Of americans all across the country. Andrew bremberg, thank you so much for all youre doing to make America Great again. Ladies and gentlemen, andrew bremberg, assistant to the president on domestic policy. Next, a conversation between former republican president ial candidate carly fiorina, and American EnterpriseInstitute President arthur brooks. This is from the Conference Held at National Harbor just outside washington, d. C. Thank you. Thank you, love you, too. My husbands here. Dont make him jealous now. You were saying that to him, by the way. Absolutely. Its great to be at cpac. What a wonderful what a day youve had, right . Fantastic. [ applause ] and what a great conference this has been. Boy, oh boy, ive been watching it on tv, listening to it on the radio, hearing it filtered through the mainstream media, even theyre amazed by this great conference. And its really because of you. How delightful to be here with carly. How are you . Great. One of the movements best right here. Absolutely. Thank you. [ applause ] you knowthe past year youve gotten kind of used to giving talks to groups of people who are enthusiastic, people who are trying to change the country. And what a year its been. It was a great time, a satisfaction of celebration for everyone in this audience. The house, the senate, the white house, holy cow. Not to mention governorships, state houses. Up and down, all across the country. Heres my first question. What do we do now . We won, now what . Well, start with an easy one, arthur. You know, one of the things that i often said during the campaign is i think most people actually agree with us, they just dont know it yet in some cases. [ applause ] its why i would go on to shows like the view. Not because thats a necessarily audience that thinks they agree with our principles, but because if you get it right down to the core of what we believe and what were trying to accomplish, i think most people agree. I am going to answer your question. The other thing that i would say is, most people arent like you. When i say that, i mean most people dont show up at Political Action conferences. Most people actually arent deeply political every single day. Theyre just trying to do the best they can. Every day in their lives. And i think that common Human Experience gives us a clue as to what we need to do. So what do we believe . We believe that no one of us is any better than any other one of us. That every life has value. And potential. And meaning. And that we, therefore, have to lift everyone up and treat everyone with respect. We also believe [ applause ] we believe people arent defined by their circumstances. Or their appearances. That we have to respect people who disagree with us even. We believe that most problems are better solved by the people who are impacted by those problems. Communities, families, businesses, states. And we also believe that you concentrate too much power too long in too few hands, no matter whose hands, that power is going to be abused. A true conservative principle, carly. Heres the big takeaway so far. Now that conservatives have won, they need to learn to persuade people who dont agree with us yet. How do you do that . I do a lot of speaking at conservative events, of course, and about, you know, about a year ago i was talking at a conservative event and people i admire a lot, and i said, if we want to persuade people, lets remember that people who dont agree with us, specifically progressives, liberals, theyre not all stupid and evil. Right . And this lady puts up her hand and she says, actually, i think theyre stupid and evil. [ laughter ] yeah, wait. Okay. So what was i thinking at that point . Number one, politics is supposed to be the art of persuasion, right . Nobody in life none of you have ever been insulted into agreement by a liberal. Guaranteed. Right . But heres what i was really thinking. So i grew up in seattle, washington, in a progressive family, which is redundant, and when that lady, god bless her, when she said that, i was thinking of my family. And theyre actually not stupid and theyre not evil. Theyre not right on a lot of political stuff in my view. This is what i thought. So heres my question for the victors, you. How many of you love someone with whom you disagree politically . Thats like a hundred percent, guys. When somebody on our side says that the other side is stupid and evil, think of your sisterinlaw, think of your niece, take it personally, and thats the beginning of persuasion, isnt it . Thats the beginning of a winsome movement. [ applause ] you know, one of the things that i admire so much about arthur is, he if youve never read his story of how he came to believe what he believes, read it sometime. Because he was just a guy living his life. And he thought he knew what he thought. And then life intervened. And thats how i learned my principles. I was just out there doing my job and living my life and i discovered over and over and over, wow, people that i maybe would have overlooked had a tremendous idea. Or they have huge value in solving a problem. Or wow, you put too much power in the hands of some bureaucrat somewhere. It happens in business, too. That power is going to be abused. Youre talking about persuasion. Its so important. Look, lets