>> funding for "to the contrary" provided by: the cornell douglas foundation committed to encouraging stewardship of the environment, land conservation, watershed protection and eliminating harmful chemicals. additional funding provided by: the colcom foundation. the wallace genetic foundation the e. rhodes and leona b. carpenter foundation. and by the charles a. frueauff foundation. >> this week on "to the contrary" first, a surprising age split over obamacare. then, mixed-race couples may be marriage averse.

behind the headlines: hillary or no hillary this woman wants to see a woman elected president in 2016. hello, i'm bonnie erbe. welcome to "to the contrary," a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, health care reform. in a few weeks americans can start signing up for obamacare health insurance. but that won't end the debate. there's still a robust campaign led mainly by republicans to defund the affordable care act. the administration along with corporate partners is spending almost three-quarters of a billion dollars to educate the

public, especially young healthy adults, about obamacare. this week a new survey finds that outreach may be working. the morning consult tracking poll shows 56% of adults 18 to 29 years old support the law, and 35% are almost certain or very likely to enroll. on the other side, 58% of americans over 65 disapprove of the law. only 8% are likely to consider purchasing from the exchanges. congresswoman norton will young, healthy americans save obama care? >> refreshing, bonnie. entire cohort that ignores the 40th republican repeal of health care and decides that obama care is good for your health. >> what the research shows is that every age group that learns that 'become ma care may be hazardous to your health care

coverage increasingly is not for 'become macare. i think debate continues even among young people. >> i think young people will save, this is what is so much fun about football and politics the conventional wisdom is so often wrong. only a quarter of young people know about obama care understand that these exchanges are doing according to the commonwealth fund. i don't think that my generation can be relied to save this legislation. >> but why the age split? one would think normally that older americans who have grown up looking forward to social security and medicare would be more for it and younger wouldn't. >> how shameful. the only group of americans who have had the benefit of 100% coverage of health care say to their grandchildren and children no such health care for you. shame on those over 65 who want to defy coverage that's not as good to the rest of americans.

>> let me defend grandparents for a second here. [ laughter ] these are folks who have also had experience with medicare, many medicaid. and they of having more and more of their doctors say, i don't that i that any more because the government and red tape that is involved is too much for me to handle. i they they know that's what's coming for everybody with owe mom been -- obama care. they usually don't have health care problems -- >> this is what -- but wait wait a minute. >> they go, this looks good. sign me up. >> but why -- that's what's surprising young people don't -- >> they haven't experienced medicare and government-sponsored health care. >> that's not surprising. >> no, no, it's not that. they are all poor first of all, you get out of college you don't have money or you get out of high school, worse, you certainly don't have money to pay for things other than rent -- putting house over your head and food on the table. they don't have people -- >> lot of them aren't buying cars.

>> bonnie, a lot of folks note this is not going to be free. even in the exchanges this is not free health care. it's going to cost and many -- >> not much. >> how much is it? >> it depends where you're going to be and what we're learn ink many states premiums are already going up and it's costing far more everywhere you look than obama promised. >> if you look at what kaiser just released a report they released that it's going to be lower than they thought about 06 to 70 dollars for the people who get the bronze package, which is for the young people who are very healthy. but what i think so great about these numbers -- >> funds nor health insurance? >> that's what i think the kaiser report is saying. 65 and older those people are irrelevant as far as this is concerned for obama care these numbers could not be better. because this program is going to succeed or fail based on what these young healthy people do. if these numbers are right this is predicts very well for next month. >> when you look at those numbers 70 bucks a month nor a

young person who does not have a job is a lot of money. it makes more sense to just go ahead and take the penalty for not having health care than to pay -- >> is going to cost how much? >> the penalty for not having the health care also varies step depending on certain things. >> we're talking about -- go ahead. >> they're to the doing that because they are shopping for information. and that is what young people do and what the ideological driven at this table have not done. they have just decided it's bad. what these young people are doing are communicating through their multi-media, social media, find can out, my goodness, also a lot of the information has been driven by the administration at young people recognizing that they really are the bottom line for this. >> i don't understand where everybody is coming to this conclusion that young people are going to end up buying in to the he can changes. where is that information coming from? because we're not seeing it. if you look at the study that we looked at only 11% of young

