Time. I have worked with a lot of great chairpersons of the democratic hardy. Know, Democratic Party. I have campaigned for thousands of candidates over the years. I have never seen anyone work as hard or as tirelessly as debbie has. If we want anyone to do the 60 the bestr 160 seconds person is debbie. It is great to work with her, the problem is, and being close to her she does not even ask. She tells me what to do. She is like my little sister. You know i do whatever she tells me. I cant begin without talking about just four and a second, scented cynthia and cara. I cant see the back of the room. It looks like a lot of people are here. It, it was ated lot smaller room. And the tables were a lot smaller. And you set out to make sure that that table got bigger, and made sure that at that table there as many people as there were men. Tried to make sure that things change. You see a lot of old friends out there, and new friends. And we have been through awful lot together. And wea lot of fights have one most of them. Not always the first time we engage them, but it is because of how you have changed the party, how you have changed the , we dontause we have just have activists in the party, we have World Leaders and national leaders, women who are so engaged in using their influence in ways that are powerful. To change significant circumstances that need to be changed in the country. One of those big fights were there werent as many at the table, but they were in the fight was 20 years ago, in the violence against women act. Was passed into law 20 years ago this month. And you know, in legislative about anniversaries are settling difficulties we have overcome and a problem we have begun to solve but they are also reminders of how much more needs to be done to finish the job we set out to do, almost in every major legislative initiative. And the way i look at it, the second half of this fight is much less daunting than the first half, no less important but no less daunting. A lot of you do a member because you are not at my side you are at my side, when we started this fight 26 years ago and succeeded in getting this past 20 years ago. When i suggested we had federally funded womens shelter, the attack, not from just a little minority but the attack from the intelligentsia of the country, was that biden wants to set up, what was the exact phrase back then, he wanted to set up indoctrination centers. I am serious. Ladies and gentlemen, when we started the fight 20 years ago, i was accused of an effort to break up the american family. Because violence against women was a domestic issue. In the literal sense, it was a family issue. That is what we were told. Cynthia hogan, my chief of staff, and the nfl hasnt seen anything yet. I am glad that they hired her. I am glad that they hired her. That is one bright, strong person and they have no idea what they just bought onto. And thank god that they are smart enough to hire her. Who was beinggan, told by some of our allies, i will not mention the allies, they came along and said that this is just a biden fad. This is just a fad. It was not a fad, it was a social failure in america, that we had refused to deal with although others had tried. Repeatedly. For a very long time. And you all knew it. That it was a social failure. Convinced at the outset, as i am now that we forced the American People to take a close look at the failures of violence. Violence,f domestic to look into the eyes of the men of the women who were abused andvery social strata income level, doctors as brutal as plumbers, Football Players as brutal as professors. No distinction. Eye,ey had to look in the this isther would say, the most terrible sin one could commit his abuse of power and the cardinal sin among all those has to raise your hand to a woman or someone physically weaker than you. I was convinced from others who have been in the fight that if we forced america to look at in the eye, they would stand up because it is always easier to attend it is not fair because it is a difficult issue. Because of some brave and courageous woman ive spoken about, because of their willingness to step forward before the cameras in the judiciary hearings, we began to put a face on this heinous crime worried that the public might think that these were aberrations, these richest celebrity cases, these were cases that were anomalies and they were horrible but they were anomalies. The women on my staff had an incredible idea, they said we should write a report that was entitled, violence against women , a week in the life of america. And they surveyed almost every law on the books in all 50 states. And they went and looked at the Crime Statistics for just one week. They took one week, 21 thousand crimes against women in one week. Ordinary women, extraordinary women, poor women, wealthy women. A daughter was fearful that she would Say Something and her theer would take her into shed and put her head in a vice. I remember back then saying something that i could not prove but i was convinced of and being i had criticized because some knowledge of posttraumatic stress from the vietnam war, people that were coming home and suffering from it. Womanot understand why a who twice a week when her husband was home, smashes her head against the wall. Chokes her. Lived in that circumstance for years, why. They would not have longterm lifetime impacts on her health. Now, the cdc has come out with a study showing that as the reason for longterm chronic disease is a consequence of a wounded and physically healed years and years earlier. When that report came out, things began to change. It broke the dam of congressional resistance. We passed the violence against women with one vote to a spare to avoid a filibuster. Weeach and every time reauthorized it, because of you, and im not being selected this, each and every time weve had to reauthorize it, the fact we had to fight for it blows my mind. Time, we made improvements. Protecting immigrant women, protecting the lgbt community. So much more and we knew we should have done in the beginning but we should not get done. The reason i raise all of this is beyond talking about the anniversary. Is to remind us that we made progress, 64 or send drop in Domestic Violence between 932010. We saved the country 12 billion in the last six years alone reducing medical costs and social services, more than 3. 