caller: the democrats.reason for this, the last administration did not put the wars on the tab, prescription drugs on the tab. just like a woman who knows she is under water with her house, she buys stuff and hides it in the closet from our husband. finally the bill comes due. this is what obama had. the bill came due. everything was put on the budget and now we know where we stand. america cannot stand it. as far as small business people, i agree, they have taxes. instead of fighting for the republicans to maintain these subsidies for corporations, you want to be fighting for them to get rid of input so that we can close those tax loopholes that allow this to happen so that everyone's taxes can go down. especially small business. host: stephen, good morning. keep the audio down on your television. caller: i do not know what they are drinking in illinois, but in a truck driver. -- i am a truck driver. i had to buy something and it cost me more by an illinois because of the taxes. i think the republicans are

there is no clamoring among the democratic -- among democrats right now.here are lower lel support for a primary against obama than there was against clinton at this time in his re-election cycle. so i think not. as you mentioned, by the way, to the earlier point, you mentioned preparedness to be president, i don't think so, unless birthright is preparedness for president, if you want to talk about george w. bush. >> i think gas prices are $3.0. it is going to go well above $4 this summer. democrats proposing to end subsidies to the good -- big oil companies is an entirely liberal proposal of the past. we need to increase our domestic oil production. if you increase taxes, the more you tax something, the less of it you get. increasing taxes will include less production which leads to more foreign imports. you talk about off-shore oil companies in the gulf. increasing taxes is not going to increase production. it willot help anyone pay a lower price at the pump. >> miami, florida, carl on the line for democrats. you are on "washington journal." go ahead. ca

we have come too too far to turn back the progress democrats made, so let's remember it was democratsed the great depression, democrats who established social security, democrats who created medicare. democrats protecting the rights for workers to organize. democrats who cleaned our air and our water. democrats who have defended our right to organize and mobilize, protest for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. [applause] thank you. and, it was democrats two timely made health care -- finally made health care a right, not a privilege. thank you, thank you. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you, and so much of that progress was thanks to all of your advocacies working hard in the trenches every single day and for all of those advances, we can say, yes, we did. [laughter] yes, we did. when we let our core principles guides us, work hard, democrats are an unstoppable force, aren't they? it's our job to remind our neighbors it is democrats who stand up for them. democrats invest in jobs for today and tomorrow. we must remind them that democrats represen

cut it was a democratic deal democrats killed the amendment when dorgan brought it up because listen it was in no one can know all the democrats all the democratic men when they had to because they had a corrupt deal with pharma to supply all the lobbying lots of get that bill through you know what a nice bum i don't know of the right office in you all the background you need all out including the us already a whole world right on reimported look at the saudis just the back it up for a second the independent payment advisory board which is now the law of the land banks to democrats on a partisan bill can deny coverage for medicare it will ration care based on cost and political determination that you don't tell me the cause of the individual surance company that does not have ended their choice are you trying to tell me that any of the insurance companies need arises have you ever heard the word rescission i have no. doubt that would have happened here i'm going to a have it we're talking about private insurance company we're talking about menno we're talking about what about a lie a

it was democrats who ended the great depression, democrats and established social security, democrat to created medicare, democrat to protect the rights of workers to organize, democrats to clean our air and our water, democrats in and defend our rights to organize and mobilize, protest and pick it, for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. thank you. and it was democrats and finally made health care a right, not a privilege. [cheers and applause] . thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. and so much of the progress with banks to all of your abbacy, working hard in the trenches every single day, and for all of those of dances, we can say yes, we did. yes, we did. when we let our core principles guide us, when we work hard, democrats are an unstoppable force, are we not? it is our job, a fellow democrats, to remind our friends and neighbors that it is democrats that stand up for them. it is democrats and give us the jobs for.today and tomorrow. it is democrats that look after their interests, and we must remind them that it is democrats that look after the health and welfar

