harris's job performance nearly one year after making history as the nation's first female vice president. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning this christmas eve 2021. we will begin the conversation with your holiday spending this year. according to a recent cnbc poll, americans plan to spend on average $1004 on gifts of this year, up to 10% from the pandemic depressed number last year, and the highest since 2018. however, another poll found inflation and supply issues are weighing on shoppers' minds. we want to know your holiday gift spending this year.

if you plan to spend the same as other years, dial (202)-748-8000 . if you plan to spend more, (202)-748-8001. if you will spend less, (202)-748-8002. you can also answer this by texting us with your first name, city, and state at (202)-748-8003. post your comments on facebook.com/c-span or send us a tweet with the handle @cspanwj. cnbc dug deeper on the question of gift spending this year. this is what they found when they asked people why do you plan to spend more? one third said they have more money. one quarter said they have more people to buy for. in 16 percent said higher prices. that is why they are spending more. when asked why they are spending less this year, 25% said the economy is in bad shape.

21% said higher prices or trouble paying bills. in 17% said they want to save money. do any of those answers resonate with you? dial in and tell us what is your holiday gift spending this year and why? the president tried to address those concerns that people are having over inflation and supply chain issues. here is what he had to say earlier this week. [video clip] pres. biden: at the end of 2021, as what one analyst described as the strongest residential track record a are 50 years, nearly 6 million new jobs, a record number for a president because of my staff and cabinet, unemployment down to 4.2%, three years ahead of the predicted time to get to that number, applicants for new, small businesses, up 80%, compared before the pandemic, and the

fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years. there is more. today, america is the only leading economy in the world were household incomes in the economy as a whole are stronger than they were before the pandemic, even accounting for price increases. the economy i inherited nearly a year ago was not just in crisis, but it was not working for working people and that is the reason i ran. so working class people got a shot. year after year, economic growth was too low, wages for middle-class or stagnant, and the number of people starting new businesses was declining. over this year, we have acted, from the american rescue plan to the bipartisan infrastructure law, to change the trajectory, to build an economy from the bottom up, and to finally -- by the way, when that occurs, wealthy people do very well. we are not trying to punish anybody.

they do very well. working people in this country, with wages and benefits they deserve, it is about the time they see it. to create an economy with faster growth, and we are making progress. still, top of mind for me is what is top of mind for so many families, the pinch of crisis and the cost. look, addressing these costs has been and will continue to be my top priority the entire administration, and the way to do this, not to slow down our economic turnaround or step back from the progress, but to build on it. we can and will address prices by productivity capacity and our economy, so we move more goods to market, get more americans working, encouraging more investments and innovation, making sure american consumers see those benefits at the store and at the pump. [end video clip] host: president biden trying to

address america's concerns over the rising cost of goods. polls show that americans are weary of the economy because of the rise in cost of goods, and many of them spending less this year on holiday gifts. we want to know if that is the case with you. what are your holiday gift spending plans? that is our conversation in the first hour of "washington journal." this morning "the washington times," a lump of coal for christmas, no easing of inflation, says a new government report by the bureau of economic analysis that said they have seen the fastest increase in the federal reserve's everett measure of inflation since july 1980 two. republican national committee said it will cost the average family about 3500 dollars this year, pointing to an analysis by the university of pennsylvania.

inflation has amounted to a 6% or 7% regressive tax on families that can least afford it. your holiday gift spending this year, jay, you plan to spend less in flint, michigan, why? caller: spending less, hoping that corporate america will invest in small businesses so they will get their money back and then some to invest in america, encourage other companies and world leaders to invest in us and get people back to work, get vaccinated and that is the way that the rich can pay their taxes. host: how much less have you spent this year on holiday gifts compared to previous years? caller: goodness. considerably less. every day is christmas to me, so, you know? host: where do you shop? do you decide to shop at small businesses? caller: most definitely.

host: why? caller: brings money back to the community. host: so you do not go to big box stores? caller: oh, yeah, occasionally. i do everything in moderation, within reason. but the mainline is invest in our communities. host: that is jay in flint, michigan, spending less this year on gifts. michael in maine, you are also spending less. early-morning for you, tell us why. caller: i read the king james versus four or five times, and verse 14 says behold, there will be a virgin woman who will bear a son, emmanuel -- host: moving on, cnbc is another headline about give spending this year, sitting out this season, a record number of americans say they will not be buying holiday gifts this year. the subtitle within the piece is

folks are freaking out. the rising prices for fuel, grocery items, and other goods very non-many shoppers' minds, according to the consumer confidence. they say it hit a 10 year low in november, according to the university of michigan with consumer sentiment index. shoppers are spending but they are increasingly nervous about opening wallets. this holiday, 11.5% of people plan to sit out the season by not spending anything on presence, gift cards, -- presents,, gift cards or anything for entertaining. do you plan to sit out this season? if you are, tell us why. sharon in new york, you plan to spend more. good morning. is it because you have more money? caller: yes, i just got a new job, and i am making a lot more money this year. host: how is it you were able to get a new job? caller:, indeed --i got it to

internet, indeed. host: it is the first time in a while you have been able to make more money? caller: i am making the most money ever this year. host: how much more do you plan to spend? caller: i spent about 20% more. host: ok. do you have more people to buy for? caller: yes, i do. [laughter] host: what did you spend last year? do you remember? caller: i spent a lot less. host: did you not gather? caller: i was not working. host: you lost your job? caller: yes. host: because of the pandemic? caller: yes, i was a home house aid. host: home health aide. caller: aide. yes. host: are you still in the same industry? caller: yes, making more money. host: congratulations and merry christmas. joel in arkansas, you are going

to spend less. how much less? caller: good morning, merry christmas to you. host: same to you. caller: first, i am an 80-year-old retired worker. when i got my medicare statement, i had just a few dollars left after medicare went up. i have not received the increase in my retirement. those retirement people on social security have paid, but now back to the topic, i spent less. i have given more to my church, and there is a reason for that. i will cover it in a minute. i have gained more to charitable's, there is a reason for that. and the reason is i am trying to reduce my taxes for the federal government, and that is the only place you can reduce your taxes to the federal government.

i hope not to pay any money to the federal government, other than what they have taken out of my retirement checks. and, i do not buy gifts, i just send a check to my bank because the post office will lose my check, and that is the $35 fee to cancel a payment. so my bank told me, let us send your check, and if it does not get to the person it is supposed to, you will not have to pay the $35. host: all right, joel. steve is going to spend more in charleston, south carolina, tell us why. caller: greta, merry christmas. i am going to spend more. well, first, greta, let me respond to what the gentleman just said about his retirement. i receive social security, but i am blessed and still working. i am 74 years old.

the cost of living adjustment for people who do not know, it does not include a calculation for fuel and food off the top, so 6% is not do it for anybody. i just got my notice for my adjustment the other day, and medicare has gone up like 16%. of course, the quoted is 6%, so it has gone up. that is medicare part b. back to my situation, i am very blessed. i never lost work during the pandemic. my wife and i are doing fine. my family, too. for those people that said employment was affected, i feel so sorry for them -- thats employment was affected, i feel so sorry for them. for people viewing, look around at the things you bought in the last week or two word last month. you obviously are going to spend more. inflation is killing us. does not matter whether it is food, clothing, decorations,

look at your car, gas, i pay about $2.90 per gallon in charleston, but there is no way to avoid it. if you bought the same exact things as last year, you are going to spend more. host: is that the case with you, you are buying the same amount of gifts for spending more because prices are at? caller: yeah, plus, i am buying different gifts. we have a grandson who started to require more stuff, computer stuff and things like that. yeah, i am spending quite a bit more. but, anyway, merry christmas, greta. host: merry christmas. eldon in alabama, spending less. go ahead. caller: good morning. you are looking mighty fine this morning. host: thank you. caller: i am between a rock and a hard place. i was keeping all that money mister -- i cannot think of his name, the commander?

what is his name? host: the president? caller: yes. host: president biden, and? caller: well, when you call his name, he call everybody a [indiscernible] who is watching. host: prince, how much do you plan to spend? caller: uh -- host: start over, we do not hear the top. caller: most definitely less. the reason i plan on spending this is because prices are going up. i do not know which way to go, so i must preserve what i have, so that is where i stand on that. host: so you are worried about the economy in the coming months? caller: yes. host: what about it, the inflation or give me the details, why are you worried about it? caller: when i look at the

inflation going up, gas might be going down there, i believe it should be the same everywhere. as far as the prices in the store, they are going up, little things are going up, so when i look at that, i am scared to the fact that i do not know what is going to happen next month from month to month, so i have to prepare myself for that just in case anything happens. host: are you worried about your job at all? caller: don't work, unemployed. just a stable, so i am on a fixed income. i have to really be careful about how i spend my money. host: did you see a cost-of-living adjustment to your disability check? caller: when they say costability, but when they go to prices, a kind of evens out, so there is no cost in that. host: so you have not seen the

ability to spend more, even though you saw adjustment? caller: know, correct. host: eddie in gary, indiana, you are spending the same. how is that with prices going up? caller: good morning. what i wanted to say is what happened to washington, d.c., [indiscernible] if we could get them, we would not need joe manchin. they stop talking about it, i want to know why he stopped talking about it and maybe the holiday will be better. host: and you plan to spend the same amount, eddie? tie this to your spending. caller: well, we don't know what joe is going to do. ask some of the callers about washington, d.c., how come they are not pushing [indiscernible] that we will need all the 51 senators. host: teresa in florida, good morning. you are spending less. caller: good morning.

i am definitely going to spend less. i cannot afford anything this year. i just completely boycotted spending anything at all. completely. host: what is your situation that you cannot afford to spend? caller: every single thing is going up. everywhere you look. it is impossible. to me, i am cutting back on giving. i cannot afford to give because i can barely afford to live. host: what is left in your bank account at the end of the month before you get paid again compared to what it was a year or two years ago? caller: i would say a good 20%. host: 20% is gone? caller: yes. host: to paper goods? caller: yes -- caller: yes. host: to pay for goods?

caller: yes. host: are you working? caller: yes. host: did you get a bump in pay? caller: i did not. host: what have you spent already? it is christmas eve, many of you are probably done with shopping, so how much did you spend on gifts this season? and tell us why. we want to hear from you. this person on twitter says -- american hero says, food and utilities is the reason why they are spending less, i presume. the leader of the republicans in the senate, mitch mcconnell of kentucky at the end of his dear news conference talked about the state of the economy, as well as other issues facing the country as we head into 2022. [video clip] >> i think the big story of the year is inflation. one way to look at it is the

