Brings you together, you get to know him, and you find that your the one that was wrong. This is a great group, lots of potential, and by a wall behind it. [applause] that is a great message from a republican from georgia about a relationship he has with the democrat from virginia, and i know that congressman moran since his best all and planned to be here and is in bed with 103degree fever, so we send per stem for a speedy recovery because we need him back in congress and in the Problem Solvers working group to make sure that we are solving those problems. Well, for the next bit of time this morning, we are going to get to visit, learned a lesson, and ask questions and the gauge with ten members of congress who are the committed leaders in our Problem Solvers group, and hear what they have to say and answer your questions about what is going on in their world. Lets meet the congressional Problem Solvers. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the no labels congressional Problem Solvers. Congressman from oregon. Congressman scott rebel from virginia. Congressman read dribble from wisconsin congressman peter wells from vermont. Paris roman from california. Congressman charlie debt from pennsylvania. Congressman jim connecticut from connecticut. Guardsman david from rhode island. Congressman from new york, and congressman from illinois. [inaudible conversations] [applause] thank you, gentlemen and ladies. Please have a seat. Isnt it awesome to see the Senate Leaders in America Today . And it is no labels. And while it is in that dna of these men and women he stand up and leave for america, it is because of your support that they can do this. Is that right . That is what makes it happened. What i would like to do is to start on the far end. I will go over on the send command we are going to hear from each of our leaders today about what it is that brought the men to the Problem Solvers group, what it is that brought them here today, and we are going to quickly move out into questions that is going on with our activists all over the country today. Why dont you pick us off. Sure. Good morning, everyone. What an Amazing Energy in this room come as a thank you for being part of it and giving us the opportunity to share comments with you. I really think it is actually simpler then everyone makes the scene. I have never ever met a member of congress, house or senate, that did not want to make our country healthier, better, stronger for the future. We can figure out a way to get there. That is what this is about. Putting the Country First and doing what are country does every day, working together to get the job done. With this audience you will pull your members of congress and encourage them to join this group and to start solving the problems of the greatest nation in the world. Gabba suing think you for having a survey. [applause] good morning. I represent connecticuts fourth Congressional District. This system might think, one of the most diverse Congressional Districts in the country. I have the towns of greenwich where Hedge Fund Managers and Corporate Executives and what not. The city of bridgeport, conn. , which is one of the poorest cities in the country in pretty much everyone in between. My district also sets sits for miles south of the town called new town which unfortunately became a big part of the public imagination several weeks ago when the tragedy occurred there. One of the many things that happened to all of us, not just those of us who live close, but all of us in this country was in the face of unspeakable tragedy we felt, maybe for the first time in a long time the fact that we have a lot more in common than we have things separating yes. All the trivialities to all of the conceits kamal the daytoday concerns that we have fallaway. We dont want that sort of thing to have to remind us of that bottom line fact. The truth is that all the issues we struggle with, whether medicare or social security, welfare of grandparents, whether it is how much we tax, invest, how good our system of education is to all of those things at their core is the notion that we want the same for the kids of bridgeport as the kids in greenwich. Theres an awful lot more that unites us than divides us which will make this cars we all serve in live up to the ability in the qualities of the republic. Thank you very much. Congresswoman. Good morning, everyone. I was elected to congress about a yearandahalf ago from california. I represent a district of los angeles. My whole life i am the mother, grandmother, i have worked in the private sector. I have my teaching credential, or to the public sector. My whole life by solve problems. I thought i was uniquely qualified to come to congress because we would be solving problems. Frustrating moving from one crisis to the next which between you and me have been manmade, and i mean that [laughter] and the moderator is going to give her thoughts on that one. Manmade crises, and it the worst problem in our country is the fact that congress cannot belong then that is the worst place we can be. We have so many problems in this country, no labels have given me a great opportunity to get together with members of congress, find out what we have more incumbent then divided. Thank you for your support. Your voice is going to be allowed voice in this country moving forward to convince all members of congress that we need to the lay down our political partisan bickering and do something for the country. Thank you. [applause] good morning, everybody. I represent wisconsins eighth Congressional District which includes the city of abcaten and green bay wisconsin. I was asked to tell you why i decided to come this