that's what democrats stand for. and the reason our republicans colleagues resist is they don't want the present medicare system to be preserved. >> but here, senator -- >> that is what their -- >> the political temptation here is for democrats to simply use this as a tactic to do what they did in new york, in the upstate race, and to prevail by saying, essentially, republicans want to take away health care. look, bill clinton, who looked at this and obviously understands and wants to preserve medicare, warned democrats not to do nothing. again, "the new york times" -- let me just read this -- on thursday, editorialized this way, the headline, "running on medicare the right way." democrats can't spend the entire campaign attacking ryan's plan. bill clinton was right on wednesday to warn his party it must bring down the costs to have any credibility on the deficit and the economy. so, i want to ask you a broader question -- is there a danger for democrats in not seriously engaging on medicare as being seen as abdicati

do the democrats have a plan? >> like i said, the republicans have a plan to end medicare as we know it. what they would do is they would take the people who are younger than 55 years old today and tell them, "you know what? you're on your own. go and find private health insurance in the health care insurance market. we're going to throw you to the wolves and allow insurance companies to deny you coverage and drop you for pre-existing conditions. we're going to give you x-amount of dollars and you figure it out." these are people who have paid for their whole life into the system, are counting on that safety net. americans sent a very strong message, not just in new york this week but in jacksonville, florida, last week when they elect add democratic mayor for the first time in 20 years, in a state house race in new hampshire-- the same issue. americans support medicare, and the structure that we have for medicare. they want us to sit down together and work on some long- term reforms, which is what the republicans

of the democratic is of having 100 years of -- racism the democratic a saugh -- having 100 years of racism. if you are in your 30's, you are worried about the help of your parents in the 50's, what you ought to be worried about is a president who will do nothing about it and make it and solve it in five or 10 years. -- make it insolvent in five or 10 years. >> they had been told that this would be yanked out from under them. >> which is a lie. ippy-inton said don't t toe arawn this issue. the administration's response said that we have taken steps with health care reform. they just have to go to the next step and come up with specific changes in the entitlement programs. >> it is not an insoluble problem. in this country, 17% of our country goes to it. in other countries, it is like 10% or 11%. in singapore is like 4%. we are unbelievably efficient. >> i would suggest that a liberal democrat who opposes cuts in defense spending is viewed suspiciously at skeptically. the republicans want last fall -- on a -- won last fall on that democrats would cut medicare and it would defend it. >

kind of the democratic field democrats killed the amendment when dorgan brought it up because listen it within the know all the democrats all the democratic manner when they had to because they were corrupt deal with pharma just like all the lobbying well from get that bill through you know what a nice home i don't know if he knew all the background you know you'd all out including the screwed over on reimportation look at this now you just go back it up for a second the independent payment advisory board which is now the law of the land thanks to democrats on a partisan bill and to deny coverage for medicare we will ration care based on cost and political determination that you don't know me as a cause no individual surance company does i mean to their choice are you trying to tell me that any of the insurance companies need arises have you ever heard the word rescission i have no. doubt that we have people here going down the way to have it look like in the middle of a private insurance company we're talking about no no we're talking about what's wrong about a lie and saying i'm go

we are democrats.what keeps us working together day after day is the passion to make our communities, states, and countries end the world better for each living person. our work together makes a tremendous difference. in my faith tradition, every jewish child is taught their obligation for a hebrew phrase meaning the need for each of us to work personally to heal the world. i take this teaching very seriously. and i promise you that i know debbie takes this personally. and it is committed to this principal as well. it's that internal burning need that drives debbie to help us to secure for ourselves and our children and grandchildren every opportunity we can dream of. well, this is my only chance to bat clean up. and now it is time for me to do my job and get this election going. president obama got it so right when he asked congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to accept the enormous responsibility to chair the dnc and help lead us to victory in 2012. and now officially placing her name in nomination