4 million women in some men have used the Domestic Violence hotline. Are aboutiversaries setting our sights on finishing the job, let me tell you what success looks like because i buffett asked by the press. What constitutes success . Therell always be some man raising his hand to someone weaker physically, whether it is a woman or a child or another man. The successful come. When the attitude changes and what did i do. And women asked, what did i do . Was it what i was wearing . It the womans fault. Other than in selfdefense. Never. Never. Geta lot of you have got to your head in that issue as well. That will mark, the second piece that is needed is when every single man in america understands that he never has a right to raise his hand. That it just is not a right. It is always wrong. , weade a lot of progress began to change attitudes in america. We will not have succeeded until those two cultural norms. I have a great woman who runs the operation. We made all this progress and violence against women, there is one area where we have made no progress. Betweenfor young women 1525, one in 10 of them are still subject to abuse him a physical abuse, during that abuse, physical abuse, during period. The president gave me the and contact go out advertising agencies, young activists to talk about how we can reach a Different Group of. Oung americans, young man it made me realize that all of the if this is on what men are doing wrong, we have to reach out and engage young men because the vast majority are decent, they are overwhelming majority. And get them engaged. And we had to communicate an important message. The president and i will be launching a new Public Awareness campaign that group out of these conversations. It is called, it is on us. And i believe it will help, reach out to College Campuses in america and drive home the message that everyone of us has a role, a role of protecting young people from Sexual Assault. This is not a womans issue, this is not a womans issue. This is an american issue. Its time for men to start to stand up. Look, folks. Theres been another breakthrough that ive observed. , i ask what is the one thing you could do to make the College Campuses safer. They said, engage young man. You will see when we roll this out in an hour and a half or so, our attempts to begin a full scale effort that we will be unrelenting on over the next several years. That it isclear cowardly not to step up. That there is an absolute obligation that you have. A moral obligation. A moral obligation to step up and Say Something. Think god we no longer talk about womens issues when we come and speak to womens groups. I used to be and my wife jill was so offended, now i want to talk about womens issues. The things that are going to affect women. Where in the hell do they live . Observation is everything is a womens issue. No, i am serious. I am serious. Room willou in this represent every walk of life, every economic strata, you are not just activists, you are ceo possibly to corporations. Fortune 500 came out with their list of the 50 most powerful women in america, 24 are ceos. You are professors of great and small universities. You represent every economic power center. Collectivent the leadership of this country, that is what cynthia and carole bronte get a that was different than anything else. And now, your voice cannot be denied. Your voice cannot be didnt turned off. You of not only raised money for the Democratic Party, you have raised the bar. You have raised your sons to know better. Jill, you have helped set a higher standard. Across the board. It matters. There is one important issue that i want to briefly mention to you. It is the economy and the plight of the middle class. Let me start by reminding everybody in the press, you all know it, that women make up 47 of the workforce. In 1970, you made up 38 of the workforce and you should, if we have greater labor force participation, you should be making up another two and a half percent of the workforce. More than 40 of the mothers are the sole source of income for their families. That reflects the fact that there are more single mothers, six t 5 of whom work. The fact is that 24 of married women in america earn more than their husbands. 7 in 1970 when i was getting started. So, what has happened . What has happened in the middle class is maybe the most important womens issue. That exist out there. We used to have a basic bargain in america, and that was when you contributed to the productivity of the enterprise you were involved in, you got to share in the rewards of that productivity. We used to have consensus around that argan. Democrats and republicans. For the past 40 years, longer. But that bargain has been broken. The New York Times sunday ,eadline in march of this year the last week in march, the american milk labs no longer the worlds richest. And nbc poll august of this year, 76 of americans ages 18 and older were not confident that their childrens generation would be better off than their own. 51 of samples of middleclass families. The middleclass is not a number. I had a lot of great economist to work for me. It is being able to send your. Id to a part it is being able to if they do well, [applause] being ables is about to take care of your geriatric parents and do enough that your children will be able to take care of you. That is the middle class in america, and it is in trouble right now. That was the American Dream. That was what built this country. That is what we are determined to restore. Think about this. Why have we been the most , the mosttable politically stable, and economically stable country in the last 100 years . Against other great democracies. It is because we have a vibrant middle class. Shock waves run through, as they have all the way back to the depression and other times, people did not take extreme alternatives, it does they still believed that the American Dream existed. Because they still believed that the American Dream existed. They believed that if they helped build it they would be rewarded with the proceeds. Gentlemen, recent studies, not by some liberal , a recent article in the imfomist, study, the disparity slows Economic Growth. President d reagan was , 1 of the people earned 10 of the income in america. Now they earn 20 of the income in america. 2012, the economy grew 29 overall. Productivity was up 36 . You know how much of a raise the middle class got . . 14. . 