Has the right to determine and shape the future of our country and not just a king or queen or a handful of billionaires. That is a radical idea that i believe. [applause] mr. Sanders and in my view, not only must we overturn citizens united, we have to go further. I want to see this country have the most vibrant democracy of any country on earth. I want to see us have one of the highest voter turnouts, not one of the lowest voter turnouts. [applause] mr. Sanders i want to see a process in which anybody in this room, anybody in america whether you are conservative, progressive, moderate if you believe you want to get into public service, you want to run for office, you believe in your ideas, i want to see you be able to run for Office Without begging money from the wealthy and the powerful. [applause] mr. Sanders a couple of weeks ago in washington, i was at an event with Martin Luther king, iii and people with the southern christian leadership congress. A very good civil rights organization. And what we talked about at that meeting was to, first of all, celebrate the 50th anniversary and someone mentioned this earlier. Of the enormously important Voting Rights act. Ok . [applause] mr. Sanders what the Voting Rights act was about was to say the governors and legislatures all over this country, many in the south, will say sorry, all people will be able to vote regardless of the color of their skin. [applause] mr. Sanders that was a great step forward for democracy, but as many of you know, two years ago, the Supreme Court gutted a very important provision of the Voting Rights act. And what has happened is all over the country, not just to the south, but all over the country, governors and legislatures have done Everything Possible to suppress the vote, to deny people the right to vote, those people disagree with the powers that be. And they are unsafe. [applause] mr. Sanders you know, i take that kind of personally and i will tell you why. I have run for office in my own state many times. Sometimes i have lost. Most times i have won. But it had never occurred to me, never, not for one second to say there are parts of the state that are not sympathetic to me, how do i figure out a way to stop those people from voting . If you cannot run for office and defend your ideas, then you should not run for office in the first place. [applause] mr. Sanders people, legislatures, governors who try to prevent people from voting because they may vote against a governor or the legislatures are nothing less than political cowards. [applause] mr. Sanders i have introduced legislation which more or less says that if you are 18 years of age in the United States of america, you are registered to vote, end of discussion. [applause] mr. Sanders i think all of you know that the world we are living in is a very competitive global economy. And if our nation is going to succeed economically, we need to have the best educated workforce in the world. [applause] mr. Sanders and what saddens me very much is as we speak here tonight, there are hundreds of thousands of bright, young men and women across this country kids who have done really well in school. Kids were qualified to get into college, but they cannot get into college for one reason their families lack the money. To my mind, it is not only unfair to these kids to deny them the right to become doctors or engineers or teachers or scientists or whatever else not only unfair to them, but it is absurd when we talk about the future of the american economy. We need to have the best educated workers in the world. [applause] mr. Sanders and that is why i have introduced legislation which does two very important things. First, it says that every Public College and university in america will be tuitionfree. [applause] mr. Sanders and i want to tell you why this idea, this simple idea is a revolutionary idea. It is not just that it will make life easier for kids in high school to get to college. It will certainly do that. But this is what else it will do today in columbia, in burlington, vermont, there are kids in the fourth and fifth grades. These are kids whose mom and dad did not go to college. These are kids who dont know anybody who went to college and the idea of going to college, of making it into the middle class is something beyond their wildest expectations or dreams. But, if we tell every kid in columbia and in burlington, vermont that if you study, if you Pay Attention to school, if you do your work, you will be able to get a college education. [applause] mr. Sanders it will impact kids from the first grade on up. And the second thing we have done in a legislation is to address the absurdity of millions of americans, some young, some not so young, who are struggling with horrendously oppressive student debt. [applause] mr. Sanders i have talked to a young woman whose crime in life was she went to medical school and is practicing primary health care for lowincome people. Exactly the kind of doctors we need. But, for doing that, she came out of school 300,000 in debt. I was in iowa a few months ago. A young woman came up to me and said she graduated dental school 400,000 in debt at a time where we have a major dental crisis and we need more dentists. I talked to young people who are paying off 25 of their limited incomes in student debt. Cannot afford to get married. Cannot afford to get a car. Cannot afford to get a home. Now, in my view, it makes no sense at all that if you can refinance your home today at 2 or 3 or 4 , you should not be paying 8 or 10 on your student debt. [applause] mr. Sanders third of all, the federal government which holds most of that debt should not be profiteering with high Interest Rates of workingclass americans. [applause] mr. Sanders people say to me, well, bernie, that is a good idea, but it will be pretty expensive to provide Public Colleges and universities tuitionfree and lower student debt. How will you pay for it . Let me tell you exactly how i will pay for it with a tax on wall street speculation. [applause] mr. Sanders when wall street destroyed this economy because of their greed and recklessness, they went begging to the middle class to bail them out. Now it is wall streets time to bail out the middle class. [applause] mr. Sanders when we talk about our responsibilities as human beings, as parents, adults, there is perhaps nothing more important than leaving this planet in a way that is habitable for our kids and grandchildren. [applause] mr. Sanders the debate is over. The Scientific Community in a virtually unanimous voice have told us Climate Change is real. Climate change is caused by human activity. And Climate Change is already today causing devastating problems in our country and all over the world. [applause] mr. Sanders what the scientists tell us if we do not get our act together in a very short period of time, a bad situation today will become much, much worse with the planet temperature rising 5 or 10 degrees more fahrenheit. More drought, more flood, more extreme weather disturbances. More ocean acidification. The United States has the moral responsibility to lead the world in transforming our Energy System. [applause] mr. Sanders in transforming our Energy System away from fossil fuel to Energy Efficiency and sustainable energy. [applause] mr. Sanders let me say a word about values and priorities. I am the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget committee which means i am the leader of the democrats in our position. I want to tell you what many of you dont know. The media forgot to talk about it. [laughter] sanders that is the budget passed by the republicans a few months ago does the following it throws 27 million americans off of health care. It cuts pell grants by 90 billion over 10 years. It cuts nutrition programs, including the wic program, for pregnant women and