weekend and it is pretty simple. I am here because you are here. Is there were 57 americans felt passionately enough about something that they would spend their own money to come from all over the net estate and spend time here to figure out how they can almost organically begin to change how washington works, i wanted to be a part of it because two years ago when i was first elected to congress was not much different and maybe not at all different from most of you and i could have seen myself being in this audience had chosen not to run for congress. So i would encourage you for those of you are sitting in have extra interest to possibly consider sunday running for cars yourself and being one of the Problem Solvers and kevin jarvis. Thank you for having is. [applause] congressman. Take all of you for being here. We have a long history of doing, i think, what no labels is trying to do, work across the aisle, work in a bipartisan manner. We actually have Health Care Changes in my state that both republicans and direct press report support, educational stuff going on that republicans and democrats support. Unlike a car receptivity years ago it was astonishing how little interaction there was avoid of an opportunity to talk to another member of a Different Party is hopefully now going to be filled with this no labels group. I am sitting next to my good friends here in congress, to republicans that tolerate my existence, which i appreciate kindly. [laughter] but the forum to do this is not in congress. No labels is really an opportunity, believe it or not, congressmen and women have to sit down together and understand how we to other things, what their districts are all about because it is not all about myself talking to read your stock and convincing them that i am the smartest kid in the room. It is about be sitting and listening to these guys you are figuring out what drives their constituents. At the end of the day it is about solving problems. You dont have to give up your liberal or conservative or moderate credentials. The goal is with all of you want us to do, solve the problem by parsley, and that is what we are all about, and i appreciate you being here in helping us. Thank you. [applause] congressman. Good morning. I have the privilege of serving and representing virginias second Congressional District. A special place, home to more men and women in uniform that any Congressional District in the country. Raised by and he would you not read them and never thought that we would find our country in this place. Each generation of erica is has the duty to pass on the blessings of liberty and freedom to the next. We will get through this, but at present the course that we are on to what we are not meeting that obligation to the nextgeneration. That is why i sought the office. I am an entrepreneur businessmen who never served in public office, and i am greatly encouraged by you being here today. We can get this done. You keep this pressure on, but we need you to remember always that before we are republicans and democrats, we are americans, we have to meet the obligation to our kids and grandkids and also the source serving in our goldstar families, those who lost lost a loved one in service to our country and gives us a deeper resolve to do what is right. Thank you for being here. [applause] i am peter welch from vermont and in our daily lives we work with other people and find that getting to know those that we did not think we like to be in that seeing that they have a lot of character, integrity, and can learn from them. In vermont we had terrible storm about a year ago. People were wiped out. Tropical storm irene, and everywhere i went as i travel around the matter what people said to what can it help. And then when people who lost their homes would meet me they would say, dont worry about me, theres a single mom with two kids down the road. Go see her. You know, that is how most americans are. They want to help. They feel good at the end of the day if they have done something constructive. But congress is not most of america. We are in an alternative reality. And what are you going to do for me is kind of a question. Talking parts of the dialogue, and that is what has to break down. Is a desire,ave what you areat once the election is over in the conflict of that is over it is time for cooperation and progress, and we would rather succeed and fight. You are providing that absolute sense of urgency that has to be communicated to those of us in congress to make that institution work on behalf of this country. Thank you. [applause] congressman dan. Thank you for allowing me to join you this morning. I am charlie dent. I represent the 15th district of pennsylvania. My wife. [laughter] shes here. Seriously. My district includes allentown, bethlehem, the sweetest place on earth, like the three mile island. So from the delaware to the susquehanna. The reason i am here is because we have these and people seated behind a sand in front of us and want to make sure they have a future prosperity and opportunity that the american that we will leave them is better than the one that we found. What i am convinced of convinced of is the American People are not afraid of the answers or the solutions to these very big challenge is this country faces. What they are afraid of is that their leaders may not have the capacity or the ability to find the answers, but they can deal with the answers. That is what this is about, i am here because i want to make sure this country is a better place. One other thing, much of the public thinks that republicans and democrats said in their own camps and rarely did speak, but that no labels group and the Problem