14. Something is wrong, folks. And we damn better figure it out. We need to bring the middle class back into the bargain, because the middle class is the backbone of the economy. You cannot have a conversation growth if women are not fully participating in the economy. [applause] these are not applause lines, this is just a fact. Womens for dissipation in the workforce was responsible for nearly 20 of the growth in the gdp of america 80s. He 70s to the 20 of the growth of america. The american economy. Over the past 20 years, that growth has slowed. In 1990, the United States ranks seventh among the countries of the world in womens labor force participation. In 2012, we ranked 16th. But we can change that. By helping women balance work and family. Economic studies indicate that giving women the right for example, three months of paid participation leave paid maternity leave, that could increase the gdp. Other studies have found that lowering the cost of childcare increases womens workforce protection. Increasing the minimum wage alone would disproportionately help women, many of whom are in lowwage roles such as personal care, health care support, tipped occupations. Name in the United States of america should it be that you work 40 hours a week and still end up 7,000 below the Poverty Level in america . Below the Poverty Level. But it is not just about equity, it is about Economic Growth. For everyone. And there is more money that waitresses pocket, she goes out and spends it on necessities. That increases employment, boosts the gdp. It is basic economics 101. Guaranteeing equal pay for women is so long overdue and would have such a profound effect on families. [applause] folks, the paycheck fairness act is not just about being fair. It is about u. S. Economic growth and dynamism. For americas sake, it is pretty simple. We have to deal the middle class back in. There is only one way we can do that, though, and i will end with this. We have to do well in 2014. It is that basic. [applause] i mean, we really do. Because this is not your fathers Republican Party. [laughter] i am not making a moral judgment, i am really not. But this is a different breed of cat. [laughter] seriously. Think about all of the issues we are now fighting about. Access to the polls. 81 bills introduced to state legislators to reduce access. It was republicans who expanded access to the polls. It was republicans in the Judiciary Committee that didnt motor voter. Guys like mac mathias and packwood and so many others. It was not democrats alone. Republicans were the sponsors of raises of the minimum wage. I could go on and on. This is noting, your fathers Republican Party or your mothers Republican Party. But we have made great progress. And we have made it because of you. But there is so much more to come. Pelosi wants to be speaker of the house. [applause] if Mary Landrieu continues to be chairman of the energy committee. If kay hagan and others, i have been in their districts, they still let me come in. [laughter] [applause] they are going to win because of you. If we do not keep these great women in the senate, if we do not make gains in the house, we will lose the chance to make the next step. Because america is about to explode economically. We are better positioned than any country in the world to be the leading economy in the 21st century. By a long shot. So, folks, to paraphrase samuel clemens, the reports of the demise of the Democratic Party are premature. They are very premature. [laughter] [applause] and there are women like you that have stepped up to run for office all over the country. I was just on indexes for wendy davis, she is going to win that race. [applause] do not give up on that race. Do not. If you have annexed the dollar, given to wendy davis. We are going to win that race. And by the way, i will be heading upper wisconsin for someone who is going to give scott walker the shock of his life, mary. Watcher. Watch her. What a classy candidate. [applause] there are women in this room that no, that are ready to help and when, to make winners like jeannie do what has to be done. They did over 10 million kay had more than 10 million in negative ads rising spent against her, and she is still ahead. They are all ahead. But now we are down to the short strokes. When i was a candidate, i could to you the exact number of days, but there are not many. So we are always coming to you, always asking for help. We do it all the time. Like you, we were raised not to ask for ourselves, what you come back and you come back to the same people all the time for help. Know anyway. [laughter] i want, as they say in the senate, a point of personal privilege. A lot of you have helped me in my campaigns. I know it is not always easy to write the check him out but the truth is, the harder thing for you to do is to put your name on the line for me or whoever you were writing the check for. That is the thing i want to personally thank you for, because you vouch for us when you do that. And you are vouching for all these women and others to make sure that we do not slide back a decade by losing the senate and losing ground in the house. The president is a wonderful guy. He is my great personal friend. But right now we feel like horatio at the bridge was a little dutchman at the dyke. All we are able to do is stop bad things from happening. That is useful, but that is not why we wanted the job. We wanted the job to do things, and we have done a lot through executive orders. And to the first two years when we had a democratic house. Folks, it is time for us to step up and make our case without apology. And that is why i am so appreciative about all that you have done to change attitudes and change the conversation. To stand with the Democratic Women running for congress all over the country. To give me and the president the opportunity to finish these issues. I cannot tell you how much it means. It really matters. I had a few pictures taken in the back, and one of you said to me, why are you always so happy . Why are you so optimistic . My dad used to have an expression, he said, a lucky person gets up on the morning in the morning, puts both the on what he has tos do, and knows that it still matters. What you do matters. Double down these next few days. God bless you all and thank you for everything you have done for us. Thank you, we love you. [applause] former secretary of state clinton is will 2016 president ial candidate Hillary Clinton was also a speaker at the Democratic National committees Womens Leadership Forum. She calls for equal pay for women, and raising the minimum wage, and urging democrats to support them and candidates in the Midterm Elections. This is about 30 minutes. Hello, again. How are you enjoying this so far . You have been an incredible crowd so far and we are so lucky to have amazing talent and an incredible lineup of leaders and thinkers. I am so privileged to be able to introduce our next speaker. [applause] first 80 Hillary Clinton lent her support to the creation of the Womens Leadership Forum. Over the last two decades, there have been few people who have done more to advance the cause of women and girls in america, internationally, and within the Democratic Party. Aat has been sure whether as first lady, senator, president ial candidate, secretary of state, and now, with the bill, hillary, and Chelsea Clinton foundation. Famously asserted that human rights are womens rights, and womens rights are human rights. [applause] incredibly powerful message. At aer this year, speaking United Nations panel commemorating International Womens day, she echoed that sentiment, reminding us that equality for women it remains the 21st century. And since she left the department of state she has not stopped working towards that goal. I have to tell you, on a personal note, that i know that i speak for everyone in this room that we have no