the uneducated vote for trump? host: what do you mean? expand on that. educated regarding for the democrats. what is in the thinking of someone who is uneducated that makes them vote for trump? guest: cultural issues as we saw in the virginia election are driving forces. education is kind of a stand-in on some of these cultural issues, whether it is immigration, confederate statues. there are plenty of educated people voted for gillespie and vice versa. the educational divide is something of a stand-in for this cultural polarization.

at gillespie started his campaign by running about -- running on tax cuts for small businesses and ended his campaign talking about ms-13. host: a viewer asked a question on twitter, saying how much does government employee -- employment correlate with partisan support in virginia? guest: the fact that you have a growing number of federal employees in virginia is certainly fueling the trend of virginia being a swing state and becoming a much more democratic friendly state. that said, the environment in the suburbs across the country, a lot of republicans are worried about suburban will educated affluent districts across the map, even in areas that don't have a lot of government employees. that helps democrats in virginia, the fact that northern virginia is growing. guest: new jersey and virginia

voters, you call (202)-748-8003. andcrats, (202)-748-8001 republicans, -- report -- democrats, (202)-748-8000, republicans, (202)-748-8001. >> today, virginia has spoken. today, we will not condone hatred and bigotry, and to end the politics that have torn this country apart. i want to let you know that in virginia, it is going to take a ,octor to heal our differences to bring unity to our people, and i am here to let you know that the dr. is in. host: give us a snapshot of ralph northam. guest: he is a pediatric

neurologist. the washington post did a great line where he ran as a emotional moderate. he is liberal on a bunch of issues but he sounds very comforting and soothing. that was a very conciliatory message, last night, talking about unifying. that is the type of message that wins in a swing state. republicans did polling and some of these culturally diverse -- divisive issues work in their favor but post from, people wanted to hear a more conciliatory message. former obama ambassador. and very wealthy banker who was able to win the governor's race in a blue state. murphy is going to have some challenges. host: he promised a lot. guest: a lot of price tags to

his proposals. he does have a democratic legislature. opportunity toe reverse some of christie's accomplishments and add to jersey's spending level. in 2009 ran strongly against -- strongly for cutting property taxes. i imagine taxes might go up if he wants to pay for some of these ambitious proposals. host: kentucky, republican line. caller: i am really offended at what this man has said. he has insulted a whole group of people. my family voted for president trump. we are strong supporters of president trump. only one member of our family who is uneducated voted for hillary. she is a sister-in-law. my children are all

college-educated. i have a masters degree, a bachelors degree and nine hours on a doctorate and we voted for trump. shame on you. host: he clarified the statement. guest: the divide, the biggest country, divide in the is whether someone has a four-year college education or whether someone does not. clearly there are people who have college degrees that vote republican. that is clearly the case and vice versa. it is just that this trend. it is a pretty recent development. in the age of trump, you are seeing a much more polarized electorate along the lines of education. host: we had john garamendi on, previously and we talked about the announcement of several resignations. what does it look like in 2018? retirements are a big

concern for republicans. we are seeing more house retirements from republicans since 2004. usually, the retirements take place after the off year election. a lot of republicans representing affluent suburban districts that are worried about their political standing. --virginia, arbor comstock barbara comstock. room -- northam won her district by 13 points. there are going to be some people in those types of districts that are going to try to tough it out. host: we saw -- announce his retirement. guest: someone who represented a swing district in south jersey. never had much of a challenge for reelection. a good relationship with unions in that southern jersey area.

democrats feel like they have a good chance of winning that seat. host: would you see -- would you say there is a sign of wave elections coming? inst: the house of delegates virginia is the biggest sign that this is shaping up to be a big wave election in 2018. we have a year to go, but the odds of democratic -- of democrats taking the house probably higher than they have been in this cycle. host: independent line. caller: speaking to the partisan divide in the country and with so many moderate republicans announcing the retirements in the house, i was calling to ask your opinion on whether or not a moderate can actually still win a statewide or national election. guest: i think ralph northam showed powerfully that it is possible to win as a democrat and the of moderate governor in a swing state. that is the key for the democratic party. the democratic party has its own divisions between the

progressive left and the more pragmatic elements of the party. ralph northam faced a very progressive adversary in the bymary, who was endorsed bernie sanders and elizabeth warren senior members of the obama administration. a won pretty handily in democratic primary, was able to unite the party and get the base supporting him, even though his message was a lot more pragmatic than what the left would have appreciated. host: democrats line, sterling, illinois. hello. caller: i agree with what you are saying. it seems as though the republicans never seem to favor making higher education possible for those of us who are working for a living. proof of that, i think, is the takeaway of the deduction for college tuition. what you say, for the most part, is true.