democrats line. o beer: mr.'s seems getting some air play. -- cain seems to be getting some airplay. there is a big ally going on in this country. maybe you should direct heat -- lie going on in this country. maybe you should direct your attention to it. after not being able to reduce the democratic rules by jailing 2 million people, in many states, they are putting in these identification cards that are disenfranchising l.a., poor, students, those that do not pay bills. -- elderly, poor, students, those that do not pay bills. many are americans that do not have a voice in this government. they are being robbed of their voice for the next 40 years. i think you need to pursue this, unless it is only important to talk about the day after the 2012 elections. guest: the more herman cain is out there, the more he will be asked questions. he will get attention based upon how he does in the polls. i think those questions are legitimate to ask. legitimate to ask. host: there has never been a president be elected since f

democrat's line. go ahead. >> well, in maryland the only thing touf do, you register to vote and they send you a voter register card. now, if you get to the polls and don't have your card they ask you for your date of birth. and if you can give your date of birth and your name is on the register, you can vote. you don't have to show identification. and i think the whole purpose is you want to facilitate voting. voting. because in most elections the majority of people don't vote anyway. so with a democracy and people not participating, the results are not auts tick. and this whole trend of trying to suppress voting, and i agree with the first caller that republicans are trying to prevent minorities from voting because they want to maintain their control. and we should encourage voting. and we should design ways that would facilitate more people going to the polls and not trying to limit people from voting. >> what's your opinion on i guess the hang-up that somewhat expressed about showing a photo as fa

democrat, republican, he's a republican, i'm the democrat. we get along., again, i agree with him to the point that we have to look at risk, but you can't say that the only cities that should get them, which are the four, five cities you mentioned, there's more in those cities. and some of the large cities, some of the smaller cities, you know, el paso, a lot of them are the most dangerous -- throughout juarez, one of the most dangerous cities in mexico. so you got to look at where the threats are, but you can't put it by signs of population. host: so you're calling for hearings to look into that. guest: certainly. san antonio lost money because, as you know, the new majority of our republican friends, what they did is they cut moneys to homeland. now, i want to see the deficit. i'm a blue dog, a member of the blue dog coalition, but i think we need to set priorities. and if border security is so property, why are we putting moneys from homeland security? host: next up is joe in montgomery, alabama, republican. good morning. joe, hi there. caller: your dem

security, democrats who created medicare, democrats to protect the rights of workers to organize, democratsho cleaned our air and water, democrats could defend our right to organize and mobilize, protest and picket for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. [applause] thank you. and it was democrats who finally made health care it right, not a privilege. [applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. and so much of that progress was thanks to all of your advocacy, working hard in the trenches every single-print and for all of those advances, we can say, yes, we di. when we let our core principles guide us, democrats are unstoppable, aren't we? it is our job to remind our friends and neighbors that it is democrats to stand up for them. we must remind them that democrats invest in jobs today and tomorrow. we must remind them that democrats represent their interests. we must remind them that it is democrats who care for the health and welfare of the people and our planet. today i am asking you to make a pledge. they pledged that you will let no charge go unanswered. [applause] pledge

you give me that in any democratic seat and i'll -- >> but davis used to be a democratic candidate.ty candidate. the fact is that what has galvanized this race is the medicare issue and the plan to end the medicare -- [ everyone talking at once ] >> the real issue anyway. we all talk about it. >> from the "usa today" gallup poll this week on gas prices. look at this. 67% say it caused a financial hardship. andrew ross sorkin, this is what i think is the difficulty for republicans. you heard paul ryan say, basically, you know, you're with me or against me on medicare. that's a litmus test issue for republican candidates, but it hurts them if they want to say, hey, we're the party that's going to get you back to work. >> that's the issue, and it's ultimately going to be about the math. it's going to be about what happens to the oil prices and what happens to employment. and i truly believe that we're going to vote with our wallet when it actually comes down to it. and so, the big question is where are we in, let's say 6 to 12 months from now, when we actually have -- when the rubber h