face it. Hey, a good fight is fun, right . A good fight is fup. You guys know. I can land a punch. Okay . Boy, is that true. And its fun, right . [ applause ] so its fun to have a fight. And its really if unto have a fight when you win. And now that weve won, its important that we bring people along. Its not just important philosophically. Its not just important that we persuade. Because we actually believe everybody has value. We want to lift everyone up regardless of their circumstances or their opinions. Its not just that. We have to persuade now for practical reasons. Heres the thing about change. Lets face it, we now have an opportunity, the administration, governors, state houses all across the country have an opportunity for real change, important change. To hopefully take money and power outside of washington, d. C. , and return it to where it belongs, to communities, and families, and businesses, and states. But heres the thing about change. No matter when it happens or how it happens, substantial change inspires, substantial resistance. It is the nature of change. And boy, is there substantial resistance out there. The thing is, unless change is accompanied by growing support, the substantial change is never sustained. And if you doubt that, think about obamacare. Obamacare was a big substantial change, and guess what, the democrats didnt take the time to build support. They never thought about building a bipartisan coalition, and actually compromising and coming to a plan that people could support. And so guess what, it was substantial change, and it will not be sustained. Because that substantial change yes, thank goodness. [ applause ] but we have to bring people along now. So that the changes that we all believe in, will be sustained. You know, this really were at the point in the conversation now where were talking about, you know, we started off with, we won, now what . The why of victory is a really interesting thing. Were given victory because conservatives are given victory because conservatives did the work, in a bunch of campaigns, did the work to actually get people out to vote. Thats fantastic. But then youve got to ask yourself, why is that actually important . You know, why is it important . What was the message that people were giving to every single activist in this room and every single conservative on this stage . Whats that all about . Right . And thats an important question, right . Because i think we know the answer. Each one of us knows the answer. We won because americans need us. We are the stewards of what americans actually need. You know, about a third of americans believe that the Free Enterprise system has left them behind. Thats a very dangerous situation in this country. The Free Enterprise system is the only system in Human History that has wiped out poverty among people by the billions. And every Single Person in this room knows that. [ applause ] but heres the threat, my friends. A third of americans believe that the american Free Enterprise system is failing them. They believe this country is not going to provide a Better Future for their children. Now, its paradoxical, isnt it . It wasnt like people voted for big majorities in state and local governments around the country, and given the house and senate are republicans in the white house, they said, Free Enterprise is just peachy. On the contrary. Theyre skeptical about how this system is going to work. They need you. Because you understand the power of capitalism. You understand the power of American Leadership around the world. You get it. And so America Needs you to bring this country back in an aspirational way. The people who need you the most are the people who are being left behind. Question for all of us, what are we going to do to turn a big election victory into a massive sweeping mandate for public good . And we dont quite have the answers to that one yet, right . Weve got to look into our hearts and we have to hold our leaders accountable for that. So what do we do next, carly . You know, one of the things that you learn when you talk to lots of people is tip oneill was almost right when he said all politics is local. But in truth, all politics is personal. People make decisions based on whats going on in their personal lives. And sometimes i think that we talk in big ideas, free market capitalism, limited government. Theyre big ideas, but they dont always land in somebodys life. So let me take the story that arthur just told. Of course, hes absolutely right. Theres only one system in the world that has lifted billions and billions of people out of poverty. And now we put it in really personal terms. I was in new delhi, india, a couple of years ago. I was chairman of an Organization Called opportunity international. Largest private Microfinance Organization in the world. Giving very poor people credit, so that they can become entrepreneurs, and giving them tools and training and support. And i went to the top of a roof in the slums of new delhi, if youve never been to the slums of new delhi, they are the grimmest places you will ever see. And i sat down on the top of that roof with ten women, to whom we had given credit, and training and tools and support, to talk with them. And i didnt see desperation in