ms. walsh has had a distinguished career as a journalist and worked at the state capitol in sacramento. she was editor-in-chief at salaam for six years. she's quite proudly from new york city, where i'm happy to say that her father and nine grew up on the very same street near yankee stadium and not a major street at that. she's a graduate of the university of wisconsin. ms. walsh is here to discuss your ideas on the demographics and alliances that play in this election year and give her to, the possible outcome might be. please, give a commonwealth club welcome to joan walsh. [applause] >> thank you, doug, thinks everybody. i told my best friend that's here tonight that i was nervous about this. i've been doing all sorts of things and not getting nervous, and i told trevor -- i tweet a lot -- and someone reminded me that yesterday was the 80th anniversary of fdr most important speech at that point in his life in 1932. he was running for the presidency and he came out and sent a big defining di

walsh: i think this is what people don't like about politics. ms.duckworth has had a stance infectious at the affordable care didn't go far enough. i believe in universal health care. i wish he would you would stand by that because she said that proudly repeatedly. in the last point ms. duckworth talks about the fact that we should never get rid of the guaranteed benefit medicare. you understand that if we keep the guaranteed benefit in medicare it won't last another 10 to 12 years. duckworth: i understand that perfectly well and here is the problem. you want to cut medicare in order to say that is not the solution. no senior has ever said to me tammy please get rid of medicare and put me out on the street. what they say is cut things like the f-35 joint striker aircraft and cut the oil and gas subsidies. >> moderator: congressman we have another question from a viewer that comes from scott. he is asking what is the role of the federal government in and the citizens daily life? walsh: do you know what the role of the federal government as? we are bo

walsh: respectfully, ms. duckworth that is an answer in four or five different ways. the dream act moves people. i want my government to secure its border and i want my government to do that before we have any discussion of any immigration reform. the real unemployment rate in this country is about 15 to 19%. that is a huge concern and i am especially opposed to what the president did where he just snapped his fingers and legalized in number of illegal immigrants where we have 15 to 19 percent unemployment in this country. >> moderator: let me ask about a couple of your colleagues in congress, congressman jesse jackson jr.. they have both been out of commission for illnesses. from the beginning of this year, jesse jackson jr. the last several months. how long should the constituents give an elected official in congress before they either ask them to resign or step aside? what do you think? >> moderator: that is an interesting question and thoughts and prayers go out to both because we know the battle that senator kirk is going through and he's fighting it is valiantly