finer role models as Women Leaders that our next speaker then our next speaker. For my daughter, for the next generation, it is my pleasure to hadoduce the woman who has such a role in building the womens leadership or him into what it is today. Former first lady, former senator, former secretary of state, our friend, Hillary Clinton. [applause] well, thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all. Wow. It is great to be back here and to see so many some your faces and even better so many new faces. I want to thank daddy for that very generous introduction. She wears so many hats so well. Congresswoman, trusted friend, mom. And her courage in beating Breast Cancer and going on to legislationreaking that is helping other women beat it t is an example for us allo. It is a truly inspiring and moving story. Which is one of the reasons why i was so pleased that, just susan g. Komen honored debbie for her courage and achievement. Because on the hill and on the trail, she fights for women, for families, are all of us. Lets give our share another round of applause. [applause] i want to thank everyone with the Womens Leadership Forum who makes this conference possible, especially my longtime friend, lonnie shackleford, our new chair of the dnc womens caucus. I was thinking when debbie was introducing me, it has been more than 20 years since tipper gore and i began gathering Democratic Women together and formed this organization. Now, a lot has changed since then. We have elected dozens of women senators and congresswomen. We have seen our first woman speaker of the house in nancy pelosi. [applause] and most importantly, we brought the concerns, and hopes, and dreams of women from the margin to the mainstream of American Public life. Youve done that. You have moved those political mountains, and i thank each and every one you. But as much as things have changed, here is what has stayed as true as ever. The Democratic Party is at its best, just like america is at its best, when we rally behind a very simple but powerful idea, family. Family is the Building Block of any society. It is the Building Block of our party and our country. When democrats fought for labor rights so that more families could make it into the middle class, when democrats fought for Social Security so that our parents wouldnt live in poverty, when democrats fought for health care, education and civil rights so that all of our children could grow with opportunity and equality, we have fought for families, for moms, dads, kids, and the values that hold us all together. So dont let anyone dismiss what you are doing here today as womens work. Dont let anyone send you back to the sidelines. We are here, proud, Democratic Women and proud, democratic men, to stand up not just for ourselves, not just for women, but for all of our people, for our families, our communities, and our country. [applause] now, i know you have already heard from our fabulous first lady yesterday and from our absolutely committed Vice President this morning, and you will hear from our president later today. For him the first law he signed, the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act, this president has been a tireless advocate for women and families. Yesterday, i was with nancy pelosi and congresswomen and others at the center for american progress. And leader pelosi put it well. When women vote, america wins, and that is why were all here today. We are here because there is a movement stirring in america. You can see it in the parents in california who demanded paid sick leave so they did not have to choose between their jobs and their kids. You can see it in the moms demanding equal pay for equal work. And the dads demanding access to quality, affordable childcare. You can see it in the fast food and Domestic Workers all across our country who ask for nothing more than a living wage and a fair shot. [applause] this is a movement that is not waiting for washington with its gridlock and grandstanding. This movement wont wait, and neither can we. And that is why we are here today. We are also here because the midterms really matter. Now, i know they may not be as glamorous as president ial elections, but these upcoming Midterm Elections really are crucial for our countries future, for our jobs, our schools, our health care, our families. They deserve our undivided attention. In just 46 days, American Voters have a choice and a chance. It is a chance to put American Families first at a time when corporations have all the rights of people but none of the responsibilities, we have a choice to make. It is a chance to elect leaders who know that women should be able to make our own Health Care Decisions, and it is a chance to elect democrats who will fight every day to make sure our economy and our democracy work for every american. You know, at a time when the deck does seem stacked against middleclass families in so many ways, we have a choice to make. On sunday, i was in iowa with a candidate for Congress Name stacy appel. She is a great mom who worked her way up from minimum wage to management, and with enough support, she could be the first woman ever elected from iowa to the u. S. House of representatives. [applause] stacy is one of more than 100 Democratic Women running for the house this year, and i cant think of a better way to make congress start working for American Families again than electing every last one of our women candidates come november. And 10 Democratic Women are running for the senate. Six Democratic Women are running for governor. If i could vote for all of them, i would. [laughter] and i know that mary burke from wisconsin spoke your yesterday. She is offering a choice between more angry gridlock and ideas that will actually make a difference for wisconsin families. At her jobs, better wages, better schools. What has happened in wisconsin and neighboring minnesota under very different governing philosophies over the last two years, because i come from the school that says that results matter, evidence matters, and the evidence is in. Smart, progressive policies in minnesota led to more job creation and more Economic Growth. Wisconsin deserves better and with mary burke it will get better for the people and families of wisconsin. Now, heres what we know. When women participate in politics, the effects ripple out far and wide. Werent you proud when a coalition of women senators broke the logjam during last years Government Shutdown . And then when senator patty murray stepped up to get a budget passed i saw her yesterday and we were talking about it and she said it just comes down to building relationships, listening to each other, spending time, understanding and nobody gets everything you want in congress or, may i add, in life, but you Work Together and you get the best outcome you can. Now that we are hearing republicans talking about another potential shutdown