their little kids by billions and billions of dollars. [booing] mr. Sanders those are the priorities of the Republican Party. Those are not americas priorities. [applause] mr. Sanders and to add insult to injury, not only are they making massive cuts in health care, education, nutrition and other vitally important programs, their budget proposes to give 250 billion in tax breaks to the top 2 10 of 1 . [booing] mr. Sanders so, let me tell my republican colleagues no, we are not going to cut social security. We are going to expand social security. [applause] mr. Sanders no, we are not going to cut veterans programs. We are going to expand veterans programs. [applause] mr. Sanders and we are going to provide the best Quality Health care to our veterans, who have put their lives on the line to defend this country. [applause] mr. Sanders when we talk about making our country the kind of nation that it must become, we must talk about ending institutional racism and making major reforms [applause] mr. Sanders and making major reforms to our broken criminal justice system. [applause] mr. Sanders now, the good news is that over the last several decades, our country has made significant progress in overcoming our long legacy of racism. We should be proud of that. If people were sitting in this room 30 years ago and somebody said i think in the year 2008, an africanamerican could be elected president , that the people of america will look at his ideas, his views, people would have said no. It would not happen that fast, but it did happen and we should be proud of that. [applause] mr. Sanders we should be proud of the progress we have made and the struggle absolutely continues against sexism in this country and Opening Doors for women that never existed before. [applause] mr. Sanders god only knows that that struggle continues, but we are making progress and we should be very proud of the extraordinary progress we have made in recent years in the fight for gay rights. Something we should be very proud of. [applause] mr. Sanders that is the good news and we as americans deserve a pat on the back for making Real Progress in making us a less Discriminatory Society in many respects. But, here is the bad news as everyone in this room knows, racism remains a much too real part of american life. And in that regard, im not just talking about the sickness of a man who can walk into a bible study class in charleston, pray with people in that room and then take out a gun and kill nine of them. That is just something that is almost impossible for us to understand how somebody can do that. And we are not just talking about other forms of racism that we see every single day. We are not just talking about the hundreds of hate groups that exist all over this country, groups that exist for one purpose alone and that is it is hard to imagine but to foment hatred against africanamericans or gays or immigrants or jews people that are different from them. And we have to take a hard look at those groups. The Justice Department should be much more active in making sure [applause] mr. Sanders these are the types of groups that educated that sick man. But im not just talking about those groups. Im talking about people like sandra bland and michael brown. [applause] mr. Sanders and walter scott and freddie gray and many, many unarmed African Americans who died at the hands of Police Officers or in police custody. Now, i was a mayor for eight years. And let me be the first to tell you as someone who worked very hard with our Police Department that being a cop today is not an easy job and most Police Officers are honest and trying to do their best under difficult circumstances. [applause] mr. Sanders let me also tell you that as in the case of any other public official, when a Police Officer breaks the law, that officer must be held accountable. [applause] mr. Sanders further, we need fundamental reform of a broken, broken criminal justice system. [applause] mr. Sanders there is a lot to talk about, but let me very briefly highlight some of the areas that i believe we need to move aggressively in. When i turn on the tv and i see in some cities, small cities all over america, Police Departments that are heavily militarized, that look like an invading army, that is wrong. [applause] mr. Sanders the best Police Departments in america are Police Departments that are part of the community. [applause] mr. Sanders where people feel comfortable with Police Officers and are able to say there is a crack house down the street, where people have confidence in a police force that is working with them, not against them. [applause] mr. Sanders when i was mayor of burlington, we moved towards the concept of Community Policing making Police Officers part of the community. We also Police Departments are run by communities but the federal government can play a role. Police departments all across america should reflect the diversity of the community they serve. [applause] mr. Sanders we also need to take a hard look at the use of force doctrine that exists in many Police Departments. Good Police Officers i have seen it personally many times are able to deflect a volatile situation. That is good police work. [applause] mr. Sanders many officers are trained to do that. That is tough. I have seen Police Officers get in the middle of a fight. We should understand lethal force is the last resort, not the first. [applause] mr. Sanders we need to begin rethinking the war on drugs. [applause] mr. Sanders i find it remarkable and disturbing that many Young Americans have received a criminal record for smoking or possessing marijuana, but not one major wall street executive has a criminal record for destroying our economy. [applause] mr. Sanders when Congress Reconvenes in september, i will be offering legislation which ends the absurdity and injustice of private corporations making profits by building and running jails. [applause] mr. Sanders corporations should not be making a profit on the incarceration of americans. [applause] mr. Sanders further, we need to understand that substance addiction, whether it is drugs or alcohol or whatever, is a disease. Is a disease. It is a serious disease that exists in my state, it exists all over this country. And we need to aggressively treat that disease and not see it as a crime. [applause] mr. Sanders and that means that we need to invest in drug courts and medical and Mental Health intervention. [applause] mr. Sanders it is a pretty crazy situation when many of the people in jail are mentally ill. [applause] mr. Sanders and i can tell you i get calls in my office, other senators get calls from people who say, you know what, i am really worried about my brother. I dont know what he is going to do to himself or somebody else, but we cannot find a Mental Health counseling that we need and can afford. That is crazy. [applause] mr. Sanders and we also need to develop a path back from prison. [applause] mr. Sanders nobody should be shocked that if somebody leaves prison without a job, without education, without decent housing, they will go back to the environment that they got into jail in the first place. [applause] mr. Sanders we have got a lot of work to do on criminal justice. But keep in mind, it costs more money to keep somebody in jail than to send them [applause] mr. Sanders when we talk about bringing our people together, let us not forget that today there are 11 million undocumented people in this country. I was in phoenix a few weeks ago talking to a group of young hispanic kids. Tears rolling out of their eyes because they were fearful of being deported or having their parents deported. We need to provide Legal Protection now for the undocumented. [applause] mr. Sanders we need comprehensive Immigration Reform and we need a path towards citizenship. [applause] mr. Sanders a number of