announcer: at 8:00, abortion advocates and opponents discussed roe v. wade at the national constitution center in philadelphia. >> we are now at the point where i don't think the current justices would be as brave as justice kennedy. unlike myly predict, adversary here, this court is prepared to overrule roe. announcer: today, new year's day, on c-span. host: for the remainder of our program on this new year's day, we would like to get your take on when it comes to 2020 and what you think when it comes to politics and an election coming up. if you are more optimistic or pessimistic when it comes to your viewpoint on that front when in 2020. if your view of politics is more at --stic, give us a call , if it is pessimistic, it is

--, if you're unsure, it is --. you can text and post on the social media sites. usa today and suffix university did a poll doing this idea that if americans thought things would get better or worse in their own lives in 2020. when they say that, 80% said yes, 11% said no. 80% predicting their lives would be better, that optimism stretched across demographic lines. one of the main reasons those party -- those people participated said they thought that our lives would be better from the economy. also, those surveyed protected things would get better for their community, but as a nation as a whole, optimism was more 72 percent towide 16%. democrats thing -- said things

would get worse. you can factor that into your thinking, whether you would view more things optimistically or pessimistically. we will take calls in a few moments. we will be joined by opinion nests to talk not only about politics but other issues, as she has many a day on this program. joining us from new hampshire is the syndicated talk show host radio ined out of wnhn concord, new hampshire. happy new year. >> happy new year to you. think frightened is the third option. extent, that encapsulates -- encapsulates my opinion. host: what do you base that on? guest: i feel democracy is being stressed in a way that has never been seen before and the impeachment is one example of that. we have a president that doesn't value the constitution, looks at laws that applause to little people but not him.

we are looking at an assault on voting rights and arise in voter suppression. i'm looking at the gerrymandering that will be changing as a result of the new senses, but has the stranglehold on what we see happening because we have gerrymandered, that there has no meaning for a november election, that the only meeting is the primary. and then, i'm looking at what is happening around the world, the climate crisis, which everybody watched what was happening in australia. we were like, oh my god, australia is burning. then, on my god, the reinforced is burning. then, oh my god, california is in for -- the rainforest is burning. then, my god, california is burning. we can't just look at the stock market and our own personal economy without realizing we are on this boat together. there are so many things pressuring us to create a level of instability that my optimism

is tempered by the fact that i can't just look at how happy i am in concord, i have to look at how the rest of the world is so unstable, and i don't want a piece of that. host: so you probably heard what i just read, that people put the economy at number one as a reason to base that on. guest: remember the valuation, how do you like your congressman? i love my congressman. what do you think of congress? they suck. this is part of the problem. we have this idea of the bubble we are in is something that we only have to care about, but when we look at congress with frustration, we realize congress is dysfunctional. how is it possible to have a come -- wonderful congressman and dysfunctional congress? we have to step back and say what does this say about us and how we need to have a bigger worldview. i think that, as part of the united states, we have somewhat always been zeno phobic and look at ourselves.

this islves as somehow all that matters, and it doesn't. the advantage or disadvantage of climate change is that it is spreading us -- getting us together in a way that is not necessarily positive but it will have us all have a come to jesus moment and just the examples of the fires alone tells you the world is under -- is on fire and that will challenge us in 2020. host: do you think the issues you highlighted are dressed to directly by those candidates or potential people who would like to become president? are they addressing those issues or sticking to more mainstream issues when it comes to an election themed conversation? guest: climate change has clearly changed. if i would have listened at the beginning of 2019, it wouldn't be part of the vernacular. it is definitely part of it now. another piece they are talking about is the inequality gap. we have seen the greatest inequality gap in america in the

last 50 years. my headline i call you about the other day was the headline that said the 500 richest people in the world saw their wealth increase, just their wealth trillion.by $1.2 did they cure cancer for that $1.2 trillion? did they figure out climate change? did they invent something remarkable? no. money begets money, and the rich got richer. all of that 1.2 trillion dollars that went to the 500 richest people in the world, half of that was accumulated by the rich people in america alone. look at growing inequality, look at the rich getting richer, and then there is a real tragedy here. we somehow think this economy is doing well, what ella turns out for the poorest americans, we have seen a financial decrease in their stability by 7% from 2004 to 2018.

you tell me what that is about. if the economy is doing well, why is it affecting them? and not only that, what to donald trump do? they saw their finances decline, toald trump cut food stamps 700,000 people. down isu while you're what donald trump says. inmany of those 700,000 live states where donald trump one. what the hell is going on. the poor are struggling and we have not lifted them up. we have drained them host: if that is the message then, which candidates are addressing that and what do you think -- who do you think it is resonating with most? --ler: guest: obviously when you say new hampshire, you say bernie

sanders and elizabeth warren. they talk about a wealth tax. frankly, all of the candidates are getting it. even after eight years of barack obama, a democratic president, that's what? the death tax grew. both democrats and responsible are responsible -- and republicans are responsible. donald trump was a invitation for us now looking at these issues. some adjusted with a greater sense of urgency than others. i think that is the difference. it is not the -- between progressive and moderate. is between those who want to who quicker, some of us think we need to do two things at once, just move quickly forward as well as recognize the status quo cannot be a status quo unless we address the urgency of change.

host: who has the best chance of winning new hampshire? hampshire.ve new ask me about me. you know how i make my decision? the moment i walk into the voting booth. everyone is going to be watching what is happening in iowa. iowa always changes the landscape. that doesn't mean we take direction from iowa, but we pay attention. for example, cory booker is not on the stage. if cory booker keeps talking about how he is organizing in iowa. could doooker something remarkable in iowa, people in new hampshire will pay attention. we are going to look at what happens between elizabeth warren and bernie sanders. elizabeth has seen a problem because of her response on medicare for all. heart survived his

attack. if money is a template, and he will do well not only in iowa, but he is a history in new hampshire. his history in the new hampshire is because he cleaned hillary clinton's clock. fluidity, and of mayor pete is doing well in iowa. trust me, mayor pete is doing well in iowa. he feels a bit old for 37 and seems to have an old demographic, but his sexual preference is something that resonates well in new hampshire. i have always said new hampshire is a bit of a libertarian state. you don't trust big government, we don't trust the church. there is a real sort of sensitivity and open-door for a mayor pete.

plus he is wicked smart and he seems to be more like a young joe biden. if you are looking for something moderate, you have moderate in a young package. sayingorey lewandowski he is not running for senate? guest: he needs to make money. he is going to lose, that everybody knows. you don't make money when you are running for u.s. senate. the longer he put his name out there that he was possibly going to run against her, she was raising more money off of his name. it was a win-win for jean. she raised a bundle of cash because he threatened to run. au revoir, corey. host: this is arnie arnesen. how can people find you? guest: my show airs live at noon every day eastern time.

it then goes up at 7:00 at night. you can hear me on the pacifica network. us.: thanks for joining happy new year. again, that sets us off as far as your optimism or pessimism. you can call us, saying if you .re optimistic, (202) 748-8000 if you are pessimistic, (202) 748-8001. perhaps you are not sure, (202) 748-8002. you can text us at (202) 748-8003. go ahead, you are on. caller: i would really wish you after thatbachmann lady just went off, because her pessimistic view can depress anybody. but i am optimistic.

i think donald trump has truly tried to do what he has said he would do. i am optimistic that the democrats are going to learn a lesson about not revering the constitution of our country. hopefully,stic that, the lesson they learn will pull them back to be moderates and get some dog democrats and things like they used to have. and get rid of some of this socialistic view. i am happy donald trump is an office and i hope he stays in office. he always teases and says 16 years, and i say, from your mouth to god's years. i am thrilled that he is our president. i love him as president. i am truly optimistic. please, get someone else on your television show they can give a different view than what the democrat adjusted. host: we will hear from a wide variety of opinion is.

we will hear from greg in can ask for, pennsylvania. caller: good morning. i am very optimistic. the lady from indiana is exactly correct. donald j. trump is exactly what we need. the lady that was on from new hampshire, you should have asked her a couple of questions. should've asked her, what have you done for the poor? what have you done to address the gap in income? what have you done about big government? you support, obviously, the democrats, which she says new hampshire is against big government. obvious questions that should have been asked of her. then at the end she wants to give everybody, how to reach her show she can make more money. ,he is on every once in a while

and she says the same crab every time. host: dave in atlanta, georgia. says he is pessimistic. caller: hello. heard 20 minutes ago that you are doing fine, so i'm not going to ask you how you are doing. i am pessimistic because it was in the 1970's -- host: are you still out? there: i am standing listening to this protestant preacher telling a crowd of teenagers, one of the boys had on a t-shirt that said, all one people and it had an image of the world with national flags. that preacher corrected that young man that we are not all one people -- we are americans, we are exceptional. we are not exceptional. we are a heap -- a bunch of racist bigots. we sided with the french who

brutalized the vietnamese people. we took up that we tally. i killed people over there for a live. is american exceptionalism is a load of nonsense. we all ought to love each other and be kind to each other. instead of loving almighty dollars. host: let's hear from paul. alabama. caller: i would like to say that i am optimistic, mainly because donald trump is our president. i've got a little thing i want to say to you. ignorance is the currency of the left. they dwell and it, they live in it, and espouse it to their constituents. and they rely on that ignorance to get them votes. i don't have anything else to say other than happy new year to america. comes to beworld