Solvers make sure that there are those of us to actually talk to each other to develop relationships of a building just. Think you very much. Good morning. I am a congressman from ryeland from the first Congressional District. I became part of this group because like janet i came to washington with the expectation that i was part of solving some of the big challenges facing our country. Before, was elected in congress and only been there for one term. And you dont have a republican or Democratic School that is failing. You have challenges you have to solve every day. We have big challenges in this country, and no labels is an opportunity to come together and understand that we have a responsibility to Work Together to solve problems and not just push everyone to the middle. This group represents people on the far left and the far right, and in the middle who bring their pensions and that the and strong convictions and also willingness to Work Together to solve problems. Really does not exist in congress. A broken place commend this is an opportunity for us to Work Together to solve the problems facing our country. It could not happen without all of you comes of the key for being here today, supporting this work iran and know this will make a real difference and we will bill the government or the of the people we serve. [applause] congressman. Thankyou. Thank everyone for being here today. I represented district of illinois, chicago area. I have a background as an engineer. Engineering is problemsolving. I came to washington to solve problems. Unfortunately as our problems have gotten bigger congress, its seems to has done smaller. Not smaller in size or ego but smaller in the ability to get things done. We come to washington. This direction are that direction. We have to do this for our party or do this for this group or that group. What we need is for all of you to help us by reaching out to your representatives in telling them to join with us, join with no labels. Tell your representative to become a Problem Solver. That will give you representatives across the country the incentive to join us, come together because in the end we have to Work Together for our country to solve these problems. It is only going to happen thats just because the ten or 25 of this Problem Solvers get together, but because you, the American People say we need to get these problems solved. We need you in washington to solve them. This is not just up to us. It is up to you every Single Person in this room and in the country. Thank you very much for your help. [applause] something that is important that happened here this morning. I hope you noticed when every member of congress, and do we have the entire kutcher represented from vermont to oregon right through the heartland of california, the same way you are represented here today. When they came on states today identified themselves today they were not announced as republicans and democrats. They did not talk about their districts as republican or democrat. Look at what they all have in common today and with many of you. See that. That is a Problem Solver and everyone of them has this on. The congresswoman and i talked about this. We have an assignment for all of you. When you leave today you need to call your elected officials, members of the house, members of the senate until then you expect them to join the Problem Solvers group, urged his pen and that the state of the union be want to watch on television and see how many orange pants we see. [applause] we will make sure that these leaders have enough pins in their pockets to hand out so that no one has to do without but, with the right attitude. All right. Lets get the questions that lets get to a conversation about what is going on. I we bringing lights up . Plenty. They shine bill little light. Everyone shade your eyes a little bit. We have one rule that is important. Well, to rules really. First, tell us your name and where youre from. Second, lets get to the question so that we can get to the answers and get more questions in. You will see we have runners of microphones, but i will do a little bit of alternating. I will start of this aisle with a microphone right there. Mike tobias. Stand up for us. Like tobias from new york. Representative, i know that you are a business person. You run your business. That is how you make decisions. In the congress, congress is not necessarily work on facts. Their work based on hard Party Politics. How can you change that so when we can deal with tracks the kendis solution . Was that to you . We have this problem. Yup. Okay. But in easy thing to do. You will often get hard truths, choose from a perspective of the partys spin on something, but there is Data Available for the American People that gets to the real facts of things. Today kendis of it here is being live stream then there is so much Information Available the part of all of us on the states have committed to is providing the American People with the truth, not the partys spin. Lets get the American People to get the real facts, the circumstances going on so that we together, u. S. Can begin to actually solve the problems on the basis of data that is accurate and understandable so that we can fix things. It is possible to do. You are correct. Anybody else want to jump in . That is one of the principals, the idea of the financial. We all have differences of opinion about how we should navigate through these challenging Financial Times and we should have those disagreements and argue about them passionately, but if we do not begin with a common understanding of what the challenges are in the short term and long term and if there is not the mechanism to