the buddies that i work with, lesser education, i totally respect them, they voted for trump. in a primary i voted for kasich. -- in the primary i voted for kasich. i'm not at all offended by what you are saying, just stating a simple truth, in my life i avoid the big two. that's my comment, thanks for c-span. you do see a lot of these moderate republicans, and i trump republicans starting to become free agents. especially in that affluent part of the state. you saw some republicans who didn't like trump, who agitated against trump. the former "weekly standard" editor in chief was outspoken for his northam

support. host: if i'm looking at these elections and i'm a member of the current house of representatives, in the middle of tax reform, immigration, how do those efforts go forward knowing what we know from last night? guest: i was somewhat the ability of republicans to pass an ambitious tax reform package through congress and last night's results make it more difficult. one reason why, republicans who are wary about tax reform are the ones in blue states where the state taxes are awfully high end the reduction is that would be removed as a result of these proposals would hurt these affluent constituencies specifically. new jersey is a big state where you have several republican congressman in swing districts who could see their constituent taxes going up as a result of the republican proposal. lance, seventh district, new jersey. democrats won those districts

pretty solidly last night and there has got to be political pressure on these folks after last night's results. host: houston, texas, republican line. lynn, good morning. aller: i just wanted to make couple of comments about the elections last night in virginia and new jersey. first of all, what on -- donald trump talks about, draining the swamp. part of the swamp in virginia is alexandria and all of the surrounding washington, d.c. area. if he really wants to start cutting back on the expense of running the government and the national debt, one thing would be is before we even talk about tax cuts, we simply need to start talking about reducing the amount of taxes that are going to the federal government. that would be that we just simply cut the government. every single agency in the government gets cut 25% before

we even start talking about taxes. i think that would help along the way to draining the swamp. a lot of these people are simply career bureaucrats and they are always going to vote for the democrat. if republicans are so marred -- are smart, they have to start guest: cutting. -- start cutting. guest: loudoun county, which gillespie one in the 2013 senate race, he lost by 20 points. that's a huge landslide margin. the economy may be played a small role in that, but i think it was his message on immigration. these are wealthy, center-right areas, but they believe in diversity and inclusivity. a lot of the ads on television mobilized the democratic race and turned out republicans in the suburbs. about about and county by

20 points. this is usually a republican stronghold or at least recently has been an area that should favor republicans. talk about the role of president trump in these future elections and how these candidates running for office embrace him. guest: republicans are in a tough situation when you look at the broader map. republicans need to trump race to show up. jeff flake learned the tough way that if you write a book that attacks the president of your own party, you lose political altitude pretty fast. the problem is, the more you associate with the trump base, the harder it is to windows key arerban swing voters who the bellwether. republicans are caught in a catch-22. aty can't survive primaries, the least, if they distance themselves from trump. if they don't, they will have a tough time winning general elections. , here toh kraushaar

talk about the elections in a new jersey and virginia. thanks for your time. we will hear from rob wittman, the republican congressman from virginia, on the results of the election, and other topics, -- topics. that conversation, coming up on "washington journal." ♪ >> 50 years ago, the united states was at war in vietnam. this veterans day weekend, american history tv looks back with 48 hours of coverage. starting saturday at 8 a.m., we are alive from the national archives. among the backdrop of three vietnam era helicopters, to talk with veterans who flew them. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., we are taking your phone calls and

tweets, live, with historians about the war in 1967. at the vietnam veterans memorial, a ceremony featuring remarks by the former defense secretary, jeff hagel and myelin. -- mya lynn. specials vietnam news war report. >> whether it is the special tactics, the weather or the terrain, it seems clear that the american military offensive along the dmz has bogged down. like the marines in the mud. >> then at 6:00 on "american artifacts," we will to her the american archives exhibit. remembering vietnam. at 8:00, the lyndon johnson vietnam war press conference. >> we made our statement to the world about what we would do if there was communist aggression,

back in 1954. we said we would stay and -- stand with those people in a common danger. the time came to put up or shut up. and we put up. and we are there. weekend, on c-span3, american history tv. >> "washington journal" continues. host: congressman rob wittman, the chair of the subcommittee on seapower and the representative of the first district of virginia. good morning. guest: good morning, pedro. host: what do you think the accomplishments of the presidents trip will be, when done? guest: establishing those relationships with our allies in receptionyou saw the that he received in japan. a strong stand against the aggressive behavior in north korea. reaching out to japan,

understanding that they need our help in that region, making sure that they are able to self defend that region, is extraordinarily important. his comments yesterday in south korea, the reception that he got there. the really director language about the problems with north korea. the thing that was particularly cogent regarding what he spoke about regarding the regime in north korea were the human rights violations and the ies that existed there. we know that the regime doesn't like when they receive that criticism. it was good to point that out and it was good to point to the strong relationship we have with south korea. for both of those countries, it is key that the president reiterated that we will be there as an ally to help. we will also assist them in self defense.