40-year inflation rate is like a tax of about $3500 compared to what things cost pre-pandemic. so a $3500 increase in the price of everything we depend on, that is directly attributable, as larry summers warned and repeated over and over again, to the 1.9 so-called rescue package that passed back in march that flooded the country with money. we thought it was a mistake because remember where we were at the beginning of the year. we had three vaccines. we had come together on a bipartisan basis to spend and in norma's amount of money entered dry up the national debt, -- drive up the national debt

significant amount in a pandemic, but as we turned into the new year, we had three vaccines highly effective, and the challenge then became to get the vaccinations in arms, which has been more difficult than we thought, and to begin to get back to normal. but our colleagues on the other side seems like they could not stop. they wanted to keep on spending. that was coupled with the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan, which could only be described as incompetent. whether you thought it was a good idea to leave or not, pure incompetence. americans and afghan allies left behind enemy lines with physically no way out. the border has been in chaos all year long. again, i think the

administration and all the american people understand who is in charge of border security, the federal government. a complete and total failure. we also are experiencing an increase in crime all across the country, which is extremely disturbing. and there are still people at the federal level making arguments that law enforcement is the problem. all the polls indicate people do not want fewer police, they want more. and even though those decisions are largely made at the local level, there are many people at the federal level in congress still feeling that the police are a big part of the problem. [end video clip] host: the senate republican leader at the end of his year -- at the end of the year news conference, it starts off talking about the state of our economy. this morning, we are getting a

feel from you about the state of the economy by asking what do you plan to spend on gifts or what have you spent on gifts this holiday season? consumer confidence levels are at its lowest, according to november numbers. so how that playing out for you when you have gone shopping for gifts this season? cnbc has a headline, sitting out the season, a good number of americans say they will not be buying any holiday gifts this year. however, the industry is a production that is rosie. they think numbers will be up from last year and beat 2018 numbers. why is that? cnbc says households that are bringing in more than $100,000 a year will shout out $2624 a piece this holiday, up 15% from 2020. while at lower income groups, which make less than $50,000 per

year, plan to spend $536 per household, a 22% decline from year ago levels. so big spenders are maxing out those who are spending a lot less -- masking out those were spending a lot less. ken, how much have you spent? caller: not much. we are retired. we are doing fine with the retirement. we are fortunate that way. i feel like we cannot consume like we always have. it is just different now, and republicans will try to make it seem like it is the democrats' fault after giving a trillion dollar tax break to the rich. people should shop local and not keep supporting corporations. host: ken, why does it feel different that you should not be consuming as much as you did in

previous years? what is it? caller: well, we cannot assume like we always have. it is a whole economy based on just consumption. you can only consume so much. we are running out of things to consume. the world really is in crisis, we are in a climate crisis, and resources are not infinite. we have got to start think about future generations and the earth. host: this at me when you go shopping, you think about where the gifts we end up? in other words, in a landfill? do you not buy things that could impact the earth? caller: yeah, i tried to look for things that are not double package. why do we double package everything in plastic? we use it -- i mean, yeah, you

just have to think twice. host: jeffrey in arizona plans to spend the same. jeffrey? good morning. caller: yes, this is jeffrey thompson. host: jeffrey, you have to turn down the television, can't you knew it -- can you mute it? caller: sure, no problem. host: now we are listening to you through the phone, go ahead. caller: yes. i am in nevada mountain view hospital, and my wife and i have received our third stimulus check back on april 1 or april 2 , and we moved from illinois to arizona --

host: don't give addresses or phone numbers, jeffrey. caller: and i am paying less for christmas the last two years because the gas and interest is going up, and food is going up, and i am having the surgery, and i'm still in the hospital for over a month. i need all the prayers, and all the help, and i am reaching out to my wife. she needs surgeries on her eyes. she has cataracts in both eyes. she is blind. she is 73, and i am 70. i really need some input of how

to get a hold of someone to help us in the financials, as well as our stimulus check we did not get. and there is no increase on her social security at all, and i do not know what to do. and i am on borrowed time, you might say. host: jeffrey, i will encourage you to reach out to your member of congress who represents you and see what sort of resources that they have for you. they work for you, the constituents, and many times can help you navigate what sort of services are there for you. speedy recovery to you, jeffrey. dave in beverly hills, florida. dave, you are going to spend more. caller: yeah, yeah. well, first time grandparent, so, you know, have to spoil that little baby. [laughter] we will spend more, but

definitely feeling the inflation. host: dave, have you had problems fulfilling the list for the baby when you go to the store? are there missing items on the shelf? caller: i have not had problems with missing items on the shelf. you definitely feel the crunch because we live on a fixed income. you know, with the stimulus that was passed, a lot of people got stimulus because they had little kids and they got the tax on income credit, but people on fixed income, there was really nothing for them but that stimulus check and it only went so far. host: so, are the parents of this baby, are they getting that child's tax credit? is that helping them out this year? caller: yes, they are. they just qualified for it, so they are getting it, yes. host: so, what do you plan to do

to make up for spending more on your new grandbaby? what are you going to do? how are you going to adjust your lifestyle? caller: i really do not know. this christmas the baby is going to be spoiled, but i definitely have to cut back because at the end of the month, there is less and the bank -- there is less in the bank and inflation will get worse, so we have to prepare for that. host: steve in beverly hills florida, going to spend more on his new grandchild. congrats to you. the child tax credit, dave was talking about the parents of the child qualifying for that. that is helping out with people's bank accounts. they have got more in there. listen to what the president's white house economic council had to say earlier this month about how this federal program, like

the child tax credit, how those federal programs are improving the economy. [video clip] >> employment and our labor market are really important ways in which people can seek and find economic opportunity and prosperity, and the fact we are increasing the most for people in the bottom 40% of the income this tradition is something that has not happened in our economy in some time, and what it means is there are more job opportunities, and job opportunities with higher wages for people to move into, .1. .2 is -- point two if you look at the, 25% of the bottom 45% of households and you look at the increase in wages people have received and the benefits people have received because in the american rescue plan, for example, we passed the child tax credit that is not going to families on a monthly basis, we provide checks to people, and you look in the

aggregate, household income with people on the lower end of the spectrum is higher today on a monthly basis, even when you take into account increased inflation. so that is not true for every person, and every individual has challenges, and we want to speak to all of those. economically speaking, because of the strength of the economic recovery in the labor market and the support we have provided over the year, people are better position today to deal with challenges, which are real, tough, and why we are focused every day of what we can do to try to alleviate them. >> is the administration see inflation as a driving need to extend the child tax credit? >> our view is that the child tax credit is a really important, basic support for families, and we should extended because it is doing what we hoped it would do, which is dramatically reduce child

poverty in america, dramatically reduce poverty in america, and give families breathing room in a very strong but certain recovery, so i am sure it is the president's position we should do that, and we can do that. i would underscore we can do that as part of old bike better in a way that is fully paid for and will not add to pressures on the economy. [end video clip] host: one of the president's top economic advisers talking about the child tax credit, helping to improve people's economic education. if you are getting that child tax credit and it is helping you with christmas and the holiday season buy gifts, we want to hear from you. william, idaho, you plan to spend the same on gifts. what are you going to do? caller: actually, what i was calling about, as far as gifts, i do not have family, so there's no one to spend it on.

i have not spent money on gifts in years, but about five callers ago, you asked a gentleman if he received a cost-of-living increase, and he said he did. i am on disability also, and i did get a $50 a month increase on my disability, but upon seeing that, the state of idaho decreased my food stamps by $40, so next year all i have to look forward to is an extra $10 a month. it is one of those situations, you know, i don't know how it is in other states, but when it comes here, every time you try to save money, it ends up costing you because is like -- i do own my own home, which is the only way i can survive on what i get, but i have homeowners insurance, and i thought, well, if i drop that, i would have an extra $700 a month.

but your taxes on your homeowners insurance is a deduction on your food stamps. so if i got rid of the homeowners insurance, my food stamps would drop almost the same amount. [laughter] so, anyway, that is just something i wanted to put out there. host: william, how much have you seen prices increase? do you remember what it cost you to buy certain food items a year ago, two years ago versus now? caller: hamburger is a big one. you can get it for like $3.99 and now i am looking at $7.99 at the local store. host: for the same amount? caller: well, it increased by about three dollars a pound. i really have to watch my diet because of the health issues, and, usually, the healthier

foods, like if i did get hamburger, for example, i go with the leanest you can get just because you have to avoid the fact. i do not eat hamburgers often anymore, you can imagine, but that is -- host: thank you, william. george in louisville, kentucky, you are going to spend the same. go ahead. caller: morning, greta, and merry christmas. host: merry christmas. caller: well, here's the thing, what i see is that i do not see this -- i think this inflation thing is really overblown. i really do. number one, some inflationary pressures were inevitable because the deep-freeze around the refineries in texas clearly did some damage to the supply, and everybody -- higher transportation cost is going increased cost of goods and grocery store shelves to bring them there. that is one. number two, last year, we had

about four months where the economy was complete shutdown altogether, and now he turned everything, and a lot of people started working from home when they build a pool of savings up, and now we turn the spigot on, and it flooded the gates. now we have erratically rise and demand, and supply cannot keep up. it was inevitable that inflation -- they want to hangover joe biden said that he did not cause this at all. host: are you seeing supply issues when you go out shopping? either missing items on the shelf? -- are there missing items on the shelf? caller: not at all, occasionally, but not really at all. kroger has 99 cents for half a gallon of milk, marie calendar pot pies are the same price. i buy monterey burritos, they were $3.89 and now they are

$4.29. most items stay the same. host: so that is why you are spending the same on gifts this year because you are not feeling it? you are not seeing the costs going up? caller: some have had price increases and that is all. it is not like they are continuing to spiral. i go to secondhand shops for christmas. i have four older siblings, and i will give them each one item from the secondhand shop, but i don't see the inflation they are carrying on about. let me close on one quick note, in the early 2000's, as soon as 2001 came out, gas skyrocketed from about one dollar down to 2.5 that summer and nobody said one word about it. all of a sudden, people are up in arms because prices went up. i just do not understand that. have a good day and good christmas. host: same to you. that is what people are siding in the polls, that -- citing

in the polls that people plan to spend less because they think the economy is in bad shape because of inflation, supply issues, or they are having trouble paying bills because of the cost of goods. so that is what polls are showing. this morning, we are asking you to tell us if the answers resonate with you. do you plan to spend the same, more, or less on holiday gifts this year? next week, starting sunday, december 26, watch "washington journal: special holiday week author series," featuring live segments with a new writer. on sunday, one author on his book "jimmy carter: a life." and then joe lieberman with "the center solution." and then heather mcgee with her book "the sum of us: what racism because

everyone and how we can prosper together." and then andrew yang with "forward." former fda commissioner will discuss his book "uncontrolled spread: y covid-19 christos and how we can defeat the next pandemic." and then on friday, community activist bob woodson with his book "red, white, and black." be sure to watch "washington journal," starting sunday, the summer 26, and 7:00 a.m. eastern with our special author series on c-span or on our new mobile video app, c-span now. michelle in williamsburg, virginia, you are going to spend more on holiday gifts this year. why is that? caller: no, actually i am not going to spend more. i purchased in august.