years ago, as all of you will recall, there was a fierce debate about whether the United States should go to war in iraq. I listened to what bush and cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had to say. [booing] mr. Sanders and i did not believe them. I voted against the war in iraq. [applause] mr. Sanders and it does not make me happy, it truly does not, to tell you that much of what i said during that debate go to youtube and look at what i said sadly, much of what i feared would happen did happen in terms of the destabilization of the region. And now, as you know, there is another debate about the president s plan to make certain that iran does not get a Nuclear Weapon. [applause] mr. Sanders now, i find it astounding that many of my republican colleagues seem to have forgotten what the wars in iraq and afghanistan have done to our people and to our country. They forgot about the 6700 brave men and women who died. They forgot about the young men who came home without legs and arms. They forgot about the 500,000 who came home with posttraumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries. [applause] mr. Sanders and, by the way, if this country stands for anything, we have to stand with those people who came home from war. [applause] mr. Sanders but now, the debate is over iran and whether or not congress should approve the agreement worked on by the president and secretary kerry. Well, i dont think this is a perfect agreement. The United States had to negotiate with five other countries. Plus germany, plus iran. But, i believe we should do Everything Possible to see that iran does not get a Nuclear Weapon without going to war. [applause] mr. Sanders and it really, really does trouble me how quickly, how easily in a sense people say we dont want this agreement, we dont trust iran. We dont like iran. What they are really saying is yes, we will go to war against iran. Now, a great nation is a nation that does Everything Possible to cultivate in this very difficult and crazy world nobody has any answers to all of the craziness in this world. Isis and Everything Else. But, we should be a leader in the world in trying to resolve International Conflict in a peaceful way and not in another war. [applause] mr. Sanders you have been very kind tonight in this rather hot room. [laughter] [applause] mr. Sanders let me close by saying two things. First, this campaign, honestly, is not about me. It is about all of us. I cannot do it alone. We need millions of people to reach out to bring people into the political process. To make certain that our friends and family do not continue to vote against their own interests. [applause] mr. Sanders and the second and last point i want to make, i want you all not to think small. I want you to think big. Country,he wealthiest or smalle a haiti country, it is too bad we cannot do this. That is not america. We can join the rest of the industrialized world and guaranty health care as a right. [applause] mr. Sanders we can have the best childcare system in the world, not a dysfunctional one. [applause] mr. Sanders we can join other countries and make sure that every person in this country, regardless of income, can get a higher education. [applause] we can make certain that every senior in our country can live in dignity and security. [applause] mr. Sanders we can make certain that a veteran that his or her life to defend us gets the Quality Health care and benefits they have earned. [applause] mr. Sanders and we can make certain that no american, regardless of their race, their religion, their disability, or their Sexual Orientation, we can make sure that all americans realize the full potential of the quality that is our birthright as americans. [applause] sanders if we stand together as a nation, if we do not allow them to divide us up by race or Sexual Orientation or the country we came from, there is nothing, nothing that together we cannot accomplish. Thank you all very much. [applause] keep on rocking in the free rld keep on rocking in the free world we have a thousand points of light gentlera kinder, machine gun hand bernie, say hi to my sister for me. Thank you, bernie. Thank you, senator. [indiscernible] Center Sanders what we are seeing today is far beyond what i thought was possible in the three and a half months in the campaign. Steve, we did a digital organizing effort. We had 3700 locations in 50 states in america bringing out over 100,000 people. Up to this point, we have received individual contributions from some 400,000 americans, averaging 31. 20. In terms of the kind of support we are seeing in so many ways, we are far beyond where i thought we would be after 3 1 2 months. Host your speech lighting up the twitter universe. A lot of people want to weigh in. I will ask our viewers, keep your comments brief. We begin with irene on the line for democrats in san antonio, texas. Guest hi, thank you so much. Cspan, thank you so much for airing bernies rally. I felt like i had a frontrow seat, which was amazing. I am in san antonio, texas. I dont know if hes going to make it down here. I have been following him for years. I am a huge supporter. I cant even tell you how ecstatic i was when he said he was running. He already had me at im running. Right now, i think his campaign is if you build it, they will come. And they keep coming. Democrats with the here. Im not having a lot of good feelings yet, but its going to happen. Its momentum. Host we will get a response. Thank you irene. Sen. Sanders i think there is a lot of momentum. And i think the reason for that is that we are talking about issues that are, in fact, on the hearts and minds of the American People. Which most politicians and media do not talk about. Steve, nobody thinks it is right that the top 1 10 of the 1 in own as much as as the bottom 90 . People dont think that is what america or our economy is supposed to be about. When you raise issues like that and come up with concrete ideas, i think people all over this texas andma in elsewhere, are shaking their heads and saying, yeah, we need to build beyond establishment politics and establishment economics. Host another famous saying, Bernie Sanders, a really smart guy. I wish we could get more of this more often. Are you sensing that on the campaign trail . Sen. Sanders i absolutely am. And i chatted you a couple months ago. And never in my wildest imagination what i believe that we would have thousands of people coming out to rallies in greenville, South Carolina or here in columbia, South Carolina. Nobody would have told me that we would have 28,000 people coming up to portland, oregon. Or 27,000 in los angeles. It is not only the size of the crowds, its enthusiasm. And it kind of makes me a bit nervous. As i said tonight, this is not about me. I cannot do it alone. What we need is a Political Movement of millions of people who are getting involved in the political process in a way that we have not done in the past. If we continue to have low voter turnout, if people are not paying attention to the major issues facing us, right wing republicans will continue to win. But if we can bring people together around a progressive agenda, i think we can transform what goes on in this country and win this election. Host dee is next from rockford, illinois on the republican line. Good evening. Guest under the Obama Administration right now, i am a cancer patient receiving care. Insurance that was given to me, not one i actually wanted. If you were to be elected, because honestly i have been a republican all my life, and i am frustrated. I am frustrated with the choices that we have right now as far as health care is concerned. I am fighting for my life. But it took me over a month just my chemoe of treatments because of the insurance i am on through the Obama Administration. What would you plan to do