selling systems to south korea to help them with defense. same with japan. i traveled there recently in august. met with leaders in both of those countries and they are keenly interested in the u.s. japan south korea relationship and the things it will do to help them there. and we also see the dynamic between north korea and china as critical to getting to a point where we stop the nuclear proliferation in north korea. ,he president, traveling today i think that will be extraordinarily important, both from an economic standpoint to push china on economic issues, but also to push them on where they need to be strategically in the area, to be more aggressive with north korea. they are the country in the region, pedro, that i think has the greatest influence on north korea and has the greatest ability to influence north korea in the short term. i think this, i think that kim dissuadedll not be

except by extraordinary means to stop the nuclearization of that country. that includes intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the united states. our goal is to stop that before it happens. that is right around the corner. this trip is important to see what we can do. the president asked china and russia to be a more aggressive partner. i think that this trip is extraordinarily important. i think a relationship that he is developing with those nations is very important. the words that he shared with those nations are building confidence, that this is truly a team effort. we have three aircraft carriers devoid in the area. flexing muscles, then. guest: i think it's sending the right message to our allies, exercising it with you. it is also a show of force, no doubt about it. tot: our guest is with us

talk about the trip to asia and other topics. host: if many forces are talking about diplomacy, what is the best track to diplomacy with the north koreans? guest: you have to use some economic pressures. china, russia, and the other signatories to the u.n. agreement to place sanctions on north korea have to work. takes a, it always while for sanctions to work. north korea will try to function even under those sanctions to get to developing those nuclear weapons. the question is, what can we do to make those things happen more quickly? what can we do to press folks in the region? the president did say he was willing to sit down and speak with the north koreans. they indicated that they are

willing to talk, they won't talk about the nuclear weapons program. there have to be additional pressures in the region. it will have to manifest itself in ways that we have to understand about what stops the program. it is a difficult task, pedro. i think that there is a determination to develop this far-reaching intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the united states so that they can now bargain from a position of power versus a position otherwise. kim jong-un is look at other nations that have given up their weapons and has said the outcome has not been good. it will be a true challenge for the rest of the world to say -- what can we do to realistically stop north korea in its tracks? host: correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems that messages from kim jong-un have been less

prominent than in the past. he's been more quiet. i think they are watching and waiting to see what their response should be. it will be interesting. ultimately, there will be a response. to see what it is, to see if it changes their attitude about what they are doing with their nuclear weapons program, diplomatic talks. their relationships with south korea, japan, china. are watching and seeing what the totality of the trip will be. after china, the president goes to the asia pacific nations. telling, too, to see what they do economically and strategically. host: what is the likelihood that this could change the president's first -- president's perception? think it always does. understanding the perception of

the leaders in the area is always enlightening and i think it measures the president's viewpoint and, i think, informs his decisions, which is really what is needed these days. and i think it's assuring to the region when the president comes in and is direct and on ambivalent about what the united states will do in north korea. i think it's reassuring to the region to say that we have got an ally here, we will take this head on, be direct and unapologetic in making sure that they don't gain this ballisticnental missile capability. it has already threatened japan and south korea, as well as areas like guam. reassuring those nations, making sure that they are willing to share technology and weapons systems to help them defend themselves is another reassuring part. our first call comes from the republican line. nancy, michigan, you're on.