more american-like. host: paul cedar bluff, alabama. again, those were just a sampling of what we will ask you . if you are optimistic or pessimistic, you could take a look at the election coming up. we accept your calls at (202) 748-8000 if you are optimistic. you are8-8001 if pessimistic. maybe you are unsure -- (202) 748-8002. we will be joined by a variety of opinion asked. a talk show host and joins us via skype. happy new year. caller: happy new year. since you are a newcomer, describe your show and the take you give politically. quick -- we do a lot of local and

regional stuff, but we also touch upon those things that are happening in washington. our audience is largely a trump audience. and continues to set the stage for what happens in a florida. new public came out today indicates joe biden has about a two point lead over the president, but he has fields ahead of everyone else that is in the race for the democrats. host: talk about florida as it stands. what are the areas that the president has to focus on? what are the areas the democratic candidates have to focus on? caller: i've been saying, the president needs to win over some people who are not quite with him read if you look at the rallies, the people who show up are the people who voted for him. i would like to see him court a

few people who are not with him already. it is going to be a close race in florida. because florida's economy is good, has a favorable governor down here, and the president office, theym into worked closely together. i think the president will call upon him to campaign. that is why i expect the president will win reelection. host: if there are specific areas you are interested in -- you talked about the i-4 corridor -- how does that compare with the southern part of florida and the panhandle? caller: in southern florida it is a tougher hill to climb because of the amount of people who have traditionally voted democrat. we also have the panhandle, which has a large military component. the economy is soaring here. there is development everywhere,

even in -- even the daytona beach area is different than 30 years ago. the economy has become much more diverse and is benefiting from the president's tax revisions. i think that gave a real shot in the arm to business to realize they cannot only invest in florida and they could feel good about their money again. that is why i see people in favor of the president. there are a lot of detractors as well. a lot of folks who have moved down from new york, who did not have a favorable impression of donald trump continue to be against him. they bring up stuff from the past. they don't like his tweets. from what i have found from my listeners, those people that like the president, they are not going to leave him. host: the president is expected to hold a rally on friday with evangelicals.

rally say about florida? is a goodthink it move for the president's campaign. it is an area he needs to work on. he will get some help. obviously be at that rally. he comes out when the president needs him. i think working south florida is an important aspect to winning the state. the president will probably get hit on health care, because we haven't seen enough changes. he is going to pull congress into this. the big things floridians have noticed is the fact that congress has done absolutely nothing, with few exceptions, congressman mike walls, he has done a lot in his first term. but they are noticing that congress has walked away from issues such as infrastructure, energy, even the national defense.

for aa is looking presence in space force. that is important for employment. the president relocating officially to florida. is that a political move? political is not a move. he has enjoyed living in florida. controversialwhat to the people in the palm beach area because of the amount of money spent on security. but it is favorable. it puts florida on the map. since harry truman i don't think we have had a president spend this much time in florida. asking peoplebeen about optimism or pessimism. how do you relate -- other things you look at, that would determine your view? caller: i think people are

concerned -- if the president has any vulnerabilities to joe biden -- joe biden has acceptability in florida. there are a lot of people who like him. likable person. however, i think they are scared by the fact that his programs don't appear to be focused enough, that would actually raise the standard of living for people in florida. i think they have seen the return on investment that their vote for president trump. some of my listeners tell me they are worried that things will reverse andre biden administration. your question about how hopeful people are, i think people like what they are seeing, at least in florida. i don't think they want to see a reversal to the old days of continuing debt and spending and uncertainty. host: mark bernier, how can people find your show? i am on the air monday

through friday. host: that's talk show host mark bernier. happy new year to you. caller: thank you and happy new year to you as well. host: we will continue on our calls. jean in orange, texas. who says unsure. caller: hello. happy new year. optimistic and i am pessimistic. i am optimistic because things are going well for a lot of people, a lot of questions and things we have to work out. at i am optimistic that is country we can come through this. we always have. but pessimistic because one of

the democrats going to do? if they can't get trump out of office, then what are they going to do? the are already questioning validity of the election in 2020. they want to do away with the electoral college. my question on that is, if hillary clinton had one in 23 -- be ben in 2016 would discussing the electoral college? i am both optimistic and pessimistic and i can only pray peopler country and that will come into this new year [inaudible] for each other. host: somervell, this is mike. say, i am ave to

little pessimistic, politically speaking. especially so after witnessing the impeachments issue. [indiscernible] it brought up the fact that i'm a firm me there is a lot of anger on both sides. it is hard for people to verify facts or information. there is a lot of misinformation going on and i think, politically, we are at some sort of torn -- turning point. i just don't know. i think the money getting in the way of politics is skewing everybody's reality. are all the same kind of people, we are all in the same country, we want the same things. i think there is a lot of issues

like climate change and public health, and looking at environmental regulations, and measuring our happiness on something like gdp, people comment about how the economy is doing well. i think that might be a valid point, but i tried to look at the reasons it is doing well and i cannot see any promise there other than, a short-term bump from tax cuts and [indiscernible] i am in boston making almost six figures. i am fine, comfortable, and i am .opeful everyone talks about the economy health care is getting out of control.

my health care, my car insurance, 50% of my income after that goes towards rent over here. i am living alone and i am in my 30's. i am the outskirts of boston and i can bike to work, but i just don't see -- i am very pessimistic. host: that is mike. from texas saying, 20/20 will only see an increase in division. dave is in ohio. he is optimistic, he says. the democrats are pessimistic. james in georgia. you are next up. caller: thanks so much and happy new year to everyone. becausey optimistic 2020 is going to be a year of distinction. you have businesses that got huge tax breaks, and we know

what they did with that money. they're going to help the employees that work there. you have white evangelicals who are standing with trump the matter what he says and does. they're going to stand with jesus christ. we have the health care, opioid addiction that has proved out this year, after a study that came out that said white man are this plant would out of business and was closed, and they are starting to see hopelessness and poverty. which the minorities have been saying for years. are they going to stand up and say, yes this is a fact? we have to help people in desperation? host: explain your optimism. i am optimistic because

we are going to see exactly who are christians and who people really are. it is going to be very well defined and either we are going to come together, which i am optimistic once we are able to see who was who, those who really love god will come together and do the right thing. host: that is james rounding out our first hour. -- first half-hour. asking you when it comes to politics, if you are optimistic or pessimistic or unsure. you can call us on the phone lines. you can text us as well at (202) 748-8003. if you want to post on our social media sites, http://twitter.com/cspanwj. people mentioning impeachment today.

the potential senate trial that may take place. this is susan collins who is quoted as saying, it is toppropriate for senators prejudge the evidence before they have heard what is presented to us, because each of hanover ike a note -- take seriously to render impartial justice. scrutiny will fall on independent-minded republicans republicansmney and like lamar alexander of tennessee, who can force republican and aquatic leaders to work out terms of a trial the .ay they did in 1999 edward says he is optimistic. he is in florida. good morning. caller: greetings and happy new year from sunny florida. i am very optimistic. a net worth ofas

$17 million, and that is all through politics. has made hismp money in business. richey, in the tampa area every new block has construction. my fellowto the vfw, veterans are very positive and optimistic about what president trump is doing. i live in a community of 55 and older, and our community center we have optimism from senior citizens. i believe president trump is for god, family, and country. i am very optimistic about 20/20. host: thank you. jeffrey in washington state. good morning. yes, hello.

i've got to turn down the tv. i am very pessimistic. on a number of levels. hopefully, happy new year. i have never seen the country so divided. i am 72 years old. i am still working. i am an american history teacher. i work in the city. the wage disparities still exist and we have a president who campaigned on racial divides. racist tweetshis hast hispanics, the way he been condescending toward african-americans. we all know those stories. i am originally from new york city. the guy used to come down to the high grounds and play basketball, but when he stopped coming down, we found out that in his private school where he

was actually expelled for hitting a kid -- hitting a teacher. he has not changed. i do not understand how these evangelicals can support -- i mean, the lies, the name-calling, the philandering. to me it is so hypocritical and the national deficit -- $1 trillion this year. high asever been so foreign policy's are taking. north korea, forget it. iraq? they are starting to call him the great satan again. they want to use iran as a scapegoat, maybe there is some justification there, but for goodness sakes. host: that is jeffrey. let's hear from gloria in maryland. caller: good morning.