[laughter] i did all of my christmas shopping in august. host: why? caller: because i knew i would be able to save more, having several college degrees, and one in fashion merchandising, being smarter and because of the whole psychology of buying in the first place. money makes you more of who you already are, and if you know how to manage money and time, then you are going to do that in a way that is going to be a blessing for everybody. i also learned that you can spend $1 million for family members and friends, and the next day they will not even appreciate it. what you do is you choose to spend more time. that is more valuable than any dollar will ever be. host: since you have these degrees, are you saying that prices always go up as you engine towards -- you inch towards holidays? caller: absolutely.

host: that people should be buying in august. caller: they should buy in august, have a closet like my grandmother used to have, they should have the sense of spending my mother has, where you pick something up, put it in the closet, and when christmas comes around, you have all these things and then you just purchased wrapping paper. if you cannot purchased wrapping paper, get old newspaper or something else to wrap it up in, and say this comes from my heart, but you are the most valuable thing under the tree, i want to spend time with you. host: thanks for calling in. donald in north carolina. what have you spent so far this year on holiday gifts? caller: first of all, merry christmas. host: merry christmas. caller: i love you and you accommodating. i think you are the fairest one. what we did, i am like a caller

back, we are first-time grandparents. my baby is in oregon, and i have not got to see him yet because of covid and my health issues, but that is the point. i think everybody misses the point what christmas is about. the birth of jesus christ. the blessings that he gives us, and when you are blessed, if you do not bless other people, and that is what we chose to do this year, my wife is an assistant teacher at a school and worked through covid the whole time, and we give money to a family at school. we give money to one of my daughter's friends that is not in good shape. we give money to other people

and help them. i bought a man at lunch yesterday. he did not know it. i bought a lady's groceries the other day. she did not know it. i think that if you give -- i do not want nothing. i am 62 in january. i have got everything i want in life. i have some good health, been through a lot, but i have a great family, friends, and like the lady in williamsburg, i am originally from virginia, so i know where she lives and everything. she is right. that is the same way my mom did it, she brought it through the summer, heated in the house, would wrap it up, and that was back in the 60's and 70's.

and people have a lot more money now, but i am not going to complain about the prices. today is not a day to complain about politics. today is a day to either go help somebody else, and when you help, believe me, the blessings will come back to you sevenfold. they always do. and i am on disability. host: donald in hickory, north carolina, appreciate a phone call. david, indianapolis. how much you plan to spend or have you spent on gifts this year? caller: i am spending about the same, but i am getting less because of inflation because one of the keys i think, we talk about inflation in terms of the rise in price. ok, let's take one for instance,

smoked sausage. love smoked sausage, eat it all the time. it went up one dollar and a quarter. the basic premise originally it went down in size for the same price. let me ask you, is that an inflationary product or our company is figuring out different ways to get our money out of us? host: dave, what do you think? caller: i think companies have figured out ingenious ways that inflation is something happening actively with pricing going up, and they figured out some ingenious ways to get around it, like 16 ounces, what used to be 16 ounces is now 14 ounces, so and so on and so forth.

but that does for me is it causes me to spend the same but get a little less at the grocery store and also in gift fine, too. the inflationary price on gift buying has been somewhat -- they have not really been that much this year, and my thought, i bought several different things, got better prices than i did years before, so i buy -- i have got five kids, four grandchildren, and i am the same as the gentleman before us. i turn 62 in january, and i am disabled so i am on full disability. host: that is a lot of people to buy for. are you finding that you can get everything you want on the list? or are there supply issues you are seeing? caller: i am not seeing many supply issues except that the

one place i see supply issues is the grocery store. in other places, it seems to me, there is plenty of supply like that is a lot of people to buy for, and then you have ancillaries, as well, you buy for, as well, friends or another cousin or uncle or someone like that. the major thing i have seen is even though sometimes i walk in walmart and find a shelf empty, which is unusual for walmart, so that would be one thing that i see on the supply side, but i think the major thing is, is seeing how this insidious inflationary product that we are seeing with the reduction of the amount of goods you get versus the same price. host: heard that point, david.

i want to show you what republican leader steve gleason louisiana had to stay on foxbusiness yesterday about the state of the economy. [video clip] >> yet, it has been a tough year, congressman. i have to admit. american families are hurting, skyhigh inflation, gasoline prices is 60% higher, clued up 15%, 13% on meat. across the board, games on a number of food items and services, like hotels. what do you think it is going to take to get us out of this? because we are ending the year with americans not better off at all. >> how about we start with president biden actually following through on the things he promised when he ran as a candidate? he did not run saying he was going to be the most far left, the government socialist in the history of our country. he said he would work with everybody, remember that? pork with republicans and democrats. he gets a flat out f on the

report card for that score because he is not worked with republicans. he still has not met with the house republicans leadership. we as a team have not met with him single time, even though we have requested multiple meetings on a lot of these challenges, how to secure the border, lower inflation, energy costs, or how to address supply chain crisis. for goodness sake, people are trying to get their christmas gifts, and they still cannot find them because they are sitting on a tanker somewhere in the pacific ocean because of this president's failed policies. so, on every front, he is not fulfilling promises he made to families. that is why his numbers are so low, he just got this deal with the far left and that is all he cares about. if the squad and big government socialist they jumped five feet, he will try to jump five feet. he will not try to work with those of us who want to solve these crises that are hurting hard-working families. [end video clip] host: republican leader steve

scalise of the house. you heard him say that people cannot get the gifts they want this year. is that why some of you are going to end up spending less on holiday gifts? so far, i have not heard anybody of those who called in say that they see a supply issue. if you are seeing it or not seeing it, call in and let us know. mario and vancouver, washington, you plan to spend less. why is that? caller: actually, well, merry christmas, first of all. the billy crystal character on "saturday night live," --you look marvelous. [laughter] ok, i have already spent less. craigslist and ebay. ok? i have spent already and have gotten one item for my grandson that cost over $500. i got it on craigslist for $140. done.

and prices are outrageous on some of the stuff. legos and stuff like that -- i had no idea it cost that much. [laughter] so i shopped around and saved a lot. so that is done. for all the older folks, cashapp, here's the money, done, i am finished. host: how many people are you buying for? caller: like 10. about 10. host: they are all grandchildren? caller: kids and grandkids, so that is my brood. all of them. [laughter] go ahead. host: how much did you spend total on holiday gifts, and how much do you think you would have spent if you had gone to these major retailers for the gifts? caller: thousands if i had went to the retailers, for sure. by doing that, i cut it by 60%. i saved like 60%. here's the deal, i told them a long time ago, i said, ok, you

have got an option. i can buy you something for christmas or i can get you whatever you want the rest of the year, make up your mind. everybody chose the rest of the year, so i usually get them stuff anyway. but i just want to say couple of things before i go. number one, for everybody around, i mean this is just a quick political thing, kind of, sort of. when you are around neighbors, friends, if politics and religion never comes up, everybody gets along like nobody's business, ok? number two, when bill clinton was president, he swore, he said the price of gasoline will never hit two dollars a gallon, and it never ever did. whatever that means, it is kind of like, ok, maybe these strings that are pulled or whatever is going on politically, stop panicking. everything comes in waves. it goes up and then it comes back down. ok, just get along.

you know what i'm saying? merry christmas. host: merry christmas. speaking of federal policy, we talked earlier about the child tax credit in the white house is saying that that is improving the economy from any of you who qualify to get that monthly check for the child tax credit. some senators in the democratic party want to make it permanent. here senator michael bennett earlier this month talking about democrats' efforts to make it permanent. [video clip] >> you know, the families that come to see me in my town also, michael, we are working really hard, but no matter what we do, we cannot afford some combination of housing, health-care, higher education, early childhood education, if we can even find early childhood education or daycare. we cannot save. we feel like our families are going to live a more diminished life than we did, and that our kids will, as well. i brought a few photos today to

the floor to share some stories with all of you and my colleagues. this is april pratt from el paso county. she lives there with her three daughters, ages eight, 2.5, and 1.5. when april was pregnant with her youngest daughter, her husband tragically passed away, now she is the sole breadwinner for the family. although she works full-time at the local school, there is not much left after her mortgage, diapers, and groceries for three young kids. let me just say that again. works full-time. works full-time. before the child tax credit, april said, "i felt like i was having a lot of anxiety every month about whether i was going to be able to afford my bills. it was eating up a lot of my attention. thanks to the child tax credit -- attention."

thanks to the child tax credit, she can afford childcare care for her two youngest so she can work. so she can work. she said, "if i was not able to afford childcare, i would have to quit my job." without the child tax credit, april said she would be "forced to use my credit card to fill in the gaps," and that debt accumulates and that becomes crippling, "and my family would not be able to get ahead." she said "it was nice that our government is finally doing something to help working families and middle-class families." finally, after we have cut taxes for the wealthiest people in this country by more than $5 trillion since 2001, we finally have a tax cut for working families. we should be making it permanent. [end video clip] host: colorado's democratic

senator michael bennett on the floor. is this child tax credit helping you this holiday season with gift spending? nick in indiana, we are asking if you are spending less, more, or the same. how much have you spent? caller: we are spending less. it is mainly because it is not the inflation at the supermarket or the shopping stores. it is because of the inflation at the state and local levels with taxes. here in indiana, we have a 7% sales tax, three point something income tax, 1% local income tax, and our property tax goes up every year, and, you know, i have been retired for several years now. i am 73, and we do not see any of these increases. everything goes up, and our

buying power keeps going down. we are getting nothing from the state. we don't get any help or ask for any help, but they keep putting corporation taxes. they have worked it out where now homeowners, instead of companies, we support the companies property taxes, and they get off the hook. they get tax relief and every other thing for free, and that is all, falls back on homeowners , taxes, so that is where the main inflation is at, and i have not heard anybody speak of it, but that is the big problem here in indiana, state and local taxes. host: got it.

