It feels wonderful to be here. I am thrilled to see so many people eager to join in dialogue about where we as a nation find ourselves in the strive towards freedom and it seems particularly fitting that we would have this conversation today, the day after our nation paused its daily business to pay tribute to reverend Martin Luther king jr. s life and his legacy. And it seems fitting that we would have this conversation the day after our nations first black president was sworn in for his second term. Now i know much of the nation has already moved on and president obamas soaring rhetoric about the promise of america, life, liberty, justice and equality for all has already been forgotten by many. And i know that many, many people in america will not think of dr. King again until his holiday rolls around again next year. But i would like for us to pause tonight and think more deeply about the meaning of dr. Kings life and his legacy and what it has to teach us about our nations presiden
I first came to washington, d. C. In 2000 as a Congressional Correspondent for the associated press. After spending several years in colombia South Carolina and albany new york. Now, i am originally from mississippi, the son of two Public School teachers come in and being from mississippi, the one thing my parents made sure that i knew was my history. It was almost a state requirement in mississippi to know where you came from. So, when i left mississippi to go to South Carolina, i had this desire to history and i studied the history of South Carolina. I didnt the same thing when i went to upstate new york. I got involved in learning the africanamerican history of upstate new york which, by the way, is very vibrant. A lot of the underground railroads ended in upstate new york city have a very vibrant Africanamerican Community and history up there. But when i left albany new york to come to washington, d. C. , and i knew i was hitting the mother lode. Washington, d. C. On a new had to h
Its good to be back. I was asked to talk for about 30 minutes and that leaves time for question, discussion and may be disagreement. Let me start with a story. When the war ended, a lot of black soldiers were with the ct so they decided to stay put where they were in the south. Some were working class backgrounds and in the north they were underpaid and they had no reason to go back home. The 180,000 who served in the armed forces, 140,000 word former slaves and had no business to return to and in a small town othesmall town of tey thomas and george brooks. They settled down and promptly organized a local unit of the union club in philadelphia base, pro union link and policy organization. They then began to register friedman to vote. And by the mid1967 the local clansmen decided they had enough of this and decided they were going to intimidate the men by hooding up and riding through the black part of town and showing them who was in charge. But thomas and brooks were former soldiers a
Statement bills, weve, you know, stood on the we havent gotten much actually to happen. So now do you start to say, heres our philosophy, heres where we are, we understand whats going on in the debt and deficit and destruction but we have a bunch of debt deniers right now other in the senate that, look, this this debt devastate devastation thats coming is coming. Do we have an obligation to try to find a way to actually get a piece of legislation all the way to the president s desk where we get to start to bend the curve . Something beyond the messaging bill to actually an accomplishment. And thats and thats going to be the battle. You asked if this is a test of the relevance of the conservatives in the conference. I would say that really, most conservatives are willing to suspend disbelief and trust the leadership right now that well have a conservative outcome after the last three months. Its really a test of this new pact, if you will, of leadership to get to a 10year balanced budge
The arkansas governor, hutchinson, promised to sign but declined to at the last minute today. Each backed down after enormous pressure. The bill promoted with claims like a federal religious freedom law that passed years ago with bipartisan support and like laws in other states including one that then illinois senator barack obama voted for back in the late 1990s. Listen to governor pence. The religious freedom restoration act was signed into federal law by president bill clinton more than 20 years ago. Indiana has passed a law here that mirrors the federal law that president clinton signed. This is a law that mirrors what president clinton signed. Federal law in the book since 1993. The federal law signed by president clinton. The federal law since 1993. Thats what its been for more than 20 years. Federal law for more than 20 years. The religious freedom restoration act on the book more than 20 years. Thats the claim. Just like the federal law. Keeping them honest, not quite. Heres wh