god bless america. [inaudible] i am very optimistic. i am a fully ordained pastor. my congregation has been forgotten. [inaudible] gloria, let me stop you. are you by a window? the signal we are getting is really breaking up and i don't want to lose you. caller: it's probably because i am on a cell phone. host: if you can get by some open space? go ahead. caller: i'm going to walk over here. i want to encourage people who , trump may think he is above the law, obviously does. this is our father's world. the minority of people

who are praying earnestly, quite frankly, i think trump is god's rebuke. drop insanity's in public all of the time. i happen to be a person of color. these are not christians. you have to burn your bible, flush your conscience down the toilet. i am just encouraging people to pray. we don't hate him. you pay. anybody who has the opportunity he has brought out the worst in everything and everybody. who him and we pity anyone doesn't realize that. host: we will hear from gina, she is in naples, florida. caller: thanks for taking my

call. happy new year to everyone. i agree with your previous caller, jeff from washington. pretty much everything he said. i just wanted to mention one thing i'm a and i want to make it very clear to all of your listeners and all of your customers that democrats don't hate republicans. we don't hate trump. he has given us some reason to be unhappy with his behavior, that is an understatement. but we don't hate him. just so the republicans know. host: because you reference the previous caller, why are you optimistic? --ler: i am optimistic about i am optimistic and pessimistic. i am optimistic because i believe our institutions appear

to be holding on. they appear to be holding up. even though we have a lot of criminal activity going on in the executive branch and a lot of bad policy. i am very optimistic about that. and for the future. i am pessimistic about the fact these -- i am a farmer from iowa and i also live in florida -- we have been really hurt badly from the tariffs. china is not buying the soybeans . mexico is not buying the corn. that really hurt us a lot. so, i am on both sides of the spectrum here. that is all i have to say. host: that is gina in florida. if you take a look at the economy and use it to gauge whether you are optimistic or pessimistic, the washington says, the s&p 500 finished

the a gain of 28.9% for year. the best annual performance sense 2013. the waygy stocks led higher, malting 48%. that power the nasdaq to a gain for the year. along the way, the three major indexes set more than record highs than 2018 and cap the longest bull market for stocks going. carolyn is next. from california. hello. caller: hi. i am very pessimistic about the there of my country because president, i think he has a hidden agenda that has nothing to do with the american people. secondly, as far as the

democrats is concerned, you don't have anybody that is going to be donald trump in the election because, all they do is talk about him nobody is talking about what they're going to do to fix this situation. they talking about trump. they want to give everything away for free. , i think i plan is read somewhere that guatemala has $200 million a year from our government to fight drugs and gangs. hey, the people are coming here. host: what should the democratic candidates be talking about? caller: they should be talking about what they're going to do to fix the situation. those people that come from countries that we are giving money to, they are here because of corruption or whatever, i

think they should use that money -- they should take money from them to take care, to pay for them to be here. to house them, to clothing. host: sherry in portsmouth, virginia. caller: good morning. by the folks who are -- there is a game called twister that was popular, and may be is still where you had to place yourself on the board and be able to right hand behind your back, left foot kind of thing. i see people doing that with their way of defending the president in ways that ignores all of his racist, sexist, ills that yellows --

he spews. that are clearly wrong for the elected leader to espouse. and clearly are not christian based in terms of what he is saying. that people are able to ignore to bend allow themselves hypnotized by what they consider financial success. host: you describe yourself as optimistic, why is that? lived in this place called tidewater hampton roads where the nation was founded at jamestown. we are very much about understanding how that beginning is reflected in who we are today. we are about helping america heal from the wounds of slavery without shame or blame. we can bring people together, have conversations about how this nation was formed in the values it stands for. by doing that we get people to

appreciate how we have to carry forward that legacy in the present day. this is what we are doing down here at fort monroe, where slavery was ended in 1861. two and a half years before the emancipation proclamation. federal policy that said, when people made their way to that union camp, they would be not returned to their owners and they would be put on the federal payroll. in may of 1861. when we tell people about that they become really impressed and empowered by that history. that is what we are doing here. host: that is sherry. we will hear from saint albans, new york. tom. caller: can you hear me ok? host: i can. caller: i am optimistic because trump is not the first, i hate

to say bad president, but for lack of a better word. we have had presidents that have been, you know, unpopular, before.rsial, divisive and we have survived them all. i am optimistic because he only has a year left in his term. even if he wins reelection, i think we can survive four more years of him. education happens in many ways. sometimes education comes from hard knocks. the hard knocks we are experiencing as a country, are an excellent way of educating our populace. hopefully, have better domestic and international policies. we were talking about iraq and the embassy thing. when ther in 1979

embassy in iran was overthrown. i remember when we went into iraq. i was against us going in, but i was heartened to see, we don't hear anything about the iraqi people. back in the 60's with the domino theory, the idea was to spread democracy. nobody talks about that anymore. host: that is tom. you will hear next from springfield, missouri. this is ron, hello. caller: thanks for taking my call. a couple of things i am optimistic about. i think people are starting to .ake up in america it is been several years that people have gotten together as a group and talked about the problems and really cared. i think that we are going to reach a critical mass in the country where things are going

change soso fast and fast due to the evolution of our technology that people are going to make decisions for change instead of talk about it. we have got to do some things that are going to hurt, but the one thing we have got to do is to attack the deficit. the only way to start that is to do a national lottery. somethinge are doing about the deficit. we have got to do something about the climate. the only way we can do that is things.up to recycle we have to do it. the reality is there because we are in the middle of winter and most of the country feels like it is in the spring. we have got to face the fact news briefs got that are doctoring our news. we have to demand the real truth.

the one thing we all have to wake up to his the spiritual reality of our lives. that is why we are here. america, don't worry about your pocketbook. worry about your spiritual bank. host: that is ron in springfield, missouri. , as morereporting californians are moving elsewhere amid rising costs, the golden state is on track to lose a seat in congress. according to the census bureau, approximately 203,000 people. of california between 2018 and 2019 . the bulk of them heading to states like arizona, texas, and colorado. if those numbers hold true, california would see its number of seats in the house dropped from 53 to 52. the loss of one c would do little to diminish california's

influence, there is a possibility the states californians are migrating to could pick up a seat. and move that could alter the local and federal political map. has a storyon times about those who are retiring for congress. keeping a running tally of that. from 2019. here is the list you can look at. and it comes to democrats leaving office, announcing their intention to leave office, compared to 25 republicans. that running total list there, available at the washington times. bob is in ohio in westchester. caller: hello. i am optimistic for many reasons. first of all, i read on the 42% of pundit that only

deplorables voted in the last election. which leaves 58% that have had for years to find out, if i do get registered and come out and vote again, that could increase trump's vote. the other reason i am optimistic as i see minorities moving from the low teens to the mid-20's, to approaching the 30's. i think that will be another beneficial thing. all of this being under the tutelage of brad parr scale. just imagine -- we have had three years of all of these rallies, getting information to these people. we are finding out that 25% of the people attending trump rallies are democrats. i really expect to go to bed early on election night 2020. have a happy new year. host: rick is in huntsville, alabama. says he is pessimistic about the

political your head. caller: yes, i am pessimistic because of what congress is doing and not doing. we have groupthink that has taken over the congress. if anybody doesn't know what that is, i would encourage them to look it up. i would encourage them to look up cognitive dissonance. which is essentially acting against your beliefs. the police that they are acting against, if they say they are christian, their actions do not represent it. christianity is not about what you talk about, it is about what you do. it is about your actions. everybody should pick up a psychology book sometime. and realize that all actions are results of feelings. host: rick, let me ask you, if congress is suffering from groupthink, of me a specific

how. caller: whenever you have people that will not listen to what the intelligence agencies say. 16 intelligence agencies say. and they will go about what the president believes, i do not believe that before this term took place, before this candidacy took place -- you can go back and look at people like the gentleman from south carolina. that spoke against president trump and now how he talks. in less than two years he has --nged his whole if he did not speak against intelligence agencies before trump, why is he speaking against them now? it is not like everybody in --elligence agencies are hard career professionals. that is my evidence.

if you notice, on impeachment all republicans voted that they were against impeachment. that is my facts. people need to look at facts, get out of emotions and look at the fact. ust: that is rick joining via phone. as you can too. talking about your optimism or pessimism. you can give us a call, (202) 748-8000 if you are optimistic. if you're pessimistic, (202) 748-8001. (202) 748-8002 if you are unsure. opinion nest joining us throughout the day, steve is with the blaze. he is the host of the steve day show. joins us from iowa. caller: happy new year, how are you? host: as far as optimism or pessimism, where you stand? caller: i am optimistic that i'm not going to run out of material this year.

and pessimistic at what the material is going to be. your last caller is a red example of that. he claims he has some kind of moral high ground that these people on the right are against the intelligence agencies, but where's the self-awareness? those same intelligence agencies were telling us iraq had wmd the's and we had to preemptively strike. those same leftists are calling shows like yours and saying, bush lied, people died. what we are going to get his tribalism on steroids. if you want to know what democrats are going to say, we rack what republican said 20 years ago. tribalism going to be on steroids. if you are looking for punchlines, it is going to be glorious. impeachment,ers of is that going to further strengthen the tribalism?

absolutely. especially when the democrats decided, we have this mueller report, let's spend millions on that. instead, that, let's roll with this ukrainian phone call. thing, you know, i am a christian. i would declare 20/20 already, having listened to the first call before i came on, this is going to be the year of dom. -- dumb. hearing, interested in several callers -- when you hear that kind of criticism, is it valid or not valid? there: i definitely think has been legit criticism of the way some in the evangelical community have supported president trump. the whole chino jesus saves.

i think that stuff is ridiculous. i pushed back on that stuff on my show. ofyou want to know why a lot sober minded evangelicals are loyal to the president, it is clear. , has tendedic party to use the full coercive power of government to hammer them for their beliefs. to drive them out of the mainstream of the public square. and shut down any businesses they own in the process. just ask jack there. i think it is simple, it is an act of self-defense. if you are supporting the party get says, you know, we birth to kids and then, we put it in swaddling clothes, and we let the mom decided she wants it or not, and if she doesn't want to. let them stick a fork in it.