cassie in kentucky, you are going to spend the same as last year and the previous years? cassie, are you there? all right, one last call for cassie in follicle, kentucky -- in kentucky. are you with us? [laughter] alright, well, we will leave it there. we will take a break. when we come back this christmas eve, we will speak to two guests about the role of faith that it plays in public policy. next, we talked to reverend jim wallis with the center on faith and justice at georgetown university, and then, later, pete wehner, senior fellow at the ethics and policy center. we will be right back. ♪ >> both the house and senate have adjourned for the holiday

recess and will return in early january for the start of the second session of the 117th congress. upon its return, the senate will take up the president's and social spending plan known as build back better. despite joe manchin announcing his opposition to the bill, senate democratic leadership hopes to take up voting rights legislation, which may require changing filibuster rules. there was also the february 18 deadline for both chambers of commerce to pass legislation to avoid a government shutdown. watch the development's on the c-span networks once congress returns, or you can watch our full coverage on c-span now,our new mobile video app. head over to c-span.org for scheduling information or to stream video, live or on-demand, anytime. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. >> starting sunday, december 26,

wash "washington journal" author series featuring live segments with a new writer every morning. first, jonathan alter, his book on jimmy carter. joe lieberman with the centrist solution, how we made government work and can make it work again. on tuesday, economist and activist heather mcgee with her book, what racism costs everyone. wednesday, former presidential candidate andrew yang with notes on the future of our democracy. on thursday, the former fda trump commissioner discusses his book. why covid-19 crushed us and how we can defeat the next pandemic. on friday, red white, and black, rescuing american history from revisionists and racism. watch "washington journal" next

week starting sunday, december 26 with their author series on c-span or error new bull -- mobile video after c-span now. >> download c-span's new app and stay up-to-date with live video coverage of the days events from live streams to house and senate floor and congressional hearings. even our live interactive morning program, "washington journal" where we hear your voices every day. c-span now has you covered. download the app now for free. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us now is jim wallace. reverend wallace, we are talking about the role of's base and about policy, what is your

opinion on that? >> good morning. because of this christmas eve, i will answer that question with a text which is mary is about to deliver this young baby that is the hope for the world and she says my soul magnifies the lord in my spirit receives, rejoices in god my savior. to your question, he shall strengthen with his arm and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. he has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up lowly and still the hungry and sent the rich and away. christmas is the welcoming of the child is meant to turn things around, turn things upside down. it's for the lowly and the hungry so the beginning is faith transient things upside down in

favor of those who work for and vulnerable. that's the meaning of this christmas season. we welcome this child who is here to turn the world upside down and focus on those that jesus called the least of these. host: public policy does that and what way? guest: washington is the reverse. we tend to favor the parable and the mighty she talks about in her prayers. we don't focus on the least of these. i heard you had the conversation about the bill back better. were talking about the child tax credit. this could cut poverty in half in this country. families and children who are struggling on his christmas eve day, how can we have policy that benefits the poorest and most vulnerable?

that should be bipartisan. that shouldn't the republican were democrat. public policy should focus on those who are most marginal. the bible makes clear in the scriptures that the prophet say that a nation will be judged not by its gross national product, its military power, its culture but how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable. that's the christmas story in that directly answers your question about what public policy should be doing. host: what about the separation of church and state? guest: i believe that does not require the separation of values. and polic shaping of our public life separation of church and state, yes but not the segregation of moral values from our public life, values are

across the board. those with no faith at all but moral values have to shape our ethics and values. host: the center for faith and justice at georgetown university is focusing on what? guest: right now, we are focusing on the critical nature of voting rights. their opening event was about how voting rights is really a sacred cause. a vote is a sicker thing. -- is a sacred thing. there was tremendous energy because our democracy is literally at stake right now. our democracy is in great peril. voting rights will be the test of democracy and i think of faith as well. there are restrictions being put forward to voting rights in

states across the country. they actually have laws that would overturn the results of free and fair local elections. we are facing, like we haven't since 1860, a crisis in democracy where everything now is at stake. a number of faith leaders are saying this is the most important area of public life right now, to secure voting rights. based on the first chapter of the bible where it says god created all of us in god's image, in god's likeness, that's what's at stake. do we believe we are made in the image of god, equally made in the image? if so, voter suppression, to

deny a vote to someone on the basis of their skin color for example is an insult on the image of god. it is throwing it away. it's not just a political issue but a faith issue as well. you will save mobilization of faith communities all over the country to protect voting rights because that is protecting the image of god in each and every citizen. host: your center is also advocating for the build back is it representative of the morals you were talking about? i would say a budget is a moral value. a budget for a family, the school, a nation, it shows who's important and who's not. this bill more than any bill in my lifetime is focusing on

things that will impact the poorest families. you heard some stories in the last show about people whose lives are in great danger. there is -- they are proposing childcare for mothers who want to work. it's education for all our kids. the child tax credit which has turned poverty around but is expired now because the bill back better has not passed yet. these things are critical in the bill addresses the -- addresses them directly. most bills in washington aren't always so critical but this one is. it addresses those who are poorest. the build back better bill really needs to pass and then i think voting rights becomes the

most important priority in the country. by martin luther king jr. day which is coming up soon, voting rights must take center stage and it should be a bipartisan passing of voting rights. this should not be a partisan issue. if the vote is sacred which i think it is. host: let me go back to build back that are and respond to senator joe manchin. he did a call it interview with west virginia metro knows and this is what he said why he opposes the child tax reddit. -- credit. >> nothing in there about holding people accountable. there is no work requirement. there is no means testing step do you believe people making two

and 400 thousand dollars will get the child tax credit? the price would go up step we have children now living with grandparents and with the assistance we give for the welfare system, don't you think we should make sure the money follows the child so if the grandparents are raising the child, they are getting the money and not the parents. so many things we can check this off that they won't talk about so we have been way for -- far apart so philosophically. host: what you say to him? guest: first of all, often senators are not close to those who are poor. they don't see their faces or their lives and when you are closer to those families, you see the knee that is there.

i am not against means testing in terms of families who most need this. that's where the focus should be. work requirements would put poor people back into poverty. people don't work because of disabilities in all kinds of different things. the focus on those who are poorest and most vulnerable is exactly what we should do. you cannot really -- let's be accountable. senator manchin voted for a military spending bill. it was much more expensive than the build back better bill. why is there a vote for very expensive, often corrupt military spending and not for this. there is a contradiction here and i want senator manchin to know and be close to those families in west virginia who

need this help. and whether somebody who is making $400,000 should get it, that's a fair question but it has to be directed at the poorest families. because he is not passing this bill, families have lost their child tax credit because he would not vote for this bill. you cannot do that. you have to focus on those families in your state who are in desperate need for this kind of help. so let's do that that the first of the year. host: we are talking with reverend jim wallace about public policy. good morning. caller: thank you, c-span. i want to challenge reverend wallace on a particular that's never addressed by the diocese these days. in the global sense, people are talking about immigration but what they are not talking about

is the cartels, the corruption and the u.s. complicity with those cartels. what we see is their urban cities being corrupted and being controlled under armed gangs, thousands of our children are being killed in the streets and our schools are unsafe. my challenge to the christian community is, decades ago, there was a witness within latin america where the christian trinity came forward and stood side-by-side with people rather than let them have their lands usurped by the cartels. where are you now? they need you. the fact is, with the immigration question that's been made an open borders, rather

than safety and preservation of traditional land -- host: let's get a response. guest: that's true. christians have stood alongside people in the global south. many are still doing that stuff i certainly favor that. i have -- we have been threatened by gangs own cities and towns but immigration is how we welcome people who have been impacted by those gangs were impacted by global warming which is made their land impossible to form. they come here because they are desperate so we need comprehensive foreign policy for immigration which brings people in. nobody is for open borders but welcoming a stranger, welcome the immigrant is a christian value and its clear in all the scriptures so how do we welcome

the immigrant at the same time clear -- stand clearly against the cartels and gangs. i have worked against a gangs in the u.s. for a long time and friends of mine are doing that around the world will stop we should stand against those gangs and alongside those who are suffering. at the same time, jesus says how you treat the stranger, the immigrant, is how you treat me. there is a big question there about treating immigrants the way we treat christ himself. those are both important questions and not contradictory. host: republican line, good morning. caller: merry christmas, how do you feel about the rights of a late-term abortion. the left-wing is always concerned about women's rights, what about the rights of the fetus and to continue late-term

abortions? guest: basic questions that could take us all day to discuss. i agree that two lives are always at stake in the abortion question, the life of the mother and the life of the child that is emerging and growing. that's an issue, an ethical issue that all of us have to deal with. i think most americans would favor something that is different from the extremes. i really think there are two lives at stake here. i'm not a catholic in the catholic tradition, there is a consistent ethic of life where human dignity extends to poverty , the death penalty and includes abortion as well. i think late-term abortions are

a problem. i think that's a fair question to raise. how do you balance to lives, woman's life and the life of the child? we have to bring that together and find a very compassionate solution. i don't want to criminalize what is often a desperate very vulnerable choice by a woman in great jeopardy. at the same time, i think late-term abortion is a very real problem and we should deal with that as well. there is no clear way forward. something that protects the woman and the child is important going forward in this country is so polarized on both pro-life and pro-choice that we have missed perhaps a way that would

be a middle ground that most americans would support late term worsens for me as a moral problem. also the life of the woman. why do we support women with nutrition and health care? that reduces abortion significantly. if we support men and women who are in that situation, we could reduce abortions on both sides be in favor of reducing abortion substantially without criminalizing a woman's vulnerable and desperate choice which is what we are facing now. host: betty in waukegan, illinois, democratic caller. caller: good morning, happy holidays to everybody. it's good to see you reverend

the republicans talk about worship and they won't even pass president bidens thing to help people with children so they worry about the baby in the womb but they don't care about the kids out of the womb. thank you so much. guest: you make a good point that often, under -- on the republican side, to paraphrase your point, they are pro-birth not pro-life. what happens to the child after the child is born? the child tax credit that supports for children and families is a pro life, profamily bill. it literally is profamily and pro-life so why aren't republicans supporting that bill that is so critical. you have to be pro-life across the board step host: we are

talking about faith and public policy with james wallace. he is head of a new center that has opened up at georgetown university. mississippi, independent next. caller: good morning, reverend wallace. i totally disagree with your reasoning that the child tax credit will help individuals. it is not being used for the children. you've got grandparents raising children. i live close to casinos in mississippi. young people are flooded in the casinos. they have had extra money. if i go to the grocery store, 95% of the people are driving cars on the road that are under

five years old. i drive a 20-year-old vehicle. there must be more -- i agree with senator manchin 100% step everything he said has been through thoughtful consideration. he represents my mississippi values than i thank you and you have a wonderful, merry christmas. guest: the problem is the very reliable data shows that families are spending child tax credits on groceries, on diapers, on things they critically need. there is lots of data. it's not true that the money is being sent just spent at casinos or whatever. if you are close to those families and i am, all the groups that i work with are working with those families, catholic charities for example.

