This was started by fred coker in 1997. [applause] i know that many of you are saying the same thing as the man with perfect attendance, jim brett, ive never gone to any event he was supposed to be that and was not at. Every new England Council event, he is always there. Today he is unfortunately at a funeral. He is not here today, so larry will do the q a part. We have been training him on this for days on end. He is very good. Next week we are back at the institute of politics. A whole series of things coming up in the future. Very excited. Governor very special who has come quite a long way this morning. Governor steve bullock, montanas former attorney general and was elected montanas 24th governor in 2012. Just to put that into perspective, our own governor and he isthe 80th, the 24th, just a little. Ifferent phrase [applause] has broughtlock people together. He was born and raised and has fought on behalf of students, workers, and families. He ensured that his own three children, all Young Montanans are able to enjoy the same opportunities afforded to all of us. Working with a republican legislature, he passed in earned income tax credit, established the first public prek, and past where the most progressive antidark money bills in the country. He was the first governor in the country to protect net neutrality, executive order, and every day steve heads to work at the capital, committed to ensuring that montana remains the second test state in the nation to live and raise a family. [applause] ado, governorr bullock. Governor bullock i appreciate the opportunity to be here, you didnt note that you can fit 14. 7 New Hampshires in the state of montana. There is a reason why we only have 24 governors because we serve a full term which would be four years, not every two years. I did something last night and some buddy said, congress, when they set it up, the thought was it would always go with weulation, so isnt it time have more members of the house, in the whole crowd in New Hampshire said no, dont do that. Bit aboutk a little where i think things are and where this world is and really do look forward to answering any questions and engaging in a conversation with you. From my perspective, in so many respects for the country and its standing in the world and what we are going to pass on, it is important to make donald trump a one term president. To me, it really is more about just beating him. It is rejecting this behavior that he is normalizing. About when you set this up in 1995. What the norms were and what we expected out of a president and the overall system. And now we are at alarm time of an abuse of power and we are race,ng this nation by gender, geography, nationality. Stay sayion to we expect more out of our preschoolers and we do the president of the United States area it is more than that read as i travel around and say, how do we get to this point and how do we fix it, there are a whole lot of people in this country that are working harder and making less. 60 of people have not had a pay increase in 40 years or if you think about us raising in the early 70s. 90 of 30yearolds were doing better than their parents. Today it is only half. Losthirds of the counties businesses over the last decade folks saying i shouldnt have to leave my church or school or community to make a decent loving. When the economy is not working, they look to the political system to relief. There is a case called Citizens United case, 2 of all outside spending was from groups that didnt disclose where the donors came from. You see regulations being gutted because that is what the donors are asking for. There should not be any surprise that folks are frustrated and anxious and angry. Instead of doing something about it, he has poured gasoline on it good we are more divided than any time certainly as a nation, more divided than any time in my lifetime. Forget about cable news or twitter, think about conversations throughout inc. Skipping dinner. Think about conversations at the copy hall or where you are grabbing a beer. Politics has divided our community and our country. Betterter than the than that. I only knew there was a governor because i delivered paper. I worked my way through college and borrow my way through law school. I will never forget the day that my wife and i hit off the student debt. It caused the challenges but when you go from delivering newspapers to the governors house as a kid to now living in it, you had that shot at the american dream. People, that no longer exists and for far too thisit doesnt appear election is about beating donald trump and make people believe the economy, our lyrical system can work for us. Oncan make a difference having that fair shot at a better life because that has always been the baseline promise and hope of this country. In many respects, this single issue election is beating donald trump. The only democrat in the country to win in the state where trump won. He took montana by 20. I one by four. 25 to 30 of my voters voted for donald trump. The path to victory doesnt just run through the close and the urban areas. We have to be able to win back laces that we lost. I could fit 14 and a half montanas New Hampshires in montana. I dont have the luxury to do that to go to the bright blue places. I have to listen and engage and give people a reason to think that government can work. You are a seasoned group, a little skeptical group. You should be because all of us come here you are used to politicians making promises and then seeing whether they deliver. Here is the promise i will make you im the nominee, i am going to in massachusetts. I will win california. I will win vermont. Any democrat with a pulse will win massachusetts, california, and vermont, this is about 270 electoral votes. If we cant win black places like michigan, pennsylvania, we are not going to win this election. Ask why is it that if folks are voting economic, education, they ought to be with democrats but we are losing them by the way . Ruralsed to see their folks will forever be embedded with this guy with orange hair and a gold toilet. It seems likets maybe i got into late. I got in in may. But i had a job to do. My legislature is 60 republican , the best it has been the whole time i have served in office. I had to get Medicaid Expansion reauthorized. I signed my last bill on a monday and announced on a tuesday and was off to the races thereafter. I needed to get that job done. In part, a lot of debate rules are about individual donors. I havent been on all of the debates but i know that it is folks like you all, the early states that take a big field and narrow it down. That is what i am counting on. Even in that divided time expandedegislature, we health care for 100,000 people through Medicaid Expansion we got fiscal and until health parity, investments in the k12 system aired firsttime investments in prek. We have the fourth lowest tuition and fees in the nation by freezing College Tuition and investing more into higher education, not decreasing it. I also recognize that not everyone is going to go to college. 