report that regularly to the congress, i think its just compounds the problem. Youre absolutely right. One of the agenda items no labels is considering is nonpartisan staff rather than having a democratic staff and the republican staff could your information. Youre supposed to regurgitated. You can have nonpartisan staff and everyone have a common set of information and then you will ask the appropriate questions to u. S. Citizens and our colleagues. [applause] a question . Hello. I came all the way from new mexico. I would like to know, Problem Solvers, have you spoken to your colleagues in congress about joining mr. Been helping it become what you think it might ultimately become . Dont you want to start of . Ive spoken to some of my colleagues. The truth is, many of them, i think, do want to become part of this center to leave it is not as hard for me is a guy in a marginal district is pretty competitive to be part of this. I always have to work to find consensus and persuade people. The bigger challenge is to get some of our colleagues involved in this group represents eight districts where it may be harder for them to the verge from a party orthodoxy. I think that is going to be the challenge, to get some of those votes because were not asking anybody check their ideology at the door or their party label at the door, but we are asking people to be pragmatic and practical and try to find solutions. We have to divide. But that was that is meant for us. We still have to find solutions. The key is to talk to members of congress to let the car from the safe seats, the ones who are going to need to engage in this kind of dialogue. Congressman. I was keeping this a secret. I have i came to congress to find ways to up reach across the aisle and make friends. I am a part of a bipartisan Prayer Breakfast to really, just so that i can see together in a room once it once a week with members across the aisle. I am debating playing softball, getting a bit 7 00 a. M. For practices so i can find ways to make friends and relationships because my whole life and that of his more because i am a woman. Think everything is about relationships, about making friends. That is how you get things done. And i think this gives an opportunity to find a way to be in the same room and know a little bit about each other. I think their is a hugger, not just on the part of the American People. Think their is a hybrid with members of congress to find ways to do something that they can go back to their districts and states, yes, i am working together. Yes, i am reaching across the aisle. That is what gets, for me, the biggest applause when i go home. When i mention one thing that i am doing in a bipartisan fashion , that is what makes peoples faces light up because that is what theyre looking for in their leaders in congress. What kind of conversations that you had . Dont make the mistake of if you are a member of congress or senator that says for whatever reason i dont want to do that. It is not that theyre bad people. Of the 535 of us, there are not a lot of folks who have the interest of their constituents and country that were not say a lot of what you have heard of from us up here today. The challenges to we are, if nothing else to my pretty finely tuned instruments understanding the incentives that are out there. Unfortunately today there are a lot of people who worry about being primary from the extreme of their party. In the last three years we have seen a lot of that. And if you are worried about being primary from your partys extreme, it is hard for you to reach across the aisle because the very active reaching across the aisle will be a 302 ad in the primary election, so lets go beyond just saying, how can i convince the sky or this woman who is not being constructive and say how can we set up a system where those people who do reach across the aisle who are willing to compromise, and stand by there principals but want to get things done to they are somehow protected from the primary challenge. [applause] this is where we come in. This is where our activists commission. This is where the no labels activists come in not only making the call but standing up behind them. That is 100 percent the reality, this is a day before to give those members that ordinarily would not want to put themselves out there so far in take on the risk of multiple primaries. This is the cover that they need, but there is Something Else each and everyone of you can do. If you notice the light is the prairie process so difficult, especially in those safe seats where it is guaranteed to be a democrat that wins, guaranteed to be a republican . Very few people get involved in the process. Only those that they say are very involved in Party Politics that even voting your primary. Not only do you need to encourage your individual member of congress to join this group hamas you also need to get out there and vote in your price varies so that you dont have the extremes always wedding, and that is also part of the solution. This is a great way to start to but we need to get more involved as well. [applause] a question over here. Good morning. From minnesota where all the children are above average. And i hear the call in the congressman talk about incentives, and as somebody who is in fly over land, from trying to think how we can break through and actually reach our members. Unfortunately there are none for minnesota on the states stake, but i sent out a lot of holiday cards. If i was your constituent and you received a letter that said, im asking you to join the Problem Solvers group and im going to send a letter to every one of my Christmas Card list informing them of what your decision