differently if you were elected . Sen. Sanders what we should understand, and i fear that not every american does understand this we are the only major wealthy industrialized country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all of our people as a right. The system that we have is way, way, way out of touch with the rest of the world. So what i will fight for medicare for all. Medicare is a good system. We can improve it and we should expanded to all people. When you do that, not only do you provide Quality Health care to all people, you get rid of the profiteering of the Insurance Companies and drug companies. Drug companies are charging us, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. And when we do that, we can provide quality care for all of our people that is significantly less per capita then we are currently spending. That is my goal in terms of health care. Host deborah is joining us from minneapolis on the independent line. Good evening. Guest i dont know what i am, independent or democrat. Or whatever. All so very confusing. But the one thing that i do know, and i never know how to say it quite right, but on a religious principle, god himself appointed us to all give 10 of what he gave to us. If i only have 700 month, 70 has to go where it has to go. If everybody paid the same percent as we do, we would have nothing to complain about. So the money that we do gather, when 10 of our income is used towards the one thing that is needed, which is all the things you talked about, there ought to be enough money. That is all i have to say. Sen. Sanders deborah, let me approach the issue from a slightly different perspective. Number one, we are the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Not only the world, but the history of the world. The problem is most people dont feel that because almost all of the wealth and much of the income is going to the top 1 . What we have seen in the last 30 years in this country is a massive transfer of wealth, which has gone from the middle class and working families, whose percentage of wealth has to the top 1 10 of 1 whose percentage has a most doubled. Has almost doubled. And i think that if we address that issue, sending that welcome back to the middle class, we can do enormous things in this country. We have to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. In my view we have to make , Public Housing for universities tuitionfree. We need health care for all of her people. Childcare is a disaster. There is a lot of work to be done. We can do it. We are not a poor country. The problem is that so few have so much, and so money have so little. That is what has got to change. Host senator, let me follow this up from jesse, who tweeted, i tried to refinance my private school loans, but no luck. How would you convince the banks to help people like me . Sen. Sanders its not a question of convincing the banks, its a question of changing the law. What jesse is talking about is the absurdity of folks today who have seen that we have over 1 trillion in student debt for millions of americans. Who are paying 6 , 10 . They cannot, by law, refinance. They are stuck with that indefinitely. The law im proposing will allow them to refinance. Right now, you can refinance your home your mortgage to 34 depending on where you live, yet people are stuck with 812 Interest Rates on their student debt. That is crazy. In addition to that now the , government, who holds much of that student debt is making huge profits. We can lower Interest Rates vary very significantly. And that is what my legislation does. Host chuck joins us from benton, washington. Our guest is Bernie Sanders from a rally in South Carolina. And of course the entire event , cspan. Org. Bsite guest senator sanders, i am honored. My wife and my 18yearold daughter watched tonight. We were very moved. I was a supporter, but they were believers now. I was born in the eisenhower administration. I look at that time and see a great country that invested in infrastructure and made Great Strides socially and was a people of peace. I think we were great at that time. And you are restoring that. And i thank you, sir. Sen. Sanders well chuck, thank you very much. I think you make a very good point. Eisenhower, 19521960, was a moderate republican. He was not a radical. And yet he understood, under the eisenhower administration, to create a highway system. And we did a lot more. What has happened, family, since that time sadly, since that time, the Republican Party has long forgotten eisenhower heritage. Someone was that view would be laughed out of the party now. Has movedican party very far to the right. There are some great people in the Democratic Party, but we have to be honest. Money influences the democrats as well. And what we need is a system that overturns this disastrous citizens united. But i dont think that is asking too much to have a government that represents the vast majority of the people. The middle class working people, the lowincome people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors. So that is what we are fighting for. Steve maybe one more question if , that is ok. Host lets go to doug from boulder, colorado, on the republican line. Guest hello, senator sanders. I am a republican. I think the brand has been destroyed ever since nixon. Do any goodt either. I voted for obama and feel like i was burned from all the promises. He made a lot of promises that struck near and dear to my heart. But none of them really happened. And here i am, looking for someone that i can back that speaks clearly. Itudes. T plat im very interested in what you have to say. But i also have a very negative opinion of politics. Democrats want money and dont know where to go. They dont have what is required to make sure it goes to the right place. Sen. Sanders im having a little bit of difficulty hearing you. Talk a bit closer into the phone, please. Host let me jump in. It has been a long night for the senator. Are you saying you are disillusioned with both Political Parties . Is that a fair statement . Guest yes. Very much so. Host let me get senator sanders to respond to that point. Sen. Sanders i think the caller represents the vast majority of the American People. Steve we just had an election , last november. 63 of the American People didnt vote. 80 of young people didnt vote. I think people are looking at washington and are very disillusioned. They are saying, look, im working longer hours for lower wages. Im worried about Climate Change. Billionaires are buying the system. Millions of people are saying, nobody represents me, im not going to vote. I understand that. Let me be very clear. And i say this in every speech i give. Bernie sanders, if elected president , cannot do it all. Cant do it all. I am not making any promises to you that im going to do all these things. Because to be truthful with you, the powers of wall street, the powers of the Large Campaign donors, the powers of corporate america, the impact of Corporate Media is so great that no president , no matter how wellintentioned, can do it all. And that is why i believe we need a mass grassroots Political Movement in this country, where people begin to stand together. And when that happens, when millions of people speak in a voice that says to the billionaires, sorry, you cant have it all, you are going to have to start paying fair share of taxes, we will not continue sending our jobs to china. When people begin to say, yes, we are going to raise the minimum wage, we are going to make College Affordable for all of our people. When people get involved, there is nothing that we cant accomplish. So i dont want to tell anybody, hey, vote for me, i have all the problems solved. Not the case. What im trying to do in his this campaign is not just get elected president , but to build a movement that can