60 of people dont even have a twoyear degree. We made twoyear college and tribal colleges about apprenticeships so that people can climb that ladder in the middle class. They have been climbing at a rate higher than any other state in the country. We have been able to do that and i certainly look for Common Ground but that does not mean compromising the values i hold. I begin with the assumption that everybody at times is focused on politics. Not everybody is, but the values most people have, everybody wants to save community. But he wants a decent job, roof over their head, clean air, clean water, good public schools. To you can do next better for the next generation than yourself. If we can unite on those we can get things done in ways that hasnt been done in the past. When we were trying to get Medicaid Expansion through in 2015, this was the heart of the antiobama care time. People on the Rocky Mountains front and everybody in town knew why i was coming because americans for prosperity, the coke brothers, were kind enough to mail everybody a picture. Anyway and instead of saying i am from the listened. , i i said what do you need . The Hospital Administrator said 43 of people who walk that the doors dont have health insurance. A couple people got up afterwards and called me obama loving this or a communist. There was a fourth or fifth speaker who is the chair of the county commission. He was a rancher and he was from a town of a population of 50. Know, up and he says, you i was born in this hospital. This hospital saved my life when i had a heart attack two years ago. If we lose this hospital, this town is gone. Of me saying this is what you need out of government, them saying this is what i expect and need out of my government. This is what gave them the courage to defy the leaders and that is what made us go from 20 uninsured to about 7 . When you have hospitals at risk of closing, that is how government should work from my purse. I think that montana could teach washington a few things. I know many of you think montana is a small populated state somewhere over there, greater population then states like vermont or delaware, inc. About that for a minute. I also think unless we are going to address what is holding d. C. Back in so many respects, that really is the influence of money in the system, Everything Else democrats are talking about throughout this election cycle is that much harder to obtain Lindsey Graham literally said we have to get these tax cuts through to make our donors happy. The same time that 44 of americans had 400 in their pockets. If they had an emergency. We pay more for Prescription Drugs than any country in the world. We have very little to show for it. How is it that cosco can negotiate prechristian Prescription Drug prices but not allowed for the federal government . There are a lot of Oil Companies doing well. The republican is now the only Major Political party in the world that doesnt acknowledge Climate Change is real. Turns we are going to around and say how is it that washington cant get things done anymore . How is it that we cannot bridge divides, everything will be more challenging. I have seen it done. We did it in montana. In parttorney general with your former general mike delaney, who is always nice to see. When Citizens United came up, it was a case that said money is speech and corporations have the same rights as people. Down, everyse came single state in the country said game over. There is nothing we can do. Democrats controlled both the house, senate, and presidency. They didnt do a thing. History of this dark wealthy copper kings who controlled every local state and federal election. To the point where it was recognized outside of montana. Mark twain talked about William Clark and said, clark buys politicians like most people buy food. Corruption swells smells sweet now in montana. And it was. Isular folks said enough enough and pass the corrupt act of 1912. It said they could spend or contribute in our elections. We have some of the lowest contribution limits in the nation. People talking to people, not how much money is going to be spent on the outside. Citizens united came up and said, i knew i had to do something. The first case went to the supreme court. We had testimony from former Republican Office holders. We lost on a 54 vote which taught me a few things. Dont doubt what one justice can do on hugh hassett rheem court. Challenge much of the that we have and you have to find another way. I went back to my legislature and we pass this law that said 90 days out from elections, i dont care if you call yourself americans for a miracle or whatever it is, you have to disclose all of the money you are spending in the elections. , americans for koch fundedthe program, they sent the mailers and it even made it to my house. My kids thought it and said, are you that much of a creep . On date 90 it stopped. If we can stop them they are, we could stop them across the country. We have two find a way that peoples voices are heard. Idea d out this crazy lets imagine you elect someone to the u. S. Senate. How about having him or her do the job half the time . Meaning for the first three years of their term, they cant be focused on raising money or they cant be focused on reelection. , an the senate came out congressman spent 1. 5 million hours raising money. How would the first three years . F the term be spent listening to constituents or doing Committee Work or building relationships and sometimes relationships on the others of the aisle. We have to get to a point where people do believe d. C. Can work. I think selfserving lee, i will acknowledge that maybe the way to do that is to do somebody get somebody from outside of d. C. Because d. C. Has become a place where talking has become a substitute for doing, or wasnt that a great speech along the way . A place where in 20 years they havent balanced a budget on time