was, would you find that motivating . Would that be an incentive to maybe follow through . How big is that christmas list . About foreign and 50. Congressman. There is no question that of members of congress will listen to their constituents. The problem is for we are not hearing from the vast majority that just was to get things done. I hear it, i was in a parade back in december, a christmas parade, holiday parade, walking down and hear someone yell, this fix is the discipline. Compromise. Here i am in the middle of a parade in the of candy and someone just feels it in their hearts that they have to yell up to me, compromised. Theyre yearning for it. People wanted to happen. But we need to hear that for more people. I hear from a lot of my constituents. And thats sure everyone hears it. We also have to hear it from the many people as possible. Just up the people who are on the fringes were contacting us. We do keep count. We look at the letters. We keep count of how many people write conveyed if we have 25, 50, 75, 100 people start writing in, calling into many million common joining no labels, that will be heard and noticed. Does make a difference. We heard yesterday from the ceo of one of our partners, the Bowling Alley strategy. I think you said you can regularly be found on aisle five of the Grocery Store for your constituents. But why dont you talk a little bit about what gets your notice, what kind of conversation works. One of the things that does not get my attention is threats were yelling and screaming. We have enough yelling and screaming. Then you, as citizens, though one has to yelets committee chaired the more than we want you to yell and scream at us. It is not how you motivate things. What i respond to is when citizens, of all americans, whether theyre coming from the polar opposite position of might are able to come and talk to me or send me a letter that his duffel and thoughtprovoking. That is going to get my attention. If someone starts out with six expletives and goes down from their comments less likely for me to Pay Attention to it. And we, as a community of citizens have to begin to talk to each other in the way that we would want to be spoken to. And this idea that everything has to be a fight and we have to scream with each other to be heard, it is counterproductive to the democratic process. It does not work with me. I dont think it works with any members of congress. As of the best thing that you can do, even if you have a member who is from an opposite political ideologies in rome, go to the men say, how can i help you in advance these ideas . What can i do to and participate in this process . And youre likely to get a fairly good listen to. I really believe it. Of going to actually bring in a question from facebook. And going to ask the congressman if you will start and then you die of it and then they would us to follow. Speaking of incentives, what incentives to my senators and representatives have to solve our fiscal dilemma . What is it that makes it worth it to get to the table and stay there . Clearly the path the we are on is unacceptable. One of the pleasures and choice of Public Service i have felt the last couple of years is all the things i used to say to tv. Dagen s. A. And the house floor. We really do have to chart a different path for our children and grandchildren, and want to just release support what reed was saying about the way to influence. I really find inspiration from president lincoln, our first republican president to put it this way. When the conflict of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind these are his words kind, and assuming persuasion should ever be adopted. I am convinced that this really is the path to go. Civility is no weakness and what the labels is really committed to doing is elevating the facts of the matter. Only elevate the facts of the matter i really think that that is the key to finding common ground. Who have said it is like to circles. You have democrats and republicans. But if you start to move and they stuck to overlap, where they overlap is common ground. It can be found in congress. Congressman. I think it can be found in dealing with our recovery, economic recovery as low as it is in the debt and deficit issues that face our kids and grandkids. A lot of lip service is being paid. Im concerned were talking about just us. What middleclass life will they have unless we stepup and do the right things. And it to me it is very actually, i actually campaigned on a Suicide Mission to reform medicare and the tax reform. Every town hall camaraderie, chamber meeting, senior meetings i would talk about those two things in those two things only, guaranteed political suicide. Im still here. We can do this. [applause] congressman. In answer to that question about what it will take to get washington to deal with the fiscal challenge facing this country, i was in a meeting in december of 2011 at the home of senator mark warner, a democrat, and Alan Greenspan was there and he said something that really struck me very hard. He said to you know, reuter you guys in Congress Going to do Something Big on this fiscal challenge . Are you going to do it before or after the bond market crash is . And it will crash. He is not known for hyperbole, and it struck me that the former chair of the Federal Reserve is saying you are facing an impending crisis and youre going to need to deal with it. The question is will you deal with it before it hits or after . So the answer the question is, its part of the reason why i am involved in the screw. I want to deal with the problem before it becomes a crisis, and we need to make sure that we build relationships and the trust