take on the very, very powerful special interests which today control washington. Host let me jump in with one final question. Some news of the day from the associated press, joe biden is reportedly gaming his own way of potentially entering the race. If he were to enter the race, how would that change the dynamics in this Democratic Campaign . Sen. Sanders i honestly dont know. I have known joe biden for many years. I like them, i respect him. A very decent guy. All i can say is if joe biden gets into the race, i will do everything that i can. As somebody who has never run a willive ad in his life, i do everything to debate joe biden, Hillary Clinton on the issues facing the American People. How would ultimately lays out politically, your guess is as good as mine. Host how are you holding up in the midst of these events . Sen. Sanders im doing great. We have two more tomorrow and then we go to new hampshire. Host we will be covering you in midseptember at Liberty University. Why that location . Sen. Sanders it is very easy to talk to an audience that is sympathetic to you. And those are the people who come out to our rallies. It is very different to talk to a very, very conservative university, whose views on many of the major issues are very different than mine. But i think in america, it is a good idea for people involved in politics to Start Talking to folks who may not agree with them on any issue. The issues that i will raise at Liberty University are issues of morality, something the university is concerned about. The morality of having so much income and wealth. The morality of having the highest rate of childhood poverty in any major country on earth. The morality of why we are the only major country that doesnt guarantee health care to all people. That is the kind of discussion that i hope to engender by going to Liberty University. Host senator Bernie Sanders in columbia, South Carolina. Thank you for sticking around after your rally tonight. And we will see you on the campaign trail. On cspan saturday, live coverage of the i was a fair continues. We will hear from republican governors Chris Christie at noon and bobby jindal at 1 p. M. Sunday evening at 6 30, scott walker holds a town hall meeting in new hampshire. Tv ispan2 saturday, but live at the mississippi festival. Panel discussions on civil rights, history, and biography. And the literary lives of harper lee. On sunday morning at 10 00, author and columnist share their view of millenniums. On cspan3 at 5 00, columbia universitys professor on the preservation of architectural landmarks. In the history of the commission graded to protect them. Sunday at 4 00 p. M. On real america, films about a project administered by the johnson administration. The 1968 Martin Luther king assassination. Get the complete schedule at cspan. Org. Republican president ial ted crews of texas speaks at the soapbox. He lists the five issues he outlined hisand plans. He follows the 20 minute speech with a meet and greet with members of the audience. [applause] sen. Cruz thank you very much. God bless the great state of iowa. [applause] sen. Cruz how many of yall watched the debate in cleveland . [applause] sen. Cruz what an amazing array of talent was on that stage. How fantastic is it that we have so many young, passionate, dynamic leaders stepping up to lead this party and to lead the United States of america . And what a contrast with the democrats [laughter] with the democrats. [laughter] sen. Cruz im pretty sure the first democratic the base is going to consist democratic debate is going to consist of Hillary Clinton and the chipotle clerk. That is not fair. We cannot forget about Bernie Sanders. So now the democratic field consists of a wild eyed socialist with ideas that are dangerous for america and the world, and Bernie Sanders. [laughter] and it is striking that the democrats keep delaying their debates. First it was september, then october, then it was november. I think they just move it to 2017. Its not widely known, but the democrats had actually planned to have an earlier debate. The problem was, the debate invitation was emailed to hillary. [laughter] we are here today because our country is in crisis. Were here today because we are bankrupting our kids and grandkids. Because our Constitutional Rights are under assault from washington. Recedingse america is from leadership in the world. And yet i am here to bring you a word of hope and encouragement and optimism all across iowa. All across this country. Americans are waking up. And help is on the way. [applause] so i want to ask everyone here to look forward. Look forward to january 2017. President , let me tell you what i intend to do on the first day of office. The first thing i intend to do in office is rescind every single illegal and unconstitutional executive action taken by this president. [applause] president says he has a phone and a pen, while he lived by the pen, die by the pen. Eraser. En has got an sadly, the corruption has not been limited to the white house. It has extended through every branch of the federal government. This department of justice is the most partisan and Lawless Department of justice we have ever seen. The second thing i intend to do on the first day of office is instruct the departed of justice to open an investigation into planned parenthood and these horrible videos. [applause] and to prosecute any and all criminal violations by that organization. The administration of justice should be blind to party or ideology. The only fidelity of the department of justice should be to the laws and constitution of the u. S. [applause] do third thing i intend to on the first day in office is instruct the department of justice and the irs and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty and the today. Ends today. [applause] that means for our servicemen and women that every one of them can pray and worship god almighty with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. A Commanding Officer has nothing to say about it. [applause] in january 2017, the federal government stops litigating against emperor security the sisters of the poor for standing for their faith. [applause] tonight, we have several thousand iowans coming for a rally for religious liberty. Featuring heroes from across the country. Ownle like i will iowas who have stood for their faith and have been persecuted. We are going to celebrate heroes who have had the courage and convictions and let them tell their stories. We also have a concert by the newsboys. I would encourage everyone, come to the event tonight at 6 30 at the iowa event center. The fourth thing the intent to do on the first day in office is rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian Nuclear deal. [applause] the single greatest National Security threat racing America Today is the threat of a nuclear iran. Observedeeks ago, i that if this deal goes through, the Obama Administration would become, quite literally, the worlds leading financier of sen. Cruz in response, president obama got very upset. He interrupted his world travel in between the eighth and ninth hole to attack me, to come after me. He said, that is ridiculous. Do not say that. It is interesting. In the course of his attack, the president did not bother to refute any of the substance of what i said. Let me give you a simple point. Truth is not rhetoric. [applause] so lets review the facts. Number one, you ron is the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. Goesr two, if this deal through, over 100 billion will flow directly to the ron. Number three, if that happens, billions of those dollars will go directly to hamas, hezbollah, to radical terrorists throughout the world, and those jihadists will use that money to murder ,mericans, to murder israelis to murder europeans. If president obama doesnt like