burlakov on the democrat's line. -- veronica on the democrat's line.ler: last summer, all the meeting had about health care budget, it caused a lot of dissent. i do not think it was understood well. it was the tea party who said that they were going to kill granma, they were going to do this and that. this year, when paul ryan's budget came out, they got a dose of their own medicine, and they did not like it. it did not go down well. the thing that bothers me the most is, i feel they do not listen to the people. i do not feel congress and the senate is paying attention to what the public wants and needs. we are being hurt out here very deeply. everyone is struggling. i think the rich can afford to go back to clinton tax times. we are not raising taxes. this was supposed to expire in 2010 but everyone was held hostage. if they did not let that go through, we were not going to get things for the troops, unemployment. i do not feel that they are out for us. i wish they would feel more for the american people. i do not really feel they are serving us. than

remember, 2008 was huge for democrats.majority in congress. the democrats hope to use that issue to get back to about here. this medicare argument now, yes, policy, but also largely about 2012 politics. a good issue to discuss with time magazine's joe klein and cnn's political analyst joe borjer. >> the democrats believe they have an effective weapon they will use against republicans as the budget debate continues in washington. will it stop responsible bipartisan negotiations on a deficit and debt deal? >> yeah, i am tempted to say probably. democrats have been demagoguing this issue a long time. this is not to say they weren't wrong to block, you know, paul ryan's plan, which was a very, very extreme plan, but there's someplace in the middle, and it involves medicare reforms and revenues, taxes, higher taxes. you know, any society, especially one as prosperous as ours should be humane enough to provide a system of healthcare for the elderly that's no frills and must free. >> paul ryan, the architect of the house plan was

party and democrats are less likely to be church going and republicans are more likely was the answer lower you know another more different republican can claim redemption through confession and you know i'm watching the blood of jesus and a democrat could get away with it i don't know about that i mean there's no question that you can it was incredibly unpopular with social conservatives never would have gotten on iowa given a giuliani same problem never would have made it very far didn't make it very i was never popular social conservatives because it was you dressed up and said it's late . on monday our nation's really really good on monday our nation had its debt ceiling treasury secretary tim geithner is now using extreme measures to keep our nation from defaulting on its debt and spiraling into a great depression is all this can be avoided if republicans agreed to a clean bill just an up or down vote on the debt ceiling that's it instead republicans are using the debt ceiling as leverage to screw over working people by cutting trillions of dollars out of the social safety net pr

who is the democrat? has the democrat ever covered from the carter years? >> well, i think part of what i'm trying to get at sort of is that i am telling this story of, you know, what happens to the left, what happens to liberalism and what is generally acknowledged as a conservative actiq and i think the value of doing that has to do with sort of illustrating the push and pull them as i was talking about in the introduction, dysphagia of claiming defense and i think it amounts to -- i think it amounts to a statement on behalf of the value of being engaged in a lot of ways. and certainly an epilogue, sordid chapter by chapter and say whatever sort of movement or episode i discuss in that chapter, you know, with the last thing accomplished was for. and i do do some speculation about obama. the last time i got to revise the epilogue before it went to print with roughly a year ago. so it'd just gone through. i didn't really have the pitfalls of doing recent history is that, you know, i certainly could have anticipated, but i didn't have opportunity to, you kno

five republicans sided with the democrats. some of those from blue states like massachusetts and maine and what have you. it only got 40 votes in the senate, the ryan plan. right now vice president biden is heading up these negotiations between the house and the senate republicans and democrats. they are trying to reach a deal on spending cuts in order to raise the debt limit by august 2. yesterday vice president biden held yet another meeting with these leaders and they came out, everyone one, all sides saying real progress is being made. they kind of come to agreement on about a trillion dollars worth of cuts so they're trying to move down the pike to get the debt limit issue taken care of. the other larger factor, and this is when you ask is this going to be an issue in 2012? here's the big x factor, judy. if indeed both parties come together on some bipartisan grand bargain of entitlement reform to really tackle the long-term debt and deficit, then this issue goes away as a political kuj jell for either side. if there's an