their eyes, although their circumstances were desperate. I saw hope, focus, determination, and pride. Because they were building a life of dignity and purpose. And they were entrepreneurs. They were free market capitalists. They didnt know thats what they were. But what they knew, though, first and foremost, somebody said to them, regardless of your circumstances, regardless of the desperation all around you, we see you. You have value. You have promise. You have potential. And with a helping hand, which we all need, and with somebody to take a chance on you, which we all need, you can build a life of dignity and purpose and meaning. And they became entrepreneurs and they put their colleagues and their family members to work. Thats free market capitalism. By the way, we ought to have microfinance in this country. And instead of a web of entitlement [ applause ] instead of a web of entitlement wrapped around peoples lives, and thats what weve done, weve woven peoples lives into webs of entitlement that last for generations, instead of Holding People back, we should give people that helping hand, we should take a chance on them, but then we should give them, not the money, but the tools, the training, the support, the respect to say, you can build a better life. Its funny how government [ applause ] thank you. Theres nobody in this room, very few people in america, it doesnt matter what your ideology is, who thinks we should have zero safety net and kick granny out in the snow when shes poor. But heres the problem i think youre getting at, carly, and the problem were all faced with in this country. We have a social safety net, we have Big Government programs that have rendered people useless, that has rendered them superfluous in our society. Isnt that what the safety net does sometimes . Heres i think the authentic moment of real utility for conservatives today. Heres what i think i think heres why were going to have political power. We understand by our ideology that the nature of dignity and purpose and meaning is not to be helped, but to be needed. Thats right. You are needed. [ applause ] its the funniest thing when we travel all around the United States, and you talk to people who are feeling really desperate and theyre feeling really angry, and theyre just fighting back. They feel that theyre not needed. And thats what we can rectify. The conservative philosophy compared to the liberal philosophy is making people needed. When with esee a guy without a job, liberals will typically say, weve got to help that guy. We say, we need him to work for this country. When you see somebody who, you know, a family, that doesnt have a father, you know, the liberal way of looking at it typically is to say, you know, what a shame. We have to help them. We say, no, no, no, we need a father to be a father to his kids. We need him. We actually need every father in this country. Think about this. [ cheers and applause ] this is really, to make people needed, the essence of what it means to be pro life, isnt it . [ cheers and applause ] you know . I know all of you agree with me that every person is needed from conception until natural death. [ cheers and applause ] so lets work our policies, now that we have the levers of power, lets use it as a force for good. Lets use the policies not to help people more, but to need people more. Education that makes people necessary with vocational and Technical Training and apprenticeships in this country. Everything should work so people have more jobs so theyre more necessary in their communities. Education policies that dont render people superfluous, that see people as an asset to society and not a liability to manage. In my view that should be the conservative philosophy, and every single one of us in this room, if we do this right, that will be our legacy together. And that will make America Great again. [ applause ] you know, all the way back to the beginning, when we said, most people arent political, they dont spend their days in conferences like this, thank goodness you do. But most people are just trying to do the best they can with their life. And we also said at the beginning, you know, most people actually agree with us. They just may not know it. So sometimes we use kind of big policy terms. See, i think the tests for, are we doing what we should be doing to make America Great again . I think the tests are really simple. And i think the three things that im about to say, virtually everyone will agree with. And they are prescriptive in terms of our policies. What are the three . Number one, every person, every life has value. Purpose. [ cheers and applause ] potential. Meaning. We need we need every purpose, every person to find the purpose and the value and the meaning in their lives. Can that be translated into policy . Absolutely. Second task. Can people solve the problems that impact them or not . The answer, of course, is yes, they can. The reason we believe in decentralized decisionmaking and localized problemsolving is because it works better. We all learned that in life. You dont have to be political to know that. We lost a daughter to addictions. And i know that there are so many programs that work to treat the epidemic of addiction. But they dont start in washington, d. C. Theyre