necessary to find solutions now. Its going to be too late when theyre is a crash in and referred to these problems will become too big for us to manage. And no one to get to that point. Way in the back. A question for us over here. And going to get you to speak up letter because even with the microphone youre in the back. My question is, being a student, what can i help my country to create a more problemsolving solution . What you can do. To help make more problemsolving. To help make more problemsolving happen, is that right . That is a highschool senior. Stay in school. [laughter] your being here is fabulous. The energy that we are going to need is going to come from young people who are really the ones most imperiled if we dont get our fiscal house in order if we dont get our institutions in order. You know, members of congress would feel better at the end of the day if we actually had something to show for work. And we have a job on the inside and you have a job on the outside. On the outside we are hearing republican and democratic members not about the issues. People are asking us to question, why dont you guys get together and get something done . You know what, you have a right to convey a sense of urgency to all of us in congress that that is your expectation. It is out of it it is our job, but solutions. Our job is to break the stranglehold that these failed practices have on our ability to Work Together. The first question was about facts. Congress is a factory zone. You work through the facts and, with a different point of view but in the same zone. We dont have of everything is adversarial. Oftentimes reflect the attitude of the member. If it is a talking point member, staff does the same thing. When we meet in committees there is very little effort to create a common agenda and Work Together on what witnesses will come in. Much more about trying to get the witnesses who will be a hotbutton items for the press. Everything that we are doing is getting away of us cooperating to solve these problems. And on the fiscal issue a lot of us think that the idea of going bake is the only way to go because there is going to be some difficulty for all of us. Republicans who have to put revenues of a table, democrats have to put some reforms entitlements on the table topline this is really good for the country. What is the incentive to iraq that coming to me, is at the crux of these traumas that we have from congress. Theres a feeling that the only way democrats will come to the table and make some significant reforms is if we are held hostage by either raising the debt limit, you know, the sequestration, i think their is a sense that unless we tied the woman to the track while the train is coming down no one is going to at best to save the hostage. And so there is a huge mistrust back there. There is a feeling that we all dont want to the do something this constructive. The only way we are forced to act is with these men made crises and dramas that happened. As the problem. A basic understanding and agreement that we are all there. We are all there to work on these big issues. So far there has not been an opportunity outside of these major dramas and clips and taking as to the edge, shutting down the government to you know, not paying our bills by raising the debt ceiling which is just no way to govern the country. And i am hopeful that no labels will give us a way said govern the country where we start out, at least be leaving entrusting that the other members across the aisle have come to congress for the same reason we have. This is a big topic. [applause] we are going to go a round and wrap up this question. What can you do to help bring about a more thoughtful, Pragmatic Congress and i want to throw three ideas out there that are little bit beyond the scope of what no labels has taken on but are profoundly important and structural. Number one, like what the state of california did in terms of having a Citizens Commission dropped Congressional District . It was not perfect. It was not perfect, but we have Something Like 1506 seats on both sides. Member attuned to incentives is not all that concerned about the general election. Member to commend this is a big one. Different points of view. Money again incentives. My own particular opinion is the permission of money into our system today is of the fundamental threats to our democracy. [applause] a lot of people believe that. Some people disagree. My point is, we are incentivized to do crazy things. I gave two examples. When you Say Something egregious on the floor of the house of representatives. Republican member calls the president a liar in the democratic progress on the floor of the congress as a Republican Health care plan is adopted second if you do come back quickly to those two statements really profoundly damage the fabric of our democracy, and both of those members when they did that raised in excess of a Million Dollars and 24 hours. Number three, we can do something about those first two. The media. You dont want us messing with the media, but i will not to remember when there were three channels of television and every channel had their version of walter cronkite. He did not agree with them, what you thought about them. Today we watched news as a form of self gratification. The right watches fox and a left watch is a mess in d. C. And never the twain shall meet. Youre reinforcing your opinions rather than requiring terror the through the problem. [applause] i used to, i say, engineering Highschool Students, College Students, but everyone out there, what joe was just saying, i challenge everybody does it not limit yourself to hearing from one side or from one