if that is your political party, i think you need to consider jesus' admonition to look at the speck in your own eye. host: the christianity today piece that came out criticizing those who would support the president. the analysis of it? do you buy it? caller: no, if st. paul were here i think he would look at this debate and say it is silly and pointless. the idea that the president should be in peach -- they are , their cases he should be impeached because he is a bad influence on christianity. they should look in the mirror and say, we as shepherds of christianity, how did fall down on the job that such a good well was able to take advantage of the church like this? i think there are a lot of people that are really convicted and righteous that came to the

defense of the president. i think they need to look at some of the people they signed that list with. we should have let my senator investigate all of those hacks about 15 years ago. i think paul would probably look at each site and say, he is just a political candidate. in a few years he is going to be gone. christianity remains. what are you doing for the integrity of the faith? this thing is bigger than donald trump. i think this whole debate is indicative of just how they got of the christian church in america, their god is too small. host: when it comes to politics, you have the caucuses coming up. does it get overshadowed by impeachment? what would you say? caller: i had a good friend of

mine and for information using the asset source. asked me, what is going on out there? i told him, when they started this impeachment, the iowa , the room has been chloroform. you open up the room, there is no oxygen in there. not been goods for energy on the ground for mccright. no one is asking us for this. get busy living or get busy dying. it is two weeks today that nancy pelosi has been holding onto these articles of impeachment. i would not trust any polling out of iowa until we are a good full week into the new year. people of had a chance to simmer down from christmas and reassess

the situation. i live in one of these suburbs that is going to be the battleground. i've driven my neighborhood a couple of times in the last month looking for signs of grassroots energy. i have counted three. a whopping three yard signs. is reallychment stifled the energy democrats had on the ground. signs, whohose three did they represent? biden, pete buttigieg, and bernie sanders. i do think we know who three of the top -- the top four i think are pretty sick -- pretty secure. buttigieg, and, biden. i think one of those four will fallout. because the other way the democrats do their caucuses.

because of the way the democrats do their caucuses. i think this thing could come down to something like the weather. if we have a storm and older residents can't get to the caucuses, i think that impact a buttigieg and biden. those colleges that are going to be in session, that could help candidates like bernie sanders and elizabeth warren. i would caution anybody nationwide from making any definitive statements about where this thing stands. host: as far as the president, what is his is challenge? --ler: the biggest challenge i don't think he has a big challenge per se. all of his issues are known. all minds are it up about donald trump. it just comes down to, is what i think about you, do i get a return on that investment? if the economy is doing as well

your ago, he is going to win. regardless of who the democrats nominate. if it is not, there is a reasonable chance he is going to lose. host: as far as your show, tell us about it. blazetv.com/dace. you can follow me on twitter. is the host ofe the show. we will hear from larry as we continue our conversation with you. larry in north carolina, thanks for holding on. caller: yes, i want to thank you for having me. floridarn and raised in and i remember trump as i was a

his dealingsow were going and a lot of the real estate action. if people really knew how corrupt he has been through his whole life, i don't believe that he could hold what he is doing. as far as being a christian, he and i christian values think america is actually losing theirs. host: robbie from minnesota city, minnesota. optimistic, hello. caller: hello, happy new year. that if they just let trump do what he wants to do . he has a businessman, you've got to run the united states as a business. just can't believe what these democrats are doing. you basing your

optimism on? caller: everything trump has done has been good for the u.s., i believe. in minnesotabie city, minnesota. year means that the chief justice of the supreme court delivers his annual report . that is highlighted in a story in the washington post this morning. talks a little bit about civics, just to read you a little bit about what he thinks about cameras in the courtroom. saying the ways the judiciary has reached out to the public, chief roberts does not -- did not -- televising the supreme court's oral arguments or streaming audio from the sessions. these justices say they fear that cameras could lead to man standing by attorneys and disruption of the arguments. the goal of oral arguments is

not to educate the public, to aid the justices in reaching a proper conclusion based on law. from time to time what we will do is, get the audio when it is released by the supreme court and then we attach photographs of the people talking. we show them to you on major cases. we have done that for many a year. if you want to see some of the archive of some of those cases, cooperative our website at c-span.org. if you type supreme court cases in the box, you will at least be able to hear audio of some of .he exchanges all of that available to you at c-span.org. -- jonesville,t virginia. i would first like to say that i am a smelly walmart shopper.

that loves god and i will be proud to cast my vote for donald j. trump. because he is done a good job and he is blessed for a reason. it ain't because of his past, it is because of the way the country is going and it is improving. the stock market is high. god is blessing him. we will be voting for him. i am pessimistic about the about al green. al green said trump, and he was running, al green made a speech -- i believe his name -- his name is al green. he was going to start impeaching trump before he ever got elected. another thing is -- host: we have had representative green on this program talking about them peaches several times.

-- about impeachment several times. caller: i hope people has got a pencil. if they go to shepherdschape l.com they will find the truth about god. host: it will go to don in south carolina. caller: happy new year, pedro. i am kind of petra mystic -- pessimistic, i would like to tip my hat off to rick from alabama. he is right on the money. about cognitive dissonance. a good example of that is the guy you just had on from the talk show host. the first sentence out of his mouth, was incorrect. weapons onhe nuclear

our intelligence agencies, but it was dick cheney setting up ,udith miller in the new york you know, in the papers that got the whole ball rolling. host: how so? and then she would get it out in the paper and then dick cheney would turn around and say, well, look what the new york times is saying, or whatever paper she worked for, and it was a scam, you know? influencedlly everyone to get involved against saddam hussein. it did not have anything to do with the intelligence community telling us he have them. -- had them.

how am i supposed to believe this guy after the first statement out of his mouth was incorrect? cognitive dissonance is alive and well. host: ok. we have been talking to you about your view of the political year ahead, whether you are optimistic, pessimistic or unsure. call us on the lines. (202)-748-8000 if you're optimistic. (202)-748-8001 if you're pessimistic. unsure? (202)-748-8002. the washington times highlights what the administration has done on regulation saying "the federal register for december 31 rules, theed final lowest number since records began in 1975. mr. trump's previous low for the

new rulemaking was 3281, set in 2017. the white house said that it was historically regulation driving economic growth, cutting unnecessary cost and increasing transparency. that the regulatory efforts have slashed $50 billion, according to the white house." jack, palm harbor, florida, good morning. caller: good morning. first of all, i am a fan of c-span, first time caller. employmentred labor lawyer, moved to florida from the northeast, always voting republican, even though i became independent years ago, until trump. list of 20e a reasons why i don't support him.

i won't bore you with that. the thing is, when i talk to people who are trump supporters, seems like, they are not that well-informed, many of them. they say, well he said this, or i buy it or i watch fox news. got is discouraging, he has his base. what he has done to our foreign policy, the kids at the border, it is just awful. the ukraine thing, of course. i respect the congresspeople who took a stand, even though he is probably not going to be removed from office. i won't take more time. thank you for being there. happy new year to everyone. host: karen, ohio, good morning. caller: hi. i am from akron. i like trump. he may be rough around the

edges. he has done a lot of good for the economy. he has done good for other people too. i don't understand why two parties can't come together and work together like they should for the people and not for themselves. i would vote for trump again, over and over again if he could run for more than eight years, because he has done great for this country. 2020, comesset of new laws for states. u.s. news & world report highlighting some of them " colorado becomes the first, the latest state to enact red flag laws under which a family member, a law enforcement official can petition the court to temporarily remove guns for more than a year, from anyone who poses a danger to themselves or others. drivers in florida will get a ticket holding a wireless communication device while driving in school zones,

crossings or active work areas. authorities have already issued 1151 tickets for texting and driving since it became a primary defense in july. california will become the first state to ban workplace and school discrimination based on hairstyle or texture. privacy issues. illinois will restrict company such as ancestry.com and 23 and me from sharing answers with health or life insurance companies without consent. texas will require anyone conducting business to notify individuals of any sick or to of anywithin 60 days -- security breach within 60 days. businesses that conduct business in the golden state have the right to reject

the sale of your information and the right to delete your data." caller: good morning. i am optimistic in the near future with the way things are going. able toe we will be keep control over our government. i am pessimistic for the long-term. i feel there is more and more people that want to have this nanny state. they want the government to take care of them. it is a dangerous situation. basically, wes to won't be able to have any control over what goes on with our own government or personal lives. listen. have a good new year. i am hoping this year, trump gets reelected, not because he is the greatest president, but

the thing is i am looking at the alternatives. have a good day and new year. host: bridgeport, connecticut, david. caller: hello. host: you are on. caller: i am calling because i am pessimistic. we don't need donald trump in here no longer, the end. host: that is david in connecticut. withve been talking colonists across the u.s. -- columnists across the u.s. pennsylvania,g, john bear. guest: good morning and happy new year from the keystone state. host: right back at you. guest: thank you. host: how does this year compare to 2016? guest: i didn't know anyone then