people said that they were definitely going to be buying in to the exchanges, 24% said they were likely toe buy in to the exchanges, only 11% said that they were definitely going to -- >> here is the question for you. i asked a young person whether he was going to buy in to the exchange and he said, of course, i said, why? and he said, because jobs no longer come with health insurance. >> is that a reason? >> even newer jobs. we now know obama care not officially gone in to affect. the report came out a couple weeks ago showing they now proven over 250 businesses across the country some very large ones have either completely cut jobs, reduced hours so they don't have to pay healthcare costs, he's right about that. the whole goal here folks, everybody needs to understand this, is to get anybody out of private insurance, they don't want that ex test any more want

everybody in the government he can changes. passing a law that drives businesses to have to give up health care coverage puts more people in -- >> the private insurance industry. that is not -- >> what are you talking about? who is going to provide the insurance? [ all talking at once ] >> i thought insurance companies used to be the bad guys. >> the insurance companies were very much in the coalition in the beginning and the insurance companies -- >> because of this -- >> they are going to get more customers. >> by uncle sam pay less for those folks -- >> we are paying -- people are paying supplements. [ all talking at once ] >> we had uninsured people with very little money who now can get insurance with the supplements coming from the government that means more customers -- >> but the government -- >> let me -- >> listen, one at a time or nobody gets heard.

>> i just wanted to go back to your original point. how much it would cost young people to opt out of this. it's $95 or 1% of their annual income back to your point about it being 70 dollars a month i'd rather pay $95 just opt out. >> let you know what you think. please follow me on twitter @bonnieerbe. from healthcare to romance. more interracial couples are dating, but they're not getting married at the same rate as other couples. the census bureau reports interracial marriage has doubled since the year 2000. but mixed race couples still make up just 4% of marriages. researchers found mixed race couples are more likely to live together than marry. this could be due to family. how one views another race is passed down through generations. while younger people may have no problem with interracial dating or marriage, older generations are more resistant. racial boundaries have affected

american society, and will continue to do so until color-blindness is blurred. just got married, is race a factor still for people your age and marriage? >> i think that this is much more of a cultural issue than it is a racial issue. if you look at the overall number of young people who are living together versus getting married or people generally, there -- the cdc shows that for women who are 18 to 44 that the majority of those women are more likely to be living with a partner than married. and i think that is why this cultural not racial. >> among your friends, do you see more biracial couples living together than getting married? >> you know, i haven't really noticed that trend. that's not something i think that generally people my age look at. the 50th march on washington i just don't think that generally the people are looking at color of skin when it comes to --

>> cultural and racial is often the same thing because of the way we grow up and our culture. i think that these numbers are going to remain low and that people are trying out interracial marriage for first time and why just jump in to it especially when your family might be upset. let's see what it's like. in fact we see this living together is the way of that entire generation. they might be trike out a lot of things because you're not getting married soon. >> i do think it's great because the young generation is color blind. when you think that in my lifetime loving versus virginia, richard loving got married in 1958 within couple years they had police raiding their bedroom, they were forced out of virginia. finally he went to robert kennedy who hooked him up with the uclu it was this court case that lost every other appeal that they went to the supreme court. that was the end of these laws in 17 states that prohibited couples from having a loving

relationship. so i love the fact that we're getting to this point and relationships, people have their independent choices to make and that they're doing so without looking at race. >> i think we've got numbers and statistics but anybody just walking outside anecdotally she's a lot more interracial couples out there whether they're married or dating or what have you. i can tell from i was growing up, i was born after that decision by the way, you just see it and people don't think -- churches i've gone to there is more interracial couples in a lot of different places than there used to be m. a great thing. >> do you think that they are dating more -- that they're still barrier to getting married? fran chess extra's point since women 18 to 44 generally are -- >> right, exactly. >> i don't see that. of course i don't think it's a great trend that everybody is

living togas opposed to getting married. i haven't seen it just from my own personal experience. most of the people that were seriously dating, a mixed couple, they still got married. >> i guess just snot something that i would have noticed because i was also born after that so that is just not something that comes up in your daily life. in 2013, i was actually kind of surprised we were talking about this because it's something that had never, ever occurred to me i guess to be on the look out for. >> but the numbers are so small. i think it does still occur to the average person and most people still are looking for mates within their own culture, their own racial group. >> part is where you live. if you're in urban centers you see more of the mixed couples. but also -- where you grow up, you're in predominantly white community you're going to date predominantly white people. it's certainly not the norm but i don't think --