it doesn't agree with you at all. they work with families all the time and they see how that money is being spent for survival for those families child care, food on the table, paying for your kids lunches and paying your rent or pay for child care. what joe manchin is saying isn't true and what you're saying isn't true in the catholic charity people and the salvation army people, paul work with the poor every day and are telling me that the money -- it is being supported by the national association of evangelicals, by the salvation army, by the catholic church because we know the families. they are critically needing those groceries and those diapers and those child care bills. it's not true it's being wasted.

that's a myth from the right wing. i've got evangelicals and catholics and protestants and black churches who will all testify to this. host: we will go to dana in flint, michigan, republican caller. caller: yes, i apologize, i wanted to call the independent line. i agree with helping women maintain and get abortions legally and safely. science has got together with religion because life begins after the grain is developed not the heart. you have to have a consciousness first. -- after the brain is developed. before you get an abortion, you don't want to abort a fetus that is fully developed with a brain. you do it before the brain develops and as far as women being raped by outside agents

and those coming into our community and impregnating her women, they have done that for hundreds of years to impregnate the women so the women have another country kids. with got to stop that. if you are confused, get a dna test as to who is doing it and if they are russian, send them back to their country and allow these women to have these abortions. guest: abortion is a very emotional and personal issue. it's theological and scientific step the one thing we should be able to agree upon is we should do everything we can to reduce the number of abortions both pro-life and pro-choice people should agree with that together. supporting low income women in particular with nutrition, childcare, health care. there are different views on philosophy and science and the

elegy but a consensus could be let's do all we can to reduce abortion. what the build back better bill will do, i don't hear that being part of the conversation but it supports low income women will help to reduce abortion in this country. host: chris from tennessee, an independent, welcome to the conversation. caller: i heard you speak in the beginning of the segment about a budget in a moral document and you are almost speaking as if this build back better sham is a budget. when is the last time our congress which i consider their number one job passed a budget? you sound like a progressive democratic activist then you do a reverend in any way, shape or

form. host: respond to that. guest: i hope you would agree that a budget whether from a family or a church for a city or a nation is a moral document. it shows what's important what's not and that's something i hope you could agree to. when budgets are passed, they show what our ethics are. when we spend enormous amounts on the military, no one says how do we pay for that? that could cause inflation but they let it go. when it comes to spending on the poor, i think that's wrong, let's invert it. i talked about what mary the mother of jesus said and she says we have to reverse our pre-ortiz and the lowly who are poor and vulnerable, we

shouldn't just recognize them at christmas and speak of are taking care of the needy. should be our way of living that first we look at how the poor and vulnerable are doing and you are right, budgets and washington, d.c. are often a crazy process. there are big fights all the time. i am saying budgets should reflect our per year cheese and mary the mother of jesus said at the coming of christ means the lowly must be lifted up in the hungry welcomed and the rich sent empty away. our process in d.c. is the opposite of that stuff it's not progressive activist, is what the gospel says. i am not defined by my politics. there is a religious right to find where people are defined by politics. the evangelical world, that's my

history has been politicized, taken over by the right wing stop i don't want to be a progressive, i want to be a gospel defined christian. the bible should define what we do not politics or the left -- of the left or the right step host: gary in tennessee, democratic caller. good morning. caller: there is a bunch of republicans in addition to joe mansion and they need to call on the republican senators. people need this. they need this tax credit, it's important right now. not just the democrats not doing it. there are 50 republicans up there. host: let's take that point.

guest: you are right on. 50 republicans, 50 of them won't support a child tax credit that cuts poverty in half. 50 republicans won't support childcare for women who need to work. 50 republicans won't support universal pre-k. you are exactly right, the focus shouldn't just be on joe manchin on republicans who are not saying a thing and not supporting this bill that would help for families. the focus should not just be on joe manchin but on those republicans who refuse to support a bill that will help poor people more than any bill in my lifetime. why are those republicans refusing? because they've been told that

this is a party that is no longer, in my view, the republican party. it's a party that's become overtaken by cult of personality in the name of donald trump. this is genuine conservatism. this is not a republican party anymore. they've been taken over by a man who is an autocratic person who doesn't care about before. i would love to see a few republicans stand up for principle and support something like a child tax credit and all the focus wouldn't be on joe manchin. you are exactly right. let's hold the republicans accountable to what the gospel says about before. host: jeff in kentucky, republican. caller: hi, i would like to ask

the reverend a question. we go by the bible which i do and like the tax credit, you will have some people that use it right and some that are not going to use it right. i would like his opinion on the climate change because the bible speaks over and over about the hurricanes and i live right beside the city that got demolished in kentucky. -- in tennessee. that got like 550 million dollars in this deal for climate change and maybe a little more. i would like his opinion on why we are believing our politicians about climate change or so-called scientists and wife we believe in god because god controls this country.

it's not up to man or anybody else and i would like his opinion on that. guest: you raise two questions. one is with the bible says about the poor. there are 2000 verses in the bible about the poor. it's about our responsibility to take care of the poor, 2000 verses so that is clear in the bible. i wish some of the republicans would read their bibles. second, we are responsible for god's creation. god created all of us and created human beings to be the stewards to take care of the garden and take care god's creation. is very biblical to be concerned about the creation. many people, most scientists leave we have a problem with climate change. to take care of god's creation

means to deal with how we, buyer human behavior, are impacting the climate and how that is impacting so many things including our catastrophic weather and all the rest. these things are in fact related to how the climate is changing because of our human activity and are burning of fossil fuels. i think that is very clear. to do what god wants us to do which is to take care of god's creation, we have to take responsibility for how we are impacting and ruining the creation that god asked us to take care of. to fight that kind of climate change and deal with that problem is in fact what we should do as god's children. we are responsible for being good stewards. stewards of this environment

which is god's creation. the care about climate change is very christian and -- in biblical and it takes our responsibility for this environment, for this world, for this creation very seriously. host: reverend jim wallace is the georgetown director of the center for faith and justice. thank you for talking to us on christmas eve about this issue and merry christmas to you. guest: blessed christmas to all the c-span people and let's remember mary. she knew the meaning of this saver she was caring in her womb more than anyone else and she says the coming of jesus means turning the world upside down, not just at christmas where we care for than needy but all year round. less you all and i hope your families have a great time together at this christmas season. host: thank you, sir. when we continue the

conversation, we will talk with pete wehner from the ethics and public policy center and later a conversation with joel goldstein and scholar of the vice presidency. we will talk about kamala harris job performance as vp so far. >> q&sa sunday night on. some of the people he profiled in "not forgotten." >> henry hyde, scoop jackson, sargent shriver and others like lindsay boggs, longtime member congress, these were people who went into public life in public service to get things done.

some of them were sparkling speakers and wits like henry hyde and some of them were down or it norwegians like scoop jackson. some of them were utter charmers like lindsay boggs but they were all people who wanted to achieve things not so much for themselves but for their country, for their constituents, for the common good. >> sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern on7a and you can listen to our podcasts on our new c-span now at staff. >> american history tv on c-span two, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 2 p.m. eastern on the presidency, the ronald reagan presidential library is marking its 30th anniversary and speakers include the former secretary of state condoleezza rice.

and former reagan speechwriter peter robinson. next year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of frederick law olmsted, the landscape architect most famous for his work on new york city's central park. saturday at 3:15 p.m. eastern the designs for college campuses. exploring the american story, watch american history tv saturdays on c-span two and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org/history. >> sunday, january 2 on in-depth, and a story and joins us to talk about the early electoral history of the united states, civil war and the reconstruction era stop he has wrote several books.

join in the conversation with your phone calls, facebook comments, text and tweets sunday, january 2 at noon eastern on in-depth on book tv. >> "washington journal: continues. host: joining us now is this senior fellow at public policy and is also the author of the death of politics. we've been talking about the role of faith, religion and public policy so what's your perspective? guest: thanks for having me on and merry christmas to you. my view on faith in politics is there is a relation between them but it's tricky, faith at its best can elevate politics in advance justice but often faith can get entwined in politics that hurts politics and hearse

-- hurts faith as well because faith can become vulgar eyes and weaponized and politicized. i think we are seeing that in this era in america. i think it's a mixed history of relationships between politics and faith. faith is poor too many people in this country. it does have to do with a certain view of ethics and the moral good and politics is about that. host: where does it help? guest: faith fundamentally and correctly is about justice and about the moral good. it's also about advancing the welfare of the whole of the common good. i think faith can inform those questions. faith at its best can prove a

model of how to engage properly with other people, particularly people with whom you have differences to elevated conversation. i think that's when faith is at its best. guest: host: host: when does it hurt? guest: it hurts when it becomes weaponized and people use it for ideological agendas. some use the bible to support to confirm what they already believe lytic clean. then it shifts politics which is already a passionate issue in and of itself and ratchets it up. often you go from normal contours of the debate in politics to a sense of children of light or children of darkness

and people on the side of satan. you look at the history of europe and john locke who was a significant figure in several centuries of wars, religious wars on the european continent and there has been a history of faith. you can see how faith can actually cause people to hate each other and turn on each other. host: in current debates, where you see the bible being used weaponized politics? guest: it's been primarily used by the american right and the republican party with the religious right. i say that as a person who has been a lifelong republican. i worked in several republican administrations so that's just context in which i say that.

overall, the american evangelical movement which is huge in this country depending on the surveys, 80-100,000,000 people are overwhelmingly republican. what we have seen in the last several years is the use of faith in the ways that are divisive and problematic. they have done more to split the country then bring it together. evangelical movement and faith in general is the core of hundreds of millions of people and there are many people on the spectrum where they fall. if you gave a generalized assessment of the american white evangelical movement in politics, over the last several years and several decades, it

leaves a lot to be desired. host: you wrote a piece that says the evangelical church is breaking apart. guest: i was arguing that last month, there is a lot of evidence of anecdotal and polling evidence about how the evangelical church is splitting. there are many divisions these days. i was interested in why and what was happening. i reached out to a lot of people like pastors and theologians and academics and historians to try to understand what was happening and why it was happening.