place. You need we need to make congress, to be able to understand other points of view. Everyone here, americans need to understand, you do not have to agree with another but did you. You have to be able to understand it, respected because that is the only way that you can reach a real compromise and reach real agreement with others. We are becoming so fractured and our country because we people listen only to what they want to year and therefore they dont understand anyone else. If he does that think differently are crazy, wacko, something wrong. Tsk especially critical for your under people. It also, Something Else that the Current System does, we do that is cynicism. We become very cynical about other people and about can anything ever be done because i know i have the right answer and there obviously theres something wrong with them. We need to all be able to talk together and its starts with understanding each other. Congressman. [applause] go back to the young lady in highschool. One of the things, a few things that i think Highschool Students and College Students really anyone can do, especially the youth so that they can freely open their minds and make informed decisions not based on influences of their professors or even their parents, but really for themselves decide whether they believe in policy. It is simple. I would suggest find the next congressional race or even if it is a state senate race to leverage may be to work on a campaign from a republican and work on campaign for democrats and decide for yourself what youre learning from those two campaigns. Then i would take whatever books you want to go out and do a Little Research from a conservative book and more liberal book and read both of them and compare. Do things that are going to show you it really was out there can make an informed decision. Lastly, go to debates, do not allow the media to decide the end result for you and read the narrative. Go listen to a candid its on both sides, hear what they have to say, and make your decision tow where you fall and then you will be able to support the candidate that really represents you because that is what our job is. Our job and sometimes in congress as a whole frigates, congresss job is to represent you. The United States of america and the great people that make it a wonderful country that it is, and if we do those things and get involved in the political arena in those ways i think it will have a much, much better country working together. Thank you. [applause] all right. As we come up around the bend and reconnected to everybody, i am going to ask a question from one of our fellow activists who has come through twitter. Because i saw him tweeting i will ask the congressman to take the question from twitter. Is that all right . Axelrod. I dont know that there is any relationship. What is the first on the agenda to help make congress more successful for the people . What is the first thing you guys can do in congress to get this going and make it successful . We have been talking about that. The first and most important thing at think is to continue to create a venue for us to have your conversations about how we can make Congress Work more effectively for the people we represent in this great country. I think jim identified some important issues because i think one of the things that we all recognize is that there is a process, both in the way we run elections in this country in the way that congress operates that has to be fixed. I think, frankly, if we dont change the process, you can put all the people in every two years but you will not produce different results unless you fix the underlying problems. A device of the procedural things that we currently do and how we fix those, but the first and most important thing that is being done and that we will model is the ability to create an opportunity to reach across the aisle and develop mutually respectful relationships that we can Problem Solved together and create a culture in this country where if youre not a Problem Solver you have to explain to your constituents why youre not and so i think they are providing that. [applause] it should be just the reverse. It ought to become a political liability not to be a Problem Solver and washington, not the reverse. Congressman. The number of us to put our names of a letter to talk about the rules of the game. Terms of budgets, your people in washington talk about baselines and assumptions the projections and we cannot agree on what the baseline is. We want to have one nonpartisan source to help us come to an agreement on what the rules are. If were going to find solutions were going to have to do something strong greek and we have to agree on what the rules of the gammer going to be. That is one concrete thing that we can be doing right now. Where are you . Right there. Savannah georgia. I am represented in the washington by Problem Solver jack kingston. Today i am representing him in new york. The key for being here. Congressman, you thought about you talked about the like to mark order so been hearing from Alan Greenspan. As we know, the cofounder along with the sec speech and less, senator from georgia trying to find an option for a deficit problem. All of you should think about forming a Bipartisan Group in the house to come up with a deficit solution. Congressman. I guess my response to that, it would be this to my think there already is a bipartisan plan that has been laid out there for us to look at. It is not perfect. Is this the start. His start. Now, candidly it is weak on health care. Erskine bowles will tell you that, but i think it is a starting point. I think maybe the answer is it david walker is here he has