the rhetoric of his Administration Becoming the oflds leading financier radical islamic terrorism, there is an easy solution. Financing radical new radical islamic terrorism. [applause] the fifth thing i intend to do on the first day in office is begin the process of moving the American Embassy in israel to jerusalem, the once and eternal capital of israel. [applause] a lot of candidates both democrat and republican have made that promise. Inevitably when they get to the white house, their team says, gosh, if you do that, other folks in the middle east will be unhappy with you. Noticed, they are already pretty unhappy with us. The biggestyou difference between me and the other fine gentleman on that stage in cleveland. With me, when i tell you i am going to do something, i am going to do exactly what i said i would do. [applause] that is day one. [laughter] are 365 days in a year. Four years in a president ial term, four years in a second term. By the end of eight years, there are going to be a lot of newspaper editors and reporters who have checked themselves and the therapy. [laughter] themselves into therapy. [laughter] in the days that follow, i will go to congress and we will repeal every word of obamacare. [applause] in the days that follow, i will instruct the federal department of education which should be i will instruct the department of education that common core and sedate. [applause] today. [applause] wille days that follow, we rebuild our military in honor the commitments we make to our soldiers and sailors and marines. [applause] allow our servicemen and women to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. [applause] means the next time a jihadist shows up better recruiting center in chattanooga , he is going to discover the business and of firearms wielded by dozens of marines. [applause] in the days that follow, we are finally, finally, finally going to secure the border and and sanctuary. [applause] we are going to stop the Obama Administrations indispensable policy of releasing filing criminal illegal aliens and we are going to pass kates law. [applause] follow, we aret going to take on the outofcontrol regulators of the Fourth Branch of government, the department of labor, the alphabet soup that descends like locusts on farms and Small Businesses and we are going to bring back booming economic growth. [applause] in the days that follow, we will pass fundamental tax reform, adopting a simple flat tax. [applause] so that every american fills out his or or taxes on a postcard. [applause] and when we do that, we should abolish the irs. [applause] there are about 90,000 employees at the irs. We need to padlock that building. And put them00 down in our southern border. [laughter] [applause] now to our friends in the media. I say that somewhat tongueincheek. But if you think about it, imagine you traveled thousands of miles in the sun, you are swimming across the rio grande, and the first thing you see is 90,000 irs agents. You would turn around and go home, too. [laughter] [applause] some of yall may be thinking, all of that makes sense to me, it is simple common sense. Kids andnkrupt your grandkids, follow the constitution. But can it happen . Can we do it . Scripture tells us there is nothing new under the sun. I think where we are today is very much like the late 1970s. The parallels between this administration and the Carter Administration are uncanny. Domestic policy, same stagnation and malaise. Same feckless and naive foreign policy. The exact same countries, russia , openly laughing at and mocking the president of the u. S. Why is it that that analogy gives me so much hope and encouragement yet kn . Because we know how that story ended. All across this country, millions rose up and became the reagan revolution. [applause] and it did not come from washington. Washington despised ronald reagan. If you see a candidate who washington embraces, run and hide. [laughter] [applause] it came from the American People and it turned this country around. We buy from stagnation to booming economic growth. We went from our hostages in iran to winning the cold war and tearing the berlin wall to the ground. [applause] optimistic . Because the same thing is happening today. Millions of americans are waking up, saying, this doesnt make any sense, we just finished a bus tour through seven states. Every stop, men and woman came up to me one woman in charleston said, i voted for barack obama in 2008. I stayed home in 2012. And this year, i am voting for you. [applause] another men and total suck, oklahoma a working men with calluses on his hand with greece and sweat on his shirt, walked up to me and said, i have been a registered democrat my entire life. Morning i went down to the county clerk and i registered as a republican to vote for you. [applause] that is happening all over this country. We winwe win this race . This race running a populist campaign of hardworking men and women against the bipartisan corruption of washington dc. Clinton andary bodies. For all of us, freedom isnt some abstract concept. It is personal, it is real, it is our families. I think about my dad, pastor raphael cruz. [applause] time in iowa, of he will continue to spend a lot of time here in iowa. My dad grew up in cuba, he was imprisoned and tortured as a teenager. To america with nothing. In 1957, 100 dollars in his underwear, he could not speak english. Making . 50 an hour. That would be the obama Justice Department cutting off my microphone. [laughter] [applause] apparently they really, really dont want you to know that i dad washed dishes making . 50 an hour. [laughter] and he worked fulltime, paying his way through school. He started a Small Business. Today, he is up pastor. He travels the country preaching the gospel. [applause] when i was a kid, my father used to say to me over and over, when we faced oppression in cuba, i had a place to flee. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go . And that is why we are here today. [applause] we are here because the men and women at this state fair, the men and women of iowa and america, we will not go quietly into the night. We are not prepared to give up on our children and grandchildren. We will stand and fight for freedom. We will stand and fight for the constitution. [applause] what we are doing now is not working. I have got to tell you, i cant wait to stand on that debate stage with Hillary Clinton. [applause] because together, we did people are coming together and together i am convinced im certain we are going to restore that shining city on a hill that is the United States of america. Thank you and god bless you. [applause] thank you. [applause] [indistinct conversations] [applause] answer is to get back to booming economic growth. Moms, young people. Everyone has the opportunity. Would your policy support a Maternity Leave . Is that on the table . I think Maternity Leave is wonderful but i dont think the federal government there are also things that are governmentthat the shouldnt do because i think the constitution matters. It leaves that authority to states and local authorities. We have had 6. 