caller: yes. i'm very, very pleased with president trump's trip to asia right now. because he doing wonderful things over there area he's holding trust. there. -- over he's building trust. he doing trade. he's working on trade. excited. he's very well respected over there. i really appreciate him on this trip. melania is doing well and i'm very happy with it. i want to mention that we have a running indate here, 2018, john james, in michigan. i look for him to take out debbie savin. i think we will have another republican senator area host: 9 billion -- senator. host: about $9 billion in trade. very, very, i think, important, with the relationship that we have with

china. there's an economic imbalance there as far as trade deficits and the things we have to do to reduce that trade deficit and make sure that we emphasize with china the quality of trade and issues with cyber security. also, issues there of intellectual property. as we know, china has not been good in respecting international -- intellectual property rights. what they have done to essentially steal things that .re intellectually protected making sure, too, that they do internally the things they need to do to protect the united states from cyber attacks, originally from china or sometimes from china through region.untries in the those things are extraordinarily important. the president has to be very aggressive in saying stop the cyber attacks, make sure that you respect intellectual -- intellectual property rights. make sure the you are not going after industrial secrets in the united states. is ag sure that there

greater balance in trade between the two nations. those things are critical. jennifer is in somerset, new jersey, democrats line. jennifer: i was really disappointed with trump and his trip overseas. i don't like the idea of us boasting about trying to sell guns and bombs. that's just a machine of war. nobody wins with that. host: go ahead. guest: our allies are looking for that, looking for that element of protection. they look to the united states because of what we have to help them with that. this is something where i think it strengthens the relationship between our countries and it allows us to help them self protect. i would argue that this is for self defense. as you know, japan is limited by their constitution and what they can do militarily.

they are limited to that self-defense function. i think that's what the president was talking about there. we should be able to help allies protect themselves against an aggressive north korea. have beenhe past we concerned about the chinese military, the size of the military. do those issues become relevant in this trip? guest: they do. the discussion about navigation, in the islands, where the chinese have gone and taken coral reefs and turned them not into just islands but military bases capable of launching aircraft with antiaircraft batteries there, with offense of capabilities to launch weapons. they are trying to create the capability to push out people. whether it is flying in the air in what they are designating a no-fly zone or on the water in freedom of navigation, so that has to be part of it and the chinese heaven very aggressive

in that. their efforts are truly to strategically take that area out of operational capability. not just in the united states, but countries like the philippines, vietnam, japan. you know there has been some disagreement there. also, taiwan. the chinese aggressive behavior there affects the countries in that region. ohio,cincinnati, democratic line. jennifer, hello. guest: good morning, jennifer. caller: i want to talk about how we work so hard on war and never think about peace and we seem to be the bully around the world. we are way over here on the other side of the ocean, trying to control people on the other side of the world. we seem to have a case of amnesia, the way we have treated other people for centuries. if i was the leader of that north korea?

i would have to really read the books -- no, i say throw the books out because of this part of the world they know what's going on. we have nothing but a show of force for every nation in the world. we need to work harder on peace, which we never seem to do. host: thanks, caller. guest: i think that our effort is truly to peace, but it's peace through strength. we have the greatest ability to create peaceful situations by making sure there is a balance in the area. i would point to the human rights violations perpetrated throughout north korea and the things that kim jong-un on -- kim jong-un does to his own people. the things that we do to push back, i would argue that those are the most objectionable things. remember, they are delaying in that area and it threatens their neighbors. what we are doing i believe is going there and working with neighbors in the region and

saying look, we will stand up against that. peace through strength is the most effective way to go about that. in the past we have seen that by capitulating or not taking issue with that, it hasn't made things safer in the region. i think the current efforts in engaging partners there, we have reached out and said we are willing to engage north korea in conversations about what we do to keep them from endangering not just countries in the region, but also the united states. i think that's the place we need to be and it is where the american people want us to be. it's about preventing war and creating peace through strength. the ability to know the come to the bargaining table in understand that there's a motivation to come to the bargaining table. that is thinking about aggressive behavior in the realm of that region through the eyes of kim jong-un is not the thing he needs to do because it would not be beneficial to his regime or north korea.

what does it suggest to you that the president will he offered a dinner in the forbidden city? guest: it's a true signal that there's interest in making sure there's a strong relationship tween china and the united states. i think that that's critical these days in how we deal with china and making sure that we have movement on china's part with our economic relationship, movement on their part in strategy in the area. it's one of those symbolic opportunities for the nations to come together, to go to an area that is reserved in for speciales only instances. this is one of those things xi is tryingent to send that signal of a strong relationship. it's interesting, the chinese president has been consolidating power over the years. theaw it recently with meeting of the prc. he's not just looking to do that

in china, but also create more of an expansion of power, not just regionally, but around the world. if they want to be a player, it's one of those things where they say hey, not just saying that we want to engage the united states, but also sending signals. we have to be mindful of that. again, we have to be partnered with china and understand that the things china is doing is in their best interest. host: michael, you're on. guest: good morning, michael. caller: thanks for the call, for taking my call. for the real journalism on "washington journal." two questions. one, related to the asian affairs, is it ok for trump the embracing delete or of the philippines the way he is? the leader ofcing