if they gain control of the senate, it is yet one more reason to elect more Democratic Women who will prioritize people over politics, and here is why it matters. Yesterday i met a single mom from chicago named rihanna who talked about being caught between the needs of her family and the demands of her job. Every mothers worst nightmare. There was a day this past winter that was so cold, she said it was way below zero, that the citys schools had to shut down. She scrambled to find childcare for her son, who has autism, but she could not find any at such short notice, so she called in sick at the supermarket where she worked and the next day she was fired. As i sat there listening to her story and i remembered how i felt as a young mother so many years ago. I had many more advantages, much more support, and yet i, too, felt that squeeze. There was one morning when i was due in court at 9 30 a. M. For a trial. It was already 7 30 a. M. , and chelsea, just two years old, was running a fever and throwing up. My husband was outoftown, the normal babysitter called in sick with the same symptoms. I had no relatives living nearby. I called a trusted friend to come to my rescue, but i felt terrible that i had to leave my sick child at all. I went to court and i called home at every break. When i came home and saw my friend reading to chelsea, the ache finally went away. But for so many moms and dads as well, that ache is with them every day. Today, women hold the majority of minimum wage jobs in this country. Women hold the majority of jobs as waiters where they are paid even lower than minimum wage and many of them are at risk for exploitation like wage theft and harassment. So think about a mom trying to succeed at work and give her kids the support they need with a job like that without flexibility or predict ability. Without access to quality, affordable childcare. Without paid family leave. Because the United States is one of only a few countries without it. No wonder there were so many more women than men in poverty last year. No wonder so many American Families are hurting today. For too many women or too many families, they dont just say ceilings on their dreams. It feels to them as though the floor has collapsed beneath their feet. That is not how its supposed to be in america. This is the country where if you work hard you can make it, and each generation is supposed to have a little bit better than the one before. Now, while these challenges are most acute for women fighting to lift themselves and their families out of poverty, women up and down the income ladder face barriers to advances. We see it in women who take home less money than their male coworkers. We see it in the still too small percentage of women in the corporate or dreams. And we see it in the mother penalty, with many women forced to take a pay cut when they have children, while men who become fathers often get a pay bump. So lets be clear. These are not just womens issues. They are family issues. They are americas issues. And they hold back our entire economy. [applause] but the good news is it doesnt have to be this way. We know we can do better. We have done better. And i have seen it all over the world. Strong women and Strong Families can grow economies. We create change. We drive progress. We make peace. If we close the gap in workforce participation in the United States between men and women, our national economy, our gross domestic product, would grow by nearly 10 by 2030. Think about it. Can we afford to leave that kind of growth on the table . And that is also why the midterms matter. Just go issue by issue. Take equal pay. We have been fighting for paycheck fairness for more than 15 years. Because if women have worked hard all day, they deserve equal pay. More than 15 years we have been waiting, and this week, the Senate Republicans blocked the bill again. That is why midterms matter. Look at health care. The Affordable Care act was a step forward for women and families covering important prevention procedures like mammograms, family planning, prenatal services, preventing Insurance Companies from charging women more solely because of their gender, which actually happened in more than 90 of individual insurance plans before the new law went into effect. I think its fair to say that just as the Affordable Care act was going into effect, the supreme courts hobby lobby decision pulled the rug out from beneath americas women. Its a slippery slope when we start turning over a womans right to make her own Health Care Decisions to her employer, and my question is [applause] will congress do anything about it . That is why midterms matter. Look at violence against women. 20 years ago this week, my husband signed the violence against women act. It was a great victory thanks to years of hard work from leaders like Vice President biden. But celebration of this anniversary was tempered by troubling news on many fronts, from the outrages of the nfl to more assaults against women in uniform and a college. One student at Columbia University in new york, a survivor of Sexual Assault, began carrying her mattress around campus. She was tired of being overlooked. Tired of waiting for change. And that was the best way she could think of to draw attention to the dangers facing female students. That image should haunt all of us, and i am very pleased that president obama is supporting a new effort to address Sexual Assault on campuses across the country. [applause] just think about it. We ask so much from our young women. We ask them to delve into fields like science, technology, engineering and mathematics were they have not been well represented. We ask them to go to college and technical school. Even though it is expensive and leads to debt. We asked them to study hard, work hard, lead and take responsibility for caring for children and aging relatives. To do any of these, let alone one or all of them, they face so many obstacles still. So, voters have a choice in november. A choice between those who blocked paycheck fairness, who applauded hobby lobby, who tried to stop the renewal of the violence against women act, or leaders who will fight for women and girls to have the same opportunities and rights that they deserve, leaders who will fight for families and for all of us. We have so many reasons to be hopeful. Mary burke gives me hope. Maggie gives me hope. Wendy davis gives me hope. Allison grimes, kay hagan, Mary Landrieu, jeanne shaheen, natalie denning, they all give me hope. [applause] but you know, we are in the home stretch, and it all comes down to who makes the effort to show up and vote. Now, i have been thinking a lot about family because as you know i am on grandbaby watch. And i think a lot about this new member of our family and what he or she can look forward to, and i am well aware that we will certainly do Everything Possible to prepare this child, to