who thought trump would carry pennsylvania. blue state since 1988. all of a sudden, donald trump. the political world changed. this year, nobody is predicting anything. you predict at your peril. the state is up for grabs. it will be critical in deciding who wins the white house. host: what areas of the state prove most critical for donald trump and then for democrats running for office? guest: the state is like the nation. two urban centers and a vast rural region in between. that is how people vote. big red center in the middle. blue onither end -- either end. donald trump got all of 11 counties in pennsylvania and only five are outside the immediate metropolitan areas. the split is rural, urban and

exurban. host: when it comes to messaging from candidates, or what people are most responding to choosing a candidate, how would you break that down? guest: look at party talking points. they are exactly what you are seeing and hearing every day from every news outlet, cable and otherwise, the president. it is about the economy on one unfit fors about office on the others. you know what they say about the pocketbook and how people vote. there is a slew of increasing elements of feeling, either joy or fear depending on where you stand. democrats will find a way to scar themselves up and come out of their own convention with less money, less and thursday is him for whoever ends up at this nominee and donald trump will ride the economy to reelection. host: when it comes to the

keystone state personal economy, how would you rate that and how would you rate decision making in november? guest: pennsylvania always seems to lag the northeast and its overall economy. we are notorious for being badly run, in terms of finances. estate our size generally lives and breathes and does well or not on the basis of the national economy. as long as the national economy is strong, that is good for pennsylvania. it is clear that both sides understand that and that is why they will be ordering resources into this state. the president has been here five time, on2019, the last december 10. he and the vice president will be constant companions in pennsylvania fighting very hard for a pretty big electoral prize. himselfe biden calling

the scrappy kid from scranton. what are his chances potentially? guest: he has been solid in pennsylvania, in polling and the democratic primary and in pulling against a potential matchup with president trump in the fall. he is big in pennsylvania in terms of the state, even the democratic party and the state tends to be more moderate than the democratic primary at large. do,ming joe biden, and i gets to the pennsylvania primary, which is late, april the 28th, a lot of people are looking at that date and thinking -- the way things are going in the democratic race, you have currently 4 people who have the funding and following to get to april, michael bloomberg remains a wildcard, we don't know how that will play -- a late primary like pennsylvania could actually be decisive in

picking the democratic nominee. joe biden is well-positioned to win that race. host: as far as the machinery he has in the state, the people and backing, how would you rate it? guest: a+. he not only has all the old-school democrats, people like ed rendell and the chairman of the national democratic party, big supporter, all the , once you get outside of the absolute -- [indiscernible] -- african-american community, old and new, he has a strong base here, because of his familiar connection and because he comes here often, he is a presence at the university of pennsylvania. as i say, he is positioned to do very well. host: what other factors are you looking at going forward?

things that might be interesting this year? guest: the enthusiasm factor is one i worry about. with the constancy, this will be the first election probably because of the impeachment and the controversy surrounding the president where there is nonstop news all day all the time about what is going on in washington. washington, i don't have to tell you, is a big bubble compared to the rest of the world. pennsylvania is a great example. i make it a habit to look at the front pages of newspapers across the state on daily basis. once you get outside philadelphia, pittsburgh, allentown, very rarely is there a front-page story having to do with washington, congress, the president. [indiscernible] it is about communities. baer is a columnist

with the patriot news. how can people find your work? pennlive.com or google my name and sometimes it shows up. host: john, happy new year. guest: pedro, thank you. host: jonathan, minneapolis, unsure about the political year ahead. thank you for waiting. caller: good morning and happy new year, pedro, and my family probably watching in atlanta, florida and around the world. i am totally uncertain about what is going to happen with president crazy. i am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. i am a democrat, very much. he will win again because the economy is strong. i don't like his policies, his attitude. he is a nasty human being. i don't know who to vote for on

the democratic side. i honestly don't know if i want to vote for joe biden or pete buttigieg or elizabeth warren. i won't vote for sanders. basically, i don't know who i will vote for. host: what about amy klobuchar? we call her 4%, amy. she doesn't have enough traction. she will make a wonderful secretary of state for whoever wins the presidency. other than that, i love her to death, she is my buddy, she needs to take care of her state. it is going to turn red. it is going to be read within the next, i would say go round, because apparently, unfortunately, she has not had a rally here or nothing except for when she announced she would run. she needs to get her butt back home. i'm sorry, amy, you are failing your state. host: you say you are worried

about the state turning red. guest: the conversations i have in rural minnesota. downtown minneapolis is more liberal. city the change in this with the attitude, the twentysomethings. i am 50. i can walk down the street and have a conversation. god for bid you have a conversation with someone without getting your head chopped off. there is a total difference in the way the community is. unfortunately, amy, come back home, reevaluate, have a rally here. whoever is the nominee, get out there and tell them you are going to kick his freaking ass. host: stephen is unsure about the year ahead. guest: yesterday i saw on bloomberg news the prime minister of ukraine is making a

gas deal with russia saying they are going to put the pipeline in and have it run right through ukraine. we just gave half $1 billion to ukraine. it just makes us look foolish. yet we are impeaching trump on it. host: you're calling us because you are unsure about the future politically. what do you base that on? guest: did anyone ask the democrats how much we are going to pay for gasoline? we pay eight dollars a gallon for gasoline, how is that going to affect the economy? [indiscernible] i mean, people don't understand that if they want to go all green, how my going to get a green car when i make $18,000 a year? host: you are basing your on the

economics or are there other issues? guest: the economics. no one thinks about the economics. trump is keeping things pretty smooth. everyone wants to impeach donald trump. for what? he is a businessman and he is running the country like a business. he is not want to hold hands and say let's all get along. he is following the law. host: stephen in illinois giving us his view on whether, he says he is unsure about the political future. you can talk on that, if you're optimistic, pessimistic. eileen, connecticut saying she is very pessimistic about the human destruction of the natural world adding we are destroying each other. crescent springs, kentucky saying they are optimistic saying the president is giving

the middle-class a voice, exposing hypocrisy of the unelected bureaucratic corruption, draining the swamp. massachusetts says she is optimistic that democrats will win the white house. bernice is pessimistic, adding the president is a symptom of what we have created, a mess in the u.s. 8003.us at (202)-748- keep it short please and put your name, city and state. irving, texas, ronnie, hello. caller: good morning, pedro. happy new year to everybody. i am pessimistic. [indiscernible] struggling with

trump fatigue the last 3.5 years. the last text you put up about draining the swamp -- he has done everything but drain the swamp. look how many people have been involved or indicted for corruption. basically, he is carrying the water for vladimir putin. i don't see anything changing. mitch mcconnell carries the water for trump. i hope a democrat gets elected so the tie can turn because everybody is suffering from trump fatigue. i know this sounds bad. i would rather have a not so good economy and have a good president then have someone like trump in office. have a good day. i hope america has a happy new year. vote democrat. host: to revisit the topic we started the program on.

the attacks at the embassy in iraq. iran supreme leader strongly condemning the u.s. attacks on the militia groups in iraq. blaming the united states for the violence "the iranian government strongly condemns the attacks. the u.s. military carried out airstrikes on sunday against the ezbollah militia, saying donald trump accused iran of orchestrating violent protests on tuesday and that tehran would be held responsible and that iran has rejected the accusation." sharon, minnesota. hello? caller: good morning, pedro. happy new year everybody. i am pessimistic.

i don't see things changing, like the last caller from texas, i echo everything he says. as long as vladimir putin has a stronghold over trump, we will never see change. trump will remain in office as long as that is what putin wants. i am pessimistic about the way people are thinking, the mentality of his supporters. two things. host: why do you think the russian president has sway? guest: i believe that is how trump won the last election. host: what do you base that on? guest: the other day, my husband came out, he is a new person to facebook, i warned him, i am not a facebooker, i warned him to be careful about what he is looking at. he is jumping on all these ads about democrats that are no good and trump is so great and they

are all lies. putin is still there and he wants, he is still out there, he is on facebook and people need to be careful. you think the facebookhost: ank ads alone have that much sway into the election? mentality,of the yes, i do. you were on a couple of weeks ago with a trump support of the cult in. trump had been screwed out of his last term, and he believes that trump should get a third term. you had to walk him down from that crazy talk. my neighbor, she is an 85-year-old wonderful, miss jeannie, we call her. because heor trump looks good in a dark suit. no, i cannot be optimistic about what is happening in the next

election. not with that mentality. ok.: that is sharon, for the last hour and a half we have been asking you about the political year ahead in 2020, getting your thoughts as to whether, when it comes to how you look at it, you would be optimistic, pessimistic, or not sure. let us know your final thoughts in the final hour this morning. if you are optimistic or described yourself as optimistic, it's (202) 748-8000. if you -- so, you will be able to call us and let us know as far as your thinking on that. if you say you're optimistic. (202) 748-8002 if you are pessimistic. 202 628re unsure, it is

00 05. those are new numbers. 202-737-0001. 202 737-0002. sure, are not 202-737-0005. you can post on our facebook page or our twitter page as well. .avid is from milwaukee david, hello, go ahead. caller: i have never seen this many help-wanted signs. all of these people that think that vladimir putin is in charge of trump?