the philippines the way he is? secondly, while i have the opportunity, if you don't mind, and unrelated question. regarding private sales on gun loopholes, which you support closing up -- would you support closing of private sale loopholes and if not, i would be curious as to why. thank you very much. guest: in relation to the things that the filipino president has trump, itesident should create some concern, but it shouldn't stop us from wanting to continue what has been a strong relationship with the philippines. remember, they're an important strategic partner in the area. i understand that some of the things in that country that have been done need to change, but the only way to change that is to engage. talk about things that president duterte needs to stop in that

area. the way the you make progress in those areas is to have that engagement. i'm appreciative of president trump wanting to have that engagement and conversation. as far as the issue with gun sales, i think of those efforts with loopholes are covered in gun laws and what you have to be able to put forward in selling a gun, whether you have that background in violating the law. we saw the issue in texas where information wasn't passed on from the air force. it also wasn't passed on with previous instances of mental health treatment. those things are all reflected in the application to purchase the gun. if that's not in the system where someone applies or they lie on the application, those are things that certainly need to be addressed. the secretary of the air force the other day was looking into discharge of a

particular individual involved a shooting in texas that was not followed up with by the air force. other elements of his behavior and not being able to purchase a firearm. host: will the armed services committee be looking at this? guest: there will be direct questions to all the services, including secretary of what the service branch is doing to reflect the behavior of a service member and how that gets into the national database. if they have been discharged for reasons of violence, those things are reflected in that national database. if they're not, that system doesn't work and those things are a legitimate concern. chicago, illinois, republican line. hello, good morning. caller: i just wanted to ask the congressman if the child white nominated an

ambassador yet. last i heard they were planning on expanding on it i hadn't heard of a nomination yet. i also wanted to point out that for thousands of years, you can go back to 600 a.d., china has never controlled the korean peninsula. the korean peninsula has its own language, culture, history. it's pretty absurd that now china has any sway or control over the korean peninsula. that's just not accurate. just focusing on the history of the country, finally, i just want to point out, i don't understand how the gop expects to have successful, long-term diplomacy when we are at a point in this country everyone is screaming speaking list, speaking less, no one has respect for the culture. no one has interest in respecting a lot -- respecting another language. host: ok, color. guest: -- caller.

guest: i certainly think that respect for other cultures is critical and we do see a lot today pursuing language skills in the languages in their countries in the far east. i think these things are certainly happening today. talking about the influence of china in the korean peninsula, if you look at the economic relationship the china has with north korea where over 90% of the trade that occurs occurs in china, i would argue that they can and indeed should have influence over north korea. you may look historically at what happened there, but i would argue that today they certainly have the ability to economically impact north korea and i think that does have the ability to change their thinking or at least get them to understand the impact of the things they are doing with countries around the world. i'm not aware. i can't speak to the nomination

of an ambassador for south korea. i do know that it is important that these nominations be made and that confirmations take place. in the senate the concern might the delay of confirmation. at the current rate it will take over nine years for the nominees for the trump administration to be confirmed. that by any measure is unacceptable. an administration needs to have individuals in place. to me that needs to be addressed. i would hope that the majority leader, mcconnell, takes that up and pushes that issue. i think it is inhibiting to make sure these agencies can do what they need to do. guest has a served in the virginia house of delegates. about the governor's race last night, what kept at the less be from winning? guest: there were a lot of different elements. people were concerned about the economy, about health care.

i think that those things were part of the discussion. people obviously made judgments about who they thought would do the best job. i thought he did a great job in putting his ideas out there and his solutions to the issues virginia faced. a lot of different elements of politics came into play. much of what happens in these state races on local issues. you see the economy doing well, nationally. there are elements in virginia where things can be better and i think we are looking at where those things can go. health care, again, a national issue, but also looking at what can be done at the state level. those things played into the election. people weighed each candidate against what they proposed and what they thought they would do. huge turnout. looks like motivation was different than it was in previous elections. host: how much was president trump a factor, do you think? it gets down to

the candidates. you can prognosticate and say there's all these other efforts, but people are really judging these candidates about the do on and what they will them. you can see that the issues they indicated were most important to them were truly issues of from the state level. about what's happening with health care in the state. assertionsays make andt what's happening looking at what happened i would think that this race in northern virginia is truly about virginia issues. issues that were important to folks, whether it was in their county or legislative district. host: significant gains, in the