5 years of the Big Government policies and women have been left behind. Senator cruz i think we should follow the data and evidence. A lot of states dont look at the data. What will you do to support Early Childhood education . Senator cruz i think School Choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. I think it is unacceptable the Democratic Party is standing as a roadblock. Every child in america deserves access to Excellent Schools regardless of race, ethnicity, and wealth. We have never seen a republican candidate for president make School Choice a central issue in this national debate. It is my hope at the end of my tenure as president , if im elected, that we will see Educational Opportunities and choices dramatically expanded for every child and parent in america. Thank you for being here. Do you have a camera . Where . There we go. Thank you. Senator cruz thank you very much. What is your name . How old are you, craig . You are four . Are you having fun at the state fair . Mrs. Mommy and daddy time. He has not had fun yet. This is adult time. Senator cruz are you looking forward to having a deepfried twinkie . Daddy, too. Senator cruz thank you very much. God bless you. Senator cruz where is the camera . Right here. Thank you, senator. Got it . Can you get it for me . [laughter] can i shake your hand while you are waiting . Senator cruz thank you very much. God bless you. Thank you so much. Thank you for supporting our Second Amendment rights. Thank you 100 . Senator cruz my view is i support ethanol. But i dont think the federal but i dont think the federal government should pick winners or losers. That may have been the case 20 years ago. At this point now, there is considerable demand. I think without a federal mandate, that will continue to be demanded by the refiners. It is a competitive market. We dont need it mandated by the federal government. By the way, we have mandates for Everything Else as well. The Oil Companies [indiscernible] senator cruz we need subsidies directed at any form of energy. Thank you. Senator cruz i like your cowboy boots. They are really pretty. What is your name . Evelyn. Senator cruz how old are you . You are four . She has been eating corn. Senator cruz is that your brother . Good to see you. Big fans, we will be there tonight volunteering for the rally. Senator cruz by the way, i follow you on twitter. I follow you, too. Thank you. Senator cruz im on my iphone constantly on twitter. We are from illinois, jacksonville. Senator cruz hold on. We will do the picture. What is your name . Kelly. Senator cruz thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much, sir. God bless you. See you tonight. Senator, can i get a picture . Senator cruz sure. What is your name . Money in politics, the influence . Senator cruz we need to end the corruption of career politicians in both parties who get in bed with lobbyists. We need a president who will take on the lobbyists and get government out of picking winners and losers. Deregulation, is that the answer . Senator cruz both of those, absolutely. Take Something Like taxes. There are more words the i. R. S. Code than in the bible. It is a classic tool of the Washington Cartel because they carve out loopholes. They get in because the lobbyists push for it. And they in turn give campaign contributions. One of the best reasons to have a flat tax, because if you have a flat tax it means when a lobbyist or Small Business owner comes to washington, a politician cannot extract favors because you pay the same taxes everyone else. And my hope is to get back to an arena where washington plays less of a role in our lives every day and we empower instead hardworking americans. That makes perfect sense. Thank you so much. Senator cruz i will say if i were to make a list of things i never thought would exist, that would be very high on the list. Thank you, senator cruz. Mike leahy. We spent a lot of time in iowa. Is he your secret weapon . Senator cruz i dont how much of a secret he is. He has been my hero my whole life. 67 days a week, he is traveling the country. He has a real heart for ministry and encouraging them to stand up and lead. You know my dad is 76 years old. , he has a tougher schedule and tougher than most anyone i know, and he is having more fun than anyone else. Because he is sharing stories. When you have seen freedom taken away as a child, it makes it very real and personal because you know what it means to lose it. What evangelicals are doing mainline christian, not evangelical. He got 8 of the vote. Senator cruz scripture commands scripture. You cannot be light if you are hidden under a bushel. We are also commanded as christians to be watchmen. Of the law. And what i am encouraging there , are about 90 million evangelicals, 30 of the population. The last election, 54 million evangelicals it is my hope the body of christ will stand up and vote biblical values. Not the individual candidate, but rather the values of the individual candidate. Christians, be they evangelical christians or reagan democrats, if you simply vote our values we will return the country. To the greatness it deserves. What would you do to reform the Justice Department . Senator cruz we are going to try. What is your name . John, it is good to see. We were at the capital during the planned parenthood. Thank you. Thank you. Can i get your autograph . Senator cruz sure. If you turn around, can i use your back for a second . There we go. Thank you very much. Senator cruz what is your name . Charlie, good to see. You have to push the button. Senator cruz thank you, charlie. Thank you very much. Senator cruz thank you, sir. God bless you. God bless you. Senator cruz thank you. Thank you. Senator cruz thank you for being here. God bless you. Senator cruz god bless you. What is your name . Mitchell . You got a camera . Are you mom . No. I am not. But i will email it to you. Will you sign my arm . Mr. Cruz, we just hung out with cliven bundy. What do you think of him . The rancher. Senator cruz i know who he is but i have not met him so i dont know. He is really cool. You should come check him out. Senator cruz im going to try to visit with owners. What is your name . [indiscernible] senator cruz thank you. Thank you very much and god bless you. Thank you for being here. How old are you . You are tall for five. Is that your sister behind you . What is your name . How old are you . Eight . And are you the oldest sister . What is your name . 12. [laughter] aubrey 12 is a strange name. Are you having fun at the fair . We just got here. Senator cruz is it kind of scary with all these people bouncing around, and they are too tall . I think. Im glad you are here. I bet if you ask nice mom might let you try a fried twinkie. We are thinking about butter on a stick. There you go. Senator cruz excellent. Do you want to get a picture . Hop in front. What is your name . Teresa. Thank you for your support of our Second Amendment rights. Senator cruz what is your name . Anna. Cruz hey, anna. thank you. Senator cruz thank you for being here. We will be at the rally tonight. You want to get my friend in here . Thank you. Thank you so much. Senator cruz hold on. [indiscernible] senator cruz very good to see you, sir. God bless you. It is good to see you. We were in our booth. We dont want to interrupt you. It is good to see you. Can i get a photo . A little selfie . How is everything going . Senator cruz fantastic. The energy we are seeing is incredible. Thank you. Senator cruz sure. What did you do to your hand . I was in a bike accident. Thank you so much. Senator cruz hope you feel better soon. Right here. Steve from kansas city, missouri. We have been driving across the country. We came all the way here to see you. Senator cruz fantastic. Thank you for being here. I just gave a speech outlining all five things im going to do. [laughter] senator cruz i like your shirt. Thank you. Catherine from new jersey. [laughter] senator, right here. Senator cruz thank you very much. Was it your dad i met in hampton, iowa, last week . Senator cruz yes, it was. Very impressive. Pat from hampton. Nice to meet you. Senator cruz very good to meet you. Thank you for coming out. Thank you. Hi. I am beverly. Senator cruz thank you for being here. Thank you for all you do. Senator cruz thank you very much. Thank you, sir. God bless you. How old are you . Fist bump. Excellent. This is your brother . It is good to see you. What is your name . Are you having fun at the state fair . Good luck. Senator cruz thank you very much. What is your name . Very