andrew, another democrat. caller: i would like to see our president say is going to close the syrian embassy. this is a country which he has renewed diplomatic relations with and since then they have been shooting women d children in the street. they have been shooting the dead bodies to make sure they are dead. they have been driving people out of their country and they have been running away to lebanon and turkey and and were that they could find. i would like to see the president take a stand instead of waiting until the arabs do everything themselves. why can't we support democracy and a free nation? why cannot we stand with them for their fight for democracy? host: the lead in "the new york times" -- ourext caller covent -- is deborah from houston. caller: thank you for c-span. i wanted to follow up what the other caller said -- i am also proud american. never more proud as i am now with president obama representing america. as far as him talking about the middle east, i would like him to reiterate the is

all 241 democrats will meet with obama. house democrats will meet on thursday.ipartisan discussions with vice president biden continue this week ahead of the of the second deadline. the senate is on break this week. good morning on this tuesday, may 31. we will begin what the housing industry. it is still -- is owning a home still the american dream? the telephone numbers are on the screen. we have a special line set aside this morning for renters. we want to hear from you as well. let me show you the front page of the open clay usa today." almost 4 million homes have been lost of foreclosures and a last five years, turning many former homes into rentals. of the 100 marjah cities, some of those were irvine, california, which went to 4% -- we want to get your take on this -- it is owning a home still the american dream? what do you think about housing policy as well? this story is on the front page of the "new york times calls " this morning. it says that the giant -- the desire to own your own home -- the telephone numbers are on your screen. renters, we want to

democrats have rich guys, too. john kerry's winds-surfing habit was a picture most democrats wanted not out there. here was jay leno. >> did you see the picture of john kerry windsurfing? he's at his home in nantucket, doing his favorite thing, winds surfing. even his hobby depends on which way the wind blows. chris: john edwards wasn't a silver spoon guy, but he forgot where he came from -- over and over. there was that infamous $400 haircut. this takeoff went viral. ♪ i feel pretty ♪ oh so pretty, i feel pretty, withey and bright and ♪ chris: by the way, on the subject, he exited the stage with this misleading statement -- >> i've decided that we are going to continue onward with "celebrity apprentice." we're going to continue making loggets and lots of money for charity. chris: charity? well, the contestants on the show compete for their charities, but trump himself reportedly gets tens of millions of dollars from nbc for that show. when we come back, trump and mike huckabee are out. together they appealed to 1/

and the democrats -- democrats and ronald reagan got together in the 1980's, we traded 6.3 million newhat -- we created 6.3 million new jobs. that sounds pretty darn good to me today. i've been able, sir, to get republicans to support taking away tax breaks per shipping jobs overseas and using those very same dollars to cut taxes on people who do business in the united states. that is one of the ways we can have a recovery with real jobs rather than what we're seeing now. host: independent caller, petersburg, virginia. caller: couple things to say here. previous caller said a few things that i wanted to speak about. i am on a disability, social security. a little over a $10 a month, and it takes -- a little over $800 a month, and they take time out for medicare. there are tests to b one -- to be run at a 20% and they are so high i cannot get it done. people are getting richer and richer and richer, a small majority, and the west must pay know billion bah-- i don't who those people are, but they are the ones who can afford gas. guest: what i believe we want for our economic theory in th

democrats are already making advertisements cutting that. he is attacking the whole republican congress. newt actually said that if any democrat puts out an ad that uses the words he said -- if you quote me, you are engaging in a falsehood. that is statement of the year. you cannot top of that. [laughter] >> jon kyl tried. he said something wasn't meant to be a factual statement. >> he is in big trouble. the question about gingrich's always won a judgment entered, not whether in -- was one of the judgment and maturity, not whether he could be provocative or occasionally interesting. he has said that any questions about his personal behavior, past, business dealings, or ought of bounds -- are out of balance. americans don't hire a policy papefor a president. they wanted out the person putting a finger on the bomb is somebody who was thougful and reflective. >> we cannot talk about this, we cannot talk about this, but we will talk about this. >> and if you quote me, you are lying. >> there is one interesting aspect of this. it appears that to