house of delegates. does that suggest anything to you about the midterms? guest: i think a lot will be judged on what this congress gets done, that's why it is important to get tax reform done and make sure that we have a strong act to address the issues we deal with around the world, make sure we are dealing with things like infrastructure. those are the issues that people measure their own situation by. how many dollars do they get to keep? and i deal with, something important to all of us, commuting back and forth. what are we doing with infrastructure, transportation, those kinds of things. those are the bread and butter issues that people will judge the next election cycle on. john, south carolina, democrats line. go ahead. caller: good morning, c-span. aboutally dumbfounded

china and what they are doing to us. i got a question. company is making goods in china and they bring it back here to sell it, does that money go to china? host: what would you like the congressman to address? far as taxes go, here's what you do. if the u.s. company is in china or any other country making goods, don't give them a tax break. things have to be addressed concerning the tax code, concerning businesses that operate overseas that are either based here or have subsidiaries here. one of those things is the repatriation tax that requires companies to bring the tax rate back to the company of origin -- country of origin.

critical.e that is it gets those companies to bring it back without penalty. at least reduce that. now it's the difference between the u.s. tax rate, which is 39%, and the tax rate in those other companies -- countries. a company like apple computer sells things through ireland because the tax rate is 13%. they have to pay the difference between the 13% and 39%. i would argue that in those instances where the business and money are generated overseas, a company that has a base here in the united states, we need to fix the repatriation tax. at least bring it down significantly to weather is an attraction for the dollars to come back to the united dates, where they generate jobs and revenue and returns to federal coffers. rob wittman, republican

from virginia, thanks for coming. host: thank you -- host: rob wittman, republican forward -- from virginia, thank you. guest: thank you, pager. caller: it's open phones -- host: it's open phones and we will take them as soon as we return. ♪ >> 50 years ago, the united states was at war in vietnam and this veterans day weekend, american history tv on c-span3 looks back with 48 hours of coverage. starting saturday at 8 a.m., we're live from the national archives among the backdrop of three the an on-air a helicopters to talk with the veterans that to them. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. we are taking your phone calls, live, with historians discussing the war in 1960 seven. and from the washington dc -- washington, d.c. vietnam veterans memorial, a talk.

sunday, 4 p.m. eastern, on "reel america," a cbs news special report. >> whether it is the tactics, the fighting conditions, the weather or the terrain, it seems clear that the american military offensive has bogged down, like the marines in the mud. >> than at 6:00 on "american artifacts," we tour the national archives exhibit. and on the presidency, the lyndon johnson vietnam war press conference. our statement about what we would do over communist aggression in that part of the world in 1954. we said we would stand with those people in the face of common dan -- common danger. the time came when we had to put up or shut up. we put up and we are there. >> watch the vietnam war, 50 years later, this weekend on

"american history tv." on c-span3. >> "washington journal" continues. host: the first call on the open phones, ruth, sterling heights, indiana. caller: no, this is michigan. host: ok, go ahead. caller: earlier a young lady talked about china having havingce on north korea, no influence there, but she's wrong. in world war ii, when those places were invaded, there were a lot of chinese from the over theho fled himalayan mountains into north korea. at that time also, north korea was led mostly by warlords. all the way through to the 1950's. they didn't have any democratic elections. the only democratic election that north korea had, the true

leader that the people elected got his brains blown out on national tv by kim young's father. steve, ohio, independent line. caller: i wonder, in the virginia race, how many of the people -- people vote their pocketbooks. a lot of those people i think may have, because they are dependent on the government for their jobs, with drain the swamp coming their way, they were be losingat they may their jobs. in effect, that would cause them to vote against the republican candidate. host: that's steve. "the washington post," taking a look at other stories in the paper this morning, a role -- enrollment for the affordable care act. 200,000 americans chose a plan the day enrollment began. more than double the number of

consumers that signed up on the first day last year. more than one million people visited healthcare.gov, the official federal website, amounting to 833 percent increase in traffic compared with 2016. those figures only capture part of the picture overall because they encompass only states that use the federal health care marketplace or rely on its website for consumers to sign up for coverage. roughly one dozen states and the district of columbia have their own program and do not use healthcare.gov. pennsylvania, republican line. thank you for taking my call. i wanted to make a comment or two here, which is number one, i agree with the senator. historically, it is necessary ,hat we be strong internationally. that people respect us. if, in fact, we are going to be stronger here at home as well.