good to see you. Where are you from . Very good. Are you in school . I am. Im going to be a sophomore. Senator cruz how has the state fair been . Great. Senator cruz thanks for coming. What is your name . Nolan, good to see you. Are you a baseball player . Do you have a 100mileanhour fastball . Are you a pitcher . Nolan ryan had an arm on him that was something else. Stick with it. I saw him play. My name is nick. Senator cruz thank you for your hard work. What is your name . Terry. Senator cruz i like your shirt. That is good advice. Im going to visit with the grassroots. I am happy to do it. See you later. We are headed this way . First day in office, youre going to repeal obamacare . Senator cruz it will take longer than that. Absolutely. You have our vote. Thank you. Go get them. Senator cruz the white thing . [indiscernible] senator cruz there we go. Where . Good to see you. You got it. I was talking to candy. [indiscernible] she said to tell you [indiscernible] senator cruz excellent. [indiscernible] she said to tell you hi. Senator cruz they are wonderful people. I think very highly of them. Thank you, sir. Are you having fun . It is awesome. [laughter] this guy is awesome. Luanne. Senator cruz great to see you. Great to see you. Senator cruz what is my favorite bible verse . I can do all things through christ who strengthens me. Isaiah 40 31. It is hard to pick one. I know. It is. Thank you. Senator cruz god bless you. How are you . Senator . Good support . Good to see you. Senator cruz how are you doing . What is your name . I like your shirt. Keep up the good work. Senator cruz thank you. I appreciate it very much. People are waking up. Im very encouraged. I definitely will. Take care. How are you doing, sir . Good to see you. Can we get a picture . Senator cruz what is your name . Caitlin good to see you. , thank you very much. Senator cruz sure. My roommate. Senator cruz very good to see you. Why should i vote for you . Senator cruz because what we are doing does not make sense and we need a conservative. More than anything what i have , tried to do in office is tell the truth. Im looking forward to seeing some debates. I hope so, too. Senator cruz thank you, allen. What is your name . Right here. Senator cruz excellent. [indiscernible] senator cruz how are you doing, sir . [indiscernible] teach you how to eat a donut. Senator cruz you want to hop in . We will do all of them. Here is your donut. Look at this camera right here. Great shot. There you go. Senator cruz thank you. How are you doing, maam . [indiscernible] senator cruz how are you doing, sir . How are you doing . Lia, i like your pretty pink hat. How old are you . [indiscernible] she is a little shy. Senator cruz are you having fun here with mom and dad . Are you having fun at the state fair . Oh, yeah. You, too. Have fun. Spiderman, senator. Spiderman senator cruz let me shake your hand, connor. I like spiderman. Can i get a fist bump . Do you like spiderman . That is ok. Im glad youre here. You know what . Amanda, he is precious. Thank you. Senator cruz good to meet you. What is your name . Amelia. Amelia, how old are you . Happy birthday in two days. Are you going to have a party . Cake and ice cream . Perfect. You are doing them both. What grade are you in . [indiscernible] senator cruz you are going to be in fifth. Have you started school yet . I have two daughters. And my oldest is seven. Caroline, she started day before yesterday. Are you having fun at the state fair . What is your favorite part . The food . What is the best . What should i try . Excellent. You know what im going to do . Im going to [indiscernible] im glad you are here. Rob and laura here. Senator cruz very good to see you. Hey, rob. Noel, how old are you . Four and a half. Senator cruz how old are you . Nine . Senator cruz is this your brother . You just turned nine . When was your birthday . July 24. Happy birthday. Did you have a big party for your sisters birthday . We did. [laughter] senator cruz how about you . What is your name . Dallas. Senator cruz i like that name. i am from texas. Dallas is a big city there. How old are you . Six and a half. Awesome. Are you going into first grade . Very cool. I am in kindergarten. Senator cruz that is awesome. I have two little girls. Caroline is seven. She is going into second grade. And hannah is four, and she is going to start kindergarten next year. I think those are awesome ages. Yes, they are with their mommy right now. Their mommy is back in houston with both girls. Actually caroline started second , grade on wednesday, just two days ago. So she is in school right now. Do you start monday . What grade are you in . Fourth. Senator cruise that is awesome. Is it fun having a little brother or sister or is it kind of annoying sometimes . Both. Kind of fun, kind of annoying. Senator cruz that is the way it goes. You guys want to get a picture together . You can stand up and i will come down. I am with them. Dont hide your sister. Look right here. Say fried butter. Senator cruz excellent. Thank you very much. Good to see you. Bye. Senator cruz what is your name . Good to see you. Are you in School Together . What grade . Third . Awesome. I like your matching pink shirts. What is your name . Lets get a picture right here, guys. Senator cruz where are we looking . Which camera . This sunday night, the 20yearold College Student has been visiting the graves of u. S. President s and Vice President s since he was nine and documenting his adventures on his website. He talks about those visits and his interest in american history. The one gravesite everybody has trouble getting to that wants to do this is the rockefeller gravesite. Senator cruz if you look at the last. This kind of had stagnation, historically cents world war ii, the economy has 3. 3 . Coming out of the carter atistration, and if you look the last time we faced this stagnation, how we turned it around. Reagan came in a 1981, he pursued tax reform and regulatory reform. The result was incredibly great economic reform. Growing 7. 2 . S if you want to turn things around for farmers, we need robust economic growth. With a reduction of taxes and booming economic growth, that would drive up demand. You have to do both. Reduce costs, increase demand. And the way to do that is to bring back jobs and opportunities. How you get us there . Senator cruz it will take a lot of people to get it done. Thanks for the time. Senator cruz absolutely. I tell you what, give them your card. He will email it to you. My prayers will be with you. My mother is a Breast Cancer survivor. It is amazing how more and more people are beating that disease. Praise god. Im glad youre here. What is your name . Carter. Senator cruz thank you for coming out. Thank you, carter. Praise god. My mother is a 15year survivor. You have my vote, sir. Senator cruz thank you. Were going to do it together. I want to help everyone of those families. I was in iraq. I was injured. Senator cruz thank you for serving your country. What is your name . Libya. Senatorolivia. Cruz do you want to get a picture, olivia . Thank you sir, what is your name . You talked a bit about st. Mary cities. You know minneapolis is one of those. Can you talk more. . Senator cruz most of the big cities are governed by democrats. They have democratic mayors and city councils. There are a lot of cities that have become sanctuary cities them. N we see the consequences, horrifically and san francisco. Essentiallyhave invited illegal aliens to come to the city. We need Financial Leadership to get that done. Specificot rolled up a plan, but we really coming months. It needs to be a simple flat tax. When we do that we should abolish reallythe irs. Do you have a plan to turn of course. We need to get back to the basic principles. To me, you think about it, there regan republican, democrats. He didnt