i was wondering about the politics that we have, we have found a place within churches and i've heard from many pastors. i did interviews for the peace but then after the peace, i was taken aback somewhat quite honestly hearing the stories about not just how politics is inundated the church but a certain type of communication, certain kind of style has also touched the church in difficult ways. i heard from a lot of pastors about the nature of viciousness within churches. that is antithetical to churches that are faithful. this is what the new testament argues for but human nature is complicated. people struggle but that was a

big take away. there is a lot of hostility that defines a lot of churches today at some of that is caused by high profile pastors who have become highly politicized. most pastors are not like that step most get into ministry because they want to preach the gospel and they don't want to be open to politics. host: what position are these faith groups and these leaders who get involved in politics every year? what position are they in heading into the next presidential election when it comes to morality after the last two presidential elections? guest: objectively speaking, i think they are in a week position.

they traditionally cared about the personal morality of political leaders. you can go back to bill clinton in 1990's during the monica lewinsky scandal. a lot of those groups and leaders a lot appeal of evangelical christians pounded the drum of personal morality and use that issue as a two by four against bill clinton. they said he was an immoral reprobate and that really mattered for a whole variety of reasons. his character matters because the presidency is such an important job. that all flipped when donald trump came onto the scene.

there was reluctance against trumpet they overcame that. then they embraced it and became great champions of him and all of a sudden, those moral concerns they expressed when a democrat was president got jettisoned and what matter was not personal morality or ethics or integrity of the president but his policy agenda. i think they are vulnerable to challenges of hypocrisy. the balancing of moral character and the agenda that a political leader has is a complicated issue. you have to weigh those different things. there is just no question that you can see the double standard that has been at play. if those groups decide to portray -- to play the morality card against democrats having tucked it away during the trump era, they will look more hypocritical than they already do.

host: reverend wallace talked about the morality of the bill back at her agenda. how do you think of that legislation? is it about morality? guest: yes and no. legislation often has elements of morality hidden because the law is an expression. one can overdo that as well. when you get into specific legislation, there is more nuance than many people speak about and people like to pretend that whatever particular piece of legislation, that they support or oppose, is either probe bible or anti-bible. i didn't hear the discussion so this is a general statement.

the build back better bill has some elements that are quite good. i'm a big fan of the expanded child tax credit because that's been shown to be the best single program for the elimination of childhood property. i will give credit to mitt romney, a republican who is a supporter of the child tax credit bill. there is a lot of stuff on the democratic wish list that's on that bill as well. that's one of the reasons white joe manchin from west virginia has opposed it along with all the republicans in the senate step i think they used some budget gimmicks in terms of the costing at a lower price and it would cost because the costing was based on the assumption that these programs would, after five years or in some cases longer,

run out. there is no way on earth that would happen so i think there was budget gimmickry as well. president biden is having trouble getting through. scott a united republican front for the democratic party is not exactly united on it either. it's a coalition. if biden can get all the democrats, he would get it through. host: let's get to calls, louisiana, independent. caller: listen, i'm 65 years old. jim wallis has been in my life since i was a teenager. he's one of the most really in social -- sociologists in the world. i did a couple of dinners with him. i think he will vouch for what

i'm about to say. i remember talking to gary about the fact that the guy who wrote the end times novels, that he said there was 4000 people who ran the world and gary looked up and said it's less than that step here is my story. i am 50 years old and grinding away in the middle class in the night married into flannery o'connor's family and i'm through the looking glass and i'm in the ruling class and i was talking to my wife one day when the jeffrey epstein thing hit. she said we were friends for a long time. we would talk everyday about

culture and art and she said on till i started talking him about the resurrection and attention of jesus, it turned him off and the relationship went away. another family member spent a lot of time with jeffrey flying around the world. stanley kubrick's last film, eyes wide shut and martin short made a film called the believers which talks about how the ruling class is involved in some black occultism. we are talking 150,000 feet. you know the christian right is concerned about conspiracies and i don't see you guys in the think tanks really talking about this stuff stuff host: i'm going to leave it there. do you have a reaction to that? guest: i can't speak to his personal stories about jeffrey epstein.

let me make a general point other than jeffrey epstein was engaged in wicked acts. more generally about the ruling class in the conspiracy theory, every society has a ruling class which is the nature of life in this world will stop is the ruling class malevolence and people? on the matter of conspiracy theory, the danger is not the fact that the right or anybody else is during conspiracy theories, it's the opposite stop we just had a president in donald trump and now his supporters and many people in congress who have been spending conspiracy theories which are dangerous. the most malicious of which is that the election was stolen and donald trump is the rightful air.

this because the insurrection on the capital less than a year ago in an effort to overturn the free election. yet those people have weaved together conspiracy. which is turned this whole thing on its head step that's not the only conspiracy theory. there are others about covid and the vaccines which have been shown -- it's basically a medical miracle. that's my perspective on conspiracy theories in general. conspiracies do exist but right now, cf lewis once said that when you are on the missed of a fire, you don't -- in the midst of a fire, you don't reach for a fire extinguisher. host: jeffrey in auburn, new

york, democratic caller. caller: good morning and merry christmas. i would like to preface my statement on aboriginal rights. i was born and baptized a catholic that i chose in my teenage years to explore protestantism. i have gone to every church in the present denomination and i once called myself a baptist. the aboriginal rights on the border is subtext a religious conflict. the pre-columbian days where native aboriginals roamed north america freely without borders from middle america all the way to canada with no borders and no conflict, this is the artificial conflict about him -- of the

baptists which ruled the southern states and catholics which were the conquistadors who would convert or kill the indians. most of the people south of the border are catholic by birth because of the intervention in north america by queen isabella and the spaniards bringing all this conversion. i think there is a battle of wills among protestant denominations and catholics and i have a solution i believe could possibly work. a north american aboriginal bill of rights where as in europe, without border and without passport, you can emigrate from country to country. we should be able to have aboriginals of indian descent

freely migrate amongst north america without passport and without claiming a visa. i am not a native american, i just believe in justice. guest: it doesn't strike me that that plan, whatever its merits, i would have to look into the details, is the solution to our problem. the idea of traveling without a passport, i think countries need borders and you have to be able to control borders. the calibration of the immigration policy is who can come in and who cannot. it's a complicated one. the american story is a beautiful and wonderful story of assimilation and immigration, taking different people from

different countries and the term that was used was a melting pot. even then, i think there is the calibration of having an assimilated identity as one nation on the one hand and each of those people allowing themselves to come into this country and maintain what's distinctive about them. it's the ability to get that balance right is one of the wonderful things about the american story. it's one that i don't think we are getting right particularly well at this moment. host: west palm beach florida, independent caller, go ahead. caller: can you hear me? i hope you'll give me the time. i thought about this a lot and i know this man. this guy, mr. courson and mr.fr

u appearedmm with the rise of baby bush. apparently this was done after the 1999 republican retreat. they had a retreat just the way the democrats did after the 1968 convention. basically, they said in order to become a majority player, we essentially had to become social democrats with -- that's with the europeans called it except they call it compassion to -- compassionate conservatism. i began weaving my money out of the country. i was absolutely appalled and horrified through the obama years because i kept on hearing him say the government had to do

what was right, what was fair. evangelicals say we have to do with just in the eyes of god. i was thinking we are caught between mahatma gandhi on one side and jesus christ on the other. apparently, you haven't read the constitution. the first amendment strictly forbids a government to establish a religion. that's what this is in all but name. when patty murray says that a government is an expression of their values, they are talking about establishing a sort of religion. i cannot believe others didn't find it extremely disturbing. host: i want pete to jump in here. guest: i got a feeling that stephen wasn't able to maintain his hope was that he wouldn't get angry. i think he is confused about

several things so let me see if i can untangle some of what he said. there is this wonderful balance between the free exercise and not the establishment of religion. the founders didn't think faith didn't have a in politics. they did not want a national religion. they were right on both counts. there was never an effort to impose a theocracy or violate the constitution, the idea of what's just in the eyes of god. it was not true. we talked about justice and we think faith informs justice. he talked about david from, michael garrison. i've worked with michael for -- since the 1990's. he is a person whose faith is nuanced and sophisticated.

david from was a brilliant writer for the atlantic. he was not particulate involved in the effort. david was part of the bush administration. that was not an effort to be a social democrat. it was to try to use conservative principles and prioritize compassion is a virtue and use policies to help the common good. i don't care any apologies that need to be made. i think it's the right way to think about it. i think the his three of the individuals involved, including david who is a friend, is really twisted. in terms of what really happened and who these people are.

host: steve bannon minnesota. stash steve and minnesota. -- steve in minnesota. caller: we all participate in public policy in one way or another. if religion means being influenced by your ethics and so forth, that's fine. i'm concerned we talk about the role of faith in public policy. faith to me and the way i see people practice it is a nonfalsifiable certainty. it just invites people imposing their will on others. frankly, i think it's destructive. guest: in some cases it is. in some cases, it's not.

you talk about faith, it is such a broad term. i understand you are trying to make the distinction between the role of religion and the role of faith. let me speak personally here in terms of my own faith. i am a person of the christian faith. if you read my writings and my experience, it would not involve nonfalsifiable certainties. i write about doubt and questions. there are elements when it comes to doctrine. the authority of scripture involves faith. people who are not believers make leaps of faith in their own lives. the question seems to me, this faith and form one's ethical and moral view in a way that can translate into politics, in a

way that advances the common good? i think it can. i say that with the caveat that in many cases it hasn't. i would say that faith rightly understood has something to contribute to politics. i think religion and faith wrongly goodhearted. -- understood could hurt it. for me, the most painful part of this. -- time we've gone through, it's the damage it caused to faith itself. the public witness of an authentic christian faith has been badly damaged by people who have used the christian faith as a weapon. as a bludgeon. as a plug to beat people.

to ratify views, and sometimes religious -- extremist views and say that this with the bible teaches when that is clearly not the case. again, i think it's a complicated issue. it's an interesting issue. there is history when it comes to the intersection of faith and politics. each side can invoke examples and figures through history that can fortify their case. what do we make of that? i think it's a complicated balance. people need discretion. and wisdom in trying to get that balance right. intellectual honesty demands that each side understand the arguments of the other side and understand there are limits to the views that all of us hold. host: you can find his writing,

happy holidays and thank you for spending part of your christmas eve with us this morning. we appreciate it. guest: merry christmas and happy new year to the c-span listeners. host: we are going to take a break. when we come back, we will talk about the vice president and how she is doing in that role. we will talk with joel goldstein , a law scholar and historian of the vice presidency. we will be right back. >> we believe one of the greatest is we are striving to provide equal opportunity to all citizens. >> the video documentary competition, students across the country are giving us a behind-the-scenes look as they work on their entry using the

hash tag studentcam. if you are a student, you can join the conversation by entering the competition. create a documentary using c-span video clips that asked the question how does the federal government impact your life? >> be passionate about what you are discussing. know that in the greatest country in the history of the universe, your view does matter. >> content is king. remember to be as neutral and impartial as possible in your portrayal of both sides of an issue. >> c-span awards cash prizes and you have a shot at when the grand prize. entries must be received before january 20, 2022. for rules, tutorials, how to get started, visit our website.