i think that one of the systemic problems that we see today in conjunction with the senator's that it isuld be youth. money well spent to teach people that only in school, but our people, democrat, republican, or independent. we lack historical knowledge today, economics, understanding the socioeconomic impact of what's going on around us. consequently, people argue points that they have nothing but false news, typically, which is open to, let's say, lazier mines. it's evident. ok.: kansas city, missouri. reggie, hello. caller: how you doing? host: fine, thanks. caller: about the north korea they look attion,

however you were treated in their program. now they look at how things are going in iran with the nuclear deal made by president obama. now you've got president trump not certifying a deal. what are we going to do? we going to attack them? can do that. all we can do is let them continue on with the program they started. we will keep on talking, threatening, but in the end we can't do anything to stop them from doing that unless we attack. so, diplomacy doesn't factor in at all? caller: no, not really. i'm an old man now. i've learned, if you back someone into a corner, the only thing to do is come out fighting. right now we have no incentive step have nothing to leverage

north korea away from there no clear -- we have nothing to leverage north korea away from their nuclear program. host: tim, you're next. caller: [indiscernible] the importance of being involved basically what's going on around the world. is aso you see the danger ,elated to national security asia or other parts of the world? people my age, with a lack of on what's moving forward, when do you see that blossoming into an issue for my , wherever your generation is or not. host: my generation, being older, i understand that. [laughter] to answerow it's rude

a question with a question, but only because we don't really offer comment on the news. what do you think the most grave situation is that you see? caller: i think, personally, involved forto get at least do things that are basic. so that if there is a decision that will affect the economy or how the government runs, on the government level or in a private sector, what makes things move and click? it will really develop and grow. because you seem to know a lot about these issues, what has fostered your interest in these kinds of topics and discussions? why do you feel compelled to

learn more about them question mark -- them? aller: i'm in economics, so happenstance you have to understand something about politics. they go hand in hand. that's what i'm studying in school. it got me compelled to read about, look at, watch, and remain unbiased. the facts are not biased, they are just facts. that's why i involve myself as much as i can in understanding things. but my generation, compared to others before us, we really lack that compelling interest. but what happens around the nation affects us. as we get further down along the road as far as career men and what happens in government, politics, the economy, going to affect us. but we are a generation that is

far less concerned or interested in that kind of thing. host: where do you go to school in what would you like to eventually do with your education? i go to the university of south florida. i want to be an economist down the road. big passion., again, that's why i watch everything on the economy. we really appreciate your watching and thanks for calling in. i will point you to our website. we keep a lot of information that might be of interest to you when it comes to foreign affairs. if you go to the website at c-span.org, there is a whole resource of programs there. we have had programs that this network is carried. debates in congress. all of that available to you at c-span.org. thanks for calling, really appreciate it. line for democrats, robert, go ahead. yes, sir. i was trying to get on with either one of the congressman this morning. if you look at both of them,

they are diametrically opposed. the service guy made a whole lot more sense than the second guy from virginia with the red tie, the hair that doesn't touch their years? peace through strength means you've got a hatchet in one hand and a little hammer in the other hand. you are not going to force the asians to do anything. we lost in vietnam. we lost. nobody says anything. i was in the annan. we had two carriers off the coast. more firepower than he is ever going to assemble over there. we lost in vietnam. we started a trend for all terrorists in the world to say that these guys can be beaten through resolve area don't carry a big hammer around with you. .e's like a piñata guy he should be selling piñata's and beating them with a stick.

he's not going to make north korea do what they don't want to do. the viceicture of president with the administrator for the medicaid services. the story being talked about in "the new york times" saying that the administrator of the centers for medicare and medicaid services said that the administration would approve approvals for community engagement for people who want to receive medicaid and that the above -- obama administration had turned down the proposal saying that they wouldn't further medicaid promotion. "believing community -- host: that's in "the new york times." speaking of the vice president, and op-ed today about the a compliments of the administration one year after it

won an election. this is mike pence saying that thanks to the president's leadership the american economy has created nearly 1.5 million new jobs. the stock market is setting records, creating five dollar trillion in wealth -- host: it goes on from there. you can read more in the pages of "usa today." lynchburg, virginia, republican line. i would just like to talk about what trump was talking about. about being against him. this guy that you had on this theing was so pleased that

citizens of virginia had voted for democrats. and we didn't vote for democrats . that's the northern place, where all those people come down to. i think that this world is going to be in bad shape. illinois.on grove, this is karen, independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call. my problem is i'm going to be forced out of my house, soon. fore's no mention of help senior citizens. just tooty taxes are high for me to afford anymore. i'm going to have to move after 30 years in my house. what our property taxes like as far as the dollar figure for you live? >> they are about $12,000 now. i have a two bedroom ranch house, one bath. it's very small.