there's a lot of concern in the democratic ranks. the labor people, when we're talking about pensions, and already we're seeing ads from the california teachers association up on tv, taking about do not cut education anymore. he's getting pressure from those groups and he will get it there. and we're going to see what kind of address he delivers and how tough he gets to them this weekend. because we have begun to hear some of what is the democratic strategy going forward or how they're starting to pressure the republicans, both bill and senate leader dennis steinberg talked about, well, maybe we can do outsized cuts in the republican district. that is, if the republicans are so opposed to tax increasing or taxextensions, maybe their districts can be cut back on in public services. we're hearing that argument being floated and, of course, the republicans are starting to already -- >> is that legal? could they do that, say, orange county you're not going to get as much as alameda county? >> that's an interesting question. i'm not sure

andrew, another democrat. caller: i would like to see our president say he is going to close the syrian embassy. this is a country which he has renewed diplomatic relations with and since then they have been shooting women and children in the street. they have been shooting the dead bodies to make sure they are dead. they have been driving people out of their country and they have been running away to lebanon and turkey and and were that they could find. i would like to see the president take a stand instead of waiting until the arabs do everything themselves. why can't we support democracy and a free nation? why cannot we stand with them for their fight for democracy? host: the lead in "the new york times" -- our next caller covent -- is deborah from houston. caller: thank you for c-span. i wanted to follow up what the other caller said -- i am also proud american. never more proud as i am now with president obama representing america. as far as him talking about the middle east, i would like him to reiterate

they attacked the democrats for cutting medicare which was not true and the democrats decided to keep what they had done a secret so that the attack would certainly work. go figure. [laughter] it happens but you should not draw the conclusion that the new york race means that nobody can do anything to slow the rate of medicare costs. i just don't agree with that. you should draw the conclusion that the people made a judgment that the proposal of the republican budget is not the right one. i agree with that but i'm afraid the democrats came to the conclusion that because congressman's proposal is not the best one that we should not do anything. i completely disagree with that. there are lots of things you can do to bring down medicare costs. when i was president, we passed a medicare reform bill, bipartisan, and it said 50% more than was estimated in the first two years. it was so much that congress went back and actually increased some of the reimbursement rates and still, over a 10 year period, this is more than a decade ago, it saved 23% more than the congressional budget office sai

to say democrats don't have a plan is incorrect. the plan is preserve and protect medicare for future generations. republicans want to dismantle that. >> but i think as you sit here and look at the two of us, one of us has voted to cut medicare. when you look at the fact you voted for the patient and protection affordable care act, which had $500 million cut of medicare and independent payment advisory board, the 15 bureaucrats that are supposed to control theco of medicare, that scares seniors. what we are talking about doesn't effect any senior. nobody 55 years and above. we're talking about a vital plan to sustain medicare for the future. as we know, it was put out three weeks ago it won't be there. >> the congressman thinks the seniors are only interested in what is good for them. what we know about seniors in south florida or maryland they care about what happens with the next generation. they care whether we'll cover preventive care and prescription drug. >> if you don't have a plan, there is no. >> and that they are not sent

burt, a democrat.ler: regarding what president obama has done about guns -- i am a political junkie. i watched just about every news show that there is on cable -- watch just about every news show that there is on cable, even fox news, and i would not mind having a gun so i could shoot my television. guest: it would give you time to do more things. caller: i would never allow a gun in my house. number one, background checks. a felon cannot vote, but felons can buy guns in certain states. guest: no, he cannot. there is a federal law against a felon purchasing a firearm. the instant check checks all of those records to see if the potential purchaser is a felon or is disqualified for other reasons. there are all whole list of things that can disqualify you from purchasing a firearm -- if you are not a citizen, unless you have been in residence for 90 days. there are a whole series of things. those things show up on those checks. those checks are supported by the nra -- the instant-check system. over the y