trump is the only person getting on the putin money, the gas line . supplying europe lagasse. the reality is that the people who say that trump is for putin are crazy. host: this is tom -- host: again, that is from the texas -- text service that we provide. .ines from tom in new jersey sandy, hello, thank you for joining us. caller: i have a comment i haven't heard anyone else mention. what concerns me greatly is the bombings we recently did in iraq and syria a few days ago. and i feel that the thing that troubles me is that trump, in

trying to get people distracted from the impeachment by starting everyoneh iran and will be like yeah, yeah, uniting against the so-called common enemy, i think it is all, pun intended, trumped up. thinking that we can bomb iraq with impunity at any time. treats -- he and other presidents have treated the iraqi people and muslims like sub humans. similar to how the third reich treated the jews. i say that as a jew. i feel badly for muslims, it's state-sponsored terrorism. i feel badly for the innocent children, the adults, everyone else getting killed over there just so that he can distract people. .eople don't seem to care they don't have compassion for the people over there.

i don't know if it is because they are muslims or what's going on. host: bethlehem, pennsylvania. sure about the situation, i heard so much from both sides that were incorrect. you had a guest on this morning and you let him get away with saying the democrats are nothing. there are hundreds of bills before the senate leadership that they refused to put on the floor. the one in particular i would like to mention is the drug will that they passed where they would limit the profits of the pharmaceutical industries to 20% higher for a fixed price. is never talked about. it's laying on his guest and many republicans voted for it. they don't want to put it on the floor because they know it would become a law. this is the kind of thing that's going on here. trump is lying about democrats that do nothing. you have hundreds of bills

passed by the house, many of them very good bills that many republicans would support and they go unnoticed. the people keep calling in, like your guest who was on saying that the democrats did nothing. this is such craft, i can't believe it. i'm going to give up my citizenship. goodbye. goodbye -- oklahoma, could morning. i'm optimistic for the upcoming year. i'm hoping that the cynics make corrupt theof how democratic party has become. if they will go back to where they started, to where the russia stuff started and see how they have been fooled and how the black people have been used, this is about first amendment rights. that's a war we fought a long time ago, for first amendment rights.

i don't believe that the black people -- you target that segment of society question mark you have done that twice. why do you do that? caller: if you go to the trial, no good attorney would testify before the congress. i understand that, but why the distinction with african-americans? i don't understand. caller: they tried to take his first amendment rights. you connect those things together? caller: absolutely and i have not seen that mentioned. ast: all right, let's get him cut in south dakota? i think we will try james.

james is next. james, hello, massachusetts? high. hi. caller: i'm unsure. i don't know about the things coming out with the fbi in what everyone has been doing to trump the whole time, but i'm very pessimistic at the media will not report it properly and that people are not going to find out what's going on. i think what is going on is a shame and it should be changed. i think obviously there are some problems. with you guys, too. you correct people or you censor the news, like the mainstream media. host: we do not censor news, we only read from newspapers. caller: i will give you an example, if you don't mind. there was one show on about how al-baghdadi was killed. you guys cited the washington

post every day for the last five years, but you didn't cited that they said he was an austere religious scholar instead of a terrorist. it made the washington post look better than it was at that time. host: i don't see that as censorship, you may have read it from another newspaper. don't tell you people what's being said. scully corrects people all the time, but when you tell people that donald trump is a raft dodger because he had bones spurs, you don't tell them that joe biden was also a draft "childhooduse of asthma. these are different little facts that aren't being told and are just being shown the bias over and over again. again, i'm going to argue

against that. i guess you can hold to that, you're citing examples that i don't understand how they connect. david, connecticut, hello. good morning, happy new year to you. host: thank you. you are on. go ahead. caller: as long as you have trump in office, it's a big mistake. everything's a big mistake. host: specifically why? he won't release the tax returns. he's a con artist. that's a given. what kind of guy is he? host: i'm curious, why are the tax returns important. caller: be like every other president and keep it real. that was david. kathy says --

host: we will try elena, in arlington, virginia. high.

caller: happy new year to everyone. i'm not really sure if i'm optimistic or pessimistic, but one thing that has been occupying me for a while, pun intended, or maybe pun not intended, my father is palestinian. my mother is retired foreign service. you know, we spend a lot of time, sorry, talking about all of these issues. the thing that is really sticking with me, and i spent a lot of time looking at the media , listening, watching, and you , the i see a lot of people news media people. i apologize to you guys, but i think people are not covering what's happening in the middle east in a very reasonable way. there are very few muslims, arabs, and people from the region actually able to speak

for themselves. since 9/11 you would think that things would have improved and people would really be speaking about things and wanting to learn about what's happening. i understand people getting upset about anti-semitism. that is real. that stuff does go on. but also there has been this of what's actual anti-semitism and what's criticism of what's happening with the israeli government and how the palestinians are treated. , as our hate is up crime's for many people. but to conflate those things is very dangerous. know, no news is fake news also. for example, people never talk about sheldon adelson, the main

financer of donald trump. that guy's was given a medal of freedom. for what? i'm not sure. ,he fact that hillary clinton also, sorry to say, her main guy was a guy named chaim savon, working for the brookings institute. you guys -- elena, from arlington. kevin, high. happy. yeah, i'm optimistic. we all have our opinions, right? that is whatink democracy is, you know? get the puppets, sometimes you get the donald trump's. i just think that everybody that thinks they can fix the world, they need to realize take it day by day. we will have good presidents and

we will have cooked -- crooked presidents. host: what do you base your optimism most on? caller: the freedom. the freedom. host: meaning? you look at globalists, right? look at the last 20 years. states keep united in 20 years that all the other countries lost? it's freedom. the freedom of the people. yeah. like my sister, ok? we have foreign students coming over from europe. most of the kids that get to come here are really rich, from europe. it's a social thing. but you know, you think of the kids in the social groups. i'm talking like that china. look at brazil.

look at these countries that -- i'm not saying that we are perfect, we are not. but we still have freedom for people to create their own futures. is, indiana.t let's hear from carol in washington, d.c.. caller: just listening to people like that is sad. people, you old know? i don't know what's wrong with them. they can't see this man for who he is. the things he says out of his mouth, his actions, he is a disruptor. .ll he's doing is damage talking about freedom? he is threatening that, ok? everything that he does, every action that he does, everything that comes out of his mouth, it's really sad.

i'm talking to any religious people listening. what do you base your optimism on? caller: i have faith. anything happening, even with donald trump, is god's will. i pray that we will be ok. you know? ok, laura is next. caller: generally speaking i try to remain hopeful, but i am pessimistic from a political standpoint. the democrats don't have anyone inspiring that everyone will flock to go vote for. i think that cory booker definitely for me is one of the most intelligent and has some great ideas for the environment, for just his -- the sad part is

a lot of what he is saying is just not getting out there. it's just not -- i see him on tv shows, but he's not able to really convey what he wants to do. that's too bad, i think he's the best chance to really kind of pull the country together. it's just, you know, joe biden? i don't you going to do it. he might win the electoral, but i don't think -- i really think that if he's the candidate, i think trump will win. ok.: margaret says --

host: this is from anderson, south carolina, let's hear from will. caller: pedro, how are you this morning? host: i'm fine, go ahead. caller: i want to thank brian lamb, an american hero, i had a great leisure of shaking his hand many years ago, i have been a loyal watcher for years. i'm is pessimistic as i have been in 62 years for watching politics. a corrupt liar, a coward and a bully demeaning the white house every day. ,he propagandists at fox news the finger, the hand on the scale of the russian involvement , one of the earlier callers mentioned social media.

the impact on social media. it's absolutely incredible and i know exactly what the caller is referring to. i am a little bit optimistic because i hear glimmers of people, glimmers of hope from people that i think are starting to realize the danger we are in. but i am terrified. linda ronstadt, the singer, made the comment about trump. i don't want to get into the nitty-gritty of it, but she made in my opinion a very on point comment about the dangers that this man poses to us. i can't understand how people don't see the utter corruption and total damage this guy is doing. people are so caught up in their tribal confusion, from russia, limbaugh, sean hannity and fox news, they are absolutely

deluded. they believe anything they are told. it's just insane. they are not doing their homework. let's hear from tom in chicago, illinois. hello. happy new year. good morning, i wanted to say that my optimism was based in the idea that people reasonably, and one thing that i think this presidency has allowed us to do, is really get a sense of what really matters. i feel like people are coming around to -- ok, i want to do something with my life where i want to be a part of this greater society. i am hopeful that other people will be as well. who as a candidate is best suited to being in that position ? i personally support joe biden. i feel like over time people

will come to understand that it to beortant for people able to participate in our democratic process and that learning that someone who values that has always staunchly supported participation of people in our society at all levels of opportunity and civic .esponsibility of understanding that it is important to be a participant in this democracy. i feel very strongly that people have developed that understanding for themselves. i just think that in some ways, they have gotten sort of turned in a direction that is a negative in a lot of ways and i feel like this amount of time, these three years have allowed people to really get a better understanding of why hey, we need to move forward and we have

to say hey, ok, we have battled through a lot of these ideas and i need to start really start getting a sense of hey, this is what we want to be effective in a positive good force in the world. not just throughout the globe. but in our communities, with ourselves and families. host: matt mcneill is with talk show host k tnf a.m. 950 in minneapolis. thanks for joining us. mr. mcneil, good morning. [applause] host: we will try that one more

time. we will try that in a bit. going back to the call, dwight in ohio. no one in congress is following jesus message. but they don't know it, they have never read it. the hourjesusmessage .com. it's straight from the bible, but no one seems to know that. not even the church people you have calling in. joining us by skype, steve gruber, based out of michigan, joining us on this new year's day. thanks for joining us. guest: good to be here. host: what do you think about michigan as a battleground state?

the obama voters to begin trump voters, that hasn't changed. looking at the economy today, it's the message the president takes to all the battleground states, michigan, pennsylvania, or wisconsin. the opportunities are tremendous. more jobs than people to fill them. the unemployment rate echoes across the states that were having a lot of difficulty economically speaking with jobs and so forth for the past several years. wages are up, employment is at a record high for blacks, hispanics, women, certainly. i heard one of your callers talk about joe biden being his favorite candidate. joe biden said that he would be willing to throw hundreds of thousands of middle-class blue-collar workers out of their jobs in pursuit of the green new deal. that doesn't sell in iowa, north carolina, florida, or anywhere that donald trump won.