>> what is the community -- >> when i went to college i went to school in the south and i actually dated a guy of another race and i will tell you we got looks when we walked in to some restaurants. but you know what, today i would never -- i don't think that would eastbound happen there. >> you know i do think it is good that we remember the butler, the movie "the butler" made us recognize watching that movie that we had apartheid going on, laws on the books that legislated the separation of our races and i just think it's good to remember the context and to see this as a good thing. >> how much does family opinion matter any more in marriage? >> that's probably the central ingredient. you want to be with somebody but don't want to go through the hassle of telling your momma. [ laughter ] >> my experience is the parents are against it the children are going to do it. [laughter] >> i'm not married at this point they might be happy with anybody -- just kidding.

>> as long as he's -- >> that's a huge factor. i don't think that's true to just any community l. you're black, you're white, whatever your ethnic background families he is especially members of your family kind of want to you stick with that. >> that's why i say it's cultural for the racial to a certain extent because of that. that's just a culture thing that families tend to question who you're dating and you're dating choices that this person is going to become a member of their family so they're very interested in that. i think that regardless of race, families can be a barrier to getting married -- >> but their children, this is still a -- these numbers notwithstanding i don't find them huge or awesome, i'm not that surprised. they know that this is still a country where you have to think about the children, how they will be raised, and still the

society, still live in cities that are increasingly racially and suburbs that are increasingly racially the same. these things need to be thought through before you get married. >> the all right. behind the headlines: many americans are already focused on the 2016 presidential race. so is political action committee, emily's list. launching the madam president campaign, it hopes 2016 will be the year a woman finally lands in the oval office. for 28 years, emily's list has backed democratic, pro-choice women running for office. now it wants a woman to win the highest u.s. political office, the presidency. >> we felt really strongly that it was time to really initiate a conversation across the country about the importance of women's executive leadership, mayors, governors, and ultimately the white house. highlight the amazing women we have in the pipeline now and the

women that we continue to move through the pipeline who we will see in decades to come. >> the american public seems poised to trust a woman in the highest leadership position. a recent poll of battleground states found 90% of voters would consider voting for a qualified female candidate from their party, 86% believe the country is ready to elect a woman president. and nearly three-quarters believe it's likely america will elect a woman president in 2016. >> americans, across the board feel that women executives, women leaders bring the right priorities and the right judgments to office and that they will put family concern and the nation's concerns in front of partisan politics. >> schriock says social media is a powerful tool for women candidates. it's a great way to raise their profiles and to raise money. >> that incredible woman that who is running for the united states senate that you may not know yet, but i do and i am

going to put it on facebook and i am just asking for you to give $5, $25, if you have $100 put it on the credit card. that really is the movement of emily's list. women and men who are coming together to financially support women candidates across the country. >> so, does emily's list have a top pick to for the first madam president? schriock says hillary clinton continues to be the favorite, but not the only woman who could end up in the white house. >> her background, clearly as a both a senator and secretary of state, brings all of that experience into one package to move forward. she would be a fantastic president if she took this on. but as we look at the other women who should be considered like senator amy klobuchar and senator kirsten gillibrand, the network that they bring to politics, the energy, the passion, is critically important.