starting in communities. And they need the resources, and the empowerment to make those programs work. People can actually solve the problems that imfact them. Lets give them the helping hand, the opportunity, the resources to solve those problems. And number three, you concentrate power, you abuse power. Bureaucracies concentrate power, they abuse that power. Our founders wrote the constitution in large measure to prevent the concentration of power. So we have to be the people that stand for the value of every life. The superiority of problems solved locally in communities and families and states, and we have to be the people who stand up and say, no, no, dont concentrate power. We lease power. Disperse power. [ applause ] thats where it belongs. [ applause ] those are our be tests. Dont you love cpac for saying dispersed power is like an applause line . Thats cool, man. Oh, man. But let me make one more point. You know, you all raised your hand when i said how many of you love a liberal. Fantastic. When you talk to your liberal friends, and youre talking to them about your ideas, and theyre very wrapped around the axle that the republicans did very well in the last election. Theyre very worried about whats going on in washington, d. C. Right now. Ask this question. Ask this question. Who won your last School Board Election locally . Theyll be, like, i dont know, right . That matters more, that actually matters more. Thats a conservative principle, isnt it . But its also a conservative principle for us, and i dont want to say anything subversive, because were in washington, d. C. , and were in a political reality show of federal politics. Most of you dont live here. I live here. So you dont have to. [ laughter ] and let me tell you, you know, whats going on locally is a much more important deal than whats going on here. So heres something we can really do to help this country together make washington less important and interesting. Make it less a part of everyday life. You know, its become this entertainment source for everybody to find out whats going on here. You know, the president of the United States over the past eight years was a celebrity, almost a king. And that was bad for this country. Lets not make the same mistake. Lets make this country local again. [ applause ] now, i want us all to admire the people who are in power in washington. I really want that. And i know you do. But really, i think it would be great if we could go a week and say, i dont know what the heck the president did this week. Wouldnt that be great . That would actually be a skth america. And make we can do that together. What do you think, carly . I think thats a great idea. All politics is personal. All politics is personal. Politics is the art of persuasion. Most people agree with us, they just dont know it yet. So lets not talk in policy speak, lets just remember, every person has value. Doesnt matter their circumstances, doesnt matter their appearance, doesnt matter their opinions. Every person has value and promise and potential. And people can solve the problems that impact them every day. If given the opportunity to do so. And power concentrated is power abused. Those are three Pretty Simple tests. And my guess is, 80 to 85 , maybe 90 of the people you meet every day, if you say those three things to them, theyll say, you know, i agree with that. Hey, youre a conservative. Thanks, everybody. Thanks for having us. [ cheers and applause ] later on our companion network cspan, journalist big press interviews david farnthold who has reported on Donald Trumps businesses and his charitable trust. Thats coming up live at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. This weekend on American History tv, on cspan3, saturday evening at 6 00 p. M. Eastern, on the civil war grant is going to put his faith in sherman to break out of this trap. Remember, theyre still inside the city. The confederates are still on the high ground. Grant is determined now were going to break out of this. At 8 55, lincoln scholar Harold Holzer on the many paintings, sculptures of lincoln. What the president s present in their life time and after, motivation, caution future leaders in the days when before twitter and instantaneous photography, which i see going on over here, or cspan, these images which look rudimentary and primitive today, had enormous power, impact, and influence. Sunday at 6 30 p. M. Eastern, International SpyMuseum Historian talks about the attempts by the u. S. Government to overthrow or assassinate fidel castro. During the 1950s, he certainly had a dog in the fight. He was somebody who had been kicked out by castro, along with all the casinos and mob people. These are the guys you want to be working with. Theyre the ones that really, really want to get rid of castro. So the cia said basically, weve got 150,000 on the line, whoever kills castro, the moneys theirs. At 8 00 on the presidency, ben stein, former speechwriter for president nixon and gerald fo ford. Richard nixon accused of being antisemite left israels defense in a way no president ever had. For our complete schedule, go to cspan. Org. The governors of kentucky, kansas, arizona, and wisconsin talked about their experience as conservative executives during the annual cpa