2020 shapes up to be a trump year for a lot of reasons, economics being one of them. democrats came in with great promise. , wind inthe midterms their sales, good opportunities. for most people watching they squandered the capital in pursuit of the mueller report and then the ukrainian impeachment efforts that so far have gone nowhere. a lot of people are left wondering what it was really all about you if nancy pelosi sent the articles of the senate for consideration, why was all of this time and money spent? these public hearings, why did the circus roll into town if nothing was going to come of it? a lot of voters that may be voted for trump and 2016 said maybe i will try something and voted for018 democrats for member of congress, they are looking at it going -- why did i do that? did i get that her policy on

infrastructure, taxes, security or anything? the answer is no. they got impeachment efforts, a lot of television time for all of these hearings and so forth, but at the end of the day they got nothing in return for their vote. there will be another seachange. host: rewrite the viewers how many votes he won by. 10,702. very narrow. the narrowest of the ones that he won. not the narrowest of clinton, new hampshire was the narrowest. i believe new hampshire's is a trump state this time around, as is minnesota, nevada, other states flipping red. look at michigan. michigan was in the doldrums a lot longer than the rest of the country. we took it hard for 10 years,

what with the trouble with the auto industry and general motors making a lot of headlines, as you know. when michigan comes back and is searching, everywhere i go i see construction and help-wanted signs. i haven't met anybody at who says gosh, i just wish hillary clinton was president. i don't hear anybody who voted for trump, including democrats, republicans, independents, don't hear anyone who voted for trump say hey, i wish i had voted for someone else. what i hear are extreme policies from the left turning people off. i have a woman that i know well in her mid-50's. a jewish woman who never voted for a republican her life. with everything going on, the anti-semitic rise in america, she says the only person fighting for israel, fighting for jewish americans is donald trump and i can't believe i'm saying this, i'm going to vote for him. the embassy in jerusalem meant a lot to her. again, she's a lifelong democrat, i have known her for a

long time, professional executive well-educated, voting for trump in michigan. as far as taking a look at the state, give us the strongholds and the democrats running for congress and where they find their support. is refined michigan the heart of republican support. grand rapids, that part of the state, it's very influential. remember, going into the 2016 election, pollsters were saying hillary clinton could win michigan by 8, 9, 10 points. of course that proved to be erroneous. detroit and wayne county is where the democrats have always done well. but look at economic opportunity. take my district. , she is one of those democrats who came into a district that donald trump one by seven points. she was the winner by just under three points.

a republican plus district and i will tell you that she just voted for the impeachment articles and it puts her in peril. her town hall meeting a couple of days before the vote, a lot of attention. it was a lot of hollering and yelling and screaming. i was there. i think that slot can, haley stevens, other members have real political problems. look at the promise that came into 2019 with the democrats. all the wind in their sales, all the chances. nancy pelosi was going to do great things and they squandered that capital on one thing. the russian report that went nowhere in the articles of impeachment that have also gone nowhere. it's not a big attraction to voters. we hate donald trump is not a message that will sell to voters . what are you going to do to make the world a better place. i go back to joe biden, saying he's going to sacrifice the jobs of hundreds of thousands of middle-class americans in

pursuit of the green new deal, it doesn't echo well in your he, pennsylvania, grand rapids, medicine, or anywhere in the country. host: there's a story this morning saying that mike pence made several trips to michigan to campaign for the president. what does the machinery look like on the ground for the president and who has the strongest shot for the democratic side? there is no question that the president in the mechanics of the campaign, before where we were in 2016, the number of offices and staffers, mike pence coming to michigan on a regular basis. of course he's from indiana, just south of. it tells you a bit about how sound the campaign is. right after the midterm election i said on my program that to bring things were very important

takeaways from the midterm elections. number one, donald trump had to reconnect with voters in wisconsin, pennsylvania, the states that put him over the finish line for the white house and the first place -- in the first place. democrats, i warned them not to overplay their hand. democrats frugally overplay their hand. adam schiff, jerry nadler, others stepped in. taking control of the party. if the sessions may sell well in district in san francisco, but not mine, the eighth congressional in michigan. i still think that joe biden overall is probably in the best position of the candidates we currently have. but let's be honest, several candidates, like bernie sanders, mayor pete, they could all come summer -- is this coming it's entirely possible you have a brokered convention for the

first time in decades. who becomes the eventual money? none of us really know that right now. host: what should people pay attention to that they wouldn't, normally? guest: you look at the things that couldn't be done. nafta agreement. it all goes back to economics. in michigan,rate wages and opportunities are going up. i know so many young people, people who have been in jobs for 10 or 15 years and at the end of their careers and they all have new opportunities, all are making more money, all have a chance to do more, to do better, to capitalize on this economy.

as you look at the tariffs being taken away and taken down between the united states and china, as an example, with a big deal coming from the u.k. in the next couple of weeks, you get to the point where you realize not only is the economy doing exceptionally well right now, but it will do even better in 2020. the stock market is up 18% was a and 2019? heading into record territory. the dow is going to break 30,000. think about that. break 30,000 sometime in the next two weeks. my production to you is quite simple. donald trump will win with more electoral college votes than he got in 2016, unless there is something significant that we are on the verge of now, which can happen. we have people going back into iraq to protect the embassy in baghdad. you never know how old volatile situation like that may devolve. but if the election were held today, donald trump would win more states and more votes and

more electoral votes than he won in 2016. host: tell us about the steve gruber show and have people can find you. it has 2000 affiliates across the upper midwest and is available online streaming everyday. you can find us quite a stevegruber.com for our facebook page, where we livestream the program every day. thank you, pedro, i really appreciate being here. host: happy new year to you. guest: do you, thank you. host: let's hear from chris in virginia beach. hello. happy new happy new year to the rest of the country. first-time caller, longtime viewer. i'm very pessimistic with politics in washington as it is today. and for the year to come some plea for the divide that has happened between the parties as it stands.

i don't see it just disappearing over the next four years or possibly even eight years because of the precedent that has been set during the impeachment, the mueller report and everything else. indiana, you are next. high. i would like to make a comment about the news. a lot of people, you can tell which side people are on. some people either flat-out pay trump or love trump. sometimes maybe too much. a lot of the problems stem from the media lying. it depends on the side of the story that you want to hear and the scythe you like. you have callers telling you about russia. thought that russia was debunked. i thought that the mueller report got into it, but people

still believe that. people still believe he's racist. people are getting information that is wrong and it is damaging the country. that's a lot of the divide with their. anti-trumped. it's obvious. which side is right? which side is making money telling lies? that is chris. jim, indiana, good morning. caller: good morning. host: you are on, go ahead. i'm pessimistic, the democratic party has gone astray. they have to do what the -- what nancy pelosi wants and not what constituents want and something needs to change their because that is totally wrong. the differences

between what speaker pelosi wants and what the average democrat wants? caller: they are being threatened to vote a certain way or they get cut off from their money. the: how? caller: democratic party won't give them the money to help them with their campaigns. they vote whatever the party want. not what the people want. host: is that fair to say it could happen on both sides? not threatened on the republican side like it is on the democratic side. host: marty is next. caller: i appreciate what you are talking about. i am really optimistic. anybody who gives your freedoms

like trump assigned and gave back utah their land which obama signed to take half of the state away. i think these things are really important that anybody who is giving your freedoms back that are being taken away by the government. i am pessimistic because of the news media and how they present things. that is the main focus that i does have.n at least you all give both of the sides, pretty much. i appreciate what you all are doing. in mississippi calling about his pessimism about the new year. joining us, matt mcneil. he is a talk show host. good morning. happy new year to you.