>> next week starting sunday, watch washington journals holiday week authors series, featuring live segments with a new writer. sunday, jonathan alter with his book is very best. monday, former independent senator joe lieberman with the centrist solution. on tuesday, activist heather mcgee with her book for some of us. wednesday, former presidential candidate andrew yang with forward. on thursday, for fda commissioner discusses white covid-19 crushed us and how we can defeat the next pandemic, on

friday activist bob woodson with his book about rescuing american history from revisionists. our special holiday week authors series on c-span or on are no -- new video app. >> washington journal continues. host: with us this morning is joel goldstein, vice presidential scholar and the author of the book the path to significance. the front page of the washington journal, new york times this morning, harris struggles to define role, even as she is making history. why do you think they say she is struggling? guest: there have been a number

of stories recently dealing with some of the challenges. she is operating in a unique context. most of our recent vice presidents have been political insiders who worked with presidents who were new to national government, new to washington. this is one of the rare instances in which the president has spent a lot of time and national government and has a lot of familiarity with congress. he spent six terms there before he was vice president. the normal situation is a little bit inverted. that's one of the factors that has presented challenges. it doesn't mean she can't have and isn't having a consequential vice presidency. there are a number of challenges she faces. host: the story begins with a

meeting the president was having with joe manchin. instead of her being in the meeting, the president asked her to say hello and then she left. they cite that as an example of the president not needing her for his agenda. she doesn't have relationships in the senate like he did when he was in the senate. guest: right. what president biden has said from the moment that he selected then senator harris to be his running mate was she would be the last person in the room, that she would have a chance to weigh in on issues. he repeated that a number of times. i think it's a mistake to think her vice presidency will look exactly like his vice presidency did. every vice presidency is a little bit different because of the different presidents

involve. vice president biden spent a lot of time on legislative matters, working as a closer, he had the relationships. in this instance, it's not surprising that president biden is continuing to be the closer with simply like senator manchin it, who was the deciding vote on a number of issues. i think that's really what is reflecting. host: where is she having an impact? guest: i think she has taken on a number of assignments. she has made three trips to diplomatic.

it i think she had an impact in two ways. what is very difficult to measure. one of the vice presidents major roles is to be a behind-the-scenes advisor. the other people are in the inner circle. that role is an invisible one. we are not privy to those meetings. we don't know what is being said when the vice president and the president are loan. the other role she has is the more operational one, helping to articulate and communicate the objectives of the administration and take on another of operational assignments. she's been doing that, speaking out on infrastructure legislation, build back better on climate change, the need for

people to get vaccinated, a number of other priorities. host: what grade would you give vice president harris? guest: it's hard to give a grade to a vice president. number one, you don't know what has been said behind the scenes. they are not in a position to come out and talk about their private advice to the president. what we see primarily our operational things that are done. then it becomes difficult because the context she is operating in is so different than her predecessors. one is simply the fact that she is working in a very experienced president in a very experienced

white house. a second challenge has been because there has been speculation the president won't run for reelection, he said he will if he's healthy, there has been more speculation about her as a presidential candidate in 2020 four. normally vice president's have the luxury of postponing that. because she is a historic first, the first woman to hold national office, the first woman of color, a first-generation american, there has been more attention on her nationally. there has been more media scrutiny of her. the context she has worked in has been very different. it's hard to compare her. there been other vice president's who had disastrous first terms. that is not the case here.

i think they've built a foundation for a consequential vice presidency. how it turns out will remain to be seen. host: who had disastrous first years? guest: lyndon johnson, just going back in our lifetimes, lyndon johnson thought he could retain control of the senate if the chairman of the democratic caucus and ran into pushback. that really humiliated him. he felt marginalized in the kennedy administration. when he became president, his old friend became his vice president. within the first couple of months, johnson didn't tell him that he had an illness. he wouldn't communicate information to him.

when winston churchill died, did not send the vice president to represent the united states at the funeral. when vice president humphrey weighed in on discussions about vietnam and followed up with a memo, president johnson told him his memos weren't needed on vietnam. i think the biggest disaster in the first year was nelson rockefeller. the four term governor of new york. he became gerald ford's vice president. he got control of the domestic counsel. he thought he was in charge of domestic policy. he had very little influence over domestic policy. in less than a year after the time he was sworn in, president ford it came to him and asked him to take himself off the ticket for 1976.

those are three examples of unhappy first years. host: tom in lancaster. we are talking about the vice president. what are your thoughts? caller: i would like to know the constitution if president or vice president harris is even eligible with her parents being foreign-born. as a law professor, can you tell me if she's eligible? guest: she was born in the united states. the 14th amendment to the constitution says in part that any person born in the united states is a united states citizen. with certain exceptions that don't apply, there's no question in my mind that senator -- vice

president harris is a natural born citizen of the united states and she is eligible to serve as vice president and president. host: elizabeth is in indiana. caller: good morning. i just want to say every christmas to all. to the last gentleman, trumps family was not american-born even though he was. that answers that question. my question for mr. joel, do you think the media is causing her more harm than good? host: in what way? caller: thank you.

guest: i think the role of the media in the net states is critical. i think she has faced some unique challenges from the media that are unique. i think because she is the first woman to hold national office and the first person of color, first generation american, in some circles she has been subjected to a different treatment than others. because she is unique, there has been more interest in vice president harris than most of her predecessors. there are more reporters covering her fin was ever the

case for vice president pence or vice president biden or any of her predecessors. journalists around the world are writing books about vice president harris in a way that wasn't true of any of her predecessors. the media is so different than it was in the days when walter mondale or george bush or even al gore were vice president. the media is polarized at least in certain segments. i think that poses challenges. the right-wing media is constantly running stories that are critical of her. that is something that is a relatively new feature in our politics. i think there have been a number

of stories, the one that you mentioned today in the new york times. they have raised issues or challenges that haven't come from the right-wing media, but more from the mainstream media. host: peggy noonan wrote that the reason people watch her so closely isn't that she's a woman of color, she could become president at any moment. they want to have some confidence. they don't want to have to worry about it. we face grave challenges. who leads us matters. she should set her mind primarily on the profound responsibility of the job she may have to fill. she should do this as an act of will. only secondarily should she talk about her political prospects.

when that is true, everybody can tell. your reaction to that? guest: i think that's correct, the role of the vice president is really a very significant one. it used to be being vice president was only important because the vice president was a heartbeat away from the presidency. beginning with walter mondale, it's an important job on an ongoing basis. as miss noonan points out, it is a heartbeat away from the presidency. the vice president may become president. it is terribly important. what's important for any vice president is to focus on how can

i help the current president succeed in his or her administration it, being prepared in case presidential succession occurs. for a brief time, about an hour and a half, she was the acting president under section three of the 25th amendment, when president biden had a procedure. he transferred power to her. the succession role is one that all vice presidents have to be attentive to. host: deborah in virginia. mute your television please. caller: all right. host: go ahead with your question or comment. caller: professor, i have a

question. i don't know, i know the vice president has at certain times crossed over and spoken to republicans about certain bills that may or may not be passed. i don't see vice president harris doing that with the build back better bill. i think she could be useful if she would do things like that. i was wondering, would that be a good thing? guest: if vice president harris if it was thought that vice president harris could persuade one of the 50 republican senators to support build back better, i think the democratic party would be thrilled.

i think that would be a very good thing. i haven't seen any indication. i haven't seen any reports that there has been any prospect of any of the republican senators supporting build back better. that is really why the whole focus of discussion for a number of months is focused on senator manchin and his position. i think if there was any inkling that was possible, the vice president, the president, would be having those discussions. the democratic party would be thrilled i it. there were a few occasions when president biden was vice president, when he was able to persuade some republican senators to support some of president obama's significant

legislation. he worked on that. i think given the polarization of our politics, those opportunities are few and far between. host: johnny in boston, you are next. caller: good morning. happy and healthy holiday to you. i have a couple of comments and a question. i was a democrat my whole life. up until we had the hearings on the supreme court justice kavanaugh, the way that she handled that in front of his wife and his children, that was so devastating, the things that she brought up. it upset me as to what type of

person she really is. everyone that runs for politics, that was just so cruel. it made me go to city hall the following day and change my affiliation. that's how bad i thought it was. my second comment would be about -- she's the vice president now. when she was senator and she made the comment that just because trump brightened the vaccine, she wouldn't take it. what does that say to the american people? i could go on with that. i would just like to ask this one question. i am more worried about what harm she could do to this country.

that would be my question. host: what are your thoughts? guest: with any vice president, we are all concerned about how they would handle situations. i think it's good to watch presidents and vice presidents in a fair-minded way. with respect to the nomination of judge kavanaugh, the nomination to the federal judiciary is for life. for the supreme court, the power of those nine people is really an and norma's power that comes with a lifetime appointment.

they are deciding basic issues that affect people and they are very personal. i think with some of the issues that came up at the hearing about judge kavanaugh, those weren't issues that senator harris put on the table. those were issues that were brought forward. when senator harris was in the senate and as vice president, she spent a lot of time on national security matters. i think that's part of the preparation of president would be helpful as president. part of the idea of putting the vice president on the national security council, when harry truman became president in 1945,

nobody had told him about the project to build atomic weapons. it was after he became president that one of the cabinet members said i think there's something you need to know about. the thought going forward has been it's important for the vice president to be in the loop and to know what's going on and to be engaged in those discussions. i think that's part of the idea behind the relationship president biden has talked about. she should be involved in all of the important meetings. she has regular meetings with the secretary of state. her office is right alongside the national security advisor. that's probably part of being

ready to succeed if need be. to help contribute to the policies of the administration. host: steve is in corpus christi. caller: i'm listening to your guest. being fair-minded, to give the vice president an opportunity. we don't see what's going on. it comes across as a smokescreen. what is the status of the border. isn't she in charge? if you are going to problem solve, you don't just look at the core issue. you go to some of the serious problems in front of you. where the fire fighting to put the fire out? host: we are running out of time. what about having the vice president handle an issue that

has challenged presidents going back tenure after tenure and congress as well. this is something both parties have not come to an agreement on. guest: the assignment is not to be in charge of the border. her assignment which was also joe biden's assignment is to deal with some of the root causes that are causing migration like corruption and some of the countries, the lack of opportunity, climate change. she's been dealing with that. she's dealing with corruption and smuggling and recently this month, she announced a major american corporations are pledging $1.2 billion in some of

those countries. there have been efforts to help teach people better skills and so forth. i think they are trying to address the root causes. i think there's been too much preoccupation in the discussion about what the vice president portfolios are. the vice president ought to be a generalist. the vice president is really focused on the whole picture. we shouldn't obsess on what are the particular assignments. the vice president's job is to help the president across the board succeed. i think increasingly, that's been what vice president harris has tried to do in terms of the major policy issues.

trying to deal with climate change, trying to deal with the programs and build back better. that's with the vice president job is, not so much to take on specific portfolios. host: joel goldstein is the vice presidential scholar. thank you very much for your time. we appreciate it. host: we will take a short break. when we come back, open up the lines to the issues that are on your lines. republicans, (202) 748-8001. democrats, (202) 748-8000. independent voters, (202) 748-8002. we will be right back.

>> c-span offers a podcast with something for every listener. weekdays, washington today gives you the latest from our nations capital. every week, notes plus has interviews with writers about their latest books. there is audio from our archive to look at how issues of the day developed over years. extension conversations with historians about their lives and work. many of our television programs are available as podcasts. you can find them all on the c-span now mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> at least six presidents recorded conversations while in office. here many of those on the new podcast. >> the focus is lyndon johnson.

you will hear about the civil rights act, the presidential campaign, the gulf of tonkin incident, the march on selma, the war in vietnam. not everyone knew they were being recorded. >> johnson's secretaries new. they were tasked with transcribing any of those conversations. they were making sure the conversations were taped. question will also hear blunt talk. >> the number of people assigned to kennedy the day that he died. if i can't go to the bathroom, i won't go anywhere. >> presidential recordings, find it on the c-span mobile app.

>> washington journal continues. host: welcome back on christmas eve. we are in open form, taking your issues that are on your mind. let's begin with president biden talking about the omicron variant. fears that americans have. here is. >> there are three big differences between then and now. one, more than 200 million americans have been fully vaccinated. in march, 2020, no one was fully vaccinated. what that means is today as cases for fully vaccinated persons will most likely mean no symptoms or mild ones.

over 200 million americans should have the peace of mind they did not have in march 2020. protection from hospitalization and death. the second point, we are paired for what's coming. in march 2020, we were not ready. today, we stockpiled enough masks and ventilators to deal with a surge in hospitalizations among the end vaccinated. today we are ready. as i will explain, we are going to be reinforcing our hospitals. number three, we know a lot more today than we did back in march 2020. last year, we thought the only way to keep your children safe was to close schools. today, we know more. you can get 5-11-year-olds vaccinated.

today, we don't have to shut down schools because of covid-19. now if a student test positive, they can stay in the classroom if they are not infected. we can keep our k-12 schools open. that's what we should be doing. let me summarize. we should be concerned about omicron, but not panicked. if you are fully vaccinated and you've got your booster shot, you are highly protected. if you are unvaccinated, you are it higher risk of being severely ill or dying. the best thing to do is get fully vaccinated and get your booster shot. this is not march 2020. host: president biden talking about the omicron variant.

this has dominated the headlines. the economy flashes signs of cooling. that's the front page of the wall street journal. then you have inside the journal, travel surges in spite of the omicron via -- very. the mayor of new york liens into the big new year's eve gather in that city. the front page of the new york times, a guilty verdict for the x officer who shot a man. that's another issue that we can talk about. she said she mistook her gun for her taser when she shot a man

during a traffic stop in minneapolis. she was convicted of two clowns -- counts of manslaughter. the u.s. warns of a closer nato presents as russia weighs the invasion of ukraine. vladimir putin held his year-end news conference. he blamed the west for tension along the ukraine border. that's the headline in the washington post. you can see some of the news conference right here on c-span if you go to our website, c-span.org. what issue is on your mind? caller: i want to wish everybody a merry christmas. merry christmas to c-span. as far as mr. goldstein that was just on it, i think he is a pr man for our vice president,

trying to hyper up. i think she has a problem with alcohol or smoking too much pot. that's my opinion. as far as coronavirus, i don't plan to take a shot. i think they should promote the therapeutics. you've got people dying right now or people in the hospital from the coronavirus shot. i know it for a fact. that's my opinion. host: elizabeth in maryland. good morning. caller: i'm an independent. i want to talk about this shooting of that young female teenager in los angeles yesterday in that department store in north hollywood. what a terrible tragedy for her family. she was shot by that police

officer. it was on this morning. i couldn't believe it. i.e. mailed the mayor of los angeles. everyone should be brought to justice. what a travesty of justice. i am trying -- i am trying to get a test. president biden announced the other day on television that he is shipping out free covid tests. i'm a disabled senior. i don't have a car. i hope i get one. host: i encourage you to watch the press briefing yesterday by the press secretary. she talked about the rollout and how it's going to work.

this is not happening until january. if you're interested, go to our website. lisa is in texas. good morning to you. caller: good morning. i was a little disappointed that the gentleman on the religion and politics wasn't on longer. it seemed like it was real short. i agree with what he has said. i went to church all my life. i have lost a lot of respect for many people. i believe it should be divided, politics have no business in church. if you want to talk politics, we can have coffee and talk politics. i think it has hurt the view of christians.

i have seen myself a lot of christians. in this -- host: jerry in virginia. good morning. what's on your mind? caller: good morning. several months ago, when they were trying to pass legislation for id to vote, that was racial discrimination. it was difficult for people of color to gain identification. now, those same people of color have to have identification to go into a restaurant, get onto a

bus, or go to work. that is jim crow on steroids. host: joel, good morning to you. caller: good morning. the first question this morning, of what consequence is that to anybody? is tomorrow's question going to be their favorite color? have you had a program about joe biden? have you had a program about senator harris? there are real topics to talk about. you save your more relative than

other. i don't see it? when you have a guest on it, have one with a dissenting view. i think it would said -- edge of might. -- shed some light. host: rate in tennessee. good morning. caller: good morning. this professor you just had on talking about kamala harris, what planet has he been on. this administration, she was given a job to do. she didn't do it. she's a miserable failure. you can't get up there and give her a grade. i will give her an f.

i will give biden an f. every aspect of our life, they have made it worse. host: all right. caller: people that voted for him will have voters remorse. host: next week starting on sunday, watch washington journal , a special holiday week of authors series. we will have a new writer. on sunday, jonathan alter. on monday, senator joe lieberman will talk about his book the centrist solution. on tuesday, heather mcgee with her book the sum of us. on wednesday, we will talk with andrew yang on his book forward.

on thursday, trump -- former fda commissioner with his book uncontrolled spread. on friday, bob woodson on his book red white and black. be sure to watch washington journal starting sunday for our holiday week authors series, right here on c-span or you can watch with our new mobile video app called c-span now. it is free. jennifer in oklahoma city. good morning. what's the public policy issue on your mind? we lost her. elaine, let's go to you. caller: thanks for having me on. my comment is about vaccination.

it's just been on my mind all week. you had a collar on earlier in the week. he was expressing his view that when i speak to people about who are opposed to vaccination, this seems to be what they say most frequently. i have members of my own family who are adamantly opposed to vaccines. i just wanted to speak to what he was saying. he was from virginia. he said because we have these people who are vaccinated and have breakthrough infections, they can still spread it. he said, he vaccinated himself. he said he was wrong to have any

type of mandate. it should be up to the individual. that's what i hear very frequently. because there are breakthrough infections, they can spread the virus in the same way unvaccinated people can. he's really missing that. host: we know that point. can you get to yours? caller: yes. my point is this. people who don't get vaccinated are hurting others. if a child has -- they're overwhelming the hospital. the other way is people who are vaccinated, even if they have a breakthrough infection, it is far less frequent that they spread the infection.

i think those two points are very important. host: jim is in ohio. caller: how are you doing? i was calling about the space telescope, which is going to be launched christmas day. i hope everything goes good for the telescope and everything works right. that's just my comment. will you be having anybody from nasa on your show to talk about the james webb telescope? host: i don't know off the top of my head. i will have our producer look into that. what interests you about the story? caller: i'm a big science fan. i am all for science. it's the next generation. as the next generation space telescope. it will be able to look further

into the universe. host: cnn's headline it, the space telescope will reveal the secrets of the universe. john is in new jersey. good morning to you. go ahead. caller: merry christmas. god bless america. i would like to say that in my opinion, to have a strong country, you need to read things. you need an educated nation. i really respect the office of the president. i do believe this administration dropped the ball a little bit. the next topic i would like to touch base on, all the cable news shows, they are truly

opinions. people have to realize they are not making news, they are giving opinions. washington journal, your moderators. i have no idea if you are a republican or democrat. i believe there are five on your show. i would like to see any of your five take over the sunday morning news shows. i don't think george stephanopoulos or chuck todd needs money. that's what i would like to say. host: mark in seattle. caller: good morning. happy holidays, merry christmas. santa is a democrat. the thing is, we need bipartisan

action. it's the only way to get things done. the thing is, see how it feels. there is too much fear. we've got to negate the fear and get together. we have a war to fight, it looks like climate change is a big win. we've got to get that under control. let's do it. let's stop talking about it. let's get some bills passed. the senator from west virginia, that's a good way to name these people rather than say their name. host: let me get in a couple of calls. rich in tennessee.

we are talking about public policy this morning. caller: merry christmas. number one policy for me is abortion. if i could speak to two previous guests that talked about ethics. all legislation is based on someone's idea of morality. ethics is throughout all legislation. to mr. wallace in particular, i've heard him before. he is a frequent guest. when he spoke about the meaning of christmas, the gospel is not about overturning earthly powers and the lowly becoming the rulers. it's about jesus christ coming to live so that he could give us

his righteousness and take our sins and die and satisfy god's demand for justice. that's with the gospel messages. he will waffle on issues such as abortion. if you look at his twitter feed and look at the policy, it is straight democrat talking points. i applaud efforts of all types to alleviate suffering for the poor and to feed the hungry and clothe and provide the values. that is not the gospel. i want to make sure that we get that across. host: i want to thank you all for watching this morning. happy holidays merry christmas. happy new enjoy your day.

-- happy new year. enjoy your day. ♪ >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more, including cox. >> cox is committed to providing your family -- cox, ringing you closer -- b ringing you closer. >> cox support c-span along with

these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> c-span.com c-span's online store. browse books, home decor, and accessories. there something therefore every c-span fan. ♪ host: good morning this christmas eve 2021. we will begin the conversation with your holiday spending this year. according to a recent cnbc poll, americans plan to spend on average $1004 on gifts of this year, up to 10% from the pandemic depressed number last year, and the highest since 2018. however, another poll