protect this child, but i want that for everybodys child and everybodys grandchild. I want everyone of our children [applause] to feel they are inheriting the best of america. To believe they have the chance to do what was possible for me and what my husband believe was possible for him and what we instilled in our daughter, that really, this country is on your side, this country will give you the fighting chance and the fair shot you deserve to have. This country will maintain a level Playing Field whether youre the grandchild of a president or the grandchild of a janitor, whether you are born in a city or in a small, rural village, no matter who you are, you have a right to inherit the American Dream. And based on [applause] and based on everything i have done over my long career of fighting for women and children and fairness and equality and justice, i believe with all my heart that this Midterm Election is a crucial one. There is so much at stake. So as you gather here today to support wlf and the dnc, i hope when you return home each and every one of you will get on the phone, get on the internet, get anyway you can to encourage your friends, your family, your neighbors, people you have never even met to turn out and vote. Tell them america is fighting for their families. Tell them when we fight for equal pay for equal work, we are fighting for them. Tell them when we fight for the freedom for women to make our own Health Care Decisions, we are fighting for them. Tell them when we fight for better jobs and better wages, for an economy that works for everyone, no special deals, we are fighting for them, because when women succeed, families succeed, and when families succeed, our country succeeds. This is the great Unfinished Business of the 21stcentury. Lets make sure we do everything we can to keep america on the path to a Better Future that some of you have worked so long to support leaders like president obama, bill clinton and others who have kept pushing those boulders up the hill, taking on specialinterest, taking on those who claim they climbed the ladder and there is no reason to leave it behind for anybody else. And get out the vote for these Midterm Elections. Thank you all very, very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2014] next, a debate in the nors race. Gover and then the texas governors debate. And then a debate on national security. On the next washington rudolph jason and discuss speaker boehners plan to reset americas in t americas economic foundation. And then a debate over whether defense spending needs to be increased. David williams from the boys and womens clubs of america talks about the challenges facing americas youth. Will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. Washington journal. Live that 7 00 am eastern on cspan. This weekend on the cspan networks, our campaign 2014 debate coverage continues. Saturday night at 8 00, live coverage at the iowa debate between Governor Terry branstad and his challenger, jack catch. Jenny, theing, president and cofounder of Tea Party Patriots is on the q a at 8 00. And on cspan2. Director of astrobiology talks about life on earth and the current debates about how it began. On hisday, author morton experience as a member of al qaeda and his later life as a double agent. We will mark the 50th anniversary of the war in commission, set up to investigate the assassination of president kennedy. At noon, counsel and Staff Members discuss the investigation on real america. Our the two hour report on the war in commissions findings. That is no you think about the programs youre watching. At 20260 63400. Email us. Join the cspan conversation. Like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. Cities to her takes book tv and history on the to or, touring cities to learn about their literary life. We partnered with comcast or a visit to st. Paul minnesota. Paul in the 30s, i would not, las vegas, but it was lively. The gangsters had their gum molls. N we are just these editions. We had jazz musicians. It was a lively place because gangsters were welcome here. Bank robber in america lived and worked within a three block radius of where we are standing today. All were here. People do not know that. There is no statue of these gangsters, but this was the epicenter of 1930s crime in the era of john dillinger. The fbi, the federal bureau of investigation with j edgar hoover, had this building as their headquarters. This is also the building where the blue rock bootleggers and bank robbers were tried and sent to alcatraz, leavenworth, and other prisons. It is where it began and where it ended. Were standing here in historic fort schnelling. St. Paul is located up the river from the fort. The fort was here before the city was. But the fort is intimately connected to the creation of st. Paul. There were groups of settlers that were living on the military property. Had enoughe army had of competing with them poor resources, and thought that they should be removed from the military property. The settlers moved across the river to the other side, and they formed what became the nucleus of the city of st. Paul. When you think about the story and the history of the re agion, then you think beyond the walls of fort schmeling. We push able to think about, what does it mean when all these cultures can together . From st. All events paul on cspan2 on saturday. Next, the arkansas governor debate between democrat mike ross and republican Asa Hutchinson. Mr. Ross served as a u. S. Congressman for 12 years. Mr. Hutchinson is another former congressman. He was an administrator at the Drug Enforcement administration. This is about an hour. The Governors Square off. A debate unlike anything arkansas has seen before. Two candidates with explosive political history. The attorney turned lawmaker. The small businessman who became a congressman. Tonight, your chance to see where they stand and how they differ. Democrat mike ross. There are big differences. Republican hutchinson. We want to expand opportunity and i want it to reflect our values. The debate begins now. From your local election headquarters, we present a live statewide presentation. The arkansas governors debate. Good evening and thank you for joining us tonight. I am ashley. We are coming to you live, and what happens next could decide who is the governor of arkansas. Will the democrats stay in the Governors Mansion with mike ross, or will it be a republican transition with Asa Hutchinson . Mark it on your calender, election day is november 4. Tonights debate will look a little different. There will be no podiums and the time limits will be flexible. The goal is to get to the heart of major issues. Join us on twitter and let us know who is making an impression or who isnt. Twitter us at argov. I will be monitoring, and we will share that later in the broadcast. We will take you to our moderators to get things