>> thank you for having me. host: to the idea of a pessimistic or optimistic outlook, where would you fall? >> i am a progressive talk show host. since 2017, democrats making pickups in areas which vote for trump in 2016. if the democrats keep focus and get that vote turned out high, it is difficult for the republicans to counter that. host: we have had other show host saying if you look at the economy, that could be a bellwether about a turn for president trump. what you think about that? >> we are in an interesting time because the stock market does great. the corporate executives are doing great. manufacturing jobs are down.

the cost of products are up. keeping track not with the costs. there are a lot of things that are hurting people. callers mentioned the tax act. the stock market is doing great. no one can deny that. the economy is as as thes -- and as strong republicans and trump fans want people to believe. that is most elections. if the economy starts to get downwards, we lay down the ticket. republicans want this economy to stay strong. remember 2012 where john mccain was making the comments about the economy. that was 2008.

hurt republicans across the board. if theeconomy is strong, stock market is good, if he can get the trade deal issues figured out and salaries up for the middle and working class, it will help trump out in the election. i am not sure that will be something he can achieve with the massive deficit we have. your state as a battleground state. what is the outlook? believinga hard time that minnesota would go for the republicans. looking at it from the statewide thel, senate republicans in minnesota state senate are desperate to hold onto suburban overwhelmingly went for the democrats. it was a really bad number for the republicans in the state because a lot of the republicans in the house got more voters than they ever have but still lost.

there was a very motivated, 2018e democratic base in which helps the house go back to the democrats. we are going to see a lot of pressure on the senate republicans to keep those suburban seats. the democrats figured out a weakness within the republican strategy which is they are not prepared to fight in every district. in 2018, they got out into rural minnesota, these conservative districts voted for the republicans. it was closer than it had ever been. once you start having to spend moneyin districts, that is going -- has to come from somewhere. if the democrats hold that strategy and get the voters out, it will be difficult for the republicans to not only pick up the state which is a reach for the trump campaign.

the: you mentioned minnesota dsl. what is it and how those within -- how do those within that group view the democratic candidate? >> it is democratic farm labor. -- we just call it the dfl. in 2018, a lot of democrats went back into the republican districts. we have not had democrats come to the door in years. labor,l discovering farm i think it has been a big help for the democrats. as far as the candidates as we obviously, amy klobuchar is the favorite. there are a lot of people who plan on voting for her.

the minnesota state fair at the dfl booth, they had a dick york candidate seed. you dropped it into the specific --bin. elizabeth warren is very popular here in minnesota. it will be interesting to see whether or not klobuchar can hold back a challenge. joe biden has his fans here. bernie sanders has his fans from 2016. klobuchar-warren battle. host: we had a previous caller from minnesota say that he had concerns. i don't know if you see anything in that. republicans are running

against a congressman. danielle stella has a warrant out for her arrest. abandoned most of the metro seats. i think this is a strategy they have had where they focus most of their attention on suburban seats and rural seats. they forfeited a lot of the races in minneapolis, st. paul. there is not going to be a lot of money from the headquarters. you hear about people concerned about the more conservative mentality, a lot of that has to do with the minneapolis police force. came to town for a rally in october, when the mayor was talking about he wanted the president to pay upfront. bob was there saying, no, let

him be there. he was on stage with drop. he sold to search for trump. there seems to be a sycophant mentality from the police union headed. he does not seem to like the city that he is a police officer in. i don't think he likes the political mentality. the police here have issues. there have been shootings in question. last year, they put up a racist christmas tree. it was up for a while before people finally got outraged. there is a tension between the police officers and the city of minneapolis. bob seems to be looking at helping his own personal endeavors by taking his position and using it. i don't think it is doing good

in the city because there is a lot of tension between the police and the residence. what as we had into 2020, are we paying attention to most? >> the economy. we had a trend in 2019 where we have seen the trump campaign come out with, on a friday, we have a big trade announcement. and then you find out the details. so far, the trade deals have been tepid. rryittle bit of increased be production and distribution in canada. nothing that gives people the hope that we are going to get back. i don't think the china trade market will come back. we were talking about soybean farmers, that is something that is going to resonate. you have already seen in nebraska, a attorney for the

republican party. farmers have been abandoned unless you are one of these large corporate farmers who got the ag stimulus and benefits from the government. there is some real concerns. see how the economy entity trade issues affect the rural voters and the farming voters. a steelhad a word that mill in michigan is going to shut down. was supplied by taconite which will affect us. i am also very concerned about when you look at what happened yesterday in iraq where the embassy fell to protesters. this is a very complicated system. the middle east is not something you can come and go in there with a sledgehammer. it will be interesting to see in

the administration which has far-left expertise and maturity in the room dealing with the more complex issues. host: how can people find your show? >> it is mack mcneil show on twitter. 950 in minneapolis, st. paul. mostan find us on streaming services. host: thank you for joining us this morning. happy new year to you. we will hear from derek. derek is in maryland. was right.eil i think the republican is scared of diversity. especially with this problem that they have. 2018 says what will happen. the democratic party has chosen who will represent them. they see exactly what is going to go on. i have a good feeling that we

are going to beat trump. economy, we know that barack obama, the dow was at 6300. ofk -- six straight years positive job recognition. atn he left, the dow was 18,500. usual, trump heard something and claims it as his own. by 918, we outvoted them million votes. thedy talks about how high national deficit is which is the highest it has ever been. there are a lot of people who cannot wait to vote. this time, when they vote, they are going to show up just like they did not do in 2016. host: that is derek in maryland.

we will go to richard. good morning. caller: happy new century. i was able to live through the last one. i am 82 years old. are you there? host: go ahead. century we have seen great strides in civilization. we have seen terrible things in the last entry. we hope we do not see that in the new century. one thing we did get is social security. concerned about his mental attitude. does makes you wonder whether he is all there. in this day and age, it can take they to make every city in

u.s. a pile of rubble. host: we will go to ben in connecticut. hello? caller: thank you for c-span. it really informs the public. the american people are smart. we see what is going on. that's why i am optimistic. president trump is going to drain the swamp like he said. it takes time. job,u let him do his everything will be exposed. between the democrats and republicans. i have heard on your program before that trump is going to make us lose our republic. democracy butour that is how informed of some of the people who are saying that are. he is going to show the amount

of corruption in there. it goes both sides. they are all corrupt. another talking point is joe biden. he is unconcerned. that is because they never looked into it. when this impeachment comes through, i hope they do have witnesses. i hope they do bring people over from ukraine. people have to realize, two ukrainian youth officials in the high government were charged for corrupting. there were corrupting the democratic party. int: we will hear from ben connecticut. ben in connecticut? sal in staten island. caller: happy new year. the segment should not be called optimistic, pessimistic. msnbc, that's how

you should have on here. it is so obvious when people call. the only way we can get this thetry back is everybody in mainstream media cannot be biased. free press but we want an honest price. since we are talking about politics from the lens of optimistic or pessimistic, where you stand? press has not been audited for three years. -- honest for three years. get actual free news? you still have people calling today on your show. this got called up saying that trump has not created one job. host: you are calling our show.

optimistic or pessimistic going into the year ahead? caller: pessimistic because the only way we will get this country back is that everyone in the mainstream media should get fired. so the people can know what is going on. host: let's hear from john in new jersey. go ahead. caller: hello. you are looking for john from new jersey? host: is that you? . the: no, this is ben american people are smart. they see what is going on. everybody that i have heard on your program that we are going to lose our democracy, we lost it long time ago. host: i think we had you on earlier. i will stop you there. just a few minutes left as we gauge where you are as far as

the year ahead politically whether you feel a sense of optimism or pessimism. let us know on the lines. feel through to post on our social media sites after the show is over. you can do that on twitter and our facebook page. caller, go ahead. caller: are you talking to me? host: yes, go ahead. caller: this is whitfield, virginia. i am wishing everybody a happy great america again. i believe in trump. the democrats are taking our guns and firearms in virginia. is actually draining the swamp and exposing all of the democrats for the bad stuff that has went on. they have been corrupt.

go to philip in minnesota. good morning. caller: good morning. thanks for c-span. happy new year. amazing listening to people call. i am optimistic because i think president trump, if people read books, they realize how he is being a con man. i think he is waking up the people of the united states. vote.se your right to host: why are you optimistic? caller: i really think people are starting to wake up this country and i think we will get a lot of people out to vote which is good for our democracy. youn't care what party belong to as long as people get out to vote. pay attention to what is going on. get out to vote.

host: arnold from tennessee. go ahead. caller: how are you doing? host: fine, thank you. go ahead. caller: i am optimistic. today is the first day of the rest of this year. i think love. god is love. i think god is going to get involved with us this year. god is going to try to open people's hearts, minds, eyes, ears. i believe in the power of love. like marianne williamson who based most of our campaign -- her campaign on -- host: one more call from john in new jersey. hello. caller: thanks for taking my call. i am usually an optimist but i am afraid.

,hen i hear people investigative journalists being attacked. journalism being attacked, period. people are not reading anymore. this is america. hearueller report, when i politicians talking about they did not read the report yet they put forth opinions. -- german who just called gentlemen who just called. wayne barrett wrote a book called the greatest show on earth. read a book. it is all out here. america, we are better than this. host: we will end it with that. that is john from new jersey. that is the program for today on this first day of 2020. thanks for participating and joining us. we have another program coming your way at 7:00 tomorrow morning. see you then.

♪ coverage's live 2020 continues. democratic presidential candidate senator cory bigger. -- cory booker. watch live on c-span online at c-span.org or listen on the c-span radio app. annual wall street journal council meeting, executives from dow jones tech --indra tech mahindra and talk abouthindra intelligence. let me invite my friend to

the stage. he