host: john is a democrat. caller: i am in favor of cutting tax benefits for the oil companies as well as all corporations should be cut like that. i am 77 years old and their work in construction all my life. there was no security or anything like that. they talk about high union wages and earnings. wheat earned them. when the iron workers put out the assigned [unintelligible] at least the democrats try to do things for the people. the republican party from the time when i was a kid, 70- something years, they are a party of whiners. "no" against everything. we finally have a president who has some smarts and is a decent person. all they do to him is say no and cut him up instead of working with him. thank you so much. guest: i do think that we are going to have to come together and set aside the differences that we have. i am very hopeful that the negotiations being led by vice president joe biden her on the issue of raising the debt limit will yield the kind of bipartisan solutions that we need in order to mo

for just as democratic revolutions can be triggered by a lack of individual opportunity, successful democratic transitions depend upon an expansion of growth and broad-based prosperity. so, drawing from what we've learned around the world, we think it's important to focus on trade, not just aid, on investment, not just assistance. the goal must be a model in which protectionism gives way to openness, the reigns of commerce pass from the few to the many, and the economy generates jobs for the young. america's support for democracy will therefore be based on ensuring financial stability, promoting reform, and integrating competitive markets with each other and the global economy. and we're going to start with tunisia and egypt. first, we've asked the world bank and the international monetary fund to present a plan at next week's g8 summit for what needs to be done to stabilize and modernize the economies of tunisia and egypt. together, we must help them recover from the disruptions of their democratic upheaval, and support the governments that will be elected later this year. and we are urging o

do these oil companies pay their fair share as has been said by some democrats who wanted to pay more? >> i don't know. that's a very subjective judgment as to whether they are paying their fair share relative to other companies and other taxpayers. i think it is pretty clear that reducing some of the tax benefits would not jeopardize the profitability of some of these companies. i do not doubt they might let at shifting around where they invest some of their funds and where they hope to have future production and some of that might move out of that united states if they felt the tax burden in the u.s. was unfavorable to them compared to other countries. the profitability of these companies is pretty well established and as long as the price of oil is anywhere near where it is today, they will define. >> everybody right now is thinking about gas prices. everybody who has a car, you have seen it when you go to the pump. with $4 a gallon gasoline, democrats are pushing this and acknowledges not going to do anything about gas prices. is there anything that might actually get through cong

but, new jersey democratic senator bob menendez says in effect, much ado about nothing. money saved is not worth the potential environmental risks. "the departmenof ener has jected that drilling all our coasts, even the jersey shore, would only reduce gas prices by question, what about that deadbeat senator and his view? it's only going to yield very little. you agree with that? >> probably right. but obama is going through the proper motions a president much appear to be doing something, be he said there's not much a president do to affect gas prices, republican or democrat. but no president gains any points by telling people that truth wow going through e tions -- drilling leases. >> also, leases take a long time. his administration of a few years ago, three or four years ago, are just coming alive now because -- ding -- >> the long haul you can if effect it [everyone talking at once] >> the problem over the long haul is you have countries like china and india and others booming and consuming more and more oil, and you take all the oil producing countries in the world

for the reason democratic victory in new york's twenty six congressional district could the republicans just varies fully now before things get any uglier and the nation's largest states are not represented on capitol hill so what's the answer to this problem state division of talent i'll break it down on topics for the fourth shopping brock's internet stealing take. it's friday which means it's time for conversations with great minds joining me tonight is an award winning american novelist who's written thirty four critically acclaimed books perhaps his best known work is it best selling series of historical mystery novels he treated as active named easy rawlins as want to know henry a war a grammy and an american a lifetime achievement award his most recent work is untitled twelve steps toward political revelation examines an american struggle with poverty or pressure and self destructive behavior and how we can turn things around pleased to welcome from new york walter mosley author walk i'm. just great great to have you with us you open the book in fact in the introduction you talk