been vocal on this issue, but maybe we have to do is look at the best aspects of some of the perfect yet proposals out there and take those pieces and try to put together a real plan, and it will be bipartisan. At the there is already a foundation out there upon which we can build, so that will be my answer. Thats a big issue. The biggest threat to our economy is congressional dysfunction. Race have to be part of it to my cuts have to be part of it, the pentagon estimate contribution to the effort. We put everything of the table and can get from where we are to where we need to be. That is commonsense. Tugging in opposite directions. We did have a group of the ten of us were making an effort in the house to do similar to what the gang of six was trying to do we have to continue that. What i think we can do is work at a lower level whereby actually passing legislation it might be the Redistricting Commission will be is are 20 democrats and 20 republicans are working together in demanding a that we put this on the floor. We show up an advocate together for taking a step forward. It is by that example in getting some small successes that are meaningful that we can change the way congress is functioning. Congressman, we will come back. Believe it or not there was a group. I was part of it. It was called go big, and at the height there was 140 members to a bipartisan bicameral, and we met several times and or actually making and repairing a lot of ideas on the table. The broken up and decided there would be nine leaders of this group. I was fortunate. I sat right back. Im sitting next to leaders of the democratic party. Got to appoint where as we were making headway little by little media would start to leak out of things that were putting of the table as republican. Right away they start and it builds and little by little colleagues start to fall off and leaders look at it in politics comes into play. But i think is what was missing, why it did not work because we did not have a group like this. We did not have a forum that can support those that were sticking their necks out to get it done. That is why it is so important. So importance. [applause] contact your member of congress and ask urged them to give us the support to we need to grow this group and you really are. The answer is right here in this room. All of you. I want to share a word of encouragement with you. Telling us the story about how he would baldy address entitlements. I am encouraged by that. What happened in my own district. And businessmen that went to congress and i ran on a statement similar to this. A spending problem, not a revenue problem. I truly believe that. When i got in there i heard my democratic colleagues go to the floor saying we have a revenue problem. Lets prove or disprove. When i immersed myself into that ejaculation is simple. I will not go into too much math, but we got ourselves in this republican revenues of percent of Gross Domestic Product and have not been ss18 69. I worked through and worked through end worked through all of that, came to the conclusion that to you know, this was a mathematical and conservative imperative the res it revenues rise a bit to meet the level of spending that we ourselves as republicans voted for. [applause] well, here is the good news, and i will end with this. When i walk through all of this when i was told to do not say that before your november election. I cannot do that. This said at least wait until after march 15th. The primary date. I cannot do that for the same reason. In the front page of the newspaper the next day to listen to what the person who text to the next morning at 6 00 a. M. Was the chairman of the Republican Party of virginia beach, by far the Largest Organization that our district then he said to my dont know what he was going to say. Thank you for doing what is right. Listen, when americans are giving good information that make good decisions. [applause] thank you, carson. [applause] while it is important to send people to Congress Like scott. We have got to quit sending people to congress that have taken a pledge or an oath to something other than the American People. [applause] you know, the American People cannot keep telling as to compromise and then send people to congress who come to congress and say i took a pledge not to compromise. There is a big difference between what you campaigned on and on how you conduct can govern this country. We need to send more people to congress to know what it means to govern, to listen to the facts before they make decisions. [applause] one last thing to say. One last thing and it is extremely important. We take an oath and raise our end and are sworn in. The same oath. I have taken it five times. It is the same of that area men and women taking uniform to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That is the hope that matters. That is the of the American People, and that is the hope that those that are giving life and limb take. If they can do that we can search of the compromise and make this country move forward. [applause] i think you are back there, amelie. Tweet now. Go oneyear facebook page. Tell your member of congress you want him in the Problem Solver group. Make sure we keep our eyes open on state of the union night. These leaders jury what their colleagues throughout congress and make sure where they have the courage to be here for us, we have the courage to be there for them. Thank you. [applause]. We have very few records about what actually occurred on the night the plants that carried out of this very church. We know for mr. Reviewed the plan had been set up at a time across the way. He set it up before that sunday. What we d