what determines the taxes? paying for education? are there other things that add to the high tax rate? grexit's education. but i do have no children. reason --nd the caller: it is education. i have no children. i understand that, but i would think that could eliminated after 20 or 30 years for a senior who has lived in their home for a certain amount of time before they sell it. security, justl another issue i have is i don't understand why they can't raise the cap. socials -- so social security could go on. cost-of-living increase, that doesn't amount to a lot of dollars? caller: yes. illinois, democrats

line. caller: yes. i just wanted to, regarding the election yesterday, just wanted to remind everyone that one third is not going to run this great country. that's what my comment is. host: what do you mean by that? when you look at the approval of this president, 32%, 33%, when you look at no legislation having been passed and the way that the country is , we don't have to look at, you know, to take what's given to us. it's really appalling. as an asian-american i have been in this country for the last 40 years. we never had things like what we are having today. and i see it.

. have all types of friends mexicans, africans, everyone. but i've never seen this country so polarized and it really hurts because, you know, to see how this man has risen -- and i don't like him criticizing our great city of chicago. every we have issues, but time he takes a hammer and talks about the issues of should -- chicago, like a hammer, the problem is the guns that are ind right next to us indiana, where mike pence is from. that's the problem. that's roger, from illinois. "the washington post" signs out that syria has signed on to the climate deal signed by many countries across the world. "the united states is the only country to disavow the deal since the president announced he would withdraw from the

agreement. host: muriel, in florida, republican line. caller: there's a couple of things i wanted to call about. good morning. i feel sorry for the lady that just called up, in illinois she's paying $11,000 taxes? that would kill me altogether.

i live in florida, so my taxes are not that much. the other one it's talking about guns, that's what i was calling about. can stop the killing with the guns, that they can complain and say -- we need gun control in other states. they have to control there's and we can say -- they are doing good, we will follow them. are doing so bad with gun control. there are probably more killings a year than we have in all the killings in the whole country. please, chicago. country, your state, straightened out with the gun control. maybe other people will follow. host: let's hear from carl in maryland. democrats line. caller: i'm calling about something i heard it not too long ago. one of the callers said that we lost in vietnam. and we did. i spent almost three years

there. the problem is i didn't know all the things coming out now about how nixon talked to the north vietnamese and got them to hold thatn the peace agreements their government was trying to make. hear a lot of things about trump and basically what he's doing is what the republicans want him to do. all these things he's turning around that president obama did? those are things that were good for the country. the republicans didn't like them and they are trying to a race president obama from history. as long as he does what they want him to do, they are going to support him. as soon as he stops, they will toss him out. you can see it already. that's what i have to say. in the economy and business section of "the washington post" this morning, caitlin dewey takes a look at programs in puerto rico.

saying in part "these people do not usually receive benefits and this measure was taken in open --,"d texas, adding -- open sean is on our phones. a few minutes left before the house of representatives comes in for its daily business. host: sean, from charlotte. go ahead. caller: how you doing? host: fine, thank you. caller: good.

about getting china to do this and that, how does the superpower thing work? how far to the top of the list are we as superpowers? a bunch of uninsured, unemployed, uneducated americans. these other countries, they got themselves and their people in line. we don't. , north sean carolina. "usa today," talking about the executives from facebook, google, twitter, saying that the house intelligence committee is prepared to release to the company -- of the country that 3000 ads that the research agency bought on facebook as part of its campaign to sway the electorate. information that might help to explain how voters were duped. the disclosures bring to the forefront questions at about the

2 billion monthly users that have computer algorithms that underwrite what ad gets shown to what user. did i see russian ads and could i have known? that's on usa today. if you want to see those hearings from last week, go to our website, c-span.org. three hearings in one week featuring the gentleman from the various companies i mentioned. website.ee that on our about one minute left before we go to the house of representatives. richard, missouri, go ahead. the president, i'm wondering, he's 71 years old. we are willing to sacrifice several million south koreans to show how tough we are? that's ignorant, i'd say. got threeing, we've aircraft carriers? that's pretty powerful steel.

host: richard, missouri, the president's speech also ,vailable at c-span.org including a follow-up. website you can see the earlier segments taking a look at the trip to asia. you can see those at c-span.org. time for the house of representatives to do its daily business. we take you to them now. [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. 2017] be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. november 8, 2017. i hereby appoint the honorable don bacon to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, paul d. ryan, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2017, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour de