>> sparklight supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> coming up this morning, heritage action for america executive director jess gunderson on the role her organization is playing in this election cycle and efforts to admit conservative policy. regina k sullivan discusses women voters 2022 "washington journal midterm elections. "washington journal"washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: washington had a political debate took place last night. they shared their positions on a variety of topics. these debates are designed to help inform the public about how

candidates views differ. in our first hour, we went to hear from you, helping you learn about a candidate. do debates help you? did they help you learn about candidates? you can text us, if you wish, about the role that debates take . you can post on facebook and on twitter, and also follow the show. it was pennsylvanian, michigan and new hampshire last night. the topics included abortion, crime, inflation and other topics. if you look at the gazette, it

talks about the debate featuring lieutenant john fetterman. they talked about many things, and one of the things that they talked about was a topic about crime. here is a portion of that debate from last night. >> republicans have called you dangerously soft on crime. in this race, they endorsed your republican candidate, dr. oz. you have 60 seconds. >> i believe that i run on my record on crime. i ran for may in order to fight gun violence, and that is exactly what i did. working with the police and the

community, i was able to stop gun violence for 5.5 years as mayor. i am the only person on this stage right now who was successful on pushing back against gun violence. all he has done is put a plan up on his website in the last 24 hours. he has no experience and made no attempt to address crime, except showing up for photo ops in philadelphia. >> we will give you a chance to respond to that. >> they supported me because what he is saying is not true. violence skyrocketed in braddock. people kept leaving, so of course we are going to have all sorts of aberrations, but the city was dangerous under your

leadership. >> this past summer, congress passed the first gun control bill in decades. that would not happen without the help of the man you are looking to replace. but you continue the legacy of being one of the lead republicans in congress to push for gun reforms? >> i have been supported by pat toomey and i think he has done a wonderful job. i like the fact that they are background checks are being strengthened, so we can make sure that people who should not have guns do not have guns. i like that there is money for mental health. i have done prior vigils with those desperately trying to save the people in their community. we have to get mental health services to these people. part of the problem is that we have taken away the ability of

police to do their job and that is on john fetterman. he has undermined them at every turn, taking away their funding. he has taken his policies to a new extreme. he has argued that people should be released. host: that is just a portion of that debate. inform yourself about a candidate. you can let us know. for democrats -- you can text us as well. we recently took a look at the

race in the senate. highlighting the fact that in 2020, there were a total of 20 debates. this year, there will only be seven. it highlights some of the races across the country. dr. oz released an ad accusing john fetterman of dodging debates. looking at the georgia senate contest, there was a no-show to a debate. that is just some of the actual stories playing out. some of you commenting on our facebook page as well.

how a candidate conducts themselves gives us an idea of how we can expect a candidate to react in office. it gives us an idea of their knowledge about the issues. this is also from sergio reduce go junior. he looks at informing himself, he judges them on records on policy and legislation. another saying, they all lie, when it comes to debate. another saying, he cannot really call them debates. you can make your comments on facebook and you can also comment on our twitter feed. this is from michigan, independent line, starting on the role of debates. go ahead. caller: i watched the debate last night for the gubernatorial

. i never voted for a republican a day in my life and based on that debate, i think that governor whitmer did not answer the questions very clearly, especially when it came to the issue of controversies and explicit material being made available to minors in our state. i thought it was disappointing. as vile as her embellishing a number of issues. we have one of the worst economies in america and her false promises about fixing the rules. i am leaning toward supporting a republican, and i have never voted republican in my life.

host: will not be a factor on how you decide on candidates? caller: in most cases, i have my mind made up before the debate. i was quite surprised how lackluster governor whitmer's debate was. they actually swayed my opinion. host: if you go to our website, we have many websites that might determine. you can also watch them for a short time after these events take place. you can download it off the story. you can find that there as well.

one of those other topics discussed during last night, inflation and the economy. >> if you had been in power, what decisions would you have made to help change what is going on in our economy? what is your specific plan to make the economy better? >> i have heard several times that she will work with anyone on anything and that she is bipartisan, but she has vetoed the opportunities to put money back in the pocket of the people. she vetoed it do bor to reduce income tax and vetoed retirement help for retirement income. even a gas tax holiday came to

her. he would be paying five dollars a gallon for gas right now. this governor has not done anything to help inflation. i would make sure that we reduce the income tax and i would make sure that our seniors are not receiving more taxes than they should. >> we have never raised the gas tax. the bills were a gimmick. they want to tell you that they were cutting your taxes, but they did not take effect until spring of next year. i do not have time for games and i do not think you do either. how do they plan to balance a budget by not shifting costs

onto you? >> thank you, governor. >> the bill from republicans are a gimmick. i think she has been on the house floor twice, so maybe she should have gone to negotiate. thanks to my lieutenant governor candidate, who made sure that we did not increase the gas tax, but she stood on the debate floor and said it was ridiculous, the idea of her raising the gas tax. it was one of the first thing she tried to do when she was in office. host: campaign 2020 if you want to see these debates. for a short time, you can view these on our cap -- app.

one saying i watched the debate for michigan and i made the decision that i could never support tutor dixon. he says media on the left and right must be consulted to get the whole picture. america is thoroughly sorted. they already know who they are supporting. we learn nothing new from debates. from south jersey, saying i watched four major debates last night. he says republicans -- he mentioned some of those races from last night, also adding the words, read tsunami. if you want to talk about

specific debates or the role that debates take in helping you inform yourself on issues and topics, you can do so on c-span.org. if you go to the website, they have a look at declines. they talk about the senate debates or debate for the senate. they state in elections over the past decades, they have debated less and less. it highlights there, studying in 2010 when you saw the cycle go from 17 to six. because debates are voluntary exercises, whether they happen and how often.

they can skew the tools for every year. they also add that 2022 continues. most of these races will be remarkably close. control of the emperor changer -- chamber hangs in the balance. those most competitive races have only faced off three times this election season. you can factor that into that, or some of you have talked about specific races. ginger, good morning. you are next. caller: debates do help, in some

instances. i think that the debate has not -- i really think that a debate helps because in the years past, some presidents could not even tell you about the capriles of the 50 states or how many continents. it gives you a good idea. host: have debates ever changed your mind about a candidate? caller: yes, they have. well, you listen to a lot of the information from the news, but a lot of times, things come up in

debate that never arrived in the news. it is quite informational, and i think debate is good for the political system. whenever you do not have debates , it cuts out the american people from finding out. host: if you go to the website, and talks about charles booker on a debate there. to some other stories reflecting that as well. you can add your own state's experience, if you want. republican line, hello. go ahead. caller: first of all shout out to c-span. thank you for all the coverage. great job. not only do i watch live debates, but i watch debates

from other states. the thing is, people are inundated with all of the ads. all they do is throw back and forth at each other. debates give you a chance to watch the candidates, how they react to each other on stage and get a more informed answer on different topics. that is what i like about it. host: did you watch last night's debate? caller: yes, i did. what did i think? i liked it. i already have my candidate picked out, it just reaffirmed it, but i didn't want to see their interaction with each other and i wanted to see

answers, not just sound clips to different questions. another shot at people that were doing that debate. host: is it a make or break thing as far as how the moderator does their job? caller: they are more of a handler because the people trying to running tried to steer things in their direction. in a lot of cases, the moderator is just trying to keep them on the rails. what i noticed was last night's debate, they kept it moving at a pretty nice clip and tried to get both of them to answer questions.

host: another viewer from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. caller: it how would you like to be conor lamb this morning, when you are seeing a train back unfolding before your face? pennsylvania media groups threw him under the bus. john fetterman should have never been the candidate. you had a two to be out-earn well-liked congressman with a spotless reputation, who was literally sidelined, regardless of whether there are these issues, which are profound. but what is very clear as a democrat, i can tell you that i will not be voting for john fetterman. the democratic establishment, especially the manipulation by the media -- if john fetterman prevails, this is the most

manipulated election that i have witnessed. the people of pennsylvania need to wake up and vote for dr. oz. make a statement and do not allow this nonsense to go on. host: did you watch last night's debate? how do you think he performed during that? caller: it was a train wreck. i actually felt sorry for him. who is handling this whole, appalling, arrogant political exercise? they could have said, he is still not recovered. this is going to be a situation that will not be tenable. i can guarantee you, if pennsylvania voters were witnessing what i was witnessing, this is a done deal

for dr. oz. the media is completely manipulating the pennsylvania electorate. and the nation when it comes to this whole political exercise that we are witnessing. host: ok. let's go to ohio. the role of debate and help they -- how they help you form your opinion. caller: i think debates are the most important part of making a decision. we have a republican running against a democrat. all he does is personally attack his opponent. he portrays himself as a conservative. he supports a lot of trump's ideas. the debates at least -- they

have to answer those questions right off the top. debates are actually the most important part for the electric to view -- electorate to view. he said he went never support. people can read that. it is just simple, common sense. host: did you watch the recent debate? what did you learn from it versus what you have seen in an that you referenced? caller: the polls in ohio show that this is a close race.

you know, i am an independent, but i do not my vote is private. the polls really do not mean much to me because they have been wrong so many times. if you look at the sample size, most of it is siding with the democratic party. i have a question. why is there no legislation for requirements for a candidate? look at joe biden or some of these others. one is turning 80 next month and the other has medical problems. if i didn't have medical

problems, i would run myself. host: good morning. caller: good morning thank you to everyone on your team. i actually believe that debates need to move from being visual, as in television, to audio only, as in radio or whatever medium that lets you only hear. when we think about only first started putting candidates on television, it was back when president kennedy was debating -- not president kennedy, but kennedy and nixon were debating each other. the way i see these debates, they fall into three categories.

ratings. they are going to campaign on certain stations and they will buy political advertisements. ivan never put an actor into a political position. why? central casting. when they get the job, they realize, this is not the role that i one. the polls are what people say. winning by 15 points. i have heard 70 people say, i want to -- i would not put that candidate in as a dogcatcher. what are you talking about.

they deserve to be in that position. city council, mayor, etc., but if you take someone who has only been on television, be that a tv host or anything that does the central casting. host: are you referencing the governor's race because one of them used to be a news anchor? caller: exactly. you have a team assisting you with a teleprompter, making sure that you stay on track with the process. when a television newscaster does the evening news, the same thing happens and it is all a show. host: well, we are up -- we are a show, three hours a day.

we cannot do this without you. if you want to give your thoughts on the role that deadbeats do take when informing yourself on candidate issues or candidates themselves, many people talking about races in their states. not only in the house, but in the senate as well. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i have had four years of witmer. i was amazed at the arrogance of this governor. she did not answer any of the questions. the arrogance that i saw from

her, it would never let me vote for her. she just kept flicking her hand towards her opponent like you are nothing. that really upset me, her body language. the other thing that got to me was when she asked her opponent if she thought books were as dangerous as guns. depict books or guns? both of them are dangerous in the wrong hands. this governor has got to go. i would never vote for her again and i hope michigan residents can see exactly what we have had for four years. host: as far as her challenger, but did you learn about her, during the debate. caller: i learned that her opponent was not a politician. she was a regular human being, irregular person wanting to

solve problems, rather than political. that is my opinion. i got the opinion of her that she was down to earth. i judge the people on their demeanor, and she had a more pleasant demeanor. host: one of the states being closely watched in this cycle. you can talk about your state and the role of debate when it comes to candidates, whether you are underside -- undecided or have already selected one. text like lance did. he is from georgia. he said, i learned a lot.

the debates have been very interesting and informative. another saying, i find debates, as long as it is not a shouting match, to be helpful. candidates should be able to maintain composure and articulate knowledge on the given topics. you can text us as well. susan is in pennsylvania. democrats caller: line. hello. -- democrats line. hello. caller: hello. debates are important to watch. i watched carefully. i am putting my support behind john fetterman. i heard the other democratic voters speaking before, not feeling the same way. this is because, if you ever

read the book dark money, you can see that over the decades, the billionaires have put all their money to change the democratic process of two parties to get it to be libertarian, republican, the way it is forming now. dr. oz, why is he there? i do not believe it. i put my support behind john fetterman, a democrat who will put his vote for the working people, and that is who i am and what i stand for. the republican party, especially the democratic party also. please read behind the lines. host: a couple other debates to

inform you about. if you are watching the process play out, you can see this at 6:00. chris and that governor's race. you can see that on c-span, c-span now and c-span.org. you can see that 7:00 on c-span.org, c-span or the ccn now at. recent days in the u.k., they have a new prime minister. he gave a speech a couple days ago and now faces question time in parliament. here is a little bit of that as it plays out now. >> i campaigned for kenneth clark and then michael. i cannot always get it right. but you know, i do know about

the west midlands. i know that the mayor welcomes the reappointment of the secretary and that he looked forward to working with our new prime minister. so may i just ask him, what is his vision? >> i think my right honorable friends for their questions. what i can say is that our desire for people, wherever they live is having pride in the place that they call home and having every opportunity to succeed. host: again, that is the new prime minister of the u.k., facing questions before they go out of session. you can see more on their website where we take in prime

minister's question time. domestic politics, particularly debates. we will hear from howard. caller: to me, debate does not make a difference. i do not see it how -- i do not see how they can tell you how to vote. host: if it is not debate, how do you inform yourself about a candidate? >> -- caller: i do not see how a one-time debate makes a difference. it does not change my vote, i

can tell you that. host: let's hear from cheryl, another texan on the democrats line. caller: the first thing that i would like to mention is that i have had two major strokes, the last one being in january of last year -- this year. at that time, my doctor started -- stated that they did not know how i was walking or functioning. i was having trouble finding words, having trouble walking. i could not hold anything in my right hand. i would automatically drop it. it has been less than a year and i am caring for my own home, i do everything in the yard. i feel like i am mentally capable of doing anything that i need to do, and i hope that the

voters in pennsylvania notice, mostly to the women, when dr. oz stated that he believed women, physicians and local politicians should rule whether a woman had an abortion or not -- that is an astounding statement, and that is really all i had to say. i am an animal lover, so i'm automatically against dr. oz anyways, but when i heard that, i could not believe he had said the truth. thank you so much. you have a wonderful day. host: next step in st. petersburg, florida. caller: ♪hey, charlie, --

they give us opportunity to look in the eyes of a person and be able to determine whether or not they are going to govern you or the country. i want you to govern me. you are my governor. take off your eyeglasses. you read that teleprompter? take off your hearing aid. can you hear? the idea is that we need to look at health issues, not as a handicap, but as an opportunity for us to create eyeglasses, hearing aids, all kinds of prosthetics. to even have a debate with

someone and use that as an opportunity to crucify them, instead of understanding that they are actually using an aide to better help themselves, which helps our community, it does not make you illiterate. host: ok. let's hear from kansas city. caller: my thing is that john fetterman -- john fetterman seems like a really good guy, right? i live in oklahoma city and what we do is try to advocate for people doing the right thing. you know, what i am seeing in debates these days, i watched the desantis debate and all of these debates, and all i see are these guys --

host: let's hear from gordon. before then, i will show you this text from new jersey, adding this to the list of things saying, everyone running for any political office should be required to participate in a debate with their opponent. again, you can text us. republican mine, go ahead. caller: thank you. that guy in pennsylvania, if pennsylvania elections -- he is going to be an embarrassment to you people for six years. he cannot even say his name, hardly. caller: as far --

host: as far as debates, what do you think of them and how do they help you inform your opinion of a candidate? caller: i like watching them, but you need an instant fact checker on all of them. i think people mostly have their minds made up when they start watching a debate. host: sewing a little bit of the debate out of new york from last night. the incumbent against the republican. one of the topics that came up was the topic of abortion in the state of new york. >> we have a codification of roe v. wade, what has been out there since before the supreme court undid 50 years of progress for women so that we would have a right. my granddaughter does not have the same right that i did to

make a determination in concert with myself. anyone who says otherwise is incorrect, but what is so appalling is the general campaign aversion. you know why nothing changed the day of the dobbs decision? it is because i am the governor of the state of new york and he is not. let's look at the record. there are very few people in congress who have a more pro-life record. somebody said he would bring on a pro-life commissioner. they could use their power to shut down clinics. that is a frightening spectacle. women need to know that is on the ballot >> new yorkers support the right to have an

abortion. he said he would not change the state law, but what if a republican legislature changed the laws? >> there is not going to be a republican legislature in january. less than 0% chance that the speaker of the assembly will send me a bill rolling back the law. a fundamentally this ingenuous answer from my opponent. you asked a specific question whether or not my opponent supports any restriction on abortion. she did not answer it. the day after the dobbs decision, a law in new york was exactly the same as it was before. it does not matter who the governor was on the day of the dobbs decision because it was already passed into law. when we woke up a day after the dobbs decision, the law in new york was exactly the same as it was the day before.

i'm not going to change that. appointments for all state agencies, my litmus test is that they will do the best job. host: you can watch that on c-span now and c-span.org. often, debates are intended to help decide favored by the moderator. it is a pattern. mitchell in new jersey says we would be better informed if we stop looking at debates in general as something like a sporting match. candidates ignore the rules and it leads us away from actual information and more towards theatrics. a viewer on twitter says the debate system needs a complete overhaul, on the spot fact checking must happen.

there should be deductions for gotcha moments and so on. if you want to post on our twitter feed -- jerry on the democrats line. caller: can you hear me? host: i can. caller: thank you for taking my call. if we are at the point where we are sitting and making fun of a man who has had a stroke -- i have known people who have had shrubs and they are very capable and functioning. making fun of it and they are not able to be elected because they have had a stroke? this man, dr. oz, i have watched him before. nobody in pennsylvania is -- people, you need to vote for

people, republican or democrat, that are from your state. host: the role of debates, especially for you, how much do that -- do you factor that in? caller: i like debates. i do not like the hollering, but up in ohio, a millionaire. democrats as well. but debates, i think debates are very helpful. it does give you a place to see kind of what somebody is. i'm not, not going to vote for john fetterman because he had a stroke, but look what they are doing to women. not only abortion, but what

about equal pay? republicans are just a bunch of angry old white men. host: ok. that is our viewer from tennessee. hello. caller: how are you? host: fine, thanks. caller: i'm wondering why pencil -- why c-span did not cover the pennsylvania senate race. host: we cannot get it in and get the rights to do so. caller: are you going to air it? host: the video he showed this morning came from a link from one of the local stations that we took that video from. that is where the whole debate is housed. you can watch it there. caller: it seemed like it was a big national race and we did not have a way to watch it. i thought that was disappointing and now we have to rely on other

people, but anyway, i think debates should be mandatory. you can definitely see peoples personality and how they handle tough questions. host: because you are interested in watching the pennsylvania race, do you watch other debate in other states to see what is going on? caller: absolutely. i watch a lot of politics, unfortunately. but i think it is going to be a tight race. hopefully, the most truth you can get out there. so we have informed voters. instead of people hiding from their positions. host: ok. calling in from maryland. now let's hear from susan in washington state on the republican line.

caller: i agree with the last caller. i was able to watch it from the new station, but i was wondering why you are not hearing it. you can tell and judge the persona of the candidates. but i will say i feel sorry for john fetterman. he should not have been there. people, i guess, they are hungry for power, but they should not be put there. this country, it really needs good leaders right now. i feel safer john fetterman, but he should not be there. i do not think he will win. host: ok. a few minutes on your call, taking a look at debate.

democrat line from new jersey. hello. caller: good morning. i think debates can have a little bit of an effect on the overall base. i watched the john fetterman and dr. oz debate. basically, i think john fetterman was attempting to answer the question and it did come most cases. dr. oz was trying to attack john fetterman and avoid the question. really, speaking from a wealth of experience in the political realm. so, i do not think the debate will have a real effect. i live in new jersey, but my family has lived in pennsylvania

for the better part of -- since 1940. i am familiar with the state, but i do not think most pennsylvanians will appreciate having a man, not just from new jersey, he is actually from turkey, representing them in the senate. i do not think dr. oz is a particularly strong candidate. host: one other debate piece to show you from colorado, this in a debate taking place there. michael bennet and joe day. one of the things that came up last night was discussion about immigration. here is part of that debate. >> that cannot be fixed by the administration without congress doing the work. i was part of the group of aids

who wrote a bill to pass the senate. it got 68 votes but it was stopped by the freedom caucus, but it had elements that i think are very important. a pathway to citizenship. the dream act. all these diseases that have affected small business. those need to be addressed as well. but not to build the medieval wall. instead, what we developed in iraq and afghanistan, it would allow us -- it is a shame that it did not pass the house in 2013. we need to pass a similar bill

again, and i think we will after we overcome these self-inflicted wounds that we are causing because immigration is so critical. it constitutes a third of our growth every year. that is why we have to fix this problem. >> it starts with securing our border. we also need to provide citizenship to the dreamers. and we have to streamline. i have guys who have worked for me for 15 years. they are earning a living and they cannot get through the process. the process is broken and it is not working. for 13 years, i would have hoped even, but that issue needs to

come up again. i will put my name on a bill that does just that. the first bill that i introduce next year. what we have going on right now is partisanship. you have people who vote with their party much of the time. that is not working. we have to do more than that. that is what i will do. i will reach across the aisle and put back in the process so we can get it done. >> it is insufficient because it does not do anything for the 11 million people living in a cash economy. we cannot just skip over that. i have lead on this issue, but the problem we have right now is that republicans that have been terrorized by donald trump's immigration policy will not come across the aisle to do anything.

he cannot be believed on this issue. host: a viewer saying, if you are a well-informed voter, the debates do nothing to change your mind. others say, i do not trust what most candidates say and even if i like a candidate, there are issues that are deal breakers for me. i watched the debate last night. i am so tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. in florida on the democrats line , good morning. you are next. caller: thank you. i am calling to say that i think debates help a lot, but i think they should be -- they should have three debates, at least.

the handlers can fact-check and when they come back for a second debate, they can actually have a better answer because when i watched charlie crist and ron desantis -- ron desantis is not coming back. get into to be a year is he is going to be running for president and he will not stay for two years. going to texas and flying people all the way to martha's vineyard , it did not help the florida voters and taxpayers at all. he should not have done anything like that. it had nothing to do with us. let them take care of their problem on the border. i would just leave it there. host: ok. let's hear from a viewer in kentucky. jeremy, you are next.

go ahead. caller: the guy from tennessee said the republican party was the party of old white men. can you hear me ok? host: i can hear you. caller: he said that the republican party was a party of old white men. 67 minorities run in the kentucky area and in the senate for office. that does not sound like a party of angry old white men. they have a diverse slate of candidates running. hispanic, asian, black, doing very well. host: as far as debates go, how much do they factor into how you look at any candidate? caller: hello c-span and i like

what you covered. i like watching the candidates. i think that john fetterman is a radical candidate. he is a bernie sanders and we do not need that. we need bipartisanship. do not get me wrong. we need to come together and try to get some things done. the country is not doing well right now. host: jamie and kentucky calling and talking about the role that debates take that lead up to the midterm. there is an event at the institute today that you can see on c-span at noon. the question or even being posed is, a look at those midterms and political and policy outcomes

come if republicans take back congress. you can see that coverage starting at noon today on c-span. you can also watch online at c-span.org. that is the last call that we will take on this topic. thank you for all of you who participated this morning. the election process and what they are doing. jessica anderson joins us to talk about the role and her organization will be playing in the election ankle. later on in the program, you will meet the ceo of the league of women voters. virginia will talk about women voters, their issues and the 2022 midterm election. ♪

>> election day november 8 starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. watch c-span's coverage to see watch party controls congress. see victory and concession speeches from candidates. on c-span, c-span now, and c-span.org/campaign 2022. >> live sunday, november 6. author and historian mark of progrowth president of the lbj foundation will be our guest. talking about u.s. history. his books include the last american president.

joining the conversation with your phone calls, facebook comments, texts and tweets. in depth on boot tb on c-span2. >> the c-span shop holiday sales going on right now and c-spanshop.org. pay 15% on our sweatshirts, t-shirts, drink ware and more. there is something for every c-span span and every purchase supports arnon profit association. c-span sale going on righnow. skim the code on the right to this dark shopping now at c-span.org. -scan the code on the right to start shopping now. >> listen to washington journal

everyday at 7:00 a.m.. weekdays at 5:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. listen to c-span any time, tell your smart speaker plan c-span radio. c-span, powered by cable. "washington journal," continuous. host: jessica anderson this is from heritage action for america . we know about the heritage foundation, what is heritage action about? guest: we are a grassroots organization was 2 million activists that are engaged on every single one of the conservative policy issues. we work on education, empowering parents, again spending, we want to limit that, securing the border. we work on all of these issues on the state of federal level. host: how do these organizations

see their role during this election? guest: voters are frustrated with the direction that this country is going so we can really harness that energy and harness it in that direction. we have doorknocker's going door-to-door and then we made the decision to spin off with another partner organization which is a super mac that can engage directly in elections. we have endorsed blake masters, herschel walker, pick up opportunities when you look at the makeup of the united states senate and we have about seven house races that we are involved in on the super pac side with harnessing the aggressors energy

and bringing it to bear for actual conservative fighters. go to washington to get the job done on behalf of the american people. host: host: to pick up a seat or what else are you looking for? guest: we look at a number of different factors. one is are they conservative? do they have a view of policy that includes supporting individual freedoms, strengthening the family, empowering people to flourish and have self-governance. these are the conservative issues right now that so many people are talking about and want to see a turnaround in our country. that's the first and foremost thing you look at, are they conservative? are they willing to fight. are they willing to go and engage on these issues, not settle for business as usual but represent the people that brought them here. those of the two main factors

and of course, what is our grassroot telling us? we hear from our activists. they are supportive of late masters. they don't like the direction of the state. we try to weigh all three things. individual policy position, willingness to engage in what the feedback is on the ground. host: what sets apart blake masters from mark kelly? guest: providing safety and security. you look at inflation, the cost of good in the state, phoenix has the largest peaks of inflation. then you look at the border, mark kelly has done nothing to secure the border. he has voted against border

security continuously. blake masters wants to do the opposite of that. host: how do you deal with candidates of some candidates question the results of the election are saying that president biden did not win in the direction -- election? guest: we want elections to be easy to vote, hard to cheat. thus the clarion call of the conservative movement over the past two years. we've been involved in election integrity bills. there have been so many states i got into action to secure elections after the last two years. many designed by governors. we are looking if there are election integrity laws in the state. you have to make sure there are poll workers that are in the

voting area, whether it is a school, gymnasium. that they are there and can follow the chain of cost of the of ballots and ensure no funny business happens. for us, that is a litmus test. what is going on at the state level for election integrity and how does that way with what candidates have said? will they continue to fight against hr one. that's a vote that mike kelly has weighed in on. does he support a government overtake of our election? host: is it just on the senate level already go for governor races as well? guest: we have not made any endorsement for governors but there is so much grassroots support between peter dixon, kari lake in arizona, governor ron desantis of florida. they are already on the ground

working on these governor races so we just provide the firepower. host: jessica anderson is here for this conversation. if you want to ask her a question, (202) 748-8001 for republicans, (202) 748-8000 for democrats, (202) 748-8002 for independents. you can text us questions or comments (202) 748-8003. you talked about georgia, was specifically about herschel walker are you endorsing? guest: he's an excellent candidate that will come to washington and shake things up which is the exact thing the conservative party is excited about right now. if you look at raphael warnock's record and has voted in line with president biden and chuck schumer, we would like to see a contrast. we put a great team around him so he care and get things done

and we think herschel walker can do that. he is a star in georgia. i think herschel walker is a good decision. host: what about the questions of him paying for a woman's abortion? as i'm concerned for you? guest: he said that i found the lord and i turn my life around. i am sorry for what i did before and i am moving on. we look to the candidate to be really clear about their previous decisions as it applies to everyone. our job is to go in and support the grassroots and they tell us they want to see a change, they want to see a turnaround and we want to help them do that. host: how many states are focused on the money you sent?

guest: we have sinned about 13.5 million. this is our first cycle we have been involved in. it was the strategic decision to spend this off. it's all within the goal with seeing these conservative issues being handled by the right team. we could have could have the ri, the grassroots support but then we need the right team in washington. novemeber ninth is important, hopefully it will be a great conservative renaissance? host: are you focusing on the house at all? guest: we have seven house races we have gotten involved in,

districts that have the ability to move from blue to red and we support one candidate and new mexico. she is on the border. when you look at border security, energy jobs in her area that have been hit by five dense lack of america first energy agenda. really six great flip opportunities for conservatives. host: jessica anderson serves as the executive director of heritage action for america. this is peter from montana on the democrats line. caller: i have three questions. number one, who did you support in the georgia senate primary race? number two, do you support a national abortion ban? and number three, do you believe

the presidential election of 2020 was legitimately decided? guest: thank you for those questions. i think i got all of them organized well. the fund did not get involved in georgia. we wanted to support the grassroots activists and they were engaged in those issues and trying to understand the difference between the candidates. heritage action worked on voter registration. that has every candidate on the ticket. we were able to turn up the heat into the general election. on abortion, we firmly celebrated the dobbs decision come down this past year which overturned roe v. wade and put the decision back to the state

level. we think this is an issue the states have a ton of opportunity to protect rights. we saw a number of states that ran into special sessions including indiana where they held the special session and tackled the question of life within 90 days of the dobbs decision being handed down. my expectation is that the number of states that don't already have laws in place that regulate against abortion, though states will tackle this in 2023 and you will see everything from what you saw in indiana, things like requiring a 24 hour waiting. , ultrasounds and holistic support for women's health care where you provide options for adoption, family support. a lot of time women need help earning jobs in learning a

trade. we are thrilled that it is moving to the state level and it is something that we support. as far as the 2020 election, as i said earlier, we are firmly in the camp of supporting election integrity. we think fraud does happen it's been proven. there's an ongoing debate on how widespread it is. at the end of the date is that state integrity election laws that states have passed for decades. look at the state of georgia over the past 30 years, they have passed 25 election integrity bills. this will only continue as the law evolves to make sure that elections are secure. host: justine in new jersey on the independent line. caller: i am concerned how you pointed out you raised 13-$14

million. that's a lot of money which i have to conclude that you are being manipulated by people who are very wealthy and their point of view is the only point of view. this all started with citizens united allowing people like you to come up and by the election. that is not democracy. you are telling me it doesn't count, we have money we will pay for everything. thank you. guest: i believe the exact opposite. your vote doesn't count. every single citizen across the country should engage, the need to vote. they need to turn out. they need to show up and bring their family members and casts out all important ballot when it comes to november 8. there are so many issues at stake and when you look at the federal races and look at

your state lawmakers. they are an important part of democracy, our republic and as more and more issues like abortion, education, securing the border actually evolve and turn back to the state level. those lawmaker decisions are just as important. i would encourage everyone to vote, get out to vote. if you bring friends and family make sure everyone is ready to go. as far as the support that is done from heritage action or partner organization, our job is to harness the grassroots. we are fueled by those 2 million activists across the country that are engaged on these issues that we are talking with and supported by. i hear you but the most important thing is that you can get out and vote in your vote does count. host: you invested in the

carolina race. guest: yeah we have supported a conservative candidate. he is going against a woman named sharon beasley who has been soft on crime. we have an ad from the super pac the details and walks through the story of her time as a prosecutor in her role in opening the floodgates for crime to happen in the state of north carolina. we think that's a issue voters need to know about. crime is a huge import thing right now. you look at polling and feedback, we think we have a real shot to win.

>> shary beasley's decision led to the killer escaping the drug dealer. she said the killer was a good person. i have to live with this death every day of my life. we can't trust sherry baisley in washington. host: that is one instance, can you describe that story that is based on? guest: the ad you saw shows a story of a brother and he is heartbroken. he is telling a very vulnerable story that his brother was shot and killed in this instance happened in 1998. sherry beasley was to sentence the gentleman that killed her brother. when ed lowery saw that sherry beasley was running and running on a hard on crime policy

platform. he wanted to speak out and tell a story of who sherry beasley truly is. we put that front and center. those are her words not his. people need to know the record of the people they are supporting and they need to have that information before they go into the ballot box. we sat down, we interviewed him and let him tell his story about his brother and the direct role that sherry beasley had. if you are in north carolina, consider that in the context of everything she is saying. host: she did candidate guide and when asked to say what legislation would you support to make americans safer? i would fully fund the police to have the resources they need.

have violence intervention programs and gun safety reforms by cracking down on universal background checks. guest: those are her words today versus her word 20 years ago. what are her real beliefs? host: let's hear from a viewer in georgia, on the democrats line. caller: we must have two different herschel walker's and mine. the herschel walker i know played for the georgia bulldogs. the one you are talking about, the family man, is that the same herschel walker who had four children with four different women? is that the family man? the herschel walker i know kids string together two sentences.

i'm almost 78 years old and we consider herschel walker joke. what do you think of herschel walker paying a woman to have an abortion and then lie about it? guest: thank you for your question. i think herschel walker has answered all of those questions really honestly and that is for him to do, not me. i don't know about his personal life. he has been very clear that he struggled with mental illness. he struggled at a time when his family was not prioritized in the way it should have been. he said that, not me. george are voters have a choice on how they want to move forward. do they want someone who will tackle these issues like school toys, securing the border, stopping inflation, returning

jobs, lowering the cost of gas. these are all issues in georgia on the ballot. host: let's get a call from spring, texas, on the independent line. caller: good morning everyone, i was wondering jessica anderson's voting on paperless voting? where the voter receive no record of his or her vote. as an organization that is concerned with the election integrity this reasons a hollow farce. where was your outrage over the system over many years, many elections. absolute silence. i wonder if those are all conservative states. i wonder if they produced the

results they needed. until the lord god sent us, donald trump and they didn't have to think about their last 20 years ago. 20 years ago for the judge we don't like, that's important. but where was the outrage? guest: the heritage foundation, has been involved in election integrity for 50 years. you can see a whole host of resources, one of which is a scorecard. that goes through and grade states based on how secure their elections are. there are 23 different metrics in place. one of those metrics is how they vote. is an all by mail state like

washington? is it voting with machines or are there mail-in ballots in addition today of election voting? depending on what state you are in, you can find that resource at heritage.org. you can click through state-by-state to see what provisions are in place and then you could maybe make a plan for activism. if you see your state and think while we need more security around job losses and we need to know why early voting is 60 days rather than 20 days? all of that information is available buys a or you can lobby your state makers and get involved on the state level. these decisions will only be made by the states. state law makers hold the pen here. host: i know abortion can be a

key factor, the economy, what follows that? i describe it as an iceberg. the top of the iceberg is the issue of the economy. the runaway spending, the out-of-control debt, the increased rise of inflation. 7% interest rates, people can't buy homes right now. underneath the iceberg are all of these other issues like education, parents feeling like they are in control and have some sort of transparency over their children's education. look at the boerner and enforcement, it has been completely porous and not enough resources to secure it. look at issues like crime, we have talked about that already. wanting to feel safe in your neighborhood. governors debate last night, that was a big part of the discussion between the current governor and they are doing a

good job to highlight this issue. all of those issues matter because the truth is, the same person making the decision on how to pay their bills is the same person who makes the decision on where to send their kids or grandkids in school and these issues are all top of mind. i don't think you find many single issue voters. these issues bend on top of each other, built on top of each other and it makes a comprehensive for voters as they go into that ballot box and they are thinking of six or seven things. host: to what degree does the road decision an abortion place of the cycle? guest: i think democrats wanted it to play more than it actually is. i think you saw that in the polling over the summer.

there was this immediate reaction where campaigns one is to talk about roe v. wade. all they wanted to do is talk about abortion. and the truth is, it is putting it back to the states. the discussion now over whether or not life is protected is fully going to state capitals, going to governors. that will actually change the tone and temperature of activists around it and that is why you see it faded because they realize it is lawmakers that will affect life in 2023. host: this is karen on the line from alabama. caller: i thought about this for years and i thought if we could just get it out of the federal level and back to the states. now we need to stop talking

about it. democrats bring it up to the republican governors. the pro-life activists or pro-choice activists can focus on others'days. if we can get it out of the debate it would help the republicans because we need to focus on the economy. we need to be able to buy food out a reasonable price. you literally, answer my question. thank you so much. guest: the only thing i would add is that democrats on the left are continuing to talk about this because they support federal no limits and having full-term abortion and that is the sort of extremism generates a lot of discussion throughout the country because them across want to have a soul protection for orson to the point of birth.

that is why you see infant protections asked. it will protect the baby after they have been born after a botched abortion will be brought back to life. host: stephen from illinois. caller: i can continue on the abortion thing. you say give it back to the states, how about just give it back to the women. instead of putting restrictions on abortions, given back to the women. you talk about conservative values, but what about those people being fillon eyes by right wing governors because it it's an easy point to pick up because trans kids are such a

small minority of people out there. you talk about freedom, is just about freedom for you. conservatives just want the continuation of the status quote because it's working for them so why would they risk anything to help anybody else? guest: conservatives are not burning books. what we have done is to empower parents to be involved in their kids education. that's not a bad thing. you want families to stay intact to we want parents to feel like they have some sort of transparency over their kids school. they should be able to know what their kids are learning. they are in the hands of teachers, they are molding our young minds. that's why the role of a teacher is such an important person. when you look at states had done to empower parents is a good thing.

i would even take into step further. because of the school lockdowns you had parents say, i don't like what my kid is learning. i want to put them somewhere else but their state did not have school choice. conservatives are pushing the whole country what does school choice look like? when we are in a situation where we need to pick up our kids and move them from one school to another. regardless of demographic background you have the ability to do it. if your kid is best in a public school, great. charter school? great. give the parent the ability to make that decision and get some more options, opportunities for

students, you saw the reports i came out on how behind this next generation of kids is. that should alarm us all and seriously reconsider what school choice looks like. host: this is alan on the republican line. caller: excellent spokesperson. my thoughts are, these are the words you never heard from a politician running for congress. i am running for congress to lower the cost of living. the reason i mention that, when you look at trump when he did the space for us, the appropriated $40 billion. biden came back and wanted 773 billion for the department. 287 departments is a waste of money.

we need to put space rice upfront and illuminate these departments by 50% in the next 25 years. it is a money pit and it is never going to stop. every american knows we are spending ourselves into the ground. it's just unbelievable that trillions of dollars we are indebted for. there is a way to get out of it and it is through oil. by us selling more oil across the world, we can reduce our trillions of dollars of debt. thank you so much for allowing me to speak, i really appreciate c-span. guest: i think those are really great points when you look at the rate of spending and debt that this country has. this is a huge crisis, generational prices. if washington is going to get serious we have to unleash american energy, rollback

everything that biden's administration has done to cripple the energy sector here in the united states. that has to be something that a new majority can tackle but also in 2024, a republican president can tackle that. any talk about spending and you look at what the added administration just did with the build back broke will that was the tax and spending bill and what those rates are going to mean for middle-class families and families across the country when it comes time to our taxes we will all feel that. it's not just businesses, it's us as individuals as well. you talk a lot about inflation. this is an issue that is top of mind for voters. top of mind for any one of us when we look at the price of goods and how much they have risen over the past 18 months. we did research at the heritage

foundation which quantified individuals are $4500 less rich because of the rates and increase in inflation. those of us on the conservative side, we wanted to turn it around. cutting spending should not be a republican issue it should be an american issue. host: if the house takes power, what would you like to see them do going forward? guest: there's a whole host of issues, we think there are seven main issues that the new congress can tackle. one is on this issue of debt and spending and balancing the budget and looking seriously at her spending rate. we talked a lot about education. when you look at empowering

parents and providing school choice across the country. we want to keep the border secured, we think we can tackle that immediately. we can look at the wright's influence of china. you are already seeing a china task force come together on the right led by congressman jim banks. what is it look like to detangling the chinese influence in the united states so we have a chinese resistant economy. it is not something that will be done quickly but it has to be seriously if we will ever get china out of our day-to-day life. that will mean that weibel each pay a little more for our goods. how do you have that in the backdrop of this huge inflation that is cost the price of goods up. a new republican majority will do this well most of all, they will have this conversation up front of the american people. that sort of transparency makes

america better when you know what your officials are talking about, voting on, we are not voting on these fake bills that take six hours to read. the new republican congress will tackle big tag in the influence big tech giants have in our life. whether they can roll some of that back and provide protections to all of those using social media. those changed things over the past two years. i think another thing we will see is oversight. bringing in biden's cabinet secretary and looking at mayorkas's role in his lack of

security at the border. they will do it in a pretty fierce way. host: will you see impeachment? guest: i do, when youth sees some of biden secretaries. that's something mccarthy and the chairs will really apple with within his first 30-60 days. host: let's hear from ed, he is from ohio on the republican line. caller: good morning. if you did not -- no one knew in this country who was running this country. all levers of power. this whole country would be screaming. they would want every one of them replaced.

the drugs are coming over the border like a sieve. what i'm getting at, the conservatives, we are finding a media that has given a pass to this administration. he blatantly lies, he's old and senile and decrepit. my commander-in-chief, i can't believe he's my president. it's sad, is pathetic. he said the other day, his blatant lie in the media, with the press is all there and they don't ask him about it. all the college kids pay off their loans which we are paying

for, people on welfare, social security. there were no votes, it was an executive order. they are shutting down the donors of the republican party. host: you put a lot out there for us to consider. guest: i think this makes my point, there are so many issues that are on the ballot. there is so much that people are concerned with that they want to be turned around. they wanted different direction for our country. we wanted think that things will be better. when you look at our schools, communities and make sure that there safe and secure. there are so many issues that are swirling around. to the issue of student loans, this is a really important conversation to have because

president biden did say, it was in executive order, and now there's a big question on whether this goes to the courts and whether or not the biden administration has the authority to forgive student loans in the way that he is proposed. i think you will see a national discussion about this over the next six months. especially, when you look at the people who worked really hard to pay off my college fees so i could in school debt free. what about the people who worked five jobs, what happens to them? this idea that government can go in and pick winners and losers based on the sentiment of the day. it is just un-american and and i think this conversation on student loan forgiveness rises to the occasion, this is why

school choice in getting education out of the adderall sphere and back to the states is on top of mind for a lot of people. host: deborah, on our independent line out of washington dc. hi, you are on. caller: do you have any republican candidates that you endorse? my second question is, would you support micheli if she runs next year? guest: the american action fund has endorsed a number of republicans. blake masters in nevada, all running for the senate as well is in comment senator and other

republicans to take back democratic seats. i think all of those races are certainly important. there are four races that are pickup opportunities for the right. that is georgia, is nevada, arizona and its new hampshire. those four states are the pickup opportunities and if the gop picks up 1, 2 or three of those seats we look at the senate that's 51-53 but they have to hold the other side of the ballot. that's why you see so much tension in pennsylvania. federman mm it awes had their debate last night. the voters in bid sylvania got to see just who was on the ballot. ohio seeing that the republican has to hold with senator ron

johnson in wisconsin. in north carolina, you have a new candidate running against sharon easily, that's an old seat of senator burr. host: what about the pennsylvania senate race? guest: grassroots has been on the ground in a significant way. they are going door-to-door, talking to voters about these issues. they have held events in bethlehem and pittsburgh. there's so much energy that exist in the governor race there. the fact that we have so many races on the ballot, governors, statehouse races, governors and senators. host: from washington dc on the

democrat sign. caller: we need to vote democratically the selection. -- election. guest: i think everyone should go out and vote. we have an opportunity to vote on the issues that we care about and we will see what direction the country will go on the next two years. host: police, from springfield on the independent line. caller: i would really appreciate you giving me a minute because i have lived after a stroke. i would like to address some things that jessica mentioned and i think this is something you see a lot in conservative factions. one thing is, i am a registered nurse. i worked in obstetrics. i know about abortion and i also know about it as far as saving

lives and i'm talking about the child that gives pregnant as a result of rate. there are no abortions done at term as a person is in labor. let's get that clear. this is a propaganda put out there and it is completely inaccurate. i'm very tired of seeing this get bandied around. it is not true, absolutely not true. it does a disservice to those children and women who face a crisis and pregnancy and like rick santorum and his wife you had an abortion at 19 weeks because her kidneys were failing, she needed that abortion otherwise she would have died. now, you don't have a problem with it but i have a problem with people who support

increased mortality in women and children that get pregnant. we can't get funding for enough border agents to patrol indu the work that needs to be done. i have lived in this town for years and i can tell you, the republican so fought tooth and nail against e-verify. as far as school control, in fairfax county, parents are encouraged to review the materials that their children are given. they are encouraged to participate in their school learning. guest: thank you for your questions. at the end of the day, what we want to see is activists engage in every one of these issues. when you look at what is needed to secure the border, it's a matter of funding but also for law enforcement being able to do

what they need to do. may arcus is holding back ages from doing that. it went from enforcement to letting people do their job, providing safety and security. lesson sure that people seeking asylum have a judge at the border they can actually hear their pleas and send them to the right place to get those things fixed. what we want to see is that the border is secure but that law enforcement is allowed to do their job and that includes border control trying to keep our country safe. the only reason in virginia have a voice in their kids school is because of their governor. in his first 60 day he issued executive orders, bills,

statements all trying to empower parents to take back the reins of their kids education. he ran on the issue end is governing on that issue. that sort of mandate that conservatives and all-americans are looking for with this next congress. we talk about what policy issues should the next congress tackle? they will have a mandate to get serious about the border, inflation, crime, spending, this will all be top of mind. there's this potential new wave that comes here after november 8. host: the website is heritage action.com. thank you for your time today. in our next segment you will mean another one of those groups involving themselves in the progress league of women voters virginia kase solomon. we will have that discussion on "washington journal," next.

♪ >> this election day, november 8, the control for power in congress is at stake. well republicans regain the house? can democrats retain control of the senate? we cover key house and senate races with their coverage of debates, rallies and candidate events. events as they happen on tv in the c-span now app. on demand and on our website. you can find them on our webpage at c-span.org/campaign 2020. >> american history tv,

saturdays on c-span2 exploring the people and events i tell the american story. on the present and see -- presidency unveil a bronze statue of harry truman to the u.s. capitol rotunda. at 1:00 p.m. eastern to mark the return of veterans back in 1973. the p.o.w. families that help to bring them home. watch american history tv saturdays on c's and two and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch any time at c-span.org/history. >> but tv every sunday on c-span2 features leading authors with their latest nonfiction books.

former republican carolina governor nikki haley. at 10:00 p.m. tufts university professor chris miller traces the history of microchip technology. he is interviewed by congressman jim himes. was put tv on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch on line any a book tv.org. -- on book tv.org. host: joining us now is virginia kase solomon the ceo of league of women voters. i know the name is familiar but talk about your organization and the work involves itself in. guest: it is a 102 years old

voting rights organization founded out of the suffrage movement so that women could vote how to vote, engage in the electoral process and all these years later we are empowering voters and we focus on a few different areas. one is educating voters. that's just pure voter education about candidates, issues. we also have an education website where people can go and find out all the information they need. we also engage in policy work, advocacy and in litigation at times when we need to. we also engage in a series of activism at times. when we are trying to push through an issue. we have over 700 leaks across the nation. we are involved in all three

branches of government to make sure that voters know how to engage in government. host: host: we started our first hour about the role of debates what they learn from them. how important are they to an election cycle? guest: debates are an incredibly important part of our democracy as a whole because it is that one time when people get to hear about candidates and their own wares. it is the most important job interview that a candidate can go on. you have people asking them questions about what they will actually do and they have to respond on the fly without knowing the questions in advance. we get to know the candidate in a way that's different than a commercial or social media, it is live and real. host: debates create an open

space for dialogue tailored to the community. if that is the case, do you organize these debates on the local level? guest: they are done on all log levels. we used to do presidential debates until the parties got involved. we really believe in authentic debates. not having candidates note the questions ahead of time so we can dig into the issues and know where people stand on their positions. at the micro level, if you are running for county executive office or at the city government as well as statewide races. and then, at the federal level. the congressional senate races as well.

the league is really seasoned in this. we have done this for almost 100 years. it's your tradition for our organization that is been passed down through generations of women. host: you spoke about the history of the league, it was 1988 where the president talked about pulling out of those debates. i will show you what she had to say. [video clip] >> i don't know if the debate has ever been edited. clips are shown afterwards, usually they are covered in their entirety. the debates we have been put on since 1776 have been bona fide news events. hopefully, we will get back to that when it will become events

and not just a media event. host: just for context she responded to a caller asking about how much do they cover of the debate? guest: i would say, this is where we are today. they have been controlled by the media. they are held in partnership with universities in many cases and also with major news networks. it is not necessarily the worst thing. we want people to have access. the most important thing is that they are natural and candidates are not informed of what the questions will be. it's ok to another topics, but the out this into the -- authenticity really matters.

the more people who can see and be a part of the debate process. the better. one of the things we have seen, going back to nancy lehman if you watch your reasoning, we have a club on our youtube page that gives the press conference where we said we will not be a part of hood winking of america. they wanted to control the questions, wanted to know what the questions would be so they could prepare for those questions. one of the important things is not always knowing what exact questions because once you become the president, you will not know every situation before pops up. you should be able to think on your feet and respond and not have every single question before disaster in order to have an educated response. host: jessica anderson for our

discusson on the league of women voters. if you want to call len (202) 748-8001 four republicans, (202) 748-8000 free democrats, (202) 748-8002 for independents. what are your members looking for in the next election? guest: democracy is on the ballot this cycle. people are concerned about what they see at the ballot box and in the field with some of the voter suppression being seen. we recently saw an arizona where you had people dressed in army fatigues carrying weapons who were patrolling ballot drop boxes. those are the kinds of things that created chill in voters.

for the league, that will be our number one. beyond that, the economy. it never fails, every single election wherever the country is economically, so goes the voters. right now, people's pockets are being impacted. there's a lot of legislation that has been passed to help litigate the effects of covid and the slow down and our economy. of the same time, people are still feeling it. their pocket when they go to buy milk. or when you're thinking about how to fill your gas take or your car. another one that i will say it really important right now is a woman's right to choose. abortion is on the ballot. that is the top three what we are hearing among our constituents. host: would you say the last one

is the top one or two others supersede? guest: i think it is tough. it depicts -- it depends on who you ask. if you have someone who is no longer going to have children but is trying to figure out how do they feed their children, the economy might be number one. if you are asking somebody who cares very deeply about democracy and are very concerned about what they saw on january 6 or have seen in our political system as of late, that's might be. for women and children who can get pregnant, and it is not just women but men as well who are impacted by abortion. it depends on who you ask and those three may be interchangeable. host: as far sure organization, does your organization directly involved in election day events like ballot watching and poll watching?

guest: we do. do not consider it ballot watching. host: my bad. watching polls as far as how they carry out day-to-day. guest: many of our members are also election workers and volunteer and have been doing so for decades. they could be election judges. other folks are doing observations. for example, protecting the ballot, making sure people are able to cast their ballot. making sure that if there is an issue at a polling location that we are calling appropriate folks to make sure that machines are working or if you are seeing errors. it is making sure the way it should and when problems arise, being able to help. host: our first call is from john in rhode island from the

democrats line. good morning, go ahead. caller: thank you very much. -- talking about when a president comes into office, he could be confronted with unexpected things. but when a person comes in with a strong ideology, they confront those issues with dominance and belief like ronald reagan. he came in to crush communism. they did not realize how that -- realize that communist china was going to be our threat but now they have russia and that is the most powerful company when it comes to nuclear power. ronald reagan was the best

because of beliefs. that is reppo -- why, even though i am a democrat, he was the greatest president hands down. host: what would you like our guest to address? guest: they did not realize that communist china was going to -- guest: it is great that people have opinions about the past presidents. whether you love ronald reagan or jimmy carter or bill clinton, whoever it may, one of the is that it's important to go back to is debates actually inform people of who to vote for. host: leslie in new york, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. i am calling to a question. how do you expect women voters to vote this election season

without bankruptcy protections to student loans at this time? there are many women voters that have plenty of student loans and there has been nothing done about this. we need these bills passed in order for us to move on. can you answer that question honestly and openly? guest: thank you for that question. the leak does not necessarily work on student loan bankruptcy protection. our work is really around issues of democracy. what i would say is if you are interested in joining the leak to be able to do that kind of work, you can go to wlv.org. they are able to work on issues around the country that affect constituents and their communities, often times up to

the federal level. i would invite you to actually join the leak so this is an issue we can work on. but unfortunately when it comes to that legislation, it is not something we are working on. host: the brookings institution took a poll over the number of debates and found that in 2000 10, there were 70 depict -- 17 debates total. now we are sitting at six in 2022. what do you think about the dwindling numbers and what is the cause? guest: i think that at the end of the day, there is a real talent in our democracy when it comes to having open debate. more and more candidates are fearful of having to be put in front of an audience to challenge their policy platforms and position. you want to get back to a place where candidates are able to go

in and talk about issues. i think we are in a really polarized environment. we have seen a decline in civil discourse throughout our country. it is a place that we want to get back to because this is part of what we have seen with the erosion of democracy whether it is dwindling debate or civil discourse or being able to have people on the hill engage in bipartisan legislation. these all go together and are part of a were symptomatic of a larger issue. that is what are we going to do to uphold our democracy? i do not think we need to bake. i think there are a lot of other contributing factors and we as a country need to get our act together. host: brian in washington state, independent. caller: good morning. virginia, thank you for defending democracy and making this a number one issue.

you guys sponsored a debate in our state here recently. i am not sure whether it was with our senator patty murray or our congressional district maurice rogers. we are not getting enough debates action. it seems that we are pulling teeth to try to get our income it, maurice rogers to be life -- live. i was curious if you guys could actually make some facts or fact checkers available for our debates. because one thing i keep hearing about is our economy. they are talking about the price of gas in the crease in our fuel production and drilling yesterday, a report said we are the number one oil producer in the world. and joe biden administration did

not shut the keystone pipeline. it has continued flowing from the previous ministration to today. the only keystone pipeline issue was the shutdown of the mansion across private property, infringing upon private property rights. we are roaring with 8.2% inflation and compared to the rest of the world, others developed countries, are in double digits. and you guys make sure that people quit getting away with their lines and give us numbers? numbers to not live. host: we got the point select our guest response. guest: we work often times with different newspapers and universities. we usually do not go for a debate so to speak. that is something we can bring to our washington state lead to see how we can help improve the process.

it is a sad day when people are able to tell lies or mistruths. we know this does happen so thank you for bringing that up. i will talk to our washington state league. the most important thing is making sure we can always improve the debate process and make sure information is available on the fly. host: there are other key races where debates are not happening. the arizona's race for governor and the governor race in pennsylvania with doug mastriano and shapiro. if they do not have debates to rely on, how would you recommend they get that information. guest: it has became much more important for voters to be proactive and do research on their own. going to a nonpartisan voter education website. the one thing i love about my organization is we do not have a

dog in the fight, so to speak. we have members who run the political gambit whether democrat or republican or independent. you are someone who absolutely cares about democracy and making sure voters have the information we -- they need. do not support or endorse individual candidates. i think that is important to say. for us, we do not create or scrub the internet to get information about the candidate. we send candidate questionnaires out that the candidates themselves answered prayer number one is making sure you are getting information from the candidate directly as opposed to someplace else. i will say the debate process right now is under attack in many ways. people are saying i am not going to do it and hoping for the best and leaning on political ads or social media where people can

just say anything. being able to make sure you go and get the information you need and have a voting plan and do your research is really important for voters to do now more than ever. host: a viewer on twitter says is the organization supports putting more parties on the main stage? i cannot support open debate when only the main two are allowed to scream. guest: i think it depends. you have to have a limit somewhere or you could end up unruly. like california, you could have 30 on the ballot. i think there should be very specific criteria. with the leak, we look at polling numbers and the amount of money being brought in. how viable is the candidate? on local levels, it more is for local pop polling. we want to make sure that candidates can't engage --

that's candidates can engage in debate. host: days in washington state as well. democrat line. hello? caller: yes. i have always been a democrats because i thought the republican party was just for rich people and corporations. but i do not like the idea that certain people can decertify a whole election because they do not like the way it went. that is not democracy. if you can decertify a whole election and say i did not win so i am going to take my vote and go home, that is not the democracy be fought for. guest: i would say that i agree 100%. it is important that there are legislative reforms both at the state and national level to make sure we have safeguards in place

so we cannot have our election overturned just at the whim of whoever did not win. there is some really important legislative reforms that will need to happen over the next congress quite frankly. host: can you top -- talk about the activism of what you do? one of the things you are looking out as an organization is upcoming cases of moore v harper. why is that important? guest: it is out of arkansas and based on independent legislative theory which is that the state would make the rules around federal elections. we think that is problematic for a bunch of reasons. once the state is making -- state legislatures are able to make those decisions, it becomes very partisan. instead of having an even playing field where you have voting rights of federal elections, it would be able to

make and potentially overturn elections. it would be very damaging and can impact stays throughout this country. there are a lot of states that have a lot of skin in the game. what you find as you will really have what people consider red and blue states. i argue that we do not have red and blue states but sees that could go either way if they were redistricted in a way that was fair. most states would be purple if they were redistricted in a way that was fair. but there is a theory that comes from the fringes and one we are going to fight tooth and nail to prevent from happening. host: how? guest: we are filing an amicus brief today in support of not having the independent state legislative theory go to the supreme court and be approved. host: virginia kase solomon. if you want to ask questions in the 50 minutes left or so, call

the line (202) 748-8001 for republicans. democrats, (202) 748-8000. for independents, (202) 748-8002 . if you want to text us, (202) 748-8003. charlotte in new jersey, democrat line. caller: good morning. the caller before. the last two callers were right on point with the candidates being able to give false information. another thing, with the elections, if they think there is voter fraud or people are being denied the right to vote, why do they not disperse the u.s. marshals? that would be a perfect job for them to do. get to the polls and make sure that people who are coming around with rifles and intimidating the voters, this would not happen in new jersey.

but in states where they have these problems like texas or arizona or south carolina or mississippi, disperse the u.s. marshals and let them do their jobs. thank you, have a good day. guest: thank you charlotte. i appreciate that opinion. i think it is also important -- i would love to be able to share with you a counter narrative. one of the things we have seen his people in color in particular are often most the targets of voter suppression. having law enforcement there is not necessarily always make people of color feel safer. we want to -- and also, i would say additionally the fact there are so many people we are seeing with the example i gave in arizona who are dressed up as authority, it is hard to distinguish. what we need to do is make sure there are rules in place so people cannot bring weapons to the polls and that all people

will have the information they need to be able to vote accordingly. drop boxes and early voting is important. you do not only have to wait for election day. i am very hesitant to have law enforcement or armed individuals either way at the pole. i think this puts a chilling effect to voters who may be more fearful of casting their ballots. i would say that while i appreciate your comment, i also want to think about the consequences and the impact of people who are most vulnerable to voter suppression. host: oklahoma, barbara, democrat line. caller: i just get so tired of them saying the things they do about democrats. you keep bringing people on here. why do you not have a democrats on? and then you have a conservative

every time you have a democrat. they keep saying [inaudible] . host: we try to play across the board as far as what we have. caller: i just wanted to ask, what key organization do you know to help stop the rise of fascism and neo-confederates in the u.s.? guest: the league stands firm against white supremacy. i want to say that first and foremost. we are seeing a rise of right-wing fascism in this country. what that means is making sure we have good government policy. we are fighting tooth and nail for legislative policies that would create solutions to

challenges in our democracy. we had a piece of legislation that we supported last year called the florida people act. it made it through the house but not the senate and changed to the freedom to vote act. we are hoping will be able to take pieces of the legislation that did not get through to be able to make some gains this next congress. the other thing is the john lewis voting rights advancement act which we believe needs to be passed so we can -- so we have fought hard for that to happen because we know there are protections in place and at our disposal that we are not able to leave -- use right now because the voting rights advancement act has not been passed. those are two key pieces of legislation that we think will make a world of difference in helping to preserve our democracy and hold off the rise of fascism. host: how many debates will be

leak sponsor or participate in this year? guest: people -- we will participate in at least 70. host: generally do you have some pullout? how does that work? guest: we have generally had our debates. when i say 70, i am talking about congressional. there are hundreds of local debates that happen throughout the country. let me backtrack a little and say it is actually hundreds in total. i am sorry, what was the second half of your question? host: have you had candidates commit to them largely? have some pulled out? how does that work? guest: it depends. it is the most bizarre thing because it is a picture of the country we live in. when you look at certain demographics or geographic locations, candidates are eager to debate.

in other places, nope, they do not want to do it. we have seen a decline. we have also been attacked for our debates. it is really interesting that we found there was the kennedy in florida who actually took an ad out in the newspaper that said we will not debate for the league of women voters because they are partisan. if we are partisan, then we have a real issue in this country because we are probably considered one of the most nonpartisan organizations. we do not engage in any electoral work or any candidate endorsements. we do work on policy but it is rooted in study we make our positions ace on long studies and research -- based on long studies and research because we want to get it right. it is somewhat terrifying that there are -- is a decline in

people and their willingness to debate. host: one of the people criticizing your leak was john andrews in new jersey. he said let's be clear "this was -- including democratic volunteers for eliciting contributions for his campaign and organizing protests. while spewing hate filled rhetoric. he goes on from there but what about those criticisms? or similar criticisms you may hear from other republican candidates. guest: i have to laugh sometime at these things. anybody can become a league of women voters's member. you can. just because you are a member of the league of women voters does not mean that your membership excludes you from being able to be politically active in a political party. unless you are a leader in our

organization. if you are elected and sit on one of our boards, or you yourself are going to be moderating a debate, you should not be engaged. myself, i do not give any political contributions. i do not engage in partisan, political activities. a very careful to represent the league. our members and elected leaders are not necessarily the same. the elected leaders are people who have to really, truly remain nonpartisan. if you are a general member, just as you are a member of the aclu, it does not mean you cannot engage in the political process. it is a ridiculous accusation in my mind and one that is a way to make an excuse not to debate. i would encourage folks to go look at the league debate takes. if you look at our debates and our moderators, they are usually the most reserved people.

i am a pretty animated person and cannot do it debate. it is hard for me to keep a straight face at times. i know that about myself when i hear sling that is totally out there. but our debate moderators are some of the most seasoned, pragmatic people who are more experienced than most in this country in doing debates because they have done them for so long. these are ridiculous accusations. host: julian in louisiana. republican line. caller: i have a question for your guest. the last two weeks, i have been seeing on different channels a list of issues that are most important to voters. the top seven or eight, maybe maybe five or six, abortion, roe v. wade is always on the list. i do not understand. i think if you are a woman, you have the most control over that issue. but i do not have control over

the borders, inflation. on your women voters over there, what is the percentage of your women voters that think it is the number one issue? anyway, that is it. guest: what i would say is that for women and people who can get pregnant, i do believe this is a really important and critical issue. i do not have the most recent polling is i think it depends on the polls you are referring to. i would say that more than 60% of the country, probably close to 70% find this a high priority issue. i would say that we have seen time and time again that if we want to talk about abortion, i am happy to that. we are actually here to talk about democracy by will tell you how the connected. in our human rights and fundamental freedoms and bodily autonomy are taken away from us,

that is an erosion of democracy. that is talking about true freedom and choice and that decision should be between, in our position at the leak, a health care worker and their patient. i will tell you there was an example recently in florida where you had a 12-year-old child who was raped, who was not able to get an abortion in her state. she had to go to two other states before she could find a provider. how inhumane is that? when we talk about fundamental human rights, not just women rights but fundamental as a whole, being able to find a health care you need. when you find a woman in texas who stated that she was unable to have an abortion when she found out the baby died inside her womb, leading to potential sepsis and all kinds of issues and the doctor wanted her to be able to have that birth

naturally. that is an egregious fundamental erosion of human rights. human rights and democracy cannot be disconnected. host: julia in baltimore, democrat line. caller: this is a call to encourage the high school students of voting age to vote. also to encourage legal immigrants to vote and support mandela barnes of wisconsin. thank you very much. guest: a few things. i would say we want everybody to vote but it is important that people are registered to vote and authorized to vote in this country. there are many issues and each state is very different. for example, we have seen people have been arrested who were formerly incarcerated individuals who thought their right to vote have been restored.

a register to vote and were allowed to register to vote, only to end up being arrested. you want to make sure that nobody is placed in a position where they are illegally voting or wert -- voting without authorization. we want to make sure we can expand access to the ballot by think we want to be cautious in making sure that people who should be able to vote are able to but people who are not legally authorized to vote should not vote. that causes more problems than anything else. i would say that when it comes to young people, once you turn 18 whether a senior in high school or working a job, as soon as you turn 18, we want to make sure people are making their way to the ballot box and getting information they need to be able to vote. we highly encourage everybody, as soon as they turn 18, to go register to vote. host: you referenced voting on a

website. can you explain what that is? guest: ote -- vote411.org is our voter and -- education classroom. can go on there and check your registration status and whether or not you are registered to vote. remember, you could have moved or something could have happened. there could have been some kind of change. maybe you have not voted for several election cycles so you could have been purged from the list. make sure you go and are registered to vote. if not, register through vote 411 and then you can go and find out everything you need to know. where to vote? how to vote. you can print everything out and bring that with you so when you are going to vote, whether it is at the ballot box or early or at your kitchen table, you can fill in that ballot and make sure you are getting every answer to

every question you may have about the candidates and issues. host: here to talk about their efforts during this campaign cycle, virginia kase solomon. if you want to learn more, find out where from their website at lwv.org. that is the website for the leak and she serves as their ceo. we thank you for your time this morning. guest: it is great to be here. host: will finish off the program with open forum. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. independents, (202) 748-8002. ♪ >> middle and high school students, it is your time to shine. if you invited to participate in

this year's studentcam documentary competition. in light of the upcoming election, feature yourself as a newly elected member of congress. we asked what is your top priority and why? make a 5-6 minute video that shows the importance of rishi. not be afraid to take risks with your documentary. be bold. it is a $5,000 grand prize. videos must be submitted by january 20, 2023. visit our website at studentcam.org. for rules, resources and a step-by-step guide. >> there are a lot of places to get political information but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you are from, or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network.

unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happened here or here or here or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> be up today in the latest of publishing with book tv's podcast about books. with current nonfiction book releases and bestseller lists and former industry news and trends from insider interviews. you can find about books on c-span now, our free mobile app or where ever you get your podcasts. >> washington journal continues. host: you can participate in open forum if you want to text us at (202) 748-8003. you can post on social media as well. our facebook page and our twitter feed.

to the white house, president biden made remarks after getting a covid booster shots and talking about the same topic. pres. biden: as we enter this battle against covid, its use it to start fresh as a country, to put all the old battles behind us. to put all the partisan politics aside. we have already lost over one million americans to covid. over one million americans to covid. we can do so much now to reduce the number of people who have died from this terrible disease. we have the tools. we have the vaccines. we have the treatments. none of this is about politics. it is about rachel and the health of your -- about your health and the health of your loved ones. over the past 20 months, but

administration has left no stone unturned to make lifesaving tools widely available and accessible. covid cases are down more than 80% from when i took office. covid deaths are down nearly 90% for. now, for the longest stretch since the virus averse when our hospitals are not overrun with severely ill covid patients. that did not happen -- just happened but took a combination of affective vaccines and tests and treatment. one of the biggest public health efforts ever undertaken in this country. together, we did it. let us keep doing this. this fall, gifts were covert i and your flu shot. it is simple and easy. [end of video clip] host: if you want to see more of that, you can do so at c-span.org. george structures off. republican line. good morning. caller: good morning.

host: go ahead. caller: i was watching your guest. she is from the league of women voters or something like that. i noticed you had all democratic caller's. i never saw one republican, her call id. just entry to be fair with the republicans. host: the callers come in as we call. nice idea washington state, democrat line. caller: the reason i am calling is i would like to remind everyone that flu season is here. the one thing i learned from corona or the covid-19 virus is that by wearing masks, we do

have less flu out there as well. when you are out amongst large groups of people or inside buildings with people, wear your masks and you might not catch the flu. host: do you still wear a mask when you go out? caller: yes. you better. if i am going out amongst the public because i am not out there in the public a lot and i have not gotten my vaccine yet. i am not saying that i will not get it. i have gotten laws of other vaccines within the last year, including my flu vaccine. but, what i noticed is that the flu cases and deaths from flu cases did drop when we started wearing masks. it is a germy world out there and there are paces -- places in public that are basically petri dishes like schools with children. if you have children coming home from school, practiced some good

safety procedures. host: vernon in allen, texas. independent line. caller: good morning. just a comment here on election security. let us get back to the kiss system. keep it simple, stupid. let us have one day out of the year, every two or four years. election day, a day to go vote. everyone in this country that is a citizen and cares for this country should be able to take time out of their day or make arrangements somehow to get to a selected poll and vote. it is that simple. one day.

out of the year, every two years or for known -- four years. we get away from all of this mail-in voting and everything else. host: vernon in texas. talking about the congressional progressive caucus, urging the president to negotiate with russia over the war in ukraine after it sparked a backlash among democrats. washington said the letter was drafted several months ago but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. -- to become leader of the house democrats lectures that she respected -- she took responsibility. she said the leader was conflated when the california republican was -- if republicans win control in the house, mr. mccarthy said the u.s. should not issue a blake check for

further funding to ukraine. if you go to the new york times, a story taking a look at a secret deal with saudi arabia concerning production and how that ended after president biden took the trip. they write saying that the proponents of the visit including his energy advisor and brett mcgurk, the top national security advisor met during the spring with mohammed and his advisors. american officials said they reached a private oil deal with the saudi arabians that would have opec+ increased 400,000 barrels a day and already planned moving from july to august. they wish increase 100,000 barrels a day each month from september to december. it was on june 2 that opec+ announced moving up the production increase scheduled for september, making the first part of the deal. they set on that deal, it was announced that president biden

would go to saudi arabia. carrie in tennessee, public and line. -- republican line. caller: i do not know why that lady was allowed to say for illegals to vote. that is against the law and she should be arrested for it. all american citizens have to show our picture or id and everything like that to vote. i think it is wrong. host: democrat line, cheryl from south carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. i am very concerned about -- on both sides. they are part of the problem in our country. there is no middle of the road anybody anymore even though the majority of people are in the middle of the road.

they are not really for or against. all the french things going on seems to make things worse. we need to give back to negotiating what is right in each of our states in each of our areas. as far as school board things, there are first panels. we have always had access to being a part of school boards. this did not just automatically happen because of greg youngkin. it was always there. i was always at school board meetings, finding out what was going on a children's curriculum and what was going on in school. host: when you sau fringe on both sides, are you saying we need more moderates? caller: i think there are more moderates but the only people we hear from are the ones on the fringes on the right or left. they seem to be taking the oxygen out of the room.

it is like they are the most important thing and that is not necessarily true. this is why we end up where we are at today with president biden in place because we kept hearing from everybody on each end of the spectrum. host: would you consider yourself a moderates? caller: yes. host: what do you think it makes that so? caller: i think there are things i am very conservative about and yet there are things i am very liberal about. especially considering women's rights. i am very liberal about that. i grew up in an area where we fought for those rights. those are basic human rights too. why would a woman have to fight to have a right men always have? i do not want to lose those rights either so that is a liberal part of me. the conservative part of the

would be where i do not want my children to be taught all of these kind of crazy things. i think they should have books and have the ability to read and understand where they stand and what they want to stand for on their own. less than get that knowledge and gain that knowledge through books and education -- let them get that knowledge through books and education. host: florida, republican line. caller: how are you doing? host: fine, thank you. caller: i think the vote should be left to the states except for one area. i think it should be mandatory, a federal law, that you must show an id to vote. there are a lots of states that do not require that and that is where you start getting all of these unusual votes coming in. and mail-in ballots should have

to be requested by the voter. some states just mail them to everybody that is registered and that is where you start getting fraud. that is where the american people -- things are shipping two or three sometimes a week. that is unnecessary and uncalled for. that's all i have. host: when you vote in your state, as far as identification, is id a mandatory thing? caller: it sure is. and it should be. you have to show id to buy a pack of cigarettes or to buy a sixpack of beer so why should we not have to to vote? that is one of the most sacred things we are going to do for our country. host: coop in oregon,

independent line. caller: good morning pedro and c-span listeners. i just want to say that in oregon where i am calling from, we have had vote by mail for 20 years. in 20 years, you can count the cases of fraud on your two hands. we do have to show proof of identification to register to vote here. which is a good idea. i just want to stay -- to say really quick that people need to -- or not need to but watch that sit race in utah. host: maxwell and? caller: mcmullen. frankly, about 40% of people are independent now because they are too extreme.

i put that at the feet of both primaries. i would like to see top two candidates in the primary. i would like to see a moderate party. moderates and conservative, constitutional republicans and moderate democrats. we do not have a home right now. host: what do you -- keep going. i am sorry. where do you think they can meet as far as moderate republicans and democrats? what issues do you think they can beat on? caller: a constitutional government for one thing. telling the truth, not the big life. also, not -- progressives here in oregon have kind of made a mess of things unfortunately. that is why i am supporting betsy johnson for governor, a

moderate democrat, independent. i would like to see the top two primaries and the top two vote getters go forward. moderates govern best in my opinion. i was born and grew up in the civil-rights era back in the early 60's and mid 60's and then vietnam. i sure hate to see us backsliding on things like the voting act. all americans, citizens, be to be able to vote without hindrance. identify their identification and make sure they are legal and let them vote. host: let us hear from brent in michigan, democrat line. caller: hello pedro. your so-called fiscal conservatives like the heritage fund gast earlier -- guest

earlier and republicans who beat their chests about inflation, they never mentioned national debt increased $8 trillion under donald trump. nobody seems to mention that the principal engine of inflation and the institution that is supposed to fight inflation is the federal reserve. in august of 2020, before president biden was elected, jerome powell stated that he would inject billions of dollars into the economy for the purpose of increasing inflation. to that end, he did. he brought $120 billion in bonds a month. that was the major driver of inflation. nobody talks about powell unless

you go to financial networks. all wall street cares about is what jay powell does. that is all the talk about. what is the fed going to do? you want to talk about fiscal responsibility, the national debt surpassed the trillion dollars for the first time in history october 1981 and more than doubled under ronald reagan. that is the republicans hero. but threat surged 150 billion dollars to the third largest item in the budget. the annual deficit soared beyond hundred billion dollars for the first time in history under the republican hero ronald reagan who never cemented a single balanced budget. host: ok. it comes to election politics, possibly at the presidential level, the washington post has a piece saying that president trump's team might be in

campaign role, say no decision has been made on the exact role but discussions have included possible campaign managers or senior advisors. as a longtime -- he is a longtime republican who helped lead agents democratic presidential candidate john kerry in 2004 and is now directing a super pac tied to trauma. he said thank you for the opportunity but i do not comment on rumors. it says here that should chris la -- lacivita -- bill joins us from michigan. republican line. caller: how are you doing today? the question i have is with

abortion. the abortion issue for me is why is it republicans extreme one-way and democrats extreme the other way? why is it such an extreme of all or nothing. i do not understand why we do not have a middle ground to work with. the rest of the world, all the nations in the world, the majority have a limit of abortion except for special circumstances. we have either all or nothing. once they are left with a nine-month this government pause and they all stood up and cheered, i was appalled. to what extreme do we -- does a woman have to wait for nine months? i am not a woman but at the same time, you have a nine-month-old baby. where is the thoughts behind this. where it is abortion at that point and not considered murder? both parties are all or nothing which i do not like. we are not talking about

anything. it is just my way or your way and that is it. it does not make sense to me. host: scott in california, independent line. caller: thank you so much for taking my call. i really enjoy the work all of you cats do there. it is phenomenal. i want to take that to make a comment about the news media and journalism taking -- i want to make a comment about the new speedy and journalism taking place right now. i have seen where journalists have become a very low regarded group. they are not highly thought of. i wanted to say that so many of us do not wake up feeling that way. that is based upon us observing the work being done. two really quick examples. a journalist will tell you with a straight face at cvs that he is a journalist.

he interviewed president biden and he did not ask one question about the border. he did not ask one question about mr. tony bobolinksy or anything on that. there lies a tremendous problem. i am certainly not talking about your station. because obviously, i believe you cover everything fairly. but i am talking about when you get into other outlets, it makes it very difficult for the consumer who is fair and observing this. it is -- it just does not add up. what kind of a journalist is going to interview the president for an hour and not ask a question about the border. i do not believe you would work that way and i do not believe a law of your associates would

have worked that way. host: jerry in mississippi, democrat line. caller: i just wanted to remind the voters that our incarceration is so high. i believe that is -- just give them some grace. i would love for them to -- i know their families are strung out when they go and visit them and everything. i want the incarcerated to tell them to go and vote. this november. it is very important. they understand that we lose your rights. we allow them to take our democracy away from us.

if we did, but would be in the same shape they are in. please, please. incarcerated, tell your family when they come to visit you to go and vote this election. november 8, 2020. host: when it comes to those who have voted early in this upcoming cycle, the washington post takes a look right under this headline, "a million voted early in georgia". that is up from 2019. in virginia, more than 111,000 voted early. in north carolina, more than 530 thousand voters have cast ballots in some way as of monday. down from 590,000 at this time in 2018. but voted early was offered more days in that election.

in texas, at this point in 2018, more than 695,000 have voted in the selection, showing a sharp drop-off in midterm elections. 70% of this year's early voters did not vote in the last midterm election according to website georgia both. or about the breakdowns if you want to read them into the washington post. caller: and you hear me? host: you are on. caller: today's discussion has been a valuable one. i want to give my opinion that evil comes in all forms of extremism. in our country, i think the biggest threat to our democracy is extremism in politics. the data that is actually presented to the people. i would give you an example of

the lady you had. the guest from the league of women voters. she presented the case of the 12-year-olds that was a victim of rape. while that is a very sad story, that's is an extreme outlier. the majority of cases that involve abortion are not child rape. that is something like three standard deviations or more away from the average. why are we presenting that as a driver for having abortion up to nine months. it does not make sense. that is all i have to say. host: independent line. maryland. this is brian. hello. caller: good morning. host: you are on, go ahead. caller: this is just an opinion of mine. i called on the independent

line. i used to be democrat. a lot of forget scholars are saying there are extremes on both sides. i wanted to call this morning with an opinion about the border. you walk -- watch fox news injury hear about all the bad people coming over. whether they are asylum-seekers or people looking to escape this pourable life. that does not matter. all you hear about is the gang bankers -- gangbankers and drugs. the right is doing fear mongering and i do not think they want migration to be legal -- want immigration to ever be legal. they will not ever have a bipartisan opinion on immigration, solely because they fear that these mexicans are going to come over and vote blue. my advice to anybody trying to come over, you might want to get

some american truck flags or blue lives matter flags or just do something to show you are coming over here and you may be on their side and maybe we can get some kind of immigration reform passed. host: brian in maryland to finish off this round of calls. for we go, i will remind you of a couple debates you can keep an eye on during the day as part of our campaign 2022 coverage. the new hampshire debate between governor chris sununu and his challenger tom sherman. 6:00 eastern on c-span. watch on our website and the mobile app. you can do the same platform for the debate that follows at 7:00 featuring south carolina governor's debate. -- 7:00 is where you can watch it. an