started. Thank you very much. We are joined by the candidates for governor. Thank you very much. Also, capitol hill political reporter david. We will be having a lot of fun this evening. Our goal for the next 60 minutes is to cut through the clutter, and get to the issues that matter the most for the next governor of the state of arkansas. Each candidate will be afforded two minutes for an opening statement. There was a coin toss and mr. Ross won the toss. He will be beginning with his opening remarks. A short introduction, he is the democrat in this race. He is the governor and was in congress at a time when voters seemed fed up with washington politics. Mr. Ross, your twominute opening, what makes you different . Well david, thank you very much. This is the first time that i have run for statewide office, so i would like to begin the night by sharing who i am and why i want to lead. I will start with my family, which are very important. On my moms side, my grandpa had a thirdgrade education. He raised five children on 100 acres of land. And i mean he raised them off the land. Some of you know what i am talking about. They did not have a lot financially. He made sure they were in church in their sunday best every sunday, and he made sure that they received the kind of Educational Opportunities that he never had. On my daddys side, grandpa passed when i was about a year old. Grandma first learned to drive her car and then got her ged and then went to nursing school. She was a nurse at a county owned hospital well into her 70s. My parents were school teachers, and after a lifetime of teaching and being a principal, my dad became a United Methodist minister. He still pastors a church in florida today. My family taught me the values of faith, family, hard work, and personal responsibility. I think those values have served me well over the last 53 years, and it will serve as my moral compass as i do my best to hopefully lead this state. My parents were school teachers. They taught me the importance of education. I said i want to be the education governor, because that is how we create more and better paying jobs. If you want to talk about Employment Opportunities or good jobs, hunger, homelessness, poverty, crime, it all starts with education. We have to start sooner and finish stronger. We need more Career Opportunities for those who do not go to college. Or those even my age to show up and find themselves with a pink slip. We need to continue to make College Within Reach for more young people. I am going to be the biggest economic ambassador the state has ever had, and i will work with democrats and republicans to get the job done. We will get to many of those issues this evening. We will introduce the republican, Asa Hutchinson. He served as a federal prosecutor and in congress, as well as several appointments under different president s. Drug enforcement administration, homeland security. Most recently, we were in the debate last time you ran. What is different this time . I would like to say that those are good memories, but this is a new day in arkansas politics. Im glad to join you tonight, and thank you for joining us for this debate. Like mike ross, i am very proud of my history in arkansas and my parents as well. My parents we grew up on a farm. My parents were not rich. They were not poor. They were truly middleclass, and what defined our family was hard work. I understand hard work. It was community, it was faith, it was church. That is what bound us together. And whenever you look at the work that we did, i started my first job in shoe shining. I sacked groceries. I worked in a factory when i was in high school. I hauled hay. All of these things just to try and get ahead a little bit in life and have some spending money. Going to college, i actually cleaned up a gymnasium as a janitor. In law school, i was dating my sweetheart in memphis and i could not buy textbooks and put gas in the car, so i hitchhiked. I hitchhiked over to see her in memphis. Our marriage has lasted 41 years. But i think about my parents, who were truly middleclass, and that brings me to todays debate, because the defining issue in the race for governor is who can best support the struggling middle class and give them more opportunity, more spending money, more and better economic opportunity. I want to be the jobs governor, because i believe everything hinges on a growing economy and better paying jobs. Today you see the middleclass squeeze because the government takes more, and the government spends unwisely. And so, yes, i want to make sure that we can create jobs in arkansas. My plan is for Computer Science at every high school, career education, lowering the tax rate, and refining education. Jobs candidate, education candidate, we have a lot to get to. Arkansass Unemployment Rate has peaked out at just around 8 about this time three years ago, it currently sits at 6. 3 . It is in line with the national average. The bureau of labor statistics shows working arkansans, there are fewer of them today then years ago. What can you do from the Governors Office . A lot. Obviously, to grow our economy, it is about the private sector. It is about individuals taking risk and making a difference. I have a specific plan that will work and produce jobs. You mentioned the statistics, one of the statistics today is that we were declining in Arkansas Technology jobs. That is really insufficient, particularly we just saw axiom create 150 jobs in austin because of the talent pool. That is why my plan for growing the economy is on target, it will work and produce jobs. We have to have a competitive tax rate, and my plan is to lower it starting with the middleincome. Secondly, i want to have Computer Science in every high school. That is Technology Education that will give our young People Better paying jobs and opportunities. And it will help our growing industries that need that talent that is declining. There are unfilled jobs in the future in that field. We also need to talk about career education. Job skills that will help us bring industry and recruit the right once in arkansas area arkansas. This is an Economic Growth plan. Finally, lets reduce the power of regulations on business and make sure we partner with them instead of trying to punish them. Ok, mr. Ross, your thoughts on jobs. I have been involved in Economic Development all my life, and i can tell you, you can have the best industrial sites and infrastructure and interstate. At the end of the day, before an industry locates in your town, they will do a job market or labor survey. And too many times, across the state, there is just not enough available, educated, and trained workforce. When i say i want to be the education governor, that is how we create more and better paying jobs for working class families all across the state. That is why i feel very strongly about my prek plan. If you are a parent with a