>> while emily's list eyes the white house, progress is still needed at the local levels. >> of the 100 largest cities in the country, until recently, only nine had women mayors. we are actually in a better position in congress, with women being 19%, than we are by far in mayorships of the largest cities in the country. >> and with women's issues dominating headlines in state houses across the country, schriock says emily's list can't afford to ignore the state legislatures. >> we are losing ground on so many issues, particularly reproductive rights, but if you look at economic, education, so many different areas, these state legislators are really pushing through some incredibly backwards looking legislations that are now laws. and it is something that we are very focused on and we are actually doubling down on our program to train, recruit and

get women into these legislators. >> is there anybody else coming up through the ranks, she talked about amy klobuchar, or gillibrand but does a woman in the 2016 on democratic start let's start with, mean hillary clinton? >> doesn't necessarily. i think hillary clinton probably has the best resume for it. we've heard a lot about cheryl sandberg talking about leaning in. what i love about emily's list what we need is women to have each other's backs. just look what is happening with janet yellen the succession of ben bernanke at the fed. and suddenly you think the vice chair would be very seriously considered candidate. all of a sudden larry's team, team summers has come out been pushing his position. well,. >> the rest of the world is coming out against him including -- >> now the -- >> and the "new york times."

>> now becoming to larry or not to larry. i'm like, where's janet? who by the way was endorsed by the "new york times." i think it's great. women need to have each other's back, they need to be like the good old boys network and support them. that's exactly what emily's list is doing. and i think it would be a surprise if a woman were not on the candidate -- on the slate on democratic side. >> on the republican side. >> i think they're going to be republican women running 2016. i don't think there's any doubt about that. it's much clear who the democrats are probably going to have in 2016 if a women is going to be it it's going to likely be hillary. let me give a plug for another group that does stuff like this, a group called the susan b. anthony list which tries to identify conservative female candidates who are pro life exactly what emily's list what does they do. they recruit across the board.

state level, the top level. but it's not just outside groups, the parties are doing this, republican party is doing a lot in terms of both at the federal level and state level which is really your farm teams. this is where you get people that eventually become senators, that become governors and the like. the goal of recruiting 300 over the course of the next election psych yes. >> you look at alternatives to hillary clinton on the democratic side and most are white, you look to possible females, sarah palin not going to -- okay. then you were mentioning governor suzanne a martinez out of new mexico who is very good. and announced that she's running again in south carolina and had lot of big national names standing next to her. that was interesting. you were mentioning kelly from new hampshire. there are lot of women i think in the party who are at the right stature level in terms of experience, not just in elected office but former jobs as well

that i think are ready for those runs if they want to make them. >> doesn't have the strongest bench. until they get policies that will attract more women they are going to have that weak bench. our bench -- >> what about the fact that she mentioned two women of color as sort of the two more prominent republican women who might go through the nomination versus -- it's interesting to me that -- >> that's not what republicans are talking about. i believe that the women that we named tend to be senators because every senator believes that she can be the president of the united states. but beyond that i really don't see a woman even on the democratic side that would be a true contender of the kind we

are used to. and it's because, look at those women. almost all of them are fairly new. one, maybe two terms. nobody knows their name except us and the people in their state. and i can't say enough about how important that is if you want to run for president. if you want to be a dark horse there are women on both sides. >> you know this is why this thing is so good. they did a town hall meeting in iowa, they did a town hall meeting in new hampshire. they're introducing these women in very critical places and if you think of it barack obama had been a state -- >> nobody knew who he was. >> in his first term. did anyone say how dare you think you can be president -- >> hillary did. [laughter] >> these guys they think -- minute they're elected senator they think i'm running for the

white house. >> i'll be on e our bench of women i agree with you is not as strong as on the democratic side. but there are reasons for that, and part of that is because the party previously done not a great job at recruiting women and conservative organizations not done very good job of recruiting women. as you were talking about before the national party for a fact is going out of its way to partner with organizations and recruit more women for the lower -- >> we are out of time. thank you. that's it for this edition of "to the contrary." please follow me on twitter @bonnieerbe and @tothecontrary and visit our website. pbs.org/tothecontrary where the discussion continues. whether you agree or think, to the contrary, please join us next time.

>> funding for "to the contrary" provided by: the cornell douglas foundation committed to encouraging stewardship of the environment, land conservation, watershed protection and eliminating harmful chemicals. additional funding provided by: the colcom foundation. the wallace genetic foundation the e. rhodes and leona b. carpenter foundation. and by the charles a. frueauff foundation. for a transcript or to see an online version of this episode of "to the contrary" please visit our pbs website at www.pbs.org/tothecontrary.