fouryearold and you want them in a prek class, there should be a desk. Regardless of your income and zip code. If you look at 100 ninth graders, 20 do not graduate. We need to increase the College Education rate. Renewed emphasis on science and technology and math. For those who do not go to college, we need a renewed focus on career tech i still call it votech. We need greater partnerships between colleges, technical schools, and industry. So the young people can learn a trade and get a certification and get a good paying job. In doing so, it helps to provide the state with an educated and trained workforce. That is backed up by my plan for lower and fairer taxes and reduced government regulations. Look, as governor, i will send a message loud and clear to america and the world, that arkansas is open for business. Real quick on that. What about retaining the people that graduate from college . Absolutely, that is one of the challenges. But i will say, historically, we are keeping more of our talent here in arkansas. We are also having students from other states that come here and find their future here. But it troubles me whenever we are losing some of our best talent here. But we have to concentrate on stem education, the engineering fields that are important in the future. I mentioned Computer Science, one million unfilled jobs in the next 10 years. A great opportunity. It is a combination of things. We need to make sure the industry is here to use the students that we graduate, but it starts with those students and the talent pool we have. Lets start with the talent pool, and the industry will come. Part of my jobs first plan and you can read the entire thing on my website, one of the things that i called for is fully funding the governors distinguished scholarship so we keep the best and brightest in arkansas. I am from a small town, prescott, arkansas. More times than not, when someone goes to college they do not come back. That is what we see in rural towns across arkansas and america. We need to create more and better paying jobs so that these young people have a job to come back to. Obviously, we talked about education and jobs, it all blends together. One thing i wanted to touch on, the Quick Action Closing Fund. Essentially, it is money the governor has at their discretion. You talked about your endorsement of it, mr. Hutchison not as clear, at one point you called it a slush fund. Your thoughts on the continuation of that money . Is that something the governor needs to bring a business to arkansas . The governor needs to have the ability to recruit industry, to use some incentives to get them here. That is very important for our state. What i said about the Quick Action Closing Fund is that it is important, but we need more transparency, so we know how that is used, and in hindsight we can measure it better. Secondly, we need better fallback provisions. It has been used in instances in which we lost the industry. They have not been able to fulfill the jobs. That is taxpayer money, we need to recover that. There need to be some adjustments in it, and that is what i have advocated consistently. In terms of the amount, i do not think we should be locked in. We need to have it adequately funded, as to the exact amount, we should not be definitive. I think we should look at the needs for the next year and balance the other needs of the state. I support the governors Quick Action Closing Fund, i support the position of the chamber of commerce. Which is that it should be fully funded every year. It has worked. Congressman hutchinson, this is his second consecutive decade running for state office. When governor beebe proposed this idea, to compete against other states, congressman hutchinson said it would be nothing more than governor beebes slush fund. Flash forward the fund has put 30,000 people to work in arkansas. If we want to be competitive with surrounding states, and get more and better jobs to arkansas, we have to provide the incentives that other states are providing. Fallback processes and procedures are already in place. I agree totally with the governor and support the Quick Action Closing Fund. Do either of you have a list of corporations to contact a one . Day one . I have already contacted a couple of them. And they are . I will say this, i was at the nra convention. I was visiting with gun manufacturers. They are leading some northeastern states because their product is illegal under the new gun laws. I said, make me a promise that when you leave you will consider arkansas before you make a decision. They made that commitment to me. I have passed that on, but i will followup personally. Them, and a few others. He has some people on deck. Mr. Ross, do you . We will not wait for industry to contact us, we will do due diligence. We will identify companies in america and the world that are looking to expand and relocate. I will spend time on the phone reaching out to these businesses, telling them why they should do business in arkansas. And if i need to get on the next commercial flight and fly to their town and make a pitch, i will. And i will include we have a lot of Success Stories in arkansas. People who have done well here. I will ask those who have done well in arkansas to give back and to become economic ambassadors for arkansas. And ask them to reach out to these folks and let them know why they do business here. We talk about taxes, jobs, education, and all blends into tax. Each of you has proposed a cut to the state income tax. Here is a graphic that essentially highlights your plans. Some similarities. There are some nuanced differences. Big picture, they are similar, but i am sure you will tell me that they are quite different. Mr. Hutchinson, and your plan, the bottom of 41 of earners do not see any reduction. How do you characterize that as middleclass tax relief . Because the tax relief is for between those who make 20000 and 75,000 a year. That is the heart and soul of arkansas. That is the middle class. I made the point that i think the defining question in this race is you can do the best to up the middle class, and this is a way to do that. The middle class is not a majority of arkansasans . It is. But your tax plan is 45 of taxpayers. It is targeted towards them. If you want to promise something to everybody like mr. Ross. I wanted to make it something that is doable, and that is 100 million. When you limit it to that, it is targeted, and towards the middle class. The lower income are already in a low tax bracket. The high income can wait for later. But give it to the middle class first, the sweet spot in arkansas, and theres a huge difference between my plan and mr. Ross, because it is a mr. Roth said i would be letting rapists out of prison, ending education and all of the fair because i wanted to do a tax plan because i knew it was needed. Now he proposes something larger than even what i propose